I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 7 CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(
Get ready for a long chapter, my friends!
Chapter Twenty
Cosmo Canyon
"Are you fucking kidding me!" Zeke's voice echoed around the canyon as he kicked the wheel of the buggy.
It had been his turn to drive it and it had decided to cut off on them right outside of Cosmo Canyon. They had been on the roar for a few hours now. Tifa and Aerith were beside him in the front of the car and thought the back was tight with the others all there, nobody decided to complain about it. In fact, no one was talking period and the silence was awkward. Jeanne had been mindlessly running her hand over Red Xlll's head but now that they were outside Cosmo Canyon, they got out of the car and the red beast ran off towards his home. Since the buggy was no longer working, they all followed him.
Red Xlll went running up the stairs. "I am home!" He cried as he came to a halt before the Guardsman. "It is I, Nanaki!"
"Nanaki?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow.
"Hey Nanaki!" The man hugged the red beast. "You're safe! Come on and say hello to Bugenhagen!"
"Bugenhagen?" It was Tifa's eyebrow that rose this time.
The red beast ran off, leaving the others with the guard.
"What do you do here?" Aerith asked.
"People from all over the world gather here to seek the study of planet life." The man answered.
"Woooo!" Barret cheered, throwing his hands in the air. "I always wanted to come here!" He looked like a kid in a candy shop, but his face fell at the man's next words.
"It's full capacity at the moment. So I'm afraid that I can't let you enter."
It seemed that Red Xlll sensed their trouble and ran back down the steps. "They helped me some when I was on the road. Please let them in."
That changed the man completely. "Oh, is that so? You helped our Nanaki? Please, come in."
Jeanne led the way through and up another few sets of stairs to where Red Xlll was waiting for them.
"Here is where I was…" Red Xlll began. "I mean…this is my home town. My tribe was protectors of those who appreciate this beautiful canyon and the planet. My brave mother fought and died here but my cowardly father left her…I am the last of my race."
"Cowardly father?" Cloud asked.
"Yes, my father was a wastrel. And so the mission I inherited from my ancestors was to protect this place. My journey ends here."
Jeanne opened her mouth to speak but someone cut her off. It was a…floating old man up towards the top of the canyon.
"Hey! Nanaki! You're home!"
"Coming Grandpa!" Red Xlll called to him and took off again.
"Whooo! Let's take a breather." Barret suggested. "I got stuff I want to find out, too."
Jeanne sighed as everyone ran off, leaving her standing there. What else could she do but follow Red Xlll? There was nothing else that she could really do until the buggy was fixed; and Claire was taking care of that right now, no doubt.
Jeanne followed the red creature up to the very top house of the canyon, and knocked on the door. A voice told her to come in and she shut the door behind her.
The Room looked like a scientific place, but it was nothing like Hojo's place.
"Jeanne, this is my grandfather, Bugen," Red Xlll introduced her to the old man. "He is incredible. He knows everything." She couldn't help but smile; he sounded like an excited child.
"Ho ho hoooo," The floating man grinned. "I hear that you looked after Nanaki a bit. He's still a child, you see."
~Oh, that explains~
"Please stop, grandfather. I'm 48" If Red Xlll wasn't red, he was blushing, without a doubt.
~Then again,~ Jeanne scratched the back of her head. ~Maybe not~
Bugen laughed again. "Nanaki's tribe has incredible longevity." He explained. "So you see his 48 years would only be equivalent to say that of a 15 or 16 year old in human reckoning."
"15 or 16?" Jeanne asked. "And you're still more mature than Yuffie!"
"He's quiet and very deep. You thought he was an adult?"
"Grandfather," Red Xlll looked embarrassed now. "I want to be an adult. I want to grow up and to be able to protect you and the village."
"No, Nanaki," Bugen shook his head. "You can't stand on your own yet. To do that now would destroy you in the long run. Reaching up into the heavens, threatening to snatch the very stars from the great city of Midgar. You've seen it, haven't you?" He paused. "Well, that's a bad example. Looking up too much makes you lose perspective." Jeanne frowned as he hopped onto the table. "When it's time for this planet to die you'll understand that you know absolutely nothing."
