©Blood of Sephiroth
Chapter Six: 'Oh, how I love it when a plan comes together....'
Sephiroth was snapped out of his semi-conscious doze when his laptop beeped with a message from Cloud regarding Gabe. He opened it up, worried that anything had happened to her, and read the email. He couldn't help but smile at the subtle humour in Cloud's message.
'From: Sephiroth, SOLDIER First Class
To: Cloud Strife
Subject: Stained Tea Bags
'Dear Cloud,
We were going to tell you, when we needed to. And don't worry about the tomb. Zack and I are on our way to finding it now. Although it sounds corny, the time is at hand, as they say.
I won't tell Gabe anything, so don't worry. And I won't fry you to a crisp either.
Thank you,
Sephiroth.'
Cloud scanned the message, smiling. He closed down the computer and climbed into bed.
Gabe lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. Her thoughts were going too fast for her to make much sense of them, so she let them whizz past.
Things didn't feel....right, somehow. It felt like she should be going somewhere, but she didn't know where to. And the feeling was getting stronger daily, and more desperate. Maybe she'd explore it in the morning.
And she'd told Cloud that she....well, she....ah....loved....Sephiroth. That had been embarrassing.
/Hey, Gabe./
//Hi Seph! You okay?//
/Yeah....fine..../
//You sure? You sound like something's bothering you.//
/Um....yeah./
//Well, what is it?//
/Well, um....you have your Mako tests in about a week, okay?/
Gabe knew that Sephiroth was going to tell her something else, but she didn't push it. //Yeah. Will you be back by then?//
/I dunno. Hopefully, yes./
//Oh good.//
/Night./
//Night, Seph. I....I miss you already.//
/....Me too./
Gabe went to sleep shortly after that, right in the middle of trying to work out Sephiroth's tone in his last comment.
Four days after that found Sephiroth and Zack standing in the doorway of a huge building, high up a mountain. The building was old, and looked similar to the pagados of Wutai, but the style was much more ancient. The huge blocks used were bleached the colour of old bone, and indeed the bones and swords of hundreds of men were strewn all around the perimeter. A huge arch bore the inscription 'Karae manti navu, karae manti padwan, karae manti kri. Krie-ag chi Faluv J'had Xavier.' ((Rough translation: 'Death to the Light, Death to the Peace, Death to the Holy. Here lies Warrior J'had Xavier.' A/N Please bear in mind that none of the group knows all of this. Only the 'Here lies Warrior J'had' stuff. Thanx!))
'Looks like we found the place, anyway.' Zack stated, looking up at the deep-cut flowing characters. Being Wutanise, Zack could make out the words, but the language was far older then the one he was taught. He recognised the 'Karae manti kri' as the 'death to the unholy' (A/N Well, we know better, don't we?) war cry that Cloud had said Gabe had screamed.
Sephiroth nodded. 'The fact it says 'Here lies Warrior J'had Xavier' might give it away.'
Zack looked at his friend in surprise. 'You understand it?'
Sephiroth shook his head, his gaze still intent on the lettering. 'Not all of it.'
Zack shuddered. 'Let's get back. Now that we've found it, I have a sudden longing for home.' Sephiroth smiled and nodded agreement.
Gabe looked up from her training as a man in a white lab coat, glasses and greasy black hair let himself in to the gym. She immediately recognised him as Hojo.
Hojo looked around until he spotted the two trainee SOLDIERs and then hurried over to them.
'Xavier and Strife?' He asked, referring to his clipboard. Both nodded. 'Come this way. We are pushing the Mako doses ahead of schedule.'
The two looked at each other and walked behind the scientist, resheathing their blades in the process.
//Seph? He's doing the Mako doses now, sir.//
Gabe waited for a response, getting one as they walked into the lab and had their clothes and weapons removed.
