Author's Note: Yes, after several years of no show, I've finally decided to put up chapter 5. I'm notreally pleased with it, but I've editted slightly. Also, about the upcoming chapters, I'm sorry to say that it's taking me a little longer than I would like, since I'm playing the game as I write up this fic. Now, the problem is that I don't have the game, and my friend won't lend it to me. So it might be a while until I update the next chapter. Sorry, guys!
Chapter 5
I began to dream again. I dreamt that I was in a forest. It was dark, and the woods were filled with fog. Scents of timber and evergreen reached my nose.
"Hello?" I called out, hoping to find some response to my call.
None came.
Again I moved through the thick trees, bushing the low branches aside. Everything was so quiet. Nothing stirred. Not even the trees seemed to rustle at my touch.
Suddenly, there, out of the corner of my eyes, something moved. It was subtle at first, but it soon grew to a rough tug against the branches. Someone was there!
"Hello?" I asked hesitantly, approaching the movement. "Excuse me! Hello?"
It was then that he emerged. Coated with leaves in his hair, a slightly aggravated look on his face. It was…
"Aeris!"
I gave a soft moan and stirred awake from my sleep. Rubbing my temples gently, I began to hear an urgent pounding sound. Was I still dreaming?
"Aeris!"
"Cloud!" I exclaimed, both relieved and startled at the same time. Immediately, I craned my neck over and glanced behind me. "Tifa! How did you–"
"So, that's her name," a voice from the shadows interrupted. There came a triumphant laugh, and a finicky man in a lab coat emerged. It was Hojo, grease and all.
Cloud drew out his sword as Tifa turned around as well. "Get her out of there," he told her before focusing all his attention on the creepy scientist.
Hojo laughed cruelly. I couldn't help but feel shivers running down my spine as I heard it. "Temper, temper. There's no need to be alarmed. I'm only experimenting this specimen with another one," he said, signaling someone at the control room.
Suddenly, a panel in my cell rose up, and a gigantic creature emerged from the floor. It was ferocious looking and looked as if he hadn't had a meal in weeks.
Oh, God, I thought to myself, pressing my back against the glass. Was I going to be this monster's meal?
Suddenly, without warning, the creature unleashes itself from its confinements and headed straight for me. I stumbled back, completely pressed against the glass wall. Quickly, I lunged over to my side, avoiding the creature's claws before they could reach me. I was safe for a second. But not for long…
Again the creature turned towards me, baring its teeth hungrily as it shifted its footing. Again it pounced on me, and this time, I could do nothing but scream.
"EYA–" I stopped myself in mid-scream and slowly opened my eyes. Nothing happened! I was still alive!
"What's going on?" I murmured quietly to myself, peering at my surroundings. The creature was still in front of me, but its attention seemed to have been diverted. The windows became completely foggy, and there was no way to see through them. Something was happening. But what?
For a moment I thought there was simply a momentary glitch in the system holding me prison, distracting the monster for a short moment. But I was immediately proved wrong as my cell doors sprung open, along with the raging beast.
"GYAAAHH!" came a piercing shriek as the creature leaped out of the cell.
Gathering my wits about me, I hurried over to see what the commotion was all about, and the knot in my stomach untwisted. I wasn't the creature's next meal. Hojo was!
"AAAAAAAH!" Hojo shrieked as the beast tackled him. With a ferocious cry, the mad scientist kicked at the beast and ran away from its clutches.
It was then that Cloud walked into the cell, helping me get to my feet. Without a word, he knew I had been untouched, and he quickly diverted his attention back to a fleeing Hojo.
The beast looked at me innocently as I finally stepped out of the cell. It was a strange sight. Moments ago, he had been a ferocious thing. Now he somehow looked tame. Calm, I suppose. "He's powerful. I can assist you," I heard it say from its own mouth.
Tifa's eyes bulged out in surprise. She had heard the voice, too. "Wah! It talked?" she exclaimed in shock.
