Pouring over various books for the last few hours, Tifa had been left in peace to read about the world she and Cloud were stuck in, having not kept up with the times that much while residing in the afterlife. It wasn't that they hadn't cared, but that very few people from this time period existed in her village. Sometimes their friend, Vincent would visit, telling them what he had been up to. She was getting a sense of the geography and looking over a book or two on mythology, in case something about Bahamut could be found. The books didn't seem to go back far enough, however. What a shame, she thought.
She looked up at the large clock above the studies, seeing what time it was. Despite the darkness, enough light touched the clock where she could make out how late it was. Half past midnight. 'Still plenty of time to learn something,' She thought to herself. Tifa replaced another book, then looked for another to occupy her. Her creeping fingers came across a book about recent history. Well, she should brush up on that, she thought. Tifa plucked it off the shelf, and returned to her study. The light was low, but bright enough for her to read easily. She ignored any glimpses of her hands in the light.
Tifa studied the book, reading about the Sorceress War and the loss of life brought on by the power hungry Adel. Her friend had told her some things about this war before. 'Such a contrast to Rinoa,' she thought, musing the reason for the contrast; a sorceress with a knight keeping in touch with their humanity, most lone sorceresses going down a path of a familiar destruction. Tifa flipped further through the book, searching for further information on the recent past that could be of use. She found a chapter on the Centra civilization before its destruction, and began to read again.
A distant noise shattered the peaceful silence of the library making her jump, in the direction of the front gate. It sounded like something had ripped the metal off the front doors. Tifa sat still, listening. A shrill noise in the distance startled her. Was that a scream? She placed the book she was reading down, cautiously making her way towards the entrance to see if she could help, tucking in her mask. Something felt very wrong.
Cloud had spent the last several hours slaying whatever monster he could find, joyfully honing his rusty sword skills after such a long time without proper fighting. He relished every moment of it, even finding a few larger monsters to take down. Cloud had been through every area of the training center many times over, looking for beasts to slice up with his swords. He moved his flattened hair away from his right eye, jostled by all the movement. 'I still have eyes, right?' He'd rather not find out.
Every once in a while, he'd hide in the tall grass or behind a log when students came in or out of the secret area Squall had told him about. No need for attention, he thought to himself as a couple holding hands passed him, oblivious. Coming out again in search of monsters, he walked towards a grove of trees a couple of yards away. 'I hope I haven't killed them all,' he thought, somewhat amused at the possibility. He'd have to leave the garden for more if that was the case, he joked to himself.
"Hey! Cloud!" He jumped at his name being called by the familiar voice. He covered his face as best he could, and turned around. It was Sara! If he could sweat it'd be out in buckets. He put away his sword, standing in tall grass. "I came here to do some training. I guess that's what you're here for, too." She said. Sara sported a pair of hand guns on her sides, her garb the same uniform as earlier. "Zell said I should practice more, so he has someone to cover him."
'How did she sneak up on me?' Cloud shifted uncomfortably and nodded at Sara. He was unsure how to proceed with the conversation without speaking, not wanting his altered voice to cause more curiosity and worry. It was an unexpected turn of events, and the sooner she went about her business the better. Maybe he'd have to bail for a while until she finished, not wanting his cover blown.
Sara frowned. "You sure don't like to say much, do you, Cloud?" She crossed her arms under her chest, looking him up and down. His whole body was covered, even the eyes were impossible to see from the shadow of the hood, though there was some sort of nervous glimmer... She couldn't even catch the sound of his breath, despite him being here for hours he didn't pant. She opened her mouth, about to say something to the man about his odd behavior, but a terrible sound interrupted her. They both looked towards the entrance, then back at each other. They nodded, and sprinted towards the sound.
Tifa kicked the monster, the demon had charged through the front entrance and torn the security officers to shreds. Tifa had distracted the creature long enough to let the single surviving security officer escape limping, undoubtedly heading to find help at this late hour. Punching it hard on the snout, she dodged a counter attack, not wanting to be crushed by the demon's blows. The beast was a good fifteen feet tall, its head lined with soulless indigo eyes, its mouth filled with sharp black teeth.
