Chapter 3
This time as everyone woke up and had more stale snack bars for food, Yuna joined amongst them, normal.
"Did you have any more bad dreams?" Tifa asked.
"Nope, I still wanna leave the forest of course...but no bad dreams this time," Yuna had replied.
"That's good. Then we can finally get the heck out of here without worries, or anything bad...right?" Tidus asked.
"Yeah, let's get a move on already!" Cloud complained. Vincent swiftly took the map out, and the trail they planned on it.
"You know, the horse guide could have at least told someone we got lost," Tifa started as they finally got everything cleaned up and packed so they could walk.
Vincent was stalking behind the group with Sephiroth. Cloud, Squall, and Tidus were following the map at the front, and all the girls were complaining in the middle.
"I know, what kind of a horse guide is he, didn't he have some responsibility towards us?" Yuna asked.
"Maybe because we lost his horses, and we didn't exactly start off as best friends?" Cloud explained. "The guy wouldn't come looking after us."
They continued walking, and it seemed really pointless, because ten minutes turned into twenty minutes, which quickly turned into almost an hour. They still looked like they were in the same spot, with trees all around and a forest ground.
"Um...you sure we're going in the right direction?" Rinoa asked Cloud and Squall up in front, trying to get a peek at the map over their shoulders. Cloud hastily snapped it shut and turned to her.
"Of course we're going the right way! We're professionals aren't we?" Cloud snapped.
"Hmph...professionals my-," Rinoa started but Tifa pulled her back.
"Aeris, you've been awfully quiet, how is your therapy thing going?" Tifa asked trying to keep everything casual.
"Tifa, do you honestly think I've continued doing that project after this dilemma? Besides, am I the only one worrying over where Zell is, and why Wakka is walking on all fours?" Aeris blurted. Everyone turned and noticed Wakka walking like a dog.
He stopped and stood back up right. "I uh...was bored...," He said and walked a few feet away.
"Yes, where is Zell?" Rinoa wondered.
"Zell?" Yuna asked in an airy, soft voice. Exclamation marks popped out of everyone's head.
"Oh no!" Rinoa wailed.
"Alright everyone calm down!" Cloud ordered.
"Nobody is getting agitated Cloud," Tifa grumbled.
"Right...well...no one get desperate and stuff," He re-phrased. Tifa rolled her eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me!" Cloud snapped.
"I can if I want!" Tifa snapped back.
"Nuh-uh!" Cloud retorted.
"Uh-huh!" Tifa fired back.
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-," Tifa started but Rinoa covered her mouth.
"Shut-up! Stop fighting, we gotta care for Yuna!" Rinoa cried.
"Care for me? Why?" Yuna asked.
"Sorry, I'm Cloud Str-," Cloud was about to introduce himself when Yuna giggled.
"Yes, I know. Strife; Cloud, Strife...right?" Yuna asked and laughed. Cloud took his hand back with an anime sweat drop.
"Yeah but-," Cloud started but Tifa cut him off.
"Do you remember who we are Yuna?" Tifa asked.
"Of course. I did only meet you yesterday," She replied.
"I get it! She remembers only from yesterday but is still in her Final Fantasy X mode-," Wakka was saying when everyone glared at him and he stopped talking. Yuna merely smiled at all of them then moved on up to Tidus and Squall who were arguing over the map.
"No Squall, gosh Vincent made this line to–don't shake your head at me!" Tidus was exploding. Squall frowned and actually looked like he would say something when Yuna came between them.
"Hello. Is there something wrong on the way we are traveling?" She asked.
"No, no Babes, just leave us guys alone and we'll figure it out," Tidus said absentmindedly and waved her off without looking. Squall looked at Yuna's expression, which was taken aback and turning red as she blushed. Squall took Tidus's arm and moved him away from Yuna.
"What do you want Leonhart--let go of me!" Tidus protested. Squall shook his shoulders and pointed at Yuna angrily. "What? It's Yuna, I know that," Tidus replied frustrated. Squall slapped his forehead and shook his head. "It's...not Yuna?" Tidus suddenly asked in a very scared voice. Squall shook his head, then nodded. "Squall man, you're not making sense," Tidus said and turned away. He walked back to Yuna who was watching Rinoa, whom was trying to get Tifa and Cloud to stop fighting over whether hair was important or not.
"Gah! There's no agreeing with this woman!" Cloud cried.
"'This woman'? Are you out of your mind?" Tifa erupted.
"Actually, yes, I am!" Cloud replied angrily.
Rinoa gave up and walked back to Yuna.
"They fight like an old married couple," Yuna noted to Rinoa.
"Eh...close enough," Rinoa replied crossing her arms. "We need to get out of these woods fast...it's just ruining everyone," Rinoa said sadly. "I hate fighting."
"I'm working on it!" Cloud barked as he moved away from a shaking with rage Tifa and joined Squall with the map. Tidus went up to Rinoa and Yuna and put his arm around Yuna.
"I was working on the map, but I don't know why Vincent won't move his behind from the back and help us out," Tidus complained rolling his eyes.
Yuna shouldered his arm off. "Uh...please, don't do that," She said and moved next to Rinoa.
"Huh? Blame Vincent for everything? I always do that," Tidus replied.
"No, uh...never mind," Yuna said quietly and walked next to Wakka.
Tidus looked at Rinoa. "What's with her?" He asked.
Rinoa turned around to make sure Yuna was out of ear shot. "She's back Tidus, you know, to thinking it's Final Fantasy X. Maybe the dreams have stopped, but we're still lost in the woods, and she's in that desperate state of mind or whatever! She's still going insane...," Rinoa explained.
Tidus pounded his fist into his hand. "Damn! No wonder she was acting all shy and shit," Tidus replied.
Rinoa shook her head in puzzlement. "Can't you tell by her voice? It's all quiet and soft and stuff," Rinoa said.
Tidus shrugged. "I never found out why she suddenly got a different voice...I guess I'm also used to the old one...," Tidus replied.
