Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy material is copyright to Square-Enix. I do not own any of the official characters. They were merely BORROWED for the purpose of fan-fiction. All non-FF characters belong to me.
A/N: I will note that I have only played FFVII, Dirge of Cerberus, and watched Advent Children, Case of Denzel, and Last Order. Please take that into consideration if you see that some details may not be correct. Also, occasionally the story will go into POV (point of view) with Vincent, and Mr. Black (the grumpy and bitter hermit).
Chapter 6: Journey to Glacier Cliffs
After Riley fully recovering, Black had already packed all necessary essentials. She was burdened with carrying most of the luggage, which thankfully was not a lot. It didn't take them long to reach the base of the cliffs. Riley looked up, thinking how ominous they appeared. She almost complained but realized that Black would turn back without a second thought if she didn't want to continue. Resigned, she watched him begin to climb. Hesitantly, she followed after him. Thankfully, she had gone rock climbing before, just not to this extent.
Night came and Black had set up camp inside one overhang, shielding the wind with a barrier. Riley shivered near the campfire. He took one glance as he poked at the firewood they brought, "You're cold. Use the blanket."
"I don't need it," she replied stubbornly.
"Riley—"
"Please, I'm fine."
They were both quiet for awhile, then Black's curiosity struck, "What'd you mean the other night?"
"Huh?"
"You said Valentine snapped due to years of pain. What'd you mean by that? You acted as if you knew him. You would have had to have been a little older at the time for it to make sense."
"I…never met him, or any AVALANCHE members. Why do you care? It's not important anyway."
"What does years of pain mean?"
"You wouldn't believe—"
"Try me," he challenged.
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because I'm your mentor, and also, we need to talk about something while we're up here," he explained easily.
Her eyes never left him, yet it didn't hold that look of distrust like before. Suddenly, she gave in, "Didn't think I'd be able to keep this secret for long anyway. Do you believe in…alternate dimensions?"
"What do you mean?"
"Parallel universe, another world, et cetera?" She waited, getting nothing from the old man. Sighing, she continued, "Let's just say, I don't belong in this world."
"What, are you saying you're from another planet?"
Riley paused, considering, "Something like that, but still the same one. I come from this planet, but in a different reality. Where I come from isn't called Gaia or the Planet. My home is Earth. It's the same as this one, only the magic is simply cheap tricks and for show business. And what you call the Lifestream is what I compare to something called the afterlife, then reincarnation. We've had wars and such, just like this one, but my world thrives, and is, unfortunately, overpopulated. There's a video game though, called Final Fantasy VII that are based around the events of AVALANCHE and the fight against Sephiroth. Every detail of every part of the journey is in that game. Then they came out with couple of sequels. A movie based on Sephiroth's remnants and Geostigma and then a video game based on the Deepground War."
I listened to her every word, and when she went into detail about these games, I found that it was too hard to believe that she would know all this. How could she know? At first, I thought that maybe she had tricked herself into believing that she came from another world when she heard the story of AVALANCHE. Then I discovered that she knew about a certain member's past. She never went into complete detail, but subtle hints indicated she had seen part of his life, and this startled me. Maybe she was telling the truth. But how could the world I was born in, be created by…by some…computer animators, or whoever? Was my life even real? Do I even exist? The possible answers frightened and angered me.
"And then I found that materia I showed you, and it began acting weird. When I was attacked by a couple of thugs, I found myself in the middle of nowhere, and the rest you know."
"Yes…the rest I know," he repeated distractedly.
"See? I knew you wouldn't believe me!"
He never replied. Riley became bored quickly, going into a corner to sleep. He watched her for the longest time, almost hating the girl for what she said. Not only did she sound crazy, but the fact was, she WAS telling the truth, and he knew it. Eventually, sleep took him, and morning came too quickly, and the cold never died down. He woke the girl, resuming their journey. Finally, they reached the first cave after a couple of hours of climbing, giving relief to them both. However, that was short-lived when they followed a usable path to the outside winds once more.
Black seemed uneasy. It wasn't just because of what Riley had told him the night before, but also the fact that they have not yet been attacked by monsters. Another night in a slightly more shielded overhang allowed him to keep watch for any predators. He sat there, back against the wall while he watched the unending blizzard. He turned his gaze to the girl curled up only a couple of feet away. Sighing, he grabbed one of the bags, pulling out a blanket before laying it overtop her small form.
The fountain isn't too far now, he reminded himself. Afterwards, whether or not the materia would be revived, he would turn back. He pulled out the sphere, scrutinizing the object with distracted interest. Suddenly, he heard the girl stir slightly, her breathing indicating that she was about to wake.
