Chapter 3
The butterflies glided through the air in pairs; their flight much like a perfected ballet dance. Groups of bees gathered around blooming flowers; working hard to extract nectar from the flowers for food. A pair of birds sang in a tree. The notes of their tune swished and swirled through the air, giving it a certain level of harmony. The soft sun and gentle breeze kept the nasty storm clouds at bay. A few nice white clouds danced across the sky effortlessly.
"So peaceful" Tifa let the words float from her mouth. The grass felt welcoming under her back. The butterflies waltzed over her view; it was like a painting come to life for Tifa. Once they finished their dance for her and moved on, Tifa was able to get a good look at the sky. The tender blue went perfect with the occasional spot of white in the sky. She heard a pair of footsteps. They trampled on the grass as they moved towards her location. Tifa sat up and smiled.
"Hey Cloud. Glad you could join me" Tifa winked at him and patted the grass next to her. Cloud looked right into her eyes.
"I'm not sure" He remarked. Tifa blinked a few times. She stopped her hand from patting and moved it onto her lap. Tifa's eyes stopped closing but remained narrow. Her lips trembled as she spoke.
"You're not sure...about sitting?" Tifa's words were filled with nervousness. Cloud did not allow a smile nor a grin on his face; he left it blank.
"I'm not sure about you" The words silenced the birds, who flew off into the horizon. The sun must have seen the threatening storm approaching; it quickly went into hiding behind a cloud. Tifa felt her jaw growing heavy.
"What aren't you sure about?" Tifa questioned. In the distance, a crack of thunder could be heard. The soft white clouds began to retreat in the face of this storm. The butterflies floated to the ground; their dance was being cancelled by oncoming rain. Cloud's face remained solid.
"I'm not sure if I need you anymore" The words acted like a work whistle; the bees quickly stopped work and rushed for home. The dark clouds were getting closer and closer now. Tifa fell backwards onto the grass again and stared up into the dark abyss. The grass seemed sharper now; the welcome mat was gone.No white clouds nor blue sky remained in the air.
"Why do you say that?" Tifa twitched from side to side; the knives of grass stabbing into her. Cloud bent his neck like a hawk and glared down at her. His face was still set in stone.
"I have Aeris now" Cloud finally broke into a smile. But if his words were daggers to the heart, the smile was a fifty-foot sword to her body. Tifa's face was soon covered in water and the rain had yet to fall. But except for her eyes pushing tears onto her, Tifa's face was set in stone. Then, the sky opened up. Rain poured from clouds. Thunder booms filled the sky. Tifa just lay motionless; her eyes could see nothing but water. The rain covered her face but even the bucket-fulls of water could wash her tears away.
"Get up Tifa! Get up!" Cloud screamed suddenly. Tifa closed her eyes to dam up the tears, but they kept breaking through.
"Get up Tifa!" She heard again. But she refused to open her eyes; her entire face felt soaking wet. She wanted to clamp her eyes shut and never open them again.
"Get up Tifa" The voice was no longer Cloud's; it sounded distinctly female. Tifa still kept her eyes shut. Then, the person grabbed her and shook her body...
"Get up Tifa!" Aeris screamed. Tifa's eyes jolted open quickly. Her body thrust upwards, knocking Aeris backwards and onto her butt. Tifa shook her head, sending water flying off in all directions. Tifa's wet hair spun around when she faced Aeris.
"What? Aeris..!" Tifa glanced at her; a look begging for answers on her face. Aeris sighed and frowned.
"Sorry, I threw a bucket of water on you...something big happened!" Aeris screamed. Tifa made a face. She took her hands and knocked some water-droplets off her face.
"What's so important that I needed a bucket-bath?" Tifa groaned as she grabbed her hair and rung it out. She looked at Aeris and waited for the answer. Tifa just kept looking at Aeris, waiting for the answer. Tifa's wringing motion got more deliberate every moment the answer did not come.
"Aeris...come on, what's going on...?" Tifa asked again. Aeris got to her feet and looked down at Tifa. She then glanced over her shoulder to outside the tent.
"We got a problem...the group that went to Midgar came back. Well, part of the group..." Aeris trailed off. Tifa let her hair go and got to her feet in a flash. She reached over and grabbed her left shoe. Hopping around, she pulled it on and jammed the laces in the sides. With a quick motion the other shoe was in her hand. After a few more hops, the right shoe was on her foot.
