Part One: The Slumber
Chapter Four
By L u f i a
Red XIII was right about the village.
After some walk over the snows, they encountered a remote hamlet covered in icicles.
The group made their way over, noticing the beautiful hue the village was reflecting under the night fallen sky. Children were playing around, sliding up and down the slanted pathways, giggling and laughing. Older ones walked to and fro, ablivious to this sudden group of strangers. Some of them were on their roof, sweeping away the newly fallen snows. Peaceful cloud of smoke indicated that it was nearly dinner time.
Barret and the gang stood, silently watching the peaceful village. It wasn't surprising to realize that such village existed. It was obvious that they wanted to live unnoticed.
Barret finally turned towards Vincent. "Well? This looks like the place to start looking."
Vincent closed his eyes briefly for a moment then reopened it.
"No." He said. "She's not here in this village."
Red XIII looked up. "Then, what do we do?"
"What do you mean 'what do we do'? We take some rest, that's what we are gonna do!" Yuffie cried through her chattering teeth. "A hot chocolate wouldn't do any harm right now!"
"Unless you are afraid of gaining extra pound on your butt." Barret added with fake seriousness, nodding. Yuffie glared. "Hey! I am skinny enough to eat whatever I wanna eat!"
"In that case, it's gonna look morebizaar." Barret commented grinning, imagining the extra pound he had mentioned.
Yuffie lunged forward but Vincent stopped her, extending his arm in front of her.
"Enough." He said when she tried to push his arm away. "Time is short. We've gotta move forward."
Yuffie stopped her struggle. "What??" She exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "Are you crazy? What do you planning to do in the middle of the night? It's gonna be so dark that you wouldn't even know dead ends right under your nose!"
"You have better idea?"
"Yeah! We stay here and rest until daybreak! Oh, and I am not going anywhere around this place anymore! It's freezing the hell outta me!"
Vincent's eyes wandered off to the spot beyond the back side off the village.
Clear outline of white mountains stood, looking very small from here. He glanced back Barret and Red as if he didn't hear Yuffie's tantrum.
"I have a feeling our destiny lies over the mountain range." He stated, his eyes revealing nothing. Red glanced that the mountains then back at Yuffie. "Then, we have no choice but to follow. Right, Yuffie?"
Yuffie's face immediately tensed defensively, deep frown lining her forehead. "Nope! I am staying right here! Nothing's gonna make me go to that horrible place, and I mean horrible! Just look at my lips! My legs! OOOH, my poor ears!" Yuffie whined loudly and started to rub her ears vigorously. "I am going in. I bet the services of the inn is pretty good."
Vincent looked down at her keenly. "Are you sure you are staying here because you need a decent sleep? Weren't you having some plan when everyone was fast asleep?"
Yuffie immediately flushed red, darting a quick glance at the materia shop among the houses. But it changed into purely inncent face of an angel. "What do you mean, Mr. Valentine? I have NO idea what you are talking about."
"I take that as a 'yes, I am thinking about rubbing that materia shop near the inn'." Barret piped in, smug grin on his face. She was about to snap at him when Vincent shook his head and spoke up.
"Too bad. Then, you won't be interested in gaining the other precious materia in this region, now, would you?" He provided nonchalantly. Yuffie's ears perked up but she kept her face highly impassive. "What materia are you talking about?" She asked with the face of total indifference. Others had already detected a hint of interest in her eyes.
Red XIII and Barret listened, not daring to speak up and quite fascinated with how this stoic figure had a way at handling situations that had reached its limitation.
Vincent's eyes held hers for a moment. "The 'Perfect materia'." He said. Then, he shrugged a little. "But since you are not interested and rather sleep, I can't force you to go with us." He turned away without another word.
While Barret and Red XIII waited for her reaction, Yuffie watched as Vincent briskly made his way over to one of the villagers sweeping the doormat. They immediately averted their gaze away when Yuffie turned to them sharply.
"What do you think, guys? Do you think what he says is true??" She demanded, her eyes perplexed.
"I never saw him THAT serious, Yuffie." Barret replied gently, forcing in his laughter. Yuffie hit his stomach. "He was ALWAYS serious!" She screamed, glaring both at him and Red XIII.
Laughing, Barret walked away towards Vincent. Yuffie turned to Red for help.
"I really don't know what to do, Red. If I follow him, then I am giving up this diamond opportunity and"
"So you WERE planning on robbing that store!" Red exclaimed, reprimending look on his face. Yuffie merely waved it away with her hand. "Nevermind that. My career is on the line. If I don't follow him, then I am missing the grand opportunity of getting my hands on that whatever materia that is. It sounded good, so it MUST be some ancient materia from the past."
