Chapter Twelve

Ahead on Our Way

Aeris awoke to a heavy rumbling noise. Sleepily turning her head, she saw that it had been Barret's snoring. She looked away, and stared up at the wooden ceiling. Light was coming in through the crack in the curtains and illuminating the dusty rafters above her. It reminded her of her bedroom she had left only yesterday, but at the same time, these rafters were unfamiliar and they reminded her that it might be quite a long time before she would be able to sleep in her own bed again. She took a deep breath, in hopes of calming her nerves, but the nightmares she had been having were still fresh in her mind.

She had heard the Planet all night. Somehow the Planet was so much clearer outside Midgar's polluted air; even if the voices were all merged into one massive cacophony it was still easier to comprehend than the babbling din she heard in the church. Something evil was radiating across the earth, and she knew it must be Sephiroth. She had always felt a sort of nagging worry from the Planet, worry over some unknown, dormant evil. The worry turned to terror only once, in her late teens. It had started screaming to her around her seventeenth birthday, just a while after she lost contact with her first boyfriend. It had cried and groaned and Aeris had never felt such fear before; something monstrous was scaring the planet. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, it stopped. Occasionally, in her dreams, the Planet would interrupt with a strangled moan, but its suffering had reduced itself greatly, and only the nagging fear and worry remained. At least, until a few weeks ago. Just before she met Cloud, the Planet had resumed its screaming and crying. Aeris suspected it was connected to Sephiroth's return. She sat up slowly, and glanced around. Cloud and the others were still sleeping quietly, with the exception of Barret's thunderous snores. She arose to occupy the single, small shower at the other end of the room.

By the time she returned the others had woken up, and were discussing their next plan of action. She was greeted by a cheerful "Good morning" from Tifa and a series of nods from everyone else. "We were just deciding on a plan," Cloud offered as she returned to the corner of her bed. "We should probably see if we can't get any worthwhile materia here, and maybe some camping supplies. Somehow, I don't think we'll be lucky enough to sleep in an inn every night." He ran a hand through his always-unruly hair. "We also need to gather some possible leads on Sephiroth's direction."

"If he came here, he'd stick out like a sore thumb, someone would've seen him." Tifa added.

Cloud nodded in agreement. "The sooner we get all this done, the better." He looked around, "Tifa, you and Aeris should handle the shopping. Barret and I will go with Red to gather info." Everyone agreed and as soon as the team was packed and showered, they checked out of the inn. The two girls made their way to Kalm's market district to see what they could find. Tifa and Aeris were quickly becoming fast friends. They both enjoyed talking to one another, and both of them had their fair share of funny or exciting anecdotes. They were beginning to form the bond that only females understood, the sisterly camaraderie they were pressed to create in the midst of a group of males. Both girls understood that privacy was going to be a rare commodity on their trip, and by forming their friendly alliance, they would at least have privacy in their "girl talk". They strolled off towards the market district, brainstorming about possible amenities they could afford to bring.

It wasn't long before Cloud realized that several mistakes on his part were seriously impeding their progress. Sighing with frustration, he sat down on a bench in front of a bakery. As it had turned out, his group decision had been a bad one. He and Barret had spoken to several villagers about a 'man with long silver hair and a sword' but everyone seemed reluctant to talk to them. Cloud knew now that it was because he, Barret, and Red looked threatening. He should have asked the girls to gather information instead. To make matters worse, Barret seemed nearly gleeful at his apparent lack of experience at leading. He was still obviously annoyed at not being picked to make decisions for the team and had absolutely no qualms about holding a grudge.

"This is useless," Cloud sighed after a while. "Everyone's too cautious; they don't want to tell us anything. Let's just go find the girls." He led them towards the market, careful not to glance at Barret, all at once afraid to see his smug smirk and angered by it. He was just about to turn onto the main thoroughfare when a strong yank on his pant leg stopped him. Red, grasping the fabric of Cloud's pants in his jaws, gestured silently towards the center of the street. It was Tseng, flanked by two ShinRa soldiers and a female Turk he had never seen before. "Shit!" he breathed. "We gotta get Tifa and Aeris and get the hell out of here."

Red looked up to him, "I'll find them, meet us by the town gate."

"No way!" Barret put in, reaching for an ammo clip.

"I'm much faster and quieter than you!" Red snarled in an effort to whisper, looking at him with his one golden eye. "You're just going to have to trust me!"

Cloud grabbed Barret's shoulder and tugged him back towards the way they came. "C'mon, he's right. We can't fight them separated."

