Through the never-ending sound of rain outside, Bugenhagen dreamt.
He dreamt of the creature without arms, its mouth full of fangs, pulsing with blue radiance and sweeping down to where he supposed he sat. Just before the monster reached him, Bugenhagen blinked, and suddenly he was looking at some sort of evil shadow, indefinable, yet terrible without need of a definite form.
Behind the shadow, three gray flames stood, constantly flickering. He thought they had human features, but the background was so dark he couldn't be sure. Bugenhagen couldn't tell what they were.
The shadow came as if in slow motion. Bugenhagen had enough time to turn his head, to turn his back on the horrible image. What he saw behind him made his heart rejoice and hope sing inside him. While in front of him, it was dark, another form was just behind him, and its simple goodness glowed with pure light. Beside it also stood three gray flames, but they were peaceful and still.
With all his might, the Wiseman turned back towards the darkness. The shadow that was so dark it was like a hole carved into its surroundings, claws outstretched in front of it. He could not back away. He knew he was dreaming but it did not feel like a dream at all. He was not in control; he could only watch as the horrid creatures of darkness came closer and closer...
And suddenly the white light spread; behind him the beauty and its gray fires have moved forward. The darkness screamed as the light came to invade it. The two forces were mingled together, good with evil, evil with good, while their flames also made for the kill. Bugenhagen was in the middle of a battle; one he could not comprehend nor tear his eyes away from. Out of nowhere there were armies to aid each side, weapons of mass destruction, yet the only ones that stood out to him were those flames, and the two shadows. He could not back away; could only watch as they slashed and grabbed and wounded each other. He thought he had screamed, but no sound came out, and in front of him, even though they were bleeding and hurt, the shadows, the flames, made no sound either.
Blood dripped onto an invisible plane.
Blood splattered.
Blood poured like sheets, and the sound of dripping, splattering, pouring blood turned into that of rain. Bloody rain was all that filled Bugenhagen's ears.
And in the center of the battle, in the center of it all, Bugenhagen saw with horror that what the two armies were fighting over was...
~
SHADOWBODY ~ By Crimson Sun
Chapter Seven
~
"Grandpa! Grandpa, what is it?"
"Yo, old dude, stop it! Yo gonna hurt yourself!"
Tifa Lockhart was dozing slightly on the sofa of the observatory when she heard the panicked voice of Nanaki and Barret from across the room. She hastily opened her eyes and jumped to her feet, crossing the distance between them in two strides and kneeling beside beast and man.
She saw what was wrong immediately. Bugenhagen, who had been sleeping relatively calmly in his bed a few moments ago, was now trashing about, his covers twisting about his body. Beads of sweat the size of bullets trickled down from his forehead. His ancient hands were grasping the edges of the bed, knuckles whitened, as if determined to pull the whole thing apart. She watched in horror for a moment, then finally came to her senses.
"Quick Nanaki, do you have any tranquilizers here?"
Nanaki looked at her, worry shooting like beams from his lamp-like eyes. She wished he wouldn't look at her like that. It reminded her that what she was about to do was irresponsible and probably dangerous.
"Tranquilizers, Tifa? Are you sure that's wise?"
Bugenhagen moaned and uttered a weak shout. His face was white, his breathing labored and heavy. His injured arm was moving too much for Tifa's liking. Soon, the wound would open and he would start bleeding again.
"Well, what else can we do? Cure materia doesn't help!"
"There's tranquilizer in the cabinet beside the sofa on the first floor." Nanaki said, turning back to his grandfather. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"Whatever it's yo gonna do, better make it quick!" Barret said loudly, trying to hold down Bugenhagen without hurting the old man.
Tifa skipped down the stairs two at a time, trying to contemplate while she ran. She wished desperately that Cloud was here, because the truth was, she didn't know what she was doing. She was just acting on what she thought she should do, and maybe it wasn't right. Throughout her life, she was always being presented with these types of situations. She would always do what she felt was right. But the simple fact was, she was never really sure of anything.
She fumbled through the cabinet near the sofa and grasped the tranquilizer. The liquid swished in its glass container, looking acidic and somewhat sinister. Just as Tifa was about to get up, lightening struck outside, illuminating the potion so that it was no longer the dull khaki color it was in the gray of morning, but a bright, florescent green.
~Almost like...almost like the color of...EYES. ~
Tifa gasped and nearly dropped the container.
"Yo 'right down there, Tifa?" Barret asked over the moaning of Bugenhagen.
She gulped before replying. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...lightning scared me. Be up in a sec."
But in that momentary flash, a thought long abandoned crept back into Tifa's brain and she felt she was relapsing into an illness. She shook her head quickly, trying to dispose of it. It was just the stress from all the bad stuff happening. She was just nervous and jumpy because Vincent and Yuffie were missing and because of this bad weather and because their friend was wounded and she was helpless. Going through all this, it could almost be expected she remembered something else unpleasant...
~But was it really supposed to be an unpleasant thought? ~
The sharp ring of her PHS startled her, but Tifa was glad for the distraction. She answered the phone, and was instantly blasted with someone's rough voice.
"Tifa?"
"Cid!" Relief flooded through the young woman. "Have you found them? Are they alright?"
