(I'm sorry! I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry!!!! I'm sorry!!!!! I'm
sorry!!!!!! I'm sorry!!!!!!! I'm--
Ansem: *knocks her unconsious with her own mallet* Yes, she's sorry for being a lazy ass and not updating for over a month, and no matter how incompetant she happens to be, she will try to update more often. And she hopes the reviewers haven't lost interest in this story, and if they have I will find that extremely amusing and laugh, because I'm evil like that.
Akumi: Preach it, brother!
Naomi:...nope, this place will never change. -_- Please enjoy the fic...)
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~Chaos; Hunter's Purpose~
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Yuffie paced back and forth, her expression one of confusion and frustration. Leon leaned against the wall nearby, deciding it would be best to leave the teenage shinobi to her musings. He and Yuffie were currently in the Hollow Bastion's large (this being a vast understatement) kitchen, as Aerith watched over something that was baking in the oven.
"I just don't get it!" she burst out finally, sinking down into a cross-legged position on the floor.
"Maybe it isn't as bad as you think it is, Yuffie," Aerith offered, glancing up at her.
"Not as bad as I think it is?! By the Fates, this is SEPHIROTH we're talking about!" the Wind Hunter cried, using one of the oaths she had adopted from the normal residents of Traverse Town. "Y'know, the guy who killed you?"
Aerith was silent then, finding the empty pot on the stove particularly facinating.
"He couldn't be all that bad...if Sora cares so much for him...and if he's protecting Sora..." Aerith said finally.
"Well...maybe he's...maybe Sora's not as innocent as he looks!"
Aerith spun around to face Yuffie, her face marred with anger, an expression the younger girl had never seen on the Light Hunter's face...ever.
"How can you say that, Yuffie?!" Aerith shouted, trembling. "How can you say that about the little boy you treated as your own brother for the past two weeks?!"
Yuffie opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it, her face turned away in the guilt she felt.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," the green-eyed woman continued, her voice dropping to nearly a whisper. "Especially Sephiroth."
Yuffie bit her lip.
"I-I'm sorry...I'm just..." she stopped, shaking her head. "I'm sorry..."
"It's hard to forgive people after they've done painful things to you," Leon said, reminding the two young women of his presance, his tone uncharacteristicly sympathetic. "I know exactly how you must be feeling, Yuffie, but holding grudges won't help matters any."
"I don't hold a grudge against him," Yuffie insisted. "Not really... I just find it hard to trust him after what he did to my world."
"It's understandable," Leon agreed, nodding, "but think of it this way. If that paranoid bastard Cloud trusts him, which he seems to, he's probably not a threat to us."
The Wind Hunter couldn't help but giggle slightly at the way Leon had worded that sentence. Then, she jumped up and gave him a quick, tight hug, before smiling at him.
"Thanks, Squall. That was logical and it made me feel better."
"Whatever. And it's Leon."
"Yessir!" she said, giving a mock salute before giggling again and skipping from the room.
Leon found himself with a ghost of a smile on his lips, and he turned his back to Aerith so she wouldn't see. He hadn't smiled since...
Shaking his head somewhat violently to clear away the rush of memories, the Spirit Hunter then reaquired his cold uncaring expression and left the room as well, heading to the Rising Falls. Training always helped him clear his thoughts....
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"So, Chaos Hunter, care to tell me what you know?"
Sephiroth looked over at Cloud briefly, then returned to watching the slowly reddening sky. The two were seated on the roof of the large castle, the only place they could converse without being walked in on.
"You want to know...why we're here."
A simple nod.
"The Hunters' purpose..." he paused, trying to find the right way to word what he was about to say, "...is to defeat the Heartless, mainly. But I think you already know that. We are also here to protect the Key Master. Sora is that, or will be, when he gets older. That's really all I've discovered, sadly enough."
"Do you know anything about this "Key"?"
The shake of a head.
"Only that it is needed to save existance from Those Without Hearts...other than that I don't really know. I assume we'll find out eventually."
Cloud nodded, but was glad that he now knew what his mission was, finally. Then, a thought struck him.
"Shouldn't Ansem know this stuff? He is supposed to be our Guide, after all."
"Guides are meant to assist the Hunters in learning their power, and giving them information on Heartless. So no, he shouldn't."
Another nod.
Sephiroth remained silent and perfectly still, as though he were trying to become a statue. He was the picture of calm, but inside he was confused. He just had to know...
"Cloud."
"Hmm?"
"Why...are you trusting me so easily?"
