Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Thirty-Four
Once all the tea was drunk and cups had been cleared, Cloud lay silently on the bed inside the old woman's house, slowly drifting off to sleep once the warmth of the tea had taken effect on him. The house itself was quite warm and his clothes were drying quickly, although they were still a little damp. He had heard the others talking before about ways to get to the upper city, but everyone was silent now. Even Yuffie had come back eventually, bored of her bragging. Cloud was thinking of nothing right then, and his mind was perfectly silent.
…That reminds me.
Cloud jumped a little, opening his mind's eye before frowning. He knew the silence was too good to be true. "You again?" he asked, speaking to the blackness that surrounded him. "…Who are you?"
…You'll find out soon. ……But more importantly, 5 years ago…
"5 years ago…" Cloud said, thinking back. "Nibelheim?"
When you went to Mt. Nibel then, Tifa was your guide, right?
"Yeah… I was surprised."
But where was Tifa other than that?
Cloud closed his mind's eye for a moment, confused at the question. Where was Tifa other than as a guide? It didn't make any sense. He tried to think, running everything through in his mind, but he couldn't think of any time where Tifa could have been somewhere else.
"…I dunno," he replied eventually.
It was a great chance for you two to see each other again.
"…You're right."
Why couldn't you see each other alone?
Cloud shook his head, feeling an overwhelming pressure beginning to build behind his eyes as he tried to remember – to fill in the blanks in his memory. "…I don't know," he said. He held his head as it began to pound from the pressure. "I can't remember clearly…"
Why don't you try asking Tifa?
"…Yeah."
Then, get up!
"Hey, wake up! Wake up, Cloud!"
Cloud's eyes snapped open, but it was not the sound of Tifa's voice that had awoken him, but rather the silent command from the peculiar entity that kept speaking to him. He rolled over slightly and saw Tifa standing beside him, looking down at him with a slightly concerned look on her face. Cloud slowly sat up, his head still aching but the pounding easing off, and realised that he had kicked off most of the bed sheets. No wonder Tifa looked worried. She reached out to help him up but he stopped her, and stood up firmly, shaking his head as he did so.
Also as he stood up, the sound of music began to ring in the background. It was faint, but loud enough to ring through the closed doors of the house. It was a form of parade music, but Cloud had other things on his mind right then. There was no one else in the house except them right then, so he was free to ask.
"Tifa…" he said, looking up at Tifa through shaken blue eyes. "When Sephiroth and I went to Nibelheim, where were you?"
Tifa tilted her head to the side, seeming confused. "…We saw each other, right?"
"The other time."
Tifa closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back, and Cloud waited patiently for her answer. A frown spread on her face, and she eventually shook her head, her brown hair swaying across her face. "No…" she said, and reopened her eyes. "It was five years ago. I don't remember." She shook her head again, before changing the subject. "But something seems strange outside. Cloud, come quick!"
With that she turned and fled for the door before Cloud could even think of stopping her. The moment she opened the door the sound of the music instantly became louder, and the two of them ran out into the streets of Lower Junon.
Tifa was right: there was something very peculiar going on. The music that they could hear was not actually coming from the lower port of Junon, but rather from the Upper City where the Shinra were based. A number of people were standing in the street looking up towards the upper city, but the majority of them had gathered around the main house in the middle of the town. Also standing there were Barret and the others, waiting for Cloud and Tifa to run up.
Yuffie was jumping from foot to foot, her hands clamped over her ears irritably. "What's this loud music?" she demanded. "It's giving me a headache!"
"Doesn't it seem a little strange?" Tifa asked Cloud. "Everything getting so noisy all of a sudden…?"
Cloud nodded and looked up towards the upper city where the music was coming from. It was no use – he couldn't see anything. The large metal wall that was the side of the city made sure that nothing could be seen. Just then all of the people surrounding the main house fell silent he brought his gaze back down to Lower Junon. The door opened and out walked Priscilla, still dressed in her swimsuit but looking much better than before. Cloud walked up the steps leading up to the house and stopped near her.
"Are you all right now?" he asked.
Priscilla slowly nodded her head, her face blushing intensely as she looked back at Cloud with a shy smile. "Umm… thanks for helping…" she said sincerely. Cloud gave her a nod, and they both walked down towards the others waiting at the bottom. "I'm sorry, I mistook you for one of those Shinra, Inc…" she said.
"That's all right," Cloud said, waving his hand dismissively. Priscilla still looked a little embarrassed though, and looked down at the ground. Then she suddenly lifted her head and looked directly at Cloud, making him feel a little uneasy.