Heavy footsteps sounded behind Tifa as Barret descended the staircase to find out what was going on. She passed the tranquilizer to him mutely and waved him away. Thankfully, he went back to assisting Bugenhagen without question, leaving her to listen to Cid without distraction.
"We found the brat." Cid continued. There was something suppressed in him undertone that Tifa didn't like. "But somethin's happened to Goth boy though we're not quite sure what yet. We're on our way over to some place Cloud calls 'Lucrecia's Cave'. It ring a bell?"
Tifa felt as though ice was crawling up her leg, aiming straight for her throat. Of course she remembered, the day Cloud and herself had followed an almost possessed Vincent through the mountain range and discovered the secret behind the falls. It's where the Woman lived in a form beyond human comprehension, tormented by the past and her own conscience. After returning, Vincent had never spoken of their trip into the Cavern again, and Tifa, who felt she and Cloud should really not have been there in the first place, followed his lead and was silent. Cloud was also quick enough on the uptake.
"Yeah, I know what it is." Tifa answered. The situation was getting too sinister. Could the whole ordeal have something to do with the horrors of Vincent's past? "What do you want me to do?"
"We need ta head over again, but both the birds here are @#$%ed and you know the Bug's not a fly." Cid sighed. "You guys need to load two mountain Chocobos on the Highwind and come pick us up. We're all goin' over the mountaintops where Vincent and Yuffie were last."
"What happened with those two? Why do we need to - "
"Tif, Spike'll answer all your questions once you get here. Jus' come fast as you can, 'k? We're at point 456091 on the map of the Cosmo Region. It'll be on the ship's database."
"I'll try." Tifa answered, shaking her head wearily. "I just wished I knew sooner they were in trouble..."
"And Tifa?"
"Hm?"
"Make sure you're fully equipped when you come, 'k? We're not out of the @#$%in' woods yet."
~
Cloud sat back into the Buggy, drenched. At least the Chocobos were securely now...well, as secure as the protection of a measly tent could provide to two fully-grown Chocobos, anyway. He had tried to communicate with Flare, to soothe the bird a little before Tifa arrived to pick them up, but it seemed to do little good. Lucia, on the other hand, radiated excitement. But she was also exhausted and was thankful for the shelter.
"Did you tell Tifa?" He asked Cid, after getting as much water as he could out of his hair.
"Everything she needs ta know 'cept..." The older man trailed off, sitting back and looking up at the ceiling of the Buggy.
"Jenova?" Cloud finished for him.
"Didn't have the heart." Cid admitted.
Cloud nodded and turned around to look at the backseats of the car, where Yuffie was hunched up in a corner in an old blanket. Her eyes were cast out the window, yet they were empty. After being revived, she informed them of Vincent's whereabouts, but had not said another word. It would've been helpful for her if she mentioned who or what had attacked them, in order to prepare the rest of the team should they face it again, yet she buried her head in her knees every time they asked and Cloud was not cruel enough to keep interrogating her.
~We don't have the time to do a long search of the area. ~ Cloud thought miserably, staring into the Nibel mountains, which were fuzzy at the edges through the rain. ~We have Jenova to deal with. Reeve's crew are holding her back for the moment, but they need us there as soon as possible, and if we don't find Vincent before time runs out, then...~
~
~Is she safe? ~
~Is it over? ~
~Did I let them down? ~
~Did we escape? ~
~Am I alive? ~
~Am I alive? ~
The last thought brought Vincent's mind back into his head. He had not recalled being unconscious or asleep in the first place, so it was a slight shock to find himself somewhere completely unfamiliar. He had metal weights attached to his eyes, every inch of his body pulsed with pain, and he found he could neither move nor feel his limbs.
He also found two opalescent orbs just below his range of vision, staring up at him as if he was a museum specimen. Slowly, a pale face swam into view, building itself around the eyes, so Vincent was now looking at a girl with a lot of long black hair and china doll skin. Then, slowly as well, pictures of her filled his memory, until suddenly, suddenly it all came flying together, hitting his brain from all sides with the force of tiny rockets and giving him the most painful migraine he's ever had in his life. But it didn't matter, because he remembered...
"Yuffie!"
The girl tilted her head and continued looking up at him as he struggled. He found he seemed to be trapped in a sheet of ice, with his limbs and back stuck firmly within the structure and the rest of his body out in the open. He pulled at his arms, willing one of them to break free and crack the ice surrounding, but they were numb and he couldn't even flex his fingers. A few moments later, defeated and gasping for breath, he searched the area for any sign of the Wutainese ninja girl with whom he had come in, but she was nowhere in sight.
~I warned her! If she had listened to me...~
"No use." The girl at his feet spoke. Her voice was not like any child's he had ever heard. It was clear, yet hesitant, and she spoke as though she knew all the woes of the world. Still, at least he could see that at the moment, Hojo was not possessing her.
"Girl escape." She said. Vincent breathed. Yuffie was out, according her, and for the moment, it seemed he couldn't do much else but trust that happy piece of information.
He peered at the girl again beneath the hair that had fallen to obscure his face. She seemed to be glowing somehow; white light was radiating from her eyes and her body and was giving him an even bigger headache. He squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again, and found that the reason she was so dazzling was because of the stainless white garment she wore around her shoulders. It was way too big for her; she looked like a child who had crawled into mommy's closet and more like a doll than ever.
