A/N: The title of this chapter is S-Cop-A, if you say it right, it says ESCAPE the way Dory off Finding Nemo says it. Yeah. I already had a chapter named Escape so I couldn't really do another one. Anyways, sorry for the wait (and it a short update anyways) but I was swimming like 24/7 and now I'm sick as a dog and I have major sunburn (stupid parade, can you believe they make us go to school in the middle of July to MARCH in the stupid parade?) so I got down on my lazy butt as usual and typed up a chappy. This story is coming to an end... soon... I dunno when. But soon!
-Chapter Thirteen-
S-Cop-A
Piper Strife could feel her blood racing. The fear of death was getting to her, and she was beginning to think it really was the end. But she wasn't afraid as much as she was confused. Charis had just told her to kill her. I can't! she wanted to scream back. It just wasn't her. The sharp blades danced around her body now, waving menacingly near her skin. She knew her bounds were still poorly done, and she could escape. But, to where? And who was the man behind her... he seemed familiar in some way... Well it didn't matter. She was getting out of here. And she was taking Charis with her.
She scanned the area, looking for a way to escape. Something yellow stood at the peak of a hill farthest from them. The Dandilily! she thought excitedly. We're saved!
"Piper," Charis whispered.
"Do it!" the man hissed.
Sapphire eyes glared at the girl, and they seemed to have a good understanding.
"No!" Charis yelled loudly. The seven daggers flew in all directions, causing the two young women and the strange man to dive to the ground.
"Run!" Piper shouted, breaking free. She took Charis' hand in hers and they sprinted up the hill. Where are they?! she screeched in her mind.
"Get back here!" a furious Ahriana screamed, chasing after them.
The Dandilily stood at the top of the next hill, "Nari! Evan! Zalèa!" Piper called out, hoping they'd hear her as she continued to run with Charis.
"Piper!" three ecstatic voices chorused. The trio waved wildly from the Dandilily. "Hurry!" Zalèa ran inside, starting up the small airship.
"Come on!" Piper said, running faster, Charis on her heels.
"Don't let them get away!" shrieked the man who seemed to be controlling Charis.
Piper pulled Charis with her, hoping she wouldn't fall. "We're almost there!" she yelled as the Dandilily's boarding bridge began to open.
"I can't!" Charis cried. She pulled against her friend, trying to free herself.
"Yes you can!" Piper shouted. "Ignore them and come with me!" She stepped onto the bridge, pushing Charis in front of her as it began to rise. "Get us out of here!"
Charis Kisaragi fell to her knees, sobbing loudly as the airship began to lift into the air. "No! I have to go back!"
"What's wrong with her?" Nari asked. She and Evan came down to help them while Zalèa drove.
"I have to go back!" she shrieked, crawling against the wall. Charis looked at the three with wide, dark eyes.
Evan dug something from his pocket, and tossed it at Charis. "This will help."
Whatever it was, it caused Charis to silence, and fall asleep. Piper guessed it was a sleeping potion. "Thanks guys," she said hoarsely. Her throat was sore from shouting. "But how'd you know where to find me?"
"We went through the Time-Porter. Something's definitely messed up. You shouldn't have ended up in Zanarkand," Nari said, handing Piper a blanket.
"Well I'm just lucky I saw the Dandilily before it was too late. Charis was going to perform the ritual. She wanted... me to kill her. Can you believe that?" Piper shook her head, wrapping the blanket around herself.
"Actually..." Evan looked at the ground sheepishly.
Piper shook her head, laying down Charis' body and throwing the blanket over her. "No," she said sharply. "I don't care what anyone says! Charis would never try to kill me. And I will never do anything to hurt her, or kill her!" She stomped angrily from the cabin area to the bridge.
"Piper! You have to listen!" Evan followed behind her. "You said it yourself! She was just about to begin the ritual."
"But she didn't! That's what matters!" Piper said, plopping down on a chair.
"We talked to your grandmother, Piper. She told us a lot," Nari said.
"That's impossible. She died when my mother was a little girl," Piper sighed, glaring out the window.
Zalèa sighed, too, getting up from the navigation panel. "Just listen, Piper..."
"What did you say?" the dark haired man asked, becoming infuriated.
