Disclaimer: Oh I could only wish to own Final Fantasy and all its characters, but sadly I don't. But I can gladly say that I own Assira. Or I at least hope she's an original character.
A/N: I just wanted people to know that I haven't finished the game yet. So if I've made a mistake in the original story line or characterization, I apologize. But isn't the point of fan fiction to write a story using the characters we love so much? Oh and love them I do.
-o- -o- -o-
"Enough," I begged.
"You haven't mastered it yet," A pair of blue eyes bore into mine. "You asked me to train you. And you agreed to my terms. When you have mastered the sword you can rest."
"You say that, but the only person I can't beat is you. I'm sore and most likely black and blue." I was panting for breath at the work out I received. I was sweaty and most likely stank. My long brunette hair had long ago come out of the long braid down my back.
But as much as I looked bedraggled, he looked pristine. His spiky blond hair had never fallen out of place; his armour didn't show any knick from my sword. And if he was sweating I was the president of Shinra.
"Cloud take it easy on her. Assira is new to mako energy" I was slightly glad that Tifa was on my side. If she were not there, cloud would have most likely worked me well into the ground. "Come on dear lets get you something to eat."
I weakly nodded and started to walk toward her. The tip of my Lion's Head Bastard sword dragging across the stone floor of the ancient keep. The scraping sound was starting to send shivers up and down my spine, but I wasn't bothered enough to lift it.
Cloud's eyes followed me as I walked across the bare room. I could see the pain of failure in them. He knew he wasn't much of a teacher, and for that I didn't blame him. I wasn't much of a learner either. And he knew just as much as I did that the student was the mirror of the teacher. He could see his failure in me, and mine in him.
He finally let his guard down by letting his buster sword fall to the ground in much the same position as mine.
I took the opening as I would any other. My sword whistled threw the air toward his unguarded side. His eyes snapped open and his muscles tensed. I could see his sword start to make its transit across to block my own. I forced myself to move faster.
With a loud crack our swords hit. The both stopped dead as a silence took over. It stretched for the longest of time. I looked into his blue eyes as he looked into the mako tinged brown of mine.
The sound of Tifa's shoes behind me were as loud as a group of chocobo.
"Well done." His deep voice broke the deafening silence. Shock flashed across me face because I hadn't realized what I'd done yet. I glanced down at out swords and noticed a trickle blood running down his arm where I had nicked him.
"Are you alright?" I squeaked.
"I'm fine. You have earned that rest now."
"Come with me dear. I'll fry you up some steak and potatoes." Tifa turned and started to walk back to the bar. Cloud just shrugged and followed leaving me to stare into space with shock.
The Seventh Heaven wasn't busy this night and we had it almost to ourselves. Barret was out sightseeing with is daughter and wasn't expected home for a few days.
"Have you decided where you are going to go after you have finished training?" Cloud looked at me over his plate of food.
"I was thinking of going back to my home village to help protect it." I quickly stuffed some potatoes into my mouth to stop any other questions from being asked. I wasn't really a big talker and I normally kept to myself.
"And where is that?" Tifa had always tried to find out some of my past but so far I hadn't told her much. It was always the same questions. 'Where are you from again?' 'What happened to your parents?' And my most favourite of all, 'Why didn't you just join SOLDIER if you wanted to learn the sword?'
The total truth was I really didn't trust Shinra. They had always picked on the older men of my village, something about harbouring criminals. But how many criminals could we hide in a small fishing village of about 30 that was mostly my family and extended family?
The day that I had decided to leave they had come and taken my older brother away. I had spent a few hours on the docks cleaning up his nets for him when my great aunt had come to me to tell me that he was dead. If there was any mercy in the world, it wasn't looking my way that day. I swore to myself that nobody that was close to me would ever suffer again.
I was twelve that day and now at twenty-two I had the skills to keep that promise. I had scored my first hit on the almighty Cloud Strife.
I had first heard of the blue eyes across from me about a year ago. They said he had saved the planet and killed Separoth. I had never asked his straight out about it. I guess I felt that he didn't want another admirer, or that he just didn't want to be bugged about killing his childhood idol.
I couldn't help but admire him though. His blue eyes drew me in like no pair of eyes before. I had to kick myself regularly and tell myself that he wouldn't be interesting in some whelp of a fisherman. Plus it almost seemed as if Tifa had something for him and he for her. Who was I to get in-between that?
"… Don't you think Assira?" That snapped me out of my internal monologue.
"Pardon?"
"You haven't listened to a word we've said have you?" Tifa scolded.
