Splintered Dreams

"The Warrior Seto"

Chapter 36

The air was scented with woodsmoke when they finally emerged from Bugen's observatory—hair slightly mussed and, in Tifa's case, cheeks pink—and the sun was setting behind the canyon walls, its lingering light splashing the rocks in deep reds and golds.

It was beautiful Tifa thought as she tossed her head back and took a deep breath. Beautiful and serene, and...relaxing in a way that was utterly normal, and it was easy to pretend—just for a moment—that this was normal for them. Laughing, teasing and touching. The look on Zack's face was content—happy—and she wanted that to last for him. As long as it could, but she knew, in her heart of hearts, that their journey was only really now just beginning.

She turned to face him, and with fingers laced together, he smiled down at her, the shades of the sky turning his blue eyes a smoldering lavender. Resigned, he took a breath, exhaled through his nose. "We should round everyone up, decide what to do next," he said, and the reluctance in his tone told her that he was as unwilling to break the peace they had as she was.

But there was more at stake than their happiness, so she nodded and returned his smile with a resolute one of her own. "I'll find the girls."

He straightened, looked down the embankment into the small village. "Barret mentioned checking on the buggy, so I'll just ask around and see if I can find the mechanic shop."

"All right. Meet up at the bonfire?"

He nodded once, but when she moved to walk away he tugged her hand, pulled her, stumbling, into his arms and against his chest. Before she had her footing he was kissing her dizzy, so it didn't really matter, she supposed as her world tilted sideways anyway.

Warmth blossomed in her belly and her heartbeat skittered. There was something different in this kiss. It was still skillful and teasing, possessive and playful, but on her name she tasted something more desperate then he was letting on, and she trembled.

"Okay, now you can go," he murmured, lifting his head. He smiled, and some of her tension left.

She brushed his hair out of his eyes, her own searching his face. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Wait...no." He reached for her again, his grin lecherous.

"Zack." She stepped back, laughing. "Cut it out." That probably would have been more convincing if she wasn't so breathless. "We have work to do."

"Yeah, yeah." He ruffled his hair, cocked his head and studied her.

"What?" she asked, self conscious as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Nothing." He touched her lips briefly with his, then turned toward the stone steps. "Meet you at the bonfire." And then he was gone, leaving her staring down the stairs, wondering what in the hell he was thinking and still trying to catch her breath.

The village of Cosmo Canyon was larger than it appeared upon entrance, Tifa found. Many of the dwellings, shops and businesses were built right into the stone walls. Tunnels connected them from within and it was possible, she discovered, to traverse most of the village unseen.

She used the tunnels to check the shops and vendors, browsing for supplies and equipment as she did, and it didn't take her long to find Aerith. In the weapons shop; holding some monstrous looking knives.

It was a bit disconcerting Tifa mulled, seeing those slender fingers wrapped around the leather-clad hilts. She approached her with curiosity. "Aerith?"

"Oh, hey." Aerith sent her a startled look over her shoulder. "Which one, do you think?" She held up two overly large blades, one with a serrated edge and one without.

"For...what, exactly?" Tifa wanted to know.

Aerith frowned at the weapons in her hand, her eyes dim. "Zack almost died because he was protecting me."

Tifa leaned one hip against the display table, crossed her arms. "Zack nearly died because a behemoth attacked. Those," she pointed at the blades in Aerith's hands, "wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference."

Frowning, Aerith closed her eyes, let out a shaky breath. "I'm tired of being useless."

"Aerith..." Tifa sighed softly. So this was what was bothering her.

"Don't say I'm not." Aerith warned.

She said it anyway. "You're not."

The other girl shook her head. "I'm a defenseless, useless weight."

She wanted to argue that point, but the stubborn tilt of Aerith's chin had her asking, "And you think carrying a knife will help with that?" instead.

"It's something." Aerith countered angrily.

Tifa reached out, snagged Aerith's wrist, twisted and forced her to drop the blade, which she picked up and held to the soft spot beneath the other woman's chin. "What it is, is a way for them to hurt you," she told her, voice flat.

"Well, what then?" Aerith's eyes shimmered, her voice tight with repressed emotion. "What am I supposed to do? Just cower and let you guys fight? I can't do that. I won't. I am not going to just watch from the sidelines while you guys risk everything!" Her voice broke, softened. "I won't watch him die for me."

