Sahrah: Well, finally, school's out, so maybe I can update twice a month! Or, um, three times every five weeks… or, um, two in six, or uh… More often, okay!?
Editor: ((sigh)) Sahrah-chan doesn't own the music (this chapter's song belongs to Flyleaf) anything else besides Raine and the plotline. Yuna's Point of View
Sahrah: There's a plotline!?
Chapter 7: All Around You
The day after our trip to Kilika was a rainy one. Tidus had gone to the library to study for finals, and I was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables for dinner. Someone knocked on the door, so I wiped my hands on a dishrag and answered it.
Ray stood at the door, looking both miserable and livid at the same time. He was trembling, from anger, and in his clenched hand, he held a big kitchen knife.
"R-Ray," I could barely stammer. I knew he was a killer. I had known all along. And I was scared. "Ray, put the knife down—"
"I warned you, Yuna. I warned you and I warned Watanuki. I warned you both. And, now, I've finally lost my patience. I am tired of waiting, Yuna!" he snarled my name between his teeth, and then lunged at me, barely missing.
"Get a hold of yourself!" I tried to reason with him. But no one can reason with a madman.
"I'VE GOT A HOLD OF MYSELF!" he bellowed, lunging again, slashing part of my arm as I bolted past him into the hallway.
"HELP!" I screamed as I ran from him. I tried every door along the way; all of them were locked. Ray was gaining on me. Finally, a door opened! But I looked; it was a utility closet. As I turned to try and keep running, an angry, violent foot shoved me into the closet where I crashed into a stack of mops and brooms. I saw him glaring at me with vicious eyes as I leapt for the door, only to fall against it.
"Let me out!" I wailed fruitlessly. "Let me out of here!"
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," I heard him state coldly. I kicked the door; it wouldn't budge.
"RAY! LET ME OUT OF HERE! LET ME OUT!" I screamed and kicked and pounded that door until finally, I sank into an exhausted fetal position, crying away what little energy remained. Eventually, I passed out.
Tidus's Point of View
I had come home from the library with my arms full of books. Sadly, I later was forced to pay a handsome fee on the damage of these books, because as I walked into the apartment, they fell from my arms with a deafening clatter. Ray sat calmly on my couch, twirling a butcher knife on his left hand.
"Tidus," he greeted me.
"Where is Yuna?" I whispered gravely.
"Aren't you glad to see me?"
"WHERE THE HELL IS YUNA!?" I cried angrily.
"Where indeed…" Ray mused.
"You son-of-a-bitch! Where is she!?" Ray stood up slowly.
"She ran faster than I figured she would," he said.
"Wh-what?"
"Sadly, though, the only path she found open was actually a dead end… a utility closet. Where she is now, though… I'll let you know if you're willing to play a little game. A challenge, if you will."
My temper flared and I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"Don't you fuck with me, you bastard! Where is Yuna!?" I snarled in his face. He remained blasé.
"Kill me if you want," he shrugged. "But if you do, you'll never find your girl."
I glared at him, waves of fury coming off of me as I released him slowly. "What's the challenge?" I asked numbly.
"Think of it as a scavenger hunt," Ray enthused. "I've got the first clue in this bag right here. Once you acquire all the pieces, I'll call your cell phone from Yuna's phone. Hold onto the clues, though, because you never know when you'll need them…"
"Why don't you start making some sense?" I snarled.
"Now for the rules," he continued. "The first rule is that you can't call the police, the dean of the school, or any other person who can arrest or expel another. If you do, I will kill Yuna. The second rule is that you may seek help from all of your friends, but only four may accompany you to the final destination. If you break this rule, I will kill Yuna. These are the only two rules. Besides that, it's all up to you."
I bit my bottom lip. "Give me the first item." Ray held out the bag.
Inside was the long braid that in any other circumstance I'd be delighted to see. The braid, which normally adorned Yuna's head, had been severed from the rest of her.
