Shattered Realms
Chapter 7: Destination
"What the fuck is that?!" Cid Highwind yelled in anger. Cloud brandished the Ultima Weapon. The chandelier ceased its quivering, and a shadowy figured jumped down to the floor gracefully. The group was surprised to see that it appeared to be a teenage boy. "Who are you? What the hell are you doing in my house?" Cloud demanded, pointing the sword directly at his throat. "Are you a burglar?" The boy seemed to be in panic. He took a few steps back, looking around wildly as if confused. "Where the hell am I? Where's Garnet? Vivi? Who are you guys?" He asked fearfully, his large blue eyes round with fear. "Listen buddy, we're the ones asking the questions. Don't play stupid with me pal!" Cid drew his lance, Venus Gospel, and jabbed it at the boy to show that he meant business.
It was a wrong move. The blonde-haired boy drew a short sword from his side and in a single motion he backflipped onto the chandelier again. It quivered dangerously, the ceiling beginning to crack. Like lightning, the boy was once again airborne and in blur, he had the short sword against Cid's throat. "Watch it, I'm the one asking the questions now. Where the hell is Lindblum? Where am I?" Cloud stared at him bewildered, as he noticed a monkey-like tail protruding from his rear. He was amazed at the boy's speed. Cid however, was in outrage. "You stupid little shit! I'll teach you to fuck with me!" He swung the Venus Gospel in a horizontal slash, in an attempt to take his head off. Yuffie gasped. "He's just a little boy!" Cried Tifa, covering her mouth with her hands, horrified at Cid's behavior.
The boy on the other hand, appeared to be doing just fine on his own; He leapt into the air and landed on the lance. "What the..." Cid mumbled before taking a boot to his face, the sound of the spear clattering muffled by the carpeted floor. Blood gushing from his nose, he staggered backward and collapsed as he hit a bookshelf. Seconds later, he was buried in heavy, hardcover tomes. The young fighter brandished the sword at the rest of the group. "Anyone else wanna party? I got plenty more where that came from. Now answer my question or I'll open a giant can 'o' whoop-ass on ya!"
"We have no idea what Lindblum is..." Tifa said shakily, still eying the form of Cid, rubbing the top of his head and moaning. "Never heard of it in my life." The boy gaped at her. "But... but I..." He spluttered in disbelief. "Your all lying!" He finally yelled and pointed the blade at Cloud. "I was in town with Princess Garnet, and next second I ended up here... How is that possible?! Tell me now!" Cid seemed to have returned to his old self as he stood up shakily, reaching for the Venus Gospel. "You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that. Now let's see what they look like!" The lunged forward at the aggravation. The boy jumped into the air and latched onto the edge of the chandelier with his tail. He began to swing on it until it finally came loose with a mighty groan.
He launched himself off and landed on the floor in a series of flips. A second later, ruble began to hit the floor, and the entire chandelier came crashing down, right on top of Cid. "I'll get that motherfucker, just wait till I get up..." In a blur, the teenager was soaring through the air, blade in hand. His knuckles connected with Cloud's head who was blocking the only exit. Stars exploded painfully in front of his eyes as the boy dashed out of the doorway. Soon, he was sprinting full out, expecting to find himself amidst a busy village full of people, but to his horror, he found himself standing in the middle of the plains. He skidded to a halt, and looked about him.
Frozen with fear and skepticism, he stood there like a statue for a few moments, letting the awful truth sink in. He was nowhere near home. The boy searched the horizon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magnificent palace of Lindblum. He was only half surprised when he realized that it was nowhere in sight. "Hey, kid! I ain't done with you just yet!" Cid was yelling as he ran out of the house toward him, using his lance as a cane to help his limping. The rest of the group weren't far behind. The enemy didn't seem very impressed. "You guys never learn, do you? Tell me, what did you do to me! I want to go home!" Before either of them had any time to answer, a dark blur streaked through the sky right toward them.
Even the young adolescent was distracted enough to peer at the sky. At first he could have sworn it was a comet, but as the object grew closer, its identity became clear; The bat-like monster, Chaos, landed before Cloud and the others and Serge slid off his back. "Woohoo! That was awesome! We have gotta do that again some time!" As Serge spoke, Chaos began to dissolve and was soon replaced by a caped man. "Vincent!" Tifa cried in relief. "Long time-no-see..." Cloud said, nodding his head in approval. Cid merely grunted. Vincent turned to the baffled boy who began to back away. Now that the group's attention was draw to him, he began to feel even more uneasy and he brandished his sword at the newcomer.
