Stree walked into the dead forests of Macalania, and immediately drew Hasamune from his back.
"What's wrong?" asked Rikku, the fear in her voice suggesting she thought another fiend attack was imminent.
"I don't know, something's just…not right here," he replied uneasily. He looked around, expecting something to jump out at them. When he found nothing, he put his weapon back, but kept his senses on full alert. "Let's go."
The group started moving slowly through the forest, but stopped at the first fork.
"Hey! Where's the rainbow bridge?" cried Rikku.
"The forest has died, Rikku," replied Yuna. "Nothing is left alive in here."
"Hope that doesn't include us," remarked Kam, shivering. "Stree's right. I'm getting a little nervous here."
"Kimarhi not worried. Kimarhi lead for now." Without another word, the Ronso stepped forward and walked into the forest.
"Hey, Kimarhi, wait!" shouted Tidus, making his voice echo menacingly off the dead crystal trees. He turned back to the rest of the group. "Come on."
"We don't have time to wait," reminded Auron gruffly. Stree nodded. The group started off again, though slowly, carefully. They continued through, still finding no sign of Kimarhi, up until they reached the exit, where they heard a loud Ronso roar.
"Kimarhi!" yelled Yuna, running forward.
"Yuna!" yelled Tidus, chasing after her along with Rikku.
"Should we go?" asked Paine.
"Why not?" asked Stree, taking Hasamune back off. The remainder of the group started running, but skidded to a stop when they found a fiend bigger than any Stree had ever seen before holding Kimarhi up in the air with a huge claw, and The other standing in front of it, ready to attack.
"What the hell is that?" yelled Stree.
"Don't know. I call first shot!" shouted Paine. Stree pulled the face guard up a bit higher on his face, then started towards it. Standing at over forty foot tall, it had a vaguely insectoid look about it, with six heavily armored legs, two pairs of wings tipped with spikes, and a wicked looking stinging tail on the back. Stree stopped suddenly, and turned back to Kam, who was moving forward as well. "Stay back. You know you can't handle this."
She rolled her eyes. "I know. Hurry up!" Stree turned and ran over to the line of waiting fighters.
"Ready?" Auron shouted over the monster's roar. "Attack together!"
"Wait someone Scan it first!" shouted Stree. "We may find a weakness!"
Sparks flew around Yuna for a second, as she focused. "Alright, it's called… Abadon! It's undead, so use restorative magic and potions!" she opened her eyes and started digging in her pack. All around him, Stree saw people going through their things for potions, or starting the casting for a cure spell. For the first time, he regretted not carrying restorative items with him. Shrugging it off, he ran in to attack, hoping to divert the beast's attention. Unfortunately, he caught too much of it, the thing swept one of it's huge arms at him, sweeping him off to the side, straight through several large trees. He hit the last tree with enough force to imprint his body shape upon it, then dropped to the ground. He stood back up, an evil smile in his eyes. "Thanks," he said, as flames engulfed his hands. He focused his malice towards the Fiend, and launched the biggest fireball he could manage at it. It was big enough though, as it had enough force behind it to throw the thing through even more trees.
"Go for it!" he shouted, summoning another fireball and launching it at Abadon. He strapped Hasamune to his back, and launched himself up in the air in a Dragoon jump shot. He sailed through the air, unstrapping the ruby dragon knife from his back, and he threw it straight at the undead monster, stabbing into its eye, half-blinding it. Suddenly, bottles of hi-potions, phoenix downs and elixirs were thrown, and Yuna cast Full-Life on it. The fiend screamed in agony as the restorative qualities of the attacks took their effect, wiping all of its undead life away, leaving disappearing pyreflies in its wake. Stree landed and walked over to where the beast died, and picked up his knife.
"We set up camp here for now!" ordered Auron.
"Well that was boring," remarked Paine, putting her sword away."
Stree smiled. "Then why are you sweating?" She glared at him, but had a smile on her face to show she was kidding. He shrugged, then turned to Kam. "You alright?"
She smiled. I was further away than everyone else, and you were the only one that got him. Stop worrying about me."
"Not a chance," he replied, the smile slipping off his face as he noticed a dull throb in his left arm.
"Holy Yevon, Stree!" shouted Kam, looking at the gaping cut on his bicep.
"Wow, didn't even feel that," remarked Stree.
"How could you miss it?" asked Paine, peering at it.
"Everyone getting a good look?" he asked.
"Yep," replied Kam. "Here." She stood up straight and handed him a bandage.
"Thanks." Kam walked away, leaving Stree alone with Paine.
