Unbeta-ed chapter. Will be getting Wintersheart back onto my beta reading for me ASAP.
It's been awhile. Did you guys miss me? I missed you.
Warning: See previous chapters.
"Tranq her."
"No."
"Gas her?"
"...That's un-necessary."
"Sleep spell?"
"No... Maybe... Do you have something else to do?"
"Nope!" Yuffie grinned, as she swung her legs down from the crate she had been laying on in her attempts to avoid motion sickness. The teenager had taken up the position a mere moment after Vincent had perched himself on the railings above the engine room in an attempt to be left to his own thoughts. Tifa had flitted past several minutes earlier, blinking back tears as she held her cell phone to her ear and murmured hurriedly to what could only have been Cloud. Since then, the princess had been offering advice to whoever would listen on how to deal with 'the Tifa dilemma', as she was calling it. Vincent wasn't terribly sure why he kept Yuffie around, but he presumed it was the somewhat youthful innocence she had within her that Vincent himself had lost seemingly centuries ago. Then again, it may just be her endless drive to make things better. The world needed more people with that kind of ambition, and Gaia knew, Vincent could not be one of them.
"So, do we know where Cloud is anyway?" She asked, kicking her legs as she studied Vincent somewhat intently. The ex-Turk was often under the belief that Yuffie let on far more than she was willing to show, and that thought unsettled him in a way he couldn't quite explain.
"Costa Del Sol, I imagine," Nanaki answered, as he appeared by the gunman's side, sitting on his hind legs and looking up thoughtfully at Vincent.
...So much for being left to my own thoughts...
There was a moment of silence, as the trio all looked downwards at the engine room, their own thoughts occupying them from the situation at hand. As Vincent expected, it was Yuffie who broke the silence. What she said was not expected at all, however.
"I knew Zack... You know, Cloud's friend?" She said, her eyes a little distant, and her smile full of nostalgia. Nanaki said nothing, merely offering a nod of his head in acknowledgment. Vincent, however, fixed the teenager with a probing gaze.
"You knew Zack Fair?"
"Yeah. He got me to thinking maybe SOLDIER wasn't all that bad. Not entirely, you know?" She shrugged, continuing to kick her legs with falsified nonchalance, "He helped me out of a few tricky situations back when the war was at its peak. I thought I knew everything, and he was there whenever I managed to get myself in a bind trying to restore Wutai to her former greatness."
Yuffie stopped kicking momentarily, and Vincent saw a wave of sadness wash over her eyes. It was only brief, however, before she let out a "Pffsh" and continued kicking.
"What was I thinking, huh?" she snorted, but the facade wasn't enough to convince the ex-Turk.
"Does knowing I worked for ShinRa tarnish what opinion you have of me? Of Cloud?" He asked, and she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"Nah, it doesn't..."
"Then do not burden Zack with that same tarnish."
Yuffie rocked forward in thought, before shaking her head.
"I don't think I could tarnish the guy if I tried. He was like a freaking saint. Especially as a SOLDIER."
"Each man wears his own shoes, regardless of the uniform," Nanaki nodded quietly, his gaze still thoughtfully directed below.
Yuffie hopped up, her cheeks abruptlly paler as she did so, and she wobbled on her feet briefly.
"Ugh..."
"Perhaps you should go and rest until we arrive at our destination?" Nanaki suggested, and she nodded, before dashing off to the bathroom. Nanaki let out a brief chuckle, a smile creeping along his lips, as he shook his head. Vincent said nothing, but offered a small smile as well. It was a brief, but deceptive distraction from everything plaguing his mind. All too abruptly, he remembered that all was not well with the world, and his chest ached once more. His mind kept straying to Sephiroth and his quietly spoken words.
..."I shall die as the SOLDIER I once was, not the puppet I've become"...
Loathe as he was to admit it, perhaps that was best for all involved...
"Does a man ever have a chance to decide his own fate, should it be what he most desires?" Vincent asked, turning to face his Cosmonian friend. Nanaki raised his rear paw to scratch at his ear, and Vincent was unsure whether his statement had gone unheard. There was a pause, before Nanaki let out a smal sigh.
"I'm not sure Sephiroth can get what he desires. I'm not sure Gaia would be so kind to him, and so cruel to Cloud. Neither can ever have what they truly desire without conflicting the other's interests. In some cases, they are the other's interest," Nanaki shook his head, "After all, when was the last time you have seen Cloud so... driven? He believes salvation is the goal, whilst Sephiroth believes the same, but from a completely different angle. They are the solitary two pieces of a puzzle, and I'm not sure they will ever quite fit together."
Vincent nodded in defeated acceptance and slowly stood up, before Nanaki placed a paw on the gunman's leg.
"That does not mean there is no room for hope, Vincent."
"Let's hope that that is the case, then..." The gunman said solemnly, before heading to the control room.
The Highwind's engines slowly wound down, as Cid barked orders to the ship's crew.
"We could have landed fifteen bloody minutes ago! How hard is it to follow instructions?" Cid cried, waving his arms in an almost comical fashion, ascrew members scattered to their allocated positions, "You sure we'll find Cloud here?"
He said this as he turned to face Tifa, who was staring out of the front windows, her gaze distant as she gave a small nod.
"What's the matter with ya?" Cid grunted, taking a long draw from his cigarette, "We're here for your buddy. Thought you'd be all smiles."
"Just... take your time. Take your time doing whatever you need to do," She murmured, turning to face the group. Whenever Cloud was away, Tifa seemed to take control, although Vincent was never quite sure if that was the wisest decision for the group. Tifa was pale, her long hair clinging slightly to her skin, as if there were just enough sweat there to hold onto. She didn't handle Cloud's absences well, and she was even worst at hiding that fact.
