By a Fraction of a Degree
A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129
Rated T for Violence and Language.
I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spinoffs. That honor goes to Square-Enix.
Part II: Reunion
Chapter 27, A Night to Remember
December 24th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007
The man named Mr. Coates didn't say a word as the elevator doors closed in front of them and the small box carried him and his two companions back down into the depths of his domain. The warden of Corel Prison looked worriedly at the one-armed gunman who stood next to him and Barret simply stared right back. The smaller man had definitely been amazed that Barret actually wanted to come down here, but he had seemed even more amazed that Dio was willing to allow him back out. Still, as the passenger compartment of the elevator flew down the shaft, hundreds and hundreds of feet deep, he had said nothing. Who was he to second guess the owner of the second most powerful company on the Western Continent?
When the doors to the elevator opened Nanaki could feel the heat already drying his nose. Barret walked out, looking around warily, and the red lion followed him, though they paused when Mr. Coates cleared his throat. "I'll be waiting in the warden's office when you're ready to go back up."
"Where's the trench?" Barret asked.
"Go north and then east. You'll see it."
The gunman grunted and turned towards the gate leading out of the area in which they had disembarked. Nanaki trailed after him, taking in the waves of heat baking the desert sands. The prison was about the way he had imagined it. They didn't need the fences here. Anyone who tried escaping the more conventional confines of the place was soon claimed by the desert. It was a fate few cared to tempt. The two of them walked for some time until finally, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff. Barret squinted in the desert sun, glancing around warily before they turned east. Finally, they came to a path leading north by a pile of junk and they walked along it.
Nanaki paused, his ears perked up as he heard a sound behind them, but when it didn't seem that it was coming in their direction, he turned his attention back to what lay ahead of him. No corpse lay there. It would have been absorbed by the lifestream a long time ago. Instead there stood three grave markers, constructed of crossed stakes. The two older ones had names carved on them but they were too old to tell. The third however, was freshly carved. The name and date were impossible to miss. "Dyne. 12.21.0007." Someone with a very morbid sense of humor had carved a crude effigy of a man with a gun for a left hand on the supporting stake.
"Guess I shoulda known," Barret said at last, kneeling to look at the grave marker. "He lost so much he didn' have the strength to hold on any more. Not exac'ly what happened at the mine, was it Dyne?"
Nanaki sat a respectful distance away. "You mean when you lost your hand."
Barret nodded. "I was sure he was dead, so when I got back ta Corel, I took Marlene and got the hell outta town. I wish I'd known he was still alive… that Marlene still had her real father."
"Her real father?" Nanaki repeated.
"Barret nodded. "He and Eleanor couldn'a been better parents. They loved 'er more'n anythin'. Though after everythin' that's happened, I doubt either of us would deserve to hold her. His hands ain't any cleaner than mine now, if I heard that #$%^& up top correct."
"I'm sure he's glad you've taken care of her," Nanaki said softly.
"Prob'ly." Barret stood and walked to the edge of the cliff, and look down, whispering something the winds drowned out. He remained there for at least a minute, lost in thought before looking down and realizing there was something there. Anchoring himself by wrapping his right arm around a steel bar poking out of the junk pile, he reached over the edge and when Nanaki saw him pull back up, a small pendant on a chain was clutched in his hands.
"What's that?" Nanaki asked.
"It was his," Barret answered, placing it in his pocket. "Let's go back."
Cloud waited as the handicap reel spun across the battle arena. He'd managed to get pretty far. The last couple of fights had been a problem since he'd gotten the armor broken handicap. He'd definitely been relieved that he'd managed to avoid being frogged, but his materia had all been rendered unusable with the exception of ChocoMog, and somewhere along the way, something had poisoned him.
He began to grow worried as the reels slowed. What method of torture was this place going to unleash upon him now? Finally, it came to a stop, and he realized his Power Wrist was no longer usable. That wasn't so bad, he guessed… as long as the next opponents weren't anything horrible…
A Sonic Speed and two Kyuvilduns appeared in the arena. Okay. Two bugs and a bird. He could deal with this. His sword felt heavy in his hands as he contemplated what he was going to do and then one of the bugs let loose with a crushing attack. He barely managed to get out of the way. Now was not the time to stand still so he rushed at the first of the giant insects and brought his sword down in a hard swing, chopping off two of its legs. The insect clicked menacingly and Cloud grunted in pain as he felt something collide with his back. The bird had dive-bombed him. Rolling away from his attackers, he picked himself up, only just in time to avoid another one of the bugs. He channeled a limit break, coming down hard with a single slice of his sword and the first bug went down.
He could feel his muscles ache as he looked at the other bug, but he wasn't going to give up now. He raced at the Kyuvildun, and ran it through with his sword, killing it instantly and then looked up at the Sonic Speed that was still flying around the arena. After diving out of the way to avoid a second harrier attack, he considered his options. There was no way he'd be able to catch it fast enough at his conventional speed, so he checked what he had on him. It was at that moment when he remembered what Zack had told him.
