Start Date: July 6, 2022
Windwillow
As usual, the bolded text is Cloud's inner voice.
Final Fantasy VII
After arriving at the slums of Junon, the party saved the life of a young girl named Priscilla and her friend Mr. Dolphin. In the process, they got to see Yuffie strut her stuff and show how valuable of an addition she was to the team. And she was quite vocal about it. In the morning, Cloud confronted Tifa regarding their time in Nibelheim and a gap in their memories. To her relief, he quickly departed the Inn to find the source of some strange music from up above.
Now, it's time for Cloud to don the Shinra uniform once again, as he infiltrates Shinra's Junon base to find a clue to Sephiroth's whereabouts. Friends both old and new will throw a few complications into the mix, however. And once again, Cloud's path will intersect with Rufus'...
Chapter Twenty: Upwards, to Junon!
Scene One
It was loud and it was raucous, the gaudy music echoing throughout all of Lower Junon. With trumpets that sounded like a beast's howl and drums that sounded of thunder, a high-energy tune permeating the entirety of the slums. The party found themselves beaten about the head with the resounding... well, noise.
"What the hell is that music?!" Barret snarled as he held his ears shut. It was indeed deafening. "Sounds like the whole damn town's gonna shake itself to death! Someone let me know when it stops!" he moaned.
"You realize," muttered Red XIII, "that you wouldn't hear even if we did with your ears closed?" Barret angrily glared at the beast as Red XIII turned his eyes towards the sky. From high up above, there came the sound of fireworks. "Whatever it is, it's certainly... loud." he flatlined.
"I hear it's a celebration..." The party turned to an old woman, approaching from the Inn. She wore spectacles and a long, white dress, and walked with a limp. "The new President is coming to Junon, and he's getting a welcome parade from the garrison here," she said Barret's fist clenched at the news, but no one else paid attention. The entire party did take note of the mention of Rufus, however. "All a bunch of nonsense, if you ask me. I never liked the first one!" snapped the lady firmly.
"That means we have business up above..." Cloud growled, folding his arms with a huff. If he was up there, then they had to get there, too. Simple as that: find Rufus, shove a foot up his ass. "Is there any way to get up top, ma'am?" he asked, hopeful but not expecting a good answer.
"There's always the gatekeeper to the north," said the old woman with a shrug. She directed their attention to a shifty-looking trooper standing in front of a large gate. "That lift takes you from Lower Junon up top. Trying to force your way through will get a swarm of soldiers on your back, but he's notoriously prone to bribery," she said, "and he does have a price."
"How much does he charge?" asked Tifa. "We have money, so we can splurge," she said. When the old woman turned away, Tifa's face fell. "I don't like that look, ma'am," Tifa moaned. "What's the number?" she asked. The old woman sighed and held up five bony fingers. "Five thousand?!" Tifa snapped, her fists clenching. "I'd rather beat it out of him!" she shouted as she punched her glove.
"Hey, Tifa! I have an idea..." Aerith cooed with a wink. "All we gotta do is-" Tifa narrowed her eyes into a death glare, prompting Aerith to giggle. "Kidding, kidding!" she laughed. "But seriously, if we find enough dirt on the guy, we can blackmail our way up to the top. Does he gamble?" she asked the old woman, who shook her head. "Drink?" Another shake of the head. Aerith flashed a naughty smile. "Girlfriend?" she asked as she wrung her hands. "Maybe someone he shouldn't be seeing?" she pressured.
"H-He... um, he's... um..." stuttered the old woman, her face turning red. The answer was there, but telling it to a stranger seemed a bit uncouth. "He's kind of... involved with... Oh, the hell with it! I'll tell you..." She whispered the rest of the story to Aerith, whose face lit up. "Don't let him know I told you!" she stammered, waving her hands. "He could get a court martial for-"
"For what?" asked Tifa. "What's so bad that he'd get in trouble for it? It isn't like he's dating a hooker, right?" When Aerith gave her a naughty smile and winked, Tifa's face dropped and she put her head in her hands. "No. You gotta be kidding me..." Tifa moaned. "I was just joking, I didn't actually think..." she said with a sigh.
"We just need to find her!" Aerith chirped with a sly smile as she held up two fingers. "Find her, then blackmail the sucker! If his bosses find out he's... well, involved... with a lady of the night, they might dock his pay. I hear Shinra doesn't take well to that thing even if they're mostly amoral in every other regard..." she chuckled.
"Ooh, you want something juicy?!" Yuffie tittered as she blushed beet red. Unable to control herself, she began to shudder, even hopping in place. "Leave it to me. Give me a couple hours and I'll find the little-" Tifa clapped her hands over Yuffie's mouth, and after a brief struggle (and an attempt to bite Tifa), Yuffie shoved her away. "Fine, family show, I get it! Gawd, you're a prude!" she muttered. The death glare she received silenced her, however.
