Chapter Ten: Mission Completed

A deep throaty growl welcomed Zack and Cloud as they found themselves stepping into the final room of the giant mountain. With fast beating hearts they entered, prepared for anything. Thankfully, no pain or darkness came to them. Instead they found themselves staring at the outline of the dragon, hidden in the shadows, and Kisa, standing in the centre of the room.

A wicked smile spread across her face and her dark eyes flicked up to the pair, switching from one to the other with excitement. "Welcome," she said in a voice that was almost a hiss.

Zack removed his sword from its sheath and gripped it tightly in front of him, ready for battle. "Cleanse the world with your flames will you?" he asked in a deadly calm voice. "What about the people that had nothing to do with you being left alone?"

The smile was removed from the girl's face almost immediately and as replaced with a scowl. "Well that's just it. They had nothing to do with me. No help came. No one came…"

Cloud shook his head and stepped forward, his gun loaded and in his hand. "You let yourself fall into hatred and sorrow. You abandoned hope and left yourself here."

"How dare you!" Kisa suddenly screamed. "How dare you blame it on me! I was forgotten by the world and now it will be punished!"

Behind her, a burst of flames lit up the darkness and revealed the dragon, Dark Wings. Its scales were a golden brown and it's eyes a wine red. White spikes protruded from its back and trailed along its tail and neck. On it's back were the black wings that had given it the name Dark Wings, and equally pitch black patterns spiked across its face then joined along the snout where small flames burst from its nostrils. Rows of jaws were revealed as it opened its mouth and unleashed another torrent of fire, then rose to its feet and stamped over to its possessor, Kisa.

"Whoa!" Zack yelled at the sight of the dragon. He pulled his sword closer and stared into the blade, thinking of Aerith and Midgar. That was where he drew his strength.

Beside him, Cloud's breath was coming out uneven and panicked. He struggled to hold onto his gun as he stared at the enemy, completely fear struck. He had not expected anything like this on the mission.

Ahead of them, Kisa swiftly ran had arm through the air and conjured up a bright red gemstone the size of her head. It had appeared out of nowhere, and she cradled it in her arms, and then stepped back to the side of her dragon.

"This stone," she said, raising it into the air for Zack and Cloud to see. "This stone is what feeds my dragon with the hatred I feel. It gives me total control, and as long as I hold it, you can not possibly prevail." The same evil smile she wore before was back on her pale face. "You know I can not let you leave. Your knowledge of our very existence is too much. You will die like the others at that pathetic village!"

The possession Kisa held on her dragon was strong indeed, for as she screamed out her last words, her dragon roared so loud small rocks from the ceiling crashed from the ground.

"Damn," Zack muttered as he was forced to jump back, narrowly avoiding having a rock embedded in his head. Instinctively he glanced over to Cloud and had to shove him to the side to save him from being hit as well. The force of the shove forced the pair to the ground, and the dragon took its chance.

A burst of flames tore through the air and headed straight for the pair, but Zack grasped Cloud around the middle and threw both the youth and himself back behind a small wall of broken rocks that had fallen. They hit the hard ground with a painful thud and water splashed up around them.

For a moment, the wetness that Zack was feeling made him think he had split his head open. He pressed a hand against the spikey black mass of hair and pulled it in front of him, happy to confirm to himself that it was only water.

"Zack?"

Cloud had been pulled from his dazed state and managed to pull himself up into a sitting position. A moment later Zack had to pull him back down in the knee deep water to avoid being burnt to ash as another sea of flames burst towards them.

This time, the blonde lifted his head slowly and stared up at Zack in fear. "How are we supposed to get past that?"

Zack smiled and pat him on the shoulder, a symbol of their friendship. "You don't need to worry about that," he explained. "I'll go out and distract it, then I want you to run out and fire like mad. Don't hit Kisa, just aim for the dragon."

Cloud reached out and grasped the back of his friend's shirt as the man went to launch himself from their wall of safety. "Zack," he whispered. "Don't get killed." He was the best friend he had even had, and his death would be his emotional ruin, especially after he had taken him on this trip to bring him closer to his dream again after his mistake.

