Author's Note:

Still don't own Final Fantasy, despite my attempts to gain ownership of it by challenging Square Enix to a Quake Deathmatch for it.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Third Location

After Aeris left, Cloud had fallen into a wave of depression. Now he was forced to wait alone in Kalm for the rest of Avalanche to return, while Aeris was in the hands of Shinra. He wasn't sure of her safety, he at one particular instance, while dwelling on his failure to protect her again as her bodyguard, he managed to put a fist through one of the inn room's walls.

After paying for the damage, Cloud sat on his bed, staring at the fist-shaped hole in the wall, musing to himself. It was night outside and once it hit morning, there would be one day left for Avalanche to return. One day left to wait alone, with only his thoughts and his melancholy.

I never told her. Even though the Planet told me to, I never got to tell her how I really feel about her.

"Buck up, kiddo," a voice behind him said. "Things could be worse. It's not like she's dead or anything. Again."

Cloud didn't need to turn around to know who the speaker was, but he did anyway, adjusting himself on the bed to take in the sight of Cid, a cigarette hanging from one of his lips, a steady trail of smoke emanating from it. But the smell of smoke wasn't there, nor the urge to cough Cloud usually had in the presence of it.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked abruptly, putting more anger into it than he meant to.

"Chill, kid. Keep cool. I'm here to tell ya--"

Standing up, Cloud cut him off. "You're always here to tell me something. Always. But never anything useful. 'You're the Champion of the Planet,' 'There's a new threat', 'Some of your friends may die.' Never specifics, never certainties. Never anything useful."

"Hey, hey, don't get gettin' all mad at me 'cause I don't feel like comin' down to socialize with you. I only talk to you when I can. Y'think it's easy manifestin' myself like this? I only do it for a select few, ya pinhead! Yeesh. You gonna listen to what I have to tell ya?"

"Fine."

"'Fine.' That's it? Godamn numbskull. Don't even know when to appreciate what you're gettin'. Now listen, I know what's goin' on. Or something of it, anyway. There's an invading force, and it's poppin' up all over the Planet. Three major locations are all gettin' hit at once by these invaders. They got some sorta plan, but I have no idea what it is. Can't be good, though."

"Who are these invaders? What do they want?"

"Now that, I do know. They're the descendants of survivors. Ancients. Sort of, anyway. They're the Ancients they got infected by Jenova and got beat back during the last big war against her. The Cetra drove 'em all underground, then closed up the caves behind 'em. They call themselves the Tali Hishna, or in the ol' Cetra language, 'True Children.' They've been down there for a long time, so their bodies have adapted over time. Short, muscular, no colour to 'em. Don't like the light much. They're scared of it, and it hurts their eyes."

"If they were underground, how did they survive all this time?"

"They're Ancients, ya pinhead! Although, since Jenova infected 'em, they ain't what they nearly used to be. Some of 'em still have powers, but most of 'em don't. They been usin' the Lifestream down there to make things, like food. They were happy to just be down there mindin' there own, business, too, til they heard Jenova call."

"From North Crater?"

"Nah... none of 'em were in that part of the world, so they didn't hear it. That, and she was so damn sure she was gonna win, she didn't call for the big guns, just whatever monsters were close. Nah, she called 'em during your battle in Midgar, when she was sure she needed all the help she could get. So now they're here, and they mean business, boy."

"Where are they? What can I do to stop them?"

The figure that looked like Cid shook his head. "You're awfully quick to do somethin'. I'd tell you to wait for your friends, but they're already buried hip deep in shit. Luckily, too. They're already coverin' two o' the three locations. Barret and Red are coverin' Cosmo Canyon, but that's just a diversion. Their real target is Gongaga."

"Are they all right?" Cloud asked.

"S'far as I can tell, they're holed up in Cosmo Canyon, all safe. It's Tifa and Rude y'need to be worried about. They're in Fort Condor, and that's the second spot you have to worry about."

Turning about, Cloud crossed the room, and reached for Ultima Weapon, which had been leaning against the wall.

"Don't rush so fast, kiddo. They can handle themselves, but prob'ly not for too long. You need to go to the third spot."

Grabbing the sword and placing it in the large sheathe on his back, he asked, "Where's that?"

"Yeesh, you really are a numbskull. What do Gongaga and Fort Condor have in common?"

"Mako Reactors," Cloud said. "But the third spot could be anywhere if that's the common link. Corel, Junon, or..." He trailed off, realizing where an ideal spot would be to go in order to reach a Mako reactor.

"Now you're thinkin'. They're in Midgar, alright. You just gotta get your spiky ass down there and stop 'em before it's too late."

Cloud was about to ask, Too late for what?, but when he turned to face the apparition, it was gone, as usual. He wanted to hit something. In fact, he did. The hole he had put in the wall suddenly had a friend to keep it company.

Author's Note:

Not my longest or best chapter, but it's setting things in motion for Cloud. I'm gonna flip a coin for what POV to do next, but it'll probably either be Reno or Rufus.