I do not own "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd, or "Long Hard Road Out of Hell" by Marilyn Manson; songs are quoted herein just to set the mood.
The trip back up the path, toward the mouth of the crater, was fairly uneventful for everyone. Definitely more uneventful than the trip down, Tseng thought gratefully. There was no sign of any more dragons, fortunately. Tseng reasoned that after one dragon got a taste of Chaos, any other dragons nearby wisely decided to make themselves scarce.
Everyone was silent during the trek back, including Cloud, who was as befuddled and confused as if he were an alien suddenly dropped onto a foreign planet. He was troubled about Reno; it was clear to him from Reno's behavior, and certain things he had said, that he and Cloud were in some kind of relationship; yet Cloud could remember none of it. He had to admit, however, that Reno did emanate a warm familiarity, which put Cloud slightly at ease around the redheaded Turk. Beyond this, Cloud could remember nothing at all about him. He felt uncomfortable, as yet, broaching the topic with Reno, asking specifics about their relationship. The poor man seemed broken up and exhausted. Cloud wasn't feeling too well himself. He was in a great deal of physical pain; and the emotional pain, of coming to realize huge chunks of his memory were gone, was starting to weigh heavily on him.
Cloud studied the redheaded Turk, as the stretcher carrying him was carefully tethered to a rope. He decided to break the hanging silence, and joked, "Now, don't drop me, Reno," giving him a quick smile.
Reno bit his lip, and smiled crookedly. "Never, Cloud," he replied, quickly grasping his hand to reassure him. Gods, Reno thought. This is killing me. I want nothing more than to hold him in my arms, tell him everything's going to be okay…but how can I do that, when he literally has no memory of me. It'd probably freak him out.
Sighing, Reno continued tying the rope around the stretcher, intending to climb up as far as he could with the other end of the rope, and tethering it to the helicopter. Then, the plan was to use the helicopter to hoist the stretcher out of the crater, rather than take it all the way up the path, where it would likely be banging against the walls, given the narrow nature of the cave.
Vincent approached Reno, crouching down beside him. "Reno," he began, "I don't think this will work. You don't have enough room up there to angle the chopper just the right way…I think the stretcher will end up getting stuck midway. And even if you remove Cloud from the stretcher, this cavern is basically tilted on a diagonal…Cloud would be bashed and scraped against the sides of this tunnel." Tseng nodded in agreement. "I hate to say it, but I think Vincent is right about this," Tseng admitted.
Reno frowned at this. "Got any better ideas, yo? I'm all ears," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yes," Vincent said calmly. "I can transform into Chaos and fly him out. I can fly quite well, actually."
"No, Vin!" Yuffie protested. "Isn't there…some other way? I mean," she explained, "I know how it…hurts you, when you transform like that."
Looking thoughtful, Reno pondered Vincent's suggestion. "Hmm," he said. "What do you think, Tseng? Think it could work?"
Before Tseng could answer, Elena and Tifa both interrupted at the same time. "But—" they both began. "Go ahead, Tifa," Elena offered.
"I was going to say," said Tifa, "that…Vincent transforming like that – well, how are we going to prepare Cloud for it? He doesn't remember much of anything, so he probably won't remember Chaos, right?"
Reno ran his hand through his flaming red locks, and sighed, feeling defeated once again. Shit, he thought. There are so many things I'm going to have to reintroduce to Cloud. Still, this seems like our best option…but gods, I don't want to freak the guy out! He's just been through hell enough… Reno felt a lump in his throat as his mind flashed back to Sephiroth's rape of Cloud. Oh gods…no, he's simply been through too much already.
"Tseng, I don't know what to do, yo," Reno began. "What if it…traumatizes him further, you know?"
Nodding his head in understanding, Tseng replied, "I know, Reno. There are no easy answers…and no way to predict how Cloud will react to such a thing. Vincent," he continued, "are you sure you can…control your emotions as Chaos? That is to say, is there a chance you could…lose control and harm Cloud?"
"No, Tseng," Vincent replied curtly. "If there was a chance, do you think I would even have offered to do this?" Frowning, Vincent turned to Reno. "Look," he continued, "Reno, you have seen me in action, and have fought alongside of me. Have I ever turned against you, as Chaos? Or any of you, for that matter?" Vincent asked, glancing at the rest of the group, who were all standing there silently.
"N-o-o," replied Reno hesitantly. "You haven't, Vincent," he admitted.
