Title: Only in 1,000 Ways
Author: ~AVA~
Rating: PG13 – R (at most, depending on situations)
Game: Final Fantasy VII (after Dirge of Cerberus)
Characters: Reflective Vincent, Semi-Emo Cloud, Crazy Insane Slightly Emo Reno, Slap Happy Yuffie (not so happy this chapter), Papa Cid, the Kids
Pairing(s): Vincent/Cloud
Warning(s): Language, Adult Situations, Emo-ness (from the Chocobo)
Summary: Sephiroth's back with a vengeance, wreaking havoc in Cloud's dreams.
Notes: Written instead of/around my JRock fanfics. Because I'm totally uncool and boring like that. BTW, I prefer calling Aerith by the name she's supposed to have. I even fixed it in-game when you got to name her character. I'm a dork, too. Also, for my friend, DK's appreciation, I'm tossing in a Reno side-story to take place throughout the main plot line. =^__^= Gotta keep the Kitten happy, yo!
Disclaimer: SqueEnix beat me to it! Noooo!
Date: March 11 - April 14, 2009
Cloud's defenses are weakening since he's not dependant on Mako anymore. With almost 10 years to work it out of his system, doesn't that make sense? This also puts Cloud around the age of 25 by my calculation.
Sorry this took so long. XD I've been back and forth with being sick and having to work like crazy lately. Mostly sick, though. lol Oh, and my JRock Muses are waking up! YAE! So all my fics are vying for attention now! But don't worry, I haven't forgotten this little baby.
Also... my word count is dropping. XD Need to work on that.
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A haze settled over his vision, making the world swim through clouds. His head felt heavy, like lead. Lifting it slightly, he saw Zack walking away, disappearing into the fog. His own hand floated into sight, wavering, shaking horribly. Though he wanted to cry out, wanted to call his best friend back, he couldn't. Not this time. Never again. His voice, and his body, betrayed him.
*
As soon as Rude hung up his phone, Tifa dashed out the back of the bar to the truck that waited there. She'd heard the panic in Reno's voice and knew that something was wrong. She was on her way before Rude was even in the air.
Cussing a streak, she yanked her phone out and dialed Vincent. He answered almost immediately.
"Vincent, I need you to get to Seventh Heaven and wait for us," she said in a rush, steering her way out toward the cliffs. "I don't know, but Cloud's in trouble. Find Yuffie; tell her we need some Materia."
Vincent didn't argue. Rude roared overhead, flying low. She pulled up next to the wrecked Fenrir just as Rude shut the helicopter down.
"What happened?" she demanded, running over to crouch next to Reno and Cloud.
"I don't know," Reno admitted. "One second, we're on our way home. Next thing there's lightning from the clear blue sky. He's not waking up and I don't know why."
Tifa felt for a pulse, nodding. "He's alive. I've seen him like this before, but he still needs help." She pulled apart the torn pieces of his shirt, wincing. "He's not healing yet. Damn. We need to get him back to Seventh Heaven. Vincent's waiting. Rude, can you take the truck and get Cloud's bike? Reno and I can get him back in the helicopter."
Knowing it was useless to argue with Tifa where Cloud was concerned, Rude jerked a curt nod and took the keys from her. With Reno's help, they maneuvered Cloud into the helicopter, Tifa climbing up next to him. Reno shot Rude a thumbs up as the machine roared to life. They lifted into the air and were gone.
Rude watched them fade into the distance before shaking his head. As cute as Tifa was, she sure could be scary when something mattered.
*
Before Reno could even shut the helicopter down, Vincent had already opened the door and removed Cloud from within. Calling on the strength of Chaos, whose features shone through slightly, he carried his companion into the bar and up the back stairs. Marlene and Denzel watched from the doorway of Denzel's room, Marlene holding tightly to her adopted brother's hand. Both children looked scared, but they didn't panic. They both knew that, in a world such as theirs, panic did no good. Vincent carefully settled Cloud onto a spare bed, tenderly brushing his hair from his brow.
Yuffie came flying in moments later, her arms laden with Materia. She dumped the glowing orbs onto a nearby chair, her eyes watery.
"I-I didn't know what kind to bring," she hiccupped. "Y-you didn't s-say what was wr-wrong with him, so I b-brought all the cu-cure Materia I could grab."
Vincent left Cloud's side when Tifa came in and wrapped the young ninja in his cape. Yuffie, for all her sass and gusto, was still very naïve and very much a child. The thought of losing anyone she knew and loved terrified her.
"Yuffie, do me a favor," Tifa said softly, taking in the younger woman's pale face. "Go make sure Marlene and Denzel are okay?"
