Chapter 3: Injuries

Together Cloud and Vincent made their way to Buganhagen's observatory, while Vincent filled Cloud in on the Crater incident, and how Sephiorth had killed everyone in the town, leaving himself to dispose of the bodies.  Cloud tried not to listen, and ignored a little voice in his head telling him that this was all his fault.  If only he had been able to fight of Sephiroth…

He had to do something to stop the sound of Vincent describing the way Yuffie had been disembowelled while trying to summon Leviathan to protect Cid.  So Cloud decided to examine Vincent, and his new look, struggling to block out both Vincent's and the little voice's voices.  If Cloud were a girl he would say that Vincent was good looking, now that his face was uncovered from those bandages he liked to wear around his head, and that cloak with the high collar was gone, but a black eye, split lip and long, scabbed up gash on his left cheek took some of his looks away.  Cloud also noted that Vincent had a limp, no weapons, materia, and most likely no items.

"Has anyone checked your wounds for infection?"  He asked

"What?" Vincent blinked at the sudden change in subject

"I think I should check out your cuts and things, I have some training in first aid, after all I was in SOLDIER."

'What is he up to?"  Vincent wasn't so sure that Cloud could be trusted; after all he had killed two of his friends and then tried to kill him and Cid.  But then again did you argue with someone with a sword called Ultima Weapon on their back?  Especially when you had no weapons or materia, and nothing to heal yourself with.  On the other hand Cloud seemed to be more like his old self again, was this some sort of trick?  Vincent had no choice.

"When we finish here you can take a look back in the inn, if you must."

Cloud nodded "Good" He wouldn't let the last member of AVALANCHE die while he had something to say about it.

They had arrived in Bugenhagen's observatory on top of the mountain, "Sephiroth." Cloud hissed as he saw he silver haired general standing near the four huge materia that had been gathered there. 

"Ahh Cloud, I hope Vincent filled you in on what happened last week."

"Yeah, he has, come on Vincent, lets kill this bastard!"  Cloud shouted

Vincent didn't move, he was sickened to think so but he wouldn't dare attack Sephiroth not unless Sephiroth told him to, and since that was very unlikely to happen, Vincent stayed put.

"Vincent?"  Cloud asked 'why isn't he moving?'

Vincent shook his head and stepped back, he couldn't face another torture session with Sephiroth if Cloud and himself failed to kill him.

"Cloud, he won't fight me, and neither will you…but if you really want to, then lets dance!"  He grinned

Cloud and Sephiroth almost flew at each other in their haste to start the fight.  Sephiroth went for Cloud in an almost unending series of blows.  It was all Cloud could do to stop them from hitting him as he blocked and parted the Masamune, each blow landing closer to his skin as the last one.  Cloud lunged forward in an opening and grazed Sephiroth's arm.  This really got Sephiroth mad, no one had managed to hurt him in years.  He jumped towards Cloud and gave a mighty slash of the sword, Cloud grinned and ducked under the blade and slashed at Sephiroth's legs, Sephiroth did a back flip out of Cloud's reach before his Ultima Weapon could slice off his feet.

Cloud suddenly jumped back too, and held out his right hand "Fire 3!" Sephiroth dodged the magic and immediately sent off one of his own "Slow!" Cloud's actions immediately slowed down as he saw Sephiroth drawing closer, 'Dammit I'm dead', but as he advanced nearer to Cloud, Sephiroth was sent sprawling across the floor as Vincent tackled him from behind 'what the heck am I doing!?!  Sephiroth's not gonna be so nice to me this time when he gets hold of me…'

Cloud managed to shake off the slow spell in the time it took for Sephiroth to get back up and send a Blizzard 3 spell at Vincent.  The red-eyed man fell to the ground and didn't get back up, Cloud could see Vincent's chest rising and falling as he slowly breathed, at least he was still alive.  Cloud turned to face Sephiroth, who wasn't paying him any attention anymore, but was staring at the unconscious man "Maybe I wasn't hard enough on him before…but now…" Sephiroth started to laugh; he looked at Cloud and smiled, "Enough".  Cloud put the sword away, he turned back to Vincent and pointed at the body  "Pick up that, and do something with it, but keep him alive."

"Yes Master"

Cloud picked up the traitor's body, what was he supposed to do with it? 'Poor guy' he sighed, 'might as well take him to the inn, there are beds there' Cloud carried the man back to the inn, 'so Master wants him alive does he?  Well he isn't gonna survive long with wounds like this, looks like he's been kicked to hell and back and then fallen to sleep in a snow drift!'  There was only one thing for it "Cure 3!" a few of the deeper cuts that had been opened by Vincent's tackle stopped bleeding as much, Cloud sighed this was gonna be a long night if he was going to heal the man fully, "Cure 3!"