Chapter Three
Reeve leaned back into his (expesive) leather recliner, sighing in deep content. He was watching HBO - right now some movie about phantoms on some planet had practically destroyed the place. It looked cool enough to him, but he wasn't paying all that much attention.
He noticed after another minute or so he had already run out of popcorn - yet only minutes ago he had a large bowl full of it. "Ah well, you win some, you eat the rest."
Kicking the recliner into full-sitting position he got up, and just before he went through the doors to the kitched he heard a beep come from the television. Thankfully with the Planets television stations they didn't have a warning, so it must have been a serious news break.
Reeve decided to not get his popcorn just yet. Turning to the television he saw some man with a stack of paper in his hands. Reeve had a theory that in fact, the stack of paper was pornography and they held it there to train themselves to keep a serious face. When they perfected this technique they quit working there and moved to Deleware.
The fact Deleware did not exist on the Planet or in this dimension proved his theory wrong.
He moved closer to his recliner, putting one hand on its cold leather, which instantly turned warm. A little fact he had always hated about leather. "Several reports coming in from the Icicle Inn area today have lead to serious injuries. People are claiming the lifestream is destroying the city and affecting the locals. When a SOLDIER band was sent they found a suprising amount of truth in this.
"Black liquid is seeping out through cracks in the ground, created by recent earthquakes of a minor magnitude. But the strength of these earthquakes is increasing, as is the amount of time they happen. They are guessing it to be some kind of deranged form of the lifestream, possibly caused by the acts of Sephiroth a few years ago." Reeve noticed the reporter showed a sign of emotion at the name of Sephiroth. Now he would never move to Deleware. "The fact that Sephiroths body wasn't recovered after ShinRa destroyed him may be hinting at something, though we shall hope not."
ShinRa had been rewarded with praise, people claiming the Sister Ray had destroyed Sephiroth. AVALANCHE didn't mind this, seeing that Reeve was now President and obviously was not going to let this get to his head.
Reeve muttered under his breath. This was most definitely not good news. Forgetting about the popcorn he moved over to his phone.
*
Cid was cleaning his small airplane at the docks wearing nothing but some long shorts. His muscles pulled together tightly as he scrubbed at it. It was always something he had been proud of - despite his age he had mantained a strong body and a respectable face. He even had some of the beach chicks around here asking him out.
The Tiny Bronco II was glistening as he finished up scrubbing it, the red paint having dried only hours ago. The pilot was in an overall good mood - yesterday had been a very good day for him. He had even decided to try and quit smoking so often - he'd limited himself to eight a day, which was quite good for him.
It had always been one of the (my 7,777th word is 'the'! WOO!) things Shera had always nagged about. And last year when the doctor told him his lungs may began to fail sort of made him want to give up anyway. He just hadn't had the chance as of yet.
Laying back on his clothes he let the high sun do its work on his already tanned skin, which was not going to be getting any darker. He never really flew the plane - it was just one of those things people do when they get older. Do something just to say they have done it. There were several things he wished he had done when he was younger, and he regretted not treating every day with respect and admiration.
He began to whistle after a while, feeling a bit bored. Over the past few years his life had been considerably duller. After some of the adventures he had with AVALANCHE he missed the adrenaline rush of the battle.
He wondered if he could help fight around the Junon area, but they had expert defences and guards set up around the premisis. Though the monster attacks were more frequent everyone claimed it was 'under control'. Cid was thinking something big would be coming soon.
He always could rely on flying instead of fighting, but what with being away five days a week he was too tired to do so at the weekend.
Nearby his small cell phone began to ring, a song by one of his favorite bands playing. Most people near by ignored it but some people looked at him skeptically.
A bit embarassed he picked it up quickly and answered with a gruff, "Yeah?"
Reeve was on the phone.
*
Shera had been doing the dishes when she saw the news come on with the report. She knew that soon enough Cid would be getting a call from his employer, and that he would be having to go. She just didn't expect her husband to react with such sudden movement.