Yuffie hiccupped again and nodded, getting up on her tip-toes to kiss Vincent's cheek. She stopped long enough to drop one on Cloud's forehead before fleeing the room. Tifa heard Marlene start to cry as soon as Yuffie reached the boy's bedroom.
"Vincent, have you ever seen wounds like this?" Tifa asked.
Vincent moved closer to examine the scorched skin. "Once," he said gravely, "from a Mastered Bolt Materia. It took lots of Cure to heal the person, but more than that it took time."
"Find the strongest Cure in the pile," Tifa instructed. "And have the Elixir's ready. We're going to need them."
They took turns working the Cure materia over Cloud's wounds. Eventually, Barret turned up and took a few turns, along with, strangely enough, Reno. The Turk felt oddly out of place, but he'd been there when the attack came and felt that he owed it to Cloud to do what he could.
The sun had set by the time none of them had the energy left to do any more. Tifa sat on the floor beside the bed, her head propped on her knees. Vincent was slumped in a corner next to Barret while Reno sat in the doorway. Cloud's wounds had healed considerably, but there were some that refused. He lay in a fever, his body soaked with sweat. Tifa's shoulders shook with tears of futility.
"Damn!" She slammed her fist into the floor, making everyone jump. "Are there any more?"
Vincent turned weary and pain filled eyes on the pile of Materia still in the chair. A number of them had been used, so more than a handful were dull. He shook his head sadly and resumed staring at the floor. Tifa forced herself to her feet and bent over Cloud again.
"Cloud?" she whispered, brushing his hair from his damp forehead. "Can you hear me? We've done all we can out here. You have to come back to us. When you're ready."
Settling on the edge of the bed, she rubbed her palms together. Reno stared at each person in turn, taking in haggard and worried expressions. Using the doorframe, he pulled himself to his feet. He hadn't felt this beat up since his last drunken brawl in Mideel. Wincing, he forced himself upright.
"You fools look beaten," he said to the room at large. "Like you lost. Well, we're not licked yet." With that, he turned on his heel. "I'm going to see the President."
Three sets of eyes watched him leave. Vincent's gaze drifted back to land on the pale face of his partner. Staring at him for a long moment, he rose to his feet.
"I must see Reeve," he said quietly before heading after Reno.
Reno had just pulled open the door to the helicopter when a low voice spoke his name. With a startled yell, the Turk spun around, EMR at the ready.
"Vincent! Damn, man! What is wrong with you?"
"I need a ride," Vincent said simply.
"What? Hey, wait, you know I can't…" Reno gulped when Vincent's claw covered left arm shot out from beneath his cloak and gripped his throat tightly. "That is to say… ugh… if we keep it hush-hush, between us. You know?"
Vincent slowly relaxed his grip. "Your services will be duly repaid."
Reno only relaxed once they were airborne and he was back in his element.
*
"Reeve, what's going on?"
Reeve Tuesti sat back, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. His expression was both thoughtful and upset, though Vincent could only guess why. He'd arrived at Reeve's small office nearly two hours prior, and had only finished telling him everything; starting with the nightmares and the late night wanderings down to the revelation of Sephiroth in Cloud's dreams. Vincent's worry was evident, even to someone like Reeve.
Finally, in more words than Vincent had ever used at any one time in his entire existence, Reeve knew everything that was going on. Now, the two men sat in silence.
While waiting for Reeve to say something, Vincent's eyes wandered the corners of the small office, falling with a mild grimace on the silent figure of Cait Sith next to the window. Reeve's favorite "toy" had been more trouble than it was worth at times.
"Vincent, I hate to tell you this, but I think I know what's going on," Reeve finally said.
"What?"
"Come with me."
Together they left the office and moved through the corridors of the new Shinra Building. Built on a smaller scale than the original, the new headquarters was not without its class and style. Each department had been recreated and was headed by those closely monitored by the President and his staff. Reeve had even received his old job back, which made him extremely happy. They entered the science department corridor, bypassing most of the marked doors on either side.
At the very end of the hall, Reeve pressed a code into a panel beside a thick, windowless door. It slid aside with a small whoosh and they stepped inside.
"We've been collecting data for the last eight months of some pretty odd disturbances," Reeve explained, leading Vincent to a bank of computers set in a far corner. "They've been popping up all over the world, but mostly around the Northern Crater and the place where the Temple of the Ancients used to stand." He pulled up a series of images. "Scouts have brought these pictures back to us."
Vincent leaned in close, his eyes going wide.
"You're kidding," he said. "Tell me this is a joke. That looks like…"
"No, it's not," Reeve intoned. "That is exactly who you think it is. Alive. And in the flesh."
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