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: Chapter 8 here, a little overdue, but here. May be a while before I start Chapter 9 as I have an assignment to get done first, but it won't be too far off.
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 probably makes it more enjoyable!
Chapter 8
"And you're completely sure about this?"
Irvine Kinneas smiled at his friend, and pushed his cowboy hat back a bit so it wasn't obscuring his vision so much.
"Hell yeah, I'm sure." He replied.
Looking slightly unsure, Edge Eblan took the gun that Irvine was holding out, stock first, towards him.
"But you're the best shot in the school," Edge said, hefting the gun in his hands. "Everyone knows that."
"You know me; I couldn't even hurt a fly." Irvine said, waving it off. "If it came down to fighting, I would be an easy target. And if we're to stick together, I reckon it's best that you have the better weapon. I know you'd be able to fight if you had to, so you might as well have something good to fight with."
Edge lifted the gun to shoulder level and looked down the length of the barrel and through the sight at the end, getting a feel for the weapon.
"This thing good, then? I know a weapon as good as a gun is welcome in this game, but as far as guns go…?"
"Oh, it's good." Irvine replied, chuckling. "Didn't think they still made these things. Only time I've see one before is in my dad's old first-edition copy of Weapons Monthly. The 'Exeter' rifle, most powerful gun of its type ever made."
Edge lowered the weapon, and looked at the gleaming silver weapon. It certainly looked deadly to him, and he didn't even know anything about guns.
"Look," Edge said, looking from the gun to Irvine "if you're giving me this, then you won't have a weapon. You need to have something, if only to let people know you're armed."
"So give me your weapon then. Waddya get?"
Edge slung the gun's strap over his shoulder and knelt down his green Program bag. After rummaging around inside it for a few seconds, he pulled out a large pouch and tossed it to Irvine.
"Hardly an amazing weapon, but I'd give them eight out of ten for craftsmanship and ten out of ten for aerodynamics."
Irvine opened the pouch and found ten shuriken inside. Ten very large shuriken.
"Huh… not too shabby." He said, taking one out. "Definitely better than nothing."
"So, we're both armed… now what?"
Irvine smiled again at his friend.
"Oh… you're not seriously thinking that, are you?" Edge asked, a single eyebrow shooting up. "It would be seriously dangerous."
"We got a seriously dangerous weapon to cope with serious danger." Irvine said, gesturing to the Exeter. "And we have to do something, you know that."
Yeah, I do know that. But I would never have done it alone. You may act out that you're shy, Irvine, but you do what's right.
"Okay then… so we see what we can do to help people. But where do we start?"
-
Rikku knelt down and slowed her breathing as much as she could. It was a miracle that she hadn't already given herself away, what with the way she had been running through the woods for the past hour.
Since getting separated from Selphie and Yuffie, she had run through the forest looking for them, and had eventually stopped reference where she was on the map. Looking at the map, she had immediately realised that her friends would likely try to call out again, and she knew where from. The map had three mountainous-type areas marked on it, although the mountains were really just very tall hills. The tallest of the three had a little mark on it, referencing a footnote which read "military observation station, abandoned".
She knew her friends would probably try to call out from there; it was what she would have done in their situation. So she had turned around and started heading in the direction of the observation station, and would have continued running onwards without stopping had she not caught a flash of something out of place while she was running. She had immediately stopped and dropped into a crouch, trying to work out what had caught her eye.
She had spotted something red, which was certainly not a colour that would normally be seen in the forest. That red something had turned out to be a girl's dress, and when she had seen the green hair of the person wearing it, she had realised who it was. The girl did not seem to have noticed her, and was staring intently over the top of the bush she was crouching behind.
Quietly drawing her wristblade from its sheath which she had tucked into the back of her shorts, she crept towards the girl in a crouch, trying to make as little noise as possible. She didn't know what Terra would do when she realised she was there, so having a weapon ready was essential. She strapped the wrist blade to her left wrist, and then moved closer.
She took a deep breath and prepared to quietly alert the girl to her presence, but then nearly jumped out of her skin when the girl spoke.
"Come here, Rikku, and make sure you don't shake the bush at all." Terra Branford said very quietly, her voice barely above a whisper but still reaching Rikku clearly.
"How did you-" Rikku whispered once she had kneeled down next to the green-haired girl.
Terra smiled slightly and tapped her nose knowingly.
"That's for me to know and you to guess at."
Rikku stuck her tongue out playfully, and then stopped to think.
"So what are you doing hiding behind a bush in the middle of a forest?"
Without saying anything Terra raised herself up a little and peeked over the bush, then motioned for Rikku to do the same. Peeking over the top of the bush, Rikku could see someone standing with their back to the two girls. Judging from the robes, it had to be one of the Mysidia twins, and since Palom's name had been announced on the list of the deceased, it had to be Porrom.
"What is she doing?" Rikku said incredulously, for Porrom appeared to be jumping up and down slightly, shaking a brown-and-gold rod around randomly, cursing all the while. "And why is she swearing like that? She hates bad language…"
"I think she's lost her mind." Terra said sadly. "Think about it; she lost her brother, her twin. Her other half. Never having had siblings, I cannot imagine what it would be like, but I've heard that twins share a special bond, so she most of gone through considerable emotional distress when Palom died, probably enough to cause her apparent mental instability."
