Welcome back!! I'm sorry this chapter took a while to post. ^^;; Well, at
least it's longer than the others! ^_^ Enjoy!!
reese; She's losing her friends and she's gonna be alone now.
~*~
{ CHAPTER III ~ DREAMS AND WISHES }
Tifa couldn't sleep that night. She lay awake, thinking. Thoughts about her friends ran through her head. There was the depression again, it came to dig at her brain.
'Everything will be alright... I'll rebuild my bar and earn up some money... And then move back to Nibelheim...' With the comforting thoughts, sleep finally came.
~*~
Darkness. It was everywhere. It represented pain, suffering, and evil. A harsh, mysterious silence accompanied it...
No, not silence. A soft laughter rang out. The pure and innocent laugh of a young child. It was familiar, yet unknown. It was a mix of two voices.
Suddenly... The laughter turned into screaming and crying. The painful, bitter crying that would try to reach you, to call out 'Help me...!' So much emotion was expressed in the sound. Pain, hatred, fear...
Abruptly, everything went mute. The darkness and silence went hand-in-hand, accompanying each other, completing the heavy feeling.
And again, the silence disappeared. It was replaced with a swift noise, something flying through the air. Laughter followed. Harsh, evil laughter... Taunting, offering a challenge...
'Tifa...'
'Tifa, beware... Beware of the arrow...'
~*~
Tifa's eyes opened and she quickly sat up. She was dreaming. Tifa looked around the room. Yuffie was sleeping soundly in the other bed. Tifa sat back in her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
She remembered her whole dream. A child laughing, then crying, and then... Was the child killed? By whoever was laughing...? The voices seemed so familiar, but Tifa couldn't figure out whose they were. It was as if she wasn't supposed to know. She glanced over at the clock that hung on the wall across from her. 3:50.
'I still have a few hours to sleep,' Tifa thought. She yawned and closed her eyes.
~*~
Tifa awoke around 9:00 A.M. Yuffie wasn't in the room. Tifa reasoned that she was out on the dock, or having breakfast. She got ready herself and made her way to the dining room. Vincent, Cloud, Barret, and Yuffie were eating at the table. Cait Sith was sitting in the corner, looking through the window.
"Good morning," Tifa greeted. "Where are the others?"
Cait Sith glanced over at her. "Out on the dock. We're almost at Cosmo Canyon."
Tifa thanked Cait and walked out of the room. Once she was on the dock, she saw Cid and the pilots-in-training steering the airship, Shera standing beside them. Red XIII was lying on the ground, his unscarred eye looking down at the fields that the ship passed. Tifa walked over to Shera.
"We passed Nibelheim just an hour ago. We'll be there soon," Shera said, noticing Tifa.
Nibelheim... Tifa ignored it. She ignored the feelings of envy, of confusion, of longing. Tifa stood on the dock for a while, staring down at the ground. Eventually, the other party members came out as well. Some time passed.
"We're here!" Red XIII suddenly said. He sat up and stared at the majestic crimson canyon, set out beneath the airship. Shera motioned for the pilots- in-training to land the airship. Once they did, they all left to take a break for the day.
Red XIII was the first to leave the airship, jumping from the dock, more graceful than a cat. Yuffie followed him in the same manner, but she landed heavily. A slight pain visibly spread through the muscles in her legs. She turned her head and gave a weak grin to her friends above.
No one seemed to notice except Shera, who laughed at Yuffie's attempts and Tifa, who smiled gently. And Vincent, who was staring at the ninja with a worried look on his face... Yuffie raised an eyebrow and her smile disappeared. She and Vincent quickly turned their heads away and their gazes set elsewhere.
Yuffie's heart was pounding heavily. 'What's wrong with me?!' she thought, panicking. It wasn't as if no one had ever looked at her like that. Tifa always had that worried look on her face. Even Barret and Cid cared. What was different this time?
Of course... Vincent NEVER looked at anyone like that. He was always cold and uncaring. He never asked if anyone if they were okay, never even glanced their way when they were hurt.
Yuffie put the feelings aside. She didn't want to think of this now, or ever. Everyone continued to the entrance of the canyon.
"Welcome back, Nanaki!" a man called. He smiled at Red XIII and walked over. "We weren't expecting you so soon. Go visit Bugenhagen." Red XIII smiled in appreciation and the party continued on. They reached Bugenhagen's lab where they found him studying.