Tseng pondered this for a moment, then turned back to the group, looking thoughtful. "I have…another suggestion," he started. "Now, Reno…you may not like this, but—"
"I'll do anything for Cloud," Reno interrupted. "I mean it, Tseng, anything."
Even after all that, Reno still loves him. Rude pondered, somewhat angrily. Even though….none of this would have ever happened, if Cloud hadn't run off like that, to chase after Sephiroth. Rude wasn't even sure why he was so angry at Cloud; he supposed it helped to have someone to be angry with, even if the anger was irrational or misplaced.
Cloud did it to spare Reno, I guess, Rude reasoned. And gods….what Sephiroth did to him in that cave… Rude shuddered at the memory. No, angry though he might be about Cloud taking off recklessly to fight Sephiroth in the first place, Rude couldn't stay angry at the man forever. Gods, he's been through enough…and this is only the beginning, it seems….
Tifa's thoughts were racing like the old Midgar train. She was flashing back to that time when she helped Cloud to regain his memory. Not again, she thought. Just what the hell happened to him this time? Did the trauma of…being raped – Tifa winced at the memory of what she had witnessed, along with everyone else, in that godforsaken cave - did that trauma splinter Cloud's mind yet again, just as the death of Zack Fair…and then the death of Aerith did, so many years ago?
So many questions I have…questions to which we might never have answers, Tifa thought sadly. Gods, what happened to you, Cloud? How can we get you back…yet again?
Continuing his train of thought, Tseng went on. "Well, Reno, I've got one idea…and if you and Vincent are both agreeable…"
"Out with it, Tseng," Reno demanded impatiently. "Whatever it is, I told you- -I'll do it."
"Well, it's like this," Tseng started. "Reno… thus far, Cloud seems to trust you – as far as I can tell, anyway, he's somewhat comfortable about you, despite having no memory of you."
Reno grimaced at this but nodded in agreement. "Yeah….I guess so, Tseng. So what exactly are you driving at, yo? Just spit it out," Reno said impatiently. Good Gaia, he thought, we need to get Cloud out of here, and the sooner the better.
"In a nutshell," Tseng went on, "my idea is this: Vincent can transform into Chaos, and then…by way of demonstration…fly Reno around here a bit. The idea being," Tseng concluded, "is to put Cloud at ease…perhaps after seeing that Vincent does not harm Reno, Cloud might be persuaded to let Vincent…er, Chaos…fly Cloud all the way up to the surface."
The suggestion was met by a mixed bag of reactions from the group. "The hell?" huffed Barret. "That ain't gonna work. Ain't no way, no how, not after what Cloud's been through, " he muttered.
"I'll do it, Tseng," Reno blurted. "But what about—"
Cloud had been laying on the stretcher silently, taking in all of the discussions going on around him – the discussions about him – as he lay there. It's like I'm not even here, he thought, and they're discussing me…like I'm not even in the room. As if I'm some kind of child.
"Please," Cloud interrupted, instantly drawing everyone's attention. "I want to know what's going on. I know you're discussing me….and how to get me out of here…and it's like I'm not even here, you're all talking over my head," he concluded irritably.
Reno couldn't help but smile slightly at this. Cloud's there…it's like he's lurking beneath the surface, he thought, but man…hearing him get pissed off like that….it's music to my ears. He's still in there…the real Cloud is still in there, somewhere…Gaia, how do I get all of him to come back?
Kneeling next to Cloud's stretcher, Reno looked him in the eye and addressed him. "Cloud, I'm sorry about that," he apologized. "We just want to get you out of here quickly and safely. Now, about Tseng's idea…let me go over it with you, and you tell me what you think."
"Okay," Cloud agreed, looking up at Reno. "I'm listening."
"Vincent here," Reno said, gesturing toward the man, "has the ability to transform…into a winged creature called Chaos. Now, if it doesn't upset you too much, Tseng thought…maybe that'd be a good way to fly you straight up out of this hole, and get the hell out of here."
Cloud glanced over at Vincent, who was standing there silently, his red eyes downcast, and pensive looking. "You're Vincent, right?" Cloud asked. "I'm okay with it, if you are, Vincent."