"Let's roll..." Tifa muttered as she headed outside the tent with Aeris.
"So, you do act like a normal teenager now and then!" Reeve crowed loudly. Phoenix's eyes shoot open as he looked upwards. Reeve was standing there, holding the newspaper. Looking like any normal slacking teenager, Phoenix had one leg hanging off the couch and his arm hooked onto the couch. Covering his mouth, he added a yawn into the atmosphere before leaning upwards and stretching his body.
"I have never slept on something this...what's the word...soft?" Phoenix looked up at Reeve. Reeve chuckled and walked into the kitchen of his apartment.
"It's a couch. And an old one at that. What; you never slept on a bed before?" Reeve questioned. He snatched the coffee pot away from its resting spot and poured some of the dark liquid into a cup.
"I never slept indoors before. Unless you count when I slept under the a tent-like structure on a boat" Phoenix got to his feet and leaned backwards. Reeve added some sugar to his coffee before taking a sip. After a quick sip, he pulled his lips away.
"You lead an interesting life. I'm going to find out more about "Operation Midgar" today. I assume" Reeve sat on a dining room chair. Phoenix just looked at the window. A few pellets of water bounced off the glass. But beyond that, neither of them could see the clouds; the dense fog was almost like someone had laid a blanket over the city of Junon.
"It's a dead city, filled with dead buildings and dead streets" Phoenix commented. Reeve shook his head before daring to drink his coffee again. Now that it was a tad cooler, the coffee was much more bearable on the taste buds. Reeve took a few quick sips before putting the cup down.
"They feel differently. Plus, we could use some of the raw materials there. I wanna see what Overton says today" Reeve noted. Phoenix's eyes narrowed as his neck craned to look at Reeve.
"The man who sent the attackers? Is he against you in politics?" Phoenix looked back at the window when the words finished leaving his mouth. Reeve made a face as he leaned on the kitchen counter.
"Two Overtons, actually. Jiro Overton is more....how do we say, slimy. He would never send assassins after me, though. Especially since he agreed with me on keeping our people out of Midgar. Dallin...yeah, he'd try to have me killed. Dallin is pretty bold" Reeve explained. He took a spoon and swirled his coffee around. Phoenix walked over to the window and looked down into the foggy city below.
"So shall we take him out now?" Phoenix remarked. Reeve held his cup at his lips, blinking at the boy.
"Are you nuts? I have no idea who really did it! I mean, the Overton name is fairly well known. Anyone could have said they were working for Overton. I want to find out more before I do anything. Let alone fighting them" Reeve explained. Phoenix let out a deep breathe; the moist air he let out coated the glass with a fog of its own.
"Destroying an enemy means you survive" Phoenix stated calmly. Reeve finished his coffee and tossed the mug in the sink.
"Phoenix, lets say we do kill Overton; both of them. They have friends, who will come after us. Besides, its against the law to kill others. Realistically, you should be in jail for what you did...sorry, but its the truth. It's just wrong to kill people" Reeve took a step back and leaned against the wall for protection. Phoenix merely rubbed his hand over his fog.
"Perhaps you are correct" Phoenix drew a circle in his fog. Reeve walked over to his wall and pulled a dull painting away from it. After a few twists, his safe popped open and he had grabbed a laptop from inside. He walked over to the kitchen counter and opened it up.
"Well, I made a deal with you. You can look up anything you want about yourself on here" Reeve mentioned. Phoenix tilted his head and gazed at the fog slowly fading into nothingness. When there was nothing left but a few thumb prints, he turned and walked over to Reeve.
"Very well. There is a much I wish to find out" Phoenix sat down on a chair and instantly began typing on the computer. Reeve glanced at him for a moment then walked over to the door.
"Pay attention; someone may come here looking to knock me out. I doubt it, but you never know" Reeve mentioned. Phoenix stopped typing a moment and looked over at Reeve. The look on his face made Reeve's blood freeze. The look could have stopped a food fight or perhaps even end a war. Reeve coughed a few times.
"Yeah, guess you'll be fine even if people show up" Reeve nervously spun around and grabbed the doorknob. He reached down and snatched his briefcase up.
