Chapter 16
Author's Note
Adding this because I have changed the first sequence DRAMATICALLY! This is largely due to a review and, upon reading it, I found it saved me from having to do another long scene in Chapter 17 when I could hint at it now in a few short sentences. Hope you don't mind!
Black clouds darkened the violet skies in attempt to hide the stars above. The wind cut through the chilled night air as cold rain poured over the land below. Thunder rumbled despite the lack of lightning to precede it as the miserable weather raged on. Blood-tainted lakes were scattered across the wide field; the bodies of the fallen long removed.
Yuna looked around in a mixture of terror and confusion. Where was she and why was she all alone? "Paine! Sarion! Rikku!" She cried out desperately only to have the howling wind answer in response. Despite being able to see her own breath, Yuna felt no chill from the air. Looking down she gasped at seeing that she was wearing her Songstress apparel. "How in the…?"
Her mumbled question was interrupted by a particularly loud crash of thunder. Looking up she saw a stone tower standing alone in the field a hundred meters or so ahead of her. "That wasn't there a minute ago." She began walking towards it only to gasp as lightning finally made its presence known; the illumination showing two distinct figure standing atop the tower.
Unable to make out exactly who or what was atop the tower, Yuna picked up her pace to a slow trot. As she neared the tower she skidded to a stop with a gasp. Surrounding the tower were hundreds of cloaked figures; their black cloaks seemingly unmolested by the icy rains. "They weren't there a minute ago." Shaking her head she looked up and realized the tower was a bit taller than she had expected.
She nearly considered turning back and looking for the others when a familiar voice froze her in place. The voice was as beautiful as it was melancholic; it was Paine and she was… singing?
How can you see into my eyes
like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
where I've become so numb.
Without a soul,
my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
until you find it there and lead it back home.
Yuna felt a cold chill run down her spine and broke into a run towards the tower. Whether or not the cloaked figures would grant her entry or not didn't matter to her; she was going to get to Paine one way or another.
As she approached the base of the tower she began shoving her way through the throng of unmoving figures. They made no actions against her but their hindering of her progress was awakening anger within her. She didn't know why she felt it so important to get to Paine in such a hurry but something told her she needed to.
Wake me up inside.
Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Bid my blood to run before I come undone
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Steps echoing off the stone walls, Yuna ran up the stairs two at a time. Heedless of the lack of railing and the rain-slick steps, she kept her gaze locked on the opening at the top as she made her journey up.
Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breathe into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.
Yuna stumbled and nearly fell as a step broke under her. She just managed to leap from it in time to not follow the shattered stones on their long descent. She had already made it high enough that such a fall would be undoubtedly fatal but the only fear that gripped her was her concern for what Paine was doing here and what her sorrow-filled song meant. Paine never sang.
Wake me up inside.
Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
As she burst through the exit and onto the top of the tower a strong wind tore nearly pushed her back inside but she held fast, staring in wide-eyed wonder at the scene before her. A young girl, perhaps fourteen, with long blonde hair to her waist stood wearing nothing but a simple white-nightie covering to her knees. Her sapphire blue eyes were overflowing with emotions and her face held the innocence of one who'd never seen conflict.
Bid my blood to run, before I come undone.
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Bring me to life.
Bring me to life.
Yuna's shock was not at the presence of the girl as much as the voice that was coming from her; it was unquestioningly Paine's voice. Only then did she notice the black gauntleted hands holding the girl's shoulders. Raising her eyes she felt faint as familiar ruby eyes burned into her own. Paine eyed her with a strange smirk on her face; dark, spiked armor covered her body and her wicked saw-like sword rested on the ground by her feet. Yuna instantly recognized the Dark Knight sphere. It was the one sphere Paine had tried to avoid even more than the Songstress. Yuna never understood why; Paine looked positively intimidating in it and it always added a mixture of dark and beautiful.
Frozen inside without your touch without your love
Darling
Only you are the life among the dead!
