Great Warrior
Cloud waited by the gate, thinking, until he looked up to notice Tifa approaching from the village. The rest started to trickle back, until once more they were all gathered, save Red XIII, who remained missing.
"Any news on the car?" Cloud asked Wahan at the gate.
"They are finished with the repairs, I believe, they are now testing it to ensure that it will not malfunction again when started."
Cloud growled at the delay, but there was little to be done about it. So here they were, with no car, stuck in an environmentalist commune at the bottom of a canyon as night was falling. Grand.
"Any ideas?" asked Barret.
"Hey, let's go sit by the fire," said Yuffie, pointing to the bonfire in the middle of the village. Cloud disliked heading away from the car, but as there wasn't much to be done except wait, they might as well do it somewhere with light. They walked over to the fire and settled down in a circle around it. They were all silent for a while, looking at the fire. Fire had a remarkable ability to inspire contemplation: even Yuffie looked thoughtful as she stared into the flames, or perhaps through the flames, to a location unknown.
"Bonfires are funny, Cloud, y'know?" said Tifa from beside him. Cloud turned to face her. "They make you remember all sorts of things."
"Like what?"
"Things I don't want to remember. Nibelheim, five years ago."
"Yeah," said Cloud. The fire had brought the same awful memory to his mind as well.
"But there's something else, too." Cloud waited expectantly. "Cloud, do you…are you…no, never mind."
"What is it?" Cloud asked, but Tifa shook her head fervently and said no more, biting her lip. He shrugged it off.
Next Barret spoke up. "Cosmo Canyson…I always promised the guys, Biggs n' Jessie n' Wedge, that we'd come here. Never been before, but we'd heard rumors, 'bout how it was all friendly to the planet an' such. Promised 'em we'd come here an' celebrate after we won."
"Won? Won what?" said Cait Sith.
"Won 'gainst ShinRa."
"Did you ever really think you had a chance? Did you really think that your little group would destroy the entire ShinRa corporation?" said Cait Sith, a bit harshly.
"I dunno…I guess not. Mebee it was stupid."
"No, it wasn't stupid!" said Aeris, firing up as she shot Cait Sith an evil eye across the fire. "Barret, you were doing the right thing! You were standing up for what you believed in!"
"Well sure, that sounds great, but what's the point if you're up against overwhelming odds? What's the point in idealism if you're doomed to fail?" persisted Cait Sith, to Cloud's surprise. With the possible exception of Yuffie, the cat was the last member of the party Cloud expected to get into a philosophical discussion.
"Idealism is all there is! It's what separates us from beasts, who don't care about anything except survival!"
"Oh, so I'm a beast now?"
"Present company excluded," said Aeris acidly.
"Why thank you," said Cait Sith. "It's not like I don't have my own ideals, anyway, but I just don't see the point in fighting and dying for them, especially when your actions will have little real effect. I mean, I've been through a lot, sister, and trust me, I wouldn't have lasted half as long as I have if I didn't know how put higher callings and such on hold and just do what needed to be done."
"Like what?" demanded Aeris.
"Like…stealing, con games, whatever," Cait Sith said after a pause. "Like I was tellin' Red the other day, besides the Gold Saucer, job offers for a talking cat are pretty scarce, and I had to get by somehow."
"So you just took whatever you wanted from people, and—"
"Aeris, Cait Sith…enough," said Tifa quietly. Aeris stopped, though continuing to glare across the fire at the cat, and the group was quiet again.
Cloud moved closer to Aeris, who was sitting beside him. "What was that all about?" he asked quietly.
"What…did you hear him?" she hissed.
"I heard him. But still, you don't usually fire up quite that quickly."
Aeris stared mutely into the fire before answering. "No…I guess not."
Cloud waited for a moment. "Well?" he asked at last.
"I talked to a lot of people here when we split up, talked to the Elders and Bugenhagen some more. About my people. I mean, sure I've heard that I was the last, but I never quite gave up hope that there was another out there. As soon as I heard what this place was, I thought for sure that if there were another Cetra, anywhere, that this would be where I would find them. But everyone here was positive that they had never met one, never even heard of one. It just kind of hit me today that I really am alone."
"You're not alone, Aeris," said Cloud. "You have us."
Aeris smiled slightly at him and grasped his hand briefly, but then turned back to the fire. "I know, Cloud. And I appreciate that more than you realize. But there are many things about me that I don't think any human could really understand. But I wish you could…"
Cloud was wondering how to respond to this, but was saved the trouble by the long-awaited return of Red XIII, who slowly walked up to the fire and sat on his hind legs with them.
"I apologize for my lateness," he said. "I was busy visiting all my friends here."
"No problem," said Cloud.
"Hey, Red, I gotta question for ya," said Barret, speaking up for the first time since Cait Sith's censure. "How come ya never told us your real name? Nanaki, right?"