"Alright, bye..!" Reeve opened the door and closed it in a moment's notice. Phoenix kept staring at the doorway and shook his head.
"It takes all kinds" Phoenix entered into the world of computer files; a world that held whatever information there was about him. A world he had wanted to see for a very long time.
Except for the rain and a few dumb animals caught outside, the town of Kalm seemed to have shut down for the day. The rain, the same one causing all the noise, had forced people to their temporary tent-homes instead of working on their new homes. The rain clouds never seemed to leave Kalm alone; always clouding over the city with dark intentions. Then two pair of feet broke the silence as they splashed into the mud puddles along the road.
"We almost there?" Tifa asked; she felt her hair sticking to her back more and more. Aeris put a hand up to block out the rainfall.
"We're almost there, don't worry. I'm getting soaked too" Aeris reminded her. Tifa crossed her arms and ran even harder, getting up right behind Aeris.
"Any idea what's going on?" Tifa ducked her head down more in a vain attempt to get out of the rain.
"We're about to find out..." Aeris trailed off as they reached the newest tent in town; it had been built only a day before. Aeris opened the plastic thin doorway and held the flaps open for Tifa. Within an instant, Cloud was in front of both of them. His face was covered in lines of worry.
"They need your help Aeris" He stated in a shaky voice. A shade of grim covered Aeris' face. With a few quick steps, she went around him and over to the group of people. Tifa looked even more confused now; she grabbed Cloud's shirt and shook him.
"What's going on?" Tifa eyes locked onto Cloud's. Cloud gently put his hands on her wrists.
"Something attacked them in Midgar" Cloud let the words roll off his tongue. He watched as her lip trembled; her little fingers let go of his shirt.
"Something...not someone?" Tifa spoke in a slow manner; as if to make sure she said the proper words. Her ring fingers began to loosen their grip on his shirt.
"Yeah...I'm didn't get the exacts yet, but it seems they broke up into two groups of four to search around. Well, we have no idea what happened to the other group. But this group ran into some kind of monster. Tommy J is all hysterical; I really can't find out much from him" Cloud explained to her. As the last words left his mouth, he felt the rest of her left hand let go of his shirt. Cloud let her left arm go and keep looking at her. Tifa looked to the left of him; staring at nothing.
"I thought you said the city was empty..." Tifa hissed; her right hand forming a clamp on his shirt. He placed both his hands on her right wrist and massaged it; a weak attempt to get her to break the hold.
"It was empty. The parts I went into. Plus that was awhile ago; over a month-"
"They are suppose to be gone! No more Mako plants- no more Shinra. So hence, there are no monsters!" Tifa pushed him away and walked back outside into the storm. Drop after heavy drop fell onto her hair, darkening her brown hair. Cloud let a few seconds pass before he stormed out into the rain.
"So its my fault?" Cloud screamed loudly. Tifa stopped walking, the rain rushing down her face. She stomped around and glared at him. Her brown eyes seemed to have a red glow.
"Its someone's fault! Monsters are not born! They are made!" Tifa screamed. Cloud bite his tongue in a quick attempt to calm down.
"I know that...look, Midgar is...was a huge town. Some monsters were bound to live" Cloud explained. Tifa's eyes went wide as she laughed in disbelief.
"Remember Meteor? Unless you were buried under the city, you were burnt!" Tifa screamed. Cloud shrugged his shoulders in his own arrogant way and looked at her.
"So what? So a monster just got into the city or someone is making them-"
"Someone is again making monsters! Someone is again messing with genetics! Why can't people leave it alone? I guess Sephiroth wasn't a good enough example!" Tifa threw her arms into the air. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breathe. Cloud crossed his arms as the cold rain poured down his face.
"Tifa, we're not positive it was a monster. We need to talk to the survivors and find out" Cloud tried his best to stay calm. He felt the rain cooling him down. Tifa pushed her damp hair out of her face and let out a sigh.
"Cloud, I know what's going to happen. There will be a monster. And you'll wanna go fight it. And I'll go, and Aeris will go. And we'll go off and fight this monster..." Tifa trailed off. Cloud walked over to her and looked down. All he saw was a mass of wet brown hair. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly.
"And we'll kill it. What's with you? You use to slice through monster after monster. You stood up to WEAPON. You stood up against Sephiroth and gave him the proverbial middle finger! Hell, you did that twice! And now you're afraid of some normal monster?" Cloud chided her. Tifa lifted her head up to look at him. Her faced looked pain and was covered in rain and misery.
