.:: Chapter 7: Friend or Foe? ::.
"Aeris, where are you going?!" Tom came up behind me on his motorcycle as I was darting through the marshlands, trying to outrun the giant serpent that dwelled within.
"Tim, leave me! I've got to go, the serpent is coming!" I waved him away, but he persisted.
"Aeris! No!" His gaze of worry and fright changed to darkness and hate. "You're not getting away now!" Tim slammed his breaks, sliding into the side of my Chocobo, knocking her off balance. Sonyia, luckily had not been hurt, and when Tim hit her, she fluttered up missing the bike, but falling over none the less. I slammed into the ground, getting scraped badly and covered in wetland sludge.
"Ugh.." I looked up angrily at him. "What the hell did you do that for?!" I stood up, pulling out the Wizer Staff and glaring at him.
"I told you Aeris. Your not getting away, and if you want to live you'd come with me." He smiled evilly, the look people get when they enjoy what they've done. People, who kill.
Sonyia stuttered, but managed to stand up, still wobbly. "Wark wark?!" She was angry at him too, and dove fiercely at Tim with her diamond hard beak.
"Whoa birdie!" Tim simply stepped to the side, and Sonyia tumbled into the marsh. Fatigued and dazed, she remained on the ground, giving no signs of recovering to her battle stance.
"Tim..." I took a step forward, but with surprising swiftness, Tim whipped out a sharp Mythril Dagger and held it to my neck. "What?! Tom, I thought we were friends, what is going on!" I demanded, Tim's grip did not lessen, but seemed to get tighter.
"We weren't friends Aeris and you know it! You probably know I had a major crush on you too, well until you ditched me for that loser.. What was his name... C'mon, surely you remember!"
Who was he talking about, I had no clue. "Errr.." I strained my memory, who had I ditched him for? What had I been doing with him? Nothing came to me.
"Brik!" He shouted. "You ditched me for Brik Teddler!" Tim gave a sort of pity laugh, and then with extreme strength slammed his kendo stick across the back of my legs, knocking me to the ground.
I let out a yelp of surprise escaped my lips, as I knew Tim had over-powered me, and still had that Mythril Dagger in his hand. "Look, Tim, I don't remember this at all! What are you talking about?!" I honestly had no idea what was going on, but I got the hunch that this story of his was very much a lie.
Tim again smiled, and without saying a word, reach up and without warning jammed his dagger right into my stomach, and once again I got that horrible spike of pain that spreads through your whole body. You know, that pain that won't go away, and you know four advil won't do the trick. The pain sheared through my body, and everything seemed to light up. I was blinded by the pain, and I couldn't find Cure.
"Looking for this?" Tom asked, I could only make out his voice now, and I was slipping from conciseness. "It's the Restore Materia your looking for, tsk tsk Aeris.. I know your tricks by now." He laughed again and I heard that grinding noise of flesh and metal, scraping my insides, till the dagger was gone. Tom had ripped it out, and as air touched blood, I could feel the pain grow and the warm blood flush out onto the ground.
Oh how I was tempted to let Tim finish me off, I so wanted the pain to end. As I began to lay down and let the relief of death over come me once again, I thought of Cloud. No, not only of Cloud, but of Tifa, and Yuffie. Of Red, and Barret, and of Cid. I thought of Vincent, how he'd sit alone, quiet all the time, watching the stars. I remembered that annoying stuffed cat, Cait, and I knew that my mission wasn't over, I had to reach them all. They were my friends, my family.
Rage over came me, as I remembered all my friends, I hadn't felt so heated and angry in all my life. I had to get away from Tim, but not only him. I had to escape everyone who'd get in my way, and from the look of it, that'd be an awful lot of people. Staggering, I forced myself to stand, and Tim, who was taken aback, let out a squeak of surprise. "Tim, you are not ending it here! I'm going to find my friends!" Quickly, I grabbed my Wizer Staff, and cast Healing Wind. Instantly I was cured of most the pain from the dagger, and now Tom was already in a battle pose.
"Aeris, you fool. You can't defeat me!" Tim lunged at me with the dagger in his hand, and knowing too well already, I backflipped out of his grasp.
"Not so fast!" I took my Wizer Staff and as hard as I could, sliced it's only sharp edge right across his body.
"Ugh.." Tim uttered as blood began to drip from the wound running down his side. "Aeris... You.. Can't win." He groaned, collapsing to the ground.
