"What have I done..." Lightning scrambled on her hands and knee's over to the wounded blonde, who showed no signs of life. Her slender hands frantically pulled off Cloud's headset off to reveal his mako eyes shut behind eyelids. "Cloud!"
"That... wasn't pleasant..." The injured blonde opened his mako orbs to see his own reflection in Lightning's watering eyes. "Are you ok Clai- Lightning?" He corrected himself.
"I'm fine.. And so is Claire.. I'm so sorry." She said, struggling to hold back her tears.
"Don't worry. One more scar won't hurt." Smirking, the blonde wrapped his arms around the blade that was imbedded into his shoulder and pulled.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Sazh turned his head from the pair at the sight of blood oozing from his shoulder. "Medic's on the way kid."
"No need." Cloud searched his pocket briefly before he noticed Claire holding the glowing green orb he was looking for. Instead of taking the materia off her, unsure if she was able to use it, he closed her fingers over the orb and pulled her hand over to his shoulder. A warm tingling feeling took over her hand. Unsure if it was the mysterious crystal or the touch of the blonde's hand, she relaxed as a bright green light burst out of her fingers and poured onto Cloud's shoulder, closing the wound.
"What the hell is that?!" Sazh shouted in shock as the blonde's wounds were healed by the orb. "Ermm... Medic no longer needed." He spoke into the radio.
Cloud sat up with a groan and handed the bloodstained blade back to Claire who was reluctant at first to touch it again. After folding it away and placing in its sheath she grabbed the blonde's arm and helped him to his feet and examined him closely in concern, not letting go of him. Yet another hole in his already torn and burnt clothes revealed more of his scarred body.
"Can you walk?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm good. Cut myself worse trying to cook." He joked, hoping to snap Claire out of her guilt. A slight smile from the young woman told Cloud that it worked.
"Can I see?" Claire asked pointing to the blonde's shoulder.
"Sure." He replied, unsure what she was expecting to see.
Feeling like an awkward third wheel, Sazh turned and left the VR room, leaving the pair alone. Claire stepped in front of the blonde and gripped the zip on his black, sleeveless shirt and pulled it down slowly. Her heart pounded as she pulled the shirt open and pushed it gently off his toned shoulders. Cloud stood like a statue; his eyes never leaving hers as Claire's hands traced over his freshly healed scar, before moving down to his chest, causing a shiver to run down his spine.
"How did you get those?" She asked, stroking her slender fingers over a pair of two inch scars that sat by side, in the middle of his chest. She could feel his heart beating quicker and quicker by the second.
"Courtesy of Sephiroth.. One when I was sixteen and the other a few years ago. I've got another seven thanks to that man." Talking about Sephiroth almost always sent the blonde down a dark path of depression and guilt, but now his entire focus was on Claire. She stood toe to toe with him, hand still on his chest, and gazed into his glowing cerulean eyes. Never had they felt so comfortable yet so vulnerable with another soul.
A ring tone broke the silent moment the pair were sharing. Neither willing to break eye contact, but reluctantly Claire pulled the phone out of her pocket and slammed it to her ear.
"Now?...Ok... We're on our way." Claire ended the call and pulled her hand away from the warmth of the spiky haired soldiers body. "That scientist girl has finished with your armour."
Cloud smiled at the beautiful woman in front of him, not wanting to take his eyes off her for a second. He had felt a similar warmth inside with his friends, but this was different. He could hear his heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears and the hair on the back of his neck was still stood up from her touch that was ended all to quickly by a phone call.
"I have a diagnosis! Turns out ya punctured the wall when your sword ended up in the 'elevator', and it shorted some circuits out, killing the connection to the headsets and almost decapitating our guest here." Sazh shouted with a playful tone as he burst back into the VR room. "Put those abs away man! We gotta get your new kit!"
"I was just checking the wound." Claire replied, a little too quickly.
"Didn't know you had medical experience Light." Sazh teased. He was no fool and knew exactly what was going on. Even if they didn't themselves yet.
