"…Is that?"
"Yeah…it is."
"It's huge!"
"It's a reactor."
"…It's creepy."
"It means we're halfway there. There's a place we can sleep not too far away, once we get there, we'll have a bit more to go before we reach North Corel."
Cloud lead the way down the steel path around the large, ominous mako reactor. The full moon cast a gothic light on the hulking giant of a factory, and it sent chills up even Cloud's spine.
"What an…evil looking thing…" Rae said breathily.
"You have no idea." Cloud muttered.
Walking on the train tracks, the three went on in a contemplative silence, the mako reactor gradually disappearing from view as they rounded the bend.
Jenila glanced at Rae, her eyes soft.
Rae had been with her since she could remember she was alive. The woman was an ice elemental, born in the snow from the holy magic of the light mages, their creators. Both of them were created for the sole purpose of war.
Something they both hated to think about.
They had been assigned as partners at a young age, and had trained together under the same teachers.
They were a team. Their peers rarely were able to speak of, or even mention the name of one of them, without mentioning the other.
Jenila and Rae. Rae and Jenila.
That was how it had always been.
They both had a lot in common, but at the same time there were very different. Arguments ranging from mild to serious often broke out between them. Other times, they would side with one another and devise plans, proving that the light mages hadn't been wrong in putting the two together. They nagged each other, protected each other, and supported each other.
Together, they made a whole.
Rae felt the weight of Jenila's gaze and met it, looking confused.
"What?" she asked softly.
Jenila blushed and looked away. "Nothing."
Rae frowned, but said nothing, returning her gaze to the path of tracks ahead. Jenila had been doing that a lot recently, and Rae was at ends as to what was wrong. She would get this look on her face…very serious looking, which wasn't like her companion at all. The thought of her expression made Rae's stomach flutter.
Heat rose to her face and she crossed her arms in discomfort.
Glowering, she tried to focus on not tripping over her own feet.
Cloud glanced back at the two women with a raised eyebrow.
Both of them were blushing, seeming determined not to look at the other. He got the feeling there was something he had missed, and at the thought of being left out, he grew irritated.
Cloud had never liked being left out of anything…that is, unless he actually didn't want to join in whatever was going on.
Trying to seem aloof, he asked stiffly, "So are you guys the only ones?"
Rae and Jenila jumped up with a start, looking guilty.
Cloud soured at this. "Well? Are you?"
Rae was the first to recover.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Are you the only ones of your kind here?"
Jenila shook her head. "No. There are some others. We were assigned different missions."
Cloud frowned, "Wouldn't your race be flooding our planet by now? I thought this was a 'serious' problem."
"We're fighting wars in other realms against millions of more demon spawn. We just found out about their entry onto this planet recently."
"So is more of you on the way?"
"Well, since we don't know how much they've done or even how long they've been here, we can't call for troops until everything is confirmed. If we can manage it, we'll try and destroy the demons with as little additional help as possible."
Cloud stopped and stared at her.
Jenila explained, "The angel army is only so big, we can't just request millions, or even hundreds, to come to our aid unless we really need it."
The swordsmen scowled at them both. "I thought you said we wouldn't be going through this alone."
"I did say that," Rae answered calmly, "And I meant it. We've already got out own forces here on this planet, and they alone can handle more than what you would consider normal."
Jenila smirked, "Way more."
"So just trust us, Cloud, and relax a bit. We're here to help you, remember?"
Cloud stared at Rae long and hard, his jaw clenched tightly.
Eventually, he sighed, his shoulders slumping a little. "All right…all right…" he turned and continued walking. "This is still hard to believe-"
"I swear if you say that one more friggin' time, I'll kick you in the crotch." Jenila snapped.
--
Poetry and grace flew through the air to the beat of wings in the wind, led gently by the hand of speed. The rays of the sun kissed tenderly the fleeting blur that shot over the rose -painted hills and mountains. At the tip of a jagged peak, the blur stopped momentarily, wings still beating.
A two-inch faerie with pointy ears and large almond shaped eyes, quickly surveyed the area, her emerald green hair blowing into her face, much to the faeries chagrin.
But almost immediately, she zeroed in on something in the distance, her face lighting up in a victorious grin. With the speed of a diving hawk, the faerie took off, leaving a green scar of dust in the sky as she did so.
Rolling with the train tracks winding through the mountains, the she-creature quickly reached a drawbridge. Spotting the small cavern down at the shore of the river, she flew toward it, slowing down rapidly.