"Aeris, where are you going?!" Tom came up behind me on his motorcycle as I was darting through the marshlands, trying to outrun the giant serpent that dwelled within.
"Tim, leave me! I've got to go, the serpent is coming!" I waved him away, but he persisted.
"Aeris! No!" His gaze of worry and fright changed to darkness and hate. "You're not getting away now!" Tim slammed his breaks, sliding into the side of my Chocobo, knocking her off balance. Sonyia, luckily had not been hurt, and when Tim hit her, she fluttered up missing the bike, but falling over none the less. I slammed into the ground, getting scraped badly and covered in wetland sludge.
"Ugh.." I looked up angrily at him. "What the hell did you do that for?!" I stood up, pulling out the Wizer Staff and glaring at him.
"I told you Aeris. Your not getting away, and if you want to live you'd come with me." He smiled evilly, the look people get when they enjoy what they've done. People, who kill.
Sonyia stuttered, but managed to stand up, still wobbly. "Wark wark?!" She was angry at him too, and dove fiercely at Tim with her diamond hard beak.
"Whoa birdie!" Tim simply stepped to the side, and Sonyia tumbled into the marsh. Fatigued and dazed, she remained on the ground, giving no signs of recovering to her battle stance.
"Tim..." I took a step forward, but with surprising swiftness, Tim whipped out a sharp Mythril Dagger and held it to my neck. "What?! Tom, I thought we were friends, what is going on!" I demanded, Tim's grip did not lessen, but seemed to get tighter.
"We weren't friends Aeris and you know it! You probably know I had a major crush on you too, well until you ditched me for that loser.. What was his name... C'mon, surely you remember!"
Who was he talking about, I had no clue. "Errr.." I strained my memory, who had I ditched him for? What had I been doing with him? Nothing came to me.
"Brik!" He shouted. "You ditched me for Brik Teddler!" Tim gave a sort of pity laugh, and then with extreme strength slammed his kendo stick across the back of my legs, knocking me to the ground.
I let out a yelp of surprise escaped my lips, as I knew Tim had over-powered me, and still had that Mythril Dagger in his hand. "Look, Tim, I don't remember this at all! What are you talking about?!" I honestly had no idea what was going on, but I got the hunch that this story of his was very much a lie.
Tim again smiled, and without saying a word, reach up and without warning jammed his dagger right into my stomach, and once again I got that horrible spike of pain that spreads through your whole body. You know, that pain that won't go away, and you know four advil won't do the trick. The pain sheared through my body, and everything seemed to light up. I was blinded by the pain, and I couldn't find Cure.
"Looking for this?" Tom asked, I could only make out his voice now, and I was slipping from conciseness. "It's the Restore Materia your looking for, tsk tsk Aeris.. I know your tricks by now." He laughed again and I heard that grinding noise of flesh and metal, scraping my insides, till the dagger was gone. Tom had ripped it out, and as air touched blood, I could feel the pain grow and the warm blood flush out onto the ground.
Oh how I was tempted to let Tim finish me off, I so wanted the pain to end. As I began to lay down and let the relief of death over come me once again, I thought of Cloud. No, not only of Cloud, but of Tifa, and Yuffie. Of Red, and Barret, and of Cid. I thought of Vincent, how he'd sit alone, quiet all the time, watching the stars. I remembered that annoying stuffed cat, Cait, and I knew that my mission wasn't over, I had to reach them all. They were my friends, my family.
Rage over came me, as I remembered all my friends, I hadn't felt so heated and angry in all my life. I had to get away from Tim, but not only him. I had to escape everyone who'd get in my way, and from the look of it, that'd be an awful lot of people. Staggering, I forced myself to stand, and Tim, who was taken aback, let out a squeak of surprise. "Tim, you are not ending it here! I'm going to find my friends!" Quickly, I grabbed my Wizer Staff, and cast Healing Wind. Instantly I was cured of most the pain from the dagger, and now Tom was already in a battle pose.
"Aeris, you fool. You can't defeat me!" Tim lunged at me with the dagger in his hand, and knowing too well already, I backflipped out of his grasp.
"Not so fast!" I took my Wizer Staff and as hard as I could, sliced it's only sharp edge right across his body.
"Ugh.." Tim uttered as blood began to drip from the wound running down his side. "Aeris... You.. Can't win." He groaned, collapsing to the ground.