"So what's with the rod-waving?"
"It's a magic staff of some sort; I saw her shoot fire from it earlier. I'm guessing she thinks it has more power concealed within, but can't get it to work. Unlike her brother, she was never trained to fight in Sparring Matches, so she likely has not much idea of what to do with it. She always struck me as more of the healing magic type, rather than the black magic type."
"Yeah, I guess…" Rikku murmured, feeling a little humbled in the face of Terra's intelligence. She would never have figured it out herself. "So what do we- uh oh…"
Rikku ducked down as Porrom wheeled around, still shaking the rod.
"Did she see us?" Terra asked, her eyes wide.
"I don't think so…" Rikku whispered back.
The girls stayed motionless, listening carefully as Porrom continued to try and activate her magic staff. After nearly five more minutes, the demented girl howled in frustration, then yelped in surprise as a crackling sound pierced the relative peace of the forest. The area lit up as a thunderbolt erupted from the tip of the staff and slammed into a tree not far from the two girls' hiding place.
Cackling triumphantly, Porrom charged off into the forest, the rod tucked under her arm.
"Huh…" Rikku said eventually. "Fire and Thunder magic, then."
"It would seem so." Terra replied. "I pray that she doesn't run into any friends…"
They waited a little longer to make sure that Porrom wasn't coming back, and then stood up, looking around. Finally certain that the coast was clear; they felt they could talk without lowering their voices.
"So, Terra…" Rikku began, but Terra cut her off.
"Rikku, I'm looking for Quistis and the others. I just know that they'll try and do something to get us out of this mess. You can come with me if you want, but I've already wasted enough time here. Every second I haven't found the girls increased the chance that someone hostile will find them first."
"I can't come with you; I'm going to help Selphie and Yuffie, and I have to hurry as well."
"You mean you're going to die with them." Terra said quietly. "What they are doing is dangerous, and… I don't know how, but I just somehow know that they are going to find more trouble."
"All the more reason for me to be there." Rikku replied, smiling sadly. "Someone has to take care of those two."
"I see I can't change your mind… well, good luck." Terra said, turning away.
"Wait! Terra, I need to say one more thing."
"Hmm?" she green-haired girl said, looking back over her shoulder.
"Quistis may well try something, but we need to be united if we really want to do anything. If you find Quistis and the others, could you try and get them to come join me, Selphie and Yuffie?"
"I imagine that if Quistis heard those two calling out she'd join them straight away. She won't take much persuading, so you can count on her turning up when I tell her."
Rikku smiled warmly at Terra as the green-haired girl started walking away again.
"You take care of yourself, 'kay?"
"Oh, I will." Terra said quietly, not looking back. "Just make sure you're still around when I get Quistis and co to come along."
-
"Perfect!" Selphie said, spinning around on one heel, arms stretched skywards. "The sound should carry well from here, and we can see anyone before they get close!"
"It is certainly better than shouting from some random tree." Yuffie conceded.
The two girls stood on top of the flat concrete roof of a long-abandoned building atop a tall hill. They hill was surrounded by a large clear area, which was in turn surrounded by the forest; anyone who emerged from the forest to climb the hill could easily be spotted, so provided the girls kept moving around the edge of roof to check all views frequently, nobody would be able to sneak up on them.
Selphie's finger hovered over the megaphone's switch. She looked over at Yuffie and gave one of her mischievous grins.
"Here's hoping!" she giggled, then flicked the switch on.
-
Hearing the amplified voice from somewhere nearby, his head snapped round to face in the direction it was coming from.
High up again… although from a hill this time, if my memory of the map serves…
The faintest of smiles pulled at his lips, and his cold blue eyes grew even colder.
I knew the stupid bitches would call out again; these puppets are so predictable.
He checked the Bangle on his arm and sneered slightly. He had taken the weapon from the body of his former right-hand man, Seifer, but hadn't yet used it, preferring to wield his Masamune instead.
They will likely be more careful this time… but not careful enough, no doubt.
When silly little girls try to play around in a hot situation like this, they will be burned.
Taking off towards his targets at high speed, Sephiroth drew his sword and anticipated the thrill of the fight.
I will make sure they get burned.
-
Gippal looked up, confused.
What the… was that Selphie?
As he listened closely, trying to work out what was going on. As he listened, he could vaguely make out some of what she was saying. About peace and joining together.
Curious, he ran towards the source of the voice, stopping when he was close enough to hear what she was saying clearly.
Well… I guess she's kinda got the right idea…
He did a double-take, frowning.
But… I thought the plan was to win the game?
Although if this is a way out, then…
The images of Cait Sith exploding into a red cloud danced in front of his vision, and his expression hardened.
It's too late… or is it? Nobody knows yet. Nobody knows what I did, I could just pretend it never happened…
He looked up, listening to Selphie's voice again. Then it occurred to him that if he could hear her call, then others most certainly would as well.
Going there could be suicide… and chances are that she's dead meat anyway.
He sighed, and turned away, taking a few steps before stopping and turning back again.
