Beginning Notes: I'm seriously sorry about the huge delay. And again, without warning or anything. Gah, damn my unstable computer and Internet connection! Damn you I say! Thanks to all my loyal readers. Fear not, I have not forgotten you! This chapter is extra long (Can't you tell I'm trying to make up for the delay?) so I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters. I am not making money off this fiction. I only own my own creations ;;
Chapter Warning: Language.
Legend'Comment(s) in Italics & apostrophes' –Thoughts / inner musings
-Comment(s) in Italics & dashes- –Other mental voices
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Complicated Souls
Written by Isrea Ishiida
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Chapter Eight
Trouble in Paradise
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"Sephiroth must die." It resounded in his ears so loud that he thought he'd go deaf. The blade descended, fell so fast and yet so agonizingly slowly, its glow ominous like the purple hue of sunset. He was really going to do it; he was really going to kill Sephiroth. Zack watched in horror as never, not once, did Cloud waver in his determination. He was actually going to do it!
His hand reached up before he even realized what he was doing. "SEPH!" he screamed, gripping the handle of his Buster Sword even as the Ultima weapon came dangerously close to his prone friend. Zack drew his massive weapon in but a breath, swinging it with a swift fling of his arm that sent it soaring through the air at a sharp thirty-degree angle. It cut the air with an audible whine and the resulting clang was so loud Reno covered his ears.
Cloud blinked as quite suddenly a large chunk of steel he recognized as the Buster Sword embedded itself halfway into the ground before him. It was angled just enough that it barely brushed Sephiroth as it went, and ended up nearly horizontal over his body, a protective barrier against harm. The Ultima weapon's blade slammed down against it, steel against steel screaming at each other as sparks were thrown, and for a long time after no one moved an inch.
Then, finally, Cloud breathed a sigh of relief and fell to his knees. Loosing his grip on his sword and letting it clatter to the ground, it fell from his limp fingers. "Oh thank God…" he whispered, relief flooding his face. He couldn't believe he'd come so close to actually killing Sephiroth! He was as surprised with himself as Zack was. To think, moments ago, he'd actually attempted to kill his friend without giving him the benefit of the doubt. He would have silenced Sephiroth before the man could even have a chance to defend himself. If it hadn't been for Zack… Cloud felt like he was going to be sick.
Zack was at his side instantly, though he was more worried about Sephiroth than he was about Cloud. The dark haired SOLDIER pulled his Buster Sword free and began to check over the demi-god for any injuries. When satisfied, he stood up to check on Cloud, who looked pale but fine.
"I was really going to do it." The blond mumbled, then shook his head. "I was really going to…"
"You still should." Reno interjected from where he stood, seemingly unfazed by Cloud's show of momentary weakness – maybe he just refused to let it register. "Like I said, it would do us all a favor…" he raised his gun, pointed it at Sephiroth, and narrowed his eyes. "But if you wont, I will."
"Zack!"
"Reno!"
"Fuck!"
The words all came out at the same time and it was hard to decide who exactly had said what. When it came down to it, no one cared.
Zack jumped between him and his target just as Reno pulled the trigger, the loud crack echoing as the bullet exploded from the barrel and punctured the air. The Turk was forced to, at the last minute, shove his aim to the side to avoid killing the other man. As it was the shot grazed the SOLDIER, ripping open a light wound in his side. Nothing serious, give it a few minutes and it would stop bleeding, but a wound none-the-less.
Zack didn't even flinch.
No one moved. It was like they were all frozen in place, in time. Not even a muscle twitched as they stared at each other, gaze's transfixed on opposite eyes. Long moments passed and the silence began to press in on them. Their eyes locked, Zack's forest green eyes verses Reno's deep jade ones, and the two of them waged a silent battle of wills.
Reno was the first to do anything, simply holstering his gun and turning away. "You all right?" he asked softly, almost inaudibly. His actions said more than his words, though, for Zack knew he'd won this spat. Cloud had seen the light and, though Reno was probably still blind, he wasn't going to fight it anymore. They were going to take Seph back with them - alive.
