"Disfigured Lattice"
A twisted version of FFVII By HenryCH (disfigure_lattice@yahoo.com)
Chapter 13- 'The Nightmares Of The Past - Continued'
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Notes: I'm so, so, so sorry for
the delay in getting this chapter up but I've had a few problems at the moment.
QUE EXCUSES LIST!!!!
Excuses
list:
1:
I've had exams
2:
I've had a case of writers block.
3:My
beta reader Mike has retired and I haven't found a new one. (If anyone wants
the job, E-mail me (see above))
I'm going to be back at full
steam very soon so don't fret.
Dedications and Thanks: I am
going to dedicate this Fan-fic to my former beta reader Mike and Nanaki Lioness
for her fantastic fan fictions which inspired me. I would also like to *Mint*,
Aeonstrife and Sky for their continuous reviews, K-chan for offering to do my
cover art (I'll get back to you) and Mallow64, Celestia, Andy and once again
*Mint* for making me laugh when reading my reviews and anyone who has put this
story or me on their favourites list. You all have made this story worth it's
weight in gold to me.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII is copyright 1997 to Square Co. Ltd. All rights
reserved. The characters and names featured in this story are (partially)
property of Square Co. Ltd. No infringement was intended. (Please, do not sue
me!!!)
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1. The Next Day
~ Flashback ~
/The next day, for
once Zack was up before me, after all I had been up most of the night talking
to Sephiroth about Mount Nibel and Nibelheim in general. He had seemed
interested in the town for some reason, a reason I found out soon enough./
/I washed and dressed
before attaching the Executioner and heading out to met Sephiroth downstairs./
'I see you made it
Cloud.'
/Zack greeted me as he
and Sephiroth stood outside the Shinra Mansion waiting for out tour guide./
'We're waiting for the
guide to show us to the reactor.'
/Sephiroth stated as
he turned to look back into the village./
'I've heard that
she's pretty young.'
/Zack said as he
turned towards the mountain./
'She may be a problem,
but we need her to lead us to the reactor.'
/Sephiroth replied as
he turned back to face mount Nibel./
'What do you think
Cloud? What do you know about this mountain?'
'It depends who it is.
This mountain is especially dangerous, it's been said that no one has ever made
it through here alive. With the correct guide it shouldn't be a problem.'
/Zack turned to look
at me before saying./
'And why is that?'
'When I
was younger I used to spend a lot of time exploring these mountains to get away
from some of the other children and some of the adults. I would have lead us up
there myself but it's been so long since I've been home it may have changed.'
/It was a valid point.
It had been to long since I had been home./
'Now be careful.'
'Don't worry dad I'll
be fine. After all I have three members of SOLDIER with me.'
/I knew that voice to
well. There was only one person in this village who was that loud./
'That's Tifa.'
/Sephiroth chuckled at
this and asked./
'How can you be sure.'
'No one else is that
loud.'
/And I was right the
next moment Tifa and her father moved up to where we were standing./
'Mr Sephiroth. I
want you be promise me that my daughter will be safe.'
/Sephiroth just laughed
and said./
'Don't worry. She has
the high command and a first-class
member of SOLDIER watching over her.'
/Zack smiled and
added./
'Don't worry we need
her to get there and back. We won't let anything harm her.'
/I watched as her
father sighed before I ordered two of the foot soldiers that had been sent with
us to join us./
/It was them the man
with the camera came up./
'Sephiroth. Can I
take your picture please.'
/I watched as he
sighed, however for the first time since I knew him he nodded his head before
he turned to me./
'Cloud if I have to
suffer this fate then as my second in command you must as well.'
/I laughed out loud. I
hated having my picture taken as much as he did/
'I'm sorry sir but I
have to recline. If your going down I'm not coming with you.'
/He scowled at me but
surrendered and allowed the man to take his, Tifa and Zack's photo./
~ End Flashback ~
"So the childhood friends unite
then." Aeris asked as she sat back down on the spare bed.
"You could say that."
Cloud replied.
"So how did it feel?"
Jessie put in.
"It was good to see her again,
but her father is another matter." Cloud sighed. "Now where was
I?"
~ Flashback ~
/We moved through
Nibelheim mountain unsure what to expect on our journey./
'I'm sorry to hear
what happened to your father's school house.'
/She turned to me
before replying./
'Thank you Cloud. You
give him more respect than he deserves. Especially after the way he's treated
you./
/Zack cut in./
'No kidding.'
/Tifa turned to me./
'Oh God what has he
said to you Cloud?'
/I shrugged and
decided to lie./
'Nothing too bad. But
I decided a long time ago not to stoop to that level. If he wants to hate me
that's fine, he's the one with the problem, not me.'
