A/N:
Thanks to everyone who faved, alerted or reviewed this story! You make me feel all warm and squishy, ^_^
Happy Holidays everyone! For those who celebrate, here is my Christmas present to you. If you don't, well, I hope you have a good day and enjoy the latest installment of this story.
But I have a special surprise for my 250th reviewer. –smiles—
So, again, I love feedback, ideas, comments or just plain "I like" or "I dislike".
I'm working on the latest chapter of Ghost of Wutai, but it is kicking my butt ('tis the trouble of writing a story by oneself, no one to springboard idea's off of), as well the latest installments of 'Cause and Effect', 'Not Again!', 'Never a Memory' and 'The Battle of Nibelheim'. Ironically enough, 'Never a Memory' is the closest to being finished…which, again, is odd since its chapters are looking to be quite long.
Anywho, enjoy! I'm on a roll with this story and I'm riding the inspiration train all the way to the station. =3
BOLD text will be dream sequences and BOLD w/ italics will be flashbacks, to prevent confusion…
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII in its entirety do not belong to me but to Square Equinox. To quote another writer: "These are not my toys; I'm just abusing them…"
Rating (chapter): T
Word Count: 4,278
Summary: The first thing on Cloud Strife's mind when he woke was Not Again. Reliving the past once was hard enough, but doing everything again for a fourth time…Refusing to believe that he is trapped in a cycle of endless death and re-birth, Cloud decides to do whatever he can to stop the future he knows from happening. Along the way, he finds himself tangled up with the man he could not help but think was beautiful but learned to hate. Sephiroth was always part of the problem, but could Cloud turn the General into the solution? Time Travel fic/AU.
Fourth Time's the Charm
by Catsitta
"A man can stand a lot as long as he can stand himself."—Axel Munthe
Chapter twenty-one: Revelation
Sephiroth had his doubts when Reno knocked on his door earlier that day. The redhead was a troublemaker and had a slur to his speech that irritated the crap out of him. Fortunately, the Cadet was too panicked to speak which saved both his ears and his sanity. It was when their travels took them outside of ShinRa and beneath the Plate that his paranoia began to nag at him. Could he really trust this child? This, obvious slum rat.
Clad in sweatpants, a T-shirt and boots, Sephiroth was not exactly dressed for a fight. Though, he did have Masamune, which, was all he should need for this supposed rescue mission. In fact, if Tseng was smart, the man would give up without a fight… He should have known better.
Upon reaching the hotel that Reno claimed Cloud was in, Reno disappeared. The silver General let out a snort. Coward. Sephiroth strode to the door and found it locked. With an amused smirk on his lips, he rapped his knuckles against the wooden frame, half-expecting for silence to be his only answer. What he did not expect was for the door to swing open. Curious.
Alert, he padded through the halls, finding the building apparently deserted. He would have to have a long chat with Reno back at ShinRa… Then, a blur of red knocked him sideways, out of the path of some bizarre trap. Sephiroth growled at the Cadet and the boy immediately clambered off of him, his face flushed. "Sorry General. I snuck in the back lookin' for traps and the like, yo. Didn't find much aside from some floor triggers like yah stepped on. But Cloud's here, I know it."
Mako-colored eyes appraised the ruined wall behind him. Had Reno not pushed him over, it was very likely he would be injured right now and it would be his blood decorating the wallpaper. Grunting with acknowledgement. Sephiroth pushed himself onto his feet and returned to his exploration, this time careful to avoid the triggers the Cadet pointed out.
Half an hour later, the silver-haired SOLDIER was becoming agitated and was preparing to give his crimson-haired companion the thrashing of his life, when he heard voices. Sephiroth blinked and strained to listen. He could hear two distinct voices somewhere nearby. If his mind was not playing tricks on him, one of them was Cloud.
Smirking, Sephiroth motioned for Reno to follow and together they maneuvered their way closer to the voices. To reach them required Reno to find the secret panel in the wall, but soon they were standing in a hidden room, one that likely connected to the one Cloud was in. The General strode to the door that laid no more than five-feet away and pressed his ear against it.
What he heard disturbed him.
"…quick and intelligent. Why not join the Turks?" Tseng! That had to be him speaking. And did Cloud just giggle like a little girl?
"Aha, very funny. Me. A Turk. After what you pulled this week? Not gunna happen. Ever." Well, that was good to know…sort of. What exactly had Tseng done over the past week? Cloud sounded…strange. Almost delirious. Was he ill?
"You talk as if you have a choice, Strife." That was a threat. Sephiroth could recognize that tone in an instant. Tseng was attempting to bully Cloud into becoming a Turk, which was not going to happen.