"I'll give you something SPECIAL!" she announced. She then delved into the pocket of her swimsuit and pulled out a small red ball, and the moment everyone set their eyes on it they stared in total surprise. It was Materia, and not just any Materia. It was Summon Materia. Priscilla handed it to Cloud, who took it. "It's an amulet," she said to him, the red burn still showing on her face. "Take good care of it, okay?"
Cloud nodded and looked down at the red ball of Materia in his hands. He wondered how Priscilla managed to get her hands on such a powerful form of Materia, even though it was clear that she didn't know what it was. Inside the Materia he could see the faint image of a female-like figure, shrouded in a very light blue aura. He vaguely remembered this Materia – he'd heard of it before. Shiva… he thought it was called. A maiden of pure ice.
"What's that music?" Barret asked the young girl. "It sure sounds lively."
Priscilla nodded her head. "I heard they're rehearsing the reception for the new Shinra president," she told him. The moment she mentioned the Shinra the familiar sense of hostility appeared in her voice again, and her eyes flared up. Her dislike the Shinra was something she found very hard to control.
"Rufus!?" Barret said, his rage matching Priscilla's as he raised his gun-arm up to the sky, wishing it was aiming at Rufus's head. "I gotta pay my respects."
Priscilla walked past the group and looked out at the ocean. "Grandpa and grandma told me this beach was beautiful when they were small," she said, her voice calming a little. "But after the Shinra built that city above, the sun stopped shining here, and the water got polluted… I was raised on that story and hate the Shinra so much, I could die!"
"You think Rufus is thinking about crossing the ocean from here, too?" Aeris asked. "What? Does that mean Sephiroth already crossed the ocean?"
Red XIII tilted his head and looked at Cloud. "Cloud, didn't you finish Rufus off?"
Cloud shook his head. Unfortunately he had never got the chance to finish Rufus off, because Rufus had fled before their battle could be concluded. Rufus, the son of the former President Shinra, now the new president and he was just as ruthless as his father was, if not even worse.
Having Rufus in Junon made one thing certain: they were going in the right direction after Sephiroth, whether he had crossed the ocean or not. It also looked like they were also going to be trailing the Shinra every step of the way as well. He was so distracted in his own thoughts right then, he didn't notice the others all gathering around the wall bordering the beach.
"We gotta get to the town up there…" Barret was saying. He looked around and then pointed to the tower standing in the water, which rose to the Upper City. "Mebbe we could climb the tower?"
"No! No!" Priscilla cried at him, running in front and waving her arms madly. "There's a high voltage current running underneath the tower. Don't wander near it, it's dangerous!" She then suddenly turned away and looked into the water. Moments later she clapped her hands excitedly and turned back. "But… you might be able to if Mr. Dolphin helps you. Follow me!"
Priscilla then ran down the steps and onto the beach again, stopping by the water's edge and signalling for them all to follow her. One by one the others exchanged glances, none of them at all keen to go near the electrified tower and risk being electrocuted. Yet as they looked at each other the same thought crossed their minds, and slowly they all turned to look at Cloud still standing by Priscilla's house in thought.
"High voltage tower……" said Tifa, a slow smile spreading on her face as she looked at Cloud. "I guess this means Cloud'll be all right."
"Yeah, better leave it to Cloud," said Aeris, nodding in agreement.
At the mention of his name Cloud finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the others. They were all staring back at him, the same knowing and sly smiles on their face. Cloud blinked, but as he saw Priscilla on the shore, he figured out just what they were smiling about.
"We're counting on you, Cloud," Red XIII said. And before Cloud could even think about protesting, the group quickly separated and headed back into the town, passing Cloud and leaving him standing in front of the house on his own.
"Hey! Wait a second!" Cloud called, but no one listened to him. He eventually gave in and sighed heavily – he knew better than to argue, because he wouldn't win. So he headed down the steps onto the beach, and went to Priscilla.
"Wait a minute," she told him.
She turned away from him and put her hand in her pocket again, pulling out what looked like a long, shiny whistle. She put it to her mouth and gave it a quick, sharp blow, and it whistled loudly. At first nothing happened, but moments later the water in front of them began to ripple slightly as the shadow of the dolphin swam underneath it. Clearly it had not been hurt by the sea serpent from earlier.
The dolphin then rose up and lifted its head out of the water, looking at Cloud and Priscilla with its usual, playful grin, before it dipped beneath the surface again. Then all of a sudden the dolphin dived up out of the water and up into the air. It rose a good ten metres up towards a metal bar that joined the tower to the side of the upper city wall, before falling down to the water again. He landed expertly with a loud splash, sending showers of spray into the air.
"Now ain't that something!" came Barret's voice. Cloud turned to see Barret walking towards him across the beach. He stopped beside Cloud. "I ain't never seen no Dolphin jump like that!"
