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1 Prism Hearts
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rlm@2
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2 Chapter 15 Primal Eyes
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3 by Amazoness Duo
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4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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5
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6 'And if I don't make it, Know that I've loved you all along...'
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7
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8 Dear diary,I know it's been a while since I've written, but we've
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9 been so busy with the island festival and the weird stuff going on.
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10 But we can't let that stuff keep us down. I'm sure Kairi, Sora, Riku,
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11 and Tidus will all show up just fine like Kairi did the last time. We
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12 just have to keep waiting.
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13
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14 On the good side of things, the festival went really well! Booyaka!
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15 Yuna's dancing lessons paid off. It was great to dance with Quisty
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16 like that all night long. She looked sooooo pretty! She was wearing
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17 this beautiful pink dress and with her cute glasses perched on her
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18 nose and the moonlight and... I feel faint just thinking about it. It
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19 was the perfect remedy for all the freaky stuff happening. I could
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20 tell Quisty was still preoccupied for a bit, but by the end of the
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21 night I got her mind off of it. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying
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22 themselves. Irvine kept trying to get me to dance with him all night,
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23 but I didn't want to let go of Quisty for an instant. I didn't want
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24 someone else snatching her for a dance while I was off. I guess Lulu
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25 finally did ask Wakka because I saw them dancing a little later on.
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26 Seifer was on the dock, staring off at the stars, so I guess he
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27 didn't feel like dancing. Poor Seifer. It's fun! Maybe he could use
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28 some lessons from Yuna, too. Speaking of Yuna, even she was dancing
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29 later on. She was with that catgirl I almost accidentally drowned
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30 when she first showed up. I'm sorry, Rikku! I thought you were a
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31 fiend. My mistake! But she's made Yuna smile a whole lot, so I'm
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32 really glad she came. Even if she's a kitty, I think Yuna likes her.
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33 Maybe I should give her a paopu fruit for a present. They could eat
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34 it together at the sunset or something. I bet that would make Yuna
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35 happy! I know it made me happy to do that with Quisty. Now we'll be
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36 able to be together forever. Poor Kairi. I hope she can eventually
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37 share it with the one she loves. If she can ever decide. Well,
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38 there's no rule against sharing it with two people. At least, I don't
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39 think so. Maybe I'll ask Quisty later. She knows all sorts of things.
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40
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41 Yuna's on the beach now. I guess she decided to come out and watch
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42 the ocean, too. It's a kind of blue gray instead of the pretty blue
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43 green it usually is. And the storm clouds make it all look a little
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44 menacing. I'm almost a little afraid of it. The ocean's always been
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45 our friend, but now it seems so cold and distant. But Yuna doesn't
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46 seem to mind. She walked right into the water. I had my feet in
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47 earlier, but it was too cold to keep them there. I wonder if she's
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48 tired or something. I called to her a few times, but she doesn't seem
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49 to hear me. Maybe she just doesn't feel like talking right now.
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50 Ohhhh... She must be practicing her dancing. She's twirling around in
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51 the water now. I couldn't do that in cold water like that. But she
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52 doesn't seem to mind. It's almost like the water's responding to her,
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53 swishing around her. Actually, it looks like the water's getting
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54 darker near her. Not right around her. But kinda further off. It's
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55 like a shadow is moving across the water. Or in the
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56 water...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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57 Breaking off her diary entry, Selphie stood up on the dock. Her
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58 heart pounded in her stomach. It wasn't a shadow on the water. It was
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59 under the water. And it was heading towards the Destiny Islands.
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60 “Yuna!! Get out of the water!” But Yuna didn't hear her. She kept
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61 dancing, the water now whirling about her as if by magic. Green eyes
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62 went from the girl in the water to the approaching shape. The shape
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63 broke off. Selphie breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Her respite
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64 was shortlived. The shape was heading towards the main island where
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65 the village was, where the elders were. Her parents... Her heart
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66 dropped into her stomach, covered in ice.
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67
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68 Selphie didn't have the strength to do anything but stare for a long
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69 moment as she saw the huge tidal wave ripping towards the island she
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70 was on. Blurs of blackish gray things tore out of the water, flying
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71 in an erratic path towards the different islands. They missiles
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72 looked like the scales of some ancient and hideous beast. Several
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73 slammed into the beach around her, sending up plumes of sand. Another
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74 zipped past overhead, and for a moment Selphie thought it was going
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75 to hit her. It missed by a head or two and crashed into the dock
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76 behind her. Wood splintered and cracked and she was thrown to the
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77 wooden planks beneath her.Dizzy and still in shock from the
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78 suddenness of her world plunging into madness, Selphie wiped at the
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79 water that dripped down her forehead. Wincing at the pain that shot
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80 through her head, she pulled her hand away, momentarily puzzled by
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81 the blood on her fingers. She had hit the planks harder than she
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82 thought. A chittering behind her quickly drew her attention from the
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83 blood dribbling down her face. Turning about, the brunette almost
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84 fell again. She couldn't focus and the sudden motion made her feel
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85 sick. What she saw made her freeze where she stood, bare feet pressed
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86 against water soaked wood. The missile/scale thing she saw earlier
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87 had been some sort of beast. It crawled out of the wrecked portion of
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88 the pier where it had landed, chittering crazily as it watched her.
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89 It had a strange not quite heart symbol on it, black with a red X
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90 through it. Like the Heartless that had already destroyed their
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91 island once before. But this wasn't a tiny shadow creature. It was an
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92 angry monster. Selphie was only dimly aware of the nunchuks at her
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93 side. She was too weak to fight it. She was going to die. The Destiny
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94 Islands were being torn asunder. In those seconds before it could
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95 strike, her mind clung to the things that were important to her. Her
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96 friends, the islands, her parents, Quistis. For one brief moment, she
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97 wasn't there. She was back on the beach the night before, dancing
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98 with the girl she loved. 'Quisty, we'll be together forever, won't
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99 we?' 'I never want to grow up,' she had told Sora. And it was true.
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100 She wanted to stay here, playing, loving, forever. Now the dream was
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101 cruelly falling apart. The creature rushed forward, claw raised to
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102 cut her in half. Before Selphie could precede the Destiny Islands to
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103 the Graveyard of Dreams, the tidal wave finally crashed into her. The
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104 world spun end over end and darkness claimed her. Somewhere in the
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105 darkness, she could hear Yuna singing.
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106
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107 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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108
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109 The beach was totalled. Trees were ripped up from the ground and
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110 lay scattered across the island. The houses and huts they had built
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111 were shattered like an angry child's playthings. The pier was broken
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112 and lay like so much debris thrown about the beach. The tranquil
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113 serenity of the Destiny Islands had been replaced with a malevolent
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114 chaos, a hateful, destructive force. It was as if a jealous angel
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115 banished to hell had come back to make paradise bleed. This was the
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116 scene Rikku found herself looking at, staring out across the
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117 devestated island. And in the midst of it all, Yuna danced. The waves
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118 broke before hitting her, passing harmlessly around the blue and
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119 green eyed brunette. Despite the horror that lay around her, Yuna
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120 didn't seem to notice at all, dancing early in the waves. Shadows
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121 pulsed and coalesced around her. “Yuna!” she called, but she got no
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122 answer. The girl continued dancing, singing softly. Had she cracked?
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123 Was she welcoming the madness that had already claimed Tidus and some
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124 of her other friends? The only sound outside of the crashing of the
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125 waves was the sound of Rikku's paws crunching against the sand as she
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126 ran to Yuna. She had been taking a catnap and had awakened to
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127 something crashing into the island. In the confusion, she had tried
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128 to find Yuna. She had to make sure she was okay. Now she'd found the
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129 other girl, and her heart thundered, forcing her to go faster than
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130 she ever had as a human. Reaching Yuna, the thief nearly pounced on
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131 her. “Yuna!!” But Yuna continued to ignore her, dancing and singing
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132 as the waves and ground shook around them.
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133
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134 The shockwave almost threw Rikku back into the crashing waves. Her
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135 ears perked at the sound. Something big had just happened. Her spiral
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136 green eyes searched for the source of something that huge. Missiles?