"Fine." Zack replied, relieved to see that Reno had given in. "a little tender, but fine."
"I'll have a hard time explaining this back at headquarters." Reno murmured, but didn't turn around. "No one will like this. I'm sure you don't care but you don't have to listen to the executives complain about it. I do."
"You won't have to." Zack shrugged, sitting down and pulling up his shirt to take a look at the wound, which had, like Reno suspected, already stopped bleeding. No infection was likely; the air was so hot that it would burn up the bacteria before it even got to the wound. "I'll deal with the execs. I'm sure Reeve will understand."
"So what do we do now, lug Sephiroth back to the encampment so he can get arrested? You know that's what's going to happen." Cloud suddenly spoke back up, now standing at Zack's side, sheathing his sword. Neither had noticed him move and was slightly surprised. Cloud, apparently, recovered fast. That and the fact that the gunshot had shocked him back into his senses, and this was not a time for self-melodramatics.
"Go around the encampment?" Zack suggested. "It should only take an extra half hour, give or take. We should be able to scale the debris and get out through another sector, even carrying Seph. That or we could climb down the side of Midgar and try another way in, but I don't think that'll work."
"Hmph. Not a good idea – either of them." Reno muttered. "Even you guys wont last taking the long way 'round. I'm not even sure we'll make it back in one piece, considering how long we've been sitting around the worst part of the sector, talking. Better to just risk it and get back."
"Right then!" Zack said, standing and sheathing his own weapon. Hauling the unconscious and defenseless Sephiroth over his shoulder a minute later, the SOLDIER smirked and started out the way they'd come. "Let's go!"
It was nearly twenty minutes later that Zack carrying Sephiroth, Cloud carrying two swords, and Reno attempting to carry himself were trekking back towards the entrance of sector two. Cramped in what one could consider a small alleyway, but was in actuality a debris stricken street, they marched along in single file. With not much to say and no one interested in conversation, all was silent.
The park they'd torched earlier was at their backs, fading into the distance, and now only damaged houses and torn away shops could be seen. The fires had died by now, but the radiation was still prominent in the air. They had to stop on several occasions to catch their breath and this particular time was no different.
"Okay guys, lets take a breather." The dark haired SOLDIER muttered, glad that the last time they'd pushed through here they'd made at least a semi-clear path. It was hard enough just to walk, but to move around cement as well? Nope, he could certainly do without that.
Cloud and Zack sat down on the curb in silence, each breathing a sigh of tired relief as they did so. Reno just plopped down in the middle of the street, content to stay where he was. Sephiroth's still prone form was gently laid at Zack's side, and Reno snorted in scorn. That bastard was getting treated better then they were, in his opinion.
'The bastard should just be left here to rot. Tossed in the gutter and left for dead. That or I'll kill 'em myself… But then again… what happens if he's back to normal? I have to admit that Sephiroth was an okay guy before he went psycho. Back in the old days, he'd known and hadn't said a thing… He was one of the few people I trusted. I didn't like him much, but trusted him… even if he was… who he was… Then the crazy bugger went and destroyed a whole fucking village, killed Zack, betrayed me and nearly made me try to… Fuck, I can't even get mad at him properly! This isn't right. Why am I having second thoughts? Sephiroth is a psycho and there isn't anything that's going to change that. He… he killed Tseng for God's sake! Am I just going to forget everything that happened? No… Even if he's sane, Sephiroth is still on my Black List. He's going to have a lot of proving to do if he doesn't want to be stalked everywhere he goes… Hell, might do it anyway.'"What's the glare for?"
"Eh-?" Reno suddenly blinked and focused his gaze. He'd been looking at Zack while thinking about Sephiroth, and though he hadn't meant to, the frown he'd been wearing had slipped into a heated glare. The dark haired SOLDIER probably thought he'd been glaring at him and now looked confused, if anything. "Nothing, just thinking. Sorry."
"About what?"
"Nothing."