As Yuna slowly made her way across the rooftop towards the impossible sight of two very different Paines she noticed that the blonde was almost ghost-like in appearance and was fading fast. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she swore it would escape her before she closed the distance. Her mouth was dry and the pouring rain went completely unnoticed to her as she approached the two girls.
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.
Got to open my eyes to everything.
Finally she stood before the blonde Paine who lowered her voice to a whisper as she leaned close to Yuna's face, her body almost completely transparent at this point.
Don't let me die here.
She kissed Yuna's lips softly, fading away entirely before the stunned brunette could respond. Her voice, however, continued on as the Dark Knight before her slowly stepped away from the brunette and closer to the edge of the tower.
Bring me to life.
Wake me up inside.
Wake me up inside.
Call my name and save me from the dark.
The silver haired girl stepped up onto the ledge behind her; ruby eyes never leaving the face of the stunned girl before her. Try as she might, Yuna was unable to make so much as a sound let alone move.
Bid my blood to run, before I come undone.
Save me from the nothing I've become.
Yuna's chest tightened as Paine closed her eyes; a strange smile across her lips.
Bring me to life.
Bring me to life.
Bring me to life.
Paine leaned back and disappeared over the edge leaving Yuna alone on the top of the tower. Falling to her knees she looked at her hands as if searching for an answer to what had just happened before throwing her head back and letting out an anguished cry.
"PAINE!"
Rikku bolted awake at hearing her cousin's outburst. Looking over she saw the girl trembling fiercely and writhing in her sleep. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes she realized her and Yuna were the only ones there. The fire had died hours ago, judging by the already cooled coals, and there was no sign of Paine, Sarion or the strange white-haired girl.
Hurrying over to Yuna, the young blonde shook her cousin vigorously to wake her. There was no way Sarion would leave them so vulnerable without even a warning; something was definitely wrong.
"Rikku?" Her voice still thick with sleep, Yuna blinked a few times to clear her foggy vision. 'It was just a dream? But it felt so real. I've never heard Paine sing before and I've never seen those people either.'
Looking down at her dazed cousin with concern etched on her features, Rikku brushed tears from the older girl's cheeks. Her worry for the situation temporarily subsided for the love she had for her best friend and relative. "Are you okay Yunie?"
Yuna sat up and nodded slowly as if unsure. "I think so Rikku. I just had the most realistic dream and it was just terrible. But it's okay because I was just dreaming and she's not really g-" her words stopped in her throat as she realized the silver-haired girl was not beside her. Immediately her eyes snapped up to meet Rikku's. "Where is she?"
"I just woke up and you and I are the only ones here Yunie. Something must have happened."
A low whine escaped Yuna as she got to her feet in a rush and looked around frantically. As Rikku had stated they were indeed alone. Without stopping to think, Yuna bolted back the way they came.
"Yunie!" Shaking her head the young thief followed the other girl through the brush back towards the open plains between the forest and SafeHaven.
Stumbling over a downed tree Rikku landed hard on her stomach, the wind leaving her lungs in a rush. She saw stars as she got to an unsteady base on her hands and knees. When she could finally breathe again she looked up and saw Yuna had continued on without her. "Oh Yunie…" With a sigh she got to her feet and brushed the dirt and moss off before following the direction Yuna had run off in.
After a few minutes of wandering, Rikku let out a frustrated sigh. 'I'm sure she was going this way.' Before she could ponder further she saw someone kneeling beside a small creek just ahead. "Yunie!"
When the figure looked up at her outburst Rikku felt a mixture of disappointment and a strange unsettling feeling in her stomach. It was Kyia, the girl from the day before, who met her gaze. The bright crimson eyes of the girl were wide with fear. As Rikku approached the other girl she felt her throat close up at the sight before her.
Blood was absolutely everywhere. It coated the trees, the stones, the dirt; it stained the water of the creek beside them and even the leaves above were painted with the thick red fluid. It wasn't the blood that had Rikku frozen in place and trembling. It was the fact that Sarion lay before the white-haired girl as the obvious origin of it all.