Barret hardly seemed satisfied, but followed Cloud back the way they had come. As the came upon the main gate, they mutually decided that keeping out of sight would be a good idea. They ducked into a slim alleyway, tense and very much aware of the threat Tseng posed if he caught them divided and tired. "Yo," Barret said after a minute. "You think we can trust him? He's only with us until he finds a way home."

"You trusted me when you knew I had ties with the ShinRa," Cloud answered simply. "He's got no reason to betray us."

Barret seemed to consider Cloud's point, but then muttered darkly, "Yeah, but you was gettin' paid. He's risking his life for no reason." Cloud didn't have a reply, though he had the strong urge to say something snide. Thankfully, however, it was only a few moments before Red, Tifa, and Aeris walked swiftly out of an adjacent alley. Red looked to the other men, "They didn't see us, but they're asking around for leads. They know we stayed at the inn last night."

"Alright," Cloud nodded. "We better get the hell outta here." He directed Aeris and Tifa to distribute their shopping, which included a collapsible tent for each person, dry rations, and several new materias, all of which could be held in moderately sized backpacks that Aeris had suggested.

"All ready," Aeris smiled, although her voice shook with fear that she couldn't quite hide. "What's our plan?" She lifted her drab pack and put it on, adjusting the straps. Beside her Tifa did the same, followed by Barret.

Cloud shouldered his bag and looked up and down the main plaza, hoping not to see Tseng and the woman. "Alright." He trotted out of town and they took up as quick a pace as they could without seeming suspicious. "First, I think we should get out of sight of the village, and then organize ourselves a bit better. Then we'll have to decide on where to go next."

They walked on in silence for nearly an hour. With the imminent threat of Rufus and the Turks hot on their tail, no one seemed willing to talk. The danger of their current mission seemed to be dawning on everyone. They were to pursue and ultimately confront Sephiroth, the greatest SOLDIER who ever lived, while at the same time avoiding the Turks and the rest of the ShinRa. Cloud was beginning to realize how difficult this journey was going to be. Lag behind and get caught by the ShinRa to face torture, experimentation, or simple execution. Move quickly and maybe catch up with Sephiroth, who, Cloud admitted, would not have a difficult time killing all of them at once. He almost wanted to laugh.

At last, he realized that he could hear the sound of rushing water coming from the west. As they drew closer, they saw that it was a wide river set with high cliffs on either side. Cloud motioned the others to a broad outcropping just below the regular ground and they all followed him towards it. Once settled, Cloud called a halt. "Okay, let's eat a quick meal and reorganize ourselves."

As they sat in silence, Aeris distributed small loaves of bread and even smaller cuts of fish that she had bought earlier. "We bought some perishable food for today and tomorrow," she explained, smiling.

Although the portions were relatively meager, everyone ate voraciously, having skipped a meal earlier that morning. The food was tasty, and was disappearing quickly. "Alright," Cloud began, between bites, "We weren't able to find any information about Sephiroth's direction. We need to make a decision."

Barret, who was still in a lingering bad mood, shrugged his shoulders. "There's only two places."

"Yes," Red nodded. "Sephiroth has either headed back to Midgar, or he has gone southwest."

Aeris cocked her head and brushed the crumbs of her meal off her lap. "Why southwest?"

"Well, if he's going against the ShinRa, he would probably head to Junon, seeing as there's no point in returning to Midgar." Red explained, sounding like a patient teacher.

"Yeah, but if his ultimate goal is the Promised Land, he might not go there." Tifa replied.

Cloud scratched his head, finishing his final bite of lunch. "Sephiroth's strong, but not strong enough to swim across the ocean. Even if he wanted to go to the western continent he'd have to get transportation. Junon's a naval base, so there'd be plenty of ships for him to sneak on."

"It would seem," Red affirmed, "That Junon is the safest bet."

"So then we just keep going southwest? From here?" Aeris questioned.

"No," Barret replied, softening his expression as he looked at her. "We gotta go southeast until we start hittin' the swamps, then we gotta start heading west and take the pass through the mountains."

Aeris laughed lightly, her face growing red. "I'm just happy you've been outside Midgar before. I don't really remember anywhere else, so I'm useless at figuring out where to go!"