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137 Some type of giant cannon? There. Her eyes stopped on the onrushing
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138 tidal wave. It was coming from the main island where the village was
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139 located. It was gone. Where there had been an island, there was now
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140 nothing more than jagged rocks and a swelling wave. And the barest
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141 hint of an ugly, giant creature that disappeared beneath the water
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142 just as quickly as she had seen it. Gone. It was completely gone. And
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143 with the way the water surged, it was heading straight towards them.
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144
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145 “Yuna!!” But the girl continued to ignore Rikku. The former Radical
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146 Dreamer clutched Yuna's dress, yanking her forward. If they didn't
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147 get moving, the huge wave heading towards the beach would slam into
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148 them. And after that, the creature would be there. Rikku didn't know
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149 if they could escape the beast a second time, but she had to try.
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150 First things first. They had to get away from that wave. Rikku
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151 slapped Yuna as hard as she could. Guilt blossomed in her gut as she
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152 did, but she had to get through to her somehow. Dragging Yuna away
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153 wouldn't get them far enough from the wave. Yuna slumped in her grasp
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154 after the slap. She would have fallen into the water if Rikku hadn't
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155 been holding onto her.
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156
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157 Slowly, green and blue eyes blinked, looking up at the catgirl.
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158 “Rikku?” the quiet girl asked dreamily. Her vision slowly focussed on
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159 Rikku. She looked scared and tense. Yuna smiled her, trying to calm
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160 her. She reached forward, stroking the thief's furry cheek. “Don't be
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161 afraid, Rikku. It's almost over.”Rikku stared in shock for a second,
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162 but shook it off. If she froze, they were both dead. She bodily
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163 dragged Yuna towards the shore. “We need to move, Yunie. Something
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164 very bad is coming this way. We need to run. Fast.” Turning from the
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165 other girl, ignoring the wet fur that stuck to her legs, Rikku began
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166 to run towards the beach. Yuna's sudden halt nearly yanked her back.
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167 The thief whirled around, her heart pounding like an alarm. They were
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168 running out of time. They needed to get away. The fact that there was
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169 no place to run to didn't matter so much as moving. Now. “Rikku, it's
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170 okay. No one will ever hurt anymore. No one will ever leave us again.
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171 We'll all be together. Forever.” Yuna smiled brighter this time,
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172 opening her arms to show what she meant. “Your sister won't leave you
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173 again. We won't have to mourn our parents. We'll never have to leave
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174 each other.” The human girl wrapped her arms around Rikku. “I don't
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175 want you to leave, Rikku. We can always be together now. Always.”
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176 Leaning forward, she kissed the stunned Rikku softly, holding onto
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177 her. 'Move. If you don't move, you'll die. She'll die. It will be
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178 over. Move. Move now!!' Rikku's mind screamed at her. The direness of
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179 the situation helped push off the hipnotic spell that Yuna's lips
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180 cast on her. Clutching Yuna hard enough that her claws dug into her
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181 shoulders, spiral green eyes stared deep into Yuna's blue and green
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182 eyes. “Yuna, I promised I'd protect you no matter what. And I'm going
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183 to do that. We have to run. I'm not going to leave you. Just please,
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184 run. Run!!” Rikku pleaded, fear and frustration mixing inside of her.
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185 Slowly, achingly slowly, Yuna nodded. She seemed a little surprised,
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186 almost afraid of the mix of emotions inside of Rikku. She meekly
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187 followed along as Rikku ran, her heart thundering as she knew they
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188 probably wouldn't make it.
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189
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190 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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191
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192 “Selphie! You're alive!” Quistis pulled the half-conscious brunette
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193 tightly against herself. She knew she should let her rest, but she
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194 was too relieved to see that her green eyed girl was alive. Her
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195 glasses slipped down her nose as she clung to Selphie. How close had
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196 she been to losing her? The girl had nearly been buried under planks
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197 from the destroyed pier and had almost drowned from being pinned
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198 under while the tidal wave had swept over her. “Oh, Selphie...”
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199
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200 Using all of her strength to push herself back to consciousness,
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201 Selphie hung limply in Quistis's arms. Burying her head weakly
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202 against the blonde's shoulder, Selphie closed her eyes. She was
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203 alive. With Quistis. Maybe... Maybe things would be okay. No. No
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204 maybes. She had to believe it. There could be no other option other
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205 than things being okay. “Quisty,” she whispered. Blinking tear
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206 streaked eyes, Quistis held Selphie close. Her eyes narrowed as she
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207 tried to focus on the blurry figure moving towards them. It looked
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208 like the figure was moving on top of the water, walking as if on
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209 land. Pushing her glasses up, she saw that she was right. A boy in a
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210 black raincoat was walking on the water, right up to the beach.
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211 Standing up with Selphie, she gripped her whip, keeping a weary eye
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212 on him. After all that had happened, she wasn't about to trust
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213 anything. “Who are you?” she called out. Selphie steadied herself
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214 against the blonde, turning to see who Quistis was talking to.The
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215 hooded boy didn't deign her question worth an answer. Instead, he
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216 turned to look out to see. “She'll be here soon. It's almost done. I
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217 wonder what she'll choose.” Turning to the two girls, he addressed
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218 them. “Sin is coming. You can't stop it. Get away from the
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219 beach.”Shaking her head as much as her weak body would allow, Selphie
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220 refused. “Those scale creatures are on the island.”The boy nodded.
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221 “But you can fight them. And you can try to live until she gets here.
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222 She's the only one who can stop this.” He turned to face the oncoming
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223 waves. “Hurry.”Without another word, Quistis and Selphie tried to get
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224 as far from the beach as they could.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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225
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226 Running. Running and running. Selphie's bare feet hurt from all the
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227 running. She nearly slipped on a slippery rock as they ran near a
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228 small waterfall. But even after all the running, she knew that they
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229 were on a relatively small island. There was only so much room to
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230 run. Only so much room to hide before it found them, caught up with
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231 them. They couldn't run forever. What would they do when it finally
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232 did catch them? How could they stop this nightmare? She just wanted
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233 to wake up, safe and sound in Quistis's arms, the blonde asleep with
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234 a book slumped on her chest. “My diary!” Selphie's green eyes
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235 widened. It had been on the pier. Now it was probably lost forever.
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236 Her shoulders slumped. She had the sinking feeling that she could
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237 very easily lose everything. “If...” Quistis cut herself off, biting
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238 her lip before continuing. “When we get out of this, I'll get you a
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239 new diary. And we'll make plenty of happy memories for you to write
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240 in it,” she promised. Selphie new that Quistis was trying to make her
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241 feel better, that she was just as scared as she was, but that made it
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242 even sweeter. She smiled faintly, gazing at the blonde girl. “Thanks,
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243 Quisty. I'll make sure...” Before Selphie could continue, one of the
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244 Heartless Sinscales crashed down in front of them. It chittered its
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245 bloodthirsty cry, looking between the two girls. As it got ready to
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246 pounce forward, Quistis took a step forward, her whip lashing out at
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247 it. The creature shrieked as the whip hit it again and again. It was
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248 soon joined by Selphie's nunchuks, cracking against the creature.
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249 Lunging forward, it's claws tried to tear into Selphie. The brunette
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rlm@2
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250 hopped back, just missing getting slashed by the razor sharp claws.
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rlm@2
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251 The beast got ready to lunge again, but Quistis's whip wrapped around
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rlm@2
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252 it's leg, yanking it back. Selphie took the opportunity to hit it as
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rlm@2
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253 hard as she could. Finally, the Heartless fell at their feet.
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rlm@2
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254
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rlm@2
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255 Turning to Quistis, Selphie opened her mouth, but Quistis's eyes
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rlm@2
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256 widened. Selphie could swear she saw the reflection of the beast in
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rlm@2
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257 Quistis's eyes, but she couldn't move. It was too fast. But so was
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rlm@2
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258 Quistis. The blonde shoved herself in front of Selphie at the same
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rlm@2
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259 time as the creature came swiping forward. It's claw crashed into
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rlm@2
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260 Quistis's side, sending her rolling into the water. Selphie was dimly
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rlm@2
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261 aware that she had screamed. Her green eyes followed Quistis's
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rlm@2
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262 crumpled form slumped on the ground. In her panic, Selphie couldn't
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rlm@2
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263 even tell if the other girl was breathing. The beast. She had to
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rlm@2
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264 protect Quistis. She couldn't let it hurt the girl she loved. But
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rlm@2
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265 wasn't she already too late for that? Quashing the thought, panic and
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rlm@2
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266 fear and loathing and sadness welled in her heart, flooding it. The
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rlm@2
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267 brunette ran to the crumpled girl ready to fight off the creature as
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rlm@2
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268 best she could. The Heartless chittered madly, turning to the two of
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rlm@2
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269 them again. It almost seemed to be laughing. It wanted their hearts.
