Chapter 2: Failed Vengeance
Broken thoughts were swirling through Sephiroth's mind, scenes of his life before. Scientists, SOLDIER, a mission, Nibelhiem… everything was coming together, he was remembering his life. Meteor, the northern crater… he remembered the boy with the broad-sword, Zack's sword. The boy with the spiked blond hair and ice blue eyes… the man who had killed him.
Cloud…
Sephiroth's eyes flew open then, and he sat up, looking at his hands and flexing them. He remembered dying, but wasn't so surprised to see himself alive again. After all, it did happen once before…
He noticed with mild concern the unbearable stench in the air, the smell of the dead, Sephiroth thought. He turned to get up, but saw his corpse instead.
He stared at the body, eyes wide with shock.
It's. . . me. . . Sephiroth thought with the calmness from years in SOLDIER. Even with all the blood and all the deep gashes that distorted the body, he knew it was his own dead body. He just knew.
He couldn't tear his eyes away despite how he wanted to. Nausea creeped into his belly as he stared at the corpse's face, his face. It was like looking in the mirror…
Sephiroth felt like he was going to faint, this was almost too much for him… Almost. After all, he had been through worse… But it was so… frightening…
"Ah, so you're awake."
Sephiroth turned sharply at the voice, shaken from his thoughts. He wasn't fooled by Jen's disguise.
"Jenova…mother…" He said, lifting his hand to his forehead as if cradling the memories that surged back to him.
"You have failed me, my son." She answered, crossing the cave to stand across from Sephiroth.
"That may be true…" Sephiroth answered while getting up to face her. "But remember, Mother, you were the one who failed first."
Jenova's expression changed from triumphant to annoyed. "Right..." She said flatly. She never liked that cocky attitude of his.
"How long has it been?" Sephiroth asked more seriously, but ignoring Jenova's obviously annoyed state.
"A little over a month. I am still weak and need time to recover. In the mean-time, a certain colony of insects need to be exterminated." She smiled, "You may take your revenge."
The idea of revenge sounded so good to Sephiroth, and there was a new gleam in his cold, emerald eyes. But there was one problem. "What about the Masamune, and my materia?"
"Your weapon may still be buried under the rubble somewhere, look for it if you wish. As for your materia, I doubt that's still hanging around. That stuff's worth money, you know." Jenova flashed a smile. "Now go, and do not fail me again." With that she turned her back on the angelic warrior and retreated into the shadows.
Sephiroth also turned, but headed in the opposite direction—out of the cave to find the Masamune. He believed that he and Jenova were working side-by- side, and that together they would share the pleasures of victory. Once the humans who had so greedily took the land (that was rightfully theirs) were destroyed, of course. Like the pests they are… Sephiroth thought.
They would enjoy their prize as Mother and son… It disturbed him whenever Jenova acted as though she were the boss and brains of the operation, for they were equals. If he failed, he would be failing himself as well as Jenova, his mother.
Sephiroth left the cave and walked through the debris. He was a bit surprised at how his surroundings had changed, but he had known there would be some sort of avalanche. Avalanche… Ironic how their name is what they caused… Sephiroth thought in amusement.
He stopped and looked around. If the Masamune was still here it wouldn't be too hard to find it. Sephiroth had always felt some sort of connection with the strange blade, as if it were something alive and a part of him. He could always feel where it was.
A hard wind blew, reminding him of the bitter cold that surrounded him. It had been slightly warmer in the cave, as it was sheltered from the wind, and he just now noticed the unbearable cold that bit into him like a thousand needles. As soon as he found his weapon, though, he would leave the Northern Crater. He could bare it that long.
Sephiroth walked on, watching the ground for any sign of his lost belongings. The Masamune was here, and near too. He could sense it.
A glimmer of red off to one side caught his eye, and he immediately changed coarse to investigate. As he picked up the small orb and held it in his hand, he recognized it to be his "Galaxy" summon materia. He had used it in his last battle, against Cloud. Why, then, was it not with the Masamune in the materia slot where he had left it?
As if in answer to his question, a small, squirrel-type animal appeared out of a shelter in the rocks that Sephiroth just now noticed. It looked up at him for a moment with empty black eyes, then fixed its gaze on the materia in his hand.