"Who's the kid?" Vincent asked halfheartedly. He didn't seem very interested in an answer, he merely wanted to begin a conversation. After all, he had been isolated from humanity for an entire year. He was not very fond of company, and refused to the share the burden of his misfortunate past with another soul. Cid growled in anger. "That little piece of shit broke into the house and look what he did to me!" Vincent took in the bruises covering his body, the bloody nose, and the badly mangled leg. Cid was furious to see a smirk playing around Vincent's face. "He did all that? Impressive. I've picked up a squealer of my own..." He signaled to Serge. Serge smiled at them and waved awkwardly. The other boy pointed at Vincent. "What are you supposed to be? A vampire?" A second later, Vincent had a revolver pointed at his forehead. "What are you supposed to be? A monkey?"
Yuffie giggled but the boy shook with anger. "I just want to go home! What did you do to me? One second I was at the palace and the next I was here. It was as if I was pulled into some kind of vortex! Take me back!" Serge gasped. "What did you just say?"
Over the next couple of minutes, the two stories were retold, and it appeared that the boy, as well as Serge, had been sucked right out of his world. Once it was plain that Cloud and the others were not responsible for the strange occurrence, the boy's attitude changed completely. "I uhhhh, guess we kinda got off to a bad start. Oh yeah... sorry about your leg..." He began to laugh as Cid launched into a flurry of swear words. "I'm Zidane by the way."
"Cloud's the name."
"Tifa. You're kinda cute..."
"Yuffie!"
"Cid. Humph. Don't cross me again, kid."
"Vincent."
"Serge. Nice to meet you..."
As the introductions came to a close, an odd quietness ringed in everyone's ears; The day's strange events were sinking in. "So.... I guess we should find a way to get you two back to your worlds, huh?" Cloud broke the silence. The group nodded. "Well then I suppose our best bet would be to go to the Chocobo Sage. Maybe he's got some idea of how you guys really ended up here, and more importantly how you're to return." Tifa stared at him in admiration. She knew he must feel good. He was the undisputed leader again. That was definitely his strong point. No one seemed to have any objections or better ideas, so the party decided to head out. "The sooner the better..." Zidane added.
Yuffie looked up at the sky. "Aaawwww, come on, can't we catch some sleep? It's getting late." Cloud was amazed when he noticed that dark was already settling over. It seemed like just a few minutes ago that he had received news of the anniversary... And it seemed like only a minute had gone buy since he had that awful dream.... The images stood out vividly in his mind. The strange thing was that all this was making him feel like in the old days. Days of battle and adventure. Except no Sephiroth... He thought. And no Aeris... Before he felt a sting of tears, Tifa reached for his hand. He looked at her, and saw a look of comic misfortune on her face. "I guess we won't be going to Kalm for dinner... Some reunion this is..."
"What the fuck is that?!" Cid Highwind yelled in anger. Cloud brandished the Ultima Weapon. The chandelier ceased its quivering, and a shadowy figured jumped down to the floor gracefully. The group was surprised to see that it appeared to be a teenage boy. "Who are you? What the hell are you doing in my house?" Cloud demanded, pointing the sword directly at his throat. "Are you a burglar?" The boy seemed to be in panic. He took a few steps back, looking around wildly as if confused. "Where the hell am I? Where's Garnet? Vivi? Who are you guys?" He asked fearfully, his large blue eyes round with fear. "Listen buddy, we're the ones asking the questions. Don't play stupid with me pal!" Cid drew his lance, Venus Gospel, and jabbed it at the boy to show that he meant business.
It was a wrong move. The blonde-haired boy drew a short sword from his side and in a single motion he backflipped onto the chandelier again. It quivered dangerously, the ceiling beginning to crack. Like lightning, the boy was once again airborne and in blur, he had the short sword against Cid's throat. "Watch it, I'm the one asking the questions now. Where the hell is Lindblum? Where am I?" Cloud stared at him bewildered, as he noticed a monkey-like tail protruding from his rear. He was amazed at the boy's speed. Cid however, was in outrage. "You stupid little shit! I'll teach you to fuck with me!" He swung the Venus Gospel in a horizontal slash, in an attempt to take his head off. Yuffie gasped. "He's just a little boy!" Cried Tifa, covering her mouth with her hands, horrified at Cid's behavior.
The boy on the other hand, appeared to be doing just fine on his own; He leapt into the air and landed on the lance. "What the..." Cid mumbled before taking a boot to his face, the sound of the spear clattering muffled by the carpeted floor. Blood gushing from his nose, he staggered backward and collapsed as he hit a bookshelf. Seconds later, he was buried in heavy, hardcover tomes. The young fighter brandished the sword at the rest of the group. "Anyone else wanna party? I got plenty more where that came from. Now answer my question or I'll open a giant can 'o' whoop-ass on ya!"
"We have no idea what Lindblum is..." Tifa said shakily, still eying the form of Cid, rubbing the top of his head and moaning. "Never heard of it in my life." The boy gaped at her. "But... but I..." He spluttered in disbelief. "Your all lying!" He finally yelled and pointed the blade at Cloud. "I was in town with Princess Garnet, and next second I ended up here... How is that possible?! Tell me now!" Cid seemed to have returned to his old self as he stood up shakily, reaching for the Venus Gospel. "You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that. Now let's see what they look like!" The lunged forward at the aggravation. The boy jumped into the air and latched onto the edge of the chandelier with his tail. He began to swing on it until it finally came loose with a mighty groan.
