hey people! it's me again! So far, i've only recieved 2 reviews ("`.) but it at least they weren't anything harsh. anyhow, here's the second chapter. You'll notice that i have widened the spaces between each paragraph. Not to make it seem longer...hehe. But to make it easier for you guys to read. i tried reading the first chapter all over again for some inspiration but soon after all i got was a headache! please please please don't forget to review after you've read so i'd know how to improve my work. enjoy! ^-^
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I scrabbled up quickly to my feet, my gaze still
fixed onto the monster's deep incision. Slowly, I took a few uncertain
steps towards the corpse that lay still on its unmade deathbed of dried
leaves and unfertile earth. Geez, Tifa. I scolded myself. For chrisake,
the thing is dead. You don't expect it to just get up and leave, do you?
The thought made me shudder. A putrid stench emanating from the corpse
pervaded my nostrils and made me gag. Eeew. I cringed, placing my hand
over my mouth. Good thing I hadn't eaten dinner yet. Otherwise, I could've
thrown up right then and there. Then, my thoughts wandered off back to
the hideout. I wonder what the others are doing right now. Are they organizing
a search party? Worried sick that I could've been captured by the enemy?
Or are they rejoicing that finally high strung Tifa is outta the way? Either
way, I won't be coming back… ever. I can never show my face to anyone after
what I just did. They'd probably just laugh at my face. I can hear their
teasing voices right now, like annoying, twittering birds.
"Aww…poor love struck Tifa!"…
"Tifa, I never knew!"
I can imagine their faces so vividly hovering around
me. Barret, laughing out loud with tears steaming down his dark, rugged
face, clutching his stomach with his normal hand. As if he was having the
most intense side stitch in his life. Yuffie, with a broad smile plastered
on her cheeky face. Cid, grinning wildly, as though a malicious thought
just crossed his mind. Vincent, although his mouth was hooded completely
by a mask, his mysterious eyes glazed with a familiar glint in their depths.
The kind of glint you wouldn't miss in a person who chuckles...
And Cloud. His face scrunched up in a pitiful look
that seemed to say, "I'm sorry, but it is Aeris whom I love, and not you."
A rogue tear slid down my cheek. The sharp pain of
utter humiliation, sadness, and longing, in equal proportions, regained
power over my sanity, but this time around, it was more intense and abysmal,
penetrating deep, farther down the recesses of my weeping soul. The pain
shot through my entire body, and rendered it helpless. I sank down to my
knees, my face, buried in my frail hands. I didn't care if the dead body
was just inches away from me. That was the least of my problems. Another
fresh batch of tears flowed into my palms.
Why am I so weak? I tried to cease the unbroken stream
of tears that dampened my face and salted my hands, but to no avail. They
just poured endlessly. The more I tried to suppress them, the more it ached.
It's true. Crying is the best way to vent all the unwanted hurt out of
your system. But in my case, the pain was perpetually stubborn, clinging
on to me as I tried to get rid of it.
Suddenly a cool, comforting wind swirled around me,
levitating the dead leaves in a swift, willowy movement. It caressed my
skin and soothened my throbbing veins. The trees whispered their silky,
melodious chant into my harried ears, somehow making me feel lightheaded.
The mysterious gauze that draped heavily over the forest melted away into
a haven of dreams, fantasy, and lilting lullabies.
Everything became all the more ethereal and strangely,
yet soothingly calm. The entire forest lapsed into an eerie silence as
the silvery music of the trees, wind, and moon played softly, continuously
in the background. Beautiful. Stimulating. Strangely hypnotic. I sank down
into a comfortable position. My side, rested on the grainy sand that oddly
felt like cotton. A hiccup lodged in my throat. My body felt so drained.
Tired. Exhausted, physically and emotionally. The tears have already ran
out, and left marks on my face. Marks that may be washed away by water,
but can never be forgotten.
Before I knew it, my breaths grew steady and my features
softened out. I drifted off to an uneasy slumber, lingering between sleep
and wakefulness.
A strange presence divulged itself, and reeled me
back into consciousness. Inevitably, my eyes slid open, still heavy from
interrupted sleep. I blinked several times, feeling slightly woozy. Where
am I? I noticed I wasn't greeted by the familiarity of my own bedroom.
Instead, menacing groves and shifting sands acknowledged themselves, stirring
confusion in my mind.
Then the vague, seemingly distant memory washed over
me. Flashes of what seemed like excerpt from eons ago pierced my cognizance,
and I ruefully pushed them away. It was then I felt filthy. My hair, tousled
and tangled gathered grime and withered leaves. My face felt tight and
tear stained. My skin, dotted with miniscule markings of pebbles and the
like. My clothes, clung with brownish stains.
Then I felt it again. The presence. I scanned the
area that encompassed me. It was still dusky. Most of the corners were
still enveloped in darkness, which was slowly fading away. Seminal and
pristine moonlight filtered through the looming leaves overhead. The enchanting
melody that once embraced me and lulled me into a spasmodic sleep was gone.
Replaced by the irrepressible silence which throbbed and pulsated monotonously,
making Goosebumps pop all over my bare arms.
I did another all over, scrutinizing every corner
that remained hidden by lush bushes and thick, spun vines. Curiosity swept
over me, accompanied with a feeling of dread. Curiosity of what lay before
me. Of what I was going to face. However my curiosity was tinged with fear.
For maybe whatever it was that was lurking behind the shadows was meant
to be left alone. Unseen. Untouched. Unheard of. But the strange presence
emitted a potent, persistent force that grew stronger every time I resisted.
Suddenly, out of the corner of eye, I saw something
fleet silently across the darkness. So swiftly that the forest seemed untainted
by its very presence. I shifted my gaze to a tree shrouded in an unearthly
light. Silvery speckles drifted around it, casting an eerie yet enchanting
glow on its emerald foliage. Its rough, contorted boughs glowed in heavenly
radiance that made me squint. The lone tree laden in cold, barren earth
seemed to have wakened from its eternal, dreamless slumber as delicate,
white flowers blossomed voluminously amidst myriad green. I shielded my
eyes from the daunting splendor that drew the breath out of me. It was
only then I noticed someone underneath the verdant tree.
I furrowed my brows to get a closer look at the person
bathed in warm, flooding light. Unmistakably, it was a man donned in a
black coat.
Thud. Thud. Oh, no…It can't be.
He was leaning on the tree, his arms folded across
him as though in silent contemplation.
Could it?
His long silvery spun hair tumbled down his shoulders.
Please, God…
His skin radiated a delicate milky glow.
Thud thud. Thud thud.
My eyes trailed to something fastened at the back
of his shoulders. A masamune? It's…it's…The man's head turned towards my
direction. His gaze, unfaltering, met mine. It burned a whole right through
me, delving deep into the recesses my soul. Our eyes locked with intensity.
Sephiroth.
