Final Fantasy 7: The Hojo Clone
By Co V Schuler
Part 2: The Second Cetra
Chapter 13 (Continued a few hours after the end of Chapter 12)
Marlene wandered through the town, wondering what most of the people were doing. Her seven-year-old mind couldn't comprehend most of it but she was looking for Tifa. She left the house a while ago but hasn't come back. Daddy said that she left town to go look for the cute, spiky-headed guy.
Marlene didn't think so though. She knew better than that. Tifa wouldn't go anywhere without telling Marlene, Marlene thought triumphantly.
Having checked out all the stores and all the other people's houses, there was one more place to check. The bar. It gave Marlene the shivers but the bar was the only other place in town that Tifa would have gone. Sure Kalm is a quiet place and all but Tifa doesn't have to go to a bar to get excited, Marlene was thinking as she entered the bar.
The second she opened the door and walked in, fear grasped her. A lot of men…lots of men and…a bunch of men. Marlene gulped but kept walking. Didn't Daddy tell you not to go to bars, a voice in the back of her head asked. Marlene shrugged and kept walking through the crowd. All the men were looking and laughing in the same direction.
Marlene walked and crawled until she could see what was happening. Tifa! Marlene let out a gasp of despair and watched in horror.
Tifa was held by a man's hand at the throat. She was trying to say something. "…I just came here to have a drink you jerk. Put me down."
The almost completely drunk man replied, "Sure my dear girl, but first, let me ask you a question. How old are you, my dear?"
"I am," she grimaced, "twenty-one in a few weeks."
The man laughed and so did the others and Marlene wondered what they were laughing at. The man replied, "All right, all right, I'll put you down…!" The man threw her onto a table and Marlene watched as the mean man made a fist as if he was going to hit her. "Do you like me girl," he asked.
She shook her head no and spit in his face. The man made frowned, as if he had been rejected from a group of people. "Well then I will make you like me."
The drunken man punched Tifa in the stomach but she kept her place. "Oh…stubborn are we," the man laughed.
The mean man punched Tifa again. Marlene gasped and someone scooped her up and put her on a table. "Let me go," she yelled. "Let me go!" Fen, the drunken man, just laughed. "Let's show the new man's girl some 'Kalm welcomes'! Ha ha ha!"
Fen was just about to hit Tifa again when someone from the doorway shouted, "Let her go!" All the men stopped laughing and looked at…Cloud. Tifa's ears told her that it was Cloud! Cloud was back!
"And the little girl as well. Or you will all die."
Fen stopped, his left fist in mid-air. "And how might you kill us young one. You look pretty strong, but where is your weapon?"
"Who says I need one for drunk assholes like you?"
Fen thought about that for a second then said, "You know what? I don't think I am going to let her go. I think I'll keep her, hero boy."
Cloud made a face and before he made a fist and punched the nearest man's head off! Fen frowned and then fear crossed his face. "Ho-how di-di-did yo-u-u-u do that?"
Cloud raised his hands and shook them for a second. "My weapons."
Then all hell broke loose. Men charged Cloud and he simply hit them and they went down. Each time he hit them, he spun his hips, giving him more power than a regular punch. Eight men were killed before only Fen was left. He was shaking; he was still sitting on top of Tifa. The four men that were holding down Tifa now had their swords in their hands, ready to charge Cloud.
Cloud just shook his head. "Bye bye, assholes." They charged him and though two of the men were blade-masters, they were dead in seconds. Cloud looked at Fen with revenge on his face. "You, of all the men here, will die the worst death."
Fen was now shaking so badly but something told him that this boy would cry if…Fen's eyes turned down a little to look at Clouds blood covered chest. Four sword wounds, one with a sword stuck in Cloud; he acted as if it wasn't even there. Fen shrieked and rolled off the table. Cloud roared in anger and dove after Fen, who somehow managed to dodge him.
Fen smiled. The boy was attacking in anger. This might be a little easy. Fen got to his feet and saw Cloud starting to get back up. He had landed on and went through a table. Fen looked at Marlene, who was crying. He smiled at her and grabbed her by the neck. He then whipped out a dagger and held it to her throat.
Cloud got up and Fen saw green mist coming from Cloud's eyes. His green eyes were… glowing! Fen tried not to show his fear. He even touched Marlene with his free hand. "She dies unless you go get in the kitchen. Get in there." The green mist never stopped coming from Clouds eyes.
Cloud backed away, anger and rage masking his face. "This here little girl either dies, or gets raped by me. Your choice. Hero boy."
Cloud glanced at Marlene, who was crying. For a second, only a second, a look of sympathy crossed his face. "Alright," he growled. He backed away and helped Tifa up and started to bring her with him when he said, "She stays with me too."
Cloud glared at him and then looked at Tifa. Tifa was whimpering like a girl. "They both die," the man threatened. Cloud was to far away to try and get to Fen, so he turned his back and went into the kitchen alone.
