I'm back so on with the story so just read.
Chapter 25: Pursuit of Danger..
The next morning the team gathered in the dining hall to eat breakfast. Everyone's face was grim for they knew that today was not a day of relaxing and fun or games. They were headed into the most notorious place on the planet. To the team not even breakfast which consisted of the best bacon and eggs with slightly burnt toast seemed good this morning.
Cloud looked around at the team and felt a pang of guilt hit him. He saw the look on everyone's face and instantly knew what they were thinking, for he was thinking it too. The foreboding thought that they might not return from the crater hung over his head like a death sentence. But what got to him even more was the fact that he might survive and one of his friends may not. He quickly shook his head to rid the thought and he felt a reassuring but firm grip on his forearm. When he looked at the source he saw Tifa giving him a timid smile, her herself trying to be strong for everyone but barley having enough courage for herself.
Barret and Cid seemed the most disgruntled. Not only did the have to wake up, they had hangovers and were about to go into the Northern Crater. Twice for the morning the Venus Gospel was pointed at Yuffie's head because she always managed to take the piece of bacon that cid was going after. And after the 1st two times he was beginning to suspect that she was doing it on purpose, but Yuffie being the person that she was always denied it and smirked when she thought no one was looking. All the while Mariah was secretly smiling.
Vincent sat there and was going through inner turmoil because Chaos had decided to pay him a visit this morning.
"so what do you plan on doing you fool?" he spat
Vincent sighed and responded.
"What do you think I'm, doing? We are going to the North Crater to stop Jenova".
"do you and your posse really think you can defeat the Calamity From The skies. I think not. To tell you the truth, the first time you defeated her was out of pure luck and t'was not for me you would have been dead!" he spat.
Rage erupted in Vincent's head and heart. And if possible Chaos would have flinched.
"Listen and listen good. You are just spirit that wishes to manifest itself but cant because you don't have enough power. DON'T you ever belittle my self or any of the members of AVALANCHE because Jenova is no match for any of us".
Silence met his peppered response.
"Say some dumb shit like that again and you wont participate in the battle against her you blundering fool".
A growl erupted inside Vincent's head at that last statement and he smiled as Chaos vanished into the deep crevices of his mind.
After breakfast was served and the tables cleared everybody sat at the table once again. This time to discuss their course of action once inside the crater. They sat around the table and each person's brow was furrowed in worry. Cloud noticed this and decided to make one of his famous speeches before they made any plans.
He stood and everyone looked to him.
"I know you guys are worried and I am also. We are about to go back to a place that many of us if not all of us almost lost our lives. To me if it was my choice we would not even be here right now. We would all be living normal lives and Jenova and everything else would be something of the pass to sit around and tell stories. But that is not the way fate was to have it. Now I am not a person that believes in destiny and luck and all of that other stuff, but I think that the great weaver of time pulled us together as AVALANCHE for this very specific reason. To ward the planet and to protect those that live on it. Now I know that you are thinking what if we don't make it back because believe me that's been on my mind also. But then it hit me we beat Jenova once so we can do it again. I am completely confident in your abilities to fight and that is why I would have no other set of people by my side to save the planet once again."
With that he sat down and looked around. All of the team members had smiles on their faces and they looked ready to take on the world just as long as they had each other. Mariah looked especially happy for these people although she barely knew them was as close to a family that she would be getting for a long time. She felt connected to each of them especially her immature Wutainian princess. She would protect her with her life.
"So what is our first course of action?" Red asked
Cloud looked at him and responded.
"That my Red friend is why I have you"
Everyone laughed at the comment and although their lives hung in the balance and everyone's heart grim once they had each other they would make it through.
It was almost noon when the tam had finally emerged from the hall. Many ideas had been brought to the table and many had been discarded. The team had to think of all the aspects of battle all the pros and all the cons of each idea. When it had finally seemed that there was no possible way for them to overcome Jenova and her so called friends that she was going to pick up, Yuffie came up with a brilliant plan.
"Since Jenova said that she had some friends to go pick up, it means that she is not alone. We have been in the Northern Crater before so we should know our way around the area. If she is supposed to have friends with her then we can send in three members of the team to take the battle head on. The three of them will get the enemy to turn their backs to the entrance and if things get complicated then the rest of us close in on the gap and get rid of them from the front and the back."
Every one had looked at her like she was a completely different person and smiled. They would have never thought that she would have been able to come up with that on her own. But when they really thought about it she WAS the daughter of one of the greatest warriors on earth. She later on admitted that she had used only half of one of her father's battle plans and came up with the rest of it herself. Nevertheless it was still an idea that outweighed all the others and as of now that was their current plan.
As the team exited the stony walls of the dining hall they entered the town square and proceeded to acquire much needed gear to enter in to the Crater. They bought softs, hypers, elixirs, potions, x-potions, bangles, hi-potions, and every other thing that would protect them.
When they had bought all that was needed the whole team gathered into Cloud's bedroom and stood in various places in the room. Cloud reached into one of his suitcases and pulled out a black box. Everyone looked at him and saw the box in his hand. When he opened the box everyone gasped because they thought that the rare ribbons they had collected were lost, but here they were stored safely away. There was one for everybody except one of the extra three members. There were nine ribbons all together because one had belonged to Cait Sith which no body had heard from. When Cloud had distributed all the ribbons he turned to Sephiroth for he was the one left with out. Cloud took his ribbon off and handed it to Sephiroth. Sephiroth took the article and reached into his pocket. What he pulled out shocked everyone there. It was a black strip of cloth. It was like a ribbon but it couldn't be, for ribbons were red. Sephiroth placed the article in his hand and Cloud looked at him open mouthed.
"This is a specially designed ribbon that Hojo made for me when I became a general". He said.
Tifa stepped up.
"What's the difference between ours and that one?"
Sephiroth smiled.
"Well this ribbon does the exact same thing that ours does and protects you from all magic under level three, meaning ice 2, fire 2, bolt 2, and so on. It also takes off half the damage of all other magic attacks including all magic above level 3."
Cloud stared at the rare item and was about to push it back into the Ex-General's hand but with the look on his face said keep it.
All the guys put their ribbons around their biceps and all the girls put them around their necks. Now that everybody was ready to go Yuffie went to her suitcase and pulled out a bottle of expensive champagne.
"How the hell did you get that?" Cid yelled.
"Don't ask no frickin questions! Just drink it and enjoy". She retorted
Everyone laughed and Tifa got some glasses.
When they had drunk to their heart's content Cloud looked around one more time and he made the signal for them to move out. Although inside their hearts there was a tinge of fear and worry their visages weren't grim and their step was light.
Once in the High-wind the team went their separate ways. Tifa and Cloud retired to their bedroom to make sweet love one more time. The rest of the team either went to the upper deck or stayed in the cockpit with Cid. When time was coming near to land the ship everyone gathered around the drop ladder that was now dangling from over the railing. Cloud gave each of his members a brief hug and wished them luck and told them to make sure they came back unharmed. The main team to go in was Barret, Cloud and Tifa for she insisted that there should be a woman with them.
When they finally landed the 3 of them went forward and the rest of the team followed a couple of feet behind because they were in pursuit of danger.
Alright this is the end of chapter 25 so I hope u guys like dit. U betta had liked it or else. But im tired but I still gotta go study so imma holla at yallz lata. It aint nada.