/She smiled at this./
'You don't know how
selfless that way of thinking is. Don't let people take advantage of your
kindness. Lieutenant-Commander Strife.'
'God. And you two
sound as if you've been together for years. How long has it been you two?'
/That was Zack, his
skills at annoying people where infamous./
'I've already told you
Zack it's been roughly 4 years.'
/He smiled at Tifa
obviously deciding to flirt. However I decided that I didn't want to know and
jogged up to where Sephiroth was./
'Not going to catch up
with your friend?'
/I shook my head./
'Nah. We'll have time later
and anyway I think Zack's turning on the charm.'
/He looked at me,
contemplating something before saying./
'Sometimes I wonder why
you selected him as your partner.'
/I looked at him
amused./
'Did you think I would
have chosen someone who hasn't been lost up mount ego?'
/He smiled as he
replied./
'Yes.'
'He may seem to be
flirtatious and in no better terms a bit of a prankster. But he's the only one
I've met, who is as dedicated to the job as we are.'
'I guess your right.
But I feel sorry for his girlfriend.'
/I looked down as that
thought entered my mind. Unfortunately Zack wasn't as dedicated to his
girlfriend as he was to his job./
'It's okay to look as
long as he doesn't touch.'
/Sephiroth looked me
in the eye./
'Do you really believe
that?'
/I could only shake my
head in a negative./
'You know I don't.
When I find the right person I may even leave my place for her. If it's right,
love is all that matters.'
'Indeed.'
/He paused a moment
before asking./
'Have you met her?'
'Who?'
'Zack's girlfriend.'
/I turned my head back
towards the upcoming bridge./
'Nope. I know some of
the others have met her and they say she is very beautiful and looks so
innocent. I wonder if Zack really is the right person for her.'
/I paused before
carrying on./
'I did once have the chance
to met her but I had a pile of paperwork to get done back at HQ so I told him
to go on ahead. Have you?'
'I've met her once when
they came to the annual Shinra ball and she is cute... But a bit too naïve for
my taste.'
/I smiled./
'Too naïve, eh?'
'Indeed. I would say
she's more your type.'
/I instantly put up a
hand before saying./
'Don't go there!'
/We both started to
chuckle as we all approached the rope bridge that crossed the large chasm. I
had so many bad memories of this place in the past that I knew what was likely
to happen./
'Everyone be careful
this bridge isn't that safe.'
/Tifa instantly
added./
'He's right. This
thing has a tendency to fall apart.'
'Still after all this
time?'
/I asked her./
'They never had the
money to make a stronger one.'
'Figures.'
/We all moved onto the
bridge and true to form the bridge collapsed./
~ End Flashback ~
"Luckily none of use where
hurt, however one of the accompanying Shinra troops went missing. We split up.
Sephiroth, Zack, Tifa and the other trooper going to the reactor while I went
to find the other trooper. He was dead before I found him." Cloud said as
he sat on the lone chair in the inn's bedroom. "I don't really know what
happened at the reactor. Zack said he just didn't understand what had happened.
But Sephiroth just became a recluse, not even speaking with me."
"And the he vanished didn't
he?" Tifa said.
"Yes. It was around the time
mom headed for Cosmos Canyon to get supplies for the general store where she
helped out. I'm just glad she wasn't there when Sephiroth lost it." Cloud
said.
"Whoa! What do you mean 'lost
it'!" Barret asked.
"We found out that he had been
holed up in the Shinra mansion. I finally found him in the basement
level." He paused for a second. "After we talked he ran off, I went
after him, only to find the village of Nibelheim on fire and he had killed all
of the inhabitants. There was only one other place he would have headed. The
Nibelheim Reactor."
~ Flashback ~
/I entered the
reactor, the Executioner
firmly held in my right hand as I prepared to face the man who was once my
commanding officer. As I moved through the reactor I saw Zack as he watched
Tifa kneeling over her dead father up ahead./
'Papa… Sephiroth!?'
'Did Sephiroth do
this to you?'
'Sephiroth… SOLDIER… Mako
Reactors… Shinra…'
'I hate them all!'
/I watched as she
pulled the Murasame
from her departed father's body and run towards the next room./
'Tifa! Don't!'
/Zack shouted before I
could, as he ran after her. Sephiroth would kill them both if he had a chance.
I ran after them jumping from the overhang onto the main catwalk before
entering the room they both had entered. The room contained 16 testing capsules that Hojo was so set on
using and a door on the other side of the room with the words Jenova engraved
above them. It was then to my left I heard the soft cry./
'Cloud...'
/Tifa was there to my
side barely conscious as she was left slumped against the wall. I moved closer
before concentrating on my curative magic./
'Hold on Tif'.'
'Cure'
/It wasn't much but I
hoped it would be enough to keep her alive long enough that I could deal with
Sephiroth and hopefully return to cast more curative magic on her./
'Ahhhhhh!'