"Who...are you?" He asked her again. He still did not want to believe that Hojo had another offspring. Sephiroth had been enough, and this girl, barely higher than his waist, was destined for more destruction. Somehow, if he could get another answer from her...it would make the pain easier to bear...
"His daughter." She answered after a slight pause, confirming his worst fears. "Ember Hojo."
Ember... Not a bad name. He mused darkly. Did Hojo come up with it?
"Where...did you come from?" If he could communicate with her, perhaps she'll tell him the secret to defeating Hojo again. And also...speaking to her had its element of comfort in it, for some reason. "Do you know...who your mother is?"
"Don't know." Ember's shoulders drooped, as if she was attempting a shrug. The movement looked unnatural and awkward on her. "No mother. Only father. Wake up, find wings. Nothing else. No one else. Then..."
Her thin brows knotted and she bit down on her bottom lip.
"Voice. Voice talks. Voice says name. Later, find..." She paused again. Vincent saw her blink; dark lashes fluttering over pale pupils, with a confused look on her face. "Direction. Kill...blood..."
She stopped talking. Vincent was slightly glad she had. For a moment all he could see was the top of her ebony head, standing out significantly against the shoulders of the white robe-like garment she wore.
"So...where is Hojo now? Do you know?" He inquired as a last question. There was no answer; Ember's chin head drooped, as if she was falling asleep, yet she was still standing. Vincent hung in confusion for a moment, thinking that perhaps the small girl no longer wanted to talk about her terrible counterpart, when suddenly he sensed the air thicken, like the first time he and Yuffie had broke through the barrier leading to Lucrecia's Cave, and the time they had seen Ember transform on the alter...
Ember raised her head.
Her eyes were crimson.
"Having a chat with an old friend, that's where Hojo is at the moment, Valentine." There was a smirk on the child's face, but this was no longer a child standing in front of Vincent, but a demon from the very pits of hell. "I've just been to see how certain operations in Midgar were going, and was informed of a change in plan..."
Plan? Ruby eyes met blood-red ones. What plan? Just what was Hojo planning?
"I guess you won't be dying so soon after all, Valentine." Two small hands reached up to his chest. The wound the needle impaired to Vincent's back flared again, causing black stars to flash before his eyes. They passed as quickly as they came, and somehow, Vincent's vision cleared. He could see beyond the white glare of Ember's outfit. Everything stood out for a single second. He saw her clearly, her youthful face ravaged by expressions not yet known to her age, her hands filthy and unclean with impure blood, and she was dressed...in an adult's...lab coat.
He cried out. It felt as though a fist was forcing itself into the hole already made by Hojo's needle. The moment ended. Everything blurred together again like a painting of smudged colors.
But not before he grasped the name inscribed on the pocket of the lab coat Ember wore.
Lucrecia.
He heard Hojo sigh in the voice of the small girl. "I can't say I'm not disappointed that she has decided to keep you for now, Turk..."
~She...? ~ Vincent had time to wonder. ~Is Lucrecia...here...? ~
Then all went black.
~
Tifa didn't know which she hated most: steering the Highwind through the curtains of rain or trying to ride a Chocobo through them. But when it came down to it, she guessed at least she was dry in the Highwind whereas now she was drenched through, cold, and thoroughly miserable.
As soon as she put down the phone, the remaining Avalanche members at Cosmo Canyon sprang into action. Nanaki had stayed behind to look after his grandfather while she and Barret packed the Chocobos onto the Highwind, and through much testing and close-calls, got it to fly how they wanted. Fortunately, Cid had been very accurate with the bearing and position of the rest of the team, and they were able to find each other without trouble. Now it was just a matter of going over to Lucrecia Falls, where Vincent was trapped, and defeating whatever it was that had attacked him and Yuffie.
Hopefully...
Tifa doubted that things were this simple. She got the distinct impression that Cloud and Cid, now riding on the Chocobo in front of herself and Yuffie (Barret had stayed behind to see if he could improve Flare and Lucia's weakened state), were keeping something from her. Tifa was also worried about the Wutainese girl sitting behind her. Yuffie was not herself; she was leaning on Tifa's back as if exhausted and deprived of all spirit.
"Yuffie?" She asked, without turning around, just to make sure the girl was still breathing. "Are you feeling - "
"I had a dream, Tifa." Yuffie cut her off. Tifa strained her ears to hear the quiet whisper over the pouring rain. "I had a dream about my mother... in Wutai."
"Really?" Tifa hid her confusion as best she could.
"The Wutainese War. Mother was in trouble. Someone caught her...the whole town was in panic...then..."
"Then what?"
"I woke up." Yuffie muttered, her voice slightly quivery. "I was so scared, Tifa. I'm still scared...I've been dreaming 'bout mother so often, even hearing her talk sometimes. And I don't know what she wants, she just scares me... Is Vincent going to be all right? I'm scared for him too..."
"Vincent's gonna be fine, Yuffie. Don't be scared." Tifa said, wanting to believe her own words. "And I'm sure you just miss your mother..."
"Hojo scares me the most though, Tifa. Hojo makes me want to crawl into a hole and never come out. But I've only ever seen him once. Isn't that scary?"
The rain was suddenly colder and harder on Tifa's skin.
"Hojo?" She asked, wishing she could turn around to look at the younger girl. "Is Hojo...Did Hojo take Vincent?"
