Sahrah: Whoo, so the cliffhanger must be continued. It's sad, since everyone absolutely loves cliffhangers! I mean—((the Editor whacks her with a stick))

Editor: NO ONE LIKES THEM, SAHRAH. NOW TYPE, OR YOU WON'T BE FED!

Sahrah: ((cries)) Okay, fine. Hmph. Oh, right! This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful new friend, bloodredx. She's one of my bestest friends ever and I luff her.

Editor: Sahraaaaaaah… I swear, if you don't start typing… ((holds up the beating stick))

Sahrah: No, no, I'm doing it! I'm doing it! The music belongs to Flyleaf. Most of the characters belong to Squeenix. Except I own Marza, Ray, and Raine. Ack! I just realized! Raine and Ray! Their names are kind of similar! Be careful not to mix them up. And don't be too fast to hate Marza, because she's one of those cute emo characters that you dislike at first but then you love her because of her horrible past and all. So now we're getting into her head. Aren't you happy? Marza's Point of View.

Chapter 8: There For You

There were twenty-three hours left. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to talk to Ray. He's a terrible, horrible person.

But, of course, that's why I'm in this situation, I suppose. Because, as most people should know: the feather never flutters far from the chocobo.

Maybe I'm a terrible person, too. That's why I was helping my brother, isn't it? Has it already been three years, since he helped me?

And to this very moment he uses that "help" to control my every move.

Sometimes I'm a selfish fake
You're always a true friend

And I don't deserve you
'Cause I'm not there for you

Please, forgive me again

But I digress. Before me was standing a young man, who was apparently in love – or at least in a romantic relationship – with one of the young women that had been fighting. He removed his leather jacket, and I didn't fail to notice that the woman named Raine gathered it up and held it close to her.

For a moment, I almost failed. For a moment I almost stopped the fight and led them straight to Yuna Lesca. Because this couple, Squall and Raine, were just one of several pairs that might very likely be torn apart in the next series of hours. What right had I to tear any two people apart?

I almost defied my brother. But then I realized something. If I do as Ray tells me, then I'll be free.

I wanna be there for you
someone you can come to
runs deeper than my bones
I wanna be there for you
I wanna be there for you

And so I was forced to lie to myself. Maybe he does the same things to that girl that Elliot did to me. And if that's the case, I can free her like my brother freed me. Maybe, I prayed, Squall was abusive, and I was helping the young woman.

I knew that it wasn't true. Honestly, I prayed it wasn't true. But if I allowed it to be false then I would falter, and while this group of friends went off to be happy, Ray would release the only person I'd ever truly feared. And then I'd be back where I started, but this time there'd be no one to save me.

"I have to win," I murmured under my breath. "It's the only way."

And so the battle began. We exchanged a few words.

"The first to draw blood wins," I told him. "Of course, if you kill me, you'll never find her. And since you can't kill me, I don't plan to kill you. So let's begin.

He took up a strange sort of stance. Strange, but the same one I used most of the time. I fired a shot, but the first was not intended to hit him. It was next to his foot. A way of saying 'I can win at any time.'

I can't let him win.

He jumped to the left, firing with both guns. I deflected one shot with the side of one weapon and avoided the other skillfully. Returning the shot. I closed my eyes, and then lunged at him, shooting wildly.

I won't let him win.

He grunted audibly and dropped to the ground to avoid a rain of bullets, which he did skillfully. Sliding across the ground, he took aim at my leg.

I leapt high into the air– a skill I'd learned long ago. I shot at him as I landed with a small flip (maybe for style) and then stopped. Where had he gone? He made a mistake then as he had managed to hide in the brush. His mistake was that he moved.

If I let him win, I will die.

I heard him move. I spun and fired. I heard him clamp his mouth down on a shout of pain and he threw the guns at my feet. He walked slowly towards me, his right hand clamped tightly over his left shoulder.

Blood spilled out between his fingers and from under his hand and his teeth were clenched in pain. I picked up the twin handguns and gave them to Tidus. Squall sat down hard on the slightly muddy ground, trying to slow the bleeding.