"It may be weird, but summons can come in handy."
What was ChocoMog anyway? He concentrated hard and started to summon. "Come on Cloud! You can do it!" Zack called out from the stands over the echoes of the rest of the audience. His friend should have known better than to try testing him with something like this. No time to feel sorry about it though. The air shimmered in front of him and soon after, the strange visage of a mog riding a chocobo appeared. It looked like it was gearing up to ride out and try and catch his opponent, but that was when Cloud got an idea.
"Hang on a second!" he called out to it. The mog looked back at him, cocking its head to the side curiously. Without waiting, he leapt forward, onto the chocobo, brandishing his sword. "Now go!" The chocobo charged across the arena and Cloud pulled himself up to a standing position. He heard the crowd go wild around him when he jumped into the air, running the Sonic Speed through with his sword. He curled up as he neared the ground, landing in a crouch, the bird and his sword strewn across the other side of the arena.
Taking a moment to breathe, he saw the slot reel on the wall begin to spin. While it rolled, he collected his sword and waited. This was the final fight. If he could make it past this, he would be home free!
That was when the reel slowed to a stop, and suddenly, the arena looked… a lot bigger. He heard a noise from the door leading out of the arena, and his blood ran cold when a huge lizard with iridescent green scales crawled into the room. It was a Dragon…
"Well, a promise is a promise. Go ahead and take it." Dio seemed a little disappointed but that was more than Cloud really cared about at this point. The thing he cared about was that now clasped in Zack's hands, was the keystone. As the man left, Zack turned his attention to his friend. "Nice going, Cloud. You were terrific out there!"
"Nice to know nearly getting crushed by a dragon is considered a good job," he retorted.
"No seriously!" Zack exclaimed. "That was really rotten, giving you Mini at the end there, but even so, all the way up to that point you were kicking ass! And that thing you did with ChocoMog too!" He laughed. "That was awesome! You'll be better than a 1st Class before you know it if you keep that up!"
Cloud smiled sheepishly at Zack's praise. "If you say so."
The two of them rejoined Tifa and Aerith where they were waiting with Cait Sith. "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up before the others get back, I think we'll need to check out a room somewhere anyway until Cissnei gets here."
It was at that point when Tifa brought up an important question. "So now that we have this keystone, what are we going to do with it?"
Zack paused, thinking. "I dunno. But I guess we can figure that part out when the others get back."
"I guess," Tifa said. They reached the tunnels leading to the other parts of the Gold Saucer when they realized they didn't know where they were going.
"I saw on the map that they had a hotel around here somewhere." Zack frowned, looking between the various pathways branching off from Battle Square. "But which one was it?"
"It's that one lad." Cait Sith indicated the path leading to Ghost Square with a gloved hand. "Though ye'll need some of these to pay for it." He held out a few coins and Cloud saw they looked like gil, but had different markings on them.
"Oh, you mean that GP stuff?"
"Aye. Five GP isn' all that much tho, so don' worry aboot usin' this. Jus' think of it as my contribution to the cause." He tossed Zack a few of the coins.
"Well, thanks. I can pay you for it in gil if need be."
"Don't worry abou' it. I heard somethin' happened to the cable car anyway, so we're stuck here as it is," The cat said.
"I guess there's nothing we can do then. Come on guys, let's go." Zack led the way down the tunnel to Ghost Square and soon they found themselves in what appeared to be a graveyard, walking towards what appeared to be a haunted mansion and once they were inside they took care of reservations for the night. One long shower later, Cloud walked out of the bathroom to find the room empty of people, so he went downstairs to the lobby. It seemed like a rather depressing place, with ghosts projected into some of the chairs and a corpse manning the front desk, but it seemed that the others had decided to convene here due to the admittedly crowded situation that would have resulted from meeting in one of the hotel rooms.
Kunsel and Freya were the last to show up, but when they did, Zack addressed them first. "So, any luck?"
The Turk and the SOLDIER both shook their heads. "He's gone without a trace," Freya said disappointedly.
Zack looked over at Vincent and Yuffie. "What about you guys?" he asked.
Vincent shook his head. "Nothing to report."
"I made a boatload of GP though!" Yuffie brandished her winnings proudly and Vincent made a sound that was definitely a close cousin to a long-suffering sigh.
"What about your end of things?" Kunsel asked.
Zack held the keystone up so everyone could see. "We've found what Sephiroth's after, I think. Apparently it's supposed to open this place called the Temple of the Ancients."
"That's great an' all," Barret said. "But now that we have it, what're we gonna do with it? Does anyone know where this Temple is? Or what's important about it?"
"I don't know," Zack said. "But Dio mentioned something about that guy we followed asking him about a Black Materia. That couldn't have anything to do with it, could it?"
Kunsel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might. But that still begs the question of where the temple is."
"You think that's what we ought to look for?" Zack said.
"We don't have any other leads at this point," Kunsel pointed out.
"True." They sat in silence for a while before Zack said "Well, no matter what we do, we're stuck here anyway because the cable car's out. So for the time being, we may as well chill tonight and then figure out what we're doing in the morning."