Sephiroth never really liked animals. They were stupid, mindless beings that had no point in existence. So he simply stood up and turned to walk away.
His companion, however, had different plans, and immediately the little thief shot up Sephiroth's leg, scooped up the materia in its mouth, and darted back into its hole. This of course was the least thing that Sephiroth expected and the squirrel was long gone before he realized what had happened.
Sephiroth stared back at the squirrel's little den. There was something else in there too, just inside the opening… It would be easy to reach in and grab it without the creature biting him.
As quick as lightning, Sephiroth reached his bare hand into the hole. He felt his hand grasp a familiar handle and just as quickly pulled it out. It was the Masamune. The blade gleamed in the mid-day sun.
Not quite so happy with the disturbance, the squirrel-creature was now back out of its home and staring at Sephiroth in annoyance, yelling at him in the grunting language of squirrels. That big shiny thing was his and no one was going to take it away.
Unfortunately, Sephiroth felt the same way, and when the animal snarled and jumped at him, the quick, slicing action that followed hardly took any thought.
He stepped over the bloody body of the creature, and bent over its den. There had to be more items in there, maybe the rest of his materia. Sephiroth picked up the top big rock and moved it, but there were still more. He started clearing away all the rocks and slowly the creature's den was revealed. There were numerous shiny objects packed away in the back and, as he had expected, his materia was there among them, but not all of it was whole. He searched and picked out "Ice" and half of "Barrier," all his other materia were laying in pieces all over the ground, but mostly around a certain rock by the side.
So, the little rodent made fun of my materia by banging them on rocks. Perfect.
Sephiroth stood and kicked the creature's body as he walked past it and out of the area. He'd just have to do with the "galaxy" summon and "ice." Materia really didn't matter anyway. At least he had the Masamune; that was all he needed for revenge.
**********
There is a small town called Gliset, unknown to most, located at the southern tip of the northern continent. Many people live there, for the small town that it is, and they are barely disturbed by visitors because of the small number who know it exists. In this village there's a couple shops, numerous houses, and a hospital. They needed the hospital, for people would often be wounded by wild animals. This of coarse being because of Gliset's location it the middle of nowhere.
There was no Inn, but instead there was an empty house that they rented out whenever the seldom visitors came. It was this very house that Cloud had rented for his team until everyone left and went their own way. Cid, Barret, and Cait Sith were the first to leave in the Highwind. Cid was going to drop Cait Sith and Barret off at Midgar (or what was left of it), and then go home to Shera in Rocket Town, which now had no rocket. Barret planned to pick up Marlene, after he found her, and head to Corel. Reeve planned to rebuild Midgar and become the new mayor. With Shinra practically whiped out and the old mayor dead, not to mention both Heidegger and Scarlet, that was what he felt he must do. Yuffie didn't go with Cid because she wanted to stay a little longer and have the adventure of finding her way home. Now only Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, and Nanaki remained. Cloud knew Red would soon go home to Cosmo Canyon, and Vincent, well, nobody could be sure of what he was going to do.
As for him and Tifa, they didn't know where they would end up either, since they both had no home to go to. Nibelhiem was out of the question, and there wasn't much left of Midgar. Cloud glanced down again at the small velvet box he was holding. Opening it, he saw the beautiful diamond ring he had recently bought and stared intently at it, turning it a little to see it sparkle.
No, can't have second thoughts now…
"Cloud,"
Cloud jumped, startled at the sudden voice, and quickly closed the box and hid it behind his back. Then turned to see Vincent enter the room.
"I think I will be leaving soon…" Vincent paused as he noticed Cloud had his hand behind his back, and thought he saw something sparkle. "What are you hiding?" he asked, suspiciously.
"What do you mean, hiding something?" Cloud asked back, playing dumb.
Vincent walked around and swiped the velvet box from Cloud's sweaty hands. "This." Vincent explained, still pushing the question, though the answer was quite obvious.
Before Cloud could respond, Vincent heard Tifa approaching and tossed the ring back to Cloud, who at once repeated the gesture of shoving it behind his back. Tifa walked in and stopped, and a short moment of silence passed until Vincent silently left the room.
"What was that about?" Tifa asked when Vincent was gone.
"Nothing, he just wanted to tell me he was leaving soon."
"Did he say when?" Tifa asked, trying to keep up conversation as she joined Cloud on the bed.