"All that's well and good, then! Yuffie takes care of our little mission... But we need to send Cloud in first!" Aerith said cheerfully as she clapped her hands. She whirled around to face Cloud and gave a rather naughty smile. "Now we just have to find a way to get him in!" she tittered.
"How do I enter into this?!" Cloud snapped as he nursed a migraine, another of what seemed to be another in an endless line of headaches. "Why do you always involve me in all this cloak and dagger crap?!" he shouted. As Aerith's naughty smile widened, his face dropped. "Whatever you're thinking, don't! Whenever you make that face, something bad happens!" he stammered.
"I'm afraid I agree with Cloud," Red XIII said as he solemnly nodded. "Every time she does that, something wicked happens to one of us," he moaned. The last time Aerith had given him that look, he'd ended up hogtied to Barret on the back of a chocobo. "Is there any way we can take a vote?" asked the beast.
"I agree with Aerith," Tifa said as she folded her arms. Cloud moved to protest, but she shoved a finger in his face. "You're the leader, so you gotta go in before us. And don't look at me with that pouty face!" she snapped as Cloud's head dropped. "We all know you're going to lose the argument, so shut up and take your medicine." she said with her hands on her hips.
"But, I, uh... D-dammit," Cloud cursed as his fist clenched, expecting the worst and, of course, receiving it. Like Red XIII, his mind turned to Aerith's plan back at Sector Six. That woman had an air of mischief about her. "But can we at least agree not to give me a pair of fake breasts this time? Please?" he moaned. "I don't have enough dignity left to do that again."
"Hey! He-e-e-y!" From high above her apartment tower, Priscilla's voice trilled. Turning towards the east of town, the party watched as a well-rested Priscilla bounded down the stairs of her home and ran up to them, looking healthy as ever. She flashed a toothy grin and made a peace sign. "Thanks for everything from before! I heard you even-"
"I'm glad you're better!" Cloud exclaimed with a smile on his face as he knelt down with his fist extended. "C'mon, give me five, kid!" he said with a smile. As she bumped it, he was quietly thankful she didn't finish her sentence. When his eyes caught sight of a bright shine, Cloud noted that a piece of red materia had been presented to him. "What is that?" he asked. Well, he asked, but he knew the answer.
Summon materia?!
"This is for you guys!" Priscilla said with a smile. Lifting the materia, she held it out over Cloud's hand. "It's my treasure, so you better take care of it!" she trilled. As Cloud slowly took the orb, Priscilla's face brightened even more (if that was possible). "And if you wanna go up, I can take you there, big bro!" she said with an even wider smile.
"B-big... bro...?" Cloud stammered, unsure now whether he was reassured or not. And how did she come to call him that? "What are you talking about?" he asked. "How do you even know that we want to go up to-"
"It's 'cause I heard you!" tittered Priscilla as she flashed a peace sign. She certainly seemed confident. "And me and Mr. Dolphin will get you there, no sweat!" She paused and put a finger to her mouth, then shrugged. "Well, unless you get electrocuted. That would sort of suck!" she giggled.
"E-electrocuted?!" Cloud gasped, his face dropping even lower than it was before. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he moaned. "Whatever you're planning..." He turned to Tifa and Aerith for backup, but the looks on their faces confirmed his worst fears. "Oh, dear God..." Cloud sighed.
Scene Two
So the task was to ascend from Lower Junon to the city above. As it would take a while for Yuffie to fetch the... lady of easy virtue... from her workplace, Cloud was given the task of infiltrating the facility first. Much to his chagrin, Cloud found that Priscilla had a simple plan, one that her grandfather could only sigh when he heard of it. He'd clearly dealt with the little girl's schemes many times before, and simply acquiesced to her wishes.
"You want me to do what?!" Cloud gasped, holding his head with a groan. There had to be a problem in communication. "I'm supposed to climb that high voltage tower to get up to Junon?! I'd be fried like tempura!" he shouted.
"Uh-uh!" Priscilla said with a wag of her finger and a wink. "Mr. Dolphin's gonna carry you up there. You don't need to climb anything!" she said cheerfully. As Cloud's face dropped, Priscilla produced a small whistle. "All I gotta do is blow this whistle and Mr. Dolphin will jump high up in the air! Just stand on top of him and jump. Isn't that simple?" Priscilla beamed.
"Simple for you!" Cloud shouted as his face dropped. "You won't be climbing on top of an aquatic mammal and jumping into a God damn electric current!" Cloud's migraine by now had passed critical a long time back. "Tifa, Aerith, please?" he begged. "Please tell me there's another way!" he groaned.
