The Forgotten
Chapter 29: Highwind Retaliation
"Gale? Gale?" Stratus shook her gently, trying to get her to regain consciousness. She blinked twice as he eyes opened.
"Stratus?" she flinched. "Ow. What happened?"
"You got hurt but don't worry. I took care of things." Stratus soothed, helping her sit up and rubbing her back.
"Last thing I remember was." She stopped suddenly and moved her hands to where her wound had been to find nothing.
"I healed you. I said don't worry." He helped her up and she dusted herself of.
"What about that guy?"
"Took care of him. Thing is, he said his enemy was Ranish." Stratus informed.
"Really? Then there allies?" Gale asked hurriedly.
"No Gale. There's a big difference between us. Their evil, we aren't." Replied Stratus.
"Oh. So shall we get going or not?"
----
"Ready Yuffie?" Vincent asked as he stepped into their room.
"Just a second." She replied, pulling a black belt around her waist, two daggers attached at either side. "Ready."
"Then lets go." Vincent stepped aside as she moved past him and out the door before he followed. They met with the others at the outskirts of the town where they had landed the airship. The craft took to the air and after around an hour they arrived on the outskirts of Ranish City.
"Okay, here's the plan. Yuffie, Tifa, Vincent and Akira are to sneak into the City and find a place to hide until the execution begins. Then you will strike, get Cid and his family out of there and meet us here for the escape. Understand?" Cloud asked as everyone pilled out of the small craft.
"Yeah, we understand." Yuffie was the only one to reply, Vincent just giving him a nod.
"Okay, good luck." Cloud gave Tifa a quick kiss before the group left for the city. It didn't take them long to arrive at the huge brick wall blocking them from entering the city. The wall surrounded the whole city; the only official point of entry was the large gate that was guarded. Yuffie directed the rest round the side of the city coming down the right wall halfway before stopping.
"This place is like a fortress! We will have to enter here." Yuffie moaned.
"Yes it is. Give me a second to get an anchor up there." Akira replied, pulling the anchor from his belt and swinging it round a few times before throwing it into the air. With one swift movement it hooked itself on the wall.
"Not bad." Tifa applauded with her usual wide smile.
"I am very good at sneaking into places miss Tifa. After all I am a well respected Assassin." Akira said with his own smile.
"Come on." Yuffie scolded, already halfway up the rope, Vincent closely on her heels. Akira made a gesture for Tifa to go ahead and she did, followed by Akira himself. The group found themselves on top of the wall, kneeling and looking down on the city. The streets where bustling with life, creating a loud noise that would allow them to slip in unnoticed. Which they did, leaping from the wall to the roof of a nearby building. They crept along the buildings roof and crouched behind the raised edge of the building. Yuffie peered over the edge and began searching the street looking for a possible execution site. The street was a normal busy city street, bustling with life and crowded with shopping stalls but at the far end of the street was a large quad.
"Okay, I think I've found it. At the end of the street is a quad with a wooden platform in the middle. I think they intend to hang him." She said quietly.
"Hang him? That's so barbaric!" Tifa spat.
"Indeed." Akira agreed.
"We must get going. We should all get to the corners of the quad, when they set Cid up for the execution Yuffie will cut the rope. Tifa and I will cover Akira as he gets Cid to safety. Okay?" Vincent asked.
"Okay. Sounds good." Yuffie agreed once more and the team split up, all heading to different corners of the quad.
----
Yuffie sat quietly, watching as a huge man with a scar on his chest dragged Cid up the wooden steps, followed closely by his son, Rain and wife, Shera. The brute shoved Cid forward and then began to hand a noose around his neck before tightening it and repeating the process with his son and wife. After a short speech by a man in a cloak that sounded awfully familiar ended the brute raised his arm, signalling a short stubby man by a lever. This was it; Yuffie stood and unbuckled her boomerang before taking aim and flinging the weapon towards the stand.
Cid held his head low, waiting for his impending doom. The sudden familiar sound of the air being thrown about made his head snap up as Yuffie boomerang swung round and cut the three ropes with one swift movement. Cid felt his legs hit the ground and he collapsed to his knees. Gunfire erupted around him and he knew Yuffie was not alone. What he couldn't understand was how she was alive, or maybe he was dead and this was hell. He shook his head and willed himself to his feet as a agile Ninja leapt to his position and deflected a herd of bullets with his blade.
