Oh good Lawd. I am SO. SO. SORRY.
I literally did not realize how LONG it has been since I've updated this story.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. SERIOUSLY!
Again. I am SORRY!
Expect more frequent updates, I've been re-playing FC3, which is fueling and evolving my story and ideas for this FF's future. Sorry for any errors in this chapter. When I realized the last update date was, I knew I had to get it out ASAP. (I've re-written this chapter like 3 times...I hope it is worthy!)

I'll say no more!
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Chapter 6: Citra

Early that morning, Sophia had woken me just before sunrise, and helped me get ready. Sophia had graciously patched up my clothing and washed them for me. Wearing my clean, but now very worn clothes was comforting. It was all I had left now.
After eating a warm meal, Dennis arrived promptly, and I shook Jay's hand, and gave Sophia an awkward hug.
"Now, when you meet Citra, please be careful! One hint of disrespect, and who knows what she will do." Sophia warned as she shook her head. "It is only because of Dennis she will even see you." During breakfast, she had warned me how inclusive the Rakyat people were, and I nodded my head.
"I'll do my best. Thanks again Sophia. I owe you both a lot." I gave Sophia a warm smile.
Sophia waved her hand around, shushing me. "Oh, now! I was happy to do it. I'll see you soon Cyra."
"See you."
I waved as I followed Dennis to the edge of the village and up a path that lead out to a dirt road. The sun was already high in the sky, basking the land in warmth. Birds twittered around us in cheerful song, and the jungle felt at peace, with an occasional distant grunt from pigs. I sucked in a large breath as I hopped in the passenger's seat of Dennis' car.
Dennis was the first to speak as we rumbled down the bumpy dirt road.
"Now, Cyra, I told Citra about you last night."
Dennis turned his head and gave me a look. "And?" I asked.
He turned his head back to watch the road, "She said she would think about it."

I sighed. Whenever anyone says, I'll think about it, it usually leads to a no. "What do you think she will say?" I asked Dennis.
Dennis tapped the worn steering wheel, "I can't say. I think she will be intrigued to meet you. Not every day a foreign woman such as yourself comes to the Rakyat."
I gave a nod, "How often do people come to the Rakyat for help?"
Dennis chuckled, "They do not, we go where we are needed. They are our people. We are the warriors of this island, and it is our duty to protect it."
I watched Dennis, and I found it difficult to take him serious. It was so strange, to hear him talk about warriors, like it was some kind of sacred duty. What made them so different than just a soldier?
"Are there woman Rakyat warriors?" I asked suddenly.
Dennis laughed, "None but Citra."
"Why is that?"
Dennis' warm eyes swiveled to look at me, his eyebrow arching, "Why do you think?"
I made a face at him, and drew my eyes to the road in front of us. "Ok, ok. Well, what do those tattoos mean?"
I jabbed my finger in the air, pointing to his arms.
Dennis' other eyebrow arched this time, "Perceptive, aren't you?"
I looked at Dennis perplexed, not understanding.
"When a young man starts to enter the trials of the Rakyat, he is given the tatau, until the marks are complete, and he is a Rakyat warrior."
I nodded, "Ah, I see," I said, as I continued to look at the strange symbols on his arm. I always loved tattoos, but never had the money to afford a decent artist. I exhaled grimly, thinking of Phoebe's numerous offers to pay for a tattoo. Everything I seemed to think about reminds me of someone I didn't want to think about. Before a large knot could form in my stomach, the car came to a sudden stop, jolting me forward, and my head painfully collided with the dashboard.
Dennis started to laugh, "Pay attention girl! We are here."
I leaned up, my head now pounding again, "Yeah. Thanks." I turned my head and Dennis was making his way around the jeep and heading down a steep path.
I hobbled out of the car, and quickly followed Dennis down the path, the long grass tickling my bare legs.
The foliage above us was dense, even as the grass thinned out to reveal an entrance to an ancient temple.
My eyes widened as I slowed to a stop in front of the stone building. The stone looked like it had been there for hundreds of years, and my eyes traced the moss and roots that had become part of the façade.
Two men stood in front of the entrance, fire dancing behind them in ancient stone vats. Their eyes locked on to me, and I drew my gaze to Dennis, trying to ignore their stares.
"Wait here. I will go see Citra." Dennis gave me a mocking bow, and ran off into the temple entrance, leaving me alone with a set of daunting eyes.