"No."
There was a silence, then Tifa spoke. "He confuses me." She said.
"What?"
"Vincent, he confuses me."
"Oh,"
Another silence.
"Tifa?"
"Yes?"
"I, uh… Let's go for a walk."
"To where?"
"I don't know, just… around."
"Okay…"
They left the small house and walked through the town. Soon they found themselves in a field beside the village. Cloud had the box with the ring in his pocket and planned to ask her the big question soon. He had actually started to ask her several times, but backed out each time.
Tifa had started to suspect that he had something to say, but didn't guess what it might be. She was afraid to get her hopes up, and besides, if he did have feelings for her, he would have asked her already, wouldn't he?
Cloud, though, felt the same way about Tifa. He was afraid her answer would be no. The feeling of rejection, of not being good enough, it had haunted him forever. But if Tifa rejected him… He didn't know if he could take it. The answer was better left unknown, that way there would always be the hope…
Evening was coming and it was getting a little chilly. The sun was sinking lower in the reddening sky. It was a relief to look into the sky and not see Meteor hanging over their heads, reminding them again and again of their mission. But they had succeeded; All that they had been through was now over. They had done the impossible and lived to celebrate it.
They walked along, and Cloud took another look at Tifa. The sun cast a red halo around her hair as she knelt down to pick a wildflower, twirling it and smelling it's sweet scent.
"Aren't these flowers beautiful?" Tifa asked, looking back at Cloud.
"Yeah…" Cloud answered. You're beautiful…
They continued their walk toward the beginning of a small forest, still not going to far from the village. It was more like a big group of trees than a forest actually, and it was out in the middle of nowhere with no other trees close by.
Cloud glanced at Tifa's flower, which she still carried, lifting it to her nose every now and then as they walked. A picture of Aeris invaded his mind just then, along with the feeling of grief.
"Flowers…always remind me of Aeris." He said, casting his gaze to the ground once more.
"Oh, they do?" Tifa asked, sounding a little wistful.
"Yeah…"
Tifa looked at him as he bowed his head as if in shame. "I know you feel guilty about what happened, but we couldn't have stopped it. Besides, it was what she planned. She gave her life for the planet and everyone on it, we have to respect that."
"I suppose you're right." Cloud sighed, and plopped down on the fallen tree trunk with Tifa. They had reached the sheltering trees—or perhaps not so sheltering, for they were at this very moment being watched and actually hunted.
Sephiroth watched silently from the bushes directly behind Tifa and Cloud, like a cat stalking it's prey. He had been lucky that they had came so close, and even that he had found Cloud at all. He had just started looking for him, and wasn't suspecting to find him so soon. It was fortunate that he was well armed, with the Masamune at hand, and well prepared for battle. He was still short on materia, but all he really needed was his destructive blade and skills to finish Cloud off. Sure it had took him much more effort in his last battle with Cloud, but he had been careless, calling him back into battle when he himself was so weak that he could hardly lift his weapon. Sephiroth vowed never to make the same mistake again, but now Cloud was off guard and defenseless.
He couldn't tell which of the two were closest to him. It was getting darker by the second, and with all his superior abilities, he lacked the best vision. It seemed the Jenova cells which were now a part of him were capable of giving him everything except for what he needed at the moment. Great talent with the sword, superior healing abilities… Why couldn't he have been blessed with something as simple as night vision to go along with it? He couldn't tell which one was Cloud and which was Tifa by the direction their voices came from either because the sound was bouncing off the trees too much. It was impossible to tell the true direction in which they came from. He would just have to guess and hope he stabs Cloud. If he is mistaken and stabs Tifa… well, then he would cause Cloud some emotional pain.
Any second now…
"This isn't the reason you brought me out here, Cloud, is it?"
Three…
"I, um, wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
Two…
"Well, you see… I've always… Look Tifa," He knelt down.
One!
Sephiroth plunged the Masamune strait through Tifa's middle, similar to how he had with Aeris. Tifa gasped and fell to the ground as Sephiroth removed his sword. Cloud yelled out her name, and cradled her unconscious but not yet dead body.
Cloud looked up to see the assassin and saw Sephiroth emerge from the shadows, his eyes visible before the rest of him. The blood-thirsty grin of the predator was clear on his face.
