"Warning"
FORGE THE PATH
Chapter X : Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Convicts
"Do you have a world map I can look at?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked behind Barret.
"Not yet," the gun man answered as he looked back at the knight. "I'm planning on buying 'em at Kalm. I still have some money in my pockets."
Barret, Obi-Wan, and Nanaki were ahead of the rest of the team. They were currently walking in a huge grassy meadow that seemed to stretch out to the end of the world. White, puffy clouds were floating in the bright blue sky. The group destroyed several hostile Shinra robots on the way, but it proved slightly difficult for Obi-Wan to use a lightsaber while carrying a duffel bag.
"The weather is certainly nice," Nanaki commented as he walked on the soft, grassy ground.
"It feels pretty good to actually breathe in real air for once," Barret admitted as he stretched his arms.
The three continued to tread on the grassy landscape. Then, Obi-Wan noticed something close by.
"I see Kalm," the Jedi announced as he pointed at a small town that was just a kilometer away.
"Looks like our seven hour trip is coming to an end," the red lion said with a smile.
"Heh, seems like it," Barret said with a nod. He then turned to the knight and began, "By the way, Obi-Wan..."
"If you are trying to ask me about whether I want to join your group or not, I'm still adhering to my answer," Obi-Wan interrupted.
"Aw, c'mon!" the gun man grumbled. "Just 'cause you're an alien doesn't mean you have to say 'no' all the time!"
"I know it's disappointing for you, Barret," Nanaki consoled, "but you'll have to respect Obi-Wan's choice."
"You're the one to talk!" Barret grumbled at the red beast. "You're just followin' us till you meet your grandfather or somethin'!"
Sometime during their travel, Obi-Wan explained his backstory to both Barret and Nanaki. He told them all about his status as a Jedi Knight, the fall of the Jedi Order, and his final duel with Darth Vader. After he told the story, the gun man resumed his mission to recruit the Jedi Knight. Much to his dismay, Obi-Wan continued to decline the offer.
"It is best for me to not interfere with affairs of other worlds," the Jedi explained.
"No offense, man," Barret stubbornly continued, "but you already 'interfered' with our 'affairs' by beatin' the hell outta Sephiroth and Shinra. Not to mention, you busted up those robot motorcyclists that hang around near Midgar."
"I am not changing my answer," Obi-Wan politely replied with a smile. "I'll be assisting you and your team until I find a way back to my world."
The gun man simply grumbled in response.
"I am fully aware that it sounds selfish," the Jedi explained, "but I assure you, it is for the best of all of us."
"...Fine, fine," Barret mumbled as he continued to walk to the town of Kalm.
The three were now very close to the small town. It was now high-noon of the day.
"Well, we're nearly there, now," the gun man announced as he looked at his teammates.
"I admit, I'm slightly tired now," Nanaki said with a yawn. As he stretched his legs, he turned to Obi-Wan and said, "You're certainly lucky that you have the Force to keep yourself from getting exhausted."
"It's not the Force. I'm just used to fighting and walking for hours," Obi-Wan replied with a smile. "Also, you were confined in that laboratory, so it must have been a little more difficult for you to walk for a long time."
"Hmm, that's true," the red lion concurred. He then looked back and wondered out loud, "I wonder how Cloud and his team are doing."
"They should be fine," the Jedi said with no worries.
"I'm more worried about Aerith," the beast said with a frown. "It is, after all, her first time to ever set foot out of Midgar. It must be tiring for her to walk all the way here."
Obi-Wan, however, shook his head and replied, "To be honest, I seriously doubt we have to worry about that girl."
"Come on, slowpokes!" Aerith happily exclaimed. "We are way too behind! Let's speed up a bit!"
Due to confrontations with Shinra's robotic enemies, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith did not make much progress in their trip to Kalm. They were still in the lifeless, rocky lands in Midgar's region.
The flower girl was incredibly stoked to venture out into the world. Although the region they were in was dull and lifeless due to Midgar's power plants slowly sucking out the Planet's life, the Cetra still felt like she was freed from her chains. The land seemed to stretch on forever and the sky looked so big.
"She's awfully cheerful," Tifa said with a chuckle as she looked at Aerith who was staring at the sky.
"You can say that again," Cloud agreed as he continued to walk. He stared distantly into the horizon, lost in his own thoughts.
Noticing this, the fighter turned to her friend and asked, "Are you okay? Is something bothering you?"
"Nah, I'm fine," the swordsman replied nonchalantly. He then rubbed his shoulder and stated, "I better get this wound cleaned up once we reach Kalm."
"You're acting as if a shotgun fire to the shoulder is nothing much," Tifa said with concern. "Are you sure you don't need it treated right now?"
"I'm fine," the blond repeated dully. He still appeared to be in his train of thoughts.
Giving up on trying to figure out what he was thinking, Tifa simply said, "We better speed up before Aerith flies away."
"Heeeey!" Aerith shouted from far away. She was so far ahead that she needed to shout at the top of her lungs.
"Hang on!" Tifa shouted back. She then began to speed up as she dragged Cloud by his arm, which alarmed him.
"Whoa, whoa, what the...?" Cloud stuttered as his train of thought derailed.
"Sorry for bursting your personal bubble," the fighter apologized as she continued to drag him. She then turned to the flower girl and shouted, "Just a minute!"
"Ladies and gentlemen," Barret began as his group entered the town. "Er... Actually, just gentlemen," he quickly corrected himself as he glanced at the red lion and the knight. The gun man then turned around and said, "This is Kalm."
Obi-Wan and Nanaki curiously observed the small yet charming town. The knight saw that nothing much changed since his first arrival at the village.
"It's a nice place," the red lion said as he looked at the small buildings around them.
"It's a good thing that the inn's right next to the entrance," Barret said as he stretched his arms. "I'm gettin' really tired now. I'll get two rooms." With that said, the burly man entered the inn.
"Well, what are you going to do now?" Nanaki asked the knight.
"I'll be waiting for the others at the entrance," the Jedi answered with a smile. "I do not want to go into the inn just yet."
"...Same here," the beast said as he began to walk to the entrance. "Waiting in the inn will probably be too dull."
"Aren't you gonna change your clothes?" the gun man asked with a raise of his eyebrow.
"Not now," the Jedi knight answered as he looked the Shinra uniform he was still wearing.
"Whatever you say," Barret replied with a yawn as he went into the inn, leaving Obi-Wan and Nanaki behind.