I wriggled my feet in my boots, tapping my foot against the earth. My legs felt like a pair of rubber bands, stretched just before their breaking point. I looked down to stare at the cuts that littered my legs and grimaced. I'd be lucky if I didn't die from infection at this point. I turned my wrist, and cursed. I drew my hand up to my face to see the white bandage wrapped around my wrist was now stained with blood. My wrists seemed to be healing well enough, considering the conditions, but it was hard not to open the skin back up. I sighed, wondering how bad the scars would be. Or an infection. Last thing I need is to lose a hand… I thought sourly.
I stood there swaying with the soft wind for a time, my thoughts drifting to John and Owen. Tears prickled in my eyes and I blinked rapidly, trying to find something to look at. What if they can't help me? I thought. What will I do then? Rot on this island? Try and find a way off? I let out a weary sigh and tried to calm put those thoughts away. I can't be thinking of this right now. I need to focus on now.
As I stood in a corner of light shining through the thick trees collecting myself, a man's voice broke my train of thought.

An unfamiliar face jogged up to me, arms covered in black tribal tattoos like the guards. "Citra will see you now." His accent was thick, and he made his body parallel to mine, gesturing for me to go ahead.
"Thanks." I said quietly, and dipped my head as I moved forward. As I walked up the steps, more men lined the path, all carrying menacing guns, but their faces remained stoic but intrigued. Some of their expressions looked like they belonged as part of the stone decorations.

The broken plant infested path continued upwards, revealing a large tree covered in more strange white markings and stone steps that surround it, with two daunting looking Rakyat Warriors standing at the base of the steps.
I approached slowly, stopping a couple feet after ascending the stone steps behind me. After standing awkwardly in the presence of the domineering guards who were covered in white markings, Dennis immerged from behind the tree and nodded at me.

I nodded back, and turned my attention to the tree. A minute passed before one of the guards turned his head, and a woman sauntered out from behind the tree. Her skin was dark against the bright sun, her black hair braided and pulled back, with the sides of her head shaved off. Her eyes were wide and dark, and the black makeup that surrounded her eyes pronounced that. Her eyes made contact with mine as she stalked towards me, and I shifted my stance. The way she walked made me feel like I was the prey, and she was the predator. Citra stopped a few feet before me, her eyes glancing up and down at me. She shifted her bare feet against the ground, and I watched as she paced slowly back and forth, looking at me. As she looked, my eyes shifted to my left, and widened.
Sitting on a broken stone statue was the man named Vaas. As our eyes met, he gave me a grin, and a thumbs up. Even though no words passed I could feel the sarcasm in his gestures. I grimaced.

Citra's voice pulled my gaze back to hers, and I nearly jumped as I realized her face was inches from mine.
"So. This is Cyra." Citra stated, her voice exotic and foreign.
"It is." Dennis' voice chirped to the right, but I didn't dare looking away from her.
Citra continued to stare straight into my eyes, and I could feel it, she wanted me to look away, but I refused.
The longer she stared, the harder my gaze became. Citra tilted her head up, and took a casual step back, her eyes still locked on mine.
"I see. What brings you to the Rakyat, Cyra?" she finally spoke, her voice heavy.
I cleared my throat, "I need help. My friends were taken by pirates, but I don't know how to find them." My heart hammered in my chest, and I could feel my stomach turning from nerves. I hated being nervous.
Citra paced to the side, opening her palms to the sun, "And why should we help you, Cyra?" Her words were slow, as if she had all the time in the world.
I shifted again, I didn't like how she was saying my name, "Because I don't know who else to ask."

