Fountain Of Memories
Chapter 1: Reunion
Disclaimer: I do not own any Final Fantasy 7 characters, they all belong to Squaresoft.
It was raining. Vincent shivered slightly as rain dribbled down his spine. He shifted the sack on his shoulder, and quickened his pace. Looking down from the worn mountain path he followed, he could see the roaring waterfall and the dark churning pool below it. Vincent smiled grimly. Home, or at least as much of a home as he needed. Mind you, part of him said, you spent 20 years living in a coffin. In comparison, this is a palace.
He began to make his way down the treacherous path.
Stepping behind the waterfall, Vincent stopped suddenly. A figure was stood at the other end of the cave. Standing over her place.
Vincent felt the rage well up inside him. How dare this person come to this cave. This place where her memory lingered. This person's presence was…sacrilegious to her memory.
Vincent drew his gun with one swift movement and fired. The figure moved with incredible speed and dived out of the way. Vincent fired again, but the figure rolled and came up firing a gun too.
Vincent ducked behind a rock for cover until the firing stopped briefly. He stood to fire again, and the stranger hit him in the head with a kick, throwing him backwards.
Vincent lay there and stared at the cloaked figure as it came and stood over him. The light from the dying fire Vincent had lit earlier dimly illuminated the hood of the strangers cloak.
A glimpse of blonde hair and strange blue eyes was all Vincent saw, before the figure moved.
'Cloud?' Vincent said muzzily.
The figure shied away like a frightened cat at the name, and backed towards the cave entrance before turning and running out into the darkness.
When the cave had stopped spinning around him, Vincent sat up. His head was pounding, and he could feel a bump forming where the strangers boot had connected with his forehead.
Sighing, he rekindled the fire and set the contents of the sack over it to cook. He realised now that the figure hadn't been Cloud. The eyes had been blue but they weren't bright blue of Cloud's, they had seemed…older, and more tired.
Something at the other end of the cave caught Vincents eye. Surely the stranger hadn't thrown their rubbish down in here? Walking over to the platform where She had spent her last days, Vincent knelt and picked up the thing between two fingers. The flower shimmered in the flickering flames.
* * *
Cloud prodded the campfire with a stick moodily. He had a bandage around his left arm. He scratched it absently, and winced at the pain. Bloody stupid Skeeskee had jumped him while he'd been stalking a rabbit. He lay back and stared up at the twinkling stars.
That's your life now Cloud Strife, he thought to himself. You can save the world from an evil, silver-haired maniac but you can't catch supper. What a sad loser you are.
Something scuffed the sand and pebbles nearby, and Cloud was on his feet instantly, the Buster Sword held ready in his hand.
The cloaked figure raised its hands to show that it was unarmed. Cloud lowered the sword, but kept it in his hand.
'Can I help you?' He said suspiciously.
The figure turned and stared out over the canyon towards the horizon.
'The stars are so beautiful tonight.' The figure sighed, 'Just like that night in Nibelheim…'
Cloud narrowed his eyes, 'What night in Nibelheim?'
The figure seemed to take no notice, 'I loved her so much, and I left her on a night like this. Seeking glory like my brother.'
Cloud frowned, 'What brother? What are you talking about? Why are you telling me this?' Cloud felt that he was being regarded by a pair of eyes he could not see in the shadows of the hood.
The stranger shrugged, 'He is dead now, as is Charlotte.'
Cloud jumped at the name, 'Charlotte?'
'They're all gone. Dead. All I have left is memories and one other who does not even know of my existence.' The figure carried on, ignoring him.
Cloud looked away for a moment, 'Yes, Charlotte of Nibelheim is dead. She died 8 years ago, in a fire.'
'Yes, I know. It took me a long time but I know a lot about what happened to Charlotte, and my brother.'
Cloud gritted his teeth, 'How do you know so much about my mother?' The figure was silent.
Cloud stepped forward and grabbed the strangers arm. He felt muscles flex under his fingers, and was knocked to the floor by a blow to his chin.
The stranger glanced at him, and walked away from the firelight.
Cloud sat up blearily, with his hand on the Buster Sword. There was no sign of the stranger in the shadows surrounding the cave. Cloud sighed sadly, and put the sword down. Laying back, he stared up at the stars again. Charlotte……Mother……
* * *
Yuffie stared out of the window of her house, and sighed loudly. Flopping back onto the floor, she looked around at her room. Gawd, it wasn't like the old days. Admittedly Wutai had grown in size, and was no longer a quiet little tourist town, but since materia was no longer really needed, Yuffie found her life filled greatly changed from the way she had lived as a ninja.
She smiled proudly at the Conformer which hung on the wall. Not that she'd had much chance to use it since they'd killed Sephiroth, Yuffie had spent the last five years being taught the ways of Wutain lore in readiness for the time when she would have to take over. It was so boring at first that Yuffie had tried all kinds of things to get out of her lessons, but after awhile she had begun to find the teachings…interesting, even so, she still she longed for the 'old days'.
She hadn't seen the rest of the group together since the day they had parted ways 5 years ago. She had spoken to most of them on the phone, and had even visited Tifa, but what she really wanted was to see them all again, especially…someone in particular.
A reunion! Yuffie sat up so fast she lost her balance and ended up sprawled on her front. Clambering up, she reached for the phone. Yes! Brilliant! She'd organise a reunion for them all, here at Wutai. It'd be great to see everyone again, and it would certainly be good to see how everyone had got on over these past few years.
'Hi Teef, it's me Yuffie. I wonder if you can help me with something…'
* * *
Clear blue sky, beat down onto Yuffie's dark head. She was nervously pacing the docks at Junon, waiting for them.
