Chapter 25 – Misfortune
Barret let out a heavy sigh as he stared from the window of the cable car. He'd lost track of how long he'd been sitting on the hard seat in the tiny compartment; maybe it'd been twenty minutes or maybe it'd been an hour, he didn't know, nor did he really care. He was just grateful that the others hadn't decided to follow him. It'd never been his intention to tell them about what had happened to Corel. In fact, he would have preferred to have slipped through the wreck of a town overnight or early in the morning before anyone would be awake to recognize him, but despite how hard he pushed, it didn't work out that way.
He'd prayed that no one in town would recognize him and call attention to his presence, but confrontation came no sooner than he'd stepped foot into town. After that, it was hard to hide any connection to the place, and while it was none of their business, he felt like he had no choice but to tell the others the truth about what had happened. He was happy that they'd decided to leave him alone for the duration of the trip, but he knew that as soon as they docked at the next destination, the onslaught of questions would begin once again.
An announcement over the intercom interrupted Barret's thoughts to inform him that the cable car would be arriving at the Gold Saucer within the next five minutes. He quickly scanned the compartment to make sure that he had all his belongings and once he was certain that he did, he returned his gaze to the window. As he stared out, he realized that this was the first time since claiming this seat that he'd properly taken in the view outside. From the scenery, he could tell that they had actually been traveling for quite some time. The mountains were no longer visible, and sand now filled the expanse as far as his eye could see.
He'd never been to the Gold Saucer before nor had he any interest of going there. Truth be told, he held quite a bit of resentment toward the establishment that used Corel as a gateway to bring in tourists but did absolutely nothing to help rebuild the community that it relied so heavily upon. Deep down, he knew that it wasn't their responsibility to fix anything, but it didn't stop him from being angry that they'd spent so much money to build a fancy amusement park and hadn't done anything to help the town. It all seemed a little selfish and for that reason, he'd never once considered visiting or bringing Marlene.
The light rapidly faded from the car and Barret could only assume that they were now traveling through a tunnel of some sort in order to reach the park. His theory was quickly proven correct as the sound of lively music filled his ears. Barret let out an irritated groan and closed his eyes. He just knew the others would want to stay and enjoy the park and the thought of spending anymore time in this place than absolutely necessary completely nauseated him. They'd lost so much time already that it was a complete surprise they still had any scent of Sephiroth's trail at all.
Everything seemed to complicate after Lightning came into the picture and from the beginning, all she had done was get in the way or slow them down in some way. From her very first mission with AVALANCHE, he could tell she was a magnet for trouble. It seemed like she spent half of her time in some type of trouble and the other half either dealing with some type of emotional conflict or messing with Spiky's head.
He felt bad for blaming her for the bad things that kept happening to her and he knew that she couldn't help any of it, but he still had a hard time hiding his annoyance with her. He hated what Shinra had done to her and he understood her need for vengeance, but he really wished that they would have just left her in Kalm. He had even suggested it shortly after they'd arrived and had secured her extended stay with the Inn Keeper, but Cloud was hearing none of it. Even though they were supposed to be following Sephiroth and despite the protests from nearly everyone in the group, he flat out refused to leave the town until she woke up and had barely left her side until she did. It was easy to tell that Cloud cared about her, even if he didn't fully realize just how much.
That entire situation had been stressful for Spiky, so much so that he broke his normal stoic composure to let his emotions show through. It was odd seeing that side of him, especially considering that Lightning was someone that he'd only just met a few days before. His behavior even seemed to confuse Tifa quite a bit and then that confusion turned into something else entirely once she realized that something was blossoming between the two. She was good at hiding her feelings when she wanted to, but Barret was no fool; he knew that she cared deeply for Cloud and that seeing him feel that way for another woman was tearing her apart.
Normally, Barret couldn't care less about who was involved with who. He tried to keep his nose out of other people's business and focused on his own affairs, but it was hard not to get caught up in something when it involved two of the people that he was traveling with and was literally happening right in front of his eyes. At any other time and under any other circumstance, he would not have openly objected about the relationship that was developing between Cloud and Lightning. They were both decent people that seemed to have had their fair share of hardships, and they deserved a bit of happiness. But for all of this to happen now, while they were trying to track down Sephiroth and bring down the Shinra corporation? He felt like the two of them were so caught up in each other that they were losing sight of what they had set out to do in the first place, and that he couldn't approve of.
