Well...here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Chapter 3: Reunion
Cloud... Please... Help me...
Cloud looked around the emptiness. "Who are you! Where are you!" he yelled. But the darkness swallowed his words. The voice was stronger now, but he still couldn't place who the voice belonged to. It faded into his mind like a forgotten memory. "What do you want!"
Cloud... Please... So cold... Help me...
Cloud yelled as loud as he could. "WHO ARE YOU! HOW CAN I HELP YOU!" But the darkness surrounded him. He knew what would come next. He covers his eyes, a second before the flash of light. When it faded away, he saw Aeris and Sephiroth. Sephiroth had his sword drawn. He was about to plunge it into her back, when Sephiroth grabbed Aeris. She moved close to him, and they kissed. Hard.
Cloud tried to pull his gaze away, but he couldn't. He shut his eyes. "No! That's not how it happened!" Suddenly, Cloud heard a scream. He opened his eyes to see Aeris pierced through with Sephiroth's sword. Sephiroth smiled, then pulled the sword out of Aeris. He walked towards Cloud and raised his sword. But this time, Cloud was ready. Cloud brought his sword up to meet Sephiroth's. Their swords clashed loud enough to shatter parts of the city around them. Sephiroth should look confused. Cloud thought, hoping to use that against him.
But to his surprise, Sephiroth was NOT confused. Instead, he simply raised his sword again. All of a sudden, it seemed to glow a bit. Sephiroth brought his sword down, breaking Cloud's sword in half. Now Cloud was the one that was confused. That's when Sephiroth ran Cloud through with his sword.
Cloud awakens with a start. He'd fallen asleep. He sighed a sigh of relief, and leaned against the tree. Cloud looked out from his vantage point on top of a hill. It's almost dawn... he thought.
Cloud quickly packed up. He hastily shoved most of his stuff away before the sun rose. He was finally about to leave, when he noticed that the sun would come up any second now. I might as well watch the sun rise.
He sat back against the tree, and watched the glory of the sun, rise above the hills and the distant ocean. He watched as shades of yellow and red play in the sky and as the sky turned from black to blue, to a yellow sky, filled with the purity of the sun's light. It felt like he was watching all creation be born. For the first time since his problems with Sephiroth first arose, he felt... at peace. Content.
Sooner than he expected, the sun had risen, and it was time for him to go. He hiked all day, passing villages, and roads, and travelers. But not once did Cloud let himself be seen. He hid in the shadows where there were no shadows. He took the long way around to avoid villages. He killed wild animals for food, rather than buy it from a local merchant. And he did it because he didn't want Tifa to find out.
But he did all of it out of reflex. His mind was far away, at the City of the Ancients.
Every 5 minutes, he recalled what happened there a year ago, when they lost Aeris. He concentrated HARD, but everytime, it was different. His dreams where merging with his memories, distorting them. He was beginning to wonder if Sephiroth had already killed him and this was his afterlife.
But he dismissed it as ludicrous.
By evening, Cloud could see Bone Village on the horizon. He found a secluded spot on a hill and set up camp.
But halfway though his dinner, he felt as if he was being watched. He took a casual look around. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be hiding. Cloud finished his meal, and was about to go to sleep when he heard it. A snap of a twig to his left. He picked up his sword and snuck off to the right. He slowly walked around the side of the hill. He was approaching the spot where he had heard another twig snap. He glanced to the left, then to the right. He tightened his grip on his sword
The tension was defiantly rising.
He came up to the brush where the sound had come from. He leapt into the brush with his sword out, only to have it met by a similar sword. He took a good look at the man welding the sword. He wore a dark purple uniform, similar to his own. He also had pure black hair, which stuck out like spikes on a ball. He wore a long beard, also pure black. They obviously had the same intention. Cloud backed out slowly. The man also backed out. The man swung around Cloud, never lowering his sword for an instant.
