Jumping off the Edge
"Cloud's alive!" Tifa screamed.
She may as well have stood atop the rail, holding a bow with a mighty golden arrow, and took aim. With one shot, she released, her glowing, golden arrow spinning as it shot right into my chest and penetrated the dark shadows. My buried self gasped, standing tall as the dark world withered away like rotting roots retreating into earth.
Out in the world, my eyes started to glow as they widened. Eventually, light surfaced along them, and my chest felt the nudge of my heart trying to break through my ribs from its sudden growth.
Cloud's alive?
"Sir, with your orders, I'll gladly tell my men to fire at the ship," Heidegger muttered.
"No!" I pulled my wrist out of Rufus's hand, my skirt under his feet.
Twirling around, I faced him with color back to my cheeks, and eyes lit up. I wasn't sure exactly what Rufus saw when he looked at me, but his eyes grew at the sight. Green light leaked from my bracers, my arms heating up until my body followed.
The dark world inside me dissolved, Tifa's words shattering its thick glass until I had all my senses again. The Planet's voices returned, and they made a waterfall of whispers, urging me to go with my friends.
The Planet never turned its back on me. I was the one who turn my back on the Planet. I neglected to hear it, too deep in my own sorrow.
Cloud is alive.
Like I've been holding my breath for nine days, I finally took a deep inhale, and took sight of Rufus. I found a beautiful man with bewildered blue eyes down on me.
"Please, Rufus! Let me go! My friends and I could leer Weapon away from Junon!" I begged him. I took his hands with mine, squeezing his ice-cold fingers, and looked into his wide eyes deeply.
"Please, Rufus! It's the only way to save Junon!" I begged.
"Sir, don't do such thing. We should be getting away before Weapon unleashes its ultimate attack. There are choppers in the garage," Heidegger interfered, his words stabbing through mine.
Rufus thought quietly, his eyes searching me, falling to my dress, my face, then up to the airship.
Screams kept the air tense, the city falling into chaos. His wedding day was ruined. His bride begging to save the city, but knew she would flee afterwards. Was that slipping through Rufus's thoughts as he dropped his eyes back to me, holding back a bitter expression from taking form on his perfect face. Lastly, his blue eyes landed on my belly, as though that was what helped him make his final decision. He clenched his jaw muscles as his hands did one final squeeze around mine before pulling away. Quickly, he fumbled inside his wedding coat, a white feather fluttering off his shoulder.
With a flick, he took out his cellphone, and a crooked smile appeared.
"So, this is what it finally feels like," he muttered to himself, chuckling. Heidegger looked at his leader as though he has gone mad. Who would chuckle at a time like this?
Rufus took his white shoes off my skirt, his fingers messing with his phone as Heidegger asked quietly, "Feels like what, Sir?"
I gasped, suddenly feeling sharp pain make its way across my arms, traveling up to my shoulders. It was a quick, burning sensation, already fading. With strong fingers, I reached and pulled back white long sleeves. Amazed, I watched the bracers snap open. They peeled away, leaving behind inflamed red skin with tiny holes. Blue matte metal skins flaked off, falling on my skirt like large, dead leaves.
"To lose," Rufus sighed, giving me one more, final look.
I gave him a smile, the first one in who knows how long, and green magic swirled around my body like it just woken up after a long sleep. It flared to life, sparkles surrounding me and turning my dress a light green, its skirt lifting until my ankles felt a breeze.
I stared at Rufus steadily, and he held my gaze as the green, shimmering curtain stood between us. I could never love Rufus, especially for what he's done to Isaac, what he almost did to my friends. He had too many demons, some, I'm confident, he was content living with, though I wondered as I really looked at him the first time, if there was a softer part of him as well. A silent understanding traveled between us, one I couldn't describe, but it made me feel one stop closer to the hundreds that it will take to ever even consider forgiving him someday. Having the heart to let me go was a good start.
Ah, but there was one last thing.
Nothing could stop me at this moment as I grinned so wide, my cheeks ached for what I was about to do. I've waited so long for this moment, I could hardly contain my excitement as I tried to keep steady.
Rufus didn't even think it would approach, not with the way he was too distracted at my smile, thinking nothing of it right until the moment when my hand landed on his cheek.
I smacked him so hard, I heard it, a loud crack in the air, and his eyes popped open as though I woke him up from a dreamy state. He was more puzzled than furious, blinking at his startled commander when his face turned slightly towards him from the force of my hand. Already, his perfect cheek began to glow like Meteor.
I wanted to scream, to say something hateful, or even smack him again and again until he was disfigured. However, just watching Rufus throw his shocked stare at me while he pressed a hand to his red cheek, was almost satisfying enough. He almost looked confused, probably never been slapped before.
When I thought I couldn't smile any wider, my lips lifted a little more at him, and I wrinkled my nose.
"Thank you," I finalized, and I thought I heard Rufus's heart thumped, for a tiny gasp slipped through his lips. With haste, I collected my bundle of skirt into my arms, turned my back to him, and kicked my heels off before I broke into a run.
Rufus sank his hands into his pockets, watching me leave as more white feathers snapped off his coat. He smirked, turning away.
"Tifa, I'm coming!" I screamed up at her, running faster while leaving a trail of green magic and white behind me. My feet danced across the pavement, suddenly feeling so light. It took me a second to finally register that I was actually free.
Finally, I'm free.
"Woohoo!" Yuffie cheered, her arms waving over the railing.
"We'll get closer!" Tifa cried.
"Ya'll hold on!" Cid's voice crackled, emitting off speakers of the airship.
The Highwind maneuvered, aiming over the water with the deck just a wide space away from the airfield. From the ship's rotors blasting air, red and white flower petals exploded, the orange sky covered with them as they brushed over my sweaty face.
