Note: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of its characters (which would be rediculously cool), and I do not own Battle Royale.
Note 2: Finally, after a few months, I have managed to finish Chapter 6! I'm sorry for the long day, but student life is so busy that I haven't had that much time to get much work in on the fic, but today I have finished this chapter and tweaked some of the earlier chapters to match some plot changes I wanted to implement. Well, have fun with the new chapter, and I'll get to work on Chapter 7 as soon as this chapter is uploaded! (Warning : this chapter hasn't been thoroughly beta-read yet, so there may be some errors, in which case I apologise in advance).
Note 3: This is written so that you don't have to have any experience of Battle Royale OR Final Fantasy, although knowledge of either proabably maks it more enjoyable!
Chapter 6
The view from the top of the tree was amazing. It was tall enough that she could see over the tops of all the other trees anywhere nearby, and even over many of the hills as well. The surrounding area was all laid out below her, far below. Many people would have been feeling slightly insecure being perched so high up on an unsteady branch, but Selphie was having a great time.
Running about, climbing trees, and shouting as loud as you can… if this wasn't a killing game I'd say it's the best fun I've had in ages!
Making sure that she was properly balanced on the branch and in no danger of falling off, yet still visible from the ground below, Selphie switched the megaphone on. There was a loud crackling noise as it started up.
Let's see how much noise I can make with this bad boy!
Grinning from ear to ear, Selphie inhaled deeply, and prepared to start shouting.
-
Everybody within a mile heard Selphie call for peace.
A young man with spiky blonde hair stirred in his pit of despair, briefly brought back to the land of the living by the voice of the spunky little girl who he had often caught staring absent-mindedly at him in class.
A dark-haired young man swathed in a red cloak looked up from inspecting his golden gauntlet, and wondered why anyone would be so foolish as to announce their presence so readily.
Two young men, one blonde and chewing on a toothpick, the other black-haired and leaning against a tree, looked up from something they were working on, and chuckled, each remembering some of their past experiences with Selphie.
A couple who were walking hand-in-hand paused in their wonderings and smiled, their hope reinforced by the fact that they were not the only ones seeking peace.
An innocent girl who was searching for people to aid rejoiced that she was not the only one seeking to help others. She turned and set off towards the source of the distant voice.
A girl with long white hair and a short sword in her hand looked up from her meagre breakfast, wondering if the girl was right; if there truly was another way.
A young man with long white hair and a long sword looked up from the bag he had taken form Aerith, and considered going to take out the foolish little puppet, then decided that others would be heading towards her with the same intentions in mind. More people for him to kill. He set off immediately.
A girl with wild blonde hair and a spring in her step wheeled around on the spot and saw a girl wearing a yellow dress standing in a tree nearby and shouting animatedly. Grinning, she set off at a run towards her, covering a lot of ground very rapidly.
A girl with short black hair and an ornamental shuriken on a chain around her neck smiled to herself, surprised that it had taken her friend this long to start kicking up a racket. She set off towards the distant source of the voice, hoping that nothing bad would happen before she could get there.
-
Squall had completely overcoming his winding, and was running at break-neck speed, pursuing Yang. He could see Yang further ahead, the blade of his naginata randomly reflecting sunlight as it waved around. He couldn't see Rinoa because Yang was obscuring his view of her, but he was fairly sure she was slowing down, and that they were catching up to her.
With that wound on her arm draining her strength, she wouldn't be able to keep going for very long.
His legs were beginning to ache from being forced to move so fast. Although he was in good physical shape, Squall was certainly not a distance runner, and he had never run this fast before.
It had never been so important that he move fast before.
He clenched his teeth against the painful protests of his legs as he moved even faster, finally beginning to gain on Yang. But he knew he wasn't gaining quickly enough; Yang would reach Rinoa first.
Only one thing I can do…
Squall still held the miniature gunblade in his right hand. Without stopping to take aim, he hurled the pathetically small weapon at the gi-clothed figure, praying the weapon would find its mark.
The small blade hurtled towards Yang, heading for his legs.
Please…
The blade passed between his legs and struck the floor ahead of him, embedding itself in the ground.
No!
Yang hadn't seen the blade however, and his foot caught it. He tripped, his forwards momentum carrying him forwards quite a distance before he ploughed face-first into the ground. Squall reached down and yanked the weapon out of the ground as he rushed past, ready to use it to kill Yang, if necessary.
Yang hauled himself to his feet, spewing a stream of curses. He still clutched the naginata in his hand, refusing to let go of it again. He raised him self to his feet, and prepared to rush off in pursuit of Rinoa again.
But Squall reached him before he could continue running. Squall wanted to restrain himself, to only disable Yang long enough for him to catch up with Rinoa and escape, but his frustration with the Program and desire to protect Rinoa took over.
Not really aiming, he slammed the miniature gunblade into Yang's back. It missed the spine by mere millimetres, but still bit deep into him. Screaming out in pain, Yang's grip on the naginata loosened. Seeing an opportunity he could take advantage of, Squall kicked the hand Yang was holding the weapon with. He let go reflexively, and the force of the kick sent the naginata sailing upwards.
Yang wheeled around and hurled a punch at Squall, but it was easily deflected; the blow to his back had weakened the attack considerably. Squall took a step back holding his hands out. Assuming this was a defensive posture, Yang leapt forwards.
The naginata came down, and landed in Squall's hands, just as he had planned. Thrusting the weapon forwards, it met Yang mid-leap, piercing his skin, passing through his chest, and exiting his body though his shoulder. The momentum of Yang's body causes Squall to stumble slightly, but he quickly regained his balance.
Squall had been acting on something similar to autopilot; his instincts and Sparring training had taken over, and he had fought to the death with one of his classmates. He stood, holding the naginata in both hands. Yang hung limply on the end of the weapon, his blood running down the edge of the blade and dripping off at the point where it joined with the pole. His head lolled back, revealing that the light on his collar had gone dark.
There was no doubt about it; Yang Fabul was dead, and Squall had killed him.
I… I played the game…
NO! I did it defend Rinoa… I can't let anything happen to her!