"Stay back." Akira instructed. They where outmatched though and soon Akira found it hard to deflect the bullets.
Yuffie saw this and instructed Vincent and Tifa to keep firing. She wasted no time in jumping to the floor and rushing through the guards, cutting them as she went. She leapt once again onto the wooden stand and deflected a throng of bullets with a wall spell.
"Yuffie?" Cid asked shakily as she stood before him. "I thought you where dead?"
"Me? Dead? You should know better old man." Yuffie laughed.
"We have to get out of here." Akira informed them from his position of deflecting bullets.
"Give me a minute." Cid added, grabbing a nearby poll and snapping it free from its base in the wooden structure. "Rain, grab a poll."
"Yeah." The boy replied, grabbing his own poll and repeating the action.
"Cid? What are you doing?" Yuffie asked.
"I may be old but I still got it brat!" He sneered. "Now lets give these assholes something to remember the Highwind's by!" With this he charged forward, jamming the poll into the ground and using it to flip himself into the air and bring the stick into the head of a soldier. Rain saw the brute charging from the corner of his eye and swept the stick round, sweeping the legs out from under him and sending him face first into the floor.
Vincent saw a guard approaching Cid back and quickly rolled his gun and shot, hitting him square in the chest. Cid noticed this and turned to see his old comrade with a grin. Vincent grinned back and started raining his bullets down onto the soldiers once again.
"Raid honey duck!" Shera yelled as a soldier sent a wave of bullets towards him. The boy ducked and avoided the shots before dashing forward and bringing the stick up into his jaw.
"We really need to get out of here Akira." Yuffie shouted over the gunfire. Akira nodded and ducked behind Yuffie's wall.
"I'll radio for help." He said as he flipped his communicator into action .
Cid spun his stick round, hitting four soldiers in the head and knocking them out cold. A yell from his right caught his attention and he turned to see a blur of brown fly past him and strike a soldier who had snuck up on him. The blur turned out to be Tifa, who did waste anymore time and began striking soldiers left right and center. Cid smirked at the woman and continued his own attacks.
The brute struggled to his feet, noticing Rain back turned to him and his mother's prone form to his left. He charged and grabbed her waist, dragging her of her feet as she screamed.
"Mother!" Rain cried as he dived for the man, who had a hold around her neck now, ready to snap it if he got any further. Rain stopped and a look of panic crossed over his face.
"Don't move another inch kiddo or I snap your mommas neck like a twig, snap." He made a snapping sound before bursting into laughter.
"Let her go!" Rain bellowed, balling his hands into fists.
"Not a chance." A loud whirling sound caught him off guard and he snapped his neck to the right, looking for the source of the noise. Rain took the chance and swung his stick into the mans leg, earning a loud bone crack snap. Rain continued forward as the brute howled in pain and dropped his mother, he jammed the stick into the floor and flung himself into the mans face, hitting him square in the head a with a boot and sending him flying backwards of the stand and into a pile of dirt.
"Yuffie!" Cloud yelled as the craft hovered just above the stand, sending dirt into the faces of the soldiers. "Come on! Jump on!"
Rain noticed the craft and helped his mother to her feet before making his way to Yuffie. The rest had gathered her too and where pilling into the craft, he helped his mother in before following. Vincent was the last to climb in, using his Death Penalty to fire of warning shots to anyone who attempted to stop them.
The brute guard climbed to his feet, brushing the dirt of him and yelled as he saw the craft leaving the city. "What are you waiting for? Shoot it down!" He yelled as a few soldiers ran off.
The craft had made it the entrance of the city without any trouble but a blast from behind them told them that were about to change. The shot hit the left propeller and send them spiralling out of control as they left the city.
"Cloud! Do something!" Barret yelled into his ear.
"Like that? I can't do anything!" He shouted back as the craft descended towards the ground.
"We've got to jump!" Yelled Yuffie over the noise. "Look! A lake, can you head for it!"
"Sure! I'll try!" The craft turned as it continued to descend headed for the large lake. The door to the craft jerked open as the craft flew over the lake.
"Jump!" Yuffie yelled as Lance and Luna looked out over the dark water. Without a second thought they hooked hands and leapt from the craft into the large lake followed by the rest of the group, Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie being the last.