"That would be nice," Aerith agreed. "We'll have some fun for a change. It'll be good for everyone."
"And going to Gongaga wasn't fun?" Zack asked, playful mischief glinting in his eyes.
"Them frogs sure weren't," Barret grumbled. Out of sympathy for the guy who'd just gotten back from a gravesite, the majority of the party decided it was best not to laugh. He wouldn't accept their pity, but there was no sense being cruel. He'd already had a very rough couple of days.
A day had passed since Mao had trailed Rufus and his entourage out of Nibelheim and through the mountains beyond the old reactor. They had managed to evade the dragons, thankfully, but now that Rufus was sure Sephiroth wasn't coming this way, the new president had come to Rocket Town. Most likely to requisition some form of air transport. It was getting dark and Rufus had pulled his vehicle up by the inn and was probably going to stay there for the night.
As he approached the edge of town, he could already see Reno and Rude questioning an old man near the Rocket. Eventually, the two Turks finished with the old man and walked over to a house with a plane sitting behind it. Mao watched from behind one of the other houses as Reno conversed with a woman who looked to be in her thirties before turning around and walking back to the inn with Rude in tow.
When they'd gone inside, Mao took up a position out of sight of the door but where he could watch. Whatever Rufus was planning, Freya would want to know.
Zack adjusted the suit he'd rented uncomfortably. He wasn't used to this kind of thing. There was a dance being held at the Event Square tonight and when Aerith heard about it she told him she wanted to go. He'd crossed continents to get to his girlfriend; compared to that, this should be easy, right? He struggled with the tie in the mirror as he tried to remember vaguely the one time his parents had tried to take him somewhere nice and swallowed hard. How did you wear a tie again?"
"Having trouble?" He looked past his reflection in the mirror to see Freya leaning against the doorway, wearing her usual jeans and a sky blue button-down shirt, with Kunsel behind her.
Perfect timing, if anyone knew how to wear a suit, it was a Turk. "Yes, actually."
The lady Turk laughed and walked over to fix the tie, which was currently in a terrible knot. "We can't have your girlfriend seeing you like this now can we?" She teased.
"That would be really embarrassing…" Zack chuckled.
"What would?" The door to the bathroom opened and Aerith walked out in a red evening gown. Her bare shoulders were fallen snow surrounding the simple black knot she wore at her neck. Zack felt a silly grin spread across his face as she placed her usual dress on the bed. Odin, she was pretty.
Freya gave the tie a final tug and playfully waved a hand in front of his face. "Gaia to Zack, anyone in there?"
Zack blinked and backed away from her to check the mirror. "Of course I am." He walked over to Aerith and offered her his arm. "You ready?"
The flower girl encircled it with her own and nodded. Once they had walked out of the hotel room and out of earshot, Zack whispered "Between you and me, I've never actually been to a dance before. Any idea what to do?"
Aerith grinned. "Nope, not a clue. But it'll be fun, right?"
"You've gotten a lot braver since you told me you were afraid of the sky," Zack said.
Aerith simply giggled, and held him tighter as they walked the path towards Event Square.
Cloud had at first been uncertain about going down to the Chocobo Square to see Joe, but Zack had suggested he and Tifa go together since he hadn't seemed that excited about the idea of the dance. The two of them had spent most of the time walking the tunnel in a somewhat awkward silence, however as they approached the end of it Tifa finally decided to break the silence. "You never told me you kept baby chocobos."
"It never came up," he replied.
Tifa laughed. "Of course I'll want to see them when we're done."
"They aren't exactly tiny anymore. They were already up to here last time I saw them." He held his hand level with his hip to demonstrate.
"I'm sure they're nice birds though."
"Yeah…" Cloud nodded.
Tifa became quiet again as they neared the desk and Cloud approached nervously. "Um… hi, Joe said we could come back and visit him and Teioh before the race."
The man at the desk nodded. "Sure, come on back, I'll unlock the staff entrance and have Ester show you where he is."
After they waited for a while, a woman with copious amounts of makeup on her face appeared and showed them through the door. "Just be sure not to bother the other racers now," she said. She showed them to the stalls where several jockeys were already prepping chocobos.
"Well look who's here! So you did come after all!" Their attention was caught by Joe when he waved them over to the stall where he was working on some of the livery with the help of a stable hand.
"So do ya need anything before I leave Joe?" Ester asked.
"No, we're all fine down here." On hearing the jockey's answer, the woman offered him a short wave and left.
"So here's where we prep the birds before they go out on the track. Nice isn't it? Not as glitzy as the rest of the saucer, but the birds are well taken care of down here."
"It does seem nice," Tifa said.
Cloud stayed a respectful distance away until Joe led Teioh out of his stall and secured his lead to a post so the stable hand had plenty of room to put on the saddle. The bird shifted his weight nervously and the jockey patted his beak. "Easy there, boy. I know you're excited." He turned his attention back to his guests. "So that other SOLDIER said you also keep some chocobos. Little ones, right?"