He looked up, but could no longer see Rinoa. She had fled onwards, believing she was still being pursued.
Someone else might try and attack her… or worse.
He wrenched the naginata from Yang's chest, the blade making a sickening noise as it left the corpse, a combination of bones crunching and flesh tearing. Not even pausing to wipe the blood from the blade, Squall ran onwards, hoping to catch up with Rinoa.
-
Rinoa ran onwards, breathing heavily, desperately trying to ignore the pain in her arm as she continued to run. She didn't look back, fearing that Yang might almost be upon her.
The trees were flying, fading into one big blur of green and brown. Then the trees slowly began to fade away, until she was running out in the open. The wooden forest walls gave way to a field, the forest canopy gave way to a blue sky with few clouds, and the soft green grass gave way to ploughed earth. She continued to run, nearly tripping on a deep rut in the ground, all the time acutely aware of how rapidly her strength was failing her.
Her legs began shaking as she hurtled onwards, and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to keep going long enough to escape Yang. She began to slow down, losing momentum rapidly. She slowed to something that was barely faster than walking, but she continued to drive herself onwards nonetheless.
Then her foot caught in another rut, and she plunged downards, slamming face first into the earth. She lay still for a moment, half expecting to feel Yang's naginata enter her back and plunge her into eternal darkness.
Squall…
She lay still waiting for death to come to her. Nothing happened. She lay still, with her eyes closed, and listened carefully. She could hear footsteps approaching, advancing towards her.
So… this is it…
But… I won't go so easily!
She rolled over, trying to bring her arm up to point at her assailant. But there was nobody there.
The footsteps were coming from behind her.
She slowly turned her head around, fearful of who it might be. The figure standing behind her was tall and dark, and their cloak billowed out behind them in the wind. There was a large gun in their hand, a gun that was cocked and ready to fire.
-
"Selphie!"
Selphie beamed down at the girl at the base of the tree. She knew someone would come, and there were few people she could have wanted more.
"On my way down!" she shouted back.
Descending the tree was much easier than climbing it, so Selphie was halfway down the tree in a matter of seconds. She reached the bottommost branch a few seconds after that, but then lost her balance, and feel the rest of the way to the ground, landing on her behind, disoriented.
"You all right?" said the blonde-haired girl, who had been waiting for her at the base of the tree, trying to suppress a grin but failing.
Selphie giggled, and jumped to her feet. Dusting herself off, she beamed at the girl.
"Couldn't be better now you're here, Rikku!"
She jumped forwards and wrapped Rikku in a hug, taking her completely by surprise. Then Rikku relaxed, and laughed.
"I'm surprised I was the first here; everyone in miles will have heard you shouting!"
"You really think so?" Selphie said excitedly, pulling away from, Rikku.
"Are you kidding? We can hear you from half a mile off most of the time. Giving you that megaphone just makes it ridiculously loud." Rikku said, playfully punching her on the arm.
Selphie couldn't help but smile even more. Rikku often had that effect on people, and it was for this that Rikku was one of Selphie's favourite people. The two of them and Yuffie were similar in many ways, with their infectious energy and enthusiasm, and their complete inability to be quiet or still for any length of time.
I couldn't have asked for a better person to arrive here first!
"So, what's the plan?" Rikku asked, rocking back and forth on her heels, her wild blonde hair dancing around on the breeze.
"Gonna do what I do best!" Selphie said, grinning widely.
"You mean being a fidgety nuisance?" Rikku said, failing to suppress another wicked grin.
"Hypocrite!" Selphie laughed, then stuck her tongue out playfully.
The two girls started laughing, Selphie leaning against the tree for support.
"Seriously though," Rikku managed to say between giggles "what's the plan? You just gonna shout out to everyone, get them to come here?"
"Pretty much." Selphie replied, shrugging. "I'm sure if we all put our minds to it, there'll be any easy way out of this game."
"Sounds like a plan… so, what do I do?"
Selphie looked around, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"Erm… could you stand on that lower branch, and greet people as they arrive?" she asked eventually. "You'll be in plain sight, so people will be able to see I'm not alone and that others are listening to me, and it makes it easier to organise people as they arrive."
"Yeah, I can hardly imagine Quistis or Lulu wanting to scrabble up a tree to talk to you." Rikku said, her eyes flashing mischievously.
"Let's get to it!" Selphie shouted, jumping up and down enthusiastically. Wheeling around, she dashed for the tree, tripped up on a lower branch, and giggling, pulled herself to her feet again.
"Lmisco!" Rikku chuckled.
"What?" Selphie asked, looking utterly perplexed.
"Uh… never mind, you get to it, girl!" Rikku said, waving it off.
"'Kay!"
With that, Selphie started to rapidly ascend the tree again.
-
Rinoa stared up at the man standing over her, not entirely sure what to think. His cloak billowing behind him in the wind, Vincent Valentine was staring down at her with utter neutrality on his face.
The two stared at each other, utterly still save for the flapping of Vincent's cloak in the breeze. Rinoa's mind flashed through endless scenarios, trying to find a possible way to fire her weapon at the red-clothed figure standing over her before he could fire at her. She could feel every muscle in her body tensing up in preparation for an attack.
Vincent moved slightly, and Rinoa swung her arm up to point at him, preparing to fire, but caught herself at the last second as she realised what he was doing. She froze in position, her pinwheel now pointed at his chest, her eyes fixed on his gun, which he had been holstering until she had moved.
"Let me get this straight…" Vincent said slowly and calmly. "You stare at me when the gun is out, and then point your weapon at me when I holster mine… is there some form of reverse logic in play here?"
Rinoa swallowed nervously, unsure of what to make of the situation. Vincent continued to hold her gaze, then gave the barest of smiles, and shifted his gaze to look the direction she had run from.
"Were you being pursued? You certainly looked like you thought someone was chasing after you with murder on their mind." He said, in the same quiet, calm voice.
Suddenly remembering why she had ended up in the field, looked behind her, and could see no trace of Yang or Squall.
