Original AN: Not much to say here...so yeah. I'm trying to balance out the characters that feature, so everyone gets an equal (ish) 'screen' time. Am I doing ok? Cos Im trying to get out of my comfort zone with characters and expand my horizontals ^_^ (If you have played Dissidia Duodecim you will get this joke, if not, ask about it in a review or something XD)
Edited AN: Again, this chapter has been finished for….a LONG time…a long, long time and I apologise, my big explanation is in the last chapter though so I won't waffle on again. (reading these original ANs makes me cringe a bit wow hello 2012 me)
…
Yuna paused, leaning on a pillar of rock as she viewed the ruined city down below with a distinct feeling of déjà vu. Down there she might find him again and then they would be able to go back to Rikku, Paine and the others.
With that thought lifting her heart she stumbled down the steep slope towards the rubble.
XXX
Yuna soon found herself on the outskirts of the city, it was from a different angle that she had arrived in last time, so it took her a while to find the place where she had seen Tidus. The area she thought it has been was completely different.
The large structure that she had been looking for...was now rubble on the dusty ground.
Frantically she ran towards the building, hoping to see some form of life within, although she knew this was stupid as when she had been in that building and the men had taken her, there had been no sign of him...
As she trudged back out of the building, eyes downcast, she noticed something. Yuna bent down to look at it closer. It was a blood stain. She didn't know whose it was... but it was something. Looking up she saw, just hidden under a chunk of wall, quite a large stain, making her heart skip a beat. Running over to the brick she noted that there wasn't anyone lying there, dead or alive, which subsequently meant they must be somewhere else.
Looking back the way she had come she noticed a few more droplets.
"I'll follow them...and see where I get too!" She decided.
XXX
After about 20 minutes of following mystery blood stains that had grown increasingly further apart, Yuna lost sight of them all together.
Instead she saw a large building, still mostly standing, unlike every other surrounding it.
"I'll try in there!" And, following her last thread of hope, Yuna ran to the door of the building and pushed it open. The large wooden door was surprisingly light and well oiled.
As she padded through Yuna noted the neatly arranged benches and large open space at the front.
"It must be some kind of temple." She turned and saw a few things, one; smeared stains on the first pew, two; flowers blooming on the floorboards and three a roll mat and box as well as a chest on the floor between two pillars.
There is definitely someone living here she thought. But the likelihood of it being Tidus was low.
Maybe she hadn't seen him at all...maybe she had just seen a random stranger and her brain had fooled her into thinking it was him...
Just then, the door swung open. Yuna crouched behind the bench as she heard footsteps on the olden wooden floor of the building.
"Marlene wait!" A young woman's voice echoed slightly round the large room. A child's giggle followed.
Yuna slowly levered herself up onto the bench, she didn't think the pair would be dangerous. She saw a young girl, probably 5 or 6, in a pale cream dress and her hair in a plait, run past her.
The little girl, Marlene she guessed, knelt over the flowers, she hadn't noticed Yuna.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there." The young woman's voice came from her left; Yuna turned her head round and looked up at her. She had medium length dark brown hair and kind brown eyes.
"Oh, no I'm sorry, I didn't realise this was your church!" Yuna said apologetically.
"It's...It's not ours, it belonged to a friend..." The other looked away slightly.
"Oh...then whose...?" Yuna's question trailed off as she gestured to the boxes on the floor.
"Huh?" The woman turned and wandered over to the objects. "Strife...delivery..." She murmured.
Marlene scampered over to the box. "Does Cloud live here?"
"I guess..."
Yuna's last shred of hope vanished and she sighed. The other woman noticed her melancholia.
"What's wrong?"
"I just...well...see I'm looking for someone...I thought they might be here..." She sighed again.
As the woman opened her mouth to reply Marlene ran up to her and held out her cupped hands holding blackened white bandages. "Look! They're like Denzel's!"
"But...how...?" She shut her eyes and sat down on the pew, Yuna got up hurriedly.
"Sorry, I'll leave."
"No...no, stay. Marlene, sweetie, go back to what you were doing, Cloud should be back soon."
"Mm...k!" Marlene scampered off and Yuna watched her with a slight smile.
"Now..." The older turned to face Yuna, hands clasped in her lap. "What were you saying?"
Yuna explained how she was looking for a friend, ended up in the city then everything that had happened since. She felt she could trust this person, but still...she didn't divulge in names.
"It seems everyone's looking for something at the moment." She sighed. "Oh! I never told you my name, I'm Tifa." Tifa held out her hand.
"Yuna." Yuna shook it.
"Yuna..." Tifa's brow furrowed. "No way! Are you a friend of Rikku's!?" Yuna's eyes widened and she gasped.
"Rikku?! Rikku's here?!"
"Yes!" Tifa's eyes were sparkling. "Her and her friend Tidus have been searching all over for you!"
"Tidus! Tidus is here as well?" Yuna's heart soared "Oh...oh I'm so glad..." She shut her eyes and sighed. "He's real...He's here..."
"Huh?" Tifa partially caught her sighed words. "What do you-?"
At that point the large wooden doors swung open.
XXXOOOXXX
Tidus leant again the wall, head in his hands, while Cloud made sure that the other guys were alright.
His head was spinning. They had been so close...so close... But she was gone. Again.