"So," started Paine. "Run into gigantic hands often?"
"I'm trying to quit," mumbled Stree, struggling to wrap up his arm with one hand.
"Here," said Paine, reaching out to help. He handed her the bandage and sat back to let her wrap it up. "Wow, that's a deep cut. Who could you not notice that?"
"I was concentrating on something else."
"Wow, you can be very single-minded can't you?" Stree smiled, then nodded. He saw Paine look up at him, then hesitate and turn away, and he immediately pulled the face guard up higher.
She finished wrapping his arm, then looked back up at him, making him self-consciously push his head down further into the safety of the guard. "It's not that," she said, putting her hand under his chin, and lifting gently. "It's just… I…"
"Hey!" shouted Rikku. "Paine! Come 'ere for a sec!"
Paine turned back to Stree. "Can you handle this now?" she asked, pointing to the bandage half wrapped around his arm. He nodded, and she ran off. Wondering what she was going to say, Stree went back to wrapping his arm up.
"Man, you are blind, aren't you? She wants you bad," remarked Tidus, appearing just as Stree finished his job.
"Tidus, just because I'm not trying to kill you, doesn't mean I want to listen to anything you have to say," replied Tidus, walking over to where Kam had set up his tent.
"Come on, you were the same at school. You never noticed when someone wanted you, not even when it was completely obvious!"
"Good night, Tidus," said Stree, shutting the tent flap. As he lay back on his makeshift bed, he started thinking. It was true that he had never noticed when a girl was interested in him. He was always focused on blitzball, or something equally stupid. As he started to drift off to sleep, he wondered whether he should ask Kam…
"So, you like my brother," said Kam as Paine walked over to the campfire. It was the middle of the night, and no one else was around, so Kam thought Paine might talk. Paine slowly walked over to the fire, and sat down next to it. "Well are you?" asked Kam.
"Why do you want to know?" asked Paine.
"So yes," laughed Kam. "Don't worry, I'm not a you-hurt-him-I-hurt-you sort of person. I just wanted to know."
"Alright. Anything I should know about him?" asked Paine.
"He's pretty much oblivious to anything concerning women."
"You mean he's…"
"No, it's just… you saw how he didn't notice that gigantic cut today. He can be so focused it's scary. He's normally focused on something else, no he never notices that women want him unless they come straight out and say it."
"Great. I've never been any good at that sort of thing."
"Don't worry," replied Kam with a grin. "I've seen the way he is when he's around you. he likes you."
"Really?" asked Paine, getting up and moving closer to Kam.
"Ever since he met you, he's been in a happy mood. He hasn't been in a happy mood for years."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. He normally alternated between brooding and violent."
"Wow. How did you put up with him?"
Kam looked down at the ground. "When ever I get angry with him, I just remember how he saved my life when no one else would."
"How did he save your life?"
"Huh?"
"How did he save your life?" repeated Paine.
"Well, I was in a really bad situation. Something bad had happened tom me, and I went off wandering to be on my own. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by fiends, and I had no hope of escape. Fiends never came around much in Zanarkand, but in the forests at the side of the city, there were plenty, and guess where I wandered to. Anyway, I was surrounded by Fiends, and I was never a good fighter, so I knew I was going to die. They started attacking me, and I felt as though every bone in my body was broken. Suddenly, I heard a shout, then Stree was standing over me, facing the Fiends. Seven fiends against him. I still don't know how he survived it. Anyway, he did, and he beat them too. Then he wrapped me up in his trench coat, and carried me all the way from the middle of the forest to the hospital in the middle of the city, fighting off Fiends all the way. By the time we reached the hospital, he was in almost as bad shape as I was, but he refused to let anyone see him until I was taken care of. One of the nurses told me that he actually had a collapsed lung, and he was still able to carry me in."
"How did he find you?" asked Paine, awed by the story.
"Well, he found out what had happened to make me start wandering, and, well, I've always liked trees, so he figured id go there. Turn out my brother knows me pretty well."
"I guess that would make you want to stay with him."
"Yeah. He stayed by my bed in wheelchair every day, until I could walk again, even though it hampered his healing. He's very loyal."
"I noticed. Is that why he has the problem with Tidus?"
"Sort of. His current problem with Tidus is sort of a compound of other problems."
"Such as…?"
"I…don't think I can tell you right now. Some other time."
"Yeah, you're right, we should probably sleep. But I'll expect the answers some time."
Kam nodded. "Don't forget to tell my brother how you feel."
Paine laughed as she crawled into her tent.