Reno's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this. He glanced over at the other Turks, trying to read their reactions, and nobody seemed to know what to make of this. "You sure about this, Cloud?" Reno asked. "I mean, I'm willing to have Chaos fly me around first, so you can see that it's perfectly safe…"
"Not necessary," Cloud interrupted, sounding firm. "Everyone? I just want to get out of here. I'm getting a bad feeling the longer we stay down here, and I'm not really sure why…"
That was enough to convince Reno and Vincent. "Okay, no time like the present, yo," said Reno. "You good to go, Vince?"
"Yes, Reno," Vincent replied. "However…I'll need to build up my limit break first, of course."
Uncharacteristically silent up until now, Yuffie stepped forward. "I'll do it," she muttered.
"You'll do what, Yuffie?" Tifa interrupted. Tifa wasn't entirely convinced that Tseng's plan of using Chaos as transport was the best idea, but they really didn't have a lot of other options at this point.
"I mean," Yuffie explained, "that I'll fight Vincent, and drive up his limit break gauge."
Vincent raised an eyebrow at this. "I probably don't need to ask you this, Yuffie," he began, "but…are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely," Yuffie replied. "I trust you, Vincent. I'll try not to kick your ass too badly, though," she grinned.
Vincent sighed, and reluctantly agreed to let Yuffie fight against him. As much as he now felt in control of Chaos – and this came after decades of being tormented by his inner beast, Vincent couldn't help but think about what if at the back of his mind. What if he – or Chaos, rather - somehow snapped, lost control…and someone got hurt.
No. It will not happen, cannot happen…I will not allow it. I haven't had an incident such as that in…many, many years, he thought. A sad, thoughtful look washed over his face, which Yuffie noticed straight away. What is going on with him now? she wondered. I wish he'd stop torturing himself all the time….he's a good man, in spite of what Hojo did to him…and took from him…
"You good, Vin?" Yuffie asked, looking mildly concerned.
"Yes, Yuffie," Vincent replied, smiling. "Let's do this."
"Okay," Yuffie said. "Guys, let's clear this area out here, give us some space."
The group obediently moved out of the way, and Yuffie reached for her shuriken. "I hate doing this to you, Vincent," she murmured. "Please forgive me."
Vincent nodded slightly, and murmured in return, "Yuffie, there is nothing to forgive. Let's proceed."
Standing back, Yuffie raised her shuriken backwards, then bringing her arm foreward, released it, hurling the shuriken towards Vincent's left shoulder, wincing as she did so…she didn't want to hurt him, this reclusive man that she had somehow fallen in love with...but, what choice do I have, really? Yuffie wondered. Cloud's hurting, and he needs to get out of here right away. I gotta suck it up, she thought, trying to steel herself mentally.
Vincent readied himself as he saw the shuriken fly toward him. It hit its mark – his left shoulder – but barely. Yuffie didn't put enough force behind it, he thought. She's holding back...
Grimacing, Vincent plucked the shuriken from where it had lodged in his shoulder, and lobbed it back toward Yuffie. "Heads up," he called, as he released the weapon. "Not enough, Yuffie," he told her. "You need more energy behind your throw. Try using materia instead," he suggested. "I know how…fond you are of it," Vincent said, smiling.
Yuffie giggled, but looked over at Vincent with a sad expression on her face. "I don't want to hurt you," she whispered sadly.
"That's the whole point, Yuffie," Vincent reminded her. "You have to hurt me. This isn't working…..Reno! EMR, now," Vincent commanded suddenly, with a nod toward the redheaded Turk.
Reno knew exactly where Vincent, a former Turk himself, was going with this idea. Once a Turk, always a Turk, Reno thought, smirking. Without speaking, Reno grabbed his EMR and switched it on, blindly charging toward Vincent, thrusting his weapon toward the former Turk's chest. He moved so quickly that nobody had any time to react – not even Vincent, who had hoped what Reno would do exactly what he did, to attack him without any warning whatsoever.
The jolt of electricity sent Vincent reeling, and Yuffie screamed as the EMR made contact. "You bastard!" she screamed at Reno, launching herself toward him, and pummeling his back. "Ow!" Reno protested. "Get off! "
Meanwhile, Vincent's transformation into Chaos had already begun. Cloud lay in his stretcher, and was transfixed, watching Vincent's back arch, agonized with pain, as Chaos took over his body. Vincent's skin began to turn a mottled purple, and he groaned in pain as his wings extended from his back. They started with an indigo hue, then turned to deepest red toward the tips, as they emerged and elongated.
"Goddamn you, Reno!" Yuffie shouted, still clinging to Reno's back as she continued to pummel him. She was furious with the Turk for tazeing Vincent, and thereby initiating his painful transformation into Chaos.
