Hey! I'm writing this at school now… hehe…
Am veri anxious to get this chappie uP!
Alright..
The author does not own Final Fantasy… Which u all SHLD KNOW!
Unfortunately, I forgot to put my disclaimer for like… 3 chapters now…
Bothered by The Flames I have… total is… 3 to 8.. HAH I'm LEADIN! Lolx…
It's a way of life I guess
On with da Fic!
Cheers!
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'Cloud… You' are not kidding me… Tifa is really gone?'
Cloud sighed as he again tried to make it clear to Bugenhagen that Tifa was really missing and that he did not make her left his house.
Old people sometimes are hysterical…
Cloud thought to himself bitterly as he felt threatened under the non-wavering eyes of Bugenhagen, the old warrior had stopped floating about and instead chose to fix Cloud under his stare.
'What have you done Cloud? To make such a beautiful young lady mad at you!'
Bugenhagen muttered something that consisted with the words 'young people these days' and 'don't believe it' in it.
"Grandfather! I told you I had nothing to do with Tifa's disappearance! All I want to know now is that… is there a slight, even a slight chance that… she was taken away by a new source of power? The lifestream should have reflected that wouldn't it?"
Nanaki growled beside Cloud in agreement.
'He's right… the lifestream should provide us with clues to whether something has emerged from the planet, like the Weapons or maybe Jenova.'
Bugenhagen paused for a while and he furrowed his brows in deep concentration, seemingly to recall something.
'Both of you are right… I should have sense some disturbance in the lifestream it self… Let's see now… Nanaki… where is the lever?'
'To your right grandfather…'
Nanaki whispered to Cloud as soon as Bugenhagen turned away from them, his ears folded back in embarrassment.
'Grandfather is… getting old Cloud… his memory fails sometime…'
Cloud gave Nanaki a grin before patting him on his shoulder.
"Everyone get's old Nanaki… Even Him… but he had a happy life… do not worry bout him…"
Nanaki paused for a while before looking back at him with mournful eyes, Cloud's heart sank a little as he saw the real Red XII… the real Nanaki who was really just a teenager and who is just as confused as each and everyone of them.
'I do not want him to go… I still want to talk to him… learn more about the planet…'
Nanaki whimpered, but softly so that Bugenhagen could not hear him. Cloud was confused once more, he had came here to get some help and now… he was the one giving help to the oldest member of his group, the Defender of Cosmo Canyon. Red XII.
Oh To Hell with it! It's not a crime to help people
Tentatively raising his hand, he patted Nanaki on his head and whispered to him.
"When… it is his time… you must be brave… he would want you to… even if a person's gone… it does not mean that he is gone forever… he is always watching you… Always watching over you. Just like your father… Seto… he's always there… So Nanaki… you must be brave. For Him and Seto…"
Nanaki did not respond to his answer, he just slightly paused and raise up his paw to Cloud's shoulder.
'You are indeed the leader of all of us Cloud Strife… I've been in this planet for… over 50 years… and I've never figured that out… Thank you…'
Cloud grinned at him before grabbing his paw in a high-5.
"You're welcome Nanaki…"
'Ah! There it is!'
Bugenhagen shouted triumphantly as he finally located the lever and pulled it down, activating the machine.
The Planet suddenly appeared right in front of Cloud, without Meteor it looked very tranquil and very peaceful. But as Cloud paused to admire the beauty of his home, his planet. The entire scene changed to a swirling mass of energy, he knew that that was the lifestream, the source of life on the planet.
'There doesn't seem to be any changes Bugenhagen…"
'Yes there is young man…'
Bugenhagen waved his hands impatiently as he pointed at 1 area in the lifestream.
'This is over Gongaga… and here… is near Mt Condor, Junon and Midgar. There had been resurgences of lifestream activity there…'
"Resurges? Does that mean that there is really another force of power awakening?"
Cloud stiffened as he mentally thought of the Greatest Shinra General ever, Sephiroth. He still shudders at how he had once controlled him.
…we are so alike… yet different…
'No… Not another source of Power… it is more of… an infection, plague or maybe an invasion.'
"I do not get what you are saying…"
Cloud scratched his head while he got up from where he was and walked over to the model of the lifestream. The information was to much for him to absorb and he had to shake his head to clear his mind. Peering into the orb, Cloud mentally formed a map of the planet and was surprised to see that the areas where the lifestream is most active did no include either Nibelhiem or Wutai.
'Cloud… Grandfather means that it is not a planned activity… but instead the Lifestream is producing more monsters than usual. And that the monsters, due to the increase in exposure to the lifestream… Mako had infused them with more powers then before… Most of the monsters die of Mako poisoning… but those that survive is very dangerous…'
"I know…"
Cloud raised his gloved hand to elaborate his point as it showed a couple of claw marks on it from his encounter with the Materia keeper.