Red XIII looked down. "That is indeed my name. However, I hold no great attachment to it, and was in fact glad to be able to gain a different name in your eyes, even if it was simply a code designated me by Hojo.
"Why don't you like your name?" asked Aeris.
Red XIII sighed. "My name was granted me by my father and mother."
There was a pause. "Well, yeah, that's usually the way it works," said Yuffie, speaking what they were all thinking. "What's wrong with that?"
"My father is wrong with it," said Red XIII simply. But he did not elaborate.
"Can you tell us what's wrong with your father?" asked Aeris gently.
Red XIII growled quietly. "I do not remember much of my father. Just that…I looked up to him. Respect has never been so misplaced. He left when I was very young, at the Battle of Nattak Cave. A local tribe of savages and monsters, the Gi, had been harassing us for a time, and one day they finally launched an all-out assault on the canyon. Many humans here along with the last of my people, including my mother, gave their lives in that battle to defend the canyon. All except my father.
"What happened to him?" asked Tifa.
"No one knows in certainty. His body was never recovered, no trace of him ever found, and there is no account of his actions in the battle. The answer is clear to me. My father fled the battle to save his own life, leaving my mother and all the rest of us to die. I only survived because I was as yet too young to fight. And so I am the only one of my race left, unless my worthless father is still alive somewhere. I hope he is not. My only goal is to live my life nobly, to ensure that my race is remembered with some degree of honor.
"That's terrible…" said Tifa. "I'm sorry, we never knew…"
"So you're the last of your people, too…" said Aeris. Red XIII nodded. "I know how that feels."
"Me too, man," said Cait Sith. "Ain't a cat like me anywhere I know."
"So that is why I detest my given name," said Red XIII quietly. "And that is also why I cannot accompany you any further."
This earned a "What?" from several members of the group. But Red XIII nodded. "I have told you from the start that I would travel with you until we reached my home. Now I am here. I of course wish you all the success in the world, as your cause is a noble one, but I feel that I must stay here and defend my home and friends as my father never did."
Cloud shrugged. "You do what you have to, I guess," he said, though in truth he was a little sorry to be losing him. Sometimes it seemed that the quiet creature was the only one among them with a trace of common sense, excepting himself, of course. Looking around the circle, he could see that the rest of the party echoed his regret. They had been consistently picking up members since first encountering Aeris back in Midgar, but this was the first time any of them had left.
"Please, Red XIII, we'll need all the help we can get against Sephiroth!" said Tifa, but Red XIII shook his head. "I'm afraid my mind is made up. I must stay."
"Ho hoo, yes, staying here to guard the canyon," said a familiar voice, and they looked up to see the tiny Bugenhagen standing near them, still seeming to float. "But first, Nanaki, there is something I must show you."
"Please, Grandfather, this is my last night with my comrades…my friends. I would like to remain with them for now."
"Oh ho, no, I am afraid this is quite urgent. You may return to your friends later, but for now you must come with me."
"Should we come with you?" asked Aeris.
"No, no, thank you, but this is something which Nanaki alone must see. Come, come, Nanaki!" said Bugenhagen, gesturing to Red XIII, who gave a final regretful glance around the fire before departing to follow his grandfather.
"Grandfather, forgive me, but may I ask what was so urgent to…"
"Shh, Nanaki, you'll see, you will see…" said Bugenhagen. Despite people referring to him by it all day, Red XIII's true name still sounded odd in his ears after not hearing it for all this time. Even when he had resided here, though, he had not held any great attachment for it, it being given to him by his disgrace of a father. He led Red XIII on to the canyon wall at the edge of the valley. The path seemed disturbingly familiar to Red XIII.
"Grandfather, are we going to the cave?"
"The Cave of Nattak, yes. There is something you must see."
"Please, Grandfather, I have seen the cave, and have no desire to visit it again right now."
"Ah, but you have not seen everything, I can guarantee you that, and you must see something tonight!" Red XIII was skeptical – he had scoured the cave himself when looking unsuccessfully for some trace of his father, and knew that he'd seen what there was to see. But he respected his grandfather enough to go along with him for now. Bugenhagen led them to the hole in the canyon which opened up into the cavern. "I'm afraid I must ask you to lead your old man here, my eyes are not what they used to be…but then, no human has ever had eyes such as yours."
"Of course, Grandfather," said Red XIII, taking the lead as they descended into the cave.
