Chapter 2
The boy glanced up at the night sky. He took a deep breathe and slowly shrugged his shoulders, the bag falling off his back. It hit the ground with a loud thud. He sat down and opened the bag. He reached around inside a few seconds, then pulled out a plain folder; the letters "Operation: Phoenix" on the front. Slowly, he opened it and began to read. He had not had the chance to finish it yet; indeed his desire to achieve Goal 1 was so strong. He read a few pages, but kept skipping around. He knew all this; it was not interesting. Slowly, he paged forward and found something that intrigued him. He began to blink as he read this new information.
"Strange...this was not on the computer..." he spoke a loud as he began to read. This new information was not all that important; yet still engaged him. He slowly read it all over a few times, making sure he understood it.
"Amazing..." he said as he flipped over the page. This page had little writing, but had two photos. He tilted his head a bit, then smirked a bit.
"Very interesting" he stated as he began to read again.
"Cloud? Barret?" Tifa called out. She walked around the open plains, looking for them. The sun shined brightly, covering the earth with its warm glow.
"Where are they" she asked a loud, looking for them. She slowly walked around. Soon, the clouds were covered up the sun, stifling out the sun light. Soon, the entire area was dark and cold. Tifa kept looking around, but the plain was endless; she looked and looked but found nothing. She just kept running everywhere, but she saw nothing.
"Help!" she heard from behind her. She turned on her heels and looked behind her. Her eyes went wide as a cold shiver ran down her back. She took a step back and let out a small cry.
"Oh my...!" she screamed, her hands covering her mouth. Across the field lay hundreds of people. They all moaned as they reached out for her. The once green grass was now blood red. Tifa just stood there, her body trembling.
"No...no..." she muttered. She felt something on her leg. Quickly looking down, she saw Barret grabbing at her leg. His face was covered in blood, his clothes tattered and stained. His face was mired in pain.
"Help...help me..." he slowly said, his eyes searching for relief. Tifa bent down and picked him up. Her eyes filled with tears as she held him.
"Barret, no, please hang on!" she screamed, but as soon as she finished, Barret went limp in her hands. She closed her eyes tightly as began to sob.
"Tifa...Tifa...Tifa...help me..." she heard. She gently laid down Barret down as she stood up, looking around. In the distance, she saw Cloud standing, holding his chest. Blood was covering his hand. Tifa stood up and ran towards him. She sprinted as hard as she could, her arms pumping at the sides.
"Cloud...!" she screamed, looking at him. She felt like she would never reach him, and the harder she ran the farther away she felt. Then, she saw him fall to the ground, his arm still reaching for her.
"No!" Tifa screamed. But as she suddenly got near him, Sephiroth appeared where Cloud had been standing. He stuck the Masumane forward, hitting Tifa right in the chest. She stopped dead in her track. She flung her arms towards Cloud.
"Ahhhhhhhhh" she screamed as she looked down at the wound. She then looked back up, and there stood the boy, holding the sword. She closed her eyes and tried to push the sword, but when she opened them, there stood Sephiroth. He pulled her forward and slapped her in the face so hard that it pushed her off the sword and she fell to the ground.
"Tifa" Cloud screamed, holding his hand. Tifa's eyes jolted awake as she looked up at him. She rubbed her the redness on her face, her eyes filled with tears.
"Cloud...I...I had a nightmare..." she said slowly, sitting up. Cloud sat down and took a deep breathe.
"I could tell...I tried waking you up...but you wouldn't...I'm sorry...sorry I slapped you...but you were crying...and I..." he began, but she quickly reached over and grabbed the hand that had slapped her.
"No-no, it's ok...thank you Cloud...I needed that...I really did..." she stated slowly, looking at him with tender eyes. Cloud slowly reached over with his free hand and gently rubbed her face.
"Your face is all red...I'm sorry Tifa...but you know...you still look wonderful" he said slowly. Tifa blinked a few times, a small smile covering her face.
"Oh hush...I got smoke and dust all over my face...it's all red..." she stated slowly, looking down a bit. Cloud used his free hand and lifted her face up.
"Your face is red because you're blushing" Cloud said, a small smile on his own face. Tifa gulped a bit and took a deep breathe, as Cloud slowly rubbed her hand. Tifa looked back up at him, her face bright.
"Well, it's nice to hear Cloud, but I know I am not looking my best" she said slowly. Cloud laughed a bit.
"Tifa, every time we get together you are all dirty from fighting or disaster. I'm use to it" he said, laughing. Tifa blushed deeply and punched his arm gently. Cloud slowly stood up and helped her up as well. She staggered a bit then straightened out. Cloud opened his mouth, but Tifa caught him off right away.
"My knee is fine Cloud. It's just a bit tense..." she said slowly. He looked down at her, then saw her slowly kicking her leg around a bit. His face grew serious as he watched her.
"You sure Tifa...? I mean..." he began, but she quickly looked at him.
