Chapter - 2: Revelations
Cloud tried to lean up, but the pain from the Geostigma in his arm and the bike crash mingled and made him wince, he silently cursed himself for falling into this trap. Kadaj slowly approached him and drew his blade menacingly; the children straightened their formation as he walked closer to the prone Cloud. The children's eyes were blank and cat like; they stood there unmoving and stared at the scene unfolding.
"So you did come, I was beginning to think you would miss the Reunion" Kadaj smirked as he taunted Cloud.
Cloud then noticed his sword had dug into the dirt close to a tree nearby. "I am here for them." he said, his voice full of mock determination. All he needed was the sword, he moved his elbow up a little and tried to pull himself along, but even that hurt to bad.
Kadaj tilted his head sideways and continued to look at him for a moment, then turned around and addressed the children. "This traitor lying in front of us was once our brother!" he ranted, "but he cannot see what we see, he has given up the path," he took a few steps closer, bringing him within sword reach of Cloud, "and turncoats must be punished!"
Cloud looked back to him as he lowered his weapon to his neck. He knew then that it was over, that he would soon see Aeris again. He locked eyes with Kadaj and showed no fear, accepting his fate. A bullet flew from the treetops and collided with the katana, wrenching it from his hand as he stumbled backwards in shock.
"What?" he screamed as a dark shape leapt from the trees to where Cloud was laying and grabbed him. The shadowy figure then swept across the circle, to the tree, and began to leap over it. As he passed by, Cloud grasped onto his sword that was buried at the base of the tree and pulled it free. Kadaj ran to recover his blade, but by the time he looked next they were both gone, into the night…
After covering enough distance to be satisfied, Vincent stopped in a clearing by a small pond, and let Cloud drop, rather uncaringly, to the ground.
"Thanks." he said as leaned up a little to survey his surroundings. Vincent stayed silent and straightened his posture. "No, really, you saved my ass back there." Cloud pushed, trying to provoke a response from the extremely reserved red-cloaked man, he was greeted by a nod in return as Vincent turned to look out over the water.
They sat for a moment in silence and then Vincent spoke in his abnormally deep voice. "Your arm, was it injured in the crash?"
"No, it's not that," Cloud stated cryptically, he hadn't noticed he had been holding it. Vincent turned to him and kneeled down next to his arm, and examined it. "So what causes," he lingered. "…it?"
"Geostigma is when your body has worked itself beyond its limits to remove the evil that has invaded It." he explained as he stood and began to pace away from Cloud.
"Jenova…" he muttered as he looked to the ground and ran a hand through his spiky yellow hair.
"There is something, much like the planets own life stream that lives inside of all of us, that combats the wickedness that has threatened to consume us," Vincent continued as he reached the tree and turned back to face Cloud again. "As long as it, The Calamity from the Skies, still remains, more of those just like Sephiroth will be made."
Another long moment of silence passed as Cloud got to his feet. Just then they both heard a rustling in the nearby bushes, Cloud turned and reached for his sword, as Vincent drew his gun and readied it, Marlene emerged from the foliage. Cloud halted and Vincent returned his gun to its holster.
"Marlene!" Cloud breathed heavily.
"Cloud!" she sniffed, nearly to tears, "Denzel is, and Tifa is…" she let her legs collapse out from under her as she plopped to the grass sobbing quietly.
Cloud tried to clear his thoughts, he was relieved that Marlene was all right, but he needed to confront Kadaj and his gang again to learn the truth. "Vincent, let Marlene stay here with you, I need to go back and deal with those three again."
"I don't think that will be acceptable." he stated flatly as he saw Marlene's face turn red with anger.
"Cloud, why don't you ever care about all of us, you never ask how anyone else is doing!" she yelled, more upset about him hiding his condition from them then about this current event, she turned and ran into Vincent, clutching his mantle.
Cloud blinked twice, taken aback by her words. "Marlene…" he mumbled as he kneeled down to reach what would be her eye level. "Those men back there are trying to return things to as they were before, a battle will come that could threaten everyone on the planet." he rationalized, "You understand, right?"
"No, I don't understand!" she cried, he voice quivering. Vincent tilted his head down to look at her and blinked once, a great show of emotion from him.
Cloud sighed deeply; he never wanted to hurt her feelings. "Please try to…" he mumbled under his breath. And then a memory surfaced.
"I would really like to get to know the "real" Cloud, maybe someday…" the voice of Aeris reverberated off the walls of his subconscious.
"The real Cloud?" his own thoughts echoed back.
Marlene had turned to peek at Cloud, his head was lowered to the grass and his appearance seemed different for a moment before he looked up and her again and met eyes.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Marlene." he softly stated. "Sometimes I get too caught up in my own world, and I block everyone else out."
Marlene watched him in silence for a little longer and then let go of Vincent's garb, slowly lowering her hands to her sides. "Vincent, do you believe in forgiving someone?" he questioned, as he rose to his feet again.
"I wouldn't know I have never had that experience." he said honestly.
Cloud grinned and stretched a hand out for Marlene, she quickly ran over and grabbed onto it. "Let's go home…" he whispered down to Marlene, and then looked back to Vincent, he nodded to Cloud and Cloud returned the favor before walking off into the distance.
Vincent stood there unmoving, and from behind him, a figure walked out of the dense forest.
"Looks like we got work ahead of us." he muttered, it was a younger boy, about the same age as Kadaj with brown hair of about the same length, carrying a very large singled bladed axe made of shining mythril over his shoulder, and wearing a stark white cloak that billowed around him and glinted with white-green light, inlaid inside the clasp was a small white orb.
"I never blamed him for my death, it had to be done and there was nothing he could have changed." a familiar female voice stated. Vincent nodded.