With a resigned sigh, Tifa let go of Aerith's wrist. Something ached in her chest and Tifa rubbed the spot above her heart. She knew what it was to be helpless. "All right," she said quietly. She walked away, moved deeper into the shop.

"All right what?" Aerith followed.

"All right, we get you a weapon." Tifa scanned the tables and displays, knowing already what it was she was searching for.

Aerith blinked, taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes, really. One that will give you reach. One that will allow momentum to make up for lack of physical strength... and one that utilizes your greatest strength." Tifa smiled when she spotted the rack on the back wall. There.

Marching forward, Tifa pulled the staff from the case and studied it. It was solid, sturdy composite, she figured. She clenched her hand around the center, flexed. The rod was strong, and, she noted, it had with three slots for materia. Perfect.

"This," she tossed the staff to Aerith. "Is your weapon."

Aerith hefted the weight of it in her palm. She swung it back and forth, examined the materia slots. "Will you teach me how to use it? How to defend myself?" she asked.

Tifa nodded. "Of course." There was nothing more dangerous than a person handling a weapon that didn't actually know how to handle it.

Aerith slipped her arms around Tifa's waist, placed her head to her shoulder. "Thank you, Tifa."

A little awkward, Tifa returned the embrace. "You're welcome."

Outside the weapons shop, they paused so Tifa could strap the staff to Aerith's back.

"The elders told me a lot," Aerith spoke as Tifa worked, her voice quiet. "They say I'm the last of an Ancient race. The sole surviving Cetra. They said I was alone." She tilted her head to face Tifa, smiling her sunbeam smile. "But I'm not, am I?"

The last survivor. Tifa knew all too well what that felt like, and the aching loneliness that came with the knowledge, so to see emerald eyes so wide with hope, it tightened her throat and made her own eyes sting. She took the other woman's hand."No, Aerith, you're not alone."

The bonfire was lit and the sky dotted with the night's first stars by the time they all found their ways to the bonfire. Zack noticed the staff strapped on Aerith's back, but to Tifa's surprise he withheld comment on it.

She had expected him to say something, and by the line of her lips, so had Aerith, but instead he simply nodded as they approached and smiled before returning his attention to whatever it was that Nanaki was speaking to him about.

Yuffie was lounging on a small stone bench, her head propped on Cait, and Barret was on the opposite side of the flames, his eyes distant. Setting her bag of newly acquired potions and goods down, Tifa made her way over to her friend.

"Hey."

Barret tilted his head, but his eyes didn't stray from the bonfire. "Yo."

Sliding up alongside him, Tifa leaned her head against his arm and watched the flames dance. Not liking the way their sway made her feel, she tilted her face toward Barret's. "What's on your mind?"

"This place." He gestured with his hand, the motion encompassing the cliff walls and village homes. "And all that it means. Cosmo Canyon is the birthplace of AVALANCHE."

That's right, Tifa thought as she nodded. She remembered Barret telling her that once.

"I...I promised my guys, that when we'd won...when it was over and we had saved what we could, that I would bring them here." He rubbed his hand over his face, pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a shaky exhale.

For someone so large, he seemed small and fragile in this, Tifa thought, wrapping her arms around his waist. He grunted, lifted his arm and slung it over her shoulders. The metal was cold, but she didn't flinch.

"Will they...forgive me, y'think?" he asked.

Tifa swallowed. She didn't know how to answer that. She had no answer, really. She had yet to forgive herself for their deaths, so she couldn't say whether her friends would ever find it in their hearts to forgive them.

Barret wasn't really waiting for her answer anyway, she was relieved to realize when he continued speaking. "Won't matter. I'll fight for them, so that they know what they died for wasn't futile. I didn't know if I could keep going...didn't know if I could find the strength after Dyne..." he broke off, took another breath. "But I can, and I will. They deserve that much." He raised his face to the sky, shouted, "AVALANCHE will be reborn!"

Tifa squeezed his arm, stretched up to kiss his cheek. "We'll do our best," she murmured.

"It's all we can do," he agreed. "Ain't no getting off this train now."

Tifa smirked at that. The expression reminded her of early assignments, and reactor raids. It made her ache to hear it, but it felt good, too. They wouldn't be forgotten.

