Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy 7 characters, places and things all belong to Squaresoft and other involved companies. I own none of it. This fanfic is purely for the fun and enjoyment of others and myself. I make no money from it.
WHERE ANCIENTS FEAR TO TREAD
CHAPTER 2
The night came quickly to the barn situated at the center of the Midgar region. However, for the fifth time that night, Tifa found herself waking up once more.
"Damnit!" She hissed as Barret's enormous snores woke her once more. "What does it take to shut that guy up?"
Tifa grabbed a pillow, preparing to launch it towards her sleeping companion when she suddenly noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Aeris was gone.
Tifa immediately rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes then walked over towards the entrance of their room. Oddly enough, everyone else was sound alseep. Even Cloud the workaholic, found solace in the night it seemed. Tifa gently brushed by the sleeping blond and walked out of the door into the night.
Tifa quickly wrapped her arms about herself from the shivering cold. In the distance she spotted the young brunette haired woman sitting atop a well staring into the star blazed sky. Tifa calmly walked up to her.
"What are you doing out here this late in the hour?" She asked gently.
"Oh!" Aeris softly cried out, startled by the sudden presence.
"Sorry." Tifa said, realizing what she had done.
"No it's ok. You just startled me that's all. Truth be told, I really didn't want to be out here by my lonesome anyway."
"So what are you doing out here?" Tifa reiterated.
"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"
"Barret's snoring kept me up. Although an outdoors trip was not exactly what I had in mind for getting back to sleep."
"So why are you out here then?"
"Saw you were missing so I got concerned."
Aeris cheeks slightly reddened at her friend's compassion. "Thanks. And sorry about dragging you out here."
"Don't worry about it." Tifa said, waving her hand in dismissal. "Actually, aside from the few gusts of cold air, it's quite nice out here. Geez, ya know I haven't looked up into the night sky like this in ages?"
Aeris faintly nodded her head. "It's beautiful. The sky, the stars, the soft waves of the wind as you can hear it traveling too and froo. It's almost majestic."
"Mmm hmm…" Tifa nodded, lost in the whirlpool of infinite bright dots that filtered the sky. "Hey Aeris?" She said at last, still keeping her eyes locked upwards.
"Yeah?"
"Ever wonder… you know… what it's like up there? Just floating freely through the sky without a care in the world?"
"Must be nice…" The green-eyed girl mused silently.
"Yeah… must be…" Suddenly Tifa caught something out the corner of her eye. "Hey!" She said at the flash of recognition. Tifa promptly hopped off the fountain and began walking in the direction of where her eyes had traveled only seconds before.
"Tifa? Tifa what is it?" Aeris asked in a confused tone of voice.
"It looks like we weren't the only ones who decided to take a midnight stroll."
"What do you mean?"
"I Just saw Red13 walking off in that direction." Tifa replied, pointing out in front of her.
"Really? Were would he be going?"
"That's what I'm gonna find out."
"Not without me, you're not!" The green-eyed girl replied challengingly.
****
Red13 continued to walk towards the forested area just east of the barn as if possessed by some new mysterious force. He could not truly discern why he was taking such an action, only that he could not dismiss the constant crying voice that continued to assault his senses.
"It's got to be close…" The red haired tiger mumbled to himself and he continued to roam forwards.
As he walked closer and closer to the destination at hand, he noticed his surroundings were becoming darker and darker. It seemed as if the tree's simply died out. Wilted leaves hung limply from dead branches. Grass that had once been green, now crumbled into dark brown dust as he walked over it. Even the dirt was not fully tilled. It felt as if it were crumbled cement under his paws. The cloying scent of decay made the fiery tailed tiger almost want to gag yet he continued on. He would not simply pass over such a dreading feeling of emotion followed by the low cry's that incessantly became louder and more defined as he closed the distance. Red would not stop until he had found the object of his search.
****
"Where do you think he's going?" Aeris whispered into Tifa's ear as the two women continued to follow close behind the red tiger.
"I don't have a clue but something tells me it's gotta be important."
"Tifa… I can't fight the urge of thinking that just maybe Red has finally decided to take his own path and leave the rest of us behind. Isn't this an invasion of his privacy?"
"It's not an invasion if he isn't aware that we're following him now come on!" Tifa roughly Yanked Aeris arm to get her to move faster. Aeris grudgingly complied and the two women stepped forward when suddenly they turned to see Red staring them both dead center in the eyes.