"Yuffie, chill the fuck out!" yelled Barret, rushing over to the ninja and pulling her off of Reno's back, attempting to restrain her. "Gods," muttered Tifa, rushing over as well. "We had a plan, Yuffie! What the fuck is wrong with you!"
"No!" Yuffie yelled, fighting against Barret's iron grip. "You fucking hurt Vincent, you asshole!" She still had her shuriken in her hand, and launched it at Reno, hitting him in the lower left leg.
Cloud had bolted up in the stretcher, as soon as he saw Yuffie hit Reno with the shuriken. No…what is she doing, no…don't hurt Reno…
"Gods, this is fucking insanity!" muttered Cid, not even knowing what to do. "Seriously, what the fuck, Yuffie-"
Reno was collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain from the shuriken hit to his leg. Tseng, Rude, and Elena had rushed over to attend to his injuries. "Fuck, it fucking hurts!" groaned Reno.
No, thought Cloud. No…Reno cannot be hurt…I need to do something... Cloud's vision faded to whiteness; something had clicked in his brain….he felt oddly protective toward the Turk, although he still had no other memories of the man. "Reno! No!" Cloud yelled. Everyone craned their heads toward Cloud, and all were surprised by this unexpected outburst.
"Reno…" Cloud stuttered, struggling to get out of the stretcher. "I need to…tell you..ahhh!" Cloud screamed in agony, his face twisted in pain. He fell out of the stretcher onto his knees, his back hunched over.
Vincent had by this time fully transformed into Chaos, and eyed the situation curiously. Something is not quite right here, he thought. Cloud…can you hear me?
Cloud looked up, making direct eye contact with Chaos. Yes, I can hear you. What is….happening to me? It hurts so much…
Nanaki glanced up, as this exchange began. Cloud….I can hear you as well, this is Nanaki. Can you hear me?
Yes, I can hear you too, Nanaki…what is happening to me?
You are…transforming, Cloud. Into what…I am not sure, just yet, said Nanaki. Yes, agreed Vincent. He is transforming...I sense it too.
Reno, grimacing, had dragged himself over to Cloud, resting a hand on his back. "Cloud…are you…okay?" he asked hesitantly.
"No, Reno…something is happening…Nanaki...and Vincent...said I'm transforming…" Cloud moaned.
Reno raised a quizzical eyebrow toward Tseng, who was frowning. "Um, Cloud…what do you mean, 'Vincent told you'?" Reno asked. "Vincent hasn't been able to speak since his transformation…"
"I can hear him, Reno," Cloud whispered. "Well, both of them. I can hear Nanaki...and I can hear Vincent…or Chaos, whatever….I can hear them in my head, in my thoughts."
Oh shit, Reno thought. This is some fucked up shit right here…what the hell does that mean, anyway, Cloud can 'hear' Chaos?
"Gods, Cloud," Reno replied, "I…I don't know what to tell you—" Reno looked down at his hand, where it was resting on Cloud's back. Something was moving, underneath Cloud's shoulder blades. What in the blueberry flavored fuck is going on? Reno wondered.
"UNNNH!" Cloud screamed in agony. He fell to his knees again, and a horrible ripping sound was heard, echoing throughout the cavern. Droplets of Cloud's blood sprayed Reno in the face, followed by a flurry of snow-white feathers, as two wings emerged from Cloud's upper back.
"Holy fuck," gasped Reno. "Oh Gaia…Cloud…." They're beautiful, Reno thought. So fucking beautiful…pure, blinding white…
Vincent/Chaos moved closer to Cloud, trying to make eye contact. Cloud, can you still hear me?
Yes, I can hear you. What is happening to me? Cloud pleaded.
I think that Sephiroth…did something to you, to cause this, your ability to sprout wings. Do you remember…anything that happened at all, right before we found you?
No. I remember nothing…except…I do remember the name…Sephiroth…who is he, Vincent?
Vincent/Chaos didn't want to push the questioning any further – it might drive Cloud further over the edge, if he were to recall everything, but especially the rape. He decided to take another track.
Cloud, listen to me. You can hear me, and I can hear you…however, I lack the ability to speak, when I am in this form…do you understand me so far?
Yes, I understand you. What are we going to do now?
Cloud…I need you to tell the others what is going on. But first, I want to ask you…do you think you can fly up with me? I will assist you, of course…I realize this is very soon, but perhaps you can try out your wings..