"When the planet dies?" Jeanne's frown grew worse.
"It may be tomorrow, or 100 years from now…but it's not long off."
"And just how do you know this?" She asked.
"I hear the cries of the planet."
She looked surprised. "Are you a…a Cetra?"
"Oh no," The man shook his head. "Not I. Listen carefully," Things fell silent and a howling could be heard. "While that sound goes on, Planets are born and die."
Jeanne pulled a face at the screams and wails. How could she never hear that before? "Was that…were those from this Planet?"
"Yes," Bugen nodded. "It's like they're saying – 'I hurt, I suffer'."
She felt sad and mad at the same time. ShinRa was doing this! Maybe not all, but the Majority of it.
"They have come here on a journey to save the planet." Red Xlll decided to announce. "Why not show them your apparatus?"
"To save the planet?" Bugen laughed as he jumped off the table; it was a happy one, now. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to show her."
"Bugenhagen!" They all turned to see a man walk in. "Several odd looking people have arrived in the city."
"The whole place has gotten busy all of a sudden." The elder chuckled.
"Those are probably the others he was talking about." Jeanne stated.
Red Xlll nodded. "I'll go gather them around the fire. You should grab two of them, Jeanne, to go into the machine with you. Only three will fit though."
As Red Xlll left, Jeanne pulled out her phone to call Cloud, but she froze. After watching him and Aerith this morning, she didn't feel like dealing with him.
But there was someone that she DID want to talk to.
Five minutes later. Cait Sith and Yuffie burst into the door.
"Is everything all right?" The Robotic Cat demanded.
"Do I have to steal someone's Materia?" Yuffie asked, holding her Ninja Star in attack position.
Jeanne raised an eyebrow; she hadn't been expecting Yuffie. Oh well, Cait Sith was going to be around her for a while now. She could get him alone another time.
"Nothing's wrong," Jeanne walked into the machine, following Bugenhagen. "Just come with me."
They followed her into the machine and she glanced about them as the other three introduced themselves. It was a diagram of the universe. Was this guy planning to hit space?
"Let's begin," Bugen pushed a button. The room went dark and the platform they were standing on raised up to a 3D graphic display of the universe.
"Whoa!" Yuffie cried out, gazing around the place. "Pretty good, surprisin' me." She laughed.
"Hmm, yes, pretty good. This is my laboratory. All the workings of space are entered into this 3D Holographic system. The workings of space are entered into this 3D Holographic system."
"What the? A shooting star?" Yuffie cried out. They all turned and watched as the shooting star and the planets and the comets traveled around them, the bright lights shining.
"Wow," Jeanne couldn't help let it slip.
"Yes, it is something, isn't it?" Bugen asked. "Eventually all humans die. What happens to them after they die? The body decomposes and returns to the planet, that much everyone knows. What about their consciousness, their hearts, and their souls? The soul too returns to the planet. And not only those of humans, but everything on this planet. In fact, all living things in the universe are the same. The spirits that return to the planet merge with one another and roam the planet. They roam, converge, and divide, becoming a shell, called the 'Life Stream'. In other words, a path of energy of the souls roaming the planet. 'Spirit Energy' is a word that you should never forget. A new life…children are blessed with Spirit Energy and are brought into the world. Then, the time comes when they die and once again return to the planet. Of course there are exceptions, but this is the way of the world. I've digressed, but you'll understand better of you watch this."
Jeanne and the other two watched the image of the lone figure on the planet melt into the ground before popping up as another person on the other side of the orb. The orb was then covered with multiple colors.
"Spirit Energy makes all things possible; trees, birds, humans. Not all living things, but Spirit Energy makes it possible for Planets to be planets. What happens if that Spirit Energy were to disappear?"
The colors faded away and the planet turned to black and crumbled. Jeanne but her lip.
"These are the basics of the Study of Planet Life."
"So everything will be destroyed if the spirit energy is lost?" Jeanne asked.