They must be fighting… unless Squall managed to lead Yang away… or... no, don't think like that…oh Squall, please be safe!
"Yang was chasing me." She said simply. "Squall was trying to stop him. I assume he succeeded in some way."
"Evidently so. So you are in need of a new protector until Squall returns?"
Rinoa whipped her gaze back to Vincent, her eyes narrowing slightly.
What did he mean by that? Is he making some sort of threat, or…
Movement somewhere beyond Vincent caught her eye.
-
Palom Mysidia was a total mess. Since leaving the school, he had had but one objective, and he had pursued it doggedly, allowing nothing to get in his way.
I have to find Porrom!
She'll never survive without me there!
He had hurtled through hedges, scrambled over rocks and charged through forests looking for his sister, becoming more and more desperate all the while. He had continued to run onwards, never allowing himself to tire, ignoring the sharp rocks and whipping branches that tore at his clothes and face, his mind focused on his "twin sense", the bond that he shared with Porrom. He would be able to tell if she were near, of if she were in danger, but so far he had felt nothing.
She's safe for now… but how long will that last?
He had been carefully watching his classmates as they had left the room, studying their faces and trying to discern their intents from their expressions and the look in their eyes. What he had seen on the faces of some had scared him. In Sephiroth he had seen a calmness betrayed only by the joy that had been lurking in his eyes, and in Vincent he had seen only a grim determination. He knew these two would be willing to fight, and the looks of desperation and terror he had seen on the faces of many of his other classmates led him to believe that most would snap under the pressure, and either fight or kill themselves.
And I know that there will be a fair few who would rather live than die…
As he had run, he had heard the tell-tale sounds of fighting starting up around the island; thunderous booms that he imagined to be powerful spells had sounded off not far from him as he had run parallel to the beach. Since then he had seen ghostly images running at him from the shadows, but this had only made him run faster.
As his desperation had grown, his mind had fractured more and more, and in his broken mind, he knew that Porrom would be the only one who would not try to kill him. He knew he would have to fight before the end. He knew that one of his classmates' minds would snap, and they would force him into a position where he would have to kill.
But I'll be ready when that happens!
His entire body was sweating from the exertion of constantly running, apart from his right wrist, which felt as if it were being cooled by an icepack. As he ran onwards, his slightly-ripped right sleeve flapped in the wind, revealing a dull golden bracelet beneath it. Palom, being greatly interested and well-read in the topic of the art of magic, had instantly recognised what the bracelet was as he had lifted it from his green bag after leaving the school; a magic bangle, one that contained some form of Blizzard spell within the centre-mounted blue gemstone. He knew how to use it, and he was prepared to defend himself or his sister with it if necessary.
And the situation he was in now was one which he knew was one in which using the bangle would be necessary.
He had burst from one of the island's many forest, and onto an old field that had obviously not had a good ploughing in several years. At first he had not seen anyone, and had just run on for a few seconds, but then he did a double-take, and realised that he most certainly was not alone.
Two people were in the field with him. One was apparently sitting on the rough ground, but he could not see who it was, because there was another person standing in front of them, as their red cloak blocked his view as it flapped lazily in the wind.
Red cloak…
Palom heard a gasp from the person sitting on the ground, and the red-cloaked figure wheeled around, their hand shooting to a gun holster hidden beneath the cloak.
It's Vincent!
The hand reappeared from beneath the cloak, but now it was holding a large black gun which gleamed with a deadly and terrifying light.
I knew it! He's playing!
Palom dived to the side, expecting a shot from the gun to whiz past his head as he moved.
"Stay still or I shall fire!" Vincent barked in a commanding tone, swinging the gun round to point at Palom again.
More like stay still so he can aim at me properly!
I'm not going to let him try and stop me finding Porrom!
He dived to the side again, whipping his right arm up and tearing the remnants on his sleeve back, fully revealing the bangle.
"Stop now or I shall fire!" Vincent's voice boomed out again, betraying no hint of his intentions, hostile of otherwise.
"Yeah fucking right!" Palom screamed back, then he whispered the spells words to himself, and felt his arm tingle as the bangle magically created a series of razor-sharp ice shards just beyond his outstretched fingertips, and then flung them words with terrific speed, straight at his red-cloaked opponent.
But Vincent was no longer there, and the ice shards merely tore a few small holes in his cloak as he dived to the side.
Palom cursed loudly, then flinched away from an imaginary blow from Porrom, who would have chastised him for foul language. Then, realising there was no Porrom there to stop him, he cursed again, and fired the Blizzard spell a second time.
This time Vincent didn't manage to move out of the way quite as quickly, and one of the ice shards tore a shallow gash across his left cheek. Vincent clenched his teeth and reflexively squeezed his trigger.
A huge booming sound tore through the surrounding area, and a small but powerful black bullet tore through Palom's left shoulder. He screamed in pain and stumbled to the side, compromising the accuracy of his next volley of ice shards, which flew harmlessly into the sky.
-
"He's lost it!" Vincent muttered as he dove to the side and snapped of another shot, which missed the erratically moving Palom. "There's no way to get him to stop…"
"Yes there is." He heard Rinoa say simply. He snapped his head round to look at her, and saw she had her arm raised again, Pinwheel at the ready.
"This isn't kidding around, you need to get out of here!" Vincent yelled, firing another shot to try and make Palom keep his head down long enough for Rinoa to flee.
"Who's kidding around?" she said quietly, and fired her weapon.
-
Palom saw something flash in the morning sunlight, and dodged to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding the gracefully projectile.
"Hah!" he sneered contemptuously. "Learn to aim!"
With the words barely out of his mouth, he fired his own weapon at Rinoa, who managed to hurl herself to the ground before any of the ice shards could make contact with her.
Prone on the floor… easy target!
He quickly looked around for Vincent, then rolled to the side out of reflex. Another colossal boom echoed around the area, and a plume of dirt kicked up from the ground where he had bene standing just a second before.
The girl is an easier target…so take her out first, before she becomes trouble again.
He swung his bangle to point at Rinoa again, but stopped dead when he saw her face.
She was looking behind him, and smiling grimly.