Gods, these wings….I'm a monster. Cloud began to sob.
"What is it, Cloud?" Reno asked worriedly. "What's the matter?"
"I'm a monster," Cloud whispered. "A freak. Look at me…"
"No, Cloud!" Reno cried. "You're not a monster, never." You are…beautiful, Cloud. An angel.
No, said Nanaki. Neither of you are monsters…no more than I am one. Listen to me; Vincent, you have lived with this curse of Chaos, for over thirty years. And for over thirty years you have blamed yourself for it. I want you both to listen to my words, and heed them: this was something that was done unto you Vincent, without your consent. Something quite similar seems to have been done unto Cloud as well, although I am not certain of…exactly how this happened. I do know this: neither one of you are monsters. You did not choose this.
You're right, Nanaki, said Chaos. Thank you. I think I…get it now. Cloud could only stand there, nodding silently in agreement.
Fly with me, Cloud, Chaos implored him. Spread your beautiful wings and fly. Tell the others…
"I think…I think I can do this," murmured Cloud. "Everyone? Um…I don't entirely understand what's going on, but…I can communicate with Chaos…and Nanaki, it seems. Telepathically," he added.
Tseng's eyes widened. "You can…hear Chaos and Nanaki? And they can hear you? That is remarkable," he murmured. "Cloud, we really need to get you out of here, and back to medical—"
"I know," Cloud interrupted. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. Vincent is going to help me…fly out of here. I think I can do it," Cloud said quietly, contracting his shoulder muscles, and watching his wings move back and forth as a result of this effort.
"It's too soon," argued Tseng. "We don't even know what we're dealing with here—"
Tell him, said Chaos, tell him, Cloud…that there is no other way. Should your wings feel too weak, Cloud…I can carry us both. But our time is running out, I will transform back very soon. We must proceed immediately.
Cloud stood up, grimacing in pain as he did so, and gave everyone a shaky smile. "Please, Tseng," Cloud pleaded. "Vincent says he will be transforming back soon…we haven't got much time." Vincent/Chaos approached Cloud, extending a clawed hand toward him, which Cloud grasped tightly. It was cold and dry, but not uncomfortably so.
Thank you, Vincent, said Cloud. And Nanaki is right…we are not monsters.
If Chaos was capable of showing emotions, he would have been smiling at this. Thank you for saying that, Cloud. Let's go now…I won't let go of you, but do try using your wings if you think you can.
Cloud nodded. "I'm ready," he said aloud.
Tseng began barking orders at the others. "Cid...I want to get Cloud aboard the Highwind, okay? You proceed first, then, so you can prepare the aircraft. Rude's going to pilot the helicopter out, seeing as Reno is now injured," he said, glaring at Yuffie. She had cast her eyes downward since her attack on Reno, feeling uncharacteristically guilty over her actions.
"Will do, Tseng," Cid replied. "Okay, people…let's move our asses out, now!" The group nodded, and fell behind Cid as he trudged back up the path. Reno was still sitting on the ground, seemingly incapable of speech, staring at Cloud. "Reno!" Elena hissed. "We have to go…Vincent's going to help Cloud, what the hell are you sitting there waiting for?"
"Elena, I just…I just don't know what's happening…what happened to Cloud?" he stammered.
"Come on, Turk," interrupted Rude, offering Reno a hand. "You've lost some blood here, we need to get you some medical attention too." A dazed Reno took the hand offered to him, and got to his feet, wordlessly.
Vincent/Chaos flapped his wings in a huge arc, attempting to produce some lift. He nodded to Cloud, encouraging him to do the same. Cloud's shoulder blades were still feeling tender from where the wings had burst through muscle and skin, but the pain was lessening each minute. He was learning that he had to squeeze his shoulder blades together, while simultaneously moving them in an up-and-down motion, in order to achieve liftoff.
Before Cloud even realized it, both he and Chaos were about fifty feet off of the ground. Chaos still had a firm grasp upon Cloud's arm, for which Cloud was grateful. He still wasn't entirely practiced in his newfound ability, but his confidence in this new skill was growing quickly.
I can fly. I can fucking fly, thought Cloud, grinning, swooping his wings even faster, Chaos was starting to have trouble keeping up with Cloud's pace.
A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try…
Take it easy, Cloud, said Chaos. It's a beautiful thing, this flying that we're capable of…cherish it. Just don't get carried away and overestimate yourself.