"Lemme guess. Join the Turks or die, right?" The General gripped the doorknob; this conversation was over. He was not going to lose the boy because the Turk's decided he would make a fun play toy.
"Smart boy." He turned the knob.
"Hm. Guess that means I'll have to try again next time." What in Gaia did that mean?
"What is that supposed to mean?" Apparently, Tseng was thinking the same thing.
"It means 'Screw you' so, please continue with your plans of putting a bullet in my skull. I don't mind. Really." No! Sephiroth could imagine Tseng standing over Cloud, rifle poised against the blond's temple, ready to pull the trigger. And when he did, he would feel no remorse. Turks killed every day. One little Cadet would make no difference to them. So why did he feel so possessive…so urgent to come to the boy's rescue?
Forcing the door open with all his strength, Sephiroth brought the conversation to a halt. Tseng tensed and rose from where he sat, his hand moving towards his gun. The silver General gritted his teeth and moved into the room like a shadow—silently. A flash of crimson told him that Reno had run into the room, but his sights were on the Turk commander alone. How dare he steal his Cloud and then threaten to kill him…Huh, wait. When did the blond become HIS Cloud?
"General Sephiroth…what a pleasant surprise." Tseng did not even bother attempting to force a smile. "I see you brought…help." Reno was kneeling by Cloud and fumbling to cut the ropes that bound him with a standard-issue boot knife. The blond merely sat there, limp against his restraints, his hair and clothing stained with muck and blood. He could not see the boy's face, but he could see a slim cord of blue amongst the blond spikes…the bandana Reno gave him for his birthday.
Jealousy bubbled to the surface. The redhead was rescuing Cloud. He was freeing him from the bindings. It would be his hands checking for injuries. It would be in his arms that the Cadet would fall. It was his eyes he would stare into, thankful as he flushed prettily. Unacceptable.
"You kidnapped one of my best recruits." Sephiroth said lowly, taking a step closer, his grip tight around Masamune.
"Such is common practice when recruiting Turks." Tseng countered smoothly, the gun in his hands slipping free from its holster. "Or when flushing out spies."
"Cadet Strife is under my jurisdiction. Even if this was a recruitment exercise, you must still breech the subject with me. You kept your silence, Tseng, defied the balance of power."
The Wutain man lifted is weapon,"Lower the blade, General. Shed a drop of my blood and you shall be court marshaled for treason. How is that for keeping the balance of power?"
It was a dangerous game the two leaders played. Each knew the other could be bluffing or truly ready to strike the other down. Should Sephiroth lose his temper and take the life of the Turk commander, he would likely lose his life; the same would apply should the other way around occur. Neither man dared step down lest he appear weak, but to actually attack was to risk everything they ever sought after.
"You are fortunate that I came in time to intervene, Tseng." Sephiroth growled,"Otherwise, should I have found a dead body; yours would have joined it on the floor. I would not have hesitated to rip out your heart. Masamune thirsts for blood. It has been much too long since she feasted upon human flesh." The General knew his eyes were gleaming sadistically. If he were any less controlled of a man, then he would have let himself fall prey to his baser desires. Never a day went by that he did not dream of bloodshed. He was, after all, created to kill and destroy without feeling. A perfect monster. Masamune an extension of that cruel inhumanity.
"Stand down, General."
"I take no orders from the enemy."
"Oh shut up the both of you!" Said addressed men blinked with surprise and looked towards the speaker. Standing, just barely, with one arm slung over the shoulders of the taller, redhead Cadet, was Cloud. His blue eyes were flashing in a way that Sephiroth had never seen before. They were neither guarded eyes of a warn-hardened veteran, or innocent eyes of a child yet to see his first battle, nor were they distant eyes of a daydreamer…all those sides he had seen of Cloud. But this version was new, alien, almost frightening in its unfamiliarity.
His posture was like that of a rebellious young man that had just been in the fight of his life. Despite the beating, he was alive and willing to do it all over again. There was a loose smirk on those normally secretive lips, and a fire burning in those eyes that seared into the soul of anyone who dared to peer too deeply.
"Tseng, you're a cutthroat, backstabbing bastard, but I never expected anything less of one of the best Turks there ever was. No, I won't be a Turk, and it aint 'cause you're a nutcase either. And you, General, Sephiroth…you're crazy, enough said." Cloud rolled his eyes and his knees buckled, requiring Reno to pull him back onto his feet,"And Reno, you sneaky fucker. I know you have something to do with all of this. I mean, the General is in sweatpants for Gaia's sake!" Laughter filled the room. Delirious, feverish laughter. Sephiroth noted the fact that there was a sickly flush to Cloud's skin and a sparkle into those eyes that was not healthy.
