Author's Note: I apologize for the lapse in submitting chapters. There will be a bigger gap between submissions just because my life has become a little more complicated. Rest assured, though. I will NEVER abandon stories that I begin on this site. I promise. Every comment, every favorite, and every follow means the world to me. Thanks so much for staying with me!
And I will try to write longer chapters after this one. Thanks for the feedback. This one would have been longer, but that was such a perfect place to leave it.
-ICICLES-
It took the better part of the next day to make it as far south as we could go and then most of the night to ferry everyone around the mountain. Carrying an injured Yuffie, we didn't want to chance hiking through the rocky terrain. Dragging an injured comrade across uneven ground was a bad idea, no mistake about it.
Aside from the usual enemies, a new adversary soon emerged to greet us: the cold. Most of us were dressed in very light clothing, and the temperature was unforgiving. I did have my trench coat, but it really wasn't built for this kind of freezing weather. I was pretty sure as we traveled along that I had goosebumps on top of my goosebumps. Even so, I knew the best way to keep warm was to keep moving.
At that point, I could honestly say that I had no idea what was coming next. I had managed to save Aerith's life, but I wondered what the cost would be. Already, I was seeing some of the consequences with Yuffie. What if there was some kind of cosmic balance that needed satisfying... like Aerith was meant to die, so, instead, now, the cosmos demanded Yuffie's life in exchange.
"You seem distracted."
Unbeknownst to me, Nanaki had caught up with me and was now walking at my side.
"Do I?" I replied, unsure if I should discuss it.
"You do," the great cat (dog?) confirmed, undeterred by my passive evasion.
What harm could it do if I spoke with Nanaki? He was a wise individual that could offer some unique insight.
"I changed things," I admitted, "I changed something really important. I'm afraid of what that means."
"You mean saving Aerith's life?" he asked.
"She was supposed to die," I told him, "That one event had such a big impact on... everything... and everyone. I've altered that, now... but I couldn't let her die."
"It weighs heavily on your heart, knowing events before they take place," Nanaki acknowledged, "Are there more events that you will try to change?"
"I just don't know," I admitted, "There are some bad things that have yet to happen... but I know that they need to happen. Already, I think I might have altered things."
"In my village, there was once a seer," Nanaki told me, "He was not as gifted as you, but he did have some knowledge of future events. I asked him once if he was afraid to change things, and he told me that some things are set and will happen no matter what. He said that even seers could not alter certain events. If you were able to save Aerith, then her death was not one of those events."
I stopped, looking down at him. His words made me feel so much better, and I didn't think he realized how much of a burden he had just lifted from my shoulders. I crouched down in front of him and embraced him.
"Thank you," I whispered.
He leaned into my hug, rubbing his head against my chin. It also had an added effect of warming me up.
"You are welcome, Skye," he responded.
As we marched along, the landscape was almost blindingly white, and every time the wind blew, every inch of skin I was showing went numb. Aerith saw me suffering and scooted up beside me.
"Hey, I have a secret for you," she smiled.
"P-please, sh-share..." I begged, and I swear the chill had reached all the way to my bones, possibly to the depths of my soul...
She held up a materia and whispered a few words, causing the small green sphere to light up. Suddenly, it was like I was wrapped in a heating blanket, and I turned a very surprised expression in her direction.
"Just your regular fire materia," she informed me, "I cast the first level Fire spell but then I only used it at half power."
"How do you do that?" I asked.
"Oh, it takes some practice," she replied, "and the materia has to be mastered."
She reached into her pouch and pulled out another materia.
"Here," she said, handing me the sphere, "It's the materia born when this one was mastered."
I had totally forgotten about that. In the game, when you master the materia, a new one was created. Apparently, that aspect mirrored the game, as well.
"So, I was supposed to die?" Aerith asked me, to which I nodded, "What a horrible burden to have to carry around."
"Yea, it was..." I agreed, "I couldn't tell anyone because there were so many factors."
It wasn't just Aerith's death, either. I had to take Cloud's identity crisis into account, as well. What if Sephiroth had tried to take control of Cloud earlier? What if Cloud, in his stubborn way, tried to leave the group sooner? What if the group, however unlikely, decided that Cloud was too much of a threat and decided to ditch him.
The question still remained, however: should I warn Cloud? According to the game, he would succumb to Sephiroth's control and hand over the black materia. If I stopped that event, what would Sephiroth do to get the black materia? Once Cloud became truly aware of who he was and what had really happened to him, he prevented Sephiroth's control over him.
