Hey, how ya all doing? Wow...I'm glad everyone likes this….I think…!!
Esthar desert…………..
When Reeve passed, all of AVALANCHE felt it. It was like a shockwave through their souls, making them cry out in surprise and pain. The feeling like they had been stabbed to the very core of their being and soul.
Cloud slowed his pace, scowling at himself for allowing the feeling to affect him the way it had but affect him it had. He brought his gaze to Tifa and Yuffie who were now in front of him, watching as they exchanged shocked glances.
Had the rest of the group felt the pain just as he had? The looks the two women were giving each other told him that they did.
No matter how hard they all tried to deny it, they missed Reeve's presence.
Tifa looked away sadly and shook her head. The words of Reeve skipping in her mind like a broken record, yet the sting of Cloud's slap still lingering on the back burner of her mind. Cid also entered her mind, his words forever whispering doubt about the righteousness of what they were doing.
She buried the thoughts of her former allies and friends away, locking them up in small box in her mind. Hoping that it would never see the light of day again.
"We've all felt what death is like," Cloud hissed to them, "This is no different. Keep your mind on the job."
Yeah but never to one of our own, Tifa offered Cloud a smile, hiding any tears she felt.
Yuffie stood a little straighter, thinking how it could have been her that sent that shockwave to the rest of the group. It didn't make her feel better or proud about that fact.
She had always pushed Cloud, given him various reasons to actually punish her but she had always been fortunate.
The man who had been killed was a gentle soul, never really cut out to be a killer but had followed orders anyway. That sad look in his eyes as he went about his business, the look always making her think of Vincent and his involvement with Sephiroth all those long years ago.
Her grip on her weapon tightened as she thought about the massacre that was going to occur in the city a few hours ahead of them. Every man, woman and child…so many for so few.
We haven't even stated why we are doing this to them, not even giving them the chance to come forward, Yuffie pulled slightly on her jacket, wondering when the ninja from Wutai had grown into this woman.
"Cloud?" the great ninja stopped, "I think…Selphie Tilmett is in Esthar right now."
The shockingly blonde leader growled, "Yeah but with the utter uselessness of this bastarding army, she'd probably get away."
"I know…but if we did allow her to live," Yuffie felt her heart race as she spoke, "She would be able to tell the others and our hunt would be more interesting."
The leader of AVALANCHE gave Yuffie a curious look, "You're not letting your personal feelings for these people get in the way of this, are you?"
The ninja shook her head, her eyes growing wide. Her pulse had just sky rocketed and the look she was receiving from Cloud scared her. Did he think that she had sabotaged this particular hunt?
"Let's hope I believe you," the young man hissed.
Cloud gripped his sword, taking the strength he needed from it to push past the pain he was feeling in his feet and body. His SOLDIER training came in handy at times, the Mako in his mind helping him forget that he used to be one of the good guys.
His mind going over the various possibilities that the young SeeD's might try, possible escape and hiding places. He was going to make sure that anyone who even thought about helping them would suffer at his hands.
He'd taken down one Garden only to find the effort a useless exercise. Not one of the teenagers there divulged the location. He had told them that if they did, then none of the other Gardens would need to suffer the same fate.
The sun warmly above him, trying to warm the icicle that had became his heart but failing miserably. The desert underneath his boots crunched in the silence that had fallen. Sweat and blood were the two discernable smells coming from the army, excitement and anticipation could be felt on the air.
Sephiroth wannabe…ha! I am ten times the man that he was, Cloud snorted, wanting the chance to actually tell the long time dead Sephiroth that he was in fact greater than him in everyway.
Sephiroth would never of been able to come up with this sort of plan. I'm not being controlled by some headless alien, he gave the wind a one sided smile.
It wouldn't take long to reach the city and he was eager to stretch his muscles and show the army his impressive sword handling skills.
He could take any number of foes on and still emerge victorious, a skill he had to reluctantly admit that Sephiroth was responsible for, yet he found he was more scared of coming face to face with Cid.
Both men knew the fears that plagued each other, would he use it against him if…no, not a case of if, a case of when they came to blows?
The two men were matched when it came to sheer stubbornness and determination. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Both had SOLDIER training.
The man was still drawing breath and Cloud knew that Cid had been near Balamb Garden. Reeve had screamed that information when his former friend had carefully and slowly nicked and slashed his skin.
Time seemed to have quickened as he lost himself in his thoughts, wondering about his former instructor, friends and his past life.
He hadn't changed, merely grown. He wasn't some lost, confused and naïve person anymore. Who he was had now set in and he would destroy the world if it meant it would save her.
Nothing was to great a sacrifice if it meant he could see her and hold her. The plan wasn't to complicated, kill those who had made Jenova. That act would then null Sephiroth from killing Aeris and the planet would be saved.