Vincent suddenly came up to them. "I heard you complaining about my post. Do you wish for me to help with the map? But I do say that it is most advisable if I remain in the back to help ward off-," Vincent was explaining when Cloud turned around and cut him off.
"Lie! He wants to stay back with his boyfriend Sephiroth."
Tidus laughed and gave Cloud a thumbs up. Vincent scowled.
"Very well, I'll help out with the map," Vincent replied quietly and swooped away.
"That's alright, I don't need anyone to help me out back," Sephiroth hissed and waved his Masamune around. Aeris moved up front hurriedly and joined in Rinoa's and Tifa's conversation.
"Why is Tidus acting so strange?" Yuna was asking Wakka.
He shrugged. "Don't ask me, he's your boy-," He started but then stopped and shrugged again mumbling nothing in particular.
"My what?" Yuna asked.
"Uh...boy...guardian...yeah that's it," Wakka replied nervously shifting his eyes.
"So are you, and you two are good friends, wouldn't you know if he was sick or something?" Yuna asked.
"Tidus isn't sick Yuna, he's just weird," Wakka replied.
"Weird?" Yuna repeated. Then Tidus came towards them and Yuna muttered an excuse and hastily moved away.
"What's with her? I know she's all in FF-X mode and all, but we were friends then too, right?" Tidus asked Wakka frantically.
"Why is everyone asking me stuff? I don't know!" Wakka exploded. Tidus inched a little from Wakka who was steaming for some odd reason. Literally.
The sun was setting. Those who were living normal lives and not stuck in the woods would watch it with an enjoying praise, rather then the looks of horror these fellow people lost in the woods were giving it now.
"We've been walking the whole day, we would have come across something by now," Tifa complained. Cloud threw the map on the ground in frustration.
"Don't do that!" Vincent cried and picked it up. Everyone groaned and slapped their foreheads in frustration because everyone was sure they were right on track.
"Princess will you shut the freakin' camera off? We're already stressed enough!" Cloud snapped at me.
"Yeah!" Everyone agreed.
No way! This is my camera and I'm making a documentary.
"Please, just shut the camera off," Vincent muttered.
"Yeah, how about we take five eh?" Cloud said and blocked the camera lense with his hand.
Hey! Don't touch the lense man!
"Then turn it off!" Cloud demanded and everyone suddenly turned against me, giving me dirty looks.
Right, go ahead, turn against the one who owns you! (Well, for now anyway. Square Enix let me borrow you, hehe.) You'll see then whose getting out of the woods!
"Aren't the batteries low by this time?" Tidus asked.
No! This is my magical camera.
But I knew I couldn't film them anymore, I mean their faces, their expressions, these characters were truly miserable. I had no choice. I'll have to hide first, then I'll film them.
(-Pretends to turn off camera-)
There, I turned if off, the documentary is on a pause.
"Why is the red light still flashing?" Sephiroth snarled.
That means it's off dummy!
Sephiroth's fist shook but he looked away from me.
Don't worry readers, I am now hiding behind a bush and shall, on all accounts, continue filming. I'm not missing a second of this!
"Alright, well now that we know we're not being recorded by some documentary obsessed pursuer of Final Fantasy characters-"
What?
"-We can go over this map again I guess," Cloud suggested. Everyone started to agree when Yuna shook her head.
"You got a better idea?" Sephiroth sneered.
"No...I've been here before...," Yuna replied softly, her eyes looking far away.
"What do you mean?" Vincent asked.
"I...I know where to go...follow me!" Yuna cried and suddenly took off at a run.
"Yuna, wait!" Tidus called and everyone attempted to catch up with her.
Yuna slowed down and darted her head in different directions. "I know where we are going will solve everything," She said turning to everyone and nodding. "Soon it will all be over."
Everyone looked at her anxiously.
"Are you sure?" Tidus asked.
"Yeah, I've gone through here before!" Yuna insisted. They started following Yuna through the woods.
"I don't know if Yuna really knows where she's going," Tifa said to Rinoa.
"I know but...she seems to insist on it...maybe we should," Rinoa replied.
"You guys are both stupid, we're not supposed to be following a mental person in the first place," Sephiroth growled.
But Yuna looked very confident as she would take random turns at some places and lead them through the otherwise undistinguishable forest. Suddenly Yuna came to an abrupt halt, causing Tidus and Cloud to almost run into her.
"We rest here. We'll continue tomorrow," She instructed as the sun was gone, and the sky darkened to a deep purple. So everyone re-did their camp for a temporary state, and once Vincent had a small fire up and ready he walked over to Yuna who was brandishing the map aside as if it was not worth anything, and it didn't follow the same way she thought would lead them back.
"Lady Yuna...can I have a word?" Vincent asked.
"Yes, sure," Yuna replied turning to him.
"Well...I'm sure I'm not the only one...but we, or at least me, are worried if you are leading us the right way...to, well, wherever you're leading us," Vincent explained.
"I can't deny it Vincent, I know where I'm going, I know it's right. I can't explain it, but it will all be over soon," Yuna replied and smiled at him confidently.
"Yes but-," Vincent started but Yuna shook her head.
"If we are lucky we'll be there by tomorrow. I sure do hope so," She said and spun around to check if the tent was ready to be entered safely yet. Vincent took this as a closing to the conversation and walked away.
"I asked about where we were going," He said to Sephiroth's expression.
The next day it was the same, Yuna was still in her Final Fantasy X mood or mode or whatever and determined to go the way she kept guaranteeing, "Would ensure to make it all over soon."
They were still walking in a group, Yuna semi leading the way, though until further notice from her Cloud and Tidus have taken to keep going the direction they were going for now so they could stay in the front and Yuna didn't protest.
Yuna hummed along as if they were merely on a hike. Nobody was talking much, there wasn't much to talk about. A lot of them have caught on that Zell still hasn't been seen, but decided they didn't want to be the ones to declare it out loud.