"Hey, Black?" she croaked out.
He regarded her, "What?"
"Do you think I'm getting any better?"
"Better? You mean in your training?"
"Yeah," she turned over to look at him, not questioning where the blanket came from.
"You learn certain things faster than others, and I admit that I was surprised by the affect you had on Sable. Normally, he doesn't like anybody. Aside from that, you're doing well enough. Though frankly, I believe you need a better weapon."
"I didn't have the money for a gun and ammo."
"Next time we go into town, I'll purchase you a lighter weapon."
"That's okay, I just need to get used to the large sword."
"That kind of sword is best suited for a man—"
"Sexist."
"—and you can barely swing that thing around."
"So? Cloud Strife carried around a lot of swords just like it—"
He raised a finger almost warningly, "Don't. Please don't start with that. I have a hard time accepting it, enough as it is."
Her mouth shut before she sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself, "Do you understand why I didn't just blurt it out?"
"Perfectly," bitterness spoke. She nodded, looking away. "But..." She looked back up at him. "Do you know anything on Genesis?"
She shook her head, "He had an appearance in a secret ending of Dirge of Cerberus. He only picked up Weiss, then said, 'It is not yet time for slumber. We still have much work to do, my brother.' Then he revealed he had one wing on his left. Plus the G-Reports collected revealed he was meant as a prototype of Sephiroth."
"G Reports..." he repeated before looking at her more intently, "Do you know how Rosso and Weiss survived?"
Another shake of her head, "No. It never revealed how they survived. Honestly, I don't know how they could be immortal. The only immortals in this world I ever heard of is Vincent Valentine and Jenova."
"They're both dead, they couldn't have been immortals."
She raised a finger in matter-of-fact, "Immortality has many meanings. Though to me, it means ageless. And I said immortal, not invincible. Also, please don't say Vincent is dead."
"But he is," he reminded her.
She scowled and moved away suddenly, "I know that! I just don't...want to be reminded. Besides, was his body ever found?"
"Nobody went in to their territory to retrieve his body, so I've heard."
She whirled on him, continuing with a stubborn tone, "The how can anybody be so sure as to think he's dead? Hmm?" She had a point, and he knew it. How could he argue with that?
"You're willing to accept that the rest of AVALANCHE is dead, but Valentine?"
"Their bodies were found. They have graves. What does Vincent have?"
"A memorial."
"For a man who could be alive?" her tone seemed to calm but her firmness remained. "What if he's actually alive somewhere and he's organizing a plan to stop those three?"
"Why do you cling to a pointless hope that he's alive, anyway?" he asked softly.
The girl looked away, "If there was anybody I would want to meet from AVALANCHE, it'd be him."
This surprised me when she let those words slip. It caught me completely off guard and we were quiet for a long time. She had told me before that her parents held her back from knowing who she was and what she really wanted. I look at her now and I realized that every word she had said to me was the untarnished truth. At that point, my respect for her had increased. Her determination stirred something inside that I thought was better left veiled and forgotten.
"Riley, if there was a chance that he's alive, what would you do or say if you met him?"
No answer came for the longest time, then a simple, "I don't know."
Nothing was said further that night, taking the time to rest up before continuing. They had come to another cave, where their only sure path was across freezing water. Black told her to remain before disappearing somewhere. She shivered there by herself for the longest time, sighing while pondering last night. What would she say or do if she met Vincent? For the longest time, no answer came. She thought about all the possibilities, but nothing satisfied her. Shake his hand? Hug him for being alive? Admit her feelings? Her mind froze on the last one. What feelings? How could a fan-girl have genuine feelings for a man that supposedly didn't exist? She recalled her nights alone, petting Whiskey while she watched Advent Children, watching the scenes with Vincent, over and over again. Of all the boys that hit on her, she was ever satisfied with any of them. Vincent Valentine, despite never meeting him face to face, was the only man in 'existence' that ever stirred that kind of affection in her heart. However, she didn't fully understand the extent of her feelings, so for now, she would have to make due with whatever was thrown at her.
While deep in her thoughts as she stood at the edge, while small movement produced small waves upon the water's surface. She turned her back on the water, looking to the doorway Black disappeared through. What was taking him so long? Water seemed to drip more, droplets echoing in the cavern. Suddenly, she felt a cold breath on her neck. She froze before urging herself to look over her shoulder, peering into a predator's gold eyes. Her heartbeat picked up instantly as she stood, facing a creature that could only be described as snake-like, ugly, large, and with a lot a pointy teeth.
