Chaos.
Yuna hated it, she loathed the word itself but she couldn't help but wonder what it was exactly. What others saw it as. Perhaps as a force? Or a feeling? It couldn't be physical, you couldn't touch it or materially feel it but you could really feel its wrath. She felt it right now, she could feel its unholy presence, making her skin crawl and her stomach flip. She knew it was caused by all Hell breaking lose, when twenty-six teenagers sprang into action as the countdown reached zero, when control was lost, when order was disrupted, when peace was broken...
When primeval sides took over...
She was no better; she had leapt off of her platform and made a beeline for a small rucksack that was moved farther from the other items at the base of the giant Shinra monument. She had forgotten all about the other tributes, about Tidus, even about Cloud, just focusing on the bag and then running into the forests. That's what animals did wasn't it? They only focused on one thing at a time, only on the one thing that would help them to survive and once they obtained it, they thought of the next thing, repeating the process their whole lives.
Now she had become an animal, along with all the other tributes, it was probably why she was still alive. She was completely focused on survival and on her senses, she felt as though she could hear, smell and see everything all at the one time. It was funny how alive she felt so close to her death.
She could hear screams of pain and terror around her, she wanted to block them out so much and never hear such torturous sounds again, but she knew she couldn't. Life wasn't that fair. She could see a bullet shoot through Sector One's female tribute's head, splattering blood all over the grass and staining the girl's beautiful hair. She couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips, looking around wildly while running for the person with the gun. Seifer's wide grin answered her unasked question and only made her double her efforts to escape. She didn't want for anyone to see part of her brain staining the lush green grass.
Looking behind her to see if anyone was near enough to strike out at her, she could see Sector Eleven's male tribute pick up a gigantic sword and gorge the beautiful girl from Sector Four with the long blonde hair and bright eyes. Yuna didn't have time to feel sorry for Rosa as the sword was ripped forcefully out of her and used to block an oncoming lance from a furious dragoon. By the sound of his scream of agony, Yuna didn't think he managed to keep the lance at bay.
She forced herself to forget about the screams and bloodshed behind her and continued to sprint towards the bag, glad of the hours she put into raising her fitness. Sector Twelve's female tribute, her name was Ann or Ashe or something like that, appeared in front of her, running like a scared deer and not looking where she was going. Yuna didn't even hesitate to twist her body to the side, rolling around her before resuming her journey to the bag. A small part of her hoped Paine saw that quick reflex.
She reached down and grabbed the handle while running, never stopping. The sound of the wind whooshing unnaturally and the rattle of chains sent a warning shiver down her spine as she ran. The black blur coming towards her from the right sent her nerves skyrocketing until she had no control over her actions. Her instincts took over as she felt a sharp object approaching at neck height, ready to decapitate her. She didn't even think about what she was doing until she had tilted her head back to the sky, letting her knees buckle and skidding along the grass on her shins as the deadly weapon flew by above her. Using the momentum to send her forward into a roll and leap back onto her feet, she sprinted onwards, not breaking pace and allowing a small sense of victory to rise within her at the sound of Garland's enraged growl from behind her.
She reached the outskirts of the forest and paused, ignoring her instincts and turning back to see if anyone had followed her. No one had noticed her quick exit; they were all too preoccupied with staying alive. Bodies littered the ground as blood stained the grass. She could see Garland in the middle of it, his big form dominating the other tributes who remained alive. She could see Ann or Ashe make it into the forest while the two youngest tributes, Zidane and Garnet reach safety on the other side. A long blue jacket caught her attention as jet black hair with brown highlights billowed out behind Rinoa as she ran into the trees, her own rucksack in hand.
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.
This year's opening to the games had been slightly messier than usual; no doubt the viewers of the Capitol were lapping up the whole ordeal. Seven tributes had died and quite painfully too. Sector Eleven and Sector Three had lost both their tributes. Sector Five's female tribute, Lenna, had both her arms amputated before the poor girl was finally put out of her misery with a sword through the heart. Rosa and Sarah had fallen also, at least Sarah had been dead within a second, Rosa had laid on the ground spasming uncontrollably as blood leaked out of the corner of her mouth and dribbled down her chin. Her partner had been quick to avenge her and to make sure that her killer had died extremely slowly and painfully. The viewers had probably loved that and would think the man was satisfied with his disgusting kill, but Paine knew better. She could see the grief written across his face. He'd obviously loved the girl and now he had nothing to lose, which made him a very dangerous opponent. Paine knew what the loss of love could do to someone in the games. She had faith in Yuna to not repeat her mistakes.
She had been nervous for Yuna - and Tidus - in the bloodbath, but both had made it out, although Yuna just made it by the skin of her teeth. She had wanted to scream at Yuna, to warn her about the oncoming chain sword but the summoner had easily dodged it and with style. At least that would attract sponsors.
