IDK how I'm doing, I only have like 5 different readers, not much motivation for me…

Disclaimer: You know the deal…do I have to remind you every time? Or are you just dumb? Give me a break people!

Chapter 9

"Lay him down carefully…" said Atlas, helping Cloud and Harper lay Shade down on the sofa. He had begun to breathe again, but barely. The second Atlas knew he wouldn't fall she rushed into the cellar to grab some herbs and spices to make a potion.

Harper sat on the end and rested Shade's head in her lap, playing with his hair with her fingers. "Shade…please don't die on me…" she said, praying he would live. Harper felt tears falling from her nose and cheeks on down to his rugged face. What had she done to deserve this?

As Atlas finally returned after what seemed a lifetime, she looked to Harper, who looked up with a face that said it all. The pain in her features made Atlas want to cry out. Atlas dropped what was in her hands into the chair and kneeled down in front of the couch.

She placed her middle fingers of each hand on Shade's temples on either side. A single touch for a second was all she needed. She immediately withdrew, and took a deep breath. Harper looked at Atlas hopefully, as if hoping Atlas would say 'He's not dead!' and nothing was wrong. But there was nothing she could do. Shade was gone.

After watching Harper for a few minutes, Atlas decided to step outside and leave her and Shade alone. There was no more she could do for him.

Atlas stepped back outside where Cloud had joined the others moments before. She looked at each of them in turn, hoping she wouldn't have to say it. They all turned away and walked off, to mourn on their own.

Eventually the rest of the village had realized what had happened. And immediately set out to search for the murderer. Atlas insisted he not be killed right away, he would stand trial like the old customs demanded. By midnight the group was sitting around the fire, the rest of the town had gone to bed.

"Why would that man just hurt us like that?" Yuffie asked all of a sudden.

"The village is very protective. Old writings command them to protect this land and the land around from strangers of the outside world. I think to protect the Temple and City of the Ancients, although I'm not sure." Atlas paused, recollecting what she had been told a few days before. "Lately we have heard that there is some sacred power in the Temple that could help an Ancients finally find the Promise Land, and some people who weren't Ancients would come to take what wasn't theirs. The town committed themselves to protect it."

"Did they know what kind of people would come? How do they know it was us? And that we are that bad people?" Tifa asked.

"We heard rumors from people we trade with about the Shinra coming to take the power. You see, it's very hard to find us. Only the villages we trade with know we are here, and are sworn by death not to reveal our location. We have been wiped off the map, so you can only find us by chance or complete determination. A few years ago the Shinra attempted to seize our home, we barely got away. Since then we hated the Shinra, we thought you were Shinra. The Shinra are expected to show up any day, according to our scouts, the people were only defending their homeland."

"How did you come to get here?" Barret asked.

Atlas shrugged "I came to study their culture, telling them I was a healer searching for rare herbs and a researcher of cultures and knowledge. They let me stay here in exchange for healing their sick and wounded."

"But why are you really here?" Vincent asked, obviously knowing she wasn't here for just herbs.

"To study the Ancients. I hoped to meet on someday, and I figured they would have to come through here to get the Temple. So I can here to wait for them and learn as much as I could…"

"I see…"

"Didn't one of you tell me that Shade had immortal blood in him?" Atlas inquired.

"Yeah, from his father. He is only half though, and he told us he didn't know if it was enough to work for him properly." Said Barret.

"I don't know either. I only know there aren't any left, except perhaps him. And that they can only be killed by decapitation." Said Atlas

"Yeah, he told us that's how his father was killed…" Yuffie said solemnly

"Do you know of anyone with half-blood ever dying and it still worked?" Tifa asked

"No" Atlas said flatly

"Should we give her more time? Or just go check on her now?" suggested Cloud

"Lets check now. I don't want to make it harder for her later. Weren't they married?" Atlas asked

"Yes." said Tifa "I think for only a few months though…she never told me precisely how long they've been together…" she said, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Tifa, Atlas, and Cloud decided they would go in and check on Harper. Tifa didn't know what it was, but she was sure Cloud had it in for Atlas. He wouldn't keep his eyes off her…anything. Maybe she was imagining things, maybe not. She would have to resolve to keep a closer eye on the two.

'What am I thinking?' Tifa thought to herself. 'I'm worrying about love issues when someone just died…I must be crazy…'

Atlas stepped through the front door of her home first, immediately running forward.

"Harper! No!" she cried, leaping over furniture. "Stop!"

Atlas reached Harper and grabbed her right wrist, trying to wrench free the object from Harper with the other hand.

"Harper! Knock it off. It won't help anything. Just…let go…of…the knife."

"Harper just let go!" Tifa cried, grasping the situation.

Cloud turned for the door, hearing shouts and noises from outside the small building. He didn't know what could be the cause of such a riot. One glance told him all he needed to know. He bolted back to the room where the three women were.

"We have to go! Now!" he yelled to them.

Harper had finally released the knife and was wailing in Atlas's arms. "What's going on?" Tifa asked.

"The Shinra. They're burning the village. We have to leave!"

"But we can't just leave him." Harper cried.

"We have to. Let's go. The others are waiting." Cloud said, immediately taking up his post as leader of Avalanche.

"We can't! He's important. You can't get to the Temple without him!"

"Why not?"

Harper only stayed silent under Cloud's glare. She stood and moved toward the lifeless body on the couch, starting to search for something.

"There's no time, we have to leave." He said. Motioning the other two to make sure she isn't left behind, he started for the door

"Lets go!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"Going somewhere?" someone asked, bringing Cloud to a stop. Cloud looked into eyes of a woman he loathed, along with a gun aimed between his eyes

"Scarlet" he said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, it's me, Scarlet. I believe you have something I want." She said, cocking the gun.

He listened intently for any movement behind him. He heard some shouts and wails in the room he just left. Cloud guessed they were caught from behind. "And just what would that be? He asked

"Your life." She said.

The next thing he knew there was a lot of white light.

Okay people. I don't know how this is going. To me its crap don't really get to criticize my writing or Aki gets on my but. I'm having a slight writers block but I am sure it will pass. Give me some motivation will you!