The Fantasy Games (Final Fantasy Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight: Animal I Have Become

She was about to turn around and flee from the remains of the opening bloodbath but blonde spikes caught her eye as usual. He'd obtained a buster sword, long and wide and deadly sharp as he slashed at Sector Three's female tribute. Yuna didn't know what she was; she only knew that she was female with scraggly grey hair, cold eyes and two yellow plants sprouting from her body. She wore barely any clothing, just enough to cover up the most private parts of the female anatomy.

Cloud slashed at her with the sword, cutting off her precious plants as they snapped at him and causing her to scream in pain. Cloud didn't seem to even notice the woman's pain as he slashed horizontally at her stomach. The dark tribute tried to jump back out of the way but only managed to avoid a fatal blow although receiving a deep enough cut across her abdomen. She tilted her head back to the sky and cried in outrage, leaving herself open and allowing Cloud to finish her off easily.

Yuna was horrified that he didn't even hesitate to shove his buster sword through her body and push hard so that the tip tore open the skin of her back. She could see the life fade from her being as the woman went limp and the SOLDIER pulled his sword out of her body in one strong motion.

Her hands covered her mouth automatically in an attempt to hold in her gasp at his emotionless face as he wiped the sword on his pant leg, cleaning off the blood as though it was only water; no big deal. She felt her stomach clench with the fear that he'd heard her when he paused and looked in her direction, their eyes meeting across the battle field. She felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart skip a beat in her chest at the sight of his angelic appearance. How could someone so beautiful kill so easily?

Don't fall in love...

She lowered her hands, hefting her rucksack over her shoulder and steeling her gaze. Isaaru had always taught her to control her emotions and she had mastered the talent; now was the time to put it to good use. Paine had warned her of the mistake of letting her heart run free, her sister had died for love and Donna had become but an empty vessel thanks to the loss of her loved one. She would not repeat their mistakes.

She didn't care that he was still staring at her as she turned and ran into the forest as fast as she could, dodging through bushes and past trees, keeping an eye out for other tributes and an ear out for fiends. She was so focused on getting to a water source and then to high ground that she didn't even bother to check the contents of her backpack nor did she realise that a tribute with mako eyes had run off in the same direction as her.

*****

Paine allowed a soft sigh of relief to escape her lips as she sat in her dark room in front of the television. The technology in the Capitol never ceased to amaze the stoic warrior although she would never show such emotion. It was much more advanced than the machina they had back at home. Her little brother, Shinra, would've loved to take every machina from the Capitol apart and study it in detail, but she couldn't bring him here, it was too dangerous.

She stared at the screen, watching as Yuna dashed through the woods like a cheetah, jumping over brushes and dodging trunks of trees with ease. Paine had to hand it to her; she never slowed her pace or tripped, the intense fitness training had really paid off. Paine had agreed to monitor Yuna's actions in the games while Auron took care of Tidus and both would report on their chosen tributes' status at the end of the day.

The first time she had mentored a tribute, she had been nervously picking at her nails while watching the opening bloodbath. Poor Calli hadn't stood a chance in the chaos, the girl had been too sweet and innocent to really realise what she would be up against and what she would have to do to win the games. Calli had been the first to die in the blood bath, decapitated by a tribute from Sector Four.