Thanks again for reading and reviewing! This has been such a long ride and I'm glad everyone is still with me on this!
Cloud-Gazer: Forgive me for updating before your review on the last chapter, but I'm itching to keep going! Hope everything is all right with you! If you missed it, it could be because I edited an earlier chapter and the chapter count has gone down by 1. Have a great week!
Chapter 230
"Was that really necessary?" I demanded of Cloud as soon as I stepped outside. He was sitting astride his already running bike, waiting for me to get my ass into gear. Which I wasn't about to do as long as he kept acting like an ass.
"He'll get over it." He leaned forward to grasp the handlebars. "Charly already contacted Jebb, he's waiting for us in Junon."
There was no point in arguing with Cloud, he simply lacked the ability to understand emotions sometimes. At times, he didn't even seem to understand his own, let alone those of others. He was still a strange man, though I knew he meant well.
With a frustrated sigh, I straddled my own bike and we shot off into the night.
We'd reached Junon around midnight, and then Jebb had flown us over to the Ancient Forest, where we were to meet with Red. The forest was located high in the mountains around Cosmo Canyon, the birthplace of all that was spiritual. I'd once heard from Barret that Avalanche was formed in Cosmo Canyon many years ago, in an attempt to save the Planet from dying. Our friend RedXIII – or Nanaki, as was his real name – originated from the small village. I'd been there once, with Cloud and the others, a few years back when Sephiroth had still been alive.
Cloud had accidentally stumbled upon the forest after defeating one of the rampaging Weapons, creatures summoned by the Planet to protect it. During the flight on the helicopter, he'd informed me that it was a magical place, full of wildlife and strange plants. Hardly anyone ventured there, especially since it had been hidden from the world for so long. The forest was only accessible via air transport, so chances of running into an accidental human were close to zero.
When we'd closed in on the forest very early in the morning, I had no doubt that during the daytime it was bright and colorful, but in the night it was nothing more than another dark forest, though it was extremely silent around here.
Jebb dropped us off in the mountains, a little distance away from the forest edge, where Red would be waiting for us. While feeling the complete darkness all wound me, I looked up at the stars, just like I had done last time I'd been to Cosmo Canyon, and was once again surprised at the amount of bright orbs shining down on us. From inside the city, they were difficult to see, but here, with nothing but miles of mountains and grasslands around us, every since star was visible. In the distance, Cosmo Canyon's lights sparkled, the only inhabited place for miles around.
The sounds of paws padding softly on the ground reached my ears, and I looked around to see Red approaching us from the darkness. He was little more than two glowing eyes shining at us from the treeline, the brightly burning flame at the tip of his tail weaving from left to right and creating a hypnotizing pattern of light.
His voice drifted out towards us, soft and smooth. "Long time no see, my friends." There was a hint of humor to his tones, though one could never really tell with the animal. He was almost unique in his existence, as was his personality. Apparently, he was nothing more than a juvenile, yet he sometimes acted like an old man.
"What, in the name of all that's holy, is that?" Jebb's rough voice suddenly cut through the night. "And why the hell is it talking?"
Red joined the small group standing by the chopper and sat down with a sigh. "Here we go again," he mumbled.
"He's a demon spirit, here to eat your money," I warned Jebb with a smirk, earning me a shocked look of horror from Jebb, who huffed and clambered aboard the chopper. He shut the door while muttering about crazy women. Still, he'd taken the hint just fine; he knew our business wasn't his, and he didn't want to know. It was something we'd agreed on back when we'd started working together. He'd fly me places, but he never wanted to know about mission details. That agreement worked just fine for us.
"Please refrain from calling me a demon in the future," Red told me kindly, though all I did was grin. Then he turned his battered head towards Cloud. "Any word on Vincent?" Red and Vincent were close friends, they'd found companionship in one another as soon as they had met. Both enigmas, both unique in their own way. They'd enjoyed each other's silence, something they both seemed to crave for.
"Shelke's close," Cloud replied, glancing at me. "She should locate him any day now."
I'd silently wondered how she was getting along with her plan, and hearing she was close to finding him was more than great news. Our uncertainty would be over soon, one way or the other.
Red nodded and stood to lead the way over to the dark forest in the distance. "For the passed weeks, young women have been disappearing from the area. Not only Cosmo Canyon, but from Gongaga as well. And other small villages. It wasn't until earlier this evening that I finally caught their scent. That is when I found the helicopters on the other side of the forest, near the mountain top." As he spoke, I looked off in that direction, as if I could see it in the dark. There was nothing but blackness, but I imagined the peak rising up into the clouds in the distance. "Another helicopter was inbound," Red continued. "Four men escorted a young woman into the trees. I followed them and found their camp."
