Chapter 12: To Protect the One I Love
The rain was falling in blinding, crystal sheets. It had increased its outpouring from the sky greatly over a period of only a short few minutes. As it fell upon the trees below it cascaded from their large leaves and created small falls throughout the forest. The relentless deluge of water made it almost impossible for the small group to make their escape.
Rinoa found it hard to run as her bare legs began to cake with mud and her clothes became weighed down and clung to her skin. She stared ahead at the party running in front of her and retreated into her mind. She ignored the pain in her lungs. They were exhausted from running and they burned within her chest. She sucked it up and let the adrenaline push her forward.
Yuna was falling behind. Rinoa could see the fatigue in her eyes and she slowed down to stay with her. It was then that Yuna's foot connected with a raised root and she went crashing to the ground. Rinoa stopped and went to her aid. She knelt down beside her and grabbed onto her arm to try to raise her.
As she did this she looked up and saw a plant creature break from the brush and rush them. She pulled Yuna to her feet and raised her blaster edge. She shot it into the creature killing it instantly, but another one was there quickly to take its place. Rinoa swore as it jumped into the air. She took aim and ordered Yuna to run, but Kimahri stepped in front of both of them and held out his spear. The creature impaled itself upon it and Kimahri hastily threw the dead monster to the side
"Hurry," he said before he bounded into the undergrowth behind them.
"Where is he going?" Rinoa asked Yuna.
"To fight them off. To buy us time," she answered. She caught her breath and grabbed Rinoa's wrist. "Don't let him fight for nothing."
They ran to catch up with the rest of the group. Cloud and Red had stopped ahead of them. As they came closer they could see why. The forest ended abruptly as well as the ground. Before them was a ruin of a temple. It was surrounded by waterfalls which flowed into the bowel like basin, hundreds of feet below them. Mist from the falls rose up and created an illusion that the temple was floating in mid air.
"What now?" Rinoa asked Cloud.
He pointed to a shadow through the rain. "I think that is a bridge."
"You want to go inside? How do we know it is safe?" Yuna asked him.
"We don't," Cloud snapped. "But, it sure beats the hell out of standing here in the rain."
They agreed to his logic and ran toward the bridge. As they neared, the shadowy outline became more defined. The indistinct lines came into focus as a decaying walkway, held up by rotting rope and jungle growth. They stopped for only a moment to contemplate its condition before a howl from their pursuers pushed them forward.
They made it to the other side unscathed, and the creatures were still no where in sight. Cloud approached the entrance of the temple. It was overgrown with plant life and he had to cut through it with his sword.
Once inside they stared in awe at their surroundings. Large stone pillars with intricate designs held up the remnant pieces of ceiling. Wild vines and flowers dropped in from above like drapery. The rain water flowed in from various cracks, creating small lakes around the room. Old statues of surreal creatures and beings lined the walls.
Rinoa approached the nearest statue and reached up to touch its face. It appeared to be an effigy of Shiva. Half of the face crumbled away at her touch and she withdrew her hand.
"This place must be ancient," she said as she backed away
"It would appear that way," Yuna gawked as she spun around to take it all in.
"Now we're at least out of the rain," Cloud said as he headed deeper into the ruin. "Does anyone want to explain what is going on?"
"As soon as we figure it out we'll fill you in," Rinoa told him.
Cloud didn't look satisfied with her response, but he shrugged his acceptance. "Let's get to the other side of this temple and see if there is an exit on the other side of the falls."
"Sounds good," Rinoa agreed.
Yuna looked back through the entrance. Her face was filled with concern. Rinoa could tell she was thinking of Kimahri.
"We can wait for him if you want," she suggested.
Yuna shook her head. "He wouldn't want us to. Let's go."
The further they went into the temple, the colder and darker it became. Yuna shivered as the moisture from her clothing sunk into her bones. Rinoa removed a torch from the wall and lit it with her magic. She handed it to Yuna to give her some warmth. She smiled thankfully and let the heat return color to her cheeks. Rinoa grabbed another torch. The wood was soaking wet, but she had no trouble at all lighting it. This one she gave to Cloud so he could lead the group.