Through the rain of petals, Tifa held on tight to the railing with one hand, and extended out her other towards me, petals slipping into her hair like this was all a dream.
"Jump!"
And I gladly did.
I felt the edge in the middle of my bare foot, my toes curled over it, knee bent and thigh tightening its muscles into a coil. Like a catapult, my leg muscles sprang with stretched muscle fibers, pumping blood and energy into the launch, and I thought I could fly. Wings made of green light, unfurled, lifting me up higher as I pushed one hand through the air, aiming it towards Tifa's gloved hand.
Tifa's cognac eyes grew, her lips left open with a gasp. I clenched my teeth, reaching, my short hair lifted, the wedding dress nothing but a long, white wave rushing behind me.
To my delight, our hands met.
Together, we took hold, Tifa's tough fingers curled around mine strongly, and she pulled me over the railing, foot after foot of my wedding dress fumbling over us.
After we fell to the deck's wood floor, I instantly hugged her.
"I'm so glad to see you!" I sobbed, holding Tifa so tight against me, her small shoulders got swallowed up in my dress, my earrings jingling like happy bells.
Tifa chuckled lightly, tears in her eyes as she retuned the hold. Yuffie jumped up and down.
"Yay, we'll all coming back together!" She cheered.
"What a crazy time to barge in, huh?" I heard Barret joke over my head.
I jumped from Tifa's arms into his.
"Barret!"
He hugged with both hands on my back, swallowing my form up easily.
Wait. Hands?
I gasped, pulling back to find a cyborg hand on Barrett's right arm.
"Barret, you have two hands again?" I gasped.
Barrett's dark face turned slightly pink.
"Yeah, yeah. Look, I want to chat, but-"
"Hey! Aqua, are you leaving?!" A familiar voice cried. All heads turned, and I found Reeve standing there over the edge of the Airfield, looking unsure as what to do.
Tifa blinked at him. "Who's that?"
"Another Shinra asshole?" Barret growled.
"No! It's Cait Sith! I mean, Reeve! He's Cait Sith!" I tried to convince, but three faces curled with distaste.
"You mean the spy?!" Yuffie grunted through her teeth.
But I extended my arms over the railing for Reeve.
"Reeve! Jump!" I encouraged, the strong winds blowing my hair over my eyes. Reeve's red tie slipped from its clip, flapping away from his neck and fluffing into his tossed hair. He appeared frightened, his eyes falling to the sea far below.
He looked up at me with fear, and shook his head.
"I can't."
"Aqua, we have no time for this!" Yuffie exclaimed, tugging at my dress to peel me off the railing, but I grit my teeth and held on.
"Reeve helped me. He's on our side, trust me," I said to her, along with Tifa and Barret.
Tifa bit her lower lip, turning her scrunched up eyebrows to Barret to find his thoughts.
He sizzled to himself, arms crossed.
"Fine, whatever. We will decide his fate later. Just get his ass on up here, or we leave without him."
"I'm bringing us up there to the beast!" Cid's booming voice echoed.
I reached farther as the engines whirled, ready to launch the ship up into the sky.
"Reeve, take the leap!" I cried out to him.
But Reeve shook his head again, looking behind him uneasily as though Rufus was right there, throwing commands at him.
He turned back to the airship and whined, "It's too far!"
The airship began to lift, and he panicked, stuck in place.
"See? He's too chicken. Shinra scum pissin in his pants," Barret growled. I looked over my shoulder, ready to snap at the big man for being biased against Shinra, but before I could-
"Wait!"
I turned, and spotted a pair of pale hands gripping to the metal railing a little ways below my feet.
Tifa and I gasped, while Yuffie jumped on top of the railing with perfect balance, just to peer down.
"No way!" She gasped, a hand over her eyes to shield the brightness emitting off Weapon's glowing ball, like a blue sun.
"Guys, help!" Reeve cried, his legs kicking over nothing but water. The airship rose with momentum, causing one of his hands to slip off.
Tifa and I reached, taking the arm of his fine, black suit, and we both pulled him up.
Reeve curved over the railing, and slumped roughly on the deck, lying on his back. He took deep breaths, his eyes large up at all of us peering down at him.
"Wow, I've never done that before," he wheezed, trying to collect his breath while his hands planted firmly over his soft stomach. He couldn't decide whether to smile or not, his lips a mix of grinning and shock at his bravery.
I knelt and hugged Reeve.
"I'm glad you jumped," I squealed, hearing him gasped when he sat up to hold me.
"Y-Yeah! Of course! Piece of cake," he choked.
Barret growled, and his right metal hand sank into its machinery of a robotic arm. Out came a wide barrel of a gun with nothing but a quick whirl of gears, and it appeared he had a gun arm again.
"All right. Save the chit-chat for later," he began. He slipped on his old pair of sharp, dark shades, and glared up at Weapon as we neared it.
"It's time to kick some Weapon ass."
"I can't let you have all the fun," I suddenly heard Vincent's voice mutter. I turned, and he appeared from behind a sliding metal door. He flickered his red eyes to me, black hair and cloak flapping everywhere.
He closed his eyes and smirked behind his red collar.
"Hmph. Welcome back, Aqua," he observed, cheeks pink at the sight of me. I lunged and sank my arms through his, gripping the inside of his red cloak as it smacked against my face.
"Vincent! I've missed you!"
Vincent cleared his throat, cautiously landing his golden claw on my back, while his eyes lifted away nervously.
"I wanted to apologize for what I almost did to you, when I transformed that day," he suddenly revealed, holding in the guilt since we've been apart.
I held him just a little tighter, smelling the leather of his armor and old blood from his cloak. My cheek nudged into his red chest, feeling the many leather belts under the thick fabric.