"Oh, one more rule! You have thirty hours to complete this." Ray then left the room. And I had no choice but to let him.
Yuna's Point of View
I woke up in a dark room, at which point several things became apparent. The first two things were that I was tied to a hard chair, probably wood or plastic, and that there was a blindfold over my eyes. Another thing I noticed was that my long braid was gone. I noticed this because my fingers were free and I could wiggle them enough to know. I had been considering cutting it off, but that was just plain rude.
I heard a door nearby open, and then shut. Hands too dainty to be Ray's or Tidus's removed the blindfold, and I was then face to face with a beautiful blonde girl with enticing periwinkle eyes. She had an odd sort of half smile, and she didn't look like she was helping me. Oh, no. Her alluring eyes gave me the feeling that something very bad was about to happen.
"Erm… uh… hi?" I asked stupidly.
She nodded. "Hello, Yuna. Did you have a nice nap?"
"Eh…" I shrugged. Talk about awkward.
"Huh. In any case, my name is Marza, and I am Ray's older sister." I rolled my eyes; how much more unlucky could my situation get?
"Well, seeing as how you already know my name, let's stop the chitchat. Are you here to help me or not?"
Marza raised an eyebrow. "My intentions, Miss Lesca, are to help my brother either kill or dismember a certain Tidus Watanuki and whoever else your boyfriend asks for help, and then I intend to leave my brother to do as he likes with you, because I will have paid him back the favor I owe him. I take absolutely no pleasure in this, and if it were up to me, Ray would be in jail and you and Tidus could be happy doing whatever. Seeing as this is not the case, I am not here to help you, and I am not going to be merciful in performing whatever task my brother chooses for me."
I shrugged. "Fair enough. Would you be so kind as to explain WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"
"My brother had planned on killing your art professor, but instead has devised a rather interesting sort of scavenger hunt for Tidus Watanuki. The first clue, I apologize, was your braid. The next clue he will have to find is the pearl bracelet that Rikku Derinko gave to you for your birthday last year. Each clue has a connection between you and one of your friends. No doubt he will soon figure this out.
"All the clues have one letter somewhere in or on them. Once all the clues have been acquired, they can be rearranged to say "warehouse" at which point someone will have to realize there's a warehouse three miles from the school that is actually owned by my family. Consequently, the warehouse has been set up by as a big maze that is thick with booby traps; you'd think it was a video game."
I narrowed my eyes. "You can't win a game very well with just one life."
Marza looked sad. "Generally not. In any case, if he is still alive when he gets to the end, you go free, and my brother goes away."
"There is no way to prove that Ray will keep up his end of the bargain."
The blonde girl smiled very briefly. "If he does not keep his end of the bargain he's made with you, I will simply be forced to break mine with him. And if that happens, he won't have a choice but to let you go."
"May I ask what the deal you made with him is?" I asked.
Her smile vanished and her eyes turned cold. "Under no circumstances."
"Well… what happens if Tidus does… fail? I mean, I have complete faith in him, but that doesn't mean the slightest possibility… er… well—"
"If Tidus dies or fails to complete the task within the given time period, then Raymond will go far away and take you with him."
"Oh yeah?" I was angry now. "Didn't he consider that I'd fight back?"
"He has a gun trained on you with every move you make, Yuna."
"How's that?"
Marza didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out a handgun, looking sadder than before. "Because, much like you, I am a gunner."
Tidus's Point of View
"LULU, WAKKA, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM." I didn't waste any time calling my friends. Even someone like myself, who prefers not to involve others… well, I could recognize when help was necessary. Rikku and Gippal were at a practice (remember, they ended up getting the lead roles in the Phantom of the Opera from a few months back). Shu was picking up Emma from daycare, and Lenne was with Lulu. Paine was at a summer class, learning about some kind of brain surgery thing, and would be back in somewhere near fifteen minutes. Raine and Squall (who were quite possibly the components of the weirdest couple I could think of) were in Raine's dorm doing Yevon-knows-what (I'd have Lenne call them tactfully).