Someone behind me!
Wheeling around on his heel, he fired his bangle into the air behind him, but hit nothing, for there was no-one behind him at all.
So why was she looking behind me…
His eyes registered the Pinwheel projectile, hurtling back to Rinoa having done cut a complete arc through the air, a split second before it hit him full in the face.
-
Rinoa's legs gave way beneath her as the sickening crunch sound reached her ears. She knew that what she had done was necessary to survive, but that didn't lessen the horror of realising what she had done.
She stared at Palom, unable to tear her eyes away as he staggered about, his movement stiff. His back was facing her, so she couldn't see where the Pinwheel had struck, or even if it was a fatal wound she had inflicted, but his slow, staggering movement confirmed her fears.
Palom staggered a few steps backwards, moved by the momentum of the projectile, then he stopped, swaying unsteadily for a few seconds before keeling over backwards. He landed in the dirt with a dull thump, kicking up a small cloud of dirt.
She waited tensely as the dirt cloud began to settle, then shuddered as she saw the Pinwheel embedded in the middle of Palom's forehead. It has sunk in so that barely half of the projectile was visible, and there was no doubt that he was dead. Blood was beginning to flow from the wound, and soon the corpse's face was coloured crimson.
Rinoa looked down and closed her eyes, trying to still her mind which was racing through alternate scenarios and possibilities, trying to find a way out of what she had done.
I acted on instinct… and look what my instinct was…
To kill a classmate… how could I do such a thing? What kind of person am I?
She opened her eyes again, and saw a shadow on the ground near her. She looked up to see Vincent standing over her, his expression pitying. Her vision started to blur as tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes, and she lowered her gaze, feeling she was undeserving of pity.
"Don't cry," Vincent said with surprising gentleness "if you hadn't done it he would have killed you, maybe me, and other people as well."
"Yes, but…" she tried to protest.
"He wasn't Palom anymore."
She looked up at him, her face now streaked with tears.
"You could see that he'd snapped. That's what the game does to people; it makes them lose who they are, forget their friends and loved ones, and become something they would never normally be. What you did was really a kindness for him; you stopped him from hurting anyone precious to him."
Rinoa smiled sadly.
-
Squall crept forwards, his newly acquired naginata held steady in both hands, his knuckles going white from the strength of his grip.
How could this happen? I protect her from one person, and she immediately falls into greater danger!
He had emerged from the dirt path and onto the field, hoping to see Rinoa waiting for him, but instead he had seen her on the floor, crying, with Vincent Valentine standing over her, a gun clutched in his hand.
She's crying… what has he done to her!
Squall could also see a corpse nearby, and judging from the old-fashioned mage-style robes it was clothed in, he assumed it was one of the Mysidia twins.
Squall was afraid. Not for himself, not because this red-cloaked man standing before him on the field was apparently a cold-blooded killer, but because Rinoa was in danger.
Not something I'll allow to last for long!
He ran forwards and leapt as high as he could, using the naginata like a pole vault to propel himself even higher into the air.
-
Rinoa looked up at Vincent again, having wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Vincent gave that barest of smiles again.
"You've got a strong will, I see."
Rinoa opened her mouth to reply, then saw a silhouetted figure rise into the sky from behind Vincent, then it began to descend rapidly, towards the two of them.
"Vincent, move!" she shouted, as scrambled backwards, away from the descending shadow. Vincent apparently had very sharp reflexes, for he had already managed to move to a safe distance before the shadow hit ground.
"Hold!" Vincent shouted, his gun raised again.
The figure spun to face Vincent, and raised a weapon that appeared to be a pole with a blade on the end. When Vincent saw the person's face, he cocked an eyebrow and lowered the gun slightly.
"Squall, don't!" Rinoa shouted, having finally realised who it was, but Squall either didn't hear or ignored her.
He leapt into the air again, straight at Vincent, swinging the naginata straight downwards, towards his head. Vincent didn't move from where he was, he merely raised his golden-gauntleted left arm, and took the entire force of the blow on it. He stumbled backwards slightly from the impact, but seemed otherwise unaffected by the might blow Squall had just struck him.
Leaping back from his unsuccessful attack, Squall swung the naginata back behind his head, holding it with both hands, ready for a powerful downwards swing. He took a step forwards to give his attack a bit of extra momentum, then stopped short suddenly as Rinoa moved in front of him with her arms outstretched, barring his path.
"Squall, stop!" she shouted. "Vincent isn't an enemy!"
Squall took a step backwards, his brows furrowed, the naginata still raised above his head. The morning light reflected off the blade, revealing that it was streaked with blood.
"What do you mean? He just killed Palom, and you would defend him?" Squall said, unsure but still weary of the equally confused red-cloaked figure Rinoa was protecting.
"You say that I'm the dangerous one," Vincent said calmly, gently brushing Rinoa to the side and standing in front of Squall, gun lowered, "yet you are the one who tried to attack me with the blood-stained blade."
Rinoa's eyebrows furrowed in incomprehension for a moment, then she inhaled sharply and took a step backwards when she finally noticed the streaky red stain on the blade of the naginata.
"Squall…" she whispered. "What happened?"
Squall bowed his head and lowered the weapon he was holding in one movement, unsure of how to explain it to her.
"I… Yang had lost it. He was bent on getting you, and there was no way to stop him, but… I didn't intend to kill him, just to stop him, but…" he trailed off sadly.
"But you acted out of reflex." Vincent finished, walking over to the corpse of Porrom. "The adrenaline in your system combined with your natural desire to survive made you act before you could think about it."
Squall stared at Vincent, his mouth open slightly.
He talks as if he's experienced it before…
"Is that what happened when you killed Palom, then?" he demanded.
"No." Vincent replied simply. "Because I didn't kill Palom."
He knelt down next to the corpse, and lifted the head slightly to reveal the projectile that was still protruding from its face. Squall looked to Rinoa, amazed.
"I…" she trailed off, looking down at the ground. "I had to. I can't be weak at a time like this…"
There was a sickening slurp sound nearby, and Squall looked back to Vincent in time to see him pull the Pinwheel projectile clear of Palom's skull. After wiping it on the grass, he offered it to Rinoa.
