Chapter 19: We Have to Go On!
Author: Suzaku no miko
Disclaimers: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters...I do own Angela, however...
Miko: Hey there readers! I still can't believe that this story got to be this big with so many chapters! Anyhoo, I'm glad I decided to put it up on FF.net Well, that's enough blabbing from me, how about we get started with this chapter, ne? Please R&R!
"What does that spikey-ass think he's doin'?" Barrett wondered aloud.
"How could he leave us at a time like this?! Don't he know that Ultimecia and her new pals could attack us at any minute?!" Zell exclaimed.
A calm reply by the fire-cat somehow put a cease to Zell's complaining. "We must not let our emotions get out of control, there must be some reason for Cloud leaving... He would not go off on his own if whatever he had to do was not important."
However, what helped Zell relax a bit, the comment of Red XIII agitated Steiner and Zidane even more. These two were especially strong believers in team work. Especially when there were people that needed protecting...
"But such reckless behavior can just as well not have good consequences! What if something were to happen to him? Or the rest of us?" Steiner said, in a stern tone.
"I don't know about going to that extreme, Rusty. But it is true that something could happen to him. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one bad guy we had to worry about, but we got about four on our hands." Zidane said, in a more calm tone. Not completely calm, but he was less vocal about what he felt than Steiner was.
"Oh, Cloud..." Tifa sobbed.
"Wait a second. You guys are acting as if he died! Now, we've only known each other for a couple of days but somehow I know that Cloud couldn't die that easily! He just couldn't! And we are all just as strong as he is! We just have to believe in him and wait for him to come back! Maybe he had an important task that he had to do on his own and he'll come back soon." Selphie spoke up.
"Selphie's right! If you guys believed in him as a leader, then we will too! We can't give up in our current situation and we sure as heck can't give up on Cloud! Let's say we try to form some strategies against these baddies and wait for Cloud!" Angela added.
"Hey, the girls are right! We got this far, right?" Tidus looked at the rest of the group.
"But does anyone have any suggestions on where we should go from here?" Freya questioned.
"Yeah, it's time to kick some ass!" exclaimed a more excited Zell.
"Do you think that you could elaborate on how?" Amarant looked at the hyper young man.
"I think I have a way...but it's not exactly the safest strategy in the world..." Yuna spoke up.
* * *
"We're almost at our destination, sir. Are you really sure you want to go through with this?" the pilot of the Highwind looked to Cloud.
"I have no choice. I made a promise and I intend to keep it." Cloud replied, softly.
Cloud was extremely hopeful and cautious as he tried to leave Midgar without awaking the others. Leaving the church was fine, but to get the crew of the flying ship, the Highwind, and to get the ship itself started was a whole different task on its own. But luckily, the crew was within the ship. What was even more fortunate was the fact that the ship itself was out of the city, therefore the rest of the group could not hear the engines start up. And soon enough, Cloud was on his way to the abondoned City of the Ancients.
"We're preparing to land, sir. Please be careful and come back safely." one of the other crew members saluted Cloud.
"Right. Thanks. And don't worry, I'll be fine." Cloud smiled.
The Highwind then landed outside of the forest that surrounded the city. Cloud walked down the ramp of the flying vehicle and made his way over to the entrance of the forest. He noticed that the sun's rays were just now reaching this area. The darkened forest seemed to have a life of its own and became more lively as the sun began to shine brightly down on it.
'It's been a long time... Let's do this..' Cloud said to himself, with a new strong sense of determination.
The crew members of the Highwind watched on as the platinum-blonde haired man disappear into the forest. He was going in there alone. Several of them wondered if he would make it back out alive....
Much deeper into the forest, Cloud continued his journey to find the City of the Ancients. He soon came upon an opening... it would not be much longer from then on, until he would arrive at the city. He could feel it....the materia was near...just as 'she' said.
Cloud had soon located the crystalline stairs which led to the still magnificent city that once belonged to a great and ancient race...the Cetra. Feeling he could not waste a second more, he began to carefully race down the stairs, to the center of the city. When he neared the foot of the stairs, he came to a slow stop. There it was...