"I'm positive Cloud. It's not like I had surgery. It was just a sprain" she remarked. Taking a deep breathe, she looked up at the sky. The night sky was being replaced by the morning light. Fog mixed with smoke in the air, creating a thick smog in the air. Tifa looked around curiously.
"Hey, where did Barret go...?" she asked. Cloud just looked at the oncoming day.
"He went to go catch the first relief helicopter this morning. He's gonna ask if we can catch a ride to Junon" Cloud stated. Tifa looked up at the passing night.
"And from Junon...?" she asked calmly, watching the night being devoured by the sunlight. Cloud thought a few moments, then let out a breath.
"We're gonna call the others; see if we can get some help. We're going to find that punk and bring him in" Cloud assured her. Tifa just nodded a few times, still looking up at the night sky.
"Good...good..." she said slowly. They held their hands together tightly as they gazed up at the night sky.
The boy emerged from the cave slowly as he squinted, his eyes adjusting from the darkness of the cave. Soon, he adjusted to the light and looked around. He took a deep breath; the heavy humid air filling his lungs. Looking up, he saw that the sky was overcast. He looked down and began to march forward. As he walked, he felt soft droplets of rain hitting him. He stopped and glanced back up at the clouds. The clouds were dark but not as dark as storm clouds; they hung in the air like storm clouds in training. The boy just shook his head and began to march onward again. The ground was still soft from the earlier rain but not quite muddy; his boots stomped through them with ease. He had found the stream with ease and began to follow it. The air had a faint foul smell; he suspected that was because of his earlier work. Ahead of him, he thought he saw two figures. He continued to march on; the figures in full view. As he approached, he saw that their was a small boy and a large man. Both of them had fishing poles in the stream that the boy had been following. As he approached, neither the child nor the man looked up at him or even acknowledged him.
"Dad, we only caught two fish so far" the child said as the boy neared them. The man just smiled at his son and nodded.
"I know Eddy, but this is the first time we came to this spot. We don't know if it's hot or not" the father responded, still smiling. The boy walked past them as Eddy stood up and looked down into the stream. Just then, the child slipped on a rock and would have fallen in the stream, if the father had not grabbed him and gently sat him back down. The father smiled down at his son and messed his hair up a bit.
"Be careful Eddy; I don't want you getting hurt" the father said in a light tone. Eddy looked up at his father and nodded.
"Yes Dad" he responded happy as he leaned forward, trying to look into the stream. The father laughed, then caught a glance of the boy out of his eye. The boy had stopped and was not walking forward, but had not turned around. He stood there, as still as a statue. The father looked over at him.
"Can I help you buddy?" the father asked, a bit defensive. The boy's expression did not change. He thought a moment, however, before responding.
"Is this the way to Junon" he asked. The father let out a small sigh of relief.
"Yeah, you're heading the right way. Just keep following the path" he said. The boy nodded and turned as he began to march on.
The helicopter touched down at the Junon Airport. The wind gusted all around; from both the blades of the helicopter and the weather. The helicopter blades spun around slower and slower until they came to a stop. Cloud jumped out from the helicopter, then reached behind and offered a hand to Tifa.
"Cloud, I don't need your..." she said as she took his hand grudgingly Cloud pulled her gentle out of the helicopter as she dusted herself off. Barret hopped out next as the three of them began to walk off to the side. All three felt the small droplets of moisture on them. Tifa glanced up at the sky as the other two passed by her.
"It's going to be a long day" Tifa said under her breath. She felt the small sprinkles of water hit her face. She closed her eyes and let out a troubled breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw Barret and Cloud looking back at her.
"Hey, Tifa, you ok?" Cloud said, a serious tone to his voice. Barret chuckled a bit.
"Yeah; if your thirsty we can get you a drink" Barret said, laughing a bit. The seriousness melted out of Cloud's face; a huge grin replacing it. Tifa rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips a second, then walked towards them.
"Oh my gosh, I was just thinking a moment" she said defensively as she neared them. Cloud started to laugh harder, causing both Tifa and Barret to turn to him. Cloud coughed a bit, then looked at Tifa.
"Yeah, thinking about getting a drink!" he said, then began to laugh. He buckled over in laughter, causing Barret to laugh at him. Tifa just rolled her eyes again as she waited for them to finish laughing. Barret quickly gathered himself and looked Cloud, who slowly whipped the tears away from his eyes. Barret just looked at Tifa.
"He's more dangerous with his jokes than a sword" Barret said, causing Tifa to giggle. Barret chuckled a bit as well. Cloud finally stopped laughing and looked at them.
"What, did you just get my joke?" Cloud asked sincerely. Tifa and Barret exchanged look and busted into a full-blown laughing fit. Cloud just scratched his head and shrugged as they both doubled over in laughter.