"Spirit Energy is efficient BECAUSE it exists within nature. When spirit energy is forcefully extracted and manufactured it can't accomplish its true purpose.
Jeanne recalled something that Sienna had told her during their last mission together to Nibelheim.
"The knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients is held in the Materia. Anyone with this knowledge can freely use the powers of the Land and the Planet. That knowledge interacts between us and the planet calling up magic…or so they say."
"Every day Mako Reactors suck up Spirit Energy, diminishing it. It get's compressed in the reactors and processed into Mako Energy. All living things are being used up and thrown away. In other words, Mako energy will destroy the planet." Bugen told them.
"Well, looks like the reactors should all be destroyed." Jeanne commented, giving Cait Sith a hard glance as they exited the machine.
The cat glanced away.
"The story of the planet and those who lived with them. You want to know more? Then you must listen to the words of the elders."
The three of them left the house to leave Bugen on his own before he joined them later with the others. Red Xlll was talking to them all, saying their goodbyes to the creature that wasn't going to continue on with them.
Jeanne plopped down next to Claire and Cait Sith and stared at the fire, doing her best to ignore the fact that Cloud and Aerith were still talking.
But the glares that Claire was shooting the woman in pink made it very hard to. Even Barret and Tifa were glancing between Cloud and Jeanne, but she refused to acknowledge them as she continued to stare into the fire.
Everyone made comments. Yuffie wanted to leave; nothing was there. Barret was talking about what he had gone through and how he claimed that AVALANCHE was reborn now that he stopped and thought about what had happened, and Zeke was complaining about wanting a beer and Claire told him to shut up.
"Sephiroth and Sienna had the right idea," Jeanne suddenly said aloud, wrapping her arms around her legs. "They just went about it the wrong way. If I had been strong enough…I might have been able to convince them to help us fight against ShinRa. Things would have been different and none of this…none of this would be happening."
They all stayed silent and the blonde looked at the woman to her side. Claire didn't really know what to say with that. Jeanne had a point. Things would have been different if they had been strong enough to convince Sephiroth and Sienna to stay on their side, none of this would have happened, ShinRa would be defeated, and life would be normal.
She relieved everything that they had gone through when she noticed something. "Jeanne, why do you wear that feather in your hair?" She didn't remember what happened after they attacked Sephiroth and Sienna, and when they woke up again, Jeanne had been wearing the white feather in her hair. Why?
Jeanne's hand ran over the feather softly. She was actually quite surprised that it was still white and un-destroyed since she got it. It seemed that Angeal's feather had a little barrier to keep it from being destroyed.
"Angeal…" Jeanne paused and shook her head. "It's just a memento of an old friend from…from years ago."
Claire nodded and things fell silent for a moment before Aerith began to speak to Cloud; she seemed pleased but Cloud…
"I learned a lot. The elders taught me many things. About the Cetra…and the Promised Land…I'm…alone…I'm all alone now…"
"But, I'm…we're here for you right?" Cloud fought the frown.
"I know. I know, but… am the only…Cetra."
"Does that mean we can't help?"
"Stop whining." Jeanne ordered the woman. "It's starting to annoy me. It's like the whole flower cart all over again!"
Aerith opened her mouth to reply but Jeanne stood to her feet and walked off. Things stayed in an awkward silence as the woman in white returned with drinks and some food for everyone, passing them down the row.
"Bonfires are funny, aren't they?" Tifa decided to ask. "They make you remember all sorts of things. Hey, Cloud, you know, five years ago…" Cloud saw the glare Jeanne shot Tifa. It seemed to knock her back. "Never mind."
"What is it?" He asked, but she didn't say anything again and settled into eating in silence.
Cloud glared at Jeanne but the woman stared into the fire as she ate, ignoring everything around her as Claire and Yuffie talked about all types of different Materia.
"Long ago," Red Xlll decided to speak after he finished eating. "When I was still very small, we were all around this flame…" He shook his head. "No, never mind."
"What happened?" Zeke asked him, setting his beer aside.