She had been cleaning one of the last dishes when Cid came running through the room, shoved as many of his things into his bag as he could, then took off running with it, saying all in one breath, "Sorry gotta go be back later gonna take the plane don't worry I'll take off a break soon love you bye!"
The door slammed and she raised her head.
*
Cid slapped his goggles around his head and quickly gathered his clothes, pulling them around his body so he wouldn't freeze to death once in the air.
He had decided after hearing the news he couldn't wait for the next ship - it wouldn't be coming until the late evening. This way though he'd be arriving in about six hours, or close to that. Longer than the ship, but he didn't have to wait for it.
Checking that everything was working correctly the small plane began to leave the dock from the water. People near by were crowding around to see him take off, shouting out his name. By now most had heard of the Tainted Lifestream, as it was dubbed, and knew Cid was a high-ranking member of ShinRa. They felt he would make everything right.
Making it out far enough the plane began to slowly rise, until at last he turned in the air, flying over the heads of the people cheering his name. Swerving once more he headed off towards Junon, ascending towards the fluffy white clouds far above.
The rush of flying had always been one he greatly enjoyed; it pushed the adrenaline in a different way than fighting. It made one feel like there were no limits, and they had the freedom to do as they wished.
The air blowing against his face, stinging like needles, was greatly welcomed. It blew through his hair, releasing every strand and pushing it upwards, spiked even more than usual. His eyes, even whilst hidden in the protection of the goggles, were narrowed from the feeling of an addictive pain.
He had always been the type to enjoy pain to a certain degree, as if it were loaded with tobacco. He would often gently push a needle into his skin until it brought just a bit of blood, and he loved the pleasurable sensation. Or when the rain would come slapping against the ground, others would go running for shelter - but not him. He simply let the rain hit him with everything it had, drenching every inch of him.
But the sky also held one other greatly desired feeling - loss. The loss of all problems that plagued his mind, no more thoughts of people dying or ideas not working. He simply let himself be.
Tearing through the clouds at a steady pace he began to laugh, feeling as if he were a bird and defying gravity - defying the Planet.
*
"God dammit, President! We can't put this problem off for now. It will have to be dealt with immediately! Otherwise, Gods only knows what will happen. But we can't act without wisdom, either." She was yelling across the table, her rage building. "I stand for the fucking science department - and you know what I say? Blow the damned thing to Hell!
"If we were to release liquid nitrogen in all the nessecary spots it could be stopped immediately, and we would blow it up!"
Reeve considered this for a few moments before shaking his head. "It's liquid, Professor! You of all people should know you do not - can not - blow it up."
"Then we think of something else!" Her face was going red and she was ready to beat the crap out of Reeve at that very moment.
Across the table two fingers were raised by Malo, Urban Department. "I agree with the Proffesor, sir. If this isn't dealt with immediately it could be quite troublesome. I hear in Mideel it's actually bubbling. And furthermore, it'd give the people a reason to trust us - meaning Hawking would have to lend us the money."
Leaning back into his chair he thought for a few minutes, the room in silence. He was staring out the window at the far end of the room, which displaying magnificent waves slapping the sides of the ShinRa building, and the sun sitting into the waves.
This desicion would ultimately control the lives of thousands of people. He would have to lead his people into safety - nobody else to rely on, just him. That was what being a leader was all about though, right? This would mean if he made a mistake they would all die...
"How long will this take?"
*
After many hours of working on the task, deep into the night, the group had at last come up with a plan everyone had agreed on.
In approximately sixteen hours they would be sending out a platoon of teams into the fray, for three different purposes. Each group, save for the the ones that were being sent to evacuate citizens, would have four scientests, a score of soldiers in case things got hectic, and a further dozen engineers. The evacuation groups would simply have several soldiers.
The first five groups would be carrying their own precious cargo of steel planks, to be used at what they had pinpointed as the most crucial points of the Tainted Lifestream. With them the engineers would have to supervise the digging of great trenches, to make the Lifestream into a visible, flowing river.
The steel planks would then be place all around the lifestream, containing it as best as they could in tubes. Afterwords, explosives would be planted insider or around the planks, to be detonated at a later time.
