So ever since I discovered that those dash lines are no longer visible(at least that's the case for me) I had to go back and edit those back in with something new. It was so tedious…
I just hope I didn't miss a spot. But I have to do this for all my stories…well I decided to do the ones I'm gonna upset first and find whatever time I have to go back to old stories.
Final Fantasy character not from KH is gonna appear!
All Reno could think about while carrying Cloud in his arms is how this was all Squall's(forget calling him Leon) fault. Normally, one shouldn't be able to root the problem to just one person but Reno believed otherwise. Everything rooted back to Squall! If Squall never came, then Sephiroth wouldn't of had come to retrieve him, and he never would've met Cloud, and if he never met Cloud, then Cloud and Rude wouldn't of had gotten attacked because Cloud was carrying Sephiroth's scent! Stupid Squall! Stupid Squall!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Okay seriously, Squall, why are you still here?" Tifa asked when Reno stole Cloud away to the dance floor. Though now Reno lost Cloud so he came back to the bar and asked Tifa for another drink.
"Does it matter?" Squall retorted and Reno just slapped his arm,
"Well you're not a good leader then, yo!"
"Shut up, Reno…"
"Squall seriously. Sephiroth was sent to retrieve you!" Tifa exclaimed, "If you're hanging around here, then he will."
"Why is that bad? You get more customers," Squall pointed out and Tifa hit him over the head,
"That's just it! He's got a hoard of vampires following him and it fills up my bar! What if Cloud gets eaten if any one of us turn away from him for a second?"
"I'm watching him…"
"Reno lost him in the crowd!"
"I'm sure Rude is watching him, yo!" Reno lightly slurred thanks to his drink.
"See? No worries," said Squall and Tifa groaned out of frustration.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Cloud was always watched over…he was their only human friend. They all felt obligated to do it. Though now Reno wished they weren't so dedicated to doing so. He almost felt guilty for thinking that but…a part of him rather have his best friend alive than Cloud. At the same time…holding him just reminded him how defenseless Cloud really is among vampires and werefolks; no matter how strong or how good of a fighter Cloud is. If they ever ran into a truly strong vampire, Reno's not even sure if he's capable of protecting him.
Reno let out a tired sigh, now telling himself he better run back after he drops off the blonde to protect Squall for Cloud's sake…
Reno knows if he just lets this go…it'll be different. Letting one die is far different than dying to protect someone. If he doesn't protect Squall, it'll leave a bad taste in his mouth afterwards.
Roxas's eyes snapped open upon feeling and sensing something wrong; a moment after, a constant knocking was heard from his door and Roxas quickly got out of bed to open it.
"Roxas, bad news…" Axel briefly announced and before Roxas could even react, he almost fell over from a sudden ground shaking and something exploding.
In the next second, he heard a horrible screech followed by:
"MY FLOWERS! MY PLANTS! MY TREES! NATURE-KILLERS! YOU'RE ALL DEAD! DEAD I TELL YOU!"
"Yeah, ignoring Marluxia being a tree-hugger, we're getting attacked," Axel explained and once again, before Roxas could even comment, he was stopped when Riku rushed past him and into the room.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" Roxas hissed when he saw Riku gently shaking the cinnamon-haired boy to wake up.
"Getting Sora out of here," Riku replied and picked up the boy bridal-style when Sora is only at the point of rubbing his eyes.
"Wait a minute! I should-"
"You're going to lead them away on a fake trail," Riku cut in.
"What?"
"Roxas," Axel gripped the blonde's shoulders to keep him grounded, "Riku's got a point…"
"And it Zexion's idea," Riku added, "He and Lexaeus will be with me and Sora. You and a couple other vampires will lead the fake trail."
"But…" Roxas wished people would give him a chance to agree or disagree!
Riku used his foot to kick up one of Sora's jackets and he caught it with a hand while still holding Sora.
"Here," he held it out for Roxas to take but instead another hand reached for it instead.
"It's a got a hood…I'll be 'Sora' when I'm with you," Xion volunteered.
Roxas opened his mouth but nothing would come out.
"Roxas? What's going on?" Sora groaned and looked around, only just realizing he's in Riku's arms, "Roxy?"
Roxas only frowned before walking towards him and caressed his face.
"Everything will be alright, Sora. I'll rejoin you as soon as I can…" Roxas leaned down to kiss him, as long as he could, before reluctantly pulling away, "I promise."
Sora only stared with confusion and worry, though when he heard Marluxia screaming something about his precious babies followed by an explosion and what he assumes to by some physical fighting, he slowly assumed the worst.
"Be careful, Roxas…" Sora whispered and Roxas nodded. He went over to the bed post to pick up another one of Sora's jackets and placed it on the boy before nodding again but to Riku. The silverette swiftly vanished with Sora, leaving Roxas with Axel and Xion who quickly changed and pulled the jacket's hood over her head.