The city of Junon had profited the most from the downfall of Midgar. The city had been decimated by the Weapon attacks, which had left the city in ruins and many people slaughtered. The citizens who managed to flee Midgar needed a new home and Junon was the closest major major-city. They filled the holes of those who had died and help rebuild Junon for the better. The once-toxic Mako-Reactor had been shut down as the city used other sources of energy. The once destroyed sea and fishing economy of the city was slowly recovering; boats lined the coasts fishing. The city was now the seen as the capital of the world by most casual viewers.
The boy stopped as he reached the city limits, looking up at the magnificent city. The pure size of the city caught the boy off guard, causing him to take a step back when he looked up. The sky around Junon was filled with helicopters; he suspected from the fire the day before. The heavy mist that was in the air covered the city like a blanket. The humidity clogged up his lungs a bit, but he let out a deep breath. He marched into the city, clenching the heavy backpack to him. He ignored the glances and curious looks he received and walked right to the elevator. He stopped in front of it and looked forward, not even acknowledging the guard on duty. The guard looked over at the boy oddly. The guard took a deep breath and maneuvered his feet around.
"It's coming down right now" the guard said, then gulped a bit. The boy did not even glance over at the guard. The gears and wheels could be heard grinding inside as the elevator moved downward. Slowly, the huge doors opened up as a small group of three business men walked out in their stylish suits. They laughed as they walked off the elevator, but one man walked right into the boy, causing him to look down at him.
"Watch it!" the man screamed at the boy, looking down in his eyes. The man glared a bit as the boy just stared back into his eyes. They stared at each a few moments, then the man quickly stepped out of the way and dusted himself off. He glared back as the boy slowly walked into the elevator, still looking forward. The door closed as the elevator moved upward. The man looked at his two associates and dusted himself off some more.
"That little punk; I should turn him into the police" he stammered, still dusting his clean jacket off.
"Don't waste your time" one of associates said as they began to walk away.
Tifa stood in a small phone booth, looking out at the clouds. She gently tapped her left hand on the glass while the right hand was holding the phone to her ear. She kept tapping her fingers, hearing nothing but dialing. Finally, she slammed the phone down, opening the glass door and stomping out. The light drizzle of rain was still falling to the ground as she stormed over to the Cloud and Barret, who were sitting below a bus-stop out of the rain. She just stopped and crossed her hands.
"Why did I get stuck trying to call Yuffie?" she muttered, just loud enough for them to hear her. Cloud shrugged a bit.
"We drew straws; fair is fair" Cloud stated calmly. Tifa sighed a bit.
"Yeah, I know...regardless, I got no answer at the numbers we had" Tifa said, tapping her foot a bit. Barret looked up at her.
"Well, I got a hold of Cid" Barret stated. Tifa nodded a bit then looked over at Cloud.
"I found Red" he said slowly. Tifa looked at them both, her shoulders dropping a bit.
"Oh....so they're busy or something..." she said slowly. Cloud and Barret broke into huge grins at the same time.
"Actually, Cid is probably just picking up Red now" Cloud stated. Tifa blinked a bit then smiled.
"You guys are jerks..." she said, tilting her head a bit. Barret chuckled a bit.
"They should be here in a few hours. From there, we can plot out a game-plan" Barret stated. Tifa leaned her head down as she put her hand under her chin and began to think.
"Yeah, but what can we do? I mean, do we just wait around to see if this kid shows up? Or do we ask citizens for help...or maybe we can use the Highwind to look for him..." Tifa began, but slowed to a stop. She noticed the odd looks on Barret and Cloud's face. She pointed to herself, but their expressions didn't change. Then, she heard the loud crash of symbols. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Tifa quickly turned around to spy the giant mog and small pet cat team known as Cait Sith. She looked back at Cloud and Barret and understood their looks. She looked back at Cait Sith.
"Well, hey Cait" she said softly. The giant mog just pounded his symbols as he turned around and began to walk. Perplexed, none of them moved. Cait stopped and looked back at them, then waved for them to follow him. Cloud stood up and shrugged as he followed Cait. Tifa and Barret glanced at Cloud, then just began to follow him as well.
The waves crashed against the docks, spitting water upwards. Regardless of the conditions, transportation was still going strong. A few ships sat in dock; sailors diligently working on getting the ships ready to sail out.
The boy watched all this for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. His backpack landed on the ground with a thud, dust spurting up. The boy glanced at the ships, then turned and headed back towards the shopping district.
"So, where you taking us Cait?" Cloud asked. The four of them were walking towards the heart of Junon. The rain was still coming down in a steady if light. A sudden wind whisked around them, sending Tifa's hair all over the place. She quickly shook her hair back into place as she walked.
"Yeah, Cait, why the silent treatment? All you've done is bang your cymbals and marched around" Tifa asked, her eyebrows raised a bit. The giant mog still did not respond. He just walked towards the city council part of Junon and walked inside. The other three all exchanged looks, then followed him in. The room was a dark red hue, with four secretaries sitting at desks, typing. There stood Reeve, a remote control in one hand, the other hand waving at them.