Yuffie's face crumbled as if ready to cry. "Oh, what should I do, Red?"
Red XIII smiled and slowly shook his head. "I think you already know the answer, Yuffie." With that, he walked off to the other two. Yuffie watched, biting on her lips. Her eyes stayed on Vincent, his serene expression never faltering.
Suddenly, her mind was up.
"Oh, what the heck. I'll probably regret this~!" She muttered, scratching the back of her head irritatively. Then, she started to strode after Red XIII. "Hey, I'm in! Count me in!" She hollowed.
She missed to see the thin smile on Vincent's face as she stood next to him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rufus, the President of Shinra, stood, looking through the huge window that stretched out as far as the wall could carry it. The scenery down was beautiful as well as romantic with limelights and neon signs from the cities below, hustle and bustle going on unheard from his place.
The night sky stretched before his eyes like a wide universe itself.
Scintillating stars dotted the vast cosmos like a precious jewel, adding up to the beauty.
Although he was looking, Rufus wasn't enjoying any of it. In fact, it was the same scene every day so he was getting quite tired at it.
In disgust, he turned around away from the window. He could never get to enjoy the sky without thinking about his world. And because he got depressed whenever he thought of one, he rarely felt any pleasure in viewing them. Especially not when his mind was so much occupied.
He was thinking about the talk he had with Hojo that afternoon.
Before his father had died, the old man always warned him that the highest place was always the dangerous spot and nonetheless lonely one.
If Rufus would ever follow his footstep, which the old man hoped he would, he wanted him to be extremely cautious. Being in a high place meant more power, therefore, more enemy.
And Hojo was one of his list of people he should rarely associate.
With his occassional mumbling and strange thoughts in his head, he struck Rufus as a psycho, a mere insane. At first, Rufus didn't regard him as much threat. But, it didn't take a long time for him to realize the singular mind behind that head of his was always filled with something ominous, something important as well as vital, that Rufus couldn't help but listen to his words. Hojo didn't share his own thoughts that much so Rufus didn't get ot hear everything from the horses' mouth. Being secretive was one thing, but annoying was another thing in Rufus's eyes. Rufus didn't like the things Hojo kept for himself so that afternoon, he summoned him and had asked him some questions on various finds of his.
Hojo was the one who had wanted the Ancient.
Rufus frowned, thinking back to the time of their conversation.
....
"."
"Hojo, quit mumbling and just say it aloud so that I can hear too."
".I don't want to report anything that is not certain"
"It's ok."
"."
"Hojo?"
"Have you heard of 'The Revolution'?"
"??"
"I thought as much. You see, only the chosen few receive such knowledge"
"And you are the chosen few?"
"I merely burrowed the knowledge of the 'chosen few'"
"And who might that be?"
""
"Nevermind. Tell me about this revolution."
"It'spredicted thatthe greatest revolution will occur on this earth."
"A prediction?"
"Yeson that day, the land and the nature itself will revolt against us humans andno human will ever be able to stop it once it happens.
Nobody knows how or when it will happen, but one thing certain is that the caller of this disaster is none other than ourselves, the humans.
'It's when the earth will open up right in front of thine eyesrevealing its earths' coresthere will be death, there will be sufferings, and thou who shalt appease this anger of land will be receiving the eternal lifethat's what is said in the script"
"will there be a lot of damage to this land if thatever happens?"
"No one can predict that. The system works all the same. Only the strong survivesweaklings parishIt's something like that."
"And thiseternal life is what you seek, Hojo?"
"I don't believe in that kind of makebelieve, sir. I believe in science."
"Then what's the issue here?!"
"I've told you everything I know, sir."
"No, you have not. You also wanted that Ancient. Now, why would you need her?"
""
"You have no choice, Hojo. I am not like my father."
"I've noticed."
"Now, tell me."
"I merely want her as a 'key'"
"A key?"
"I really can't tell you, even if you force me or torture me. I don't want to speak of anything that does not have sufficient proof or data."
"If that's the case, when will you gain sufficient data?"
"The time I get my hands on the Ancient."
"And then you'll tell me everything?"
"yes."
"Good."
....
Ha! Good indeed! Rufus scoffed. It wasn't good. It wasn't enough to satisfy him. And yet, he'd let Hojo off the hook. He would never forget that jublient face and menacing glint in that dark eyes of him.
Damn! There must be something more!! Frustrated, Rufus clenched his fist and tried to sort through his anger. Then, exhaling deeply, he closed his eyes for a brief moment.
This is going to be just fine once the Turks find that Ancientthen, everything will be fine
Feeling a little better, Rufus crossed the room and went inside his private chamber. He went over to the cupboard and took out a bottle of gold liquid.
