1 *Warning*- The characters of Final Fantasy VII in no way belong to me
(damn), and therefore I take no credit for the characters, which are all
copyright to Square Soft Inc and everyone else who owns Final Fantasy VII!
Can you tell I'm not good at writing these things? This story may contain
spoilers and some violence, but besides that I don't think there should be
too many problems! Please email me if you have any queries or comments.
thanks! *^_~*
Chapter Eight: Fate
Reno leant against the railing of the bridge, his eyes dark as he stared up at the sky defiantly; as if challenging the stars. He'd long since sobered up, and the true shock of the death of his leader and closest friend had finally hit him.
It was so unfair that Tseng and Rude should be the ones to suffer so, when it was that damn Avalanche's problem in the first place. Chasing Sephiroth across the damned country, and now the Turks had to cop the consequences. Those stupid idiots thought they could kill Sephiroth. Reno laughed dryly, knowing that the ex-general would slowly kill each and every one of them. One appearance, and he'd overpowered all of them in one go. They sure were tough.
It had been strangely funny to watch the Temple of Ancients collapse upon itself into the ground, until it was nothing more than a ball of black ore. Reno himself hadn't been like the others, staring in shock. In fact, he'd almost expected it. It was the burial that Rude deserved; his best and most trusted comrade in the world who shouldn't have had to have a burial at all.
"Should have been me in that f**ked up piece of crap," Reno muttered, staring down at the ground angrily. Rude. how could Elena make a promise like that? Helping Avalanche was like offering Sephiroth a trip to the carnival- it was plain moronic. Say Elena and himself did join that bunch of - well, better left unsaid- then they'd surely die along with them. Stupid, it was. Absolutely stupid.
He remembered how that Ancient girl had wanted to go get the black orb, her being the only one who knew what it was. And then Sephiroth appeared, took it and disappeared again. Before any of them could even blink. Some fighters. Reno knew better than the confront Sephiroth, unlike that dim-witted, erm, Aeris, wasn't it?
He was drawn out of his reverie when he heard soft footsteps approaching. He silently withdrew his nightstaff from inside his shirt, smiling as it slowly glowed to a pale blue with a quiet hum. He still knew how to fight, even in his current state. It was like riding a bicycle. You could never forget it. He waited for the footsteps to approach and realised they were passing under the bridge in Mideel, glancing down to see who it was and preparing to fight.
With a shock, he clicked the nightstick off and watched one of the Avalanche girls hurry quickly from the inn where they had been staying at, looking over her shoulder to check if anyone was following her. Too bad she didn't look up. A soft thump, and Reno landed behind her. It was definitely suspicious, sneaking out at about eleven at night, looking over one's shoulder every two seconds.
He was trained enough to avoid being spotted by her, as she hurried out of Mideel. Perhaps she was just going to the port. he seriously doubted it, though. He followed her, not understanding why he was wasting his time on an Avalanche idiot. Even if she was pretty damn alright looking.
She headed onto the dock, and was about to lower herself into one of the smaller jetboats when Reno decided to make his presence known.
"Yo, babe!" he called, and her head shot up to see who had called her. Her gaze settled on Reno steadily, unnerving him. She had a pensive kind-of stare that made you think she knew what you were thinking. Guiltily, Reno pushed all thoughts out of his head, embarrassed if she knew what he thought of most of the time.
"Reno," she said with a nod.
"Goin' for a quick spin, eh?" he jeered. She didn't answer, but her ears went pink. She knew she'd been caught out, and Reno smirked, satisfied. "What would Avalanche think if their lovely little Ancient stole their boat?" he said scoldingly.
"I have. other things to think about," she replied curtly, her gaze dropping. She must not have thought he would catch the sad look that cross her face, but she thought wrong. Reno's narrowed eyes saw it, and he frowned.
"Where the heck you thinkin' of goin'?" he asked dubiously.