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rlm@2
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270 It would feast upon them, devour them whole. How delicious. It
|
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rlm@2
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271 advanced on the stupid girl standing her ground and the injured girl
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rlm@2
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272 who wouldn't even fight back. “Selphie...” Quistis said weakly. It
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rlm@2
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273 took an extreme effort to focus through the pain. It enveloped her
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rlm@2
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274 side like a hot iron, burning deeply into her mind. She clutched her
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rlm@2
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275 side tightly, feeling the blood pool and drip around her fingertips.
|
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rlm@2
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276 'Get up!' her mind screamed at her. She had to draw the creature away
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rlm@2
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277 so Selphie could run. “Run, Selphie. Go... Get out of here.”
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rlm@2
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278
|
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rlm@2
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279 “No! I'm not leaving you, Quisty.” Tears streamed down Selphie's
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rlm@2
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280 cheeks, but she never took her eyes away from the Heartless that had
|
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rlm@2
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281 tried to kill her girlfriend. “We ate a paopu fruit together. We'll
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rlm@2
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282 stay together forever. We promised. I'm not leaving you. Ever.”
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rlm@2
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283 Selphie jumped forward, her nunchuk cracking against the amorpheous
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rlm@2
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284 face of the creature. It chittered in pain or anger and got ready to
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rlm@2
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285 pounce upon the girl and tear her apart. The girl continued to hit it
|
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rlm@2
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286 in a rage. The girl was already hurt and her anger was blinding her.
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rlm@2
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287 In just a moment, it would be able to...But Selphie wasn't the only
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rlm@2
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288 one blinded by the situation. Selphie watched as the Heartless fell
|
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rlm@2
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289 in two halves. So focussed had it been on its prey that it hadn't
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rlm@2
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290 seen the trenchcoated boy behind it. “Seifer!” Selphie cried out,
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rlm@2
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291 shocked to see the blond boy. She quickly turned her attention back
|
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rlm@2
|
292 to Quistis, running to the other girl. Her heart pounded in a frenzy
|
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rlm@2
|
293 as she saw the blood dripping down her side. The cut seemed to be
|
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rlm@2
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294 pretty deep in the girl's side. She needed some healing magic quick.
|
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rlm@2
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295 “We need to get you to Yuna. She can help.” If they hurried. But she
|
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rlm@2
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296 couldn't bring herself to say that part. Quistis couldn't die. She
|
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rlm@2
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297 wouldn't let her. Selphie swallowed the burning pain in her throat.
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rlm@2
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298 If Seifer was alive, Yuna could be alive, too. She'd been right on
|
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rlm@2
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299 the beach. Maybe she was somewhere on the island. If they could find
|
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rlm@2
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300 her, they could save Quistis. “You don't really expect your loyal
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rlm@2
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301 fans to desert you, do you, Miss Trepe?” Seifer asked, grinning. Even
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rlm@2
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302 if the situation were dire, he still liked teasing Quistis. He saw it
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rlm@2
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303 as bad form to give that up, even in the heat of battle. You had to
|
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rlm@2
|
304 stay true to the bitter end, after all.
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rlm@2
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305
|
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rlm@2
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306 Quistis laughed softly as Selphie helped her up. She tried to stand
|
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rlm@2
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307 on her own, not wanting to worry Selphie too much, but she found that
|
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rlm@2
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308 she couldn't stand on her own. That bothered her greatly. She tried
|
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rlm@2
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309 not to let it show. “I never knew you were a loyal fan, Seifer.”
|
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rlm@2
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310
|
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rlm@2
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311 “Surely you jest, Miss Trepe. Who isn't?” Winking, Seifer walked
|
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rlm@2
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312 over to the two girls. He could see how bad the injury was, but the
|
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rlm@2
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313 look Quistis gave him let him know not to say anything about it.
|
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rlm@2
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314 Giving a nearly imperceptible nod, her turned to look around the
|
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rlm@2
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315 clearing. Quistis was a strong girl. Probably the strongest he knew,
|
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rlm@2
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316 despite all the worries and self-doubts she carried. Selphie was a
|
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rlm@2
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317 lucky girl. And he'd be damned if he'd let Quistis die now. “The main
|
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rlm@2
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318 island is gone. Whatever hit it seems to be headed here. But for some
|
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rlm@2
|
319 reason, it hasn't destroyed this island yet. It's like those fiends
|
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rlm@2
|
320 are searching for something.” He let that sink in for a minute. He
|
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rlm@2
|
321 knew what it meant. Their parents were all dead. Their homes were
|
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rlm@2
|
322 destroyed. And the only reason they were alive was because of
|
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rlm@2
|
323 something hidden on the island they were on. Quistis went numb at
|
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rlm@2
|
324 Seifer's words. Destroyed? It was all gone. Even if they could stop
|
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rlm@2
|
325 all this, how much could they salvage? Would their islands survive
|
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rlm@2
|
326 the strain? They had already lost so much. “Mom... Dad...?” Selphie
|
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rlm@2
|
327 felt her knees go weak. Only the knowledge that she couldn't drop
|
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rlm@2
|
328 Quistis kept her standing up straight. It felt like yet another blade
|
|
rlm@2
|
329 had punctured her heart. Quistis was hurt, maybe dying her family was
|
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rlm@2
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330 dead her home was being crushed. Everything she held dear was a tiny
|
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rlm@2
|
331 piece of sand, falling through her fingers no matter how hard she
|
|
rlm@2
|
332 tried to hold on. She swallowed painfully, fighting back tears. She
|
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rlm@2
|
333 swallowed again and again, trying to keep the tears at bay.
|
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rlm@2
|
334
|
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rlm@2
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335 “We need to regroup. We have a better chance together than alone.
|
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rlm@2
|
336 Quistis, you always were a good leader. You can help them figure out
|
|
rlm@2
|
337 what to do. Remember, we don't have much time. When they find what
|
|
rlm@2
|
338 they're looking for, they'll destory this island, too.” Seifer turned
|
|
rlm@2
|
339 his back to them, hefting up his blade. “'Them'? Seifer, you're
|
|
rlm@2
|
340 coming, too, right?” Quistis asked. She already knew the answer, but
|
|
rlm@2
|
341 she prayed that she was wrong. Hadn't enough people been hurt
|
|
rlm@2
|
342 already? Hadn't they already lost enough? Why did there need to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
343 anymore sacrifices? She watched him hopefully, clinging to the tiny
|
|
rlm@2
|
344 shred of hope that he'd merely said it wrong. His stature never
|
|
rlm@2
|
345 wavered. He looked just as cocky and sure of himself as ever, despite
|
|
rlm@2
|
346 the fact that they may never see him again.“I never was the group
|
|
rlm@2
|
347 type. You know that, Quistis. I just manage to cause problems.
|
|
rlm@2
|
348 Besides, there are three of those creatures lurking in the bushes
|
|
rlm@2
|
349 behind us. I figured I'd try to hone my skills on them. If I'm ever
|
|
rlm@2
|
350 going to be a Sorceress's Knight, I have to be the best.” Shooting a
|
|
rlm@2
|
351 look over his shoulder the blond boy grinned. Turning back, he pulled
|
|
rlm@2
|
352 up the blade and got ready.“.... Thank you, Seifer,” Quistis said at
|
|
rlm@2
|
353 last, watching the boy wave them off nonchalantly. He was buying them
|
|
rlm@2
|
354 time. She doubted even he could fight three of those things. But she
|
|
rlm@2
|
355 and Selphie were both injured. He was sacrificing himself for them.
|
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rlm@2
|
356 She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay and fight, but there was
|
|
rlm@2
|
357 nothing they could do. “Anytime, Quistis. Now get going. You need to
|
|
rlm@2
|
358 get that scratch patched up. You keep her safe, Selphie,” Seifer
|
|
rlm@2
|
359 said, not turning to face them, still watching the movement in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
360 shadows.Selphie nodded. “I will. Be careful Seifer. Come back as soon
|
|
rlm@2
|
361 as you can.” Could he really take on all three of them? Did he have a
|
|
rlm@2
|
362 plan? He had to. Right? Now wasn't the time to think about it.