But Yuffie didn't say anymore.
Tifa's heart was beating an uneven rhythm in her chest. She knew from Cloud that Yuffie had not mentioned her attacker to them, and she was not sure she heard the ninja right. It was definitely impossible! Hojo was dead, and what remained of his body was rotting away in Sector Eight Cemetery, Shinra Block. The mad scientist was capable of many things, but surely coming back to life was not one of them? Hadn't Hojo caused enough pain for all of them in the past to last them each two lifetimes? What else did he want with Avalanche, with Vincent? What else did he want?
~I need to tell Cloud fast! ~ Tifa thought desperately.
"Look out now, the land levels out here!" Cloud called back to them. Tifa could see rocks giving way to grass, and beyond that, the vaguely familiar surface of Lucrecia's Lake. It was gray and no longer sparkling like it was the last time she, Cloud, and Vincent was here, and needles of rain spearing into it made the whole thing ripple, and seem oddly alive.
They headed towards the north end, where the majestic waterfall hid the Cave from view. A few meters from the falls, they all slid off their Chocobos and proceeded along on foot, trudging through the muddy banks of the river. Tifa drew level with Cloud and tugged at his arm.
"Cloud, I think Yuffie told me who was in that cave." She said urgently. "I think it was Hojo!"
"Hojo?" Tifa saw fear light in Cloud's mako-blue eyes. He had never been afraid of much enough to show it, and she knew his old tormenter was something that scared him the most. "But we killed him! On the Sister Ray! He's dead!"
"That @#$%in' mad bastard?" Cid joined in. "I put at least three spears right through him!"
"We should definitely be careful, just in case." Cloud's hand tightened on the handle of Ultima Weapon. The other Avalanche members, except Yuffie, all showed similar signs of readiness.
But they were still not ready for what they saw when they ducked under the falls. Whereas once there had been a tunnel connecting to the circular room where Lucrecia stood on her Diamond Altar, there was just a smooth wall, connected to the rest of the rocky cliff, in their way. There was nothing else; no connection, no door, just an obstruction dead in their way, cutting off all communication with the inside and all hope.
"What the hell?" Cid swore, pushing Cloud aside to get a better look. "Didn't you say there's suppos' ta be a cave here or somethin'?"
A loud whimper sounded behind them. Yuffie was finally showing signs of life. She raced up to the wall, banging her fists onto the surface, kicking it with all her might and screaming: "No! There's a way in! There's a way in! He can't be..."
"Yuffie, calm down!" Tifa grabbed her friend by the shoulders and yanked her away. Yuffie gave way and tumbled into her arms, sobbing weakly into her neck and trembling uncontrollably.
"Stand back." Cloud ordered, his face grim with determination. He raised the Ultima Weapon over his shoulder, and with all his might, hacked the sword into the glass-like surface of the wall. The two made contact with a sinister 'Clang', but nothing more happened.
Tifa, still holding Yuffie, watched as the two men tried everything to try to make the wall give way. Magic...weapons...Cloud went as far as summoning Leviathan, thinking the Water God's power in his prime through the storm, but still, nothing happened. They've done nothing but cover the stainless surface with shallow scratches. All the while, Yuffie's crying became more and more pronounced.
Finally, the boys admitted defeat.
"We can't do anything to it." Cloud seethed, his brows knotted together in frustration.
"And we're afraid to do more, 'case the cliff collapses and kills us all." Cid added.
"Listen, Tifa, we have to get going." Cloud said suddenly, staring Tifa straight in the eye. She understood immediately. He was about to tell her what Cid couldn't say on the phone, and judging by his face, she knew it was of the gravest genre. "Reeve called from Midgar. It seems that Hojo's not the only one back from the dead."
"What do you mean?" She asked, fearing the worst. And sure enough...
"Jenova's alive, Tifa."
The words took a while to register. The fighter's whole body fell rigid, and she could do nothing more but stand, rooted to the spot, staring at Cloud as though wishing he had not said anything and what she just heard was only her own imagination.
"We have to go to Midgar to help Reeve, and we have to go now. We don't know how long he can hold up without us."
"C'mon, Tif." Tifa was aware of Cid, patting her on the back. The Chocobos threw their heads up impatiently. This was no time to be horrified.
"Vincent's a tough guy. He'll find some way out of this, I know he will." Cloud was saying to everyone. "And after we fight Jenova, I promise we'll come back and destroy the cliff if we have to. We'll get him out of there."
In her arms, Yuffie was motionless again. Tifa guided the younger woman back to the green Chocobo they had rode on and helped her up, thinking things could not get worse than they already are.
~Please, God, please just let Vincent be all right...~ She pleaded inside as they trotted off towards the Highwind again. ~Please, just let everything be all right and back to normal...~
~
Chapter Seven ~ Fin
AN: Thanks to those few of you readers who had been following the story (especially Always-A-Kiwi), and I apologize this took SUCH a GODDAMN long time to post up. The reason is I had to find a plot before I proceed any further, or else things would not work out for anybody. Anyway, I think I have found a plausible storyline, at least for now, and you can expect chapter eight to be up hopefully soon, though I am sure it will be delayed.
I remind you that the text inside the ~'s are thoughts. I also take this opportunity to say I do not like Barret and Cid nearly as much as the others, so they may seem overlooked in the fiction.