"Strange how there aren't any fiends around here in these isolated woods," Yuna noted once. The others agreed meekly but didn't say anything else. Yuna took this absence of having to battle lightly and as they walked on she started skipping and singing.
"Oh God," Wakka merely muttered, who felt as if he was transported back in time. Tidus felt the same and just looked at all the others nervously.
"Wonder when we'll get there eh?" He asked Cloud who just nodded annoyed, obviously because nobody was depending on him for their safety. They just walked on, sometimes listening to Yuna sing, when she switched off from humming, "Wouldn't it be Nice" By the Beach Boys. (Hehe)
"Wouldn't it be nice if we were older,
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long!
And wouldn't it be nice to live together,
In the kind of world where we belong!" Yuna would sing aloud.
For some reason everyone looked at Tidus who stared back.
"What? It was her favorite song when she was 16...," He explained and everyone looked miserably ahead, to a forest scene that didn't seem to change. But though it was still day time, at one point the woods got darker, the trees more huddled together, the usual brown beige leaves turned grey and more dead looking.
"Hey Sephiroth, feel at home?" Cloud joked and snickered as everyone noticed this change. Everyone continued walking when Vincent noticed that Yuna wasn't among them.
"Yuna?" He called and turned around as everyone else did so too, also noticing Yuna was gone. But she wasn't really gone, she had just merely stopped walking and had that far away look to her eyes. She was dead still and wouldn't move, and she didn't seem to see or hear the others as she stared straight ahead.
"Yuns, what happened? This is the way you were leading us right?" Tidus asked coming over to her.
"No, no, no...," She murmured.
"No?" Tifa questioned. They huddled around her to see what was wrong.
"I-I...I can't go on. You guys go ahead," She said and made to turn around but Tidus held her arm back lightly.
"Yuna, you were leading us this way the whole time. What happened?" He asked.
Yuna shook her head. "You guys go ahead, I'll be fine," She said a little more frantically.
"She probably was leading us the wrong way and now wants to go back, but doesn't want to admit it or something. I knew it!" Sephiroth snarled.
"No. This is the right way. I've been here before, I know," Yuna insisted, drawing her watery eyes now on Sephiroth while she said it and then turned back to Tidus. "I can't stay, or go on. Please understand," She said.
"Why?" Cloud insisted like the others.
"Tidus, you know why," Yuna said with a hint of desperation.
"No, I don't," Tidus replied looking at the others as well to answer their expressions too.
"Yes, I told you why, you know!" Yuna cried and her tone was bold and for a minute everyone thought she came back. "Wait...you don't know...you were gone...," Yuna said and was back to FF-X mode as fast as she got out of it, for she had her soft voice back. She was talking mostly to herself and was confusing everyone around her.
"Right, I don't know, so why can't you tell me?" Tidus asked.
"Because you're gone," She replied.
"No...I'm right here," Tidus replied puzzled and everyone was even more confused.
"Yuna, are you maybe...relating back to your dream?" Rinoa asked.
"What dream?" Yuna asked, but Rinoa didn't go further in questioning.
"Please, guys, I can't go on. But the again...I shouldn't be alone in the woods...," Yuna said, again talking more to herself.
"Yuna, why don't you just keep leading us where you were leading us and we'll see what happens," Vincent suggested.
"I won't be alone...right?" She asked feebly, and she trembled slightly and went paler then she already was.
"No, Yuna, we're all right here," Rinoa replied comfortingly and linked Yuna's arm with hers.
"Yeah, me too," Tidus said brightly and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Alright...we go straight through here...," Yuna instructed. Vincent and Squall treaded first and looked around, for Yuna indicated to go through some medium height straggly bushes.
"Clear," Vincent declared and everyone else followed them. Yuna gave off a whimper as she passed through the bushes.
"Yuna, it's alright!" Tifa reassured her on Yuna's opposite side from Rinoa. Aeris also helped in comforting with Tifa and Rinoa, and they all walked together with Yuna as Sephiroth stalked behind them and the other guys walked in front.(Macho men!)
They walked, the woods the same sinister way, until they all noticed something that made them walk slower.
"What...the-?" Tidus asked. A slow fog had seeped in, and when they looked ahead, there was even more deep and dense fog awaiting them.
"Why has fog come in this particular part of the woods?" Vincent asked.
"Well, at least our trip got a little more exciting...," Cloud replied, trying I guess to look on the bright side.
"Oh no," Yuna muttered and started to whimper.
"Yuns, it's just fog...we'll get through it," Tidus said to her.
"No, no, that!" Yuna shrieked and pointed up at the tree branches. Oh, shit...it's the figures from the trees! Those things scare the hell out of me...
Everyone looked at the lone figures hanging from the trees, and the marks on the tree trunks. The fog seeped in slowly, but you could almost hear it, and you could definitely feel it's cold.
"Wha-What are those things?" Rinoa gasped and dug her nails into Squall's arm.
"They weren't set up there naturally," Vincent noted quietly.
"Don't look at them," Yuna warned suddenly and wouldn't look up and focused her eyes on the ground.
"Geez, how are we going to know where to go?" Cloud asked jerking his head down all of a sudden.
"I-I guess I know the way...Follow me," Yuna said and took Tidus's hand to lead him to the right direction. The other's followed, trying hard not to look and inspect the figures more closely. Then Yuna started crying and threatened to turn back around.
"No Yuna, we're almost there...I see something ahead!" Cloud said excitedly, because he thought he did see something looming ahead.
"I-I can't look," Yuna sobbed lightly and tried to wipe her face with her hands but Tidus had taken them in his and he hugged her. "Tidus we have to leave," Yuna told him when she pushed herself lightly away.
"No...you said it'd be over once we got there...just lead us there. We're all waiting," Tidus replied.
"But...I don't want to go...," Yuna said.
"Do you know what's at the end?" Vincent asked her softly seeing as how she was crying.
"That's it, it's just the end," Yuna replied.