For three days they trekked through open plains. While everyone was excited to get going, they were all starting to realize just how much danger they were in. The road was difficult and the sun beat down on them with only small breaks provided by fluffy rolling clouds. Thankfully, though, there had been no sign of the ShinRa or the Turks since they left Kalm. That had easily been their biggest blessing at the moment. The terrain was wide open with only sparse patches of trees, not enough cover to hide from military aircraft or to sleep without having watches. There weren't too many animals on the plains that could cause Cloud and the others to really worry, though, and for that they were thankful. They had seen a number of chocobos, but the skittish animals had run off long before they could get close. Additionally, they had all made good use of their tents, and had eaten most of the rations.

As the sun was setting on the third night, they had come to a large patch of trees that they intended to make a camp in. Cloud was about to throw down his pack when Red lifted his head and paused. "There's a big bunch of chocobos up ahead." He said, sniffing deeply. "It smells like a farm, there are humans there, too."

"Which means there might be a house!" Aeris concluded excitedly. While she hadn't complained about the strenuous journey, she couldn't keep the hope out of her voice. Her young face was lit up with the hopes of a real bed and a roof for the night. "Maybe we can sleep there!"

Tifa nodded back to her, just as excited and just as hopeful. "Let's go check!"

Cloud and Barret rolled their eyes, but couldn't help hoping for a comfortable bed as well. As they made it over the next grassy hill, they saw, just as Red had deduced, a large farm. There was an enclosure on the front lawn and a boy was leading a pair of chocobos out and towards a large, warmly lit barn. Tifa and Aeris both seemed positively smitten with the quaint little farm, and seemed to be fighting back the urge to race down the hill. "Okay," Cloud started cautiously, "Let's not bum rush them. We need to come up with some sort of alibi in case the ShinRa's put out a public warning for us. If we scare them, they'll never let us in."

"Aeris better knock, den." Barret said, unable to hide a faint smirk.

Aeris put her hands on her hips and glared, but a wide smile split across her face as well. "Oh fine! I'm sorry I can't be as big and scary-looking as you, Barret. At least they'll let me in; you can sleep in your tent."

"What should we tell them?" Red asked, obviously pondering the question himself.

Aeris clapped her hands together in delight. "I know!" she grinned, pointing to each of them in turn. "Tifa's my sister, and Cloud is her new fiancé! Barret is Cloud's best friend and Red can be our pet!" Cloud and Tifa both went crimson, Barret rolled his dark eyes, and Red seemed more than just put-off.

Cloud ran a nervous hand through his unruly hair and tried his hardest not to look at Tifa. "Yeah, but what should we say if someone asks us where we're going?"

"We could be visiting our retired father, who lives on the base." she replied.

Red sighed heavily, "Well, that seems like it should be passable."

Aeris trotted down the hill and towards the barn door, the others lingered behind her, but at a distance. The boy that had led the chocobos into the barn was gone now, and they could faintly hear the animals calling to each other from within. Aeris grinned reassuringly back to her companions, and after brushing some dust off of her skirt, she lightly rapped on the door.

A moment passed before an older gentleman opened the door. He was tall and heavy set, with salt and pepper hair. He smiled at Aeris, but his warmth melted into mild suspicion as he caught sight of the others behind her, particularly Barret and Red. "Can I help you, miss?"

"Oh, yes," Aeris affirmed, clasping her hands together, "We were hoping you could offer us some shelter tonight. We'll pay, of course." She added quickly.

The man crossed his arms, but smirked slightly. "You're in luck, you are," he told them seriously, "I had a family in here taking up all my guest beds, but they left this morning. Scarcely got the place cleaned up!" he laughed heartily.

"Even a messy house is better than no house," Tifa pointed out quickly.

He guffawed loudly, "I suppose so, missy." He ushered them inside with a sweep of a hand. He took their gear and placed it next to the front door and instructed them to take off their shoes as to not track dirt across his new carpet. "Just had it put it," he was saying to Aeris as he led them into the dining room. "Cost a small fortune, but it sure makes the place look nice." He gestured for them to have a seat at the long dining table in the center of the room. "I'll get you something to eat in a minute; it comes with the room price." He winked and disappeared around the corner. "Billy! Chloe!" he shouted "Come clean up the guest room! We've got four and a dog!"

Red bristled with indignation as the man returned from the other room. "I am not-" he started, but a sharp kick from Cloud made him realize what he was about to do. The old man seemed none the wiser as he set about preparing something for them to eat.

"I'm afraid I've not got a whole lot of food, but I guarantee that it'll be better than what ya can find on the plains." He laughed again. "My name's Bill."

"I'm Aeris," she piped up, positively beaming. "This is my sister, Tifa, and her fiancé, Cloud. This is his best friend Barret, and his pet, Red."

"What brings you folks out here in the boondocks?" Bill asked amiably.