"Hello! Welcome! I guess you'll be staying for the day?" Bugenhagen greeted. Red XIII nodded and a short conversation followed. Bugenhagen served the party lunch afterward. Some of the party members didn't even have breakfast, so the lack made lunch more enjoyable.
"You can all go walk around the canyon for now. Meet here tonight," Bugenhagen told them. The party said their thanks and headed outside.
"You all know the canyon pretty well, right?" Red questioned everyone once they were outside the lab.
"Yeah. But we should pair up just in case," Cloud said. Everyone agreed. Cid quickly grabbed Shera.
"...Well..." Yuffie said, speaking for everyone, "What about the rest of us?"
Cloud looked over at Tifa. She was leaning against the wall of the lab, her eyes transparent as if staring into space. 'Should I...?' Cloud thought. He bit his lip and hesitated. Carefully, he touched Tifa's hand. She jumped up and turned his way, managing a smile.
"Wanna go together?" The corners of his mouth lifted, a small smile forming. Those were words she didn't expect to hear.
'Stay calm,' Tifa told herself. She didn't want to act stupid, even though this wasn't a big decision. "Sure."
Cloud and Tifa headed off, as did Cid and Shera. Barret, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie, and Vincent looked at each other helplessly.
"I'm going alone!" Yuffie broke the silence. She grinned and turned to run. Barret pulled her collar, keeping her from moving.
"You'll get lost. Besides, you're not getting out of this so easily." Yuffie sighed at Barret's words. She sat on the ground and scratched at the soft dirt with her nails. Yuffie sat there for a while, focusing on etching shapes in the dirt like a young child.
"...Are you coming, or not?" Vincent asked. He didn't look at her, as if he was talking to the wind. Yuffie looked up, surprised. It was then she realized that Barret, Red XIII, and Cait Sith had already left, probably together. She and Vincent were the only ones left.
What was she supposed to say? 'Sorry, Vinnie, but I'm scared of you cause you never talk to me'? That partly wasn't true.
'Why should I? Go back to your cave and mourn over a dead body'? Yuffie wasn't that cruel.
'Of course, you know we'll always be there for each other. I love you'? Yuffie gritted her teeth and kicked at the dust. Where the hell had that come from? 'I love you.' She kicked the dust again, harder, and this time Vincent looked at her in surprise.
Yuffie realized that Vincent was waiting. She quickly considered a few choices and made a decision. "Yeah."
The two walked off, keeping a safe distance from each other.
~*~
Tifa and Cloud walked through the town-like area, trying to make conversation every few minutes. They both felt akward and knew it. Nothing could help that, though. Tifa stopped at the Materia shop, looking at the displays. Two young men were standing a few feet away from Tifa and Cloud, talking to each other.
"...He found an arrow... It's floating over Gaia..."
"No kidding? Bugenhagen's always making discoveries. He does a lot of research on these things..."
"But he didn't do any research on this. It's hard to miss, I heard that the thing just appeared in his Materia display."
"How big is it?"
"Big enough to destroy Gaia."
"Seriously...? Nah, he's gotta be lying."
Tifa paused, listening to the two men. She missed half of their conversation, not being there earlier. That couldn't be helped now. She glanced over at Cloud with a confused look on her face, and saw that he was also straining to listen. Cloud stood still for a moment, then walked over to the men.
"Excuse me? I heard you talking. Can you tell me more about this arrow?" he said cautiously, clearly trying to appear innocent. Tifa choked back a laugh, seeing that it was impossible for Cloud to look harmless. His Buster Sword graced his back, his glowing mako eyes screamed 'I'm your enemy!'
But the two men didn't seem like they would start a fight. "Everyone in Cosmo Canyon knows about this. You're a traveler, huh?" one of the men asked. Cloud nodded.
"The kid who guards the entrance all the time, he's one of Bugenhagen's best friends. He told us that Bugenhagen found an arrow floating over Gaia," the other man began.
Cloud shook his head. "I heard you talking about that. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"Nope. That's all we know. You can only find out more by asking Bugenhagen," the man said. Cloud thanked the two and walked back over to Tifa.
"We have some questioning to do," Cloud said, grinning.