Review!
He dreamt of the creature without arms, its mouth full of fangs, pulsing with blue radiance and sweeping down to where he supposed he sat. Just before the monster reached him, Bugenhagen blinked, and suddenly he was looking at some sort of evil shadow, indefinable, yet terrible without need of a definite form.
Behind the shadow, three gray flames stood, constantly flickering. He thought they had human features, but the background was so dark he couldn't be sure. Bugenhagen couldn't tell what they were.
The shadow came as if in slow motion. Bugenhagen had enough time to turn his head, to turn his back on the horrible image. What he saw behind him made his heart rejoice and hope sing inside him. While in front of him, it was dark, another form was just behind him, and its simple goodness glowed with pure light. Beside it also stood three gray flames, but they were peaceful and still.
With all his might, the Wiseman turned back towards the darkness. The shadow that was so dark it was like a hole carved into its surroundings, claws outstretched in front of it. He could not back away. He knew he was dreaming but it did not feel like a dream at all. He was not in control; he could only watch as the horrid creatures of darkness came closer and closer...
And suddenly the white light spread; behind him the beauty and its gray fires have moved forward. The darkness screamed as the light came to invade it. The two forces were mingled together, good with evil, evil with good, while their flames also made for the kill. Bugenhagen was in the middle of a battle; one he could not comprehend nor tear his eyes away from. Out of nowhere there were armies to aid each side, weapons of mass destruction, yet the only ones that stood out to him were those flames, and the two shadows. He could not back away; could only watch as they slashed and grabbed and wounded each other. He thought he had screamed, but no sound came out, and in front of him, even though they were bleeding and hurt, the shadows, the flames, made no sound either.
Blood dripped onto an invisible plane.
Blood splattered.
Blood poured like sheets, and the sound of dripping, splattering, pouring blood turned into that of rain. Bloody rain was all that filled Bugenhagen's ears.
And in the center of the battle, in the center of it all, Bugenhagen saw with horror that what the two armies were fighting over was...
~
SHADOWBODY ~ By Crimson Sun
Chapter Seven
~
"Grandpa! Grandpa, what is it?"
"Yo, old dude, stop it! Yo gonna hurt yourself!"
Tifa Lockhart was dozing slightly on the sofa of the observatory when she heard the panicked voice of Nanaki and Barret from across the room. She hastily opened her eyes and jumped to her feet, crossing the distance between them in two strides and kneeling beside beast and man.
She saw what was wrong immediately. Bugenhagen, who had been sleeping relatively calmly in his bed a few moments ago, was now trashing about, his covers twisting about his body. Beads of sweat the size of bullets trickled down from his forehead. His ancient hands were grasping the edges of the bed, knuckles whitened, as if determined to pull the whole thing apart. She watched in horror for a moment, then finally came to her senses.
"Quick Nanaki, do you have any tranquilizers here?"
Nanaki looked at her, worry shooting like beams from his lamp-like eyes. She wished he wouldn't look at her like that. It reminded her that what she was about to do was irresponsible and probably dangerous.
"Tranquilizers, Tifa? Are you sure that's wise?"
Bugenhagen moaned and uttered a weak shout. His face was white, his breathing labored and heavy. His injured arm was moving too much for Tifa's liking. Soon, the wound would open and he would start bleeding again.
"Well, what else can we do? Cure materia doesn't help!"
"There's tranquilizer in the cabinet beside the sofa on the first floor." Nanaki said, turning back to his grandfather. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"Whatever it's yo gonna do, better make it quick!" Barret said loudly, trying to hold down Bugenhagen without hurting the old man.
Tifa skipped down the stairs two at a time, trying to contemplate while she ran. She wished desperately that Cloud was here, because the truth was, she didn't know what she was doing. She was just acting on what she thought she should do, and maybe it wasn't right. Throughout her life, she was always being presented with these types of situations. She would always do what she felt was right. But the simple fact was, she was never really sure of anything.
She fumbled through the cabinet near the sofa and grasped the tranquilizer. The liquid swished in its glass container, looking acidic and somewhat sinister. Just as Tifa was about to get up, lightening struck outside, illuminating the potion so that it was no longer the dull khaki color it was in the gray of morning, but a bright, florescent green.
~Almost like...almost like the color of...EYES. ~
Tifa gasped and nearly dropped the container.
"Yo 'right down there, Tifa?" Barret asked over the moaning of Bugenhagen.
She gulped before replying. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...lightning scared me. Be up in a sec."
But in that momentary flash, a thought long abandoned crept back into Tifa's brain and she felt she was relapsing into an illness. She shook her head quickly, trying to dispose of it. It was just the stress from all the bad stuff happening. She was just nervous and jumpy because Vincent and Yuffie were missing and because of this bad weather and because their friend was wounded and she was helpless. Going through all this, it could almost be expected she remembered something else unpleasant...
~But was it really supposed to be an unpleasant thought? ~
The sharp ring of her PHS startled her, but Tifa was glad for the distraction. She answered the phone, and was instantly blasted with someone's rough voice.
"Tifa?"
"Cid!" Relief flooded through the young woman. "Have you found them? Are they alright?"
Heavy footsteps sounded behind Tifa as Barret descended the staircase to find out what was going on. She passed the tranquilizer to him mutely and waved him away. Thankfully, he went back to assisting Bugenhagen without question, leaving her to listen to Cid without distraction.