Obviously the Shadow Hunter had not anticipated such a question, for he blinked in surprise. Cloud's expression shifted to one of contemplation, as he truly did not know how to answer that. Sephiroth merely sat and waited, wondering how the man with unruly blonde hair would reply.
"To tell you the truth, now that I think about it," Cloud began, retaining his thoughtful look, "I really don't know. It's just...your energy doesn't feel threatening to me. It feels...friendly, for lack of a better word."
For some reason, the Chaos Hunter was pleased with this answer.
"And it wouldn't matter anyway; as Hunters, we'd still have to work together, whether we trusted each other or not. Right, bro?"
Sephiroth raised an eybrow.
""Bro"?"
Cloud allowed himself one of his rare grins.
"You don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
"I have a feeling it wouldn't matter even if I did mind. Would it?"
"Nope!"
Sephiroth shook his head and stood, beginning to walk away. He paused for a moment, turning back to look at Cloud.
"Cloud, I just have to say..."
"What?"
"You are, by far, the strangest person I have met in my life."
The Shadow Hunter smirked.
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
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Sora was drawn towards the smell wafting from the kitchen. He wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled good. He picked at his lower lip in a manner that showed he was at an indesicion whether or not to ask the lady in the pink dress if he could see what she was doing. Before he could decide, however, the woman named Aerith noticed him standing there, looking a bit nervous. She smiled at him in such a kind way, that he managed to gather up his courage.
"Umm..." he began, looking from her, to the stove, then back again. "What are you making?"
"Do you want to see?" Aerith asked gesturing towards the aforementioned kitchen appliance.
The boy nodded vigorously. The Light Hunter giggled, allowing Sora to see into the oven. His face lit up nearly instantly.
"I take it you like cookies?" Aerith laughed at Sora's reaction.
"Uh-huh!"
"Well, they'll be done soon. I'll let you try one before dinner, okay?"
"I get one _before_ dinner? My mom never let me do that! She always said it would...um..."
"Spoil your appitite?"
"Yeah."
"Well," Aerith told him, kneeling down so she was at eye level with the boy, "I know from experiance that just one cookie won't do that."
Sora smiled brightly.
"Thank you Aerith-san!
Sora stayed in the kitchen while waiting for the cookies; he feared that if he left he might never find the room again. And soon enough (though not soon enough for Sora's liking) they were done. Aerith lifted the tray from the oven and set it down on the counter nearby, then handed the boy one of the desserts. He blew on the cookie a few times, then bit into it. Once more his face lit up with delight, and he promptly devoured the rest of it, which, Aerith thought, looked rather adorable.
"Good?" she asked him.
He nodded happily, then stopped to think. After a moment, he looked up at Aerith.
"Ummm...can I have another one?"
"You should probably wait 'til you've had dinner.."
"No, it's not for me," Sora said, shaking his head quickly.
Aerith looked at him curiously.
"Then who is it for?"
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Sephiroth now realized why the other Hunters liked the Rising Falls so much. It had a very pleasant atmosphere, and was a good place to train. At the moment, however, he merely stood watching the last sliver of the sun vanish below the horizon.
"Sephiroth-sama!"
The silver-haired man blinked, then turned around to see Sora hurrying towards him, something wrapped in a napkin clutched in his hands. When he reached him, the boy paused for a moment to catch his breath. Then he looked up at his guardian.
"Are you going to eat dinner with us?" he inquired his large blue eyes questioning.
"No, I'm not really hungry right now," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Oh. Okay. Well, I have this for you in case you change your mind," Sora told him, putting the napkin wrapped object into his hand. "I'm gonna go eat now," he announced then, and after an acknowledgeing nod from Sephiroth, he hurried off again.
The Chaos Hunter unwrapped the object, then could not help but allow himself a small smile. It was a chocolate cookie, broken in half, but still warm.
He would thank the boy for thinking of him later, though he had no intention of eating the thing. And so he returned to admiring the scenery, even though it was pitch dark.
He would enjoy staying in this place while he could.
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(*once more consious* Yay! A not-so-short chapter! I feel proud of myself! No, not really. Most of this chapter was just filler material, except for the conversations between Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon, and Cloud and Sephy. Ah, and another thing. Sora's way of adressing the Hunters. I wrote it that way because it was cute, and because I couldn't think of anything other than "Sephiroth-sama" for him to call Sephy that didn't sound completely stupid. If I'm lucky, I should be able to update again on either Saturday or Sunday. 'Til next time! And sorry again!)