There were other reasons that Barret couldn't approve of the timing of Cloud and Lightning's blossoming relations. For starters, it was already slowing them down. Hell, even this morning, they'd caused the group to have a late start because they decided that they wanted to curl up in each other's arms and sleep in until noon. Then there was the possibility of their relationship creating ripples within the group. What happened if they decided to break up? It would put the whole group in a bad position if something happened and things went sour between them. Most would feel pressured to choose a side and that would only create unnecessary tension. Next was the possibility that their feelings for each other might cloud their vision and cause them to behave recklessly. That had already been proven true several times already, with the most recent being Lightning's choice to travel on rotted tracks to find Cloud after he'd fallen and then again, when according to Tifa, she apparently 'jumped from a cliff' in order to get to him faster.
And Tifa… she was the number one reason that Barret couldn't approve of it. He felt bad for the poor girl. It was obvious that she had feelings for Spiky. If Barret could see it, then surely Cloud could too. No one could be that oblivious. If Cloud didn't feel the same way for Tifa, that was fine. It was really none of Barret's business who Cloud chose to be with, but he couldn't help but feel like the relationship was being flaunted in her face, especially after the little scene the two of them had set this morning. It was easy to see that it bothered Tifa seeing them like that. She tried to act supportive for the sake of her friendship with Cloud, but there was only so much that she could take before she snapped, and when she finally did, it would most certainly create issues among the group.
"Hey Barret, you coming?"
Barret broke his gaze away from the window to see the subject of his thoughts peeking through the compartment door at him. He quickly looked back out the window to find that he was now staring at a dimly lit platform. Off in the distance, a roller coaster and other amusement park rides looped around and around, while what seemed like a hundred spot lights danced in the sky.
Barret could almost picture Marlene's face lit up at the sight of this place and he began to feel very guilty for never bringing her. He despised the Gold Saucer, but after imagining the smile it would no doubt bring to her face, he began to reconsider the possibility. Perhaps they could visit, just the two of them, once this was all over? He'd been gone for so long and it would do them both a world of good to spend some quality time together. Once they stopped Sephiroth and brought down the Shinra, they could be together all the time, and for once, they could be a normal family. That is, if they ever managed to do those things. At the rate they were going, Sephiroth will have accomplished whatever evil deed he was planning and the Shinra will have drained the world of all its life before they caught up to either.
"Yeah," he replied as he tried to keep his face as neutral as possible as to avoid anymore questions.
"Hey," Tifa said as she held out a hand to stop him as he was trying to pass. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," he answered with a shrug. "Let's get movin'."
Barret stepped out onto the platform to find that the others were already outside waiting. Red sat quietly as his single amber eye focused on Yuffie and Aeris, who were both giggling excitedly and pointing to various attractions that could be seen in the distance. Cloud was standing near Lightning and both had unamused looks on their faces as they surveyed what could be seen of the amusement park. Lightning then shifted her gaze back to the cable car and adopted a perplexed expression.
"Weren't those propellers on the other side of the car when we left North Corel?" she finally asked, bringing the other's attention to it as well.
"I don't think so," Aeris replied as she looked up at them and then scratched her head thoughtfully.
"Have you been drinking?" Yuffie accused with a laugh. "The propellers can't move!"
"I suppose you're right," she conceded, but didn't appear to be completely convinced as she looked back at them again as the group moved toward the large orange arch that marked the entrance to the Gold Saucer. Neon yellow wooden letters hung from the arch spelling the word 'WELCOME' and above the arch were two very large eyes. The entrance was supposed to be in the shape of some type of creature, but no matter how hard he racked his mind, Barret couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be. Beside the entrance sat perhaps the largest stuffed Chocobo that he'd ever laid eyes upon and in front of it stood a very pretty blonde lady who smiled at them as they approached.
"Welcome to the Gold Saucer," she greeted. "Are you together? A single pass is 3,000 gil, or you can purchase a lifetime pass for 30,000 gil."
Barret heard Lightning let out a choked cough in surprise before whispering to Cloud, "Is she serious? A ticket to this place costs more than my gunblade." He shook his head, clearly just as surprised as she was by the heavy price before rummaging around in his pocket and separating the required notes.
"Thank you very much," the woman beamed as Cloud passed the money over. "If you leave the Gold Saucer, your tickets become invalid. Here at the Gold Saucer, there are many places where you must pay with GP. Just think of GP as money that you can only use at the Gold Saucer. GP can be redeemed at the games in the Wonder Square and at the Chocobo Races. Your limit is 10,000, so please be careful. And please, enjoy yourselves," she added as she extended her arm to welcome them into the establishment.
The group proceeded through the tunnel and emerged in a brightly colored dome. Under their feet, and painted onto the floor, were the images of two Moogles and a Chocobo. On the walls, were six rainbow colored circles that Barret could only assume were connected to slides, and on the ground in front of them lay the descriptions to where they each of them led. In the middle of the wall between the holes, was a large board with the word 'Info' painted on the ground below it.