An encouraging smile appeared on Zack's face, and then he was gone in a splash of water. A wall of fire exploded behind him, hiding him from view, and for a moment Cloud thought him dead. He sank back into the water and stared down at the rippling surface as his heart thumped hard in his chest. Tears crept in his eyes and he was at a complete loss of what to do, but a moment later he heard it.

"Cloud, now!"

His heart leapt in relief as he jumped up and ran through the water. Once he was on his feet he could see Zack diving his way all around the creature, slashing at his feet if he caught the opportunity but the dragon was fast and danced around him just as quickly, shooting out quick shots of flame when it could.

'He needs my help,' Cloud thought to himself, and suddenly his determination was a raging madness inside. He flung himself from the wall of rocks and ran along a thin strip of water to the right. There was a wave of water as he slid to a stop a few metres from the crest Kisa stood upon with the gem. She wore a look of twisted happiness as she watched her precious Dark Wings trying to crush Zack to the ground. Her grasp on the gem was gentle but sturdy as though she were holding her own heart.

For a moment, Cloud considered shooting the gem, but Zack had told him specifically to attack the dragon. Clenching his teeth at the lost opportunity he skirted around a pile of jagged rocks that lie in the centre of the room and watched the battle ahead of him.

Zack was becoming worn down as he flipped, ran and stabbed. His sword was a silver blur as it tore through the air and his face a twisted mask of concentration. Of course, the dragon was many times his size and seemed to be enjoying the fight. It snapped its jaws at Zack, forcing him to flip backwards. As soon as his feet reconnected with the ground, the SOLDIER jumped back into the air towards the dragon, his sword outstretched above his head. With a mighty yell he slammed the blade into the dragon's skull, but like all of the other attacks, it seemed to do very little but enrage the beast.

A moment later Cloud had joined the battle. He flung himself from the nearest rock and pointed his gun out like a spear over the dragon. Below Zack was keeping the creature too occupied to realise the second threat, so Cloud fired away. The bullets became embedded in the strong bone on its back, and with every jolt of pain that seared through its flesh it screamed out.

"Ha ha!" Zack cried out as Cloud landed beside the dragon and continued to shoot at it. "That's it! Wear it down!" he added as he lifted his sword to his forehead like he had seen his old friend Angeal do many times. As he thought back to the old training he used to receive from the man his heart rose and a smile spread across his face. Light erupted from the earth beneath his feet and rose around him like a tangled mess of rose stems.

As he fought the beast, a bright light in the corner of his eye caused Cloud to glance over at Zack and was shocked to see the glowing mass of light engulfing him.

"Zack!" he yelled out, thinking he had been attacked. Instantly the dragon slammed its head into him and sent the blonde youth flying through the air until he slammed into the rocky wall behind him. Stars clouded his vision and he fell to the ground with no feeling at all. All he could do was open his eyes a crack to see a blurry Zack disappearing into the light.

A crackling sound was all the SOLDIER could hear as he stood in the light that his memories brought around him, then slowly he began to return to reality. The tangle of veins of light had turned to glass and filled him with a new power he had missed sorely since becoming a first class SOLDIER.

"Time to shine," he said, his voice echoing in the little glass cocoon, and with a mighty swing he smashed the blade of his sword through the glassy surface. It shattered to the ground and Zack jumped out into the open again. He flew through the air so high he didn't doubt for a minute he could fly, so he soared towards the ceiling, then glanced down at Dark Wings to see it sniffing at Cloud, a motionless heap on the ground.

"Cloud!" Zack screamed, rage building up inside. "Damn it!" He flipped three times in the air, and then pointed the tip of his sword down before landing on the dragon's back. The blade shot through the skin and flesh before resting deep into the bone of the beast. Blood flowed from around the wound and trickled down the neck, but Zack abandoned the weapon and leapt straight down to Cloud.

"Cloud? Cloud!" he yelled as he shook his friend firmly by the arm. His heart was beating in his throat and his stomach twisted and turned inside, but finally the youth twitched and started to push himself up from the ground.

"What happened?" he asked groggily as he looked up into Zack's face. His expression of confusion changed to surprise as he studied the man.