The altar. The place where he found Aeris. Aeris was praying. Using the special White Materia, she was praying to stop the evil that threatened everyone's lives. She knew the danger of being out in the open like that but she felt that the world was more important. Her love for the world and for all the living things on it gave her the courage to do what she had done. Even knowing that 'he' would come for her. The man who killed her......Sephiroth...
Remembering all that the sole survivor of the Cetra had done so that he and the whole world could go on living, Cloud's eyes began to slowly fill with tears. He sniffled, quickly pushing back his tears. 'No time for crying. I have a promise to keep. I don't want her to be sad anymore...'
Wiping his eyes, Cloud started to walk again. He soon came to the edge, near the steps to the altar. Now all he had to do was to locate the much needed White Materia. Looking around in the deep water, he then saw a faint glow near one of the steps.
"That must be it! I'll get it back to you in no time." Cloud said, as if he were speaking to someone...perhaps Aeris?
He instantly dove into the water, keeping his eyes on the glow. Cloud continued to swim on, not taking his eyes off of his destination. He had to reach it. Even though he could not confirm that the glowing object was indeed the White Materia, something from within told him that he must go to it. It was as if his senses...no...someone..was guiding him there.
'It is...It's the White Materia!' Cloud told himself, happily. Now trying even harder to reach the glow, Cloud tried to swim faster. But something did not feel right. He was only now a few feet from the materia but he was not getting any closer! He tried to look all around to see why he could not progress any further but saw nothing...that is, until he looked at his legs...
* * *
"Is something wrong, Seymour, dear?" a very happy Ultimecia cooed.
"Ugh... If you must know, I am getting a bad feeling. As if something is going to happen." Seymour replied.
"Now why would you think that? What could possibly go wrong?" Kuja smirked.
"True, even with what is happening with the Lifestream and our little friends having trouble...their kind still can't be trusted..." Sephiroth stated.
"What do you mean?" Ultimecia asked, now concerned.
"That somehow they always get themselves out of the worst predicaments. It's disgusting. For once, I would love to see them suffer and we would be the winners." Seymour growled.
"And you don't think that can happen? Why do you think I went to all the trouble of conjuring this plan? It's infallible." Kuja smiled proudly.
"That's what you said about the portals. But they led us all to this world, you incompetent." Sephiroth snobbishly noted.
"Well, you nonbelievers, if you rather see it to believe it, why don't we personally go visit them? And as an added bonus, we can torment them. This way, I can show you that nothing could go wrong with this plan because they won't know what hit them." Kuja stated with much confidence.
"You better be right..." Seymour mumbled.
And with that, they vanished...
* * *
"I don't know...It sounds kinda' dangerous to me." Tidus said, feeling uneasy.
"Ah, don't be such a &*!#%@ baby. It looks like we're not gonna' have another choice, anyway." Cid took a puff on his cigarette.
Things must have been getting bad without any of the group realizing it. They did not even know where the group of antagonists were nor did they know when they would strike. On the surface, everything was too peaceful and easy-going. Deep down in many members of the group, there was a great sense of anticipation...anxiety...anger...fear... But just as many of them felt somewhat more at peace and ready, now that they had a strategy if they should be attacked.
"Now, all we have to do is wait for Cloud..." Angela announced.
"Aww, isn't that too bad? Just what are you going to do?" a voice asked in a mocking voice.
Everyone immediately took out their weapons and just as quickly stood in a defensive stance. Maniacal cackling could be heard as the large group of heroes searched all around the church for the owners of the voices.
"It's comin' from outside!" Zell exclaimed.
"This is it, everybody! Let's go!" Zidane stated.
Everyone then nodded in agreement and ran out of the church. They were running to face what was their fears...their nightmares... Their lives had been ruined by these "evil masterminds" and our group of heroes want to stop the madness, once and for all...
Could our heroes possibly win? Or will Sephiroth and his group destroy them first? And what exactly is this secret strategy Yuna had suggested? What will become of Cloud Strife? All of these questions will be answered in the climatic final battle between good and evil in the next chapter!
Hope to see you there! Until then...
