hey FF7 fans out there! please R&R my story! like i said, i'm just a first timer here and i need reviews badly so i can move on to the next chapter. thanx :)
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"I love you." I whispered hoarsely to him.

Finally, I told him what I 've longed to say ever since the day he left. Somehow, saying those words made me feel so much lighter. For so long I have kept these overwhelmingly potent emotions bottled up in me. And they crashed and burned against the periphery of my soul, struggling to escape. And at last, after so much years of unbearable imprisonment, I decided to rid myself of the torture I was inflicting upon my soul. I gazed longingly into his beautiful, sapphire eyes, searching for an answer or at least bit any sign of feelings for me. But his eyes were clouded and unreadable. And at that very moment, I regretted what I have just said. I felt so foolish. How could he love me, when it was obvious that his heart belonged to someone else? Aeris. Just the thought of her made hot tears sting my eyes, which I unsuccessfully tried to blink away. Hot, uncontrollable tears started to stream down my face blurring my vision. I felt my face heat up with utter humiliation. I scolded myself for letting myself get overwrought by my unreturned emotions-- for being so weak. I wanted the whole ground to swallow me whole and my existence assuged from the face of the cruel, apathetic world.

After what seemed for almost an eternity, I turned on my heel and sped away from the hideout. I ran hard and fast, as far as my legs could take me. Tears streaked my face and were carelessly blown away by the inevitable force I strove against. My hair messed up and disheveled, whipping behind me. My limbs burning with excruciating pain. But I didn't care. As long as I escaped from this stupid place at once! An involuntary sob escaped from my throat as I fled through the pitch dark, black void which swallowed me willingly. I didn't look back. Never will I look back. However, there was a flicker of hope inside me, yearning for the blonde, blue eyed man to call out my name. Yes, to hear his sweet distant voice echoing through the emptiness of the night. What the hell was I thinking? He'll never want me as more than a friend. Even if I was the last person on earth. Then, all the memories came rushing through me like gelid, yet refreshing water doused onto my tear- stained face.

It was a magical night. A night unlike any other, when anything was bound to happen. The sky was a deep shade of velvety blue with a multitude of stars scattered all over, shining and shimmering like tiny opaque diamonds. Silhouettes of rolling hills gently sloped across the bucolic landscape of Nibelheim, Cloud's and my hometown. Fields of lush greenery rustled and moved to and fro, submissive to the idyllic breeze that playfully ruffled my hair. Fireflies darted over the grassy fields, somehow lighting up the pastoral place. An intense feeling of serenity and contentment pervaded my entire being, as I sat at the edge of the abandoned well, savoring the breathtaking view. Cloud, who was balancing on the well's edge plopped down beside me.

"I'll be leaving for Midgar tomorrow," he said, his voice filled with enough excitement to illuminate the lonely night. "Off to joining SOLDIER!"

How could I forget, I told myself. I've been counting the days ever since he told me the heartbreaking news. And every single day that quickly flitted away, like the twitching leaf hanging for dear life on a twisted branch, sent shards of glass digging deeper onto my heart. I gazed up on a lone star that crept on the farthest corner of the sky, and silently prayed that time would wind back by itself. I wanted Cloud to stay, not only for a little while, because that seemed only like a single beat of eternity. I wanted him to stay here, with me, forever. But then again, I was being my selfish self again. I couldn't prevent Cloud from reaching his dreams. It was all he ever wanted. All he hanged on to. It was the only thing that kept him from falling apart and crumbling into a pile of dust. Cloud was different from the other boys in town. While the other boys played pirate games and all those other silly things boys his age did, Cloud was dreaming, swallowed up by his own reverie of joining SOLDIER. I guess that's why the other kids made fun of him. The thought of a frail, puny kid with spiky hair and weird blue eyes joining a secret governmental organization was totally way over their heads. For them, it was as impossible as it sounded. Cloud simply wasn't cut out to be a hero. But as Cloud continued on dreaming, I secretly encouraged him, even though the thought of him leaving pained me so.

Cloud noticed the distant look on my face. "Don't worry." He assured. Then he pointed to the brightest, most effulgent star that gleamed with all its might in the heavens above. "I will return." He promised. A determined look crossed his face. He hopped onto the ground with the great prowess and skill of a tiger, stood up effortlessly and struck an impressive pose. "And by that time, I will be as powerful as the great Sephiroth!" A hopeful smile crept across my face, and I felt my cheeks slightly reddening. But I had to make sure.

"Promise?" I asked. There was a long, provocative silence that saturated the space around us. He sat beside me. A delicious breeze greeted us out of no where and sent the fields shivering with contentment.

"Promise."