"We found the brat." Cid continued. There was something suppressed in him undertone that Tifa didn't like. "But somethin's happened to Goth boy though we're not quite sure what yet. We're on our way over to some place Cloud calls 'Lucrecia's Cave'. It ring a bell?"
Tifa felt as though ice was crawling up her leg, aiming straight for her throat. Of course she remembered, the day Cloud and herself had followed an almost possessed Vincent through the mountain range and discovered the secret behind the falls. It's where the Woman lived in a form beyond human comprehension, tormented by the past and her own conscience. After returning, Vincent had never spoken of their trip into the Cavern again, and Tifa, who felt she and Cloud should really not have been there in the first place, followed his lead and was silent. Cloud was also quick enough on the uptake.
"Yeah, I know what it is." Tifa answered. The situation was getting too sinister. Could the whole ordeal have something to do with the horrors of Vincent's past? "What do you want me to do?"
"We need ta head over again, but both the birds here are @#$%ed and you know the Bug's not a fly." Cid sighed. "You guys need to load two mountain Chocobos on the Highwind and come pick us up. We're all goin' over the mountaintops where Vincent and Yuffie were last."
"What happened with those two? Why do we need to - "
"Tif, Spike'll answer all your questions once you get here. Jus' come fast as you can, 'k? We're at point 456091 on the map of the Cosmo Region. It'll be on the ship's database."
"I'll try." Tifa answered, shaking her head wearily. "I just wished I knew sooner they were in trouble..."
"And Tifa?"
"Hm?"
"Make sure you're fully equipped when you come, 'k? We're not out of the @#$%in' woods yet."
~
Cloud sat back into the Buggy, drenched. At least the Chocobos were securely now...well, as secure as the protection of a measly tent could provide to two fully-grown Chocobos, anyway. He had tried to communicate with Flare, to soothe the bird a little before Tifa arrived to pick them up, but it seemed to do little good. Lucia, on the other hand, radiated excitement. But she was also exhausted and was thankful for the shelter.
"Did you tell Tifa?" He asked Cid, after getting as much water as he could out of his hair.
"Everything she needs ta know 'cept..." The older man trailed off, sitting back and looking up at the ceiling of the Buggy.
"Jenova?" Cloud finished for him.
"Didn't have the heart." Cid admitted.
Cloud nodded and turned around to look at the backseats of the car, where Yuffie was hunched up in a corner in an old blanket. Her eyes were cast out the window, yet they were empty. After being revived, she informed them of Vincent's whereabouts, but had not said another word. It would've been helpful for her if she mentioned who or what had attacked them, in order to prepare the rest of the team should they face it again, yet she buried her head in her knees every time they asked and Cloud was not cruel enough to keep interrogating her.
~We don't have the time to do a long search of the area. ~ Cloud thought miserably, staring into the Nibel mountains, which were fuzzy at the edges through the rain. ~We have Jenova to deal with. Reeve's crew are holding her back for the moment, but they need us there as soon as possible, and if we don't find Vincent before time runs out, then...~
~
~Is she safe? ~
~Is it over? ~
~Did I let them down? ~
~Did we escape? ~
~Am I alive? ~
~Am I alive? ~
The last thought brought Vincent's mind back into his head. He had not recalled being unconscious or asleep in the first place, so it was a slight shock to find himself somewhere completely unfamiliar. He had metal weights attached to his eyes, every inch of his body pulsed with pain, and he found he could neither move nor feel his limbs.
He also found two opalescent orbs just below his range of vision, staring up at him as if he was a museum specimen. Slowly, a pale face swam into view, building itself around the eyes, so Vincent was now looking at a girl with a lot of long black hair and china doll skin. Then, slowly as well, pictures of her filled his memory, until suddenly, suddenly it all came flying together, hitting his brain from all sides with the force of tiny rockets and giving him the most painful migraine he's ever had in his life. But it didn't matter, because he remembered...
"Yuffie!"
The girl tilted her head and continued looking up at him as he struggled. He found he seemed to be trapped in a sheet of ice, with his limbs and back stuck firmly within the structure and the rest of his body out in the open. He pulled at his arms, willing one of them to break free and crack the ice surrounding, but they were numb and he couldn't even flex his fingers. A few moments later, defeated and gasping for breath, he searched the area for any sign of the Wutainese ninja girl with whom he had come in, but she was nowhere in sight.
~I warned her! If she had listened to me...~
"No use." The girl at his feet spoke. Her voice was not like any child's he had ever heard. It was clear, yet hesitant, and she spoke as though she knew all the woes of the world. Still, at least he could see that at the moment, Hojo was not possessing her.
"Girl escape." She said. Vincent breathed. Yuffie was out, according her, and for the moment, it seemed he couldn't do much else but trust that happy piece of information.
He peered at the girl again beneath the hair that had fallen to obscure his face. She seemed to be glowing somehow; white light was radiating from her eyes and her body and was giving him an even bigger headache. He squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again, and found that the reason she was so dazzling was because of the stainless white garment she wore around her shoulders. It was way too big for her; she looked like a child who had crawled into mommy's closet and more like a doll than ever.