The creature turned its head towards Tifa and gave a small nod. "I'll talk as much as you want later, miss," it replied, moving up to all fours. "But right now, we have to settle a few things."
Cloud nodded in agreement, knowing it was no time for idle chatter. "We'll take care of the monster," he said, taking out his sword. "Tifa, I'm counting on you to take Aeris somewhere safe. Don't get caught."
"We won't," Tifa replied, giving a brief nod before grabbing my hand. With a reassuring squeeze, she shot me a tiny glance and took off towards the elevator, taking me away from the fighting.
For many minutes, the two of us did not speak, afraid the Shinra guards would hear us. Instead, I followed Tifa as she ran in random directions, trying to find the elevator out of here.
Suddenly, a thunder of footsteps approached, and I knew that was a sign for trouble. Tugging at Tifa's shoulders, I gestured over to a nearby storage room and suggested that we hide in there for the time being. Even if someone did enter the room, we would be completely hidden from all the boxes they kept inside.
As we ducked into our hiding place, Tifa finally shot me a look of concern. "Are you okay? You look so pale," she told me with a frown.
I looked at my wrist. "Oh…I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all," I answered, starting to cheer up. "By the way, how did you guys escape? I saw the sector seven plate support blow up. And I saw sector seven crashing down," I said, trying not to remember hearing the terrified screams from the crashing plate.
Tifa's eyes looked glassy, but she shed no tears. Still, the topic must have been very difficult for her, for it took her a long moment before finally giving a reply. "Cloud, Barret, and I tried to defuse the bomb, but…it was too late. Luckily, we found a wire that swung us out of sector seven before it crashed," she answered.
"And…the others?" I asked softly even though I knew what the answer was going to be in the end.
Tifa shook her head. "They were still there when the plate crashed. We were the only survivors," she said sadly.
"I'm sorry," I whispered silently.
And that was the end of our conversation. Tifa said nothing more afterwards, and I was left to wait there with her in complete silence. Within twenty minutes, the two of us peered out of our hiding place and snuck out of the room. There were no soldiers there.
With a sigh of relief, I clutched at my chest and gave a feeble smile. I was free. I was going to get out…
Never mind.
Around the corner, a dozen soldiers pointed their guns our way. Another dozen circled us from behind. We were trapped.
Tifa looked around for any means of escape. But her next two words doomed us both.
"Oh no!" she muttered under her breath.
Oh no, was right. It wasn't long until a large, round man came forward, dressed in dark green garb. "I am Heidegger, chief associate of the military organization known as the Turks. It gives me great honor to bring you two back to President Shinra. He would be most pleased," he said as he walked by. "Tie them up. Bring the Ancient to the prisons. This one," he said pushing Tifa towards the soldiers, "will meet with the president."
Tifa looked at me worriedly. "Aeris…"
Even in a time of crisis, Tifa worried about me instead of herself. Never in my life was I so grateful. Managing to smile weakly, I gave her the tiniest of nods and replied, "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. They wouldn't dare hurt me." I was then dragged away by three Shinra soldiers up towards a prison.
They opened up the bars of the cell and shoved me in. After I was inside, they locked my cell and left with the keys.
I gave a loud sigh and sat on the bed. Lying down, I waited for sleep to claim me.
"Cloud, are you there?" I asked, opening my eyes slowly. I don't exactly know what force drove me to utter those words as I awoke alone in the dark prison.
"Aeris? You're safe?" Cloud answered back in surprise.
My heart sank with relief. He was captured as well. But he was alive!
"Yeah," I answered softly, "I'm fine." I smiled to myself for apparently nothing. "I knew that you guys would come for me."
"Hey, that's what bodyguards are for, right?" he asked me knowingly.
"Oh. The deal was for one date, right?" I asked curiously. I brushed away my messy hair from my face as I lowered my voice.