I know, Vincent, I'll be careful. It's just that…I've never felt so free…
Vincent/Chaos chuckled inwardly, as they continued to soar upwards, toward the mouth of the crater. I know what you mean, Cloud…I know what you mean.
There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss…
Reno straggled behind the others as they made their way back toward the surface. Elena was bringing up the rear, and much to her annoyance, Reno would frequently come to a dead stop, mouth agape as he observed Cloud taking flight on his newborn wings. I've never seen anything so fucking beautiful in my life, he thought, gaping. Gods…he really is like an angel. My angel…
"Reno, please," Elena snapped, as Reno halted his footsteps once again. "You can't keep lagging like this, I know you've got a bum leg, but seriously – you keep stopping every five seconds."
"I can't help it, Elena," Reno replied distractedly, eyes pointed skyward. "I mean, look at him. Have you ever seen anything like that in your life? It's so…beautiful, yo."
"I've seen people sprout wings before," murmured Elena in reply. "Sephiroth, for one…"
"NO, Elena," Reno snapped. "Not like Sephiroth, Cloud is nothing like that no-good fucker, you hear me?"
"I didn't mean it like that, Reno," Elena apologized. "I'm sorry, that came out the wrong way."
"Hmm," grunted Reno, picking up his pace slightly and trudging along. Elena's comment made him wonder, though…in a way, she did have a point. Cloud now had wings – and a full pair, to boot – much like Sephiroth…and Angeal and Genesis each had a single wing. He thought about the latter two, those former SOLDIERS who had been victims of Hollanders' mad experimentation, much like Sephiroth was a victim of Hojo's insane quest to create the perfect SOLDIER. How'd this happen to Cloud,and why now? Reno wondered. Did he always have this ability, but maybe it was…dormant or something? Reno knew, as did all the other Turks, that Cloud had been subjected to unspeakable horrors in Hojo's lab.
"Tseng," Reno called ahead to his superior, "looks like we have another medical mystery to solve…what do you think of Cloud's new wings, yo?"
Glancing backwards, Tseng grimaced. "I have a few theories, Reno, but I'm going to have to run some tests first," he replied briefly. "This is…something I've never seen, for sure." And something potentially frightening, he thought, if one of my theories pans out.
Cloud and Chaos finally made it up to the surface, and landed on the northern most edge of the crater, alongside the Highwind. They landed just in time, too, as Chaos was starting to transform back into Vincent. Cloud also felt himself change – his shoulder blades contracted spasmodically, as his wings retracted into his back.
The group had made their way to the surface, just as Vincent had fully completed his transformation. "Cloud, your wings…" Tifa began. "Are they…gone?"
Cloud gave a downward glance, trying to look and see if his wings were fully retracted. He could only see the ragged tears in his shirt, where the wings had burst through, and a spattering of dried blood. "I guess they're…gone now," Cloud replied. I feel oddly…sad, that I can't see them and feel them anymore, thought Cloud. "I wonder if they'll come back."
Cid had charged on ahead and boarded the Highwind, wanting to ready it for takeoff. He came down the gangplank and barked at the group once again. "Time to get on board, no fooling around, now!" he commanded.
"Reno, you go on the Highwind, please," Tseng ordered. "I will join you. Rude and Elena will pilot the helicopter back to headquarters," he said, nodding to the two Turks.
"My leg is fine, yo," protested Reno. "I can fly just fine—"
"Do you always have to be so goddamned stubborn, Reno?" Tseng snapped. "Just get on board, and I'll take another look at your leg."
"Yeesh. You don't have to be so damned touchy, yo," Reno teased. "All right, all right, I'll go on this hunk of junk."
Cid raised an eyebrow at this. "Hunk of junk, hmm? Says you." He had an insulting retort on the tip of his tongue, but thought better of it, given all that everyone had been through this day. Sighing, he re-entered the main cabin.
Everyone made their way up the gangplank of the Highwind, while Rude and Elena boarded the ShinRa helicopter. Yuffie sidled up alongside Reno, with a sheepish look on her face. "Reno…I'm really sorry about your leg," she said meekly. "I guess I lost my temper."
"Yeah, I'll say you did," Reno replied dryly. He smiled in understanding, and said, "I get it though, yo. If someone had been attacking Cloud, I'd beat the fucking hell out of them."