I won. But I still hate myself for it.

"You've lost. Four people must return home. Squall- as a suggestion – should be one of them because of his injury. Also—" I was cut off as a member of the silent group burst from the pack and ripped off her shirt to use it as a bandage. Luckily for her- I suppose- she was wearing a sports bra.

"Squall!" Raine cried, wrapping his injury as best she could.

Squall shook his head and kissed her forehead. "I'm fine," he told her.

"Fine? Well, what about me, huh? What'll I do, if I can't heal this one!? Yuna's not here, so she can't make you better! You're such a… an idiot!"

Raine was even crying a bit. Which made me feel worse.

You weren't saving her from anything, you filthy, worthless bitch.

My mask fell long enough for Tidus to notice. For a second, Elliot broke into my thoughts and told me all the terrible things I never wanted to hear. All the terrible things I'd locked away and sometimes seeped out.

Swirling shades of blue
Slow-dancing in your eyes
The sun kisses the earth
And I hush my urge to cry

Cry

"Marza, are you all right?" he asked me. I looked up at him, almost afraid to meet his eyes. His blue eyes, the same blue as Elliot's, but somehow much warmer. Much safer. Pure. Inviting. I shook it off.

"I'm fine. I was saying. You now have eleven hours to make it through the warehouse. (A/N: If anyone is confuzzled about the remaining time, please consult the notes at the end of the chapter.) My family owns the old deserted warehouse, which is exactly one hour away from here by car. That's where Yuna currently is.

"The warehouse is designed like a maze. Through the rooms, people may be left behind. The friends you select to leave will be led by myself safely back through the warehouse and to the college dorm. You'll find her if you reach the center of the maze. Then you will have won.

"Tell me when you're ready to leave. Four people must be left behind."

I sat down gracefully on the picnic table and watched the sky thoughtlessly as the group of friends huddled.

I wanna be there for you
someone you can come to
runs deeper than my bones
I wanna be there for you
I wanna be there for you

I couldn't help but ask myself silently, again and again: 'What have I done?'

Paine's Point of View

"There are eleven hours left. Four of us have to leave. Obviously Squall will be one of the people that leaves," I spoke calmly, my terror barely detectable behind the clean-cut mask I had fashioned.

"Squall is injured. None of us are any good at white magic. And even so, the bullet needs to be removed. No spell can do that. So-Squall- you've been voted off the island," Rikku continued nervously. "I think that maybe Raine should go with him."

Raine shook her head. "But—"

"Raine, please. The longer we take on this, the less time we'll have later," I pleaded. Her eyes softened, and she slowly nodded.

"Okay. I'm out."

"But who else?" Tidus trailed off. Obviously, Tidus would be needed to take charge. We'd need Lulu, so Wakka would refuse to leave. That left Rikku, Baralai, Gippal, and myself. Now, Rikku and Yuna were cousins, so Rikku would never leave. Baralai and Gippal were the sharp-shooting duo. They might be needed. And I…

"I'll go," Gippal said slowly, after a minute of strained silence. "If it'll help you find Yuna, then I'll go."

Rikku was about to protest, but I shot her a look.

"Who will leave?" I asked finally. I knew what I had to do. "I know that it seems like cowardice to back out now. But if no one leaves, then Yuna will never be found. For this reason…I will turn back. It is not my choice to make in any case."

Tidus looked at me, our eyes locking. Not a word was spoken, but I think he knew exactly what I wanted to say. 'Only you can do this. So do it.'

He nodded finally.

"Marza," Tidus said. "We've decided. The ones who go on will be Baralai, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka and myself."

She looked up sharply, almost like Tidus's voice had startled her. But quickly she recovered her cold expression and she stood smoothly, nodding her head wordlessly in the direction of a full-sized navy blue van. There were no markings on it.

My friends and my boyfriend got into the van one at a time. I saw Baralai give me a pained expression before the door shut. His lips formed words. 'I love you.'

I responded with a nod. Please. Be safe, please.