Priscilla nodded her head proudly. "Pretty cool, huh? When I blow this whistle, Mr. Dolphin jumps for me." She skipped over to Cloud and held out the whistle, which was tied to a thin length of rope. "Here!! This is for you, Cloud!"
Cloud took the whistle and looked at it. "A gift?" he asked, confused. "What am I supposed to do with it!?"
Priscilla held her head in her hands and shook it pitifully. She then grabbed Cloud by his hand and pulled him towards, and then pushing him towards the water. "Just go into the water, blow the whistle, and Mr. Dolphin'll jump you to the top of the pole!" she explained to him.
"Jump to the top of the pole?"
"See that rod sticking out at the top?" said Priscilla, pointing up to the metal bar that hung above them. Cloud nodded. "If you jump just right, you can climb to the top of the town!"
"Good luck, Cloud!" said Barret. "If you make it, we'll follow you!" He was about to turn away and head back to the others, when he suddenly remembered something. "Whoa, I'll hold the PHS for you," he said. "It'll break if it gets wet."
"Sure," said Cloud, unhooking the PHS from his belt and handing it to Barret. He thought for a moment, before he also unhooked his sword and gave it to Barret also. Barret and Priscilla then stepped back and watched as Cloud headed into the water, getting his clothes wet for the second time that day.
The dolphin swam over to him as he entered the water, swimming around him in a playful circle. Once it swam up really close and Cloud touched its sleek, rubbery skin. The dolphin chattered back at him, the large grin forever remaining on its long face. Cloud shook his head, before he blew sharply on the whistle Priscilla had given him. As he did the dolphin dipped beneath the water and out of sight.
Cloud shook his head, wading in the water, and looked up at the pole Priscilla had pointed out to him. He was almost directly beneath it. If he could get up there, it would be quite easy to climb to the top of the town, very easy. Yet he couldn't quite believe that the dolphin would be able to get him up there.
Suddenly Cloud felt something push beneath him and lift him up out of the water for a second, before he dipped down again. Then, with a great big thrust the dolphin pushed up beneath Cloud and leaped into the air towards the pole, carrying Cloud with it. Cloud held onto the dolphin's fin tightly as he was carried all the way up into the air towards the pole.
As they neared the pole, the dolphin bucked its body forward as it prepared to go back down to the water. Cloud quickly drew up his knees and pushed himself away from the dolphin, reaching out for the pole. He was close enough and wrapped his arms around the pole, holding on for dear life as the dolphin fell back down to the water.
Cloud hung above the water, his legs dangling over the side of the pole. He held on tightly and began to pull himself up onto the bar, swinging his legs up onto the bar and clambering on top of it. The bar was just wide enough to hold him safely, and was securely attached to the tower. He waved down to Barret and Priscilla to say he was all right, before he threw the whistle back down to Priscilla. She caught it easily and looked back at him.
Cloud stood up carefully on the pole and began to walk across it to the electric tower. Now he was so high up away from the water he would be safe from the electric current flowing through it, but he would still have to be careful because high-wire electric cables were everywhere. However the only way to the upper city was up the pylon, so Cloud had no choice but to climb the tower.
He started off steadily up the side of the tower, constantly wary of the cables running around him. All it would take would be to touch the cables only slightly, and Cloud would be electrified into a frazzle. Barret and Priscilla watched anxiously from the beach as he climbed. Priscilla clutched tightly onto her whistle and bit her lip, praying with all her heart that Cloud would be all right. After all, Cloud had saved her life.
Cloud eventually reached the top of the electric pylon and came up alongside the high wall of the upper city. He peeked above the rim of the wall first, just to make sure there were no guards around, before he climbed up onto the platform and looked around.
He found himself standing on the edge of a large landing field about the size of a football field. Standing about twenty metres ahead of him was an enormous airship, hovering slightly above the ground with its engine humming quietly on standby. The airfield was positioned slightly higher above the rest of the city, accessible only by taking the cargo platform lift up or down. Cloud was surprised that there were no guards around, but decided to use this to his advantage and headed quickly towards the cargo lift. He pressed down with his foot on the button to make the lift go down, and the lift headed down smoothly towards the buildings below.
Again there were no guards around guarding the entrances to any of the buildings, but even so Cloud headed cautiously towards the nearest building. By now the others would probably be making their way up the tower by now, if they hadn't found another way to the upper city.
"The new President's here!"
Hurriedly Cloud jumped back against the wall of the building he had just been about to walk into. He peered through the open doorway in time to see two Shinra soldiers, clad in their lowly blue uniforms, running through the corridor. They ran past the door and turned the corner, heading through another door and out of sight.
Cloud finally released his breath and entered the building. No he knew why there were so few guards around – they were all in a rush preparing for Rufus's welcoming ceremony. The door the two soldiers had run through probably led to the main part of the town.