It made perfect sense to him and the others but the cracks began to show in the once tight group. Niggles of doubt sprang up in one of the minds and he had to go.
No way would he let the teens live for much longer. The towns and their residents learning the hard way if they helped the group of heroes by hiding them.
Cloud stopped in his tracks, a new idea forming in his mind. Yuffie had been right, they should know who was going to kill them. It might actually lure them out, make them do something foolish.
The same thing that they had done in Spira, to lure the young blitzball player and his friends out to their deaths, only to find that the deaths meant nothing to the planet as the world remained the same.
"Timber is where they keep that TV station right? The one where they can actually do the live broadcasts?" he pondered aloud.
He watched as Tifa nodded the conformation, "It is. Why?"
The new idea was a simple one. Go to Timber and make a short speech to the world. A simple demand for them to hand over the SeeDs and the killing would stop. Nothing to taxing and he was sure that there was still at least still some slimy characters out there that would sell out their friends and loved ones.
"Well, I'm starting to regret the fact that Reeve is gone," Cloud sighed, "He was a much better public speaker than I am."
Deling City, Shopping Arcade
Vincent stumbled forward, gasping in pain. The action receiving a few odd looks from the people in the store they were in, Quistis moved towards him. Concern marring her pretty face as Vincent rubbed absently a place above his heart.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
The dark haired man brushed her off, Chaos quickly dealing with any of the residual pain that lingered. He had never felt such a pain before, it was like a piece of his soul had died.
…Reeve? he thought, not really sure why the name had suddenly sprang to his mind.
He pulled out his cell phone, praying that he was wrong but they were all connected to each other. If one passed, the rest of the group felt it. That was why he knew Cid was still alive.
Quistis didn't know what colour Vincent should normally be but his face had paled to an almost deathly white. The feeling he had received must have been something painful.
Vincent punched in a number with his human hand, his eyes darting from Quistis to the male changing room where Squall was currently trying on some clothes.
"Answer the damn phone," he muttered, "Reeve…please…"
The phone seemed to ring for a long time before it was answered but not by Reeve. It took him a long moment to even associate the voice with a name. His red eyes widening with disbelief.
"Hello?" Sephiroth's cool crisp voice ventured, sounding like he was expecting either a scream or a rather awkward silence.
Vincent raised an eyebrow, "…Hi, um…is Reeve there?"
Again, that awkward silence. Why was he feeling dreading sensation in his stomach? Perhaps he just didn't want to admit that he was right about Reeve's death.
"Unfortunately yes," Sephiroth's voice fell quiet, "He died a few minutes ago."
Died? He…he can't be…Vincent blinked back the salty droplets that threatened to spill.
"Who?" Vincent hardened his voice, not really wanting to know the answer as he already knew the name.
"That doesn't need to be said," Sephiroth replied, the tone soft.
Vincent tightened the grip on the cell phone, he heard the hard plastic casing creak under the pressure. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the urge to scream in frustration and summon Chaos to personally rip out Cloud's spine.
"Where is he headed?" Vincent took a deep cleansing breath but found that it only angered him more.
A deep breath could be heard from the other line, was Sephiroth in two minds about whether or not he should tell him? Had Cloud actually gotten hold of the other SeeDs and on his way to Deling?
"The man is heading towards the city without water," Sephiroth replied, "There's no way they can avoid the massacre that is going to ensure."
Vincent regarded this information, as long as he travelled in the other direction of Cloud and the rest of the group then they should be safe. Should be okay.
"He wants them dead Valentine," Sephiroth broke the silence, "Don't think you can challenge them, you'll lose."
Vincent said nothing as he hung up the cell phone, his crimson eyes narrowing and his lips curled in a vicious snarl.
"What the hell is taking that boy?" he spat as he glared angrily at the changing rooms, "It doesn't take this long to try on some clothes…"
As if Squall had heard the angry words, the teen stepped rather sullenly out of the changing room. The look on his face one of pure resentment and annoyance.
"I look like a dork," he muttered through the side of his mouth.
Quistis smiled at him, "You look fine."
He wasn't wearing the normal black clothing he favoured but rather a mixture of colours. His long legs being accentuated by the tight dark blue jeans, while the subtlety coloured shirt showed the clear greyness of his eyes.
Squall's eyes flashed with humour before fading as he looked at his pale hostage taker. Something had happened, the man had a murderous look in those eyes and was trying to hide it by appearing mildly annoyed.
"We should pay for your clothes and leave," Vincent turned away, not wanting to be asked the questions that were probably at the front of their minds.
Luck had been a right bitch to Vincent nearly his entire life and he found that she wasn't going to stop just because he lost a friend and was having a bad in general.
"What happened?" Squall raised an eyebrow when Vincent ignored him, merely making his way to the front of the queue.