The two went out the entrance and saw the wide grassy land that covered the terrain. Obi-Wan sat on a nearby bench while Nanaki simply sat on a ground next to him. The two then silently stared at the scenery for quite a while.
Nanaki was the first to break the silence. "So," he began, "what do you think about all this?"
"About 'all this'?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to the red lion.
"Arriving at Gaia after being slain by your enemy," Nanaki elaborated. "I'm sorry if it's a rude question-"
"No, it's quite alright," the Jedi assured. He then turned back to the scenery and began, "I was incredibly confused at first. I was supposed to become a Force ghost, but I ended up here. Things did not go as planned, to say the least.
"Honestly, it felt invigorating to be young once more," Obi-Wan admitted with a chuckle. "Even so, I was and still am worried about Luke. He is the reason why I am trying so desperately to go back to my world."
"...Wow," Nanaki mumbled as he stared into the distance. "It must be tough..."
"Don't worry too much about me," the knight commented.
"To be honest, though, I'm not sure if grandpa really knows the way back," the red lion admitted with a sigh.
"It would be a miracle if he did," Obi-Wan agreed as he stroked his beard. "However, I do believe that he will point me in a right direction."
"Grandpa's good at that," Nanaki stated with confidence. "I'm very sure he'll help you out."
While the two continued to observe the grassy fields, they noticed someone running in the horizon. The figure was running towards Kalm.
"I see someone over there," the red lion stated as he stood up.
"I see only one person," the Jedi added. "I don't think it's Cloud's group."
About half an hour later, the figure, who was still running, was now much closer. When Obi-Wan gave a closer look, he blurted, "Isn't that Aerith?"
After carefully observing the running figure, Nanaki stated with disbelief, "I think it is Aerith..."
"Where are the other two?" Obi-Wan said with concern. "Why is Aerith alone?"
"What if she's getting chased by someone?" the red beast asked. "This could be bad. What if Cloud and Tifa are..."
"Actually, hold that thought," the Jedi said as he looked at Aerith, who was now very close. "She has a very big smile plastered on her face."
"...Oh."
Minutes later, Aerith arrived at the entrance of Kalm. As she stopped running, she began to gasp for air. When the flower girl looked up, she found Obi-Wan and Nanaki next to her.
"Oh, hi guys!" the Cetra exclaimed in excitement as she continued to breathe heavily. "I just... had an awesome race with Cloud and Tifa!"
"A race, hm?" the Jedi asked with a smirk.
"But I don't see Cloud or Tifa anywhere," Nanaki commented with a neutral expression.
"Huh?" Aerith looked around her and saw that the swordsman and the fighter were nowhere to be seen. After scratching her head and pondering about the situation, she stated grumpily, "Maybe they ditched me and decided to go... together...with nobody around to bother them."
"...You have quite an imagination," the knight commented dryly. "Although, I doubt they would actually do that in a time like this."
"Maybe you outran them," the red lion suggested.
"Me? Outrun them?" Aerith repeated incredulously as she rolled her eyes. "I don't think a simple flower girl like me can actually outrun an ex-SOLDIER and a martial artist."
"The hell took you three so long?" Barret asked Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith with a displeased look.
The whole party was now in one of the rooms at the second floor of the inn. Barret sat on one of the chairs situated near a wall. Tifa and Aerith were sitting on the rim of one of the three beds. Cloud, after cleaning his shotgun wound he received from Rufus and wrapping white bandage around his right shoulder, was simply standing next to the window. Nanaki was sitting on the floor next to Obi-Wan, who was still in his security guard uniform and was leaning against a wall next to the door.
"We were attacked by a large group of Shinra robots," Cloud explained calmly. "And by large, I mean very large."
"They usually attacked in teams of two or three," Tifa added. "They were not that difficult to take down."
"Yeah, but it was very time-consuming," Aerith pointed out. She then held up several Materias and said happily, "Well, on the bright side we were able to stack up some 'Ability Points' for these Materias by beating up those baddies."
"'Ability Points'?" Obi-Wan inquired.
"Basically, the more you use a Materia, the stronger it will get, allowing you to use its stronger abilities," Nanaki quickly explained.
"Ah, I see," the knight said as he stroked his beard. "Perhaps I should begin using these 'Materias'."
"...You should," the flower girl stated as she yawned. "Materias can save you from all sorts of trouble."
"It's best if you buy somethin' to slot 'em into," Barret added as he inspected his gun-arm, "like a weapon or an armor piece."
"Very interesting," Obi-Wan commented with a grin. "I must start using one soon."
"I'm certain there is a Materia shop here in this town," Tifa said with a smile. "Maybe we could buy you one if we have some gil to spend."
"That is very generous of you," the knight began to reply as he tried to pull something out of his robes, "but I-"
Before he finished his comment, however, Cloud interjected as he turned to the auburn-haired man, "Now that I think about it, we never actually did hear your full story, Obi-Wan."
Tifa, realizing that she did not hear the knight's story, stated, "I'm left out in the dark, as well." The fighter then turned to Barret and Nanaki and guessed with a smirk, "And I assume you two already heard his story during the trip, am I correct?"
"Spot on," Barret replied with a smile as Nanaki nodded in agreement. "Although, I wouldn't mind hearin' his story again. It's damn interestin' if you ask me."
"I second that," the flower girl happily said as she sat up.
Hearing this, Obi-Wan jokingly replied with a laugh, "Well, you two flatter me."
Oh, you must be enjoying this, the ex-SOLDIER groaned as he rolled his eyes.
As the Jedi tapped his chin, he mumbled, "...Now, where shall I begin... Ah! Yes."
Thus, Obi-Wan told his story to the rest of the party. He talked about the Jedi Order, the Clone Wars, Anakin's "death", the rise of the Galactic Empire, and his duel with Darth Vader.
After hearing this story, Tifa, whose eyes were wide with excitement and curiosity, mumbled, "...Whoa...just...wow..."
"Someone's amazed," Aerith commented gleefully.
"So many questions I want to ask," the female fighter mused out loud, "but I don't know where to start first..."
"Don't be shy to ask them," the Jedi welcomed her.
"So, you're an alien?" Tifa blurted out.
Obi-Wan chuckled at this. So far, everyone who heard his story asked that question. "Yes, I am."
"I dunno," the woman continued. "I thought aliens would look... weirder."
"I have a great amount of friends who you would consider as 'weird-looking'," the knight commented with a smile.