She dodged again, this time in the way of a swipe. Tifa looked over in time to see it, but not enough time to properly dodge. She braced for impact, but it never came. A howl of pain erupted from the demon, and she looked again; Cloud stood next to her, and he had used the First Tsurugi as a shield to prevent the attack. A second sword had sliced through the flesh of its hand. He motioned for her to retreat, asking her to find Squall, taking a battle position in front of the beast. Tifa nodded, running to find the others.
Sara shot at the demon, but it almost seemed to absorb the bullets into its hide. Before Cloud could hit the beast, it let out a dark shock wave from its mouth, knocking both warriors down and piling them near each other by the far end of the way to the training center. The demon screeched in delight at how far it had flung them, a wooden bench breaking Cloud's momentum, Sara smashing into a garbage bin next to him as she spun on the floor. "Oh..." the girl moaned, attempting to get up. Cloud began to get up after her, using his sword as a shield yet again as the demon let out another wave. He held steady as the air around him blew past violently.
Sara lifted herself up, kicking away the trash bin. "He's tough, isn't he?" Cloud grunted in response, rising up from his knee, grabbing for another sword to lock onto the First Tsurugi. She looked over at him to see if he was alright, and let out a gasp. He looked over at her to see what was the matter, a hand up to offer in case she had fallen, and she recoiled in fear. The light was low in the hub for the most part, but they were in an area near one of the main lights. His hood had been blasted off, his features visible to the girl. "Why do you look like that...?"
'...Look like what?' He put a hand up to his face, realizing the problem with embarrassment in his gut.
Cloud's hair was still its fluffy, spiky self, though instead of the rich blonde color he usually sported, it was paler, as if the color had been mostly drained from it. His face, however, is what caused the girl to quake, a mockery of the youthful man she had seen earlier at dinner. Thin, pale waxy skin was held taught over bone, thin lips barely covering glimmering teeth, giving a look of a cruel smile. His eyes were nothing more than pale pinpricks of light in black sockets, gifting his face a malevolent look, almost skeletal but not quite bare enough. His nose was mostly gone, his vomer bone easily visible. 'Damn!' Cloud thought to himself, his eye sockets growing wide.
The demon roared again, readying another blast. Cloud looked back at it, then at the fearful girl, making his decision. He grabbed Sara by the wrist with his bony, claw-like fingers, and she gave out a blood curdling scream. Cloud swiftly moved them behind the main pillar, as the monster released another shock wave meant for them, despite her reluctance to move with him. Cloud had always been remarkably strong in life, and that quality remained with him. He looked back at the petrified girl, noting the fear in her eyes, a sense of guilt welling inside him. "...Let me handle it," he said in a gravelly, hard voice, bearing some mocking semblance to his normal voice. He gently let her wrist go. "You have people to live for, right?" He turned back, and began adding more swords again.
Still wary, she took into consideration his words while shifting her feet and holding her wrist. "T-this is my home," she said. "everyone I care about is here."
"What if somethin' happens to you? How will they feel?" His words stung himself the most. He put the face mask over his mouth and nose hole, and looked back at her, his pinprick eye lights staring at her, his thin brows brought together by old memories. "Don't do that to them." Looking back, he charged out into the presence of the demon again, bearing his completed sword. The beast attempted to swipe away the Fusion Sword, Cloud using the hand's movement against it and cutting away a large claw tipped finger. 'All I needed was some practice,' he mused.
Squall and Rinoa had spent the last several hours enjoying each other's company in the throws of ecstasy that young adults are wont to do, happily together again. Moonlight beamed from the large window behind them, coloring them in the soft, silvery light. They rested peacefully together on their bed, clothing splayed out on the cool floor. Squall held Rinoa in his arms under the blankets, her soft, delicate body pushed up against his.