Suddenly, I heard another voice coming from Cloud's cell. "…Oh, I get it," the familiar voice said quietly.
I gasped in surprise. Leave it me to say something stupid in such an awkward moment. "T-Tifa!" I stammered in embarrassment. I didn't mean to offend her. "Tifa, you're in there too!" I asked in shock.
"EXCUSE me," Tifa retorted, shifting herself off the bed. I could tell she was slightly annoyed. "Um…Hey, Aeris, I have a question," she asked, changing the subject.
I sighed with relief, thankful for a different topic to reply to. "Yeah?" I asked curiously.
Tifa paused before she said anything else. I suppose she was thinking of how to break the question to me. "Does the Promised Land really exist?" she finally asked in a low hushed voice.
I thought for a moment, thinking of what to say. No one had ever asked me that question before. But then again, no one really knew about it. "…I don't know," I answered honestly. "All that I know of is that the Cetra were born from the Planet, can speak with the Planet, and can unlock the Planet. And…then…umm…The Cetra will return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness. Or that's what I was told."
"But what do you suppose it all means?" Tifa asked, wanting to know more.
I shook my head reluctantly. "More than what I can describe…I don't know," I answered truthfully.
"Speak with the Planet?" Cloud said in a puzzled voice.
"What does the Planet say?" Tifa added.
"It's full of people and noise. So I can't make out what they are saying," I replied, deep in thought.
"Can you hear it now?" Cloud asked.
"I…" I began hesitantly. "…I only heard it at the church I go to often. Mother said that Midgar was no longer safe. That is…my real mother." I sat down on the bed and looked at the ceiling. "Someday I'll get out of Midgar…speak with the Planet…and find my Promised Land…At least that's what mom said. I thought I would stop hearing her voice as I grew up, but…" My voice broke off without finishing its sentence. I didn't want to talk about my mother. The thought was too depressing.
I lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes. It was the only thing I could do.
"Aeris, wake up!" I heard Tifa's voice say.
I slowly opened my eyes in curiosity. I could've sworn I heard her voice right beside me. But that was impossible, unless…"Tifa? How…" I began in confusion, seeing her just over my bed.
Tifa shook her head. "Something's up. C'mon," she told me, helping me off the mattress.
Without a word, I followed her out of my cell, a foul odor reaching my nostrils. As he made it a few steps out of the prison door, I immediately knew where the terrible stench came from.
There was a dead man at the corner of the hall. He had been stabbed and then hacked into pieces, with his blood spilling all over the floor.
The sight of him made me sick, and I immediately turned away. Even if he was part of Shinra, I couldn't bare to look into those lifeless eyes. At the time, I didn't know which was worse. His horrid face twisted into a terrified scream, or the amount of blood that now surrounded him. In the end, all I could do was gasp and shiver in fright.
Within a few minutes, more of Cloud's gang had stumbled upon the site. The man named Barret swore loudly as he approached the bloody man, and he quickly shooed us away from the area, saying that he would clean up the mess in case anyone else were to see it.
That I couldn't argue with, although, it did leave a sickening feeling in my gut. Still, this was no time for being sick. Instead, I nodded my head along with Cloud and Tifa, agreeing to follow the large, red beast out of the hall. (I later learned that the creature was called Red XIII, and that he wasn't as bad as you would think. But that's enough of that.)
"Follow me," Red XIII said, leading us through a number of places.
As we hurried along the corridors, I fought the urge to look down at my feet. Earlier, I had made the mistake to do so, and I was greeted with a heavy trail of blood. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep in a very long time.
There was complete silence as we made our way through the floor. It was an eerie feeling, as if we were the only ones left in the world. Something was wrong, that was for sure.
"Oh my God!" I heard Tifa gasp right in front of me as we came to a sudden halt. Immediately, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Craning my neck to the side, I peeked behind Tifa's shoulder to see what lay before us. That was a mistake. "Oh, God…!" That was enough for me, and without another word, I ran off to the side and vomited, no longer able to hold in my disgust.