"About what?" Zack wasn't one to relent so easily. It was another part of the SOLDIER's character that Reno was unsure of - good thing, or bad thing? Maybe a little bit of both.
"Knock it off."
"Knock off what?"
Okay, now he was just deliberately being annoying and Reno knew it. Cloud knew it too and chuckled. "Just drop it." The red head mumbled. Reno could appreciate the fact that Zack was trying to cheer him up, could even thank him, but now wasn't the time and this wasn't the place to be doing it.
"Alright, lets go." Cloud announced finally, still used to being in charge. No one really had the strength to argue.
Reno moved to stand and found that it was a lot harder to get up than it had been to sit down. He nearly lost his balance and ended up feeling like an idiot when he had to correct himself to keep from falling on his ass. No one had said anything, either understanding or to tired to try, but he figured Cloud had a pretty snide remark sitting in that little mind of his. Just to be cautious he threw the spiky, blond haired young man a glare as he stood up with what was left of his dignity and marched off. Cloud snickered behind him.
"Sheez…" Zack rolled his eyes heavenward as he picked up his 'cargo' and started off after the two of them.
Ten minutes later the sun was high overhead, adding the full force of the afternoon heat onto the still intense mako radiation. They rested more often, walked at a slower pace, and for a while things were looking up. But, as luck would have it, they encountered even more problems.
"What is THAT?" Cloud stuttered, coming to a dead stop at the foot of what could only be described as a giant roadblock - a roadblock that had otherwise not been there before.
Everything was shoved into one huge spot in the road, reaching from building to building and leaving no room to pass. Leftovers of a car, rock fragments, steel, cement, charred tables and God knows what else was all crammed together. It was a big pile of junk that towered high and steep, something none of them looked forward to climbing… It was over three stories tall! That lead them to wonder how it had gotten there in the first place, for they had come this way earlier and the junk hadn't been there. It all seemed kind of natural with the way it all fell into place, which would have lead one to believe it wasn't man made. They were still very cautious.
"Guess we gotta climb." Zack commented.
Reno huffed in irritation, starting up the pile of junk first. Cloud and Zack nimbly followed. Sure, they could have gone around it, but it would have taken them much to long to find another route. That would also require backtracking, something none of them wished to do. So, in the end, they had no other choice but to climb the thing.
While climbing they were reminded of the pile of rocks they'd climbed back by the Mako Reactor. If anything it was because of the footing on this pile of crap. Things they thought were safe slipped and fell away as soon as they put their foot down, and other things that looked hazardous usually were. It took longer than they would have liked and even Reno was having a hard time. He was eventually forced to slow his pace.
This didn't bode well for Cloud, who was running out of patience.
"Can't you climb any faster?" the blond piped up from behind Reno when they were about halfway up, slowed by the red head's pace and not liking it one bit. He wanted to leave and he wanted to leave now! About another twenty-five minutes and they'd be out of the sector and home free… sort of. Now if only Reno would hurry up they could get out of this infested hole.
"Fucking go around, Blondie." Not the best response, but then, Reno wasn't thinking straight. He was sweating, dizzy, exhausted, short of patience and likely to fall down the damn roadblock if he went any faster, so for all he cared Strife could go to hell.
"How about I just make you move?" Cloud snapped back. With his sword on his back and Zack's fastened in a strange manner across the sheath of his Ultima weapon, if only to create at least some kind of balance, Reno wasn't exactly intimidated. It looked like a funny plus sign to the red head, and it dwarfed Cloud in comparison; he didn't much seem threatening with that contraption on his back. Reno looked over his shoulder with something akin to 'try me' written all over his face.
"Don't make me come up there!" Zack suddenly said, only a few steps down from Cloud. He was being a bit more careful than the other two, not having only his own life to worry about, but Sephiroth's as well. Even with that he was hot on their heels, which said something about both of them. "Because I swear if I have to split you two up neither of you are going to like it!"