Citra slowly shifted her body, "It is impressive for someone like… yourself to escape the pirates. "
My grimace stayed glued to my face. "Thanks."
Citra's face continued to stay expressionless as she spoke, "And yet, in such capable hands, should you not be able to save your friends yourself?"
"If that were true, I wouldn't be here." I stated flatly.
Citra continued to pace in her catlike prowl, "What do you have to offer the Rakyat then?" Her smirk widened, "Strength?" Her eyes dropped down then back up, her smirk widened.
I heard scoffing around me, and I turned to see some of the Rakyat men shifted as they smirked. My eyes shifted to Vaas, who just watched intently. It suddenly dawned on me how out of place I was. I was the only woman here besides Citra, and compared to her, I was a pale, strange, lost little foreign girl. Nothing to offer, nothing worth risking their lives for. I suddenly felt incredibly stupid, and at the same time, incredibly stubborn.

"Then we cannot help you, Cyra. I—" I cut her off.

"I'm a good shot." I suddenly said with a loud voice. "Give me any target, at any distance, and I can shoot it." I wasn't amazing, I didn't have nearly enough practice, but I knew I'd hit whatever they gave me. For John.

Suddenly, Vaas's voice boomed out in a deep laugh, Citra's annoyed eyes turned to look at him.
"Do you find this American woman's disrespect amusing, Vaas?" Citra spoke with an icy voice.
"Ey, she's got balls eh?" He jerked his head up as he continued, "Let me give her something to shoot. Then we'll see how good she really is."
Vaas flashed a coy smile and I stared back with a slightly dumbfounded look. Citra turned her head upwards, then slowly looked back at me, never seeming to blink.
"Very well, I will indulge my brother's wish." She looked back to Vaas and gave only the slightest nod. Brother?! I was shocked. They didn't look related at all.

I watched as Vaas almost joyfully leaped up from where he sat, grabbing a fruit off the ground as he briskly strode past me, winking as he walked down the stone steps. I took a few steps forward to see him put the apple on the ground at the foot of the path down below, the light from outside the temple limited by the rectangle door frame. Vaas stood back up, then squatted down, and adjusted the apple, only to stand up and look at it again. He did this once more before he bounded back up the stone steps.
He walked straight up to me, and swiveled the gun slung across his back forward and lifted it off of his shoulder.
"Here. You can use this. Ever shot with this?" His eyes were wide with excitement.
I held my hands out as he forcefully dropped the assault rifle into my hands. I looked down at it, and slowly shook my head. I had shot a series of pistols, rifles, and shot guns with my godfather, but not assault rifles. I wish he had handed me a sniper rifle.
"Not exactly…" I said quietly, hoping Citra wouldn't hear.
"Oooh," he gave a low whistle as his eyes looked down into mine, "This, this is a STG-90. You ever heard of that?" I shook my head again as he continued, "See, you hold it like this, squint one eye, and pull the trigger. Boom!" As he had spoke, he pretended to hold a gun, aim, and show the recoil from shooting the invisible bullet.
I tilted my head down as my mouth slightly gated, was he seriously trying to explain how a gun works? Did he not hear I had shot things before?
"Ok… Thanks." Was all I managed.
I shifted the gun, my right hand on the trigger, and moved it to elbow level. "Can I shoot now?"
"You tell me." Vaas said as he stood back from me, folding his arms together as he shifted and bounced on his heels.
The area seemed to get unnaturally quiet as everyone's eyes moved to watch me. I could feel my hands now shaking from nerves, and I tried not to think about it. I looked at the gun as casually as I could, it was dirty and worn from regular use. Assuming it was loaded, I lifted the gun to look down the rear sight, the end of the stock hovering at my armpit.
The alien gun felt heavy and cumbersome in my arms, which were weak and sore. I tried to line up the dot of an apple, my nervous arms swaying the gun too much. The pain in my wrists didn't help either, and I could see new blood forming behind the bandages. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, closing both eyes for a moment in attempt to help calm and focus myself. You can do this Cyra. You have too. You have to save them.
With a silent prayer, I opened one eye, aimed, and pulled the trigger. I swore with a breath. I missed.
No one said anything, so I aimed again, shot, and missed. This time, I swore loud enough for Vaas to hear me, who suddenly was to the right of me.
"Ey, hermana, you better hit that apple soon." My eyes swiveled to look at Vaas who was holding three fingers up, dropping two of them. "Third strike is out."
I swallowed hard, "That doesn't help." I said stiffly as I turned back to look at my target.
Vaas's voice got closer, and I could now feel his breath on my ear, which I resisted from scratching with my shoulder. "Don't think about it. Just shoot."
I peeked over to see him quickly taking a step back from me, probably because of Citra's gaze.
I turned my eye back to the apple. And before I could even think about anything else, I did what Vaas said. I brought the gun back up, watched the apple through the sight, and pulled the trigger.
I almost started to giggle as I watched the apple explode from the bullets below, the knot in my stomach releasing just a little bit. "Yes!"
I turned with the gun still in hand, and a smile on my face as Vaas shook his head in approval, and dramatically clapped his hands.
"She didn't lie huh?"
Citra's gaze slowly watched me as she paced, "Do you know, no outsider has the privilege of entering my temple, let alone see it." I just watched Citra, unsure if she was actually asking me a question. She tilted her head as she spoke, "All to show you can shoot an apple. What else can you offer besides that?"