Only if I could just pour this frustrations onto somebody only if I could talk to somebody about my feelings
Rufus also took out a wine glass.
He was always alone when he was small. His father would not allow him to play outside with his own ages and didn't even send him to school. He'd let several boring tutors take care of his education.
His father also took away his toys when he reached the age of 4. Rufus still remember crying himself to bed because his favourite Poo bear was torn into pieces right in front of his eyes. He had hid it before it could be taken away, but his father caught him playing with it one day. Never in his life saw father so furious. He snatched the toy away from his little hands and ripped the toy apart right on that spot.
"You are my son!"
"Daddy?"
"No son of mine is going to be treated like a normal kid! You are going to lead this company after me! Don't you EVER forget that!"
Rufus smiled bitterly.
He always had a violent temper. Wonder how he managed to keep a straight face in front of his employee
Rufus poured himself a glass. Thinking about the past always depressed him. The forbidden childhood he spent was like a sour taste in his heart.
Only if he could go back
"What am I thinking?" Rufus shook his head with a grin. He glanced down at the shining crystaline cup, shaking it gently between his fingers. He saw vague reflection of his own face.
Two saddened green eyes looked back at him.
"I must be getting old" He remarked, sipping the liquid.
Swelland he was only 23
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reno turned off the mobile phone in his palm, mildly irritated.
Elena, who was sitting across the table, leaned forward. "Was it Reeve?" She asked.
Reno nodded, throwing the comunicator onto the table. "Yeah, that was him alright. Didn't say much about their situation, though."
They were inside the Turks office, planning on their strategy. Dust covered shelves and high stacks of untouched papers filled the office, making it look like a pig's sty than a professional's working office.
"What did he say?" Elena asked, watching Reno put his foot leisurely on the table and leaning back on his chair with his hands at the back of his head. "At least, he must have said something, didn't he?" She added.
Reno frowned a little. "Well, if he was going to tell us some info about their location, he should have said the exact place."
Elena bit her lips and watched Reno closing his eyes without further explantion. "What did he say then?"
Reno looked at Elena in displeasure. "Since when were you so much interested in our mission, Elena? What difference does it make?"
"I just want to hear as a member of your team." Elena replied, forcing in her pride as she swallowed. Reno sighed heavily.
"Fine." He glanced at Elena at the corner of his eyes. "He said that the team's been dispersed."
Elena raised an eyebrow. "Dispersed?"
Reno nodded impatiently. "I told you he didn't say where or how they were dispersed. He just said something about team dividing into two and suddenly he lowered his voice and said-" He put on a sad little puppy-dog eyes with his mouth in an ugly pout. " 'Ooops, I gotta go. I really am sorry, Reno. I can't talk right now. I'll contact you as soon as I get another chance.'." He straightened his face back to normal. "Pathetic loser."
"Don't say that." Elena defended weakly. Reno merely scoffed.
Both of them sat there without a word for a short moment. Finally, Elena looked up slightly. "Wellnot what do we do? We don't know their location yet."
Reno furrowed his brows. Then, he turned his eyes towards her quickly. "Where's Rude?"
"He's checking on the vehicle we are going to take with us."
Reno slowly nodded. "Then, we wait."
Elena watched him as he turned his gaze away to stare at the door of the office. Again, heavy silence hung low in the room as they sat there, unmoving.
Looking at Reno, Elena could tell that he was as confused as she was. He probably was out of his wits by now because of their sudden dead-end. Whatever he was pondering on his mind, Elena suspected that it didn't meet his appeal. Elena was sure that it wouldn't meet hers too.
Only if Tseng was here
If he was alive, Elena was positive that Tseng would have the solution to this situation at hand. Elena already missed him. She had already gotten used to his short, yet sensible and logical orders and it had begun to feel like a music in her ears. The absence of their leader felt critical to her and she was pretty sure that Rude shared her opinion.
Maybe Reno was thinking that too.
Were you really killed by the Avalanche, Tseng? Did the Ancient kill you?
It didn't matter. They were the Turks. Once the mission was given, they had to obey, putting aside their personal opinions and feelings. Elena was still getting used to the system.
A sudden opening sound of the office door broke the silence.
Elena stood up quickly and Reno looked up as Reno's tall figure stood within the door frame. "I have news." He said in a low voice.
Reno slowly got up. "What is it, Rude?"
Instead of answering, Rude stepped aside into the room to reveal another person standing behind him. Elena frowned a little while Reno gazed at him with questioning eyes.
The boy had a fine complex with skinny arms and legs. Some may call him lanky but he had a slight build on his shoulders, which showed that he was no wuss.
"We have a new recruit."