But if I were to get there first… I could have a little fun before she becomes next on the death list…
He scratched his head, two images warring in his mind; one of him leaving the Selphie to her fate, and one of him taking Selphie with him, using her as a toy in between fighting their other classmates.
"Aww, man…" he murmured to himself. "Decisions suck."
-
"You would have thought that past experience would have taught them." Vincent said, shaking his head sadly.
"That shows how much you know about Selphie." Rinoa said sadly. "She just doesn't give up. And Yuffie is much the same, plus those two will stick together no matter what; if one of them decided to carry on seeking peace, the other would follow."
"I pity them." Vincent said quietly. "We're simply too far away to get to them. By the time we got there, I reckon everyone playing the game would be in the area. It would be suicide."
"But-" Rinoa started to protest.
"He's right." Squall said, hating the truth. "You have to know when to pick your fights, and when to retreat. We can't do anything for them without running a serious risk of getting ourselves killed, and we aren't any use to them dead."
"Squall…" Rinoa whispered, looking at him pleadingly.
"I don't think you're giving those girls enough credit; Yuffie is tough, and Selphie and Rikku certainly aren't pushovers either. And I imagine someone will try to join them, and the more people they have, the less likely someone is to attack them."
"I guess you're right… Yuffie is studying nin-jitsu after all, so she'll hardly be defenceless…"
"You don't need to despair so." Vincent said, walking on ahead. "We don't need to run to everyone's rescue; not everyone is helpless."
-
Paine stopped at near the edge of the forest, and crouched behind a tree. She had tucked her sword back into her bag, for the moment at least. She didn't want to give the impression of being someone who would play the game.
Well, not for the moment at least…
Gazing up to the top of the hill, she could see the silhouette of one of the girls. Judging from the way they were animatedly jumping up and down, she guessed it was probably Selphie. From somewhere she couldn't see, Yuffie was using the megaphone to call out. Ceasing her jumping, Selphie moved along the edge of the platform she was standing on, apparently gazing down the sides of the hill.
Looking out for friends or enemies? She wondered silently.
She made a start forwards, and then hesitated, suddenly unsure. How would the two girls react to her? The only people who had every really accepted her were her close friends.
LeBlanc, Beatrix, and… and Rosa.
Nobody really trusted her because of her attitude, and because of all the rumours surrounding her. For all she knew, the two girls might attack her on sight out of fear of her, no matter how sincere she was about helping.
But… do I really want to help? How can there be a way out of this game, even if we all work together… what if the only way out really is to kill everyone?
She unconsciously reached inside her bag, resting her hand against the handle of her weapon. She still wasn't sure why she had come. The pain of Rosa's death still filled her heart, a pain that threatened to consume her entirely.
My best friend left me… if she could leave me so easily, then why would anyone else stay?
Her hand gripped the sword handle, tightening around it until her knuckles went white. She could just go up the hill, pretending to be friendly, pretending to want to help. And then she could strike.
Just like with Celes.
Celes…
In her mind's eye, a face contorted by fear appeared, a beautiful face tortured by painful surprise, eyes filled with a lack of comprehension and an utter terror.
Celes…
She had murdered Celes, an innocent girl. She had somehow managed to justify it before, but faced with a repeating mental replay of Celes' last moments, the perverse logic she had been using to shift blame and guilt from herself onto the game shattered and retreated.
It's no wonder nobody else trusts me… if I can bring myself to kill an innocent girl like Celes, then… then how could I possibly expect anyone to trust me, or to like me!
Her hand recoiled from the sword handle as suddenly as if it had burnt her.
I never liked how people spread those rumours about me… but now I've done something to justify some of those rumours! What am I!
She fell forwards, burying her face into the ground, praying that nobody would find her crying.
-
His eyes opened ever so slightly, met by the darkness of his pit of despair. At first he didn't know what had awoken him, then he realised that it was an amplified voice. Some memory stirred within him, and he remembered having been awoken once in such away already.
But now the voice was much closer than before, and as he listened the voice changed.
No, not changed… there's two people now.
He opened his eyes a little more, enough to make out some of the rocks scattered around the floor of the cave he was lying in.
What… what are they calling for?
He listened for a long time, but he couldn't make out any words. He strained to listen, tried to care about what was happening, but it made no difference; he just couldn't escape the feeling that nothing was worth the effort anymore. That nothing was worth anything anymore.
How can anything be worthwhile now that she's gone?
She was gone, and it was like all the light had gone out of the world. Nothing was worth living for, but he couldn't bring himself to end his life. Every time he contemplated it, he would see her face again.
He would see her expression as she died, and he tormented himself over what that last look had meant. She had wanted to say something, but her life had ebbed before she could. He knew he could not find peace until he knew what she had felt.
Not even peace in death.
He closed his eyes again, and the voices gradually faded from his awareness. The world around him dropped away until he was alone once more.
Cloud Strife melded into his pit of despair, with no intention of ever coming out again.
-
"We can do it if we work together!" Selphie called out, punching the air with her fist to punctuate the word 'together'. "So come and join us here!"