"Sorry I haven't." I looked down at my plate of food in embarrassment.
"Well don't worry about it," Cloud stood up for me, "I only listen to her half the time too." That joking statement earned him a good slap the to the back of the head. "Hey, it's true." She picked up our plates and took them to the back. He tried several times to apologize to her on route but finally just gave up.
"Now I wonder why she is in such a snit." I just shrugged and let him make something of the gesture. "I'm going to the market later. Do you need anything?"
"Yes, a replacement for that dagger you broke."
"Oh that. Well I did say I was going to replace it. Do you need anything else?"
"Nope."
"You know you could come with me. We could even go outside the city and see if we can track down a battle or two to work on your skills."
Now that was odd. He never asked Tifa if she wanted to go outside the city with him when he trained. Could I have been wrong about him and Tifa? No, it must be exactly as he said. It was for me he did this.
"Sure."
-o- -o- -o-
We had been walking for some time. The city was well out of view, and not a word had been said since we left the weapons maker. The grass of the hill we climbed was softly blowing in the wind, a small piece of beauty on a planet that our greed had almost killed.
"You don't like her much do you?" He asked quietly.
"No." There was no need to ask whom he was talking about.
"Mind if I ask why."
"Because she doesn't love you, and I do." I slapped my hands over my mouth. "Sorry." I hadn't meant to let my feelings for him slip. I was normally good at screening my thoughts from coming out of my mouth. But with him it was so hard to forget.
He stopped in his tracks and looked at me. "Really?" he asked dryly.
I stopped and turned to look at him. He was really making this difficult on me. He stood there, the wind rustling his spiked blonde looking so much like a war god. His sword strapped to his back only intensified the look.
"Look, I …" I just couldn't finish. So like the coward I was I turned and continued to walk up the slope of the hill.
I had taken only four of five steps when a hand came down on my shoulder and turned me around. His blue eyes held me better then any paralysis spell, and they where totally unreadable, though not for my lack of trying.
"Lets go home now. There is nothing out here right now, and it's getting late."
That night I spent my time mentally kicking myself. For all the time I've spent hiding myself from everybody I never knew I was so unskilled. I had let my guard down and that was unacceptable.
In the morning I went down stairs and grabbed an apple before quickly leaving for the keep. The walk over was interesting. Some group of kids decided that I was easy prey and tried to mug me. They learned quickly by my sword that I wasn't. Two walked away with limps and a third had a gash in his arm. Lucky for them I was in a good mood.
When I arrived I took off my heavy coat and positioned myself in the centre of the cleared space. I centred my thoughts and worked through the stances. My sword and I moved smoothly, more smoothly then I had ever done. I made no sound as I shifted from defensive to attack forms and back again.
"You are doing better today." The deep voice broke me from my concentration. I spun to look at cloud. He was leaning against the wall where I had left me coat. "Care for a partner?"
"I would actually like to be alone today."
He stood straight and looked at me. "Are you trying to avoid me today?"
"Truthfully, yes." Well there went my good mood.
"I didn't mean to upset you last night."
I just looked at him. Now what could I have said about that? Did he not know that I had upset myself? Did he not know that it was my weakness that had upset me? "Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong."
He quickly unstrapped his sword and attacked me. Our blades met, and the blow sent me off balance. I fell to the ground and he stood over me. His hand reached out to help me up, but I declined the offer. Once I was standing again I turned my back on him and continued the forms, but he was not to be denied. He flipped over me and our blades met once more.
"Ah, I see you are not angry at me. Yourself then?" An angry scream left my lips as I moved to attack him. How dare he invade my thoughts. "Nope wrong again. Just angry at everything." He moved quickly evading my angry thrusts. "You know whatever happened wasn't you fault."
"Don't presume to know anything about me." I angrily spat at him. "You're a SOLDIER, you probably did it."
"So now we get down to it finally." I swung my blade down at his head. He masterfully stopped it and locked my blade in place. With a flick of his wrist he sent my blade flying to land at the base of the far wall. "Did I not tell you several times not to attack in anger?"
My head fell in shame.
His blade came to rest below my chin and raised my head so that I had to look into his eyes. The power of that gaze held mine as he removed the blade, tossed it away and took a step toward me.
His head tipped down and he pressed his warm lips to mine. My muscles tensed at first but soon turned to mush. Shock soon transformed to anger when I realized that he had kissed me. I grabbed for my dagger at my waist and twisted it around to rest against his neck.