The first to arrive was Tifa. Yuffie greeted her with a hug, carefully restraining the urge to babble insanely, and give her a bearhug.
Reeve and Barret appeared together, and Cid shortly afterwards. Yuffie stood and looked urgently over the crowded docks for signs of the rest.
'Waiting for someone in particular Yuffie?' Tifa said, with an evil grin on her face. Yuffie could have quite happily strangled her friend when the others all looked questioningly at her.
'No, I'm erm…just worried that they won't be here on time…' She stuttered, and then saw the fiery glow of Red's tail heading towards their group, and just behind him Cloud and……Vincent.
'I found him in a cave near Cosmo Canyon,' Said Red, as he strolled up to the group on his four paws.
Cloud looked a little sheepishly at the others, 'Hi guys.'
Tifa stepped forward and hugged him fiercely.
Yuffie was staring at Vincent. His red cloak was still evident, but it hung loosely around his shoulders, revealing his face more. The bandanna around his head was gone, and his long dark hair was tied back away from his face. His eyes….he was staring at her too.
Yuffie felt herself blush, and she smoothed the front of her ceremonial robe nervously. She looked away quickly when his eyes met hers.
The ferry behind them, honked its horn loudly, and they all began to troop on board for the long trip to Wutai.
Yuffie stared at the frothing water below glumly, leaning over the rail cradling her head in her hands. She still suffered from travel sickness, despite the amount of times she had travelled by air or sea. She heard footsteps on the deck behind her, but didn't bother to turn from the rail.
'Hey Vincent,' She said wearily. Of all the times to come and say hello, he had to choose the one where there was a very good chance she would puke on his shoes. She felt him lean on the rail beside her.
'How did you know it was me?' He said in that deep, quiet voice that made Yuffie feel...weird.
She sighed, 'I am a ninja y'know. I'd recognise the footsteps of any of you guys,' She paused thoughtfully, 'Well except possibly Reeve.'
Chancing it she raised her head slightly to look at him. He was looking at her oddly, and then he shrugged slightly.
'You've changed Yuffie.'
'Well, I'm older now, I have more on my mind than stealing materia and not getting caught.' She said wryly, looking back at the grey water below.
Vincent made a noise almost like a chuckle, and Yuffie looked at him in amazement. He was smiling! Admittedly it was a sort of, half-crooked smile, but nonetheless, Yuffie had never seen Vincent smile before.
'Bad weather coming in.' He said, staring out over the water. Yuffie raised her head just enough to see dark storm clouds scudding across the sky, before she felt rain begin to fall.
'Let's get inside.' She said, turning carefully and walking unsteadily towards the lounge area.
* * *
Huge waves rose over the madly bobbing ferry, as the torrential rain raged down from the heavens, and thunder rattled anything that wasn't held down.
The group sat nervously in the small lounge area, hardly saying a word as the storm tossed the ferry around like a plastic toy.
A sudden lurch sent the passengers crashing to one side, and the lights flickered and died. A crewman ran in and yelled something incoherently, before running back out onto the deck.
The sudden rush for the door, caused chaos, and the next lurch sent two people smashing through the window.
Cloud ran out onto the deck, holding Tifa's hand tightly so she wouldn't be lost in the confusion. People were climbing onto lifeboats, fighting to be the first on. Cloud could hear the rest of the group behind them, and started to push his way over to the lifeboats.
A sudden hush went over the people, and Cloud looked around urgently. A wave ten times taller than the ferry was steadily rising on the starboard side. The spell broke, and the passengers began trying to get lifejackets and into lifeboats with a new urgency.
The grey wall rose over the boat, and the ferry lurched again, as it rose with the swell of the wave. Screams echoed over the deck as people were thrown overboard, into the dark water below. Cloud gritted his teeth, and held Tifa tightly as they gripped the slippery handrail.
A yell from Vincent caused Cloud to look up. Yuffie was hanging from the rail, legs dangling over the massive amount of space between her and the water. Her face was a mask of terror, and Vincent and Cid were trying to pull her back up. Cloud heard cloth rip, and the last he saw of his young friend was a picture of her with her eyes tightly closed, as she plunged towards the sea.
He thought he heard someone yell her name, but the roaring of the massive wave behind him drowned out any sound. The wave hit.
Cloud opened his eyes to a grey-green world, and fought his way to the surface. Just as he thought his lungs would burst with the effort, he rose from the water and took a deep gulp of air, before something hit his head, and he sank again. Again he clawed his way to the surface, and this time came up beside the object which had made his head ring. It was a surf board, probably someone had planned to use it at the Costa del Sol. Cloud dragged himself onto the board as best he could. His head was throbbing, and his eyes closed of their own accord.
He realised he was in the water again, he also realised he had no strength left to swim. Through the blanket of sleep, he realised that someone had an arm around his waist, and was pulling him through the water. He smiled slightly and fell back into the arms of sleep.
Sunlight warmed his body, and he could feel someone shaking him gently to wake him. Opening his eyes, Cloud just had time to take in his surroundings. He was lying on sand, he could feel it under his back. Palm trees nearby, waved lazily in the pleasant breeze.
A face filled his vision, as the person who had been shaking him leaned over to look at him. Cloud felt his fists clench with fear as he stared into a pair of bright green eyes he recognised very well.
Sephiroth…….
Authors Notes: Oooh Sephy returns duh-duh-DUH! I love suspense don't you? Look if you've read this and want me to continue please review, so I know that people actually care. I've already written several other chapters, but they aren't going up until I get some nice reviews from all you lovely people.
LOL
PS, for anyone interested I've added a new chapter to another one of my fics, 'A Daughter To Be Proud Of', and will be trying to carry on work with that one.