Inside the cave, it was dark; the sunlight barely making it passed the entrance. But the faerie could sense the auras within, and was undeterred by its seeming emptiness. She flew in like a humming bird, darting to and fro with glee.
She had found them.
"Up! Up sleepy heads!"
The walls were washed in her emerald glow, some of her light falling on four prone figures.
Rae, Jenila, Cloud, and-
"What in the hell-!?"
The miner, Larry.
The old man sat up from his cot, his eyes bulging as the faerie stopped inches from his face. She gave him a curious look.
"Ugh…what is it?"
Jenila sat up groggily, her eyes squinted in sleep. She saw the faerie, however, and her sleep promptly left her. "Aw geez…" she muttered.
Rae sat up next to her, groaning. She rubbed at her eyes before glaring up at the faerie.
"Yes?" she snapped.
The faerie cleared her throat importantly, placing a hand daintily on her chest. "My name is Noku Elsa of the Alterra tribe, and I bring an important message from Ulysses."
Cloud propped himself up on his elbows, looking drowsy.
"What's going on?" he mumbled.
"That's what I'd like to know!" the old miner cried angrily.
Cloud gaped at the faerie. "Is that-"
Rae cut him off, "What does Ulysses want? What message could he have for us?"
"Yeah, what does he want?" Jenila grumbled irritably.
Noku grinned, "Ulysses wanted me to inform you of a new development involving your mission."
When the girl didn't continue, Rae grew impatient. "Yes? What did he wish to inform us of?"
The faerie giggled and twirled, unable to contain herself. Jenila grimaced, lying back down with a flop. "I get the feeling I'm really not gonna like this…"
The faerie grinned ecstatically, "He wanted me to tell you of your new partner…" she struck a pose. "Me!"
Jenila blinked rapidly. Then, she slowly covered her face with a pillow. "If some could just do me the favor of suffocating me to death…"
--
The darkness cloaked her in cold despondent warmth, giving her comfort and security in the face of her fears.
The werewolves. They were coming back into the cabin.
Hidden beneath her bed, Yuffie was huddled in a shivering mass of fur, her eyes wide as she watched five pairs of bare feet trudge past her door. The sixth pair stopped in front of it.
Beatrix.
"…Yuffie?" the girl called unsurely.
The cat girl didn't move. She began to tremble even harder.
"Yuffie…I know you're here…I can smell you."
Yuffie still didn't move. She closed her eyes and willed Beatrix to leave.
"…You transformed didn't you? Last night?" Beatrix padded closer to the bed.
Yuffie's hackles raised and without thinking, she hissed.
The girl stopped in her tracks. All that could be heard was the others up stairs as they all shuffled to bed. Beatrix took a step back. "I…"
Yuffie could hear the hurt in her voice, and the coarse, dark blanket that had veiled her mind slipped back some, enough for her to feel guilt…
…But she still didn't move.
"…You…you know we won't hurt you, Yuffie." The girl stood there awkwardly for a moment longer before turning and hurrying out the door.
After she was sure she had gone for good, Yuffie curled into a more secure ball and closed her eyes, willing the sweet numbness of sleep to come take her.
--
White sheets moved restlessly as Tifa woke, the light outside filling her hotel room. Her long brown hair was tousled and knotted. She had fallen asleep in the same clothes from yesterday, and they were wrinkled and twisted. Rubbing at her eyes, she glanced at the other side of the bed, half expecting Cloud to be there.
Sadness stabbed at her heart when she realized just what she was doing.
But before she could launch into a long spiel of depressing thoughts, the sheets moved, and a split second later the cat poked it's head out, looking drowsy. Tifa smiled halfheartedly at it, petting its head.
"Good morning. Have a nice sleep?"
The cat yawned in response.
Tifa's smile widened. "Want some breakfast?" she turned her hand, palm facing up at the ceiling. The cat placed its paw in her hand, and tail rose in interest, meowed.
Tifa nodded, grasping the cat's paw gently. "Right. Let me get ready and we'll go eat."
--
After sneaking out of the hotel with the cat hidden in her jacket (because she was certain they didn't allow animals), Tifa bought a bagel and mocha latte for herself, and a fruit tart for the cat. They were now in a park, sitting on a bench. Tifa had finished eating her bagel and was thinking silently to herself.
She watched the children playing in the playground with an unreadable expression on her face. The cat swallowed the last of it's fruit tart, sniffing the tray in hopes of finding more. When it was disappointed, it looked up at the fighter.
