The Forgotten
Chapter 27: Operation 'Retrieving Highwind'
The group of Red, Vincent, Yuffie, Lance, Luna, Blain and Akira arrived at the sea resort of Costa Del Sol in the morning. They had used the airship to transport them across the sea and set camp outside the town, not wanting to wake Tifa and Cloud. The sun shone down on the sandy town as they arrived, going straight to the Strife household and knocking. The door opened to reveal a familiar looking dark skinned man.
"Vincent! Yuffie! Red!" boomed the man named Barret, slapping Vincent hard on the back as he passed. Cloud and Tifa sat on the armchair, Tifa's arm around his neck and sat across his lap. Vincent and Yuffie sat on the couch, joined shortly by Luna. Red sat in front of the fire and Blain and Akira lent against the back wall, watching over the group.
"Do you mind Mister Cloud?" Lance asked as he motioned to the arm next to Luna.
"Mister Cloud? Just call me Cloud, and no I don't. Take a seat." Cloud laughed.
"Thank you Cloud." Lance sat next Luna and wrapped his arm around her.
"Where's Stratus? And Gale?" Tifa asked in a worried tone.
"Don't worry bout' them. They fine. We'll explain later. Right now we need to figure out what we're going to do about Cid." Yuffie informed.
"Well I say we blast are way through and blow the shit outa the bastards!" roared Barret, joining the group after getting a beer from the kitchen.
"Great plan jackass!" grunted Blain from the back of the room. He soon found himself on the end of the barrel of Barret's gunarm.
"What you say asshole? And who the hell are you?" he thrust his gunarm forward after each question.
"Barret. Please. Put your arm down." The tone in Reds voice convinced Barret to lighten up and he dropped his arm to his side, but still not taking his piercing eyes of the Bounty Hunter. "His name is Blain. And that is Akira. They are the leaders of the Rebel Faction."
"Yes, Nice to meet you all. I apologise for Blain's outburst mister?" Akira trailed off.
"Barret."
"Okay. Let's get this started then." Cloud stood, letting his wife gently down onto the seat behind him and started pacing. "Cid is going to be executed in two days, along with his wife Shera and his son Rain. We must somehow get near the execution sight, as it is to be public and stop it. Any abjection so far?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah. Who put you in charge?" Blain stepped forward and approached Cloud.
"No body. I'm just naturally good at these things." Cloud replied with a grin.
"Well I say your stupid. We should forget this Ranish sympathiser Cid and get back to the real job at hand." Blain got in Cloud face, as if daring him to retaliate.
"Absolutely not. Cid is my friend. He is a friend of everyone in this room, apart from you, Akira and the girl. Excuse me but I don't know your name."
"Your forgetting me Cloud. Cid may have been my friend back then but that all changed when he joined Ranish." Barret interrupted.
"Well at least someone agrees with me. Too bad it's the jackass."
"Father! I can't believe you! Can't you say one nice thing?" Luna stood sharply, turning to face her father.
"Shut your mouth. How dare you talk to me like that?" barked Blain, approaching his daughter. Lance stood at this and stepped in front of his girlfriend.
"Enough! This is my house and I will not tolerate this petty bickering. Blain, if you do not sympathise with our cause leave." Tifa had stood now and was standing between the arguing men. Blain made a grunt of annoyance and returned to his position beside Akira. Luna and Lance sat again and Cloud started to pace once again.
----
Stratus stumbled into the hotel room, carrying Gale with him, her shirt half torn from her body. He set her down and kicked the door closed with his foot, fumbling with the buttons of her shirt and finally pulling it from her body revealing her average sized breasts. He threw his shirt to the floor and began fumbling with her jeans button, all the time stumbling towards the bed. He kissed her hard as they fell back on the bed, his right hand still trying to unbutton her jeans and his left massaging her left breast. The button finally snapped free and he pushed her jeans down to her knees before her head snapped up.
"No! Wait." She gasped between breaths. "I'm sorry. I can't." The look on Stratus face torn her apart and she turned her head, trying to hide her tears of shame.
"No. I'm sorry. I'll just go. Err. Take a shower. A cold shower." He stepped back and looked at his girlfriend, still hiding her face from his piercing gaze. "Don't cry. It's not your fault. I got carried away and shouldn't have tried to force you." He strode quickly into the bathroom and began running the shower.