Squall spared Quistis a glance, his eyes asking why. Quistis shrugged, it appeared Vincent hadn't said much throughout the time he had been changing.
"He gasped in pain, lost his balance and then called someone," Quistis whispered as she stepped closer, "He got angry."
Vincent made both teens jump slightly, "We're heading to Esthar."
Squall straightened, a sick feeling spreading in his stomach as he took in the information. Why were they heading to Esthar and not the north? A glimpse into the future?
It was Quistis who asked the question, "Why?"
"Because I want to show you how powerful your enemy truly is," Vincent told her.
By the time we all get there, Chaos slammed a fist mentally in his mind, everyone will be dead. All you're gonna be doing is scaring them.
No…I won't be, the former Turk answered, I'm going to show them what will happen to the entire planet if they do not kill Cloud and the others.
By showing them the deaths of the people? Showing Squall his father's lifeless corpse? Chaos shook his head, it's not right. Take them to the Shumi tribe.
Vincent ignored the comment, showing them the horror would give them strength and the sheer determination to over throw Cloud. Give Squall the fire he needed to kill Cloud when it came down to the last fight.
"What is so big that we have to go to Esthar for?" Squall grabbed Vincent's good arm.
"Because I suddenly have an urge to rip out someone's spine," Vincent hissed, "I feel like as long as we're following Cloud, I may be able to prolong your life."
"This has something to do with the way we die isn't it?" Quistis asked.
Vincent looked her in the eyes, no words were needed to convey the fact that she had hit the nail on the head. It did have. Squall would have been lying on a cold morgue table in Esthar had he been left at the Garden had Cloud gotten to him. Quistis wouldn't have been standing asking that question, her lithe form lying dead in the Fire Cavern.
"I'll tell you how," Vincent replied quietly, "But not here."
A few minutes later the trio were sitting around a small coffee table in a dingy café. Drinks sat untouched in front of them as two listened to the raven haired killer.
"I'll tell you the tale of a group of heroes who fell from grace," Vincent allowed a smile to form on his face as he said those words.
"In the beginning, we weren't that much different from you and your friends. Our main thing in life was to save and protect the weak, save the planet from the mistakes that we had been making. That we had made but then…then we started thinking that we could change our past to save our planet from the destruction that we had allowed. To save her," Vincent watched his coffee swirl round as he mixed in the milk, unsure on how he should tell his tale.
Quistis took that moment to speak, "Who's her?"
"Aeris," he whispered, "She was killed to save us."
"Killed to save you…" Squall shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee.
That was why some guy was trying to kill them? All because of some woman who they had never even met and because she died trying to save them?
I would never let myself go like…Squall stopped himself there, he had let himself go like that to save Rinoa. He would have done anything to get her back.
"No woman is worth that much," Squall felt the daggers Quistis gave him as soon as the words fell from his lips.
"This one was. To all of us," Vincent closed his eyes, permitting the image of Aeris to enter his mind.
What would she think if she saw them all now? Would she be pleased? Highly unlikely, probably more pissed off than anything. Maybe horrified that Cloud was doing this all for her.
"I doubt that this woman want all this death," Squall sipped his coffee, trying not to think about how bitter it tasted.
"When it gets to a certain point, you just don't care anymore. You tell yourself that it's for the good of the planet," Vincent admitted, "Cloud was in love with her and when she died, he…he became different. Even after we saved the world from Meteor, he still wanted to meet her."
Why did that word sound so familiar to Quistis? The words and names should mean nothing to her but they kept niggling at the back of her mind. It was like she should know this story and the main characters in it.
Even her captor was vaguely familiar, like she had meet him before this.
She listened, feeling like If she did, she might learn more about why she was feeling this.
Vincent smiled sadly, "So, we went on a quest. To stop Jenova from rising and destroying our world. So Cloud would be with Aeris. That meant that we had to kill all those who were associated with the Shinra. When that didn't work, we actually manipulated time itself and we leapt from time to time, forever looking for the one that would cause the change of our past and future."
Squall blinked, they had actually achieved time compression. Without the use of a sorceress and it hadn't caused the world to collapse in on itself. Quite a feat to manage.
Quistis voiced his thoughts, as though she had read them but she must of came to the same conclusion.
"You're talking about time compression. How can you do that?"
"Something called Huge Materia," Vincent clarified further, "Mixed in with some Holy and life stream."
He saw the blank looks on the faces of the two teens, "Never mind. It's magic."
"Magic that we shouldn't of been messing around with," Cid Highwind's voice entered through the silence.
Vincent span out of his chair, automatically going for his weapon but never had the chance to as he was pushed to the ground with surprising force. Cid leaned on his chest with his weight, placing a thin dagger at the base of Vincent's chin.
"Morning Vincent," Cid hissed.