"You're the leader, so it's your job!" Tifa snapped as she put her hands on her hips. "Suck it up and just do what the girl says!" she said with a scowl. "This is the only way, and you're gonna do it! Simple as that!" she said, pounding her fists. Cloud turned to Aerith for help, received none, and simply gave up.
Cloud hesitantly reached up and clasped the handle of his sword, detaching it with a sharp snap. Given that there was no point trying to break in holding a gigantic broadsword, he handed it to Barret, who almost dropped it because of the weight. As Barret fumbled and stumbled to lift the Buster Sword, Cloud rustled around in his pocket and withdrew his cellphone.
"I'd just fry this if I try and swim with it," said Cloud as he handed his phone to Tifa, "so you take care of this, too..." With a nod, Tifa snatched the cellphone and stashed it with her own. "Uh, you know..." he mumbled, half to himself. "I... aw, hell with it. I might get punched if I keep resisting..."
As he stared into the polluted waters, Cloud finally gave in and stepped into the surf. He slowly waded into the water, the stale liquid staining his tunic, and reached Mr. Dolphin in only a few seconds. Positioning himself on top of the mammal like a surfboard, he rode the waves into the open water. Once he got into position, Cloud turned a frightened eye to Priscilla, silently hoping that she would call it off.
"Ready, big bro?" trilled Priscilla as she lifted her whistle. She gave a beaming smile, one that unnerved Cloud. "I'm ready anytime!" she chirped, putting the whistle to her lips. While Cloud tried to slowly dismount Mr. Dolphin, Priscilla took a deep breath in, her eyes twinkling. "Buh-bye, big bro!" exclaimed Priscilla as she blew into the whistle. Priscilla's breath pierced it like a bullet, a shrill sound echoing throughout the area.
If Priscilla was trying to prepare him, it didn't work. With a single, mighty vault, Mr. Dolphin shot high into the air, with Cloud on top of himself. The ride was rough and sudden, air streaming past Cloud's body, until he finally caught hold of a non-electrified rail. For a few moments, Cloud dangled almost limply, but slowly he came to consciousness again. When he did, Cloud looked down to see his friends standing below him.
"See you at the top!" Aerith screamed, cupping her hands to her mouth. As she began to wave, her smile widened. "We'll be there in just a little bit! Wait for us!" she shouted. "Don't worry, Yuffie will get us there!"
Cloud was less optimistic. Here he was, dangling by one arm, a sea of electrified water beneath him just crackling with energy, and now he was supposed to climb to the top of the damned mountain. But, having no other option, Cloud began to climb up towards the top of the tower. After navigating several beams and platforms, he dragged himself up to what looked like a launchpad with several markings on the ground. While he knew about air travel, he'd never seen anything bigger than a helicopter.
What the hell is that?!
What he found at the top was a marvelous machine, a massive airship with two huge propellers and the image of a scantily-clad Lady Luck on the side of the ship. The sheer scale of it was astounding, and Cloud's thoughts began to wander.
Hey... would Aerith or Tifa want a ride on this thing?
You mean, which one would you want to snuggle up to?
"Shut the hell up!" Cloud screamed as he held his head. "Whoever you are, I am sick and tired of you!" he snarled, folding into a ball.
Tifa or Aerith? Take a pick.
"You son of a..." Cloud staggered, firmly gripping his face in both hands. "Get the God damn hell out of my head!" Pausing, he grimly narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right. And it wasn't his headache. "Whoever you are, you're enjoying this way too much..." he muttered angrily.
I'm not enjoying the soldiers that are heading your way.
As he heard the sound of rifles clicking and boots clacking, Cloud mouthed a curse and ran towards the nearest door. Running as hard as he could, Cloud sighted a small doorway beneath him. With a mighty vault, he plunged down the airstrip, landed, and dashed towards the door. He managed to slip inside, away from whoever was chasing him. For a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go, men!"
Cloud heard a rowdy voice from behind him, and as he turned and opened the door, a series of several armed troopers passed by him with their rifles armed. By reflex he tried to draw his sword (which wasn't there), but was instead met face-to-face by a soldier in a red officer's garment. This soldier seemed older, with a deeper voice. Shocked, Cloud's fist tightened as he tried to figure out a plan.
God damned son of a-
"What the hell are you doing?!" snapped the officer, grabbing Cloud by the shoulders. As he was shaken, Cloud bounced back and forth, to and fro. "Get your ass in here, soldier!" Not knowing whether to resist, Cloud found himself dragged through a nearby door. Whatever was going on, he was unarmed; he would have to talk his way out of it.
Scene Three
After being tormented by whatever voice was in his head, Cloud now found himself taken into a new room. There was no telling what awaited, or whether or not he'd have to fight. Just in case, he'd kept his materia gauntlet, but without his sword, his combat abilities were effectively halved.