"How is that it?" Tifa asked.
"It just is!" Yuna cried.
"Well, we do need to put an 'end' to these stupid woods," Cloud said and started walking forward.
"No Cloud don't go!" Yuna cried suddenly.
"Yuna, we're going and that's final. This is just a forest, there's nothing scary in it. What are we, in some crappy teenage horror movie?" Tidus asked.
Maybe...
"Is that what you want, to go?" Yuna asked him seriously.
"Uh...I guess...," Tidus replied.
"We all wanna go. There may be something that can help us get out of here at The End!" Rinoa agreed.
"If Tidus wants to go, I guess I'll go too," Yuna replied meekly looking down.
"Alright then, let's catch up to Cloud before the Blair Witch eats him or something," Wakka said and everyone gave him a terrorized look.
"I was joking?" He replied to their expressions but everyone continued to look scared as they watched Cloud stroll along ahead of them, obviously trying to be brave by whistling like there was nothing wrong.
"Hey guys, there seems to be like, a hedge wall or something!" Cloud cried and they saw that he stopped because there was something blocking him. Indeed, brushy hedges grew so tall, it was like a wall that continued on both sides as far as anyone could see. Whatever it was hiding behind it, it was completely blocked by the wall, and it seemed so sturdy and the dead hard leaves so grown in together nobody could get through.
"This is it," Yuna suddenly said in an oddly triumphant but still frightened voice. "It's through this wall. If turn back now-," Yuna started but Tidus cut her off.
"We're not turning back, we're going to end this once and for all," He said. Yuna nodded and a few streams of tears escaped her eyes again.
"I wonder what's across this wall that Yuna is so afraid of," Vincent asked Sephiroth quietly, and a bit farther back then everyone else.
"Probably a second hand run salon," Sephiroth suggested.
"No, I'm thinking it has something to do with what she got traumatized by...in her dream, you know?" Vincent asked ignoring Sephiroth's suggestion.
"Whatever, I just wanna get out of here," Sephiroth growled. Squall mentioned for everyone to stand back, and lunged at the wall with his blade. He bounced back and landed on his back.
Cloud let out a triumphant, cocky little "Ha-ha-ha!" and smirked. "Foolish little Squall, watch and learn!" He cried. He raised his own blade out of nowhere from behind his back the same time he raised one eyebrow, for a cool like reaction. Squall scowled at him.
"Guys and their swords," Tifa muttered.
"Madam, out of the way," Cloud ordered at Tifa who snorted and moved away from the wall with her arms crossed. With a yell Cloud lunged at it flying and struck it hard. Squall grinned as Cloud flew back even farther than he had, with his blade even hitting his head with a painful thunk . "Owwwiiiee!" Cloud cried and massaged his head. Tifa cackled evilly.
"You sissies are pathetic," Sephiroth muttered.
"Oh yeah! You try then!" Cloud cried at Sephiroth angrily.
"I know better. Obviously the hedge won't cut using a blade," Sephiroth replied.
"Fine, we'll use magic or something. What's the element weakness of a hedge?" Cloud asked.
"A weed whacker," Tidus snorted and even Sephiroth laughed. Cloud anime sweat dropped and grumbled. Wakka got bored and leaned on the hedge absent mindedly, and with a jolt he jumped away as the section he had leaned on fell back. Everyone turned and just stared in disbelief.
"I can't believe it!" Cloud cried and cursed.
"It's getting dark already, we should hurry up and go through it," Vincent said and was the first to go. Everyone followed, after Yuna received some encouragement from Rinoa and Tidus, and it wasn't long until they saw a looming building through the gnarled dark trees and heavy fog.
"It-It's the house," Yuna stammered.
"Like, oh my God! You think someone lives there?" Rinoa cried excitedly.
"Well it is a house isn't it?" Sephiroth sneered.
"I don't know, by the looks of it, it has been isolated for quite some time," Vincent reported.
"Just because it has some gnarled trees and some gravestones, with a touch of fog, doesn't mean no one lives here. Vincent, you should be feeling at your own home," Cloud replied and laughed along with Tidus.
"Guys, let's just see if anyone could help us and get out of this cold backyard," Tifa said to stop the fighting and proceeded towards the broken down building, rubbing her arms for warmth.
"I doubt anyone lives in this dump," Tidus said following Rinoa while leading a trembling Yuna.
"C-Cold," Yuna stammered through chattering teeth. Tidus held her close. Meanwhile, Cloud inspected a stone wall by tapping it with his blade. The wall crumbled down into smoke and rubble.
"Nice going! No surprise if you get sued by the owner," Tifa said.
"It's ok, I think Vincent's great uncle is on his graveyard shift--literally," Cloud replied and laughed at his own joke. Vincent rolled his eyes and was first to spot a burly hard wood door, covered in damp moss and barely visible through the fog. Everyone stepped over to it. Vincent pushed at it but it didn't budge.
"Use the fucking door knob genius," Cloud snapped and grabbed at the door knob, turning it to open the door and revealing pitch black darkness. Sephiroth threw a rock inside and struck a wall, the dust from the impact suffocating everyone and leading them into coughing fits. Sephiroth then stepped inside and seemed to look around.
"I always knew vampires had night vision," Cloud commented. Sephiroth then suddenly pointed a hand towards a random spot, and a torch ignited into flame, giving off a dull glow to the house. Everyone was too afraid to ask how in the name of hell Sephiroth knew how to do that.
"Nobody lives here, but we can stay here over night and explore beyond the house," Vincent said. Everyone walked inside and looked around. They shuddered at what they found on the walls.
"Are...those...bloody hand prints ?" Cloud managed to ask. Everyone was afraid to answer as they gazed over a bunch of bloody hand prints, scattered all over the walls of the house. Then suddenly they heard a noise that made the hair on the back of their necks rise, their hearts skip a beat and fly up to their throat, a sound that literally made them all stop breathing.