Claire turned cherry red at sazh's comment as the blonde zipped his shirt back up. The trio left the VR room as a team of engineer's entered, to fix the aftermath of the sparring session. For what felt like the hundredth time today, they entered the lift. The ride was short but it was just long enough for the mischievous pilot to mention 'the Lightning shrine' and sit back and watch Lightning have to talk about the one thing she hated discussing. Herself.
"I read most of that book in there. You're quite the hero." The blonde spoke in genuine admiration.
"I'm sure people have painted a few pictures of you as well." She replied, not wishing to acknowledge her countless acts of heroism.
"I got a passing smile off half of the people and a look of complete fear from the rest. Everyone had lost so much because of monsters like me. Regardless of what I'd done to help, they feared me."
Claire walked in front of him and stopped dead, before turning and grabbing a fist full of the man's shirt and pulling him close to her. "You are NOT a monster." She stated with authority, making sure Cloud was looking at her.
"Thanks." A weak smile was enough for Claire to release the man and allow him to enter the weapons lab.
The brilliantly lit lab was much quieter that before. No computers could be heard beeping and the drone of the CNC machine's had vanished. All but one of the scientists that occupied the room only hours ago had left. Only April remained, sat on a table with her legs crossed, playing with her long red hair. She never took her eyes of the blonde stranger that entered the room until Claire's words broke her gaze.
"You said the armour was done?"
"Yeah. My finest work, if I do say so myself." April said proudly, as she pushed herself off the table and skipped over to what looked like a statue, covered by a white sheet. "viola!" She shouted, pulling off the sheet to reveal brand new clothes and armour, seemingly identical to his own, mounted on a mannequin. "I hope this meets your standards mister...?" she asked flirtatiously.
"Strife."
"Well mister Strife. Try them on. I've had to make a few changes to the materials, I hope you don't mind. We do not possess leather strong enough to replicate your shoulder plate. Might I ask what animal it was from?" The scientist asked, curious to see what hide could withstand the heat that melted the messy blob of steel that was once some form of decoration.
"Dark Dragon." Cloud replied.
A brief grin formed on the young scientist's face until she realized that the blonde was deadly serious. April removed the clothes from the mannequin and placed them on a table, waiting for Cloud to try them on. A few seconds past before she realized the stranger would not be stripping off in front of her, so she pointed to a door across the room.
"You can change in there. It's an empty storage room." She said with a disappointed tone.
Cloud took the pile of clothes and marched over to the room and opened the door. The room was small and had a wall lined with empty shelves that's only purpose seemed to be collecting dust. He took his torn and blood stained clothes off and began to change into the new, upgraded outfit that April made. Despite her young age, she seemed to have done a good job. His new clothes felt more comfortable than the old ones as well as lighter. The fact they didn't smell of dried blood and sweat was also a bonus. Before he left the room he swapped the contents of his pockets over to his new clothes.
Claire glared at the young red head who's mind was racing at the thought of the handsome blonde undressing behind the door across the room. The glare ended prematurely as she noticed a familiar sight on a computer monitor at April's work station. The rose haired beauty couldn't see the entire screen, but she didn't need to. April had been watching inside the VR room from her computer. But for how long? Claire thought to herself before realizing something else. Had she interrupted us on purpose?
"Lookin' Good!" April shouted as Cloud appeared from the door. "How does it feel?"
"It's a little lighter."
"Well as we've no dragons here I had to improvise. The shoulder plate is made from a carbon fiber and Kevlar mix, with a black ceramic coating... so it should stop a bullet as well as protect you from moderate heat and fire damage. The clothing is made from Kevlar aramid fibers that are heat resistant and can prevent minor slash wounds, providing it's a glancing blow." Most of what the enthusiastic scientist said went straight over the blonde's head, but it at least looked like it would be up to the job.