"Well, the silent treatment was because I left the microphone in my office" Reeve said, smirking at them. Barret smiled at him.
"Damn man, why not just come out there yourself?" Barret asked. Reeve blushed a deep red.
"Well....be honest, I didn't know if you guys would remember me or not...so I pulled out Cait here to come find you" Reeve said, his cheeks a deep red. Tifa smiled at him.
"Oh hush, we remember you silly!" Tifa stated, feeling a tad hurt that Reeve would think that.
"But you thought that too" she said to herself as she gently hugged herself. Cloud tilted his head a bit at Reeve.
"How did you know we were here?" Cloud asked. Tifa broke out of her little trance.
"Yeah, that's a good question. We didn't make it a huge deal or anything" Tifa added. Reeve smiled a bit as he turned.
"Would you gentlemen and lady follow me, please" he said, turning and walking down a hallway. Cait followed right behind him, with the others behind him. The dark red walls made the place feel tiny. All the offices had big wooden doors, so no light was being let into the hallways except for a few overhead lights. As they reached the end of the hall, Reeve turned into the office. The others walked into the office as Reeve sat down behind a desk. His office was a stark contrast from the hallway; it had off-white walls with a big picture window overlooking the sea. Water drops covered the window, causing the light to come into the room in odd patterns.
"Please have a seat guys; we got much to talk about" Reeve said, pointing to a few chairs. Barret grabbed one for himself and sat in the back corner of the room. Cloud grabbed two and put one down for Tifa. Tifa smiled at Cloud as she sat down.
"Thank you Cloud...so Reeve, how did you know we were here?" she asked pleasantly. Reeve smiled as he tapped his fingers together.
"I heard what happened at Kalm...and that a young man with spikey blond hair, a beautiful young lady, and a big giant of a man with a gun hand had helped saved numerous lives. I assumed it was you guys. And further more, when I heard you three had come to the city, I sent out Cait to find you" Reeve stated, looking around at the three of them. Barret let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, I guess we aren't so damn hard to find" Barret said, rubbing his chin a bit. Reeve's face grew more serious.
"Yes. I hate to ask, but do you know what happened at Kalm? I've been hearing various reports, but...well, I trust you three more" Reeve stated, looking at them very professional. Cloud thought a moment, then nodded as he began to speak.
"Well, we know it was arson. Someone set fire to the materia shop or the weapon shop. To be honest, it was hard to tell because of how close together they are. We think we know who did it...or at least someone who knows something. It was this kid..." Cloud began. Reeve nodded and interrupted him.
"With silver hair, is that it?" Reeve asked. Tifa nodded.
"Yeah, that's him...we were thinking he's a Sephiroth fan...you know, how sick those fanboys can get" Tifa stated. Reeve nodded as he leaned back a bit.
"Yeah...and the fire was to resemble...well, yeah. I'll be honest, I was having a hard time believing the story about the kid until now" Reeve told them. Cloud shrugged but nodded his agreement.
"It's a hard thing to believe. But he did a dirty sneak attack. He's not the real Sephiroth or even a Jenova clone. We're gonna get him for this and bring him to justice" Cloud said firmly. Reeve nodded a bit. From the back, Barret coughed a bit. Everyone turned and glanced at him.
"Well, Mr. City Safety And Rebuilding Expert, you got any information of you own?" Barret asked. Tifa and Cloud glanced back at his desk. Indeed, the title "City Safety Supervisor" was on his nameplate. Reeve's cheeks turned dark red again as he keep tapping his fingers together.
"Hehe...I didn't want to seem like I was bragging with the title....but no. I had heard numerous stories before I talked to you guys. So I wanted my facts straight. If you'd like, I could call the chief of police and post a "Watch" for this boy. That way, if he comes through Junon, we can snag him" Reeve stated. The other three all nodded as Reeve picked up the telephone and dialed the number of the police station.
"May I speak to Chief McCall?" Reeve asked. He glanced up at the others.
"So what does he look like? Besides the hair" Reeve asked them. Cloud and Tifa glanced at each other. Tifa slowly nodded her head forward as Cloud leaned back a bit and scratched his head.
"Well, he had short silver hair, almost like a bowl cut. He had on black pants and a black tanktop. And I think a grey jacket; it was hard to tell in the fire" Cloud stated. Reeve just nodded a bit as he waited to be put on line with the chief. Tifa gently nudged Cloud's arm. Cloud blinked as he looked at her.
"What I forget?" Cloud asked, all flushed. Tifa looked at Reeves. She closed her eyes a moment, then re-opened them quickly.
"He also had one blue eye and one green" Tifa stated calmly. The men all blinked, but Reeve just nodded as he waited to speech to the chief.
"Now, where did that go..." the shop owner said as he leaned down behind his counter, looking for his pen. He got down on all fours and began to look for it. He stopped a moment and adjusted his small glasses, then went back to looking for his pen. Finally, he found it. As he stood up he smiled, looking down at the pen. He sat back down at the counter, but saw in a reflection in the glass. He quickly looked up and saw the boy standing there, looking at him with hard eyes. The man fell backwards out his chair.