Rikku's green eyes narrowed into slits as her lips curled back into a snarl. "You…" Before the other girl could so much as blink, the blonde thief launched herself at her. "BITCH!"
Yuna stopped at hearing her cousin's voice tear through the morning silence. She turned towards the direction it came from and ran towards it; her heart pounding in her ears. 'What in Spira happened?'
Skidding to a halt Yuna gasped at the scene before her. The rich green foliage was painted red with the blood of the man who had saved their lives and her cousin was in a blind rage as she attacked the only suspect. Her daggers were a blur but the strange girl was always one step ahead of the blades.
Rikku growled and tried to come at the girl from both sides in a scissor-fashion only to end up catching nothing but air as Kyia simply jumped over the rush. She was just so fast! Using a tree as leverage the blonde thief launched herself towards her target. A sidestep and jump again kept the white-haired girl from harm.
The young thief had completely abandoned any defensive posture and was continuously launching attack after attack growing more and more infuriated with each failure. Her eyes filled with tears but the rage behind them was slowly consuming her.
Yuna's eyes widened further as Rikku suddenly let out an animalistic roar. The blonde girl stopped her assault momentarily and stood there panting as she shook. Her daggers fell from her hands as a bright light enveloped her. As another roar escaped her lips her simple outfit seemed to shatter into pieces around her. Animal-like claws suddenly replaced her hands and feet, leopard print fur extending up to her knees and to her elbows. Tribal tattoos emerged from the skin of her thighs as a small white top and bottom covered only her most private features. Her hair broke free from the simple braids into a fierce mane held up with a blue headband with matching scarf, ankle and wrist wraps.
This was impossible; their grids and dresspheres had been lost during the crash. Not only that but even had Rikku possessed one she did not activate it. Yet here before her, stood Rikku in full Berserker glory with hate-filled eyes. Flinching as Rikku let out another loud roar, Yuna stood frozen in place as her cousin launched a new assault on Kyia.
While the white-haired girl had experienced very little difficulty fending off the raging blonde before, this was an entirely different matter. A thief was based primarily on precision, timing, and patience making her blinding rage a hindrance that Kyia could easily exploit. A berserker on the other hand was fueled by the rage and became only more dangerous over time. Ducking a savage swipe, Kyia failed to evade the thunderous kick that sent her careening into a tree. Before she could clear the fog from striking her head Rikku was already on top of her. Eyes blazing, the young blonde pulled back clawed hand with intent to remove the white-haired girl's head in a single swipe.
Closing her eyes in acceptance that she simply could not best the maddened girl, Kyia found her thoughts wandering to the events leading up to this catastrophe.
The sun was not quite up when Kyia woke to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Thinking back she recalled riding on the back of Sarion's horse but not how she had arrived in the woods here. "I must have fallen asleep." She mumbled to herself as she sat up and looked around.
The blonde girl was sleeping just out of reach to one side and the other girl, a brunette, was on her other side. No sign of Sarion or Paine. "Paine…" she breathed out incredulously. She had never expected to see the silver-haired girl again but to find her in Sarion's company was more than a little surprising. Did he know who she was? No, that was impossible. If he knew that he would not have come to the church for help.
Kyia got to her knees and silently approached the blonde girl that had glared daggers at her from the moment she approached Sarion. A small smile touched her lips; the girl had feelings for him. Was she the reason he had given up his life essence? Or one of the other girls? Maybe all of them.
Moving beside the brunette girl, Kyia let out a soft gasp. She smelled positively saturated in Paine's patent cinnamon scent. That means they had been very close the night before but where was Paine now? So many questions and so few answers readily available.
As she got to her feet the sound of drawn steel caught her attention. "They couldn't have found us. Sarion knows better than to stop with them within range." She ran in the direction of the sound; her direction made clear as the sound of steel clashing against steel ripped through the air. When she finally reached her destination a gasp escaped her lips and her body froze.
