Chapter 6 - Cosmo Canyon
"To see a Keeper is not an easy thing. Especially one who does not wish to be seen. We have a need for those as gifted as yourself. If you've grown tired of how you live, then follow me, and we will show you a different way." … Getting caught in a mess…
Garrett ran with Alyssa in his arms, he was finally able to escape with her. He always found a way to escape no matter how deep of a situation he was in. Garrett looked down at Alyssa every second he could seeing that she seemed to be hallucinating, not knowing what was going on because she was probably blind. Knowing that, Garrett had to come up with a plan and quick.
His feet finally stopped, seeing a town up ahead, not being able to carry her and himself for the straight hour he was running. His breath shortened, trying to catch his heartbeat. His arms were weak, his strength was drained. Garrett looked down at Alyssa and put her down in the grass, trying to have her get back to normal.
"You should be able to see soon." Garrett hissed.
Alyssa flinched by hearing his voice, "What happened?"
"You've been blinded; you didn't take any green gas did you?"
"Whoa! Hang on you used a gas bomb and a flash bomb?" Alyssa questions, she started to rub her eyes, wanting to see.
"Well… you would have been dead if you took that smoke in, but you're ok. Your eyes just caught the flash."
Alyssa sat up, noticing that she could see again. Her head turned in Garrett's direction, seeing that he was standing over her. A sense of fear immediately took over and she struggled to crawl away, but he stopped her by stepping on her left ankle. He seemed to be a bit mad at her, but disappointed.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Garrett assured, trying to have her understand.
"What makes you so sure of that? All I know you're GOING to hurt me!" Alyssa's screams made him realized how scared she was.
"Listen to me Alyssa; I'm here to bring you back to Cloud, nothing else."
Alyssa looked at him wanting to believe him, but how could she trust him? Alyssa struggled to her feet, wanting to run away, but Garrett quickly grabbed her shirt. He didn't seem to 'want' to play the cat and mouse game. She turned around, facing him for the first time up close. He glared at her, focusing into her eyes, as if they were burning into her.
"How can I trust you?" Alyssa questions, noticing he had something else on his mind, as if deep down, he was worried about something.
"I'm NOT one of the slivers, I am part of a group whose been keeping an eye on them for some time." Garrett explains, letting go of her shirt. "My mission is to get you back to Cloud and see what his plans are with THEM, not us."
A soft breeze brushed Alyssa's face as she still focused on Garrett. She barely knew him, but something told her to give him a chance. "All right, let's head back to Cloud then."
"Cosmo Canyon is up ahead, it'll take a while to get there." Garrett mentions, pointing at the village in the canyons.
Alyssa pushed on, seeming to feel uneasy about heading. Garrett kept about ten feet away from her, keeping a close eye on the surroundings. He soon walked side by side with Alyssa, handing her something.
"I believe this is yours." Garrett says.
Alyssa saw that it was her sword. "How did you know this was mine?"
Garrett turned the scabbard, showing her something that was engraved. "Because a sheath really doesn't say: To Alyssa from Cloud, on it everyday."
Alyssa took the sword, wrapping it around her waist once more. Everything was silent, but Garrett stopped her from walking further when they were nearing Cosmo Canyon.
"Heads up," Garrett warned, seeing Bomber monsters up ahead, "Here they come."
Alyssa and Garrett both drew their swords at the same time as the monsters ran at them. With quick instincts Garrett attacked one of them that was in the air while doing a Fire 2 spell. He then pushed it away, seeing that Alyssa was having a bit of trouble with her sword.
"Here!" Garrett called, tossing her some Materia.
Alyssa caught the Materia doing an Ice 3 spell on both Bombers. So with a couple of final adjustments, Garrett attacked them with his sword, slicing the last bit of health left in the creatures. Satisfied with what they both done, they reseated their swords, heading up the stairs and to the entrance of Cosmo Canyon. The man soon recognized Alyssa, he let her in, and eyed Garrett closely.
"We should settle here for the night, I have a friend that's here." Alyssa suggested, knowing that it was safe for the time being.
Garrett didn't respond, he was only eyeing the town suspiciously like he was wanted for stealing. Alyssa ignored his gestures and headed up to Ben's home. They were soon welcomed to a friendly voice.
"It's been a while since I've seen you Alyssa, and it seems the others are getting a bit worried."
"Red XIII! How are you?" Alyssa asked, feeling a rush of relief.
"I've been doing fine, I heard what happened and I heard that you escaped with-" Red XIII broke off, looking at Garrett. "-him… so it seems you're not on their side after all Garrett."
"Where's Cloud?" Garrett questioned.
"He's going to be called soon." Red XIII said, looking back at Alyssa.
Alyssa quickly responded by leaving the room.
"You have my word, Garrett. You're welcome to stay for one night if you wish; I'll take care of Alyssa from here."
Red XIII joined Alyssa, hearing Alyssa speak with Cloud and how excited he sounded on the other line. She soon hung up and looked at Red. "He's on his way. He wants me to stay the night. So how did you know that I was coming?"
"Garrett called, he knows most of the people here, but is still waned for what he's done. Now we see that trust can be seen in him."
"What did he do?" Alyssa asks, getting interested.
"He stole a few items, but once we heard that he rescued you from Sephiroth and the other, we were relieved. I could tell Cloud was as well over the phone. Anyway, make yourself at home and relax." Red XIII left without saying another word.
Alyssa left Ben's house and hopped down to the Cosmo Candle, watching it burn brightly. She walked up to it, sitting. Alyssa did feel relaxed now, knowing that everything was going to be ok soon. Her eyes watched as the flames danced gracefully. She soon heard someone sit next to her.
"I've been through tough missions before. It's just that in times like this I can't get a decent job."
Alyssa turned her head, looking over at Garrett. "How did you become a thief anyway?"
Garrett shook his head. "I'll explain the next time we meet." He said, standing. "I'll see you around sometime."
Alyssa watched as Garrett walked off into night as if a dark blanket covered the sky. Red XIII joined Alyssa, seeing that she was now relaxed.
"You're really something else." He said. "I know it must be hard on you right now because of what your father did. I know what it's like to lose someone you love."
Alyssa scratched his head, knowing that he wanted to support her too. "I'll try my best to hang in there; it's just that I can't believe what happened. Everything happened so fast… I wasn't even able to say good bye to him." Tears filled her eyes constantly as she started to cry.
"If you need anything, let me know." Red XIII offered, leaving her grieve.
"Thanks… I will." She whispered softly.