|
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rlm@2
|
363 Quistis was bleeding badly. They had to find Yuna. Her white magic
|
|
rlm@2
|
364 could fix Quistis. Selphie held onto the blonde girl and hurried as
|
|
rlm@2
|
365 quickly as she could. The bushes rustled behind her. Seifer's blade
|
|
rlm@2
|
366 slashed through the air behind them. Quistis winced in pain. Selphie
|
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rlm@2
|
367 pushed herself to go faster, praying she wouldn't be too late.
|
|
rlm@2
|
368
|
|
rlm@2
|
369 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
370
|
|
rlm@2
|
371 Rikku shivered, her fur still wet, as she and Yuna crawled into a
|
|
rlm@2
|
372 hidden cave. There were drawings on the walls, making the cave look
|
|
rlm@2
|
373 like a hiding place for children. At the end of the cave was a
|
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rlm@2
|
374 strange door. Rikku tried the knob, but it was locked. Why would
|
|
rlm@2
|
375 there be a door in a cave? Where did it lead to?Yuna recognized the
|
|
rlm@2
|
376 drawings. They were of Sora, Kairi, and Riku. This must be the
|
|
rlm@2
|
377 'Special Place' that Sora and Riku had spoken of. How strange that
|
|
rlm@2
|
378 she'd end up in the place that was so important to her three lost
|
|
rlm@2
|
379 friends. But it had felt like she had been called there. When Rikku
|
|
rlm@2
|
380 had asked where they could go to get away, she had immediately
|
|
rlm@2
|
381 answered here. Now that she was closer, it felt like the strange door
|
|
rlm@2
|
382 at the end of the cave was calling directly to her, reverberating off
|
|
rlm@2
|
383 the walls. 'Open the door and let everything end...' she could almost
|
|
rlm@2
|
384 hear. “Yunie!” Rikku called for the third time. Her other three calls
|
|
rlm@2
|
385 had illicited no response. Yuna seemed to be deep in thought. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
386 normally quiet, shy girl seemed even more introspective. But now was
|
|
rlm@2
|
387 definitely not the time. “Yuna!” Walking over, Rikku placed her hands
|
|
rlm@2
|
388 on Yuna's shoulders, finally getting her attention. What was wrong
|
|
rlm@2
|
389 with the brunette? It was like Yuna wasn't seeing the same horrible
|
|
rlm@2
|
390 things that she was. They had barely escaped the tidal wave and that
|
|
rlm@2
|
391 thing... Sin had risen out of the water just moments later. At least
|
|
rlm@2
|
392 they had a momentary respite from the chaos outside.
|
|
rlm@2
|
393
|
|
rlm@2
|
394 Turning to face the catgirl, Yuna giggled softly, her hand going to
|
|
rlm@2
|
395 her mouth. The thief was a bedraggled mess. Her fur clung to her and
|
|
rlm@2
|
396 her ears kept twitching to try and get dry. “You're so cute, Rikku.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
397 She said softly, wrapping her arms around the catgirl's shoulders.
|
|
rlm@2
|
398 She gazed deeply into those spiral green eyes, feeling as if she were
|
|
rlm@2
|
399 falling into them. “I don't know if I'd have the strength to go
|
|
rlm@2
|
400 through all of this without you, Rikku. I'd be too scared. But with
|
|
rlm@2
|
401 you by my side, it's all right. I'm not afraid to die if I'm with
|
|
rlm@2
|
402 you.” Leaning forward to kiss Rikku, she was perplexed when Rikku
|
|
rlm@2
|
403 moved her head to the side. She kissed the wet, furry cheek anyway.
|
|
rlm@2
|
404 “Yunie, what are you talking about? What's going on?” Rikku was
|
|
rlm@2
|
405 starting to get seriously worried about the girl holding onto her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
406 Yuna had an almost manic gleam in her blue and green eyes. “We aren't
|
|
rlm@2
|
407 going to die. I'll protect you, Yunie. Always. I swear.” She looked
|
|
rlm@2
|
408 back into those slightly frightening eyes, trying to make Yuna see
|
|
rlm@2
|
409 the truth in her words.“Rikku...” Yuna stroked the thief's cheek,
|
|
rlm@2
|
410 resting against her. Rikku's heart was thundering against her. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
411 poor kitty. “There's nothing to be scared of. I know that now. There
|
|
rlm@2
|
412 will never be anything to be afraid of again. I finally understand. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
413 wasn't afraid of death. I was afraid of life. Of being left behind.
|
|
rlm@2
|
414 Of watching those I loved die. Of being left alone. Of being hurt and
|
|
rlm@2
|
415 broken. Of watching people suffer. I always wanted to give people
|
|
rlm@2
|
416 hope, but what good can hope do if you can't stave off death? As long
|
|
rlm@2
|
417 as there is life, there will be suffering and torment. Our only peace
|
|
rlm@2
|
418 is in death. My father died. But I'm the one who suffered. The living
|
|
rlm@2
|
419 suffer. Not the dead.” Reality came crashing down around Rikku's
|
|
rlm@2
|
420 head. The world around her was falling apart. The girl she loved was
|
|
rlm@2
|
421 verging on suicidal. And she had no idea how to save any of it. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
422 strength drained as powerlessness bled her dry. “I would have been
|
|
rlm@2
|
423 too afraid to do this on my own. Without you, I would have been too
|
|
rlm@2
|
424 afraid of death. But if I can be with you, I'll have no fear.” Yuna
|
|
rlm@2
|
425 took Rikku's paw, kissing it softly. “I love you. We'll always be
|
|
rlm@2
|
426 together. Life won't be able to keep us apart.”“No...” Rikku argued
|
|
rlm@2
|
427 softly, shaking her head. “No!” She held Yuna's shoulders as tightly
|
|
rlm@2
|
428 as she could, scratching deep into the brunette, but Yuna didn't even
|
|
rlm@2
|
429 seem to notice. Tiny splotches of red grew under Rikku's claws.
|
|
rlm@2
|
430 “Yunie, we can still get out of here. There has to be a way. I'll
|
|
rlm@2
|
431 save you. Somehow.” Yuna smiled again, her lips brushing against
|
|
rlm@2
|
432 Rikku's. “You don't understand. Sin is coming. All I have to do is
|
|
rlm@2
|
433 open the doorway. Then Sin will destroy all life. All suffering. All
|
|
rlm@2
|
434 pain. We'll all be together.” Tears spilt down her cheeks as she
|
|
rlm@2
|
435 gazed at Rikku. “It's finally over.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
436
|
|
rlm@2
|
437 “Fire!” Flames licked at one of Sin's many Heartless creatures as a
|
|
rlm@2
|
438 girl in black raised her hand. A blitzball slammed into it, knocking
|
|
rlm@2
|
439 it over. “Thunder!” the girl cried out again. Lightening struck the
|
|
rlm@2
|
440 beast. It jerked spasmodically until it finally stopped, fading back
|
|
rlm@2
|
441 into harmless shadows. “They just keep coming, Lu,” the boy said,
|
|
rlm@2
|
442 breathing hard. Her looked around worriedly, waiting for more of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
443 strange beasts to jump out at them.“Then we must keep fighting them,”
|
|
rlm@2
|
444 Lulu responded calmly. Turning towards the path leading up to them,
|
|
rlm@2
|
445 her braids swishing behind her, she spotted Selphie supporting a very
|
|
rlm@2
|
446 pale Quistis. Blood soaked the side of the blonde's dress. Whatever
|
|
rlm@2
|
447 hope she had held onto dwindled rapidly. How could they possibly
|
|
rlm@2
|
448 survive this? How many were already dead?“Lulu! Wakka!” Selphie
|
|
rlm@2
|
449 called excitedly. There were people still out there. That relief
|
|
rlm@2
|
450 spread through her quickly. Good. Now if they could only find a place
|
|
rlm@2
|
451 to get to that they could protect. And of course, get Quistis healed
|
|
rlm@2
|
452 as swiftly as possible. Her eyes scanned about for Yuna, but she
|
|
rlm@2
|
453 couldn't find the other girl. “Where's Yuna? Where's everyone
|
|
rlm@2
|
454 else?”“Just me an' Lu as far as I know. Haven't seen anybody else
|
|
rlm@2
|
455 till you showed up. Good thing ya did. We couldn't hold out much
|
|
rlm@2
|
456 longer on our... Owww!” He looked over at Lulu. The black haired girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
457 scowled at him. She'd pinched him very sharply. What was that all
|
|
rlm@2
|
458 about? Didn't they have enough to deal with without her doing things
|
|
rlm@2
|
459 like that? Her eyes were moving around oddly. He raised an eyebrow.