Baralai, of course, was two hours away working in a coffee shop in Bevelle. He would be coming to stay with the rest of the gang for the summer, arriving next week, but I'd have to call him immediately.
So, all my friends who were far too at ease with the constant drama in our lives, were not very startled when I burst in screaming. Lulu, being a quick judge of character, read my eyes and could see it wasn't the everyday crisis. No, Lulu's light brown (almost red) eyes scanned me quickly, and she knew.
"Where's Yuna?" she asked immediately.
"Ray has her," I answered stiffly. Wakka, who was in the adjoined kitchen, stuck his head out.
"How're we gonna get her back?" he inquired.
"A game," I hissed, dropping Yuna's braid onto the coffee table Lulu and Lenne were sitting in front of. Lenne clapped her hands to her face, and Lulu reached out to touch it gingerly. Wakka dropped the bowl of popcorn he'd been carrying.
"G-game?" Lenne whispered. "What do you mean, a game?"
"He told me it's a scavenger hunt. Every clue leads to the next, until the last one leads to wherever he's keeping Yuna. We navigate wherever that is, and then we get her back. Calling the police or bringing more than four others to the final location will result in her death. If it's not finished in thirty-six hours, he takes Yuna and no one ever sees either of them again."
"So let's start," Lulu said quietly.
"How?"
At that moment, Rikku and Gippal came in, with Paine in tow. Paine had a cup of coffee in her hand. Ten minutes after, Shuyin came in carrying a sleeping Emma.
And so I told everyone my story about how to save Yuna. But, as no one expected, Emma was the one who helped most.
She picked up Yuna's braid and began to unravel the ribbon. Lenne absently leaned down to stop her child, Emma looked right at me and said, "words."
"Huh?" Paine looked at the little girl's hands.
"Uncle Tidus! What are these words?" And, to be sure, I looked, too. On the opposite side of the ribbon, in handwriting that was easy to read but I didn't recognize, was a long series of words. Almost instantly, Paine's quiet and exacting fingers were unraveling the ribbon at an alarming rate until she'd reached the end as Emma smiled obliviously at everyone.
"What does it say?" asked Rikku tentatively. Paine smoothed the ribbon out between her hands and read out loud, her voice more husky and rough than normal.
"Dear Diary. Books are fun, books are great, books I've had since before age eight! Search far, search wide, but don't forget to look up!"
Paine glanced up at everyone, tightening a fist around the long red ribbon. I looked at Gippal, who looked at Lulu, who looked at Wakka, who looked at Lenne, who shrugged. Then Rikku gasped loudly.
"Don't you remember when we were moving Yunie's stuff from her dad's house to Tidus and Shuyin's house!? Those books she grabbed from her old room! Where are they!? Tidus?"
I remembered that, suddenly, the memory piercing like a lighting bolt.
Yuna stood looking wistfully at her bare ex-bedroom, holding a bunch of books in her arms.
"What books are you reading?" I asked, coming up behind her. "Let's see… Dr. Seuss… Berenstein Bears… Yuna, aren't these a little young for you?"
"My mother gave them to me," she said placidly. "I'll never leave them. Same as my moogle here, see? My dad brought it for me the night I was born."
I put a hand on Yuna's shoulder. I didn't say anything. I knew what it was like to lose your mother. Finding comfort in any item you could find, just hoping that these items would bring her back. Clinging to everything she ever had. And when the pain of 'she's never coming back' fades… you still cling to those items, even if you forget exactly why you cling to them.
"That's right! She did have those books when we moved!" Shuyin exclaimed, remembering briefly the childish books clutched in Yuna's arms, along with her moogle doll.
"Where are they?" asked Gippal.
"…Somewhere in my room!" I answered, thinking very hard, for that memory came slower, like looking at a blurry television.