"No.." Cloud gasped, not wanting to believe his eyes, his voice growing louder until he practically shouted. "No, it can't be… I killed you!" All at once, all the hate and anger he thought he was free of, all the pain came back. It flooded his mind and blocked out all other thoughts.
Sephiroth laughed. "Did you really think you could destroy me for good? Did you actually believe it was possible?"
"Can't be… I saw your spirit enter the Lifestream…I killed you with my own hands!" said Cloud, shaking his head slightly, still not wanting to believe this horrible nightmare.
"Nothing is forever, Cloud. Get used to the concept." The glare in Sephiroth's eyes was pure insanity as he got ready to finish the job, raising the Masamune high.
"Cloud…"
Cloud glanced back down at Tifa. She was still alive, but wouldn't be for long if he didn't get her help fast.
"And now it's your turn…"
Cloud looked back up to Sephiroth, who was towering above him. Their eyes locked as the ex-general started to bring the mighty blade crashing down into his flesh. Cloud braced himself for the pain that was to come, for it was too late to escape it now…
But it did not come. The blade landed inches from where he sat, and Sephiroth let out a short cry of pain. Cloud looked up to see the older man on one knee and gripping at his head as if he had gotten a sudden very serious headache.
Cloud immediately took the opportunity to run. He didn't know what Sephiroth's problem was, and hardly cared enough to wonder about it. He was lucky that it happened when it did though, or else he would be dead by now.
He ran through the fields back toward the village. With Tifa barely alive and limp in his arms, he did not once look back. He didn't suspect Sephiroth was following them, for he didn't hear him, and chasing wasn't Sephiroth's style. He was running, mostly, to get Tifa to the small hospital in the center of the village. She was stronger than Aeris, maybe she could hold on a little longer. With luck, the doctors there would be able to help her.
Once they entered the town, Cloud got help immediately. The people that were out and around saw that he was in trouble and rushed to help him. They took Tifa from him and hurried her into the building that was the hospital. People came out of there homes to see what the commotion was all about, and asked what happened. Nanaki and Vincent also came, confused as to what happened as well.
Once everyone was told to go back to their homes and mind their own business, Cloud, Vincent, and Nanaki found themselves in the waiting room of the hospital. Cloud still hadn't told them what had happened to Tifa, even after their questions, which made them fear the worst. Cloud was too worried about Tifa to tell them now. Deep down he knew that no person could ever survive that kind of an injury, but he couldn't admit to himself that Tifa would die. It just couldn't happen; he needed her.
Besides that, he was still trying to work out if it really happened. Maybe it was just a wild animal, and he was having hallucinations, or maybe it was all a dream. Yes, it was a bad dream…
A very bad dream… He thought, but he really couldn't bring himself to believe that explanation. Sephiroth came back from the dead before, why shouldn't he do it again?
Cloud knew that Sephiroth's appearance at Gliset meant that he had to gather the others and think of a way to get rid of him for good. But would they believe him? That was another issue.
"Mr. Strife?" The nurse's voice shook him from his thoughts. "No vital organs were damaged, so we think she will be okay, but her condition is still questionable." She looked at Cloud with an accusing glare as she spoke, and it was plain that she was confused by the whole situation. "It's a good thing she had you along, or she would be dead for sure. May I ask how she got an injury of this sort?"
"An animal. Jumped up from behind." Said Cloud.
"Excuse me for arguing, but no creature can make that kind of a—"
"It was a monster. With green eyes and silver hair."
The nurse, seeing that Cloud clearly didn't want to be argued with, turned and left the room.
"Sephiroth," Vincent said after she was gone.
"I knew something wasn't right. I've been sensing that something was wrong ever since Yuffie left," said Nanaki. "We must gather the others. Something has to be done."
"You believe me?" Cloud asked.
"An ordinary wild animal wouldn't be enough to give you and Tifa trouble." Said Nanaki.
"Let's go back to the house and contact the others on the PHS, it's no good waiting around here. Tifa won't get any better tonight." Said Nanaki.
"Yeah… Let's go."