"He-e-e-l-p!" Came a moan-ish yell, from upstairs.
"Oh my fucking God, it's Zell!" Tifa cried, her hands flying to her head.
"Please, help!" Came Zell again.
"It's coming from upstairs!" Cloud cried and immediately sprinted up the stone steps, dust clouds following his feet.
"Cloud! Don't go up there!" Yuna cried and started to cry all of a sudden.
"Back up!" Cloud cried halfway through, ignoring Yuna. Squall and Vincent followed him up. Yuna started to sob and shake uncontrollably.
"Rinoa, take care of Yuna, I have to go see what's up!" Tidus cried to Rinoa who nodded hurriedly coming to Yuna's side.
"No!" Yuna shrieked but Tidus gave her a final hug and followed Cloud's party.
"That leaves me and Wakka to go out back and see what's going on there," Sephiroth said. Wakka looked like he rather watch ice melt, metal rust, or grass grow. Sephiroth noticed this. "Fine, stay here with the women," Sephiroth sneered and started out the door. Tifa glared at him, then Wakka who immediately jumped up and followed him.
Tifa sighed and slumped against the wall, sliding all the way down and facing Rinoa, Yuna, and Aeris who were all kneeling on the floor looking back at her. "I hate this," She suddenly said.
"Me too," Rinoa agreed. "It's so scary here."
"No not that!" Tifa growled. "I hate not being part of the action. This stinks. I say we form our own party and explore downstairs!" She suggested excitedly.
"N-N-No! You guys stay here, I need to be with Tidus," Yuna said shakily and tried to get up.
"Yunie, no!" Rinoa cried and pushed her back down. "Tidus is fine! You need to stay with us, and calm down!"
"I can't! Can't you see? We're in danger, and I must be with him until the end," Yuna said and got up quickly before Rinoa could push her down again and headed upstairs.
"I'm going with you," Tifa said getting up also.
"I wanna go be with Squall too! You guys aren't the only ones with boyfriends you know," Rinoa wailed and followed Yuna.
"What? You think I'm going because of Cloud?" Tifa demanded. Rinoa shifted her eyes. "Well I'm not!" Tifa cried and turned to Aeris. "Aeris, you're coming too, right?" Tifa asked.
"I-I guess...I mean, I don't want to be left alone here either...nor do I want to be alone when Sephiroth comes back...," Aeris replied and stood up slowly, joining them. They all headed upstairs, to a pitch black landing.
"Tidus?" Yuna called nervously.
"Squally Squirrel!" Rinoa cried out cheerfully. Tifa and Aeris looked at her, then at each other, shrugging.
Meanwhile, Tidy Bear, Squally Squirrel, Cloud, and Vincent had followed Zell's voice, which had continued yelling and moaning out in agony.
"Is he being tortured or something?" Tidus asked as they stumbled around in the dark floor of upstairs. Vincent strolled along the hallway as if it was daytime, and the rest struggled to follow him without running into him or each other.
"His voice had sounded faded yet close at the same time. I also can't determine which direction it's coming from. This is truly challenging," Vincent reported stopping briefly and almost tripping over Cloud who had run into him when he stopped.
"Stupid Zell, getting lost," Cloud replied menacingly as if Vincent hadn't said anything important.
"He stopped calling. Now what do we do?" Tidus asked.
"I think it was coming from outside...maybe the roof?" Vincent suggested.
"It's definitely not upstairs anymore...maybe on the roof? Or outside?" Cloud asked and Tidus agreed. Vincent anime sweat dropped and reluctantly followed the three as they turned around and headed back the way they had come from.
"It's too dark, I can't see a thing. Let's head back downstairs and see if Sephiroth and Wakka have come back yet," Tifa suggested. Everyone started back down the stairs except for Yuna.
"I'll keep watch here," She said softly but nobody heard her. After the others stomped down the stairs, Yuna walked forward with her arms outstretched. She felt a door and at that precise moment, heard Zell again. She got scared and hurriedly opened the door, running inside and closing the door behind her, but putting her ear against it to see if she could hear anything else. She heard people passing by the door then go down the stairs. She remained in the room afraid to come outside. She slid down the door and sat there at the bottom crying.
Sephiroth and Wakka remained outside, patrolling the place. "Let's just go back inside," Wakka complained.
"No way!" Sephiroth snarled spinning around facing Wakka. "I can handle the outside...who knows if that Zell kid shows up here?" Sephiroth explained but stopped short afterward. "I hear something out back. This is a job for us! Let's go," Sephiroth cried and swooped out of view, without waiting for Wakka's protest.
Tifa, Aeris, and Rinoa gave up looking around downstairs. "There's nothing but rubble and dust. Let's go back to the entrance room and wait for the guys," Tifa said and they walked to the hall. Tidus, Squall, and Cloud had just gotten to the bottom of the stairs as they girls came in.
"Oh, you guys are ok!" Rinoa cried and ran to Squall.
"We didn't find anything in that damn darkness, and we heard Zell for awhile but then it got...silent," Cloud reported. Everyone shuddered.
"Hey...where's Yuna?" Tidus asked. They looked around.
"She got lost!" Rinoa wailed. Suddenly they heard a girly scream coming from outside.
"That's her!" Tidus cried and everyone ran outside.
Yuna would stop sobbing for a few seconds to see if she heard Tidus or any of the others. The whole house was silent, so she assumed that they had finally gone. "They're gone...they're gone...all of them...," Yuna murmured choking back tears but they spilled all the same. She got up with a shaky hand and tried to locate the door knob of the door. She found herself locked in. "No! No, no, no! No!" Yuna cried and pounded on the door.
Vincent, who had remained in the hallway, and fortunately the others hadn't noticed, was trying to find out things for himself. He heard the pounding by Yuna and rushed to the room he heard it from. He flung open the door and saw the faint outline of Yuna, which he guessed was Yuna since she was crying. "Yuna?" He asked quietly.