Some of the more superstitious residents of Cosmo Canyon claimed that the Cave of Nattak was haunted by the ghosts of the Gi, still restless even after their defeat, and while Red XIII naturally put no stock in such wild rumors, he had to admit that he could see where such people were coming from. Strange whispers and eerie cries seemed to echo through the stagnant air, but could not be readily attributed to any natural cause within the cave, nor to any animal resident, as the few creatures native to the canyon's arid climate made it a point to avoid the cave. Furthermore, the air itself seemed to hang unusually heavy upon them, and was filled with musty, unpleasant scents, which again seemed to have no easily evident source. But more than these, even, was the inexplicable sense of dread one quickly developed when navigating the twists and turns of the cavern's tunnels, a feeling of claustrophobia, of fear, of the knowledge that right around the next bend lay your mortal enemy, jaws glistening with blood and hungry for yours. The Gi may have been defeated, but it would be a long while before they were forgotten.
"I believe this is it," said Bugenhagen after a while. Red XIII stopped and looked around, confused. He saw nothing in particular. "Yes, yes, this is it," said Bugenhagen again.
"I do not see anything Grandfather," said Red XIII.
"I know it's around here somewhere," said Bugenhagen, running his fingers along the cave wall. "Around…here…yes, here," he said as his hand stopped at a point which, to Red XIII, appeared quite nondescript. Bugenhagen paused. "Forgive me, Seto," he said, then pushed the spot on the wall.
"Seto?" thought Red XIII, but was distracted from the use of his father's name when a section of the cave wall suddenly rose up slightly and swung to the side to reveal a portal large enough for passage.
"Come, Nanaki! Come!" said Bugenhagen as he bounced along into the newly created doorway. Not sure quite what to expect anymore, Red XIII followed.
He knew them to be delving deeper into the canyon wall, but Red XIII observed to his surprise that the cave ahead seemed to be brightening. Knitting his eyebrows at this, he continued after Bugenhagen. The light continued to grow, perplexing him. He followed Bugenhagen around a final corner, and found the answer to this, and much more.
A large crack in the cave ceiling was just large enough to allow a view of the full moon, which bathed in pale, pure light a fairly large chamber. The floor here was quite uneven compared to the rest of the cave, but the room was otherwise unremarkable, save for right in the middle of the chamber. Here Red XIII was astonished to see a stone version of a Forensella, his species. The figure was standing straight up, as if knowing it was on display, and was adorned with a plethora of rods exuding from its stone skin, which appeared from the ornaments on their rear ends to be arrows. But Red XIII's eyes were drawn instead to its face, which struck a chord deep within him.
"…a statue?" said Red XIII. But even as he said it he knew it was false; the most gifted sculptor could never have crafted such eyes, filled with pain and yet full of strength and pride.
"You have heard, of course, of the Great Warrior of Cosmo Canyon, who according to legend slew hundreds at the Battle of Nattak Cave, and who gave his life to prevent the Gi from taking even one step into the Canyon.
"Yes, of course," said Red XIII; it was a legend with which all in the Canyon were familiar.
"Look, Nanaki. Look upon your father, the Great Warrior, Seto."
"Grandfather…I don't understand," said Red XIII in wavering voice.
"Seto made his stand here, in this chamber, and defeated hundreds of the Gi before their poisonous arrows finally took their toll and turned him to stone. The rest of the warriors fought valiantly as well, of course, but had it not been for Seto, the Gi surely would have made it through the cave and overwhelmed the Canyon."
Red XIII swallowed hard, eyes never leaving the stone figure. "Why was I never told of this before?"
"It was Seto's wish," Bugenhagen replied simply.
"But why? If this is true, then my father would be a hero in our history."
"Rest assured, it is true. And yes, he would indeed be revered by all in the Canyon. But your father wished for his deeds in the battle to remain unknown for your sake."
"For my sake?"
"Seto knew how much you looked up to him when you were small. He knew that should you hear of his death in battle, that you would feel almost obligated to follow his path: the warrior's path. He did not wish your path to be decided for you, but wished for you to be free to make your own decision. His determination to follow this course was strengthened by the knowledge of your race's decline: he did not want you, the last of the Forensella, to be set on a path not truly your own, but instead to forge your own destiny and thus your own ending to Forensellas' story. And so, before going off to fight, he made me swear that if he should perish, that I would be sure to keep his fate a secret known only to myself.
'Unfortunately, Seto did not count on your resourcefulness and determination. He did not think that you would search the cave for any clues of his fate and, when you failed to find any, that you would draw your own conclusions and declare him a coward. He never expected you to swear in your, forgive me, misguided adolescent fervor, to protect your homeland as he supposedly never did. So I decided to break my vow to Seto in order to preserve his original intention: to avoid forcing you onto a certain path through his actions."
Red XIII took some time to assimilate all this. "But why now?" he said at last. "You have known for years of my desire to stay here and protect Cosmo Canyon. Why are you just now telling me this?"
Bugenhagen sighed, as he polished his dark lenses with his sleeve. "I hesitated for a long while because breaking a vow is hardly something that one does lightly, even if one believes the reasons to be just. However, I finally decided that it must be done today. When I saw you with your companions around the fire, it became clear to me that in your heart, you had chosen your path, and it did not involve your staying here."