"Wow!" Aeris exclaimed as she ran past the group to observe the information board. "Let's have fun!"
'And there it is,' Barret thought bitterly as Aeris looked at the group excitedly, hoping that the others would share her enthusiasm. Both Cloud and Lightning were looking around at the place with identical sour expressions and Red was sitting in silence and observing the others like he always did. Yuffie seemed to be just as excited as Aeris at the prospect of playing in the amusement park and Tifa seemed to be torn on the matter by the way she kept shifting her gaze between Cloud and the dark holes on the wall. 'They ain't really considerin' this, right?' he wondered angrily when no one disagreed with Aeris' suggestion.
"I know this isn't the right time to do this," Aeris continued as she took in each of their conflicting expressions. "Hey, Barret, cheer up!" she added as she crossed the room to place her hand on his shoulder making him realize that he'd just spun around, and his hand was now clenched angrily at his side.
"…I ain't in a cheery mood," he shot back as he shrugged her hand away, "so jus' leave me alone.'
"Really? That's too bad," she relied sarcastically and then walked away. "Let's go!" she continued excitedly, and Barret could only assume by the loud sigh that she was now trying to win Cloud over to her side.
"...Wasn't that a little harsh, Aeris!?" Tifa could be heard whispering.
"Just act normal when this happens," Aeris relied in a low, almost inaudible voice.
"You think so…?"
"Of course!" came Aeris' reply and Barret felt his blood begin to boil. Were they really talking about him like he was a child? Like he was some whiny school boy throwing a tantrum? Were they really regarding him as the bad guy who was spoiling all of their fun when he was the only damn person whose mind was still on the mission?
"We're gonna go play…" Aeris informed him as she peeked her head around his muscular body to look at his face. Barret could feel the rage rising to the surface and as hard as he tried, he couldn't suppress it… not this time.
"SO PLAY!" Barret shouted back at her causing her to leap back in alarm. "…mess around all you want!" he continued as he rounded on the rest of the group with his arms flailing wildly through the air. "Don't forget we're after Sephiroth!" he added angrily as he shot across the room and jumped through one of the holes in the wall.
'They'll be sorry… every one of them!'
"… I think he's mad," Aeris remarked as the group watched Barret storm across the dome shaped room and jump into the hole labeled 'Wonder Square'.
"You think?" Lightning asked as she rolled her eyes. "Did you really have to antagonize him like that?" She knew that Aeris had meant no harm by what she had done, but Lightning couldn't help but find herself slightly annoyed by the brunette's actions. It was easy to see that Barret was upset after what had happened with the people in the previous town and there was no doubt that recalling such painful memories had only made it worse.
"I didn't think he'd get that mad," Aeris replied innocently.
"He'll be fine," Tifa inserted. "He seems to be doing a little better now."
"He seems to be the exact opposite of fine," Lightning disagreed. "He's beginning to unravel."
"Hmm," Tifa hummed in an attempt to end the discussion without further debate. "What should we do now?" she asked in hopes of changing the subject.
"I wanna go on the roller coaster!" Aeris announced. "Anyone care to join?"
"I think I'll pass on that," Yuffie replied. "People aren't meant to move that fast. I think I'll walk around and see if there are any gift shops. You never know where you might find good materia," she added with a wink before disappearing through the hole labeled 'Ghost Square'.
"Come on, Aeris, I'll go on the roller coaster with you," Tifa smiled. "Now, which way was it again," she thought aloud as she crossed the room to study the information board. "Speed Square! Okay, ready to go? Cloud, Light? You two want to come?"
Lightning and Cloud exchanged amused looks for a brief second before turning back to the girls. "No thanks," Cloud chuckled. "Have fun."
"Please be careful," Tifa replied as she and Aeris proceeded to the correct slide. "Sephiroth might be around," she added as she hopped through the opening and then was quickly followed by Aeris.
"What about you?" Lightning asked the red furred beast that hadn't said a single word since they'd arrived.
"I think I'm just going to rest for a bit," Red replied. "There isn't much a creature like me can do in a place like this."
"Okay then… it looks like the hotel is in the 'Ghost Square'."
"Thank you," he nodded as he crossed the room and leapt through the dark hole.
"What now?" Lightning asked as she turned to face Cloud.
'What would you like to do?" he asked. "Have you ever been to a place like this before?"
"No," Lightning admitted. "We had a place on Cocoon called Nautilus. It was just like this place. Serah and I always wanted to go when we were children, but we never made it. I'd planned on surprising her… you know, before everything happened. I wanted to take some time away from work and go away for a while… just the two of us. I wanted to take her to Nautilus."
