Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters.
Notes: Sorry this one took so long! The holidays hit, and I accumulated a bit of writer's block, and once I had cured my writer's block, my internet stopped working for several days... isn't life great? Anyway, hopefully the length will make up for the lack of new material. Oh, and this is where Geostigma gets a bit weird. I was planning this before I saw the movie, so I went with whatever sounded funniest. Sorry if it bothers you.
Chapter 3
Cloud rose early the next morning, due to a sharp pain in his left arm. Lifting the cover he wore over it, he wasn't very surprised to find that the dark bruise had spread and was leaking a bit of a black, tar-like substance. He quickly checked to see if anyone else was awake, and when he confirmed that he was alone, he bandaged his arm and replaced the cover.
Eventually, Tifa woke, and smiled at Cloud when she saw he was awake. "Good morning, Cloud. If you start a fire, I'll start some breakfast."
Cloud nodded. "Sure thing, Tifa." As he set flint to steel to create sparks, Vincent woke up as well.
"Good morning, Vincent." Tifa said pleasantly, only to be answered by silence, which she was accustomed to. It seemed like a perfectly normal morning, bright, clear, and all three of them were together like usual.
Then Squall woke up, and sat by the new fire grumpily.
"Hey, Squall, grab that log for me." Cloud requested.
"Get it yourself. Just because I'm stuck with you guys doesn't mean I have to do all your stuff for you." Squall said grumpily, not used to waking up that early in the morning. Sure, he could do it, but sleeping in was more his style.
Cloud sent a quick glare at Squall, while walking over to get the log himself. He didn't mind having Squall there, but if he was going to cause problems, he was going to get kicked out no matter who was making him stay there.
As Tifa started breakfast, Vincent came at sat by Squall, much to Squall's annoyance. However, as long as Vincent didn't start talking or anything, he was sure he could endure it.
Vincent, however, did not seem to have any intention of remaining silent. He didn't instigate conversation often, but when he did talk, he usually talked quite a bit. Luckily, everything he said was also important. "I know you don't like us, but unless you want whoever Rinoa is to die, then you had best do your best to contribute. Free-loaders won't be tolerated in the camp, meaning you can just kiss Rinoa goodbye. Although, you really can't, since she isn't here." Vincent said quietly, with a hint of a threat in his voice.
"You think I don't know that?" Squall snapped. "I don't need a vampire like you reminding me, either. I can take care of myself, thank you very much." 'I wish the stupid vampire would just leave me to my own business... why do these guys hang out with him, anyway? He's probably hypnotizing them so he has some friends.' Squall thought vehemently, smirking mentally, but he kept his facial features expressionless.
"For your information, I am not a vampire, and I can't hypnotize people." Vincent replied casually, used to this type of treatment, especially after dealing with Cid Highwind, a former member of their little band that had beaten Sephiroth two years before. "These two don't 'hang out' with me, I 'hang out' with them."
"Oh, sure... that's what you say..." Squall countered sarcastically, before realizing what was wrong with the whole scenario. He didn't remember saying all of that out loud; in fact, he was positive he didn't. So, the vampire could read minds! He groaned inwardly. This was getting worse by the second.
Vincent merely smirked, though you couldn't really tell because of the high collar on his cloak.
"Alright, you two. Stop fighting. Breakfast is ready." Tifa said in a motherly tone, giving all of them bowls of a porridge-like substance. Everyone ate, since Tifa wouldn't allow it to be any different.
After breakfast, and after they cleaned up their campsite (with Squall's unwilling help), they set out toward Midgar, home to Tifa's bar, Seventh Heaven. On the way, Cloud noticed a dull ache in his left arm, the one he was carefully hiding from Tifa. He groaned inwardly, and hoped it wouldn't get worse, but of course, diseases don't listen to the wishes of the infected. Some time later, the pain became so bad he couldn't help but collapse to one knee and clutch his arm and bite his lip to keep from crying out.
"Cloud! Are you okay?" Tifa cried out worriedly, kneeling next to him.
Cloud merely shook his head in response, not trusting his voice, while Vincent calmly watched, not moving to help. Squall was quick to notice Vincent's lack of concern for his injured friend. "I thought you and Cloud were friends." He said accusingly, trying to find a way to get under the annoying vampire's skin.
"We are, I suppose." Vincent replied after a moment. "I am still here, after all."
"Well, if you are friends, why aren't you helping him? He looks hurt." Squall prodded.
"And what would I do? Everyone knows that there is no cure, and the only thing you can do is wait for it to pass."
"'It'?" Squall asked, curious despite himself.
"Geostigma. A disease that afflicts many on this world, brought out by the abominable thing that heaven sent, Jenova. The crisis of the skies." Vincent explained.
"Then, why don't you just go get rid of Jenova? I mean, you all are mercenaries or something, which I imagine means that you can fight."
"We did. Which leads us to our current problem. Jenova is inside the Lifestream, meaning she can enter the souls of people coming into the world. Geostigma is the disease that this planet created to eliminate Jenova cells from people like Cloud or children who were born after Jenova's cells infested the Lifestream." Vincent explained somewhat rapidly.
Squall was silent for a moment, trying to digest all of the new information. It was extremely confusing to him, since on his planet he didn't have anything like 'Lifestream's, or 'Jenova's. It also reinforced the information that he was truly on another world, bringing an unexpected bout of homesickness, which he shook away with a shake of his head. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by an angry shout from Cloud.
"Just leave me alone, Tifa! I don't need your nagging and mothering!" He yelled, pushing her away.
Tifa looked crushed, and had a difficult time keeping the tears from her eyes. Sure, Cloud had gotten angry before, but never at her. She couldn't believe he had just shouted at her. She turned away, so Cloud couldn't see her distress. "Fine, Cloud, if that's what you want."
Cloud glared, "Yeah, I do. Stop gaping like an idiot." He snapped at Squall, then sent a glare at Vincent as well, while Vincent went to Tifa's side to calm her.
"Tifa, the Geostigma is affecting him, which is why he isn't acting like himself." Vincent said quietly, to keep Cloud from hearing.
Tifa sniffled, and looked up into Vincent's red-hued eyes. "He has Geostigma? Why didn't he tell me?"
Vincent shrugged. "Cloud's reasons are his own." He walked after Cloud silently, keeping his distance from the angry man.
Squall raised an eyebrow at Cloud's back as Cloud stomped off. This guy seemed to have some serious mental issues. One minute he was all buddy-buddy, and the next he was pushing his girlfriend away, the only one who was trying to help him. Of course, that just showed why Tifa would be the only one who would help him. He shrugged, and followed Cloud and Vincent, expecting Tifa to do whatever she wanted. It wasn't any of his business, really.
Notes: Well, I hope you enjoyed chapter three! As stated above, this is where Geostigma gets weird. Please be patient, and hopefully I'll be able to make it funnier, unless you would prefer a more serious story-line. Please Review, and I'll do my best!