Rikku's Point of View

'Cause I hear the whispered words
in your masterpiece, beautiful
you speak the unspeakable thought
'I love you too'

"To receive the key to the warehouse, you must forfeit an hour of your time. If you choose to have Rikku pick the lock, you forfeit an hour plus however long it takes to get the door open.

"Done," Tidus said firmly.

"Excellent. When we arrive, you will have approximately ten hours to complete the… let's call it a trial. Do not fear for Yuna. You still have ten hours. And I promise to protect her from anything and everything until those ten hours have been spent."

Tidus's Point of View

The warehouse was actually an old slaughterhouse. It was an old building where many hours of massacre and death could be easily imagined. All types of animals had once been led through the dimly lit narrow rooms and hallways to their unexpected deaths.

I could imagine it all too easily. Which only added to my worry. It was the kind of building where instantly after looking at it you could imagine all the terrible, disgusting things that had once taken place inside it.

"This warehouse was previously used by my great grandparents to slaughter and sell beef, pork, and other sorts of meat," explained Marza. "It is currently owned by my brother and myself, although it serves no purpose since it was closed down. Not- at least- until today."

Rikku squeaked and wrapped one arm around Lulu and one around Wakka. Then she pressed her forehead against my back. I didn't blame her. It was that clichéd and horrifying.

"Here's the key, Mr. Watanuki." Marza walked over to me, piercing me with her brilliant, cold eyes. She placed a slightly rusty key in my palm. "Be careful," she whispered under her breath.

She walked off into the woods nearby, probably some other entrance that would result in Yuna's death if we followed her.

There was still something about Marza that I liked. Something I trusted. I didn't know what it was; but- odds were- I'd find out before those ten hours were passed.

I wanna be there for you
Someone you can come to

Yuna's Point of View

I think there's something weird about playing solitaire while being held prisoner by your stalker and his blackmailed sister. I mean, should you really being so friendly with your captors? It seemed a bit unheard of to me, but maybe I'm just a bit old fashioned.

I heard the door open and then shut as Marza came in.

"Yuna? I'm back."

"I heard," I said dryly. I placed a card on top of another, and then after a minute, I realized that there were no moves left. I shuffled the deck. "Hey, do you want to play cards?"

"I suppose. What game?"

"I don't know. Spit, maybe?"

"Okay."

I studied the older girl as she walked towards me. She placed one of her two guns on a table near the door, and locking the door. She pocketed the key and walked over to where I sat on the floor.

There were a few things I'd learned about Marza since I'd been kidnapped. She didn't like her brother, but he had once saved her from something. She'd been about to explain when her phone rang. Tidus, of course, was calling. Marza spoke in a monotone voice, and then handed me the phone.

And I'd told him everything I could before the phone was taken away and Marza left. Her only words before parting were, "I'll be back soon."

If you can call an hour and a half 'soon' then sure. True to her word. She'd given me a pack of cards, though, and free reign to walk around the large, well-lit room. Not that there was anything in it besides that table near the door and the chair I'd been tied to. But still, awfully nice of her.

Marza was pretty, clean cut and hard to read. Her eyes seemed sad though. She sat down with her legs crossed as I shuffled the cards and dealt them evenly.

"One, two, three, spit!" she said coolly and we both put down our first cards. She put down a Jack, and I put down a Three.

I drew the next card; it was a king. I looked up quickly; Marza put down a two on top of the three and then a queen on top of the jack. I quickly threw my king onto the queen and drew again. Our eyes met briefly, challenging each other.

She ended up winning the first game, and then we played again. This time, I won. Each time, we tried to figure out what the other was thinking. It was almost like dancing on the blade of a knife.

"Hey, Marza?"

"Yes?" She looked up.

"Why are you helping Ray? You keep saying he's doing terrible things, but you do what he says anyway."

Marza's eyes hardened and she laughed bitterly. "It's a complicated story… no, that's not true… it's not to hard to see what happened. But I will tell you, because no one told me not to. I will tell you because, maybe… I've been looking for someone to tell this story to. To justify what I'm doing." She stood up and tossed blonde hair over her shoulder.