"Every weapon counts in this game, and seeing as that's your only weapon at the moment, you'd do well to try and hold on to it."
Hesitantly, Rinoa took the bladed disc from Vincent's hand, and started loading it into the launcher again.
"Seems you two can take care of yourselves already, but would you care to join with another able fighter?"
Squall and Rinoa exchanged concerned looks, unsure how to interpret the invitation.
Is he genuinely offering to help us survive?
Or is he just planning to use us in some way?
"Whether or not you choose to join up with me, we need to get away from this place quickly. You ma have noticed that I wasn't equipped with one of the quieter weapons, and I don't doubt that others will have heard the noise. For all we know, a serious player could be headed this way as we speak." Vincent said, gesturing to the woods with his gun.
"We'll go with you…" Squall said slowly, "provided that you tell us why you want to go with us."
Vincent gave another small smile, then turned away and started walking off towards the trees.
"I'm not keeping you with me to kill later, or to use as a bullet shield, if that's what you're thinking. I have… personal reasons. I need to find someone I can trust, and I get the feeling that you two are definitely worthy candidates."
Squall and Rinoa exchanged glances again, set off after Vincent.
-
"Wait!"
Shuyin wheeled around, searching for the source of the voice. Lenne moved behind him and clutched at his arm, afraid.
Dammit… should have taken more care… a place like this practically screams "ambush alley"…
In their haste to reach Selphie, he and Lenne had run straight for the source of the voice, and he hadn't realised the dangers of running down what was practically a small valley; a pathway lying between two steep hills, bushes covering much of the slopes on either side, making it impossible to see if people why lying in wait.
He lowered himself into a defensive crouch, preparing for a fight.
"Who is it?" he barked out.
There was a scrambling sound from his left, and he saw the bushes shake violently as someone passed rapidly down the slope. A second later, a girl burst from the bottommost bush, stumbling a little before regaining her balance.
"Yuna!" Lenne cried out, running past Shuyin straight towards the girl. Shuyin relaxed, and chuckled to himself.
Talk about lucking out… ambush alley and the only person who finds us is Little Miss Innocence…
Lenne reached Yuna and wrapped her in a tight hug, catching Yuna by surprise.
"I'm so glad we found you!" she said, then let Yuna go and stepped back, a bit.
"I'm glad I found you, too. I was a bit worried about moving around on my own…"
"We aren't going to be alone much longer," Shuyin interrupted, stepping up behind Lenne "because we're on our way to join Selphie."
Yuna looked at him, and he felt a little disconcerted by the two different-coloured eyes that locked gazes with him.
I swear I'll never get over that… your eyes are supposed to be the same colour, not one blue and one green!
"You were going to Selphie as well?" she said, sounding delighted. "I've been hoping people would join her… I thought people would be too afraid of it being a trick to trust anyone."
"I'd trust Selphie with my life." Lenne said firmly. "I'd trust many of our classmates with my life. Trusting each other is the only way we can beat this thing without all dying. And we have to try and beat this thing!"
Yuna beamed at the couple, her smile soul-warming.
"I just knew that other people would be trying to help out… I knew that I couldn't be the only one who would try to do something. I'm so happy that you guys have chosen to help!"
Yuna stepped forwards, and this time she wrapped her arms around Lenne and Shuyin.
"Not that I mind group hugs…" Shuyin said, a little uncomfortably, "but I think we should get a move on and get to Selphie. She might have attracted some unsavoury elements, and we should get there before that can happen, otherwise she might move off somewhere else, and we might not be able to find her again."
Lenne and Yuna both smiled at him, Lenne with love in her eyes, and Yuna with a look of innocent happiness.
-
He stared intensely at his hands, praying that he had not seen what he thought he had. For a few seconds, nothing happened, then something changed; at first it seemed as if the air around his hands was shimmering, but it quickly became clear that it wasn't the air – it was his hands that seemed to be shimmering slightly, wavering as if they were as insubstantial as a wisp of smoke.
He clenched his fists and ground the palms of his hands into his eyes, fear and pain streaking through his mind.
No… why now? Why does this have to happen now of all times?
He stood up and paced about, trying to control his emotions.
I will not cry. Not now. I can't afford to waste any time…
He somehow knew what was happening; he hadn't even been told about anything like this, and it wasn't something he had heard about before; he just inherently knew what was happening. But he didn't know why it was happening.
Not that it matters… I don't have that long… even if I hold on for as long as I possibly can, there's no way that I can last more than a few days… 'Why' isn't an issue.
He walked back to where he had dropped his bags when he first felt the strange sensation that something was changing in him. He picked up his green bag, and slung it over his shoulder, then crouched in front of his own bag, a black satchel with a big fiery "J" emblazoned on the side. After a while he brought out his assigned "weapon"; a smooth black box-shaped object. He flipped it open, revealing a LCD screen and a series of buttons with confusing symbols on them.
"On." He said in a monotone, as the manual had told him he should do.
The screen flickered to life, and after briefly flashing a "loading" message, a Galbadian government logo appeared, with the words "state name" in the top left hand corner.
"Tidus Staraybe."
Another loading message, then the government logo appeared again, this time with the words "awaiting instructions" in the top corner.
Umm… what did the manual say the commands were for this thing?
"Scanner?" he said, wondering what the little plastic box would do.
The words "up linking" appeared on the screen.
"Wha- up linking to what?" he said out loud. "Why do you need to link to anything to scan me?"
The "up linking" message disappeared, and was replaced with a colour satellite image of the island. There were several small dots positioned around the island, some moving slowly, others stationary, and there was a blinking cross symbol where he apparently was.
Huh… not what I was looking for, but handy…
"Um… scan me?" he said hopefully.
The plastic box made an error noise.
"Bioscanner?" he tried again, and was met with a second error noise.
Um…
"Health scan? Stat scan? Med scan?"
The box omitted the error noise to the first two suggestions, then beeped positively, and the satellite image disappeared, replaced with the loading message.