She lowered the megaphone for a second, then thumbed the power switch off. Glancing across at Yuffie, she gave a faint smile.
"You'd think someone would have come by now." She said quietly to her friend.
"Oh no, don't you think about giving up now!" Yuffie said sternly, stepping forwards to lay a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Oh, I'm not giving up. I'm seeing this through to the end, no matter what." Selphie said, then grinned. "I guess we just aren't making enough noise yet!"
She held the megaphone out to Yuffie.
"Look, you take a turn, and I'll go rustle up something resembling a meal from our rations. Sound good?"
"More than you know…" Yuffie moaned, rubbing her stomach. "I thought you'd forgotten about little things like eating to stay alive, you were so into this."
Selphie grinned again, and passed the megaphone over. As her friend moved over to the edge of the platform, she skipped over to where their bags were lying in a pile in the centre of the platform, and started rummaging through them in search of something to eat, humming to herself. Yuffie thumbed the megaphone's power on again, and took a deep breath, probably thinking through what to say before she called out.
Enjoying the temporary quiet for a few moments, Selphie used the temporary break from shouting to sort through her thoughts.
So nobody has come yet… they're probably just nervous. Can't blame them really, considering what happened first time round. But give them a bit of time, and they'll come, I just know it.
I can see most of the girls coming… Quistis and her group may think that me and Yuffie are being a bit silly about all this, but she'd come. She'll know that we're doing the right thing, and if she joins us, everyone else would be willing to come, no problem.
Rikku will find us again before long, she can't have run that far away from us… and I think Yuna would want to join in; it's in her nature to help people. And Rinoa… she would probably come as well.
And I guess that if Rinoa came, Squall would be in tow… and people look up to Squall even more than Quistis, they'll come flocking if he's with us.
She threw a sly glance in Yuffie's direction and grinned.
Provided I can keep her off Squall long enough to get him to use the megaphone to say he's here. I can already picture her and Rinoa arguing over him…
Wait a second…
She looked back in Yuffie's direction again, suddenly aware that her friend still wasn't using the megaphone.
In fact, Yuffie was just standing still, rooted to the spot but shaking slightly.
What?
"Someone's coming…" Yuffie said in an uncharacteristically small voice.
"Great!" Selphie said, shooting to her feet. "Go on, call to them, encourage them!"
"I don't think we want to." Yuffie replied in the same voice. "In fact I think we might be in trouble."
Yuffie turned to look at Selphie, and her expression filled Selphie with terror.
-
He hurtled through the forest, smashing aside any trees in his path with his Masamune, and the whole forest shuddered as he passed through. He was moving so fast that his feet were barely touching the ground, and he accelerated even further as he drew closer to his target.
He felt a wicked thrill of anticipation when he spotted one of his targets standing at the top of the hill. They had stopped calling out, and as he reached the tree line and erupted onto the clear ground surrounding the base of the hill, he knew he had been spotted, but he didn't care. He ascended the slope without slowing, his sword held ready in one hand.
Stretching out his free hand towards the girl, he poured all his hatred and fury towards her, channelling it through the Firaga Bangle he wore on his wrist. It resonated with the power of his dark emotions, its already considerable power growing in a way it had never been intended to. He mentally whispered the spell words he had memorised, and a dark red globe began to form at his fingertips, swirling with dark fire for a fraction of a second before hurtling forwards.
He saw the girl's look of terror, and her head turn around to look away from him and the fiery globe hurtling towards her.
-
"Yuffie, no!" Selphie screamed, knowing what the look of helplessness on her friend's face meant.
She ran forwards, her hands stretched towards her friend, determined to try and protect her from the unknown threat. But her legs seemed to move as if through syrup, and the greatest horror of her life unfolded before her eyes as she tried to move forwards.
Yuffie was still looking at her with a mixed look of utter helplessness and consuming fear, but now her features were illuminated by a red light source, one that was growing brighter. Then over the edge of the platform appeared a dark red sphere of burning energy, seeming to move slowly, but Selphie knew that it was travelling at massive speed.
She tried to close her eyes or look away, but she just couldn't, and the horror unfolded in front of her eyes in excruciatingly slow motion. The fiery globe moved closer and closer to Yuffie, and then slammed into her, seeming to break the hiatus on the passage of time. The globe exploded and Yuffie was lifted from the ground and hurled skywards, her scream of pain amplified a hundredfold by the megaphone in her hand, before slamming back to the ground with a crunch. Practically before she had come to rest, Selphie was already grabbing her in an attempt at a fireman's lift, now caring about nothing other than getting her friend away from the unseen assailant.
Then she looked up and looked into the eyes of the devil as he descended on her. She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her friend tightly.
-
His eyes snapped open again. Even through his despair, the scream of pain had pierced like a ray of light through the darkness. It cut through to his very core, awakening him in an instant, and before he even knew what he was thinking, he was in motion.
Although many people thought him to be rough, everyone knew how protective he was of the girls in the class. Every time Seifer or Rufus had picked on one of the girls, he had been there to force them to back down. Every time guys from other classes tried harassing them in the corridors between lessons or outside during breaks, he would stop them, sometimes by force if necessary.