"I'm sick of fighting..." Tifa murmured. Cloud griped her shoulder even tighter; not letting a single drop slide between his hands and her arms.
"I am too. I am too"
"You're sure this plan is going to work well?" Billy pushed the crowbar back and forth, the motion pressing the door farther from the framework. Ray lifted his glasses of his twitching nose. .
"Yeah; we just sneak in and wait. You almost got it?" Ray glanced around and looked for any residents of the apartment building. When he saw none, he tapped his partner on the shoulder. After a few more pressing motions from the crowbar, a 'pop' sound filled the air.
"Almost? Ha" Billy gently pressed the door open and walked into the apartment. Ray cracked his knuckles.
"As soon as he gets home, we knock him out. Then we get our cash and head for Gold Saucer. And start over" Ray mentioned. He pulled a pair of brass knuckles out of his pocket and slide them on his fingers then stopped by the couch, scanning the apartment for signs of life. Billy did a little warm-up dance, much like a boxer. He threw a couple of punches, knocking the air molecules out.
"Yeah. Wonder if that punk kid will be there too. He got lucky last night; no darkness to help him this time" Billy stopped his little dance after he threw his knock-out punch.
"Wonder where he went to?" Ray placed his hands on his chin. After a quick twist of those wrists, the sound of his neck cracking filled the room.
"Under the couch" Both men looked down at once; their eyes looking like china dishes. The ground was bare except for a roaming dust bunny. They glanced at each other as they leaned upwards. Then, from no where, a metal staff slammed into the side of their faces, knocking them into the wall.
"Now, I'm standing in front of you" Phoenix remarked. Ray pushed off the wall with his brass-knuckled hand.
"Son of a bitch!" Ray screamed as he punched right at the boy. In a flash, Phoenix's body bent backwards; the punched sailed over his body. Ray pulled his arm back and glared at the boy, who leaned upwards with ease. With a quick snap of his wrist, Phoenix knocked the man to the ground with staff. Billy took his chance now, throwing a punch at the boy's face. But the fist never hit the face; instead it meet Phoenix's left hand. The palm grasped onto the fist and squeezed. The fist was rolled downwards, emitting a sick cracking sound. Within a second, another loud crack filled the air as the staff slammed into the man's face, sending him on top of his partner. Phoenix jumped over the couch and held his wrist down at them.
"You will not come back again, or I will end your existence" The silver glow from his fist filled the men's eyes. Like a jolt of electricity hit them, the men screamed and scrambled out the door. Phoenix let the energy die down once they were gone. The staff collapsed downward, almost disappearing from view. His eyes locked onto the doorway. After a tentative step forward, he stopped his body. With a mumble and a few shakes of his head, he turned away from the door and walked back to the computer. From a distance, the words seemed small and insignificant. As he sat back down, he noticed the words still seemed small. And maybe even more insignificant.
"The files can wait"
"Look at it! It's so deep" The small boy looked down at the little lake at his feet. The girl standing next to him picked up a twig and poked the rain puddle with it.
"I know! Like...maybe twenty feet deep!" She squealed in delight, despite the fact her old tattered rain jacket was allowing water to soak her skin. She poked the puddle with the twig; the murky puddle allowed the twig a few inches into the pool.
"Maybe even fifty feet!" The boy laughed, picking up his own stick and plunging it into the dirty little puddle. Both kids were ignorant to the large amount of dampness their clothes were gathering; the fun they were having at the puddle cancelled out the rain.
"Kids, move aside" Came a voice, destroying their fun. The girl ran to the side without even looking for the voice. The boy stood up and pushed his chest out. His mouth opened to reply, but he soon cowered and stepped aside. Both children watched as six men walked right through their puddle. Their feet trampled through the mud with ease; for the large puddle they had killed they helped create numerous small ones in its wake. The only sound was the rain splashing off the oak casket the men carried. The boy and girl watched in silence; they now felt the dampness in their clothes now. From a muddy hillside, Aeris watched this all happen. She dove her hands into the mud puddle in front of her, letting the red on her hands wash in the brown dirty water. But her eyes were locked onto the casket. And except for the tears in her eyes, it was all she could see.