So far, Paine had gotten the summoner a few sponsors although most wealthy people wouldn't talk to one with a reputation such as her but she had collected a heavy amount to afford Yuna small bits of help. Vincent Valentine, a previous victor of the Fantasy Games and an old friend, had given her a large sum of money to put towards Yuna. Vincent probably had a worse reputation than her. Only coming out at night, wearing a red tattered cape and barely conversing with anyone - not to mention his matching red eyes - had earned him the title of a vampire. Paine knew the misunderstood man better than that though, she knew all about his past and the demons he faced within himself, he had confided in her as she had understood his situation and now they considered one another a close friend. There was nothing romantic between the two, just someone to listen to their problems and share a comfortable silence.
Paine had put all of Vincent's money and a bit from other sponsors towards a summoning staff for Yuna. The Capitol preferred to use materia to summon but this wasn't as effective as Yuna's summoning. The chosen summon would perform a powerful attack but then disappear straight away afterwards, at least Yuna's aeon could remain until defeated.
She had tried to buy a staff immediately but all were inefficient for summoning and would break too easily. She had had no choice but to bring the money to a weapon's producer and give firm instructions of the staff she wanted created for Yuna. The man had said it wasn't his forte to design staffs for summoners but had agreed to craft the weapon. It would be ready in about a week and a half or so. Paine hoped Yuna would survive that long.
The warrior unconsciously tightened her grip on the two tiny bee pistols in front of her, along with the pouch full of clips to provide ammo for the guns. She would wait until Yuna settled for the night and then she would send them in, but she feared she might have to send them in earlier by the direction Yuna was heading.
She briskly set the pistols down and jumped off the bed, heading to the small dressing table to retrieve her 'illegal' map. It was true that mentors weren't allowed to have a map of the game field in their possession as it gave them an unfair advantage over those who didn't have one; only members of the Turks were allowed to have such a helpful object in their possession. Technically it wasn't her fault, she had reassured herself, because Zack had given it to her and it would simply be too rude to turn down such a gift. Though one would argue that she wouldn't care about being rude to the porcupine, she'd retort saying she'd had a change of heart. Everyone can change.
When she'd asked Zack where he'd gotten it from he'd simply replied, 'Tifa' with one of his arrogant grins. That's when it had all clicked together for Paine. Tifa was the Capitol's tributes' stylist, she had won the games before Paine but had chosen to style the tributes rather than train them. As far as Paine knew, Tifa was currently in a relationship with a certain fiery-haired Turk so it would be relatively easy for the woman to get her hands on a map. Paine didn't really know the woman that well, they had talked once or twice but Paine liked her. She was optimistic yet not annoying, an excellent martial artist yet not arrogant, beautiful yet not snobby and kind, not asking for any help or anything in return. Reno was a lucky man.
She felt her brows slant downwards as her lips twisted into a grimace when she pin-pointed Yuna's location on the photocopied map. Her theory had been correct and it only worried her more, perhaps she really would have to send in the guns earlier.
"You look distressed," a low voice came from the direction of her open window.
"Just anxious," she replied instantly, her monotone betraying nothing but her facial features speaking otherwise. She didn't even turn to look at the man in a crouch on her window ledge, she knew he meant her no harm and she was so used to him calling through the window by this stage that it rarely startled her.
His silence answered her retort but she knew he was raising an eyebrow in question. Paine gestured for him to enter, knowing he'd never fully come into her room without permission, too much of a gentleman. A soft thump, almost inaudible due to his stealth, sounded a second later. She didn't offer him a seat, she knew he'd take it if he wanted one, but usually he just stood, arms crossed and expression unreadable.
His silence was enough for her to know that if she wanted to discuss whatever was causing her anxiety, he would listen and she found herself heaving a barely audible sigh of gratitude. She had no doubt he heard it. "Yuna survived the opening bloodbath, she's currently fleeing through the forest but..." she finally turned to the man, lifting the map for him to see and pointing to an area shaded in red on the map. By the way his crimson eyes flashed briefly and his tattered cloak flickered slightly she could tell he was surprised but she continued on, "she's heading into dangerous territory."
*****
Her breath started coming in short uneven gasps as she sprinted through the thick green woods. How long had she been running for? An hour? Two hours? Maybe three? Or maybe it had just seemed that long to her tired legs? Her lungs ached for more oxygen and every breath she took strained her ribs and sent a stab of pain into her chest. She did her best to ignore the feeling, to pretend she didn't care and continue on sprinting but she knew she'd have to stop soon. She had entered the games in the evening time and the sun was beginning to dip down from what she could see past the trees. She'd need somewhere to rest for the night.