"It's okay," I whispered.
"Guys, heads up!" Tifa warned.
Weapon's massive head laid only a yards away, the monster too concentrated on its massive collection of energy in its claws to take notice of us.
"We need to distract it!" Tifa cried just as Vincent and I pulled apart. Reeve scampered away, nearing the door to take cover inside the ship.
"Ah, I think I'll go inside," he chuckled nervously, and slipped behind Vincent to dive through the door before anyone protested.
"Long-range attacks is my thing," Barret rang, grinning from ear to ear. He marched his large boots to the edge of the deck, and aimed his gun arm at Weapon.
"Hey asshole! Over here!" He mocked, and began to fire thick bullets. Weapon's head laid in a layer of white sparks, until one of its red eyes squinted. The monster growled behind its teeth, and spread open its long, metal arms, the ball of blue energy fading into nothing but loose sparks. It turned its heard slowly to find who dared disturb its concentration.
Why fight me? It is my duty to protect the sky and the stars. I keep man from expanding beyond the Planet, preventing the disease from reaching other Planets. How dare you try to stop me?
Its voice rumbled low and dark inside my head, leaving me to stiffen at its mighty tone.
I stepped forward, and put a hand to Barret's arm.
"Barret, wait!" I cried.
Barret stopped firing, and just gawked at me.
"What the hell is it, kid?"
"Let me talk to it, please?" I suggested. All heads turned, looking at me as though I held a loose screw. I swallowed, ignoring their stares, pulled at my long dress to drag with me, and turned my attention to Weapon's glowering face.
"Please leave, and we won't try to stop you," I shouted.
Weapon huffed through its large nostrils, and its wings pushed down a little harder than necessary, casting a gust of wind at the airship. We all squinted against the sharp winds, slightly tilting the airhsip back.
You will try to stop me, Last Ancient one? And what have you done to aid in Mother? Why have you been ignoring her call?
The guilt added extra weight to my shoulders, and I looked away, avoiding such an intimidating gaze from enormous red eyes. It seemed they could easily analyze everything of me. It felt unsettling to watch how its stare observed us all, a highly intelligent metal beast taking in inventory of what it was about to deal with.
I swallowed, my hands fiddling together nervously as I tried to maintain eye contact on Weapon.
"You're right. I've done nothing. I've been lost for a while, not hearing her," I confessed.
Then you are just like the others. I, Ultimate Weapon, Guardian of the skies, shall carry out Mother's wishes, even if it means fighting you.
It was a warning with regrettable tone, for Ultimate weapon bowed its dragon head, as though it needed a moment to grieve such a task, black metal plates shrinking the red of its eyes like it was squinting.
My eyes stayed on Weapon as I muttered with disappointment, "It won't leave."
"No shit," Barret cried, and he released bullets again without a plan.
"You can talk to the Weapons?" Tifa asked behind my shoulder.
I turned to her, and nodded solemnly.
"As an Ancient, I can hear them. But it's failed twice thus far," I sadly replied, forcing a low smile.
"Guys, less talking. More fighting," Yuffie barked. She threw her Shuriken, which seemed pointless, for it shrank away as a tiny dot towards Weapon, and smacked it probably the same way a mosquito would.
Weapon grumbled, as though it was waking up from a quick sleep, for its red eyes widened again, and light began to glow from its body. I gripped the railing as I watched, breathing through my teeth when I noticed pockets along Weapon's frame began to glow red. Energy brightened through the cracks of its metal skin, reminding me of Isaac's mech suit. How the Planet gave birth to such a creature, was a mystery. Ultimate's arms extended, large fingers curling, its hand the size of this deck. Metal wings expanded, its wingspan probably a mile long and possibly able to eclipse the sun.
Ultimate Weapon opened its mouth, and screeched.
It rattled the ship, all of us ramming hands over our ears before our eardrums were to explode.
"Make it stop!" Yuffie wailed.
"Damn, it's too fucking loud," Barret whined.
Weapon snapped its jaws and cocked its head at us.
I shall destroy your flying vessel. No one takes the skies but me.
It raised its hand and reached, massive claws glimmering under Meteor's red glow.
"No, you don't!" Tifa cried. Green Materia glowed from her glove, and she threw an arm out as she shouted, "Thundaga!"
A thick column of lightning came crashing down from the sky, and zapped at Weapon's hand with tremendous force, halting it. Lighting sparked up to its arm, and Weapon barred its teeth.
"Nice one!" Yuffie cheered.
Vincent's heavy revolver cracked across the sky, his three bullets barely making a dent, similar to Barret's attempts. He seemed displeased with his efforts, flickering his eyes down to his gun in his hand.
"Hmmm, it seems this is of no use," he mused.
"Same. My bullets ain't doing jack shit!" Barret spat.
"Magic may be our best bet at this range." Red suddenly appeared, his flaming tail flicking with agitation.
"Red!" I gasped, smiling down at him, and one of his yellow eyes winked up at me.
"I never thought I'd see you in such attire, well, at least this soon," he mused, grinning at my wedding dress. My cheeks burned as I watched him release a powerful fire spell.
An explosion of orange blasted at Weapon's head, and it recoiled from the fire spell with annoyance, as though facing a cloud of flies.
Its long tail curled up into its heavy body, the metal layers slipping into each other as scraping sounds, until I wanted to press my teeth together.
Foolish weaklings.
It barred its saw-like teeth when its mouth opened. Light expelled from behind its throat, aiming for the airship. We all held on to the railing as the vessel turned away in time, barely dodging the powerful beam. It faded through the sky with tremendous speed, already gone by the time I turned my head to spot it. A massive claw reached, trying to smack down at the airship, when we slipped away, flying South.
