Writer's Note: I don't own the rights to Final Fantasy, or any of its
characters. I just got bored one day and started doing this. Even if
Squaresoft wanted to sue, I have nothing to give them. I'm just a writer.
And of fanfiction, so I'm not even doing it for offers of cigarettes and
coffee.
This is my first work of fanfiction. Never really bothered before because I was mostly too lazy. Got bored one day, and decided, "Oh, what the heck?" This is going to be an Aeris resurrection fic, since a lot of people whine about how Aeris died. Chances are the upcoming FF7 sequel, Advent Children (I don't own that, either, but then again, you probably already knew that) will deal with an Aeris revival once and for all, but I feel like writing my own now.
Search For the Promised One
Chapter One
Debris
Stars. How wonderously beautiful these pinpricks of light in a curtain of black can be. So simple, so small, so elegant, with the power to create galaxies and planets and lives, and just as easily smash those lives to pieces.
The words came to Cloud Strife's mind as he lay back, looking up at the sky, disoriented. The former member of Soldier wasn't sure where he was or how he got there, but the view of the sky with all its beautiful stars was... nice. Watching them and wondering about their power kept his mind off the pain in the back of his head, kept him from wondering what that acrid burning smell was. He tried to focus on something else to bring reality back to him, but those stars... They reminded him of someone, but he wasn't quite sure...
Aeris.
The name erupted through his mind like a flashfire, consuming everything, erasing all poetic musings of those shining beacons. The grogginess clung to him, and Cloud swore inwardly. Head injury, more than likely a concussion. That burning smell wasn't good either, and now that he was more focused, he could hear the distant sound of sparking wires and... a groaning? Not quite human, but it sounded familiar.
Standing was a struggle, almost as mighty a battle as the one he had fought against Sephiroth. Another name, this one filling Cloud with a sudden fear, a burning hatred. This name had meaning. Images of a man in a black cape with silver hair flared before his eyes, followed by ones of a girl, barely a woman, in a pink dress, praying. The black and silver figure streaked down from above, a sword, no, the sword, Masamune, in his hands. Falling, falling, down towards the girl, Aeris, until...
A small cry came from Cloud's lips. The memory washed over him, his failure to move, to resist Sephiroth.
"I'm so weak..." The words, often repeated, came out so easily.
The groan sounded again. Cloud gave a start, and looked over his surroundings.
Scrap metal and exposed wires were all around him, fires raged in the distance. All about him was the wreckage of... the Highwind.
A final burst of memories ripped through the ex-Soldier's mind, tearing away at the back of his eyes, giving him the final push he needed.
Tifa sitting with him beneath the Highwind, their night together in each other's arms before the final battle in the Northern Crater.
Vincent, changed into the demonic form of Chaos, grappling with the angelic Sephiroth, giving Avalanche the chance they needed to end the threat to the planet.
Barret, sitting on a rock platform, heaving a sigh of relief that they had all made it through that final fight.
Yuffie, her victorious smile fading as the resulting explosion of Meteor sent hurtling rocks in the Highwind's direction.
Cid, cigarette in mouth, issuing orders laced with swear words to his crew, screaming for them to abandon ship.
Red XIII running alongside him, racing to the engine room in one last desperate attempt to steer the crashing Highwind away from Kalm.
Cait Sith hurriedly pulling wires from his stuffed body and connecting them to the ship's engine, shouting with glee that he had done it, followed by a brilliant arc of blue electricity.
And then a brilliant flash of green light, a vision of something that couldn't be, but one Cloud had seen twice before, once in the Northern Crater, and the other just as the Lifestream was disintegrating Meteor. Aeris' smiling face, her hand outstretched, trying to reach him, trying to tell him something...
"Cloud?"
The voice made the ex-Soldier jump, and he spotted the location of the sound. A shifting pile of debris revealed a red paw, followed by a now uncovered snout.
Cloud scrambled up, and immediately regretted it. Black spots swam in his vision, threatening to trip him, make him fall.
"I'm here," he managed to say.
Stumbling towards the rubble, he picked up and hurled the steel debris away with his Mako-enhanced strength. Underneath was Red XIII, blood flowing from a few minor cuts about his body.
"Are you all right?" Cloud asked.
"I've been through worse under Hojo's knife," the feline warrior replied. "Is Cait Sith still operational?"
Cloud cast another look about the destroyed engine room, and spotted the remains of the Cait Sith robot. Wires hung from his gutted chest, fused to his body, the floor, the wall, and the engine that he had been connected to. No sign of life came from the Mog doll or its cat counterpart.
"No. But knowing Reeve, there'll be a third Cait Sith to bother us shortly."
Red XIII nodded, then stood and stretched. "What about Cid?"
Cloud's eyes widened as he remembered that the old pilot had to stay on the bridge while everyone else abandoned ship in order to steer the crashing Highwind away from the town of Kalm.