Even now, just the very memory of the events leading up to their time as l'Cie felt like a hot knife in Lightning's gut. It was true that she had planned on taking time away from work to spend with Serah, but she omitted the reason why she had decided to do so. The truth was that it had all been a ploy to get Serah away from Snow. She hadn't approved of Serah's budding relationship with the rambunctious and irresponsible leader of NORA and she had openly vocalized her disproval to her sister several times. She couldn't see what her sister saw in that man, and in the end, Lightning convinced herself that it was her deteriorating relationship with Serah and her resulting loneliness that led to her attraction to someone who was her polar opposite.
"I'm sure she would have loved it," Cloud smiled. "And maybe one day you'll get to take her."
"Cloud…" Lightning replied softly. "I won't be going back."
"But what about Serah?" he questioned. It was easy to see that he was conflicted over how he should feel about what she had said, as if he didn't know whether he should be happy that he wouldn't have to say goodbye or sad that she would never be seeing her sister again.
"Serah doesn't need me to look after her anymore," Lightning answered. "She has Snow… and I have you. Serah can survive in a world without me… but I can't survive in a world without you, so this is where I'll stay."
With her words, Cloud pulled her close and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I love you," he whispered softly.
"And I love you," she whispered in return. "So, you're stuck with me now," she added with a laugh.
"I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd rather be stuck with," he replied with a grin. "So… have you decided what you wanna do yet"
"I don't know," she answered. "Since I've never been to a place like this, I'm not really sure what all there is to do."
"Let's check that board over there. It might help guide us in the right direction," he suggested. She nodded in agreement before following him over to the information board. "It looks like the 'Event Square' is a theatre," Cloud observed as he studied the board. "The 'Speed Square' leads to the roller coaster… that's where Aeris and Tifa went…." he continued as he traced his finger over the board, reading through the information. "Um….. I think the 'Round Square' is another ride… a gondola? The 'Ghost Square' is the hotel and gift shop…. Red and Yuffie went there… The 'Battle Square'… now that looks promising… looks like the 'Wonder Square' is an arcade… and then there's the 'Chocobo Square'… Chocobo racing. Any of those sound interesting to you?" he questioned as he turned around to face her again.
"I'm not really sure," Lightning responded as she looked over the information for herself. "There's so much to choose from."
"I have an idea… why don't we go on a date?" he suggested.
"A date?" she repeated with uncertainty. "Are you sure this is the right time for something like that?"
"Why not?" he pressed. "We're here anyway. Why not enjoy it together? Unless… you don't want to?"
"You're right," she agreed. "I do want to… I've just never done anything like this before, so I don't really know what to do," she admitted with a hint of embarrassment.
"Then I guess we'll learn together," he replied with a warm smile. "What do you say we start at the Chocobo Square and work our way around?"
"Sounds good," she nodded, "…. But let's go check on Barret first. He seemed really upset and I want to make sure he isn't causing any trouble."
"That's probably a good idea," he agreed. "I think he went to the 'Wonder Square'…. Well, after you," he grinned as he gestured toward the hole.
"Isn't there another way?" Lightning asked as she peeked through the opening to look at the long slide that plummeted into the darkness.
"Doesn't look like it," he chuckled. "I know, it's all a little silly… I guess it's just part of the experience."
"Yay!" Lightning cheered sarcastically before jumping into the hole. The ride to the bottom was much quicker than she'd expected, and no sooner had she adjusted to the darkness, her feet made contact with the ground once again. The platform she'd landed on was brightly lit and up ahead, she spotted a staircase leading to the second floor, which housed an arcade packed full of games. Standing near the stairs was a fat pink stuffed moogle and atop his head sat a small black and white cat. When Cloud landed beside her, the cat turned and stared at them curiously with his bright green eyes.
"Hey, you!" the cat shouted in a shrill voice, which caused Lightning and Cloud to exchange confused looks. "What're you lookin' so down for?" he asked as he and the fat moogle began hopping over to them.
"Is that cat talking?" Cloud whispered.
"How is he controlling that stuffed animal?" Lightning whispered back, obviously less alarmed than Cloud by the fact that the animal was talking to them. After meeting Red, the idea of talking animals was no longer a foreign concept to her.
"How 'bout it?" the cat continued. "Want me to read your fortunes!? A bright future! A happy future! Oh, but don't hold it against me it doesn't come true."
"Not interested," Lightning and Cloud said in unison and then exchanged amused laughs, which caused the cat let out a small chuckle of his own.
"I'm a fortune telling machine," the cat went on, ignoring their previous answer. "The names Cait Sith."