He launched himself off and landed on the floor in a series of flips. A second later, ruble began to hit the floor, and the entire chandelier came crashing down, right on top of Cid. "I'll get that motherfucker, just wait till I get up..." In a blur, the teenager was soaring through the air, blade in hand. His knuckles connected with Cloud's head who was blocking the only exit. Stars exploded painfully in front of his eyes as the boy dashed out of the doorway. Soon, he was sprinting full out, expecting to find himself amidst a busy village full of people, but to his horror, he found himself standing in the middle of the plains. He skidded to a halt, and looked about him.
Frozen with fear and skepticism, he stood there like a statue for a few moments, letting the awful truth sink in. He was nowhere near home. The boy searched the horizon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magnificent palace of Lindblum. He was only half surprised when he realized that it was nowhere in sight. "Hey, kid! I ain't done with you just yet!" Cid was yelling as he ran out of the house toward him, using his lance as a cane to help his limping. The rest of the group weren't far behind. The enemy didn't seem very impressed. "You guys never learn, do you? Tell me, what did you do to me! I want to go home!" Before either of them had any time to answer, a dark blur streaked through the sky right toward them.
Even the young adolescent was distracted enough to peer at the sky. At first he could have sworn it was a comet, but as the object grew closer, its identity became clear; The bat-like monster, Chaos, landed before Cloud and the others and Serge slid off his back. "Woohoo! That was awesome! We have gotta do that again some time!" As Serge spoke, Chaos began to dissolve and was soon replaced by a caped man. "Vincent!" Tifa cried in relief. "Long time-no-see..." Cloud said, nodding his head in approval. Cid merely grunted. Vincent turned to the baffled boy who began to back away. Now that the group's attention was draw to him, he began to feel even more uneasy and he brandished his sword at the newcomer.
"Who's the kid?" Vincent asked halfheartedly. He didn't seem very interested in an answer, he merely wanted to begin a conversation. After all, he had been isolated from humanity for an entire year. He was not very fond of company, and refused to the share the burden of his misfortunate past with another soul. Cid growled in anger. "That little piece of shit broke into the house and look what he did to me!" Vincent took in the bruises covering his body, the bloody nose, and the badly mangled leg. Cid was furious to see a smirk playing around Vincent's face. "He did all that? Impressive. I've picked up a squealer of my own..." He signaled to Serge. Serge smiled at them and waved awkwardly. The other boy pointed at Vincent. "What are you supposed to be? A vampire?" A second later, Vincent had a revolver pointed at his forehead. "What are you supposed to be? A monkey?"
Yuffie giggled but the boy shook with anger. "I just want to go home! What did you do to me? One second I was at the palace and the next I was here. It was as if I was pulled into some kind of vortex! Take me back!" Serge gasped. "What did you just say?"
Over the next couple of minutes, the two stories were retold, and it appeared that the boy, as well as Serge, had been sucked right out of his world. Once it was plain that Cloud and the others were not responsible for the strange occurrence, the boy's attitude changed completely. "I uhhhh, guess we kinda got off to a bad start. Oh yeah... sorry about your leg..." He began to laugh as Cid launched into a flurry of swear words. "I'm Zidane by the way."
"Cloud's the name."
"Tifa. You're kinda cute..."
"Yuffie!"
"Cid. Humph. Don't cross me again, kid."
"Vincent."
"Serge. Nice to meet you..."
As the introductions came to a close, an odd quietness ringed in everyone's ears; The day's strange events were sinking in. "So.... I guess we should find a way to get you two back to your worlds, huh?" Cloud broke the silence. The group nodded. "Well then I suppose our best bet would be to go to the Chocobo Sage. Maybe he's got some idea of how you guys really ended up here, and more importantly how you're to return." Tifa stared at him in admiration. She knew he must feel good. He was the undisputed leader again. That was definitely his strong point. No one seemed to have any objections or better ideas, so the party decided to head out. "The sooner the better..." Zidane added.
Yuffie looked up at the sky. "Aaawwww, come on, can't we catch some sleep? It's getting late." Cloud was amazed when he noticed that dark was already settling over. It seemed like just a few minutes ago that he had received news of the anniversary... And it seemed like only a minute had gone buy since he had that awful dream.... The images stood out vividly in his mind. The strange thing was that all this was making him feel like in the old days. Days of battle and adventure. Except no Sephiroth... He thought. And no Aeris... Before he felt a sting of tears, Tifa reached for his hand. He looked at her, and saw a look of comic misfortune on her face. "I guess we won't be going to Kalm for dinner... Some reunion this is..."