The next eight groups would be sent to Icicle Inn - four of them to evacuate everyone, and the other four to do the dangerous work. They would be randomly throwing liquid nitrogen around the area - the coldness would take the kinetic energy from the lifestream, making the tainted portion advance at a slower pace. If this part of their mission were to fail, then they were all doomed. Without this the Tainted would advance far too quickly, swallowing victims that were trying to contain it miles away.
After this their job was to 'drill' holes into the ground, using bombs. This was said to help contain the lifestream, said Rebecca, though Reeve could not see how.
After the plan had been decided the President dismissed everyone to alert the press and begin working on the preperations. He sat in the cold, dark room for a time he could not remember. He could have been there for five minutes or five hours.
Cloud... I wish I could be more like you. You always knew what to do - you were strong, nothing like me. I doubt my own judgement, and that may very well be my downfall.
Soon though, we shall see how good of a leader I make. Soon. He felt the urge to reach towards the phone and call someone else, so they could handle it. But his hand remained motionless. This he would have to deal with on his own.
Leaving the room he locked the doors, walking the silent corridors until he made it to a balcony, hidden behind a secret door. Here he lay until morning, but he knew he could see a plane coming in, getting large from the moons light.
*
Tifa groggily opened her chocolate eyes, tired and delirious by the look of it. Her clothes were nearly torn too pieces, and her clothes underneath were revealed to the world. Not that anyone would notice out here...
Where is out here? she thought to herself. Taking in her surroundings she leaned forward. She had been laying on a pile of rocks for a bed, but there didn't seem to be much choice. All around her were huge mountains, covered with stones. Not one blade of grass was in sight.
Yawning she tried her best to fix herself up, but failed miserably. Walking around for the next few minutes she sat up at the top of a shorter mountain, taking in the surroundings.
The mountains were brown and muddy, as if they were mounds of dirt packed tightly together. The sunset held no beauty; it was swirling with murky colors that made it hideous. Which meant she was near Midgar...
She knew of a small town on the other side of this mountain-range, probably about sixty miles over extremely rough terrain. But there were paths twisting in and out of the mountains, so she could probably make it in about four days.
*
Cloud gazed out from the mountains, seeing the rockier ground ahead of him - bound to give a hard journey.
He had emerged a bit further to the north than he would have liked, but he knew it wouldn't matter all that much in a few days. From here Junon was about two days ride if he set out hard. Seko warked as he climed the rocks, going at a steady walking pace.
The black feathers were heating the chocobo up, Cloud could tell. And though he pitied what the creature would have to go through, he knew there was no choice in the matter. Problems like these didn't solve themselves.
He took out the sword with his left arm again, beginning to get the feel for it. Although his right arm would be healed by the time he made it to the apprentice, it would be at its weakest and it wasn't a good idea to rely on it.
Taking a couple of practice swings, he urged Seko forward. At a fast gallop Cloud came swinging the sword around his head. Forgive me, dear creature. The sword met with the neck of a monster that had been grazing near by.
The blood drew a thin line across his cheek.
*
The long pathways were very nearly silent in the deep velvety night, occasional light flickering the stone walls. The only noise in the whole of Cosmo Canyon was the nearly noiseless clapping of one particular creatures paws.
Nanaki's head began to sway, tired with the headaches that had been robbing his mind of rational thinking lately. He soon emerged from the pathway going from his grandfathers home and was drawing near to the fire, each flame eerily holding a poisonous purple-black tint to it. It had been a bad omen and most were now frightened.
Nanaki however knew the problem. He was scared out of his mind. The Planet had been sending such roars of pain and agony his way recently he had not yet gotten a wink of sleep all week. Though it may have been hard for humans to notice he had huge bags under his eyes.
His tattoo was hurting, too. It had never been a common thing to happen to the wolf-beast, but in some circumstances it began to throb as if it were burning. At first it was only when he neared Hojo - but soon enough it ached twice as much everytime Sephiroth had come near.
The fact it was hurting now, at the same time as the flames having gone wrong, and the Planet screaming in agony was no coincidence.