She stopped, bent over and tried to even out her breathing and calm her racing heart, studying her surroundings as she did so. There wasn't much to see though, just lots of trees and bushes. Turning her gaze upwards, she could see a sturdy branch high above in one of the trees covered by moss and sheltered by leaves. It would be a handy enough place to rest.
Shifting the rucksack hanging over her shoulder into a more comfortable position, she heaved a strained sigh and steeled her resolve. She had climbed trees bigger than this in Besaid; she'd climbed ruins and fell twenty feet into the sea. This wouldn't be a problem.
Her ascension to the thick branch took at least fifteen minutes, the moss on the tree and some of the frail branches didn't make it easy for her but she grasped at every foothold and sturdy branch until she finally reached the top, only then it occurred to her to check the contents of her rucksack.
Straddling the branch with ease and thanking Lulu silently for the manoeuvrable outfit, she zipped open the bag in front of her and searched through the contents. Waterproof blanket, empty plastic bottle for water, three energy bars, rope, a small dagger, one bottle of ether and two potions, she couldn't say that she was unhappy with it at least she wouldn't starve immediately and if she did run out of energy to call upon her magic, she could drink the ether.
Darkness began to fall over the game field as the sun sunk behind the hills. She repacked the bag, although she kept the small dagger in her pouch on her hip, she'd never know when she'd need it. There was no point in sleeping on the ground, anything could attack at any time and she'd be defenceless. So, covering herself with the waterproof blanket and securing her body to the branch using the rope, she laid back against the tree trunk and pulled her pink hood up over her head just in case it did rain.
Sleep didn't come straight away to the tired tribute. Questions kept swirling around in her head and troublesome thoughts plagued her mind. Who was still alive? Who died? When would a decent weapon arrive? Where was Tidus? Was he even alive? That one question brought silent tears to her eyes every time it surfaced in her thoughts. She still couldn't really believe that she was in the Games, that she could die at any moment; that she may never see Rikku, or Paine, or Lulu, or even Tidus again. Only yesterday she had been laughing with Lulu and Paine and reminiscing on past events with Tidus. Only less than a month ago she had been cooking with Rikku in their small hut and giggling under their breath as brother and Cid argued back and front while setting the table. She couldn't really seem to understand that she may never do those things again and that any of the upcoming days could well be her last. The reality that she may never escape these games just hadn't hit her yet.
She tried to force sleep to come, squeezing her eyes shut and keeping her breathing deep and even but every time she would hear a branch creak or a leaf flicker she would sit bolt upright with her hands raised and a spell on the tip of her tongue. Her nerves were on edge from fear of another tribute discovering her or a fiend or monster hunting her. The fact that her aeons stirred in her soul every time her stomach flipped from terror or her brow furrowed with worry only made the uneasiness worse.
She must've gone to sleep at some stage however because she awoke suddenly to sunlight blinding her through the trees. Squinting slightly and giving off a sleepy yawn she sat up and cracked her back letting off a tiny groan as she stretched her stiff limbs. It hadn't been the most comfortable of places to sleep but at least she had made it through her first night in the games. She suddenly felt tired all over again just at the thought of moving on through the expansive virtual field but she knew it had to be done, Paine had warned her staying in the one place was too dangerous unless it was somewhere isolated and well-hidden.
Untying the rope and wrapping it up neatly in the blanket, she placed both items in her backpack and closed the zip up. She shifted so that she was in a crouching position on the branch and took the chance to study her surroundings now that she was slightly more refreshed and alert. She could see no movement on the forest floor below and the only real movement at her level was the gentle sway of branches and leaves. She was surprised by how many trees and bushes there were, she didn't think that the Turks would make the forest so thick and dense. Wouldn't the public want open areas suited for epic battles between tributes?
She was about to drop down onto a branch below when her heart grew cold and felt as though it had pins and needles. Hesitating and remaining in her crouching position, she leaned closer to the trunk of the tree and held her breath in anticipation. She tried to communicate with the icy aeon awake in her soul but no response came, just a silent warning in the form of a cold mist surrounding her heart.
That's when she heard the voices, three to be exact. One was low and slightly posh with a hint of bitter sorrow lacing its masculinity, another was boyish and cocky and the last was rough and commanding. Yuna held in her gasp, clamping her hand over her mouth as Garland, Kain, Seifer and Gabranth came into view below her. Kain, Seifer and Garland seemed to be bickering about something whereas Gabranth merely watched the heated exchange. She wondered why they weren't fighting to the death, Kain had a fierce looking lance in hand while Garland held his trademark sword and was covered from head to toe in shiny black armour with a long cape. Seifer held his own gunblade lazily over his shoulder and Gabranth carried a sharp looking sword in each hand, his own armour shining in the morning light.