They came to a room that was filled with large gargoyles. There were three doors that they had to choose from.
"Which one?" Cloud asked the rest of them.
Red was off to the left studying engravings on the bottom of one of the gargoyles. What he read was gibberish until he touched it with a paw. The inscription morphed into the language he understood and he read it with great interest and respect.
Choose wisely the path that lies ahead. The path of the sun's death will lead you to its resurrection. The path of the sun's rebirth will lead you to the end of life. The guide of night will bring you to the day.
Cloud came and knelt beside his friend. He read the inscription and furrowed a brow. "Do you know what it means?" He asked.
Red looked at the doors and then at the floor where they all stood. He was looking for some kind of engraving that would fit into the riddle he had just read. Beneath their feet was a large compass rose.
"I do not know what the end of each riddle means, but perhaps the death of the sun is its setting in the west, and the birth is its rising in the east."
"How clever," Rinoa beamed. "So, the guide of night……it wouldn't be the moon or moons in this world….."
"There is a star to the north which many use as a guide," Yuna spoke up.
Red nodded in agreement "There are three doors. One to the east, west, and north, according to this compass engraved on the ground."
"So, let's go. We obviously don't want to go the way 'to the end of life,'" Cloud added impatiently. "Just pick one. The other two don't sound so bad."
"The end of life was probably a reference to a tomb of some sort," Yuna reasoned. "It might not be a reference to anything terrible."
The sound of something tapping against stone pulled them from their thoughts. Cloud immediately drew his sword and looked back through the southern door.
"Let's make up our minds," he barked.
"This calls for logical thought and caution. We can't just make a decision on the fly. The inscription said to choose wisely," Red reminded him.
"We don't have time for that," Cloud returned.
The tapping was becoming louder and more spastic. They all knew that they had been discovered by the creatures. The sounds that were approaching implied that there were more than a few.
The tapping stopped and they all went into a defensive stance with weapons drawn and ready. They waited for the sound to continue, but nothing but silence ensued. They all relaxed and stared at each other in confusion.
"We all didn't just imagine that," Rinoa said, looking at the others for an answer.
Suddenly, the center of the compass exploded upward in a flurry of broken rock and dust. The group scattered to avoid being crushed by the larger chunks of rock as they rained back down from the sky. They stared back at the cause of the destruction and were appalled by the creature that was slowly pulling itself up through the floor. Its size almost took up the entire room and it had hundreds of vines that snaked in and out around its body. It was like the creature that they had fought before in the woods, only smaller. It moved on roots that acted like legs.
It thrust forward three vines which corded together and rammed into the wall behind them. They all covered their heads to avoid the debris. Parts of the wall fell away and blocked the northern door.
Cloud ran at the creature and tried to strike, but a vine snapped out and hit him in the chest. He flew back into a gargoyle statue, knocking off a piece of its wing. Shaking his head to clear the confusion of what had just happened; he noticed the creature open its mouth. Tiny versions of itself walked out of the mouth and into the room. They moved with spider like motions and lined up in front of the mother plant.
Rinoa grabbed Cloud's arm and helped him to his feet. He brushed off her effort to aid him and regained his bearings. The room was divided by debris and the babies of the giant plant. Cloud and Rinoa both realized that Red and Yuna were not with them.
"Yuna! Red XIII!" Rinoa cried out. She feared that they had been crushed under the rubble that had fallen from the wall.
"We're fine," Yuna answered from somewhere on the other side of the divider.
"We're taking the path of the sun's death," Red called back to them. "We can't fight them alone."
"We can't split up!" Rinoa tried to stop him.
"We have no choice," Cloud said, grabbing her arm and dragging her toward the path of the sun's rebirth. Rinoa gave in and ran.
*********
"Mr. Auron," Aeris addressed the silent warrior before her, as they trudged through the jungle. "Can we rest a little?"
Auron stopped and gestured to a fallen tree trunk. She sat down, straightened her dress and smiled at him. She patted the spot beside her for him to sit down.