----
"Where is the execution going to take place?" Vincent asked, as the room grew silent.
"Ranish City. That's going to be the hard part." Cloud answered before going into thinking mode.
"Why's that?" Lance asked.
"Because that place is highly guarded and we are wanted criminals to Ranish." Red responded.
"So what are we going to do?"
"Well. Only you guys are wanted right. Not Cloud, Tifa or Barret." Offered Luna.
"Your correct but that wouldn't work either. Ranish would surely know that something was up if Cloud and the others showed up. They know of the friendship they share with him and would put two and two together." Akira called from the back of the room.
"Then we'll sneak in." Yuffie shouted enthusiastically as she jumped to her feet.
"I hate to put a dampener on your plan but not all of us are Ninja's like you." Growled Blain.
"Then just the quick and stealthy ones go. Akira, Vincent, Tifa, and me should do it. The rest of you can wait outside in the airship, then once we get Cid and his family we smash our way out, ala Barret and high tail it. Simple." Yuffie countered.
"You know. I think that might just work."
----
Stratus emerged from the bathroom half an hour later with a towel around his shoulders and his hair still damp from the shower. He looked to the bed to see Gale on her side under the blankets and nuzzling her pillow. He quietly tiptoed to the bed and pulled back the covers enough to slide into the bed and he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, trying not to wake her.
"Hey." She sniffed quietly.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." He replied as he rested his head on the pillow.
"You didn't. I'm so sorry about earlier."
"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. Which I am, really sorry." He emphasised this by pulling her to him gently and hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry too though." She whispered again.
"Then we're both sorry. You forgive me?" he asked as he placed his forehead to the top of her head.
"Of course. Do you forgive me?"
"Yeah. So we're good?"
"Yeah. Definitely." She turned in his arms and looked him in the eye.
"You tired?" He smiled at her.
"Uh-huh. You?"
"Yeah. Want to sleep?"
"If you don't mind." She smiled back then.
"Of course I don't. Night Gale."
"Night Stratus." She placed a small kiss to his lips, then rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
"Night." He kissed the top of her head and then closed his own eyes and began drifting into unconsciousness.
----
Blain sat alone at the only bar in Costa Del Sol, the rest of the town already asleep at the late hour. The door creaking open alerted him to the presence of Cloud as the blonde warrior sat next to him.
"Beer please." Cloud ordered.
"What do you want?" Blain grunted in his usual manner and took a sip of his own beer.
"Nothing, just a Beer." He accepted the Beer from the bar tender and took a gulp.
"If you say so. So you're that Brats father huh?" He took another gulp.
"If you mean Stratus, then yes."
"You better clear your son up no a few things, like those little stories you told him when he was young." Blain laughed.
"What stories?" Cloud asked in confusion.
"About you beating the Great Sephiroth. That's a laugh." He laughed again and took another gulp of his beer.
"I did. Not that I'm bragging." Cloud drank some of his beer before continuing. "But not everybody know that. It's complicated." He shrugged.
"Whatever." Blain gulped down the rest of his beer and stood. "I'm going." Then he left without another word.
"He sure is a grumpy guy isn't he Cloud." The bar tender chuckled.
"You could say that. I'd just say he has a stick up his ass." Cloud joined the bar tender in laughter.
----
Due to the lack of room at the Strife household, Akira, Blain, Vincent and Yuffie had decided to rent rooms at the local hotel. Vincent sat on his bed, polishing his trusted Death Penalty when he door opened.
"Hey there." Yuffie said her 'seductive' tone.
"Hey, you going to come in?" he asked, not looking up from his gun polishing.
"Well that ruined the mood." Yuffie shut the door and sat next to him on the bed. "We need to talk."
"Oh." Vincent set his gun down beside him and turned to face Yuffie. "Should I be worried?"
"No. At least I don't think so." She replied shakily.
"Go on."
"What is going on between us?" she asked. "I mean a few days ago we were just friends then bam. We have sex."
"Do you regret it?" he asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
"No. Not one bit. You?"
"Yuffie, for the first time in forty years I haven't thought about Lucrecia one bit, just you." Vincent confessed.
"Wow. So that's a no?"
"Yes Yuffie. I don't regret it."
