Thanks to my darling beta, who's done wonderfully as always to look this over for me. Thanks Wintersheart1766. Loves for you.
Warnings: None, really. See previous chapters if you have any concerns.
Cloud let out one more strangled cry, barely noticing the icy dampness seeping through the fabric of his pants, as the snow around him melted against his heated skin.
…How could you do that to us, Sephiroth…? How?
The blonde's head was still reeling with the images Gaia had forced upon him. Horrifying images of Sephiroth's treatment in the labs, as a battered and bruised child, subject to torment and forced illnesses, simply to see what made him tick. Cloud had watched as the child was forced to watch hour upon hour of the torments of war; of death and grief, and of horrors that no human being should endure, and they did it to him as a child.
"It was only a matter of time…" The blonde murmured out loud, as Vincent did little more than give a small, seemingly nonchalant, nod. The gunman was sitting atop the frayed remnants of his cloak, seeming unperturbed by the biting cold of the surrounding snow as much as Cloud himself was.
"Do you think he can be saved?" Cloud asked quietly, and the former Turk turned his gaze from the blonde's to focus on the crater, where they both knew Sephiroth waited.
"I think he's saner now than he's ever been."
Cloud frowned a little further, his brows creasing.
"He's sane, but can he be saved?" The blonde asked once more, as another small silence followed. The snow continued to melt around and seep onto his skin, chilling him to the bone. But, it was his own thoughts and conflictions that brought the shivers that racked his spine.
"Gaia's will has him seeking redemption. It's you that he's after, Cloud…"
"Can he be saved?" The blonde cried, his fist crashing against the snow beneath him, as Vincent finally met Cloud's gaze with eyes of crimson red. The former Turk held Cloud's eyes with his own in a steady, brutally honest gaze.
"No," he said finally, almost reluctantly, as his crimson gaze then shifted to the horizon. Cloud's eyes did the same as an all too familiar outline headed towards them.
"You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved…" Vincent reasoned softly, standing as the familiar thrum of the Highwind's engines drew nearer.
Cloud pulled himself to his feet, casting a gaze over his shoulder and settling eyes upon the Cryptic, the plane still covered from the extremities. Somewhere, a part of him begged that he climb in that plane and merely leave; Leave everything behind. Sephiroth wished for Cloud to deal the final blow, but if it were not Cloud who came to destroy him, then Sephiroth's will would have him survive until Cloud did. A rush of air hit his skin, cooling it even further, as the Highwind came to a stop nearby, hovering above them, as the rope ladder was thrown over the side. Tifa was looking down from the deck, her eyes noticeably livid, even from their vantage point on the ground below.
"Take the plane back to Costa. I'll try and explain things to the others as best as I can, but you need not deal with the repercussions just yet," Vincent said quietly, eyes settling on Cloud once more. The blonde turned to him, unable to mask his surprise at the simple statement.
"Be sure to leave a tip. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tarnish the reputation I've built there by being anything less than a star customer," Vincent gave a small smirk, tossing Cloud the keys to the plane's ignition. The blonde watched him for some time, as Tifa called out from above, urging the pair of them to get on board. Vincent tilted his head slightly in a nod, ebony hair falling forward and highlighting the seriousness within that crimson gaze. Cloud nodded and headed for the plane.
"Cloud?" Tifa called out, as Vincent began climbing. The blonde tore off the protective tarp and clambered inside, the brunette still crying out from the Highwind deck, yet, unable to climb down with Vincent heading up at the same time. Cloud smiled a little in spite of himself. Somewhere along the line, the former Turk truly had crossed from party member to friend. As the blonde started up the plane and maneuvered it for a take off strip, he was vaguely aware of Tifa's cries, somehow making their presence known over the sound of the propellers.
Cloud placed his headset over his blonde locks, primarily out of habit over necessity, and began to prepare the plane for lift off. His mind was fogged with ideas of escaping reality, responsibility, and a destiny he'd never once agreed to. He bit back the sharp intrusion of a memory, however, as he realised that he had.
"You'll be my living legacy…"
The blonde bit back a sudden threat of bitter tears, and breathed deeply, before focusing on the task at hand.
…I'm not fit to be your legacy, Zack…
The plane spluttered as it lifted into the air, the noise of his childhood friend, the beating of the falling snow, and the sounds of the Highwind's engines all seemingly irrelevant, as his gaze stretched out across a blue expanse of rippling ocean waves. He wasn't fit to live for anyone, and yet his hope urged him to fight for something better. How could he do that, knowing that the death of Sephiroth would send everything spiraling back into the negative once more? Truth was, that in the eyes of the world, Sephiroth was a monster. He wasn't a war hero, or a friend. He wasn't a legend, or a SOLDIER, or a comrade. He wasn't a broken, battered, abused, scared little boy like the planet had shown him. He signified nothing more than death, and destruction, and fear. Cloud couldn't help but feel he was holding allegiance with the ex-General for nothing more than reasons of nostalgia. He could remember many better times he'd spent with Sephiroth. The pair weren't terribly close, but they'd bonded in understanding what it was like to deal with Zack.