~*~
^_^ What happens to the other party members will be described in the next chapter. A bit Yuffie x Vincent ensues. Thanks for reading, and as always, please tell me what you think!!
reese; She's losing her friends and she's gonna be alone now.
~*~
{ CHAPTER III ~ DREAMS AND WISHES }
Tifa couldn't sleep that night. She lay awake, thinking. Thoughts about her friends ran through her head. There was the depression again, it came to dig at her brain.
'Everything will be alright... I'll rebuild my bar and earn up some money... And then move back to Nibelheim...' With the comforting thoughts, sleep finally came.
~*~
Darkness. It was everywhere. It represented pain, suffering, and evil. A harsh, mysterious silence accompanied it...
No, not silence. A soft laughter rang out. The pure and innocent laugh of a young child. It was familiar, yet unknown. It was a mix of two voices.
Suddenly... The laughter turned into screaming and crying. The painful, bitter crying that would try to reach you, to call out 'Help me...!' So much emotion was expressed in the sound. Pain, hatred, fear...
Abruptly, everything went mute. The darkness and silence went hand-in-hand, accompanying each other, completing the heavy feeling.
And again, the silence disappeared. It was replaced with a swift noise, something flying through the air. Laughter followed. Harsh, evil laughter... Taunting, offering a challenge...
'Tifa...'
'Tifa, beware... Beware of the arrow...'
~*~
Tifa's eyes opened and she quickly sat up. She was dreaming. Tifa looked around the room. Yuffie was sleeping soundly in the other bed. Tifa sat back in her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
She remembered her whole dream. A child laughing, then crying, and then... Was the child killed? By whoever was laughing...? The voices seemed so familiar, but Tifa couldn't figure out whose they were. It was as if she wasn't supposed to know. She glanced over at the clock that hung on the wall across from her. 3:50.
'I still have a few hours to sleep,' Tifa thought. She yawned and closed her eyes.
~*~
Tifa awoke around 9:00 A.M. Yuffie wasn't in the room. Tifa reasoned that she was out on the dock, or having breakfast. She got ready herself and made her way to the dining room. Vincent, Cloud, Barret, and Yuffie were eating at the table. Cait Sith was sitting in the corner, looking through the window.
"Good morning," Tifa greeted. "Where are the others?"
Cait Sith glanced over at her. "Out on the dock. We're almost at Cosmo Canyon."
Tifa thanked Cait and walked out of the room. Once she was on the dock, she saw Cid and the pilots-in-training steering the airship, Shera standing beside them. Red XIII was lying on the ground, his unscarred eye looking down at the fields that the ship passed. Tifa walked over to Shera.
"We passed Nibelheim just an hour ago. We'll be there soon," Shera said, noticing Tifa.
Nibelheim... Tifa ignored it. She ignored the feelings of envy, of confusion, of longing. Tifa stood on the dock for a while, staring down at the ground. Eventually, the other party members came out as well. Some time passed.
"We're here!" Red XIII suddenly said. He sat up and stared at the majestic crimson canyon, set out beneath the airship. Shera motioned for the pilots- in-training to land the airship. Once they did, they all left to take a break for the day.
Red XIII was the first to leave the airship, jumping from the dock, more graceful than a cat. Yuffie followed him in the same manner, but she landed heavily. A slight pain visibly spread through the muscles in her legs. She turned her head and gave a weak grin to her friends above.
No one seemed to notice except Shera, who laughed at Yuffie's attempts and Tifa, who smiled gently. And Vincent, who was staring at the ninja with a worried look on his face... Yuffie raised an eyebrow and her smile disappeared. She and Vincent quickly turned their heads away and their gazes set elsewhere.
Yuffie's heart was pounding heavily. 'What's wrong with me?!' she thought, panicking. It wasn't as if no one had ever looked at her like that. Tifa always had that worried look on her face. Even Barret and Cid cared. What was different this time?
Of course... Vincent NEVER looked at anyone like that. He was always cold and uncaring. He never asked if anyone if they were okay, never even glanced their way when they were hurt.
Yuffie put the feelings aside. She didn't want to think of this now, or ever. Everyone continued to the entrance of the canyon.
"Welcome back, Nanaki!" a man called. He smiled at Red XIII and walked over. "We weren't expecting you so soon. Go visit Bugenhagen." Red XIII smiled in appreciation and the party continued on. They reached Bugenhagen's lab where they found him studying.