Deliberately, Weapon growled and began to follow us.
"Guys, it's working," Tifa brightened.
"For Junon's benefit, anyway," Vincent groaned, displeased to be left as bait when the Highwind accelerated to high speed.
"Hold on, y'all!" Cid warned, like he was the airship.
Weapon glided in, trying to reach us with its extensive claws, but a swipe only created a sudden gust of wind, shaking the ship loosely before it straightened itself out again. My dress fluttered over the railing as I gripped tighter.
A claw made another attempt at swiping us, and the ship ducked. We all screamed, the deck shaking us up and down with legs flapping and feet smacking the floor. To my disbelief, my bewildered eyes watch Junon shrink away, laid behind a faint blue, Mako mist. Finally, I looked away from my disappearing prison, and counted everyone on the deck, taking note of who was present, including Cid flying the ship.
But someone was missing.
My chest tightened, and before I could ask, Ultimate weapon screeched in frustration. I thought it could make the sky tremble, possibly heard from space.
We all covered our ears again, begging for the scream to stop. Even the airship shook, as though trembling in fear over Ultimate Weapon's colossal size.
The scream stopped, and Weapon threw balls of lightning towards us.
Yuffie darted out of the way, a sparkling energy blast, barely missing her.
"Whoa!"
Barret wasn't as quick, and his body went into violent spasms, tiny bolts of electricity zapping across his body until he turned bright yellow. He pressed his teeth together, tiny sparks bouncing off them, and he fell on one knee, left to sizzling and having a hand to his chest.
"I think I just had a heart attack," he mumbled, appearing woozy. I laid a hand on his shoulder to steady him when I thought he was about to fall over.
"Barret!" Red cried, and he launched a cure spell.
Barret's burnt body glowed, and after the scorch marks disappeared, he shook his head, trying to shake it off.
"Damn, I still feel it," he grumbled, slowly getting back up.
Watching Red use cure magic from Materia, suddenly made me think of Aerith. It didn't hit me until now, but she was the only one who could heal naturally. Without her, we were left to healing Materia and potions. I imagine her with us, clasping her hands together to cast her powerful healing spells. The image made me I stifle a gasp, looking away as though she was there on the deck, her eyes closed, smiling against her prayer hands.
From my chest, a wave of heat whooshed from it, crashing into my arms. I observed them carefully. My forearms seemed to have shrunk slightly, muscles and skin squeezed from the bracers slowly slimming them into such thin things. Flaming red and littered with fine work of needle sized holes, it almost made me itch just analyzing it. My fingers opened and curled, flexing as I watched the green magic wrap around my right arm like a vine, aiming towards my palm where a glowing green pool collected.
"I'll have a go at it," I uttered, ready to flex my magic muscles.
I looked to my other hand, finding more energy collecting inside it. One look at Weapon on our tail, and then I closed my eyes.
It felt liberating how each cell was expanding and opening up, filling with magic. Like lungs inflating after being shriveled up like dead trees, my insides flourished, bright and blossoming with life again, expanding further and further to the farthest reaches of my blood vessels. The tips of my fingers tingled with energy, sparking with anticipation.
My hair lifted, the long skirt of my dress following. Green sparkles swirled around my feet, and I smiled lightly to myself.
It's been too long.
Whispers I couldn't define, circled, taking my ears with gentle grasp. Through them, I thought I could hear Isaac.
It's about damn time.
And then Aerith's rang, her smile obvious.
He's waiting.
Cloud's alive. Just the thought made by heart beat madly.
I opened my eyes right at Ultimate Weapon, and uttered the first words that came to me, hinted by Aerith like she was right at my ear.
Say "Ultima".
Intensely, I shouted, "Ultima!"
My hands opened, palms aimed at the massive giant, and intense heat transferred. A flash of green light covered a portion of the sky, caking all of Weapon in its monstrous wave. In midair, Weapon stopped on its tracks, coiling into itself as its metal skin burned like it was drenched in a large pool of acid. A painful cry pierced our ears. The wave of green magic slipped away, leaving Ultimate weapon scorched, and one of its giant wings slightly battered. It cocked its head at us as it narrowed its red eyes, debating with itself whether to continue the fight or retreat. But it quickly decided when it growled, and twisted around, its long tail almost slamming into us. With one battered wing, Weapon flew away with almost a limp manner, retreating, for now.
We'll meet again.
Weapon turned into a black dot in the pink sky, and then nothing. Flying over an expansive sea, the Highwind decelerated to a comfortable speed. Everyone seemed to sigh with relief, while I huffed heavily. I glanced down at my forearms, amazed to have channeled my magic without unleashing chaos. There was no need for Cloud's bracer, though I still expected to see it there in my arm, wishing to feel it.
"Whoa! That spell was cool!" Yuffie gushed, standing next to me.
The spell was costly, slipping energy away from my fingers until I felt ready to fall over the rail. Yuffie gasped, her hands ready to catch me, but Vincent lent an arm over my hard belly, preventing me from falling forward.
My arms swung loosely, my short hair hiding my tired eyes.
"That was a lot," I exhaled, feeling tired.
"Can you walk?" Vincent asked.
I took large gulps of air, suddenly feeling too nauseous to answer him. Without warning, I dove forward, slipping out of Vincent's hand just to duck my head over the railing, and threw up what I had for breakfast.
Yuffie patted my back as I coughed out the rest of it.
"I feel ya. I'll be happy to give you some of my motion sickness pills."
I sniffed, wiping my hand across my lips and face, feeling sweaty.