Progress!
The box made a slight humming noise, and the screen flickered once or twice, and then several lines of text appeared on the screen. Tidus tried to read the text, but it made no sense to him, as it all seemed to be medial jargon. Then a red line appeared at the bottom, and started blinking steadily.
"Subject status normal…." He read aloud. "I thought not…"
If it can't find anything wrong with me, then its probably something I can't cure… I really don't have a way out of this…
I'm going to fade, to disappear as if I was never here in this world in the first place…
He felt tears well up in his eyes, but he blinked furiously to get rid of them, chastising himself.
"I can't cry now!" he said aloud, trying to steady his emotions. "I can't be weak now… I have to do something… anything… worthwhile…"
He subconsciously reached for one of the two necklaces he wore. One was the same fiery "J" symbol that was emblazoned on his bag, and the other, the one he took in his hand, was a small locket with "friends forever" inscribed on it in elegant, looping writing. It was something he always did when he wasn't sure of what to do; inside the locket was a picture of his best friend, who had always been there for him when he needed her, and together they had always made it through hard times and troubles.
But she isn't here now… I need to decide what to do on my own…
He thought hard, but thinking had never really been his forte; he thought with his heart, not with his head, and try as he might, Tidus could not come up with a plan of action that made sense.
"Awww, man…." He moaned, and sat down roughly on the ground. "What am I going to do…"
His thought began to stray, and as they always did when he wasn't thinking about anything in particular, they strayed in a particular direction. The image of a face began to form in his mind, the face of someone very precious to him.
The face of the girl he loved. The girl he loved, even though he had never really talked with her much, but who still captivated him with every movement, every gesture, every word.
I could… I could try to do something for her…
There must be more ways off this shit-hole island than "kill your friends"… and I can help her find it.
He held his locket a little tighter, as a plan began to form in his mind.
I'll find them both… I'll protect them as long as I can, and I can find a way out for them…
I won't be able to go with them, but…
It would be a good ending to my story. A good thing to do before I fade completely.
A good thing to do before the dream ends.
-
Rosa walked hand-in-hand with her lover, and could not help but smile. Despite all that was happening, despite the danger, and the rules of the game, he had sought her out. Through all the fear that was clouding her heart and mind, a shining ray of hope shone, illuminating every corner of her being, and giving her the strength to go on. She had doubted him, and for that she had silently cursed herself, but it didn't seem to matter anymore; now that the two of them were back together, walking together along the cliffs, bathed in the glow of early morning sunlight, it seemed like everything was almost back to normal.
Almost.
"So…" Cecil said, finally breaking the long silence. "We're not in the best of situations here…"
Rosa lowered her gaze from the rose-tinted clouds to the ground beneath her feet.
I had hoped avoid this… but such a desire is foolish. There is no escaping truth…
"Understatement of the millennium." She replied, smirking slightly. "You always had such a way with words."
"Hey, I leave the eloquent speech to Cain, it never was my forte." He retorted in mock offence, making Rosa smile inwardly.
No… speaking from the heart was your forte. You never make a decision unless your heart is in it. Other saw that as the weakness of indecision, but I could see the truth…
"There's a difference between speaking eloquently and smooth-talking your way into a girl's bed." She said, giggling quietly.
"True…" Cecil conceded. "He does seem to excel at that… guess Cid has been a bad influence."
They laughed together, but it wasn't the same as when they normally laughed together. It was slightly strained, not completely natural. The game was getting to them.
"Seriously, though… what are we going to actually do?" Cecil said after the laughter died down. "Do you have a plan, or shall we go with my one?"
Rosa grimaced slightly. She knew him well enough to know that his plan wouldn't be likely to be very well thought-through.
"Not really… I heard Selphie calling out about something a while ago – she must have a bullhorn or something – but I couldn't quite hear what she was saying. Knowing her, though, she was probably calling for people to join her. I can't think of anything else worth calling out for other than 'I want to die, come and get me'…"
"Not too blunt…" Cecil said quietly. Then his head snapped up. "Calling for people to join her… you mean-"
"Yeah; she doesn't want to fight. And I know that some others would feel the same way. If not the whole class."
"Some will fight." Cecil said this quietly, but with absolute certainty. "You saw the look in Sephiroth's eyes as he left the room. He's up to something, and I doubt it's gathering people for an escape attempt."
"Sephiroth scared me before… and you know what my past is like, simple thugs shouldn't scare me…" she murmured.
"Sephiroth is no thug." Cecil said slowly, carefully trying to articulate what he was thinking. "Neither was Seifer for that matter, but Sephiroth… I don't know, there was always something a bit… otherworldly about him. Something out of place. I can't quite put my finger on it…"
"Neither can I." Rosa said. She looked up again, and smiled. "Best not to dwell on it too much. We should get moving now."
"Where to though? And what are we going to do?" Cecil asked, shrugging. "You can choose what to do, and I'll follow you, and protect you."
Rosa stopped walking, and turned to face him, looking into his eyes.
"Anywhere I go?" she said quietly, her eyes filled with adoration.
"I'll follow." He replied, and stepped forward to wrap her in a gentle embrace, his white cloak billowing around them in the wind.
-
Paine crouched in a bush near the small dirt track, listening out for the tell-tale signs of someone stalking her. At first it had just been a gut feeling, but now she knew for certain that someone was moving nearby. You simply couldn't move through a forest without making at least some noise.
The question is whether or not this person is following me, or if they happen to be in the same area at the same time as me…
She drew her short sword from its sheath as slowly and quietly as she could, holding it tightly in her right hand, whilst using the right hand to gently push a branch aside, allowing her a clearer view of the area in front of her.
What she saw made her freeze.
He was moving from tree to tree rapidly, hiding behind each and glancing around quickly.
He must have realised I was here…
But if he's moving like that, he doesn't know I'm here!
He darted forwards to the next tree, his long hair streaming behind him as he moved. He paused for longer than normal at the next tree, looking around intently. He moved his hand up, slowly reaching for the sword hilt that was protruding over his shoulder. The weapon was held in a scabbard strapped to his back, and Paine's eyes went wide as she saw the end of the scabbard was by his feet.