"You can only tell the future?" Cloud asked.
"You kidding?" the cat laughed. "I can find missing things, missing people, anything!"
"Then can you tell me where a man named Sephiroth is?" Cloud inquired.
"Sephiroth, right!? Cait Sith asked as he scratched his head. "Okay, here goes!" he added and then the fat moogle began to dance. A few moments later the moogle stopped and then passed Cloud a piece of paper.
"…Ordinary Luck," Cloud read from paper. "It will be an active fortune. Give into the good of others, and something big'll happen after summer…. Wait… hold on…"
Lightning took the piece of paper from Cloud and read the words herself. "Come on, Cloud," she said as she grabbed him by the hand to pull him away. "This thing is just a stupid toy… he can't really tell you where Sephiroth is."
"Huh?" Cait Sith replied in confusion. "Let me try again," he begged as the moogle rushed in front of them and began dancing again.
"Be careful of forgetfulness," Cloud read from a second piece of paper. "Your lucky color is… blue?"
"…Forget it," Cloud sighed as he tossed the paper back at the cat and began to walk away.
"Wait," Cait Sith called as the fat moogle reached out and grabbed him by the arm, "Give me another chance!"
"Can I just kill it?" Lightning asked as she dropped her hand to grip the handle of her gunblade.
"Wait!" the cat begged as he held out a paw to stop her. "Let me try again!"
Lightning huffed in annoyance and the cat began dancing again, this time much faster. She tightened her grip around her weapon and waited for the stuffed animal to pass over the piece of paper. If this cat continued to waste any more of their time, she swore that she'd decapitate both him and his stuffed animal. Finally, the moogle stopped dancing and passed Cloud the final piece of paper. He unfolded it and then stared at it for a moment with a look of absolute horror on his face.
"What the?" he wondered aloud.
"What is it?" Lightning asked, but her question found no response. Instead Cloud just stared at the piece of paper. She snatched the paper from his hands and read the words for herself.
'What you pursue will be yours, but you will lose something dear.'
"What the hell is this?" Lightning asked as she thrust the paper back at the cat.
"I don't know if it's good or bad…" he replied as he studied the paper. "This's the first time I ever got something like THIS…. Well then, shall we?"
"What?" Lightning asked in confusion.
"Being a fortune teller, this is gonna bug me," he went on. "If I don't see how it turns out, I'll never be able to relax. So, I'm going with you."
"The hell you are!" Lightning shot back. "Seriously, Cloud, can I kill this thing?"
"I'm comin' with you no matter WHAT you say!" the cat replied. "I can help you."
"What could you possibly help us with?" Lightning argued. "You're just a stupid toy designed to rip people off with your phony fortunes."
"That's normally true, but not this time," Cait Sith answered. "I can help you locate your friend, the man with the gun arm… he was an angry fella. Seemed like he'd rather shoot me than talk to me."
"Who could blame him?" Lightning muttered as she continued to glare at the cat. "So, where is he?"
"This way, I'll show you," he responded cheerfully as he hopped past them and jumped into the hole labeled 'Speed Square'.
"What do you think?" Lightning asked as she turned to look at Cloud, who seemed to be lost in thought.
"What...? Oh, um… I wouldn't think that Barret would be one for roller coasters," Cloud replied. "…But who knows? He may have gone to find Aeris and apologize."
"You think?" Lightning questioned. For some reason, she didn't see Barret's pride allowing him to do such a thing.
"I don't know," Cloud shrugged. "The cat could be leading us on… or he could actually be there. Only one way to find out, I guess."
"I suppose…" Lightning replied softly. "But I don't trust this cat."
"I know. Neither do I," he agreed. "…Well, so much for date night," he added with a sigh.
Lightning and Cloud followed Cait Sith down the slide to the 'Speed Square' and when they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, the fat Moogle could be seen dancing, while a small child clapped excitedly. They reached Cait Sith just as the child lunged forward to hug the Moogle before running off to join her parents. The cat looked up at their presence and gave a crooked smile.
"I see you've decided to take me up on my offer," the cat remarked.
"And I see you like to con children out of their money as well," Lightning replied dryly, causing the cat to shoot her a dirty look.
"Where's Barret," Cloud interrupted.
"Oh, him?" the cat laughed. "That guy over there might know," he informed them as the Moogle extended an arm to point at a man that was stood by the stairs leading to the attraction.
The man that Cait Sith was referring to had long dark, almost black hair and bright blue eyes. It was fairly obvious that he took great pride in his physical appearance and didn't have an ounce of modesty because he wore only a tiny red pair of shorts to show off his muscular, well-oiled body. It looked as though this barefoot and mostly-naked man belonged at the beach rather than walking around an amusement park. He shifted his gaze in their direction and gave Lightning a wink when he caught her staring, which caused her stomach to churn with nausea.