"Can you remember anything specific?" asked Lulu.
"It's in the bedroom."
Rikku, Lulu, and Paine bolted for my dorm apartment, tearing into the bedroom. The drawers were raided, the closet was stripped, and Rikku crawled under the bed.
"He said to 'look up,'" Paine mused, glancing around. Her crimson eyes shot over to the tall dresser that at one point, Yuna just 'had to have' so we bought it. On the very top of it, she noticed, was a small box. She called Rikku over and lifted the blonde. Rikku snatched the box, and Paine lowered her back down.
Inside the box were the children's books that Yuna cherished so dearly, along with a white letter. I picked it up with shaking hands and opened it, letting the envelope fall to the floor, torn gracelessly. The letter was read out loud by Lulu.
"Can you remember that Christmas past, in the land of snow where nothing lasts? That icy place where spirits are free, but all we really did was ski. A present to show your adoration, although you have watch."
Rikku shook her head. "Umm, 'you have watch'? Grammar police! Maybe he means that movie we watched the first time we went to Paine's winter house together?"
Gippal bit his lip. "Why would he have mentioned the holidays, then? And he referred to a gift… T, what did Yuna give you that year?"
I lifted my right arm to scratch my head, thinking. Let's see… she gave me…
"That watch!" screamed Lenne suddenly, pointing at my raised wrist. "That silver watch! She gave you that watch, and you gave her a gold locket!"
"Right!" Rikku exclaimed. "And she kept it in her jewelry box, which I borrowed and forgot to give back… so it's in my room! Hey, wait, how the hell did he get into my room?" She shuddered, but bounded into her own room anyway and returned with the heart-shaped locket in her hands. Rikku popped it open.
The picture of Yuna and me that had been inside the necklace seemed to be replaced with a picture of a bulls-eye target.
"Her guns?" supplied Wakka. Paine went to the closet, where my favorite gunner kept her weaponry. Inside of the storage box was another letter, this one with a blue envelope. I opened it.
"A phone number," Shuyin remarked.
"So… call it!" Rikku declared.
"Okay…" I took my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed as quickly as I could. The phone rang three times before a young woman answered it.
"Tidus." The woman was not Yuna, but she seemed to know exactly what to expect. Did Ray have an accomplice?
"Yes. Is this the next clue?"
"It is," the woman said. "My name is Marza. I am Ray's sister. I have Yuna here with me. I want to explain to you a few things before you panic. Yuna is perfectly safe; she has not and will not receive any drugs. You may speak to her for exactly two minutes if you wish to make a promise or say a last goodbye.
"Also, you have twenty-eight hours remaining to rescue Yuna Lesca. The easy part is over. I advise you to bring Yuna's guns along to the rest of your locations, as my brother has hired a team of people that are more than willing to kill because they are bored, because they can, or because it pays the bills. Any person you bring along should be armed. Also, since you will be leaving the school facility, you are now required to leave two of your friends in the school. This will leave you with a total of eight people."
I interrupted. "That will leave us with six, actually."
"Did you call on Raine Austre or Squall Leonhart? You have half an hour before that option is spent."
"Can you excuse me, please?"
"Certainly."
I turned to my friends. "Someone call Raine and her boyfriend!" I hissed. Instantly, Lulu's phone was out and calling our other friend's number.
"May I speak to Yuna before you continue?" For some reason, I felt completely possessed to be polite to the girl on the other end of the phone. She was holding my girlfriend captive, and very possibly stood on the line between Yuna's death and Yuna's survival, but I was compelled to say 'please' and 'thank you' and 'excuse me' for reasons I didn't understand myself.
"T-Tidus?" I heard Yuna's voice. She sounded worried, but not really scared.
"Yuna!" I said, overjoyed to hear her sweet words. She was alive.