"I'm fine," he said, declining her offer.
She pouted a little then let it drop. He stuck his sword in the ground and rested upon it. They had been traveling for the past day and a half from Divina. He knew from talking to the people of Eliana and from looking at maps that there were several small cities to the south of the jungle.
He looked at the girl who was traveling with him. Her hair was sopping wet and the loose strands were laminated about her forehead and cheeks. She was drenched from head to toe, but her demeanor hadn't changed since they had started out on their journey. She was pleasant and optimistic. Something he hadn't expected after he had ripped her from her reality. He always seemed to be the messenger of life change and shattered veracity. This, however, didn't seem to be affecting her at all.
"Mr. Auron, where exactly are we going?" She inquired.
"You can call me Auron," he hinted to her that her use of the title 'Mr.' was unnecessary. "We are going to Lasar. One of the southern cities."
She nodded her understanding and looked up into his face. She wished that he would take off his glasses so she could see his eyes. The lenses were so dark, and it bothered her that she couldn't read what lied behind them. His dark temperament, however, made her wonder if she really wanted to know what was behind the tinted glass.
She rested for a few minutes before returning to her feet.
"We can continue," she announced.
Auron picked up his sword and started off again without a word. Aeris sighed and fell in behind. It was pointless to start a conversation with the man, so she kept the silence between them.
They hadn't been traveling long when they both heard the once dead jungle come to life with sound. A wailing noise filled the air and Auron stopped to listen.
"The demons of this world," he told Aeris. "Stay close to me."
"I hadn't planned on doing anything else," she told him.
"Can you fight?" He asked her.
"If it comes to that," she responded.
Auron didn't let her see the smile on his face as he broke into a run. They bounded through the trees, jumping over trunks and ducking to avoid branches. When the growth became too thick, Auron carved a path for them with his sword. He tried not to run faster than she could keep up, but as the distance between them grew, he forced himself to slow down.
He could sense the presences of the demons all around him. He could tell that they were closing in fast. It was of no surprise to him when one leapt at them from the brush to their left. Auron side stepped to avoid the attack and then cut through the creature completely. Aeris took a moment to catch her breath as Auron studied the two severed pieces of flesh and flora that were still moving spastically upon the ground.
"It looks like an animal and a plant," Aeris commented. "It is dead, right?"
"Let us hope so," Auron replied. "Come."
The sounds became louder and closer. Aeris didn't argue as she heard the undergrowth behind her start to part. She ran after Auron without looking back. However, something snagged her ankle and she went down hard. She rolled over quickly to identify the cause of her fall and saw her leg entangled in some vines. The vines were slowly tightening their grip around her leg. She pulled at them trying to loosen them, but they only tightened when she did so. Some of the creatures from before appeared in front of her as she struggled to free herself. One jumped at her, but she hit it with her staff as hard as she could. It rolled away from her, but immediately got back up. Aeris did the only thing she could do; she screamed.
Auron had noticed her absence and was coming to her aid. He came between the monsters and Aeris and killed them off before they could get to her. After severing the vine around her ankle he picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and ran.
"Auron…" Aeris wanted to protest, but she just hung there and allowed him to carry her.
They came to a break in the forest, and Auron stopped before his feet went over a drop off. Aeris slid down from his shoulder and looked at the floating ruin surrounded by falls before them. There appeared to be no way of getting to it.
"Should we go around?" She asked him.
"There is no way around. We would have to cross over many of the falls," he answered.
They could hear the demons getting closer and knew time was running out.
"Auron, what do we do?" Aeris asked.
"Have faith," he said as he stepped to the edge and looked to the waters below.
"Auron!" Aeris objected to what he was about to do.
He jumped from the edge and plummeted to the water beneath them. Aeris subdued the fear within her, stepped to the edge, and closed her eyes.
I already died once. What do I have to lose?
She took her leap of faith.
*********
Rinoa and Cloud came to a room filled with rotted corpses lying in sarcophaguses. They had been able to loose the creatures from before, but now they were lost. Rinoa shivered at the site of the dead and redirected her eyes to the path ahead.