To be continued....
Author: Suzaku no miko
Disclaimers: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters...I do own Angela, however...
Miko: Hey there readers! I still can't believe that this story got to be this big with so many chapters! Anyhoo, I'm glad I decided to put it up on FF.net Well, that's enough blabbing from me, how about we get started with this chapter, ne? Please R&R!
"What does that spikey-ass think he's doin'?" Barrett wondered aloud.
"How could he leave us at a time like this?! Don't he know that Ultimecia and her new pals could attack us at any minute?!" Zell exclaimed.
A calm reply by the fire-cat somehow put a cease to Zell's complaining. "We must not let our emotions get out of control, there must be some reason for Cloud leaving... He would not go off on his own if whatever he had to do was not important."
However, what helped Zell relax a bit, the comment of Red XIII agitated Steiner and Zidane even more. These two were especially strong believers in team work. Especially when there were people that needed protecting...
"But such reckless behavior can just as well not have good consequences! What if something were to happen to him? Or the rest of us?" Steiner said, in a stern tone.
"I don't know about going to that extreme, Rusty. But it is true that something could happen to him. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one bad guy we had to worry about, but we got about four on our hands." Zidane said, in a more calm tone. Not completely calm, but he was less vocal about what he felt than Steiner was.
"Oh, Cloud..." Tifa sobbed.
"Wait a second. You guys are acting as if he died! Now, we've only known each other for a couple of days but somehow I know that Cloud couldn't die that easily! He just couldn't! And we are all just as strong as he is! We just have to believe in him and wait for him to come back! Maybe he had an important task that he had to do on his own and he'll come back soon." Selphie spoke up.
"Selphie's right! If you guys believed in him as a leader, then we will too! We can't give up in our current situation and we sure as heck can't give up on Cloud! Let's say we try to form some strategies against these baddies and wait for Cloud!" Angela added.
"Hey, the girls are right! We got this far, right?" Tidus looked at the rest of the group.
"But does anyone have any suggestions on where we should go from here?" Freya questioned.
"Yeah, it's time to kick some ass!" exclaimed a more excited Zell.
"Do you think that you could elaborate on how?" Amarant looked at the hyper young man.
"I think I have a way...but it's not exactly the safest strategy in the world..." Yuna spoke up.
* * *
"We're almost at our destination, sir. Are you really sure you want to go through with this?" the pilot of the Highwind looked to Cloud.
"I have no choice. I made a promise and I intend to keep it." Cloud replied, softly.
Cloud was extremely hopeful and cautious as he tried to leave Midgar without awaking the others. Leaving the church was fine, but to get the crew of the flying ship, the Highwind, and to get the ship itself started was a whole different task on its own. But luckily, the crew was within the ship. What was even more fortunate was the fact that the ship itself was out of the city, therefore the rest of the group could not hear the engines start up. And soon enough, Cloud was on his way to the abondoned City of the Ancients.
"We're preparing to land, sir. Please be careful and come back safely." one of the other crew members saluted Cloud.
"Right. Thanks. And don't worry, I'll be fine." Cloud smiled.
The Highwind then landed outside of the forest that surrounded the city. Cloud walked down the ramp of the flying vehicle and made his way over to the entrance of the forest. He noticed that the sun's rays were just now reaching this area. The darkened forest seemed to have a life of its own and became more lively as the sun began to shine brightly down on it.
'It's been a long time... Let's do this..' Cloud said to himself, with a new strong sense of determination.
The crew members of the Highwind watched on as the platinum-blonde haired man disappear into the forest. He was going in there alone. Several of them wondered if he would make it back out alive....
Much deeper into the forest, Cloud continued his journey to find the City of the Ancients. He soon came upon an opening... it would not be much longer from then on, until he would arrive at the city. He could feel it....the materia was near...just as 'she' said.
Cloud had soon located the crystalline stairs which led to the still magnificent city that once belonged to a great and ancient race...the Cetra. Feeling he could not waste a second more, he began to carefully race down the stairs, to the center of the city. When he neared the foot of the stairs, he came to a slow stop. There it was...