Cloud nodded, leaning against the wall of the stable. Teioh immediately walked over and started to nudge him.
Joe grinned. "How old?"
"At least two months," Cloud said.
"That's when they lose their down and start getting in some feathers," Joe observed. "Any unusual colors, or just regulars?"
"They seem to just be normal yellow ones." Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, not quite used to being interrogated about such a trivial matter.
It was at that point when Joe seemed to realize what he was dealing with and offered his guest an understanding shrug. "You're not much of a talker, are you?"
"Not really," Tifa answered for him.
"That's fine. Some of the best breeders I've worked with don't say much. But those are the ones you take seriously. If they do say something, you'll know it's important." He paused and then decided to change the subject. "Well Miss, would you like to come over here and give Teioh a pat? He likes it when you stroke his crest like this." He reached up and demonstrated and the black chocobo butted into his hand, eager for the attention.
Tifa nodded and joined him in running a hand through the soft feathers and Cloud heard a soft crooning noise from the bird's throat. It was at that point when Joe checked his watch. "Oh, it's that time already? Darn, we need to go warm up. It was nice to see you again, but I've got to finish getting ready. If you want to watch the race, there should still be some seats up near the Event Square."
Tifa nodded. "That might be fun." She turned to Cloud. "You want to go?"
"Sure."
"Great, I'll keep an eye out for you two in the stands." Joe hopped up on Teioh's back and as soon as the stable hand untied the lead and gave it to him, he walked the chocobo towards the exit to the stable.
"Let's go find those seats," Tifa said.
Cloud stood up straight and the two of them walked back towards the exit into the regular part of Chocobo Square.
"It was really nice of him to let us come back here." Tifa commented.
"Yes it was." Cloud agreed. He suddenly found himself thinking about the two little birds back home. He hoped the guy who ran the farm was taking good care of them in his absence.
"We'll need to cheer extra loud for him when we see him," the martial artist decided.
"Mmm," Cloud grunted.
They were almost to the door when Tifa spoke up again. "Um… Cloud… I've been meaning to ask, but…"
"What is it?" Cloud asked.
Suddenly they heard a startled "Wark!" coming from the path Joe had just taken, and then a loud "Thunk!" Cloud's ears perked up as he heard the sound and the two only spared a glance before turning around and hurrying back towards the origin of the noise. As they reached the doorway leading towards the exit to the paddock and the starting line, Tifa gasped and rushed to the side of the man in red who lay gripping his arm on the floor, his hat fallen to the floor a few feet away.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"That jerk!" Joe growled through his teeth. "He must have been one of the riders who came up from the prison! He startled my bird and he panicked." One of the stable hands had already grabbed Teioh and was trying to calm him down so Cloud walked over to help, offering a few soothing words to the anxious chocobo. The bird soon stopped struggling between his and the stable hand's efforts.
At that point a medic had arrived and was checking Joe's arm. "It looks like it's broken. We can fix it, but we'll have to set the bone and that's going to take some time."
Joe groaned. "But what about the race?"
"Aren't there more important things to worry about right now?" Tifa asked.
Joe sat there, clearly irate as the medic attempted to tend to him. Ester was already hurrying over, apparently having received word of the situation. "Who was it?" She demanded. "Those boys ought to know better than to spook a chocobo! I'll make sure he never rides here again!"
Joe offered a description and then Ester turned her attention to him. "So what's the damage? Are you all right?" she asked.
The medic sighed, "Fortunately, he only broke an arm, I've seen injuries that are much worse, but he won't be ready in time, even with a Cure materia." An uncomfortable silence had settled over the stable as Ester dispatched a couple of the security guards to go search for the man who'd spooked Teioh.
Cloud held Teioh steady and out of the line of traffic while Tifa walked over to retrieve Joe's hat and dusted it off before giving it to him. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked.
"Not unless you know a jockey who can run the race for me. At this rate, all those folks who bet on Teioh are basically sunk. It starts in half an hour." Joe took his hat with his good hand.
"A jockey…" Tifa mused. Cloud noticed her looking in his direction. "Cloud, do you remember that thing you did with ChocoMog at the Battle Square today? That was some pretty good riding wasn't it?"
Cloud shrugged and Joe was suddenly paying attention, looking him over, appraising him. "You were the guy who decided to use ChocoMog as a mount in the Battle Square? I heard about that. One of the hands said it was some pretty decent riding. And come to think of it, you look to be about the right height." Cloud suddenly felt Teioh nibbling at his hair, preening him almost as though quietly backing up his owner.
He took refuge behind the bird when it dawned on him what Joe might be about to ask. "You're not serious, are you?"
The jockey was without a choice by this point. He deliberately put his hat back on his head and walked over to the blonde swordsman, meeting his blue eyes with a piercing gaze, even as the medic hovered behind him. "Can you do it?"