/Okay....this is a slight change in plan, but never mind. It'll hurt, by the way. Just to warn you. Oh, and report to me once you've recovered. We're on our way home now./
//Yes, Seph.// Gabe replied as she was pushed into a claustrophobic tube, the door hissing shut. Gabe looked over to Cloud, and saw that he looked extremely uncomfortable naked in front of her. Catching his eye she raised an eyebrow as if to say 'what have you to worry about? I have more to hide!' Cloud smiled weakly as the tubes started to fill up with a stinking, luminous green gunk. Gabe gasped as she felt the liquid Mako start to make it's way into her body through the skin. Sharp, stabbing pains erupted all over her legs as the Mako rose frighteningly higher. Glancing over to Cloud, Gabe could see that he was experiencing the same pain.
As the goo got to her chin, Gabe almost blacked out, forcing herself to calm down and blocking out the pain. She shut her eyes and held her breath for as long as she could as the foul-smelling ooze sloshed around and above her, but finally, Gabe had to open her mouth to take a breath. Immediately the Mako entered her mouth and she let out a silent scream as it diffused through her system, feeling her body change and modify at the touch. Gabe opened her eyes in a reflex action, and she could vaguely make out the outside world before she passed out.
Gabe must have been in the tube for two hours before she was drained, and helped out by two lab assistants. Vaguely she noted that she was towelled down, dressed and returned to her room, a bitter aftertaste in her mouth and a numb, tingling sensation reverberating through her body.
Later she found out that Cloud had been taken out after only half an hour's exposure to the Mako, but it was found she needed more.
Gabe woke up to find Sephiroth sitting by her bed. Weakly she raised a hand and saluted him.
'Gabe Xavier reporting that she is in pain, but alive, sir.' She grinned, Sephiroth answering her with one of his own.
Gabe had to squint, the dim light that was on in the room almost blinding her. Indeed, all her senses seemed to have increased several fold. All 'six' senses, she noticed.
'That must have hurt, recruit.' Sephiroth said, gently pushing her hand back down on the bed. 'You were in there for about two and a half hours. Hojo confessed that no SOLDIER, not even me, had needed that much Mako.'
Gabe slowly sat up, helped by Sephiroth, and put her hand to her aching head. Squinting up to Sephiroth, she asked,
'Can you turn that light out? It is too bright.'
Sephiroth nodded and switched it off. 'Do you think you can walk?' He asked her. Gabe nodded, and Sephiroth stood and took her hand. 'Come on then. I found walking was the quickest way of getting rid of the after effects.'
Gabe took Sephiroth's hand, feeling almost as light as air, and they both walked slowly down to the gym, Gabe leaning heavily on Sephiroth's arm.
Sephiroth helped Gabe sit on one of the benches, then sat down beside her. Gabe watched as Cloud stumbled around, trying to get to grips with his heightened abilities. Zack was patiently taking him through the steps.
'Think you're up for some of that?' Sephiroth asked her after sitting down for a while. Gabe nodded, her eyes used to the light.
'Come on then.' He stood, followed by Gabe, who found the pain to be nearly gone. She unclipped her Masamune twin, standing in a ready position. Sephiroth did the same and stood beside her.
'Right, as you've probably noticed, you'll be faster, more agile with that stuff in you. These exercises are used when training up SOLDIERs after their Mako dose. Now, I don't know how you will react to these, because your dosage has been that much higher.' Sephiroth explained, taking Gabe slowly through the first ones. Gabe practised them until she could do them fast, her blade singing as it whipped through the air. Sephiroth stood back and watched as her Masamune became a blur.
'Good.' He nodded when she'd finished. Sephiroth took her through the more complicated stuff, then showing her how to convert them to her blades. Then he sent her off to Zack for the exercises in unarmed combat. By the end of the day, Gabe could go faster then anyone Sephiroth had ever seen.
It was the middle of the night when Gabe was woken by a soft knock at the door. She sensed Sephiroth's aura outside the door, and got up silently and opened it.
Sephiroth was standing there, his Mako-enhanced eyes glowing slightly in the dark.
/Can you come out for a walk?/ He asked her, staring into Gabe's eyes. Gabe nodded.