She and Barret watched the fire in silence for a few minutes before the crush of dry grass beneath boots turned their attention to Zack. He approached slow, in a manner that would give her time to indicate they were still busy, should she need to. He was always considerate like that, she thought, nodding her welcome.

"Nanaki said communication here is limited, but I managed to get a call out from the mechanics," Zack told them when he was closer.

Expectant, Tifa waited for news on his parents. Seeing it on her face, Zack gave her a reassuring smile. "Mom says hi."

Relief surged through her. "They're doing okay, then?"

"Yeah." She could tell that talking with his parents had eased him, and she was thankful. "Dad thinks they're being watched, but otherwise they're being left alone," he added.

"Damn Shin-Ra," Barret grumbled. "Glad your folks are all right," he added.

"Thanks."

"You are fortunate," Nanaki approached around the fire, the firelight causing his eye to shimmer, "to have such noble parents. My mother was brave and noble also, but my father..." he trailed off, tail swishing.

"Your father?" Tifa prompted gently.

Nanaki sighed, sat back on his haunches and shook his head. "When I think of my mother, I find myself filled with pride and admiration, but when I remember my father my heart is full of anger."

Behind him, Bugen approached, seeming to melt from the shadows themselves. "You really cannot forgive your father, Nanaki? Even after these many years?"

Startled, Nanaki rose again. "Of course not, grandfather. He was a coward that ran away rather than face battle. His cowardice could very well be the reason my mother is dead. She stayed and fought while he tucked tail."

Bugen gave a weary sigh, looking very much the old man he was. "I had hoped it would not come to this, but I see that your heart is hardened. I must show you the truth, because I fear words will not be enough."

"The truth?" Nanaki blinked, clearly confused. "Grandfather?"

Bugen waved his hand. "Come, Nanaki. I have something to show you." He paused, considering. "You should bring a couple of your companions with you. This may be dangerous."

Nanki turned his gaze toward them. "I would trust all of you to walk beside me into danger, but I will ask only Zack and Tifa to make this journey with me. If you are, of course, willing."

Touched, Tifa nodded. "I'll go with you."

"Lead the way," Zack motioned. He glanced at Barret. "You all set?"

"Do I look like I need your help, Princess? Got along just fine before you came along, and I can manage just fine without you."

Zack shrugged. "Didn't think you wouldn't be. I was just wondering if the gear is set to go when we get back."

"It will be."

"Fine then."

"Good."

"Great."

Rolling her eyes, Tifa grabbed Zack's arm and tugged him after Nanaki and Bugenhagen. "Would you just come on."

Wherever the old guy was taking them was pretty damn out of the way, Zack thought as they wound through yet another long tunnel. Shadows stretched longer and longer the deeper they went, the torches along the walls doing little to push back the oppressing darkness.

It was...unnatural, and Zack reached back to feel the familiar handle of his sword, his senses on alert. It felt as if something was tracking them, following their every move.

"Hoo hoo hoo," Bugen's voice echoed off the stone. "No worries, young warrior, in these halls there is nothing to fear. Not yet."

Comforting.

Bugen moved to stand in front of what appeared to be a stone slab, but Zack suspected it to be more, and a moment later—when the elder reached up and pulled a lever—his suspicions were confirmed as the rock and stone shifted and lifted..

"What is this place?" Tifa asked as a draft of cold, foul smelling air wafted over them.

"Come, come," Bugen motioned them forward. "Questions and answers later. I will follow you."

"Follow us?" Zack slanted Bugen a look. "I have no idea where we're going. Shouldn't you lead?"

Wrinkled eyes blinked, and laughing, Bugen waved his hand. "Hoo hoo, it's dangerous in there. You expect an old man to go first?"

Nanaki moved to the front. "I will lead the way," he offered. "My eyesight and sense of smell will aid in this."

"Fine by me," Zack nodded. He'd witnessed Nanaki maneuver with ease through the bloodstained corridors of the Shin-Ra tower and tackle an enraged behemoth, there was little doubt in his fierce abilities. "Let's go."'