That is a HUGE sword… and I bet he can wield it well as well…
She tried to suppress the rising fear she felt, but it was too much. She knew she had to fight and kill if she wanted to live through the game, but she didn't like she could take on Sephiroth under any circumstances.
It's not a fight I want to be a part of at all…
But she was spared a fight with the white-haired young man, as he suddenly sprinted off into the distance, towards the cliff path that ran parallel to, but a good hundred meters away from, the dirt path through the forest.
Despite his departure, she stayed still, counting a hundred heartbeats before moving.
He could have hidden close by, waiting for me to reveal myself by moving…
She counted another two hundred heartbeats to be sure, and then she moved, slowly at first. She cautiously stood up, and thoroughly looked around the area, trying to be certain that she was alone. She had almost decided to move when she head something that filled her with fear.
But not fear for herself.
"Cecil!"
The shriek echoed through the forests, piercing into Paine's very soul.
"Rosa…" she murmured quietly.
She could faintly hear the clash of blade on blade somewhere in the distance, ringing out several times.
Sephiroth… he must have found Rosa… she'll have no chance if I don't help her!
All thoughts of playing to win forgotten, Paine ran as fast as she could towards the source of the noise.
-
Rosa stood atop the cliff, gazing out across the sea, trying to focus her thoughts. It was so hard to think of what to do when the situation was as complicated as the one they were in. Cecil stood a few feet behind her, waiting patiently for her to decide on what to do.
Normally I would never ask him to do anything that would put him in danger… but we'll both have to put ourselves in harm's way regardless of what course of action we choose.
"You'd be willing to come with me no matter how hopeless my plan is?" she asked quietly, not moving her gaze from the rolling waves below.
"I'll follow you wherever you go, Rosa. Until the end, and beyond."
That would be so cliché if I didn't know he truly meant it…
She smiled to herself briefly, then inhaled deeply.
"Well my plan is pretty far-fetched, but it's all I can think of. And it's better than nothing I suppose…."
She turned to face him, and opened her mouth to tell him what she had thought up, but something stopped her. Over Cecil's shoulder, she could see someone rapidly approaching. Someone carrying a long, gleaming sword, held in both hands and poised to strike.
"Cecil!" she screamed, her mind so clouded with terror that she couldn't say anything else.
Cecil's eyes hardened, and Rosa knew that he was allowing the darker side of himself to take over. In one smooth motion he spun around and drew a gleaming golden sword from a scabbard that had been hidden beneath his cloak.
By the time the white-haired swordsman had burst from the forest, Cecil was standing ready, his sword held steady in both hands. He sprang forwards and caught the assailant's blade on his own, with tremendous force. The impact caused both men to fly backwards. Cecil managed to remain upright, steadying himself quickly and preparing to charge back in.
His eyes locked on his opponent, whose flight had been halted by a nearby tree. His white hair blowing around wildly in the wind, Sephiroth locked gazes with Cecil for the briefest of moments before the two young men charged at each other, each utterly silent other than the noise of the footsteps on the ground.
Sephiroth had the advantage of having a longer sword, and attempted to impale Cecil with a thrusting stab, but Cecil averted the blade with his own, and continued to move forwards, trying to drive his blade home, but Sephiroth leapt backwards and brought his sword around in a powerful horizontal swing, which Cecil barely managed to block with his golden blade, the impact jarring his arms so hard he nearly let go out of reflex.
"Rosa, run!" he shouted, knowing that he was unlikely to win the fight. "Get as far away as you can now!"
"No running." She replied quietly, and something streaked over his left shoulder, and hit Sephiroth in the shoulder, making him recoil backwards.
Cecil chanced a glance over his shoulder and saw Rosa holding a crossbow in one hand, and trying to reload the weapon with her free hand. He looked back at Sephiroth in time to see him rip the bolt from his arm and cast it aside, looking unperturbed by the fact that he had just been shot.
He was still for a single heartbeat, and then he was charging at Cecil again, this time bringing his blade down in an overhead strike that could split a man from head to toe with ease, but Cecil held his sword in two hands and caught the attack on it. But then he realised that Sephiroth hadn't truly been attacking him, for he used the momentum from his attack to carry himself over Cecil's head, using the golden blade like a pivot upon which his own sword acted.
Cecil wheeled around, bringing his weapon around for a horizontal strike, but Sephiroth had already moved out of range, charging straight at Rosa.
"Run!" he roared again, hurling himself at Sephiroth, every nerve in his body burning with fear at the thought of any harm befalling Rosa.
Sephiroth swung his blade though an upwards swing, aiming to catch Rosa between the legs, but Rosa nimbly stepped backwards, and held the crossbow in front of her like a shield. Her weapon caught the full force of Sephiroth's attack, and it splintered into two easily, and knocked her backwards.
Cecil saw it happen all in slow motion, burning into his eyes with a near-physical pain. Rosa slowly keeled over backwards, her arms windmilling in a futile effort to regain the balance she had lost the moment the blade had struck her crossbow. As she fell backwards, he saw her face, and utter hopelessness and confusion that was etched into her features.
His heart felt like it had exploded within his chest.
I failed to protect her! I promised her that I would never let anything happen to her, and now this!
"NO!" Cecil screamed at the top of his lungs. "I'm gonna kill you motherfucker!"
Letting every nuance of his rage flood his mind, he charged forwards, screaming a battle cry, and brought his sword down with as much strength as he could muster, aiming to cleave Sephiroth in two.
But Sephiroth wasn't there anymore. Cecil barely managed to stop himself from joining Rosa, catching his balance before he went over the cliff edge. He spun around, expecting Sephiroth to be aiming another horizontal slash from his side, but Sephiroth had somehow managed to move behind him rather than to the side, and Cecil simply couldn't bring his blade around fast enough to deflect Sephiroth's thrust.
He gasped as he felt the blade pass through his arm above the elbow, and then pass through his rib cage from the side, narrowly missing his broken heart but puncturing both lungs. The blade lifted him upwards, his feet leaving the ground altogether, and he was unable to do anything. His uninjured right arm couldn't bring his golden blade to bear, and his left arm was pinned to his side by Sephiroth's weapon.