There had been a pool of blood, a massive pool just outside some sort of container. Later I would learn from Cloud that it had held some specimen known as JENOVA. Where the specimen was, I didn't want to know at the time.
A gentle pat brushed against my back, and Tifa tugged urgently on my hand. "Come on," she whispered softly, almost fearfully. "We have to get going."
With a nod, I stood up straight and followed the rest of the group to the next floor. As we passed by the pool of blood, I squeezed my eyes shut and wouldn't open them until I knew we were out of that room.
"Cloud, where are we going?" I heard Tifa ask softly as we climbed up the steps.
Cloud did not give a reply at once. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the trail of blood, as if it were leading us somewhere. Finally, he looked up at Tifa and shrugged. "Who knows for sure, but whoever's done this was probably…" His voice trailed off as we made our destination.
He didn't need to finish what he was saying. The scene before us was answer enough.
The trail of blood had led us to the president's headquarters, and source for all the blood was staring straight at us from the president's back.
"Murder," I heard Tifa gasp as we both noticed the sword protruding from the dead man's spine.
Barret, who had caught up with us a few minutes ago, slowly approached the president's desk, his hand trembling. "He's dead…The leader of Shinra, Inc. is dead…" he said quietly.
I gaped at the body, speechless. Who could have done this? I silently thought to myself.
Tifa ran towards the president, taking a closer look at the sword. As I watched her, Tifa's eyes widened with fear, and she shot Cloud a frightened look. "Then this sword must be…?" she began. She covered her mouth as she stared back at the sword, her eyes filled with a great heat of intensity.
"Sephirtoh's!" Cloud continued, just as surprised as Tifa.
Tifa gasped with wide eyes opened. She quickly backed away in fright, shaking her head to herself. "Sephiroth is alive? But how could that be?" she whispered in a low voice.
Sephiroth…? I thought to myself in bewilderment.
Cloud nodded. "Looks like it. Only Sephiroth could wield that sword," he answered reluctantly.
"Who cares who did it?" Barret cried out suddenly. "This is the end of the Shinra now!"
Suddenly, a plump old man stumbled out from behind the president's desk . "Ugh!" he cried out, absolutely terrified. As he tried to scamper out of the room, Cloud and Barret quickly blocked his way, stopping him before he could escape.
"P…p…p…please, don't hurt me!" he stuttered, trying to wriggle himself free of Cloud's and Barret's grasp.
Cloud threw the man back down. "What happened?" he demanded.
"Se…Sephiroth came!" the man cried out.
From that moment, I noticed Cloud's eyes light up, almost with a sense of fury. "You saw him? You saw Sephiroth?" he asked eagerly.
The man turned paler, and he began to shake tremendously. As he spoke, his words flew out of his mouth fast and almost inaudibly. "Yeah, I saw him. I saw him with my own eyes."
"You really saw him?" Cloud asked again.
From then on, I couldn't make out the look in Cloud's Mako eyes. I guessed they were something about shock mixed with concern. But I couldn't be too sure.
"Ugh!" Palmer cried out in frustration. "Would I lie to you at a time like this! I heard his voice too! He was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land," he yelled, his voice booming with desperation. With a terrified scream, he pushed Cloud and Barret aside and dashed out of the building before we could come after him.
Tifa held a puzzled look on her face as I glanced at her. "Does that mean that the Promised Land really exists and that Sephiroth's here to save it from Shinra?" she asked quietly.
"So he's a good guy then?" Barret suggested.
I heard Cloud scoff loudly. "Save the Promised Land? A good guy? No way!" Cloud retorted, almost bursting out into laughter. "He's not like that. I knew him! His mission's different!"
Suddenly, a helicopter flew towards us, interrupting our thoughts. As it landed, a young man dressed all in white came out, a smug look on his face.
Barret suddenly looked horrified. "Rufus! &#$! I forgot about him!" he cried out angrily.