Bright, friendly purple eyes looked around the room with curiosity. They had such an innocent look that Elena judged his age to be about 15.
Straight red hair was growing down till his eyes and the side of his head was shave off. Two silver earrings adorned each of his ear and small white bandage was stuck on his right cheeks. Elena smiled slightly as she looked at the torn-off knees on his jeans. He looked like a regular punk than an official recruit of a company.
He chewed on his bubble gum as if it took a bulk of his energy. He glanced at each of them. "You guys are wearing suits." He commented. "I hate 'em. If I ever wear one and sit for an hour, I gotta wedge."
Elena rolled her eyes while Reno tried hard to keep a straight face. "Who brought you here, son?" He asked after a discreet cough. The boy pointed at Rude with an innocent face. Reno shook his head. "No, no. Who recruited you here? Was it Shin-ra?"
The boy shrugged. "Dunno. I was just surfing on my airboard with my friends and were having a war with that pesky guys living down the alley and I was about to put a bullet through his chest with my gunarm when this- "
"Wait a minute." Reno interrupted quickly, noticing the familiar piece of equipment on the boys' right arm. Elena had failed to see the weapon on his arms because he had it behind his back. But, watching the heavy piece of gun swinging up and down the owner's arms as if it weighed nothing, Elena didn't doubt that it was indeed the same weapon.
The boy smiled. "Oh, this?" He asked, raising his arm for them to observe. "Well, back from my sector, Avalanche was real popular group. We were their fans. We especially liked this neat arm the leader had so we just- "
"-cut off your own living arm?" Elena finished in a horrified tone. Reno gave her a reprimending look but the boy merely laughed. "Heh heh, no. Who would be crazy enough to cut off their own living flesh?" Then, he subdued his tone. "No, we were born that way. We were born without our hand. Our parents abandoned us when we were born. Didn't realize that why when we were kids but now, we know." The boy lowered his head a bit, his face saddening. "Yeah, me, Tam and Corawe all know"
Elena felt her eyes moisten. Her heart was filled with sympathy towards this boy. Rude showed no emotion. He must have heard it all from the company before accompanying him here to the office. Reno looked bored. He glanced at the boy from head to toe in his quick, scrutinizing way. "So, there's three of you with that thing."
Slowly, the color started to come back to his face as he straightened himself and nodded in Reno's direction. In a way, he didn't seem to realize the situation he was in right now. He didn't look that uncomfortable and all he showed was mild curiousity. Elena briefly remembered the girl she saw before.
Barrets' daughter. They had the similar innocence. This boy looked like more like a kid forced into the age of adolecence.
Poor thing
Reno lifted up his chin. "There must be a reason for you to be brought here." He said, his eyes missing nothing. "Just how good are you?"
The boy looked across at him with caution, catching on. He must be smarter than he showed on the surface. He stared back.
"What do you mean?" He asked carefully marshalling up the next question.
"Just how good are you at killing people?"
He must have known that it would come to this. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I knew you guys were some kind of terrorist organization." He remarked after a brief pause. Reno grinned. "Well, Something like that." Then, he hardened his tone. "So, just how good are you?"
The boy hesitated. He suddenly looked uncomfortable as if he didn't know what to utter next. "I don't kill people." He said at length. Reno raised an eyebrow.
"But you just told us that you were about to put a bullet through person's chest, were you not?"
The boy cast a nervous glance around him, refusing to meet their eyes. "That was a different thing." He muttered hesitantly.
Elena quickly came to his defense. "You don't have to join if you don't like it." She offered. Her words were replied by stone cold glare of Reno's.
"Isn't it true, Reno? We don't force people to join. That doesn't meet our policy." Elena hastily added with an uneasy smile but it faded when Reno slowly shook his head.
"Wrong, Elena." He replied. "We don't force people to like our ways. We don't care in that matters. But, it's our choice whether a person joins or leaves. It's not an option."
Elena lowered her gaze with her lips trembling a little.
Poor thing
He still looked like he needed love and care from someone. But then, he was a motherless child, so if they train him well, he might be fit into the Turk's material. The only drawback was the side-affect of such change. He was like a wild animal they were trying to tame forcibly.
For the sake of the kid, Elena smiled broadly. "Well, then, I think you are stuck with us, kid." She remarked in a teasing tone. The boy glanced at her. He didn't look scared but he didn't look that happy either. He merely looked like a blank piece of paper. "Welcome aboard Mr" Elena put on a rueful smile. "Didn't even catch your name. What is it?"
The boy finally smiled a little. It looked faking to her. Elena realized that he was smiling for the sake of her too.
"Name's Daemon, pretty Ma'am." He replied. "Daemon Tecquil."