There was no true secret to the symbol - it had simply been put in (rather roughly) as any other tattoo probably would have been. Perhaps it was because Hojo had been attempting those tests on him...
A white light flashed through his head and he stopped thinking of that. Every time he tried to recall those memories his head ached, and they never came to him. It didn't ache as it did when the Planet screamed to him - rather it seemed to be trying to recall something that had never happened.
This was mostly kept under control so he had never thought anything of it.
Panting as he neared the fire, Nanaki lay on the ground and mumbled in his deep relaxation. The Planet had reached an eerie silence. The calm before the storm... Is it simply any creature that has the abilities to improve their life deserves to die? Or did Fate have something else up their sleeve?
As soon as he had fallen asleep it was as if he was immediately awakened. The Planets scream was horrible - a high pitched squealing of pain, as if a needle had been dug into its heart. Nanaki's head swung towards the fire and for a fleeting moment he had almost been positive there was a face there.
Authors Notes: The delay on this chapter was due to sheer laziness. I'm too damned tired of always working on this computer (trying to fix it and burn CDs, mostly). I was soooo sick of it I couldn't stand staring at the screen long enough to write the last two scenes, as short as they were.
I've finally figured out how I can fit Nanaki into the plot, and personally I think it's a brilliant idea. Can't wait till I get to it. Anyway, I expect the chapters to be up at more regular times - perhaps one a week? But I'm not positive since I kind of hit a major break through in my life now.
I always used to be depressed and never wanted to go out. Something snapped in me the other day after I hit a real deeply depressed mood (phew, NEVER listen to The Ataris or some Blink 182 songs when depressed).
In case you haven't been able to tell yet I like to try and be friends with my readers. So if you want to chat with me or anything my MSN name is ShadowJake07@hotmail.com and my main AIM name is MiKeZTrailMiX.
Okay, I just sort of realized that despite I wanted to make this fic more professional I've been leaving out disclaimers. Well, I'll put them in when I review my own work (I don't usually like reading my own stuff cause its obviously a bit famaliar).
R+R if you love me and want me to update more often. Or flame me. I like flames. Um, C'Yaz!
Reeve leaned back into his (expesive) leather recliner, sighing in deep content. He was watching HBO - right now some movie about phantoms on some planet had practically destroyed the place. It looked cool enough to him, but he wasn't paying all that much attention.
He noticed after another minute or so he had already run out of popcorn - yet only minutes ago he had a large bowl full of it. "Ah well, you win some, you eat the rest."
Kicking the recliner into full-sitting position he got up, and just before he went through the doors to the kitched he heard a beep come from the television. Thankfully with the Planets television stations they didn't have a warning, so it must have been a serious news break.
Reeve decided to not get his popcorn just yet. Turning to the television he saw some man with a stack of paper in his hands. Reeve had a theory that in fact, the stack of paper was pornography and they held it there to train themselves to keep a serious face. When they perfected this technique they quit working there and moved to Deleware.
The fact Deleware did not exist on the Planet or in this dimension proved his theory wrong.
He moved closer to his recliner, putting one hand on its cold leather, which instantly turned warm. A little fact he had always hated about leather. "Several reports coming in from the Icicle Inn area today have lead to serious injuries. People are claiming the lifestream is destroying the city and affecting the locals. When a SOLDIER band was sent they found a suprising amount of truth in this.
"Black liquid is seeping out through cracks in the ground, created by recent earthquakes of a minor magnitude. But the strength of these earthquakes is increasing, as is the amount of time they happen. They are guessing it to be some kind of deranged form of the lifestream, possibly caused by the acts of Sephiroth a few years ago." Reeve noticed the reporter showed a sign of emotion at the name of Sephiroth. Now he would never move to Deleware. "The fact that Sephiroths body wasn't recovered after ShinRa destroyed him may be hinting at something, though we shall hope not."
ShinRa had been rewarded with praise, people claiming the Sister Ray had destroyed Sephiroth. AVALANCHE didn't mind this, seeing that Reeve was now President and obviously was not going to let this get to his head.
Reeve muttered under his breath. This was most definitely not good news. Forgetting about the popcorn he moved over to his phone.