"The Materia keeper was infused with the powers of a Restore Materia… it was able to regen itself even after being sliced in half…"
Nanaki's eyes perked up as he listened to Cloud elaborate his battle with the Menace.
'I have been facing the same problem… monsters seemed to be getting stronger… Thankfully the Northern Crater had not been exposed to the lifestream… imagine the Dark Dragons getting another dose of Power…'
Bugenhagen nodded as he once again fixed his penetrating on Cloud and he sighed a little.
'I'm sorry… there is nothing… nothing that really happened at Nibelheim…the only clue that I can offer you is that… during Tifa's disappearance… within the timeframe itself… there was a very massive surge of lifestream all round the world… especially Junon and Gongaga…'
Cloud felt his hopes drop to a whole new low, the place which he expected to be the most helpful turned out to be not… it was a great blow to him and his shoulders sagged. Clutching his head, he did not speak even when Nanaki prodded him with his paws.
"Tifa…where are you…"
Nanaki could feel his leaders anguish even from a distance away, he watched not knowing what to do as Cloud just sank down to his knees and refused to get up. It seemed to be the end of the world for him.
'Cloud… I-I heard something… There was a sighting of her… from a tourist that came to Cosmo Canyon… he says that he saw Tifa at Gongaga… but…'
Cloud immediately jolted back to life as he grabbed Nanaki by the scruff of his collar, his eyes gleaming with energy and his voice hopeful he shook Nanaki.
"Is that true? Is what you say Really true? Do not lie to me Nanaki!"
'Y-Yes… But you know how tourists are…'
Nanaki trailed off as he saw how excited Cloud was at the news of Tifa, he grinned at him with his usual energy and he grabbed Bugenhagen and started dancing with him, much to Bugenhagen's disgust. But Nanaki knew he didn't mind, his words were as good as unspoken as he saw how happy Cloud was.
It is enough… let it be like that… just for now…
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"Ow! Who isit!"
Cloud cursed as he felt a foreign weight landing right on top of him and knocking all the air out his lungs.
'Good morning Cloud!'
"Eh? Nanaki? What are you doing this early?"
'Early? It is 1pm Cloud!'
"1pm! God…"
Cloud groaned and promptly dropped back into his pillow, his head throbbing again as he had woken up too fast again.
"Why do I have the tendency to sleep for soo long?"
Cloud asked to no one in particular but Nanaki cheerfully growled a reply.
'Maybe it is due to the fact that you passed out yesterday and I had to drag you back to my cot with my teeth?'
Cloud eyes widened as he remembered what happened yesterday and he groaned again while covering his face.
"Damn… sorry Nanaki…"
Red XII merely grinned and growled as he grab Cloud's buster sword from the table and plopped it in his lap.
'uhm… fere… fou fo….'
"thanks… is Grandfather ready?"
'Yes… he's waiting for you Cloud…'
"I guess I have to go now…"
Grabbing his cloak, Cloud hastily grabbed a few X-potions from the table and quickly took a flying leap from the top of the observatory.
"WHOA! DAMN!"
Cloud's angry roar vibrated throughout the whole observatory as he had obviously forgotten about the long drop that waited for him below. Nanaki ran out when he heard the voice to see what was going on, when he did he barely could contain his laughter.
'Cloud! I never knew you were so…. Ahem… Never mind!'
Nanaki shouted as he watch the tiny speck that was Cloud fall from view.
Hope it doesn't damage his head…
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Bugenhagen had seen a lot of things in his long life, seen the attack of the Gi tribe, seen Meteor crashing towards the planet but he had never seen a person come crashing down from Cosmos Canyon like that.
'Who are you? Do you come in peace?'
"Very Funny Bugenhagen…"
'That's odd… you sound like Cloud…'
"Course I'm CLOUD!"
'Cloud? What are yon doing there? Who came crashing down?'
"Me… I misjudged the fall…"
'And you're still alive? Incredible…'
"…"
Cloud did not respond to Bugenhagen's comment, in fact he was pretty surprised that he had survived the fall.
Let's not do that again…
Cloud mentally reminded himself that he had to watch his step as he climbed onto his bike, the bike he had left here long ago.
"Say Goodbye to Nanaki for me…"
'Goodbye Cloud…'
"Goodbye Bugenhagen…"
Cloud started the engine, gave the Old Guardian of Cosmos canyon a small wave before revving the engine and speeding away in the distance.
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Lolx.. again so fast?