Cloud could see a fiery rage in his blue eyes, which gave him a very sinister look. Cloud spotted a light behind the man, and afforded a quick glance over the man's shoulder. He saw a campfire, and some supplies. They had apparently camped on the same hill at the same time.
Cloud looked back into the man's eyes. There was something not quite right about them... Like some sort of glow that-
They glow! Thought Cloud. His eyes glow with the power of Mako!
Cloud regarded him for a time. He seemed familiar.
"Where you in SOLDIER?" Cloud asked, point blank.
The man regarded him as if truly seeing him for the first time. He also stared into his opponent's eyes. His eyes became quite big after a few seconds. Obviously recognizing the Mako in my eyes. Cloud thought.
After a few moments of hesitation, the man finally spoke.
"Cloud?" The man said. "Is that you?" The man lowered his guard a bit.
"Who wants to know?" Cloud retorted. He still couldn't place this guy. But he recognized me. So WHO was he?
"Cloud. It's me... Zack!" the man replied.
A flash of memory went through Cloud's mind. Being captured by Shinra, and put into Mako tubes. He remembered that Zack broke out and took Cloud with him. Gave him a spare uniform, and heading out on an adventure to become mercenaries. But then he remembered that Zack was shot and killed by Shinra Troops just outside Midgar, leaving Cloud for dead. That was where he got his massive sword, and began his adventure that would end up saving the world.
If this was Zack, how did he survive? And where did he get a sword like his own?
Cloud finally decided on a course of action. "Zack is dead. He died just over a year ago. Shot by Shinra troops just outside of the Junon. How could he still be alive?"
The would-be-Zack smiled. "Gee Cloud. That Mako bath must have screwed you up more than I thought. I WAS shot, but I wasn't killed. And we were on the outskirts of Midgar, not Junon."
"So. It IS you Zack." Cloud lowered his sword. Zack did the same. "I know we where outside of Midgar. It was a test to see if you really WHERE Zack. It's good to see you again old friend."
"You too Cloud." Zack and Cloud laughed. They camped together that night, sharing stories of what had happened since they last saw each other, and other stuff. However, Cloud was careful not to tell Zack what had happened to Aeris. The time isn't right...
"Well... Look who's up!"
Cid's nurse walked into the tent, carrying a tray of food for Cid. She sat it down on a table, which swung out in front of Cid. She sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Yeah. I woke up about 15 minutes ago, and I remembered everything." Cid began to scarf down the food. "I take it I'm at the Bone Village hospital." He said in between bites.
"Yes. Your plane crashed. Fortunately, you got out in time."
"Did I?" Cid asked her. "Ever since I woke up, I haven't been able to feel my legs. Please tell me it's just a side effect of some drug you filled me up with."
The nurse didn't respond. She lowered her head as she got up and left the tent.
I'll take that as a no. Cid thought. He wanted to finish his meal, but this recent discovery made him loose his appetite.
A few minutes later a tall, balding man with glasses and a white lab coat walked in.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Mac Ganzgo." He offered his hand.
Cid took it, and shook his hand firmly. "Cid Highwind." Cid let the doctor take a seat. "Tell it to me straight Doc. What's wrong?" Cid decided that the frontal approach was the best.
Dr. Ganzgo looked at his clipboard, then took off his glasses to look Cid straight in the eye. "I'm afraid it's not good, Mr. Highwind. You have a shattered tailbone, and a separated disk at the base of your spine."
Cid's confusion came in loud and clear.
"Your tailbone is broken. This usually causes massive amounts of pain..."
"...But you have me on a ton of pain killers?" Cid asked a little more hopeful than he wanted.
The doctor took a deep breath. "But your spine has been broken. I'm afraid that you are paralyzed from the waist down. That is why you don't feel the pain."
Cid knew it was bad, but not THIS bad! "Isn't there something you can do? Some sort of top-secret operation that will fix me up, good as new?"
