Chapter 31: We Never Surrender

It had seemed like an eternity sense it all started. Drifting from event to event. Like a piece of sand, stuck in time. Was this really chance, or was EON planning this whole thing. To meet new people, spend days and days traveling, and to be set back and forth by the needs of the team are what caused Cloud, Tifa, and Red XIII to be where they are. Cloud couldn't help himself from thinking. Perhaps everything is in vain. IF EON has the ability to control people, how would he know if he's not being controlled right now?

The sun was setting in the west over the mountains. Cloud, Tifa, and Red had started their trek towards Burmecia, land of eternal rain.

"What's troubling you Cloud?" Tifa asked Cloud. She had a ton on her mind as well.

"Oh Tifa," Cloud sighed." What if all this was set up?"

"Our meetings and blunders are to random to have been set up Cloud." Red XIII said.

"But maybe that's what EON wants us to think. For all we know, it and Judgement could have had every single thing we've said or did planned out." Cloud explained.

"And you say you thought this?" Red smiled.

"Yea." Cloud replied. Tifa seemed interested.

"Well, if they were controlling us like puppets, you wouldn't have thought that up, would you?" Red chuckled.

"He's got you there." Tifa smiled.

"Perhaps."

"I hope everyone's doing alright." Tifa stretched.

"As do I, but lets not forget Vincent." Red chimed in.

{Oh Cloud, don't you wish you could forget that in obedient little fiend?} A voice called out.

"Who's there?!" Cloud shouted.

{You don't recognize my voice?! I wouldn't expect an impudent puppet to recognize a voice of the invincible and almighty!} The voice replied.

"Cloud! You almost scared us right off the mountain ridge!" Tifa frowned. Red XIII showed signs of worry.

"No! Y-your dead!" Cloud shouted, his eyes growing wide and his pupils shrinking.

{Ha! I can never die! I am after all a god!}

Red XIII was worried further. There was still a ways to go through dangerous terrain. Cloud going psycho now would end their trip pretty quickly. If only he could hear the voices.

{Behold Cloud. Only the winds breath remains until you have failed.}

** *

"Cid!" Zidane shouted a cry of joy. Cid Highwind looked confused. Obviously he wasn't talking to him.

"Déjà vu eh?" Regent Cid replied. "Don't worry, we'll get you in there."

"But how did you know we were here?" Asked Freya to the speaker.

"You can thank my niece for that." The speaker said

"If I hadn't already fell in love with her, I'd do it now! Thanks Garnet!" Zidane shouted.

"You mean that the queen sent that whole fleet?" Cait Sith asked, interested.

"The Queen is very efficient. She wouldn't leave us for dead." Steiner said.

"Well, the good news is that this fleet is 20 times larger than Jonuns. "Cid Highwind said as he glanced above him, at all the airships. He quickly got everyone's attention. "The bad is that these boats don't have nearly the fire power that the Highwind fleet did!"

"Judgment took down dos ships real fast by himself." Barret sighed.

AVALANCHE was staring at their feet, not knowing what to do. Freya glanced at Steiner, who in turn glanced at Zidane. Zidane sighed and looked to Vivi. Vivi looked satisfied, for he had a plan.

"Hey! Don't give up now!" Vivi yelled as he leaped off the turret gun. He plopped down on the wooden floor and waddled towards the scattered group. "I don't know 'bout you guys, but we've been through worse."

Freya gained a grin. "When we took on the Alexandrian army at Cleyra."

Steiner smiled as well. "When we took on the elemental guardians."

Vivi continued. "When we broke into pandemonium."

Zidane leaped into the air. "And when we defeated the Silver dragons on our way to Memoria!"

AVALANCHE stood helpless, not knowing what to say.

"Yea, Kuja's dragon army was a thousand, no, a million times more difficult than these mutant insects!" Zidane smiled.

Yuffie looked at Cid. "Well, do you remember when we parachuted into Midgar for the last time?"

Cid slowly looked at her, than a smile inched across his shadowed face. "Do you remember chasing down the Ultima WEAPON?"

"Yea! And the time we had to burst through Jonuns underwater reactor, taking on all those soldiers!" Barret clued in.

"Or the time we saved Fort Condor!" Cait Sith said. In reality, Reeve was only trying to support the others, for he had too much on his mind about what was going on at home

"When you look at this that way, it doesn't seem too bad…" Barret said.

"We've put up with worse, we can take them!" Vivi shouted.

"Right! So we go in?" Yuffie piped.

"Damn straight!" Cid revealed his smile.

"So what are we doing, Zidane?" The Regent squeaked over the speaker.

"We're going in! Regent! Clear a path for us!" Zidane smiled.

"I know Irontail's still alive, I can feel it!" Freya whispered.

"There may be hope after all." Cid murmured.

The tattered Red Rose started to descend into the clouds, with the entire Lindblum fleet following. Thunder and lightning rolled by as the rain started to fall upon their faces again.

"There ain't no getting off  this train we're on!" Barret shouted.

"Let's mosey." Cid took a smoke.

With higher hopes, the airship team was expecting a final battle, but could it be done without all of them?

** *

"Sephiroth?" Cloud whispered.

The sun had finally set and darkness came quickly. Red XIII, Tifa, and Cloud had not made camp, for there was no time. They had to catch up to Vincent, dead or alive, and the others in Burmecia. The paths around the mountains became narrower and narrower, one false step and into the abyss you go. But these three had traversed the perilous peaks of the Nebelhiem Mountains. But the cold was getting to them and wasn't smart to voyage across such paths when tired.

With little to no hope to live on, the team had been silent for hours. Cloud's head went over that voice over and over. Sephiroth could not be alive. He just couldn't.

Tifa's thoughts kept wandering from place to place. Is Vincent all right? What drove him into doing this?  How are Cid, Barret, Yuffie, and Cait doing? What about those other guys? Zidane, Steiner, Freya, and Vivi? Is Reeve handling everything in her world? Will Judgment ever appear?

Red's XIII thoughts were more reliable. Sure they could make it, and the other group probably would too, but what would they do once they got there? There was no plan to go on. They'd have to play by chance, something they've done so many times.

The mountain paths slowly crawled down into the basin below. Carrion Spiders, Pythons, Madaskars, and other assorted animals watched, waited, and attacked now and then. The monsters were weak, but there still was a danger of falling below. Rain and fog rolled in, creating muddy streams trickling between their feet. Still, it was better than fighting Nebelhiem dragons, or spark bugs. Crows kept eyes plugged on the traveling three, sitting upon dead tree limbs in the thick fog and rain. Many hours passed. It would have been day, if there were no clouds to block the sun. Slowly, but surly, the bottom came into view.

"A chocobo! My kingdom for a chocobo!" Tifa finally spat while wearily struggling to walk across the thick mud of a marsh.

"I know how you feel, Tifa." Cloud replied.

Red sniffed the air. A familiar smell loomed about. "Silence!"

Tifa and Cloud immediately obeyed. When Red sensed something, it was best to do as he told.

"…Moogles." Red XIII smiled.