"I'm okay, Tidus, really. Marza's nice, and she's only helping Ray because he did something for her or whatever. I can't help but believe her. But… please… don't give up. I… I don't want to stay here! She's a gunner, too, and is completely obedient to Ray! I want to go home…!" Yuna's breath caught in her throat as she pressed down a sob. So she was scared.
"Don't worry, Yuna. I'm coming. Just hold on." I head some shuffling around before Marza's voice reached me again.
"You should leave the locket and the ribbon, as well as the books. You won't need them. Your friend Baralai can be called, but since he won't be permitted to come later on, you might want to think very hard about whether or not you involve him. Keep in mind all of your friend's separate skills and family situations when making your choice. In case you were not aware, Raine Austre is an excellent martial artist and swordswoman, and Squall Leonhart wields a unique weapon called a Gunblade, which can act as a sword and a gun. He is an excellent fighter. Please think very hard. Your next clue is, 'Happy Halloween. It's very orange when angels dance.' I will be in contact with you, Tidus."
I closed the phone and repeated the clue. Raine arrived with her boyfriend in tow.
"Halloween? Orange? Are you talking about Tedward?" asked Raine curiously.
"What are you saying?" snorted Squall, looking skeptical.
"Tedward was the biggest pumpkin we could find. I named him, but Yuna, Rikku, and Paine went to pick him out. And for Halloween, Yuna dressed as an angel," explained the freshman, using her hands to illustrate needlessly.
"So the banquet hall, then?" asked Lulu.
"No," said Paine. "The woman said that the next place was off school grounds. The only other pumpkin-related place was at the farm where we got the pumpkin, and since it's off school grounds, that's got to be it."
"But we don't know what we're looking for there!" exclaimed Lenne.
"I'm sure it will become apparent quickly," answered Paine. "Any case, Shuyin and Lenne are not coming with us to the farm."
Shuyin jumped up from his seat on the bed. "What? Yuna's my… she's my sister! Of course I'm going!"
"What will you do if you get injured? What if you die? What if Lenne gets hurt or dies? You two have a young daughter. Your most important job is being parents. Understood? You stay here."
If there were anyone in all of Spira that you can trust to apply logic to a bad situation, it would have to be Paine.
"Would you leave your wife and child alone in the world?" added the warrior cruelly. Shuyin dropped his gaze, sitting back on the bed, defeated.
"I hate to take control of the situation like this," Paine continued (liar, you have no problem assuming control), "but I'm going to say this once, and not again. Tidus, Raine, Squall, Rikku, Gippal, Lulu, Wakka, and myself will be coming. I will be bringing my sword; Tidus will bring his sword and Yuna's guns. Raine, I hear you're handy with a sword."
"Katana, actually, but yeah," Rae spoke timidly.
"Fine. Squall, you have a Gunblade, which you will bring. Rikku, your knives. Gippal, your gun. Lulu, you've got your magic. Wakka, what will you bring?"
Wakka spoke. "I have a Blitzball, ya? It has spikes on it! Hate to get hit with that thing, ya?"
Paine nodded. "Then get whatever you need and meet in the parking lot. Rikku's van can fit all of us easily."
I nodded, going back into my closet as my friends left hurriedly. My eyes fell on my sword. The almost-glowing light blue blade seemed to thirst for excitement after a long time of hitting dummies and targets. I gripped the handle firmly and shoved Yuna's guns into my belt. The sword, Brotherhood, was lifted, and I walked out of the dorm slowly.
My hands are searching for you
my arms are outstretched towards you
I feel you on my fingertips
my tongue dances behind my lips for you
"I'm coming, Yuna," I promised to her. "Don't worry."
This fire rising through my being
burning I'm not used to seeing you
I raced out to the parking lot and hopped into the passenger seat. Everyone found his or her seat silently and quickly, and Rikku started the car. Even Rikku was silent to the bone.
I'm alive, I'm alive
Except, of course, her heart, which was not silent. In fact, it was pounding against her ribs. I'm sure that mine was, too.