"The end of life," she said. "Yuna was right."
"Why would one have to choose wisely then?" Cloud asked. "There is nothing down here but a bunch of stiffs."
Rinoa pressed on, trying to hint that she didn't want to stay there anymore. Cloud, however, stopped and looked into the coffins as they went.
"Could you please hurry up?" She asked with an annoyed tone.
"Why? You scared?" Cloud poked.
Rinoa shook her head in denial and pressed forward. "No! I just want to get out of here."
As she continued she realized that her footsteps were the only ones that she heard echoing throughout the room. She turned to see if Cloud was still looking at corpses, and was startled when she saw no one behind her at all.
"Cloud?" Her voice reverberated off of the bare stone walls. When he didn't answer she became worried and scared. "Cloud!"
"I'm right here," he finally answered her. The sudden presence of his voice startled her.
"Are you trying to scare me?" She asked as she followed his voice to where he was examining the side of a coffin.
"No," he said seriously, and then smiled up at her sheepishly.
Rinoa shook her head and knelt down beside him. "What are you looking at?" She asked.
"There are scratch marks in the floor," he answered her. "There might be something beneath this sarcophagus."
Rinoa put a hand at the base of the coffin and felt air on her palm.
"Let's move this then," she said as she stood up.
Together they put all of their weight into the side and felt it move. A large hole in the floor was revealed and they stopped to examine it.
"Is there a bottom?" Cloud asked.
Rinoa took the torch she had and cast it down into the hole. They saw it hit the ground about ten feet below them, and roll to a stop.
"Looks like it," she answered before sitting at the verge of the cavity and jumping down. Cloud followed and picked up the torch. The room they had discovered was large. A trough was dug out along the base of the walls and a liquid was within it. Cloud could smell oil and he tossed the torch into the trough. Fire raced along the sides of the walls illuminating every inch of the room. The room was filled with bronzes of warriors, both male and female. There were two doors at opposite ends of the room.
"There are probably just more catacombs in either direction. Let's just pick a door," Rinoa suggested.
Cloud looked at the statues and read the plates at the base of each. Each one had a name and a date. Nothing hinted to a direction they could take.
"I still don't get the warning at the front of the temple. We should have run into something by now."
Rinoa walked the length of the wall and looked at the pictures engraved on its surface. A low moan reached her ears and she turned to Cloud with a look of distaste on her face.
"Look. It's not funny," she reprimanded him.
He looked back at her with innocent confusion written on his face. "I didn't do anything."
Rinoa saw a shadow materialize in the doorway behind Cloud. She saw a flash of exposed skull as it emerged from the darkness. She commanded Cloud to get down, and shot her blaster edge into the thing before it could come any closer. Cloud stared down at the mummified body that Rinoa had shot, and realized he had just seen the dead walking.
Neither of them had time to say anything before another entered the room from the door behind Rinoa. She backed away and watched with horror stricken fascination. Even more shuffled into the room behind Cloud.
"Well, that sheds some light on some things," Cloud said sarcastically.
The living dead that Rinoa had shot earlier began to get up. She realized that her weapon wasn't affective. Some of the dead had weapons. One with a sword engaged Cloud and he fought back. He was able to find a hole in the advance and cut straight through his attacker. The dead immediately turned to a dust pile on the floor. Rinoa looked for another weapon. One of the bronzes of a female warrior had two short swords in her hands. Rinoa jumped up onto the statue and removed the swords.
"They are stronger than they look. Be careful," Cloud cautioned her.
Rinoa spun the swords in her hands with confidence, and waited for the first undead to make its move. One with identical weaponry shrieked and ran forward. Rinoa was startled by its speed and was forced to react quickly to its attack. Both of their swords met and slid across one another as they combated. Rinoa would block with one sword and attack with the other. The undead, however, was able to use both swords to attack and defend when it was necessary.
One of the undead's swords moved past Rinoa's defenses and abraded her shoulder. She used this, however, to bring the sword that had failed to block straight through the undead's torso. The zombie crumbled to dust, and Rinoa was immediately forced into combat with two more.
