Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ One Heck of an Adventure ❯ Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy *but one day, I'll control all BWHAHAHAHAH* well, anyways, enjoy! ^.^ and I like review, good or bad. I would like to thank Amy for sending me a review. You are totally right and the only reason my chapters are so fast is because I was so anxious to get my posted up and let everyone read it that I didn't plan it out and the reason why it sometimes switches from third to first person was because I changed it into the middle of the chapter so I'm going into Emily's history on this one. Please enjoy and more reviews!

I was lying on the ground, motionless. I tried to force myself up but my body wouldn't respond. I couldn't see where I was. All I could do was to scream for help that wouldn't come.

"Are you Emily?" A voice asked. I tried to lift my head but it just wouldn't lift up. A face popped in front of mine. Her eyes were a deep forest green and she had a clear complexion. Her long brunette hair was up in a loose braid and was tied off with a pink ribbon that matched the rest of her dress. A necklace hung around her neck.

"Yes?" I answered, confused.

"You're hurt, let me help you." She bent down beside me and I felt a strange sensation run throughout my body. I felt lighter and better. I hopped up.

"Thank you so much." I thanked.

"My name is Aeris; I'm here to help you."

"Help me? Help me do what?" I asked.

"You are the only one with the light in your eyes. The only one that can stop the darkness that is growing."

"You got the wrong girl; I don't know what you're talking about. You must be mistaken. Talk to the other guys, they'll tell you I'm not the one." Aeris chuckled.

"You have the power to stop it and only you. I know you haven't discovered your power yet but you will discover it."

"I don't care. I just want to go home." I cried. "Go back to my normal life."

"I know you're confused but you're not alone. You have your friends and they will be with you always." Aeris assured me. I sat on the ground and felt like crying. I buried my head in my arms.

"I just want to go home." I wept. Aeris sat next to me. She sighed.

"I know I can't make everything better although I want to but you got to do this because you're the only one that can."

"How do you know?" I muttered. Aeris lifted up my chin and stared into my eyes. She smiled.

"I know." She assured me. I pulled away. "This may be hard to swallow but you're not alone." She pulled out the ribbon in her hair and placed it in my hands.

"This represents your friendship and as long as it's with you, then you will never be alone in this struggle." Aeris explained. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I don't want to be alone." I clasped my hand around it, not willing to let go.

"You never will me. I'm sorry but you have to wake up now." Aeris remarked.

"Huh?"

My eyes shot open and I was in a soft warm bed. Sunlight leaked through the window and lied on the floor. Was that all just a dream? It had to be a dream because I just need to go home. I wasn't supposed to be here. I felt something in my clenched fist. I opened it and lying in my palm was a crumpled pink ribbon. I stared at it as if it was a deadly plague.

"You're alive!" A voice shouted. I tilted my head and the others were alongside my bed.

"We were worried about you." Auron pointed out. I attempted to sit up but the pain in my back was too great and I flopped back into bed.

"Relax, you're not healed yet." Squall pointed out. I obeyed his command.

"We thought you weren't going to make it." Cloud remarked from the corner.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. We're halfway there, just rest for now. We got to heal up too." Titus remarked, chuckling. "Just go back to sleep." He ordered.

They all left me to sleep but I couldn't. How did all of this happen? I was just a normal girl, another face in the crowd, nothing special about me. I'm just a normal, hyper, ditzy girl. I had enough friends and I wasn't really good at any sports nor was I very smart. I just stood then alone, shuffling my feet from place to place, nothing new or exciting. The same old stuff until I had to stay after school for being blamed for stealing cafeteria food. I wasn't stealing, just hungry. I wasn't starving all the time and my mother tried to take care of me but she couldn't help her job as a waitress. She couldn't support four children that way. I was the oldest so I was willing to go for days without food to feed my younger siblings but I was just so hungry that day. All I wanted was fries.

