Chapter two -- Ystava
It was a strange feeling. Something was wrong, something was off. The forest was always strange, the city even more so. There was something here, something that would lead to this feeling. That something was the reason he was here. He was told to scout this area, to figure out what was going on here. There was a reason why he was here and not someone else.
Looking around, it was obvious why he was called here. The city held a strange air to it, even at the edge. It wasn't the fact that the city was in ruins, nor was it the fact that no one figured out what happened here so many years ago but it was the fact that there was something wrong here. That something was not a major problem but a problem caused from an unknown source. That was the reason why he was here.
Moving from roof top to roof top, red eyes glanced around as long black hair floated around his person. A red cloak, torn from many years past, danced on the soft blowing breeze. Though the movement was quick, there was hardly any sound from the golden foot. Finally stopping, a golden hand ran through the wild hair, pulling it away from his partially hidden face.
With a sigh, this handsome male headed towards the forest. There might be some more clues hidden in those glowing woods. The male, properly named Vincent, had been here for only two days. He had figured where the rumors were coming from and why he was sent here. There was a rift in the ground. The rift was seeping mako, and a lot of it.
Unlike Cloud, Vincent could not be reached by phone. Vincent could not be found unless he chose to be, which made finding this sniper much harder. Thanks to pure curiosity and chance, Yuffie was able to catch this gunner. Reeve, using the poor girl, had given Vincent the change to investigate the rumors being spread about this place. Thanks to pure curiosity and possibly boredom had Vincent here and figured out the cause of the right and seeping mako.
The dim sounds of a motorbike pulled Vincent out of the slight haze his mind had gotten into. Who would be coming in this direction? There was nothing out here. Climbing up a tree gave him a better fire of the area. Vincent could see the dust trail coming from the bike. Moving towards the edge of the forest, Vincent thought he seen a form he recognized. If anyone would help him out with this mission, Vincent was silently grateful for the presence of the blond.
The sun was young in the sky, just a few hours after sunrise. Cloud had been traveling through the night without really thinking. There wasn't much he could think about. Safely that was. The past was too hard to think about while driving and what laid ahead was too tricky to start understanding now. He didn't have enough to work with, nor did he want to start figuring out things that would just be rumors instead of the truth.
As the sun lit the way, Cloud could see the forest just on the horizon. It would be another few hours before he came to the forest edge and probably even longer before he got to the city behind it. Going through the forest maybe the longest way to get to the city, but it was the shortest way from Edge. He would have to take another day just to drive around the forest while it only required an hour of solid driving through the thick forest.
As he got closer, Cloud allowed a sigh. This would be either very exciting or a very boring mission. Scouting was never a favorite assignment for Cloud to take up but it was needed. He wouldn't be needed to do more than scout the area and report his findings. What ever was there or what ever caused it would be solved by someone else. Cloud was glad for that, it meant a quicker job for him.
There was a rumor that Cloud had heard during his last delivery. There were people talking about mako being in the city, a large amount of it to be exact. Rufus had mentioned it, more like hinted, but it gave Cloud enough warning.
Within the last year, Cloud had noticed that the problem with the mako in his system wasn't healed like everyone thought. Cloud had his ideas of why but none were accurate. If he would be going into a collection of mako, he would need to be careful. He didn't know just how bad the pain would be, nor could he guess at it. Such was the curse of having mako in your system that just loved to torture the muscles and the healing process.
Pulling the bike to a halt, Cloud looked into the forest. He was still a good half of a mile away from the area he wanted to enter. It wouldn't take to long to right through the forest road in order to get to the city, but he wanted to take a break and collect his mind before entering the forest. He had been here a few times already, and each time was not a happy scenario.
There was movement to his left, drawing his attention not to the bushes but to the trees. Red eyes that normally scared anyone shitless merely caused a slight smile to appear on the blond's lips. There was only one person who had those red eyes, and he was not a demon. Vincent Valentine. The only person Cloud looked up too, who was more like a father than a friend.
As Cloud's eyes moved from Vincent's location to the other parts of the forest, Vincent leapt from the branch he was kneeling on. Walking towards the blonde, it was clear that Vincent was glad to see the blond here. It was also clear that Vincent was surprised to see Cloud here, even if slightly.
"How long have you been here?" Cloud asked, wondering out of pure curiosity. Though he had guessed Vincent would be here, Cloud was shocked that they would both be called in on this mission. It was a good feeling to see Vincent here. The sniper had not been seen since Sephiroth's defeat. To see Vincent here, when the gunner wasn't one to appear unless needed, said something about this mission.
"Two days." The cold and rather distant voice replied as Vincent looked towards the forest. "The rumors are true." Great. This would be fun. There was a mako field here somewhere. Opening the sword compartments in the bike, Cloud pulled out his favorite two swords. Getting off the bike, Cloud looked towards Vincent again. It was a true relief that Vincent had been here that long. It meant that Vincent had already scouted the area and found the problems as well as safe places to rest.
"What?" Cloud soon realized he had been staring longer than normal and had been caught admiring Vincent.
"It has been five years, and you still have not changed." It was a joke, causing them both to smile. Of course Vincent hadn't changed but there was another meaning behind it. Cloud was glad to see Vincent again, and the feeling was mutual. Even if not mentioned, Cloud knew it was true just be bow Vincent was acting now. Not heading off as soon as he knew who was entering these woods.
Without anything further, the two headed towards the path Cloud was planning on taking. Since Vincent had met the blond outside of the forest, Cloud had no reason to bring his bike along. There was no need for the speed that the bike offered. Everything Cloud needed was on his person now, and if he needed anything, the bike would still be there.
It was the change in the temperature that alerted Cloud that they were entering the forest. The trees glowed almost warmly as the two traveled towards the city in welcomed silence.
Thanks to the following people: Deo, Luna and Sothis. The ideas for this story came from a roleplay between Deo and myself, so the ideas are original. Luna and Sothis, my editors for the story, also helped out.
The second chapter of Kirottu is up and ready for R 'n R.
Flames, advice, anything is all taken with love and appreciation.
The names of the chapters, the name of the story itself even, come from the Finnish language.
Ystava means friend, a fitting word for the second chapter.
