BROTHERS IN ARMS
by Digintegrated - Hunter Bill
Disclaimer : The Giga Bug Queen is my addition to the original game, the remainder is all for Squaresoft... well I don't think I just owe them credit for it, they also deserve it, right?
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CHAPTER 9
ZELL'S ZEAL
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"Okay. Everybody's here.", Squall said, looking satisfied.
Cloud was by his side, and his sword was hung in his back.
"Barrett, Selphie, Irvine... you've made your way around the castle, haven't you?"
"We have done so, Squall.", Irvine answered. "In the Art Gallery, we've destroyed one of the minions, then we got down into the dungeons where you helped us against the big red thing."
"That makes two out... Quistis?"
"As you know it, we've had to neutralize another servant of Ultimecia in the cellar. We've killed another one in a room located in the left wing of the castle.", the SeeD instructor answered.
"A kinda distant relative of Behemoth.", Cid precised.
"With the one we met on the balcony, and the monster in the entrance hall, plus the one who was living in the armoury, this makes seven, so five still alive... and then Ultimecia...", Cloud commented.
He then had a sudden shiver.
"... and Sephiroth.", he finished, in a toneless voice.
"Yeah, I forgot... Sephiroth is here indeed.", Tifa said.
"Indeed? You're sure?", Barrett said, excited.
"Sure. We all saw him, Cid, Cloud, the others and myself, in the inner courtyard of this castle. He was there between the two towers, and at that moment Cloud felt strange once more."
Squall was looking at his "brother-in-arms" with attention.
"I don't want to be rude against you Cloud...", he thought. "but if you keep on reacting like this every time you get close to him, we won't get very far."
"What's up, Squall? You wonder why Sephiroth drives me crazy, don't you?"
Cloud was staring at Squall with a reproving look. Squall answered:
"This isn't the problem... I really think we have to cope with it and kill your archenemy before he plans on doing something. Who knows... Moreover we haven't seen Ultimecia yet but we already know what she is capable of. With your Sephiroth, I guess it could be even worse."
He paused for a while, then he resumed:
"Nevertheless, since we have made a noticeable progress this far, I suggest we stop here for a while. We will resume the exploration of the Citadel by the inner courtyard later. We will need more strength in order to continue."
"Okay.", Cid said before relighting his cigarette.
"No prob.", Barrett said.
The other SeeD members approved. Selphie and Irvine went out to get some fresh air. Squall went to meet Cid and provide him with some items and the Weapons Monthly.
"All right... well then, just leave your Gunblade to me, I'm gonna sort it right.", he declared.
"Be careful with it, Mr. Cid.", Squall warned.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it.", the spearman replied in a smile. "As I said downstairs, we have to follow the instructions, right, Miss Quistis?", then he winked to the instructor.
Quistis couldn't help sniggering up her sleeves as she heard Cid and she saw Squall as he didn't know what to say once more. However, Squall entrusted his Gunblade to Cid who, after taking it, went to isolate himself in the tapestry corridor.
"Sorry", he precised, "but I don't like being disturbed in my work. See ya later."
~~
Outside the Citadel, Irvine and Selphie were standing near the big gate.
"I'm eager to see this thing over... how much I like to return home, at Balamb Garden.", Selphie said, as she watched the infinitely dark sky and sea.
"Me too, Selphie.", Irvine answered before coming closer to the girl.
The sharpshooter remembered the moments he spent with Selphie, particularly when she started the Ragnarok and made it fly. He wanted to see her happy again as before, with all of her usual "Woo-hoo!".
What could he say to her? This was obvious... The only thing that was very close to his heart...
"I understand, Selphie... You're longing to prepare your lil' party in the Garden, aren't you?"
"Er... Yes, indeed, I am.", she answered shyly.
They watched each other for a while...
"Irvine...", she said.
"Yes?", he replied, smiling.
"After this clash against Galbadia Garden I thought my party was definitely a bust... but now you're telling me... now that I know I have someone to help me...", she said with a hesitating voice.
Irvine remained silent. He was desperately trying to have girlfriends by taking pleasure in his "cool" attitude, but this was hiding his real qualities too often. Selphie was very clear-headed to know that Irvine would do anything to please people and that he was no liar at all. Unlike Squall, she had guessed right from the start that he would be a loyal and trustworthy team member.