A banging on their door woke Squall up with a start, Rinoa's wakening slower. He hopped out of the bed and quickly put on fresh boxers and pants, and a new shirt. The banging became more frantic, Angelo barking and growling at whatever was on the other side of the door. He peeked though the peephole, seeing who he assumed was Tifa. He opened the door, Angelo still growling but letting Squall handle the person that appeared at the dorm's entrance.
"Squall...There's a demon in the Garden!" Tifa cried out. "Cloud's fighting it. It already killed a couple of the guards."
Squall's eyes widened. "In here?" As if in answer to his question, the alarm system went off, a beeping noise that was sounded through the rooms of SeeDs alerting of a danger in the Garden. The surviving officer must have found their way to the alarm. "Shit." He nodded at Tifa, and turned to get his gunblade. Rinoa had overheard, getting dressed for the battle to come. So much for rest, Squall thought.
A few minutes later, they ran out the dorm, Tifa recognizing the familiar faces of Squall's close friends charging down the hallway towards the hub, weapons ready to destroy the beast violating their home. Tifa pointed to the left. "They were fighting that way!" The group divided, some going the other way for a back attack. The sounds of roaring, a sword slashing, and hand guns going off could be heard as they closed in on the demon.
Cloud had been shielding himself from attack after attack, the demon occasionally destroying a fountain, trying to spray him with stone shrapnel. Sara had used her magic reserves to give him a haste boost and a shield of protection, while also trying to distract the demon with gun shots. Despite his plea, she stayed, and as long as she stayed back Cloud felt confident he could keep the worst of it from hitting her until more help arrived.
He prepared to defend himself once more from the onslaught, when a bolt of Holy buzzed by his desiccated ear. It smashed into the demon's chest, the sound of melting flesh and howling filling the hub. He looked back to find Rinoa charging up another spell, Squall and Tifa close behind her. Zell sprinted behind them both, looking for blood. Cloud turned around, smashing his sword into the demon. The tough hide barely giving away, he somersaulted backwards, a feeling of warmth passing by him as he landed back into Squall's general vicinity.
Cloud looked over at Squall. "Couldn't finish'em. Looks like this is gonna get complicated," He said, putting his mask down, his features lively again. Squall stopped his charge at Cloud's side, having seen Cloud's sword almost bounce back. "The limbs seem vulnerable, but the hide is almost impenetrable." The demon was prowling towards them slowly.
Tifa and Zell unleashed similar attacks, synchronized, using the momentum of their moves to bruise the monster's knees, causing it to quake. Swiping downwards, it went for Zell's chest, Tifa connecting her fist with its wrist. It moved its tail to attack, and the two retreated from reach. Snarling, it readied another shock wave.
The group that took it's rear, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine, let out a barrage of attacks against the demon's back, one of Selphie's Firagas blasting it in the mouth as it turned around, several eyes scorched. Irvine took a shot at the head, knocking some more eyes on the other side off. Quistis shot off an Ultima spell, ravaging its good arm. The demon stood, eyes on both sides, deciding.
"I'll eat...one of YOU three!" The demon swiped with its oversized head at the three new attackers. I, Xanaxxar, will be your tomb! He picked up Selphie by her boot, swishing back to meet the eyes of both sides. She squealed, trying to break a tooth in the demon's maw with her nunchaku, to no avail. It tossed her in the air, and dropped her onto it's tongue, her legs caught in its slimy throat,attempting to swallow the SeeD. No matter, it would just crush her body against the roof of it's mouth...
Cries for Selphie came from each side, terrified. A boom from Irvine's gun smashed into the demon's neck, surprising it a moment. Rinoa let out another bout of Holy, weakening the hide. Squall and Cloud stared at the beast attempting to kill Selphie, their minds racing. A strange calmness hit them, blue aura's shimmering. Coordinated, they both charged at the preoccupied beast, slicing and releasing their chi energy through their blades and into the weakened hide in the shape of a cross.