Paine stood over a bloodied Sarion; her simple traveling clothes replaced with her black, spiked armor. He was on his knees, wheezing through the pain of broken ribs and dozens of deep lacerations.
"Paine, you don't have to go. We can protect you." He coughed, spraying her boots with bright blood. "You can't just leave them without explaining anything."
Cold ruby eyes stared back. "I can and will. I asked you once to turn back and you refused. I will not ask again. Stay away from me Sarion and keep the others away from me. You don't know what I am or what I've done." She looked away, contempt filling her voice. "You should have let me die."
Staggering to his feet, Sarion stood before Paine; his voice completely devoid of any regret. "I would never let you die Paine. Whatever sins of your past haunt you are simply that, the past. You need to let go of them. Don't let them force you to pile more atop them when you have friends who love yo-"
"Love?! What do you know about love!?" She rounded on him, her eyes blazing with rage. "Love is the cause for all the conflicts in the world! Without such a foolish emotion no one can hurt you! No one can control you!" Placing the tip of her sword on his chest, she kept him at a distance.
Sarion shook his head. "No Paine, love is the reason we continue to fight long after we should have been defeated. Love is what makes us take chances we otherwise would pass up." His emerald eyes met hers and he spread his arms, palm up. "Love makes us willing to die for someone else and regret nothing." He suddenly stepped forward, impaling himself on her blade and causing her eyes to widen.
"Fool!" She cried out and stepped back suddenly, pulling the sword from him in the process. "What have you done?!"
Blood leaked from the smile Sarion offered before he collapsed to his knees. "Showed you that you are not the monster you believe you are." He dropped forward to all fours as Paine stumbled back in horror. "Everyone can change Paine. You just need to find the right reason."
Kyia covered her mouth with both hands as Sarion collapsed into the dirt, motionless. Running out to him she dropped to her knees, looking up at Paine with confusion-filled eyes. She had always hoped they would meet again but suddenly she was without words due to the series of events unfolding before her.
"Stay with them Kyia. If you try to follow me, I'll kill you." Turning away, the silver-haired girl made her way out of the woods without looking back. Looking back, she feared, would allow the other girl to see the tears streaming down her face.
Kate grunted as she was shoved roughly from behind when her pace slowed. She was only fifteen and had never spent a day outside of SafeHaven. Now she was shackled to a group of the people she had known all her life and being lead south by a group of the ruby-eyed women in dark cloaks. They had come through the village like a flood; in mere hours they had rounded up their chosen and departed as if they had never been there.
Families wept at their lost but knew better than to resist. Kate had actually saved her sister from selection by stepping before her and offering herself. While the Harvesters rarely accepted such actions, the lead rider had nodded her approval. Exceptions could be made and Kate appeared to be worthy of such consideration in her eyes.
A sudden halt caused Kate to crash into the man in front of her, drawing an angry glare that she shrank from. After just a few minutes of standing in silence, the group moved forward again. Curious as to the purpose of their stop, Kate looked around the edge of the group and saw the body of a man who had apparently broken his ankle.
The Harvesters did not tolerate delays of their objective and someone unable to keep pace was quickly dispatched. Kate swallowed hard as she placed new focus on watching her footing. The last thing she needed was to trip and end up like the man she now passed.
They had been walking through the night and it was beginning to show in their movements. Kate was young and healthy but even still she was struggling to keep up the forced march that the Harvesters set. Her shoes were comfortable but the uneven ground and fast pace was quickly building blisters on her untraveled feet and before long she was limping noticeably.
Kate fell for the third time in an hour causing the man in front of her to turn around and raise a hand and strike her; his anger at the situation looking for any release possible. She put her hands up to protect herself as he struck her again and again before a splash of fluid caused her to peek out from behind her arms. The man had been cleaved in half from shoulder to opposite hip by the hooded figure standing before her now.