"The City of Ancients," she said softly, her eyes clouded over. She turned back to the boat, but Reno grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"That's the city. where Sephiroth is goin'." he realised. "You're crazy! More than crazy- stupid! That- bastard - killed two of my friends who were trained in the art of killing and you think you can stop him? An Ancient? You're nuts." Aeris smiled sadly, but shook her head.
"He can be stopped," she said in her quiet voice. "I know my place, and what I have to do. Goodbye, Reno." She unhooked the rope before Reno could react, and started the engine. The boat began to pull away, churning up the calm waters loudly. Reno cursed, and foolishly jumped onto the deck of the boat before it got too far, already knowing he had made the wrong choice.
*
"What d'ya mean, SHE'S GONE?!" The entire town of Mideel was shaken the next morning by the sounds of Barret's voice as he stared in disbelief at Yuffie. Yuffie shrugged nonchalently.
"The drunk Turk's gone, too," she said offhandly. "Maybe they-"
"Don' even say it," Barret said abruptly. "All that matters is that we find their idiotic asses before somethin' happens. I really don' think Aeris would go off with that punk Turk anyway."
"She wouldn't," Tifa assured, entering the room. "But I think she may have headed to the City of Ancients. Which is where we should go." Barret sighed angrily but nodded.
"I'm f**king coming too," snapped a familiar voice. They all looked up to see Cid standing sprightly in the doorway, his beard even more stubbly than usual. "Gotta get the f**k away from those damn nurses, prodding and poking me all the f**king time. So count me in." Tifa smiled at him.
"Nice to have you back, Cid," she said.
"Aww, f**k," he replied, shunning her. "I might get emotional." He stalked out of the room, fumbling to light a cigarette. Tifa turned back to Yuffie, whose expression suggested that she already sensed what the older woman was about to say.
"The answer's no, Tifa. I'm not staying behind. Not now, not ever, and nothing you say- is that a Summon Materia?" Tifa cocked her head, holding the Ramuh Materia in her hand.
"You were saying?"
"Uh, what do you want me to do? Cause, I'm good at babysitting, and, er, you know, house stuff," Yuffie babbled with eyes like dinner plates, eyeing the crimson sphere.
"I want you to stay here in Mideel, with Rufus," Tifa said, to everyone's surprise. Barret's eyes were alight with suspicion, and Yuffie's brow furrowed.
"He's not gonna stay here," Barret growled. "You know that spoilt brat." Tifa turned to look at him, and he was taken aback by the emotion in her dark eyes.
"I know he won't stay here willingly," she said quietly. "But he's asleep right now. I'm not letting him come. not after everything that's happened. And. and Cloud." Her voice trailed to a whisper, and she hurried from the room, leaving Yuffie and Barret very disturbed by her sudden behaviour in regards to Rufus. Yuffie turned to Barret.
"Well, Tifa's got issues," she commented. "Anyway, I don't really mind staying here. There's this hunk over in the Weapons shop, saw him this morning."
*
In less than half an hour, they'd located a spare boat and were bopping across the ocean, the wind whipping through their hair. Them, of course, referring to the people that had actually gone on the trip: Tifa, Barret, Cid, Elena and Vincent. Cait Sith volunteered to stay behind with Yuffie and keep her company, to her delight. She always had been the only one who could stand his constant predictions. Barret once again piloted, helped by Cid whose knowledge of spacecrafts extended to boats, planes and even trucks. Elena didn't take to sea travel all that well this time, spending most of the time in the boat's bathroom. Vincent, being Vincent, had disappeared, even though the ship was barely fifty foot and quite small.
Tifa sat at the back of the boat, her legs dangling over the edge, as she watched the engine chop up the water. She might have been sitting there, but her thoughts were in a completely different world altogether. She didn't even notice another gaze settle on her, too busy trying to conjure up Cloud's face. A few days, she thought, ashamed. And I've already forgotten his face. Her hair flew around her, hiding her face from view. She stared down at the water, seeing her shape somewhat reflected (was her hair really that long?) and frowning in confusion when she saw another, taller shape standing behind her. She gasped when she spotted Vincent standing still as a statue a few metres away.
