Pure Heart: Hello again! Heyas, people, did you like last chapter? Well, wait till you read this chappie!!! Jeremiah's BACK! Woohoo! Angst time! WARNING: Will use a little bad language.
Oh yeah, what I call a month is a "SEASON". There are four in the game, and you're pregnant for two, so that's Sunny's timescale as well. X)
Disclaimer: Hey! I so totally own this game! Yeah! It's MINE!!! gets tasered YOWWWWWWWW!!! Ok, iz nahmine…
Under a Harvest Moon
Dying Slowly
Cliff stared in horror as Jeremiah rolled Sunny's head, clicking his tongue. "Sunleia's been a bad girl. You shouldn't have given the cops info on me, you little brat." Pulling of her sleeve gag, he traced her cheek lightly, causing her to shiver. "You were naughty. This is your punishment." He smacked her across the face, throwing her into a table. As everyone cried out and Gray and Cliff moved towards him, he grabbed her hair and yanked her up by it, making her scream in pain. The two boys froze.
"Let her go!" Cliff cried, rage coursing through him. He clenched his fists, his ring on his left hand flashing.
Jeremiah's eye caught on the ring. "Oh my, you're wearing a ring like Sunleia's. Exact same color, exact same band…" His grin faded, and he glared at his daughter. "You little… you got married? WITHOUT my permission!?"
Sunny glared right back. "So what if I did? You have no right to govern what I do!" Then she gasped as Jeremiah smacked her again.
"You little SLUT!" He yelled in her face, causing her to flinch back. Her eyes filled with tears as the man socked her again and again. "You are a SLUT, Sunleia, that's all you are! A worthless WHORE!"
"Shut up!" Cliff yelled. "As if you can talk, you big ape! Beating up a little girl, and now you're hurting her again!"
"She's MY kid. I can do what I want." He threw her against a table. "Even kill her, if I wanted to!"
May squeaked, and Jeremiah dragged her from her hiding place under the table. As Ellie restrained Stu, and Barley leaned on Saibara, he laughed. "Aw, look at the scared little mousie, spyin' on us. Guess what mousie? I'm the cat!" He dropped May and kicked out at her as Barley yelled.
Sunny choked as the foot connected solidly with the small of her back. She had wrenched herself out of Jeremiah's grip, slipping her wrists out of the tied shirt sleeve, and wrapped herself around May, using her own body as a shield for the little girl. Gasping for breath, she staggered up in front of May. "No." she hissed, anger burning in her eyes. "You won't hurt anyone other than me. No one else."
Jeremiah shrugged. "Alright. Give the girl back to her old man. But be warned, one wrong move, and I'll fling this knife into someone's back."
Sunny lifted the sobbing May and staggered through the now wrecked pub. She swayed as she walked, and Cliff could tell she was losing her energy. Stopping beside Barley, she put May into his arms, feeling her father's eyes drilling holes in her back. She flinched as Barley hugged her, then looked at Cliff. "Save me…" she whispered.
"Sunny…" Cliff started, then cried out as Jeremiah grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her back. Twisting her head so her chin was raised, he grinned. "I want some food. This is a bar, and little Sunleia LOOKS well-fed, so there must be food. AND I want to have a room to sleep in safely."
Doug glared, but nodded slowly. He lifted a room key and led him to the stairs. "Now, I'll need a server." Cliff stepped forward silently. "Oh, not you, kid. You so obviously want to be near Sunleia, I think I'll keep you two separate. You," he pointed at Mary, "will serve me."
Gray placed his whole body in front of Mary's, shielding her. "No."
Jeremiah laughed. "If you don't listen, I can just kill her here and now." He pressed the blade against Sunny's throat, causing a red line to appear and the girl to whimper. It was a pathetic sound, and it only made Gray angrier.
Mary pushed out from behind Gray. "…okay. I'll serve you." She said softly as Anna and Basil gasped and Gray whispered, "No!"
Jeremiah grinned at the blackette. "Good. Bring me up some food." He began to leave, dragging the blonde with him. Cliff and Kai blocked his way. "Move, kiddos."
"Leave her here." Kai hissed.
The blonde laughed. "As IF! If I leave her, you'll call cops! Yeah right. She's comin' with me." He dragged her up the stairs, and the citizens heard him yell, "Stand up and WALK, whore!" There was a smack and a thud, then a low moan and footsteps.
Cliff groaned and swayed where he stood. The brunette wanted to vomit or cry, or maybe both. His pregnant wife was being held hostage by her abusive father. He was beating the snot out of her. And there was NOTHING he could do about it!! Bile rose up in his throat, and before he could stop himself, he staggered to a garbage can and threw up into it. As the others cried out, he wiped his mouth and looked at them.
Then the quiet, stoic brunette collapsed.