|
|
rlm@2
|
460 Lulu sighed deliberately and leaned closer. “They're injured, Wakka.
|
|
rlm@2
|
461 Quistis is probably dying. We're going to have to protect them. So
|
|
rlm@2
|
462 don't say stupid things like that.”Wakka nodded, understanding. That
|
|
rlm@2
|
463 meant that they'd have to keep an eye on the two injured girls. Which
|
|
rlm@2
|
464 meant... They were worse off than they were before. His hopes
|
|
rlm@2
|
465 thoroughly shattered, he felt his shoulders slump. It didn't seem
|
|
rlm@2
|
466 like any of them were getting out of this. “No Yuna?” Selphie asked
|
|
rlm@2
|
467 again, her green eyes wide in disbelief. She had come all this way to
|
|
rlm@2
|
468 find a healer to save Quistis. But Yuna wasn't here. Lulu was a mage,
|
|
rlm@2
|
469 but she only knew black magic, nothing that could save Quistis. They
|
|
rlm@2
|
470 had travelled all that way for nothing? Quistis had become very quiet
|
|
rlm@2
|
471 just a few minutes ago. The blonde was breathing irregularly, slumped
|
|
rlm@2
|
472 heavily against Selphie's side. She needed help. And there was
|
|
rlm@2
|
473 nothing Selphie could do. Tears threatened to wash away whatever
|
|
rlm@2
|
474 grasp she still held on her sanity. She was going to lose Quistis...
|
|
rlm@2
|
475 “So you children are still fighting?” a voice asked from the trail
|
|
rlm@2
|
476 above them. They all turned to the voice. It was impossible for
|
|
rlm@2
|
477 anyone to have gotten ahead of them, though. Someone would need to
|
|
rlm@2
|
478 fly to be able to get to the path above them without going right
|
|
rlm@2
|
479 through them. Elder Seymour smiled as he approached them. “Elder
|
|
rlm@2
|
480 Seymour!” Wakka said excitedly.“Elder Seymour, we're very glad to see
|
|
rlm@2
|
481 you,” Lulu confessed. The elder simply smiled, looking about at them
|
|
rlm@2
|
482 all. He walked to Selphie, watching her green eyes light up at his
|
|
rlm@2
|
483 presence. There was hope again.“Seymour! You're alive!” If Seymour
|
|
rlm@2
|
484 was alive, then Quistis was saved. Seymour was a powerful mage, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
485 most powerful on the Destiny Islands. He could heal Quistis. Selphie
|
|
rlm@2
|
486 dragged the semi-conscious girl over to the elder, the thought that
|
|
rlm@2
|
487 the girl she loved wouldn't die after all soothing her body and soul.
|
|
rlm@2
|
488 “Quisty is hurt. You have to heal her.” She laid the blonde out on
|
|
rlm@2
|
489 the ground, being very careful not to hurt her anymore than she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
490 been. Reaching out, she gently stroked the other girl's cheek.
|
|
rlm@2
|
491
|
|
rlm@2
|
492 Quistis smiled weakly, looking up at Selphie with unfocussed eyes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
493 It took all of her strength to keep from passing out. But she knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
494 that if she did, she'd never wake up.
|
|
rlm@2
|
495
|
|
rlm@2
|
496 “Hmm...” Seymour surveyed the injured girl, kneeling down and
|
|
rlm@2
|
497 checking her wounds. Quistis hissed in pain as he touched the wound.
|
|
rlm@2
|
498 He got up, looking down at the girl. “It's a very serious wound.
|
|
rlm@2
|
499 She's lost a lot of blood.” Selphie nodded, holding onto Quistis's
|
|
rlm@2
|
500 hand. “So you can heal her, right, Elder Seymour?”The man nodded.
|
|
rlm@2
|
501 “Yes, I could. But I'm not going to.” He paused for a moment, letting
|
|
rlm@2
|
502 that sink in. Selphie looked up slowly, looking lost and confused. He
|
|
rlm@2
|
503 smiled down at her. “Why?” Selphie asked quietly, obviously in shock
|
|
rlm@2
|
504 over his answer.“Because very shortly, you'll all be dead anyway.
|
|
rlm@2
|
505 Healing her would only prolong it. Sin will destroy this island. And
|
|
rlm@2
|
506 after that, Sin will destory all life. Healing her would be cruel. It
|
|
rlm@2
|
507 would only keep her alive in order that she may die,” Seymour
|
|
rlm@2
|
508 explained. “No...” Selphie shook her head. “It... No, it isn't like
|
|
rlm@2
|
509 that. We can still try. We can stop it. We have to. You have to save
|
|
rlm@2
|
510 Quisty! Please!” Tears burst down her cheeks, spilling down her chin.
|
|
rlm@2
|
511 “You have to!” Clutching the blonde's hand, Selphie held it tightly
|
|
rlm@2
|
512 to her heart. “I'm afraid I have to do no such thing. But I will help
|
|
rlm@2
|
513 you. I am the last surviving elder of the Destiny Islands, so you are
|
|
rlm@2
|
514 all my children. I will send you along with her on her journey. Then
|
|
rlm@2
|
515 you won't have to part for even the short time it takes for you to
|
|
rlm@2
|
516 join her after she dies.” He smiled at the girls, raising his hand as
|
|
rlm@2
|
517 he summoned his magic. Wakka and Lulu got in front of Selphie, both
|
|
rlm@2
|
518 ready to fight him. He simply laughed. “You sweet, innocent children.
|
|
rlm@2
|
519 Soon you will never know the pain of life. Goodbye.” Summoning all of
|
|
rlm@2
|
520 the magic at his disposal, he got ready to hurry along the four of
|
|
rlm@2
|
521 them to death's sweet embrace.
|
|
rlm@2
|
522
|
|
rlm@2
|
523 A gunshot fired out. Pain erupted in Seymour's side. He stumbled
|
|
rlm@2
|
524 forward. Yes, life was pain. All life. Which is why it had to be...
|
|
rlm@2
|
525 Another shot. And another. The world swayed around him as he turned
|
|
rlm@2
|
526 to face his attackers. Four men and one woman in black suits were all
|
|
rlm@2
|
527 holding guns, pointing at him. Several other people were with them as
|
|
rlm@2
|
528 well. He could see one of the island children with them, Kairi, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
529 girl who had washed up on the Destiny Islands shore years ago. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
530 this couldn't be happening. This.. This was not how it was supposed
|
|
rlm@2
|
531 to work out. He tried to summon his magic, but it was weak in the
|
|
rlm@2
|
532 pain-wracked state he found himself. Kairi ran up to him, shoving the
|
|
rlm@2
|
533 Keyblade into his chest. She turned it swiftly, unlocking his heart.
|
|
rlm@2
|
534 He stumbled back, clutching his heart. Inside, he could feel the
|
|
rlm@2
|
535 darkness moving about. The darkness he had allowed Sephiroth to place
|
|
rlm@2
|
536 inside of him. Because it would give him power. The power to realize
|
|
rlm@2
|
537 his dream. To bring an end to life. He grinned as he realized that
|
|
rlm@2
|
538 would happen soon enough.“Something's wrong...” Kairi took several
|
|
rlm@2
|
539 steps back. “If he's the one who called Sin here, then he has to be
|
|
rlm@2
|
540 the Keyhole. But this isn't like any other Keyhole I've unlocked.
|
|
rlm@2
|
541 There's supposed to be light.” The princess had the feeling that
|
|
rlm@2
|
542 something had gone terribly wrong. “That's because I'm not the
|
|
rlm@2
|
543 Keyhole, Kairi.” Seymour laughed softly, his body changing,
|
|
rlm@2
|
544 transformed by the darkness that had grown in his heart. “But
|
|
rlm@2
|
545 Sephiroth did give me the power to find out who was. And it turns out
|
|
rlm@2
|
546 we had the same goals all along. It all ends here. We will bring this
|
|
rlm@2
|
547 world to an end. We will destroy the vicious cycle of life and death.