"I could already imagine how some of them would look like," Aerith said with a giggle. She then placed two fingers on each side of her mouth and croaked with a deep voice, "Wort, wort, wort."
Barret, who enjoyed Obi-Wan's story, was disappointed to see Cloud's untroubled facial expression. "You're awfully calm about this, Spikey," the gun man called out to the blond.
Everyone else turned to see that the swordsman was rather unperturbed by the Jedi's backstory.
The only comment Cloud came up with was, "I was only mostly interested in where he got that powerful weapon."
Nanaki decided to answer the question. He looked up and began, "Well, he said that he built it while he was-"
"I want none of that," the swordsman cut the red lion off. "I'm not buying any of this fiction."
"'Fiction'?" the Jedi asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, man," Barret began as he cleared his throat, "I dunno 'bout you, but if he can pull off magic junk without any Materia, I'd say that he's not a normal guy from around here at the very least."
In an attempt to support the gun man, Tifa said, "I'll admit, I wouldn't have believed his story under ordinary circumstances. But this man clearly showed evidences that he's, well, not from around here. I doubt that it'll hurt to believe."
I can't believe they actually think his story is real, Cloud angrily thought. With a defeated sigh, he said, "You guys believe what you want to believe. I'm still adamant in my position, but I'm not going question Obi-Wan any further regarding his past."
Obi-Wan was content with this and said with a small smile, "That's fine by me."
Aerith, however, stayed silent in this matter. She was slightly taken aback at how Cloud outright refused to believe the Jedi's story. It made her feel strange and a little sad.
The whole room became quiet afterwards. After a short awkward moment of silence, the Jedi spoke up, "I would like to buy this world's map."
"Speaking of buying," Cloud began, "it's best if we stock up on some items and buy new equipments."
"Yeah, but what should we buy?" Nanaki inquired as he scratched his nose.
"Lots o' stuff," Barret answered concisely, "like tents, potions, Phoenix Downs..."
"'Phoenix Downs'?" Obi-Wan interrupted with curiosity.
"Stuff that stops you from bleeding to death or somethin'," the burly man cryptically answered with a shrug. "And don't ask me how it works. All I know is that it can prevent death."
"Well, that's certainly a useful item," the knight commented with a smirk.
"If we have enough money left," Tifa thought out loud, "we will be able to buy new weapons and armor pieces."
After tapping her chin, Aerith asked the others, "How much money do we even have, anyway?"
"...Aw shucks," Barret grumbled as he shook his head in annoyance. "I left most of my money at my HQ. I only got 50 gil."
"That's an incredible amount of gil," Cloud sarcastically commented with a smirk. "You can buy a whole potion with it. Maybe even two if you're lucky."
"Shut up, Spikey."
"Anyway, I still have that 2,000 gil you payed me," the blond said as he pulled out his wallet. The swordsman pulled a free chair that was next to him and placed it in the middle of the room. After pulling out the sum of 2000 gil and placing the money on a free chair, he turned to the others and asked, "Anyone else?"
"I got some," Tifa spoke up as she pulled out her worn out a black wallet. "300 gil," the fighter said as she placed her sum of money on the chair. "That makes 2300."
"Hey!" Barret exclaimed as he took out his 50 gil. "Don't forget my money! It's 2350."
"I have none," Aerith said with a frown. "The Shinra guards took all the money I had and probably used it for beer money."
"I don't have any money as well," Nanaki said. "Well, not that I ever needed it in the lab."
"Count me in the 'Poor Club'," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. "I think I lost all of the gil I had. All I have left are some credit ingots."
"Err... what ingots?" the gun man asked as he scratched his head.
"Credit ingots," the Jedi repeated as he knelt down and began to rummage through his duffel bag. "It's part of the currency being used back in my world. I have some right now."
"Money from another world? Cool!" Aerith happily giggled.
"Ah, here is one," Obi-Wan said as he pulled out a golden credit ingot. "This is a credit ingot," he explained as he held out the golden credit. It was a small rectangular bar which was about two inches in length. There were some strange symbols stamped on the bar, but only Obi-Wan was able to read it.
"Whoa, is it solid gold?" Barret asked as his eyes widened at the sight of the credits.
"Solid gold? No," the Jedi replied with a chuckle. "It's mostly ordinary metal. There really isn't too much value in it."
"Well, it's good and all," Cloud sighed, "except, you can't use it here."
The discussion, however, came to an abrupt halt when a loud grumbling sound interrupted the party. The people then slowly turned to the source of the noise:
Nanaki.
"...I'm hungry," the red lion admitted with an embarrassed expression.
Upon hearing this, Tifa turned to the others as she mumbled, "Now that you mention it..." After tapping her chin in thought, she said with concern, "I'm hungry, too."
"Yeah, so am I," the gun man replied nonchalantly. "But, why the long face?"
"We only have 2300 gil," Cloud quickly answered for his childhood friend.
"...Crud," Barret murmured in horror as he roughly thought of all the items the team needed to purchase. "...And it's 2350 gil! Don't forget the contribution I made!"
"...Fine, whatever," the swordsman mumbled without much thought; he was beginning to worry about their arising financial issue.
Obi-Wan, who was still not used to the currency in Gaia, brought up a question. "Is 2350 gil really not enough to cover our expenses here?"
"It's not that much, really," Tifa answered with a sigh. "One night here is 40 gil, since we're using two rooms. That means that we only have 2310 gil left-"
"2350 gil!" Barret shouted in frustration. "The hell's so difficult about rememberin' the fact that I payed 50 gil?"
"...2350 gil," the fighter corrected herself with a shake of her head. "One tent costs 500 gil, but we'll have to buy more than one. So, at the very least, 1500 gil will be used for tents."
"And we need essential items such as potions, antidotes, and Phoenix Downs, so that'll probably do a number on our 'treasury'," Cloud continued. "All the Materia here will probably cost around 1500 gil, as well. So, buying some here is not going to be part of our option."
"...Blazes," Obi-Wan murmured grimly. "We are stuck in a rather precarious situation."
"Seems like it," Nanaki said as he shook his head. He then turned to Aerith and asked, "What do you think, Aerith?"
The Cetra, however, did not seem to be worried. In fact, she was quietly chuckling to herself. Aerith then began to heartily laugh.
"...What's so funny?" Cloud asked with an eyebrow raised, unamused by her attitude.
"Oh, come on!" Aerith laughed. "You guys seriously don't know what to do? I'm shocked. And I thought you guys were the experienced ones."