----
Chapter 27: Operation 'Retrieving Highwind'
The group of Red, Vincent, Yuffie, Lance, Luna, Blain and Akira arrived at the sea resort of Costa Del Sol in the morning. They had used the airship to transport them across the sea and set camp outside the town, not wanting to wake Tifa and Cloud. The sun shone down on the sandy town as they arrived, going straight to the Strife household and knocking. The door opened to reveal a familiar looking dark skinned man.
"Vincent! Yuffie! Red!" boomed the man named Barret, slapping Vincent hard on the back as he passed. Cloud and Tifa sat on the armchair, Tifa's arm around his neck and sat across his lap. Vincent and Yuffie sat on the couch, joined shortly by Luna. Red sat in front of the fire and Blain and Akira lent against the back wall, watching over the group.
"Do you mind Mister Cloud?" Lance asked as he motioned to the arm next to Luna.
"Mister Cloud? Just call me Cloud, and no I don't. Take a seat." Cloud laughed.
"Thank you Cloud." Lance sat next Luna and wrapped his arm around her.
"Where's Stratus? And Gale?" Tifa asked in a worried tone.
"Don't worry bout' them. They fine. We'll explain later. Right now we need to figure out what we're going to do about Cid." Yuffie informed.
"Well I say we blast are way through and blow the shit outa the bastards!" roared Barret, joining the group after getting a beer from the kitchen.
"Great plan jackass!" grunted Blain from the back of the room. He soon found himself on the end of the barrel of Barret's gunarm.
"What you say asshole? And who the hell are you?" he thrust his gunarm forward after each question.
"Barret. Please. Put your arm down." The tone in Reds voice convinced Barret to lighten up and he dropped his arm to his side, but still not taking his piercing eyes of the Bounty Hunter. "His name is Blain. And that is Akira. They are the leaders of the Rebel Faction."
"Yes, Nice to meet you all. I apologise for Blain's outburst mister?" Akira trailed off.
"Barret."
"Okay. Let's get this started then." Cloud stood, letting his wife gently down onto the seat behind him and started pacing. "Cid is going to be executed in two days, along with his wife Shera and his son Rain. We must somehow get near the execution sight, as it is to be public and stop it. Any abjection so far?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah. Who put you in charge?" Blain stepped forward and approached Cloud.
"No body. I'm just naturally good at these things." Cloud replied with a grin.
"Well I say your stupid. We should forget this Ranish sympathiser Cid and get back to the real job at hand." Blain got in Cloud face, as if daring him to retaliate.
"Absolutely not. Cid is my friend. He is a friend of everyone in this room, apart from you, Akira and the girl. Excuse me but I don't know your name."
"Your forgetting me Cloud. Cid may have been my friend back then but that all changed when he joined Ranish." Barret interrupted.
"Well at least someone agrees with me. Too bad it's the jackass."
"Father! I can't believe you! Can't you say one nice thing?" Luna stood sharply, turning to face her father.
"Shut your mouth. How dare you talk to me like that?" barked Blain, approaching his daughter. Lance stood at this and stepped in front of his girlfriend.
"Enough! This is my house and I will not tolerate this petty bickering. Blain, if you do not sympathise with our cause leave." Tifa had stood now and was standing between the arguing men. Blain made a grunt of annoyance and returned to his position beside Akira. Luna and Lance sat again and Cloud started to pace once again.
----
Stratus stumbled into the hotel room, carrying Gale with him, her shirt half torn from her body. He set her down and kicked the door closed with his foot, fumbling with the buttons of her shirt and finally pulling it from her body revealing her average sized breasts. He threw his shirt to the floor and began fumbling with her jeans button, all the time stumbling towards the bed. He kissed her hard as they fell back on the bed, his right hand still trying to unbutton her jeans and his left massaging her left breast. The button finally snapped free and he pushed her jeans down to her knees before her head snapped up.
"No! Wait." She gasped between breaths. "I'm sorry. I can't." The look on Stratus face torn her apart and she turned her head, trying to hide her tears of shame.
"No. I'm sorry. I'll just go. Err. Take a shower. A cold shower." He stepped back and looked at his girlfriend, still hiding her face from his piercing gaze. "Don't cry. It's not your fault. I got carried away and shouldn't have tried to force you." He strode quickly into the bathroom and began running the shower.