*
Cid was cleaning his small airplane at the docks wearing nothing but some long shorts. His muscles pulled together tightly as he scrubbed at it. It was always something he had been proud of - despite his age he had mantained a strong body and a respectable face. He even had some of the beach chicks around here asking him out.
The Tiny Bronco II was glistening as he finished up scrubbing it, the red paint having dried only hours ago. The pilot was in an overall good mood - yesterday had been a very good day for him. He had even decided to try and quit smoking so often - he'd limited himself to eight a day, which was quite good for him.
It had always been one of the (my 7,777th word is 'the'! WOO!) things Shera had always nagged about. And last year when the doctor told him his lungs may began to fail sort of made him want to give up anyway. He just hadn't had the chance as of yet.
Laying back on his clothes he let the high sun do its work on his already tanned skin, which was not going to be getting any darker. He never really flew the plane - it was just one of those things people do when they get older. Do something just to say they have done it. There were several things he wished he had done when he was younger, and he regretted not treating every day with respect and admiration.
He began to whistle after a while, feeling a bit bored. Over the past few years his life had been considerably duller. After some of the adventures he had with AVALANCHE he missed the adrenaline rush of the battle.
He wondered if he could help fight around the Junon area, but they had expert defences and guards set up around the premisis. Though the monster attacks were more frequent everyone claimed it was 'under control'. Cid was thinking something big would be coming soon.
He always could rely on flying instead of fighting, but what with being away five days a week he was too tired to do so at the weekend.
Nearby his small cell phone began to ring, a song by one of his favorite bands playing. Most people near by ignored it but some people looked at him skeptically.
A bit embarassed he picked it up quickly and answered with a gruff, "Yeah?"
Reeve was on the phone.
*
Shera had been doing the dishes when she saw the news come on with the report. She knew that soon enough Cid would be getting a call from his employer, and that he would be having to go. She just didn't expect her husband to react with such sudden movement.
She had been cleaning one of the last dishes when Cid came running through the room, shoved as many of his things into his bag as he could, then took off running with it, saying all in one breath, "Sorry gotta go be back later gonna take the plane don't worry I'll take off a break soon love you bye!"
The door slammed and she raised her head.
*
Cid slapped his goggles around his head and quickly gathered his clothes, pulling them around his body so he wouldn't freeze to death once in the air.
He had decided after hearing the news he couldn't wait for the next ship - it wouldn't be coming until the late evening. This way though he'd be arriving in about six hours, or close to that. Longer than the ship, but he didn't have to wait for it.
Checking that everything was working correctly the small plane began to leave the dock from the water. People near by were crowding around to see him take off, shouting out his name. By now most had heard of the Tainted Lifestream, as it was dubbed, and knew Cid was a high-ranking member of ShinRa. They felt he would make everything right.
Making it out far enough the plane began to slowly rise, until at last he turned in the air, flying over the heads of the people cheering his name. Swerving once more he headed off towards Junon, ascending towards the fluffy white clouds far above.
The rush of flying had always been one he greatly enjoyed; it pushed the adrenaline in a different way than fighting. It made one feel like there were no limits, and they had the freedom to do as they wished.
The air blowing against his face, stinging like needles, was greatly welcomed. It blew through his hair, releasing every strand and pushing it upwards, spiked even more than usual. His eyes, even whilst hidden in the protection of the goggles, were narrowed from the feeling of an addictive pain.
He had always been the type to enjoy pain to a certain degree, as if it were loaded with tobacco. He would often gently push a needle into his skin until it brought just a bit of blood, and he loved the pleasurable sensation. Or when the rain would come slapping against the ground, others would go running for shelter - but not him. He simply let the rain hit him with everything it had, drenching every inch of him.
But the sky also held one other greatly desired feeling - loss. The loss of all problems that plagued his mind, no more thoughts of people dying or ideas not working. He simply let himself be.
Tearing through the clouds at a steady pace he began to laugh, feeling as if he were a bird and defying gravity - defying the Planet.