They walked in silence until they reached a tall tree on top of a gentle slope, Sephiroth motioning Gabe to sit as he sat beside her. The moon was out, casting a faint glow on their surroundings. The black sky was pricked with thousands of tiny points of light.
Sephiroth sighed as they both looked up to the moon. He had better get it over with. It felt like Gabe had something to say as well.
'Gabe....' Sephiroth broke off, unable to continue. Gabe turned her green eyes to his face.
'What is it, Seph?' She asked. Sephiroth looked troubled. He couldn't meet her eyes.
'Gabe....I....I love you.' He finally choked out, looking down to the ground. Gabe looked at him in disbelief.
'Seph?' She asked, touching him on the shoulder. Sephiroth looked up to her, and Gabe could see the unspoken question in his eyes.
'Seph....I....I have something to tell you. I love you, too.' Gabe got out, released by the other's confession. She watched as Sephiroth's eyes widened in disbelief.
'You....you mean it?' Sephiroth asked, his voice sounding vulnerable. 'You really do?'
Gabe nodded, looking at the ground and very glad that it was dark. Her cheeks were burning as she looked back up at Sephiroth. 'Do you?' Her heart nearly burst as Sephiroth nodded, his eyes overflowing with tears. It took Gabe a couple of seconds to realise she was crying, too, from absolute, blinding happiness.
Sephiroth pulled her closer, his arm around her waist, and Gabe rested her lips against his in a deep kiss. The two pulled apart, Gabe resting her head on Sephiroth's strong shoulder, her heart overflowing with happiness.
Sephiroth was intensely happy. He hadn't believed Zack when he had said the attraction might be mutual. And yet, here he was, holding the woman he loved.
Gabe didn't remember going back to bed, but she must have done, because that was where she woke up in the morning. She almost couldn't believe what had happened last night. What if it was a dream?
/Morning, Gabe! SOLDIER tests today. ShinRa thinks that you and Cloud are good enough to go through the tests!/ Sephiroth broke into her thoughts, his mood seemingly incredibly happy.
//You sound happy, Seph! Mind you, so am I. The tests are today? I thought they weren't for another three months!// Gabe answered, her tone light-hearted. She could feel Sephiroth's answering grin.
/I know, but hey, you'll easily pass them. That and these are the tests to see if you take the final First Class tests! Hurry up! Cloud is already training!/ Sephiroth answered. Gabe leapt out of bed and got dressed, running to the gym without bothering to put her Masamune into its case. She skidded into the gym, where she saw her green-eyed man waiting for her.
'Morning!' Sephiroth cried as he took her into his strong arms and gave Gabe a hug, which Gabe returned fully. They broke apart, reluctantly, and Gabe and Sephiroth started going through the exercises. Finishing those, the two went on to sparring, their swords flashing in the early sunlight.
//What do the tests involve, Seph?// Gabe asked while blocking a particularly nasty attack.
/With you, probably all your fighting skills. It's different with each student, according to his or her abilities. You should pass easily./ Sephiroth answered, a grin creasing his handsome features. Gabe grinned back, still unbelievably happy from last night. She wasn't exactly sure how it would go from here, but....
Suddenly a screaming wind blew up inside the gym. It throbbed and moaned around the wallbars, the two SOLDIERs and recruits stopping what they were doing.
Suddenly the wind seemed to find a voice.
'Ja-ahd Nadzim! Karae manti kri!' (( Rough translation: 'Angel Ninja! Death to the ?????!'))
Gabe's eyes widened at the sound, then her face went blank as she answered.
'Mu-kri Ja-ahd Gabriel! Jefu mu-kri J'had!' ((Rough translation: 'Holy Angel Gabe! I go to Holy J'had!'))
Sephiroth leapt forward to grab hold of Gabe as she started to run, but he missed as she ran out of the gym, following the screaming wind.