|
|
rlm@2
|
548 We will give peace to all.” By now he looked only vaguely human,
|
|
rlm@2
|
549 floating in the air like some strange ancient being. “Princess! Get
|
|
rlm@2
|
550 back!” The Turks immediately surrounded the Princess, protecting her
|
|
rlm@2
|
551 from the being that had once been Seymour. They began firing at him
|
|
rlm@2
|
552 as he summoned his magic. Elena led Kairi back to the others before
|
|
rlm@2
|
553 returning to face Seymour. Cloud looked at Squall. The two nodded at
|
|
rlm@2
|
554 each other before running after the Turks, swords brandished. Aerith
|
|
rlm@2
|
555 and Rinoa herded Selphie, Quistis, Lulu, and Wakka away from the
|
|
rlm@2
|
556 battle.
|
|
rlm@2
|
557
|
|
rlm@2
|
558 Kairi turned to her friends, feeling bittersweet about their
|
|
rlm@2
|
559 reunion. Because of her, they were hurting, dying. Because she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
560 left the door open for the Heartless to come upon this world. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
561 beautiful Destiny Islands were crumbling. She had to unlock the
|
|
rlm@2
|
562 Keyhole before it was too late.
|
|
rlm@2
|
563
|
|
rlm@2
|
564 “Please! You have to help Quisty!” Selphie pleaded, tears streaming
|
|
rlm@2
|
565 down her cheeks. “She's dying...”
|
|
rlm@2
|
566
|
|
rlm@2
|
567 'Dear God, what have I done?' Kairi watched in horror as Selphie
|
|
rlm@2
|
568 held tightly onto a limp Quistis. He inability to entirely give up
|
|
rlm@2
|
569 her past life had caused so much pain. Riku was dead. Sora was lost.
|
|
rlm@2
|
570 The Destiny Islands were being torn apart. Her friends were
|
|
rlm@2
|
571 suffering. All because of her. Her fingers tightened around the
|
|
rlm@2
|
572 Keyblade. This had to end. “It will be okay,” Aerith said soothingly
|
|
rlm@2
|
573 to Selphie. Smiling, the flower girl brushed some of Selphie's tears
|
|
rlm@2
|
574 away before placing her hands over Quistis. White blue light flashed
|
|
rlm@2
|
575 around the blonde girl, spreading through her. Quistis blinked
|
|
rlm@2
|
576 weakly, gazing up.
|
|
rlm@2
|
577
|
|
rlm@2
|
578 Selphie broke down, holding onto Quistis as tightly as she could.
|
|
rlm@2
|
579 “Quisty!!” She cried against the blonde girl, her trembling fingers
|
|
rlm@2
|
580 clenching onto the torn fabric of Quistis's dress.
|
|
rlm@2
|
581
|
|
rlm@2
|
582 Quistis held her as well as she could. Her entire body felt so weak.
|
|
rlm@2
|
583 But the pain was gone. She was alive. Somehow. She closed her eyes,
|
|
rlm@2
|
584 feeling Selphie's arms around her. “That isn't like you, Kairi,” a
|
|
rlm@2
|
585 voice said behind her. Kairi turned to see Riku leaning against a
|
|
rlm@2
|
586 tree, his arms crossed. His head was lowered and his eyes were
|
|
rlm@2
|
587 closed. “You can't keep blaming yourself. You have to follow your
|
|
rlm@2
|
588 heart. Wherever that leads you. Sometimes that doesn't turn out the
|
|
rlm@2
|
589 way you want it to. But what matters is that you try. That you follow
|
|
rlm@2
|
590 it through to the end.” He looked up, opening his eyes. “Yes, bad
|
|
rlm@2
|
591 things happened. Yes, people are getting hurt. But you're trying to
|
|
rlm@2
|
592 stop that. There's no blame there, Kairi. Yes, this starts with you.
|
|
rlm@2
|
593 But you aren't at fault for that.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
594
|
|
rlm@2
|
595 Kairi nodded slightly, feeling a little better. “Yeah... You're
|
|
rlm@2
|
596 right. Thanks, Riku.” She smiled up at him, blinking her tear filled
|
|
rlm@2
|
597 eyes. She knew he was far away. But he was still right there with
|
|
rlm@2
|
598 her. “Just like I couldn't blame you for anything that happened when
|
|
rlm@2
|
599 you were working with the Heartless. Because you were just following
|
|
rlm@2
|
600 your heart. Trying to save me.”Riku smiled, walking up to Kairi. He
|
|
rlm@2
|
601 brushed her cheek with the back of his gloved hand. “Just follow your
|
|
rlm@2
|
602 heart, Kairi. Always follow your heart.” Closing her eyes, Kairi
|
|
rlm@2
|
603 could almost feel his gloved fingers on his cheek. Slowly, the
|
|
rlm@2
|
604 feeling faded away. Opening her eyes took a long time. She knew he
|
|
rlm@2
|
605 wouldn't be there when she looked again. Sure enough, he was gone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
606 But that was all right. She placed her hand on her cheek where his
|
|
rlm@2
|
607 hand had rested. He was right. She couldn't keep blaming herself. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
608 had to go and stop it.
|
|
rlm@2
|
609
|
|
rlm@2
|
610 “If you're looking for the Keyhole, I know where she is,” a voice
|
|
rlm@2
|
611 said near the trees.Kairi spotted the cloaked, blindfolded boy
|
|
rlm@2
|
612 seemingly watching her. Nodding, she gripped her Keyblade and
|
|
rlm@2
|
613 followed him. Fighting against Seymour wouldn't stop Sin from
|
|
rlm@2
|
614 destroying everything. And she couldn't help those fighting him as it
|
|
rlm@2
|
615 is. But she could stop Sin before it was too late. A hand grabbed
|
|
rlm@2
|
616 Kairi's shoulder before she could fade away from the group and follow
|
|
rlm@2
|
617 the boy. “I'm going with you. You might need help. If anything
|
|
rlm@2
|
618 happens, I can handle it.” Yuffie winked at her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
619
|
|
rlm@2
|
620 “I'm going, too, then,” Relm added, stepping up behind
|
|
rlm@2
|
621 Yuffie.Smiling, Kairi nodded. “Thanks, you two. I appreciate it.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
622 Looking back at the boy, she began to follow him. There wasn't much
|
|
rlm@2
|
623 time left.
|
|
rlm@2
|
624
|
|
rlm@2
|
625 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
626
|
|
rlm@2
|
627 The cloaked boy led the way to Riku and Sora's secret place. Even
|
|
rlm@2
|
628 amidst the chaos, it had escaped unscathed. Memories flooded back to
|
|
rlm@2
|
629 Kairi as she looked around the cave. She smiled faintly at the
|
|
rlm@2
|
630 pictures Sora and Riku had drawn on the walls, some of them of her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
631 There. Near the strange doorway at the end of the cave that shouldn't
|
|
rlm@2
|
632 be there. Yuna stood there along with Rikku.
|
|
rlm@2
|
633
|
|
rlm@2
|
634 “Rikku!” Surprise took Yuffie off guard as she saw her younger
|
|
rlm@2
|
635 sister at the back of the cave. So she was alive after all. Yuffie
|
|
rlm@2
|
636 had thought she'd run off when Rikku had been changed into a kitten.
|
|
rlm@2
|
637 And then when they'd found out she was the kitten on Opassa beach,
|
|
rlm@2
|
638 they'd been scattered to different worlds. “You're okay!” Yuffie
|
|
rlm@2
|
639 hadn't realized just how worried she'd been about her sister's fate
|
|
rlm@2
|
640 until now. She ran to the catgirl, trying to make sure she was okay.
|
|
rlm@2
|
641 She'd always been there to protect the younger girl before. Now she
|
|
rlm@2
|
642 was worried about what might have happened while she'd been away.