It was clear to me why he'd asked us for help. Cosmo Canyon didn't have any form of army left, and neither did any of the surrounding villages. In the old days, Cosmo Canyon had a large tribe of creatures like Red to protect them, but those days were long gone.
I looked at Cloud, who's eyes reflected the starlight from above, almost giving off the impression that he was crying. I knew better, although I also knew he cared about the world more than he let on. No matter how stand-offish he was at first, he'd really begun to care about the world around him. Even if he was still an indifferent idiot sometimes.
Before I knew it, his gaze shifted and he stalked into the dark trees, leaving Red and myself no choice but to follow after him.
It would be getting light soon, and it would be better to move while we still had the cover of darkness. Red had excellent memory on where to find the camp, either that, or his nose easily picked up the trail.
Someone had set up camp in a clearing not far from the edge of the forest near the mountain top. The clearing was large enough to hold at least twenty large tents, along with supplies and campfires. There was no way in knowing how many people were residing here, and running in blindly might risk innocent victims getting hurt. For now, finding out who was behind all this was the most important thing, and the first step.
Some tents were larger than others, but there were no marks on them to indicate whom they belonged to. The only thing that stood out was the largest tent, which was decorated with gold and red ribbons, and was the size of a small cottage. They'd positioned large battery powered lights around the clearing to light it up, but all was still inside the tents.
As we reached the place, the sun had begun to rise, lighting up the sky above us slowly but surely. In the forest, darkness lingered, but the clearing lit up before our eyes.
"I could go in to scout," I offered, but Cloud shook his head before I was even done talking. "It's too dangerous during the daytime," he explained, and I had to agree with him. We'd arrived too late at night, or too early in the morning. The light wasn't our friend in this case and we had no idea who we were dealing with. "We wait and see what happens."
From far away in the distance, the sound of an incoming chopper reached my ears, and it was moving in fast. There was no doubt that the forest was its destination. And sure enough, the sound got closer and closer, until the sound got cut off, and silence remained.
Before our eyes, tents were now being opened and men stumbled outside, yawning and stretching in the early morning sun. A familiar voice drifted over to us from the other side of the forest, but I couldn't quite place it. I almost pulled an Ollie when I saw who emerged from the trees across the clearing, but luckily Cloud clamped a hand over my mouth before I got the chance to let out the scream of shock that worked its way up my throat.
It was none other than Don Corneo. Perverted, lowlife, power-hungry Corneo.
"Son of a…" I heard Cloud whisper before he let me go.
The fact that I'd seen Corneo tumble down into a ravine in Wutai with my own eyes made me doubt them right this moment, and yet there was no doubt that was I was seeing was real.
Suddenly, it all made sense. The disappearance of those girls, the reason why the underworld was suddenly rising so fast, and the person that Ivar and Wolf reported to. Corneo had been in the game for as long as I could remember, had been on Shinra's shit-list for years, and had grasped the chance to ascend when Shinra had fallen, managing to work from the shadows since everyone thought him dead. The nasty, fat bastard.
Corneo had gained more than a few additional pounds, and his stomach wobbled as he made his way over to his tent, followed by three of his goons. He was chatting away loudly, and suddenly the whole camp came alive. Men started running around to prepare breakfast, and there were more than a few female screams coming from inside the tents. Some were followed by the unmistakable sound of someone being slapped, and I had to grab onto Cloud's arm to keep from bursting out of the trees and going on a rampage. By the looks of it, Cloud felt the same; his jaw was clenched, his eyes steeled and focused on Corneo.
There was a sudden image in my mind of me strangling Corneo, and I thought he was lucky that it wasn't dark anymore, or I might have made that image a reality.
His bulk disappeared into the large tent and more screams erupted. This time I growled, and Cloud firmly caught me by the upper arm to prevent me from actually going.
"It is too risky with them inside," Red said to me calmly. He was right of course, but that didn't change the fact that I wanted the man dead, as he should be. Reno had been the one to throw him into the abyss, and yet he was very much alive. How he had managed to do it, I had no idea of, but he wouldn't be alive for much longer if I had my way.
"Cloud," I whispered, and finally let go of him. The anger was still there, but I'd managed to get a grip on it. Acting on emotion was hardly ever a good thing, but it had been my way of doing things for a long time, and it was a difficult habit to kill at times like these. Seeing I'd calmed down, Cloud let go of my arm and looked at me. "What do we do?" I asked him, needing guidance in this.
At first I thought he wasn't going to answer, but then I realized that he needed a moment to collect himself, just as I had. Corneo wasn't his favorite person by far, and he had some personal beef with the asshole as well. He hadn't seen all the things I had inside that mansion, but he knew what a dirtbag Corneo really was. "Maybe we need the Turks for this after all," he finally said, moving his eyes back to the camp. "I just don't like the idea of asking Rufus for help again."