"Zack…" Cloud sighed, knowing full well that Zack wouldn't hear the desperation in his voice. Zack wouldn't hear his voice at all. Zack was dead. Indirectly, it was because of Sephiroth. Cloud screwed up his face slightly in anguished frustration, but focused on the task at hand. Cost del Sol was waiting.
"How'd ya go?" The plane owner said with a grin, cigar hanging from his lip, as his potbelly rose and fell with the deep inhale of smoke he took. Cloud had Vincent's request in the back of his mind, and so, determined to be courteous, offered a small smile, despite the irritation the smoke was giving his over-enhanced senses.
"Fine thank you," Cloud paused, allowing his eyes to subtly scope out the man's name tag, "Clive…"
"Where's Vinny boy today?" The man asked, and Cloud had the distinct feeling that he wouldn't dare refer to Vincent under that nickname if the gunman had actually been present. Cloud also imagined that he'd not call Vincent "boy" if he knew of the ex-Turk's real age.
"He's got other matters to tend to at the moment. He'll be in the area some time tomorrow, I presume.
"He's a good guy. Been coming here since he was still with the Shinra," Clive frowned, and at this, Cloud's attention perked right up.
"You knew him when he was still a Turk?"
"Yeah. Listen son, I can see you two are good pals and what not, and I don't blame ya," He shrugged, "But I ain't sure it's a good idea for Vin to be getting himself all worked up. He's had it rough for as long as I've known him, and everyone's heard the stories of what Shinra did to 'im."
Cloud said nothing further about it, instead giving a thoughtful nod, paying the man a tip and wishing him farewell.
He'd been travelling with the man for months now, but in the retrospect of things, the blonde couldn't help but be reminded of how very little he knew about Vincent Valentine.
…He's like a puzzle, inside a riddle, inside a puzzle…
Cloud offered a small sight to himself, as he headed for his holiday home. It had set him back a whopping three hundred thousand gil, but every gil had been worth it. It was prime beach side property, and all things considered, it had been the bargain of a lifetime. Each of the team had spent many hours here, relaxing, taking shift work in gaining intelligence from the dock workers, as well as ensuring that the property remained well maintained. Yuffie had even lured a few travellers back to the place, posing as an entrepreneur, and sneaking a few items or some materia before they continued on their journeys. She just didn't know that Cloud knew.
The blonde fell back onto his bed and stretched slightly, enjoying the pull and stretch of his muscles, as he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts moving continuously. He didn't have too long to muse to himself, however, as his cell began ringing. He looked at the caller ID and sighed, before answering.
"Hell-"
"Are you crazy?" Tifa cut in, before he could even finish his greeting. He figured Tifa wouldn't really wait for an answer anyway, so he remained silent.
"Sephiroth is deranged, Cloud," She sighed, seemingly frustrated, "What did you think you were going to achieve?"
"You don't know him like I do, Tifa," Cloud said quietly, once the brunette had left a long enough silence for him to figure she was expecting an answer.
"You don't know him either, Cloud," She said, her voice a little softer, "He's not the person he once was. You know me, even I respected Sephiroth back in those days. It's not like that anymore."
"Maybe it could be," Cloud tried to reason, "He's got some of himself in there, Tifa. I've seen it. Twice, now."
"Twice?" She groaned, as a mother may when finding out her child had done something silly for the second time, even after warning, "You found him and spoke to him the first time too, didn't you?"
Cloud nodded, not caring that Tifa couldn't see the gesture.
There was a long silence over the phone line then, as Cloud closed his eyes, blocking out the ceiling and everything around him but the soft sound of the ocean waves. Somehow, even that didn't relax him as much as it could've. He knew he'd not find peace until the issue with Sephiroth was either resolved, or Sephiroth had been killed. Somewhere in his mind, there was a clash of interest, where he genuinely believed neither was possible. Cloud remembered what Vincent had said, about his reasons for joining the Shinra guard, in attempts at getting to SOLDIER. He'd left town for the real reason of seeking something better. He hadn't made it to SOLDIER, so by rights, he should have just gone home. But he didn't. He had doubts after he met Zack, and he made up his mind to stay when he met Sephiroth. The 'Silver General' had been through more than anyone should have been, but he still continued fighting, because that's what he believed was the right thing to do. Cloud wanted to be like that.
"What's gotten into you, Cloud?" Tifa said, her voice barely more than a whisper, and Cloud knew what that tone meant. The brunette was fighting off her own tears and emotion, in concern for Cloud. It only made the ache in Cloud's stomach worse. He loved Tifa dearly, but not how she hoped he did. He'd thought for so long that he was in love with Tifa, but he knew that he was really only infatuated with something he couldn't have. He was never good enough for her, and she made sure to let him know that with her actions as they grew up. By the time Tifa had come round, Cloud didn't have the energy to pursue her any more. He'd given up, like he had with so many other things in his life. He didn't want to be that person any more. He'd keep at it, for Sephiroth's sake as well as his own.
"I stopped giving up," Cloud said by way of explanation, before closing his phone and placing it back in his pocket. He kept his eyes closed though, his thoughts drifting as freely and calmly as the waves he heard through his partially opened window.
Tifa and the others would be coming here soon, of that he knew, but nothing would stop him from savouring those moments right then and there, where everything was silent around him, and for once, his thoughts were his own. He'd never felt freer.
A/N: Thanks for reading.