"Oh my...you scared me..." the man said slowly, standing up and re-adjusting his glasses. The boy just leaned forward a bit and glared at the man.
"I want the Red Materia" he said sharply. The man blinked a few times at him.
"What kind of red materia...I mean, I don't have much..." the old man said slowly, rubbing his chin. The boy glare hardened.
"I want the Red Materia. Project Re-birth, Codename Phoenix" The boy said, his face hardened. The man grabbed at his heart and swallowed hard.
"But...but...so long..." the man said as he slowly walked to the back of his room. He leaned down and removed a piece of floor panel. He reached down and pulled out a small safe. He timidly put the combination in and opened the small safe, revealing a glowing red piece of materia. It was perfectly cut to be the size of a perfect square. He held it up to the light. He stared at it. Through the materia, he saw the boy standing right next to him. The old man took a deep breathe.
"Yeah, I got this position pretty easily" Reeve stated, a small smile on his face. Cloud smirked at him.
"Well, you do have the most experience on the planet" Cloud stated. Then, phone chimes filled the room, causing everyone to look at the phone. Reeve slowly reached and picked up the phone.
"Yes...yes, that's me...yes....yes....really? ...yes, thank you chief..." Reeve said, hanging up the phone. Reeve slowly looked back at them as he took a deep breath.
"Guys...we..we got a few sightings of the boy..." Reeve said slowly. Barret stood up out of his seat.
"What? Did someone spot him heading this way, or was he heading for..." Barret began, but Reeve cut him off.
"He's in the city. A gentleman placed a call about a rude boy with silver hair near the elevator from the town below. A few sailors spotted a young boy with silver hair near the dock. He headed back towards the city. He's in the city" Reeve repeated himself. Tifa and Cloud now joined Barret in standing.
"That's impossible! I mean, how'd he get here so fast?" Tifa screamed in disbelief. Cloud seriously looked at Reeve.
"Where was he last seen?" Cloud said in a rush. Reeve thought a moment.
"He was seen heading towards the city from the docks; means he's near the shopping district" Reeve said. Before he was finished with the sentence, they all had left the room. Reeve jumped up and quickly ran to the door.
"Guys, they sent some officers to bring him in for questioning...guys!" Reeve screamed down the hall.
The streets were bursting with activity; even in the poor weather, people were still out shopping. Two officers were walking around, scanning the crowd of people.
"I don't see him anywhere...is this a prank?" one of the officers asked. The other one just shook his head.
"I wouldn't doubt it...been so boring lately...holy! Look" he exclaimed, pointing to a doorway of a shop. The door opened as the boy walked. He slammed the door behind him, then turned and walked towards the docks. The officers ran towards him.
"Hey, stop there kid. We wanna talk to you" one of the officers screamed as they run towards the boy. The boy, however, kept marching, his pace nor demeanor changing. Finally, the officers caught up to him. One put their hand on his shoulder.
"Just come on kid; no trouble. We just want to talk to you" the officer said. The boy stopped, his head slowly looking back at them. The other officer grabbed his other shoulder.
"Yeah kid...just wanna talk to you about some stuff that's happening..." he said slowly. The boy slowly turned his head all the way around to look at the other officer. His face hardened. Suddenly, the boy rolled forward and quickly sprung to his feet. The officers reached for their weapons, but in an instant the boy spun into a high kick that caught both of them in the face. The officers quickly fell to the ground, slamming into the wet surface. The boy glared at them a minute, then turned and began to march forward again. Some of the crowd had seen his attack and began to watch him walk away.
"Stop you little bastard" Barret screamed suddenly from behind him. The boy ignored it and kept walking forward. Barret took a few more steps forward.
"Damn you, stop!" he screamed, firing a shot into the air. Tifa and Cloud, who were following him, looked at him.
"Barret, be careful!" Cloud screamed. Tifa looked around; now the entire crowd was looking at the situation. Tifa clenched her fists and looked at them.
"Go, get out of here!" she screamed at the people. Most of the people did not need to be told twice and began to scurry to stores for cover. The boy had stopped moving when he heard the gun shot. Slowly, he craned his neck around and looked back at them. The boy's eyes squinted at them. Cloud and Tifa got into a fighting stance.
"What happened at Kalm?" Cloud screamed at the boy. The boy did not move or change his expression. Tifa clenched her fists even tighter.
"Tell us or we'll beat it out of you!" she screamed at him. The boy still did not move.
"I burned it to the ground" he said sharply. Barret let out a murderous scream.
"I'm going to fill you with bullet holes!" he screamed, aiming his gun-arm at the boy. The boy still did not turn around to face them.
"I see" was all the boy said as a sneer slowly covered his face. Barret suddenly let out a barrage of bullets. The boy moved with unreal speed as he ran towards the wall. Barret's gun fire followed him.