He had been slowly dying in his pit of despair, but some parts of him were irrepressible. Some parts of him simply couldn't be killed.
Only a few seconds had passed before he was near the top of the hill, his hand reaching for his weapon. He would hardly be able to fight well with it, but he would die defending whoever was in trouble before he let something like that bother him.
He shot over the edge of the platform, his momentum carrying him upwards through the air for a few seconds before he landed again, his eyes already searching for the threat. But all he could see was a terrified and crying Selphie desperately trying to carry a badly burned Yuffie away. There was no visible assailant.
And then he erupted onto the scene, flying over the edge of the platform, propelled high into the air by the speed of his ascent, swinging his huge sword over his head with both hands, preparing for a powerful downward strike.
The blade descended, and would have sliced through both girls if it hadn't encountered solid resistance. A resounding clang rang out, and sparks flew.
-
Selphie opened her eyes and looked up. She had expected to be killed by the white-haired daemon that had descended on her with his sword poised ready to strike, but she was somehow still alive. And now, standing above her was her golden-haired saviour.
In his hands he held the hilt of what had probably once been an enormous sword, but which was horribly rusted and which had only a few inches of blade left, the rest probably having snapped off years before. He had caught the full force of Sephiroth's strike on this broken blade without flinching, and now stood rock-steady, glaring into the eyes of the white-haired daemon.
Sephiroth sneered, then disengaged, flipping backwards to the edge of the platform, his long katana held at the ready in a steady two-handed grip.
"Go." Cloud said quietly. "Get her out of here."
Selphie hoisted Yuffie onto her back, and managed to stand upright and walk behind Cloud.
"I'm not leaving." She said quietly but firmly.
"Go." Cloud repeated, shifting to a different stance, holding his broken sword at the ready. "I don't know how long I can hold him back."
"I don't want to leave you!" Selphie cried out, tears streaming down her face.
"I can handle myself."
"I don't mean that… I want to stay with you, Cloud."
Cloud didn't move, but Selphie saw something about him change. She knew that he had realised how she felt about him, even though she couldn't see his expression, as he was still focused intently on Sephiroth, who was beginning to circle towards them.
"Run." He said quietly, not shifting his gaze from Sephiroth's. "Take Yuffie and get out of here. I'll come to you when I've dealt with this bastard."
"You'd better." She said, with something approaching a smile forming on her face despite the situation.
"I promise. Now go."
Strengthened by a newfound hope, Selphie turned and ran, carrying her burned and unconscious friend on her back.
-
"Why?"
The single mono-syllabic word was uttered with pain, with anger, with hate, with a burning fury more intense than any Firaga spell.
A smirk twisted the mouth of the white-haired daemon, and amusement flickered in his frigid blue eyes.
"Why what, Cloud?" he said in a faintly mocking voice, deciding that what this blonde-haired puppet had to say might amuse him.
"You killed her. She never did anything bad to anyone. She never even had a bad thought about anyone, not even you and your thugs. Not even Seymour! She was an angel among insect and you took her away from me!" Cloud replied, his voice rising in volume until he was screaming his words.
"Ah, you mean the Gainsborough bitch." Sephiroth said in his voice that was as cold as his eyes. "I thought I sensed another presence nearby as I dealt with her."
"How dare you say that about her." Cloud said. His voice was quiet again now, but conveyed more rage than if he had screamed himself hoarse saying the same words. "How dare you take her away from me."
Sephiroth laughed then, a horrible sound that seemed utterly unnatural. Cloud had been in the same class as him for years, and before now he had never even seen the monster smile, let alone laugh. The game was unleashing the monster that was the true Sephiroth.
"Very impressive, Cloud. Definitely better than Shuyin and Cecil managed."
Shuyin… he got Shuyin. He was a good guy… and Cecil was my friend. You bastard!
"What are you talking about?" Cloud spat at him, his lip curling in disgust.
"Your attempt at emotion. Your anger and hate for me are almost passable, but you should give up. A puppet has no need for emotions. Has no use for emotions."
He's lost it… although he may well never have had it in the first place… delusions of grandeur…
"Bow before me Cloud." Sephiroth said, lowering his blade so that it pointed to the ground at Cloud's feet. "Show me your figure, begging for forgiveness, and I will make it quick for you. You owe it to me. All of you puppets owe it all to me."
"Just shut the fuck up." Cloud said, and hurled himself forwards.
Sephiroth brought his blade up and thrust it forwards to try and impale the blonde-haired blur of motion, but Cloud dodged to the side by the minimum amount necessary, and the blade shot under his arm, missing him by bare centimetres. Punching the flat side of the blade, Cloud continued forwards, trying to reach Sephiroth before he could bring his blade to bear again.
But Sephiroth was inhumanly fast, and as Cloud brought his broken sword around in a slash that should have ended the monster's life, he whirled to the side, moving several feet away in an eyeblink, his Masamune tracing an arc through the air as he did so, an attack that Cloud barely managed to catch on his weapon.
Following up on his advantage, Sephiroth leapt into the air and slashed downwards with great force, but Cloud was fast as well, and the blade bit into the concrete platform and lodged there for a second. By the time his white-haired adversary had yanked the blade free, Cloud was almost next to him, at a distance where the long katana would be to unwieldy to use.