Through the hidden doorway they entered deeper caverns. The walls shimmered in the limited light and the gaps in rock were spanned by rickety looking rope bridges and planks of wood. Nanaki traversed the ledges and gaps with ease, his loping gait hardly slowed by the task. He paused, waiting beside a closed door for the others to catch up.

Grasping the frayed roped of a dangling ladder in his hand, Zack lowered himself onto a ledge, reached up and helped Tifa down, then Bugen.

Outside the ornate door, Bugen spoke, "The energy and spirits here are ghosts of the Gi tribe. Killed in a certain battle."

Beside them, Nanaki tensed. "A certain battle?"

"The vengeful spirits of the Gi didn't disappear, and couldn't return to the Lifestream..." Bugenhagen opened the door. "We still have far to go. Ho Ho Hoooo."

The passage way behind the door was dark and the offshoots of tunnels were covered in thick spiderwebs. Zack stopped dead in his tracks and shook his head. "Uhn-uh. No way. Done." He crossed his arms.

Tifa glanced up at him, eyebrow raised. "Zack?"

"No." He wouldn't give into those dark eyes. "Spiders, Tifa."

"Zack, come on." She rolled her eyes. "I'll even hold your hand."

His eyes narrowed. "You see the size of that web? No way."

"Zack. Come on!" She looked ready to punch him in the head.

Nanaki's gaze darted back and forth between them. "Perhaps there is another path—"

"No!" Tifa cut in. "The big baby is going to suck it up!"

As she spoke a hiss echoed through the cave and Zack felt the hairs on his neck stand up.

Tifa turned slowly, her eyes peering into the shadows. Several dozen black orbs glittered back at her. "Shit." She screamed as fangs burst from the darkness.

Bloody mucus rained on her as Zack swung his Buster Sword, cleaving the spider in two. "See?" he demanded as he lifted her from the ground. "Creepy fuckers."

"That one is an exception. That has to be the biggest spider I've ever seen," she said, wiping her arms and pushing the sticky mess of her hair out of her eyes. She shook a glob of Gaia knew what onto the stone ground.

Zack wrinkled his nose but her glare held his tongue.

Regaining their attention with a non-subtle cough, Bugenhagen gestured to the now parted webbing and the cave revealed beyond. "As you can see, this cave leads to the back of Cosmo Canyon. If the Gi had attacked though here, we wouldn't have stood a chance." Bugenhagen's voice was slightly raspy when he spoke, and he had to clear it. "The Gi were much larger than us, and because of that, they could not fit through this passage." He looked down at Nanaki. "Let's move on."

Bugen led them to another cave entrance and waited patiently as Zack pushed in front of him, used his Buster Sword to clear the webbing and peer into the dark for another creepy spider. Seeing none, he nodded for Bugen to continue.

The elder did his float-walk into the cave's mouth. "There was a warrior from our tribe that came here. That went through this cave all alone. Fighting attackers one after another..."

The walls were marked, Zack noticed, with burns and gouges. As though whatever battle had taken place had started or ended right at the entrance of this cave. The narrow path was confining, and Zack could only imagine the frustration and hardship of engaging in a fight here.

Nanaki moved forward cautiously. "Grandpa... That warrior...?"

Bugenhagen held up his hand, warding off the question. "Ho Ho Hoooo... We're almost there."

Zack got the feeling that wherever Bugen was leading them held some special significance to not only for their tribe, but particularly Nanaki.

The next cave Bugen took them to was larger than the last and within it there was swells of rock and lines cracked in stone that revealed bubbling lava beneath. Something very bad had taken place here. The air was stank with something foul and it made his skin crawl. Zack felt Tifa edge closer beside him and knew she felt it too.

It was also something Bugen himself hadn't been expecting, because the older man's steps faltered. "What is this?" he asked, swiveling his head around. "This...can't be..."

"What is it?" Zack asked, sword gripped in hand.

Bugenhagen moved about the chamber. He touched the wall, pulled his hand away as if scalded. "After death... The ghosts of the Gi... Like stagnant air..." He shuddered, clutched his robes. "This... can't be!"

"Grandfather?" Nanaki leaped to his side as the walls trembled and the stone crumbled, revealing a grotesque shape beneath the layers.

"What the hell is that?" Zack wanted to know, watching the stone shift and morph into a semblance of a face.

"It is leftover evil," Bugen replied.

