The Fantasy Games (Final Fantasy Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-One: Searching

His breath came in heaving gasps as he ran down the cliff, skidding and jumping for all he was worth as the water fell down only a few metres away from him. His trousers were badly ripped and he had numerous small cuts and bruises all over his body however he didn't care, he just had to make it to the bottom of the falls immediately.

His foot slipped from beneath him again as he fell hard onto his back, the breath being knocked out of him. His body skidded down slightly as he felt some of the sharp rocks tear at his back however he managed to get to his feet, travelling smoothly down the last few metres.

"Yuna!" Cloud called at the top of his voice, not caring about who or what heard him. He looked around frantically, trying to locate the girl he was searching for but all he saw was jagged rocks at the base of a waterfall. A sickening feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as his eyes ghosted over the rocks, wet and sharp. The roaring of the water was the only sound he could hear and it only made him feel worse. There was no way Yuna could've survived a fall like that, no human could survive a fall like that.

But he held onto the hope that she had. After all, she had hinted that she was more than human, saying that she had gifts and that there were others like her. Maybe she cast some last minute spell that saved her?

He listened for anything, any sort of reply to his call however there was only the rushing of water in his ears and then a small click.

A click?

He threw his body to the ground instinctively, covering his head as he heard the bullet hit the rock behind him. Cursing loudly, he jumped to his feet and rolled to the side, just as a lance embedded itself in the earth where he had just been.

His buster sword was in his hand in a second as he charged at the enemy who had tried to ambush him. There was a shout - something about the wind - and he immediately determined his opponent to be a man. The air around him suddenly changed as he felt a sudden burst of wind coming right for him, like a miniature tornado.

Dodging it by rolling to the side, he continued moving toward the source of the magic, cutting through the next burst of wind with his sword. The force of the spell slowed him down slightly and gave his enemy the chance to emerge from his hiding place in the bushes and make his own charge towards Cloud.

It only took the SOLDIER a second to look him over before he closed the distance between them. The boy was younger than him with light brown curly hair and blue eyes that shone with both determination and knowledge. His clothes were form-fitting, almost to the point that it looked like he was wearing tights. His blue cape blew behind him as he ran, his figure slim yet muscular at the same time.

A red sword appeared in his hand as he raised it to block the sword that Cloud brought down upon him and both men shot daggers at one another. Even though Cloud's face remained stoic yet fierce, the other kept his boyish cheekiness about him as he grinned through the glare.

"Bartz Klauser," he introduced himself through gritted white teeth. "Male tribute of Sector Five."

"Cloud Strife," Cloud replied as he put more pressure on Bartz's sword, forcing the other to break the block and jump back slightly. He didn't give him much time to recover though, lashing out in a horizontal strike with his buster sword. "Male tribute of Sector Seven," he said, striking out with every word.

After a series of quick and last-second dodges, Bartz's finally blocked the sword once more. The strain of holding back against the SOLDIER's immense strength was beginning to show on his face as a vein appeared on his temple. Cloud was surprised that he managed to hold him off though, not many people could.

"Ah... SOLDIER scum of the Capitol, eh?" His voice was strained and Cloud knew he was wearing him down.

"No, I'm just another tribute now, like you," he replied putting all of his effort into pushing down on Bartz's sword.