'Karae manti kri....that doesn't mean 'death to the unholy'....Zack whispered, his eyes narrowed. '"Death to the Holy"....' Sephiroth finished, looking in the direction Gabe had vanished in. He started running too, followed by Cloud and Zack, their weapons drawn.
'Oh crap....' Cloud sighed, hefting his sword as he trailed after his superiors. And there's no way to stop her....
Sephiroth skidded out of the doors into the main courtyard, where he heard a loud revving from the bike shed. Suddenly there was an almighty crash as Gabe smashed out of the wall, her bike landing with a thud as she skidded away. Her black hair streamed in the wind.
'GABE!!' Sephiroth shouted, but she didn't turn. /GABE!!/ Still she didn't respond. The only reply Sephiroth got was the screaming wind, her own laughter, and a horrifying emptiness....
'The tomb!' Zack yelled at the General's back. 'If we hurry we can catch her!'
Sephiroth didn't reply, he just ran to the bike shed, getting out his personal bike and not bothering with his helmet. He revved up the engine, and was pleased to hear two more engines growl behind him. Roaring out of the newly-made exit, Sephiroth skidded onto the road taken by Gabe, pushing the throttle to maximum as he secured his Masamune as he rode.
Zack and Cloud pushed the power, both bikes going into wheelies as they caught up with the General. Soon they could see the black dot that was Gabe at the head of a huge dust cloud, her Masamune glinting in the sun.
/GABE!!/ Sephiroth tried again, desperate to get through to the one he loved.
//Seph?// Gabe finally answered, her tone scared. //Seph, hel-//
The mental cry was cut off, and again all Sephiroth got was the howling of the wind as reply. He gritted his teeth and pushed the motorbike as fast as it could go, the speedo clocking two hundred miles an hour.
'Seph! You need to slow! You'll run out of fuel!' Zack yelled into the wind. Sephiroth glanced back, and Zack almost tried to hide when he saw the look in his friend's eyes. There was unmasked fury riding in leathers across a green sky there, the first time Zack had ever seen pure emotion driving Sephiroth.
'Then I'll run!' Sephiroth spat out, but he pulled the throttle down a little. They were catching Gabe up, and Sephiroth could see that she was in trouble. She hadn't refuelled the bike since the last time she'd used it, and now she was running out of petrol. And not too soon. There, in the not too distant distance, the Tomb Mountain rested. It had taken Sephiroth and Zack four days to find it, and they had travelled here in less then half an hour.
Sephiroth started to pull alongside Gabe.
'Gabe! Gabe Xavier! Pull your bike over!' He yelled at her, glancing over at her face. Gabe's eyes were masked in the fires of Hell, and there were swirls of black as if the Mako in her was tainted. Gabe shook her head.
'Not this close, Sephiroth.'
The voice was hers, but it was too guttural, the accent wrong.
Sephiroth shook his head. J'had was trying to hurry things along, obviously. Suddenly, Gabe's bike gave a lurch and almost threw her off. Black swirled around her, and the bike picked up again, the black dissipating into the bike itself. Gabe roared off, Sephiroth right behind her, Zack and Cloud a few metres behind him.
Sephiroth tried yelling at Gabe again, but he got no reaction.
//-the arch! Seph, get to the tunnel!//
Sephiroth sat up. Gabe was trying to exert her authority, and Sephiroth entertained a spark of hope.
/Where?/
//-right! Turn right now! Picture!//
Sephiroth veered right, catching a picture of an over-grown cave in the first reaches of the mountain they were coming to, the mental link suddenly cut off again.
'Seph! Where are you going? The tomb's this way!' Zack called. Sephiroth held up a hand and yelled back.
'Trust me! You two follow her!'
'But....'
'I said FOLLOW HER, Zack! That's an order!' Sephiroth yelled as he entered the cave. He was swallowed almost immediately by the darkness, the roar of the engine bouncing back to his Mako-enhanced ears. He flicked on his headlights, not even flinching when a cloud of bats flew screeching past his face, or when his bike ground over the bones of dead men.