Reno growled and was about to say something when, quite suddenly, the pile of debris he was standing on started to rumble and shake violently. It took all of his effort to keep his balance as things started coming loose and falling down the side of the wreck. Cloud backed up a bit and nearly fell off pile himself before catching his balance. Zack looked up in surprise, mid climb between a safe spot and a safe spot. All the poor SOLDIER could do was cling to the face of the junk, hoping not to get hit with falling objects.
'What's going on?' Cloud thought franticly, grasping at a piece of scrap and, to his mild surprise, ending up grabbing the back end of a truck. Reno wasn't as lucky as he was and fell, head first, down the side of the slope after horribly loosing his footing. Cloud immediately reached out to grab at him when he noticed but by that time it was too late. All he heard as the red head tumbled past him was "SHIIIIT!" and then a loud thud.
The rumbling stopped abruptly and both the SOLDIER and the Savior climbed down as quickly as they could. What greeted them was not a very happy sight.
The red head lay on his side, unconscious, face scrunched up in pain. Cloud could see the bit of red liquid running from the length of the Turk's crimson bangs and onto the ground, a thin trail that spoke volumes. "Crap." was all he could say.
"Here, I've got a mastered Restore." Zack muttered as he knelt down next to Cloud and laid Sephiroth on the ground. The blond hefted Reno up a bit to find the actual wound and, when they discovered the long but shallow gash, they were a bit more relieved. "Good, nothing too serious. Looks like the skull is in tact, which means he didn't actually fall on his head. Now all that's left to worry about is the possible concussion and side effects." Zack muttered, more to himself than anything, as he held out his bracer and spoke "Cure3" under his breath. The orb in his bracer shone a bright green before it died a moment later, the spell invoked.
The next thing Reno knew someone was pulling him to his feet, the last traces of a tingle in his mind lifting as his vision cleared. He immediately wished he was still lying down. The world began to spin and his stomach lurched, causing him to lean to the side and groan in misery. He felt incredibly weak at the moment, felt sick, worse than he'd felt in a very long time. Where was he? What was going on?
"You okay?" he heard a voice from his left… it was Zack. His world finally stopped spinning and the red head straightened, only now able to recall where he was and with whom.
"Fine." He mumbled, rubbing the dull ache in the back of his skull. "What the hell happened?"
"You fell" Zack supplied, indicating the large roadblock. Cloud was only a few feet away, looking upward in question. One could tell his expression without even seeing it – a frown. They had found it a bit weird that the thing had started to shake like that, and both men had their suspicions about the whole experience.
"That's right…" Reno muttered, frowning himself as the memories flooded back. "Damn thing started shaking. What was that all about?" He already had a suspicion, however, being one to question everything and to suspect anything.
"Dunno, earthquake? Anyway Reno, look at me."
Yea, like he really had a choice. Zack grabbed his chin and shifted his head in his direction; examining his eyes carefully before making the red head prove that he didn't have minor amnesia. Then Zack tried to make him prove that his motor functions worked properly. "Look, I'm fine!" Reno growled after a while, only able to take so much of this. Shouldn't Zack be over helping Strife or something? It was bad enough when he went for check-ups, but this was too much. He didn't even put up with Elena or Rude scrutinizing him like that.
Zack only frowned at this, thinking of something. The SOLDIER then grabbed Reno's right wrist and yanking him sharply forward.
The Turk stumbled about two feet, unable to catch himself or even resist the pull of the older man. It wasn't until he'd stopped himself from falling over did he try and wrench his arm from Zack's hold; this didn't work as well as he'd planned. Reno was unable to contend with Zack's strength and thus unable to free himself. "Knock it off Zack, let go."
"I'm barely holding on." The SOLDIER replied, letting go of the Turk to prove his point. He had had Reno's arm in only a loose grip and the younger man had not been able to do anything about it. Reno glared at him and expected an explanation, so he gave him one. "You hit your head, Reno. The fall caused partial loss of motor functions, probably an internal bruise on your brain. You wont be able to use your right arm efficiently, and your body is weak… It's probably just temporary though and we will be able to heal it more efficiently when we get back to the encampment. Until then, take it easy."