"Who...are you?" He asked her again. He still did not want to believe that Hojo had another offspring. Sephiroth had been enough, and this girl, barely higher than his waist, was destined for more destruction. Somehow, if he could get another answer from her...it would make the pain easier to bear...
"His daughter." She answered after a slight pause, confirming his worst fears. "Ember Hojo."
Ember... Not a bad name. He mused darkly. Did Hojo come up with it?
"Where...did you come from?" If he could communicate with her, perhaps she'll tell him the secret to defeating Hojo again. And also...speaking to her had its element of comfort in it, for some reason. "Do you know...who your mother is?"
"Don't know." Ember's shoulders drooped, as if she was attempting a shrug. The movement looked unnatural and awkward on her. "No mother. Only father. Wake up, find wings. Nothing else. No one else. Then..."
Her thin brows knotted and she bit down on her bottom lip.
"Voice. Voice talks. Voice says name. Later, find..." She paused again. Vincent saw her blink; dark lashes fluttering over pale pupils, with a confused look on her face. "Direction. Kill...blood..."
She stopped talking. Vincent was slightly glad she had. For a moment all he could see was the top of her ebony head, standing out significantly against the shoulders of the white robe-like garment she wore.
"So...where is Hojo now? Do you know?" He inquired as a last question. There was no answer; Ember's chin head drooped, as if she was falling asleep, yet she was still standing. Vincent hung in confusion for a moment, thinking that perhaps the small girl no longer wanted to talk about her terrible counterpart, when suddenly he sensed the air thicken, like the first time he and Yuffie had broke through the barrier leading to Lucrecia's Cave, and the time they had seen Ember transform on the alter...
Ember raised her head.
Her eyes were crimson.
"Having a chat with an old friend, that's where Hojo is at the moment, Valentine." There was a smirk on the child's face, but this was no longer a child standing in front of Vincent, but a demon from the very pits of hell. "I've just been to see how certain operations in Midgar were going, and was informed of a change in plan..."
Plan? Ruby eyes met blood-red ones. What plan? Just what was Hojo planning?
"I guess you won't be dying so soon after all, Valentine." Two small hands reached up to his chest. The wound the needle impaired to Vincent's back flared again, causing black stars to flash before his eyes. They passed as quickly as they came, and somehow, Vincent's vision cleared. He could see beyond the white glare of Ember's outfit. Everything stood out for a single second. He saw her clearly, her youthful face ravaged by expressions not yet known to her age, her hands filthy and unclean with impure blood, and she was dressed...in an adult's...lab coat.
He cried out. It felt as though a fist was forcing itself into the hole already made by Hojo's needle. The moment ended. Everything blurred together again like a painting of smudged colors.
But not before he grasped the name inscribed on the pocket of the lab coat Ember wore.
Lucrecia.
He heard Hojo sigh in the voice of the small girl. "I can't say I'm not disappointed that she has decided to keep you for now, Turk..."
~She...? ~ Vincent had time to wonder. ~Is Lucrecia...here...? ~
Then all went black.
~
Tifa didn't know which she hated most: steering the Highwind through the curtains of rain or trying to ride a Chocobo through them. But when it came down to it, she guessed at least she was dry in the Highwind whereas now she was drenched through, cold, and thoroughly miserable.
As soon as she put down the phone, the remaining Avalanche members at Cosmo Canyon sprang into action. Nanaki had stayed behind to look after his grandfather while she and Barret packed the Chocobos onto the Highwind, and through much testing and close-calls, got it to fly how they wanted. Fortunately, Cid had been very accurate with the bearing and position of the rest of the team, and they were able to find each other without trouble. Now it was just a matter of going over to Lucrecia Falls, where Vincent was trapped, and defeating whatever it was that had attacked him and Yuffie.
Hopefully...
Tifa doubted that things were this simple. She got the distinct impression that Cloud and Cid, now riding on the Chocobo in front of herself and Yuffie (Barret had stayed behind to see if he could improve Flare and Lucia's weakened state), were keeping something from her. Tifa was also worried about the Wutainese girl sitting behind her. Yuffie was not herself; she was leaning on Tifa's back as if exhausted and deprived of all spirit.
"Yuffie?" She asked, without turning around, just to make sure the girl was still breathing. "Are you feeling - "
"I had a dream, Tifa." Yuffie cut her off. Tifa strained her ears to hear the quiet whisper over the pouring rain. "I had a dream about my mother... in Wutai."
"Really?" Tifa hid her confusion as best she could.
"The Wutainese War. Mother was in trouble. Someone caught her...the whole town was in panic...then..."
"Then what?"
"I woke up." Yuffie muttered, her voice slightly quivery. "I was so scared, Tifa. I'm still scared...I've been dreaming 'bout mother so often, even hearing her talk sometimes. And I don't know what she wants, she just scares me... Is Vincent going to be all right? I'm scared for him too..."
"Vincent's gonna be fine, Yuffie. Don't be scared." Tifa said, wanting to believe her own words. "And I'm sure you just miss your mother..."
"Hojo scares me the most though, Tifa. Hojo makes me want to crawl into a hole and never come out. But I've only ever seen him once. Isn't that scary?"
The rain was suddenly colder and harder on Tifa's skin.
"Hojo?" She asked, wishing she could turn around to look at the younger girl. "Is Hojo...Did Hojo take Vincent?"