"Vincent!" she breathed. "Why must you always do that?" He shrugged indifferently, then sat down next to her. His face was, as always, unreadable, but in his eyes flickered a tiny flame, one Tifa had never noticed or seen before.
"I heard your, erm, conversation this morning," he said awkwardly, as if this was a conversation he didn't feel all that comfortable with. Tifa nodded at him to go on. "Regarding young Shinra. I know that it is not my. place. to ask things, but I feel this matter is slightly important." He paused, staring down at the white wash below them. "Do you love him?" Tifa stiffened, about to shake her head and declare no, as loud as she could.
But you aren't that sure, are you, teased a little voice in her head. She blinked, and avoided Vincent's gaze, with no answer prepared for him. She didn't love love Rufus, she told herself. She loved him in the way she'd loved Cloud all those years, the way she loved Aeris as a friend, the way she loved all of Avalanche. She sighed, unaware of the conflicting emotions jumping in Vincent's ruby eyes.
*
Reno barely said a word until they arrived at a empty shore, with small waves lapping at the edge hungrily. He jumped from the boat, and looked around him.
"This doesn't look very Ancient-ish," he commented, looking pointedly at the bright golden sand and soft seagrass growing near the shore. The only sign that Aeris had heard what he said was a slight nod, her green eyes transfixed on some faraway object that only she could see.
"Please," she said softly. "Go home now." Something in Reno snapped. It wasn't what she had said, or how she had said it, as he knew she meant that she didn't want him to get hurt. But the calmness with which she said it, and the trusting look on her face- hell, she could die right now and it didn't appear that she would care! He exploded, barely knowing what he was saying.
"Go home?" he snarled. "Go HOME?! You ignorant little Ancient, do you think I have a home? My home was with my friends, my allies, the Turks, and now there are barely any of us left. What kind of home do you call that? S'pose none of friendship and shit like that matters to you, otherwise you wouldn't have so selfishly left your friends."
"I'm not-" she began.
"Not what? Not selfish? I beg to differ. Selfish are the damned, and coming here was a damned thing to do! You think you'll live through an encounter with him when no one else has? What about your precious little Cloud? Even he couldn't beat that messed up dickhead, and somehow you think that just because you're an Ancient that you can!" Her face fell, and he bit his lip so hard that he tasted blood.
"Sorry." His voice was rough, and the word came out husky. Then again, it wasn't a word he used a lot. "I'm not going, though," he added, and stormed off in the direction she'd been gazing. Wordlessly, she followed quickly. Tall blades of grass, thick as a jungle, barred the end of a dusty path, and Reno squinted into the depths of the grass that was twice his height or more.
"It's near here," she said softly, coming up behind him and making him jump. He glowered at her.
"No sneaking up on me," he warned. "Or I might mistake your pretty face for Sephiroth's, and jam my night staff halfway through your skull." She seemed unaffected by his graphic threat, and pushed past him into the blades of grass. Suddenly, she shrieked, and Reno swallowed in shock when he saw the stream of blood flowing down her arm. He pulled her back, and held his hand to the cut firmly.
"The grass. it's sharp," she said.
"Talk about stating the obvious," he said, shaking his head. He glanced at the cut, and frowned when he saw that it had completely healed. Aeris flushed, and she pulled her arm away.
"I'm fine."
"No shit. How'd you do that?" She didn't answer, just stared thoughtfully at the grass rising above her. Then, in one quick motion, she blasted a fireball at the entire area. Reno was thrown back by the shockwave, and landed hard on his butt a few metres away. Within seconds, the grass had crumbled to the ground in a pile of ash, leaving the trail open to follow. Aeris smiled, and continued. Reno hastily got to his feet, calling after her.
"No more fire, all right? Almost blasted my sorry ass halfway to Mideel."