"Me neither," I grumbled moodily, remembering what happened last time we'd done that. If I had to do him another favor I'd probably kill myself. Then I shrugged. "Why even bother with Rufus, though? All we need are the Turks, I don't give a damn about Rufus."
"Think Reno will get them to join us if you ask?" Cloud asked me.
I couldn't hold back the sarcastic snort that left me. "Well, he sure as hell won't if you ask. Not after that shit you pulled last night."
"Whatever," he mumbled, though I heard him just fine.
"Shinra has unfinished business with Corneo," I said, ignoring Cloud's attitude. He'd been kinda rude all night, and I wondered if something was going on with him. Was he still worried about Vincent? Or was something else going on? Asking him would be pointless, since Cloud hardly ever talked about what bothered him, he just wasn't that kind of guy. A vague sound suddenly cut through the air, a strange buzzing. "They'll come," I finished, before frowning at Cloud. "Cloud, I think that's your phone."
He dug up the device from his pocket and stared at it for a moment before quietly moving further into the trees for cover. It was none of business, but I felt a sudden need to join him, almost as if something was telling me that there was news I needed to hear.
After a quick glance at Red, who seemed to understand without needing words, I hurried after Cloud into the woods. He'd walked some distance into the forest, where I found him behind a large tree, speaking into the phone in a hushed voice. His eyes briefly shot up when I joined him, but he didn't comment on my presence, which I took as consent.
"Where?" he was just asking, and his eyes locked with mine again. That was when I knew it, there was no need for him to say it anymore. They'd found Vincent, I was sure of it. "I'll let you know," he concluded and snapped the device shut.
"Where?" I demanded of him while he tucked the phone back into his pocket.
"Cave not far from here, Shelke says." He heaved a big sigh, as if a giant weight was lifted off his shoulders. The strained look in his body vanished, and now I knew it hadn't been fatigue, he'd been worried about Vincent. "Eden, he's alive."
My arms were around his neck before I knew what I was doing. I just needed to hug someone, someone who knew what I was feeling, as he felt it too. A small surprised gasp escaped him, and then he was awkwardly placing his hands on my back. He didn't fully hug me back, but I didn't mind. Then the next issue dawned on me, and I quickly let go.
"How can we go get him though? We can't leave, what if we lose sight of Corneo?" How could I make such a decision? Vincent was alive, though by the sound of it he wasn't in trouble. But that didn't mean he didn't need us. Then there were the young women who needed help, the underworld led by Don Corneo that was wreaking havoc not only in Edge and Junon, but all villages around the world, ever growing in power. They had to be stopped before the organization became too much to handle. Shinra still wasn't close to being as powerful as they used to be, and they lacked the army they used to have. There was still the WRO, led by Reeve, but even they would have trouble fighting something of this size. They had to be stopped right now, as soon as possible. Vincent though…?
"You go to him," Cloud's voice pulled me from my pondering, drawing my attention back to him. "Red and I will stay here and contact Shinra."
I contemplated his offer for a moment, before realizing that this wasn't how things were meant to be. Red would want to see Vincent, and even though he was a strong warrior, he didn't believe in violence and tried to live a life of peace. Vincent wouldn't mind Cloud and Red coming for him. And if it were true that he didn't want to be found, which seemed very likely by now, maybe he needed his friends to persuade him.
So, I shook my head. "No," I said. "I'll stay. My ties with the Turks are better than yours, and Vincent might need his friends. I'd probably disappear along with him if he asked me to," I added on a chuckle. "I'll wait here until the Turks show up."
Cloud looked at me for a long time, before finally nodding. "Hmpf… Don't do anything stupid." His warning made me smirk, though I knew what he meant. It seemed he knew me well enough after all.
As soon as Cloud and Red had vanished from sight, I sat myself against a tree to call first Tseng While I waited for him to answer my call, I swatted away at the annoying flies that kept buzzing around my face, and I knew that this was bound to be a long day. It would take the Turks hours to get here, and we'd probably be here all night as well. I hadn't anticipated this, and my stomach was already growling. The worst part was that I was afraid to eat anything from the enchanted forest, because I didn't want to end up being transformed into a toad for the rest of my life.
"I need to talk to you," I said to Tseng as soon as he answered, not giving him a chance to even utter a syllable. "There's something you need to know."
On the other end of the line, I heard him open a door, followed by a few voices wishing him good morning. They were easily identifiable as Reno and Rude's, who luckily seemed to have returned to work, and very early at that. Being expected at the office this early in the morning was reason enough for me not to join the Turks.
"Not right now, Eden," Tseng replied calmly. "I have a briefing to attend to. Come see me later."