"Good thing we're the same size…come on, Roxas."
"……Why does this have to happen?" Roxas asked out loud as he stared at the ground.
"My beautiful flowers…my precious flowers!"
"Can someone PLEASE shut flower-boy up?" Xigbar exclaimed as he shot at one of the invading vampires with his weapon after watching Marluxia go crazy with his scythe.
"Why bother? He's making everything easier for us," Larxene pointed out before throwing another 2 sets of kunais.
"Yeah but he's annoying me! And everyone else!"
Everyone just muttered in agreement while fighting, even though they were breezing through the invasion because Marluxia decided to go on a killing(re-killing?) spree.
Xemnas couldn't believe it as stood near the back. For one, vampires actually attacked the castle. Second, Marluxia was apparently beyond a tree-hugger. And thirdly: how in the world did people even found out where Sora was?
While Saix defended Xemnas, the leader simply tried to figure out what to do. He knew Zexion and Lexaeus joined Riku to hide Sora and whoever else is missing has joined Roxas. But he knew they could only hide Sora for so long…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Sora held onto Riku tightly. He felt like he was flying and it's probably close due to the speed Riku was going at. He knew he should be terrified right now, and it's not to say he wasn't scared, but he wasn't sure what he's supposed to be feeling…
The 'flight' was silent between him and Riku…but when Zexion and Lexaeus joined, Zexion conversed with Riku about their plan.
"Sora?"
That was the only time Sora snapped out of his thoughts. The ride was so quick now that he stopped thinking about Roxas. Riku gently set Sora down and he looked around to see where he was exactly.
"Am I in an apartment?" Sora asked, since this place was neither bare nor abandoned. It was clearly being used due to the lack of dusk, the messy couch, clothes and blankets all over the place, and even recently eaten, but empty, pizza boxes lying around.
"Yeah…" Zexion answered climbing in the window, "The first place they'll look for you is somewhere made for hiding. Which are places that are old or abandoned like an empty warehouse or building."
"Luckily, I'm friends with the owner of this room. I told him to keep his windows if he were to ever leave for a short time," Riku added, "It also helps that my friend is human."
"I…see…R-Riku? How long will I be in hiding?" Sora asked and Riku stuffed his hands in his pockets while looking away.
"We don't know…" he replied with a sigh.
"Oh…then…when will I see Roxas?"
"I don't know that either…Zexion?" Riku turned to said-vampire in hopes he'll have a realistic answer; but the bookworm was trying to get the window to open up all the way so Lexaeus can get in. After the silent man tumbled in, Zexion shut the window and closed the curtains.
"Turn the lights on, Riku. And I don't know, Sora. For the time being, we're going to stay at a low profile. For at least a week-"
"A week?" Sora exclaimed,
"We can't risk secret meetings or anything of the sort!" Zexion argued, "It's too risky. Unless you're asking for a death sentence."
Sora lowered his head, not believing what he's hearing. He hated being in this situation. He almost hated himself for being so useless in all this…
Roxas slapped a hand over his mouth to hide any sort of sound to leave him, especially since he's hiding himself between rocks over water where sounds can be echoed. The blonde He just lost Axel and Xion in the midst of their sudden ambush but he trusts they can handle themselves. His sharp eyes noticed other vampires on the land and Roxas slowly lowered himself into the water with only his eyes and nose above the water. He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that; because every time he lifted his head above water, he has to go back down again when he senses, hears, or smells another vampire.
Finally, he went by at least 10 minutes without another soul in the area. To be safe, he kept half his head in the water as he waded himself from his hiding spot and towards land. He paused and looked around a bit before he slowly climbed out of the river. Now he has to find Axel and Xion without getting caught…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
As silent as night, a swift vampire landed gracefully on a thin tree branch. He was in a hurry but he stopped when he saw that spiky blonde hair belonging to Roxas. As Roxas looked around some more, he quickly took off.
"……Where have I seen him before…?"
The figure thought it himself as he watched Roxas go.
"No matter…I know that wasn't Cloud…"
With that last thought, the figure disappeared as quickly as he arrived.
"Ngh...put me down Reno…"
"No," the red-head retorted and Cloud groaned while trying to move but his head ached so much that the smallest movement had his head throbbing. Reno spotted Rinoa's tea shop up ahead he quickened his pace.
That raging pulse Reno felt suddenly hit him without warning but before he could react to the sense, he was hit over the head by something hard and he found himself flipped and hit the ground after Cloud was swiped from his arms. Though it took him a second just to react and he quickly got back on his feat again.
"My, my, so you're Cloud…"
Cloud's headache just got worse when he was practically snatched away by someone gripping his neck.
"Dammit…" Reno muttered as it took less than a second to register someone is about to kill Cloud so he immediately shifted and pounced, sending them all toppling over to the ground. But his mouth was met with metal as his opponent held up his weapon to block. And Reno finally got a good look at him: red-ish hair, long red coat covering the black under it…
"Bad kitty…"
Reno got knocked back and he shifted back in time to dodge a sword. His eyes drifted to Cloud, who was now out of the man's grip, now he just has to keep it that way.
