Trying to Live

Chapter three

Hiya. ...And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd 'cause these words are my diary screamin' out loud. And I know that you'll use them however you want to... It's stuck in my head...

Moogle: Did you know that the song (Breathe 2 AM by Anna Nalick) she's singing was one of the inspirations for this story?
Me: ...SSHH!
Moogle: ...I thought you were dead.
Me: And I thought you were smart. I guess we were both wrong.
Moogle: (growls)
Me: Feisty!

To my loving reviewers:

Auron's Fan: Hiya cecdan! LOL. I shall! And I did! Dryhg oui!

TheReturnOfTheSinisterDerick: I'll take that as a compliment!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except some of the characters. No characters from the actual game. Sadly.

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'And after a long, tiring battle, I came out unscathed with Rai sitting in a well, a bloody pulp.' I'd like to say that, but unfortunately that's not what happened. What happened was that I ended up getting my monkey-tail-adorned ass kicked. If Kashi hadn't strolled by, I'd probably be the bloody pulp. Well, more than I already was...heh heh...?

"You know Lily, I didn't really want to find that the next time I saw you was with you covered in blood, you know what I mean?" Kashi said scoldingly. (Is that even a word...? ...back to the story.) I looked down. When Kashi walked by, I was pretty beat up. He broke in, stopped the fight, and made me walk back to his house. I was...pretty ashamed. Embarrassed, too, maybe. Stupid, stupid, stupid... I thought, mentally smacking myself in the head with each word.

"Well, you should go clean yourself off. It's only me here." he said with a sigh. I looked up and nodded. Do I have any extra clothes...? I have an oversized nightshirt, but...none to wear outside. That sucks...

Now in the shower, I let the downpour of warm water hit my face. It honestly felt good, I have to say. And then again, I was covered in, now dry, blood. I started to run my hands through my hair, but winced. There was a small, yet very painful, bump on the back of my neck. Great. Forty or so cuts and now a major headache! Aww... Okay, maybe not forty cuts, but it feels like it!

"So you finally emerge?" Kashi asked jokingly when I walked in, donning my nightshirt. I smirked, plopping down on the couch.

"Do you live here by yourself?" I asked a few minutes later. Kashi nodded.

"My parents died when I was twelve. I'm sixteen now, and been living on my own ever since." he responded. I suddenly felt a mix of guilt, and sorrow.

"Oh, I'm sorry. ...well at least you knew your parents." I said, apologizing at first, then just feeling sorry for myself.

"You never knew your parents?" he questioned, surprised. I nodded.

"Don't even know where my hometown is. That's one reason I travel around. Maybe I'll find it someday, you know?" I answered, partially talking to myself. Kashi looked at me with a sympathetic look. Okay, I find that I don't like getting sympathy...better keep that on a mental note...

"So," Kashi started, "you leaving again in the morning?" I looked up at the ceiling. Will I? I definately don't wanna stay any longer, but there's the issue with my clothes...

"Well, I kinda have an issue with what to wear. My top is, like, completely shredded up." I wondered aloud, twiddling with the purple strip of my hair. Kashi stood up.

"Hold on a sec." he said while walking in one of the rooms. he came out, a purple t-shirt in hand.

"This might help ya. It was my mom's, but it isn't worth anything." I stared at him, then the shirt, then back to him. Why is Kashi giving me his mother's shirt?

"You gonna take it or run around in your nightshirt?" he asked, impatient, but jokingly. I accpeted the shirt and threw it in my bag.

"By the way, you might wanna sleep here tonight. If you didn't notice, that Rai kid took all of your gil..." Kashi told me. I ripped open my bag and started tearing through, looking for my wallet.

"...DAMMIT!"

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I reluctantly woke up at five in the morning so I could get an early start. I was about to walk out the door when I heard a voice.

"Leaving without saying goodbye? What manners you have, Lily." Kashi said sarcastically. I chuckled.

"Was I supposed to?" I asked, spinning around on my heel. He laughed.

"Common courtesy. Anyway, I was hoping I'd catch you before you left." I had a questioning look on my face. He continued.

"Well, it's getting kinda boring here. And since you on your own, I thought I'd be nice and go with you. You know, help you find your home." he said while scratching the back of his head. I smiled.

"Fine. We'll both go." I said. Kashi grinned.

"Anyway, you can't fight even if your life depended on it! You're gonna need a little protection." Kashi said, laughing and swinging a sword. I glared.

"I told you I'd maim you if you called me Monkey Girl again, but I've found another reason." I said, grinning evilly. Kashi backed off a little.

"No need for violence, eh?" he laughed. I grinned.

"Let's go." With that, we walked out the door.

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Yes, let's go! Out into a world of excitement and...many, many arguments. Oh boy...

MGX2