*
"God dammit, President! We can't put this problem off for now. It will have to be dealt with immediately! Otherwise, Gods only knows what will happen. But we can't act without wisdom, either." She was yelling across the table, her rage building. "I stand for the fucking science department - and you know what I say? Blow the damned thing to Hell!
"If we were to release liquid nitrogen in all the nessecary spots it could be stopped immediately, and we would blow it up!"
Reeve considered this for a few moments before shaking his head. "It's liquid, Professor! You of all people should know you do not - can not - blow it up."
"Then we think of something else!" Her face was going red and she was ready to beat the crap out of Reeve at that very moment.
Across the table two fingers were raised by Malo, Urban Department. "I agree with the Proffesor, sir. If this isn't dealt with immediately it could be quite troublesome. I hear in Mideel it's actually bubbling. And furthermore, it'd give the people a reason to trust us - meaning Hawking would have to lend us the money."
Leaning back into his chair he thought for a few minutes, the room in silence. He was staring out the window at the far end of the room, which displaying magnificent waves slapping the sides of the ShinRa building, and the sun sitting into the waves.
This desicion would ultimately control the lives of thousands of people. He would have to lead his people into safety - nobody else to rely on, just him. That was what being a leader was all about though, right? This would mean if he made a mistake they would all die...
"How long will this take?"
*
After many hours of working on the task, deep into the night, the group had at last come up with a plan everyone had agreed on.
In approximately sixteen hours they would be sending out a platoon of teams into the fray, for three different purposes. Each group, save for the the ones that were being sent to evacuate citizens, would have four scientests, a score of soldiers in case things got hectic, and a further dozen engineers. The evacuation groups would simply have several soldiers.
The first five groups would be carrying their own precious cargo of steel planks, to be used at what they had pinpointed as the most crucial points of the Tainted Lifestream. With them the engineers would have to supervise the digging of great trenches, to make the Lifestream into a visible, flowing river.
The steel planks would then be place all around the lifestream, containing it as best as they could in tubes. Afterwords, explosives would be planted insider or around the planks, to be detonated at a later time.
The next eight groups would be sent to Icicle Inn - four of them to evacuate everyone, and the other four to do the dangerous work. They would be randomly throwing liquid nitrogen around the area - the coldness would take the kinetic energy from the lifestream, making the tainted portion advance at a slower pace. If this part of their mission were to fail, then they were all doomed. Without this the Tainted would advance far too quickly, swallowing victims that were trying to contain it miles away.
After this their job was to 'drill' holes into the ground, using bombs. This was said to help contain the lifestream, said Rebecca, though Reeve could not see how.
After the plan had been decided the President dismissed everyone to alert the press and begin working on the preperations. He sat in the cold, dark room for a time he could not remember. He could have been there for five minutes or five hours.
Cloud... I wish I could be more like you. You always knew what to do - you were strong, nothing like me. I doubt my own judgement, and that may very well be my downfall.
Soon though, we shall see how good of a leader I make. Soon. He felt the urge to reach towards the phone and call someone else, so they could handle it. But his hand remained motionless. This he would have to deal with on his own.
Leaving the room he locked the doors, walking the silent corridors until he made it to a balcony, hidden behind a secret door. Here he lay until morning, but he knew he could see a plane coming in, getting large from the moons light.
*
Tifa groggily opened her chocolate eyes, tired and delirious by the look of it. Her clothes were nearly torn too pieces, and her clothes underneath were revealed to the world. Not that anyone would notice out here...
Where is out here? she thought to herself. Taking in her surroundings she leaned forward. She had been laying on a pile of rocks for a bed, but there didn't seem to be much choice. All around her were huge mountains, covered with stones. Not one blade of grass was in sight.
Yawning she tried her best to fix herself up, but failed miserably. Walking around for the next few minutes she sat up at the top of a shorter mountain, taking in the surroundings.
The mountains were brown and muddy, as if they were mounds of dirt packed tightly together. The sunset held no beauty; it was swirling with murky colors that made it hideous. Which meant she was near Midgar...
She knew of a small town on the other side of this mountain-range, probably about sixty miles over extremely rough terrain. But there were paths twisting in and out of the mountains, so she could probably make it in about four days.