"Don't ever do that again." I was very confused and didn't like the feeling. I wanted to fall into those arms and reclaim those lips, but I also wanted to run away and not see him ever again.
His hand rose up, took my wrist and moved my dagger from his throat. "Assira, please be honest with me. Isn't this what you wanted?"
"No … Yes, I don't know." I turned and let my head fall once again. A silent tear ran down my cheek.
His strong arms wrapped around my shoulders and his warm bulk pressed against my back. His warm breath sending shivers down my back.
"How could someone with such fame love a fisherman's daughter?"
"And now who is assuming?" He chastised.
"You could have anybody. Why would you pick me? There are thousands of better woman out there. Woman who could offer you more then a little shack and fishing boats."
"Who out there would push me away for my own good?" I turned around to look at him. Shock written all over my face. "If I can have anybody, why not you? You obviously love me, or think you do."
Speech was not possible at that moment. Even if I could say anything, what could I have said?
"Oh how sweet." A rough voice said from behind me.
"Rufas!" Cloud barked. "Why are you here?"
I turned to look and was soon staring down the barrel of a gun. Fear gripped me.
My sword was lying on the floor too far away to grab and Cloud's was on the floor several paces behind us.
Cloud still gripped the wrist of the hand that held me dagger. And at this angle it was impossible to tell if Rufus has seen it.
"Cloud I'm here for my revenge on you." He stated as he cocked the hammer.
"Could you hold on while I finish this then?" Cloud was up to something, but I had no clue what it was.
Rufus nodded, but never let his guard down.
"Assira, You can throw it all way, I have enough to keep us until the end of time." It was meant to be his ways of telling me his plan, but I just didn't get it. And the silence stretched for longer then it should have. To cover up my time to think Cloud bent his head to brush his lips across mine again. His hand tightened then loosened on my wrist during the kiss.
I suddenly got it and just nodded dumbly.
Cloud held my shoulders in his strong hands and nudged me to the side. "Rufus this is between you and me. Leave Assira out of it."
"I may yet play with your girlfriend Cloud. But right now all I want is your head on a platter. I've already had Tifa, Yuffie and Barret detained. And I have people out to find Cid, Red, and Vincent."
With a flick of my wrist I sent my dagger flying. It lodged itself into the flesh of the wrist holding the gun. Cloud immediately did a back flip grabbing his sword along the way.
A shot rang out quickly followed by the sound of the bullet hitting steel. Cloud had positioned his sword to stop the bullet. In the next moment he launched himself at the Rufas.
Rufas was quick to dodge the large blade. He was also really quick to reload and shoot at Cloud again. This time the bullet blasted through Cloud's arm.
Blood gushed from the relatively small wound down Cloud's arm. But if it slowed him any he didn't show it. He cast lightning at his opponent.
Rufas staggered backwards toward the door and shook his head to clear it.
I made a mad dash over to my sword to retrieve it.
"Assira, stay out of this. You will only get hurt."
"Like hell I'm going to sit back and watch you get hurt. Plus I want a strip off this asshole too." The sword felt oddly light in my hands. "Plus I'm the only one allowed to kick your ass. And I will for you taking that kiss without asking."
"You're going to kick my ass for that? I'm not the one who needed a reminder that her dagger was still in her hand." A shot rang out and Cloud dodged it. He slashed down at Rufas making him stumble backward some more. "And what kind of form is that? Threatening your boyfriend."
"Is that what you are now? No longer my teacher, but my boyfriend and lover? Oh Rufus do keep up. You're going to … ouch, I tried to warn you that he'd hit you over the head."
"And now helping the enemy. You're just full of surprises."
"Like my helping him is going to make much difference."
"Hey, I've been training. I'm getting really good now." He let his next bullet fly, but like the first it rebounded off Cloud's sword.
"Oh do shut up Rufas, This doesn't concern you." Cloud shifted his stance and reversed his grip.
"Oh this lovers quarrel does concern me. It's taking half your attention away from me."
"Oh very well then." Cloud turned his blade in his hand. The blade lashed out and struck Rufus upside the head. Rufus flew across the room and smashed through a wooden wall. I wasn't sure if he was unconscious, but I was sure he wasn't getting up any time soon.
"Oh now I'm not going to have any fun." My sword flashed around and back into its sheath along my back. "And you lost my new dagger."
"I'll get you another one." He took a few steps toward me. "I'm almost scared to come near you now for fear you really will kick my ass."
"Don't worry, the way you dealt with Rufas has me wanting to jump you more then kick your ass."
"Ok, now I'm really worried." We both broke out in laughter.