Lost Within Blood and Tears characters are property of Squaresoft Chapter 8- Chani "Another turning point a fork stuck in the road, Time grabs you by the wrist and directs you where to go. So make the best of this task and don't ask why, It's not an question but a lesson learned in time. It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right I hope you have the time of your life." -Greenday "Oomph" The girl burst out by the impact of which her body pounded against the hard-packed dirt. "Hey where do you think you're going slick?" Zell asked as he rolled the girl over onto her back on the ground. "Let go of me!" She demanded squirming and struggling to get free of the man's grasp. " Stop miving will ya?" Zell said as she squirmed even harder. "Owww" he cried out in pain as the girl sunk her teeth deeply into his wrist. "Damn it!" he murmered as he sat on her stomach to hold her still and held her wrists hard aginst the floor over her head and away from her mouth. "What did you do that for?" he asked looking at the deep bite marks and the drops of dark blood flowing from the gashes in his wrist. "Get the hell off of me!" She screamed angrily and desperately squirmed harder in an attempt to get him off her. Try as she might she realized that it was impossible to move the man that was sitting on her. He was too heavy for her and was holding her too tight to pull away. He held her that way, pinning her against the floor with his weight until she had calmed down somewhat. "Do what you want with me then let me go. Please." She pleaded desperately with him. "What!?" Zell said, clearly taken aback by her statement. "You heard me!" She said bitterly while trying to hold back the tears she knew were welling up in the back of her eyes. She had been through so much lately... "I don't want to do anything with you." Zell said looking into her eyes and slowly loosening his grip. "Then let me go. Please." she again pleaded with him, her voice becoming choked and hoarse with tears. "Easier said than done buddy." He replied slowly easing himself off her yet still keeping a firm hold on her wrists. She watched as his blood spread over her own skin in a sort of detached fasination. "You see its my job to make sure you don't escape and by letting you go... that would be a little counter-productive don't you think?" he said pulling her up to her feet and throwing her over his shoulder to prevent any escape attempt. He carried her over to the cell and gingerly placed her on the bench that served as a bed. As he was carrying her he had felt a bulge against his shoulder. He now stuck his hand into one of the menay pockets in her shorts and pulled out a sharp arrowhead. He turned it over and over in his palm as he held her wrist with the other hand. "You don't waste any time do you?" Zell asked looking over at the rope door and noting a few broken loops in the corner that were sawed away by the arrowhead. She didn't answer him but just stared sullenly as the floor with tears still falling silently from her eyes. She had been through so much lately. Too much she thought. "Hey don't cry." Zell said gently, sitting down next to her on the bench and lifting her chin with his hand. "First you curse me off and then you don't say anything. Talk to me will ya." He said reverently wiping away some of the tears with his thumb. Again silence was her only reply but at least now she was looking at him. "Fine. I'll start the conversation." He said difiantly. Under any other circumstances she was sure she would have laughed. "Ummm..... what's your name?" He asked her. She stared long and hard into his face for a while, scrutinizing him. Finally she said softly, "Chani." "Chani huh?" Pretty." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Okay next question. Let's see here ummm..... what does that little tatoo under your eye mean?" He asked tyhe question carefully not wanting to make her upset. "Oh yeah by the way I'm Zell." "Zell" she repeated thoughtfully. " Yeah" Zel said grateful for some interaction with her. She needed to take her mind off of everything that had ahppened so far. "So does that mean anything?" he asked pointing to the little black tatoo on her cheekbone. "It means always have faith." She answered still warey of him. "Cool. Mine don't mean anything I don't think. Maybe it means Balamb or something like that but I don't know I got it when I was little." Zell said shrugging. He attempted to shift into a more confortable postion on the bed but froze immediately as Chani tensed up almost cringing at the slight movement. "Hey Chani I'm going to lt go of your arm now okay? You're not going to run off on me again are you?" Zell asked as he began loosening his hand around her wrist. She shook her head no but still he got up and shut the cell door just in case, leaviing her alone in the cell. Once he was sure he had succeeded in keeping her inside the depresing cell he sat down indian style on the other side of the rope bars. "Zell can I ask you a question?" Chani asked, her eyes still downcast at the ground. "Well you just asked me one." The good-humored martial artist answered. "Zell why are you being so nice to me?" she asked daring to look up into his eyes, searching for truth in his answer. "I don't know. Just the way I was raised I guess." He admitted throwing some pebbles fitfully through the bars of the cell. "Chani how old are you?" "I'm sixteen" "Exactly. What could possibly be so important about you that you're locked up in here at sixteen?" He asked her. She didn't answer but instead asked," How old are you then?" "Seventeen. But I'm out here and you're in there. There must be some reason right?" "We can change the world this young and that scares some people." she answered, her voice barely above a whisper. Chani got up off the bench and came over to the cell door and sat opposite Zell. She searched his face with her eyes. " You know what it's like to be imprisoned don't you? That's one of the reasons you let me go to my father isn't it?" "Well yeah I spent a short term in the D-District Prison in Galbaldia for a failed assassination attempt. But everything turned out alright in the end." Zell said scratching the back of his head. "Have you ever been punished for someting you couldn't control?" she asked earnestly. She leaned her hands through the holes in between the ropes and placed