Tifa peered out the window curiously, just like the rest of us. "Who's that?"
"Vice President Rufus, the President's son," he answered simply. He then ran off to the balcony, followed by the rest of us.
Rufus…Rufus…Yes. I've heard of that name before. It was a name mom told me to fear. "I've heard that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry…" I said to no one in particular.
As we headed towards the helicopter, the fat man was already there with Rufus. It appeared that they were in a deep conversation, with the man on his knees, bursting out into tears, and Tufus standing calmly, taking in all the details.
Rufus looked up from the conversation and glanced at us as we approached. He soon raised an eyebrow as he ignored the fat man's hysterical cries. "Who are you guys?" he asked in a smooth, silky voice.
"I'm Cloud, a former SOLDIER first class."
"I'm from AVALANCHE!
"A bar hostess in AVALANCHE."
"A flower girl from the slums," I said simply.
"A research specimen."
Rufus sighed and chuckled to himself. "Heh, what a crew," he sneered, turning his icy blue eyes towards us. "Well, I'm Rufus. The President of Shinra, Inc."
Barret glared at him. "You only President, 'cause yer old man died!" he snarled furiously.
Rufus ran his fingers though his hair and grinned cruelly. "That's correct. I'll let you hear my new appointment speech…" he began as he slowly circled around us, eyeing each and everyone of us with a calculating glare. "Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working. The population thought that Shinra would protect them. 'Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra Army will help you.' It looks perfect on the outside…"
As he passed by me, I could see a glimmer of cruelty in his eyes. I knew immediately that I disliked him.
"But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them," he said arrogantly. After he finished his speech, he ran his fingers through his hair and flashed us with a devious grin.
Beside me, I spotted Tifa rolling her eyes. "Hmm…he likes to make speeches. Just like his father," she said, not very interested.
Cloud suddenly pointed his sword at Rufus. "Everyone get out of the building! Now!" he ordered, glaring at Rufus.
"What?" Barret asked.
"I'll explain later!" Cloud commanded.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Barret demanded.
"I'll tell you later! Just go! I'll go after I take care of him!" Coud shouted to the rest of us, his sword still pointed straight at Rufus.
"Awright, Cloud!" Barret responded, running towards the elevator.
Tifa, Red XIII, and I followed Barret. Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. "Cloud…" I gasped. "I just realized something."
Tifa stopped me as I tried to turn back. She shook her head, and gently pushed me towards Barret and Red XIII. "I'll wait for Cloud. Everyone, get to the elevator!" she said, running back towards the stairs.
With a nod, I raced towards the elevator. Suggesting that we check our equipment first, I volunteered to use the Healing Materia, just in case someone or something would come to attack us.
Once that was done, Barret, Red XIII, and I headed off towards the elevator, ready for anything that would come to attack us. Little did we know, that our opponent would be on the second elevator on the other side.
Barret pushed me off to the back, and he and Red XIII pummeled the machine into dust. As a second one came, I spun my metal rod around and healed my two comrades, making sure they wouldn't be killed in the heat of battle. Within a few minutes, both druids sent to kill us were dead, and we were free to exit to the first floor.
With a sigh of relief, the three of us jumped out of the elevator, and headed for the lobby exit. But as we ran, I couldn't help but look back up the elevator. Cloud and Tifa were still up there. What if something terrible had happened to them?
No time for that! I scolded myself, turning my attention back to the lobby doors. Tifa said she'd back up Cloud. They should be fine!
"I'll go on ahead!" Barret announced, running outside. But just as quickly as he had run out, he immediately came back inside as bullets followed him. "&#! We're surrounded!"
Now what are we going to do? I thought, clenching my teeth together. We had to find another way to get out. There had to be another way out.
"If I was alone, this wouldn't be a thing. But I gotta reputation to protect," Barret muttered.