"Irvine... thank you!", she said at last.
"Er... you... you're welcome.", he stammered.
Barrett appeared immediately after.
"Irvine? Oh, sorry to disturb you two!", he said as he saw the two young people face to face.
"It doesn't matter, Mr Barrett.", Selphie answered.
"Call me Barrett, okay?", the juggernaut replied to her in an unusual friendly tone.
Barrett recalled her adopted daughter. "Marlene..."
"You resemble her a bit...", he said aloud.
"Who?", Selphie asked.
"Marlene... my adopted daughter. She's got hair quite like yours, Selphie. You make me think about her sometimes..."
"How old is she?", Irvine continued.
"Four..."
There was silence all around. Barrett was looking down. In his memory, all the battles he had led for the sake of the Planet came back. Dyne, his former friend, Marlene, and all his acquaintances he had in his former place, the mining town North Corel... Then Cloud and Tifa...
He remembered them... in the beginning he depreciated Cloud, but nevertheless Cloud succeeded in being imperative within their group and in leading them during their battles. Cid came back into Barrett's mind too. How come such a weirdo, some time ago, could have saved his native town, North Corel, from destruction? This was clear... he couldn't do anything else than trust them all, Cloud and Tifa... Cid as well...
... And Irvine and Selphie as well. The two young SeeD fighters made it high into Barrett's consideration, after the battles they won. Why didn't he appreciated them from the start? Why wasn't he able to contain his wrath? Maybe it was due to his frustration because he and his mates failed to give Sephiroth the coup de grâce, and were dragged by their archenemy into this "nutty castle" before he got away.
"Sorry...", he said.
"Why for?", Selphie asked.
"For having behaved like a boor with you.", Barrett replied. "I just couldn't... I didn't know that... well... it's because Sephiroth has..."
"Barrett...", a determined Irvine replied. "Even if we don't really know who Sephiroth is, we will help you, Cloud, Tifa, Cid and you too. We're all going to make it alive. Squall isn't intending to leave you behind either."
"Really?", Barrett said. "Yeah, it's true... This guy has saved our lives with his Gravity attacks. I owe him one indeed..."
The machine gunner paused, then said:
"I wanted to meet you, Irvine, to learn about your special ammunition."
"Oh, for that... erm... first of all, let me see the bullets you use for your machine gun, okay?"
~~
Zell was overexcited. According to himself, he hadn't given enough punches and kicks. While his other team members were quietly sitting on the stairs in the Hall, Zell was in a fighting stance and was punching in the air.
"Zell! Can't you just keep cool for a while?" Squall asked, tired.
"I can't do anything against it!", Zell replied. "I just can't stand staying here and doing nothing. I wanna fight, that's all."
"Tell me Squall, your friend is always like this?", Cloud whispered to Squall.
"That's how he is usually... but I have to get used with it anyway. He's restless but on the other hand..."
"I see...", Cloud replied.
Nevertheless, Tifa was interested by Zell's fighting style. She recalled her lessons she got from her former martial arts master, five years ago... just before Nibelheim was burnt down.
"Erm... Zell?", she asked, hesitating and determined at the time.
The young man stopped his punches and kicks and turned to Tifa.
"I have to talk to you for a moment.", she said. Then she faced the two swordsmen.
"Tell me, does it matter if we both go to the next room, on the right side? You know, the room with the bell?"
"Why?", Cloud asked, as he was surprised by Tifa's request.
"Don't worry, I have my idea. After all he needs to train a bit, right?", she said and winked at Squall.
"If you want so...", Cloud answered. He seemed to understand Tifa's intentions.
Tifa headed to the right side of the balustrade.
"Zell? Follow me.", she said once at the top.
He climbed the stairs four at a time, caught up with Tifa and the two fighters went into the next room.
"Have you understood what she was intending to do?", Squall asked.
"It seems she wanted to train a bit too, but she needed a partner. She was searching for one for a long time.", Cloud answered.
"And what about you, then?"
"I have no training in martial arts. I would have been a very bad teacher, and a too easy-to-defeat opponent." He thought. "At least Zell will not annoy you for some time, right?", he finished, smiling.
Squall heard Quistis laughing up her sleeve behind him.
"...Whatever", he sighed, discountenanced.
~~
"Let me guess...", Zell asked Tifa once they both got down the balustrade. "You brought me here because you are a... because you use your fists like me, right?"