Kunsel and Freya were watching the fireworks from one of the tables at a restaurant in Round Square, though it overlooked the racetrack. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd ended up with the lady Turk again, but he didn't mind the company. Zack was obviously preoccupied with catching up on five years' worth of missed dates with Aerith so he couldn't begrudge him for it, and chocobos weren't really his thing. He watched the colored bursts as they lit the sky, painting them with sparkling hues. An entire artist's pallet of colors exploded above them, blotting out the stars. Freya sipped at her drink next to him, deep in thought.
"So, do you have any ideas where this temple is?" He asked after a bit.
"Couldn't say. I'm sure someone at Shinra has some ideas, but they certainly never told me."
Kunsel shrugged. "Me either, though I guess they probably had their reasons in my case."
"That would be right," Freya commented. "I wouldn't have been doing my job if I didn't check your file after I found you in Aerith's church. They were keeping an eye on you after you got promoted, but after you got flagged they were watching you like a Death Gaze."
"Flagged?" Kunsel asked.
The Turk nodded. "According to the file there was nothing specific until you asked somebody about a project that was supposed to be classified, but apparently you were sequestered to recruit training because you asked about Zack."
"I figured that. I'm amazed I didn't disappear long before then, though I kind of wondered on occasion if the promotion to 1st hadn't been some kind of bribe."
"Still, if you were able to keep what you knew specifically about Zack quiet for that long even while being watched, that is something to be proud of. You really should have been a Turk. How the recruiters missed you in cadet training, I'll never figure out."
Kunsel shook his head, his expression becoming grim as he looked away. "I wouldn't be a good Turk."
"Why?" Freya asked.
"Some of those missions you took… what happened to Nanaki… what happened to Zack and Cloud… It was hard enough looking the other way occasionally as a SOLDIER and eventually, I couldn't even take that anymore."
The lady Turk scooted her chair around the table so she was a little closer to him shaking her head with a gentle smile. "It's not simply a matter of being willing to do whatever someone tells you to." She looked back up at the fireworks reflectively and he followed suit as she continued to speak. "It's a matter of conviction. I told Zack once that you could break down our motto into Angeal's if you wanted. Pride in being the best, honor in serving the president and the company, and a dream of creating a better future through our work. But I realize now I was wrong. It wasn't honor in serving the president, or even Shinra. It was honor in serving the values of our organization. A Turk moves with conviction that they are right, they are loyal to their comrades without exception, and once they have a goal in their sights, it will be accomplished, no matter what. I have yet to see you move if you aren't sure of your ideals. You did everything you could to help Zack when you realized he was in trouble, and once you had a lead on where he was, not even we could stop you from finding him… If anything... you're a much better Turk than I am..."
Something warm connected with his cheek. He looked over at his companion in surprise as she backed away from the short kiss. She was smiling but there was a shyness in her expression that hadn't been there before. Her face went a little red as she turned her attention back to the fireworks and Kunsel watched her fidget with her glass. Her usual confident demeanor was gone and another moment passed before she spoke again. "I-I hope… that wasn't too forward…"
The brown haired SOLDIER felt his own face grow warm and he cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the fireworks. "It's okay… I guess… You're really not that bad of a Turk… I mean, everyone has their beliefs tested once in a while. Otherwise, how would you know if you had them, right?"
"I guess so."
It was then that something on the racetrack caught Kunsel's attention. A blonde man in a SOLDIER uniform was racing down the track on a black chocobo, neck and neck with one of the other birds. The bird and his rider thundered past and Kunsel sat up straight to get a better look, not quite sure what to make of what he'd just seen. "Hey, was that Cloud?"
The dance floor had been set up on the edge of Event Square. The benches from the amphitheater stood mostly vacant a short distance away, though a few couples had gone over to sit and rest. A drink bar stood at the edge of the floor, which jutted out on a raised balcony that overlooked the racetrack and a few of the roller coasters. Zack had been nervous at first, as he and Aerith walked in and watched the other dancers. But as soon as he had her in his arms, any angst about having two left feet evaporated. They just had to avoid running into anyone. Since neither of them had a clue about what to do specifically, they took turns guiding each other in time with the beat. Even though he did accidentally step on her foot once, they were able to avoid any further mishaps.
The band had just finished a faster number and they were taking moment for Aerith to catch her breath out on the balcony. Zack had just returned with a couple of drinks from the bar and he handed one to her.
"So, was this a good idea?" he asked.
"It was a great idea," Aerith said, and Zack felt himself melting again when she offered him one of her winning smiles.
"Glad you think so. We'll definitely have to try this again if we come back."
"Not if," Aerith corrected. "When."
Zack chuckled, setting his glass down on the rail. "You're right. When. We'll make it happen."
He looked into Aerith's beautiful green eyes and saw his own violet ones reflected back at him. She set her glass down next to his, and he watched her look out over the park, deep in thought. "Hey, is something wrong?" He asked.
She shook her head. "It just feels too good to be true. Almost like this is some kind of dream, and I'll wake up tomorrow morning to find I'm still in Midgar, and you're still gone."
He shook his head and put his arms around her. He could hear the fireworks nearby but the cacophonous bursts were a silent murmur compared to the beating of his own heart. "It's no dream. And I can prove it… You want me to?"