"They got away. We can't use our power here, you know that. The Ancient took Charis with her," Sephianna said, her head low. She expected no mercy from the merciless monster who had forced them to work for them.
Hojo, as he used to be called, let out a loud growl. "Damn it! Damn it all!"
Ahriana crossed her arms, "It's not our fault. You shouldn't have let her live with that Fayth all her life."
Hojo swung his fist across his body, firmly connecting with the violet girl's face. "I'll tell you what went wrong!" he hissed. "If you two hadn't followed your father's path so easily, none of this would have happened."
The girl, clad in amethyst, clutched her jaw, trying to ignore the sharp pain. "Goahe! I hih!" she mumbled through her probably broken jaw.
"Then go back to your home, little girl!" Hojo snarled, throwing something at her. There was a small blast, and the Ahriana disappeared. "You go too!" he hissed at Sephianna, doing the same. "Unlike Sephiroth, Charis will obey me. And she will succeed in our mission."
Ahriana opened one amethyst eye, gasping for air as the other opened. Her jaw hurt terribly, but she doubted it was broken. The room she was in looked comfortable. It was painted a light blue, a chocobo border around the wall. She was in a soft bed, the light from the window just above her head. Sitting up, she saw someone beside her. "Sephy?" she whispered.
"Hi Ahriana. Guess what...?" the young woman said, her bi-colored eyes sparkling.
"What?"
"We're home. Aeris' home."
Ahriana smiled weakly, "You mean...?"
A brunette woman walked in, her emerald eyes glittering, "Glad to see you two are awake. Are you all right?"
"Yes. Thank you Aeris," Sephianna smiled.
"How did you know my name?" Aeris asked, puzzled.
"We know all about you, Aeris. But your daughter is in trouble... a lot of it too," Ahriana said softly.
Aeris sunk in the chair beside the bed, "Where is Piper? How do you know?"
"We just met with her. She's trapped. In Spira."
Piper closed her eyes, wishing upon every god or goddess she knew that she had never come to Spira. Her three friends had just told her everything Infalna had told them. "I can't do it..." she lamented. "I just can't."
"But Piper, this is your life we are talking about. Everyone in Spira too!" Zalèa said softly. "You have to do it."
"I can't," Piper repeated.
"Spira is the spiral of death. It's always been this way. For over a thousand years. Someone always has to die," Nari said. "Whether it's a summoner, a soldier, or just an innocent child that's being controlled by a twisted entity. They have to die."
"It's not fair," Piper said.
"Hey, just think. She wants this all to end. She doesn't want to be stuck here anymore. She has been for a thousand years. That's like, the beginning of time practically," Evan chuckled, "You know in your heart, what you have to do."
Piper nodded, Get the hell out of here. "Yeah. I just need to think about it..." she said quietly, "I'm going to get some sleep..." she said, standing.
"Piper," Zalèa hugged her friend tightly. "Remember, we're here for you."
"Yeah," Evan agreed, "Because when we get home... we'll be in more trouble than you are now."
"Thanks guys," Piper smiled weakly, walking back to the cabin. Charis was still asleep, now on one of the beds. Good. She needed to think, a lot. Curling up in one of the beds, Piper stared at a giant chocobo poster on the ceiling, drifting into a light slumber.
A/N: If anyone is confused, basically what happened is Charis and Piper escaped, but something weird is going on with Charis. Piper was told what the trio was told by Infalna, and Ahriana and Sephianna were sent back in time (5000 yrs). Oh and when Ahriana says "Goahe! I hih!" she's saying, "Go to hell! I quit!" but since her jaw is broken, you know, it's hard to talk. Anyways, I hope this chapter wasn't TOO disappointing.
To Seashell110: OK glad you got most of it. To Emmy: I'm LOVING it. How'd you know? And when are you going to update your story... hmm? To Chippy Dr. P: Well I'm glad you took time from your book reports to read my stuff! Hehe. Anyways, you should read Tamora Pierce! She's an awesome writer!! To Lady Complicated: That's okay. I'm sick too. I hope you get better
Well I'm thinking nobody is going to like the ending of this story... I have the next few chapters written out, but I have to edit them still. They'll be up faster than this, I hope.
Always - (the sick) Letselina