"Oh! One more thing!" April darted over to her desk and removed a phone from the top draw and returned back to Cloud. "Latest technology smart phone. It has gps, heart rate monitor, a HD camera, as well as an internet connection. All the numbers you'll need are in there. Lightning, Hope, Sazh, as well as this department." The red headed scientist stepped stood at his feet and placed the phone in his hand. "My number's in there as well. In case you have any problems with your armour. Call me anytime."
Sazh looked over to Lightning who was glaring so fiercely at the scientist he was convinced she may explode at any minute. Her only consolation was that Cloud was either unaware of the young woman's advances or simply wasn't interested. Not convinced Lightning was going to hold her tongue much longer Sazh saw the opportunity.
"Hey you guys! Just got a text message from Hope. Wants to see us like right now."
"I didn't hear your phone go off.." Lightning stated, not turning her head from April.
"Was on silent. Lets go." Sazh walked over to Cloud and put his arm around his shoulder and ushered him back towards Lightning and the door. "You too." He said as he grabbed Lightning by the collar of her uniform and dragged her back towards the door. It's like dealing with kids...
"What does Hope want?" Lightning asked when Sazh eventually felt it was safe enough to release his grip on her.
"Nothin. I'm just too old to be gettin in the way of you beatin someone to death. Actin all crazy..." He said with a sigh.
"Bit dramatic Sazh." Lightning replied. Unsure if her word's were lies.
It had certainly been a strange week for Lightning so far. She had settled down into 'normal life' over the year of being on her new planet. No God's, no Fal'ce, just the odd monster that managed to make its way to their new planet with the rest of the population. It took the entire year to adapt to all of the natural human emotion and feeling that Bhunivelze took from her when crafting her into his 'Savior'. The past few days highlighted just how little she'd learned about being human again, as she had been barraged with previously unfelt emotions, brought on by the mysterious, mako eyed man.
"I'm glad we're out of there. That scientist was making me uneasy..." Cloud said, snapping Claire out of her thoughts. "Where are we going?"
"The old man here is gonna take us home." Claire joked.
"Respect your elders, kid." Sazh said, trying not to laugh. "let's go."
The trio took the lift for the final time, and made their way to the roof of the tower where Sazh' helicopter would be waiting to take them home. The elevator doors opened and an icy wind swept in, momentarily taking their breath away. The Black helicopter could barely be seen across the roof against the dark and cloudy sky. The only indication that it was still there was the lights from the helipad casting a faint glow on its wheels.
Sazh made himself comfortable in the cockpit as his two passengers climbed into the back of the helicopter. After some pre-flight checks, the afro haired pilot flicked a multitude of switches, and all the gauges and instruments came to life; beeping as they lit up. The jet engine slowly whined into life and the helicopter's wheels left the roof.
The dark sky gave a new perspective on the city below. The glass windows of the skyscrapers that reflected the sunlight when they arrived, now became virtually invisible against the black sky. The only indication that the colossal structures still stood tall was the street lighting below causing flashes of light to shimmer across the buildings face.
Claire pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time but was met with flashing screen. 15 missed calls and 2 messages from her sister were displayed across her screen.
From: Serah
Subject: STOP!
Sis! I didn't mean fight him! Don't do anything silly!
From: Serah
Subject: I Told you!
Hope told me what happened. Is Cloud ok? Text me back and I'll pick you up from the edge of town.
Claire couldn't help but Smile at her little sister's worried messages. That being said, she was right yet again. Her foolish decision to fight could have ended far worse than it did. Thankfully it snapped her out of her jealousy and her bond with Cloud grew.
To: Serah
Subject: Thank you
Sorry sis my phone was on silent. I really don't say this enough but thank you. I'll be landing soon so see you then.
"You ok?" Cloud asked, causing Claire to look up from her phone.
"Yeah. It's just my sister. She's gonna meet us at the edge of town and take us h-"
A deafening boom cut Claire's conversation short, as the tail rotor of the helicopter exploded, causing one of the blades to pierce the hull of the aircraft, inches from her head. The helicopter banked right violently and began to spin, throwing the rose haired woman from her seat. The blonde caught her with one hand and pulled her close to him.