Suddenly, it screamed at her, temporarily making her go deaf as a shockwave of air sent her flying into an icy wall. Groaning, Riley struggled to her feet as it stalked towards her. Leviathan looked better than you, she mused. When her head shot up, one of its claws swiped at her, and she quickly turned around, having its talons hit her sword instead, but one claw hooked and she was sent flying again. Rolling across the ground this time, she already felt bruises beginning to form. Once again, she began to stand and she swallowed, placing a hand on the hilt before she unlatched it from her back and took a swing just as it was about to strike her down once more.
It screamed defensively as it sliced across its palm, slithering backwards before she suddenly rushed forward, despite her shaking. Growling, the lizard snapped its jaws, before basically catching Riley off guard and head butting her away, skidding across the ice floor. Wincing, Riley struggled to stand, but lacked the will and strength to do so. It crawled over her, ready to eat her as its mouth closed in on her. Suddenly, Riley remembered the move Black pulled on the creature from before, grabbing her sword and driving it into its mouth, blood spewing as it screamed, blade sticking out the top of its snout. She forgot to let go as it began to thrash about its head, picking her up and throwing her.
She screamed as she landed in the freezing water, instantly feeling immobilized by the deathly temperature. Was this it? Was she to die here? She could have cried for her own shame if she wasn't in water already. Continuing to sink, her vision began to blur and darken, beginning to feel drowsy. Her arms moved weakly, trying to keep herself from going further. What was the use? She wouldn't survive long enough to reach the surface. Maybe she deserved this. Maybe she was meant to be punished. After some dark thoughts of her own fate, desperation and realization surfaced. What the hell was she thinking? She couldn't die here! Screw death, she was going to live! And if she had to use every ounce of strength left in her body to get to the top, then so be it.
Eyes shot open before arms suddenly swam her heavy body upwards, barely holding on by literally a breath. She was so close, her hand reaching up, touching air but suddenly, something grabbed her and she was pulled up, coughing out water in surprise as she fell to her knees. The creature had long before managed to pull out the blade from its mouth, hissing in pain and malice at Riley, and her late rescuer.
Black held up Riley, looking at her with what seemed like concern, "Are you alright?"
"Barely..." she croaked then looked at him with bloodshot eyes and a near-completely white face, dark wet hair framing her pale visage. Was that an apology written on his face? She couldn't tell, but at the moment, she just wanted to hit him for leaving her alone, and so she did, punching him square in the face, "Idiot!"
He yelped in surprise, holding his nose, "What the hell was that for?! I just saved you from drowning!"
"You were late!" she exclaimed angrily. "Do you treat all people this poorly?!"
That briefly caught him off guard before composing himself, "In case you've forgotten, but your large friend has yet to be slain." Blinking, Riley glanced over at the lizard. "Are you going to be alright?"
"I'll live. Let's kill this thing and keep going before I faint."
He could feel her trembling before stating firmly, "Sit this one out. You're not fit for battle—"
"I won't get any better if I run away. I admit, I'm scared that I'll die, but I'll live with my own shame for not even trying. So don't try to convince me to give up."
He considered her for a moment, then the sound of thumping and slithering was heard, regaining his attention upon the creature as it slid into the water, raising its head out of the water to hiss violently at them, emitting a freezing breath that covered the room. Black stood in front of the girl, and before long, the freezing air began to swirl into a vortex, disappearing into him.
She was starting to feel again, as the cold shook her words, "Y-you c-can absorb it?"
"Only the basic elements and ice is one of them," onyx watched the silver beast as he glared defiantly.
It roared again, sending another freezing attack but the air itself froze, sending icicle spears flying through the air. Riley squeaked, barely able to hide behind Black. Suddenly, the gun Black held began to glow green as he set up a magic barrier, blocking most of the attack. Pulling out Lariat, he fired then cocked, firing again, only this time with fire imbedded into the shells, causing an explosion with each impact. The creature cried out in pain, whipping its tail out from the water. Black wrapped an arm quickly around Riley's waist, jumping back. It hissed, golden eyes gleaming. Grunting, Black aimed and this time, he blasted a black ball charged with electricity at the creature. Riley blinked, wondering if that was Demi.
She looked around, spotting her sword on the ground far away. She urged herself to run, though stiffly, as she made her way towards her weapon. She made it, only, that when she tried to pick it up, her strength failed her and she couldn't lift it all that much. Desperately, she continued her attempts to wield the blade. The snake seemed to notice this while Black was distracted with trying to pierce its scales.
