"Mariah, wake up," Someone called, prodding and shaking her, "We've gotta get goin'." They were met with an irritable groan,
"M'up," Mariah responded, slowly climbing out of bed. Her eyes were half shut as she made her way to the bathroom, closing, and locking, the door behind her. Today was definitely going to be a busy day for them. Mariah splashed her face with cold water, attempting to awaken completely. As she dried her face, she noticed her reflection in the mirror. It was groggily staring back at her with forest eyes, and down turned lips. She continued to watch herself, feeling as though something was off,
...My eyes! She looked closer at them, They're not supposed to look like that! She stared and began racking her brain for answers. Her eyes had, at one time, been gold. However, since her days as a test subject, they had become this deep-yet-vibrant shade, What's happening to me? She was forced out of her trance when someone knocked,
"Mariah, you done yet?" It was Cloud, "We ain't got much time,"
"S-Sorry!" She hurriedly showered and got dressed, emerging from the bathroom in some better-fitting clothes; a smaller, gray shirt, and some less-worn jeans. Cloud and Tifa were waiting in the garage when she peeked inside. Fenrir was already purring and raring to go,
"We've gotta go to the church first. I need to grab a few things." He mounted the bike, followed by Tifa.
"Um... Are you sure all three of us can fit?" Mariah asked, looking it over warily.
Cloud chuckled, "Fenrir can handle my swords. Two more passengers won't hurt it,"
Mariah reluctantly got on, "If you insist," With a rev of the engine, they departed for the church.
When they pulled up, Cloud dismounted, nodding to Tifa, "We'll go in and get everything we need. Mariah, you stay out here while Tifa an' I go inside," The duo left Mariah out with Fenrir. As they entered, a wave of nostalgia crashed over them. Memories of loss, pain, victory, and joy flooded their minds. Sitting under a beam of sunlight, was a small patch of white and yellow lilies; The same flowers that Aerith had once tended to every day. Beside them, in the shadows, was a large chest. Cloud sighed, striding over and unlatching the lid. He pulled it open and paused to look at the multi-colored, glowing orbs that resided within it; Materia,
"I was hopin' we wouldn't have to use these again," Cloud muttered, picking out eight pieces; one red, three green, two yellow, one purple, and one pink, "We need to take a ton of 'em to supply the others. Take your pick, Tifa," He carefully put his set inside his armlet, feeling a surge of energy as each one sunk in. He took more out, and tucked them away in a satchel for later. Tifa silently withdrew her set and put them in her armlet and gloves; she had taken her Premium Heart out of its hiding place beneath the bar's floorboards,
"Brings back memories, huh, Cloud?" She too began storing other sets in the satchel, quietly mumbling the names of the owners, "Barret...Vincent...Nanaki...Cid...Yuffie..."
"Yeah," he replied, glancing at the door, "Not all good ones though," He grabbed another set, "Think Mariah could used these?"
Tifa shrugged, "Only one way to find out. We'll just have to let her use some," She stood, "Is that all we need?"
Cloud nodded, shutting and locking the chest once more, "Yup. Let's get goin'," The two of them emerged from the chapel, getting on Fenrir again. Cloud looked back to Mariah, holding out an almost-full Materia set; three green, one red, one yellow, and two purple, "You'll be needin' these. Stick 'em in your armlet."
Mariah did as she was told, gingerly pressing them to the metal and allowing them to sink into it. Waves of energy rolled over her in powerful shutters. Her body was hardly able to contain it all, "They're in,"
"Alright. Hold on tight, guys. This is gonna be a bumpy ride!" Cloud revved the engine and peeled out of Midgar. They hadn't been out of the city long; they had entered the wastes. As the arid scenery streaked by them, Fenrir began to slow down. Wild, guttural noises cracked the air, and the exhaust pipe was puffing out acrid, black smoke. Fenrir wheezed and sputtered as it continued to rattle along the wasteland,
"C'mon, Fenrir," Cloud growled in frustration. However, dispite his pleas, the bike spat, shuttered, and stopped, and left them stranded, "Damn it!" Cloud muttered, dismounting, "Looks like we'll have to walk from here. First stop's gonna have t' be Rocket Town. We're gonna need Cid and the Shera to take us where we need to go."
"We'll need to get to Junon and catch a boat then," Tifa remarked, "That's about a week on foot,"
"Well, we'll have to get going then, won't we?" Mariah replied, dismounting the broken-down motorcycle. With unspoken agreement, the trio headed for Junon, leaving Fenrir to rot amid the dunes.