The three of them went back to the house and started to contact the others. They decided to call Cid first, since he had the Highwind and could pick everyone up. But Cloud was still unsure if the others would believe him. Cid, Barret, and Yuffie… They hadn't seen the severity of Tifa's injury. If that was the reason Vincent and Red believed him…
Broken thoughts were swirling through Sephiroth's mind, scenes of his life before. Scientists, SOLDIER, a mission, Nibelhiem… everything was coming together, he was remembering his life. Meteor, the northern crater… he remembered the boy with the broad-sword, Zack's sword. The boy with the spiked blond hair and ice blue eyes… the man who had killed him.
Cloud…
Sephiroth's eyes flew open then, and he sat up, looking at his hands and flexing them. He remembered dying, but wasn't so surprised to see himself alive again. After all, it did happen once before…
He noticed with mild concern the unbearable stench in the air, the smell of the dead, Sephiroth thought. He turned to get up, but saw his corpse instead.
He stared at the body, eyes wide with shock.
It's. . . me. . . Sephiroth thought with the calmness from years in SOLDIER. Even with all the blood and all the deep gashes that distorted the body, he knew it was his own dead body. He just knew.
He couldn't tear his eyes away despite how he wanted to. Nausea creeped into his belly as he stared at the corpse's face, his face. It was like looking in the mirror…
Sephiroth felt like he was going to faint, this was almost too much for him… Almost. After all, he had been through worse… But it was so… frightening…
"Ah, so you're awake."
Sephiroth turned sharply at the voice, shaken from his thoughts. He wasn't fooled by Jen's disguise.
"Jenova…mother…" He said, lifting his hand to his forehead as if cradling the memories that surged back to him.
"You have failed me, my son." She answered, crossing the cave to stand across from Sephiroth.
"That may be true…" Sephiroth answered while getting up to face her. "But remember, Mother, you were the one who failed first."
Jenova's expression changed from triumphant to annoyed. "Right..." She said flatly. She never liked that cocky attitude of his.
"How long has it been?" Sephiroth asked more seriously, but ignoring Jenova's obviously annoyed state.
"A little over a month. I am still weak and need time to recover. In the mean-time, a certain colony of insects need to be exterminated." She smiled, "You may take your revenge."
The idea of revenge sounded so good to Sephiroth, and there was a new gleam in his cold, emerald eyes. But there was one problem. "What about the Masamune, and my materia?"
"Your weapon may still be buried under the rubble somewhere, look for it if you wish. As for your materia, I doubt that's still hanging around. That stuff's worth money, you know." Jenova flashed a smile. "Now go, and do not fail me again." With that she turned her back on the angelic warrior and retreated into the shadows.
Sephiroth also turned, but headed in the opposite direction—out of the cave to find the Masamune. He believed that he and Jenova were working side-by- side, and that together they would share the pleasures of victory. Once the humans who had so greedily took the land (that was rightfully theirs) were destroyed, of course. Like the pests they are… Sephiroth thought.
They would enjoy their prize as Mother and son… It disturbed him whenever Jenova acted as though she were the boss and brains of the operation, for they were equals. If he failed, he would be failing himself as well as Jenova, his mother.
Sephiroth left the cave and walked through the debris. He was a bit surprised at how his surroundings had changed, but he had known there would be some sort of avalanche. Avalanche… Ironic how their name is what they caused… Sephiroth thought in amusement.
He stopped and looked around. If the Masamune was still here it wouldn't be too hard to find it. Sephiroth had always felt some sort of connection with the strange blade, as if it were something alive and a part of him. He could always feel where it was.
A hard wind blew, reminding him of the bitter cold that surrounded him. It had been slightly warmer in the cave, as it was sheltered from the wind, and he just now noticed the unbearable cold that bit into him like a thousand needles. As soon as he found his weapon, though, he would leave the Northern Crater. He could bare it that long.
Sephiroth walked on, watching the ground for any sign of his lost belongings. The Masamune was here, and near too. He could sense it.
A glimmer of red off to one side caught his eye, and he immediately changed coarse to investigate. As he picked up the small orb and held it in his hand, he recognized it to be his "Galaxy" summon materia. He had used it in his last battle, against Cloud. Why, then, was it not with the Masamune in the materia slot where he had left it?
As if in answer to his question, a small, squirrel-type animal appeared out of a shelter in the rocks that Sephiroth just now noticed. It looked up at him for a moment with empty black eyes, then fixed its gaze on the materia in his hand.
Sephiroth never really liked animals. They were stupid, mindless beings that had no point in existence. So he simply stood up and turned to walk away.