them on Zell's wrists. She's scared. He thought. Really, really scared. "Only my temper. But I know what you mean. My friend Rinoa had a case like that when she was possessed by an evil sorceress. Then my friend Squall had to go and save her and yeah it's a long story." He was afraid to know where this was leading." Chani what happened to you?" He asked her, his voice turned serious again. She went to turn away but he held her wrists once again. Seeing as she couldn't go anywhere she debated over wether or not she should tell him the truth about her or not. She was safe and he didn't want to hurt her, that was important. He could also very well be her only chance to hang onto life, her only chance to live. "I know things." She said after a pause. "Okay I know things too." Zell said not knowing ewhat she was getting at. "No I mean I know things that no one else knows. And because I know these things he wants to kill me because I'm the only one who can hurt him..." She whispered staring into his wide blue eyes, pleading with him to understand. "Who?" Zell asked, his eyes locked on hers. "Who Chani?" She broke eye contact with him to look fearfully over his shoulder. Zell spun around on his knees only to see a fist slam into his eye. He was then hit over the head leaving him dazed as the returned gaurd threw him into the cell with Chani. "I told you to watch her dammit not become her fucking friend!" He gaurd screamed disgusted as he spat at the dazed boy. " If i had my way the both of you would be dead by now! All that will have to come with time..." The gaurd laughed, a horrifingly chilling sound as he watched Chani try to revive the now unconcious boy. "Zell! Zell wake up!" She said desperatly and shook him violently. She was surprized to see him open his eyes and wink at her. He put a finger to his lips motioning for her to be quiet as he quickly shut his eyes again. She got the hint. She screamed. "What the hell is it?" The gaurd asked in a royally pissed off voice. "I think- I think he's dead!" She feigned crying as she pointed at Zell who was laying unmoving on the floor. "What the-" He didn't finish as Chani dived towards the door of the cell sticking her hands through and tripping him as soon as he came near enough. Zell jumped up and knocked out the fuming man with a well aimed rock. "Nicely done my fellow escapie." Zell said helping Chani to her feet. "Same to you." She said wiping the dust from her shorts. "Only one problem. We're still in here and the door can only be opened from the outside." "Well desperate times call for desperate measures." Zell said with a smirk as he opened hyis hand revealing the arrowhead he had taken from her earlier. "Nicely put." said Chani as she grabbed the rock and squatting down began sawing through the ropes. "So we never finished our conversation." Zell said watching her freeze momentarily in her cutting. "When we're safe please." She breathed. "Yes your mejesty." Zell joked attempting to lighten the moment. "Out." Was the only answer he got as she slipped on her belly out through the hole she had cut. "I'm not fitting through that." Zell said amazed that a woman could fit through such a tiny space. "Wasn't planning on it." She said. "No Way! You're not going to leave me in here are you!?" "No I'm not that heartless." She said walking over to the door and undoing the latch that held it shut. As Zell opened the door he gave the gaurd another hit in the head, this time with the doorframe. "Teach you how to respect a lady." He said spitting at the gaurd as had been done to him. He carefully picked up the belt of daggers and offered it to the girl. "No. It's meant for him." She replied taking the belt and laying it across her father's still chest. Pain had returned to her eyes. She whispered one more prayer before turning away for good. Zell watched her quietly. She walked over to the very back of the small chamber and opened a chest which contained a bow and arrow. She strapped the quiver of arrows onto her back as she swung the graceful bow over her shoulder with expertise. What a woman! Zell thought as he watched her percise, graceful and potentially lethal movements. "Shall we be off then?" He asked offering her his arm. "That we shall." She answered grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the exit. ***** "Where is he?" Rinoa asked Squall as she paced up and down in the high chamber where they had first heard of the attack. "The chickenwuss probably got himself lost" Seifer suggested slouching down even more in his chair as Kayonna who was sitting at his feet hit him hard on the knee. "Be nice." She said sharply. They were all back where they had started off. All except Zell... "That's it I can't take it anymore. I'm going to find him." Squall announced getting up from where he sat in silent thought. "Go ahead Squall. Go play hero once again." Seifer mocked only to be smacked hard again by the girl at his feet. "Go to Hell Seifer." Squall said with hatred as he strided towards the door. "Already been. Thank you for the suggestion though. I need a vacation spot. At least it's warm weather there." came Seifer's retort. "Whatever" Squall brushed off the comment and ducked his head out of view only to come right bnack up again. "He's on the bottom platform and he's talking to someone I can hear him. He'll be up here in a minute." They all waited in silent anticipation until sure enough Zell poked his head through the opening in the floor. "Ya miss me?" He said coming up into the room. He extended his hand down onto the stairs and brought up a young blonde woman. Kayonna jumped to her feet raising her daggers as she saw the bow. Chani in a flash raised her own weapon. Both women stood there poised with weapons raised waiting for the other to move. Zell jumped in between them anticipating what could and probably would happen next. Both women lowered there weapins as Zell stood there. They glared at each other in hatred. "Yo she's here to help!" Zell yelled trying to form a peace between the two who were still fingering their deadly weapons. "You screwed up bad this time Chickenwuss." Seifer breathed as he watched the scene unfolding before him in silent horror. Author's note: Chapter 8 done and Chapter 9 coming. There are many problems still ahead of them *wink wink*. Any comment email CrazESchmamE@aol.com Until next time.