"It started a year ago, when I was a senior at Zanarkand University. I met a man who I fell in love with right away. His name was Elliot. He was really handsome… with light brown hair and eyes… his eyes look exactly like Tidus's, now that I think about it. Regardless, he and I started dating. But he was as cruel as he was handsome. At first he would drop me off at home and leave after each date with a kiss on the cheek. And it was wonderful. Until- of course- the night most couples expect sooner or later. The night the man will bring the woman home to engage in sexual activities."

I laughed internally at Marza's frank way of talking.

"But, I wasn't ready when he tried to bring me home. And Elliot grew angry. Very angry indeed. He shoved me into his apartment and hit me with something heavy in the kitchen… I think it was a frying pan. I tried to run, but he threw something else and I fell. He ripped off all my clothes, and… well, you can guess what happened. Something similar happened to you, of course. But for me…" Marza swallowed audibly. "For me, there was no one to save me from whatever Elliot wanted to do with me.

"I spent a week and a half trapped in the apartment with Elliot. It felt like an entire year, until finally… my younger brother came looking for me. And he kicked down the door in time to see Elliot dominating over me for the umpteenth time that week. By that point, I'd cried so many tears… and I'd lost so many battles… I had been violated so badly, I didn't even look to see Raymond rip Elliot away from me. I have no idea what Ray did to Elliot.

"We'd known—we being me and my parents—that Ray was unstable. He'd been discharged from countless mental facilities. But in the state I was in, I couldn't stop him from nearly killing Elliot. And then my brother threw his shirt at me and ushered me to his car.

"But, see, my brother-even when saving me- is a ruthless, heartless and horrible person. Because it was four months before this incident that he became attracted to you."

I looked at her sharply. "Me?"

"Yes, Yuna. He found me and saved me because he needed my help to pull off an awful scheme that would pull your friends and your romances apart. And I will do whatever he says… because Elliot is still alive. And Ray has told me… that if I fail to complete his tasks, then Elliot will be released on me… and this time… there will be nobody to hear me scream for help."

The strangest feeling washed over me then. I don't know what you'd call it. It was much, much stronger than pity, but not as powerful as grief. I think maybe I'd call it empathy. Because, of course, I'd gotten off easy. Rikku had saved me from something so awful I tried so hard to pretend it never happened.

And here was a girl not much older than myself, who'd been trapped in the same kind of hell for almost two weeks. With no escape, no sanctuary, and no one to help her the way she deserved it.

So, for whatever reason, I dropped the cards I'd been holding and I hugged Marza. For a second, she stiffened in my hug, but then she relaxed, and eventually was trembling.

Then I realized—she was crying. She was crying, because maybe this was the first time in a long time someone understood that she was really hurting. That she needed to be helped.

Because part of me knew that she would never sleep well again, with thoughts of Elliot drowning her screams all night long. So, I guess, I couldn't help but to cry too.

I wanna be there for you
and be someone you can come to
the love runs deeper than my bones
I wanna be there for you

End of Chapter 8

Sahrah: Well, that was fun. I love Marza. She's so fun to write because her life is so crappy ((huge smile)). Now, I want to explain the crazy time jump. Originally, there were thirty hours. As the day went on and the fight with Marza and Squall started, there were twenty-three. When the fight was over, it was twenty-two. Now, remember that Marza said that if Squall lost, their remaining time would be cut in half. So that made it eleven hours. The ride to the slaughterhouse was one hour (Marza mentioned this at one point) so that leaves ten hours. Then, for Marza to give them the key, they had to forfeit another hour. So there's nine left. Sorry if this was confusing. It confused my editor, too. And me, a little.

Editor: Oh, that reminds me! I want everyone to know that I am taking a vacation. So, Sahrah-sensei's friend who this chapter is dedicated to, bloodredx, will edit the rest of this fanfic. I will be in the Bahamas until further notice sleeping.

bloodredx: I shall do my best to help Sahrah's work become as incredible as it can be. Please, regard me with kindness. Editor, please enjoy your vacation.

Sahrah: Yes, yes, so everyone be sure to say greetings to the new editor in your review! The review, which you are all expected to submit! ((glares)). Haha. See ya.