"How?" she asked.
"Close your eyes," he said. She did as he asked, apparently not quite sure what he was going to do.
Slowly, in the glow of the sparkling blooms, he leaned forward, closing his own eyes, their lips meeting as he held her. She remained still as a statue at first, but soon gave in to the passionate caress of his mouth against hers, returning it with equal fervor. With explosions ringing in their ears, they remained at the edge of the balcony, bathed in the waves of fiery light and tides of shadow. For what seemed like an eternity, they reveled in sensations neither of them had ever felt before, and yet were so wonderfully, incredibly right.
When Zack pulled back, grinning ear to ear, he asked breathlessly "Believe me now?"
Aerith nodded before pulling him close again, holding him tight. "Mm-hm."
"Glad to hear it." They stayed in each other's arms, still reeling in the afterglow of their first true kiss, when he looked down at the racetrack. The noise from the crowd below had just risen in a loud crescendo to an overpowering roar, and now, he could see why. Hurtling down the track was a familiar man in a SOLDIER uniform, riding on a black chocobo, almost level with the jockey who had been leading. Zack had no idea how it had happened, but there was no way he could mistake that spiky blonde hair. As the birds rushed past, he raised his voice in a crowing cheer. "All right, Cloud! Whooo!"
Aerith was at first surprised, but on seeing it really was their friend nearing the finish line, she too started cheering. They watched with baited breath until finally, inch by inch, Cloud urged his mount further ahead of the other bird, first to the point where he was a head length beyond his competitor, then a neck length, past his shoulder, and then the other jockey was falling behind the bird's tail plumes. The birds crossed the finish line in a flurry of feathers and the stands were filled with cheering crowds. Even from this high up, Zack could see the look of pure elation and excitement on his friend's face before the adrenaline could wear off. It was the first time he'd ever seen him so unguardedly happy. Between that and the kiss, he couldn't see how anything could make this night any better. Cloud had won.
When Cloud reentered the stables with Teioh behind him, he saw Tifa fighting her way towards him with Joe behind her, his arm in a sling. Apparently he'd joined her to watch the race after the medics had done what they could, and judging by the pleased expression on his face, he had been quite happy with their performance on the track.
"This lady was holding out on you, friend!" Joe exclaimed. "That was some of the best racing I've seen in a long time. You get yourself a good bird and I might have some competition!" Tifa paused a short distance away, while Joe petted his chocobo and offered him some greens. The bird accepted it while the jockey approached Cloud. "But we can talk some more in a moment, I hope you don't mind if I give my bird a rub down first."
Cloud shook his head and Joe took Teioh's lead from his hands leading the bird back toward his stall, already offering him some more greens.
Tifa smiled as he approached her. "That was really great Cloud. You were riding so fast, I could hardly see you when you crossed the finish line!"
Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, bashful in the face of Tifa's praise. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt this good. The two of them waited in a comfortable silence, occasionally interrupted by the stable hands offering congratulations on the win.
Eventually, Ester showed up and she marched right over to him, her shoulders squared as though prepared for battle. "Son, that was some of the best riding I think I've ever seen, and if you ever have the gumption to get your own chocobo and do some of your own racing, just come and talk to me, all right?"
"Um… okay." Cloud was completely at a loss for words, as the woman flounced off.
A few minutes later, Joe left the stable and approached them. "Really, I just can't thank you two enough for helping me out today. We wouldn't have been able to win without you."
"It wasn't any trouble…" Cloud mumbled.
Joe shook his head. "The least I can do is give you a share of the winnings." He reached into his pocket and produced a small sack of coins. "I'd go with you, but I think I'm still kind of woozy from the medics. Go get yourselves a nice dinner to celebrate, okay?" His expression softened as he offered them the gil, shaking his head at Cloud's apparent surprise. "Its fine. You helped me out a lot, even though you didn't have too. You earned it, and I'm not going to take no for an answer, all right?" He thought of something else at that point and reached into his pocket. "Actually… Hang on a second here…" He finally found what he was looking for and pulled it out, revealing a red materia in the palm of his good hand. "I found this in the jockey's waiting room. I'm not so much of a fighter, but you look like you could use this more than I could. It's Ramuh, I think, but please, take it!"
He thrust the materia into the swordsman's hands, and Cloud barely had time to register the unusual electrical sensation from it before Tifa said "That's really generous. Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Joe simply smiled, tipping his hat. "It's my way of thanking you." He yawned. "I'd stick around, but …" He gestured to his injury. "The medics said I ought to get some rest and now that Teioh's tucked in for the night."
"Of course," Tifa said. "We understand." With a final wave, Joe walked down the corridor and was soon out of sight.
When it was clear that Cloud wasn't quite sure what to do with the items he now held in his hands, Tifa cleared her throat. "Come on, let's go."
Cloud finally allowed himself to focus on the martial artist and he nodded. "Yeah, okay." He paused for a moment before offering her Ramuh. "Would you like this? I already have a summon."