"Yeah, thanks," I uttered, not even ready to think about telling them what I was carrying inside my belly. It took thought not to have a hand on my stomach, tempting to cradle the sickness as though it would soothe my tiny grape size child. Instead, I turned my head to Tifa, and asked her in a breathless voice, "Tifa, Where's Cloud?"
The question landed an anvil on her head, for her eyes glimmered in a sharp pain for a moment before looking away.
"Ah, let's get inside the ship and talk. There's a lot of catching up to do," she suggested, her voice nervous as she dodged my question.
Barret rubbed the back of his head as Red galloped through the door, his tail tucked between his legs.
Yuffie had her hands behind her head, pressing her lips together as she trotted off, keeping quiet. Vincent watched me carefully, his arms crossed as he stepped away, and with eyes holding in a painful truth. It seemed the air suddenly thickened with a terrible discomfort, as though my question was too painful to answer.
I didn't quite understand. Cloud's alive, right? Then why did it seem like he was still dead? What did Tifa mean exactly when her earlier words told me that he was alive? And where is he?
Anxiety and more nausea swirled inside, building up in my stomach until it reached my throat. I threw up one last time, taking a brief break at the pause of solitude to watch the world move below like a quick rolling picture. Nothing but dark ocean, an afternoon orange sky, and Meteor following us. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves as the worst thoughts flooded my head. Don't overthink it, just wait and see what everyone has to say first, and then worry. I closed my eyes, feeling the breeze and smelling fresh salty sea air. The continuous gust of wind was chilly, trying to take my dress in between the rails. I collected my skirt in my hands, and turned around towards the only door.
I thought I was alone, not expecting Vincent to stay behind as he waited like a gentleman. His red eyes followed me as I slipped past him.
"Aqua," his tone gave a hint of alarm, like it was a question, and I paused next to him, standing in the doorway.
I stared up at tall, metal stairs, desperate to climb them and leave Vincent's speculations behind me. Sweat caked my face, suddenly too hot in this dress when the door closed. My hands held its skirt tight, cutting into the fragile lace.
He couldn't tell that easily, could he? There was just no way. Was there a scent to it? A feeling? How?
Before I made assumptions, my shaky voice asked, "What's the matter, Vincent?" I couldn't even look at him, feeling his attentive gaze.
He looked away, and like he needed more air to breathe, his golden claw tucked his red collar down, revealing pale lips laying over a narrow, white chin.
"Nothing. Never mind."
He shook his head, leaving his true question for later. Maybe Vincent needed to simmer on it, not yet ready to ask, and I was glad of his quick decision, climbing the stairs before he reconsidered.
Metal walls vibrated, machines hummed, and my feet felt cold against a hard sheet of steel along the floor, entering a wide open space of machinery and grids. There was a faint smell of Chocobos mixed with Mako and grease, making my nose feel uncertain of what to make of the inside of the airship. It was anything but grand, a floating metal box as I walked into its engine room, noticing stairs leading up to unknown doors and hallways.
Yuffie waited for me, still in her unbuttoned shorts and fitting forest green top, as always. She grinned her false smile at me when I neared, and handed me a small packet of pills with a bottle of water.
"I hope this helps your motion sickness," she said, as I took the tiny packet and bottle. I ignored the pills and snapped open the water to gulp it down. It was refrigerated, nice and cold as it lumped in my belly like a cooling blanket.
"Thanks," I told her.
With a jab of her thumb over her small shoulder, she chirped, "This way to the Bridge!" And she skipped away, twin tails of her white scarf following her. I felt Vincent watching me from behind, and pondered if he was curious if I would take the motion-sickness medicine or not. Ignoring his looming presence, I followed Yuffie's chattering footsteps into a long hallway, more valves, pipes and wiring along the walls.
When I entered the Bridge of the ship, my mouth hung open.
"Oh!"
It was huge, one side of the space nothing but curved glass to view the small world below us. Stations platformed around the double story room, a few of them occupied by employees in orange vests and blue caps. Hands worked at control panels, wheels turning and chatter among the group of engineers and co-pilots running the airship, when I heard a shout.
"Hey! You made one hell of a grand exit there, kiddo!"
It was Cid, smiling wide with a cigarette wedged between his teeth, and marched up towards me with wide, open arms.
I brightened at the pilot who seemed to be stuck in his denim coat, and goggles glued to his blond head. He pulled me into a tight hold and a friendly pat on my back that almost made me hack away a lung. Everything of him smelt of cigarette smoke, but I hugged him tight as I choked into his white shirt.
"It's good to see you, Cid," I bellowed warmly.
With release, Cid gripped my shoulders and have a good look at me up and down like a father does to his daughter. He whistled in a way that he was calculating the cost of the dress.
"Damn, I bet your dress cost a fucking fortune. Did we make it in time to stop you from marrying that asshole, Rufus? Funny how Weapon showed up, too. Didn't know he would wreak havoc and make it easier for us," Cid howled, and he slapped his knee, pleased with how events turned out.
Yuffie and I giggled together at Cid's enthusiasm, while Vincent walked past and rolled his eyes.
"I think if she was already married to him, she wouldn't be here," Vincent mumbled.
"No, Rufus let me go."
"What?!" All members: Tifa, Barret, Red, Vincent, Cid, Yuffie, and even Reeve, squealed, gaping at me. Everyone was in disbelief as I gestured them with my hands, to calm down.
"No, I mean it. He...let me go," I muttered, recalling how Rufus looked at me as he simmered on his decision. Not someone who was heart-broken or anything like that, but there was something fresh there in those icy eyes. Acceptance, perhaps?
I shook my head to wipe away the image, no longer relevant.
"Hmph! Probably knew he was going to get his ass kicked, him and his city if we didn't get you back. Lucky we leered Weapon away. If innocent people weren't there, I would've let Weapon blow up Junon-"
"Barret," Tifa snapped, her eyes flashing red at him.