I snuck into the lunch line. I felt all eyes on me but my grumbling stomach encouraged me on. I grabbed some fries in a little container and shoved it up my sweatshirt and tried to calmly walk out but I realized that I broke out into a run and before I could leave the cafeteria and gobble up my new prize, the principal caught up with me. I couldn't tell him why I did because I couldn't leave my mom, not like dad. I lied and told him that I didn't feel like paying. I apologized for it so they just gave me detention for over a month. After that, they all labeled me as a trouble child. That everyone should watch out for me. I soon lost my friends except for a few that truly cared and my grades started to drop. The only thing that kept me going was that one day, I was going to get out of there but now that I'm out, all I want to do is go back.

The only way to escape from reality was video games, Final Fantasy games in particular. I was never good at them. I wouldn't get too far in them, for I was too busy from work and school. Something about the characters made me feel like I wasn't alone. I guess now that's true.

One day after a really bad day. I was late getting up for school and I failed one of my science tests and I was hungry again. I had to stay after school for detention, not that I wanted to go home to my crying siblings. After that, I had to stop at my locker but it was jammed so I spend a good half hour trying to break it open and begin walking home but it just wouldn't open. I forgot about it and started walking out of the school. That's when all this stuff started happening.

I was gone for a while. Over two days. I wonder if my mom misses me or is relieved that there isn't another mouth to feed. I was so confused right now. Was I the girl I think I am? Do I have a secret power? I wouldn't think so. I played with the little ribbon in my hands. I was always alone. Does this mean that I don't have to be? Does this mean that I have friends? Are they are my friends? I had too many times that I was hurt. Was any of this real? It has to be real because the pain is real, everything is real. I can feel everything but this was a game. Everyone I meet is a bunch of pixels put together. Then why did it hurt when I saw Vivi die. He wasn't real. I began to cry, knowing that none of them were real. They had to be real; they were right in front of me. I could feel them hug me and protect me. I didn't care. I just wanted to enjoy my time with them before I go back home.

The door creaked open and Cloud stepped into the room. His hard boots stomped across the floor. He grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up next to the bed. I stared at him.

"Why are you awake?" He asked.

"I can't sleep." I remarked. "How long have I been here in this world?" I asked. Cloud paused as he thought.

"You've been awake here for only two days but completely, you've been here for over five days, three asleep with that wound." Cloud answered. There was a long pause. "Try to get some sleep kid."

I tried to obey his command, but too much was swimming in his head. I flickered in and out of sleep and each time that I awoke, Cloud was sitting right there, watching me. I woke up one time and he was playing with a small object, the size and shape of a marble.

"What's that?" I asked, startling him.

"It's materia." He remarked. He held it up in the sun's rays. The color in the material danced and swirled in the light, changing from a dusty earthy tone to a bright clear blue. He held it close to my eyes.

"Reminds me of your eyes." He remarked, staring into my eyes. My ears burned and turned red in embarrassment. He placed the materia back in his pocket. "Are you hungry?" He asked. My growling stomach answered in response. He stood up and ordered me to say as he went to get some food. Five minutes later, he came back with a loaf of bread. Before he could break it in half, I took the whole thing and shoved it in my mouth. I gobbled it up like a hungry wolf. I didn't even taste the bread; I just shoved it all in my mouth. Crisp flakes bounced in my mouth as they were shoved down my throat.

"Slow down, you're going to make yourself sick." He ordered. I didn't listen until I was only two bites away from finishing it. I savored the food as if it was my last. I was finally finished.

"Do you think you can get out of bed?" He asked.

"I can try." I put my legs to the side and stood up. I straighten my back and it was only a small stinging pain. I stepped on the ground with easy.

"Good, then we can leave tomorrow." He began to walk out of the room.

"Cloud?" I called out to him. He turned around. "You're going with me till the end, right?"

"I'll go as far as I can with you." He answered.

"Cloud? Are you my friend." I asked. He paused. It took him a few minutes to response.

"Sure kid, now go to bed." He ordered as he left the room.

Before I stepped back into bed, I stepped in front of the mirror in the room. My face was dirty and my hair was a mess. I spat on my hands and rubbed the dirt off my face. I undid my loose braid and ran through my fingers through the strands until it was all brushed. I redid my braid and took the pink ribbon and tied it off. I stepped into the bed and laid there for a moment and finally fell into a peaceful sleep. I didn't worry anymore. I had protection, I had friends.