A golden light hugged itself to the SOLDIER and left him shining like a star. He smiled back at Cloud and grasped him by the arm. Without a single word he ran with Cloud at his side to the front of the dragon effortlessly. His movements were so fast Cloud was almost dragged along the earth, but they stopped abruptly as Dark Wings prepared to launch an inferno at the pair.

Zack turned to Cloud and gave him a reassuring grin and a wink before raising his hand in the air as the flames burst forth from the dragon's mouth.

Cloud instinctively crouched down and held his hands out in front of himself for protection. He clenched his teeth and waited for the burn, waited for the pain… but there was nothing.

As he opened his eyes, a blue light blinded him and it took him a few moments to realise that a shield had appeared inches from Zack's hand. It hung in the air and spread out to protect them, and from the other side the dragon stumbled back and stared in disbelief.

"It's your turn Cloud," Zack said without turning to him. "Usually only SOLDIER's can harness the power from their memories and use it, but I believe in you." He cast the youth a quick nod before ending the shield and throwing himself forward into the air again in an amazing leap.

Cloud watched from below as Zack kicked the beast sharply in the nose as it raised its head to sink its teeth into him. He stretched his arms out and grasped the hilt of his sword, then flipped higher into the air, ripping it from the dragon's flesh. A second later he was gone behind a wall of mist that the dragon's nostrils created.

Cloud was alone.

He stared up into the dragon's beady eyes and savage grin that hinted on a personality much like its owner Kisa whom still watched from the crest.

'What am I supposed to do?' he thought as the dragon began to round on him. Flames flickered around its jaws with every step. Cloud took careful steps back, but tripped on a rock beneath him and fell to the ground. Immediately, the beast launched itself forward with its mouth wide open.

"Zack!" Cloud screamed out as death headed towards him, ready to clutch him in its claws, but his mind ran elsewhere. The name brought memories flooding in and his fear was forgotten as the face of his best friend Zack became the only thing he could see.

It was then when he found the strength inside. The words 'I believe in you' uttered by Zack filled him with a light that shone through, and before he could gain any sort of control he too became airborne.

With his gun in his hand, he fired into the dragon's face. It pulled back with a sharp jerk and started trying to paw at its face as blood dripped down from the new bullet holes. Cloud landed on the rocks and sped through beneath the belly of the beast. He fired up and waterfalls of crimson blood flooded the ground behind him. The energy inside became too much and he found himself flipping through the air until he was free of the dark shadow that covered him.

From the side he could see Zack racing forward with a gleeful expression on his face. "I knew you could do it!" he yelled out as Cloud began to finish off the enemy.

All it took was a final bullet that held all of the strength he had gained inside. It shone like a beacon in the darkness of the cavern and sailed through the air until it found its target. There was an explosion of light, then a deafening roar. Silence cloaked the area for a few moments, and then the final sound was a giant thud as the dragon fell to the ground in death.

The attack had left Cloud stunned. He stared at the sight of the dead beast and jerked to life as Zack stirred him with a hand on his shoulder. A moment later he was pulled into a friendly hug by the man, then released and punched playfully in the ribs.

"We did it! Yeah!" Zack carried on like a child and a smile was brought back on Cloud's face at the sight.

Behind them, a sorrowful scream rose through the air from Kisa. She slumped to her knees and stared at the pair, her teeth clenched. "Damn you!" she yelled out, but her vision was failing her and her consciousness became robbed as she fell forward onto her stomach.

With a simply sigh, Zack walked over to her and bent down to check her pulse. Cloud stumbled up behind him, feeling drained and tired from the fight, but relief became the new emotion as Zack revealed she was alive.

The gem beside her glowed in the dim light like fire, but Zack refused to pick it up. "Not after those crystals back there!" he exclaimed, taking a few steps back.

"Baby," Cloud muttered playfully as he scooped it up in his arms. "Fine, you carry Kisa, and I'll carry this," he decided as he looked towards his friend, then turned to the exit. "We should get going. I doubt Darrell will be to happy if I miss the first mission as a second class." His voice had turned grim.

Zack pat him on the shoulder yet again and beamed. "Don't worry, after this, I doubt he'll care," he pointed out before lifting the girl over his shoulder effortlessly. "Come on, let's go."