"Ugh…I'm doing this for you, Rude..." he jumped to his feet, quickly shook his hands to get a feel of them, and then let out a roar before going on the offensive again. He knew if Rude was still here, the man would never forgive him if he didn't protect Cloud with his life. Reno however, saw a win-win scenario during this fight. If he wins, everyone's happy. If he loses here, he'll know he did his best; not only that, he'll join his best friend…
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Cloud gasped for breath and coughed as he felt his neck. Whatever just happened, happened so fast that he only just registered they were attacked. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Reno clawing and biting their attacker whom Cloud never saw before in his life…
"Cloud!"
The blonde's attention was caught just in time to see his buster sword flying towards him. He scrambled to his feet and caught the handle and used the momentum to swing it around onto his shoulder. He saw it was Rinoa who tossed his weapon as she just ran past him in lion form and jumped the red-headed vampire.
"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end
The goddess descends from the sky
Wings of light and dark spread afar
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting…"
Cloud blinked as those words reached his ears ever so softly in the midst of battle. As Cloud took one step closer, the two lions were thrust aside and the swift rapier slashed through the air and cut up both werecats that were attacking on opposite sides.
"Reno! Rinoa!" Cloud exclaimed but before he could even take a second step, he brought up his sword to block the incoming attack.
"Your reaction was faster than I thought…Cloud. I really didn't think it was true…you really have come back onto this earth…"
"What?" was the only word Cloud could come up with before he shoved back but he kept his balance.
"You don't remember me? Well we only met a few times…But it was only your past life…it's me, your old pal, Genesis…" and the red-head reached into his pocket for an unusual colored apple. He took a bite out of it before holding it out, "You were the only one that would eat with me…"
Cloud re-gripped his weapon as he took a few steps back.
"I…I don't remember you…"
And the apple was brought back to Genesis's lips for another bite.
"It's understandable…even if it's the same soul…you're still a different person. Poor Sephiroth was heartbroken when you died…" Cloud didn't like the way Genesis talked…it was as if he was a child, teasing another on the playground, "But I guess I was unable to satisfy him…he never stopped thinking about you. I find that a waste. There's nothing special about you…and I still don't see anything special about you…and when I heard he found you again, well, I just had to see for myself! Only to arrive and discover he has passed away and you and your new mate have gone into hiding. Oh why couldn't you just stay dead? Now I lost my beloved Sephiroth thanks to you…"
The apple was finished up and the tip of the sword moved against the ground before Genesis pulled it up again to show off the blood that was leaking off it.
"I killed many over my time…that I thought was you. But I guess I didn't do a good job now I did I?"
"You're F-in insane…" Cloud murmured. He would go as far as arguing about this but…you can't really use logic with an insane person.
"Me? At least I didn't give birth to a child that will never belong in this world. I'm not a freak like you or him: someone that carries a bizarre toxic-like liquid in your blood!" he exclaimed and used his now-free hand to pull out a book,
"There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds
Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh…"
Cloud merely blinked and Genesis was right in front of him again. He's never seen such blinding speed before but he's certainly felt swift pain as he felt himself get cut up by the rapier but Genesis jumped back right after Cloud realized the pain and many stings all over his body.
"A mere human...you're even worse off than you were before when you were one of us…"
And all Cloud could do was feel his waist, which is where most of the pain was coming from, and give out a light cry.
"Dammit…"
"Do you regret living?" Genesis asked casually as he played with his weapon, "All the pain and suffering you're causing to your loved ones…and to yourself…do you regret ever meeting Sephiroth or that mate of yours? Maybe you wouldn't even be here…maybe many innocent lives wouldn't of had to get in involved in all this…"
"Of course not you narcissist bastard!" Cloud barked and Genesis's fingers slipped. His sword fell and made a clattering noise when it hit the ground, "I don't regret anything! I certainly don't regret living! Or meeting Sephiroth! Or meeting the one person I love more than anything and anyone else in this world! Sure, many unfortunate things has happened…but the things that happened were NOT just because of MY choices alone! So I'm sorry to disappoint you but: I. Regret. Nothing."
He saw the change Genesis's face as it turned more serious and fierce while he bent down to pick up his weapon.
"Brave words for someone that will cause more pain to your loved ones once you die…"
And Cloud prepared himself anyway. He knows he probably may never match Genesis's speed…but like anyone else that he knows: he'd rather die trying than let a psycho have an easy win.
I think I can say I'm near the end of this story…and I'm really worried about my ending. I think I'm gonna have half of you guys hate me and the other half compliment me. On the flip side, if that's the case, I can always add an alternative ending I guess…
I'm trying to finish this story so I can get to the Prequel lol!
Please read and review!