Nanaki snarled, moving to stand in front of his grandfather, hackles up and fangs revealed. "I will protect you, Grandfather."

"Zack-!" Tifa jerked back as a geyser of lava spit up from the floor. The walls moaned and from the stone shimmering flame danced forth.

"Gi energy," Bugen clarified. "Malevolent remains of the unsettled warriors that died here." A figure began to solidify from the stone. No features, but the outline of an elaborate headdress and beads emerged. A snap and whistle and Zack flinched as skin split on his chin. Fast, fucker, he thought swinging his sword.

Beside the larger shadow, smaller ones began to form. "Tifa, there's another one," Zackk called out, deflecting another snap of energy.

"On it." She was already in motion, her fist connecting with stunning accuracy. Like smoke, the energy dissipated, reformed around her.

"Tifa!" Zack rolled away from a spew of hot magma and swore as the moaning shadows struck again. He needn't have worried. She was already taking care of the energy attacking her, and moving to help guard Bugenhagen.

A low growl and a "Down!" from Nanaki had Zack lowering his head and grunting as large paws landed on his shoulders and Nanaki launched himself against the energy with violent force. Zack rose up, followed the attack with an arc of energy from his blade. Angry, the Gi-phantom screamed and poured darkness into the room, tainting the very air with it. Zack's eyes shimmered in the dim light and his lip curved up—just a bit—at the corner. Time to go to work.

Together, the three of them drove the lingering remnants back into the stone, each attack blending into the other so they gave the lingering Gi no time to fully form.

He was a warrior.

Tifa dodged another attack from the bad spirit energy, but her eyes were on Zack. Bugen had called him a warrior, and watching him now Tifa was reminded once again that Zack had been a SOLDIER first class for a reason. He swung that massive sword of his with unnatural ease and each hard hit he gave was enough to make her teeth crack. He was raw power and force and there was something beautiful in that, she thought, her fist cracking stone as she punched through the Gi in front of her.

"I've had just about enough of this shit," Zack growled, spinning his blade and severing snapping energy tendrils. With a shout, he leaped into the air and drove the buster sword into the face embedded in the stone wall. Around them the walls shook, dislodging stone and leaking fiery liquid, but only for a moment, as with one last echoing screech, the Gi phantom dissipated, leaving behind only the stench of sulfur and the tint of wrongness in the air.

Bugenhagen eased his way from behind Tifa, surveying the damage done. "Thank you, friends of Nanaki. Because of your skills, we survived." He bowed to Zack, then to her. "Nanaki, you have grown strong as well." He bowed again.

Muzzle tilted down, Nanaki pawed the ground, clearly embarrassed and proud. "Thank you, Grandfather."

Bugenhagen reached out to place his hand on Nanaki's head, his expression tender. "Now I know that it wasn't a mistake bringing you here. Come, I have something I want to show you. Right over here." Bugen slipped through a small crevice on the back wall, leading them into yet another chamber. This one was cool, open to the sky above and in the center there stood a huge pile of boulders.

Nanaki paced beneath the stones, haunches drawn tight, and Tifa wanted to reach for him and hug him. He looked so scared, she realized, surprised. And young. "Grandfather, what...what is the meaning of all of this?"

Bugen smiled, but it was a sad smile and one that didn't reach his eyes. "This, my grandson, is the warrior who fought against the Gi." Bugen lifted his hands, palm up, and levitated into the air. "He kept them from taking even one step into Cosmo Canyon." He landed on top of the pile of stone, turned his face up. "But there was a price, and he was never able to return to the village, or the family he loved." He gestured with his finger, higher to where the cavern opened and the cliff walls appeared to touch the sky. "Look closely, Nanaki. Look at your father, at the warrior, Seto."

Tifa followed the line of Bugen's finger and her breath caught in her throat. Above them, outlined by the glow of the moon, a stone statue stood high on the cliffs, a representation of Nanaki's tribe...but it wasn't a statue, if what Bugen said was true...

For the first time since he'd joined them, there was no smooth inflection in Nanaki's voice, but instead it trembled. "That's... Seto?"

Bugenhagen nodded, gaze somber. "Seto fought in the village, but it was apparent that the Gi were numerous and relentless, and they were using the caves to invade us. So, he continued to fight the Gi tribe here. He took the fight away from those he loved and brought it here, to the protect this Canyon. Even after the Gi's poisonous arrows began to turn his body to stone, he fought."