The hermit scowled, "No good." Only a sword could penetrate its hide.
Unfortunately, that sword was unusable due to someone's mishap. Riley grunted, panting before falling to her knees, "It's no use. I'm too weak and it's too heavy. I should have bought the gun!"
Black ran over quickly, grabbing her waist and yanking her out of the way of an attack. It all happened so fast, Riley wondered what the hell happened. She looked over, seeing that her sword was long gone, frozen in a huge block of ice. The hermit panted, glancing at the girl, seeing that the only sword available was unusable. He cursed and glanced over, watching the creature hiss at them mockingly. Suddenly, his materia was thrust into her hands.
"You have no weapon, and frankly, I'm the only one capable of getting up close. Remember what I told you about using materia, so it's up to you now to use them effectively.
"W-what?! I c-can't!"
"You can, Riley. Trust me. Besides, we have no time to argue the fact that you lost a perfectly good weapon for this fight. Materia will have to do."
"I don't even think I have any magic power!" she argued anyway.
"Riley!"
She jumped in surprise then spoke with hesitance, "Okay."
They both nodded, and Black rushed forward, jumping onto the tail as it swish back and forth and flipping forward, landing on its snout before firing a shell. It screamed, swiping a claw at him, only to have it deflected by a barrier by the last second thanks to Riley, sitting in a corner holding the materia. The hermit flipped back, skidding upon landing prior to glancing up, rolling out of the way of flying spears. Riley cast fire upon the creature's face, causing it to scream in pain, then suddenly, she got an idea.
"Old man! Open its mouth!"
Black glanced back at her, realizing where she was going with this. Smirking, he shot at its face continuously, aiming to make it widen its maw. It hissed but kept it shut, tongue flicking out. Its tail whipped forward, slamming into the ground, causing giant icicles to fall from the ceiling way up above. He dodged, shattered ice sprinkling everywhere. He lost his footing, slipping to the floor, glancing up afterwards with a curse.
It roared in small triumph, and Riley only smirked as she spoke mockingly, "Bye."
She outstretched her hand, screaming out as a stream of fire burst from her arm and out from her fingertips, the flames whooshing as they quickly travelled into its throat. She pulled her arm back, panting as the snake screamed in pain as it began to burn up from the inside out, scales falling off one by one. She covered her nose, hating the smell of burnt flesh as Black went to her side. The inner fire ceased the agonized screams eventually, and only eased her state of mind from the silence. A hand was placed upon her shoulder, causing her to look up at the hermit, whose eyes were still fixated on the now dead creature.
Black glanced at Riley, "Good job, kid."
"I'm not a kid," she pouted defiantly, earning a chuckle from the old fart. "How did you know I was in trouble?"
He shook his head, "I didn't. I came back, seeing as we don't need to go any further." To explain this, he pulled out the materia, revealing that it had regained its colourful shine.
"You...went ahead to the fountain without me?" she asked disappointedly.
"No. Riley, I think it revived itself. Somehow, I believe it sensed your peril and reincarnated."
"What?" she asked baffled.
He smiled, "I think it brought you here for a reason. Whatever it is, it belongs to you and no one else." He placed the ball into her freezing hands, wrapping her fingers around it.
She blinked, feeling a warm sensation go throughout her body, as if being nurtured by the materia while colour returned to her face, "Whoa."
"Now that we accomplished what we came here to do, let's head back. There's no need to stay in the freezing cold. You said you wished to travel to the Forgotten City, correct?" She nodded, "Then I shall take you there myself. Besides, I require a few answers myself. Let's head back, rest up for a couple of weeks then move out."
He turned and began walking out of the cavern, only to be stopped by a questioning voice, "Why?"
Looking over his shoulder, he smiled, "For some unknown reason, I believe everything you told me."
Shock struck her and she simply stood there for the longest time. The materia only glowed slightly in her hands, keeping her warm before she smiled and followed after Black, her weapon long forgotten, finding a new respect for the old man. Maybe coming into this world wasn't such a bad thing after all.
A/N: X.X Oh my god, I finally finished this chapter. Was kind of difficult to write for some reason. Guess it was because of a lot of distractions. Next chapter should be easier to write. Sorry I delayed in updating. Might submit another one either tonight or sometime tomorrow before I go to work. We'll see what happens. Anyway, YAY, Black and Riley are starting to (maybe) understand one another. Well, they are becoming "friends", despite their intentions from before. R&R please and thank you!