Barret simmered down as he lowered a shaky fist.
"S-sorry," he grumbled, cheeks pink again.
Cid blew out a cloud of smoke away from my face, and swatted it with his hand to disperse it through the air.
"Anyway, we're glad you're with us now," he was saying. He crossed his arms, giving me a view of his sharp profile, his chin so square and nose pointed, and his bright blue eyes moved to give me a careful look.
"Perhaps you can help Cloud out."
I cocked my head a little at Cid, and my heart dropped just a little, fluttering as it went.
"Help Cloud with what?"
My question brought absolute silence on the bridge.
Barret ducked his head. Vincent leaned back against a rail and closed his eyes. Red whined as he tucked his head between his paws, ears low. Yuffie pressed her teeth together, inhaling through them while hugging herself. Tifa rubbed at her arm up and down nervously, her eyes falling to the floor. Reeve was just as puzzled as I was, staying quiet to hear what anyone had to say.
And Cid, he just opened his mouth, almost losing his cigarette when he gasped, his blond eyebrows up.
"What? No one told you?!"
He looked around at everyone. A few glares fell on the pilot, and he stiffened, face growing pale under that blond stub of his.
"Shit," he spat, thick hands on his hips.
"Uh, I need to have a word with my co-pilot," Cid gasped, suddenly in a rush, and glided across the bridge to one of his men at a control station.
Tifa curled fists beside her skirt as she grumbled his name with distaste.
I looked at everyone, and asked with dread, "Guys, what's going on?"
My stomach folded, pushing its contents up into my esophagus. Another drink of water settled it down before pressing the cold, plastic bottle to my cheek, pleased with its condensation.
"Before we tell you," Vincent began, and he opened his eyes as he walked a little closer into discussion. Out of nowhere, he glared at Reeve with vengeance, who was partially hidden behind a rail on the upper deck. Vincent's gaze must've felt like a stab to Reeve, for he gasped as his hands tightened around the metal bars.
"Why is a Shinra employee here?" Vincent growled, ready to pull out his gun.
"He's Cait Sith," Yuffie answered, arms crossed.
Vincent boiled under his cloak.
"That's the more reason to toss him overboard," he sizzled.
I reached Vincent, laying a gentle hand on his arm.
"No, Vincent. He's okay. Reeve helped me out while I was held captive," I tried, but Vincent's face didn't soften. He curled his golden claw into a fist and threw his hateful eyes at me.
"He betrayed us, remember? What if he backstabs us again? How can we trust a Shinra spy?"
My hand fell and hung heavy at my side. I looked away as I carefully replied, "You worked for Shinra, once, too. And we never let that bother us when we let you come along with us."
This startled Vincent, his upper body jerked like he was stung, and with eyes growing large.
"I..." He stopped, face melting gently as he lowered his gaze and blinked absently at the metal grid work on the floor. As Vincent fell away into his thoughts, Reeve straightened and stepped closer among the group, hands open as a peaceful offering.
"I promise, I will be useful. I can give you intel on Rufus's plans, thanks to my hidden cameras," he informed. Like he needed proof, Reeve opened his black tuxedo jacket, and slipped out his cellphone. He unlocked it and fumbled with its touch screen, his face aglow while his dark eyes concentrating.
"I have bugged the conference room, as well as the underwater lab, and the main hall," Reeve shared. He held his cellphone up, and there, like a video, was a view of the top of Rufus's head at the main conference table, half his face red as he sat on his throne. Heidegger was there, a few Turks, Professor Hojo, and Palmer.
All seven of us edged closer around Reeve, and peered at his cellphone like it was the most interesting in-flight movie. We could barely hear over the whining engines, and Barret rubbed a finger inside his ear to remove wax.
"Ugh, is there anyway to display this on the big screen?" He growled.
We were getting off-topic here.
I slammed my foot down, fists tight at my sides, when green magic flared off my shoulders, lifting my short hair up for a second.
"Guys! Enough!"
My voice was louder than I intended it too, blaming it on my hormones, and I felt slightly guilty, making everyone come back to the one subject they all wanted to avoid. But it had to be discussed eventually, and I couldn't concentrate on anything else, not without knowing where Cloud is.
I observed all worried eyes on me, even the piloting staff peering over their shoulders. Chatter among them died down, everyone holding their breaths. Only the distant sounds of engines filled the silent Bridge. I tried to relax, and my magic eased, though my hands were hot, heating the water bottle in my hand until its sticker was peeling off and sticking to my fingers.
I sighed as my head rolled down, and took a deep breath.
As I straighten, I moved my serious eyes to everyone, last to Tifa when I asked, "Where's Cloud?"
My free hand slapped at my belly when I felt it suddenly flutter like my child's heartbeat was quickening, and I gasped to it as though it knew before I did what I was about to hear. I focused back to Tifa, finding her depressing eyes fall to me, as though she already had some idea of what I was holding back. But instead of asking or even throwing it out there, she bit her lower lip and looked down.
Red tapped his way closer to the middle, his nose almost touching the floor.
"I can tell her," he inquired, raising his nose to Tifa.
But the beautiful, dark-haired woman shook her head, her red eyes shifting towards a soft amber color.
"No, Red. I should be the one to tell her," Tifa sighed, looking back at me.
"Aqua, Cloud IS alive," she began, just to make certain that I had no speculation that she was exaggerating her words or fell into some word-play. I held my breath as Tifa's eyes zipped back and forth as she stuttered, "But he's..."
She looked at everyone, maybe hoping someone from the group could encourage her to continue, but no one wanted to be the one to say it. It was killing me to have it drag this long, squirming in my dress as I crushed the water bottle in my hand until the plastic crackled under my fingers.