----
Chapter 29: Highwind Retaliation
"Gale? Gale?" Stratus shook her gently, trying to get her to regain consciousness. She blinked twice as he eyes opened.
"Stratus?" she flinched. "Ow. What happened?"
"You got hurt but don't worry. I took care of things." Stratus soothed, helping her sit up and rubbing her back.
"Last thing I remember was." She stopped suddenly and moved her hands to where her wound had been to find nothing.
"I healed you. I said don't worry." He helped her up and she dusted herself of.
"What about that guy?"
"Took care of him. Thing is, he said his enemy was Ranish." Stratus informed.
"Really? Then there allies?" Gale asked hurriedly.
"No Gale. There's a big difference between us. Their evil, we aren't." Replied Stratus.
"Oh. So shall we get going or not?"
----
"Ready Yuffie?" Vincent asked as he stepped into their room.
"Just a second." She replied, pulling a black belt around her waist, two daggers attached at either side. "Ready."
"Then lets go." Vincent stepped aside as she moved past him and out the door before he followed. They met with the others at the outskirts of the town where they had landed the airship. The craft took to the air and after around an hour they arrived on the outskirts of Ranish City.
"Okay, here's the plan. Yuffie, Tifa, Vincent and Akira are to sneak into the City and find a place to hide until the execution begins. Then you will strike, get Cid and his family out of there and meet us here for the escape. Understand?" Cloud asked as everyone pilled out of the small craft.
"Yeah, we understand." Yuffie was the only one to reply, Vincent just giving him a nod.
"Okay, good luck." Cloud gave Tifa a quick kiss before the group left for the city. It didn't take them long to arrive at the huge brick wall blocking them from entering the city. The wall surrounded the whole city; the only official point of entry was the large gate that was guarded. Yuffie directed the rest round the side of the city coming down the right wall halfway before stopping.
"This place is like a fortress! We will have to enter here." Yuffie moaned.
"Yes it is. Give me a second to get an anchor up there." Akira replied, pulling the anchor from his belt and swinging it round a few times before throwing it into the air. With one swift movement it hooked itself on the wall.
"Not bad." Tifa applauded with her usual wide smile.
"I am very good at sneaking into places miss Tifa. After all I am a well respected Assassin." Akira said with his own smile.
"Come on." Yuffie scolded, already halfway up the rope, Vincent closely on her heels. Akira made a gesture for Tifa to go ahead and she did, followed by Akira himself. The group found themselves on top of the wall, kneeling and looking down on the city. The streets where bustling with life, creating a loud noise that would allow them to slip in unnoticed. Which they did, leaping from the wall to the roof of a nearby building. They crept along the buildings roof and crouched behind the raised edge of the building. Yuffie peered over the edge and began searching the street looking for a possible execution site. The street was a normal busy city street, bustling with life and crowded with shopping stalls but at the far end of the street was a large quad.
"Okay, I think I've found it. At the end of the street is a quad with a wooden platform in the middle. I think they intend to hang him." She said quietly.
"Hang him? That's so barbaric!" Tifa spat.
"Indeed." Akira agreed.
"We must get going. We should all get to the corners of the quad, when they set Cid up for the execution Yuffie will cut the rope. Tifa and I will cover Akira as he gets Cid to safety. Okay?" Vincent asked.
"Okay. Sounds good." Yuffie agreed once more and the team split up, all heading to different corners of the quad.
----
Yuffie sat quietly, watching as a huge man with a scar on his chest dragged Cid up the wooden steps, followed closely by his son, Rain and wife, Shera. The brute shoved Cid forward and then began to hand a noose around his neck before tightening it and repeating the process with his son and wife. After a short speech by a man in a cloak that sounded awfully familiar ended the brute raised his arm, signalling a short stubby man by a lever. This was it; Yuffie stood and unbuckled her boomerang before taking aim and flinging the weapon towards the stand.
Cid held his head low, waiting for his impending doom. The sudden familiar sound of the air being thrown about made his head snap up as Yuffie boomerang swung round and cut the three ropes with one swift movement. Cid felt his legs hit the ground and he collapsed to his knees. Gunfire erupted around him and he knew Yuffie was not alone. What he couldn't understand was how she was alive, or maybe he was dead and this was hell. He shook his head and willed himself to his feet as a agile Ninja leapt to his position and deflected a herd of bullets with his blade.