A weight hit my stomach, I was under the impression proving my shot would help, "I—" She cut me off this time, "We are at war, Cyra. Hoyt's men grow by the day, along with their territories. Why should I put my warriors at risk for one American girl?"
I blinked, I didn't realize there was a war, Sophia never said anything about that. "I-I'll help anyway I can. I swear!" I did mean that, if I could receive help from total strangers, they deserve to expect the same.

"No woman has ever become a Rakyat Warrior." Citra tilted her head upwards, and stood on the first stone step around the tree. "You are weak."
I crinkled my nose, I didn't have the physical strength of a man, but I was strong. The fact that I was even here said something. Suddenly realizing that, I took a step forward as I found my voice, strong and loud. "I am not weak. If I was, I wouldn't be here, I'd be dead from the pirates."
I heaved a breath in, my chest expanding, I had to get help. I had too.
I heard Vaas make an approving noise, "She has a point eh?"
Citra stood still on the stone step, "Do not defend her Vaas. I let you have your fun." Her expression seemed bored and uninterested.
I looked at Vaas, who's expression quickly changed, "Did, did I say this was fun?" He turned his head and brought his hands to his chest and laughed as he looked around, "I don't think I ever fucking said that." He dropped his hands and folded them over his chest, glaring at Citra.
I quickly looked away from Vaas and watched Citra.

"Good." Her eyes drifted back to me, "You do not have what it takes to be a Rakyat Warrior. Your tricks mean nothing to me. I will not lead my people in mockery." My mouth fell open in shock, how could she judge me that quickly?
She then sauntered up the remaining steps and walked to the side of the tree before turning her head to look at me. "Kill her."
I felt my hands tighten on the gun as I took a step back in shock, "WHAT?" I didn't think things were going this bad.
The two guards in front of me lifted their guns, and terror and adrenaline quickly jumped through my body, fueled by my pounding heart. I suddenly understood Sophia's protests to this idea. Before I could plead, Vaas stepped in front of me, "Hold the fuck up!" he shouted in his raw, scratchy sounding voice. "You mean to tell me, you just let her walk in here, into your sacred fucking temple, only to shoot her." Vaas shook his head and laughed as he shifted his feet. I stood sheepishly behind his back, not even attempting to look at Citra's reaction. I'd rather he be in the line of fire than me.