"What? You have a plan or something?" Tifa asked.
"Yup. It's a very simple one, too!" the flower girl explained. She then slowly turned to Obi-Wan with a mischievous grin and said, "Let's just say it has something to do with... persuasion."
At first, the Jedi had no idea what Aerith was talking about. Then, it hit him.
"No, I'm not going to use my mind trick on those people out there," the knight sternly said with a frown.
"Mind trick?" Cloud wondered out loud. "You mean that mind trick you told us about in your story?"
"Oh yeah," Tifa said as she remembered Obi-Wan's ability. "You can trick people into doing things for you, right?"
"Hey! That's freakin' sweet!" Barret exclaimed as he laughed. "We could use that to get EVERYTHING for free-!"
"By the Force!" the Jedi shouted in annoyance. "I'm not going to use my mind trick on those civilians! Especially for stealing goods!"
"I know it sounds wrong, but it's the best option we have right now," Aerith tried to reason with the vexed knight as she stifled a laugh. "Try not to be too sensitive about it."
"'Sensitive'?" Obi-Wan repeated incredulously. "How uncivilized!"
"Hey! It's that phrase again!" the flower girl happily cheered. She then straightened her posture and said with Obi-Wan's accent, "How uncivilized!"
"...Hmm," Nanaki murmured as he finally stood up. "Stealing is definitely a wrong thing to do, but you people are trying to do the world a favor, so maybe it's okay to just...-"
"...You too, Nanaki?" Obi-Wan murmured with a shake of his head. The Jedi grabbed his own head in frustration as he sat down on the ground. He then looked up to see the rest of the party.
All of their eyes were fixed on him, hoping to get an answer out of him. He was almost surprised to see Cloud having the same expression as the rest of the party.
"...Blast it," the knight groaned with a defeated look.
Two hours later, the whole party exited a local sea food restaurant with their stomachs full.
"Wow, that food was great!" Aerith cheerfully said as she stretched her arms.
"Eh, I'm not a big fan of sea food, but I guess it was good enough," Barret commented with a satisfied nod.
"You think so?" Tifa asked worriedly as she turned to the burly man with a frown. "I don't know. The food smelled a bit... fishy."
"...Oh, I see what you did there," Nanaki lightly chuckled at the joke.
"Heh. I try my best," the fighter commented with a smile.
...That joke wasn't that funny at all, Cloud mused as he forced a chuckle. Oh well, one hundred points for effort. The swordsman noticed that the Jedi was being unusually quiet. He turned to the knight and saw Obi-Wan, who was back in his Jedi robes, walking quietly with his head hung low with a rather dark expression plastered on his face.
"...You look petulant, old man," Cloud said to the knight with a smirk, remembering what the Jedi said to him back at Tifa's bar.
"I technically robbed a general store, an equipment store, and a Materia shop," Obi-Wan flatly stated with a dry expression. "Of course I would look petulant."
"Don't be such a goody-two-shoes," the blond commented with a chuckle. "You're not going to be eternally punished for stealing just this once."
"Yeah," Aerith happily said as she joined the conversation. "Don't be too upset. It's just one time."
The Jedi shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He saw that both Aerith and Cloud were smiling at him (If the knight was in a better mood, he would have been shocked to see the ex-SOLDIER doing so). The Jedi then turned to the rest of the group, all of them chatting happily. With a defeated sigh, Obi-Wan said with a smile, "I guess you're right."
Before the two were able to respond, someone from afar shouted, "Hey, you! Mr. Robed Guy!"
Obi-Wan turned back to see a familiar brunette middle-aged man in a white shirt and blue pants running to him, waving.
"Mr. Wiki!" the knight called as he waved back.
"Hang on," Aerith said as she turned to look at James Wiki running towards them. "You know that man?"
"He's the first person I met after I somehow ended up in this planet," Obi-Wan explained.
"Is that so?" Cloud asked with a raise of his eyebrow. "I take it that you didn't tell him where you came from."
"You are most certainly correct," the Jedi answered.
As James Wiki came to a halt, he took several deep breaths and stood up straight. "Man, it's good to see you again in one piece."
"It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Wiki," Obi-Wan replied.
"Yeah..." the man murmured before noticing two people next to the knight. "I see you made some new friends!"
"Oh, yes," the Jedi said with a nod. "I was lucky to stumble across these people."
"Pleased to meet you," Aerith said with a smile.
Cloud only nodded with a neutral expression.
"Likewise," James replied with a nod.
As the four exchanged their greetings, Barret, Tifa, and Nanaki were already in front of the inn. The gun man turned around and saw that Cloud, Aerith, and Obi-Wan were still in the plaza talking to someone. He then shouted at them, "Hey, guys! Are you gonna come in?"
The blond turned to Barret and shouted back, "Yeah, don't worry about us! We'll come in soon."
"Sure thing!" the burly man responded before turning back to Nanaki and Tifa. "Don't worry 'bout them. Let's go in first." And with that, the three entered the inn.
As Cloud turned back around to join the conversation, he asked James, "...Speaking of which, did you perhaps see a tall man with long white hair in a black coat in this town?"
Upon hearing this question, the middle-aged man tapped his chin, lost in thought. Then, he snapped his fingers and replied, "I did, in fact. He's quite the hot topic right now. Mysterious fellow. He was here like three days ago."
"Do you have any idea where he went?" the blond inquired curiously.
"I heard from others that he's probably gonna head south. Many of 'em say he's probably going to Junon."
"...I see," the swordsman said with a nod. "Thank you, sir."
"Not a problem," James replied happily. "Oh! By the way, you heard about the terrorists bombing a Mako Reactor at Midgar?"
"...Oh yeah, that!" Aerith exclaimed, trying to conceal the fact that one of those terrorists was actually in their discussion. "Crazy stuff. Lots of chaos. Yup."
"It was more than just 'crazy stuff', and 'lots of chaos'," Obi-Wan commented.
"We better be careful," Cloud said cautiously. "You never know where they might be right now."
"Yeah, it's crazy," James agreed grimly. "And I think Shinra's sending in their men to catch them."
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, slightly confused.
"It happened to me yesterday," the middle-aged man recalled grimly. "It was evening. I was minding my own business in the plaza until someone in the back alley called me." James shuddered before continuing. "The better side of me told me not to go, but curiosity won me over and I decided to go into the back alley to the mysterious figure. After I went in there, the man asked me if I saw any terrorists pass by in this town. When I answered no, he just let me go."