Yuna suddenly ran up to him and, to Vincent's utter surprise, horror, and confusion she hugged him tight and started crying on his shoulder. Vincent stood there paralyzed until Yuna loosened her grip on him a little and looked up.
"T-T-Tidus?" She asked.
Ah, of course. She had thought I was Tidus, Vincent thought with some relief. But before he could say anything, because he was still not very much in the state of speech for Yuna was still too close for comfort, Yuna suddenly started crying again. She lifted her hands from him to cover her own face.
"Y-You're not Tidus," She muttered.
"N-No, sorry...it's me Vincent, and I heard you pounding on the door...are, are you ok?" He managed to ask. She shook her head.
"They're all gone," She managed after awhile.
"I don't believe that, they are probably still in the house. I was going downstairs already...good thing I stayed up, we'd assume you got lost," Vincent replied sort of jokingly but Yuna just started to cry some more and Vincent was afraid she might hug him again. "C'mon, let's go downstairs to see if they are there," Vincent suggested but Yuna sort of shook her head and turned away.
"It's no use, they've all gone. Probably T-T-Tidus too, a-a-and I wasn't even there w-w-with him," Yuna sobbed. Vincent took in a breath and mustered all the courage he had in him. Then, slowly, he extended his hand until he held Yuna's arm at elbow's length, then slid his hand down so that he was holding hers and started to pull her to the door.
"You'll see Yuna, they're not gone," Vincent reassured her. Yuna sniffed and didn't protest that he was leading her down the stairs. Even though Vincent reassured her again and again everything was fine, Yuna seemed not to be listening and kept muttering "No, no, no." But Vincent's stomach suddenly sank when he saw that nobody was down stairs. If nobody was downstairs, and nobody was upstairs, there wasn't anybody in the house then except him and Yuna.
"They must be outside," Vincent said to Yuna without looking at her, but in his head he thought, What would they be doing outside in the dark woods?
Yuna let go of his hand and instead took to digging her nails into his arm as she clutched him in fright. "Outside? B-B-But it's c-cold and dark outside," She stammered. Vincent lead her outside anyway, where indeed it was freezing and the fog was still around, and it was very dark. He felt Yuna trembling beside him as she clutched his arm.
"Argh...alright...here," Vincent said and took his cloak off. He wrapped it over Yuna who clutched at it and muttered a thanks. "Now...let's check out back to see if they're-," Vincent started but suddenly they heard a howl. "Sounds human," Vincent noted in a scared voice after it died away. Yuna let out a loud sob at that and dug her face onto Vincent's arm so that she wouldn't see anything. Vincent just shook his head and tried to walk towards the noise while hauling Yuna with him.
They walked closer and closer, when Vincent tripped on something and Yuna almost fell with him. "Wha-what was that?" Yuna asked meekly. Vincent bent down, and pushed over what he had tripped on. It was a body.
"W-W-What the!" Vincent gasped, and he jumped up surprised. Yuna screamed. It was Squall! His hair was matted with blood and dirt and his face was equally bloody and dirty.
"How did this happen!" Yuna shrieked and started to cry, for fright that this was her fate as well.
"L-Let's move on," Vincent replied with a gulp, and for once he was actually a little afraid. Who else would they find dead?
"Vincent I can't go on...this is too scary," Yuna whispered. Vincent looked back at her. He knew Yuna was scared to death even before they even came to this strange stone house...but now he saw the true fright in her eyes. He could almost feel how frightened she was. For once...Vincent felt sorry. So he hated himself for doing this.
"Come here," He said. Yuna inched to him and he held out his arm. Yuna gave off a little sob and flung herself around him, glad for the sudden security. Vincent gave off a sigh and looked around, thankful that no one was watching this. "Yuna, don't cry so much, really. It's going to be fine," Vincent reassured her.
"No, no it's not! We're all going to end up dead!" Yuna cried as she sobbed on him.
"Look, I'm sure Squall isn't really dead I mean, an-and anyway that doesn't mean nobody else is alive, you know, like Tidus! Think of Tidus and hopefully we'll find him-"
"Hopefully?" Yuna shrieked cutting him off and started to cry again. Vincent winced and realized he might have said the wrong thing.
"What is this anyway? I thought you were brave and kick ass Yuna now, didn't you bring your guns with you?" Vincent asked. Yuna immediately stopped sobbing and merely sniffled as she backed away from him.
"What are you talking about? I've never held a gun before in my life! Are you suggesting I go around shooting things in the dark until I find Tidus!" She cried, now angry.
"Oh...right, sorry I forgot," Vincent said to himself to Yuna's confusion as he had forgotten Yuna was in "Final Fantasy X mode" (Hehe. Air quotations.)
"Look, whatever! Just take it from me, you can shoot," He added and rummaged around himself, pulling out a spare gun and handing it to her.
"What the--are you serious!" Yuna cried waving the gun around.
"Whoa, be careful with that!" Vincent scolded ignoring her.
"I don't wanna do it!" Yuna wailed like a baby and she almost chucked it away, but Vincent had grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes.
"You have to help me find the others, and incase whatever out there that killed them is still around, we have to kill it," He explained quietly. Yuna whimpered and looked down at the gun in her hand and positioned it correctly in her grasp.
"Ok," She nodded and Vincent nodded in return. She followed him as he started walking slowly again, Yuna having a gut feeling he was searching for more bodies.
"Oh no," Yuna heard Vincent say and she practically threw up.
"Vincent...please, I'm not good with this tragedy stuff and-and bodies," She pleaded quietly.
"Yes, I know. Fine, watch out for that there...don't trip over it, and tell yourself it's a tree root," Vincent replied. Yuna let out a frightened groan and moved closer to Vincent, grabbing his hand.
"Yuna-," Vincent was about to complain but suddenly she screamed and pointed. Vincent looked up and his mouth dropped open.
Too bad Princess has to stop writing because she doesn't feel like spoiling her readers and will torture them by leaving them hanging...