----
"Where is the execution going to take place?" Vincent asked, as the room grew silent.
"Ranish City. That's going to be the hard part." Cloud answered before going into thinking mode.
"Why's that?" Lance asked.
"Because that place is highly guarded and we are wanted criminals to Ranish." Red responded.
"So what are we going to do?"
"Well. Only you guys are wanted right. Not Cloud, Tifa or Barret." Offered Luna.
"Your correct but that wouldn't work either. Ranish would surely know that something was up if Cloud and the others showed up. They know of the friendship they share with him and would put two and two together." Akira called from the back of the room.
"Then we'll sneak in." Yuffie shouted enthusiastically as she jumped to her feet.
"I hate to put a dampener on your plan but not all of us are Ninja's like you." Growled Blain.
"Then just the quick and stealthy ones go. Akira, Vincent, Tifa, and me should do it. The rest of you can wait outside in the airship, then once we get Cid and his family we smash our way out, ala Barret and high tail it. Simple." Yuffie countered.
"You know. I think that might just work."
----
Stratus emerged from the bathroom half an hour later with a towel around his shoulders and his hair still damp from the shower. He looked to the bed to see Gale on her side under the blankets and nuzzling her pillow. He quietly tiptoed to the bed and pulled back the covers enough to slide into the bed and he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, trying not to wake her.
"Hey." She sniffed quietly.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." He replied as he rested his head on the pillow.
"You didn't. I'm so sorry about earlier."
"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. Which I am, really sorry." He emphasised this by pulling her to him gently and hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry too though." She whispered again.
"Then we're both sorry. You forgive me?" he asked as he placed his forehead to the top of her head.
"Of course. Do you forgive me?"
"Yeah. So we're good?"
"Yeah. Definitely." She turned in his arms and looked him in the eye.
"You tired?" He smiled at her.
"Uh-huh. You?"
"Yeah. Want to sleep?"
"If you don't mind." She smiled back then.
"Of course I don't. Night Gale."
"Night Stratus." She placed a small kiss to his lips, then rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
"Night." He kissed the top of her head and then closed his own eyes and began drifting into unconsciousness.
----
Blain sat alone at the only bar in Costa Del Sol, the rest of the town already asleep at the late hour. The door creaking open alerted him to the presence of Cloud as the blonde warrior sat next to him.
"Beer please." Cloud ordered.
"What do you want?" Blain grunted in his usual manner and took a sip of his own beer.
"Nothing, just a Beer." He accepted the Beer from the bar tender and took a gulp.
"If you say so. So you're that Brats father huh?" He took another gulp.
"If you mean Stratus, then yes."
"You better clear your son up no a few things, like those little stories you told him when he was young." Blain laughed.
"What stories?" Cloud asked in confusion.
"About you beating the Great Sephiroth. That's a laugh." He laughed again and took another gulp of his beer.
"I did. Not that I'm bragging." Cloud drank some of his beer before continuing. "But not everybody know that. It's complicated." He shrugged.
"Whatever." Blain gulped down the rest of his beer and stood. "I'm going." Then he left without another word.
"He sure is a grumpy guy isn't he Cloud." The bar tender chuckled.
"You could say that. I'd just say he has a stick up his ass." Cloud joined the bar tender in laughter.
----
Due to the lack of room at the Strife household, Akira, Blain, Vincent and Yuffie had decided to rent rooms at the local hotel. Vincent sat on his bed, polishing his trusted Death Penalty when he door opened.
"Hey there." Yuffie said her 'seductive' tone.
"Hey, you going to come in?" he asked, not looking up from his gun polishing.
"Well that ruined the mood." Yuffie shut the door and sat next to him on the bed. "We need to talk."
"Oh." Vincent set his gun down beside him and turned to face Yuffie. "Should I be worried?"
"No. At least I don't think so." She replied shakily.
"Go on."
"What is going on between us?" she asked. "I mean a few days ago we were just friends then bam. We have sex."
"Do you regret it?" he asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
"No. Not one bit. You?"
"Yuffie, for the first time in forty years I haven't thought about Lucrecia one bit, just you." Vincent confessed.
"Wow. So that's a no?"
"Yes Yuffie. I don't regret it."
----