Tifa's voice lowered when she finished, "He's stuck in a coma."
My stomach quickened again, reaching my chest where my heart thumped hard, and I almost vomited, head bowed and bracing for it, desperate to find a sink. Thankfully, the wave of nausea passed, and I tried to stand up, but then I wobbled, almost falling forward, both from lingered exhaustion from casting Ultima and the news Tifa just revealed. Like red lighting, Vincent appeared, holding me steady when I thought I was falling backwards, his cold hands bracing my shoulders.
"Deep breaths," he reminded me.
As my hands settled to my chest where my heart was ready to fall back into shadow, I took six deep breaths to relax. It was hard, having to try to exhale as steady as I could through my lips, but I trembled as I did.
A coma?
Well, it wasn't death, but...
"What happened? How? Where is he?" I asked all at once, and Tifa put up her gloved hands to slow me down.
"Since we left you in Junon, we've been searching everywhere for him while Barret had his operation. And then, just two days ago..." she trailed off, finding Barret marching beside her to show off his new hand.
"That surgeon I've mentioned a long time ago, the one who did my gun arm the first time? Well, after the surgery, he mentioned he had a friend, another doctor somewhere on an island called, Mideel, and told us to look there. Anyway, when we found the island, we found Cloud. The kid got washed up from the Lifestream, spotted by them locals. He's been hold up in that tiny hospital for a while, not waking up. Doc said something about Mako poisoning."
My eyes steamed. Mako poisoning? I barely remembered the consequences for touching Mako, only hearing of its horrid effects from Isaac. He had to be in a mech suit to survive. But Cloud, he already has Mako in him. So, how could more ever hurt him?
I brought a hand up to my lips to hide them when I opened my mouth, ready to scream.
Red rubbed at my leg under my dress with his cold, black nose.
"Cloud's fall into the Lifestream exposed him to large amounts of Mako. So much so, it flushed into his mind, making him appear miles away. He won't respond to any of us. He just stares and mutters to himself, singing a song over and over again," he whispered.
Silence lingered after that, for I was speechless, thoughts whirling into the farthest corners, too many trying to gather. Whispers of the Planet spoke in jumbling chaos, and I winced to it, not quite following. When I wanted to be alone in my head, of course, the Planet swirled in there, taking up space. A throbbing pain began to emerge along my frontal lobe.
"Are we going there now? To this island?" I asked, regaining enough sense to speak.
"We're on our way. Be about three hours," Cid announced over his shoulder as his hands clutched to the main wheel.
Three hours? What was I supposed to do for three whole hours while Cloud was all alone in some hospital bed, drooling on himself?
I wanted to pull my hair out, feeling hopeless. Vincent's tight fingers pulled my dark thoughts aside, reminding me to focus. I trembled as I asked to Tifa, "There's no cure?"
Tifa shook her head.
"According to Dr. Joel, Mako levels are so high, it would've killed a normal human. Cloud is hanging on, though there is no telling what will work. There's no medicine, just time and..." she slumped her head as she finished with, "Hope."
I blinked at her.
"And what makes you think I..." I couldn't even finish, afraid to say it as soon as I watched her raging eyes turn red when they lifted at me.
"We've all tried to wake Cloud up. For two days. You're the only one left who could possible try. I mean, if you can't reach him, then..." Tifa's eyes glistened as her lips shook, and she twirled to hide her eyes in her hands.
"He... He has to wake up to you. He has to," Tifa declared softly, and she sniffed. I watched how her long, loose ponytail tangled in with her belt, her pale shoulders stiffening as her frame shrank into itself.
I slipped out of Vincent's fingers and reached Tifa, laying a supporting hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, for bringing me along, even if it meant facing Shinra again," I whispered. Tifa sniffed, and looked at me with the corner of her eye just under her dark bangs. Her nose was red, cheeks blotchy, and tiredness sank deep in her red eyes.
"Cloud didn't wake up for me. But..." She blinked, dropping her gaze as she said, "He will, for you."
There wasn't a trace of resentment nor jealousy from her eyes, just sorrow when Tifa observed my gaze. She searched deeply, as though trying to understand why Cloud picked me over her, and when she couldn't find the answer that easily, she wrapped her arms around mine instead. Tifa smelt like traces of strong whiskey and tequila, mixed into her fresh perfume of pine forest to hide the stench. Her cheek smudged on my shoulder, and as she grew heavier against me, I held her tight.
"I'm sorry we didn't get to you sooner," Tifa whispered.
"It's okay. We're together now, aren't we?" I tried, but my chest ached as soon as I said it, the wrong thing to mention.
Like Tifa knew where my thoughts were going, she added, "Not all of us."
My eyes watered, and I suddenly wished Aerith was here with us, as a strange sensation of tingles crashed down my body like a wave of quick pain.
Aerith, is Cloud alive because of you? Did you help him escape the Lifestream?
I let the question sink in my thoughts, expecting to hear her answer in the same manner. But after a long minute of silence, I knew I wasn't going to get a response.
Tifa pushed back and hid her face with a hand.
"I need to go lie down," and she quickly left, her long hair flowing behind her.
Red examined the look on my face as I watched Tifa retreat, and he forced a small smile.
"Tifa's been through a lot, as you can probably tell. We've all been at Cloud's side, but I think she's taking it the hardest," Red clarified.
Yuffie scampered in with her high pitch whine. "Hey, what about me? I've been upset too!"
Vincent scoffed, and Yuffie threw her sharp eyes on him as soon as she slammed her hands on her narrow hips.
"I heard that, Vince!" She snapped.
Vincent shook his head, avoiding her gaze when he looked to the side.