I thought Shinra wasn't interested in catching us, Cloud thought with concern. I thought they would be mainly focusing on Sephiroth.
"Can you describe this man's appearance?" Obi-Wan questioned as he crossed his arms.
At this, James scratched his head and said, "...I can't really say if he was a man. From the looks of it, he looked like a humanoid robot thing. He had gadgets and robotic parts and some junk all over him... or it. Again, not sure if he was man or machine."
"What makes you think that he might be a robot?" Aerith asked.
"There were rumors flying around saying that Shinra was working on building humanoid robots that can carry out secretive operations. According to the rumors, it is speculated that Shinra Inc. have a serious issue with their staggeringly low number of secret agents. To make up for this, the company began to make humanoid machines to make up for their lack of agents. It's all just rumors, but after my encounter with the suspicious man... or robot... I'm beginning to think that this rumor just might be true."
Cloud only stared at the man with incredulity. Then he sighed and said, "I seriously doubt it."
"Hey, you're only saying that because you never saw him," the man bickered. "He had gadgets all over his arms and his face was covered with something."
"What was it?" the Cetra asked excitedly.
"...Er, I didn't really get a clear view of his face," James admitted with a sigh. "It was too dark to see him clearly, but he certainly had a robotic raspy voice!"
"Is that so?" Obi-Wan muttered as he looked at the sky. The Jedi saw clouds glowing orange due to the setting sun. The sky was already becoming dark blue as the moon began to shine. It seems like it is a good time to go back to the inn, he thought before turning back to his group. "It's getting dark," he stated to the rest of the group. "We need to go back to the inn."
Aerith looked up to the sky and saw that Obi-Wan was right. "Whoa, you're right," she murmured as she turned back to the rest. "Guys, let go back."
James pulled his right sleeve up and looked at his silver watch. "Looks like it's time for me to go home, as well," he mused out loud. He turned to Obi-Wan and said, "Well, friend, it was nice chatting with you and your friends again."
"It most certainly was," the knight commented with a smile. "I hope to see you again someday."
"I hope so, too," James said. "See you!" With that, he turned around to head back to his home.
What a friendly fellow, the middle-aged man thought with a grin as he walked along the path. Before he entered his home, which was located just on the side of the central plaza, he remembered something. With a slap to his face, he thought with annoyance, Darn, I forgot to ask him for his name again...
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Cloud apologized as he, Aerith, and Obi-Wan entered their cozy inn room.
Barret, who was sitting with Tifa on the ground organizing all of the items they "acquired" from different shops of Kalm, turned to the three and brushed off, "Eh, you're cool." With that said, he turned back to his work.
"Who were you guys talking to, anyway?" Tifa asked as she looked up.
"Just an old friend of mine," Obi-Wan answered as he closed the door behind him. "He's the first person I ever talked to when I woke up in this world." The knight then took off his dark brown robe and hung it on one of the chairs.
"Ah, I see," the fighter said with a nod as she grabbed a nearby large, brown travel shoulder bag they "obtained" from an unfortunate weak-minded shopkeeper. The bag was one of the four they were able to get. As she contemplated on how she should put their belongings in the bags, Tifa absentmindedly murmured, "Now, how should I do this?"
"Speaking of which," Aerith began as she looked around the room, "where's Nanaki?"
"He's bathin' in the bathroom," the gun man notified as he inspected some of their newly-acquired Materias. "Dunno how long it's gonna take-"
Right as Barret finished the statement, the bathroom door slowly opened. As Nanaki exited, he noticed Cloud, Aerith, and Obi-Wan. "Oh, you're all here," he said.
"Yeah, sorry we're late," the blond swordsman apologized.
"Not to worry," the red beast said as he walked near the beds and sat on the floor.
The four began to help Tifa and Barret organize the items and equipment they were able to get. While they were packing up, the gun man tried to convince Obi-Wan into officially joining their team; the Jedi simply replied with the same answer he gave him before. The knight was also able to catch several glimpses of Cloud occasionally staring at the man's advanced weapon hanging on his belt.
"You seem very interested in my lightsaber, Cloud," Obi-Wan commented with a grin as he turned to the ex-SOLDIER.
"...Of course I'm interested in it," the blond replied. "And honestly, I still doubt you actually came from another world-"
"Oh, come on, Cloud," the Cetra interrupted with a heavy sigh. "He has that laser sword that cuts through anything. Not to mention, he has cool magic powers called the Force."
"Actually, the Force is not magic power," Obi-Wan quickly corrected. "More specifically, it is an energy field created by all living things. It gives power to the Jedi."
"Exactly," Aerith agreed, although she did not fully understand what Obi-Wan meant. "I mean, you saw what he was able to do, right? He can push things and pull things and throw all the things and blow up things and attract things and do things and all those sorts of things."
"...Eh?" Cloud mumbled as he looked at the flower girl.
"I think what she means is," Tifa began with a shake of her head, "Obi-Wan demonstrated enough other-worldly abilities to support the fact that he came from another world."
Barret and Nanaki nodded in approval as they continued to pack up the bags.
Obi-Wan did appreciate the fact that they believed his story and tried to convince Cloud that it was so, but truly he did not absolutely needed it. The knight was completely fine with the blond simply not minding his company. After all, Obi-Wan was not planning to stay here; he needed to find a way back to his world to help Luke Skywalker.
I wonder if he found out that Darth Vader was Anakin, he wondered with concern. Luke will most definitely not take it well if he learns of it too soon.
"...Whatever," Cloud brushed off as he returned to work. Eventually, the conversation subsided and everyone acted as if the discussion never happened at all.
Thirty minutes later, the bags were fully packed. All of the necessary items, spare clothes, tents, and other equipments were in the bags. They were placed near a wall.
"Finally!" Tifa said as she stretched her arms. "Got them out of the way!"
"I'll be taking a closer look at this later," Obi-Wan announced as he quickly grabbed one of the world maps.
After giving the knight a nod, Cloud slowly stood up and stretched his arms. He then turned to the rest of his team and said, "Looks like we are done for today."
"Hold it," Barret suddenly interrupted as he looked up at the swordsman. "We still need to hear your story."
"...My story?" Cloud asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crisis facing the planet," the gun man clarified as he stood up. "Let's hear it all."
Upon hearing this, the blond turned to the others to see their response. They did not say anything, but they all seemed very interested in this matter.