A whimper escaped her lips as the figure stepped close to her and crouched down. Kate shut her eyes tightly as tears fell down her cheeks. A soft hand brushing the tears aside startled her into opening her eyes to see crimson eyes leveled with hers.
"Are you alright child?" The voice was gentle, almost kind.
Nodding slowly the girl slowly made it to her feet, wincing in pain as her bloodied feet cried out in protest. "I c… c… can continue."
Shaking her head, the hooded woman stood and motioned for assistance causing Kate to whimper again and cringe away when the other woman approached. The first woman spoke again in the same soft voice.
"Fear not child, you will be riding my horse." She gestured to the manacles on the young girl and her assistant unlocked them before returning to her previous position. As she helped Kate onto the large black horse, Kate couldn't help but stare as the hood fell back.
The woman was astonishingly beautiful. She had raven-black hair that, when she pulled it from her cloak, went down to her waist and her skin was a pale ivory. Her lips were the same ruby-red as her eyes and the smile she wore showed perfect white teeth behind them. 'Who is this woman? Why is she being nice to me?'
Seeing the girl's puzzled expression the woman flashed her a smile before signaling for the group to begin its journey once more. She looked up and looked to contemplate whether or not to speak with the young girl.
Kate was still afraid but she had always been too curious for her own good. "Who are you?"
The smile reappeared on the woman who walked beside the horse Kate was on. "My name is Solari Vatasis and I am, as we have been affectionately named, a Harvester. What is your name, girl?"
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Kate did her best to keep her voice from trembling. "M-My name is Kate."
"Well then Kate, it is a long journey to our destination. Perhaps you can tell me a bit about yourself to make the journey more passable?"
Kate was surprised by the request but nodded quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was anger this woman, Solari, who had been kind to her so far. Taking a deep breath she began telling the attentive woman about herself, from simple day-to-day activities to hopes for the future. The more she talked and the more Solari listened, the more she considered that she just might survive this after all.
Paine grunted as a fist slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind from her lungs. Were she not held up by the chains around her wrists, she would have collapsed. The shackles dug into her flesh as she hung limply from them; she had already attempted to break free to no avail and had now succumbed to accepting the fate awaiting her.
Again the strong fist connected with her stomach causing her to dry-heave; her stomach long emptied from the torture and lack of food. She had been here for days and the routine varied only in execution. From sunup to sundown she was beaten. Sometimes it was by whip or rod, others by gloved hands. She never saw her tormentor due to the blindfold around her eyes and their complete silence in their work.
Today however, that was going to change. As she hung gasping for breath, the feel of cold steel against her bare thighs caused her to go rigid. Was today the day they were going to finish her off or were they simply introducing the next level of torture? As the blade moved up her thigh she heard it tear through the meager shorts she had worn before continuing its journey up, past her hip. The blade left her skin for a moment and she felt her shirt being cut away as well; the cool, damp air causing goose bumps to rise on her exposed flesh.
She flinched as the blade pressed against her cheek; the cold steel a sharp contrast from the sweltering room. Suddenly the blade flicked up and removed the cloth covering her eyes causing her to squint at the seemingly bright light. In reality there were only two torches illuminating the dark cell but having been without sight for days left her eyes sensitive to even the slightest lighting.
"My oh my. You really do have beautiful eyes don't you Paine?" A voice as soft as silk asked from before her. "While all of the Harvesters share a red iris, yours are definitely among the most vibrant." A smile crossed her lips as she leaned close to inspect the girl before her closer. "They say the amount of blood you shed caused yours to deepen. Is that true?"
Paine growled and lunged forward only to be cut short by the shackles mere inches from the face of the woman before her. The woman did not even flinch at the sudden action and instead smiled at the shackled girl. "My oh my you still have some fight in you don't you?" She reached out with her left hand, her right still holding her long-bladed sword, and caressed Paine's cheek.
"Who are you?" Paine was struggling to clear her vision but she still saw only blurs.