/Zack cried as he was flung
through the air. His Buster Sword still in his hand as he smashed into one of the testing
capsules./
'Zack!'
/I moved over to my
fallen partner seeing that his wound was serious. He would have a chance if I
could get him treated but his chances where slim./
'Cloud... Seph... Sephiroth
thinks... thinks that thing is his mother. He's been... blinded into thinking
he... he can control the world. You have to stop him.'
/I placed him into a
more comfortable position making sure not to aggravate the wound. Before once
again casting.'
'Cure'
'You know I will
friend. Just stay alive.'
/Zack smiled as I
wiped the blood from around his mouth./
'I'll try.'
'You better Riley!'
/I turned towards the
room of Jenova, the Executioner in my hand and determination on my face. One way or
another this would end now, I moved up the stairs into the chamber of Jenova.
Sephiroth was waiting./
'Ah Cloud you made it!'
/I felt momentarily
confused. Sephiroth had just destroyed an entire village and slaughtered it's
inhabitants and he sounded the same as he always had./
'What's going on
Sephiroth? Why have you done this?'
/He smiled before
answering./
'Because those vermin
are traitors Cloud. There ancestors betrayed ours by hiding while ours saved
this planet.'
/I had no idea what he
was on about./
'Confused Cloud? I
thought you might be. Millions of years ago the main race of this planet were
the Cetra or 'The Ancients'. They were travellers, cultivating the land
wherever they went. However some of them became lazy and settled down.. Those
were the vermin's ancestors! When the Crisis from The Skies attacked the planet
the Cetra gave their lives while those humans hid in terror.'
/I was still confused
as to why he was telling me this./
'But thirty years ago
they discovered the body of a Ancient. Professor Gast opened an experiment to
see if he could create a soldier with the powers of an Ancient. I am the
result.'
/I now knew why he had
destroyed the village. To get revenge on those whose ancestors had caused the
death of his own./
'It's still wrong
Sephiroth.'
/He then started to
laugh./
'Oh Cloud your so naïve,
just like Zack's girlfriend. I have to blood of the Ancients flowing though my veins
as do you. We are the rightful rulers of this planet. Join me Cloud and we can
take back this world for mother and our ancestors.'
/I raised the Executioner into a fighting
stance./
'Your mad. I'm as
human as the people you have mowed down in Nibelheim. Tifa... Zack... everyone
in that village. I won't let their death be in vane.'
/He lowered his gaze./
'Think you can take me
on Cloud? A pity. That you deny your own birthright. Be that way then Cloud Strife,
if you are so adamant on protecting the unworthy then you shall face the same
fate. Prepare to die traitor!'
/And so it began a
battle that tested our strengths and weaknesses to a maximum. We ended up
moving through to the catwalk, as we passed I noticed that Tifa's body was
gone. We were equal, blow to parry, thrust to deflection until the end when I
made the mistake of leaving myself open and he penetrated me with the Murasame./
~ End Flashback ~
"I was lucky. The blow missed
all my vital organs and was healed afterwards with two Cure spells. However
before that, Sephiroth became overconfident and he didn't finish me off. I swung
the Executioner with as much force as I could muster. The blade dug into
his skin and finally sent him and the Murasame over the edge of the
catwalk into the Mako stream." He finished.
"I managed to cure myself
before heading back for Zack. After we manage to escape the reactor I tried my
best to keep him alive... My efforts where in vane, he died shortly after. His grave
is on Mount Nibel near the reactor the Buster Sword it's only marker."
The room was silent for a second
before Jessie finally talked. "What happened to Tif'?"
Cloud turned to his childhood
friend. "I honestly don't know. I can only guess that someone got her out
of there and kept her alive while I was dealing with Sephiroth in the Jenova
chamber. To be honest I thought that I would never see you again Tif'."
She nodded her reply before asking.
"So what do we do now?"
"We pursue Sephiroth at the
moment he holds all the answers and I think he knows how to take over this planet.
We must stop him."
Aeris suddenly stood up.
"Jessie told me last night that a man in a black cape was seen heading
towards the grasslands."
"Then that's where we're
heading!" Barret said. "Right Spike?"
"Through the Grasslands and the
Mythril Mine is the only way to reach the harbour of Junon by foot and land
based transport. That must be his destination." Jessie said as she loaded
up her computer.
"Unless we can get some sort of
air transport I can only suggest that we follow his trail." Red put in his
two pence.
"Jessie you have till tomorrow
noon to try and get us some wings. If you can't then tomorrow at one we are
heading through the Grasslands to Chocobo Ranch." Cloud said. "Now
lets relax. After tonight we're going to be busy."
End Of Chapter 13