Fare-thee-well,
*~Diamond Weapon~*
Ansem: *knocks her unconsious with her own mallet* Yes, she's sorry for being a lazy ass and not updating for over a month, and no matter how incompetant she happens to be, she will try to update more often. And she hopes the reviewers haven't lost interest in this story, and if they have I will find that extremely amusing and laugh, because I'm evil like that.
Akumi: Preach it, brother!
Naomi:...nope, this place will never change. -_- Please enjoy the fic...)
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~Chaos; Hunter's Purpose~
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Yuffie paced back and forth, her expression one of confusion and frustration. Leon leaned against the wall nearby, deciding it would be best to leave the teenage shinobi to her musings. He and Yuffie were currently in the Hollow Bastion's large (this being a vast understatement) kitchen, as Aerith watched over something that was baking in the oven.
"I just don't get it!" she burst out finally, sinking down into a cross-legged position on the floor.
"Maybe it isn't as bad as you think it is, Yuffie," Aerith offered, glancing up at her.
"Not as bad as I think it is?! By the Fates, this is SEPHIROTH we're talking about!" the Wind Hunter cried, using one of the oaths she had adopted from the normal residents of Traverse Town. "Y'know, the guy who killed you?"
Aerith was silent then, finding the empty pot on the stove particularly facinating.
"He couldn't be all that bad...if Sora cares so much for him...and if he's protecting Sora..." Aerith said finally.
"Well...maybe he's...maybe Sora's not as innocent as he looks!"
Aerith spun around to face Yuffie, her face marred with anger, an expression the younger girl had never seen on the Light Hunter's face...ever.
"How can you say that, Yuffie?!" Aerith shouted, trembling. "How can you say that about the little boy you treated as your own brother for the past two weeks?!"
Yuffie opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it, her face turned away in the guilt she felt.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," the green-eyed woman continued, her voice dropping to nearly a whisper. "Especially Sephiroth."
Yuffie bit her lip.
"I-I'm sorry...I'm just..." she stopped, shaking her head. "I'm sorry..."
"It's hard to forgive people after they've done painful things to you," Leon said, reminding the two young women of his presance, his tone uncharacteristicly sympathetic. "I know exactly how you must be feeling, Yuffie, but holding grudges won't help matters any."
"I don't hold a grudge against him," Yuffie insisted. "Not really... I just find it hard to trust him after what he did to my world."
"It's understandable," Leon agreed, nodding, "but think of it this way. If that paranoid bastard Cloud trusts him, which he seems to, he's probably not a threat to us."
The Wind Hunter couldn't help but giggle slightly at the way Leon had worded that sentence. Then, she jumped up and gave him a quick, tight hug, before smiling at him.
"Thanks, Squall. That was logical and it made me feel better."
"Whatever. And it's Leon."
"Yessir!" she said, giving a mock salute before giggling again and skipping from the room.
Leon found himself with a ghost of a smile on his lips, and he turned his back to Aerith so she wouldn't see. He hadn't smiled since...
Shaking his head somewhat violently to clear away the rush of memories, the Spirit Hunter then reaquired his cold uncaring expression and left the room as well, heading to the Rising Falls. Training always helped him clear his thoughts....
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"So, Chaos Hunter, care to tell me what you know?"
Sephiroth looked over at Cloud briefly, then returned to watching the slowly reddening sky. The two were seated on the roof of the large castle, the only place they could converse without being walked in on.
"You want to know...why we're here."
A simple nod.
"The Hunters' purpose..." he paused, trying to find the right way to word what he was about to say, "...is to defeat the Heartless, mainly. But I think you already know that. We are also here to protect the Key Master. Sora is that, or will be, when he gets older. That's really all I've discovered, sadly enough."
"Do you know anything about this "Key"?"
The shake of a head.
"Only that it is needed to save existance from Those Without Hearts...other than that I don't really know. I assume we'll find out eventually."
Cloud nodded, but was glad that he now knew what his mission was, finally. Then, a thought struck him.
"Shouldn't Ansem know this stuff? He is supposed to be our Guide, after all."
"Guides are meant to assist the Hunters in learning their power, and giving them information on Heartless. So no, he shouldn't."
Another nod.
Sephiroth remained silent and perfectly still, as though he were trying to become a statue. He was the picture of calm, but inside he was confused. He just had to know...
"Cloud."
"Hmm?"
"Why...are you trusting me so easily?"