AN: Hiya! Remember me? Lol. Sorry it's been, what, a month or so? Maybe two? I was a little unmotivated, you might say. Anyhow, I've decided to give y'all shorter chapters now, cause then I'll be able to post them quicker, and make everyone happy! Yay! *mumble* Yes, I am alive. I just disappeared for awhile. like Seph! Speaking of the angel, where is he? Hehehehehe..
Chapter Eight: Fate
Reno leant against the railing of the bridge, his eyes dark as he stared up at the sky defiantly; as if challenging the stars. He'd long since sobered up, and the true shock of the death of his leader and closest friend had finally hit him.
It was so unfair that Tseng and Rude should be the ones to suffer so, when it was that damn Avalanche's problem in the first place. Chasing Sephiroth across the damned country, and now the Turks had to cop the consequences. Those stupid idiots thought they could kill Sephiroth. Reno laughed dryly, knowing that the ex-general would slowly kill each and every one of them. One appearance, and he'd overpowered all of them in one go. They sure were tough.
It had been strangely funny to watch the Temple of Ancients collapse upon itself into the ground, until it was nothing more than a ball of black ore. Reno himself hadn't been like the others, staring in shock. In fact, he'd almost expected it. It was the burial that Rude deserved; his best and most trusted comrade in the world who shouldn't have had to have a burial at all.
"Should have been me in that f**ked up piece of crap," Reno muttered, staring down at the ground angrily. Rude. how could Elena make a promise like that? Helping Avalanche was like offering Sephiroth a trip to the carnival- it was plain moronic. Say Elena and himself did join that bunch of - well, better left unsaid- then they'd surely die along with them. Stupid, it was. Absolutely stupid.
He remembered how that Ancient girl had wanted to go get the black orb, her being the only one who knew what it was. And then Sephiroth appeared, took it and disappeared again. Before any of them could even blink. Some fighters. Reno knew better than the confront Sephiroth, unlike that dim-witted, erm, Aeris, wasn't it?
He was drawn out of his reverie when he heard soft footsteps approaching. He silently withdrew his nightstaff from inside his shirt, smiling as it slowly glowed to a pale blue with a quiet hum. He still knew how to fight, even in his current state. It was like riding a bicycle. You could never forget it. He waited for the footsteps to approach and realised they were passing under the bridge in Mideel, glancing down to see who it was and preparing to fight.
With a shock, he clicked the nightstick off and watched one of the Avalanche girls hurry quickly from the inn where they had been staying at, looking over her shoulder to check if anyone was following her. Too bad she didn't look up. A soft thump, and Reno landed behind her. It was definitely suspicious, sneaking out at about eleven at night, looking over one's shoulder every two seconds.
He was trained enough to avoid being spotted by her, as she hurried out of Mideel. Perhaps she was just going to the port. he seriously doubted it, though. He followed her, not understanding why he was wasting his time on an Avalanche idiot. Even if she was pretty damn alright looking.
She headed onto the dock, and was about to lower herself into one of the smaller jetboats when Reno decided to make his presence known.
"Yo, babe!" he called, and her head shot up to see who had called her. Her gaze settled on Reno steadily, unnerving him. She had a pensive kind-of stare that made you think she knew what you were thinking. Guiltily, Reno pushed all thoughts out of his head, embarrassed if she knew what he thought of most of the time.
"Reno," she said with a nod.
"Goin' for a quick spin, eh?" he jeered. She didn't answer, but her ears went pink. She knew she'd been caught out, and Reno smirked, satisfied. "What would Avalanche think if their lovely little Ancient stole their boat?" he said scoldingly.
"I have. other things to think about," she replied curtly, her gaze dropping. She must not have thought he would catch the sad look that cross her face, but she thought wrong. Reno's narrowed eyes saw it, and he frowned.
"Where the heck you thinkin' of goin'?" he asked dubiously.
"The City of Ancients," she said softly, her eyes clouded over. She turned back to the boat, but Reno grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"That's the city. where Sephiroth is goin'." he realised. "You're crazy! More than crazy- stupid! That- bastard - killed two of my friends who were trained in the art of killing and you think you can stop him? An Ancient? You're nuts." Aeris smiled sadly, but shook her head.