...I can't back out of this one, Cloud realized with a defeated sigh. He looked down at his feet, deep in thought. After saying something inaudible to himself, the swordsman slowly turned to Barret. "...When I was younger, I always wanted to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER," Cloud began. "After working with Sephiroth on several missions, we became... friends."
"You call him a friend?" Barret asked incredulously.
"...Yes, surprising, isn't it?" the blond commented dryly as he shook his head. He then continued with his story, "He's older than me, and he hardly ever talked about himself. So, I guess you could call him my war buddy, until one day..."
"...One day?" Aerith repeated as the suspense began to irritate her.
Cloud turned away from the others. He took a deep breath and continued, "After the war, it was SOLDIER's duty to put down any resistance against the Shinra... That was five years ago. I was sixteen..."
Thus, the ex-SOLDIER told his story to the team. He told everything he remembered about the mission he and Sephiroth were given, his short but precious reunion with Tifa and his mother, the twisted path Sephiroth turned to when he discovered Professor Gast's studies in the Shinra Mansion, and the destruction of his hometown Nibelheim.
The swordsman continued to the part when he ran to the Mako Reactor Sephiroth went into to save his "mother", Jenova. Just as he said that he pulled out his sword to fight the madman, he abruptly concluded, "...and that's the end of my story."
The rest of the team was silent for a split second, believing that there was more to the story. When the blond's last words sank in, Barret suddenly shouted, "Wait a damn minute! Ain't there more?"
Cloud simply shook his head and said, "I don't remember."
Aerith frowned in confusion and asked, "What happened to Sephiroth?"
"In terms of skill," the swordsman explained as he crossed his arms, "I couldn't have killed him."
"Official records state Sephiroth is dead," Tifa pointed out. "I read it in the newspaper."
"Shinra, Inc. own the newspaper," the flower girl stated as she shook her head, "so you can't really rely on that information."
Cloud silently looked down at his feet, lost in thought. "...It doesn't make any sense," he murmured. "I challenged Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me?"
"...I'm alive, too," Tifa murmured as she remembered the terrible event that occurred in her hometown.
"Seems like a lot of this doesn't make any sense," Aerith commented with a sigh. "What about Jenova? It was in the Shinra building, right?"
"Shinra shipped it from Nibelheim to Midgar," the blond answered.
"Did someone carry it out after that?" the Cetra asked as she remembered Jenova's cell being empty. "It was not in its cell when we returned to the lab it was in."
"Sephiroth...?" Tifa suggested as she looked at the ground in confusion.
"Damn!" Barret suddenly shouted in frustration. "None of this make sense! I'm goin' out! I need some fresh air!" With that, he swung open the room door and stomped out. "I'm leavin' the thinkin' to you guys!" the burly man added angrily as he walked down the hallway and walked downstairs.
The remaining members stood frozen in the room, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Cloud broke the ice by saying, "...I'll be going out, too. Let me cool off my mind a bit." With that, he walked out of the room.
Aerith, not knowing what to do next, turned to the other remaining three in the room, then to the door. Finally, she ran out of the room as she shouted, "Hey, Cloud! Wait for me!"
Obi-Wan, Nanaki, and Tifa remained standing in the room. After a long silent pause, the red lion commented, "What a fascinating story."
"...It was ...interesting," the fighter commented quietly.
"'Interesting'?" the Jedi inquired about her choice of words. "How is it interesting? You were with Cloud, weren't you?"
"...Well, yes... I..." Tifa mumbled before she tried to avoid answering the question. "What did you think about this, Obi-Wan?"
"Me?" the knight inquired as he stroked his beard. "I thought the story as a whole was quite... vague."
"Vague?" Tifa asked as she turned to the man, her eyes lighting up. "So, you think something's wrong with it?"
"Many details seemed to have been left out," Obi-Wan pointed out. "I doubt the whole story was fabricated, but I can't help but think that there is more to this."
"...I see," the fighter said with an approving nod.
Nanaki turned to the woman and asked, "Well, did Cloud leave out important details?"
"Huh?" Tifa stuttered as she turned to the red lion.
"You were with him," said Obi-Wan. "You should know if his story is completely valid."
"...Err... It is," Tifa quickly answered, trying to end the subject. "Uh, say, didn't you say that you needed to look at the map?"
"Oh right, the map," the Jedi remembered as he unfolded his world map.
The sun was setting at the horizon, creating a brilliant golden ray of light that continued to illuminate Kalm. The town was still bustling, although it became more empty than usual. Cloud, Barret, and Aerith, however, were just outside the walls of Kalm where it was quiet as a library.
The three were doing nothing in particular. Barret was simply leaning against a wall, carefully inspecting his gun arm. Cloud and Aerith were sitting on the grassy ground, looking at the natural scenery before them.
The Cetra was mesmerized by the scenery. She was not able to take her eyes off the grassy landscape and the golden rays of the sun that added more color to the scene. The flower girl finally opened her mouth and said to Cloud, "It's beautiful, don't you think?"
The swordsman, who was deep in thought, stirred up and asked, "Huh? Sorry, what did you say?"
"This place," Aerith said happily, "it's beautiful, isn't it?"
"It's certainly more refreshing than Midgar," the blond admitted. "But, I don't think it's in the level of beautiful."
"Oh, come on," the Cetra huffed in annoyance. "How is this scenery not beautiful?"
Cloud only shrugged and answered, "I don't know. It just doesn't strike me as beautiful. I mean, look at it." He pointed at the sun and continued, "It's just a hunk of gas that shoots out solar flares shining light onto the land."
"...Wow," Aerith sighed in disbelief. "You certainly like to take things literally."
"What? It's true," the blond replied with a smirk.
"You could at least describe it more figuratively," the flower girl stated with a shake of her head.
"Like what?"
"The sun is a shiny spicy meatball that farts out fire."
"...What?"
"It's silent but deadly."
Cloud remained silent for a split second. Eventually, he gave a light chuckle.
Seeing that the swordsman was laughing, Aerith gave a big smile and said, "Looks like that's one point for Aerith."
"Congratulations," Cloud commented as he laughed.
Barret, who noticed the two chatting, looked up from his inspection and shouted with mischief, "Hey, you two! Can you guys tone down the flirtin' a bit?"
Upon hearing this, the blond turned to the gun man and replied with annoyance, "You're so funny, Barret. Did you know that?"
Aerith simply giggled at the comment.
"Whatever," Barret replied with a grin.