Obviously the Shadow Hunter had not anticipated such a question, for he blinked in surprise. Cloud's expression shifted to one of contemplation, as he truly did not know how to answer that. Sephiroth merely sat and waited, wondering how the man with unruly blonde hair would reply.
"To tell you the truth, now that I think about it," Cloud began, retaining his thoughtful look, "I really don't know. It's just...your energy doesn't feel threatening to me. It feels...friendly, for lack of a better word."
For some reason, the Chaos Hunter was pleased with this answer.
"And it wouldn't matter anyway; as Hunters, we'd still have to work together, whether we trusted each other or not. Right, bro?"
Sephiroth raised an eybrow.
""Bro"?"
Cloud allowed himself one of his rare grins.
"You don't mind if I call you that, do you?"
"I have a feeling it wouldn't matter even if I did mind. Would it?"
"Nope!"
Sephiroth shook his head and stood, beginning to walk away. He paused for a moment, turning back to look at Cloud.
"Cloud, I just have to say..."
"What?"
"You are, by far, the strangest person I have met in my life."
The Shadow Hunter smirked.
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
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Sora was drawn towards the smell wafting from the kitchen. He wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled good. He picked at his lower lip in a manner that showed he was at an indesicion whether or not to ask the lady in the pink dress if he could see what she was doing. Before he could decide, however, the woman named Aerith noticed him standing there, looking a bit nervous. She smiled at him in such a kind way, that he managed to gather up his courage.
"Umm..." he began, looking from her, to the stove, then back again. "What are you making?"
"Do you want to see?" Aerith asked gesturing towards the aforementioned kitchen appliance.
The boy nodded vigorously. The Light Hunter giggled, allowing Sora to see into the oven. His face lit up nearly instantly.
"I take it you like cookies?" Aerith laughed at Sora's reaction.
"Uh-huh!"
"Well, they'll be done soon. I'll let you try one before dinner, okay?"
"I get one _before_ dinner? My mom never let me do that! She always said it would...um..."
"Spoil your appitite?"
"Yeah."
"Well," Aerith told him, kneeling down so she was at eye level with the boy, "I know from experiance that just one cookie won't do that."
Sora smiled brightly.
"Thank you Aerith-san!
Sora stayed in the kitchen while waiting for the cookies; he feared that if he left he might never find the room again. And soon enough (though not soon enough for Sora's liking) they were done. Aerith lifted the tray from the oven and set it down on the counter nearby, then handed the boy one of the desserts. He blew on the cookie a few times, then bit into it. Once more his face lit up with delight, and he promptly devoured the rest of it, which, Aerith thought, looked rather adorable.
"Good?" she asked him.
He nodded happily, then stopped to think. After a moment, he looked up at Aerith.
"Ummm...can I have another one?"
"You should probably wait 'til you've had dinner.."
"No, it's not for me," Sora said, shaking his head quickly.
Aerith looked at him curiously.
"Then who is it for?"
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Sephiroth now realized why the other Hunters liked the Rising Falls so much. It had a very pleasant atmosphere, and was a good place to train. At the moment, however, he merely stood watching the last sliver of the sun vanish below the horizon.
"Sephiroth-sama!"
The silver-haired man blinked, then turned around to see Sora hurrying towards him, something wrapped in a napkin clutched in his hands. When he reached him, the boy paused for a moment to catch his breath. Then he looked up at his guardian.
"Are you going to eat dinner with us?" he inquired his large blue eyes questioning.
"No, I'm not really hungry right now," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Oh. Okay. Well, I have this for you in case you change your mind," Sora told him, putting the napkin wrapped object into his hand. "I'm gonna go eat now," he announced then, and after an acknowledgeing nod from Sephiroth, he hurried off again.
The Chaos Hunter unwrapped the object, then could not help but allow himself a small smile. It was a chocolate cookie, broken in half, but still warm.
He would thank the boy for thinking of him later, though he had no intention of eating the thing. And so he returned to admiring the scenery, even though it was pitch dark.
He would enjoy staying in this place while he could.
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(*once more consious* Yay! A not-so-short chapter! I feel proud of myself! No, not really. Most of this chapter was just filler material, except for the conversations between Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon, and Cloud and Sephy. Ah, and another thing. Sora's way of adressing the Hunters. I wrote it that way because it was cute, and because I couldn't think of anything other than "Sephiroth-sama" for him to call Sephy that didn't sound completely stupid. If I'm lucky, I should be able to update again on either Saturday or Sunday. 'Til next time! And sorry again!)
Fare-thee-well,
*~Diamond Weapon~*