I can feel you all around me
thickening the air I'm breathing
Finally, the farm pulled into sight. Rikku parked hastily and we all hopped out, being cautious and wary of everything.
"Rikku," I whispered. "Where exactly did you find the pumpkin you're talking about?"
"It was on the other side of this building," she whispered back, moving towards a small kind of barn. Since it was late June, there weren't any pumpkins, but there were empty bins that, during the day, would be filled with apples and other in-season fruits. We crept around the dusty wooden walls. Rikku pointed to an empty table that was just visible in the receding sunlight.
Holding on to what I'm feeling
savoring this heart that's healing
"Cover me," I ordered, walking bravely to the table, Brotherhood held firmly in one hand. On the table was another note.
My hands float up above me
and you whisper you love me
and I begin to fade
into our secret place
I read it. "Just two more things before the prince can help his princess. All these things are matters of her life. The hair for her body, the books for her thoughts, the locket for her heart, the guns for her fiery spirit. Of course the pumpkin coach to take the princess to the ball, where her prince waits, not expecting what's coming next. A fairy tale, indeed, good sir! Then she's locked away, with no one to help her but mice. If you are the prince, good sir, then who are the mice? Your friends, of course, what else could it be? But as mice, good sir, you must be wary, as mice tend to fall into a trap."
My friends all glanced at each other. Then I heard it. I wasn't sure if any of the others heard it, but I'm sure that I did.
The music makes me sway
the angels singing say we are alone with you
I am alone and they are too with you
I heard a twig snap somewhere nearby.
"GET DOWN!" I bellowed, just in the nick of time. A gunshot rang out and a bullet embedded itself into the wall of the barn a mere three inches above Gippal's head. Another one just grazed Lulu's cheek. She gasped, startled, and became angry.
When was the last time I mentioned how bad it is to piss off a black mage? I think too long ago, so I'll do it again. It's an absolutely awful idea to piss off a black mage.
"FIRA!" she shouted, waving an arm gracefully in the direction where the shooting came from. The small underbrush caught fire instantly, revealing at least twenty people wearing black. Several of them caught fire and ran off screaming, rolling on the ground to douse the flames.
The area now light enough to attack, Rikku and Paine moved first, their sharp weaponry out and eager to fight.
I'm alive, I'm alive
"Hyah!" Rikku grunted with effort, slicing in a spiral with her duel knives, the expert thief skills that she'd been trained diligently with. She hit the vitals of two or three guys surrounding her, not enough to kill, but more than enough to take them out for at least an hour.
Paine gripped her sword with two hands and dragged it through the air, damaging her enemies while repelling bullets. The two women moved so quickly, I almost forgot to act. Almost.
Gippal reacted next, taking out his large laser gun and firing. He later told me that since he had no desire to kill, his laser was more of a stun gun. Wakka threw his sharp Blitzball fiercely, as if trying to get past the goalie of the toughest team in the league.
I can feel you all around me
thickening the air I'm breathing
holding on to what I'm feeling
savoring this heart that's healing
Lulu stood back and cast magick as Raine leapt into the fray, her sword like flashes of light in pitch darkness, brilliant when there, but gone so suddenly it hurt your eyes.
A gun went off next to me, coming from Squall, who shot several enemies and then ran forward with his curious weapon ready.
So then it was my turn. I gripped my sword with two hands and thrust it forward, knocking out four enemies.
I'm not going to say it was an easy fight, because its possible there had never been a more difficult one in my life as of that moment. The enemies were skilled, all armed with guns or swords.
In fact, it's possible that Raine would be dead currently if Squall hadn't moved so quickly, faster than most people can move. That's love for you, I guess.