Cloud was having no trouble at all. The piles of dust were collecting in great mass before him. One undead grabbed onto him from behind and tried to bite into his neck. He slammed his elbow up into its face, and then used the grip it had on him to run up the wall and flip over it. With the roles reversed he thrust his sword into the zombie's back, turning it to dust.
Cloud looked back at Rinoa and was surprised to see her fighting with great agility and speed. She could move in and out around her opponent almost like it was a dance. She moved with fluidity and he wondered where she had learned to combat with a sword. He was forced to stop watching her when a larger undead engaged him with an axe. It swung at his head and he ducked and rolled to avoid decapitation.
Rinoa was becoming tired with the never ending parade of decay. Whenever she was able to destroy her enemy, more were there to take the fallen one's place. Two more with swords came at her, but instead of fighting them, she back away and crossed her arms over her chest. The wings appeared from her back and she raised a hand in the air above her head. A white orb formed in her palm and its light spread throughout the room. Cloud had to shield his eyes as the white light started to blind him. The undead shrieked and instantly turned to dust as the light consumed them.
When the last scream gave way to silence, Rinoa collapsed to her knees and the wings and light disappeared. Cloud ran to her to make sure she was okay. When she saw his concern, she smiled to assure him she was alright.
"Holy," she told him the name of the attack he had just seen. "I never like using it for prolonged periods of time. My body can't handle it."
"That was amazing," Cloud told her as he helped her to her feet.
"Hopefully that was all of them," she said jadedly.
"Where did you learn to use a sword?" He asked.
Rinoa smiled thoughtfully and glanced at her ring.
"My fiancé taught me to fight. We have been through a lot, him and me. He has shed his blood to protect me more than once. It got to a point where I couldn't stand having him suffer for me. I desired to protect him."
Cloud understood exactly how she felt. He felt the same about those close to him, but he knew he had failed to protect one of them. It was a reality he could never really forgive himself for. She wasn't coming back. He admired Rinoa's passion to protect her love, but he knew that life's cruelties were stronger than the desire to save those you cared about. No matter how strong the love, no matter how strong one's will and spirit, death could not be stopped or reversed.
The memory of her suddenly caused his disposition to sadden. He shook off the emotion flooding his mind and focused at the task at hand. Rinoa steadied herself and motioned toward a door.
"Do you want to take this one?" She asked.
Cloud nodded, "What's the worse that can happen?"
*********
After the catacombs they came to an open cavern. The trip had been mostly steep, downward slopes and steps, and they both knew they were heading to the bottom of the temple. This confirmed their suspicions as they emerged in a cave underneath the waterfalls. A large lake that lead to the outside was at the far end of the cavern. Cloud went to the waters edge and drank while Rinoa sat down on a boulder to rest.
As Cloud dipped his hands into the pool and brought them up to his mouth, he noticed something floating in the water. A pink ribbon was being rushed up against the shore by the small waves. Cloud picked it up and was filled with a haunting feeling at the sight of it. It looked like the ribbon that she used to wear in her hair. It looked like Aeris' ribbon.
He could hear something moving through the water toward him and he got to his feet quickly, expecting another creature. He was surprised to see a girl walking toward him from out of the lake. Her clothes were torn and danced about her frail frame in the water. Her hair was down about her face and shoulders. Her eyes, emerald luminescent orbs, gave her identity away and Cloud felt his heart stop in his chest. All time stood still. The only thing moving was the ghost emerging from the water.
Author's Note: Sumimasen! I am soooo sorry that I haven't updated in ages. I overestimated my abilities to juggle college and this story. It took me forever. For those of you who are wondering what has happened to Tifa (who has shown up in only two chapters), the orphanage gang, and Vincent (Showed up in only one chapter); they will return! I promise. Also, Kiaru will make another appearance very soon. This is going to be a long story. *sigh* Oh, well. ^-^ I love writing. I just hope I can keep you guys with me. Thank you for your support and patience.