Satisfied, Fen looked at Marlene. "Boo!" He said and she started crying even more. His hand formed a fist and he was about to hit her—pain suddenly flew to his head and his vision went black. Fen fell back, dead. Cloud was in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at Fen's limp body.
Fen was dead, a knife through the head. Cloud looked at Tifa and she ran to him, crying. The mist ceased to emerge from his eyes. "Its over Tifa…its all over." Marlene was crying too, and Cloud went over to her and said, "Marlene, I'll go get Daddy, okay?"
She nodded and Cloud went to get Barret.
*
Barret was trying to ask Red XIII if he knew where Cloud was when Cloud suddenly walked in through the doorway. Barret blinked and then saw the blood flowing like a waterfall from Clouds stomach. "Cloud! Man, what the hell are you doing you…are you okay? Shit man!"
Nanaki looked at Cloud for a few seconds and said, "He doesn't even realize it."
Cloud looked at them both in question and then looked at his stomach. His face turned to pure horror when he saw the sword stuck through him. Pain enveloped him. "AAA," he yelled in fear and panic. "What the hell?"
Then he remembered what he had come back for. "Oh shit, that hurts. Barret: go get some of my pain medicine. And then go to the bar. Tifa is in the kitchen, okay? She needs some too."
Barret immediately went stone cold. "Cloud, what happened, where is Marlene?"
"DO IT," Cloud yelled and Barret face changed from stone cold to…unreadable. Barret ran upstairs. "What happened," Red XIII asked.
"Someone was-," Cloud started to answer but started coughing up blood. Barret was coming down the stairs. "Barret…pull the sword out…please." Barret looked at him for a second and then tossed a small shirt onto a nearby chair.
"This might hurt," Barret said sarcastically and pulled the sword out. Cloud yelled for a second and then stopped; his vision beginning to blur and stars coming into his vision.
"Oh no," Cloud heard someone say. But it seemed far off…it seemed like an echo. "He is losing blood and going into shock."
Shock? Cloud laughed out loud and then lost consciousness.
*
Yuffie was thinking about Cid as she toured the Highwind. He should have been back by now. She shrugged off the thought, remembering that she had taken all night with no rest to get back here. He would probably camp somewhere for a couple of days and pick a fight with the Turks.
Yuffie laughed at the thought. She had found the engine room that Vincent had claimed; it had a coffin and a talking bat. It was pretty weird, and when Vincent got back from his trip, she would ask what that bat was.
She was walking back to her room (that she has to share with Vincent) when she paused in front of Tifa's room. Hmm, she thought. She won't know if I…pry a little.
Yuffie stopped breathing for a moment and looked around to make sure no one was looking. Then she shrugged and asked herself, why should you care if all the crew is outside working on the new engines.
Yuffie walked into the room and looked around. No one here. All the rooms were just one, thirty square foot room, no other walls or anything. Tifa's was very decorated with posters and pictures of Cloud. She snorted. How could you be in love with a freak?
Hey, everybody has to do something weird. I look into other peoples business. Yuffie walked over to a desk and opened a notebook. A diary…should I…or shouldn't I? Should!
Yuffie opened it and started reading…it was completely full and she flipped to the last few pages. It was mostly 'I love Cloud' stuff but one paragraph caught her eye, and it was very interesting. It read:
Cloud has changed. I don't know how, or why. He is different, hyper in a weird sort of way. But still protective. It's as if he wants to go kill himself and leave me behind.
Yuffie stopped reading. Whoa, she thought, way weird. She got up, getting goosebumps on her arms. She peeked her head out of the doorway, made sure no one was coming and then left the room. Not my business not my business.
And where the hell is Cid?!
*
Cid woke up to huge amounts of pain and electricity moving through him. "AAA," he yelled. He was awake in a flash and struggling to get out of…ropes???
Cid looked around and saw nothing but bright light. Slowly, he began to remember the events that got him captured. The summon fight and then the Turks…oh. Oh, he thought as more electricity surged through him.
"AAA," he yelled again. After a few more seconds it stopped. Oh, now I'm in a Turk torture chamber. This will not be fun. The bright light was suddenly moved away from his eyes and he blinked as his eyes adjusted. Three Turks, not the ones that captured him, were looking at him.
"Hello, member of rebel group Avalanche. You do know that…don't you?"
Cid thought for a second, then said, "Well DUH!"
The man looked up and nodded. Cid began yelling as more electricity flowed through him and even though he was yelling and some torture machine was working, he could hear the Turk's voice. "We do not like Avalanche. They kill our men and we don't kill them. It really sucks." After he said sucks, the electricity got worse.
Cid let out one final yell before he couldn't take it any more. His head sagged, his face drooped, and his heart stopped pumping.