"I'm afraid that this type of damage is beyond our ability to repair, even with one of those 'top-secret operations'. There is a slight chance of a complete recovery, but the odds are so great, that you really shouldn't count on walking again."
Cid said nothing, but just stared into space, a frozen look of shock on his face. Dr Ganzgo quietly got up and left Cid to his thoughts.
The setting sun shone brightly against the surface of the Golden Saucer. Brilliant colors of red, yellow, and purple played in the sky behind it. Reeve watched as the sun set behind the Golden Saucer as his airlift carried him closer to his destination.
He'd been dreading this day. The Golden Saucer had finally called in the payments on Cait Sith's Tab. Reeve didn't know what was worse. The newly elected Mayor of Junon having to leave town to pay off his gambling debts, or that the Golden Saucer finally discovered who Cait Sith really was. Either way, he didn't plan to enjoy this trip one bit.
Reeve looked at the other people he shared the lift with. They seemed to come from all over. There was a farmer talking to a stock exchange man about the usefulness of cow dung. Opposite from him, sat a short man wearing a white T-shirt that said "Oh my God! They killed Sephiroth!" Reeve was willing to bet what the back of the shirt said. Those shirts where all the rage now.
There was a grandfather, and his two grandchildren. The children where playing in the center of the lift, while the grandfather took a nap. Reeve recognized them as the Chocobo family. The little boy being Choco-Billy.
He almost asked him the going price for a fast Chocobo, but then thought better of it. No! No gambling on this trip!
As the lift neared the saucer, Reeve noticed the man sitting in the back row right behind him. He had been reading the same page of the paper ever since he got on. Before that even! Reeve didn't like the feeling he was getting from him.
Finally, the lift docked at the saucer. Everyone got off, paid their fare or flashed their passes, and went in. Reeve stayed on the lift however. So had the man with the newspaper. Reeve got fed up with it! He got up, and walked back to the man. The man did nothing. Reeve's anger got the best of him, and he ripped the paper away from the man.
Reeve was shocked to see Rude staring at him.
"Oh. We're here." Was all Rude said. He got up, took his paper, and got off.
Reeve scorned himself for letting his anger get the better of him, and not just getting off. He sighed, and also got off. He walked up to the ticket lady, and flashed his pass.
"Excuse me, sir?"
Reeve stopped. "Yes?"
"May I see that pass?" Reeve handed her his lifetime pass. Something about this lady seemed familiar...
She looked at the pass for a bit, then she turned, and grabbed her stamp. She pounded the stamp onto the pass, and handed it back to him. "Enjoy your stay sir!"
Reeve took the pass, and looked at it. In red ink, there was a large stamp on it that said simply "Void". Reeve wanted to press the subject, but when he looked up, the lady was gone. Confused, Reeve went it.
Reeve walked around the trophy room in the Battle Square. He studied each of the trophies as he walked around. When he finally turned his attention to the center trophies, he came face to face with the stone that opened the Temple of the Ancients.
Seeing this stirred memories of his adventures with his friends as Cait Sith. In particular, he remembered sacrificing his first big stuffed body so his friends could hide the Black Materia from Sephiroth.
In hindsight, that may have been their undoing. Thankfully, Cloud and the others where able to stop Sephiroth in time.
Reeve now wandered around the room anxiously. He'd been told to meet Dio here 10 minutes ago. He turned his attention to an old tribal mask. According to the information, it belonged to a shaman of the Gi tribe long ago.
Reeve heard a noise behind him. "So, Dio. Finally showed up to--" Reeve stopped in mid sentence, for he was now face to face with 8 heavily armed men in Shinra uniforms, each one with it's weapons trained on Reeve. But Shinra is gone... Reeve decided to make light of the situation.
"Hey! I said I'd pay my tab, and I will! You don't have to go postal on me!" One or two of the men were thrown off by this. That's when Reeve made his move.