Reno tested his arm and found, much to his ire, that Zack had been right. His arm didn't respond the way he wanted it to, and when it did, it was usually extremely weak. This frustrated him to no end and he could only hope the effects were temporary. If it were indeed a bruise, this wouldn't last long… maybe a day? Maybe less? "Fine, lets just go."
Rolling his eyes Zack shifted his gaze to Cloud. "So what happened anyway?" Zack asked. Cloud was still looking at the roadblock, probably looking for a sign as to why what had happened, had happened. "Any idea?" Of course they had one, but the two of them had fallen into an act. If they were being watched, whoever was out there wouldn't catch on that they knew. They hadn't spoken of the plan, hadn't communicated at all, but there was just this understanding between them, as if to say 'Play dumb.'
"Nothing." Cloud said, shrugging his shoulders without turning around. "This sector's plate is unstable, so it might have been just a slight shake. Or, we might have kicked something free on the pile that caused it to start collapsing… only problem is that it didn't quite collapse. Its hard to say what happened."
Hefting Sephiroth up and over his shoulder again Zack turned back to Cloud, amusement evident in his voice. That amusement, however, concealed worry and suspicion. "So you want to carry Red up there, or should we find another way?"
"No, I don't think so." Reno cut in, stopping the blond from answering and making a violently negative wave of his hand. "There is no fucking way anyone is carrying me anywhere." He fumed. "I'll be fine." So, they were playing dumb. Good thinking on their part.
"Looks like we're finding another way then." Cloud stated simply, turning suspiciously away from the roadblock and looking around. There was an apartment building to their left and a shop to their right, and debris filled any sort of alleyways. They were closed in on all sides, so all that was left was to backtrack.
"Then we backtrack." Zack agreed, turning and leading back the way they'd come. Reno thought to say something snide about the fact that he could still climb but figured they wouldn't change their mind no matter what he said, so he clamped his mouth shut and simply settled for gritting his teeth.
They only got about ten steps.
"Hmm."
They all spun around instinctively at the sound and drew their weapons respectively, all but Zack, who had no weapon to draw, face's grim and senses sharp. So their suspicions had proved right; they weren't surprised. Now all that was left was to find the culprit behind all of this.
"What the…" the words were really the only thing that came to mind; there was just no other way to describe it. Directly at the foot of the roadblock was… himself. Two sets of cerulean eyes stared into each other, one Cloud's eyes full of life and the other's dull and void… Cloud's eyes narrowed suspiciously but the other didn't do anything, simply continuing to stare at him as though his clone were lifeless... Lifeless like a doll's eyes; like he used to be. Its eyes were… so very empty…
He knew it was completely irrational; that what he was seeing couldn't possibly be himself. His head swung around to Zack but the dark haired SOLDIER was staring at his clone as though it were the most fearsome thing in the world. 'What the?' he asked himself, and then shifted his eyes to the other side of him, to Reno, who looked even paler than Zack had been. The poor bastard was actually… 'He's scared… No… not just scared… he's downright terrified.'
Then he felt it, or more heard it than anything. It was a voice, soft and subtle, calling him, demanding and completely irresistible. And with the voice came a feeling, came a thought, and it wove its way into his mind with ease. It was a feeling of pure, unbridled fear that trickled into his mind and wrapped around his brain. It made him turn back to his clone slowly, fearfully, his eyes widening with what he saw.
What he saw was still himself, but also something more, something terrifying. Sephiroth, clad in leather, stood majestic and bold behind him. The demigod's eyes shone like they always did, radiant, but they also swirled with madness and insanity; a twisted smirk was just starting to settle on his features. The man stood over his clone like a possessive owner, for that was all that the scene could be described as – Sephiroth owning him, using him, manipulating him…
The silver haired man bent down a little and whispered something into the other Cloud's ear and his clone nodded, an abrupt, short motion that he could only describe as being automatic. The clone lifted his hand, its dull gaze not shifting, fixed, as though he were staring off into space. In its hand there was something shining, something glowing like… a materia. The Black Materia… Cloud recognized it immediately and his blood ran cold. This… wasn't real. It must be an illusion… some sort of trick to catch him off guard.