"It's about my parents," He answered. "When I talk about my mother, I am full of pride and joy…and that's fine. But when I remember my father, my heart is full of anger…"
"You really can't forgive your father?" Everyone turned to see Bugenhagen approaching them.
"Of course," Red Xlll scowled. "He…left mother for dead. When the Gi tribe attacked, he ran off by himself, leaving mother and the people of the Canyon!" He shook his head.
"Come, Nanaki,"" Bugen said. "There's something you should see," Red Xlll lifted his head. "This place will be dangerous, so 2 people should come with us."
Jeanne and Claire immediately stood but Zeke shook his head. "I wanna go, I'm sick of looking at all your sorry faces," He pointed at Claire. "Especially yours for being pissed at your brother!" He then turned to Tifa and held out an arm. "Shall we?"
Tifa giggled and took his arm before the two of them and Red Xlll hurried off after Bugenhagen.
Jeanne grinned as she sat back down before she fingered the locket around her neck. She had found it in Zack's room, as well as the clothes she took from it,(Don't deny it. You'd want to wear his clothes to get his smell, lol. I would. Sephiroth's definitely. XD)and placed the man's picture in it from one of the photo of him and her from it.
~So now,~ She leaned back on the ground and stared at the dark sky. ~We wait.~
~We scream, we shout
We are the fallen angels
We scream, we shout, woah, woah
To those who sing alone
No need to feel this sorrow
We scream, we shout, woah
We are the fallen angels~
They came to a stop at a metal door just under Bugenhagen's house. He pressed a large, yellow button that had been hidden before and the doors opened.
"Go on, now." Bugen told them.
"Aren't you going with us?" Red Xlll asked.
He shook his head. "What are you, crazy? It's dangerous in there. I told you that! You want an old man like me should go first? I'll be right behind you."
They went down several ladders and ropes and landed in a cave-like place with a glowing, green wall. Zeke and Tifa seemed to get along real well while Bugen pressed a button hidden in a rock. As they talked and laughed, Tifa beat up the creatures that were attacking them as Zeke just knocked them out and aside.
As they approached the hole in the wall that the button had created, Bugen stepped forward and began to laugh.
"Everyone here's a ghost of the Go Tribe. Killed in a certain battle.
"A certain battle?" Zeke asked.
"The vengeful spirits of the Gi didn't disappear and couldn't return to the Life Stream…we still have far to go."
"Weird old man." Zeke mumbled, stepping through the doorway.
In the next room, there were several paths through the small pond of red water; Zeke was nowhere near finding out why it was red. There was spilled oil all over the place and as they walked across it to get the Materia scattered around the room, they were careful not to fall. But of course, Zeke did and the man was now covered in oil, cursing under his breath, as they walked to the next room.
"As you can see, this cave leads to the back of the Cosmo Canyon. It was unfortunate that the Gi were larger than us. If they were attacked through here, we wouldn't have had a chance."
"What makes you say that?" Zeke asked as he led the way across the path. It was then that a large spider dropped down in front of them from the ceiling. Zeke shivered at the sight of it but
almost fell over when Tifa jumped on him.
"I…HATE…SPIDERS!" Tifa screamed, clutching to the back of Zeke's shirt.
"Get-off-me!" Zeke struggled to breathe as she pulled his collar across his throat.
Tifa wouldn't let go, burying her face in his shirt as she tried to ignore the spider while Red Xlll killed it.
When Tifa finally settled down and let go of the man, all three followed after the old man again.
"This warrior went through the cave all alone. Fighting attackers one after another." Bugen said as they stopped at another doorway.
"Grandpa…" Red Xlll's eyes were wide. "That warrior…"
"We're almost there," Bugen hurried through the door, but in the other side they all found something that not even the old man was expecting. "What is this!" He screamed at the sight of the large Goblin face carved into the other wall.
"Grandpa, is he!"
"After death…the ghost of the Gi…like stagnant air…this…can't be!"
Zeke turned. "What are you-"
"Zeke!" Tifa's yall made the man turn around again to see the face's mouth open and out came a floating, Native American chief wannabe.