"Hey boy!" he boomed when Cloud approached him.
"Boy…" Cloud repeated, clearly unamused by the way the man had addressed him.
"How is it? You having fun?" the man asked and then his gaze shifted back to Lightning. "Mmm, so, you ARE having fun. Well, good for you, boy."
"My name's Cloud, and stop calling me boy," Cloud replied in annoyance.
"Mmm?" the man hummed. "Me? I'm the owner of the Gold Saucer. The name's Dio… Just call me 'Dio'," he added as he began to flex his biceps.
"He's not even listening," Cloud whispered as he rolled his eyes and then took Lightning by the arm to leave.
"By the way, boy," Dio continued, "do you know what a 'Black Materia' is?"
"Yeah, I know," Cloud shrugged as he kept walking.
"Hahaha!" Dio laughed. "That, I say, that's a good one, boy! But it's not good to lie. You can't fool me!"
"Then why'd you ask me?" Cloud shot back in irritation.
"Well, a while back, a boy your age came in and asked me if I had 'Black Materia'," Dio explained. "I thought you might know who he was, seein' as you're both about the same age."
"Did he happen to have… a black cape?" Cloud asked as he spun around with renewed interest.
"Why yes, yes indeed," Dio replied. "And a tattoo on his hand that said '1'."
Sephiroth!
"Where did he go!?" Cloud demanded.
"Hahaha, I have no idea," Dio chuckled and then began to flex his biceps again. "Well then, I say, stop by the Battle Arena if you like, boy. You'll probably like it. Many of my collections are on display there," he added as he turned to flex the muscles in his back before disappearing into the tunnel labelled 'Station'.
"Do you think he was really talking about Sephiroth?" Lightning asked.
"It sounded like it," Cloud replied. "I wonder where he went? Maybe we should check out Dio's collection in the Battle Arena? We might find a clue as to where he went."
"What about Barret?" Lightning asked as she scanned the area up ahead. "Shouldn't we find him first?"
"I'd say he's fine," Cloud replied. "If he'd caused any trouble, we'd have heard about it by now."
"I suppose you're right," she conceded.
They found no slide in the tunnel that led to their next destination, just a long and cold corridor. The path grew darker as they proceeded further, and off in the distance, the lights flickered ominously. As they reached the end, Lightning couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The other areas they had travelled to had been very lively and filled with laughter; this area, however, was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. She didn't expect many children or families to populate this area and she'd anticipated that the area would have a more serious atmosphere, but this wasn't what'd she expected at all; in fact, nothing about it felt right. When they stepped out onto the platform, her fears were instantly confirmed when she saw a lone Shinra soldier standing at the base of the steps leading into the Battle Arena.
Both Cloud and Lightning immediately reached for their weapons as the man's head turned toward them, but quickly released them as the man gave them a pained look before collapsing to his knees and then to the ground. They both rushed forward to inspect him and discovered that his back was bloody from two bullet holes that had cut through his uniform. Cloud reached his hand down and placed it on the man's neck and then shook his head.
"Dead..." he confirmed as he pulled his hand away and looked around the platform cautiously.
"What are Shinra soldiers doing here?" Lightning asked as Cloud got to his feet and began sprinting up the stairs. "Cloud!? Where are you going?" she called as she sprang forward after him.
When they reached the Battle Arena, they found a lobby smeared and stained with the blood of several Shinra soldiers that now littered the floor. Two receptionists were slumped over their desks in a pool of their own blood and their eyes were still wide and full of fear despite the fact that they had been robbed of life. The sweet metallic smell of blood hung heavily in the air and the room was so cold that it chilled Lightning to the bone.
"Did Sephiroth do this?" she asked quietly.
"No... it's not him..." Cloud replied as he examined one of the bodies. "They're all shot... Sephiroth would never use a gun..."
"Ugh..." one of the receptionists coughed bringing attention to the fact that she was actually still alive. "Ugggggh."
"Hey, what happened?" Cloud asked as he ran over to her and swept the red blood stained hair out of her face.
"Ugh..." she groaned as she attempted to sit upright and then let out another painful cough that sprayed his face with blood. "A man... with a gun... on his arm..." she managed choke out before collapsing again. Cloud placed his fingers on her neck and then slowly shook his head again.