She nodded. "Sure, I'll take it." He dropped it into her hand and she slipped it into her bangle. With that, the two of them walked out of the stable. "So, where should we go to find dinner?" she asked when they were almost to the exit.
"I have no idea."
Zack and Aerith were passing through the hub on their way back towards the hotel, still chatting about their evening, when Zack's attention was caught by a familiar looking robot cat on a mog. "Hey, isn't that Cait Sith?" he said.
"It looks like it," Aerith said.
It was at that point when the cat spotted them and came over, looking serious. "What is it Cait?" Zack asked.
"Someone wants to talk to ye about tha' keystone," the cat said.
"And who would that be?" Aerith asked suspiciously.
The little robot was quiet for a moment before speaking. "A contact who knows what ta do with it."
Zack almost unconsciously reached for his PHS as he considered dialing Kunsel's number to make sure his friend still had the stone. Cait may have proven himself in terms of his fortunes, but no one had thought it was a good idea to leave the keystone unattended with him, knowing his origins. The little cat seemed to realize what he was thinking. "No, I don't have it. I'll teke yeh to this contact if yeh want."
After a moment's consideration, Zack nodded. "All right, lead the way."
The cat steered his mog around, and led the way towards Wonder Square. When they entered, he steered them up the stairs and to the left, into a small restaurant that was sequestered off the main path. Zack looked around warily. There weren't many people here since it was starting to get later in the evening and the main crowds at the Saucer were starting to wind down, but there didn't seem to be any sign of a trap. The cat spoke to the hostess at the entrance before wordlessly leading the two of them to a private booth off to the side of the restaurant. Clad in his usual dark suit and sipping casually on a glass of wine, Tseng was waiting for them almost as though they had planned this rendezvous in advance. When they approached, he nodded in acknowledgement and gestured that they join him at the booth.
"Zack, Aerith, the two of you look well," he observed.
Zack stood protectively in front of Aerith, looking hard at the man he had once considered a friend. "That's a new look for you, isn't it? When did you start wearing your hair down?" Even as he spoke, his tone remained tense.
Tseng ignored the comment, but simply repeated the gesture. "Please, join me. There's no need to block traffic."
"What are you planning?" Zack asked, not that he expected an answer.
"For now, I simply wish to share a drink or two, and perhaps have a talk," Tseng replied. "Is that too much to ask?"
"What about?" Aerith said.
"About an item you recently acquired." The Turk took another sip from his glass. "I am here to make you a deal."
"Sure you are," Zack said. "Knowing you, you've got a steal materia on you and you'll try to snatch it before we even know what's going on."
Tseng was clearly impressed that Zack had considered that possibility. "I can see that working with Freya and Cissnei has opened your eyes a little, though I suppose even an idiot can learn if he tries hard enough. Tempting as that is, right now I know that it isn't in your possession, and between the two you charged with guarding it, it would be far more trouble than it's worth." The wry smile the Turk wore on his face unnerved Zack even more than his honesty, and he really found himself wondering where Kunsel and Freya were right now. "In actuality, I have a proposal for you, regarding the location of the Temple of the Ancients."
Zack and Aerith looked at each other, wordlessly gauging each other's reactions. This could be a trap, but at this point, they had no idea where they needed to go. At last, Zack turned his attention back to the Turk and deliberately sat down across from him, his expression deadly serious. It was an expression he'd been wearing far more than he would have liked. "All right, we'll talk. But we both already know where we stand, and even if we've helped each other before, I'm not going to just trust you. I'm not stupid, Tseng. If you do anything that would hurt any one of us in any way whatsoever, I will find a way to make you regret it."
Aerith sat down next to him, still watching the Turk with suspicion, even as one of the waiters walked over to offer them something to drink. Tseng nodded to Zack. "I understand."
"So, you mean to tell us that Shinra's head Turk wants to come with us?" Barret demanded, obviously disapproving of the idea. The group was once again gathered in the lobby of the hotel at Ghost Square, with the new addition of the current head of the Department of Administrative Research.
Zack nodded. "He says he knows where we need to go, and Rufus has put him in charge of finding Sephiroth. Since we obviously aren't turning over the keystone, he says there is no other alternative."
"This could very easily be a trap, you know." Kunsel observed.
"It could be…" Freya seemed to be thinking, "But I doubt it."
"Why?" Tifa asked.
"While individually we might have trouble, my former boss is way smarter than to come in here thinking he could take on all of us at once. Further, what with the fact that we've guarded our weakest links very carefully in spite of his efforts, he has no other leverage." The lady Turk shot a pointed look at Cait Sith who ducked down behind the head of his mog at the attention. "Sure, he could try stealing the keystone, but we'd know very quickly. It would be too much of a risk." She grinned. "Of course there's also the other matter of which you are all very aware."
"The fact that you and Cissnei are Turks?" Kunsel asked.
Tseng nodded, injecting himself into the conversation. "Precisely."
"And there's no other way around this, I guess." Cloud observed.
