I'll Be There (KH/FF fanfic)

Chapter 23: Good girl gone bad...but not really

Chapter 23:

You were in a cold, dark room, barely awake and struggling to regain any strength. You felt like Superman after being exposed to Kryptonite. "Get up," you thought to yourself, failing to move any of your muscles. You moaned and a small noise escaped from your lips.

"Awake, my dear?" a low, not unpleasant voice rang in your ears. You mumbled in response but you knew that whatever you had uttered was completely inaudible. The voice let out a husky chuckle that was anything but reassuring. "You may not know it, but you are my only hope for survival," the unfamiliar voice said as a cold hand brushed gently across your cheek. You regained enough sense to flinch. "You cannot escape me forever, though I will let you go for the time being," the voice, which you assumed came from a man, continued.

"Mother?" a second, more familiar voice echoed near you.

"As he has told you, brother," another familiar voice stated. "We do not know who she is yet. An endangered species..." he trailed off.

"And yet..." added a third recognizable voice.

"Quiet," the first voice commanded him in a soft whisper. You felt something sharp puncture your skin and began to lose consciousness, the dark shadows you couldn't make out before transforming into a blur.

You jolted up quickly, your breaths coming out short and shallow. "You okay, sweetheart?" Tifa inquired, feeling your sweaty forhead. You sunk back into your pillow and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, just a bad dream," you answered. Tifa looked back at you, her dark brown eyes filled with concern. You sighed, "There was this room, and a cold hand and...and..." You attempted to recollect your thoughts but finally gave up and shook your head.

"Do you think you'll be able to go to school today?" she questioned you with an unsure look. You nodded. "...Al...right..." she said, giving you one last nervous look before leaving your room.

You flung the sheets off of your legs and scrambled out of bed, rushing to brush your teeth and change into your uniform. You brushed your hair carefully as you stood in front of the mirror, your reflection staring back at you. You took a closer look at your ocean blue eyes. Suddenly, a flash of green and a face skittered back into your memory. You shook your head and brushed your bangs out of your eyes as if the pesky hairs had been the cause of the odd occurence. "Just a dream," you reassured yourself. "I'm NOT afraid of a stupid dream!" you announced out loud.

"You're not afraid of what now?" A flicker of brown hair appeared in your doorway.

"Leon," you sighed. "Um nothing..."