I knew I couldn't tell him the whole story; he still had to go through the event with Tifa putting his mind back together and discovering that he really wasCloud Strife and not a clone. I couldn't take that away; it was vital to future events and a possible relationship with Tifa (I wasn't really a shipper, but when a girl runs around inside your mind and helps piece it back together, that was a deep level of intimacy).
"So are there any other really big events that you feel like you can't tell us?" Aerith asked.
I simply looked at her, attempting to convey my answer with an expression.
"Anything I can help you with?" she pressed.
I shook my head. It was already enough that she was here and alive. In saving her life, I might have doomed hundreds to die of the Geostigma... including Cloud. Although, I did have one advantage; I knew exactly what the Geostigma was. Now that Aerith was alive, she and I could both work on the cure.
"Ask me later," I told her, smiling.
"All right, Skye," she reluctantly agreed, "but remember you don't have to do this alone. We're all here for you."
"I know that," I reassured her, "It's just..."
I trailed off, glancing towards Cloud, who paid no attention to me or Aerith. Perhaps I could become more proactive rather than waiting for things to happen.
"There's a small village a little further north," I said, "We should-"
A moan from Yuffie distracted me from my train of thought. I dropped back to the make-shift stretcher carried by Vincent and Cid to check on her.
"Where...am I?" Yuffie groaned.
"We're on our way to the nearest medical facility," I informed her, trying to keep my tone light.
"Healing... materia?" she asked.
"We did that, Yuffie," I replied, "It's a really strange injury that didn't heal."
I had always wondered why no one tried using Phoenix Downs or the Revive materia when Aerith died. So many theories circulated among the fans of Final Fantasy VII... everything from Phoenix Down only brought characters back from an unconscious status to the characters being so stunned with grief that they simply didn't think of it.
The fact that Yuffie's injury didn't heal when we used potions, antidotes, or healing materia illuminated a new theory for me: It was a magical wound that didn't heal by normal means, which made perfect sense. This was Jenova we were dealing with... not the real Sephiroth. Perhaps, Cloud had tried many different ways to revive Aerith... before I went and changed the timeline, that is.
"Did... we... at least... get him?" she persisted, speech obviously requiring a tremendous amount of effort.
"You saved Aerith's life, Yuffie," I smiled at her, "You're a hero."
A weak smirk appeared on her lips. "Imma... hero...heeerooo"
"Here... take this..." she added, holding her hand up as high as possible... which was just above her hip. I took the item from her hand and looked at it. As soon as I saw it, I gasped. It was the black materia! Yuffie's sticky fingers had given us an end game!
"You're amazing, Yuffie!" I praised.
"I... know..." she breathed. Even in this state, she was so snarky!
I carefully put it in my pouch, making a mental note to continually check that it was there. And under no circumstances would I give it to Cloud... or anyone else, for that matter. It would be safe with me.
Nanaki's words echoed in my head: Some things are set and will happen no matter what.
"Rest now," I said softly.
Her eyes rolled back and closed. I checked her over briefly, making sure she was still breathing and that her pulse was still steady.
"Hang in there, Yuffie," I whispered. I didn't think I could ever forgive myself if Yuffie died because of my choice to save Aerith. Not just Yuffie... anyone. If I had to give my own life to ensure everyone's safety... then I would.
(Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Amari)
Yea, it isn't my first choice, either, Prasid.
It seemed to take an eternity to reach Icicle Village, but once we did, I was hoping there was some kind of healer in town. If not, I had no idea what would happen to Yuffie.
I ran ahead to the inn, bursting in through the door and probably frightening the innkeeper... considering she looked to be about 11 years old.
"Wake up, grampa... we got a customer!" she told him, swatting the sleeping, elderly gentleman lightly on the knee.
"Oh... welcome," he coughed, slowly coming around, "Glad you came."
This wasn't the inn... it was the weapons shop.
"Hi, is there a healer in the village?" I asked.
"Oh... yea... about 3 houses down," she informed me.
"Thanks," I replied, "I'll be back for some equipment."
She looked positively gleeful at that as I turned and ran out the door. Following the directions, I engaged Earth protocols and knocked on the door of the third house down. When the door opened, an older man answered the door, seemingly confused that I had the nerve to knock. After all, on Gaia, it was customary to simply walk into a house.
"Are you the healer?" I asked.
"Yes," the man replied, "Are you in need of healing?"
"No, my friend is," I revealed.
The man looked around. "Well... where is she?"
"At the inn... can you come with me?"
"Certainly. Let me grab a few things," he said, starting to gather his tools and some bottles, "Tell me about the illness."
"She was sliced by a very long sword," I explained, "Potions and materia aren't working properly."