"He's still on the bridge. Come on!"
Without even waiting for Red XIII to comply, Cloud dashed through what was left of the ruined corridors of the once great airship. Dodging hissing wires and flames alike, Cloud spotted Ultima Weapon as he ran, discarded during the race to the engine room, now half buried under the debris of a fallen corridor ceiling.
Several times Cloud had to double back, looking for different ways to get to the bridge. After nearly an hour of searching, Red XIII found him, sniffing about.
"I've found him," the feline warrior said. "I can't get to him, though. The automatic doors aren't working, and I'm not fortunate enough to have been blessed with opposable thumbs to get in. You should have waited for me. I found him in little time."
Feeling a little sheepish at his haste, Cloud nodded, then followed his companion through the maze of shattered steel. At one point the two had to walk outside of the ship through a hole in one of the walls, and then inside again, weaving around obstacles and hazards.
When they made it to the doors leading to the bridge, Cloud asked, "Is he still in there?"
Red XIII nodded. "I can smell him, and he's faintly moaning. I believe he's in pain."
"Do you have any Materia?"
"None of any use. I left most of mine with Yuffie before we went to the engine room. All I have left is a basic Cure materia and Ultima, which would destroy the entire bridge if we try to use it to get in."
Cloud swore. "I'm going to need something to wedge the doors open."
"There are plenty of pieces of scrap metal to help in that endeavor."
Nodding, Cloud looked around for a usable one that would be both thin and strong enough to be able to be wedged in between the metal double doors and be able to force them to open. After a quick examination, he found one piece, but was sharp on the both ends that he would be able to hold it from.
"You can't use that."
"No time to look around for something better. If Cid hasn't found his way out of there by now, he's probably badly injured, maybe even dying."
Before Red XIII could protest any further, Cloud gripped the piece of metal firmly and forced it between the doors. Hot pain sliced along his palms as the shard cut right through his gloves and into his hands. Somehow, he managed to keep from screaming, just thinking of Cid, his friend, and how he could be dying. The doors popped open, and Cloud dropped the piece of scrap metal. Forcing his fingers between the two doors, he pushed the entranceway open, blood pouring along the doors.
Some smoke came out from the doors, and Cloud coughed, then shielded his mouth with one bloody hand. He cast his eyes about the room, looking for Cid. When his eyes fell on his friend, he gasped.
"Oh no..."
Author:
Alright, that's it for now. Chapter Two, Survivors, will be around... when I feel like writing it.
And before anyone says it, I really believe that Red XIII is feline. A big, cuddly cat that just happens to bay at the moon sometimes.
This is my first work of fanfiction. Never really bothered before because I was mostly too lazy. Got bored one day, and decided, "Oh, what the heck?" This is going to be an Aeris resurrection fic, since a lot of people whine about how Aeris died. Chances are the upcoming FF7 sequel, Advent Children (I don't own that, either, but then again, you probably already knew that) will deal with an Aeris revival once and for all, but I feel like writing my own now.
Search For the Promised One
Chapter One
Debris
Stars. How wonderously beautiful these pinpricks of light in a curtain of black can be. So simple, so small, so elegant, with the power to create galaxies and planets and lives, and just as easily smash those lives to pieces.
The words came to Cloud Strife's mind as he lay back, looking up at the sky, disoriented. The former member of Soldier wasn't sure where he was or how he got there, but the view of the sky with all its beautiful stars was... nice. Watching them and wondering about their power kept his mind off the pain in the back of his head, kept him from wondering what that acrid burning smell was. He tried to focus on something else to bring reality back to him, but those stars... They reminded him of someone, but he wasn't quite sure...
Aeris.
The name erupted through his mind like a flashfire, consuming everything, erasing all poetic musings of those shining beacons. The grogginess clung to him, and Cloud swore inwardly. Head injury, more than likely a concussion. That burning smell wasn't good either, and now that he was more focused, he could hear the distant sound of sparking wires and... a groaning? Not quite human, but it sounded familiar.
Standing was a struggle, almost as mighty a battle as the one he had fought against Sephiroth. Another name, this one filling Cloud with a sudden fear, a burning hatred. This name had meaning. Images of a man in a black cape with silver hair flared before his eyes, followed by ones of a girl, barely a woman, in a pink dress, praying. The black and silver figure streaked down from above, a sword, no, the sword, Masamune, in his hands. Falling, falling, down towards the girl, Aeris, until...
A small cry came from Cloud's lips. The memory washed over him, his failure to move, to resist Sephiroth.
"I'm so weak..." The words, often repeated, came out so easily.
The groan sounded again. Cloud gave a start, and looked over his surroundings.
Scrap metal and exposed wires were all around him, fires raged in the distance. All about him was the wreckage of... the Highwind.
A final burst of memories ripped through the ex-Soldier's mind, tearing away at the back of his eyes, giving him the final push he needed.