Eventually, the group became quiet once more. Barret continued to inspect his weapon and Cloud and Aerith simply observed the scenery before them.
"Cloud," the Cetra began.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think we can do this? Do we have the power to defeat Sephiroth and save the Planet?"
Cloud gave a long sigh and answered honestly, "I'm not sure." He then turned to Aerith and said, "As long as we stick together, though, we just might make it."
The flower girl nodded in response and murmured, "I guess you're right."
Barret then suddenly interrupted the discussion by shouting, "Hey lovebirds, it's getting dark! We should be headin' in, now!" He then quickly entered the town.
"'Lovebirds'?" the swordsman grumbled as his eyes narrowed in annoyance. He was, however, surprised when he turned to see Aerith.
The Cetra was giving him a flirtatious smile. She then leaned closer to him and said, "Lovebirds, huh?"
Cloud quickly backed off as he stood up. "I-I want none of that!" he nervously stuttered. He then began to walk back to Kalm.
"Oh, silly Cloud," Aerith said as she chuckled to herself. She quickly followed the swordsman back to the town.
"Thank you, Tifa and Nanaki," Obi-Wan said with a grin as he folded up his map. "I have a much better awareness of this world's geography now."
"Anytime," Tifa replied. "Feel free to ask any of us later if you have any questions."
The red lion walked to the window and observed the dimming sky. "It's getting dark," he said as he turned to face the fighter and the knight. "...None of us had much sleep today."
"...Now that you mention it," Tifa murmured before yawning, "I don't think we had any sleep today."
"It has been a troublesome day," Obi-Wan admitted with a nod. "We will need to get enough rest before we resume our journey."
As Tifa and Nanaki nodded in agreement, Barret, Cloud, and Aerith entered the room.
"Did we miss anythin'?" the gun man asked as he crossed his arms.
"Not much," the fighter answered as she shook her head. "We just agreed that we need to sleep early for tomorrow."
"None of us barely had much sleep," the blond swordsman agreed as he smoothed his hair, which only sprung back up in a spiky formation.
"Where do we head next anyway?" Aerith asked as she tapped her chin.
"According to Obi-Wan's pal," Cloud began as he slowly walked to the middle of the room, "Sephiroth began heading south and a closest major city south from here is Junon. Unfortunately, there is a harsh mountain range that is too difficult to traverse through."
"Then what the hell should we do?" Barret grumbled in annoyance.
"There is an entrance of a cave system southeast from here," the swordsman answered, not affected by the gun man's mood. "It leads to the other side of the mountains.
"It will take too long to go to the cave on foot," he continued, "so we'll need to head to a chocobo farm that is east from here and borrow some chocobos."
"We're gonna riding the chocobos?" Aerith asked hopefully.
"...Well, what else do you with chocobos? Of course," Tifa answered.
"Alright!" the Cetra exclaimed as she pumped her fists into the air. "I also wondered what it's like to see one, let alone ride one!"
"When will we resume our chase?" Obi-Wan inquired.
"We'll need to wake up at six in the morning," Cloud answered as he detached his shoulder-piece. "For now, we'll obviously need to rest up."
"Not a bad plan," Barret admitted as he detached his gun arm. As he placed it on the table, he grabbed a key and tossed it to Tifa. "Here's the key to the room right in front of this one."
"Thanks," the female fighter said as she caught the key. She then turned to Aerith and said, "Let's go, shall we?"
"We shall, captain," the Cetra happily replied as the two left the room.
"I'll be cleanin' myself," the gun man stated as he entered the bathroom. "I'll be done in thirty or forty minutes, so keep your pants and shirts on till then, alright?" With that, he closed the bathroom door.
Cloud and Obi-Wan looked around the room and discovered that it became rather quiet save for the noise of running water coming from the bathroom. Awkward silence filled the air as the two kept their mouths shut. They also discovered that Nanaki was already sleeping next to the window.
"...Well," the blond swordsman began as he scratched his head, "I guess we should wait until Barret finishes."
"I concur," the Jedi answered back as he stroked his beard. As he observed the Buster Sword that rested on the wall, the knight stated, "I must say, that weapon of yours looks rather interesting."
"...You like what you're seeing?" Cloud asked as he grabbed the Buster Sword. "Not sure if I already told you, but it's... a weapon I used ever since I joined SOLDIER."
"It looks rather heavy," Obi-Wan commented.
"It's not that heavy," the swordsman stated he examined the blade. "Well, not to me, at least."
"Actually, do you mind if I take a look at it?"
"No," Cloud answered as he handed the knight his weapon.
The Jedi carefully held the Buster Sword. He took a step from the blond and made a small vertical swing.
"What do you think?" Cloud asked as he crossed his arms.
"Not a bad weapon at all," Obi-Wan answered with a smile as he felt the blade of the sword. "This sword is not made with ordinary metal," he noted as he carefully felt and observed the weapon.
"That is no ordinary weapon," the blond agreed with a nod.
"In fact," the Jedi continued, "I'm not sure if my lightsaber can cut through this blade."
"...Really?" Cloud asked as his eyes lit up. With a smirk, he said, "Well, I knew this blade was special, but I wasn't aware that it was strong enough to resist the power of a lightsaber."
"Would you like to test it out?" Obi-Wan asked as he pulled out his weapon.
"...No," the blond swordsman answered with a slight grim look.
An hour passed and the sun eventually set. The shopkeepers closed their shops, but the bar was still open and full of jaunty people cheering and drinking. The folks in the plaza said their goodbyes to their friends as they ended their chat to return home. The workers quickly packed up their belongings to rest up in their homes and get prepared to work for another day.
The town square eventually became silent and deserted. The town was illuminated only by the light that was shining through the windows of the houses and the bar and the moon that shone brightly in the night sky.
Barret, Cloud, and Obi-Wan were lying on their own beds while Nanaki was fast asleep next to the window. Barret was in the left-most bed that was farthest from the window. Cloud was in the middle bed. Obi-Wan was in the right bed that was closest to the window. However, sleep did not overtake the remaining three immediately.
The gun man stared distantly at the ceiling. With a sigh, he muttered, "Today was a long day..."
"It definitely was," the Jedi agreed with a nod, his eyes remaining shut.
"...And we have another long day tomorrow," Barret grumbled as he shifted in his bed.
"True," the knight acknowledged.
"...But I can't get to sleep," the gun man groaned as he shifted uncomfortably.