"Stay back." Akira instructed. They where outmatched though and soon Akira found it hard to deflect the bullets.
Yuffie saw this and instructed Vincent and Tifa to keep firing. She wasted no time in jumping to the floor and rushing through the guards, cutting them as she went. She leapt once again onto the wooden stand and deflected a throng of bullets with a wall spell.
"Yuffie?" Cid asked shakily as she stood before him. "I thought you where dead?"
"Me? Dead? You should know better old man." Yuffie laughed.
"We have to get out of here." Akira informed them from his position of deflecting bullets.
"Give me a minute." Cid added, grabbing a nearby poll and snapping it free from its base in the wooden structure. "Rain, grab a poll."
"Yeah." The boy replied, grabbing his own poll and repeating the action.
"Cid? What are you doing?" Yuffie asked.
"I may be old but I still got it brat!" He sneered. "Now lets give these assholes something to remember the Highwind's by!" With this he charged forward, jamming the poll into the ground and using it to flip himself into the air and bring the stick into the head of a soldier. Rain saw the brute charging from the corner of his eye and swept the stick round, sweeping the legs out from under him and sending him face first into the floor.
Vincent saw a guard approaching Cid back and quickly rolled his gun and shot, hitting him square in the chest. Cid noticed this and turned to see his old comrade with a grin. Vincent grinned back and started raining his bullets down onto the soldiers once again.
"Raid honey duck!" Shera yelled as a soldier sent a wave of bullets towards him. The boy ducked and avoided the shots before dashing forward and bringing the stick up into his jaw.
"We really need to get out of here Akira." Yuffie shouted over the gunfire. Akira nodded and ducked behind Yuffie's wall.
"I'll radio for help." He said as he flipped his communicator into action .
Cid spun his stick round, hitting four soldiers in the head and knocking them out cold. A yell from his right caught his attention and he turned to see a blur of brown fly past him and strike a soldier who had snuck up on him. The blur turned out to be Tifa, who did waste anymore time and began striking soldiers left right and center. Cid smirked at the woman and continued his own attacks.
The brute struggled to his feet, noticing Rain back turned to him and his mother's prone form to his left. He charged and grabbed her waist, dragging her of her feet as she screamed.
"Mother!" Rain cried as he dived for the man, who had a hold around her neck now, ready to snap it if he got any further. Rain stopped and a look of panic crossed over his face.
"Don't move another inch kiddo or I snap your mommas neck like a twig, snap." He made a snapping sound before bursting into laughter.
"Let her go!" Rain bellowed, balling his hands into fists.
"Not a chance." A loud whirling sound caught him off guard and he snapped his neck to the right, looking for the source of the noise. Rain took the chance and swung his stick into the mans leg, earning a loud bone crack snap. Rain continued forward as the brute howled in pain and dropped his mother, he jammed the stick into the floor and flung himself into the mans face, hitting him square in the head a with a boot and sending him flying backwards of the stand and into a pile of dirt.
"Yuffie!" Cloud yelled as the craft hovered just above the stand, sending dirt into the faces of the soldiers. "Come on! Jump on!"
Rain noticed the craft and helped his mother to her feet before making his way to Yuffie. The rest had gathered her too and where pilling into the craft, he helped his mother in before following. Vincent was the last to climb in, using his Death Penalty to fire of warning shots to anyone who attempted to stop them.
The brute guard climbed to his feet, brushing the dirt of him and yelled as he saw the craft leaving the city. "What are you waiting for? Shoot it down!" He yelled as a few soldiers ran off.
The craft had made it the entrance of the city without any trouble but a blast from behind them told them that were about to change. The shot hit the left propeller and send them spiralling out of control as they left the city.
"Cloud! Do something!" Barret yelled into his ear.
"Like that? I can't do anything!" He shouted back as the craft descended towards the ground.
"We've got to jump!" Yelled Yuffie over the noise. "Look! A lake, can you head for it!"
"Sure! I'll try!" The craft turned as it continued to descend headed for the large lake. The door to the craft jerked open as the craft flew over the lake.
"Jump!" Yuffie yelled as Lance and Luna looked out over the dark water. Without a second thought they hooked hands and leapt from the craft into the large lake followed by the rest of the group, Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie being the last.
----