Just kidding. I would never do that to you guys. Um...
First they saw Tifa, and Rinoa. Their throats were slashed and animal like scratches were all over their clothes and blank faces as they were sprawled on the ground. Aeris was a few yards away, in a crumpled sort of state, and a tree branch was on top of her. Cloud was heaved on a rock it seemed, and almost right behind him was a wide wall, with blood scratches all over it and more of those hand prints. The wall was crumpling and cracked, and next to an oak tree whose shadow was almost hiding him...was Tidus, standing up, leaning face first on the wall.
Yuna dropped her gun and Vincent watched it fall and hit the ground, crestfallen. He didn't look at any of the others, nor at Yuna. Yuna was trembling so hard Vincent felt the vibrations of her going through the ground and coming to him. For some reason, Yuna didn't cry. Vincent guessed she had cried so much during this whole entire episode that her tear glands simply refused to work, even though it reached the climax of Yuna's emotional state.
Vincent finally looked up at her and watched as she just closed her eyes and slowly sank to the ground, sitting there, her hands trembling something terrible and her breath coming out in gasps. It was so utterly dramatic and something out of a movie, that Vincent doubted for a whole minute that this whole thing was real. Has this really happened? Is everyone...gone? He sat next to Yuna but didn't say anything.
"I knew it was going to happen," Yuna suddenly whispered. Vincent looked at her.
"No you didn't. Nobody could have ever predicted this," Vincent replied, but he still knew there was something fishy to all of it.
"I knew it," Yuna repeated and covered her face with her hands. Suddenly Vincent heard a brushing sound behind them.
"Don't move," Vincent told her and got up, his gun ready.
"No, I want to help," Yuna replied and got up. She picked up her gun and stood next to him.
"Are you sure?" Vincent asked her bewildered.
"Just go," Yuna replied and proceeded to move ahead of him. They moved into the dark forest, practically blind. Yuna felt Vincent put a hand on her shoulder as he moved in front of her. After awhile, Yuna gave out a gasp as even she heard the brushing sound this time, and Vincent aimed his gun. Yuna aimed hers with her hand shaking, and hoped she didn't have to actually shoot anything.
Moments later, they were about to turn back when suddenly a figure appeared and Yuna pulled the trigger, closing her eyes.
"Ah! Damn it," Came a voice.
"Sephiroth?" Vincent cried.
"Valentine, what are you doing walking around alone in the woods with Barbie and teaching her how to shoot? And why exactly did you, so called best guns man, forget to teach her the biggest rule?" Sephiroth cried glaring at Yuna.
"Ugh, sorry Sephiroth-," Yuna started.
"Don't freakin' shoot with your eyes closed!" Sephiroth cut her off angrily.
"Sephiroth, enough! What are you doing alone in these dark woods?" Vincent demanded, standing between Sephiroth and Yuna.
"Looking for Zell! Wasn't that the plan?" Sephiroth snarled.
"Y-Yes but...," Vincent started but then looked at Sephiroth's eyes. "Wait! Sephiroth, how could you? I knew it, I wondered why you weren't there-," Vincent ran a hand through his hair and looked away.
"Knew what? Just because I'm better at fighting than everyone else you automatically assume I was the one who did something bad-," Sephiroth replied.
"Did you, or did you not kill Tidus?" Yuna demanded suddenly and raised her gun at Sephiroth.
"Yuna!" Vincent cried alarmed but Sephiroth snorted.
"Don't worry, I didn't kill your blondie boyfriend Ken. Though I admit I'm angered by the fact that I've been beaten to it-," Sephiroth was replying then he noticed Yuna's expression and quickly added, "Ok, ok, I didn't kill him and why are you asking?"
"We...we left the house after everyone, because everyone had gone and well, we were going through the woods-," Vincent started explaining.
"Everyone's dead," Yuna finished for him, and with a single tear running down her cheek she lowered her gun slowly.
Suddenly Sephiroth's eyes widened. "I don't believe it," He murmured dreamily. "It's a dream come true."
Yuna looked at him with shock. "How could you! Don't you have a heart at all!" Yuna cried at him.
"No...not really...," Sephiroth replied examining his nails. Vincent held Yuna's shoulder back to keep her from pouncing on Sephiroth.
"Look Sephiroth, I don't believe some monster in the woods killed everyone. Did you seriously have nothing to do with this?" Vincent asked him sternly.
"Maybe...maybe not...," Sephiroth replied and pushed past them. Yuna's tears were quickly racing each other down her face and Vincent knew that her tear glands haven't given up after all.
"Come on Yuna, we can find out what he's up to," Vincent whispered to her and gave her a small smile. Yuna looked down and wiped her eyes.
"Ok," She replied feebly, returning him a weak smile. They followed slowly after Sephiroth, not really knowing what they were doing. Suddenly, a strong wind came out of nowhere, and whipped around them. Yuna screamed and Vincent pulled her to him and looked around to see where Sephiroth had gone. Just as fast as it had come, the wind died away and Sephiroth was gone. Yuna didn't move from Vincent's protective grasp, which was hard for Vincent because he wanted to see where Sephiroth had gone.
"Yuna, Sephiroth, he-," Vincent said and was about to push Yuna away but she wouldn't let go.
"Please, don't leave me alone," Yuna replied. Vincent sighed.
"But Yuna, Sephiroth just disappeared, don't you wanna know what happened or-? Well?" Vincent practically pleaded so he could be let go.
"Fine, but...stay close," Yuna said and let go of him but still grabbed his arm. Vincent practically sprinted to the spot Sephiroth was and looked around.
"He couldn't have just disa-," Vincent was about to say when he did a double take on something that he had thought was a log.
"What? What did you find?" Yuna asked him trying to make out what Vincent was staring at.
"He...he...," Vincent trailed off and inched closer towards Sephiroth's body on the ground.
"Wait...that-that's Sephiroth?" Yuna cried and found out that because she didn't recognize him was because he was face down and his hair had sort of wrapped around him, hiding him completely. Vincent didn't reply. It was Yuna's turn to put her hand gently on his shoulder.