He nodded as he filled up a small carrying case with supplies. "Well, now, that is odd. I guess I'll just need to see the wound. Lead the way, Miss."
We arrived at the inn just as Vincent and Cid set Yuffie carefully down on the bed, making certain to keep her on her side.
"Hey, this is..." I stopped, mentally facepalming. I forgot to introduce myself, and I never asked the healer's name.
"Rojin is the name," he filled in the blanks.
"He's a healer," I added.
He approached Yuffie, carefully and gently examining the wound, and I stood nearby, watching. It certainly looked like a normal wound, lacking any element that would make it appear magical or different from any other injury. No strange, green glow or nasty-smelling ooze coming from it. Though had the slash gone any deeper, poor Yuffie would have literally been beside herself.
"Hmmm, I've only seen this kind of magic once before," the man commented as he rifled through his bag, withdrawing a couple of bottles.
"You have?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.
"A very long time ago," he continued, "about 30 years, I'd say. A group of people came to excavate something out of the crater...one of them had a gash similar to this one."
Of course! When Shinra came to excavate Jenova! They had been attacked? I didn't remember that in the game, but it made perfect sense. The true form of Jenova had tentacles with sharp barbs on the end of them. According to this healer, someone had been injured with this kind of magic then.
He began mixing the contents of bottles together, dropping a feather into the mix. As soon as it touched the liquid, it looked like it burned up. He then took a dropper, withdrew some silvery substance from one more bottle and squirted it into the mixed bottle. The liquid then turned clear. He took up some of the liquid in the dropper and slowly squeezed it onto Yuffie's wound, which began to heal up gradually.
I smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. She was going to be all right.
"She needs to rest for at least one day, more if you can," he told us.
"How much do we owe you?" Cloud asked.
"250 gil..."
Cloud paid the healer, looking down at Yuffie with a lighter expression. Apparently, he had been extremely worried for her. I actually thought it was really sweet.
We moved Yuffie to the local inn, where we rented a room and gathered to discuss the next step. It was a little crowded, but we still managed.
"So, I got a question," Barret began, "Why is Sephiroth goin' to the north? What's so special about it?"
"It's where Jenova came to this planet," I explained, "and where the Cetra used the Lifestream's power to imprison her there... until Shinra excavated her over 30 years ago."
"Of course," Barret grumbled, "Leave it to Shinra..."
"When Jenova fell from the sky, it injured the Planet, and it gathered all of the Lifestream at that area to heal it. Sephiroth is going to summon Meteor to that place. He wants to force the Lifestream to gather there again... to merge with it. He wants all that power." I continued.
"It won't kill him?" asked Tifa.
"No, Sephiroth is already in the Lifestream," I told them.
"Wait... what?" Cloud interrupted.
"He's already in the Lifestream."
"How is that possible?" Cloud snapped, "We've been following him all across Gaia!"
"We've been following a shape-shifter called Jenova," I corrected, "And Jenova is being controlled by Sephiroth from the Lifestream."
Cloud looked completely shocked... not to mention pissed.
"Are there any other revelations you want to drop on us?" he growled.
"I already told you, I-"
"Can't... yea, I know," Cloud interrupted, completely annoyed, "Well, I'm tired of you keeping things from us, Skye. Tell us what you know."
Really? Cloud was angry at me for keeping things from the group? Cloud? Of all people? I was very tempted to reveal his messed up past, but I couldn't do that. It wasn't time for it, and it might really screw things up.
"I... honestly don't know, now," I shot back, "I've changed something... something really big."
"Maybe if you had told us sooner, Aerith wouldn't have run off in the first place," Cloud yelled.
"That's not true, Cloud," Aerith denied, "I still would have gone. And I think you are being really unfair to Skye right now."
He stopped, staring at Aerith.
"Does everyone feel that way?" he asked quietly.
"Hell, no," Barret spoke up, "Skye, if you know somethin', you should tell us."
I was fed up. "All right. You wanna know something? Well, here it is. We're going to win against Sephiroth. I've seen it... but only if we all work together."
I looked directly at Cloud. "And you... what is it you really want to know, Cloud?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why can Sephiroth control me?"
I hadn't expected that question. "All SOLDIERs are given Jenova cells along with mako treatments. You have a very high number of Jenova cells... so does Sephiroth. He was given the cells when he was still in his mother's stomach."
I was very careful not to mention that Cloud had never actually been in SOLDIER, and I, of course, neglected to mention his time with Hojo. I needed to keep that carefully concealed until the right moment.
"Wait... I thought Jenova was Sephiroth's mother..." said Aerith, "He calls her mother, doesn't he?"