And so I cry
the light is white
and I see you
Paine swung and missed one guy as he leapt behind her, whacking her in the back of the head. A gun screamed it's terrible song and the guy fell. Gippal hadn't fired the shot; he was kicking the crap out of some other guy that ripped Gippal's shirt wide open. It wasn't Squall; he was utilizing the blade of his weapon, fighting back to back with Rikku. It hadn't been me; I hadn't used either of Yuna's shotguns.
I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive
As it turned out, it was Baralai.
"Baralai!" Lulu exclaimed as she electrocuted two attackers and dodged a third.
"Lenne called me," he explained as he shot the guy that Lulu had dodged.
"Nice timing," commended Squall.
"Thanks," the silver-haired man said as he whirled around.
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "How many of these guys are there?"
But, eventually, the woods were silent. A quick Water spell doused the flames, and weapons were sheathed. All the enemies were still alive, and Baralai had luckily brought a huge coil of rope, which we used to bind them all to trees.
"What the hell were you doing with all that rope?" exclaimed Paine as she greeted her boyfriend with skepticism in her red eyes.
"I was going to tie you up and tickle you," he answered promptly. "But seriously? I figured we might need it."
"Quick thinkers are the last to fall," said a cool and familiar voice. "It's fortunate." Marza.
"Marza?" I asked carefully.
"That is I." I turned around. Walking slowly out of the barn was a pretty blonde woman wearing an off-white sleeveless sweater, light blue jeans, and black boots. She wore a leather belt with twin guns tucked nearly into holsters.
She had her short hair pulled into a loose ponytail, and her eyes were sad.
I can feel you all around me
thickening the air I'm breathing
holding on to what I'm feeling
savoring this heart that's healing
"The mice evade the trap and then they get the key," she spoke stiffly. "But then the cat jumps in and the mice have much trouble helping the princess in the tower."
"Why're you talking like that?" Raine asked rudely.
"Because I'm the cat," Marza spoke stiffly. "I'm challenging Tidus to a duel. Guns only. Do not shoot to kill. If you win, I'll lead you to the place where Yuna is. If I win, four people have to go home right away, and you will lose ten hours of time. You currently have twenty three hours left."
I was about to accept, when Squall stepped forward. "That's unfair."
She blinked. "Oh yes?"
"You are an expert gunner, are you not? Tidus is a swordsman. He does not handle guns. This is an unfair advantage, and I want to fight in his place."
I glared at him. "Look, Yuna is my—"
"You will not be able to go on and you know it. Someone who's never used a gun can't expect to beat someone who's highly trained. Let me do it. To use my weapon, I have good training for swords and guns. Give me Yuna's guns."
My gaze softened. He was right, of course. I'd never used gun, and Yuna had warned me—she's a gunner.
"Squall Leonhart is permitted to act as your substitute, Tidus," Marza said calmly.
Wordlessly, I gave him my guns. He removed his leather jacket, which Raine picked up and hugged to herself, out of fear for her boyfriend.
Take my hand
I give it to you
now you owe me
all I am
you said you would never leave me
I believe you
I believe
He held out his right hand, and she shook it firmly.
"I always fight fairly," Marza told him. "I won't hold back."
"Neither will I."
"May the best gunner win."
"Yeah." Squall raised one of the handguns to eye level and held one to his side. Marza took a similar stance.
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I breathe in
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healed
In the story of Cinderella, where the references were coming from, the barnyard dog ends up chasing off the cat. With luck, it could end that way.
So, the mice's last hope took on the sly, quick, and lethal cat.
Sahrah: Cliffie! Muahahaha. Well, I wrote the longest chapter this fic has seen as of yet! Twenty-two and a half pages! I'm awesome!
Editor: That may be one of the best cliffhangers I've seen in a while.
Sahrah: Pssh, that's nothing. Wait until you see next chapter! Man, when I'm free of writer's block, the words flow forever. And just so you all know, the next few chapters will probably have Flyleaf lyrics, since they're my most recent music obsession.
Editor: Please keep in mind that starting next month, this story will update twice a month until completion. If you haven't already, please review!