Zeke didn't need to say a word. With just a nod at the two fighters with him, he knelt down and pulled out the blue Materia that the little girl in Junon had given him. He had to have the other two distract the monster for a moment before he was able to call forth Shiva.
The figure burst out of a vortex of artic winds, instantly sending a freezing temperature around the room. Shiva took the form of a pale blue woman and matching hair, giving off the image of ice and being cold. Wearing the blue bar-like top and a small pants and heals, she didn't need a weapon as she lifted her hand to use Diamond Dust.
The bad guy was immediately frozen by the ice and when Tifa ran forward, punching the Gi, he shuddered into multiple pieces, following into the ground.
Zeke gave a smirk as Shiva disappeared and he and Tifa shared a high-five.
"Thank you, Zeke. Because of you, we survived." Bugen gave him a short bow.
Zeke scratched the side of his nose. "Tifa helped too, you know."
Tifa blushed and Bugen gave a laugh. "That she did, that she did," He turned to his grandson. "You have grown strong to, Nanaki."
"Oh yeah?" Red Xlll looked pleased.
"Now I know that it wasn't a mistake bringing you here. Come, I have something that I want to show you."
They all walked through the new hole in the wall and came face to face with another large cliff of rocks.
"This is…" Red Xlll was wide-eyed.
"The warrior who fought against the Gi. He kept them from taking even one step into Cosmo Canyon." Bugen told them. " "But he was never able to return to town. Look, Nanaki, look at your father, at the warrior, Seto."
(I have the sudden urge to watch the original Yu-Gi-Oh now, lol)
At the top of the cliff was a beast, much like Red Xlll, made of stone with multiple spears sticking out of him.
Zeke was silent and Tifa felt a tear in her eye.
(I absolutely LOVE the music at this part in the game. If you don't know it, find a walkthrough on YouTube and listen to it.)
"That…that's…Seto?" Red Xlll sounded so surprised.
"Seto continued to fight the Gi tribe here…to protect this Canyon. Even after the Gi' poisonous arrows turned his body to stone. Even after they all ran away…Seto, continued to protect us. And he continues to protect us, even now."
"Even now," Red Xlll repeated.
"You thought that he was a coward and ran away. But he, alone risked his life to protect Cosmo Canyon. That is your father, Seto."
Red Xlll turned to his grandfather. "That…that is Seto! Did mother know?"
"Oh, she knew," Bugen nodded. "The two of them made me promise to keep his cave shut. They asked me to seal it myself and not to tell a soul. They said we should forget about this cave." Red Xlll lowered his head and Bugen turned to Zeke and Tifa. "Would you mind leaving the two of us alone?"
Tifa took another look at Seto before grabbing Zeke's hand and leading him out of the cave.
~Follow the morning star
A land where darkness failed
The passion left unholy
Now you found yourself
We have nowhere to go
No one to wish us well
A cry to find our home
Our stories they will tell
We're bored to death in heaven
And down alone in hell
We only want to be ourselves~
"The Buggy's been fixed," Barret announced as Zeke and Tifa rejoined them around the fire. "And there's a cart on the back of it too so we won't be smushed together again. We can leave in the morning."
"Why wait?" Cloud asked, standing up. "We can go now."
"Nibelheim's not far," Claire agreed.
"So, this is it, Red Xlll." Aerith stood as well, sounding sad."
"That's just the way it goes." Barret said, standing up. "You came handy at many times."
Jeanne didn't say anything and just started moving towards the buggy.
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" They all turned to see Red Xlll run up to the woman in white. Bugen was behind him.
"Jeanne, please look after Nanaki."
"What happened?" Cloud asked.
"I think I grew up a little," Red Xlll sounded happy. "That's what happened. So let's go!"
"Nibelheim," Jeanne said as she walked down the stairs. "Here we come."
All right! Guess who's introduced in the next chapter? VINCENT VALENTINE! OMG, I can't wait! Sephiroth and Vincent have always been my fave characters since the first time I played this game! I can't wait!
PLEASE REVIEW :)