"Forget your briefing," I cut him off boldly, uncaring for his dismissal. Tseng softly gasped in disbelief at my audacity, but I thought he shouldn't even be surprised anymore. "Put your phone on speaker, there's something you all need to hear." I ignored his obvious displeased silence. "Scratch that, you'll want to hear it, trust me." There was a resigned sigh on the other end of the line, and then Tseng's voice sounded from a bit further away, telling me he'd put me on speaker, as I had requested. "I found out who's at the head of the underworld," I said without further a do. "It's Don Corneo, in the flesh." More silence followed, but then Reno was the first to speak.
"Not possible," he stated firmly, clearly in denial. "I dropped him off a three-hundred foot cliff."
"He looked kinda okay to me," I commented. "For now," I added with menace.
"Damn it," Reno cursed under his breath. "What kinda cookie dough man is this guy?"
"Are you sure?" Tseng pressed the matter, my previous rudeness seemingly forgotten or forgiven.
"I'd recognize that smug fat face anywhere," I sneered, not believing he doubted my cognitive skills. "I'm dying to plug the bastard first chance I get, but he's been taking women from around the Cosmo area and I'm alone out here." That notion was suddenly a lot more frightening to me than it had been moments before. If they found me, I was in serious trouble. "Now get over here so we can end his sorry ass once and for all."
"Hold on, Eden," Tseng interrupted my ramblings. "You must understand that we will want to investigate first. Where are you right now?"
"Ancient Forest," I replied without hesitation. "He has a camp here. Cloud and Red were with me until just now, but Vincent's been found and someone had to go take care of him."
"They've found Valentine?" Tseng asked with a hint of relief in his voice. "That is good news. How is he?"
"He's fine," I replied. "But you can bet he's getting a lecture from this gal. Until then, what do we do about Corneo?"
"We'll go on a stake-out," Reno suggested, making me smile to myself. I knew he'd have my back in this, though going on a stake-out wasn't what I had in mind. "We'll see what we can find out before we move in. This could be big."
"What, like last time?" I snorted, reminding him what had happened not too long ago. In fact it had only been two days. Or was it three? My sleeping pattern was so non-existent that I'd lost count of the days. "Who'll go missing this time, then?" Reno tsked in mock offense and almost pictured him rolling his eyes. "I want this guy dead," I added. "For real this time."
"We will execute him when the time is right," Tseng said before addressing me. "If you would be so kind, wait for us at the Ancient Forest."
"I don't work for you." I wanted to argue with his determination to keep Corneo alive for longer than another minute. I'd been all for them showing up as a team, though my intention had been to move in on the camp, not have a pajama party. I had some beef with the guy, even though he'd never actually laid a finger on me. The things he'd done to young girls was enough to make my skin crawl, and the fat bastard simply had to pay. By my hand, preferably. He was even worse than Rainman in my opinion.
"Eden, please," Tseng said calmly, though I heard the note of urgency in his voice. "I need you on this. I understand your point, but there are things we need to know from him first. If he really is the one behind all the organized crime in Junon and Edge, then we'll have to be careful about this. The last thing we need is for another repetition of 'last time', as you put it. Now, would you kindly wait while I meet with my team? I will get back to you shortly."
I quietly waited for Tseng's call, surprised at my own compliance. Waiting wasn't my style, nor was obediently following orders from people, especially people I didn't even work for. What the hell was wrong with me? I might as well join the Turks right away. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else I could do right now. By now the camp was a busy back and fro of people, and all I could do was hide and observe them. When my phone rang I snuck into the cover of the trees to answer Ollie's call.
"Please tell me Eva didn't ask you to come home, so you can come with me to waste Corneo."
"Uh, yeah, thanks for vouching for our relationship, you heartless bitch."
I grinned at his response, knowing neither of us actually meant what we said. "Anyway," I said. "I think I'm going for a stake-out with the Turks. Wanna come with?"
"What are we having for take-out?" There was confusion in Ollie's voice, making me roll my eyes in amusement.
"Not take-out, you dumb idiot," I replied. "Stake-out. But take-out is a good idea, actually. I'm starving. Make sure you bring some. I mean it."
"Wait," he said on a breath. "You mean it? I'm invited on a job?" He was getting more exited by the second and I actually laughed at his obvious joy. "And did you say Corneo?" He continued with a tirade about people returning from the dead too often, and eventually I had to cut him off when I had another incoming call.
I'd have loved to talk to him all day, because at least I wouldn't be bored to death out here, but I had a job to do. "I gotta go, Ollie," I said, silencing him. "Get your ass over to Shinra HQ in Edge and find Tseng."
By the sounds of it, he'd dropped his phone in his hurry to get going, but it only amused me more. I was still smiling when I answered Tseng's call, who I informed me the Turks would be flying over ASAP, and once again reminded me to stay put and not do anything rash. His lack of faith in my self control was somewhat offensive, but I chose to ignore it and waited for their arrival like a good girl.