"Stop!" Tifa screamed as the boy neared the wall. Barret kept following him, until suddenly the boy ran up the wall, using window ledges, cracks, and anything to move up it. Barret held his fire as the boy sprung off the wall, doing a flip in mid-air, and landed on his feet, facing them. As he leaned up, a metal staff appeared in his hand as he crouched into a fighting stance with the staff behind him. Barret quickly aimed the gun at him.
"Freeze!" Barret screamed at him, his body trembling a bit. The boy coldly stared at them. Cloud took a few deep breaths. Tifa's body trembled a bit.
"Who are you? What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Why?" Tifa demanded. The boy did not move, but his eyes focused on her.
"I am Phoenix. And why are you attacking me?" the boy calmly asked. Cloud took a step back.
"Us? You're the one who burned down Kalm! What are you, some kind of sick Sephiroth fan? You think that was funny; killing people and stealing their lives?" Cloud screamed, his jaw tightening. The wind gusted as the rain covered their brows. The boy's expression did not change.
"I will complete my mission. At any costs. Any" he said, as his eyes glanced at Barret. The eyes slowly moved to Tifa, then back to Cloud.
"Whatever you are doing, it ends here and now" Cloud snarled at him.
"You will not harm anyone else" Tifa hissed.
"I'm going turn you into swiss cheese" Barret screamed. Phoenix slowly straightened his body. He quickly leaned back, then forward again. He twisted his neck around, cracking them.
"All you have done so far is delay me and talk. If you plan to stop me, that would require action" Phoenix pointed out as he went back into his crouching position. Cloud let out a hiss as he began to run at the boy.
"I'll show you action" he screamed as he approached. The boy just stared at him as he neared him. Cloud jumped up a bit and swung down at the boy, who blocked it the strike with his staff. Cloud landed on his feet and pushed downward, the boy pushed upward. Both of them strained hard, then suddenly the boy fell flat onto his back, mule-kicking Cloud in the chest. Cloud stumbled back a bit, bending down a bit from the attack. Suddenly, Tifa sprung over him, her fist aimed at the boy. The boy rolled backwards and sprung to his feet as Tifa landed, her fist slamming into the ground. She quickly recovered and ran at him, firing off a few rapid fire punches. To her shock, the boy blocked each one. She went to change the pace and went to kick him in the face, but the boy ducked under her, sweeping her legs with his staff. Tifa quickly scrambled to her feet as Cloud ran up and stood next to her. The boy went back to crouching.
"I see why you..." he began, inhaling a bit harder. Barret cut him off with some gun fire into the air.
"Watch out guys; I'm gonna tear this punk a new asshole!" he screamed. Cloud and Tifa dove off to the sides as Barret aimed the gun at the boy. Quickly, the boy put his staff in front of him as a mostly invisible barrier went up in front of him. Barret let the Missing Score fire, launching a huge score of bullets into the air. They slammed into the barrier as the boy watched. The staff disappeared into his hands as Phoenix put his hands up to his forehead. Barret kept firing at the barrier.
"Just you wait, punk, until that thing falls!" Barret screamed. The boy just looked at him. Slowly, a small silver glow came from his hands. Tifa noticed the glow. She quickly turned back to Barret, her eyes wide.
"Barret, stop! He's doing...!" she screamed as she was suddenly cut off by Phoenix.
"Masenko!" he screamed loudly, thrusting his hands downward. Suddenly, a silver wave of energy flew from his hands, destroying the barrier and all the bullets that had been heading his way. Barret's eyes went wide as the blast slammed into his chest, sending him flying through the air. Barret finally hit the ground, skidding along it, finally stopping as he hit a wall.
"No!" Tifa screamed as she looked back. She quickly turned back and looked at the boy. She clenched her fists even harder. Cloud just stared at the boy, his eyes wide.
"What in the..." Cloud muttered.
"Any cost" Phoenix muttered as he put his hands down. Tifa ran at him from the side, leaping at him with a kick. The boy turned and pushed her down into the ground, then back-flipped away from her. Tifa scrambled to her feet and looked at him.
"What did you do to him!" Tifa screamed. Tifa went to run, but Cloud grabbed her shoulder.
"Tifa, go check on Barret..." Cloud said tensely. Tifa looked back at him.
"Cloud, I'm going to...." she began, but Cloud snapped his neck and stared her in the eyes.
"Go check on Barret, now!" Cloud snapped, pushing her behind him. Tifa just stared at the boy, then up at Cloud.
"Don't finish him off without me..." Tifa said as she turn and ran back towards Barret. Cloud watched her run a few moments, then turned back to the boy. Phoenix was just crouching, staring at Cloud.
"Let the battle be joined" Phoenix said.
Tifa ran as fast as she could towards, slipping a few times as she ran over the wet surface.
