Chapter 8

I don't remember anything...just time passing by so slowly. Blackness and the pain in my body. My muscles ached, my bones hurt. I felt faint, even in the dark. I remember the chaotic visions I had witnessed, and that too brought me pain...

A dark realization awoke in that darkness. I am a Pain Lover, a dark knight. The vision of the dark knight sacking maccalania was my rage as a child. I had felt alone, and isolated. No family to love me, no mom to make me feel better, no dad to be protective of me. I wanted to fight so no one would ever feel that, never again.

I knew that the pain was waking up abilities inside of me. I needed to feed on my pain...needed it to know that I was real. Everything is always shrouded in mystery, I don't know why things are the way they are. All I know is pain, and the realization it brings.

I awoke, the chocobo Boko stained red with my blood. He qwehhed that I was awake, and stopped his frantic running. I was somewhere in Luca...LUCA! It had not been sacked by sin.

Images of the dead men rushed back into my mind. Their eyes starred up into blackness, shrouded over with a white film...I shuddered.

That battle...how did I survive?

"Miss, are you alright?" A young woman asked me. Im sure I smelled to the high heavens of death...I shoke my head no. I weakly opened my shirt to reveal the deep gash to the bone. She grew sick, and yelled she would get help for me not to go anywhere. I sighed heavily and Boko laid his head in my lap.

"Thank you Boko..." I whispered. I saw the silent plea in the birds eyes for me not to die. That it didn't want to be alone. I felt faint, and vomited...I began to cry. There was toxin in the wound, I knew it.

I held my hand onto it as hard as cold, it wasn't bleeding anymore, it just hurt like no other.

I felt my body get colder and I knew I might die.

The girl came back with a priest, he had been tending to the other warriors who weren't hurt as badly.

He took a sharp intake of air..."Child, how have you not perished? This wound...might be beyond my ability..."

"Try.." I came, voice rough and hurt. " I need help. I don't know how much longer I can hang on."

The old man nooded, his goatee silver and black. His head was shiny and bald, and brow furrowed deeply as he began to chant and clean my wounds. I screamed out loudly as I felt a liquid remove the dirt and mud, the wound began to bleed again.

I looked out into the ocean, as the priest continued. I tried to concentrate on the gulls, and the waves moving quietly. The dock...the bird had brought me to the dock...

"What is your name?"

"It is Freya. I need to find my summoner. I helped the crusaders push back sin..."

"I see...they succeed, although there ranks were largely decimated. A few Albhed have been through Luca, they must have been caught up in the fighting as well."

"Where has Sin gone..?"

"Up north somewhere...out to the plains we think, It did not mess with bevelle again.'

"That is good new Father."

I took a sharp intake of air, he had stopped the bleeding with a spell and was stitching me shut. I screamed vulgarities and Boko gave me his leg to hold. I moaned and stayed still long enough. He smeared ointment over it and healed me as much as he could. The minor cuts and scrapes disappeared, however the gash to my breast bone was still unhealed. If I could get to Braska he would be able to heal me.

I stood and steadied myself on the bird.

"Father..." I handed him a large coin purse. "Thank you. Ill be alright. Help some more people, feed some orphans..."

"Yevon bless you!" His eyes grew wide as he saw the size of it.

I nooded and me and Boko wandered the docks. I found someone selling grilled fish, and I bought food to eat. I found greens for Boko to eat, and we both ate. I bought some water with what I had left without getting into my reserve money, and we feel asleep together behind some crates in the docks.

I awoke to someone touching me, and I grabbed them and threw them into a wall with a blade to there neck.

"WHAT!?" I bellowed. That battle raged in my mind.

"I...I'm sorry. I...can you put the sword down please."

I regained control. "Forgive me."

"Its fine...its just...the ferry is due to leave. I didn't know if you were waiting for it or not."

"No...actually...could you do me a favor though? I want to buy passage for my summoner and the other guardians, so that they know Im alright...tell them with Regards from Freya?" I gave him the names and the gil to pay for their passage. He thanked me and informed me that they had passed that way into besaid a few days before from what the captain had said from the other vessel.

"Dont mess with me when Im sleeping."

I laid down on my makeshift bed next to Boko and fell asleep halfway on his strong broad back.

I awoke again later to Boko moving. The magnificent birds plumage was no longer stained as badly red from my bleed, and showed that it was a magnificent black. His eyes were typical chocobo brown, and his beak was a lighter gray, as were his feet and a few of his wing feathers. The black shinned in the sunlight hues of green and purple.

"Boko...lets go get cleaned up..." The bird knelled so I could mount him uneasily. I rested happazardly atop him, and he walked slowly so I could remained balanced. I loved on his neck a little and whispered my thanks and love to him. He happily qwheed.

I found a place where fisherman went to obviously fish. There was no one there, so I urged Boko into the warm waters. I stripped down to shorts and the bloodied shirt and got into the water with him. I had some shampoo in the bag I carried with me..and began to bathe my blood from the bird. He qweehed happily and splashed water playfully and danced as I lather him up, and he ran up onto the peer and jumped into the deep part of the water and came swimming back shinny clean. I laughed and held my side.

I washed my body as best I could while onlookers starred at our spectacle. We had to bathe...I rinsed my hair and grabbed my pack of clothes. I dried off Boko and I, and we went back to the makeshift bed. I feed Boko his remaining greens, and I cleaned my armor and sharpened my swords.

I finally put my leg armor on again and boots...my chest was healing slowly. It hurt like hell, so I ate again and Boko and I watched the sun set. The moon came out and Luca became still and quiet. A million stars sparkled and shinned in the oceans waves. It was truly beautiful. We sat both in awe until Boko feel asleep on my shoulder and I dozed off into the warm bird.

I didnt dream. I just could feel Boko near and was thankful I wasn't alone.

I felt a voice whisper me awake. I blinked and his hand cupped my chin and lips kissed me deeply. His voice was softer than I remember, and his rusty eyes starred into mine purple.

"Auron!"