Lora Helen…you want me to hold him down for u? lol
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Cloud looked at Barret like a child, his eyes wide, "Then what happened? You can't leave it like that!"
Tifa smiled in spite of herself. No matter how old or what happened to Cloud, he would always be a little slow at things. Acting like a child when at the Gold Saucer or how he went totally hyper when he laid eyes on the rocket for the first time. It was part of his charm though. Hojo could never make something like that.
"What do you think?! Course the damn Turk saved him!" Barret shook his head, "Ya don't think that he would let him fall to his bloody death do ya?"
Cloud shrugged, a playful yet cocky smile on his angular features, "I wasn't there. I don't know. Reality wasn't and still isn't playing with a full deck of cards."
Barret shot the blonde a confused look, "Anyhow, as I was saying…"
This time, instead of being interrupted by Cloud, he was stopped by Tifa. The brunette sat beside Cloud on the rock, a look of slight concentration on her face.
"How do you know this?" she crossed her arms, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
Barret darkened, "None o' dat matters!"
He glared at both of them, he softened as Tifa looked startled at the sudden outburst.
"Well…I was kinda curious as to what they two talked 'bout. Sides, I was nearby when I heard Cid scream bloody murder at the Turk," a slow blush creeping up on from behind his neck.
Cloud's laugh echoed in the cavern, "You eavesdropped! Aww man!"
Barret rubbed his face with his good hand, feeling the grit and dirt on his face. Feeling his face burn with embarrassment.
His mind went to Marlene when he saw Cloud laughing like a child, was she safe? Of course she was, last night Cid had dropped him off at Kalm to see her. He had never been so happy to see her or the chance to forget about the world for just a night.
Thanks to Aeris, Marlene and Elmyra had fled the sector five slums and had headed to Kalm. For that, he would be forever grateful but because of the mysterious young woman, Marlene might not have a father by the end of the night.
Come sunrise, the group might never see loved ones again. It made the task even harder to achieve, knowing the cost if they failed was great.
"Yo, Spike," Barret smiled when an annoyed look flashed across the blonde's face, "You think we can do this? Save the planet from that loon?"
Cloud turned serious, his blue Mako eyes hardening in the darkness. He gripped his weapon tighter, his knuckles threatened to crack under the pressure. Losing the child like innocence he had laughing.
"We have to. For Marlene's sake. For Tifa's sake…for everyone that we're fighting for," Cloud smiled, "If not…well, no one can blame us for trying."
"Don't answer my question," Barret sat on the cold ground, "Well?"
"If I knew the future, I'd be called Cait Sith," Cloud stated, knowing full well that he could and would never be able to answer with the right answer.
How could he give him a resounding yes when he really didn't know? The best he could offer was a "Yeah…yeah I think so…".
Not the words of a confident leader, not the words of a leader full stop. He'd been relying on the others to agree with him or come up with better plans. He had freaked out and had left the others to take care of things in his absence.
He would never have the strength of Vincent or the pure arrogance of Cid. Never have the optimism of Tifa or the devotion Barret had. Wisdom of Nanaki or Red XIII would elude him. The knowledge of Cait Sith or Reeve. He'd never have Yuffie's…enthusiasm.
Tifa nudged him gently, "You okay?"
"Yeah…just thinking. Think she knew this would happen? Think that's why she wanted us being friends and not just allies?" Cloud whispered, he searched his friend's face looking for the answer.
"We're all in this together…," she offered slowly, "Not one of us could of got here without the others."
Cloud took a deep breath, "When I signed up with you guys, I didn't think that I'd be literally saving the planet. I just thought it would be a case of dropping some leaflets and stuff. Rallies and protests, not bombs."
Barret's shoulder's sagged, it wasn't his plan either but things had started going wrong from the start. Biggs had suggested the bombs, saying that it would be the only way to get people to actually notice the small rebel group and pay attention to them.
Wedge had just wanted to be seen as a hero in other people's eyes and not just some flunkie. Jessie…she had been in it for the technical side. She had been a whiz with machines and computers.
All three had fallen, dying to save their homes from the Shin-Ra. They had died and now, if Barret didn't stop Sephiroth from joining with the planet. They'd be joining and helping the half breed alien in his plan.
"Barret?" Cloud asked.
"What?"
"Then what happened?"
"Huh? Then what happened to what?"
"Cid and Vincent?"
The large rebel looked blank for a moment before realising that he had left the two with a cliff hanger. He shifted his weight, making himself a bit more comfy before continuing.
"He saved him, just when the blonde was about to go over, he shot his hands out and hauled him in."
"That it?" Cloud frowned, unable to believe that that was the end of the story.
How could it be? One of the most stable in the group had threatened to leap of a cliff. So, what happened?
"You're saying that Cid and Vincent just acted like nothing happened and returned back to the party?"
"Yep," Barret agreed, he know full well the story but Vincent had requested him not to speak of it ever.
"You're not gonna tell are you?" Cloud pouted like a child when the parent refused to get to the gory part of an enthralling tale.
"Yep, not gonna," Barret crossed his arms and gave him a smug smile.
He shivered as he recalled the 'conversation' he had with the former Turk the night after the party.
"Barret, a word," Vincent had called after him after the Highwind had landed at the sleepy forest village.
The large resistance leader turned round, a little surprised to hear his name being uttered by Vincent. When did the holier-than-thou man decide that talking to him was no longer beneath him?
"What?"
Vincent waited until he was near him before speaking, "Barret, I know you were watching Cid and I back in Corel."
Barret opened his mouth to protest but something told him that Vincent had little time for liars and eavesdroppers.
"Good, at least you know what I am talking about. It goes no further than the three of us. Cloud will not need this resting on his shoulders, it doesn't even concern him," Vincent whispered, not wanting any of the hired help of the Highwind to hear this subject.
Barret nodded, "Goes no further man, swear on my life."
Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Barret, I have little trust for men who swear on their own lives. Sides, the way things are going, it will be a short life."
The one armed man sighed, "It looked serious man. How is he anyhow?"
"……He'll be fine. He just had to much to drink," Vincent stated in the same whisper.
"Good…he's one hell of a guy," Barret stated, "Hate to see him go the same way as Spike…"
Vincent merely nodded. He looked briefly into Barret's dark eyes, catching sight of some form of respect and fear in the dark orbs.
"Breath a word to anyone of this and I swear, Meteor will look like a pebble painted red compared to me," Vincent stated in a calm, conversational tone of voice.
The tone of voice still chilled him to this day, the whole I'll-kill-you-if-you-tell-but-I'll-do-it-in-the-most-coolest-and-sickest-ways and the fact that it was said in the nicest possible ways. The kind you use when asking after one's wife or partner.
"Sworn to secrecy?" Tifa smiled, "Barret, you've never been able to keep a secret."
"Trust me, this one I will keep," he countered.
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I know….I've bumped a big part but…even I was a bit tired of the cid/vin thing. I actually wanted to do a couple of chaps on the other guys. If u really all want the missing part, I suppose I could post it in the next chappie.
Oh yeah…if anyone has played ffx, could you tell me the name of the guy who plays auron? I love his voice…*-*