"You heard nothing," he muttered.
Yuffie grilled, smoke sizzling from the top of her little black head.
Barret laid a large hand on her shoulder, almost knocking her to her knees.
"Just shut your yap, and admit, we've all been hurt a lot, lately," he sighed, his tired, brown eyes falling to Yuffie before looking at me.
"And I'm sure Aqua wants to rest before we get there. To take it all in without us fluttering around, right?"
How could I rest at a time like this?
I was almost afraid that I've sunken back to my dark place, hopeful that it was gone for good as I stared absently over Barret's shoulder, unaware that they were all watching me. My blank eyes laid on the large wall of glass, and walked towards it, my dress dragged along as a heavy burden.
When I reached the glass, I gripped a rail around it and blinked at the darkening sky. Meteor was behind us, though its reddish tint could be seen easily, like a fat, glowing ring in the dark blue sky, a few red clouds passing by.
My hands tightened the cold, metal rail as I asked anyone, "Has anyone thought about what to do about Meteor?"
Silence lingered, and Barret's drag of "uhh," behind me, until he cleared his throat and answered, "We hope we could come up with a plan after Cloud wakes up."
"If he wakes up," Vincent pried.
"What if he doesn't?" Red trembled. He stepped close to me and curled beside my bundle of white dress like a blanket next to him, and he sank his head over his paws, ears down.
"Would it be up to us to stop Meteor? Could we even do it without him?" he asked quietly.
Barret growled and snatched his glasses off, just to glare his honeyed eyes across the room to Red.
"Hey, don't think like that! Let's take it one step at a damn time. Wake up Cloud first. If we can't, we'll figure something else out," he shouted.
Yuffie poked my shoulder, her steps so quiet, I didn't even notice she was right next to me, and I blinked down at her soft smile, her brown eyes shimmering up at mine.
"Don't you want to rest?"
I looked away, surveying the pink sky as I muttered, "How could I rest at a time like this?"
Yuffie sat down on one of the bean bag chairs with a loud thump, her feet kicked in the air.
"Then how about you telling us what it was like being in Junon. Oh, and before that, when you went back home, your New York?" She suggested uneasily, afraid that I would turn her down.
I dropped my gaze to my hands.
"What about Tifa? Wouldn't she want to hear this?" I asked.
Barret stomped up towards us and snapped, "Hey, wait till Cloud's awake. Then we can catch up," he practically threatened.
I turned around to ponder at Barret.
"You're really confident he'll wake up?" I quizzed, intrigued at Barret's good heart towards the ex-SOLDIER. Wasn't it a long time ago, when those two would argue, throw glares at each other and make threats? Now, Barret wanted nothing more than for the revival of his friend. He watched me as I thought of all this, his face twisting uncomfortably.
"What?" He snapped, his large fingerless gloved hands gripping at his brown leather vest.
I fell out of my thoughts and grinned at him.
"Nothing. I Just remembered how you used to hate Cloud," I mentioned.
Barret scoffed, and shook his head, eyes softening as they looked through the window with me.
"Nah, I never hated him. I just didn't like his cocky attitude, that's all. Cloud was just a little punk for a minute there. Thank the Planet he met you and Aerith, you two didn't allow such behavior. Man, I would've kicked his punk ass out Sector 7 if it weren't for you two, oh-"
Barret didn't realize he brought up Aerith, afraid to have hurt me, and he stilled.
"Uh, sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he muttered. Or maybe he felt bad talking smack about Cloud. Either way, I shook my head and smiled up at him.
"No, don't worry about it. We should be able to talk about Cloud and Aerith whenever we want. Yes, it's depressing, but I don't want them to be forgotten. Aerith is gone, but she's still watching us, still with us in a way. So, let's not stop talking about her, okay?"
Barret's gaze softened, his wide shoulders relaxing. His lips lifted across his stubby face.
"Sure thing, kid."
"Barret, stop calling me 'kid'. I'm only a few years younger than you," I muttered, impressed and irritated with his nickname for me.
"Well, you look like one, so that's what I call you," Barret grumbled.
You goof.
The memory of Cloud's voice tickled my insides until I gasped. I intensely wished to hear Cloud call me by that nickname he's given me for a long time. When did he start calling me that? My memories sorted, going backwards, until I found myself stumbling into the time he held me in the rain at Kalm. I was shocked, always finding the man too stiff and serious. But somehow, he held me, even when it made him uncomfortable.
Cloud, I couldn't believe I was on my way to finally see you.
But what will I find? What will you look like?
I slapped a hand to my chest, fear smoldering around my heart like smoke.
"I'm scared," I admitted up towards Barret. He looked away from the view, and gave me a nervous grin.
"Me too, kid. We all are," he whispered. His eyes returned to the sky, and I knew thoughts of Meteor filled his head. And Marlene.
What about the rest of us? I took a quick survey around the room, everyone quiet as they rested and thought alone.
Reeve was distracted, eying his phone as he watched live-video feed from Junon. It was something to keep his mind occupied, or else me may roll into a ball in the corner and whimper over how he stepped away from his job without much thought. Vincent sat over a rail that overlooked a deck below him, his eyes closed, as he always did when he was resting but awake.
Yuffie bit into her nails, her eyes distant as she stayed in her bean bag chair. Cid nested at his station above us, his blank stare watching the sky darken until it was almost wine red, the edge of it turning purple. His throat throbbed as though he just swallowed a hidden nervousness, and more smoke puffed out of his lips, ash sprinkling over his boots. Red closed his eyes, his chin resting over my long skirt, but his tail was active, ticking back and forth with frantic behavior like a metronome.
Somehow, it made me feel better to realize I wasn't the only one who felt afraid.
Barret is right. We're all scared.
51