Pulling her hand back from Paine, the woman placed it under her chin thoughtfully. "Me? I am simply a messenger." She tilted her head to the side. "One who is very confused as to why the most feared Harvester would betray her own people and murder our High Priestess."
"You have no proof I did such a thing." She scowled at the woman before her, finally able to make out the details. Long raven hair with eyes similar to her own and rich, red lips. "What would I gain by killing Preata?"
A scowl formed on ruby lips and she lashed out with her empty hand, slapping Paine across the face with tremendous force. "Do not lie to me." Her words came out in a hiss, her playful demeanor dissolved in an instant. "We have the confession of your lover. You killed the High Priestess to protect her from being sacrificed to extend Praeta's life."
Paine's eyes widened in shock, her heart sinking into her stomach; only Kyia could know such details. Why would she give her up after she had done so much? She had broken every rule she had ever placed on herself only to be betrayed by the one person she had let in. "Why?" Her voice was a mere whisper now.
The woman stood there for a moment and tried to contemplate how to answer. She could tell the truth or she could lie; both would hurt Paine tremendously but which would break her heart more? "You would be amazed what a woman will say when you introduce bladed instruments into undesirable areas. Areas I am sure you knew well." She giggled as Paine thrashed against the chains, her eyes filled with unrestrained violence. The only resulting consequence was blood running down her arms as the manacles dug into her flesh.
For the first time since the night she discovered the High Priestess' plans, Paine felt tears well up in her eyes. She was helpless and though her own life was forfeit her only concern was her inability to help Kyia. "Just kill me, whoever you are."
The raven-haired woman before her laughed; a sound that would have been pleasant in a different setting. "My oh my silly girl, what fun would that be? No, instead I will be freeing you soon."
Paine's eyes snapped up to the woman before her. "Freeing me?"
"Of course. You see, very few people know that you killed the High Priestess and even less know about your lover, Kyia. I would be willing to preserve these secrets for a small price."
Swallowing with sudden hope for her and Kyia, Paine nodded. "Anything."
Leaning intimately close, the woman whispered softly into Paine's ear causing the silver-haired girl to go rigid. "No…" she breathed. "You can't… can't ask that."
"Choose. Your lives hang in the balance."
Trembling as tears fell down her cheeks in rivers, Paine nodded slowly. "I have no choice. I accept." She closed her eyes and sighed softly with a final thought before blackness overtook her. 'I just hope she can forgive me someday."
Author's Note
Wait… WHAT?! Well, that should be some reaction-worthy chapter. Not going to give ANY spoilers of what is to come. Just know I have a bunch planned ahead now.
The song, if you've lived under a rock for the last 10+ years and don't know it, is "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. I love her and her music. I also found her voice the PERFECT fit for how I'd imagine Paine if she sang. Yuna's not the only one with a beautiful voice!
So thank the song for the majority of this chapter. It inspired me SO violently that I got full-body chills that actually hurt. Listened to it for -4- solid hours while I wrote the first two scenes. I started writing today at 1020. Finished at 1901… Crazy what you people do to me with your reviews.
Factoid came to my attention, again, thanks to my Assassin-like critic the infamous Secret PM Reviewer. Spheres AND the Grids were "invented by Shinra" for the girls. Which, as the wiki even admits, does not at all explain how they are all over Spira and common knowledge for so many people. Fortunately for them, I have come up with an outstanding history behind them so do not fear. It will be revealed in time.
So yeah. Crazy chapter. I had fun. Hope I don't drive too many people away with it!
DragonGirl323: I like that you enjoyed my adaptation of them! I hope you enjoyed this new evolution of what's going on with them. I also hope you're slowly getting the idea of the whole past scenes.
Inspiration for the Berserker Sphere description is 100% credited to Anna Rigby of Elfwood(website for art).
i1222 DOT.photobucket DOT kom /albums / dd494/ Dinishte/ rikkuberserker DOT jpg
Remember, kom is spelled with a c. And remove spaces.