His companion, however, had different plans, and immediately the little thief shot up Sephiroth's leg, scooped up the materia in its mouth, and darted back into its hole. This of course was the least thing that Sephiroth expected and the squirrel was long gone before he realized what had happened.
Sephiroth stared back at the squirrel's little den. There was something else in there too, just inside the opening… It would be easy to reach in and grab it without the creature biting him.
As quick as lightning, Sephiroth reached his bare hand into the hole. He felt his hand grasp a familiar handle and just as quickly pulled it out. It was the Masamune. The blade gleamed in the mid-day sun.
Not quite so happy with the disturbance, the squirrel-creature was now back out of its home and staring at Sephiroth in annoyance, yelling at him in the grunting language of squirrels. That big shiny thing was his and no one was going to take it away.
Unfortunately, Sephiroth felt the same way, and when the animal snarled and jumped at him, the quick, slicing action that followed hardly took any thought.
He stepped over the bloody body of the creature, and bent over its den. There had to be more items in there, maybe the rest of his materia. Sephiroth picked up the top big rock and moved it, but there were still more. He started clearing away all the rocks and slowly the creature's den was revealed. There were numerous shiny objects packed away in the back and, as he had expected, his materia was there among them, but not all of it was whole. He searched and picked out "Ice" and half of "Barrier," all his other materia were laying in pieces all over the ground, but mostly around a certain rock by the side.
So, the little rodent made fun of my materia by banging them on rocks. Perfect.
Sephiroth stood and kicked the creature's body as he walked past it and out of the area. He'd just have to do with the "galaxy" summon and "ice." Materia really didn't matter anyway. At least he had the Masamune; that was all he needed for revenge.
**********
There is a small town called Gliset, unknown to most, located at the southern tip of the northern continent. Many people live there, for the small town that it is, and they are barely disturbed by visitors because of the small number who know it exists. In this village there's a couple shops, numerous houses, and a hospital. They needed the hospital, for people would often be wounded by wild animals. This of coarse being because of Gliset's location it the middle of nowhere.
There was no Inn, but instead there was an empty house that they rented out whenever the seldom visitors came. It was this very house that Cloud had rented for his team until everyone left and went their own way. Cid, Barret, and Cait Sith were the first to leave in the Highwind. Cid was going to drop Cait Sith and Barret off at Midgar (or what was left of it), and then go home to Shera in Rocket Town, which now had no rocket. Barret planned to pick up Marlene, after he found her, and head to Corel. Reeve planned to rebuild Midgar and become the new mayor. With Shinra practically whiped out and the old mayor dead, not to mention both Heidegger and Scarlet, that was what he felt he must do. Yuffie didn't go with Cid because she wanted to stay a little longer and have the adventure of finding her way home. Now only Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, and Nanaki remained. Cloud knew Red would soon go home to Cosmo Canyon, and Vincent, well, nobody could be sure of what he was going to do.
As for him and Tifa, they didn't know where they would end up either, since they both had no home to go to. Nibelhiem was out of the question, and there wasn't much left of Midgar. Cloud glanced down again at the small velvet box he was holding. Opening it, he saw the beautiful diamond ring he had recently bought and stared intently at it, turning it a little to see it sparkle.
No, can't have second thoughts now…
"Cloud,"
Cloud jumped, startled at the sudden voice, and quickly closed the box and hid it behind his back. Then turned to see Vincent enter the room.
"I think I will be leaving soon…" Vincent paused as he noticed Cloud had his hand behind his back, and thought he saw something sparkle. "What are you hiding?" he asked, suspiciously.
"What do you mean, hiding something?" Cloud asked back, playing dumb.
Vincent walked around and swiped the velvet box from Cloud's sweaty hands. "This." Vincent explained, still pushing the question, though the answer was quite obvious.
Before Cloud could respond, Vincent heard Tifa approaching and tossed the ring back to Cloud, who at once repeated the gesture of shoving it behind his back. Tifa walked in and stopped, and a short moment of silence passed until Vincent silently left the room.
"What was that about?" Tifa asked when Vincent was gone.
"Nothing, he just wanted to tell me he was leaving soon."
"Did he say when?" Tifa asked, trying to keep up conversation as she joined Cloud on the bed.
"No."