The wind was blowing slightly, the air bitingly cold. The skies were gray and noticeably void of any birds or aircraft. There was only the occasional hum of automobiles and the laughter of the children to fill the silence.
A tear slipped out of Tifa's eye and she wiped at it hastily.
The cat pushed at her hand with its head, purring. Tifa looked down at it in confusion.
"Don't cry." The cat seemed to say, "Look, I'm being cute!"
The cat climbed onto Tifa's lap, rolling over onto it's back, looking particularly goofy. (it was a bit big to just lie in her lap like that) Giving her a content look, it meowed.
Tifa laughed and rubbed its belly, sniffing back the rest of her tears. Her nose a light shade of pink, the woman sighed, cocking her head to one side. "You're an odd one, y'know that, right?"
The cat pawed at the zipper on Tifa's jacket, and giggling, the woman set the cat down, standing up from the bench. "Come on, let's take a look around the town again. I need to find a place to stay."
The woman turned and began walking. The cat hesitated a moment, before dashing after her.
--
"Great Alexander…does she ever shut up?"
"Quiet! She'll hear you! …You do know the real reason she's here, right?"
"Because Ulysses couldn't stand her?"
"No…well, maybe. But think about it! What's our mission?"
"To get the help of Avalanche."
"This is a really delicate task, and the bastard's just waiting for us to mess it up!"
"What a plucker! Why would he do such a thing."
"He's threatened. He knows this mission is top class, and besides, he just doesn't like us."
"He's such an arse…I swear he's got it in for me."
"Well…you did shoot his ass with an arrow."
"That was six years ago! I was just learning and the stupid arrow wasn't straight! It went off to the side! That was NOT my fault! …And what about you? I seem to recall a certain someone slipping Ulysses a poisonous drink in Alchemy…"
"He set a pixie after me, the stupid thing wouldn't leave me alone for a month. Besides, that drink only gave him diarrhea; at least he didn't get bite marks all over his arms and face."
Rae and Jenila were trailing after Cloud, who was being unmercifully pestered by Noku. The faerie darted to and fro, chatting on and on without any signs of stopping. She seemed particularly giddy, now that they were moving again.
Cloud, however, looked ready to snap.
Rae, seeing this, grit her teeth and came to his aid. …Albeit, reluctantly. "Noku, what other missions have you been on up till now?"
The faerie stopped her unrelenting rant, giving the blonde woman a surprised look. Apparently having someone interrupt her was enough to make her shut up…if only for a second.
"This is technically my first. I was originally assigned with a faerie squad to help Ulysses find demon nests. But then he reassigned me to you."
Jenila frowned. "Hey, wait a minute. Does he have the authority to do that?"
"Yeah," Rae sighed wearily, "He does…"
Noku flew towards Rae, and fluttered along with her as she walked. "So how many missions have you been on?"
Rae thought for a moment. "…Twenty-three so far. We started the moment we finished our training."
Noku blinked rapidly, her face shining with awe. "Whoa, you guys are top class!"
"Actually, this is our first high priority mission…"
Jenila cut in quickly, her lip curling up into a smirk. "That doesn't mean the other missions were easy though. Have you ever had to escape a raging cloud of flying reptiles in the middle of a cavernous maze?"
Rae rolled her eyes as Jenila said this.
Noku shook her head, her eyes wide. "Did you?"
"Yep."
"W-what'd you do?"
"Simple. I sprouted my wings and flew the hell out of there. I had to carry Rae in my arms." Rae glanced at her sharply, "She was heavy and kept kicking and screaming. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to navigate through those tunnels and not crash into the rocks."
Rae's face turned a healthy shade of crimson. "I did NOT kick and scream." She snapped hotly.
Cloud glanced at her in amusement. "Considering the look on your face, I'd say you did."
The blonde woman fumed silently.
Noku fluttered in Jenila's face, placing her small hands on the end of her nose. "But did you make it?" she cried, looking anxious.
Jenila waved her away in annoyance. "We're here, aren't we?" she snapped.
Cloud chuckled.
--
Progress, progress, progress.
The city of Corel seemed to chant this word over and over like a mantra, the sounds of construction and work providing the rhythm and beat.
Work. Build. Repair.
The town-gone city was a phoenix, and from its ashes of destruction homes had sprung and jobs had appeared. It had become the most sought out city, not only because of it's advances in residents and employment, but because it had become the leading supplier of energy.
