Chapter 32

Blocked Path

The Highwind sat down and Chaos followed after, he walked over to the gathered group and put Sam down gently on the ground and then once again turned back into Vincent.

"Thanks for the ride," Sam muttered weakly.

"Is he alright?" asked Tifa looking at Sam worriedly.

"Touching, really," Sam said propping himself on his elbow, "but I'll live…sort of."

"Hey, where's Cloud and Aeris?" asked Barret.

Sam looked to Barret, "They should be around shortly."

"So what's your story, buddy?" asked Cid sitting down looking at Sam.

"Well, it all began…when a man…fell in love…with a woman," Sam said dramatically.

Vincent shook his head, "He's a Cetra."

"For a race of people that are extinct there sure are a lot of you around lately," Yuffie said smiling.

"Some of us have this…come back from the dead thing we like to do," Sam said, "most of us are getting bored of being dead, anyways."

"So what exactly happened to Vincent?" asked Tifa.

"Well," Sam said falling back on his back and wincing, "as far as I can tell he was in an unstable area and got shot into an alternate dimension. Coincidence he'd end up in the same one as myself, Aeris and Cloud were in."

"Maybe fate, if you believe in that kind of thing," Wymond said.

Sam and Vincent attempted to try and recount all the strange things they'd managed to encounter in the alternate existences they'd adventured to. The story in full would have probably taken days to tell, but the condensed version only took about an hour.

"It was in the Mirror World…" Vincent was saying.

"…the one where I did not make any jokes about Tifa at all," Sam cut in.

Tifa smiled.

"…that Sam found a way back into this time, which was around the same time we fell from the sky I suppose," Vincent finished.

"Weird," Yuffie commented.

"You get used to it," Sam replied.

"Must have been confusing as hell," Cid said.

"It can mess with your head, yes," Sam muttered, "as long as you manage to have an open mind to the fact there are many possibilities for a different world, you should be fine."

"Just…Aeris…having a brother," Yuffie said, "that's crazy."

"In the terms of this world, yes, but in a different existence, no," Sam said.

"For such a crazy fella you sound all sophisticated when you're talking about this time travel stuff," Cid commented.

Sam smiled, "Well, thank you, Cid. This time travel stuff is my life after all, no one knows more about it than me."

"Well, looks like you could use some sleep, Sam," Wymond said.

"Yeah, I'd say that's a good idea," Sam agreed.

"Got a bed on the Highwind," Cid said pointing at his ship.

"Unless someone wants to carry me I think I'm fine right here," Sam replied closing his eyes, "thanks."

"Let's give the guy a moment," Barret said walking off toward the Highwind.

Everyone wandered off in their own directions. Tifa however stayed behind a little.

Sam didn't open his eyes, "Problem?"

"Did…Cloud and Aeris…?"

"I tried to get them to kiss or something but no luck, why?"

"I was just…wondering, I guess."

"Eventually, you realize, you're going to have to let him go because he isn't letting go of her," Sam opened his eyes and looked at Tifa, "dead or alive."

Tifa nodded, "I know."

"Tall dark and shady is getting over the crystal girl and getting it on with the ninja, Cloud's got a second chance with a dead chick, you know the only person here who's caught in the past is you. If Vinny can move on you sure as hell should be able to, sweetheart."

"Yeah…" she said walking away.

"And when you do get over Cloud," Sam said closing his eyes once more, "you know where to find me."

Tifa looked back but just shook her head and walked away.

"Weird guy," she muttered.

"Thank you," Sam whispered grinning.

As far as everyone else knew the danger was over and all they had to worry about was Cloud and Aeris' return, which had yet to happen. They waited for somewhere in the vicinity of five hours and still no sign of their friends. During that period of time Sam got his needed rest and awoke. He took the staff that was a very powerful weapon and downgraded its status to a walking stick. Sam was still a little drained but he could actually support his own weight on his legs now.

He leaned on the staff and looked around.

"Nice place, never really noticed when I was alive, but nice place," Sam muttered.

He noticed Yuffie and Vincent sitting side by side looking off into the sun that would soon be setting. Sam headed off toward them.

Vincent looked sidelong at Yuffie; the two had addressed the awkward issue of her kiss earlier that day…well…awkward issue for Vincent and Vincent alone. Apparently Yuffie herself had wanted to do it for a while and wasn't at all embarrassed about it, but then that didn't surprise him, there were few things Yuffie could claim to be introverted about. In that sense they were polar opposites, he was dark and introverted where Yuffie was completely the opposite, full of life and completely open with just about everything. A girl afraid to say nothing, and a man who didn't usually say very much at all, in some minds that may have made her his weakness, his opposite, but in his case she might have just been what he needed to move on from Lucrecia and his sins.

"Well, isn't this romantic," Sam said coming up behind the two.

"Hey Sam," Yuffie said smiling.

"Not interrupting anything am I?" asked Sam.

"No, we weren't really talking," Yuffie replied.

"Well, with tall dark and shady here that's not completely surprising," Sam said sitting on Vincent's other side. "I just wanted to come over to mention I might go looking for our lost friends if they don't turn up soon."

Vincent nodded, "I'll go with you."

"No can do," Sam said, "you've got responsibilities here now, unless the girlfriend lets you go you're stuck. She's the boss you know. Don't do what she says and you end up like me, single, and my ex happens to be trying to kill me and destroy existence as we know it."

"Haven't you had enough of saving the world, Vincent?" asked Yuffie.

"Look, the puppy-dog eyes," Sam said grinning, "oh please Vincent, don't go. We dead guys gotta stick together, but you got people to see, things to do. Me…I'm a free agent, go anywhere do anything, I can handle it."

"You shouldn't go alone," Vincent said.