"Take your time?" Cid barked, pulling his cigarette from his lip and waving it haphazardly, "I've been bitching at these morons to hurry their asses up, and you tell us to take our damn time?"
"Cid..." Nanaki urged, shaking his head, as the pilot took another deep drag of his cigarette. He let the smoke furl out in one long breath, before shaking his head.
"Whatever you say, Teef," He shrugged, before stamping his cigarette out on the ground and turning to the crew members, "You heard the lady. We're less pressed for time than first thought, but that's no excuse to get lazy!"
The captain walked off then, offering expletives in his wake, as Barret approached Tifa cautiously.
"Good ole spikehead will be here and ready to be heading home, don't you worry," He said, placing a reassuring hand on Tifa's shoulder, "You know how he gets. He's a bit messed up in the head is all. Prolly needed some R&R. He'll be good as new."
"I'm not sure he will be," she said slowly, before raising a hand to brush loose strands of hair from her eyes, "He's changing, but I'm not sure if it's for the best yet."
"The fuck even happened over there, Valentine?" Barret barked, as Vincent shook his head slightly, all eyes now fixated on him.
"We met and fought with Sephiroth, he refused to have it end as it was, and he sent us on our way. There is no more that needs to be said..."
"The hell? You think that it might be up to the rest of us if more shit needs to be said or not? What kinda game you playing at, Valentine?" Barret barked, but halted his tirade as Tifa planted a hand gently against his arm.
"No more needs to be said," she said, her eyes pleading with her friend, "Anything else that would be said would be none of our concern. I trust them both to know what the right course of action is to take. None of us have ever known Sephiroth or his story like they have. We'll never undersand, even if we did know what was said."
Tifa met Vincent's gaze then, her eyes full of reluctant understanding. She also wanted to know, of that, Vincent was sure. Instead of pressing on, however, she was making the step aside to let Vincent and Cloud decide what was the best thing for everyone. Vincent knew it was hard for her, but was grateful for the measures she was taking. He gave a small nod, and she did the same, whilst Barret quietly fumed beside her. Tifa turned and looked once more out the window, her eyes focusing on the ever present threat in the skies above.
"I don't know what it is exactly that Sephiroth wants, but I think Cloud and Vincent do," She said to no one in particular, "And I trust their judgment as to whether or not we're going to try and give it to him. I don't care where he ends up, I don't care what happens with him, as long as things can go back to the way they were."
There was a heavy silence then, as each individual reflected on the words that had just been spoken, and the weight settled in their stomachs that things never would. Vincent turned and headed for the exit, knowing full well that every word spoken by Tifa had been laced with the one thing that Nanaki had urged they not give up on. Hope.
"Gaia it's hot here," Yuffie huffed, fanning herself with her shuriken, as the team made their way across the open fields they'd landed in on their way to Costa Del Sol.
"It'll cool in a bit," Cid shrugged, his javelin perched on his back as he coughed down another cigarette, "Just wish there wasn't so many frickin' bugs."
Barret made a small grunt of agreement before slapping his arm and crushing a mosquito in the process.
"Can't remember it being quite so humid here," He muttered, as a small chorus of 'mhm' rang through the group. Tensions were high, and each member of their party had a barrage of thoughts plaguing them. Tifa hadn't said a word since they'd left the airship, choosing instead to keep her stride steady and strong as she lead the group towards their missing comrade. Vincent couldn't help but admire her persistence. Regardless of how she may be feeling or what thoughts may be trailing her mind, she was always willing to push further. For a dark, amusing moment, he considered that she may have made a good Turk back in the day.
"So not to freak anyone out or anything," Yuffie stretched, "But what if he ain't here?"
"He'll be here," Nanaki nodded, "It's the logical place to go."
"Yeah but he hasn't exactly got the best reputation for going to logical places, am I right?" the teenager grinned cheekily, before being met with a blistering glare from Barret.
"He'll be here," Tifa nodded, not looking back, "I know he will."
It was then that Tifa faltered in her steps, and Yuffie near ran into the back of her. The teen was about to protest, before peering around Tifa herself and seeing Cloud standing a few hundred metres ahead. Vincent smiled slightly behind his cloak, as he took in the duffel bag slung over Cloud's shoulders, and the still fierce determination in the blonde's stride. The time alone seemed to have done him well, and Vincent had every faith that Cloud had made the right choice in his mind, regardless of what that choice would end up becoming.
Tifa managed to regain some of her composure, and let out a soft sigh before taking off on a sprint towards the blonde. Yuffie snorted and followed suite, whilst Cid hastily butted out his latest cigarette.
"Well shit, look at that," He remarked with a hint of relief in his tone, "All cool, calm and collected, like he didn't just piss off to the middle of nowhere for vacation."
Vincent watched as Tifa reached Cloud and threw her arms around him, the blonde staggering slightly from the force. Cloud patted her back gingerly, and rubbed it reassuringly, dropping his bag to the ground in the process. Yuffe punched him in the arm a few times, as Tifa clung to him, and the trio exchanged words amongst themselves.
"You think he's ready to do what we need to do?" Barret asked gruffly, directing his gaze at Vincent. The gunman paused, reflecting on the question brought before us, but didn't need to say a word before Cid answered for him.
"Well," the pilot remarked as he brought a fresh cigarette to his lips, throwing a sidelong glance at both Barret and Vincent, "Do you really think any of us are?"
The question needed no answer, and nor did it receive one, as the remainder of the group continued towards their leader.