Ann screamed, and Gray raced over to his best friend. Lifting Cliff off the floor, the blonde boy looked into his friend's face. He was pale and shaking. Then he murmured something. Gray barely caught it. "Sunny…"
Holy cow! Cliff was making himself physically sick with worry over Sunny. And he had a right to. If this was how Jeremiah reacted to Sunny's marriage, imagine if he realized she was a month pregnant!
"Good Goddess!" Gray shouted, causing everyone to jump. Cliff looked up at him weakly as he leaned the brunette against a chair. "Doctor! What would happen if…" He whispered the rest, and as he did, Doctor went paler and paler until he could barely stand.
"Gray. Go get a Turbojolt and a Bodigizer from the Clinic. NOW." He threw the key to Gray, who took off into the storm after swiftly kissing Mary's cheek. Ellie looked at him as he sat down and groaned. "Doctor," Cliff said, struggling upright. "What's wrong?"
Doctor shook his head as Doug retutned. "Cliff…"
"What!?" Cliff staggered over to stand in front of Doctor as Gray sprinted back in, holding two bottles and soaking. (A/N: Wow that was fast!) "What's the matter!?"
Doctor looked up with sorrow, worry, and pain in his eyes. "Gray just made a very good point to me. Sunny is a little over a month pregnant, yes?" Cliff nodded, his horror growing. "Well, if her father keeps beating her like that, especially in the stomach…" He looked at the floor. "Sunny could easily be sent into labor and miscarry."
Everyone gasped, and Manna started to cry weakly. Duke held her to him. Popuri buried her face in Kai's shirt, while Mary let Gray wrap his arms around her. Won held Ann as she cried, and Karen curled against Rick, looking near tears. May and Stu hugged each other, Carter holding the children in his protective arms.
"That's not all, is it?" Everyone looked at Cliff as he spoke. Tears ringed his eyes, but he was totally focused on Doctor. "That's not all that's wrong, is it?"
Doctor bit his lip. "…No, it's not. As you can obviously tell, Cliff, Sunny's in bad shape. I'm afraid that, judging by her condition, if she miscarries without my help…. she'll die as well."
Silence. Then Cliff punched the wall, causing everyone to jump again. Blood spurted from between his fingers, he was clenching his palms so hard. Tears spilled out of his eyes even as fire burned in the brown irises. "Darnit! Sunny can't… I won't let her… NO!"
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Gray and Cliff waited for Mary at the bottom of the steps. They listened warily to the sounds from the floor above. There was muffled talking, and some cries. Suddenly a shriek rang out. "MARY! DUCK!" There was a crash, a muffled cry, and a bang. "RUN!" Another bang sounded, footsteps, and a man's yell, "SUNLEIA, YOU BITCH!!!" Then Mary came sprinting down the steps, a scared look on her face. She barreled into Gray, almost knocking him over. She clung to him as he put his arms around her. "Mary?! What did that man do?!"
"H-he tried to hit me, because I st-stared at S-Sunny too long." She clung to Gray as she began to cry. "S-Sunny jumped in the way at the last moment and took the punch in the stomach. He knocked the breath out of her, but she screamed at me to run."
"Why'd you stare at Sunny?" Cliff asked dully.
"Sh-she was chained up, tied to a table by her wrists. She pulled the table over to get in front of m-me. She yelled for me to run, so I l-left." She buried her face in Gray's shirt. "Sh-she was panting really hard when I came in. Sh-she's in tr-trouble!"
Cliff patted Mary's shoulder. "It's okay, Mary. There was nothing you could do. There's nothing any of us can do." He leaned against the wall. He'd never felt so…helpless.
Gray realized it was silent. "Shhhh…" They all listened closely.
Cassie barreled into Cliff's legs, causing him to hiss and look down. There was a piece of paper in her mouth. Cliff took it and unfolded it. In scattered, almost childish writing, it read:
Cliff
Hes asleep. Got drunk and passed out.
I cant move. Tied me to table harder tighter.
Feel sick and dizzy. Cant breathe well.
Help
Sunny
Cliff passed the note to Gray and Kai. Kai swore under his breath, and Gray ground his teeth together. "We have to get her this medicine. Now."
Cliff took the two bottles and tucked them into his pocket. "I'll do it. I'm sneaking in and freeing her, NOW." He looked around. "The storm is over. Go home. Lock your doors. I'll take Sunny home, and call the police. Please…"
Gray took Mary's hand. "We're staying here to help, Cliff."
"But-"
"No buts, Cliff." Mary cut in, a new, foriegn sense of authority in her voice causing everyone to stare. "Sunny's our friend. We are NOT going home and leaving her here with a homocidal maniac. Friends don't ditch friends, Cliff."
"Yeah." Popuri stood bravely by Kai. She smiled dazzlingly. "We're going to save her."
"Together." Ann chimed in.