"He is right," Yuffie agreed, "in your condition it's not safe."

Sam shrugged, "I don't expect to run into too much resistance, I'll get them out quick as soon as I see them anyways."

"I'll go," Tifa said walking up beside Sam.

Sam looked up at her.

"Just in case you do run into trouble," Tifa added.

"Well, in that case, by all means," Sam said, "do join me."

"When do we leave?" asked Tifa.

"Get ready, hopefully this shouldn't take too long, meet me back here when you're ready," Sam replied.

She nodded and ran back to the Highwind.

"How come you don't mind taking her along?" asked Yuffie smiling.

"I'm hoping to catch her in this vulnerable oh no Cloud's in love with Aeris moment alone so I can take advantage of her," Sam said with a straight face.

Vincent and Yuffie looked at him.

Sam laughed, "No, I can't back that one up."

"Ready," Tifa said returning from the Highwind.

"Alright," Sam said, closing his eyes, "all I need to do is follow the Ancient Dark Navy's trail and we'll end up where Cloud and Aeris are…I hope."

"You hope?" asked Tifa.

"Here we go!" Sam said snapping his fingers, the two were gone.

"You don't think he was serious, about that taking advantage of her stuff?" asked Yuffie. "I mean I know he said he was joking afterward, but, when he said it he looked so serious."

"If there's one thing I learned meeting Sam, he's a very good actor," Vincent replied. "Tifa could probably take him out anyways."

Yuffie laughed.

§

Sam and Tifa appeared in a field of grass; in front of them a few feet was the black building. Shinra soldiers and other employees ran around frantically. One scientist appeared to be walking toward them calmly.

Tifa saw the scientist and looked at Sam, and then back at the scientist…they looked exactly the same except for the fact the scientist had glasses.

"Sam…he," Tifa stuttered.

"May I say sir, you are one very handsome fellow," Sam said to the scientist.

"Not too bad yourself," Tirren replied walking by casually.

"He's you!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Remember what I said about an open mind?" asked Sam.

Tifa shook her head and then took a deep breath, "Right, sorry."

"Let's go find spikey and Aeris," Sam said.

The two walked past the black building, and the place where Sam figured they'd be appeared in the distance.

"Let's hope they started walking a little," Sam said, "if not we're gonna have to walk all the way over there."

"So let's start walking," Tifa said.

They put words to action and headed toward the power plant. After only a few minutes of walking it appeared in fact that Cloud and Aeris had started walking. They came into view quite quickly, Gast trailing behind a little.

"Ahoy, mateys!" Sam yelled.

"Sam," Aeris said starting at a jog; Cloud sped up his pace to keep up with Aeris and Gast did likewise. "What the hell happened?"

"As much as I like you to think I'm the man with all the answers, beautiful, you do have to tell me what happened so I can explain it," Sam replied.

"We were supposed to follow the Ancient Black's path right back to Centre Time, but when I tried to it was like I was blocked out," Aeris said. "Oh, hi Tifa."

Tifa nodded, "Are you okay?"

"Alive," Aeris said nodding.

"The path should have been clear," Sam said curiously. "The only way you'd be blocked out is if someone else took the path to Centre Time, and only Cetra with our knowledge should be able to…"

They looked at Sam curiously as he trailed off.

"They figured it out," Sam muttered.

"Who figured out what?" asked Tifa.

"The Outcasts, they figured out how to use the path of the Ancient Dark Navy," Sam said wide-eyed, "the Outcasts are in Centre Time."

"I thought that wasn't possible," Gast said, "I thought you had to have the key to get there."

"There's always a loophole," Sam replied, "I'm just usually the only one to find them and use them."

"They'll be looking for the missing artifacts," Aeris said, "and we have them."

"We had to stop them at some point, might as well be on your home turf, right?" asked Sam.

"That means I should go back to my time, right?" asked Gast.

"It would make sense," Sam said, "the Outcasts aren't going to leave Centre Time they'll complete their mission or die trying."

Aeris turned to her brother, "I guess this is finally good bye."

"Will I remember you?" asked Gast.

"The memory shouldn't create any serious paradoxes, so yes, you will," Sam replied.

"Thank you, Sam, all of you, for everything," Gast said, "you saved my life and threw me on one hell of an adventure."

Cloud nodded.

"I apologize our meeting must be cut so short as well, you must be Tifa," Gast said.

"You're Aeris' brother?" asked Tifa.

"It appears so, yes," Gast said, "you're a legend in my existence, you and your friends all are, it was an honour to meet a few of you in the flesh."

Tifa wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Well, Sam, you're doing the honours?" asked Gast.

"Aeris, you have the key, you should be able to get into Centre Time the normal way, I'll meet you back there once I take care of your brother," Sam said.

She nodded.

"Tifa, you go back with them, the trip was short," Sam said.

"Maybe next time you can make it a longer one," Tifa replied.

"Next time?" Sam muttered, "hm…alright, professor, let's get outta here."

Gast looked to his sister one last time, "It was good to see you again, whether you really are the sister I once had or not exactly, I enjoyed seeing you as you at least could have been."

Aeris quickly hugged her brother, "Maybe I'll see you again, somehow."

"At this point I'd believe anything, Aeris," Gast said smiling, "I love you."

"I love you too," Aeris whispered.

"Ready?" asked Sam, who for a rare moment couldn't bring himself to make any jokes.

Gast nodded.

Sam looked at the others, "The door to Centre Time is in the City of the Ancients, on the altar, you know the one Aeris. As soon as you get back be prepared to fight Outcasts, I'll get back as soon as I can."

"Be careful, Sam, we may need your help back there," Cloud said.

"The Outcast last stand," Sam muttered, "Cloud, I wouldn't miss it for the world."