"A man with a gun on his arm," Lightning repeated. "Cloud, you don't think...?" she began to question and then shook the thought from her mind. It was no secret that Barret hated the Shinra and she could easily imagine him slaughtering these men, but innocents? The receptionists had done no wrong to him, so he would have no reason to kill them... unless they had just been collateral damage. 'A man with a gun on his arm', the receptionist had said. Lightning didn't know anyone else that matched that description. Barret had been upset when he'd stormed off, but she never imagined that he'd go on a rampage and start killing innocent people. "It can't be..." she murmured softly and then dropped her eyes to the blood splattered ground.
The distinct sound of a gun cocking behind her immediately brought her back to attention and she quickly retrieved her gunblade, spun around, and extended it out in front of her, ready to fire. Cloud looked up in confusion at her sudden movement and began reaching for his own weapon, but a voice halted him. "Hold it right there!" a deep voice commanded. "And stay quiet!"
At the top of the stairs now stood two Shinra grunts with their weapons raised and pointed in their direction, and between the two men, stood Dio, whose face was contorted with rage. "Did you guys do this!?" he asked as he pointed a finger accusingly.
"N... no," Cloud stammered. "It wasn't us!"
"Don't lie to me, boy!" Dio shouted. "She has a gun!"
"To defend herself from whoever did this?" Cloud countered angrily.
"Hurry and run! This is about to get ugly," Cait Sith instructed as the fat Moogle grabbed Lightning by the arm and began to pull her up the stairs and into the next room that appeared to be the Battle Arena itself.
They raced to the other side of the room and tried to shove open the door, but quickly discovered that it was sealed tight. They were trapped like caged animals, with no other options than to fight or get captured. Lightning raised her gunblade defensively and then shifted her gaze to Cloud, who returned her worried expression. Dio and the soldiers posed absolutely no treat to them whatsoever and could easily be dispatched, but killing the owner of the Gold Saucer would surely paint a target on their backs and mark them as fugitives and enemies of the public. If they went through with that, there wouldn't be a place in this world they could hide. They'd live on the run and Lightning's new life on Gaia would be no different than her life as a cursed l'Cie. She wanted a happy life with Cloud and she knew that killing this man would guarantee the exact opposite.
The alternative wasn't very promising though. What would happen if they allowed themselves to be captured? Would Dio hand them over to the Shinra? Would they spend the rest of their lives rotting in a Shinra dungeon, or perhaps be executed for the mass murder that occurred here tonight? Or maybe these Shinra grunts would recognize their mako infused eyes and associate them with SOLDIER? If that were the case, they would no doubt be interrogated by higher officials, potentially the Turks, for their crimes against the company. Any of the Turks would recognize them immediately and then Lightning would most likely find herself back in Hojo's custody, and that was a risk that she wasn't willing to take.
"That's as far as you go," Dio stated as he and the soldiers stepped into the room.
"Wait, listen to…" Cloud began.
"Enough!" Dio interrupted. "That girl will pay for what she has done here tonight, and she will spend the rest of her life rotting in the prison below!"
"What!?" Cloud argued. "She didn't do anything!"
"Lies," Dio shook his head dismissively. "She was found at the crime scene with the murder weapon in hand and she will be punished accordingly... now stand aside."
"Like hell," Cloud shot back. "If she's guilty then so am I. I'll take whatever punishment she receives as well."
"Only criminals go to heaven, boy," Dio replied. "It's a life sentence and you have committed no crime here, now for the last time, stand aside."
"Stand aside, Cloud," Lightning repeated as she lowered her gunblade and then dropped it with a loud clank on the ground, which caused him to look at her in confusion.
"What?" he gaped.
"It's okay," she replied. "There's no point in both of us going. Find the others and tell them what happened. I'll be okay," she added before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Please, Cloud. This is better than the alternative."
Cloud opened his mouth to argue, but when the two of them locked eyes, he seemed to understand exactly what she had meant by that comment. He knew that she and the rest of the group stood a much better chance of escaping the Shira if she just went along quietly. He shot a brief glance at the Shinra soldiers and Lightning could tell that he was weighing his options, specifically about whether or not he wanted to kill them, before finally lowering his gaze in defeat. "Fine," he replied, "but I will find a way to get you out of there."
"You heard'em, boys," Dio replied. "Send her to Heaven."
"Um... Sir?" One of the soldiers spoke up as he proceeded to handcuff her. "What about her weapon?"
"Let her keep it," Dio instructed as he walked forward, picked up the gunblade and then stuffed it into her holster. "A pretty thing like her will need all the protection she can have down there," he chuckled as he returned to the top of the steps. "I'll leave you to it," he stated as he nodded to the guard that now had his rifle pressed painfully to Lightning's back. "You two, clear the area, this is a crime scene after all... see them out, would you?"
"Yes, Sir," the second guard replied and then tightened his grip on his own rifle. "You heard him... get moving."