But Yuffie didn't say anymore.
Tifa's heart was beating an uneven rhythm in her chest. She knew from Cloud that Yuffie had not mentioned her attacker to them, and she was not sure she heard the ninja right. It was definitely impossible! Hojo was dead, and what remained of his body was rotting away in Sector Eight Cemetery, Shinra Block. The mad scientist was capable of many things, but surely coming back to life was not one of them? Hadn't Hojo caused enough pain for all of them in the past to last them each two lifetimes? What else did he want with Avalanche, with Vincent? What else did he want?
~I need to tell Cloud fast! ~ Tifa thought desperately.
"Look out now, the land levels out here!" Cloud called back to them. Tifa could see rocks giving way to grass, and beyond that, the vaguely familiar surface of Lucrecia's Lake. It was gray and no longer sparkling like it was the last time she, Cloud, and Vincent was here, and needles of rain spearing into it made the whole thing ripple, and seem oddly alive.
They headed towards the north end, where the majestic waterfall hid the Cave from view. A few meters from the falls, they all slid off their Chocobos and proceeded along on foot, trudging through the muddy banks of the river. Tifa drew level with Cloud and tugged at his arm.
"Cloud, I think Yuffie told me who was in that cave." She said urgently. "I think it was Hojo!"
"Hojo?" Tifa saw fear light in Cloud's mako-blue eyes. He had never been afraid of much enough to show it, and she knew his old tormenter was something that scared him the most. "But we killed him! On the Sister Ray! He's dead!"
"That @#$%in' mad bastard?" Cid joined in. "I put at least three spears right through him!"
"We should definitely be careful, just in case." Cloud's hand tightened on the handle of Ultima Weapon. The other Avalanche members, except Yuffie, all showed similar signs of readiness.
But they were still not ready for what they saw when they ducked under the falls. Whereas once there had been a tunnel connecting to the circular room where Lucrecia stood on her Diamond Altar, there was just a smooth wall, connected to the rest of the rocky cliff, in their way. There was nothing else; no connection, no door, just an obstruction dead in their way, cutting off all communication with the inside and all hope.
"What the hell?" Cid swore, pushing Cloud aside to get a better look. "Didn't you say there's suppos' ta be a cave here or somethin'?"
A loud whimper sounded behind them. Yuffie was finally showing signs of life. She raced up to the wall, banging her fists onto the surface, kicking it with all her might and screaming: "No! There's a way in! There's a way in! He can't be..."
"Yuffie, calm down!" Tifa grabbed her friend by the shoulders and yanked her away. Yuffie gave way and tumbled into her arms, sobbing weakly into her neck and trembling uncontrollably.
"Stand back." Cloud ordered, his face grim with determination. He raised the Ultima Weapon over his shoulder, and with all his might, hacked the sword into the glass-like surface of the wall. The two made contact with a sinister 'Clang', but nothing more happened.
Tifa, still holding Yuffie, watched as the two men tried everything to try to make the wall give way. Magic...weapons...Cloud went as far as summoning Leviathan, thinking the Water God's power in his prime through the storm, but still, nothing happened. They've done nothing but cover the stainless surface with shallow scratches. All the while, Yuffie's crying became more and more pronounced.
Finally, the boys admitted defeat.
"We can't do anything to it." Cloud seethed, his brows knotted together in frustration.
"And we're afraid to do more, 'case the cliff collapses and kills us all." Cid added.
"Listen, Tifa, we have to get going." Cloud said suddenly, staring Tifa straight in the eye. She understood immediately. He was about to tell her what Cid couldn't say on the phone, and judging by his face, she knew it was of the gravest genre. "Reeve called from Midgar. It seems that Hojo's not the only one back from the dead."
"What do you mean?" She asked, fearing the worst. And sure enough...
"Jenova's alive, Tifa."
The words took a while to register. The fighter's whole body fell rigid, and she could do nothing more but stand, rooted to the spot, staring at Cloud as though wishing he had not said anything and what she just heard was only her own imagination.
"We have to go to Midgar to help Reeve, and we have to go now. We don't know how long he can hold up without us."
"C'mon, Tif." Tifa was aware of Cid, patting her on the back. The Chocobos threw their heads up impatiently. This was no time to be horrified.
"Vincent's a tough guy. He'll find some way out of this, I know he will." Cloud was saying to everyone. "And after we fight Jenova, I promise we'll come back and destroy the cliff if we have to. We'll get him out of there."
In her arms, Yuffie was motionless again. Tifa guided the younger woman back to the green Chocobo they had rode on and helped her up, thinking things could not get worse than they already are.
~Please, God, please just let Vincent be all right...~ She pleaded inside as they trotted off towards the Highwind again. ~Please, just let everything be all right and back to normal...~
~
Chapter Seven ~ Fin
AN: Thanks to those few of you readers who had been following the story (especially Always-A-Kiwi), and I apologize this took SUCH a GODDAMN long time to post up. The reason is I had to find a plot before I proceed any further, or else things would not work out for anybody. Anyway, I think I have found a plausible storyline, at least for now, and you can expect chapter eight to be up hopefully soon, though I am sure it will be delayed.
I remind you that the text inside the ~'s are thoughts. I also take this opportunity to say I do not like Barret and Cid nearly as much as the others, so they may seem overlooked in the fiction.
Review!