"Let's go." Cloud's voice was soft, but it still startled him.
"Uh...yeah." With a heavy heart he trudged out of the room.
XXX
On the journey back neither man said anything, both just letting the silence hang, heavy over their heads.
"Yuna..." Tidus sighed.
"I just need to stop here. Wait a second." Cloud's voice again jolted Tidus back to reality.
"Huh? Oh...Right. Sure." He stuttered. Cloud nodded at him and walked off.
Tidus twisted round on the bike and saw a familiar sight.
The rusting sword stuck in the ground, well, it was currently on the floor, but still.
Tidus had been there before.
"So that sword belongs to Cloud huh?" He watched the other man prop the sword up again and a few moments passed as Cloud appeared to be talking to it. A few wisps of sound reached his ears but no words were clear.
After a few more seconds Cloud seemed to twitch and Tidus looked up then the other man fell to the floor on his hands and knees.
Tidus' eyes widened and she leapt off of the bike and ran towards Cloud. When he reached him he bent down, just as the other knelt up.
"Woah! Almost took my head off there!"
"Sorry..." His whisper was almost indistinguishable from the whistling wind.
"Hey. You ok?"
"I..." Cloud's mouth became a thin line and his eyes narrowed.
"Come on. I won't judged. And it's best to get your feelings out right?" Tidus pressed.
"I'm just...not ready." Cloud whispered
"Huh..." Tidus sighed. "Well, whatever. Let's move on yeah?"
"Right..."
"So...That your sword?" He tried to break the awkward atmosphere that was descending upon them, fast.
"No..." But Cloud just wasn't having it. Obviously.
"Oh...ok. When I first arrived here I saw it as well, I've been wondering whose it was."
"It belonged...to a friend..." Cloud hung his head slightly.
Tidus sighed. This place just seemed full of regrets.
"Shall we go?"
Cloud nodded slowly and they walked back to Cloud's bike.
As he climbed on Tidus glanced behind him at the sword on the hill. To him it looked like a lonely soldier standing sentinel over the city.
It was quite sad really.
There was a slight cough behind him and he turned round to see Cloud staring at him confusedly.
"Oh...sorry."
"You ready to go?" He tipped his head to one side slightly.
"Yeah."
And they roared away.
XXXOOOXXX
Yuna's head snapped towards the door even as Tifa was hauling Marlene back from running up the church aisle. Striding towards them was a thickset silver haired man in black.
"Where's mother?" The man said bluntly.
"There's nobody here!" Tifa raised her voice and hugged Marlene closer to her.
"Yuna...look after Marlene." Tifa pushed the little girl over to her and Yuna gave her a shaky smile, which was returned.
"K."
The man was still smirking at them. Both he and Tifa moved themselves into a battle stance.
"Heh...this should be fun." The man shot towards Tifa and she responded in kind.
Yuna gently guided Marlene round the side of a pillar, out of their way.
"Will Tifa be ok?" Yuna looked down and saw the little girl staring up at her, eyes wide and fearful.
"She should be fine..." She tried to comfort her.
The fight lasted about 5 minutes before they heard a large crash and all other sounds stopped.
"Tifa!" Marlene ran out to hug her. Yuna watched, smiling slightly.
But a mere 30 seconds later the peaceful scene had shattered. A bench from the back of the churche flew over their heads and crashed against a wall.
As they looked round in shock a strange jingle filled the air.
The burly man from before stepped out of the rubble and pulled something out of his pocket. There was a beep and the music stopped.
"His PHONE!? At a time like this!?" Yuna couldn't believe it. How could this man be so nonchalant!?
The sound of his voice brought her back to reality.
"Yeah, I'll bring the girl...Another? yeah she's here...oh...ok. Yep. I got it." The disjointed conversation mad Yuna nervous. He seemed so sure that he could win.
She watched as Tifa pushed Marlene away and engaged the strange man in battle again.
Yuna wished that she could help her, but she didn't know if Tifa would appreciate that...plus poor Marlene was clutching to her skirt.
It was a couple of minutes later that they heard Tifa yelp. Marlene leapt up and ran to her, but the silver haired man shoved her back, growling,
"Just stay there, I'll be coming for you two in a minute, one I've dealt with her."
Marlene whimpered. Yuna stepped forwards to comfort her, they watched as the man stepped towards the fallen Tifa, who lay in the patch of beautiful flowers. He knelt down and grabbed the front of her over shit and pulled her up, simultaneously drawing his fist back. Yuna saw the energy crackling round it and she knew she had to do something.
"Wait!" The burly man turned round, grunting in annoyance. "I'll come with you! Just...just leave Tifa and Marlene alone!"
"No..." Tifa weak protest barely reached her.
"I'll leave this one alone...too much work to keep you quiet as well..." He took a step forward.
"What?" She stepped back as he loomed over her.
He just grinned.
XXXOOOXXX
Vincent stood at the edge of the city, staring into its depths. He didn't know how he was going to tell Cloud and the others what he had learned...but he must. Tseng's information would be very important if they wanted to stop DeepGround. l had come she noticed a few more droplets.
ick she noted that there wasn'n inder a chunk of wall, quite a large stain, making
A/N
Original: Sorry if there are weird formatting things on this chapter, dunno why but Word is screwing up *shrug*
So anyways, hope you enjoyed ^_^