"Quit fooling yourself."
Cloud started at the words and spun around, but there was nothing there. The voice… it had sounded from right behind him… right in his ear… He spun back around and stared in shock at the Sephiroth who was still bent down to the fake Cloud, his mouth poised just at the clone's ear… 'What is… going on?' he thought, trying to gather his wits.
"You already know." The voice answered and, much to Cloud's horror, Sephiroth whispered something into his clone's ear just as the voice spoke. The voice was that of Sephiroth's…
'No…' his mind whispered, his logic trying its best to contend with the lull in his brain and the feelings and the thoughts that weren't his own. These thoughts, the lulling voice… This was like… Fear's icy fingers gripped his heart… 'No!'
"Yes!" the Sephiroth stated, lifting his head from the clone's ear. He put a possessive hand on the clone's shoulder and smirked a sadistic little smirk. "You are mine!" the tone left no doubt to the contrary. "You are mine. You are me… I own you."
His mind screamed out in defiance but already he could feel his will being drained away. 'No! I am not yours! I am Cloud Strife! Do you hear me? Cloud Strife!'
"Cloud Strife is dead!" the silver haired man said, his words thundering in Cloud's ears like angry rain clouds. "And all that remains is a pathetic clone of me… A puppet meant to be used. You are not Cloud Strife… you never were, and never will be again."
'No… I… it isn't true… is it? No! I am… I… I am…' The doubt swelled in his mind and soon he found himself pressing his palms to his temples, trying to drive out the thoughts and the doubts. Was this to happen to him once again? The more he thought about it, the more Cloud became afraid. Was he destined to be nothing but a puppet, used by people and thrown away when he was no longer convenient to own? Was Cloud Strife really dead forever? Was he…?
-Cloud…-His eyes snapped open. Who was that? Whose voice was that?
-Cloud!-Was that…? Zack? It was… That was Zack's voice!
-Don't believe, Cloud! Trust your heart, not your mind! You can find the truth…-'Zack… I can't fight… I'm weak… I can't…'
-Yes you can!- That was someone else's voice. Not Zack but… Sephiroth? Was that Sephiroth's voice? It was but it was different… It was sane.
'Seph?'
-Goddamn kid, quit thinking bad of yourself, you smartass! You know better than that!- Cid! It was Cid!
-Pull it together man!- Barret? This one was Barret's voice.
'I… I can't… I'm not strong enough. I've never been… strong enough…'-Cloud, you led us into a hopeless battle and turned out a victory. What does that say about you? I wouldn't call that weak.- Nanaki, the logical one.
'But I… I don't know if I can win this one…' Cloud cried out to the voices, looking for help, for support - any support.
-Don't make me come over there and kick your butt, Spike! 'Cause you know I will!- Yuffie was always so full of energy and this voice was no different.
-Oh Cloud, don't give in!- Tifa's voice, fragile but strong, something you didn't find in many people. -I know you can do it!-
'But what if I can't? What if…?'-There were many What If 's when we entered the Northern Crater, many more when we faced Sephiroth. 'What If' never happened. Stay true to yourself, my friend.- That one, dark and mysterious, but familiar none the less. It was Vincent.
-Be strong Cloud!- Yet another voice, soft and light, it was Aeris.
His memories screamed at him one after another, each taking the form and voice of one of his friends. Each voice was their memory, Aeris's, Vincent's, Cid's, Tifa's, Seph's, and Zack's memories - all of them. They cried at him, as if to say, "don't forget us!" and he didn't want to. His memories were precious to him, his most prized possessions. These new voices, the ones that he recognized, they represented his memories… and they were fighting the darkness that threatened to consume him. Subconsciously, he was fighting it. 'But what if… I'm to weak…? What if I can't win? Is Sephiroth right? Am I not… the real Cloud? Is everything I've been living for until now… a lie?'
Cloud fell to his knees, dropped his sword and pressed his hands against the sides of his head. Eyes squeezing shut, a scream was just beginning to crawl its way up his throat. He was so scared. 'I can't do it on my own! Zack! Anyone! Help me!'