"Now, if you two would stop posturing like a pair of roosters, I would like to go home now. I've had a long week and I need a shower." He looked up at the ceiling before grinning stupidly and whispering something into Reno's ear. The crimson-haired Cadet blushed he same color as his hair and his eyes bugged out some.
"I'm straight, yo! Not that you aint a fine lookin' piece of ass, but you're missing a few parts."
Cloud laughed again and said aloud,"I know. But what I told you remains true."
Reno shook his head,"Only you would think 'bout that while being rescued from the Turks."
"Nah, bet you would too, yah pervert." The blond teased, giggling.
"I'm not the one makin' sex jokes, yo." Reno deadpanned, eliciting more laughter from the younger teen in his arms. He seemed to be struggling to keep a good hold on the boy, and Cloud appeared to have abandoned all effort to stand up on his own. Hanging loosely in his friend's arms, the blond watched the Tseng and Sephiroth in an almost bored fashion.
"True dat…Hey, when are the other Turks gunna pop up? I know you've gotta lot of baby's 'round here, Tseng…Elena, the blondie, yeah, yah need to teach her that not everybody is impressed by her boobs. Seriously, I've seen bigger and guess what, I didn't give a damn then either…" Another stream of giggles escape his lips,"Well, maybe I did care a little. I fancied myself in love with her at the time, I think. But that was a looong time ago…" Reno slumped forwards a bit as Cloud thrashed about in emphasis. Sheepishly, he looked towards the General for help.
"It's like he's drunk…or high, yo." The redhead complained,"But I think he's sick. I can feel the heat coming off of him and he aint makin' no sense at all. So, General, we ready to go?"
Sephiroth glanced over at Tseng, whom looked as stupefied as everyone else in the room felt, before lowering Masamune completely. "We will continue this conversation at a later date, Tseng."
The Turk commander nodded dumbly, looking between the gun in his hands to the delirious blond across the room. His brows furrowed together with thought, however, and Sephiroth noted that his gaze was zeroed in on the crimson-haired Cadet. Not allowing time for the man to recover, the General swept past him and offered his hand to Reno, whom shoved the fevered blond against him in an instant.
"You carry him!" His blush, one that had faded for a moment, had returned.
"Aw, but Reno, we were gettin' along so well!" Cloud complained.
"Yah, but grabbin' my ass was a bit much there Blondie."
"Sorry, it looked so…grab-able…I don't think that's a word…But who cares!"
Sephiroth, uncertain what to think or do, merely trudged his was out of the building.
"That went better than I thought it would…" Reno said once they reached the street. "Though, knowin' the Turks as I do, somethin' is a tellin' me that this aint over…is it General?"
No, it was not over, far from it.
000X000
Cloud was uncertain where he was anymore. After telling Tseng to put a bullet in his skull, something inside him more-or-less snapped. He did not want to die. It was not as if he was afraid of doing so, because, let's face it, he had died three times before, each time violently. In his haze of neither here nor there, memories came and went, ebbing closer to the surface before disappearing back into the depths. So many lives he had taken, friends he had lost, enemies he had sworn to slay, people he had tried so desperately to protect.
Soon these memories became but a wash of green. A tint to a familiar landscape.
He smiled. Aerith's church.
The half-Certa stood amongst her flower garden, a peaceful expression on her face. She let out a soft gasp, suddenly, before turning to face Cloud. Only, it was not him she was looking at. A smile curled on her lips and she looked away bashfully, curling her hair with a finger.
"Zack." She whispered and said SOLDIER emerged from the green haze and passed through Cloud's incorporeal form, blissfully unaware of his presence. The blond felt a surge of warmth enter his chest. They were meant to be together, those two. He remembered his friend, from his second life, mentioning his plans to marry the girl…they were betrothed when Cloud and Zack left to face Sephiroth in battle. What could have been…should have been, was taken away from all of them.
Sadness replaced the warmth. He wished he could have done more.
"Hey Aerith," Zack seemed a little depressed, which was unusual being as he was normally so full of life. The dark-haired SOLDIER came to a stop at the edge of the flowerbed, his aquamarine eyes fixed on the floor.
"What's wrong?" Emerald eyes were deep with concern. Aerith walked over to his side, her auburn braid swaying with her every movement. Such a pretty girl. So kind and passionate, despite her innocence. She was the kind of person who would not only fight for her beliefs, but die for them. She proved that much in his first life when she summoned Holy, risking, and in the end sacrificing, her life to stop Meteor.
