It is not a nice thing to be awakened by, on any accounts. To those nearby, a wet tearing noise and a splatter was audible, but to anyone in the actual story, only the scream could be heard. Tidus and Riku rolled out of bed, having spent the night tensely awake or barely asleep. They dashed to Meshuga's housings. Inside was a horrific scene; both Wakka and Yuna were dead, and to Riku's trained eye, it was obvious that one powerful swipe had killed them both. On the floor in the rapidly widening pool of blood lay Meshuga's sword, crusted with Kairi's blood and more recently slicked with Wakka and Yuna's. The window was open, and the curtains were blowing in the wind.
"She's gone." Riku whispered, staring out the window.
"How the hell did she get her sword back?" wondered Tidus, picking it up. He tossed it to Riku, who caught the handle expertly.
"What are you doing? Why are you giving this to me?" Tidus turned his back on Riku's questions, alighting on the windowsill. His hand unsheathed the sword he had worn for just such an occasion.
"I'm gonna get that bitch." He snarled, and left. Riku's eyes widened considerably as he followed, running to catch up with Tidus.
They found Meshuga kneeling on the beach a fair way from the murders. She was frantically trying to clean her hands of the blood sticking to them. She looked up as Tidus and Riku approached.
"It came back. I can't stop it! It overpowers me every time it turns up, and I can't stop it--" she noticed the look in Tidus' eye, and the sword nestled in his hand. Meshuga jumped to her feet. "What's that for?" she hazarded, her voice trembling. Tidus sneered.
"Guess."
"Please, Tidus. Please- don't push me, or he'll come back! I can't stop him, I told you I can't stop him, please! Don't do anything that might get you killed!" Tidus curled his lip, radiating disgust for the girl that stood before him. She backed up, slowly and not making any sudden movements. But then he lunged, and the dark corner of Meshuga's brain was triggered. She jumped aside, her face resolute and cold. Her right hand opened, and her sword appeared there. Riku stared at his now empty palms.
"So that's how she did it." He murmured, momentarily forgetting what was going on. The clang of metal on metal reminded him.
Tidus had blocked the first hit, barely managing to keep the massive blade from cleaving him in two. Meshuga's teeth were bared, and she held an altogether different air now than when she had before. Two more clashes ensued, but on the third she knocked Tidus' sword from his hands, landing it in the surf quite some distance away. Without a shred of remorse, Meshuga swung again. The sword dropped with a terrible momentum, slicing Tidus from one shoulder to the opposite hip. The two pieces fell to the sand, turning it quickly a deep burgundy shade. Riku backed up, eyes wide with horror as Meshuga slowly turned around to face him.
"Please, Meshuga- I don't want to hurt you, I only want to help you--" He tripped and fell, landing on his backside and staring up at her fearfully. She stonily approached, raising her blade for the final swing. Riku squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the end.
But it didn't come. And it didn't come. And still it didn't come.
He tentatively opened one eye to see the mighty blade less than a foot away from his head, quivering slightly as Meshuga fought the beast inside her head. Riku scrambled out of the way, getting to his feet once he was out of her range. Meshuga turned, facing him with a terrible glare. She was just about to rush forward, about to kill him- and somehow he knew that this time there would be no saving miracle.
A swish of black and a loud swooping noise marked a new development; a dark figure appeared, and snatched the blade out of Meshuga's hands, somehow making it dematerialise until nothing remained. Then came a mighty bear like thump to the head, and Mehsuga crumpled to the floor, well and truly out cold. Riku's saviour turned around, to inspect just who he had saved.
The rescuer was in fact a tall, handsome man, clothed in a dusty black coat and black jeans and t-shirt. His huge hands were deep in the pockets of said coat.
"Sorry about that," he said, his voice pleasing and full of good humour.
"That's fine. Uh- if you don't mind me asking, who are you? How do you know Meshuga?" The man, who had turned and hefted Meshuga onto his shoulder, now turned to face Riku.
"Meshuga, eh?" he repeated with a wry smile. "That's a good one. I'll have to remember that." Riku cleared his throat expectantly, and the man nodded slightly.
"Some say I'm a Ghost. Some think I'm a God. Some say Man, some say Guru. I am not of the same realm as you, but… well, let's just say I'm a sentinel. 'Meshuga' wasn't supposed to leave where she came from, so I came to get her."
"You were a bit late." Riku said sadly, gazing over at Tidus' body. The man followed his gaze, a remorseful look on his face.
"Ah. Yes, I see." The man took his right hand, the one that wasn't supporting Mehsuga, out of his pocket. Riku was surprised to see that the hand in question was a bright, blood red. The man clicked his fingers, and a glowing mist surrounded Tidus. When it cleared, the boy was whole again. He sat up, glancing around in a rather bewildered fashion.
"There," the man said, turning to take in a full three hundred and sixty view of the surrounding terrain. "That should do it. Terribly sorry. Well, I should be going. I promise this won't happen again." He held that red hand out to Riku, who shook it uncertainly.
"So… I'll never see her again?" he asked, as the man began to walk away. The man sighed.
"Ah, so it's like that, is it? Then forget" he intoned, his voice taking on a deep resonance. Riku crumpled to the floor, in what seemed to be an immediate unconsciousness. Tidus did the same, and one could only assume that everyone else who had met Meshuga did, too.
"Honestly. I'm getting too old for this," he muttered as the air rippled around him and he was gone.
A good ten minutes later, everyone woke up.
"Why the hell am I out here?" Riku wondered, levering himself up off the sand. He remembered nothing of a white-blonde haired girl, with laughing blue eyes and a dark secret. He remembered nothing of his previous terror. He remembered nothing of a mysterious stranger with a red right hand. He gazed up at the sky, a clear, majestic blue.
"Hey! Riku!" came Sora's voice, floating on the breeze. "Come and see what I've found!"
The scene faded out, leaving the few readers who had perservered thoroughly annoyed. What happened next?! Nobody knew, least of all the author. She smiled vaguely to herself, considering going to play some Doom.