-What's wrong Wonderboy? Can't handle your own problems?-
Who was that?
-Hmph, and here I thought you were better than that. Maybe I was wrong…-Was that… Reno? Was that Reno's voice? It was! But… why…?
-Shut up and stop your whining. Zack can't help, Tifa can't help, I can't help, and Aeris can't help. No one can help you but yourself, so suck it up! If you don't do this on your own then your just letting that freak win.-
'But… I…'
-You really are dense, aren't you Wonderboy? Just stop thinking and start acting!-
Slowly, ever so slowly, Cloud's internal struggle was coming to an end. The multitude of voices that rang in his mind were only distant thoughts, memories, and Cloud was imagining them all, he knew he was. But still, their voices helped… their words… helped. If this was the way his subconscious fought back against the darkness, then so be it… At least he could fight it, somehow…
-Come on Cloud!- Sephiroth's voice insisted.
-Go Cloud!- Aeris's memory cried out to him.
-Show this guy your still you, Blue-Eyes!- Zack's thoughts encouraged him.
-Get up Wonderboy!-Cloud steadily left his knees and began to stand at the silent command. His hands fell away from his head and he straightened to his full height, taking a deep inhale of fresh air. His mind cleared an instant later, the lull in his brain and the doubts just fading away. He turned his face to the sky and leisurely opened his eyes, cerulean oculars looking up into the late afternoon sky. 'Yes… I am Cloud Strife…'
His gaze shifted down to his clone and then to the Sephiroth standing behind it.
"… And you are an illusion." The blond stated simply, grinning to himself in triumph. The image of the clone Cloud shifted, flickered and vanished. Sephiroth's face twisted into a look of rage before it, too, flickered and vanished. Cloud's grin expanded to an outright smile; he was damn proud of himself. Whoever said 'memories are nice, but that's all they are' was wrong. They were his memories, his real memories, and memories could fight back too…
Speaking of which, Cloud turned to Zack for the first time in a long while, expecting him to be back to normal now that the spell was broken. He was surprised to see that the dark haired SOLDIER wasn't back to normal. He was, in fact, even worse.
Zack was on his knees, covering his face with both his hands, muttering something like "Make it stop." He was shaking from head to toe and fear just radiated off of him, like a stink. Sephiroth, unconscious, lay at his side.
Cloud turned to Reno, who had not changed in stance much at all. The Turk was still standing were he'd been, frozen in place, but he was even paler now than he had been. His arms rested limp at his sides and open terror was written all over his face, his fingers only barely able to hold onto the nightstick that had nearly slid out of his grasp. Whatever he was seeing was scaring him down to the core, Cloud could tell.
"Hey, Reno! Zack! Snap out of it!" Nothing. "Come on guys, wake up!" He waved his hand in front of Zack's face. Nothing. Reno? Nothing. The blond then proceeded to stand his friend up and shake Zack stupid for a minute or two. This seemed to do no more than cause the dark haired SOLDIER to stop muttering. What was he to do? He didn't know how to handle these kinds of things and he was running out of ideas. He was the one usually in the situation, not handling it! He did, however, have one last shot left. "Well…" he said finally. "If this is what it takes…"
Cloud just hauled out and decked the unsuspecting SOLDIER in the jaw.
Zack realized two things all at once. The first was that whatever was happening to him wasn't real, and the second was that Cloud could punch awfully hard when he wanted to. He was sent onto sprawled onto his back in the same instant his senses came back to him, just barely missing the body of the sleeping demigod. And with his senses came an ache in his jaw that was already starting to bruise. The SOLDIER blinked in surprise, took a minute to re-adjust his reality, then climbed to his feet with the help of the very person who'd put him there in the first place.
"Thanks Cloud." Zack muttered, fingering the now purpling bruise. "Don't know what came over me… God I feel like crap, and it's not just the mako."
"Heh, don't worry about it. Nearly didn't make it myself…" he paused, then smirked at Zack. "Oh, and thanks."