"Shiiiiit!" Sazh roared as he tried to regain control of the plummeting aircraft. "Mayday! Mayday! This is Sazh Katzroy! Craft loosing altitude quickly! Estimated impact 6 clicks east from pre-logged destination!"
The out of control helicopter began to spin more violently, causing the G force to pin the trio against the walls of the craft. Cloud held back the nauseous feeling building inside and pulled his blade from beside him and rammed it through the roof, piercing the aluminium skin effortlessly and cutting off the deadly rotor blades that spun above. Immediately the aircraft's spin slowed greatly but the instant lack of lift made the burning metal box fall even quicker.
"Hold on! We're heading for the tree's!" The panic stricken pilot shouted.
Acting on instinct at the sight of blade like branches sticking out from every tree that they were inevitably going to hit; the blonde returned his sword to its resting place on his back and turned away from the soon to be impact zone. Second's before the doomed helicopter crashed down, Cloud grabbed Claire and wrapped his arms around her tightly, hoping the buster swords wide blade would save them from the tree's.
"I really hate helicopters..." The blonde stated, much to calmly, just before the burning metal box struck the first tree, shaking it violently and throwing the pair onto the floor. Claire kept her head buried beneath Cloud's arm as the sound of snapping branches and twisted metal filled the cabin. Still retaining most of it's speed the damaged chopper hit the ground with an almighty crunch, launching the cerulean eyed soldier and the woman that he held so tightly in his arms, out and across the dirt.
"uughh..." Cloud opened his eyes slowly to find Claire laying beside him. Crawling over to her, the blonde lifted her head off the ground and began stroking the messy pink strands of hair out of her face. "Claire! Wake up!"
Claire's eyes pried themselves open slowly at see her worried friend looking down on her. Sitting up, she began to come around properly and scanned the area. They were surrounded by a dark and dense forest. The only light source was from the orange glow from the burning helicopter.
"Where's Sazh?" Claire asked, panicking when she couldn't see him.
Cloud's mako enhanced eyes darted in all directions, unable to see the friendly pilot anywhere. "The chopper.." As soon as the words left his mouth he was sprinting towards the burning wreckage. Flames licked the blonde's body as he burst into what was left of the helicopter in search of his new friend. Claire tried to run after Cloud, but as soon as she rose to her feet her right ankle gave way under the weight and she collapsed back down in agony. Left to watch an ever growing wall of fire, the rose haired beauty waited anxiously for what seemed like hours before a figure emerged through the flames.
"Cloud! Sazh!" Claire shouted in excitement at the sight Sazh, with his arm around Cloud. The pair joined Claire on the floor and fell back onto their backs in exhaustion.
"I'm gettin to old for this..." Sazh said, coughing.
"At least you can walk. I've twisted my ankle.." She said as her hands massaged it gently.
"The cure materia..." The pair searched their pockets to no avail.
"It must have fell out when the chopper went down. Damn it" Claire realized in annoyance. "You two just get out of here. You've got almost six kilometers to the edge of town and I can't stand."
"We ain't leavin ya kid." said Sazh
"I'll carry you." Cloud told her softly. As he scooped her up in his arms with ease, holding her tightly. Claire, now injured and in pain, didn't resist but instead rested her spinning head against the blonde's chest. "Sazh, what happened?" He asked, thinking that this was not a failed component or pilot error.
"I dunno.. It definitely wasn't an accident though.. There's no fuel or anything flammable back there yet it exploded and destroyed the rear rotor."The afro haired pilot took a look at the burning wreckage, paying particular attention to the tail, or rather lack of it. "It couldn't be a faulty part. This is a prototype aircraft. I'm the sole pilot and the original designer. It it uses proven components and is virtually new."
"You're saying it was shot out of the sky?" Claire asked, still being cradled by Cloud.