"Hello! Welcome! I guess you'll be staying for the day?" Bugenhagen greeted. Red XIII nodded and a short conversation followed. Bugenhagen served the party lunch afterward. Some of the party members didn't even have breakfast, so the lack made lunch more enjoyable.
"You can all go walk around the canyon for now. Meet here tonight," Bugenhagen told them. The party said their thanks and headed outside.
"You all know the canyon pretty well, right?" Red questioned everyone once they were outside the lab.
"Yeah. But we should pair up just in case," Cloud said. Everyone agreed. Cid quickly grabbed Shera.
"...Well..." Yuffie said, speaking for everyone, "What about the rest of us?"
Cloud looked over at Tifa. She was leaning against the wall of the lab, her eyes transparent as if staring into space. 'Should I...?' Cloud thought. He bit his lip and hesitated. Carefully, he touched Tifa's hand. She jumped up and turned his way, managing a smile.
"Wanna go together?" The corners of his mouth lifted, a small smile forming. Those were words she didn't expect to hear.
'Stay calm,' Tifa told herself. She didn't want to act stupid, even though this wasn't a big decision. "Sure."
Cloud and Tifa headed off, as did Cid and Shera. Barret, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie, and Vincent looked at each other helplessly.
"I'm going alone!" Yuffie broke the silence. She grinned and turned to run. Barret pulled her collar, keeping her from moving.
"You'll get lost. Besides, you're not getting out of this so easily." Yuffie sighed at Barret's words. She sat on the ground and scratched at the soft dirt with her nails. Yuffie sat there for a while, focusing on etching shapes in the dirt like a young child.
"...Are you coming, or not?" Vincent asked. He didn't look at her, as if he was talking to the wind. Yuffie looked up, surprised. It was then she realized that Barret, Red XIII, and Cait Sith had already left, probably together. She and Vincent were the only ones left.
What was she supposed to say? 'Sorry, Vinnie, but I'm scared of you cause you never talk to me'? That partly wasn't true.
'Why should I? Go back to your cave and mourn over a dead body'? Yuffie wasn't that cruel.
'Of course, you know we'll always be there for each other. I love you'? Yuffie gritted her teeth and kicked at the dust. Where the hell had that come from? 'I love you.' She kicked the dust again, harder, and this time Vincent looked at her in surprise.
Yuffie realized that Vincent was waiting. She quickly considered a few choices and made a decision. "Yeah."
The two walked off, keeping a safe distance from each other.
~*~
Tifa and Cloud walked through the town-like area, trying to make conversation every few minutes. They both felt akward and knew it. Nothing could help that, though. Tifa stopped at the Materia shop, looking at the displays. Two young men were standing a few feet away from Tifa and Cloud, talking to each other.
"...He found an arrow... It's floating over Gaia..."
"No kidding? Bugenhagen's always making discoveries. He does a lot of research on these things..."
"But he didn't do any research on this. It's hard to miss, I heard that the thing just appeared in his Materia display."
"How big is it?"
"Big enough to destroy Gaia."
"Seriously...? Nah, he's gotta be lying."
Tifa paused, listening to the two men. She missed half of their conversation, not being there earlier. That couldn't be helped now. She glanced over at Cloud with a confused look on her face, and saw that he was also straining to listen. Cloud stood still for a moment, then walked over to the men.
"Excuse me? I heard you talking. Can you tell me more about this arrow?" he said cautiously, clearly trying to appear innocent. Tifa choked back a laugh, seeing that it was impossible for Cloud to look harmless. His Buster Sword graced his back, his glowing mako eyes screamed 'I'm your enemy!'
But the two men didn't seem like they would start a fight. "Everyone in Cosmo Canyon knows about this. You're a traveler, huh?" one of the men asked. Cloud nodded.
"The kid who guards the entrance all the time, he's one of Bugenhagen's best friends. He told us that Bugenhagen found an arrow floating over Gaia," the other man began.
Cloud shook his head. "I heard you talking about that. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"Nope. That's all we know. You can only find out more by asking Bugenhagen," the man said. Cloud thanked the two and walked back over to Tifa.
"We have some questioning to do," Cloud said, grinning.
~*~
^_^ What happens to the other party members will be described in the next chapter. A bit Yuffie x Vincent ensues. Thanks for reading, and as always, please tell me what you think!!