"Right.", Tifa replied as she arranged her very long hair. "I know a great deal in hand-to-hand combat and I'd like to estimate what you're capable of."
Zell squeezed his knuckles.
"No problem!", he said before putting himself into a fighting stance.
Zell attempted a punch but Tifa, who was very nimble, dodged it. She retaliated with a kick but she missed Zell. He had no difficulty in blocking the three punches she sent him after, but no matter how he tried to uppercut her, he never managed to hit her.
"What the hell is this? ", he retorted, breathless.
He shouldn't have spoken. He just had time enough to see the direct punch Tifa was about to give him and back-flipped to retreat.
"I should rather ask this question to you instead!", Tifa exclaimed, as she noticed Zell's quickness. "I never saw in my entire life someone as... energetic, apart from Barrett."
"It's true, your gunner friend must really be an imposing guy.", Zell replied.
"Maybe...", Tifa continued. "But he's not as fast as you."
They exchanged some kicks, then Tifa resumed:
"Maybe it comes from the fact that I'm less experienced than you."
"Yeah? How long you've been practising martial arts?", Zell asked, curious to know.
"Six years... how about you?"
"Four years. Shame for you!", Zell retorted before he gave a return kick that Tifa dodged the best she could.
The fight resumed immediately after. Tifa was striking and Zell was parrying or dodging. Five minutes later, she declared:
"Stop it!"
"What, stop it?", Zell said.
"This leads us to nowhere... duelling isn't the only way to know which one of us is the best. We should better preserve our strength against Ultimecia. We have so much left to do, right or wrong?"
"Well... you're right!", Zell confirmed.
"Another point: in five minutes, none of us has succeeded in hitting each other. So, the only way to sort this out would be a fight against one of Ultimecia's servants. Us both against this opponent.", Tifa continued.
"Well if you think so... anyway, thanks for the fight."
"You're welcome!"
~~
"GODDAMN HOLY $%*§@#% !!!"
Cid's swearing could be heard from the hall. Squall, puzzled, got up and headed to the door leading to the tapestry corridor. He had barely made three steps that it flung open, and Cid turned up, alarmed.
"Squall," he said. "Come and see this!"
The SeeD could see his Gunblade on the corridor's floor but it looked completely different. Its blade had turned blue-shaded, and was thinner and sharper. Moreover, its grip had become metallic. Squall picked it up and tried to wield it. It seemed particularly lighter than before.
"What exactly have you done?", Squall asked, still intrigued.
"I've only followed instructions.", Cid answered. "I had to dismantle this damn turtle shell in order to extract some particles that..."
"All right, all right...", Squall broke. "I know these instructions. You fixed all this on the blade, then you loaded the Pulse Ammo in the cylinder."
"And AT THAT TIME, this thing has started to shine as the sun... When I've opened my eyes again, I got this."
Squall watched his Gunblade, then Cid. The spearman looked sincere, and eventually, the most important for him was to find his weapon in one piece.
"Thanks for the help anyway.", he said to Cid before sheathing his weapon.
Meanwhile, Barrett, Selphie and Irvine were back again in the hall. Barrett was wearing around his chest a belt of machinegun bullets having a quite special shape.
"Irvine did it.", he explained. "He helped me to craft this special ammunition."
Zell and Tifa turned up a bit later.
"So, how about this fight?", Cloud asked them.
"Fight? What fight?", Barrett roared, surprised.
"Calm down, it was a training between them.", Cloud said to him in a low voice, the he turned to the other two people: "How has it been?"
"It was a draw.", Tifa answered.
"I'd rather say you first wanted to stop...", Zell pointed out, derisive.
"Zell, watch out what you're saying! Have you forgotten we'd better..."
"...keep our strength against Ultimecia? I know! I might be younger than you, but I'm not a kid anymore!", Zell broke.
As he listened to Tifa, the young SeeD thought he was facing Seifer as he had to during his first mission in Dollet, during the SeeD exam. Since then, he couldn't stand being reprimanded by anybody. However...
"However...", he thought, "Tifa is very different from Seifer. At least she's not the kind of person that criticizes all the time, as this idiot does. After all, she's quite right..."
"Hey, I never thought of you as a kid!", Tifa retorted, being on the defensive. "I simply mean that..."