There was a silence, then Tifa spoke. "He confuses me." She said.
"What?"
"Vincent, he confuses me."
"Oh,"
Another silence.
"Tifa?"
"Yes?"
"I, uh… Let's go for a walk."
"To where?"
"I don't know, just… around."
"Okay…"
They left the small house and walked through the town. Soon they found themselves in a field beside the village. Cloud had the box with the ring in his pocket and planned to ask her the big question soon. He had actually started to ask her several times, but backed out each time.
Tifa had started to suspect that he had something to say, but didn't guess what it might be. She was afraid to get her hopes up, and besides, if he did have feelings for her, he would have asked her already, wouldn't he?
Cloud, though, felt the same way about Tifa. He was afraid her answer would be no. The feeling of rejection, of not being good enough, it had haunted him forever. But if Tifa rejected him… He didn't know if he could take it. The answer was better left unknown, that way there would always be the hope…
Evening was coming and it was getting a little chilly. The sun was sinking lower in the reddening sky. It was a relief to look into the sky and not see Meteor hanging over their heads, reminding them again and again of their mission. But they had succeeded; All that they had been through was now over. They had done the impossible and lived to celebrate it.
They walked along, and Cloud took another look at Tifa. The sun cast a red halo around her hair as she knelt down to pick a wildflower, twirling it and smelling it's sweet scent.
"Aren't these flowers beautiful?" Tifa asked, looking back at Cloud.
"Yeah…" Cloud answered. You're beautiful…
They continued their walk toward the beginning of a small forest, still not going to far from the village. It was more like a big group of trees than a forest actually, and it was out in the middle of nowhere with no other trees close by.
Cloud glanced at Tifa's flower, which she still carried, lifting it to her nose every now and then as they walked. A picture of Aeris invaded his mind just then, along with the feeling of grief.
"Flowers…always remind me of Aeris." He said, casting his gaze to the ground once more.
"Oh, they do?" Tifa asked, sounding a little wistful.
"Yeah…"
Tifa looked at him as he bowed his head as if in shame. "I know you feel guilty about what happened, but we couldn't have stopped it. Besides, it was what she planned. She gave her life for the planet and everyone on it, we have to respect that."
"I suppose you're right." Cloud sighed, and plopped down on the fallen tree trunk with Tifa. They had reached the sheltering trees—or perhaps not so sheltering, for they were at this very moment being watched and actually hunted.
Sephiroth watched silently from the bushes directly behind Tifa and Cloud, like a cat stalking it's prey. He had been lucky that they had came so close, and even that he had found Cloud at all. He had just started looking for him, and wasn't suspecting to find him so soon. It was fortunate that he was well armed, with the Masamune at hand, and well prepared for battle. He was still short on materia, but all he really needed was his destructive blade and skills to finish Cloud off. Sure it had took him much more effort in his last battle with Cloud, but he had been careless, calling him back into battle when he himself was so weak that he could hardly lift his weapon. Sephiroth vowed never to make the same mistake again, but now Cloud was off guard and defenseless.
He couldn't tell which of the two were closest to him. It was getting darker by the second, and with all his superior abilities, he lacked the best vision. It seemed the Jenova cells which were now a part of him were capable of giving him everything except for what he needed at the moment. Great talent with the sword, superior healing abilities… Why couldn't he have been blessed with something as simple as night vision to go along with it? He couldn't tell which one was Cloud and which was Tifa by the direction their voices came from either because the sound was bouncing off the trees too much. It was impossible to tell the true direction in which they came from. He would just have to guess and hope he stabs Cloud. If he is mistaken and stabs Tifa… well, then he would cause Cloud some emotional pain.
Any second now…
"This isn't the reason you brought me out here, Cloud, is it?"
Three…
"I, um, wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
Two…
"Well, you see… I've always… Look Tifa," He knelt down.
One!
Sephiroth plunged the Masamune strait through Tifa's middle, similar to how he had with Aeris. Tifa gasped and fell to the ground as Sephiroth removed his sword. Cloud yelled out her name, and cradled her unconscious but not yet dead body.
Cloud looked up to see the assassin and saw Sephiroth emerge from the shadows, his eyes visible before the rest of him. The blood-thirsty grin of the predator was clear on his face.
