Pure Hearts

Ch.9

Nightmares

Gen's body screamed with pain. Every cell in his body shot with adrenaline, and rage. Seth lifted up his knife to strike again, as he was about to strike gen spun around with incredible agility, and speed grabbing Seth's arm and pinning it against his back. He pinned Seth's arm harder, and harder making Seth squeal, he was a loud crack. Seth screamed in pain as gen let go. Seth backed away cradling his broken arm. Zatch charged towards gen, raising his knife.

"You whelp! You think you can-"

Zatch didn't have time to dodge Gen's punch to his abdomen; he clutched his stomach gasping for breath. Gen kicked zatch to the ground. Gen pulled roughly on zatch's hair. Forcing zatch to look into his eyes, zatch's face went pale with terror.

"What, what the he-"

Gen through zatch into a muddy pile. The twins charged towards him, he quickly spun around grabbing both their faces, knocking their heads together they crumpled to the ground. Gen's fierce eyes flashed at zatch, full of anger and pain like a wounded wolf.

A low, deep growl erupted from Gen's throat as he spoke in a dark, sinister tone.

"Take your friends… and go, unless you're asking for a death wish that will be granted very quickly if you don't."

Zatch pushed himself out of the sticky mud, he ran over to his brother helping him cradle his arm. They both gave one last, fleeting look before fleeing down the street. Gen turned to face Marlene; small pools of blood had started to flow down the street. Warm blood steamed in the cool air on his arm and back. His breathing became labored as he walked towards her. Marlene gently placed his arm onto her shoulders to help him stand. She could feel his muscles strain from pain with every step they took; each step became more arduous for him to keep standing.

Gen's legs had begun to give; they were in front of a huge, majestic church. Marlene knew this church well, it had once belonged to her old friend aireth.

"Marlene… I can't… go on much longer."

"It's ok gen, just get inside the church, and then you can rest ok?"

Gen leg slipped beneath him, he started to crumble to the ground. Marlene finger's clung to his sleeve and his shirt desperately trying to get him to stand.

"Come on gen, it's not that much farther."

Gen legs shook from the strain, he shouted in pain as he forced himself to stand. Thunder began to rage in the skies, Marlene pushed open one of the church doors helping gen inside. There were rows upon rows of dark, brown, wooden, sitting benches. A pool barely glimmered in the light at the front of the church, covered with pedals of white and yellow flowers floating and the clean, pure, water's surface. A huge spot grew the same white and yellow flowers next to the pool.

Marlene half walked, half dragged gen over to one f the benches. He slid off her shoulders onto the bench. He groaned as Marlene began to tear his clothes away from the hot, sticky, bloody wounds on his arm and back. She reached into her light, blue bag. Pulling out a small, white box with a red cross painted on the cover. She grabbed white, soft bandage wrap from inside, along with scissors and a yellow powder. She pounded the powder onto Gen's torn flesh, and muscles. The flow of the blood slowed. The smell of sweat and blood bean to make her mind whirl, gen looked down at her. Drops of sweat dropped into his mouth as he tried to speak through labored breaths.

"Marlene… its ok… I'll be fine, just go."

"Not until I wrap up these wounds, and not until your well enough to at least walk back home."

A crash of thunder nearly blocked out her words, the rain started to pour down as she began to shiver from the cold. She soon finished patching up Gen's wounds. Gen stiffly pulled of his black, leather, solider coat wrapping it around Marlene, she started to resist, he gently put his fingers to her lips.

"You need it more than I do, you're cold… so don't try to tell me you're not."

"No it's just that… let's just share." She replied.

Marlene threw the coat over both of them; she desperately tried to crunch her legs up without falling off the bench. She blinked in surprise as gen gently wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, and gently coaxing her to lay her head down on his shoulder so she could stretch herself out on the bench.

"It's ok." He whispered "We're friends right, so we can be like this until the rain stops so we can head back."

Marlene reluctantly placed her head on his shoulder, her arm felt heat, rushing, and coursing through his clothes. She felt gen place his head back. Soon she closed her eyes to let sleep take her.

She stood within swirling, vaporous mist, the mist curled through her fingers and hair. She saw a dark shape heading towards her through the mist. A long, slender hand and arm reached for her. The arm became solidified with a body, and a sweet, caring face. Long auburn hair was tied into a long braid, a pink bow sat on top of the woman's head. Beautiful, blue eyes looked at Marlene. Marlene's eyes began to brim with tears.

"Aireth… you're here."

Marlene started to step towards her, but she stepped back in terror as her old friend began to transform. Aireth's face became pale and wrathful; her brown hair lightened to white, her skin became blue as claws erupted from her finger tips. Marlene screamed; she ran away from the terrifying creature. Black feathers started to fall from the mist, she ran and ran until her lungs and legs couldn't take any more. Blood started to flow towards her through the mist, her heart leaped to her throat as cloud, tifa, and zack's heads rolled towards her. Another dark figure walked through the mist, his long, silver sword stained with fresh, warm blood. He grinned wickedly as he lifted his blade to strike Marlene.

"Marlene!"

Marlene woke, her clothes soaked with perspiration, she was back in the church. She lay on the stiff bench; gen looked at her with eyes full of concern.

"Marlene are you ok?" he asked helping her to sit up.

Marlene's mind whirled; the dream had been so vivid, so real. She could still smell the blood, her heart still felt up in her throat. She looked out one of the church windows, grateful for the return of the sun.

"I'm fine gen… it just was a bad dream."

Gen grabbed Marlene's hands helping her stand; he started to walk towards the door.

"Well let's go then, cloud will be wondering what's happened to you."