*
Cloud gazed out from the mountains, seeing the rockier ground ahead of him - bound to give a hard journey.
He had emerged a bit further to the north than he would have liked, but he knew it wouldn't matter all that much in a few days. From here Junon was about two days ride if he set out hard. Seko warked as he climed the rocks, going at a steady walking pace.
The black feathers were heating the chocobo up, Cloud could tell. And though he pitied what the creature would have to go through, he knew there was no choice in the matter. Problems like these didn't solve themselves.
He took out the sword with his left arm again, beginning to get the feel for it. Although his right arm would be healed by the time he made it to the apprentice, it would be at its weakest and it wasn't a good idea to rely on it.
Taking a couple of practice swings, he urged Seko forward. At a fast gallop Cloud came swinging the sword around his head. Forgive me, dear creature. The sword met with the neck of a monster that had been grazing near by.
The blood drew a thin line across his cheek.
*
The long pathways were very nearly silent in the deep velvety night, occasional light flickering the stone walls. The only noise in the whole of Cosmo Canyon was the nearly noiseless clapping of one particular creatures paws.
Nanaki's head began to sway, tired with the headaches that had been robbing his mind of rational thinking lately. He soon emerged from the pathway going from his grandfathers home and was drawing near to the fire, each flame eerily holding a poisonous purple-black tint to it. It had been a bad omen and most were now frightened.
Nanaki however knew the problem. He was scared out of his mind. The Planet had been sending such roars of pain and agony his way recently he had not yet gotten a wink of sleep all week. Though it may have been hard for humans to notice he had huge bags under his eyes.
His tattoo was hurting, too. It had never been a common thing to happen to the wolf-beast, but in some circumstances it began to throb as if it were burning. At first it was only when he neared Hojo - but soon enough it ached twice as much everytime Sephiroth had come near.
The fact it was hurting now, at the same time as the flames having gone wrong, and the Planet screaming in agony was no coincidence.
There was no true secret to the symbol - it had simply been put in (rather roughly) as any other tattoo probably would have been. Perhaps it was because Hojo had been attempting those tests on him...
A white light flashed through his head and he stopped thinking of that. Every time he tried to recall those memories his head ached, and they never came to him. It didn't ache as it did when the Planet screamed to him - rather it seemed to be trying to recall something that had never happened.
This was mostly kept under control so he had never thought anything of it.
Panting as he neared the fire, Nanaki lay on the ground and mumbled in his deep relaxation. The Planet had reached an eerie silence. The calm before the storm... Is it simply any creature that has the abilities to improve their life deserves to die? Or did Fate have something else up their sleeve?
As soon as he had fallen asleep it was as if he was immediately awakened. The Planets scream was horrible - a high pitched squealing of pain, as if a needle had been dug into its heart. Nanaki's head swung towards the fire and for a fleeting moment he had almost been positive there was a face there.
Authors Notes: The delay on this chapter was due to sheer laziness. I'm too damned tired of always working on this computer (trying to fix it and burn CDs, mostly). I was soooo sick of it I couldn't stand staring at the screen long enough to write the last two scenes, as short as they were.
I've finally figured out how I can fit Nanaki into the plot, and personally I think it's a brilliant idea. Can't wait till I get to it. Anyway, I expect the chapters to be up at more regular times - perhaps one a week? But I'm not positive since I kind of hit a major break through in my life now.
I always used to be depressed and never wanted to go out. Something snapped in me the other day after I hit a real deeply depressed mood (phew, NEVER listen to The Ataris or some Blink 182 songs when depressed).
In case you haven't been able to tell yet I like to try and be friends with my readers. So if you want to chat with me or anything my MSN name is ShadowJake07@hotmail.com and my main AIM name is MiKeZTrailMiX.
Okay, I just sort of realized that despite I wanted to make this fic more professional I've been leaving out disclaimers. Well, I'll put them in when I review my own work (I don't usually like reading my own stuff cause its obviously a bit famaliar).
R+R if you love me and want me to update more often. Or flame me. I like flames. Um, C'Yaz!