"He can be stopped," she said in her quiet voice. "I know my place, and what I have to do. Goodbye, Reno." She unhooked the rope before Reno could react, and started the engine. The boat began to pull away, churning up the calm waters loudly. Reno cursed, and foolishly jumped onto the deck of the boat before it got too far, already knowing he had made the wrong choice.
*
"What d'ya mean, SHE'S GONE?!" The entire town of Mideel was shaken the next morning by the sounds of Barret's voice as he stared in disbelief at Yuffie. Yuffie shrugged nonchalently.
"The drunk Turk's gone, too," she said offhandly. "Maybe they-"
"Don' even say it," Barret said abruptly. "All that matters is that we find their idiotic asses before somethin' happens. I really don' think Aeris would go off with that punk Turk anyway."
"She wouldn't," Tifa assured, entering the room. "But I think she may have headed to the City of Ancients. Which is where we should go." Barret sighed angrily but nodded.
"I'm f**king coming too," snapped a familiar voice. They all looked up to see Cid standing sprightly in the doorway, his beard even more stubbly than usual. "Gotta get the f**k away from those damn nurses, prodding and poking me all the f**king time. So count me in." Tifa smiled at him.
"Nice to have you back, Cid," she said.
"Aww, f**k," he replied, shunning her. "I might get emotional." He stalked out of the room, fumbling to light a cigarette. Tifa turned back to Yuffie, whose expression suggested that she already sensed what the older woman was about to say.
"The answer's no, Tifa. I'm not staying behind. Not now, not ever, and nothing you say- is that a Summon Materia?" Tifa cocked her head, holding the Ramuh Materia in her hand.
"You were saying?"
"Uh, what do you want me to do? Cause, I'm good at babysitting, and, er, you know, house stuff," Yuffie babbled with eyes like dinner plates, eyeing the crimson sphere.
"I want you to stay here in Mideel, with Rufus," Tifa said, to everyone's surprise. Barret's eyes were alight with suspicion, and Yuffie's brow furrowed.
"He's not gonna stay here," Barret growled. "You know that spoilt brat." Tifa turned to look at him, and he was taken aback by the emotion in her dark eyes.
"I know he won't stay here willingly," she said quietly. "But he's asleep right now. I'm not letting him come. not after everything that's happened. And. and Cloud." Her voice trailed to a whisper, and she hurried from the room, leaving Yuffie and Barret very disturbed by her sudden behaviour in regards to Rufus. Yuffie turned to Barret.
"Well, Tifa's got issues," she commented. "Anyway, I don't really mind staying here. There's this hunk over in the Weapons shop, saw him this morning."
*
In less than half an hour, they'd located a spare boat and were bopping across the ocean, the wind whipping through their hair. Them, of course, referring to the people that had actually gone on the trip: Tifa, Barret, Cid, Elena and Vincent. Cait Sith volunteered to stay behind with Yuffie and keep her company, to her delight. She always had been the only one who could stand his constant predictions. Barret once again piloted, helped by Cid whose knowledge of spacecrafts extended to boats, planes and even trucks. Elena didn't take to sea travel all that well this time, spending most of the time in the boat's bathroom. Vincent, being Vincent, had disappeared, even though the ship was barely fifty foot and quite small.
Tifa sat at the back of the boat, her legs dangling over the edge, as she watched the engine chop up the water. She might have been sitting there, but her thoughts were in a completely different world altogether. She didn't even notice another gaze settle on her, too busy trying to conjure up Cloud's face. A few days, she thought, ashamed. And I've already forgotten his face. Her hair flew around her, hiding her face from view. She stared down at the water, seeing her shape somewhat reflected (was her hair really that long?) and frowning in confusion when she saw another, taller shape standing behind her. She gasped when she spotted Vincent standing still as a statue a few metres away.
"Vincent!" she breathed. "Why must you always do that?" He shrugged indifferently, then sat down next to her. His face was, as always, unreadable, but in his eyes flickered a tiny flame, one Tifa had never noticed or seen before.