Thrusting forwards in a one-handed stab, Cloud hit only air as Sephiroth turned to the side just enough for the blade to miss, but his opponent hadn't anticipated the punch he delivered with his free hand, striking him in crook of his arm with all of his considerable strength. Sephiroth's arm reflexively jerked away, its hand releasing the grip on the katana in the process, the great blade clattering to the concrete floor. Without looking, Cloud kicked it out of reach of its wielder.
He's unarmed!
One of his Sparring instructors had always taught him to never attack an unarmed opponent as it was supposedly dishonourable, but Cloud didn't care. Aerith was dead because of the monster he was fighting, honour didn't come into it.
Gripping his weapon in two hands again, Cloud brought it through a powerful upwards slash, but Sephiroth leapt into the air before the blade could connect, and he struck only air again. He dropped to one knee and whirled around, bringing his broken sword into a two-handed guard position, then realising that Sephiroth was going for his sword again. Springing forwards, he dove at Sephiroth, trying to take his legs out before he could reach the Masamune, but Sephiroth jumped again, and Cloud sailed under him.
Cloud rolled as he hit the ground, bringing his sword back up into the two-handed guard again, just in time to catch Sephiroth's newly reacquired blade on his, the force of the blow nearly knocking him over backwards. Diving forwards again in an attempt to get close enough to render the Masamune useless, he thrust his weapon forwards with one hand whilst batting aside his opponent's aside with the other, and this time he was rewarded with a snarl of pain as his blade struck home, biting into Sephiroth's right shoulder.
But the blow was only a glancing one, as Sephiroth managed to whirl away again, dissipating most of the blow's force. His hand still clenched the katana, and Cloud knew that he had done barely any damage. He stepped forwards to follow up his attack, hoping to try and keep Sephiroth on the defensive.
But he stepped straight into the knife that Sephiroth was thrusting forwards with his undamaged arm. The short blade bit deep into Cloud's chest, and he immediately felt his strength begin to drain, but he denied his foe the pleasure of any indication of pain.
Desperately trying to strike him again, he stepped forwards again, but he was slowing down, and Sephiroth dodged backwards, out of range of Cloud's attacks.
And putting him at the perfect striking distance for his Masamune.
Cloud brought his blade up to block yet again, and caught the full force of the attack on his blade. But his strength was rapidly leaving him now, and he staggered considerably, nearly falling over.
The two paused to look at each other, Cloud glaring with utter hatred, and Sephiroth looking mildly amused. Cloud yanked the dagger out of his chest and tossed it to the side, ignoring the pain and the feeling of blood trickling from the wound and down his chest. Sephiroth smirked at him, then surged forwards, bringing his blade around in a powerful full swing. Cloud caught this attack on his blade as well, but the force of the blow lifted him from the ground and into the air. Continuing with his swing, Sephiroth swung the blade around full circle and back to strike at Cloud again, this time with more momentum, catching him in midair.
Yet again Cloud caught the attack on his blade, but the remnant of the broken blade shattered, and the hilt flew from his hand. The force of the blow pushed him higher into the air and hurled him backwards, away from Sephiroth at considerable speed.
Cloud flew backwards, over the edge of the platform, and the ground suddenly fell very far away from him as he flew out of the side of the mountain slope. He began to lose vertical velocity, and then for a fraction of a second, he seemed to hang stationary in the air. His gaze found Sephiroth's, and he saw a triumphant smile on his foe's face, and saw a wicked pleasure in his eyes.
And then he plummeted, hurtling downwards at high speed. He fell a long way before he hit the ground, and the impact nearly jolted him from consciousness. But he didn't black out until he came to a rest. He felt the pain as he tumbled down the steep side of the hill, he felt the occasional rock tear gashes in his skin, he felt the dizziness as he rolled over and over towards the trees, and he felt the impact of his head against the tree that brought him to a stop.
And then he felt nothing.
-
Selphie was staggering now, Yuffie's weight proving too much for her. She had never been particularly strong, and she had only been able to carry Yuffie this far away through sheer force of will and the extra strength granted to her by fear and adrenaline.
She went on a few more steps before her left leg buckled, and she went down, landing face-down on the mossy forest floor, with Yuffie on top of her.
She lay there for a moment, then wriggled out from under her friend, gulping down air to try and steady herself.
"I think he liked you…"
Although she only said it quietly, Yuffie's voice was massively amplified buy the still-active megaphone that was in her right hand. Selphie almost leapt out of her skin, physically jumping away from the source of the noise.
As she turned around to face her friend, Selphie thought she heard a dry sound that may have been a chuckle from a damaged throat.
"I didn't know you were conscious…" she whispered, crouching next to her friend. Her voice was amplified by the megaphone, so it sounded as if she was talking out loud instead of whispering.
"I only blacked out for a second…" Yuffie managed to say, straining to say even that. Selphie grimaced at the volume of her amplified voice, and considered telling her friend to be quieter for fear of , but then she caught the look in her eyes.
"Yuffie…" she whispered.