Reeve kicked the guard closest to him in the groin. He pushed him into the others, knocking down all but 3 of the men. Reeve rushed them, but the one closest rammed the butt of his rifle right into Reeve's face. Reeve staggered. The other two came up and punched him repeatedly.
Reeve was fighting for consciousness when the third guard came up and punched him square in the jaw. And with that blow, Reeve blacked out.
"Zack. How did you survive that attack? I remember seeing you shot, and you where flung back. They even walked up, and shot several rounds into you! I even read reports saying that they shot you at all of your vital points. You were dead! How did you survive?" Cloud had been wondering this question all night.
"Well... the thing is... I'm not totally sure myself. You said this thing... Jenova, isn't it?"
Cloud nodded. "Well... I guess since I was infused with Mako from the Mt. Nibelheim Mako reactor, I guess part of Jenova was in me."
Cloud's face wrinkled in confusement. "But the reports I read said that they didn't detect a reaction in you to the Jenova cells."
Zack smiled and shook his head. "You got me Cloud. I'm as confused as you are. But the Jenova cells are the only explanation I can think of. I think it allows us to take more damage than a normal person. The last thing I remember was being shot. But when I woke up, I saw this HUGE asteroid like thing hanging over Midgar."
"It was a magic called Meteor. Sephiroth called it, so he could become a god of some type." Cloud offered.
"Ahh. Well, then all of this weird green stuff..."
"Lifestream."
"...came up from all around me, and rushed to the city. Some of it even passed THROUGH me ! It was an odd sensation... And that's what I remember." Zack laughed a bit. "I guess having part of Jenova in me helped me heal a bit, and all that Lifestream stuff finished the job. Since then, I've been wandering around, looking for Aeris. I tried to find her in Midgar, but her mom said she had left town with some friends." Zack concluded.
Something nagged at Cloud. Both of them being here at the same time was too much to be a coincidence. "Zack. Why are you here?"
Zack laughed. "That's funny. I was about to ask you the same thing. Well... the best thing to say is that for about 4 months now, I've been having the same dream."
This startled Cloud. "Tell me about your dream."
"Well..." Zack started. " First, I hear a voice in the darkness call to me. At first it was faint. Barely above a whisper. But every night the voice grew louder. Then a few nights ago, the voice asked me for help. I couldn't figure out who the voice belonged to, but it kept asking me for help." Zack took a moment to take a breather. Finally, he began again. "After a few seconds, there is a white light, so bright that it blinds me. Then I see a man with white hair, and a black cape, behind Aeris. It took me a few weeks, but I finally recognized him as Sephiroth. He lifts his massive sword up into the air, then drives it through Aeris, killing her."
Cloud sat in absolute silence. Finally he spoke. "In the last few nights, has Sephiroth walked up and also try to kill you?"
Zack stared at Cloud, transfixed. "Yes. And last night, they kissed before he ran her through."
"I've been having the exact same dream." Cloud prepared himself as he decided to finally tell Zack the truth. But Zack saw the look in Cloud's eyes before he could speak.
"Cloud... Where is Aeris? What happened to her?"
Cloud took a deep breath, then told Zack what happened. All of it.
Swords clanged. The reverb was felt though out their existence.
The two men studied each other. They were tired. They had existed in this place for all of a year. They knew no one else. They just float along as colorless colors pass by.
Virtually identical, the two men match their Wills against each other. One stood for the way of truth and righteousness. The other, lived for pain and hate. The only physical difference was the colors of their clothes. The Light One wore white, with black sleeves, while the Dark One wore black, with white sleeves.
The Dark One had won the battle for a while. But outside powers had diminished him.
The Light One could now keep him in check. But it was growing harder each day.
The Dark One smiled at the Light One. "You shall never win." he said. "You shall never Exist!"
"Your powers are weak. So are mine. But I shall defeat you if it's the least thing I do!" The Light One replied.
The Dark One just laughed cruelly.
And the battle raged on...
And that's that...for now.