"No.. radar didn't pick anythin up. It must have been planted on the tower.. Only employee's have access to the tower.." The realization that someone he knew tried to kill them sent shiver's down his spine.
The injured trio marched west, through the forest towards the town. The pace was slow and the root infested floor made the pitch black forest treacherous to navigate. Cloud took point as his mako eyes fared slightly better in the darkness as they left the smoldering wreck behind. Despite feeling like a child initially, Claire was grateful for the rest and listening to the blonde's steady heartbeat through his chest relaxed her enough to close her eyes.
It took nearly two hours to navigate the maze of tree's they found themselves in. As the trees thinned, unnatural light filtered through from the town in the distance. Sazh searched for his phone to no avail, in the hope of calling for help.
"Light, phone Serah. I lost mine in the crash."
Claire who was almost asleep, enjoying the safety of Cloud's arms and the warmth radiating from his chest, rubbed her hand across her pocket, unable to feel the bulge of her phone.
"Gone too."
Cloud gently lowered Claire's legs but kept his arm around her to keep the weight off her ankle. His fingers plunged into his pocket and pulled out the phone given to him by April. Sazh took it gratefully and began to scroll through the contacts list briefly before Claire's head shot up and slapped the phone out of the bewildered pilots hand.
"The hell you doin?!"
"That phone came from headquarters.. The bomb was planted at head quarters.. It could be bugged. If we call anyone then they'll know we're still alive."
"Just because the new scientist girl has a thing for your boyfriend doesn't mean you can assume she's working for 'The Disciples'." Sazh fired back, questioning her judgement.
"Who are the Disciples?" The blonde asked out of curiosity but mostly to move the subject from him and Claire.
"They're a terrorist nation that believes we need a god to rule us. They've been responsible for a few bombings and assassinations. They started off as a small group but they have massed in the eastern continent. Due to the size of the population that made it to this new world and the fact that this world is so much bigger than our artificial world cocoon, we can't secure all of the landmass. We currently hold two thirds of the world and they have power over the rest." Claire answered.
Cloud picked his injured friend back up and began walking towards the tree line, followed closely by Sazh. Just before they made it into the clearing, Sazh scouted the area, using the shadowy veil of the tree's to hide his movements, before slowly stepping out of the tree's and signaling to Cloud that it was safe.
"Payphone." Sazh whispered as he pointed to a glass, walk in box in the distance.
The trio marched over to the payphone and Cloud once again returned Claire to the ground. Propping herself up against the glass walls of the booth she dialed the only phone number she has ever been able to remember.
"Hello...?"
"Serah it's me. I need you listen very carefully. We're at a payphone just outside of town. I need you to tell Snow to pack as much things as he can, as quickly as he can. Then I need you to come straight here and pick us up." Claire instructed. The urgency in her voice worried her little sister.
"Wa- right- ok.." The younger Farron sister knew better than to argue with her sister and raced to Snow to relay the instructions.
After ten minutes Serah's jet black car pulled up outside the phonebox to find her sister being held up by Cloud and Sazh, who was constantly searching all directions nervously, in anticipation of an attack. The car had barely stopped when the afro haired pilot swung the rear door open to allow the blonde to get in the back with Claire, shutting it behind them once their bodies where clear. Sazh got in the front passenger seat and instructed the younger Farron sister to drive to Claire's house.
Cloud was surprised at the small and timid Serah's aggressive driving. Just like her sister, she took every corner as fast as the tires would allow and sometimes faster, having to counter steer to pull the sliding car back on track. Claire didn't speak but it was clear by her smile that she was impressed with her younger sisters skill behind the wheel.
"Your sister teach you how to drive?!" Sazh shouted.
"Yeah. Why you ask?" She asked innocently as she purposefully sped up even more.
Her answer came in the form of holding the handle above his head and checking his seat belt was secure. Being a pilot made him a terrible passenger. Moments later they arrived outside Claire's beautiful home, stopping inches from the wall.
