There was a brief burst of blinding light, and a burst of silence. It was disorienting if you weren't used to it. For a sliver of a second, there was no sound at all to be heard around them. The spell was enough to make Cloud stumble, make his swing slice the empty air. He shook his head as though trying to clear cobwebs from within then looked at her with utter hate filling his eyes.
Tifa nodded in satisfaction. Though he was far from not being a threat anymore, the spells he could call on Tifa and Cid were several times more dangerous than anything he could do with his Ultima sword. She raised her hands, fingers interwoven, just as Cloud raised his weapon and charged, not at Cid, but at her.
SLOW, she yelled, and then, CONFUSE!
Tifa touched the smooth materia stones that were studded into her gloves. They flared to life, as if lit by some internal yellow lights from within. She pointed towards Cloud, and suddenly the same light surrounded him.
There was a burst in the air, a huge muffled explosion like thunder all around them. Cloud was flung backwards, as though hit by some unseen force, and he hit the floor hard. Tifa winced at the hollow crack his head had made when he hit stone. His sword clanged to the ground and skidded to a stop some distance away. Cid clamped his boot over the sword's handle and glared at the disoriented youth.
Cloud was on his hands and knees, blinking as his head kept swaying around, dizzily. "Tifa? Cid!" His voice was slurred as though he were drunk. As he fought to maintain his balance even in a kneeling position, his limbs became tangled with each other. He fell on the side of his face, and began to cough and sputter uncontrollably.
Tifa and Cid exhaled slowly. As the adrenaline left their bodies, they were suddenly hit with an incredible weariness. Tifa slumped her shoulders slightly as Cid leaned back, using his spear-lance as prop support.
ESUNA, Tifa cast, relieved.
A circle of white light, brighter than the midday sun, opened underneath where Cloud lay on the floor and surrounded him. For a brief moment, Tifa thought she saw the world reverse colors, and then it was gone. Cloud blinked and righted himself up. He alternated giving questioning looks to Tifa and Cid.
"What happened?" he asked. He shook his head, groggily. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Cid walked over to him, and extended a gloved hand to help him up. "It's a long story, boyo. And by the way, you're taking first shift tonight over the camp, until we figure out what to do with Aeris." He peered over his shoulder at Tifa and winked, then mouthed to her, "I coulda kicked his ass, if I wanted to."
Tifa grinned at Cid, then smiled warmly at Cloud.
Later that evening, Cloud sat on the cold stone floor, his back against one of the stone pillars that supported the roofless pagoda structure. His giant sheathed sword leaned on the coarse-grained tapered pillar; he wrapped his arm around it like a source of comfort and rested his head against the cracked leather scabbard. He should have been sleeping by now, for his watch over the encampment had ended nearly an hour ago.
However, he was still shaken by what Tifa and Cid had told him he did. Did I really do such things?, he wondered.
Cid, who had taken the second shift, was far above, in the conch-shaped building on the ground level. The second shift was always hardest, as it cut your sleeping time in two. Cloud smiled thinly as he imagined the gruff man puffing away on a cigar (it would be a new one, at least), cursing where Tifa and he wouldn't be disturbed. Aeris always did disapprove of his swearing.
The smile on Cloud's face slowly disappeared.
Aeris.
Tifa.
Cloud's eyes flickered to Tifa's still form, bundled up in a blanket, curled up like a fetus. She had moved very little throughout the night, but always had her back towards him. Casually, he wondered if she was still frightened of him.
Tifa nodded in satisfaction. Though he was far from not being a threat anymore, the spells he could call on Tifa and Cid were several times more dangerous than anything he could do with his Ultima sword. She raised her hands, fingers interwoven, just as Cloud raised his weapon and charged, not at Cid, but at her.
SLOW, she yelled, and then, CONFUSE!
Tifa touched the smooth materia stones that were studded into her gloves. They flared to life, as if lit by some internal yellow lights from within. She pointed towards Cloud, and suddenly the same light surrounded him.
There was a burst in the air, a huge muffled explosion like thunder all around them. Cloud was flung backwards, as though hit by some unseen force, and he hit the floor hard. Tifa winced at the hollow crack his head had made when he hit stone. His sword clanged to the ground and skidded to a stop some distance away. Cid clamped his boot over the sword's handle and glared at the disoriented youth.
Cloud was on his hands and knees, blinking as his head kept swaying around, dizzily. "Tifa? Cid!" His voice was slurred as though he were drunk. As he fought to maintain his balance even in a kneeling position, his limbs became tangled with each other. He fell on the side of his face, and began to cough and sputter uncontrollably.
Tifa and Cid exhaled slowly. As the adrenaline left their bodies, they were suddenly hit with an incredible weariness. Tifa slumped her shoulders slightly as Cid leaned back, using his spear-lance as prop support.
ESUNA, Tifa cast, relieved.
A circle of white light, brighter than the midday sun, opened underneath where Cloud lay on the floor and surrounded him. For a brief moment, Tifa thought she saw the world reverse colors, and then it was gone. Cloud blinked and righted himself up. He alternated giving questioning looks to Tifa and Cid.
"What happened?" he asked. He shook his head, groggily. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Cid walked over to him, and extended a gloved hand to help him up. "It's a long story, boyo. And by the way, you're taking first shift tonight over the camp, until we figure out what to do with Aeris." He peered over his shoulder at Tifa and winked, then mouthed to her, "I coulda kicked his ass, if I wanted to."
Tifa grinned at Cid, then smiled warmly at Cloud.
Later that evening, Cloud sat on the cold stone floor, his back against one of the stone pillars that supported the roofless pagoda structure. His giant sheathed sword leaned on the coarse-grained tapered pillar; he wrapped his arm around it like a source of comfort and rested his head against the cracked leather scabbard. He should have been sleeping by now, for his watch over the encampment had ended nearly an hour ago.
However, he was still shaken by what Tifa and Cid had told him he did. Did I really do such things?, he wondered.
Cid, who had taken the second shift, was far above, in the conch-shaped building on the ground level. The second shift was always hardest, as it cut your sleeping time in two. Cloud smiled thinly as he imagined the gruff man puffing away on a cigar (it would be a new one, at least), cursing where Tifa and he wouldn't be disturbed. Aeris always did disapprove of his swearing.
The smile on Cloud's face slowly disappeared.
Aeris.
Tifa.
Cloud's eyes flickered to Tifa's still form, bundled up in a blanket, curled up like a fetus. She had moved very little throughout the night, but always had her back towards him. Casually, he wondered if she was still frightened of him.