The coalmines were once again in frequent use, and electrical plants had been built to accommodate to the city's drastic rise in population and demand. Oil was being pumped from the ground, adding to the wealth that had accumulated over the two-year span.
And in the center of it all was Barret Wallace.
Being the unofficial leader of this new revolution, Barret worked as hard as anyone else to give back to the town that had done so much for him, and lost so much because of him. He had turned down the position as mayor, responding to the passionate cries of disagreement with no small amount of patience.
"I'm a simple man, and all that politics n' shit goes straight over my head. I'm not cut out to be a leader, but don't get me wrong! I ain't going to sit on my ass and do nothing!"
And he certainly didn't.
With the help of others, Barret helped build parks, health care facilities, various museums, and other things for the community. He was an active participant in activities and projects, and needless to say, many people looked up to him.
One building that he helped establish was especially important to him.
The Aeris Gainsborough School for Boys and Girls, K-12.
The school in general was one large tribute to the only member of Avalanche who had died at the hands of Sephiroth, and even in death helped in his defeat. The flower girl had been loved dearly, and Barret still felt they all owed her so much.
The school was well known for its safe and nurturing environment, and beautiful gardens. It was also well known for the simple fact that Marlene went to school there.
She was already in the fifth grade and she was only eight years old.
Barret couldn't have been prouder. Of this town, of his daughter, of the changes in the world.
He would protect it all with his life. He would never allow the peace to be broken. He had earned it.
They all had.
Sitting on his living room couch, Barret was reading over a piece of paper. He frowned and glanced at Marlene who was sitting at his side.
"Field trip?" he asked gruffly, "To Gold Saucer?"
Marlene nodded eagerly, "Yep. We're going on break in just a week, and Mrs. Hawthorne wants to do something special."
"…But does it hav'ta be Gold Saucer?"
"Daddy! Everyone's going and it's going to be fun! I've never been there and I really want to go!"
Barret sighed, scratching at his full-grown beard. "I'll think about it, Marlene…"
Marlene sighed dejectedly. "All right…"
Barret patted her head with his human hand, smiling lovingly. "Go on upstairs and get dressed. You don't wanna be late for Marcia's party."
The girl added and hopped off the couch, leaving Barret alone in the room. He stood to his feet with a grunt, muttering to himself about 'old age'.
The doorbell rang.
Barret scowled. It was early morning. Who would be bothering him now?
Lumbering toward the door, he peeked into the peephole. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw.
Opening the door, he stared.
"…Cloud?"
----
A/N: "Shirk - To avoid work or duty."
Someone hit me with a brick, I think my skull's too thick.
This is one of those filler chapters. Then again, I feel like all my chapters are filler chapters. Meh. At least finals wasn't so bad. (even though this is only the first day)
Now…about werewolves and the moon…
"As keeper of the night, the moon has been accorded a baneful role in earthly affairs. Wolves howl at it, robbers are guided by its light, vampires and werewolves are reputed to revel in its glow. Virtually every sort of misfortune has been attributed to the moon's influence-alcoholism, suicide, murder, arson, birth defects and mental illness. (The word lunacy comes from the Latin for moon, luna)
Science has been enlisted to aid our understanding of the satellites force. A Duke University professor has asserted that changes in the brain's electrical activity coincide with lunar phases. Other studies connect the moon to increases in strokes and epileptic seizures. The researchers claim that drugs have greater effect, enzymes and hormones are more active, and the body's metabolism increases during the full moon. Using less formal methods, police often note that especially violent crimes often occur during periods of full moon. The nationwide murder rate, for instance, has been alleged to jump 50 percent during a full moon, while in New York City, the incidence of arson has been said to double."
I'd give you some kind of link to where I got this, but FF.net is being a pain, so if you really want it, e-mail me at: DragonFyreG13yahoo.com
There were many ancient stories involving rituals where people would use the light of the moon to turn into werewolves. Also, the moon, as said up above, has been believed to change people, and, as you can see, has an infamous reputation. It's kind of like with vampires and Dracula. This had never really been how the legend started out, but as time went on, the media changed it to fit what they liked. The full moon was apparently something they liked, and thanks to all the new stories and films, that's what the legend has been turned into, because that is what people have come to know. That simple.
Chapter nine is in the works, but with school drawing to a close, I should be able to complete it soon.
As always, thanks for reading. Please make sure to leave a review. I live for those things y'know.