Cloud hissed with pain as Gaia brought that day to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear the images of Aerith's death from it. Soon, the fragmented thought lay in pieces once again. An alter within the lost city of the Ancients. Aerith kneeling before it, praying for Holy. Sephiroth crashing through the roof, Masamune piercing her back and emerging through her chest. Blood pooled beneath her on the tile, staining the alter and the floor an eerie shade of red. Holy was summoned, the white materia alive with energy and the life of the one whom summoned it.
"I miss him." Zack said as he wrapped his arms around Aerith's waist, pressing his forehead against hers. The young half-Certa looped her arms around his neck and allowed for a long moment of silence where the only sounds to be heard were from the street outside. "It's my fault. He could be dead right now, and…and…" Aerith shushed him and continued to hold the First as a mother might a grieving child. Or, Cloud realized, as a woman might hold her lover.
There was love in those emerald eyes, the kind that frightened with its intensity and swallowed people up whole. It was the kind of feeling that laid in wait, deceptively hiding amongst other emotions until one day it hit you. Aerith was in love and she did not even know it yet. Cloud shook his head, clearing away the last of unpleasant memories. Perhaps there was hope yet for those two.
"Zack, there is nothing you can do but pray that he will be alright. Cloud sounds like he's a strong boy, he'll pull through. Have faith…in him and in yourself. No one blames you, Zack."
"Spike probably does…I'm his mentor. I'm supposed to protect him from sh—stuff like that." The blond let a small laugh escape. Zack was definitely fond of Aerith, to the point where he tried not to swear around her. It was…endearing. Feeling like an old man prying on the affairs of the young, Cloud turned away.
"I don't blame you in the least, Zack." He was unsure whether he said that aloud or merely thought it, but such was enough to bring him to a pause. Cloud took once last glance back at Aerith and found her frowning.
"Hey, Aerith, is something wrong?" The raven-haired First sounded concerned.
"It's okay," Cloud found himself saying,"He'll understand."
"Who are you?" Aerith seemed both curious as well as uncertain.
"Cloud. Tell Zack I'm okay."
"You're in the Lifestream!" Her surprise was understandable. Not many people have had as many dips into the life blood of the Planet as himself. In fact, there were times where he could barely distinguish himself from the Planet…where he wanted to fall asleep and curl in the warmth only Gaia could provide and rest as her other WEAPONs do.
"I'm not dead…I've been here before. Merely visiting. Oh, and Aerith, take care of him, will you?"
"You're not from here…are you?"
"No. Bye Aerith."
"Goodbye…Cloud."
Suddenly, the green intensified, sending Cloud reeling. In what felt like a few heartbeats of time, the scene changed from one of quiet to that of battle. Zack stood before Aerith, Buster sword in hand, his eyes alight with mako. His back was towards her and she held a staff in her hands, her eyes wide and her body trembling. Before them was a strange creature, one that Cloud remembered from the stolen memories he had from Zack in his first life, where his identity was lost, leaving him believing he was his best friend.
Ravens. Genesis Clones. The perilous, mutated beasts signaled the beginning of the end. But, it was much too soon. They were not supposed to appear until later! Or…were they? Cloud gripped his head; it felt like Gaia was ripping his mind apart with all the memories. He just wanted the pain to end. Through his narrowed eyes, he caught a glimpse of Zack leaping into action, the sword in his hands cutting through the monsters like butter…
But that was something else that was not right, Cloud realized. The sword Zack held was Buster Sword, Angeal's prized blade. Before, he had let his eyes glide over the blade, assuming it to be of the same class, not the actual weapon itself. But he saw quite clearly now the true nature of the blade. Though, he did not get that…until…until…
"He committed suicide by puppy!" Zack cried, though to whom the memory did not reveal. The First was delirious with grief, and he clutched the giant sword with desperation. "Angeal…why? Why did you make me do it? What twisted kind of honor led you to do this?"
How did Zack already have Buster Sword? From what he understood, Genesis and Angeal went AWOL but neither was dead. Another difference in the timeline…perhaps one that held a deal of significance…or perhaps not.
"Aerith!" Zack faltered mid-stride when he noticed the young half-Certa cornered by one of the beasts. It's molting, black wings were flared—claws reached forwards… She swung her staff, landing a heavy blow to the creature's skull. It recoiled, shaking its head, giving her enough time to run around it to safety. The First smiled a little awkwardly and cut through another monster, grimacing only when strange, black inchor spewed from their wounds rather than blood.
"Stand behind me," the SOLDIER commanded and the auburn girl nodded, holding her staff in a defensive position.