"Why don't we just hang her up in a tree eh? You know, as bait, and let all the little fucking pirates crawl into our little trap, and boom! Shoot them." Vaas used his pointing and index finger to simulate a person walking in front of him. I swallowed, hoping he was being sarcastic.
"Are you questioning my decision, Vaas?" I heard her voice grow closer, filled with mockery, "Do you like her Vaas? Do you want to keep her?"

I watched Vaas' head jerk forward, and shook his head as he rubbed his brow with a low voice, "Do I fucking like her…" Vaas muttered something I couldn't understand before he jerked his head back up, "Do you know what Citra? Do you know? I do. I do like her." Vaas' voice sounded calmer as he turned his body to gesture at me.
I blinked, unsure how to feel about the fact that he liked me. He looked me in the eye, and nodded his head, and to my surprise and discomfort, stroked my hair with his massive hand. I stood as still as possible until he dropped his hand. "I do. I do. See," He turned his gaze back to Citra, "Unlike most little girls, she, she had the fucking balls to talk back to you. What-what is really funny, is she has no fucking idea who you are." I looked at Vaas in horror, I didn't think that was helping my case.

"I told her, she'll kill you." He clasped his hands together and took a step forward and shook his head, "She didn't listen. And now look, you want to kill her." Vaas turned back to me, and I watched him with a confused look, he never told that to me...
"You see Cyra, you see? Citra, she doesn't like you. She thinks women are weak. What do you think that says about her? Eh? What do you think? Tell me." He took a step closer towards me, his eyes level with mine as he leaned in, and I stared back in horror. Was he seriously expecting me to answer that?

"I-uh…"
Thankfully, Vaas saved me from speaking. "You see! She cannot even answer. Now, before you kill her, test her. I mean, really, fucking test her."
I wanted to scream and run, what was wrong with these people? Is everyone on this island nuts? I tried to keep myself from hyperventilating. The thought of a bullet colliding with my skull made me want to vomit.
I finally looked at Citra, who did not look pleased. She looked at Vaas with a still, but clearly angry, distasteful gaze.
Citra's eyes slowly looked over at mine, and I did my best to try and hide the fear I felt, blinking as little as possible.
"Very well." Citra nodded her head, and said something in a language I couldn't understand. One of the guards produced a strange bottle from behind him, and handed it to Citra.

She prowled over to me, her eyes dark and brooding, "Drink this. If you survive, then the Rakyat will aid you."
I swallowed and held the heavy gun with one hand and took the bottle with the other. As I held it, I wondered what was even in it. Was it worth it, was there anyone else on this island that would help me? Citra was already walking back up to the tree, and I looked to Dennis. He quickly walked over to me, looking worried.
"I was afraid things would go with bad."
I dropped my eyes, "Will this really kill me? What is it?" I tried to control my shaking voice and hand.
Dennis dropped a hand onto my shoulder, looking at me through his thick glasses, "You are strong Cyra. Citra must see something to give you a chance."
I dropped my eyes, I didn't believe that. If Vaas hadn't said anything, she would have killed me. Dennis' hand gripped my shoulder, "Believe in yourself Cyra. Feel the fire burn within you."

As Dennis let go of my shoulder I turned awkwardly to Vaas, and lifted the heavy gun up, "Thanks for the help." As he took the gun, he looked me in the eye, "Don't fucking waste it eh? You owe me. Ill drag you back from the fucking grave."

My eyebrows arched and a half smile formed, "Ok. I owe you."

I exhaled loudly, and brought the bottle to my mouth, "Here goes nothing." Trying to ignore the pungent smell, I quickly jerked my head back as the disgusting liquid slid down my throat. As I tried not to throw it back up, my vision quickly blurred. I dropped the bottle as I felt my body go numb and my head feel light and fuzzy. And before I knew it, I felt warm flesh touch my sides, and everything went black.