"I'll find a way to get you out," Cloud promised as the guard ushered him away. "I promise."
Cloud and Cait Sith exited up the stairs and back into the lobby, while the guard steered Lightning towards the locked door behind her. The door opened and she was guided into the next room, which was completely empty save for a few chains that decorated the walls. The floor was covered with a green sticky slime and in the center the words 'Gateway to Heaven' surrounded what appeared to be a trap door.
"I oughta just leave these on," the soldier remarked as he briefly looked over his shoulder to ensure that they were alone before gripping her arms tightly to remove the handcuffs, "but the boss thinks you should at least be able to defend yourself down there," he continued. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't show you any sympathy. I'd toss your sorry ass down there and let you get what's coming to you…. It's been a while since we've sent a woman down," he added as he lowered his voice and then leaned in so close to her that she could feel his hot sticky breath on the back of her neck. "Maybe I'll come pay you a visit later, hmm?"
Lightning felt sick to her stomach and more than anything she wanted to headbutt this creep and break his nose for talking to her the way he had, but she remained silent and still. If she attacked him now, he really might take her weapon away and send her down handcuffed. She knew that it was in her best interest to play along for now. She didn't know what awaited her down below, but she knew she'd rather face it with two free hands and a weapon; and from the way it sounded, she would need both if she wanted to survive.
The soldier yanked the cuffs free and then grabbed her painfully by her hair, pulling her backwards so that her body was now touching his own. His face lingered beside hers for a few moments and then he tightened his grip on her hair and then kissed the side of her neck before shoving her so hard that she landed painfully on her hands and knees in the middle of the trapdoor. She looked back at him in rage and he gave her a wicked smile.
"I'll be seeing you later, Sweetheart," he winked as he pulled a level on the wall, which caused the floor to disappear beneath her and Lightning to plummet into darkness.
"I'll be seeing you later, Sweetheart," he winked as he pulled a level on the wall, which caused the floor to disappear beneath her and Lightning to plummet into darkness.
A/N: Hey y'all! I feel like I do this with each update, but let me start by apologizing for the delay. I know I keep citing work as my reason, but I promise that it's keeping me busy. I took a new position back in February and I spent months learning something that I never in a million years thought I would end up doing. Well, I guess I did pretty well with it because they decided to promote me lol. Anywho, that's what I've been up to lately.
So, how's everyone been doing? I'm happy to see that there is still so much interest in the story and I was truly overwhelmed by the amount of support I received after the last update… You all are far too kind. I just want to say thank you to everyone for your patience and your continued support. It really means the world to me.
I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope it didn't disappoint. I know what you're all thinking though.. There's no way that Cloud would let her go down there alone and I completely agree. However, certain parts of this section of the game didn't make a lot of sense to me. The first being how the rest of the group ended up in prison. Cloud, Cait Sith, and whoever Cloud chose to go with obviously ended up there because Dio thought they killed the people in the battle square, but what about the others that weren't with them? The game doesn't explain how they ended up down there with them, so that's where Cloud now comes in. In the game, it didn't make sense to me that Cloud and co. were accused in the first place seeing as no one at the crime scene had a gun lol. And the fact that they were captured definitely didn't make sense. Come on.. Two grunts and a baby oiled man in a speedo versus Cloud.. The man that can take on tanks? Yeah right! Lol. That's why decided to have Lightning take the blame for it all, seeing as she's the only one present that has a gun.. And then I thought it was important to go into her reasons for not fighting back and allowing herself to be captured. She knows that she'd rather face what Dio has planned for her than ending up with Hojo again. Anyway, I hope you all liked my take on things.
The next chapter will find Lightning way out of her comfort zone and stuck in a very difficult situation, and we will also get to see a bit more of Barret. Speaking of: what did you all think of his part? This is the first time that I've written him so hopefully I did a good job. I know that I mostly stick with Light and Cloud when I write these things, but sometimes I think the story calls for a fresh perspective.. Especially during an arc that features that character and their backstory. I love capturing the different thoughts and feelings of each character that I write.
Last, but most certainly not least, I would like to extend my eternal thanks to Wolf for being the best beta reader in the world and keeping me in check. No one knows Final Fantasy VII quite like he does lol. I also want to thank everyone who took the time to review chapter 24. I noticed that there are a few new readers out there.. Welcome and thank you for taking the time to review, follow and/or favorite. The support of the readers is what keeps me going.. So, whether you're a new or you've been with me for a while, thank you for your time and support.
I love you all!
Lady A
P.S.: Can you all believe that I've been working on this thing for over a year now!? I didn't think I'd make it past the first two chapters and now here I am.. Moving on to chapter 26!