Suddenly a crazy and foolish idea popped up in my head. But I wasn't quite thinking at the moment. "You all get out while you still can," I said. "It's me they're after."
Barret glanced at me and shot me a funny look. "Yeah, well that ain't happenin'. You got caught up in this over my daughter. Now it's my turn to watch out for you!" Suddenly, he ran towards the doors and fired his gun arm. "Playtime's over for you, jackasses!" he screamed, dodging the bullets fired towards him.
I gave weak smile. They weren't going to desert me after all. "…Thank you, Mr. Barret."
He glared at me. "Who you callin' Mr. Barret? That don't sound right!" he snapped.
And with that, I blushed slightly.
"Well then…" Red XIII butted in. "If you two are finished with your chatter, may I suggest that we think of a way to get out of here!"
Barret glanced at Red XIII. "Huh? Oh, yeah…You a cold man. Just like someone else 'round here I know," he said with a small chuckle.
I said nothing, not wanting to go into anyone else's business, but I was sure Barret was talking about Cloud in a way.
"Did you say something?" Red XIII asked coldly.
"Notta thing. So what're we gonna do?" Barret asked himself, looking puzzled.
"Barret!"
I turned around to see who was running up to us. I realized it was Tifa. My heart skipped a beat. Tifa was alright!
"Tifa! Where's Cloud?" Barret asked curiously.
Tifa shook her head. "Everyone over here!" she directed, running towards a car.
I followed her quickly, not bothering to ask any questions. I guess I was scared. I wasn't really sure because of the loud pounding of my heart.
Barret followed behind me. "Huh? What's up? Where's Cloud?" Barret asked again.
"I'll tell you later! Hurry, hurry!" Tifa scolded, grabbing the car door open.
I sat next to Tifa, not saying anything because of all of the excitement. I glanced behind me and saw Barret and Red jump onto the back. I then looked back in front of me and saw some lunatic riding a motorcycle down the stairs.
"C-Cloud?" I gasped, recognizing the spiky blond hair.
Tifa jammed her foot on the pedal, and took off behind Cloud.
Suddenly, Shinra soldiers came up behind us. They, too, were riding motorcycles.
I yelped as a soldier came close to our car. The soldier began to slam his motorcycle at us, forcing my head to bump into something hard. I felt my forehead and felt warm blood coming down. I didn't see what was happening next, for I closed my eyes, hoping the bumpy ride would be over soon.
Tifa cursed loudly as she pulled against the steering wheel.
As I opened my eyes, I noticed that the road had been incomplete, and that if we ran off the road, we'd be falling down to our deaths. "Tifa!"
"I got it," Tifa replied, trying not to panic.
"Holy shit! What the–"
"I said I got it!" Tifa growled, swerving the car so abruptly that I slammed against the window.
After a split second, the car stopped immediately, causing my heart to skip a beat. I stared in front of me in shock as I tried to calm my breathing down for a bit. We were alive! Alive!
But not for long…
"Jesus! What the &$ is that thing!" Barret yelled over the noise approaching us.
Suddenly, Cloud emerged with his motorcycle, a dreadful look on his face.
As I squinted into the distance, I noticed that something was chasing him. Something large. No, something massive.
Cloud immediately jumped off the motorcycle and drew out his sword. "Get ready!" he yelled. "We've got company!"
Tifa nodded and moved over to Cloud's right, her fists ready for action. Barret and Red XII joined her, and I was left to the back, casting my healing spells and protective spells.
Red XIII gave a loud howl and charged at the giant machine, his entire body ablaze. As he crashed headlong into the machine, there came a loud rattle, and the machine immediately fell apart. It was destroyed.
With a sigh of relief, I sunk to my knees and clutched at my heart. We had escaped. We had escaped! And this time, I was right.
Author's Note: Bleeeeeh, I know the chapter kinda sucked. But like I said, I had this chapter written years ago, and I've tried to edit it as best as I could. Meh, tell me what you guys think.