"So are you saying that I should go with Cloud and his friends?"
"I am not saying you should do anything. In fact, I think your companions are rather naïve and misguided. They fight to try to save the Planet, as if it were that easy. Even if they dismantled every Mako reactor and stopped this Sephiroth of theirs, they will only be delaying the inevitable. You know this as well as I."
"Indeed," said Red XIII.
"However, I can tell that be that as it may, you still know you have to go with them. And after all, there is nothing more honorable than fighting a battle that you are doomed to lose, simply because you had to make the effort. And who knows? In the battle that took place here, everyone in the Canyon was sure that the Gi would triumph, but thanks to the extraordinary valor of one warrior, this was not the case."
Red XIII nodded. "Grandfather, could you possibly leave my father and me alone for a moment?"
"Of course, Nanaki," said Bugenhagen, making his exit from the same passage through which they had entered.
Red XIII stood mutely and stared at the stone figure, at his father, the Great Warrior Seto. He did not know how long he stood: time had no meaning to him. He just stood and thought: about ShinRa, about Cloud and Barret and their respective quests against Sephiroth and ShinRa, about his grandfather, about Cosmo Canyon, about the Planet, about his mother, and about his father. But he was suddenly jarred from thought when he noticed something move near Seto's eyes. When he focused it was gone, but he could swear he saw a tear drop from the petrified Forensella's eyes. Red XIII felt his own eyes swell, as he raised his head to the moon and howled.
"The hell is that?" said Barret as a piercing howl rang through the night air. It was like that of a coyote, but somehow more. It was a howl that told of sorrow and regret, of despair on a scale impossible to experience by a mere animal.
"Who cares?" said Cloud as he returned to the bonfire. "I just checked on the car again: it's ready to go. And we need to get going."
"But it's night," said Aeris. "And Red XIII,"
"We've lost too much time here already. As for Red XIII, or Nanaki, or whoever he is, he made up his mind.
"Can't we at least say goodbye?" said Tifa.
"We don't know where the two of them went or how long they'll be. There's no telling how much further we'd be set back if we waited for them," said Cloud sternly. "We have to get moving."
"So this is it, Red XIII…Nanaki…you will be missed," said Aeris.
"Damn, man, I liked the furball, even if he was a lil' weird sometimes," seconded Barret.
"Wasn't bad in a fight, either," said Cloud, thinking back to Red XIII's ruthless dispatching of Elena the Turk back in the Mythril Mines. "But let's go."
They filed out of the gate, and were just approaching the long trail up the canyon wall when…
"Wait!" called a familiar voice behind them. They turned to see Red XIII running full speed towards them. "Wait for me!"
"Hey, man, you're back!" said Cait Sith.
"Did you come back to see us off?" asked Aeris.
"No, I wish to accompany you once more, if you will permit me."
"'Ey, sure thing, Red!" said Barret. "But we thought you was stayin' behind!"
"Did your Grandfather tell you to come with us?" asked Tifa.
Red XIII shook his head. "It is too much to tell right now. Suffice it to say that I have changed my mind."
"Well, good to have you, then," said Cloud. "But what should we be calling you from now on?"
"Hmm? Oh…" said Red XIII, thinking. "I believe Red XIII shall still do for now." Cloud shrugged and led the way up the path. Red XIII said no more, but his reasons for avoiding his name had changed. Before, he had been ashamed of his name. But he now saw that the name granted him by his father was an honor: an honor of which he had to prove himself worthy.
And once again, I'm not dead. Just been inactive for a REAL long time. I've had the beginnings of this chapter sitting inactive on my computer for a while, but recently I was reminded of it and decided to go ahead and finish it. Will I continue? Well, as I made clear from the beginning I make no promises, but at the moment I plan to. After the canyon things start picking up anyway, so hopefully I'll be able to find the inspiration to continue. So if anyone's still out there, enjoy.
As for the content, I think I kept it pretty much true to the original. Cait Sith and Aeris' idealism/pragmatism argument was an unintended addition which, like many new developments, was just kinda was where the writing took me. I like it, though. I feel like it gives some good character development for Cait Sith, something which I feel was sorely lacking in the game. I also elaborated quite a bit on Seto and changed his motives for desiring that his past be hidden from Red XIII: there wasn't much of a reason for it given in the game, and as usual, video game logic doesn't do it for me. And yes, I'm going to continue to call Red XIII, well, Red XIII. I'm not terribly fond of the name Nanaki, and I rather like Red XIII, so yes, he shall continue to go by the experimental code name assigned him by a mad scientist. So sue me. And for that matter, it's what the game did too, so sue Squaresoft/Square/whatever the heck they call themselves these days while you're at it.