"Well technically," The four legged animal said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Since I've known the two of you have been following me from the start, it 'is' and invasion of my privacy."
Tifa found herself to be at a complete loss for words. It hadn't occurred to her that they would be found out by the young tiger and so she could think of no plausible excuse for the actions she took.
"Red… I… I… I'm really sorry. We really didn't mean anything by it."
"Yeah!" Aeris added in. "We were just curious as to why you were traveling all by yourself at night. We were wrong to do so. I apologize also."
The fire-tailed tiger simply huffed in irritation and turned once more towards his destination. "I honestly don't care if you follow me or not. If you had simply asked me, you wouldn't have found yourselves in such an embarrassing situation as this one."
"So then…why 'are' you out here?" Tifa asked tentatively.
Red sighed and looked skywards. "… As the two of you are human it is impossible for you to perceive certain things that I can. Sound for instance. It is the crying of the afflicted that draws me out this night."
"Crying of the afflicted?" Aeris asked softly. "What does that mean?"
Red closed his eyes softly and allowed the soothing breeze of the wind caress his face before answering.
"I honestly don't know how to explain it. All I know is what I feel and what I feel draws me closer and closer down this path."
"Wow Red…" Tifa said in a flustered voice. "Can you be any more cryptic?"
The red tiger simply grunted his response and resumed his trek down the path.
"So… what do you expect to find at the end of this path anyway?" The young Avalanche woman asked anxiously.
"I don't know." Came the flat response of the tiger, not bothering to look back or stop in his tracks as he responded.
Aeris shifted next to her. "Tifa I think we should follow him. He might need our help."
"Yeah…" Tifa nodded then began walking forward once more. "I don't know what to expect on this weird journey of his but that red tiger's piqued my curiosity and now I won't rest until I find out what it is."
The two women quickly ran up along side the red tiger as he walked on. Together the three of them began to walk in relative silence, only the soft hissing of the wind and the low thumping of their feet on solid earth, reminding them that time had not stopped and that they were still part of reality. For reality was what seemed to be the main factor that fell apart as they neared closer and closer. Aeris began to wrap trembling arms about her shoulders as the winds grew more fierce. Dead leaves began to drift through the air and dead soil became as grinding sand. Truly the earth they walked on now was a desolate plane of nonexistence. Finally Red13 came to a complete stop and lowered his head slightly.
"Why are we stopping?" Tifa asked, her teeth chattering against the onslaught of cold air surrounding them.
"Beyond this, I cannot guarantee your safe passage…" Red said in a low voice which seemed to both women's ears as if it carried a great deal of suppressed fear in it.
"Red…" Aeris asked softly. "What is it? What's wrong?"
The young tiger turned his face towards the two women, an uncharacteristically concerned expression printed on his face. "There is no shame if the two of you decide to head back now."
"Red…" Tifa walked up close to the tiger and placed a comforting hand on his back. "What is it? What do you feel?"
Red13 matched his one eye with hers, taking on his usually expression of seriousness however this time with and edge of coldness to his visage as well. "That's just it Tifa… I sense a void, I sense… darkness."
The young woman backed away involuntarily at the tiger's expression. Red13 cast his eyes back towards the ground. "Like I said before, there is no shame in leaving."
"Then you can leave." Tifa said in an even, determined voice. "You can leave Red because I'm not going back. I intend to see this all the way through."
Red was silent for a few moments then nodded his head in acceptance. "And you Aeris? What is your decision?"
"I'm with you guys!" Aeris said almost too anxiously. "I… I can feel it too. The darkness the nothingness. It's almost overwhelming but I can't help but feel drawn to it somehow…"
Red stared at her for a few minutes then shook his head as if warding off some bizarre thoughts. "Very well then. From here on our path leads downwards."
"Downwards?" Tifa asked in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that."
"Watch." He said in a mystical voice then placed his paw a few inches onto the ground in front of them. Almost instantly the ground gave way revealing a dark underground tunnel.
Tifa felt a welling sense of dread fall over her. Aeris too seemed intimidated by the new path they were destined to take.
Red13 turned his eyes towards them with an even expression. "The Cries of the afflicted beckon us onwards. Let us be joined and may the light of goodness guide our path."
::::::::::To Be Continued::::::::::
Author's note: Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for chapter 3.