"I heard your, erm, conversation this morning," he said awkwardly, as if this was a conversation he didn't feel all that comfortable with. Tifa nodded at him to go on. "Regarding young Shinra. I know that it is not my. place. to ask things, but I feel this matter is slightly important." He paused, staring down at the white wash below them. "Do you love him?" Tifa stiffened, about to shake her head and declare no, as loud as she could.
But you aren't that sure, are you, teased a little voice in her head. She blinked, and avoided Vincent's gaze, with no answer prepared for him. She didn't love love Rufus, she told herself. She loved him in the way she'd loved Cloud all those years, the way she loved Aeris as a friend, the way she loved all of Avalanche. She sighed, unaware of the conflicting emotions jumping in Vincent's ruby eyes.
*
Reno barely said a word until they arrived at a empty shore, with small waves lapping at the edge hungrily. He jumped from the boat, and looked around him.
"This doesn't look very Ancient-ish," he commented, looking pointedly at the bright golden sand and soft seagrass growing near the shore. The only sign that Aeris had heard what he said was a slight nod, her green eyes transfixed on some faraway object that only she could see.
"Please," she said softly. "Go home now." Something in Reno snapped. It wasn't what she had said, or how she had said it, as he knew she meant that she didn't want him to get hurt. But the calmness with which she said it, and the trusting look on her face- hell, she could die right now and it didn't appear that she would care! He exploded, barely knowing what he was saying.
"Go home?" he snarled. "Go HOME?! You ignorant little Ancient, do you think I have a home? My home was with my friends, my allies, the Turks, and now there are barely any of us left. What kind of home do you call that? S'pose none of friendship and shit like that matters to you, otherwise you wouldn't have so selfishly left your friends."
"I'm not-" she began.
"Not what? Not selfish? I beg to differ. Selfish are the damned, and coming here was a damned thing to do! You think you'll live through an encounter with him when no one else has? What about your precious little Cloud? Even he couldn't beat that messed up dickhead, and somehow you think that just because you're an Ancient that you can!" Her face fell, and he bit his lip so hard that he tasted blood.
"Sorry." His voice was rough, and the word came out husky. Then again, it wasn't a word he used a lot. "I'm not going, though," he added, and stormed off in the direction she'd been gazing. Wordlessly, she followed quickly. Tall blades of grass, thick as a jungle, barred the end of a dusty path, and Reno squinted into the depths of the grass that was twice his height or more.
"It's near here," she said softly, coming up behind him and making him jump. He glowered at her.
"No sneaking up on me," he warned. "Or I might mistake your pretty face for Sephiroth's, and jam my night staff halfway through your skull." She seemed unaffected by his graphic threat, and pushed past him into the blades of grass. Suddenly, she shrieked, and Reno swallowed in shock when he saw the stream of blood flowing down her arm. He pulled her back, and held his hand to the cut firmly.
"The grass. it's sharp," she said.
"Talk about stating the obvious," he said, shaking his head. He glanced at the cut, and frowned when he saw that it had completely healed. Aeris flushed, and she pulled her arm away.
"I'm fine."
"No shit. How'd you do that?" She didn't answer, just stared thoughtfully at the grass rising above her. Then, in one quick motion, she blasted a fireball at the entire area. Reno was thrown back by the shockwave, and landed hard on his butt a few metres away. Within seconds, the grass had crumbled to the ground in a pile of ash, leaving the trail open to follow. Aeris smiled, and continued. Reno hastily got to his feet, calling after her.
"No more fire, all right? Almost blasted my sorry ass halfway to Mideel."
AN: Hiya! Remember me? Lol. Sorry it's been, what, a month or so? Maybe two? I was a little unmotivated, you might say. Anyhow, I've decided to give y'all shorter chapters now, cause then I'll be able to post them quicker, and make everyone happy! Yay! *mumble* Yes, I am alive. I just disappeared for awhile. like Seph! Speaking of the angel, where is he? Hehehehehe..