"Barret!" she screamed when she saw him. He laid against the wall, his arm holding his chest as he gasped for air.
"Tifa..." he slowly said as his eyes flickered open a moment, then closed again. Tifa took his hand and held it a moment, then looked at his chest. His shirt had been burnt away, while his chest had a red hue to it. Tifa gently rubbed his chest with her free hand, then quickly pulled it away.
"It's still warm.." she slowly said as she gripped his hand tighter. Barret opened his mouth, but nothing came out of it. Tifa gently rubbed his hand within hers.
"I'm gonna get help Barret..." she said, slowly letting his hand go, placing it down on his chest as she stood up. She took a deep breath, then turned and ran.
The sword swung downward, slamming into the staff. Cloud forced downward, but Phoenix dropped to the ground. Cloud jumped to the side as the boy went to mule-kick him again, swinging downward at him. Phoenix rolled to his knees and swung the staff, hitting Cloud in the knee. Cloud's knee buckled, but he quickly jumped up and aimed the sword downward. The boy quickly rolled to his feet and out of the way, then returned to his crouching position.
"Too slow" the boy stated as Cloud rushed at him. Cloud swung at him hard with the sword. The boy jumped back as Cloud swung at him horizontally. The boy back-flipped backwards out of the way. Cloud held still in his fighting stance.
"Hmph...why don't you fight and not run" Cloud spat at him. The boy suddenly sneered.
"Let's go pull the black man with the gun out of the building. You can ask him why" Phoenix said as Cloud's eyes bugged out.
"Shut up!" Cloud hissed at him as the boy's face grew more serious. The rain began to pick up, as it was coming down in a steady stream. The boy crouched down into his stance.
"What are you waiting for" the boy asked. Cloud ran at him again, swinging at him from the side. Phoenix blocked the blow with his staff, holding it with one hand. He quickly jabbed Cloud in the face with the other hand, knocking Cloud off-guard. As Cloud took a step back, then boy ducked down and swept his feet out. Cloud tumbled back as the boy swung downward with his staff hard, but Cloud put his sword up to block it. He slapped onto the wet ground as Phoenix pushed downward. Cloud suddenly mule-kicked Phoenix, sending him backwards, landing on his back. Cloud climbed to his feet quickly while the boy kipped up to his feet and looked at him. They both just glared at each other.
"You fell for your own move" Cloud stated, pointing his sword at the boy. Phoenix sneered.
"Do not steal my technique" he said bluntly. The rain began to downpour, covering them both in rain water. Cloud sneered at the boy.
"What are you waiting for" Cloud said. The staff disappeared as the boy shrugged his jacket off his shoulders. The jacket landed in a puddle. He extended his staff again then ran at Cloud.
A group of paramedics slowly hoisted Barret up and placed him on a stretcher. They strapped him down as Tifa and Reeve looked on.
"You gonna be ok Barret?" Reeve asked sympathetically. Tifa smiled a bit as the rain ran down her face.
"You're gonna be fine, right Barret. Don't make us worry" Tifa said as a few tears mixed with rain that ran like streams down her face. Barret nodded at them a bit and gave them a thumbs up.
"Go....help...Cloud..." he said as he was loaded into the ambulance. Tifa nodded as the doors to the ambulance were closed. The rain was pouring all around them. Tifa quickly turned as the ambulance began to pull away. She started sprinting down the road way. Reeve tried to follow her.
"Hey, Tifa...wait up!" Reeve screamed, then watch her run into the storm. He stopped, huffing for air. He looked up and gasped for breathe.
"Not much good I'll do anyways...but hey, wait a second..." he said as he pulled out his cell-phone.
Cloud slammed into the ground hard as his eyes shut tightly. He quickly rolled over and got to his knees, pulling up his sword to block. He glanced at the boy, who did not attack further. His eyes were not even focused on Cloud. The boy's eyes were looking in a glass of a shop. Cloud jumped up at once.
"Tifa, stay out of this!" Cloud screamed at her. Tifa slipped and fell to a knee as she halted to a stop. She quickly got back to her feet.
"Cloud, are you nuts...! We need to stop him, and now!" Tifa screamed, her cold damp hair clinging to her. The boy turned to around to face her.
"This is our battle" Phoenix spat at her, then turned back to Cloud. Cloud nodded once as he rushed at the boy, swinging the Ultimate Weapon hard at him from a 45 degree angle. The boy jumped up and to the left side. Cloud twirled around with a full swing, but the boy slammed his staff into Cloud's exposed ribs. Cloud left out a gasp as the boy slammed his staff into his side again. Cloud buckled and fell to one knee as the boy swung at his ribs again. Cloud quickly rolled to his left, however, and swung upward with his sword, ripping into the boy's exposed side. The shirt ripped up, and quickly red blood covered the hole. The boy took a step back and grabbed at his side. Cloud slowly stood, gently leaning off his bad side.
"Stop this Cloud! This guy is too dangerous! Let's finish him off now, while he's hurt!" Tifa screamed. Cloud looked at Tifa.