She looked properly at Yuffie, and for the first time realised just how badly injured she was. The fiery globe had struck her in the chest, which was now a horrible mass of twisted and burnt flesh. Her ornamental shuriken necklace has distorted in the heat, and was now firmly embedded in the burnt skin as if it was a part of her body. Her left arm was relatively unscathed, but her whole right arm was horrifically burned, and her hand and the megaphone hand-grip seemed to have melded into one knobbly, twisted mass, making it impossible to tell where the electronic device ended and the girl began.
Selphie didn't know much about medical science or first aid or anything like that, but even she knew that it was a miracle that Yuffie was still alive. And she knew that the miracle would be short-lived.
"Yuffie…" she said again, louder now, not caring for her safety any more.
"Don't look like that…" Yuffie said, managing to flash her grin, but it was a bit strained. "You shouldn't be sad… I think he liked you…"
Selphie's brows furrowed.
"You mean… you mean Cloud?" she whispered, sounding hopeful.
Yuffie's grin softened into a gentle smile, and a tear came to her eyes.
"I know I said I'd keep you two in check when he arrived, but I think I'm gonna have to trust that you'll behave without me there to supervise…" she said, her voice growing quieter.
"Yuffie, don't you dare talk like that!" Selphie shrieked, trying to lift her friend to a sitting position, but failing. "We're gonna go find someone to help us, and we'll patch you up, and we can still get out of here together!"
"Selphie…" Yuffie said, her voice now a whisper. She tried to raise her arm, in what Selphie thought was an attempt to push her away.
"How are you going to have Squall if you die on me now!" Selphie sobbed, her vision blurred by the tears now streaming from her eyes. "Don't leave me Yuffie…"
"Selphie…" Yuffie said, a little louder, trying to use the last of her strength to speak. "Behind…"
Then Selphie realised that Yuffie had raised her arm to point at something, not to push her away. As Yuffie went limp in her arms, Selphie looked to where her friend had been pointing, and she froze.
Standing in the shadow of a nearby tree was a young man. He was tall, and clothed in black. His long white hair moved with the breeze, and his long katana gleamed maliciously, as if anticipating the blood it was to spill.
Selphie tried to back away, dragging Yuffie with her. Sephiroth didn't move at all, except for his eyes, which never left Selphie. She glared at him as she continued to try to drag her dying friend away.
"Selphie, leave me."
Selphie wouldn't have heard her friend's whispered voice if it wasn't for the megaphone, but she ignored her.
"I'm not going anywhere without you!"
Sephiroth smirked slightly, and took a step forwards, bringing all but his head into the light.
"What did you do to Cloud!" Selphie shrieked at him, still moving away from him slowly.
The daemon's smirk changed to a slight sneer, and he took another step forwards, raising his sword. The light caught his hair and shone brightly.
How could a being so evil shine so brightly?
Sephiroth took another step forwards, bringing Selphie into striking distance. Finally accepting the inevitable, Selphie stopped moving, and glared defiantly up at Sephiroth.
"You think you can make it off this island by killing everyone, fucktard? Well I got news for you. You're gonna die on this miserable rock, and all you've tried to do will come to nothing."
Her voice rang out loud and clear, its volume boosted greatly by the megaphone.
With a look of supreme indifference, Sephiroth gripped the hilt of his katana with both hands, and swung the blade down with full force. The megaphone amplified the sound until the blade pierced its plastic casing and shut it off.
And then there was only silence.
-
He bowed his head, and let out a deep sigh, not allowing himself to cry. He couldn't show weakness now, and Cid would only make fun of him for it if he found out. He looked down at the body of Cloud, and hoped that he would be able to save at least one life.
Reaching out with his right hand to check Cloud's pulse, Kain Highwind silently prayed that his friend still lived. He waited patiently, and sure enough, there was a pulse. It was slow and not as strong as he would have expected, but it was there. Cloud was alive.
"Too stubborn to go down that easily, huh?" Kain said quietly to his unconscious friend. "A shame you suffered for nothing…"
He looked over to where the sounds of Selphie and Yuffie's last minutes had come from, and suddenly found it hard to breath.
Yuffie was in pain… how could anyone not be in pain after being hit by such a powerful fire spell…
I wish there could have been another way, Yuffie. I really wanted you with us, but… but Sephiroth was coming. There was no way I could have got to you first.
He looked down to Cloud again, and gave a half smile.
"Thanks for trying, old friend. You charge in head-first where I didn't have the courage to go." He whispered, then paused for a moment, as if waiting for an answer. "Well, we need to get back to Cid, he's waiting for us."
Kain was hardly lacking for strength, so it was no problem for him to carry Cloud away in a fireman's lift. He headed back to the place he and Cid had decided to call their base of operations, not looking back once.
A piece of him had died with Yuffie, but nobody would ever know.
It's better this way.
-
Where Sephiroth had previously stood in the shadows watching Selphie and Yuffie, Paine now stood. But where Sephiroth had been waiting for the kill, Paine was wishing there had been no kill. Unable to look on any longer, she turned away, forcing herself not to cry.
Too much had happened now for her to go back. She had killed an innocent, and one of her best friends had abandoned her. And now the people she thought could save her had died.