|
|
rlm@2
|
643 “Yuffie!” Rikku clutched onto the ninja girl, her heart lifting. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
644 big sister was here. Everything would be fine now. They'd fix
|
|
rlm@2
|
645 whatever was going on. Yuna would be just fine and they'd be able to
|
|
rlm@2
|
646 go see all the many worlds out there together. Relm stayed back at
|
|
rlm@2
|
647 the sisterly reunion. It was nice to see Yuffie as obviously happy as
|
|
rlm@2
|
648 she was right now. The ninja usually hid behind her sarcasm and
|
|
rlm@2
|
649 bravado. Seeing this was beautiful to the artist.Kairi looked at Yuna
|
|
rlm@2
|
650 and then back at the hooded boy. The boy nodded. Kairi shook her
|
|
rlm@2
|
651 head, her heart slipping. “No. I can't.” Up till now, she hadn't
|
|
rlm@2
|
652 known any of the Keyholes. Kuja and Kefka had tried to hurt her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
653 Ultimecia had tried to trap her in a dreamworld. This was her friend.
|
|
rlm@2
|
654 How could she unlock the Keyhole in her heart if it meant she would
|
|
rlm@2
|
655 die? Yuna was one of the sweetest girls she knew, always trying to
|
|
rlm@2
|
656 help the other islanders. Could such a quiet, helpful girl really be
|
|
rlm@2
|
657 the Keyhole? The reason that Sin was here? Taking a step forward,
|
|
rlm@2
|
658 Kairi's mind spun as it tried to find an answer. She had to unlock
|
|
rlm@2
|
659 the Keyhole. But she couldn't hurt Yuna. “Yuna, you have to stop
|
|
rlm@2
|
660 this. You can't destory the Destiny Islands.”Shaking her head, Yuna
|
|
rlm@2
|
661 watched Kairi approach. “I have to. I can't stop now. Kairi, don't
|
|
rlm@2
|
662 you miss them? Riku and Sora? You've gone through so much pain and
|
|
rlm@2
|
663 hardship. Don't you understand? I can end that. Right now. I can save
|
|
rlm@2
|
664 everyone.” Her eyes lit up beautifully. “I can stop all of the
|
|
rlm@2
|
665 suffering. Once and for all. We can all be together with the ones we
|
|
rlm@2
|
666 love.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
667
|
|
rlm@2
|
668 “Even if we're far apart, we're always together. They're still with
|
|
rlm@2
|
669 me even now.” Kairi shook her head. “I know everyone suffers. But I
|
|
rlm@2
|
670 think there's more than that. It isn't all pain. It isn't all
|
|
rlm@2
|
671 suffering. There are beautiful moments, too. No matter how bad things
|
|
rlm@2
|
672 are, there are still shining lights here and there if you know where
|
|
rlm@2
|
673 to find them.” 'Like my mother. Even if I was lonely in my other
|
|
rlm@2
|
674 life, I still had my mother.'
|
|
rlm@2
|
675
|
|
rlm@2
|
676 Swallowing, Yuna fought back the tears that glistened in her eyes.
|
|
rlm@2
|
677 “I know that. But everything you hold dear is eventually taken from
|
|
rlm@2
|
678 you. Everyone you love will one day die. Everything that matters will
|
|
rlm@2
|
679 wither.” “But that's life. Life is pain. But life is love. Life is
|
|
rlm@2
|
680 fleeting. But it's darness and light. Together. And if it hurts,
|
|
rlm@2
|
681 we'll appreciate the things we love even more when we can be with
|
|
rlm@2
|
682 them again when it's over,” Kairi pleaded. 'Don't make me face you,
|
|
rlm@2
|
683 Yuna. I don't want to hurt anyone else. Please.'Yuna shook her head,
|
|
rlm@2
|
684 closing her eyes tightly. “You of all people should understand,
|
|
rlm@2
|
685 Kairi. You understood about giving up your life so that you could be
|
|
rlm@2
|
686 free. You escaped. I'm just trying to give everyone that
|
|
rlm@2
|
687 freedom.”“But that's the problem! I couldn't completely give up on my
|
|
rlm@2
|
688 life, no matter how much I tried. That's why the Heartless are here.
|
|
rlm@2
|
689 That's why I'm still stuck between worlds. Some people aren't ready
|
|
rlm@2
|
690 to give up their lives yet. Some people have more they want to do
|
|
rlm@2
|
691 before they move on,” Kairi explained, almost to Yuna. Rikku stood
|
|
rlm@2
|
692 with Yuffie, watching the two of them. The hooded boy was behind her
|
|
rlm@2
|
693 while Relm waited near the entrance to the cave. “What about the
|
|
rlm@2
|
694 people who weren't asked if they were ready?! What about the people
|
|
rlm@2
|
695 who had so much more to do but never got to? What about those of us
|
|
rlm@2
|
696 forced to live who never wanted to face that pain and suffering in
|
|
rlm@2
|
697 everyone's heart?” Shaking, Yuna's tears fell down to her feet. Pain
|
|
rlm@2
|
698 and loss and confusion cut at her heart like a rabid beast. “Yunie,
|
|
rlm@2
|
699 please. We can work this out. I'll be with you. No matter what. I'll
|
|
rlm@2
|
700 be there with you. We can handle whatever pain there is. I promise.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
701 Rikku pulled away from Yuffie, stepping towards Yuna. “I love you.
|
|
rlm@2
|
702 I'll always be with you.” Yuffie watched, her surprise growing. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
703 little sister had fallen in love while she was gone? With this girl
|
|
rlm@2
|
704 who was trying to end everything? Now what was she supposed to
|
|
rlm@2
|
705 do?“I'm sorry, Rikku. I have to. I was the one who called Sin all
|
|
rlm@2
|
706 along. I just didn't understand. But Sin came to end all of this pain
|
|
rlm@2
|
707 and suffering. I have to save everyone. I don't want anyone to ever
|
|
rlm@2
|
708 hurt again. If we keep living, I might lose you. One of us might die.
|
|
rlm@2
|
709 Any number of things could happen. But it won't get the chance. I
|
|
rlm@2
|
710 love you, too. I won't let anything take you away from me. I won't
|
|
rlm@2
|
711 let this world hurt either of us. Any of us. Ever again.” The cave
|
|
rlm@2
|
712 shook as Sin crashed along the island, its inhuman howl reaching them
|
|
rlm@2
|
713 even in the depths of the cave. “Life will end. We'll finally be
|
|
rlm@2
|
714 free.” She smiled as she reached the door behind her, pulling it
|
|
rlm@2
|
715 open. Darkness spilled out from beyond the doorway. “With the doorway
|
|
rlm@2
|
716 open, Sin can read all the worlds. It can break the chains of life.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
717 The caves shook harder, sending most of them sprawling. Sin was
|
|
rlm@2
|
718 coming.“No!!” Kairi cried out. They were running out of time. Sin now
|
|
rlm@2
|
719 had what it wanted. A way out. A way to get to everything. A way to
|
|
rlm@2
|
720 kill all existence. Kairi lunged forward right as Yuna turned. The
|
|
rlm@2
|
721 Keyblade plunged deep into her chest. For the time being, Kairi had
|
|
rlm@2
|
722 to force her doubts away. But that was made nearly impossible by the
|
|
rlm@2
|
723 way Yuna looked back at her, serene. The blue and green eyed girl was
|
|
rlm@2
|
724 happy, unafraid of what was to come. 'You of all people should
|
|
rlm@2
|
725 understand, Kairi,' her voice whispered in the princess's head. Kairi
|
|
rlm@2
|
726 hesitated. There wasn't time. “I'm so sorry...” she got out before
|
|
rlm@2
|
727 turning the Keyblade. The shaking stopped immediately. Light flooded
|
|
rlm@2
|
728 the cave as the Keyhole was unlocked.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@2
|
729
|
|
rlm@2
|
730 She was everywhere and she was nowhere. Who was she? Kairi. Or was
|
|
rlm@2
|
731 it Hikari? A princess. Or was she an island girl? Or maybe a lonely
|
|
rlm@2
|
732 student living with her mother? She was all of these things. And she
|
|
rlm@2
|
733 was none of these things. There was brilliant light. And there was
|
|
rlm@2
|
734 endless darkness. They swirled and mixed and carressed in an endless
|
|
rlm@2
|
735 dance.
|
|
rlm@2
|
736
|
|
rlm@2
|
737 “You have unlocked the light in the heart of Suffering,” the
|
|
rlm@2
|
738 everpresent voice said. It sounded so very familiar. She couldn't
|
|
rlm@2
|
739 quite place it or where it was coming from.
|
|
rlm@2
|
740 “Life is filled with so much pain. The one's you love are taken from
|
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rlm@2
|
741 you so very quickly. In death, there is freedom. There is an end to
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rlm@2
|
742 pain. I only wanted to end everyone's suffering. I wanted to save
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rlm@2
|
743 everyone. I wanted that pain that always lives in your heart to
|
|
rlm@2
|
744 finally disappear forever. I wanted to be with my father again.