"This is my battle Tifa! I've got to win this one alone" Cloud said, his eyes glued on the boy. Tifa stomped her foot.
"Stop being this way Cloud! I can help you! I don't need you to protect me at all turns! Why do you insist on doing this alone?" she screamed, her fists balled up.
"I need to... Alone" Cloud said, his eyes focused on the boy still. Both of them ran at each other, staff meeting sword. Both pushed on their weapon, in a deadly game of mercy. Both of them planted their feet and pushed hard. Slowly, Cloud began to push the staff downward towards Phoenix. Quickly, Phoenix let the staff go, which caused Cloud to begin to fall forward. The boy jumped into the air and drop-kicked Cloud right in the back of the head. Cloud groaned as he slammed into the wet pavement. Phoenix kicked him in the ribs hard, causing Cloud to roll away in grasping in pain. Phoenix slowly bent down and grabbed his staff, looking at Cloud. He slowly watched Cloud stand up, grabbing at his ribs with one hand while the other hand held the sword weakly. Phoenix ran at him and began to duck down as he ran, pulling back the staff to swing it. Cloud quickly grabbed his sword, however, and swung downward, striking the boy in his left shoulder hard, causing him to fall to his knees, dropping his staff. Cloud reached overhead, lifting the sword up high. Phoenix quickly head-butted him in the ribs, causing Cloud to gasp and let go his sword. Phoenix pulled his right arm back to punch the ribs, but Cloud kicked his left shoulder, causing Phoenix to reach over and grab his shoulder. Cloud went for another kick, but Phoenix quickly moved to the side and slammed his damaged shoulder into Cloud's ribs, causing both of them to fall onto their backs in pain. Cloud slowly rolled over and grabbed his sword, slowly standing up. Phoenix kipped up to his feet quickly, then winced a moment. He bent down and picked up his staff. Blood dripped down the boy's side from his shoulder and the wound on his side. Cloud sneered at the boy, some blood sticking to his teeth.
"You're bleeding" Cloud stated, then spit out some blood. The boy sneered back at him. The blood on his shoulder was quickly running down his body in the waves of the rain.
"So are you" Phoenix responded, slowly reaching up with his right hand and feeling his shoulder. Quickly, the boy sprinted at Cloud, swinging his staff with his one good arm. Cloud blocked the blow easily, but Phoenix quickly jump-kicked his ribs, causing Cloud to stumble back. Phoenix landed on his back, groaning a bit. He kipped up to his feet as Cloud swung at him hard, catching him in the shoulder, causing Phoenix to turn away, his eyes shutting, but quickly swung his body around, slamming the staff into Cloud's ribs again. Cloud tried to block, was a second to slow, and both men fell to their knees. Cloud pushed himself up with his sword as a crutch, then shuttle-stepped to the right and swung down with all he had left at the shoulder, but Phoenix rolled to the right and jumped to his feet. Cloud quickly recovered from his attack and both of them swung at the same time, with Phoenix hitting the ribs while Cloud hit the shoulder. Neither man fell, but looked at each other, their eyes going wide, their teeth gritting. Their bodies shook as the water rushed over them. Cloud leaned back and swung with all his might, driving his sword into the shoulder blade. Phoenix took a step to the left, but his expression did not change. He slowly leaned back and swung for the fences, slamming his staff into Cloud's ribs. Cloud just looked at him, the blood dripping from his teeth. Then they both swung at the same time, knocking their weapons out of their hands and sending them off to the opposites sides. Both men landed in a heap. Tifa just stood watching, her body shaking almost uncontrollable.
"Get up Cloud...get up!" she screamed, her breathing very rapid. Cloud slowly starting crawling towards his sword. He slowly wrapped his fingers around the handle and used it to push himself up again. As he looked forward, the boy was already standing and back in his fighting position. Then, the raining sky filled with red and blue lights. Down the road came speeding police cars. Cloud and Phoenix stared each other down, then suddenly the boy turned and ran towards the docks, kicking up water as he ran. Tifa went running after him.
"Oh no you don't; you're not getting away..." she began as she ran past Cloud. But she felt Cloud grab her as she ran past him.
"Come on Cloud, we can..." she began as she turned to him. Cloud was gasping for breath. He let the sword drop from his hand as he reached onto her shoulder, holding himself up. Tifa looked back at the running boy, then at Cloud. Slowly, she ducked under his arm and helped him stand, watching the boy go running. Cloud leaned on her, his eyes tightly shut, blood slowly dripping from his lips.
"Urgh....is Barret ok..." Cloud muttered softly. Tifa looked up at Cloud a moment, her heart pounding.
"He's going to be fine....are you?" she asked. Cloud nodded slowly, then opened his eyes and watched the last view of the boy.
"I'll be fine....fine..." he muttered softly. The red and blue lights soon covered them in their warm glow, but their focus was still towards the dock.