"No matter what." Karen smiled.
Cliff looked around as one by one the Mineral Town residents offered their help and love for his small family. The brunette boy blinked, then looked at his feet, trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears. "Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much," he choked out. Then he turned, and composing himself, walked up the stairs quietly.
He could hear the drunken snores from the stairwell. Creeping down the hall, and avoiding that one creaky floorboard, he pressed an ear to the door. Nothing but the loud drunk snoring. He twisted the knob and quietly let himself in.
The room looked as if a tornado had swept through. Chairs were on their sides on the floor, one broken. Trash, bottles, and half-eaten food were scattered along the floor. A sour, acrid smell burned his nose as he moved inside. Jeremiah Manzanas himself was sprawled on a bed, a half-empty beer bottle still clutched in his left hand. The blonde man's chest rose and fell in rhythm with his drunken snores.
Sunny was in the corner, head lowered so Cliff couldn't see her face. He walked as quietly and fast as he could to the broken girl. Putting a hand softly on her shoulder, he felt her flinch. "Sunny." He whispered, as low as he voice could go.
Sunny lifted her head slowly, and it was all Cliff could do to keep from gasping in horror. Bruises covered every inch of her exposed skin. Her right eye was blackened, and her neck was covered in little red slashes. Her shirt (which, as you recall, had already had the sleeves torn off) had been ripped even more, exposing her collarbone and left shoulder. Both were a mass of bruises. Her overalls' legs had been slashed off, and her legs had darkening bruises as well.
She looked up at him with a little glimmer in her eyes. "I knew you'd come…" She leaned into him, and Cliff saw that her hands were tied, her slim wrists secured by a strong, rough rope that was rubbing her skin. Her breath was shallow and quick, and every few seconds she'd cough roughly. She swayed, and seemed disoriented.
"How do you feel?" Cliff asked softly.
Sunny grinned weakly. "Like I'm dying slowly." She coughed again. "Don't go over there," she nodded to the corner the sour smell was coming from. "I threw up."
Cliff took out the two bottles and held the Turbojolt to Sunny's lips. "Drink," he commanded, and the blonde gulped it down, some spilling onto her chest. She downed the Bodigizer just as fast, almost choking as some went down the wrong tube. "Don't choke!" Cliff cried softly.
Sunny leaned into him, closing her eyes. "I feel a little better now." She mumbled.
"Let's get you out of here." Cliff pulled out his pocketknife and began sawing through the rope furiously. In five quick strokes the rope fell away. Cliff helped his wife up and guided her through the trash towards the door. Just before they reached it, the cat knocked a glass of the table by Jeremiah.
The blonde man shot awake-and saw the two children staring at him.
With a roar of rage, the ran sprang up and started searching for his knife. Cliff pulled Sunny downstairs and away, out the stairwell. As the residents formed a wall around Sunny and Cliff, Jeremiah skidded out of the stairwell. "What the HELL do you think you're doing, bitch?!" He screamed at his cowering daughter.
The girl flinched, then glared, stumbling out from behind Cliff to face her father. "Getting away from you, you bastard," she spat, causing Cliff to glance at her. He'd never heard Sunny cuss. Of course, this was her dad they were talking about.
"Shut the HELL up, Sunleia! You never should have been born!" The man weaved unsteadily, holding the knife in one hand. "YOU were the reason Malia died! She was killed saving your sorry ass in that wreck! YOU killed her!"
Cliff winced at the man's words. He could see everyone flinching at the harsh statement. Ouch, that oughtta hurt. He couldn't imagine being told it was his father his mother died.
Sunny stared back at him, the same glare he wore adorning her face. "No, Jerem." The man winced and hissed at the name she called him. "It wasn't my fault. If you hadn't been late to pick me up that day, Mama never would have come to get me, and there never would have been an accident. That's the past, Jerem. There's nothing you can do to change it. You can't blame me, you can only blame yourself- and fate."
"Shut UP!" The blonde man roared. Rearing back, he flung the knife with all his strength at one point. Cliff cried out, and all the people yelled and tried to intercept, but they were to slow.
And Sunny fell, aquamarine eyes wide, as the knife pierced her and blood spattered the night.
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Pure Heart: Hehhehheh! Oh, no! What happens now?! Where did Jeremiah hit Sunny? Will Sunny lose her life- or the life of her unborn baby? Will Cliff suffer even more heartbreak? Tune in later to find out!
NEWSFLASH: Bozo the Clown has claimed another 13 flamer "victims" in his black hole of a soul. When asked for a comment, his brother, Baka the Clown, quipped, "He's always did lie a baker's dozen of goodies."
By the way, AdaLeon, LOVE the 'cliffheingers' pun. XD Keep reading!
See y'alls later. If I get more than six new reviews, I'll type more! READ SaLU!! It's finally getting good!!