Allies. They must be allies, she concluded as they passed beneath her. Paine had warned her that groups will be formed and to stay away from them. The warrior had sternly told her not to trust anyone and not to make any friends. Allies were okay but not friends. Paine had warned her that it was best not to make any allies for fear she'd become attached to them and fail to kill them when the time came. She didn't want anything to do with this certain group, Seifer proved to be completely selfish when he didn't stick up for Rinoa and she doubted Garland would be that happy to see her. She had challenged him, hadn't she? Four against one didn't seem like very good odds to her.
She remained perfectly still, waiting patiently for them to pass underneath her. She ignored the pained sensation in her legs from crouching for too long and bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from groaning. She could feel her aeons slowly awaken to give her support, comforting feelings like the smallest tickle of a flower petal or the soft brush of a unicorn's silky mane within her soul. Just those small touches gave her the strength to remain like a statue and keep her well-trained patience. If she survived these games she really had to thank Isaaru for her lessons.
To her dismay they had stopped right below her tree and had begun to point in different directions and argue even louder. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and bit down even harder on her bottom lip. Her legs couldn't take much more of the strain; she had to do something...
Slowly standing up and using the trunk for support, she held her breath as the boys remained oblivious to her actions. She could see another sturdy branch stretching out straight in front of her, maybe if she just jumped over to it, she could make her way away from them silently through the trees, provided she didn't stumble or slip. It was a better option than remaining where she was like a sitting duck, waiting to be killed, plucked and cooked.
She walked slowly away from the trunk and outwards on the branch, taking shallow breaths that were barely audible. She made sure to put the heel of her foot down first, then slowly lower the rest of the sole of her shoe, the same way she would do if she were hunting an animal. She made sure her bag was firmly resting on her shoulder as she crept outwards. If she looked down she could easily see the tops of their heads and helmets and suddenly felt a wave of nausea overcome her, one false move and her cover would be blown.
Turning her eyes back upwards and taking another step, carefully keeping her balance, she felt a deep sense of dread settle into the bottom of her stomach as she saw a small blue bird resting on the branch ahead of her. Her eyes widened as she quickly put a finger to her lips in a pointless attempt to keep the small animal quiet but the sudden movement startled the poor creature, causing it to squawk loudly and fly away.
She held her breath as she turned her eyes back downwards to the boys who were turning their heads like startled chocobos, looking for the source of the cry. Each had their weapons drawn and were positioned in ready stances.
Of all the tributes that could've looked up at that exact moment it just had to be him.
Garland.
An enraged gruff shout and the sound of a rattling chain caused her to throw caution to the window and sprint over to the other branch, leaping off the previous one just in time to hear wood splintering as a chain sword demolished the spot where she had just been standing. She didn't bother to look back as she raced ahead, trying to lose her opponents through the tree tops.
From her experience in running along branches she knew it was best not to hesitate, just to keep going. If she fell she would grab onto something and keep going and if her foot slipped she'd use the other to maintain balance. She kept looking forwards as she ran, knowing that if she truly realised the height she was at, she would falter and more than likely be killed.
Or worse.
Her feet somehow managed to miraculously find some form of a branch or foothold to allow her to keep pace as she seemed to fly through the trees. Lifting her arms upwards she grabbed onto a branch and using the moment swung her whole body across to a lower section of the tree tops. Slippery moss covered the wood beneath her feet and caused her to skid downwards on the descending branch. She kept her balance, turning her feet sideways as she would do when standing up on a chocobo.
She could hear thundering footsteps behind her as she leapt onto the forest floor, rolling to soften her fall and continuing to sprint onwards. She ignored the shouts from the four tributes, dodging trunks of trees and jumping over bushes. She could practically feel a very close presence behind her, someone strong and agile. She could see a flash of purple behind her along with a set of determined eyes that made her heart tremble with fear at what he might be so determined to do.
"Fire!" she shouted, throwing a hand over the opposite shoulder as flames shot at the dragoon, causing him to fall back to avoid being scorched. She allowed the corners of her lips to twitch upwards slightly at her small success, pumping her legs even faster, leaving the dragoon to eat her dust.
She couldn't hear anyone behind her and the way her aeons had calmed slightly she could tell she was no longer being chased. She slowed her pace until she came to a complete stop, turning around with her hands raised, a spell ready on her lips just in case she was wrong about her gut instinct.
Garland stood with his allies around fifty feet away, staring at her through the small path through the trees. The woods seemed less dense around her, the trunks of the trees were more spaced out with less bushes and wild flowers, she wondered why. She could see Seifer raise his gun blade, aiming carefully but Garland thrust a giant hand out, stopping him. Yuna lowered her hands in confusion, wondering why he had stopped the gunblade wielder, why his eyes were glinting with evil joy and why they were all staring behind her.
Her answer came in the form of a looming shadow in front of her and an inhuman roar from behind.