She hesitated. She couldn't figure out what to say without being unsure that Zell wouldn't get more irritated.
"It doesn't matter. We'll talk about it later.", she continued. Then, turning to Cloud and Squall: "Okay, now that we're all here, what do we do?"
"We proceed to the inner courtyard.", Squall answered.
"All right. I would have taken the same choice.", Cloud observed.
On these words, the ten fighters took the tapestry corridor, went through the domed room with its dangerous chandelier, then headed outside.
In the courtyard, the atmosphere was not more comforting than in the hall. The monster statues that were decorating the two towers seemed to observe the group from their heights. The fountain in which Cid had found the key was still here, silent. The towers and the chapel were imposing by these heights, and between the two towers, on the sentry corridor...
"Sephiroth. He's still there.", Cloud announced.
The nine other fighters could see this time the black-caped man's silhouette becoming more distinct. They saw him pacing up and down, from one side of the corridor to the other. His long whitish hair was floating in the wind.
A deep and terrifying voice could be heard through the courtyard.
"This is surprising from you, Cloud. How could you and your stupid comrades could have found me?"
"Sephiroth!", Cloud exclaimed.
"I thought I could be quiet here once Ultimecia had cast her time compression, allowing me to see her at last! No one there but us, quiet enough to set up our plans to rule over the Universe..."
"WHAT!", Squall shouted, indignant. "So Ultimecia has really drawn you here?"
"Hey, I guess it's those people called the SeeD, right? Ultimecia had talked about you and your worthless values. You must know that she gave me responsibility to communicate her deepest disgust to you, and to welcome you with ... this!"
Upon these words, Cloud saw Sephiroth disappear into the right tower.
"This? What's this?", Squall wondered.
The group heard wings rustling. Everyone turned to the place where the noise was coming from.
It was a kind of purplish-coloured jumbo insect.
"Hey, I'm dreaming?", Zell shouted. "It looks like a gigantic Bite Bug!"
Indeed it was one. The insect had the wings, feelers, stings and pincers of a Bite Bug, but ten times bigger. It spoke to the group in an almost deafening buzz:
"I am the Giga Bug Queen... the Queen of all those Bite Bugs you've slaughtered, cursed warriors..."
The humming of the Queen's wings became more and more deafening, then turned into a real storm. The fighters got disorientated by the noise and dropped their weapons. Even Barrett lost the cylinder of his machinegun as the gust of wind was growing stronger.
Squall wanted to take his Gunblade back, but was stopped dead by another gust.
"So how does it make you feel when you get disarmed?", throbbed the creature.
Then, in a flash, all of their weapons were blown away to the back of the chapel.
"So what do you plan to do now?", the creature taunted. "Try to beat me barehanded?"
The word "barehanded" made Zell's spirit detonate. Even if the other people had lost their weapons, he still had his fists at his disposal.
"I have no weapon... I have nothing...", he thought. "Nothing but these good ol' fists of mine!".
He turned to Tifa who was watching the monster with apprehension.
"Tifa? D'you know what I'm thinking about?", he told her before taking a fighting stance.
She quickly understood.
"Cloud, Squall and the others", she told them. "You'd better return to the chandelier room. We're taking care of this beast."
"But... Tifa!", Cloud exclaimed.
"That's suicidal!", Squall added.
"Sorry... but we're the only two people in the group who know how to fight barehanded. It will be Tifa and I versus this.", Zell continued.
"If you want it so... good luck then.", Squall answered.
"Tifa... Take care.", said Cloud in a worried voice, before he went with the other people back inside.
The two remained still for a moment, staring at the insect straight to her numerous eyes.
"So you REALLY intend to fight me barehanded?", buzzed the Queen.
"That's the only thing we can do, and we can't do it otherwise. Does it make a problem?", Zell countered sarcastically.
Tifa couldn't help laughing.
"How could you be so careless!", the insect said. "You haven't seen everything from me yet..."
Tifa and Zell could hear like a buzz becoming louder and louder. They turned and saw a swarm of Bite Bugs charging straight to them!
The two fighters didn't waste one more second and each of them rushed to one of the Bugs. Tifa pushed he fist into the shelled body of the first Bite Bug she encountered. Zell struck so hard that the transparent wings of his opponent detached, leaving it on the ground, defenceless.
"How could you...?" throbbed the Queen in anger.
