Tifa awoke half buried in dirt and ash. At first she could not remember what had happened but then it all came rushing back to her. Tifa scrabbled back onto her feet and looked around at the devastation. Barrett and the others came running over to her
"Tifa!" said Barrett "Are you okay?"
"I guess" said Tifa brushing herself down. Looking at the crowd there were two figures missing.
"Where are Cloud and Vincent?" Tifa asked.
"Vincent is out looking" said Barrett looking down at the floor
"And Cloud?" Tifa asked raising her hand to her mouth suddenly feeling dread creep up her spine. Barrett shook his head. A clang made them all look up at a large part of wreckage. Vincent was situated atop it.
"Anything?" Cid shouted up. Vincent nodded
"Yes" he said and dropped an item wrapped in cloth. Tifa quickly dropped to her knees and unwrapped it. Tifa actually screamed and threw herself back from the black sheet. Barrett and the others stepped back as though the item was cursed. It was the Masamune. A bloody handprint was on the handle, a long slender handprint that belonged to Sephiroth. Blood splatters also danced along the blade like some foreboding painting.
"Where was it buried?" asked Nanaki. Vincent dropped and wrapped up the weapon
"It wasn't" said Vincent "I found it lying on the ground as clear as day"
"Was there any sign of Cloud?" asked Tifa. Vincent continued to look at the sheet
"No" he said shaking his head "But there were footprints in the dirt"
"Then we should follow them!" said Tifa
"What if it's Sephiroth?" Yuffie asked
"Without Cloud I 'ave to say we're doomed" said Barrett.
"But what if it's Cloud?" Tifa asked "Then we know for a fact that Sephiroth is dead, this weapon should prove that! Sephiroth would never leave it!"
"What if he dragged Cloud away?" Vincent asked "He couldn't carry it then could he?" A slap rang out as Tifa struck Vincent
"He's not dead!" Tifa said angrily before storming away. Vincent watched as she departed a fiery soul if I ever saw one Vincent thought with the smallest hints of a smile below his cloak.
Tifa had only gone thirty or so sets when she fell to her knees out of exhaustion; the final battle had really taken it out of her. Oh Cloud, where are you? Tifa thought as she looked up at the grey sky.
Vincent had gone back to the footprints with Nanaki. Vincent crouched and examined the marks while Nanaki went around sniffing looking for some sort of trace.
"Anything?" Nanaki asked.
"Same footprints as" Vincent slowly trailed off. Nanaki came bounding over and looked at the same area that Vincent was looking. Vincent crawled on all fours following the single set of footsteps to a large area that had been squashed flat. Nanaki went further ahead.
"This doesn't look good" said Nanaki
"Someone was lying here" said Vincent who then crawled further forwards to see two pairs of footprints.
"Two people left here together" said Nanaki "Sephiroth and Cloud" He added as he got their scents.
"Why would Cloud walk with Sephiroth?" Vincent asked.
"Maybe Sephiroth escaped and Cloud pursued him to finish the work" said Nanaki
"Let us hope that is the case" said Vincent.
"It sounds the most likely" said Nanaki "Cloud and Sephiroth hated each other"
"Unless something changed" said Vincent. Nanaki looked up at Vincent as he sat down in the dirt
"Like what?" Nanaki asked as he walked over to sit by Vincent.
"I do not know" said Vincent "Maybe after the battle Sephiroth surrendered, after all Cloud did defeat him"
"So Cloud and Sephiroth are on the same side?" Nanaki guessed
"I doubt it" said Vincent "Sephiroth does not seem like the type of person to submit"
"What do we tell them?" Nanaki asked nodding towards Cid and the others who were coming over. Barrett was carrying Tifa who had passed out in the dirt.
"We have a trail" Vincent said "It's not a very strong one but two people definitely went this way, one after the other it seems"
"Then let's follow it" said Barrett. Vincent jumped back onto his feet and Nanaki stood up. The two trackers went on ahead while the others followed silently.
"What if we find Sephiroth and Cloud together?" Nanaki whispered
"We'll have to see what Cloud decides" said Vincent.