"No.." Cloud gasped, not wanting to believe his eyes, his voice growing louder until he practically shouted. "No, it can't be… I killed you!" All at once, all the hate and anger he thought he was free of, all the pain came back. It flooded his mind and blocked out all other thoughts.
Sephiroth laughed. "Did you really think you could destroy me for good? Did you actually believe it was possible?"
"Can't be… I saw your spirit enter the Lifestream…I killed you with my own hands!" said Cloud, shaking his head slightly, still not wanting to believe this horrible nightmare.
"Nothing is forever, Cloud. Get used to the concept." The glare in Sephiroth's eyes was pure insanity as he got ready to finish the job, raising the Masamune high.
"Cloud…"
Cloud glanced back down at Tifa. She was still alive, but wouldn't be for long if he didn't get her help fast.
"And now it's your turn…"
Cloud looked back up to Sephiroth, who was towering above him. Their eyes locked as the ex-general started to bring the mighty blade crashing down into his flesh. Cloud braced himself for the pain that was to come, for it was too late to escape it now…
But it did not come. The blade landed inches from where he sat, and Sephiroth let out a short cry of pain. Cloud looked up to see the older man on one knee and gripping at his head as if he had gotten a sudden very serious headache.
Cloud immediately took the opportunity to run. He didn't know what Sephiroth's problem was, and hardly cared enough to wonder about it. He was lucky that it happened when it did though, or else he would be dead by now.
He ran through the fields back toward the village. With Tifa barely alive and limp in his arms, he did not once look back. He didn't suspect Sephiroth was following them, for he didn't hear him, and chasing wasn't Sephiroth's style. He was running, mostly, to get Tifa to the small hospital in the center of the village. She was stronger than Aeris, maybe she could hold on a little longer. With luck, the doctors there would be able to help her.
Once they entered the town, Cloud got help immediately. The people that were out and around saw that he was in trouble and rushed to help him. They took Tifa from him and hurried her into the building that was the hospital. People came out of there homes to see what the commotion was all about, and asked what happened. Nanaki and Vincent also came, confused as to what happened as well.
Once everyone was told to go back to their homes and mind their own business, Cloud, Vincent, and Nanaki found themselves in the waiting room of the hospital. Cloud still hadn't told them what had happened to Tifa, even after their questions, which made them fear the worst. Cloud was too worried about Tifa to tell them now. Deep down he knew that no person could ever survive that kind of an injury, but he couldn't admit to himself that Tifa would die. It just couldn't happen; he needed her.
Besides that, he was still trying to work out if it really happened. Maybe it was just a wild animal, and he was having hallucinations, or maybe it was all a dream. Yes, it was a bad dream…
A very bad dream… He thought, but he really couldn't bring himself to believe that explanation. Sephiroth came back from the dead before, why shouldn't he do it again?
Cloud knew that Sephiroth's appearance at Gliset meant that he had to gather the others and think of a way to get rid of him for good. But would they believe him? That was another issue.
"Mr. Strife?" The nurse's voice shook him from his thoughts. "No vital organs were damaged, so we think she will be okay, but her condition is still questionable." She looked at Cloud with an accusing glare as she spoke, and it was plain that she was confused by the whole situation. "It's a good thing she had you along, or she would be dead for sure. May I ask how she got an injury of this sort?"
"An animal. Jumped up from behind." Said Cloud.
"Excuse me for arguing, but no creature can make that kind of a—"
"It was a monster. With green eyes and silver hair."
The nurse, seeing that Cloud clearly didn't want to be argued with, turned and left the room.
"Sephiroth," Vincent said after she was gone.
"I knew something wasn't right. I've been sensing that something was wrong ever since Yuffie left," said Nanaki. "We must gather the others. Something has to be done."
"You believe me?" Cloud asked.
"An ordinary wild animal wouldn't be enough to give you and Tifa trouble." Said Nanaki.
"Let's go back to the house and contact the others on the PHS, it's no good waiting around here. Tifa won't get any better tonight." Said Nanaki.
"Yeah… Let's go."
The three of them went back to the house and started to contact the others. They decided to call Cid first, since he had the Highwind and could pick everyone up. But Cloud was still unsure if the others would believe him. Cid, Barret, and Yuffie… They hadn't seen the severity of Tifa's injury. If that was the reason Vincent and Red believed him…