"Promise"… the wind seemed to whisper, reliving the distant memory that haunted my past. As if it eavesdropped on the intimate moment I shared with Cloud on the forlorn well. Suddenly, I realized that I was completely unaware where I was heading off to. A numbness in my legs speculated that I'd been running for a very long time. I looked around me, and saw an endless blur of tree trunks. And then I stopped dead on my tracks. Where was I? My eyes examined my surroundings. Huge towering trees loomed along my path and cast contorted shadows-- ominous and menacing specters that elongated every time the wind the wind hushed wearily. The only light emanated from the waning moon, which peered furtively through the thick foliage overhead. Leaves skittered on the weedy ground, reminding me of desert tumbleweeds on a ghost town. I was in the Mysterious Forest.

My heart throbbed vigorously against my aching chest, not because of the recent competition I had with my shadow, but because of the terror the gripped my veins. Beads of ice, cold sweat materialized on my forehead and palms as I started walking, taking small uncertain steps towards nowhere. Twigs and leaves crunched as I treaded to where ever the path took me, making my heart jump involuntarily out of my chest. What will I do now? Where will I go? Is this my end? Suddenly, a strange feeling lurched in the depths of my stomach. I felt as if someone or something was following me. The hairs on my skin stood up as a chill ran up and down my spine. My eyes darted cautiously around, searching the corners and niches engulfed in predacious shadows. Thud-Thud. Thud- Thud.
I clenched my icy fists until my knuckles turned white and somehow got myself to quicken my pace. Hideous images of Behemoths, Marlboros, Chaimeras, and Sphinxes hovered in my mind. They seemed so real I could almost hear their plaintive wails and hungry growls emanating from all directions at once.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two huge balls gleamed in the blinding, impalpable darkness looming before me. Two humongous glowing balls that looked like a pair of eyes. The disembodied eyes seemed to hover in the darkness for a while glaring intently at me, and then dwindled into slits. My mind registered this instantly as a forewarning. I've seen this look before in the Discovery Channel. When a hungry lion was moving in for his innocent, oblivious, soon- to- be- carcass prey. Run! Run! My survival instincts railed at me. But I couldn't move. My obstinate body was literally frozen, rooted into the ground thus sealing my fate.

The thing finally emerged from the dark shadows, revealing its grotesque countenance to its victim before it mercilessly rips its flesh and gnashes on its finger lickin' good bones. The creature was the love child of God knows what, repulsively hideous animals to ever have the guts to show their deformation to the earthly world. It possessed the body of a primate enveloped with green, slimy scales from head to down under. Three animated tails whipped and lashed behind it like a bunch of aggravated snakes ready to strike. It had huge paws with blade like claws that can rip anything in a matter of seconds. But what made my blood curl was the creature's kick butt ugly, nauseatingly hideous face. It had the head of a crocodile, generously enveloped with dry scaly bumps. Ridges stuck out from its elongated snout like a miniature version of the San Andres Fault. The two brass orbs that bulged out of their sockets eyed me voraciously. Greedily. As if it hasn't eaten in months. It grunted heavily and tentatively.

Then slowly, the creature lurched its way towards me, its terrifying gaze, unwavering. Every step it took, a mighty ripple shook the earth violently making the watchful trees quiver with fright. I staggered backwards, fearful for my life. But I knew all I was doing was delaying my impending death. I felt helpless. Without my arm bangles, which I stupidly forgot back at the hideout, I was completely helpless. The creature was already a mere three feet away when it bared its rows of sharp, blade-like fangs that glistened with viciously dripping saliva.

Terrified, I stumbled back, and fell hard on my butt. Cold sweat streamed profusely down my forehead as my heart raced brutally, almost ripping out of my chest. Tears welled at the corners of my eyes, my only body part that wasn't petrified. Not knowing what to do, I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew the monster was right in front of me. It's breath was hot and fetid, like raw sewage. Any second now, it's massive paws would tear my legs off. The monster let out an ear piercing screech, enough to shatter my ear drums. I anticipated its scaly touch against mine. And waited. And waited. My heart beat, sounding against my ears. Then an overwhelming silence pervaded the area, sending a chill up my spine.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking away my blurring vision. Then I gasped. Right before me lay the giant body of my predator. It slumped motionless on the cold, sandy ground, its monstrous face twisted in immeasurable, indescribable pain. I let out hard unsteady breaths, making my heart beat dwindle to its normal rate. My entire body was drenched in gelid sweat, as I sat in the ground, staring at the lifeless thing in front of me. It took a while for me to gather all my harrowed, confused thoughts. What happened? Why did that--that thing die all of a sudden?

Thousands of possibilities swarmed through my head. It could have tripped on something. Or maybe it was already on the verge of death when it came up to me. My eyes swept around, looking for visible clues that might have been the cause of the creature's mysterious demise. The suddenly my wavering gaze settled to the creature's torso. My heart skipped a beat. It can't be. But there it was. In the creatures mid-section imbedded a deep, enormous gash. It was as deep as the Mariana Trench. Crimson blood oozed lazily from it, making my stomach reel with disgust.