"You did do that, Reno," Yuffie reminded him softly. "When Sephiorth…" she faltered.
"Yeah, I know, Yuffie. I know all too well," Reno replied sadly. "Trying to forget that…but it's burned in my brain, probably all of our brains…I don't think any of us will ever forget. Except…for Cloud. Maybe he's lucky that he can't remember that, you think?"
"Maybe," replied Yuffie. "I know I wouldn't want to remember that," she said, shuddering.
"I wish he could remember me, though," Reno said softly, tears in his eyes. "If only he could remember…just that, and nothing else. We had just found each other, and then this happened…it's just not fair," Reno choked back a sob.
Tifa had been walking behind Reno, silently. "Fate can be pretty cruel, Reno," she said quietly. "But Cloud found his way back once…he can do it again, although it probably won't be easy," she warned.
"I know, Tifa," Reno replied, as they all entered the main cabin, and took their seats. Tseng waved Cloud and Reno over to where he was standing on the side. "There is a sick bay on board," Tseng told them. "I want both of you down there, I'm going to dress your wounds, and hopefully you can rest fairly comfortably."
"Okay, Tseng," Reno replied, yawning. "I could use a good nap, yo."
Cloud smiled, saying nothing. He was very confused about how he felt around the redheaded Turk. There were definitely some twinges of familiarity and comfort that Cloud felt whenever he was around him; clearly there was something there. And I felt…so angry…and protective, when Yuffie had attacked Reno with the shuriken, Cloud remembered.
I wish I could go back to how everything was before I lost my memory, Cloud thought, as he followed Tseng and Reno down into the sick bay. I wish I could give Reno what he needs…but I just don't feel anything right now. I like the guy…I want to love him, it's so obvious he loves me…but I feel like I just met him five minutes ago.
I wanna live, I wanna love
But it's a long hard road, out of hell
Reno laid down on the bed in the sick bay, his exhaustion suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. "Sweet dreams, babe," he whispered absently to Cloud, who was seated opposite him on the other bed. Reno promptly fell asleep, almost immediately after his head hit the pillow.
Cloud exchanged a glance with Tseng. "Um…how can we work on getting my memory back?" Cloud asked hesitantly.
Tseng was changing the dressing on Reno's leg, while the Turk slept. "That will not be an overnight thing, Cloud, I must warn you," he cautioned. "When we get back to headquarters, we're going to get you over to medical to run some tests. My first priority is going to be figuring out how you got those wings there."
"Ah, those," Cloud nodded in understanding. "I know. That's not something you see every day, I suppose, is it?" He smiled.
Cid's voice came over the intercom. "Strap your sorry asses in, this bird is taking off now! Over and out."
Rolling his eyes, Tseng commented, "Charming to the end, isn't he."
Cloud laughed out loud. "Yeah, he's um…a character, isn't he. Tseng, I wish I could remember everyone," Cloud pleaded. "Everyone here, they're all my friends, right? And I can't remember anyone."
"I'll help you, Cloud," replied Tseng, trying to sound reassuring. "When we get back to headquarters, we will work on helping restore your missing memories." Although, Tseng thought, you are definitely not going to like some of those memories. He frowned.
Cloud smiled, not seeing Tseng's worried expression. He was holding out every hope that all of his memories would be righted soon. He heard the jets start up, as Cid fired the thrusters to achieve liftoff. Cloud settled back on the bed, trying to relax, and soon settled into a dreamless sleep.
Well, this kind of sucks. It's 3:30 a.m., I haven't been to sleep yet cuz my kid keeps waking up…and I have to get up at 5 to go to work anyway. Whine whine. So I did something productive with my insomnia, and finished this chapter, yay!
I know it's probably a bit cheesy to use "Learning to Fly" when Cloud is…learning to fly. I love that song though, so there. XD Another small note...I decided to give Vincent, Nanaki and now Cloud the power of telepathy. Convenient, eh? ;) That part was kind of inspired by Aerith's ability to communicate/hear the Planet.
This will probably be my last update for a while on this fic (although I do have the next chapter underway...), I'm leaving in a few days to go to VEGAS for a friend's wedding. I SO need a vacation! And if you're following any of my other fics, I promise to try and update the ones that need updating once I'm back! Sorry, but this fic seems to be eating all my creativity lately, and I have none left over for my other writings.
Please read and review, and a big thanks if you have reviewed, favorited, or added this story to your alerts – it keeps me encouraged, and keeps me writing!