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|
rlm@2
|
745 And... I fell in love with Rikku. But I was so scared that I would
|
|
rlm@2
|
746 lose her just like I lost my father. But now, I guess I'll finally
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|
rlm@2
|
747 escape the pain of life. Now I'm finally free. I'll wait for Rikku as
|
|
rlm@2
|
748 long as it takes. I'll finally see my father again. Thank you, Kairi.
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rlm@2
|
749 I hope you find what you're looking for.”Kairi would have closed her
|
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rlm@2
|
750 eyes if she had eyes to close in this world of light and darkness.
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rlm@2
|
751 She would have swallowed back the pain in her heart if she could only
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rlm@2
|
752 swallow. But the emotions, the pain and the sorrow, were acutely
|
|
rlm@2
|
753 real. “I hope so, too. I'm sorry, Yuna. I'm so sorry.”
|
|
rlm@2
|
754 As Yuna's heart departed to join the Lifestream, the Farplane, Kairi
|
|
rlm@2
|
755 was left behind by the light, like an unwanted child. It disappeared,
|
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rlm@2
|
756 leaving her feeling cold and out of place in the small, dark cave.
|
|
rlm@2
|
757 “Where's Yunie?” Rikku asked, horrified to see only Kairi return
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|
rlm@2
|
758 from the light. “What happened to Yunie?” She glanced at the other
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|
rlm@2
|
759 faces, finally stopping on her sister's. Yuffie couldn't meet her
|
|
rlm@2
|
760 gaze. Cold realization crept through her, nearly stopping her heart.
|
|
rlm@2
|
761 “So... Yunie... Yunie is...” She couldn't get herself to say it.
|
|
rlm@2
|
762 Tears splashed down her cheeks, her body going cold. Yuna was gone.
|
|
rlm@2
|
763 She had failed to protect her. All her promises had been for naught.
|
|
rlm@2
|
764 “Why!? Why did she have to die? I met her, I promised I'd keep her
|
|
rlm@2
|
765 safe always, and she had to die for that?” Her body shook, her vision
|
|
rlm@2
|
766 blurring as tears fell faster than she could blink them away. Her
|
|
rlm@2
|
767 eyes locked on Kairi. “You killed her! She wanted to save everyone
|
|
rlm@2
|
768 and you killed her! She only wanted to make everyone happy!”
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|
rlm@2
|
769
|
|
rlm@2
|
770 Kairi looked away from Rikku, ashamed. Yuffie said nothing. What
|
|
rlm@2
|
771 could she possibly say to help her sister? The girl she loved was
|
|
rlm@2
|
772 dead now. And there was nothing she could do. Rikku's heart
|
|
rlm@2
|
773 shattered. She didn't even have a body to hold. It was as if Yuna had
|
|
rlm@2
|
774 never been. She would never get to see that smile again. She would
|
|
rlm@2
|
775 never be able to hear her giggle, to feel her lips. It was all gone,
|
|
rlm@2
|
776 as quickly as the wind. And that girl, the girl who had helped her as
|
|
rlm@2
|
777 a kitten, she was the cause of it. If it weren't for her, she'd be
|
|
rlm@2
|
778 with Yuna now. By a cruel twist of fate, Rikku had shown up first on
|
|
rlm@2
|
779 the island and had fallen in love with the beautiful brunette. But
|
|
rlm@2
|
780 almost as if she were a harbinger of fate, the girl she had travelled
|
|
rlm@2
|
781 with, the Keyblade Mistress had followed her. Kairi had shown up and
|
|
rlm@2
|
782 taked away Rikku's most precious treasure. She had taken away
|
|
rlm@2
|
783 everything. Firey rage and ice cold sorrow tore at her mangled heart,
|
|
rlm@2
|
784 shredding it into bloody pieces. 'I'll protect you, Yunie. I'll
|
|
rlm@2
|
785 always be with you,' she had promised. And she had failed. All
|
|
rlm@2
|
786 because of her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
787
|
|
rlm@2
|
788 Rikku ran forward, moving with tremendous speed. Her fist raised
|
|
rlm@2
|
789 into the air, the razor sharp blades on her glove glinting in the dim
|
|
rlm@2
|
790 light. Kairi stared in shock, her lavender eyes wide as she realized
|
|
rlm@2
|
791 she was going to die. Yuffie could only watch, too stunned by the
|
|
rlm@2
|
792 suddenness of it all to leap to anyone's aid. Kairi would die. Rikku
|
|
rlm@2
|
793 may have failed to save Yuna, but she would take revenge for her
|
|
rlm@2
|
794 death.
|
|
rlm@2
|
795
|
|
rlm@2
|
796 And with a flash of steel, it was done. Kairi shook, her heart
|
|
rlm@2
|
797 pounding in her chest. Her vision still burned with images of bared
|
|
rlm@2
|
798 fangs, a glint of blades, and hatefilled eyes. She had broken Rikku,
|
|
rlm@2
|
799 stolen the one thing most important to her. And in return, she was to
|
|
rlm@2
|
800 forfeit her life. But that hadn't happened. At least, she didn't
|
|
rlm@2
|
801 think so. So what had happened. She looked around, finally spotting
|
|
rlm@2
|
802 Rikku on the floor in front of her. Blood lay in a pool around her.
|
|
rlm@2
|
803 The catgirl was dead. The cloaked boy had jumped in the way, stabbing
|
|
rlm@2
|
804 Rikku before she could reach Kairi. And now she was dead. Kairi's
|
|
rlm@2
|
805 knees gave out and she stumbled back, away from the body. “Rikku!!”
|
|
rlm@2
|
806 Yuffie screamed, running to Rikku's side. But it was too late.
|
|
rlm@2
|
807 Turning the catgirl over, Rikku looked blankly up at the roof with
|
|
rlm@2
|
808 dim green eyes. The light in them was gone. She didn't move an inch.
|
|
rlm@2
|
809 “Rikku...” It hardly seemed fair. How could her little sister die
|
|
rlm@2
|
810 like that? How could she have let this happen? How could her sister
|
|
rlm@2
|
811 die in her quest for Kingdom Hearts? But she was. The girl she had
|
|
rlm@2
|
812 practically raised since they were both little. The girl who had
|
|
rlm@2
|
813 always looked up to her. And now she was gone. Yuffie cradled her
|
|
rlm@2
|
814 body, crying against the blood soaked fur. Darkness and light
|
|
rlm@2
|
815 continued their dance, as another casualty lay senselessly on the
|
|
rlm@2
|
816 floor. In a way, Kairi had been responsible for both deaths. And yet,
|
|
rlm@2
|
817 was there another way? You didn't get second chances. You couldn't go
|
|
rlm@2
|
818 back and redo things until you did them right. Things merely fell as
|
|
rlm@2
|
819 they may in front of you. And because of her, both girls were now
|
|
rlm@2
|
820 dead. Yuffie held onto Rikku, torn and crying. Relm could only try to
|
|
rlm@2
|
821 offer what support she could. A hand rested on her shoulder. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
822 turned to see Sora looking at her sympathetically.
|
|
rlm@2
|
823
|
|
rlm@2
|
824 “It'll be okay, Kairi. Somehow,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. He
|
|
rlm@2
|
825 faded as she got to her feet.
|
|
rlm@2
|
826 “You're running out of time. You have to hurry,” the cloaked boy
|
|
rlm@2
|
827 said, pointing towards the doorway leading into darkness.
|
|
rlm@2
|
828
|
|
rlm@2
|
829 Kairi nodded. She had come this far. She couldn't give up now. She
|
|
rlm@2
|
830 owed it to the people who had died, to those who still wanted to
|
|
rlm@2
|
831 live. Taking one last look at Yuffie and Relm, she started for the
|
|
rlm@2
|
832 door. She had hurt enough people. She didn't want anyone else to get
|
|
rlm@2
|
833 hurt because of her. This was her fight. She would finish it on her
|
|
rlm@2
|
834 own.
|
|
rlm@2
|
835
|