A roar was uttered as it fell to the floor, Selphie falling out of it's mouth unconscious. The demon's blood spilt everywhere from the attack, what looked like a beating heart exposed for the moment from the attack. Irvine ran to scoop up Selphie, running her to the infirmary. Rinoa again readied herself, the gold glow of her sorceress power surrounding her, a bright beam of Holy about to end the demon's life.
"You will NEVER find the dragon! Our numbers are endless, we will devour all life-"
Rinoa shot her Holy spell straight into the demon's chest as it ranted, and it exploded from the chest with force. Black flesh dissipated into nothing as it floated through the air, the remains of the corpse slowly disintegrating on the ground. She stood there, breathing hard, the golden glow of her eyes fading back. "We'll find Bahamut, and keep you things out of our world." She slowly put a hand to her face, tears leaking from her eyes. Squall sheathed his gunblade, walked over and held her in his arms. They were both exhausted from the fight.
Sara ran up to Zell, embracing him tightly, glad to see her boyfriend. He hadn't known she was out training tonight. "I wanted to practice," she said, "when Cloud and I heard terrible noises coming from the entrance... He saved me from that thing." She hugged Zell tighter, and he moved his head from her shoulder to give her a loving kiss. There was no need to say more.
In much the same fashion, Cloud and Tifa united, happily hugging each other. "I may have gotten enough practice in tonight, Tifa," He whispered with a half smile that was returned to him with a kiss. He released her after a few moments and began his dismantlement of the Fusion Sword piece by piece, returning them to their sheaths.
"I think I'll check on Selphie in the Infirmary," Tifa said to him. She pulled the hood close to her again, hiding as much as she could. Cloud nodded, wishing the SeeD well in his thoughts. She had been the most enthusiastic of the bunch, her dying before her time would be an injustice.
"Ahem. C-Cloud?" Sara's voice called out behind him, and he turned around, finished with his swords. He stood where he was while biting his lower lip, hesitant to move closer to the girl.
Zell had moved on to speak with Squall, and Sara stood in front of Cloud, timid yet grateful. What a contrast between those harsh hollow eyes, and these blue, childlike ones! He nodded at her in greeting, a blush on his cheeks from his memories of earlier. He looked down and kicked the floor casually.
"Sorry about earlier." His voice was somber and so very human, compared to earlier.
She inquired further as to why he had looked as he did, and he gave her a quick rundown, and explained their scheme to give everybody some space. She nodded, understanding why they hadn't brought it up earlier; they were to leave in the morning, Zell having told her he had to go on another important mission with the two. She might never have seen either of them again, so what would have been the point? She thought a moment, changing the subject slightly.
"You brought Tifa with you, even when you knew it'd be dangerous?"
"She demanded it. I guess she didn't wanna be separated," Cloud replied, shrugging.
Sara looked thoughtful. "Did it mean a lot to you?"
He looked to the side and down. "...Yeah. I worry about her, but, I'm sure she does the same for me, too. At least we have each other's backs." His arms were crossed in thought.
"But why did you urge me to leave, then?"
He looked up at her. "Because you said you needed practice earlier, and that thing wasn't for beginners." Cloud motioned towards the demon chunks dissipating. "Then again, you really did help with your magic while we waited for the others. So, thank you."
Sara nodded. "I see. Thank you, Cloud, for everything." She moved closer, and lifted her hand to shake his. He took it, and she smiled. 'I've made my decision.' she thought to herself.
Cloud dismissed himself and walked over to Squall. Rinoa had recovered mentally from the battle, but worried about Selphie, who Cloud wanted to bring up in the first place. Squall looked over at Cloud, nodding his greetings and thanks with a rare smile.
"Guess we're well coordinated, aren't we?" Cloud said.
"Yeah. Maybe it'll come in use later," Squall replied.
Cloud crossed his arms. "Tifa's gone to the infirmary to check on Selphie."
Squall's face paled slightly, remembering what happened. "Right. We were going there after everything calmed down here." He was still not good at showing his concern for his friends to others, but he was truly worried about the spunky little SeeD, his childhood friend. The cleaning crew can deal with the rest of this, he thought.
"We'll be there in a moment."