"Hey!" came a voice. Cloud jumped and froze solid. After a moment or two he slowly turned his head to look behind him, and saw another Shinra soldier in a red uniform, a whistle in one hand, glaring at him fiercely. "You still dressed like that!?" the soldier snapped. "Come here!"
Cloud stared, confused. The red soldier, who was clearly an officer in rank with his red uniform, ran over towards another door at the other end of the corridor, and kicked the door open with his boot.
"Here!! Get into the room!"
For a second or two Cloud did nothing, quickly thinking over his situation. He was in Shinra territory, without a weapon, and the only Materia he had was the Shiva materia Priscilla had given him. He would stand no chance going against the Shinra without his sword.
Then an idea came to him. If he were going to get anywhere near to Sephiroth, he would have to get past the Shinra as well. If he could somehow walk amongst the Shinra as one of them, then there would be a greater chance of getting across the ocean. After all, he had worked for the Shinra, so he pretty much knew everything. So Cloud turned and nodded silently to the soldier, and followed him into the soldier changing rooms. As they entered the soldier gave Cloud a harsh push towards the lockers.
"Today's the big day when we welcome President Rufus!" he announced. "Hurry up and get changed!"
Cloud stopped by one of the lockers and glared back at the soldier, before he turned and opened one of the lockers beside him. Inside it was a blue soldier uniform – a uniform Cloud knew only too well. It looked just about his size, too.
"It's the Shinra uniform," Cloud muttered. He pulled it out and headed into the changing room out of view of the soldier, and began to put the uniform over the top of his usual clothes. Luckily it was his size and fitted easily over his clothes, even the armour over his shoulder. When he was almost done Cloud picked up the helmet and looked into the shadowed visor at his equally shadowed reflection. "Brings back memories…" he added with a sigh.
"Quit yappin'!" came the red soldier's impatient voice. "Hurry up!"
Cloud shook his head pitifully and continued to look into the helmet visor. "A Shinra uniform…" he said, almost nostalgically. "I was so proud when I first put it on. I wonder when it was…" He shrugged and put the helmet on his head, pushing down the blond spikes temporarily. He looked into the mirror at the whole of his reflection. "…I couldn't wearing this thing anymore," he finished. He pushed the visor down over his face, hiding his glowing eyes, and stepped out of the changing room, picking up a gun from the floor. The red soldier looked him up and down.
"Wow! You look good in it!" he exclaimed. He nodded certainly, before he grew serious again. "You remember the greeting procedure, right!?" Cloud shrugged. Of course he didn't know any greeting procedures. The soldier sighed. "…The look on your face says you forgot. All right, I'll show you again! Do just like we do."
The door to the changing rooms burst open again, and the two blue soldiers Cloud had seen before suddenly ran back into the room. "Commander!!" the two soldiers exclaimed. "We'll help, too!"
"This is how to do it!" one of the soldiers said excitedly.
"We'll sing, too!" the other one added.
"All right! Show 'em!" said the red soldier.
Cloud tilted his head to the side, glad that the visor was hiding the expression that had sprung on his face. Sing? Whilst marching? WHY!? He couldn't figure it out at all, and was in such shock that he almost missed what happened next.
"Now march!!" the first blue soldier commanded. At his command, he and his fellow soldier began to march on the spot by the entrance of the changing room, keeping in perfect time with one another. "This's the Welcoming March!"
"Then! I'll sing along with you!" the other soldier added, again making Cloud's face turn pale and shocked. Yet the soldier didn't seem to care. "Quietly--!! Aaaaah! Aaaaah! Hey, come on now! Now!"
Then the two soldiers began to sing and march at the same time, their voices even in time with the beats of their march. Unfortunately they needed one or two extra singing lessons and then some before what they were doing could be classed as singing. Cloud was sure even Barret could sing better than that. He could hardly make out what they were saying, but he was sure he heard the words 'President Rufus' in there at some point. Maybe. While the two soldiers were singing, the red soldier turned to Cloud.
"Keep in step with the soldier next to you and march smoothly!" he explained to him. "Once you're all in step, shoulder your gun! Got it!?"
"All clear!" replied Cloud.
The soldier sighed with relief. "Good! Make sure you do well at the parade!" He was interrupted as the door opened yet again, and a third blue-uniformed soldier ran into the room.
"Rufus has arrived! Preparation completed!" he announced. The two soldiers stopped their march instantly and tore out of the room on the double, along with the third soldier. The red soldier nodded and turned again to Cloud.
"All right, show time!" he announced formerly. "Don't disgrace yourselves!"
Cloud saluted at the soldier, and they ran out of the changing room and down the corridor, taking the last door out towards the town. Cloud looked down at the gun in his hands as he ran, praying he knew just what he was getting into.