Tifa sitting with him beneath the Highwind, their night together in each other's arms before the final battle in the Northern Crater.
Vincent, changed into the demonic form of Chaos, grappling with the angelic Sephiroth, giving Avalanche the chance they needed to end the threat to the planet.
Barret, sitting on a rock platform, heaving a sigh of relief that they had all made it through that final fight.
Yuffie, her victorious smile fading as the resulting explosion of Meteor sent hurtling rocks in the Highwind's direction.
Cid, cigarette in mouth, issuing orders laced with swear words to his crew, screaming for them to abandon ship.
Red XIII running alongside him, racing to the engine room in one last desperate attempt to steer the crashing Highwind away from Kalm.
Cait Sith hurriedly pulling wires from his stuffed body and connecting them to the ship's engine, shouting with glee that he had done it, followed by a brilliant arc of blue electricity.
And then a brilliant flash of green light, a vision of something that couldn't be, but one Cloud had seen twice before, once in the Northern Crater, and the other just as the Lifestream was disintegrating Meteor. Aeris' smiling face, her hand outstretched, trying to reach him, trying to tell him something...
"Cloud?"
The voice made the ex-Soldier jump, and he spotted the location of the sound. A shifting pile of debris revealed a red paw, followed by a now uncovered snout.
Cloud scrambled up, and immediately regretted it. Black spots swam in his vision, threatening to trip him, make him fall.
"I'm here," he managed to say.
Stumbling towards the rubble, he picked up and hurled the steel debris away with his Mako-enhanced strength. Underneath was Red XIII, blood flowing from a few minor cuts about his body.
"Are you all right?" Cloud asked.
"I've been through worse under Hojo's knife," the feline warrior replied. "Is Cait Sith still operational?"
Cloud cast another look about the destroyed engine room, and spotted the remains of the Cait Sith robot. Wires hung from his gutted chest, fused to his body, the floor, the wall, and the engine that he had been connected to. No sign of life came from the Mog doll or its cat counterpart.
"No. But knowing Reeve, there'll be a third Cait Sith to bother us shortly."
Red XIII nodded, then stood and stretched. "What about Cid?"
Cloud's eyes widened as he remembered that the old pilot had to stay on the bridge while everyone else abandoned ship in order to steer the crashing Highwind away from the town of Kalm.
"He's still on the bridge. Come on!"
Without even waiting for Red XIII to comply, Cloud dashed through what was left of the ruined corridors of the once great airship. Dodging hissing wires and flames alike, Cloud spotted Ultima Weapon as he ran, discarded during the race to the engine room, now half buried under the debris of a fallen corridor ceiling.
Several times Cloud had to double back, looking for different ways to get to the bridge. After nearly an hour of searching, Red XIII found him, sniffing about.
"I've found him," the feline warrior said. "I can't get to him, though. The automatic doors aren't working, and I'm not fortunate enough to have been blessed with opposable thumbs to get in. You should have waited for me. I found him in little time."
Feeling a little sheepish at his haste, Cloud nodded, then followed his companion through the maze of shattered steel. At one point the two had to walk outside of the ship through a hole in one of the walls, and then inside again, weaving around obstacles and hazards.
When they made it to the doors leading to the bridge, Cloud asked, "Is he still in there?"
Red XIII nodded. "I can smell him, and he's faintly moaning. I believe he's in pain."
"Do you have any Materia?"
"None of any use. I left most of mine with Yuffie before we went to the engine room. All I have left is a basic Cure materia and Ultima, which would destroy the entire bridge if we try to use it to get in."
Cloud swore. "I'm going to need something to wedge the doors open."
"There are plenty of pieces of scrap metal to help in that endeavor."
Nodding, Cloud looked around for a usable one that would be both thin and strong enough to be able to be wedged in between the metal double doors and be able to force them to open. After a quick examination, he found one piece, but was sharp on the both ends that he would be able to hold it from.
"You can't use that."
"No time to look around for something better. If Cid hasn't found his way out of there by now, he's probably badly injured, maybe even dying."
Before Red XIII could protest any further, Cloud gripped the piece of metal firmly and forced it between the doors. Hot pain sliced along his palms as the shard cut right through his gloves and into his hands. Somehow, he managed to keep from screaming, just thinking of Cid, his friend, and how he could be dying. The doors popped open, and Cloud dropped the piece of scrap metal. Forcing his fingers between the two doors, he pushed the entranceway open, blood pouring along the doors.
Some smoke came out from the doors, and Cloud coughed, then shielded his mouth with one bloody hand. He cast his eyes about the room, looking for Cid. When his eyes fell on his friend, he gasped.
"Oh no..."
Author:
Alright, that's it for now. Chapter Two, Survivors, will be around... when I feel like writing it.
And before anyone says it, I really believe that Red XIII is feline. A big, cuddly cat that just happens to bay at the moon sometimes.