"I can't believe this," Vincent merely murmured and placed his hand on his forehead. Yuna leaned her head on his shoulder and rubbed her eyes.
"Vincent, we have to get out of here," She said quietly.
"Yeah? And go where? We're stranded in the middle of nowhere with some un-explainable force killing people and we're going to be next!" Vincent growled.
"Don't say that," Yuna murmured.
"I just don't get this! This is ending up like some teen horror movie, and we have nowhere to turn, but just wait until that wind thing comes around and kills us next!" Vincent continued.
"Not a teen horror movie, but close," Said a voice.
"Huh?" Vincent and Yuna replied in unison and turned around to face darkness.
"Whose there?" Vincent demanded as Yuna hid herself behind him.
"If I told you, it would give it away, would it?" The voice replied chuckling and whoever it was came forward. Vincent swiftly took out his gun but turned to Yuna shockingly as she quickly pulled his arm down.
"Wait...is that who I think it is?" Yuna asked as Vincent lowered his gun. By the sound of Yuna's bold tone, she was back to her normal self all of a sudden.
"Yuna, doll, glad you recognized!" Ashton Kutcher replied as he came close enough for them to make him out.
"Like oh-my-God I can't believe this!" Yuna shrieked out happily and punched Ashton on the shoulder as he laughed, and a bunch of camera people came out and laughed too.
"What...what is going on?" Vincent asked nervously, totally confused. Suddenly the whole gang, and Zell came out of nowhere, laughing and wiping their bleeding faces like it was no big deal.
"YOU JUST GOT PUNK'D!" Ashton cried.
"...Punk'd?" Vincent repeated.
"Yeah, it's like when Ashton punks celebrities and stuff, right Ashton?" Rinoa asked.
"Yeah, except this was the Final Fantasy horror episode special! Man it was great...," Ashton replied. Vincent twitched.
"Tidus! You're ok!" Yuna cried happily and Vincent watched her run into his arms.
"I...I seriously don't get it...you people do this to other people... to entertain?" Vincent asked.
Ashton shrugged. "Why not?" He replied.
Sephiroth came up behind Vincent and slapped his back really hard. "Haha! I can't believe you fell for that Valentine, and that whole scene of me 'dying'? You fell for it! I gotta admit I'd wake up from the dead right then and there if you started crying on me...," Sephiroth said.
Vincent shook slightly with anger. "What about Zell?" Vincent asked glaring at Zell's mocking face, "Where did you go all this time! We were freakin' looking for you!" Vincent exploded.
"Well, I suddenly picked up this scent of hot dogs, so I left while everyone else was walking, and followed it for two days. I ended up in this little town just off the forest, and walked into Ashton. We planned a prank to play on all of you while I met him, and we totally put it into action. And you guys fell for it so bad!" Zell cried and laughed.
"So we were really stuck in the woods until the day you left?" Yuna asked.
"Yeah, sort of. These woods are part of a national park, and that stone house used to be a park ranger office. They abandoned it and built a bigger and new one way off that way, yeah, we'd never reach it," Zell explained.
"These woods are a national park ?" Vincent repeated in disbelief.
"Yeah...except we wound up in the old part, where it sometimes gets foggy and a little funky," Zell replied waving his hand in front of his face.
"But the house, it-it was covered in bloody hand prints, and the wall too-," Vincent sputtered.
"Actually, the hand prints were a school project the whole 1st grade of our town school set up, and all the kids got to put their hand prints on the park's wall and station. Of course that was years ago, so now the wall has long since crumbled and yeah, the prints are still there, but that's paint my friend not blood," A park ranger said coming out of nowhere.
"What about those figures hanging from the trees that Yuna saw in her dream and were actually true?" Vincent demanded.
"What dream?" Yuna asked but Vincent ignored her and stared at the park ranger.
"Oh, well I know it may be hard to believe but the squirrels we have here are of a rare breed, and uh...they aren't very right in the head," The park ranger replied making a loopy sign at the side of his own head.
"Tell me about it," Zell grumbled who, if you remember, was a victim of the squirrel's insanity.
"Vincent, just lighten up man! We're going back home, yeah!" Cloud cried punching the air.
"Ok guys, everyone to my jeep!" The park ranger called out and everyone cheered. Vincent waited until everyone was ahead, and miserably followed the group.
"Tidus, wipe that paint off your face, it's scaring me," Yuna said to Tidus who tried to wipe it off reluctantly.
"But it looks so cool," He protested.
"Heh, look at mine, looks like I got a deep gash from a blade on the side of my face," Cloud showed off popping up in front of Tidus. Squall shoved him. "Hey man I didn't mean anything by it!" Cloud cried and started a shoving game with Squall.
"Ok, you kiddies stop that and let's get the hell out of here," Sephiroth growled and was the first to hop on the jeep. Everyone else followed, and soon they were on their way back to the hotel!
That is...unless the car stops working.
"Oh no, the car died!" The park ranger cried. Everyone gaped at him and groaned in disbelief. "Haha, just kidding! I have the humor in my family," The park ranger replied.
"I bet," Sephiroth snarled and everyone else gave off a sigh of relief.
Will the car really stop working while they are driving there? Does Ashton Kutcher really have magical powers, seeing as how he disappeared suddenly? Or he will re-appear at the wedding? Is the wedding still on? Is Yuna's sanity officially back? Will she remember any of the dramatic moments she had with Vincent? (Hehe)
Music Credit: "Wouldn't it be Nice" - Beach Boys
Plot Steal (Only mildly...hehe): The Blair Witch Project
Celebrity Guest Star: Ashton Kutcher
My Message to You: Next chapter's actually funny and like...on track to the actual plot line! Like, really? Yeah! Tune in next time...
Things you won't wanna miss:
Auron's Bachelor Party
Quistis and Auron's Wedding
And more...