Zack shook his head. "The truth is, we have no idea where we're going, and if we don't have a guide, we're sunk." He folded his arms, still not quite comfortable with this situation.
"What's our plan then?" Nanaki asked, flicking his tail and eyeing Tseng suspiciously.
"We'll meet Cissnei at the helipad tomorrow morning, and fly to the coordinates Tseng gives us. He will ride with us to ensure we're not shot down on the way there. He's a said there won't be any SOLDIERs or troopers waiting." Zack gave Tseng another hard look as he finished. "Of course if it is a trap, we want to make sure we're ready."
December 25th [ ν ] – εуλ 0007
Early the next morning in Rocket Town, Shera was quietly brewing a pot of tea in anticipation of a visitor while Cid shaved in the bathroom. Neither of them had any idea why Rufus himself had come all this way out to Rocket Town, but she could tell that Cid was in higher spirits than usual. To his mind, the only thing it could possibly mean was that the new president was going to bring back the Space Program. She sincerely hoped that was the case.
She perked up at the knock on the door, followed by a bellowed "Shera!" from the bathroom and went to answer it.
Standing at the entrance was a familiar yet morbidly obese man. She nodded and politely held the door open for him. "Palmer. So you came too? Cid should be happy to see you."
"I'm sure." The man nodded in response to the greeting and walked inside.
At the same moment, Cid entered the room, a towel in his hand. "Well, if it isn't fatman Palmer! How long were you figurin' on keepin me waitin'?" He tossed the towel near the sink and walked up to the man. "So? When's the Space Program gonna start up again?"
"Hey-hey! I don't know! The president's outside, why don't you ask him?" Palmer replied.
Cid did not take kindly to that. "^$#&! Good for nothing fat &$#!" With that, he walked outside.
"Don't say fat!" Palmer whined after him. That was when his beady little eyes were caught by Shera pouring drinks. "Hey-hey! Tea! Can I have some too? With lots a' sugar and honey, and oh yeah, don't forget the lard." Shera poured the drink for him, internally disgusted before walking to the door to see how things were going outside.
Cid was standing outside the door, apparently livid at what he was hearing. "What the…! You got me all excited for nothing?! Then what'd you come here for?"
Rufus was calm as he spoke, with the three Turks standing behind him. "I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco." His tone clearly indicated that he was not asking permission. "We're going after Sephiroth. But it seems we've been going in the wrong direction. We think we know where he's headed, but we have to cross the ocean. That's why we want your plane…"
Cid crunched down on a cigarette angrily as he cursed. "First the Airship, then the Rocket, and now, the Tiny Bronco. Shinra took outer space away and now you want to take the sky away from me too?"
Rufus gave him a cold look. "Oh my… You seem to forget it was because of Shinra, Inc. that you were able to fly in the first place."
"What?!"
It was at that moment that Shera heard the back door slam, and she turned her attention inside. In listening to Cid's argument she had forgotten Palmer was here, though now it seemed he had left. She squared her shoulders and walked to the door, a little worried about what she might find, but resolute that if what she thought was happening was indeed reality, that she would put a stop to it, for the captain.
Upon nearing the back door, she could hear Palmer talking to himself. "Hmm… Why do I have to do this…? I'm the head of the Space Program…"
She frowned and stepped outside to find him on the fuselage, working with the main propeller. "What are you doing Palmer?" she asked, though she knew the answer already.
"Oh Shera, you see, we need this plane to get to the Temple of the Ancients," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handgun. "I'm afraid I can't let you come any closer."
Shera considered that for a moment before putting her hands up and backing towards the door. "That's right honey," Palmer said. "Why don't you go tell Rufus and the Turks we're ready to get underway like a good little girl?" Shera nodded and hurried inside, knowing she didn't want to antagonize the fat man, but upon entering, she didn't go to the front. Instead she walked to Cid's garage where his car sat and looked through the various weapons that were situated there before selecting one of the rifles that hung on the wall. She knew it had been meticulously cleaned. Cid was very particular about his belongings. All that was required was to load it. She found a clip and inserted it before adjusting her glasses and very carefully returning to the back door.
Palmer looked up as she opened it, taking cover behind a box of equipment and aiming her weapon at his heart. "Don't move, or by Odin, I will shoot you!" she threatened, her voice carrying over the yard clearly in spite of its natural softness.
Palmer grinned when both of them heard the sound of the back door opening again. "If you say so."
Before Shera could do anything, she felt something collide with the back of her head, and she fell to the ground. On the edge of her vision the shadows of four figures walking past and then a fifth ran by while the sounds of propellers faded off into the distance. After a moment, the fifth figure returned to find her and turned her over so she was looking up at him. "Shera! #$%^! No one gave you permission to lie down on the job. You're stayin' awake!"
As the darkness overtook her, her last thoughts were "I'm sorry captain. I did it again..."
Obviously the original party would have been in Rocket Town, but instead, they're at the Gold Saucer very late/early depending on what part in the game you're thinking of.
Tune in next week as we travel to the Temple of the Ancients! I can hardly wait!