The altar. The place where he found Aeris. Aeris was praying. Using the special White Materia, she was praying to stop the evil that threatened everyone's lives. She knew the danger of being out in the open like that but she felt that the world was more important. Her love for the world and for all the living things on it gave her the courage to do what she had done. Even knowing that 'he' would come for her. The man who killed her......Sephiroth...
Remembering all that the sole survivor of the Cetra had done so that he and the whole world could go on living, Cloud's eyes began to slowly fill with tears. He sniffled, quickly pushing back his tears. 'No time for crying. I have a promise to keep. I don't want her to be sad anymore...'
Wiping his eyes, Cloud started to walk again. He soon came to the edge, near the steps to the altar. Now all he had to do was to locate the much needed White Materia. Looking around in the deep water, he then saw a faint glow near one of the steps.
"That must be it! I'll get it back to you in no time." Cloud said, as if he were speaking to someone...perhaps Aeris?
He instantly dove into the water, keeping his eyes on the glow. Cloud continued to swim on, not taking his eyes off of his destination. He had to reach it. Even though he could not confirm that the glowing object was indeed the White Materia, something from within told him that he must go to it. It was as if his senses...no...someone..was guiding him there.
'It is...It's the White Materia!' Cloud told himself, happily. Now trying even harder to reach the glow, Cloud tried to swim faster. But something did not feel right. He was only now a few feet from the materia but he was not getting any closer! He tried to look all around to see why he could not progress any further but saw nothing...that is, until he looked at his legs...
* * *
"Is something wrong, Seymour, dear?" a very happy Ultimecia cooed.
"Ugh... If you must know, I am getting a bad feeling. As if something is going to happen." Seymour replied.
"Now why would you think that? What could possibly go wrong?" Kuja smirked.
"True, even with what is happening with the Lifestream and our little friends having trouble...their kind still can't be trusted..." Sephiroth stated.
"What do you mean?" Ultimecia asked, now concerned.
"That somehow they always get themselves out of the worst predicaments. It's disgusting. For once, I would love to see them suffer and we would be the winners." Seymour growled.
"And you don't think that can happen? Why do you think I went to all the trouble of conjuring this plan? It's infallible." Kuja smiled proudly.
"That's what you said about the portals. But they led us all to this world, you incompetent." Sephiroth snobbishly noted.
"Well, you nonbelievers, if you rather see it to believe it, why don't we personally go visit them? And as an added bonus, we can torment them. This way, I can show you that nothing could go wrong with this plan because they won't know what hit them." Kuja stated with much confidence.
"You better be right..." Seymour mumbled.
And with that, they vanished...
* * *
"I don't know...It sounds kinda' dangerous to me." Tidus said, feeling uneasy.
"Ah, don't be such a &*!#%@ baby. It looks like we're not gonna' have another choice, anyway." Cid took a puff on his cigarette.
Things must have been getting bad without any of the group realizing it. They did not even know where the group of antagonists were nor did they know when they would strike. On the surface, everything was too peaceful and easy-going. Deep down in many members of the group, there was a great sense of anticipation...anxiety...anger...fear... But just as many of them felt somewhat more at peace and ready, now that they had a strategy if they should be attacked.
"Now, all we have to do is wait for Cloud..." Angela announced.
"Aww, isn't that too bad? Just what are you going to do?" a voice asked in a mocking voice.
Everyone immediately took out their weapons and just as quickly stood in a defensive stance. Maniacal cackling could be heard as the large group of heroes searched all around the church for the owners of the voices.
"It's comin' from outside!" Zell exclaimed.
"This is it, everybody! Let's go!" Zidane stated.
Everyone then nodded in agreement and ran out of the church. They were running to face what was their fears...their nightmares... Their lives had been ruined by these "evil masterminds" and our group of heroes want to stop the madness, once and for all...
Could our heroes possibly win? Or will Sephiroth and his group destroy them first? And what exactly is this secret strategy Yuna had suggested? What will become of Cloud Strife? All of these questions will be answered in the climatic final battle between good and evil in the next chapter!
Hope to see you there! Until then...
To be continued....