"He was poisoned?" Nanaki climbed the boulders.

"Yes. The Gi magic had no cure. Softs and potions had no effect, and many died in agonizing pain. Many fled to avoid such a painful death, but not Seto. Even after the Gi all ran away Seto continued to protect us. And he continues to protect us, even now."

Oh, Gods... Tifa clutched her hand to her heart. It was too cruel...

Nanaki tilted his face to the sky, his gaze on his father. "Even now?"

Slow, Bugen sat himself onto the stones. He let out a long breath, and nodded. "You thought that he was a coward and ran away. But he, alone, risked his life to protect Cosmo Canyon. That was who he was. That is your father, Seto."

Head bowed, Nanaki trembled. "Did mother know?"

"She knew. The two of them made me promise to keep this cave shut. They asked me to seal it myself and not to tell a soul. They said we should forget about this cave, forget the pain of the past and give our tribe—their son—a future."

"My...father..."

"Risked everything to save you. To give you hope and a future, and that is why I am showing you this. That is why I am telling you, and that is why, Nanaki, that I want you to continue your journey with Zack and the others."

As they spoke, Zack moved closer to Tifa. "Should we...leave?" Zack whispered against her ear. Tifa didn't know. She felt that they were intruding, but Bugen and Nanaki had requested they come...but this seemed so personal...

"No," Nanaki answered for her. "Please, my friends. Stay." There was plea in his voice, and Tifa recalled that Bugen had told them he was still a child. Young and lost and feeling alone, only to find out that the father he had condemned in his heart had saved them all... He needed his friends and so they both remianed.

Bugen nodded at them. "I know that you say that you are trying to save the planet, and, honestly, I don't think it can be done. For even if you manage to stop every reactor on the planet, it's only going to postpone the inevitable." He took a breath. "But, Nanaki, bringing you here has reminded me that fighting—even when it seems hopeless—is something we all must do to save what matters the most to us." He bent, placed his forehead to Nanaki's. "I'm so glad that you came back while I was still alive to show you your real father."

"Grandpa... don't talk like that. I don't want to think of life without you."

Smiling, this time tenderly, Bugen laughed. "Well, I've had a long life. One hundred thirty years, but never have I felt such pride and joy as I do now. With you. Take the knowledge of who you are and use it on your journey."

Rising to his feet, Nanaki faced Bugen proudly. "I am Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon! The son of the warrior, Seto! I will come back a warrior true to that noble name. I will make my father's sacrifice not one in vain, and I will be the son he deserved."

Above them, a sliver of light caught a stream of water as it trickled down the statue. Bugen inhaled a sharp breath. "That's Seto... Seto is crying..."

Crying? So he really was alive in that tomb of stone? Tifa took a shaky breath, stared up at the weeping statue.

"Seto... Fa... Father." Nanaki crouched and then leaped along the outcroppings until he too was a distant shadow atop the cliff walls, beside his stone father. A moment later the stillness of the cavern was shattered by a low, mournful wail that called to the depths of soul.

Tifa pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob as Nanki lifted his head and howled again. If all the lost souls of Nibleheim had been given a voice, they would have been held there in that plaintive call. It bled into the night; beautiful despair. It was the most devastating sound she had ever heard and as the pitch wobbled and rose again, she broke. She turned her face into Zack's shoulder and wept for Nanaki, for Seto, and for everyone who'd ever lost someone they loved.

AN: Well, okay... I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support, and I really hope I did Seto and Nanaki justice here. I didn't want to drag it out into a painful mellow-drama but I wanted it to be impactful, not just to Nanaki but to the others as well. I hope I accomplished that. Also, i must say, my muse was spurred today by some very fantastic photomanipulation fanart! Sephiroth_Owa13 did this: http: / sefira13. deviantart. com / # / d2qzzws and Iskra-Revoir did this: http: /i skra-revoir. deviantart. com/ #/ d2qyfnj Thank you guys. (Without spaces. If the links don't work, because can be a pain, just check DA under fairheartstrife's faves). THANK YOU GUYS!

I have the best readers in the world!

Get ready for Nibleheim...