There is no turning back now.
She walked along at a steady pace, her mind more or less blank. Gradually, the pain began to numb, until it was nothing but a memory. Her hand slipped inside her bag to rest on the hilt of her sword again.
There's only one way out of this now.
And I am getting out of this game, no matter what it takes.
She pulled the sword from her bag, still sheathed in its black scabbard. With a little fiddling, she managed to attach the scabbard to the belt from the change of clothes she had in her bag, and she wore the whole thing underneath her shirt, upside down and reversed; it was hidden, and she could retrieve it quickly if she could get a hand behind her back. Unless she was being held at gunpoint by someone observant, that gave her an edge in a fight.
She hesitated for a second, then pulled Celes' dirk from her bag as well, and tucked it inside her right boot.
In case the sword isn't an option.
She hesitated then, her hand still touching the dirk's handle inside her boot.
Do I really want to do this?
But she dispelled the thought as quickly as possible. She couldn't afford any doubt, it would only slow her down.
She places to go, people to kill, and not much time to do it in. The longer she took, the greater the chance that her conscience would catch up with her before she could do what was necessary.
She looked back over her shoulder, looking back towards where she knew the corpses of Selphie and Yuffie to be, and gave a faint smile.
"You girls did help me after all; you set me on the only path that will really get me out of this game. I suppose I should thank you for that."
She looked forwards again, and after brushing a loose strand of white hair out of her face, she started to run, looking for her next victim.
-
Gippal let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding, and forced himself to relax. When he was finally calm enough to think straight, he began to chide himself.
How could I be so stupid? Of course somebody would go after the girls!
He had, after a great deal of internal conflict, decided to see if there was a way he could convince Selphie to come with him, so he could use her later, and had been encouraged even further when he realised that both Selphie and Yuffie were there. He had changed his plan from one of taking a girl with him to having both of the girls once before killing them; more fun for him, and less bother too.
But as he had prowled through the forest towards them, his powerful gun held ready, something had rocket past him at tremendous velocity, and in the juggernaut's wake, trees had fallen, one of them narrowly missing Gippal. In the minutes afterwards, he had remained rooted to the spot even as Cloud had fought Sephiroth and been cast from the platform, but he was not aware of this. He had been in a state of shock, and nothing happened in his mind apart from an endless replaying of a white-haired thing streaking past him at inhuman speed, and the tree coming so close to ending his life.
Now that he had a hold of himself, Gippal did what he knew he should have done in the first place, and walked away. Fast.
Of course someone would go after them. I should only go for people if I encounter them directly, not if I hear them painting bull's-eyes on themselves by calling out!
He moved on, a little faster now, hoping that the white-hared thing would not come back to get him.
-
No…
Rikku's knees buckled, and she had to grab a nearby tree branch to remain upright.
This isn't right!
This isn't how it was supposed to be!
Her grip slipped, and she fell to her knees, and buried her face in her hands, rivers of tears pouring from her eyes.
She had known the two girls for what seemed like forever, and they were two of only four people she counted as close friends. Whenever she hadn't been with Tidus, she was usually with the two girls, the three of them matching perfectly, all energy and happy-go-lucky attitude.
But now only she remained. She was the only one left of their little trio.
You can't leave me!
She shuffled forwards on her knees, until she could reach out and touch her friends.
"Selphie…" she whispered, her eyes avoiding the gaping wound that started at her friend's neck and went through her chest and out through her side. "You were the only one I told my secret to apart from Rinoa, and I know you said you'd take it to the grave, but I'd give anything to have you back now…"
Hey eyes shifted to Yuffie, and then her vision blurred so much from tears that she couldn't see clearly anymore.
"Yuffie…" she moaned, feeling a near-physical pain when she saw the burns that covered the ninja girl, and the slash that had opened up her stomach. "you always pretended to be the tough girl, who didn't give a damn, but you couldn't fool us. You really cared about the things that mattered, and you really cared about us."
She bowed her head, and dug her nails into her arm, hoping the physical pain would relieve the emotional pain.
"I'm so sorry!" she cried, her eyes red and her face wet. "I should have been here with you! I shouldn't have run away like I did before. This wouldn't have happened if I was here… why did this even have to happen at all!"
She collapsed backwards, and curled into a foetal ball, shuddering with sobs she attempted to and failed to suppress. She kept clawing at her arm, desperate to relieve the emotional pain that wracked her heart and soul, and she kept crying until she could cry no more.
She didn't know how long she lay there, curled up and sobbing, but when she eventually stood up, her eyes were red and her left arm was covered in gouge marks and small rivulets of dried blood.
I have to pull myself together… Tidus is still out there, and so is Rinoa. I have to find them before something happens.
She looked down to her friends one last time, and whispered a final goodbye to them before she turned away, and slowly walked away.
She had only one purpose now, and that was to survive long enough to find Tidus, her most precious friend. She knew he would be looking for her as well, and prayed that they found each other before anything else bad could happen to her or the people she held dear.
She started moving faster, now determined to put more distance between herself and the corpses that had once been her friends.
The clock is ticking, and the game is still in motion… I don't have much time left.
26 students remaining.