His vision rapidly fading to black, Cecil turned his head to the side and glared at Sephiroth.
"You pathetic fuck… playing their game are you? Fucking coward!"
Sephiroth merely smirked back at him, then took a step towards the edge of the cliff and tilted the blade, dumping Cecil over the edge. Cecil remained utterly silent on the way down, denying the white-haired murderer the pleasure of a scream, and silently rejoicing that he was going to join his beloved Rosa in death.
-
Paine wanted to run forwards to help, but she knew that Sephiroth would only kill her. Cecil, who had a better weapon and was a considerably better fight had lost to Sephiroth in a straight fight, so she would have no hope with her short sword. Instead, she hid in a bush on the edge of the tree line, praying that Sephiroth would think his work done and leave the area.
Sephiroth only stayed a short time, just long enough to take the supplies from Cecil and Rosa's bags before sprinting down the cliff path at a tremendous turn of speed.
Probably seeking out a new victim…
She shuddered slightly as she realised that she had become so very similar to Sephiroth; she had murdered Celes, and in many ways she had been crueler; she had deceived Celes, giving her hope and then taking it away again with the cold steel of her sword. Sephiroth just blasted in and killed first, asking questions never.
Not kinder, but less cruel… if that makes any sense.
Once she was sure that he had gone far enough away that he would not see her, Paine darted from the cover of the bush, and ran to the cliff edge. She looked over the edge, fearing that she would see two dead bodies floating in the surf below, but she could see nothing. She gazed on for a few moments, her hopes crushed, and then she started to turn away.
"Paine?" came a weak voice.
She jumped and wheeled around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Paine, is that you?" came the voice again.
"Rosa!" Paine called out, a spark of hope igniting within her again.
"Paine…" the voice was getting weaker, but Paine finally worked out where it was coming from.
She lay down on her front, and crawled forwards, leaning over the edge of the cliff, and sure enough, Rosa was dangling below her, hanging from a rock jutting out from the cliff's face. She looked up at Paine, her eyes fearful.
"Paine… it is you… help me, please." She said, her arms shaking slightly, losing strength.
"Don't worry, I'll get you up!" Paine said. "Hang on!"
She rolled over on to he back, and sat up, reaching for her sword. She lifted it above her head and bought it down again with force, burying it nearly to the hilt in the ground near the cliff edge. Wrapping her legs around the handle, she lowered herself over the edge of the cliff, reaching out to Rosa.
"Take my hand!" Paine called out. "Come on Rosa!"
Rosa looked unsure, as her grip on the rock she was hanging from was weak enough with both hands.
"Come on! If you don't take my hand, you'll fall!" Paine said, beginning to get desperate.
Rosa reluctantly lifted one hand from the rock and made a grab for Paine's hand, but missed, nearly losing her grip with her other hand. She gave a small yelp and returned her hand to the rock again, clinging on tightly, her gaze fixed on the waves far below.
"Rosa! Come on!" Paine said, shouting to hear her own voice over the beating of her heart. "Try again! We can do this!"
Rosa looked up at her again, her gaze steady and sharp.
"What happened to Cecil?"
"Rosa, we don't have time to chat, grab my hand!"
"What happened to Cecil?"
"Rosa, for fuck's sake, grab my hand!"
"Paine! What happened to Cecil?" Rosa said, her voice rising to match Paine's in volume.
Paine hesitated, not wanting to say, but knowing that they wouldn't make any progress if she didn't say something.
"Rosa, he… Sephiroth got him. Now come on, grab my-"
She stopped dead when she saw the look in Rosa's eyes. Something inside her friend had snapped, something had gone.
Something like the will to live.
"Rosa, don't you dare!" Paine shrieked.
"I'm sorry, Paine." Rosa whispered, and moved her left hand from the rock. The fingers of her right hands started to go pure white from the sheer effort of holding on.
"Rosa, don't! I need you! Please, don't let go!" Paine, cried, tears coming to her eyes. Real tears.
"Goodbye."
Rosa let go with her other hand, even as Paine lunged to grab her. Paine felt Rosa's hand slip through her fingers too quickly to grab hold, and then Rosa was gone, plummeting downwards, her eyes closed and an expression of hope on her face.
"ROSA!"
Paine shrieked her friend's name over and over, even as Rosa hit a slab-like rock at the base of the cliff with a sickening crunch, even as the sea rose up to take her body into its cold, blue embrace for eternity. She continued to shriek the name until her throat was so raw that she could no longer even whisper it.
Eventually, she managed to get enough of a hold of herself to hoist herself back up onto the cliff top, where she curled up in foetal ball, her body quivering as she cried.
Celes had just been another girl, just somebody who happened to be in the same class, and who had never really meant anything to Paine. But Rosa had been one of the few people who Paine had ever allowed to get close to her, one of the few people who Paine had called friend.
One of the only people she had ever called family.
Why! Why did she have to go! Why did she have to leave me!
She screamed the questions in her mind, over and over and over for what seemed like an eon, before another thought finally slipped in.
She left me… she didn't want to be with me! Even my closest friends don't want to be with me in this game, they just want to die or to kill!
Paine raised her head, glaring at her surroundings with bloodshot eyes.
I hate this place! I hate it all! I hate the fucking island, the fucking buildings on it, and the fucking people on it! They all just want to kill me or die on me!
Paine staggered to her feet, so unsteady that she almost went over the cliff to join her departed friend, but she didn't care. She gulped down several deep breaths, then threw back her head and screamed out to the world:
"I fucking hate you all! You all want to kill each other and die on me, just to leave me alone? Well fine! I'll make sure that I'm left alone! I'll fucking kill the lot of you!"
She reached down and grabbed her bags, slinging them over her shoulder, and then wrenched her sword from the ground, and then staggered back into the tree line in the direction she had come from, her body still wracked with emotional pain, her sword still covered in streaks of dirt from the ground.
30 students remaining.