"We're on our way to Junon." Cloud offered, smiling lopsidedly.

Bill looked over his shoulder at them. "Oh? What's in Junon for you?"

Tifa and Aeris looked at each other, and Tifa smiled back to Bill. "Our father lives there. He's retired and we're going to pay him a visit."

Bill clapped his hands together, and then clasped the girls' shoulders. "What perfect daughters you are!" he thundered. "I bet he spoils you terribly!" He brought them a monstrous plate of sandwiches and an equally huge pitcher of juice. Bill even set down a dish of cold meat and a bowl of water for Red. The crimson feline looked at it with unmasked disdain, but his hunger won out and he began to eat.

Aeris had never been a heavy eater, but she found that she easily ate three whole sandwiches and was still a little hungry afterwards. This was nothing, however, to the number of sandwiches Barret, or even Cloud had eaten. While the young blond was on his fifth or sixth, Barret was easily on his tenth, and still looked like he could eat another five. Tifa wore an expression of interested disgust as she watched Barret absolutely annihilating the sandwich platter. She was so engrossed with Barret's gluttony that she seemed to forget about the sandwich in her own hands.

Finally, when the platter of food had been completely finished off, Bill led them to a large room towards the back of the house. The roof was low and slanted, with thick rafters of a contrasting color running across it. At the back of the room there was a fire place, and the fire inside it warmed the room to a wonderful degree. "Sorry!" Bill chortled abruptly as he came in behind them. "I don't have any double beds." He clapped Cloud on the back and put his hand on Tifa's shoulder. They both reddened and looked away from each other. "Ah well, best to be decent in front of friends, right?" Barret smirked widely at Cloud's burning face. Aeris tried to hide her amusement as well, but could only do so by turning away from them. "Alright! I'll leave you all alone now!" Bill waved a thick hand at them as he excused himself and closed the door behind him.

There were three beds and a sleeper, and after choosing their bed, they took off their excess clothing and armor. Suddenly and very audibly, Red sighed. "We're down a bed." He answered when the others looked at him.

"No we ain't." Barret said, pointing towards the back of the room. "There's your bed."

Red followed his gaze and snorted indignantly. At the back of the room there was a large wicker dog basket, lined with a thick woolen blanket. Aeris giggled and patted him on the nose. Tifa offered him a sympathetic look, and then said, "Want me to lay the blanket on the floor for you?"

"I can do it." he mumbled, his indignance speaking volumes. Grabbing a mouthful of blanket, he dragged it out of the basket and across the floor. Once it was open enough, he flopped down on it, still visibly offended.

"Tomorrow," Cloud said, "We should check and see if we can rent some chocobos. They'll make the trip that much easier." Everyone must have been exhausted, though, because no one answered. It wasn't long until everyone had fallen asleep and Barret's thundering snores began filling the room.

Bill had generously made them omelets the next morning, and Billy had put together some traveling food for them. As they were finishing up, Cloud brought up the matter of chocobos. "Oh pity!" Bill said, slapping his knee. "We're all rented out and the ones in the barn are being stabled for someone else." When Bill saw the disappointed expressions on their faces, he smiled sympathetically. "Now, now. I can sell you some supplies and you'll be able to catch your own! It's much cheaper than renting."

"Is it hard to do that?" Tifa asked.

"Oh no!" Bill guffawed, "Long as you got the right stuff."

Excitedly, Aeris clapped her hands together. "I've always wanted to ride a chocobo!"

Bill laughed and told Billy to run and get them the supplies. The little boy came back quickly and laid a small sack on the kitchen table. He picked up a deep purple materia and handed it to Cloud. "This is the lure," Billy said seriously. "You can catch chocobos without it, but it's a lot harder." Cloud handed the youngster a handful of Gil, and the boy continued with the next item out of the rucksack. "These are greens," he said, pulling several succulent looking vegetables out. "You distract them with these. Once the chocobo sees that you're offering it food, they become docile enough to ride."

Cloud paid for the supplies, as well as their room and board for the night. Saying goodbye, Bill gave them an uncharacteristically serious look. "Don't get lazy, now. Make sure you get those chocobos. To get to Junon, you'll have to head due west through the marshes, and then take the road through the Mythril Mines. Be very careful, though. There's a huge monster living in the marshes."

"I heard of it." Barret sighed, looking anxious. "The Midgar Zolom."

"That's why you'll want those chocobos." Bill said, smiling once again. "You'll need to outrun the monster."

They thanked him graciously and were, once again, ahead on their way.