"Cloud, I need you to go inside and grab a black backpack from my room. It's on the floor in the closet. Oh and get Duke." Claire asked as they all climbed out of Serah's car.
Cloud nodded and darted towards the front door, opening it and sprinting across the open planned, lower level. The LED lightning built into the glass staircase flickered under the stress as the blonde scaled the steps, three at a time. Across the hallway was Claire's room. Cloud hesitated slightly as he placed his hand on the handle, then opened the door and stepped in. Antique ornaments and ancient weapons placed on black glass stands contrasted perfectly with the ultra modern styling of the room. The blonde's cerulean eyes were draw to Claire's bed. A black frame that seemed to hover above the ground held the mattress that was encased in deep purple silk. A pristine, white fur hide was thrown neatly over the base. It looked like the most comfortable bed he had ever seen.
Remembering that time was of the essence, the mako eyed soldier turned his attention to the closet in the corner of the room. His eyes were met with perfectly organized and folded clothes, piled neatly across shelves that lined the walls of the small room. A large black backpack sat on the floor in the corner.
Got it.
Cloud bolted down the stair's, backpack in hand and headed towards the door.
"Duke!" He shouted, causing the huge dog to wake up from his slumber on the sofa's and stare curiously at Cloud. "Come on."
Duke ran outside, followed closely by the blonde who shut the door behind him. Their short time inside gave the others the opportunity to pull Serah's car into the garage and take out Claire's 'bowler' offroad car; which had all the doors and boot open ready to load. Serah climbed into the driver's seat and Sazh helped the injured Claire into the back before jumping in himself followed closely behind Duke.
"Cloud, throw the backpack to me and get in the front." said Claire.
"Erm.. sis... What about Snow?... And our bags?" Her sister asked, realizing they would be a seat short.
"Shit.. forgot about him.. I'll take my bike." Claire stated as she attempted and failed to get up.
"You can barely stand Claire. I'll take the bike.. That is if you don't mind?" Cloud answered with concern.
"Ooo Claire is it?" Serah and Sazh said in unison. "Such privilege. Haha" Even now nobody ever called her Claire.
Claire shook her head at the teasing duo and nodded to the blonde. "Key's are in it, helmets on the shelf in the back, be careful." She warned as Cloud made his way over to the 200mph motorcycle.
Cloud slid the matching black helmet over his head, flattening his blonde spikes as he fastened it. He took one last look at Claire before shutting the tinted visor and starting the bike, quickly realizing this was the loudest of her many toys. Looking down at the controls, he quickly noticed the similarities between this and an old Shinra design. The mako eyed soldier pulled the clutch in and pressed the lever under his left foot firmly and nodded to signal he was ready. The group set off towards the other side of town to rendezvous with Snow.
Five minutes of excessive speeding later Serah pulled outside her house to find Snow waiting outside, rucksacks in hand. The Goliath of a man ran towards the car with a worried look on his face and opened the passenger door. Sazh reached over the seats and took the bag's off Snow who was trying, ungracefully to get his 6'7" frame through the orange bars that made the roll cage.
"Ok ready!" he shouted as he finally shut the door behind him. "Where we headin'?"
"We're going to see Fang and Vanille. It will be safe there."
"Light, That's nearly 2500 miles away..." The thought of driving that far in this uncomfortable, loud, offroad machine did not sound like fun to Snow.
"I know. I suggest you get comfortable.." Claire replied with a sadistic smile.
Sarah set off into the starry night with Cloud in pursuit right behind her.
A/N: hi again. Couple of things.. first off thank you for following and adding to your favorites. It really does mean a lot that people are interested. Secondly I asked for some criticism last time and I got a bit to which I'm grateful. I hope I've improved my writing for you and can keep you all interested. Anyway.. I've skimmed over it with the spell check but I haven't properly read it over as its nearly 2am here and I'm in work in 4 hours but I felt you were long overdue an update. So any mistakes bare with me and ill sort them tomorrow. And as always, thanks for reading.