Zack blinked. "For what?"
Cloud chuckled despite the situation. "Nothing." Then he finished with "Keep your eyes open, I don't think we're out of this yet…"
Turning to Reno Cloud got ready to deliver the same punch he'd just used on Zack. Then, remembering that he'd knocked Zack onto his back by accident he did something that would have surprised him had he realized he'd done it. He reached out to steady the Turk.
But stopped the moment he grabbed Reno's arm. Something flashed across his vision, across his mind, and with it came a sharp sting. In his mind he could see through Reno's eyes, see the thing that was scaring him so thoroughly – though, at that moment, he didn't understand what was happening. He could see Reno, whom appeared to be lying on some kind of operating table, sleeping. At the side of the table was another table, full to the brim with cutting tools and little colored vials. Every now and then along the rows one would catch sight of a needle containing an inky black substance.
And, to his own personal horror, that crazy bastard Hojo was standing over the unconscious Reno. The professor was holding a blood-spattered scalpel and cackling to himself in that ever-familiar way as he fiddled with the Turk's insides, rubber gloves stained red. The image was so real that Cloud actually thought he could smell the mingling sensation of blood and mako.
Cloud immediately let go of Reno and jumped back. What the hell had just happened? Was Reno seeing that? Was that what the spell was making him witness? To be completely honest, that would scare anyone. After all, it had scared Cloud, hadn't it?
"Cloud, you all right?" Zack questioned, looking around before coming to the blond's side.
"Yea, yea… just give me a minute." The leader of AVALANCHE said, shaking off the feelings and walking back up to Reno with the intention of waking him from that godforsaken vision as soon as possible. Even Reno didn't deserve to see something like that…
And, like Zack, the Turk found himself coming to his senses on his back. The first thing he did was bring his hand to his face, tenderly feeling the throbbing bruise along his cheekbone, before he slowly shifted his eyes up to the blond warrior standing above him. The two shared a long look, jade meeting cerulean, before Cloud extended his hand to help the man up. Reno took it without question; still a little disoriented, he was practically hauled to his feet.
"You okay?" Zack asked as Reno stood. The red head waved him off, nodding and blinking the stars away from his eyes. Man, Strife could hit hard.
He had little time to ponder anything else.
"You bunch are just full of surprises."
They all turned to face the voice, shock jumping down their spines at what they saw this time…
Hojo.
The obviously disturbed man was standing at the base of the debris pile, exactly where the visions had occurred, and his snake like features were twisted into a wide, gleeful grin. His appearance was relatively unchanged, though there were some differences. Where his skin had otherwise been pale and ghost-like, it was now rough looking and tinged with a sickly green. His shoulders still hunched forward, hands pushed into his coat's pockets; a lab coat that looked new and fresh, which lead one to wonder where he'd gotten it from and who. His long, greasy black hair was still pulled back in a messy ponytail and his beady eyes were still the same dark, nearly black things they used to be. Small, circular glasses rested at the bridge of his nose. He stood the same, looked the same, even smelt the same, a stench that reeked of Jenova and mako.
This was no illusion - this was real.
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To Be Continued
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Author Notes:
1. Again, sorry about the long delay. Things have just been hectic. Anyhow, about this chapter… hmm… I don't think I feel very good about the way I wrote it. They seem to jump around a lot, if you haven't noticed. From one place to another, you know? Oh well… Heh, I had a lot of fun writing Cloud's mental dialogue. Had to come up with a way to keep it from sounding as though he was the one saying it, you know? Even if it was all in his head. Anyway, sorry about the kind of crappy writing, I'm not up to par to what I was a while ago. I'll get working on that immediately, so don't worry.
2. Got a lot of surprises coming up for you all in the next two or three chapters. How will everyone handle Sephiroth's presence? Can the past be put behind them? What is Hojo doing here and just why can Reno go into Sector two? Keep reading to find out!
3. Comments, criticism and reviews welcome and encouraged, as always. Thanks a bunch everyone! Love 'ya!