"I'll be okay, Zack." She told him softly,"With you protecting me."
With that, the green tinted realm scattered away, and Cloud found himself plunged into darkness. He wondered if it was all a dream…or if Gaia had actually drawn him into the Lifestream to protect him. The darkness began to brighten. He would know soon.
000X000
Zack trudged home, confusion wrapping its way through his thoughts like a serpent. Nothing was making sense anymore. One moment he was visiting the nice flower girl he met in the slums (via crashing through the roof of her church on a mission) and the next, things turned weird. He could not believe it…Aerith, an Ancient. The one person who could grow flowers in Midgar was also the last of a race of people thought extinct.
He was not exactly sure what to think. He confessed his worry about Cloud and then she spaced out and told him that the kid was okay. Some part of him screamed that it was a cruel joke, that Aerith was not really connected to the Planet and she could not actually hear Cloud's voice in the Lifestream. But there was sincerity in her voice and pleading in her eyes for him to understand.
When he asked how Cloud could be in the Lifestream and not dead, she became quiet and said something that shook him quite a bit. Cloud was connected to Gaia in a way that even the Certa were not. His very life essence was threaded into Her own. Aerith muttered some nonsense about 'hero', 'chosen', and 'WEAPON' that proved only to confuse him further. Apparently, the Planet was possessive of Cloud and even the last Ancient was not allowed to know why.
But the strangeness had not stopped there. After her confession, these…things attacked the church. They were not very strong and their movements looked painful and awkward, but there was something chilling about their forms. Aerith pulled a staff from somewhere, but Zack did not see from where, and she let out a cry of fear. The hero inside of him acted on instinct, tearing apart the mutated beasts before they could do any harm to her.
However, he was wounded. The last of the beats jumped out of the shadows when he thought the danger had passed and ripped into his chest and gut. Zack honestly thought he was going to die when Aerith came to his rescue, slamming the butt of the staff into the monster's maw and breaking its jaw. A few swipes and a blast of materia later (at least, he suspected it she was using materia) and the monster evaporated into green rain. Soon, she knelt over him, her hands hovering above his chest, tears in her eyes. She begged him not to die. He told her that he was not planning on it.
Just as he felt the edge of unconsciousness creeping up on him, there was a flash of green light and his whole body felt caressed by some strange wind. When the light faded, he felt not only better, but full of energy. He could not refrain from leaping to his feet in surprise.
Of course, Aerith scolded him, but the smile of relief on her features told a different story.
"How…" he had considered asking how she had done it, but changed the question,"…can I ever thank you… You save my life, Aerith…again."
"I already have a flower cart," she had replied coyly before blushing softly,"So…maybe…you could…sometime…"
"Sometime…I could what?" Zack had asked, closing the distance between them and flashing her the first genuine smile he had all week.
"Date." She squeaked before covering her face with both hands.
A date. The pretty girl from the slums whom he had just learned was the last of her kind, possessed magical powers and could fight with a staff…was asking him, Zack Fair, a SOLDIER (something Aerith openly admitted to being afraid of when they first met), on a date. He had been startled, to say the least, since she had been one of the people he had confided the deeper extent of his relationship with Angeal to when he had disappeared. And a large part of him shouted that he was with Angeal, that the man was missing, not dead… But the tinest part of him swelled with want…with hope.
Aerith trusted him more than anyone else.
Uncertain of exactly why, Zack agreed. They both ended up parting ways after that, wearing matching blushes as if they were but children. He could not help but question his choice. Did accepting her offer mean he was betraying Angeal? Or was this him finally accepting reality, recognizing that the man he fell in love with was gone, his mind warped by the idea that he was a monster. Zack let out a ragged sigh.
That was when he saw a flash of blond intermixed with silver.
He blinked with disbelief.
Cradled in the strong arm of General Sephiroth, was Cloud, his blue eyes open…a smile on his face. Joy filled his heart. Cloud was alive. Aerith was right. Whooping with joy, causing the General and a certain redhead Cadet (one he did not notice until now) to pause and look his direction. Reno smirked and gave a lazy salute, and Sephiroth nodded.
To his surprise, the General gave Cloud a strangely affectionate look before lowering the blond to his feet where he swayed. But the smile remained on his face and he splayed is arms open, allowing Zack to catching him in his embrace.
For a moment, his heart swelled with joy and all the darkness fled from his mind.
A/N: (See, I was nice, no cliffie! But I do hope I've given some of ya'll some food for thought. Hehe. Review. It makes me happy and want to write more. It really does. Feedback feeds my inspiration for some odd reason. )