Whee, more story! Sorry it's been quite a while... the usual school situation worse than usual, but we're not meant to mention such things here. Anyway, here's more! A double-bill of chapters as usual. I think the ficcy gets better... certainly more plotful from here on in...?
This is now dedicated to the lovely people who sent me an e-mail a couple days ago saying they'd been having fun reading this ficcy :) That made me so happy! I'm easily made happy, OK. But I like it if something I write makes other people happy... So - ChocoChick87 and your sister (sorry, I don't know your name! ;;;) - this one's for you! Enjoy!
Part 8 : United We Stand
"Anyone can use a gun..."
"Tifa, Cloud, hi!"
It was an office, which shouldn't have been such a surpise. There was a desk, fine, they could deal with that... it was just a little unusual to see a red lion-beast-thing sitting behind it on a mat. Nanaki leapt gracefully over the desk over to them and extended a paw.
Tifa looked at it.
"Huh?" she said.
Nanaki looked imploringly at them, the sweetness in his gaze hitting them with a powerful reminder that he was, after all, still really a teenager in human terms.
"You're supposed to shake it," he said helpfully.
They obliged, awkwardly. "Isn't that just a human thing?" Cloud asked.
Nanaki shuffled his feet. "Yeah," he said, "but they said I should try it too. It's a bit ridiculous really, but I don't see the harm."
"ANYWAY," said Tifa, "that was all completely 100 totally irrelevant. Hi, Red!"
He did his version of a grin. "Hi," he said again. "Sit down?"
"Thanks."
"Look, um, Red..." said Tifa, looking to Cloud for support here. "Do you think you could take some time out of your schedule?"
"Er... maybe... why, exactly?"
Cloud finally spoke up. "Just... something's come up..." he said, grinning crookedly at Tifa. "To be more specific, Cid got attacked by a monster that might -"
" - possibly, on the off-chance-" Tifa interuppted, trying to be reassuring.
"- be something to do with Jenova."
It was credit to how much Red had already learnt in politics that he didn't flinch, or even visibly react at the news. He sat back down on the mat.
"...Right," he said. "So, do we all meet up again and investigate?"
"Something like that," said Tifa, grinning.
Great minds think alike... she thought. Crazy people too, probably, but... um...
On another floor, Cid, Shera and Vincent were also meeting up with an old friend...
"Eugh! That's freaky!" exclaimed Cid. "That is quite possibly the damn freakiest thing I have ever seen..."
"What, this?" said Reeve - only the sound came out of the mouth of a toy cat seated on the desk...
"How do you DO that?" asked Shera, curious in spite of herself.
Reeve pulled up his sleeve to reveal the metal bracelet around his wrist.
"...?" said Vincent with polite incomprehension.
Cait Sith giggled as Reeve grinned slightly. "Bit of magic, bit of science... that wasn't the hard part actually..." It was a relief to see the man's words actually coming out of his own mouth this time. "Actually, the biggest challenge was -"
"Yeah, yeah, shuddup already," said Cid.
Reeve pouted and Cait Sith hung his head.
"Very smart. Look, you coming or what?"
"On this reunion Jenova-killing thing? Sure. Well - that is, take Cait with you, so I can be in two places at once and manage here if anything major comes up."
They all nodded. Cid said: "Yeah, that's better. Er, no offence, but it's kind of scary seeing you as a person..."
"Hey!"
"So!" said Tifa cheerfully as she could, "Everyone here?"
Dumb question, she thought, but who cares?
The weird thing was the way everyone had just gravitated back to their old positions on the Highwind - with the exception of Cid, of course, who was steering, and the addition of Shera. It all felt so unchanged. Something suddenly felt an awful lot like nostalgia...
"Just like the old days, huh?" Cloud grimaced.
Tifa returned the shaky smile. "Yep. Here we go again..."
There was a moan-yell from somewhere else on the ship. "Guys?" Yuffie, of course. "Are we going or what? Only I don't want to spend a minute longer than I have to on this stupid airship! I'm starting to feel sick, OK?"
"While we're not even moving?" asked Cid incredulously to no one in particular.
"I think it's a physchological thing," said Vincent helpfully.
"What the..." Cid shrugged. "Right, OK, whatever. You heard the girl! Let's get the hell outta here!"
Cid slammed his hand down on the ignition, and the others all cheered. All except Yuffie, who moaned.
"So... where's this freaky monster thing anyway?" asked Barret irritably after a few seconds in the air. He had been in a bit of bad mood ever since Yuffie had neglected to tell him that they were travelling all the way to Rocket Town by chocobo.
Cid sighed. "We don't know, moron. You guys need keep a lookout and... get yourselves prepared or something and I'll steer this thing."
Yuffie suddenly swung around the door frame. "Hey," she said casually. "It's getting really boring over there."
They just stared at her.
She continued. "Yeah, would you guess what? I don't feel sick!"
Red broke the astonished silence. "I suppose it's always possible you could grow out of it...?" he suggested.
"Oh man, that'd be so cool... So, what's up?"
Tifa shrugged. "Um... just your average monster-lookout... 'Cept that no one knows what to look for except Cid and he's steering."
"Believe me," said Cid, not turning around, "you'll know it when you see it!"
"I saw it too!" said Yuffie, then launched into a dramatic retelling of her close-encounter-on-chocobo-back.
"Is everyone prepared?" said Cloud seriously, interuptting after five minutes.
"What, for fighting a weirdy monster most of us have never seen and we know absolutely nothing about?" asked Yuffie cheerfully. "Yeah, pretty much, don't you think?"
"Thanks, Yuffie."
"My pleasure. Oh come on, you did interupt me."
"Shera-" said Tifa suddenly, "Do you actually have a weapon?"
Shera blinked. "Actually, no... sorry..."
"Borrow one of Vincent's guns!" said Yuffie. "Anyone can use a gun."
"No one who can use a gun would say that," said Vincent gravely.
"Bllaaaaaah." Yuffie stuck her tongue out. "Right, OK, I'll go and get the Winchester shall I?"
"Yuffie!" protested Vincent as Yuffie ran towards the door.
"You know where Vincent's guns are?" asked Tifa.
Yuffie stopped to hang on the door long enough to answer. "Some of them. He's got like a bazillion scattered everywhere around here." She ignored Vincent, and bounded down the stairs.
"..." Vincent shook his head hopelessly.
"Um... I can actually use a gun," said Shera quietly.
Tifa grinned at the back of Cid's head. "She really can do everything," she murmured and thought she saw Cid twitch.
Yuffie was back, waving the gun around. She offered it to Shera, but pulled it back at the last second. "First," she said and Glared at Vincent, "I do SO know how a gun works. See; this thing's the handle-"
"-Actually, Yuffie -"
"Shh! I know what I'm talking about!"
"Um, I don't think-"
"-And if I pull this thing-"
"Yuffie, NO!" yelled everyone else, running for cover.
"JOKE, guys!" said Yuffie, handing the Winchester to Shera who was now cowering under a chair. "Geez, I do know what the trigger is..."
"I - er, I think you'd better stick to your shiruken..." Vincent said, getting up and shaking his cloak out. "Not , of course," he added seeing her Glare, "that you can't be equally dangerous with that weapon..."
"Hey, guys!" Cloud interuptted, pointing out of the window. "Our monster, remember?"
Tifa ran towards him. "Is that it?"
"...I think it just might be..."
"OK, Cid, land now!"
"££&! Whaddya think I'm doing?"
"Well, it looks to me like we're flying actually..."
"Shut your damn mouth, Yuffie."