The two didn't pay attention to her. They first needed to get rid of this swarm. The Bugs had succeeded in stinging them many times, but their number seemed to be insufficient, compared to the two allies' punching and kicking power. Their stings were breaking under their attacks, wings got ripped off, pincers were falling while Zell was sending more Punch Rushes, and Tifa more Somersaults. The swarm soon turned into heap of insect corpses, scattered over the courtyard.
The Queen was appalled with this.
"YOU CURSED WARRIORS!", she throbbed at them.
She shook her wings so fast and so strong that Zell and Tifa got blown away. The gust of wind was pushing them to the middle of the courtyard, to the fountain. No matter how hard they tried to walk back to the Queen, nothing could do, the wind was too strong.
"We gotta do something!", Zell shouted.
"Yeah but what?", Tifa answered.
Zell had an idea.
"Let's lay down! The wind will have less hold over us!"
So they did immediately.
"Now, let's try to approach her and then..."
Tifa and Zell started to crawl like snakes on the paved alley. They had to grip on the slits between the paving stones to avoid being blown away by the Queen. It was hard since each single movement they did required an effort, as if they had to climb a cliff. The Queen noticed this and shook her wings even faster. Tifa almost let go but Zell saw the girl was in trouble and hoisted her with his left hand, as he kept his right hand between two paving stones.
They had reached just underneath the Queen. She could unfortunately not see under her own body, the only place that wasn't reached by the strong wind. Zell and Tifa didn't waste a second, got back up, concentrated, dashed in the air and hit the monster with a devastating uppercut...
The Giga Bug Queen rocked, and her gusts of wind stopped straight away.
"It's not over yet...", she buzzed before emitting a greenish gas cloud that looked particularly toxic.
The two fighters rapidly crouched before breathing in a vast amount of pure air and holding their breath. As the cloud of gas dissipated, the Queen saw her two enemies on the ground but still alive!
"No... this is not possible!", she throbbed.
Yet it was...
"I have enough of it, Zell. Let's finish!", Tifa declared between two coughing fits.
"I wanted to do the same too...", Zell answered, after getting back up. "Let's show her the best... or should we say the worst of ourselves!"
Tifa concentrated, moved her right hand back and gathered a huge quantity of energy. Zell jumped, froze in mid-air, stared at the Queen and gathered his energy between his two fists. The two hurled themselves at the same time and struck the insect. The double energy blast burnt her wings down and blew her away. The Queen got high into the dark sky then fell back near the ramparts, carbonised, before going into dust.
Zell whistled in admiration as he looked at Tifa.
"Cool attack!", he said.
"Really?", she answered as she arranged her long black hair behind her. "I could tell you the same, you know, cause yours is indeed worth what I've just done."
"Well, looks like our duel is a draw...", Zell said.
"A draw but we won nevertheless.", Tifa added.
They burst into laughter.
"Okay, let's go and look for their weapons.", Zell suggested.
They took the path on the left and went along the chapel. Not far from it they could see, near the ramparts, all of their companions' weapons.
"Very well...", Tifa noticed. "So... Barrett's machinegun cylinder, Cid's spear... Cloud's sword... and Squall's sword is there too. How original to mount a blade on a revolver grip."
"It's original but dangerous for our enemies, in any case.", Zell answered. "Yes... we've got Quistis' whip, Selphie's nunchaku, Irvine's shotgun... everything's okay, Rinoa's Blaster Edge is there too."
They took the weapons and went back to the room with the chandelier.
Author's note : How did you appreciate? Good? Bad? Whatever... ? Just drop your comments.
I'm a bit long for the update, sorry, but I'm now busy working on longer and longer chapters. As some people say, patience is a virtue. ^_^
Greets go to:
Raven: yes indeed, my grandmother has a dog, a very affectionate one too. I guess Angelo would act this way after waiting all this time outside Ultimecia's castle with no one to open the main gates! I hope you liked this chapter.
Rosa Heartlily and Mandy (from DSL): thank you both for your support. And Mandy, don't worry about not having time to read my story, I won't reproach you this (why should I anyway?).
Mauka Icefire: yeah! Another new reader... I'm glad you enjoyed this story. You'll soon be able to look forward for more if writing and translating don't take too much time for me.
Friendly feelings from
~~ Digintegrated Hunter Bill ~~