Resurrecting Old Ghost's

Chapter 2: The Journey To New Junon

Maeko awoke to the sound's of the ocean, he registerd the gentle rocking motion, but was unaware what had happend. Then it hit him, the memory's came flooding like a dam in his mind just broke. He was hit on the head but what happend after that. I must have been knocked unconcuse. He heard the door to the room he was in creek open. It was the first time he even relized his surroundings. He was in a bed, a nice bed at that, must have been the captin's room. I must be on that ship. Maeko thought to himself.

As Shera walked into her room Maeko sat up. It must have been to quickly thoe as he held a hand to his head and laid back down.

"Careful," Shera said to Maeko, who just looked at her in confusion. "You got quite the blow to your head."

I'd say, Maeko thought to himself. I thought I was dead. "What happend to me?" he asked Shera. You saved my life. Shera looked at the young man with affection. "My name is Shera Highwind, and this is my ship, The Bronco. I hope you don't mind but I coulden't just leave you where you were, and I coulden't stay. I'm kind of on a tight schedule and needed to get home to Truno."

At the mention of the town, Maeko again shot up, the fermiler ache finding it's way to his head once again. "You're going to New Junon?"

Shera looked shocked. "Yes, I have some... uhh... business there. You're going there as well?" Maeko looked at Shera debating on what to tell her, usure weathere or not to trust her.

"Yes, that's actually what I was doing at the dock." Maeko decided that was enough information for now, no need to go into too much detail just yet. Besides, it would appear that he was not the only one with secreats. Shera never did offer an explination as to why she was attacked, nor did Maeko care to know at this point. At the moment all that mattered was that he was alive and on his way to New Junon.

Once Maeko had fully recoverd he went right to work helping Shera with the voyage to Truno. He had no idea why there was no crew, and thought it better not to ask, there was something odd about Shera, she was hiding something. Shera sat on the deck next to Maeko watching the sunmelt into the sea. Maeko looked at her long blond hair, cold blue eye's. She was very atractive, but Maeko coulden't even think about romance now, his head was filled with even bigger questions. Like the tattoo, the red cross with equal arms, slightly flared at the end's. Where have I seen this before? Maeko wonderd, unable to place it, but it seemed so familiar to him.

"Are you going to see your family Maeko?" Shera asked out of the blue. Maeko looked at her, there was a sadness in her eye's now. "No..." Maeko thought about elabrating, but decided against it. No need to come clean about my past yet, mabey I'll let her go first. Maeko just looked at Shera. "No, I don't have any family in Truno, I'm actually going to explore the rest of the world." Maeko was shoked at how easily the lie had escaped his lips, but it wasen't really a lie, he would be greatful to see more of the world, even if it wasen't his primary motive.

Shera continued to stare out over the water, the sun almost compleatly down now. She looked like she had something on her mind. Maeko thought for a second he saw tears welling in her eye's but her cheaks remained dry. "I had a family, a long time ago. Now all I have is The Bronco, and..." Maeko heard the longing in her voice for her story to be told. Perhaps now would be the time to ask her, Maeko thought to himself. He opend his mouth to speak his question, but before he got his voice to speak, Shera stood "Well, lets get some rest, we should be in Truno by this time tommrow."

Maeko woke to a dense fog surrondingThe Bronco. As he walked out to the deak he saw Shera looking over the bow. "What's going on?" Shera could sense a hint of worrie in Maeko's voice. "I'm not sure, but I do know there's no way for me to navigate in this. We're going to have to drop anchor and wait for the fog to clear before we can start again." Shera looked out into the nothingness that surronded them, "And I'm worried that it may be a while before that happens." Maeko thought he heard something in the fog, it sounded like the flaping of large wings for a moment and then it stoped. Maeko thought about it a moment, then brushed it off, after all he did just suffer a major head wound, and Shera diden't seem to notice it.

As the two sat on the deck waiting for the weather to clear so they can get on there way, Shera started to hum a song that gave Maeko a strange chill. He knew that he had heard the song before but just could not place it. The fog seemed to be getting thicker and diden't seem to show any sign of lifting. "Who were the men at the dock Shera?" The word's shocked Maeko as much as they shocked Shera. Maeko diden't even meen to say them, they just came out. Shera just looked at him for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure, I think they were looking for something." "Looking for what?" Maeko decided that he might as well keep the conversation going, altho he already knew what the men were looking for. "I'm not sure, they must have had the wrong ship..." Shera's voice trailed off. "They might have been looking for the matria you have." Shera was stund, flew to her feet and jumped back. "Just who are you?" Shera shouted at Maeko. "I'm just who I said I was, I just recived a fatle head wound, and belive me, I know that should have killed me. Yet here I stand, alive and well. The only explanation is that you had cure materia." Shera was shocked, she diden't know what to do or say, or even if she could now trust Maeko. Maeko could sense this and decided to tell her everything that brought him to her ship.

Maeko told Shera everything, about Mesa, about his subsequent dismissal, about how he made his way to Bulmor Harbor, and finaly about 'Project Jenova' and his jouney to the runes of Midgar and Edge. Shera was stuned "The Mesa Church let you live, even after finding one of the Jenova files?" Maeko gave Shera a strange look "The Jenova files? You mean you've heard of them?" Shera walked over by Maeko "You'd better sit down, there's alot I need to tell you."

Shera told her story as Maeko listend intently. "My name is Shera Highwind, in relation to Cid Highwind, who's name I'm sure you know. I was brought up to belive that Cloud and the rest were trying to save the planet from Sepheroth. My family and I have been hunted down by the Mesa Church to be killed..." Shera choked back some tears. "they killed my mother and father infront of my brother and I, then they killed my brother. I don't remember much after that but someone saved me, all I remeber was a red streak through the sky as I woke up in the woods. Since then I've dedicated my life to exposing the lie's the Mesa Church spreads with it's teachings. The Matirea is for a friend in New Junon, the healing Matirea is to be put to use in caring for the ill. The rest will be returned to the life stream." At this Maeko felt a chill. He was alway's taught that Matirea was Giai's gift to Man, but the Church is full of lie's and that may just be another one.

Shera was about to start again when they heard a screach coming from the fog. It was clearly not human, then Maeko heard the wings again, but this time they were close. A monsterous dragon swooped in through the fog landing on the deck. The two jumped up "Quick, down below!" Shera shouted to Maeko, who did not hesitate leaping through the open door, as Shera was about to follow, the dragon grasped her in it's masive claw's and, to Maeko's horror, pinned her to the deck, helpless.