I sighed, knowing that Vincent was already aware of this. "Jenova is not his mother. He's a human being... his mother..."
I paused and looked at Vincent. "...is Lucrecia Crescent."
Vincent nodded. "It is truth."
Cloud's eyes were wide. "I've got... Jenova cells... inside me?"
"Every SOLDIER does."
"So, I'm a danger to everyone," he said.
"Running off to be alone isn't going to keep us safe, Cloud," I explained, "It makes you more susceptible and dangerous. At least here, we can talk you down and help you fight it."
"Listen to Skye, Cloud," Tifa encouraged.
"H-how do I fight it?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Think of something that gives you strength, Cloud," I answered, "and don't let go of that."
That evening, I didn't sleep well at all, in and out of nightmares all night. Memories were so muddled in my mind, and I was trying to make sense of them all. They clashed with everything I knew and believed, threatening to turn my existence upside down.
...This must be what Cloud's mind is like... having memories that don't feel like his own...
(Yes, but yours are truth)
...How do I know that?...
(What does your heart tell you, Amari)
My heart was just as confused, and I wanted to believe that this was reality. I kept thinking that someday, long after I accepted this as real, that I would awaken in some kind of insane asylum with doctors telling me I finally came out of my delusion. And then I would go through the mourning process of having lost a world that I thought was mine.
The morning sun peeked through the shutters of my room, urging me to get up and go about my morning routine. I slid out of bed and cleaned up, getting dressed afterwards. As I headed downstairs, I didn't hear any movement from any other rooms, so I assumed my Tai Chi would be unobserved today. It was a little unnerving to have people watching me, but I was also flattered. Cloud had even asked me to teach him some of it.
The snow was going to be a problem, however; to complete the intricate movements of the Tai Chi movements, my feet needed to be on solid ground, and everywhere in this village was covered with snow. At least Aerith had taught me how to keep warm with the fire materia. I'd been practicing since she showed me the trick.
And then, an idea came to me. I walked outside the village to a patch of level ground and focused my fire materia on an area. It seemed to travel through my whole body, down through my feet, warming me as it did. I watched with wonder as the flames spread out across the snow, melting it right down to the dirt and leaving me a steady, level area in which to perform my morning dance (as Nananki called it).
I was about half-way through the routine when I noticed Cloud standing off to the side, watching me. I couldn't let it distract me; I needed to finish. Concentrating on the movements and the breathing, I twisted and turned, placing my feet in the path that was required. I finished with the final exhale of breath.
"It's really beautiful," he commented.
"Thanks," I said a little less enthusiastically. Wasn't he still mad at me for keeping secrets?
"Skye, I wanted to apologize," he began, walking towards me "It's just that... this whole mind control is freaking me out."
"Yea, I suppose I understand that," I agreed. If someone were trying to control me, I would most likely freak out.
"So, what I'm trying to say," he continued, now standing directly in front of me, close enough for me to see individual eye-lashes...
...Wow, he's really close...
(Are we going to start fangirling?)
Maybe just a little...
In the game, Cloud was this blocky character with no distinguishing features except for the brilliant blue eyes. Even in the movie, he looked more anime than real. Standing here in front of me in real life, I took in the sight of him... those amazing blue eyes speckled with cyan from the mako... the lean muscular figure... those soft lips... neither the game nor the movie did him justice at all.
"... I'm sorry for yelling at you the way I did," he went on, "I know you probably keep things from us for good reasons."
"It's really hard... to know things about the future," I confided.
"I'm also a little frustrated," he said, "Sephiroth... or... Jenova... has the black materia. He's gonna summon it, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
I smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."
I reached into my pouch and withdrew the black orb, which glowed softly.
"Is that-"
"-the black materia?" I finished for him, "Yes, it is. Yuffie gave it to me. Our little ninja has very sticky fingers."
"Wow... Skye! That's great!" he exclaimed, coming as close to a smile as was possible for Cloud Strife. He suddenly wrapped his arms around me, lifted me up in a hug and spun me around. It really surprised me because Cloud wasn't really the 'hugging' type. I guess he was... just happy...?
He set me back down, standing almost uncomfortably close to me, and it made me gasp quietly. I stared up into his eyes, having a hard time catching my breath. He placed his hands on my face, gazing down at me...
"Cloud, what are you-" But I never got to finish my sentence.
Suddenly, I found myself being spun around and locked in a sleeper hold. Realization crashed down on me hard... he was being controlled! I clawed at those muscular arms, but the darkness closed in quickly, and I couldn't breathe at all. The last thing I heard was his voice in my ear:
"Time for the reunion."