Annoyed by the bickering, Cloud said, "An easy way to sleep is to close your eyes and-"
"I know how to sleep, you doofus," Barret raised his voice in annoyance as he turned to face the swordsman next to him. "It's your damn Mako eyes that are lightin' this whole place up."
As the burly man complained, the whole room was dimly lit with an aqua-green light that was coming from Cloud's eyes. This distraction kept Barret awake.
"It's not even that bright," the blond snapped back. "Be quiet and try to sleep."
"Hey, not all of us have shinin' eyes like you!" Barret nearly shouted.
"Hey," Obi-Wan interrupted as he turned to the two with an annoyed look, "I can't sleep with the two of you arguing. You two might wake Nanaki up, as well."
The gun man lowered his voice, but he ranted, "I can't sleep with Mr. Spike's night-light vision on." He then turned back to the blond and continued, "The hell's so hard about closin' your eyes, anyway?"
"...I'm thinking about something, okay?" Cloud grudgingly admitted.
Eventually, Nanaki woke up due to the ruckus. After yawning, he looked up to Obi-Wan, who was facing away from him, and asked tiredly, "What is all this fuss about?"
The three turned to the red lion, who now stood up with an exhausted look. Barret dropped his face into his good hand and grumbled, "Great... Now he's awake,"
Obi-Wan said to Nanaki calmly, "Nothing's wrong. There was just a small argument regarding eyes."
"Oh," Nanaki mumbled with a confused expression, "I see. It's a strange subject to argue about, but at least nothing is wrong."
"Argh, screw this!" Barret grumbled as he sat up from his bed. "I'm gonna see if I can sleep outside."
"Forget it," Cloud snapped back as he got off of his bed and stood up. "I'll stay outside for a while. I can't sleep right now anyway." With that, he quickly exited the room, clearly irked by this argument.
The three that remained in the room simply stared at the closed door. Obi-Wan stroked his beard with concern as he commented, "...That was abrupt."
Nanaki turned to the other two and asked, "I doubt a simple argument regarding eyes would make him that furious."
"Whatever," Barret grumbled as he lay back down. "It's finally dark enough to actually get some sleep." Within a minute, the gun man was fast asleep.
The red lion turned to the Jedi and asked, "Do you think we should pay Cloud a visit?"
"It shouldn't be necessary," Obi-Wan answered as he lay back down. "Barret was being a bit harsh, but Cloud is old enough to get over it."
"I suppose," Nanaki said with a nod before returning back to his spot.
Eventually, the other two went to sleep.
And once again, Obi-Wan was greeted by a familiar strange voice in his dream. The voice repeated the words "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Jedi Knight", but the auburn-haired man was not able to get anything more out of the speaker.
The Jedi was, however, still concerned for the safety of Luke Skywalker. He wondered if the Death Star still terrorized the galaxy. He wondered if the rebels were still fighting the empire. He even wondered if Luke and his friends were able to make it out of the Death Star alive.
Obi-Wan felt powerless.
In the room at the other side of the hallway, Tifa and Aerith were in their own beds. Aerith was already sleeping, snoring very softly. Tifa, however, was wide awake, deeply concerned about the story she and the others heard from Cloud earlier.
I just don't get it, the female fighter thought. He wasn't there when... that... happened. Why would he lie about it?
As she lightly bit her finger, she continued to think, What are you hiding from us, Cloud? And why are you hiding it?
Tifa shut her eyes, trying to dispel her thoughts. She then turned to the woman sleeping in the bed next to hers. She's so lucky to sleep so peacefully, Tifa thought as she looked at Aerith.
Before she tried to turn away, the Cetra suddenly mumbled, "Whoa... whoa..."
...What the...? Tifa thought. Is she awake?
"...Wow... clones..." Aerith continued to mumble. "Clones... everywhere..."
She must be dreaming, the fighter thought with an amused smile.
"...Uh...oh... Droids... Everywhere..." the Cetra mumbled as she shifted in her bed. "Not... good... Take...cover..."
Much to Tifa's surprise, Aerith slowly sat up. Although it was dark, the fighter was able to see that the flower girl was waving her hands around.
This is... kinda creepy, Tifa thought as she continued to look at the woman.
To add to the shock, Aerith slowly got out of her bed and stood up. She then began slowly walked towards Tifa.
"A-Aerith?" the fighter meekly mumbled as a sudden chill was sent through her spine. She remained unable to move as the flower girl continued to walk to her.
Aerith reached out for Tifa, who remained frozen and wide-eyed. Then, the flower girl grabbed Tifa's blanket and began to drag it away.
...Wha...? Tifa thought in surprise as she continued to look at the Cetra, who was dragging her blanket as she walked to her bed. Aerith then slowly lay on her bed as she pulled two covers over herself.
"Yes..." the Cetra mumbled in her sleep. "Now... I'm... safe ..." She then inhaled deeply and let out, "Aaaaaaaaah."
Aerith snored loudly, and then slept quietly.
Tifa remained silent as she stared at the flower girl. It took her several minutes to realize that Aerith just stole her blanket, and now, Tifa was lying on her bed without any cover.
...That was weird, the fighter mused as she stood up. She then quietly and slowly pulled her cover from Aerith's grasp. The fighter then took went back to her bed and pulled the cover over herself.
...Now, it's time to sleep, Tifa thought as she slowly closed her eyes.
"Noooo..." Aerith suddenly mumbled in her sleep again, "Droids... are... back..."
...Oh no, not again, Tifa grumbled to herself as she tightly grabbed onto her covers.
Instead of stealing the fighter's cover, however, the Cetra began to slowly move Tifa's bed out of its normal position. The frightened and annoyed Tifa, not wanting to wake the flower girl up, pulled her cover over her head.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaay..." Aerith, who was still sleeping, mumbled happily as she pushed Tifa's bed.
This is gonna be a long night, Tifa groaned as she shut her eyes.
A/N : I decided to go against my personal "No author's note" policy because I won't be updating this frequently.
Sorry for the huge delay for this chapter. I won't be surprised if my usual readers aren't following this story anymore. It's my fault, to be honest. It was my first semester in the university and I did not know how to manage my time for this at all. I was actually working on this chapter for quite a while now, but, again, I failed to manage my time which led to a series of delays.
So, once again, my apologies for not updating this. I have better plans for the next semester, so don't worry so much XD.
Also, if you want to keep in touch with my progress, you can always check my profile page. I've been updating it about once or twice a month; I'll try to update it more frequently from now on.
As always, thanks for reading.