You were close.
What?
You almost had it.
Had what?
I guess you're not ready yet.
Ready for what?
I can't tell you yet
Why not?
You know soon enough.
Tell me now.
Wake up.
What?
"Stree! Wake up!"
A hard slap caught his cheek, and Stree sat up from the ground. "Ow. What was that for?" he asked.
"You were unconscious, you stupid son of a shoopuf!" said Wakka, getting up from his knees next to Stree, then helping him up.
"Ugh, what happened?"
"What do you mean?" asked Gippal
"I mean, why was I unconscious?"
"Probably because of that massive explosion," replied Wakka. Stree looked around, and found the others over near his airship, poking around the hole in the wall.
"What explosion?"
"Don't know. I was on the ground, and all I could hear was the Fiends growling, and someone screaming, then this flash of white light went up, and the Fiends incinerated. I never seen anything like it."
Stree vaguely remembered screaming, but he couldn't remember why, so he said nothing. "What happened after that?"
"We all got up. Except you, of course. I think that flame bath from the Ruby Dragon must have taken it out of you." Gippal gave Stree a funny look. "Though I could've sworn you were still fighting after that."
Though he remembered with perfect clarity the dragon launching flames all over him, he could remember nothing after that. "I guess I wasn't. I don't think I was."
Gippal stared for a second longer, then shrugged and turned back to the ship. "Yuna checked you out and said you were fine, so we focused our attention on finding out what made the hole in your ship while we waited for you to wake up."
"Found anything yet?" he asked, pointing to the Shadow Chaser.
"No, not yet. It wasn't done by a fiend, though."
Suddenly, Stree felt a prickle of danger. "Anything wrong around here?" he asked.
"No, there hasn't been a peep cheep or roar fromk any Fiend since the explosion."
Not entirely convinced, Stree reached for the Hasamune. "Where's my sword?" he asked, his pulse racing when he found it not there. Sweat started pouring down his forehead as his mind started panicking.
"Kam's got it," replied Gippal. "Calm down, man, that explosion wiped out every Fiend within three kilometers. Believe me, we checked."
Suddenly, Stree flashed his arm out, and grabbed the knife on Gippal's belt. "Whoa, man, give me some warning next time!"
Stree ignored him, his senses alert for the slightest suspicious movement. He heard something behind him, and spun around, but there was nothing there. He heard laughter to his left, and turned, but it was only someone talking with another person.
"Stree, you're not in danger. Calm down," said Gippal. Suddenly, Stree heard a deep menacing laughter.
"He's wrong."
"Who's there?" asked Stree.
"What?" asked Wakka, stepping back.
"You are in more danger than you can possibly imagine."
"Show yourself!" commanded Stree.
"Dude, calm down."
"So is your sister."
"Leave her alone!" shouted Stree. "You won't touch her!" By now, all of the others had noticed and were making there way over.
"Stree, calm down!" shouted Gippal.
"What going on?" asked Kam.
"You will never be safe."
"What in Yevon's name is he doing?" asked someone; Stree couldn't make out the voices anymore. Stree was slashing the air with the knife, coming dangerously close to the two men near him.
"Don't worry, Stree, soon it will be all over."
"Somebody stop him! He's lost it again!"
"Get him!"
"Stree!"
"Grab him!"
"Got him, now what?"
"Knock him out!"
"No, that's my brother!"
"What?"
"Look at him!"
Now Stree had slumped over onto the ground, and was sleeping fitfully.
Auron watched pityingly as Stree stood on the threshold of insanity, hoping against hope the darkness would take him quickly, rather than leave him to linger in its all too familiar pattern
Don't worry Stree, he thought. Soon it will be all over.