Cloud entered a large locker room, the scent of unwashed musk heavy in the air. Eyes flitting around the room, he noticed that most of the lockers had already been opened. The entire area was void of people, except for the red-clad officer that had brought him in here. If he had to he could probably slug the guy, but...
"Tell me your number, soldier!" shouted the officer as he folded his arms. "All eight digits! Not one, not two, not three - all of 'em!" he snapped. Given that Cloud didn't have one, he didn't know how to respond and stayed silent. "Whatever it is, I don't care!" shouted the officer. He whirled Cloud around pointed at the only closed locker, and slammed his hand against it. "Get dressed!" he ordered.
Slowly opening the locker, Cloud was met with the sight of a Shinra infantry uniform. The tunic, the pants, the helmet... and gloves loose enough to conceal his gauntlet with, though it would look strange.He quickly donned the outfit, stretching the glove to cover the wrist-bound materia holder. While it fit oddly well, the stench wasn't great. As he put it on, he discarded a series of unwrapped candies and sandwich crumbs.
Oh, come on! Put some pride in your work, jackasses!
Remember the last time you wore this?
"Are you dressed yet?!"
Before he could reply to his inner voice, Cloud swiveled to see the officer with his hands on his hips. "Perform the routine, soldier!" Cloud slowly tilted his head, angering the officer. The soldier began to shake, anger boiling. "You know what I'm talking about!" he screamed.
"Actually," Cloud muttered, mostly to himself, "I don't." He hadn't been through basic training in years, and he certainly had no idea what this guy was mouthing off about. "Whatever you mean, I-" he began helplessly.
"Let us help, sir!"
Two Shinra infantry grunts in the standard blue uniform burst into the locker room, each with a standard-issue rifle slung behind their backs. They seemed unusually open to training someone they never met before. The first was of normal build, while the second was a bit beefier. Both were of dark complexion, though one was darker than the other.
"Captain Piette, allow me! My name is Finn!" The slimmer of the two soldiers drew his hand up into a salute. Cloud noted that this soldier had a small bit of stubble on his face. "Lock your step!" he said as he clicked his heels at attention, standing stock straight.
"And I'm Poe!" said the more muscular soldier. This one was clean shaven, with a small birthmark that looked like a half-moon on his cheek. "Shoulder your gun!" he ordered, lifting his rifle to his shoulder and began to march in place. "Move your rifle! Up, down, across, up again!" he shouted with vigor.
"March in lockstep!" Piette said with a nod. Piette was of higher rank than the other two, but he was also much less... intelligent. And this was his last chance to stay an officer. "Repeat: 'Rufus, Sir! Long Live Shinra! Long Live Rufus!'" he yelled as he folded his arms. "Has to be in that order, too! Remember it, and repeat it!" Piette swung his finger at Cloud, and it landed directly in front of his face. "I wanna hear you, soldier!" he ordered.
From beneath his glove, Cloud's fingers tensed into a fist. Saying any of that made his stomach turn. Even if it was just a disguise, praising Shinra after everything it had done? Praising Rufus was something he almost couldn't bring himself to do. On the other hand, if he didn't, Tifa might maul him. So, self-preservation won out.
"R-Rufus... S-s-sir..." Cloud swallowed hard as he mimicked the soldiers' movements. Even saying his name made him want to wretch, but the image of Tifa's fist breaking his teeth prompted him to continue. "Long live... gah... Shinra?! Long live R-" His voice suddenly clapped to a halt, unable to say his nemesis' name with the words 'long live' in front of it.
"I can't hear you!" Piette scolded, waving his finger in Cloud's face. He held up his baton and slapped it against his palm menacingly. "This is going to be televised, so you gotta do the job right!" he snapped again. "More importantly, I've got a promotion to worry about! So just say the damned words!"
"I... um..." Cloud muttered, uncertain. He still didn't want to do this... Preparing himself, Cloud forced himself to salute Piette. Every inch of his body shook in revulsion, and though he tried to conceal it, he failed. Luckily, Piette was too dense to pick up on it. "L-long live... R-Rufus..." he slowly stammered, feeling his stomach drop.
"Alright, rookie! Well done!" Finn cheered, pumping his fist and delivering a fist bump to Poe. The two seemed to be pretty tight. "Just twenty more times and we can go to the parade!" From underneath his mask, Cloud's face fell. He had to say all that twenty more times? A root canal would be easier to sit through, and he distinctly remembered hating cleanings, not to mention surgery.
"No, no, no! Thirty more!" Poe protested as he shouldered his gun. From under his mask, Cloud's face tightened into a furious snarl. "This is for the glory of the President! Nah... forty!" he announced with vigor. Cloud's fist clenched beneath his glove, the materia on his gauntlet beginning to rattle. If he had to say it forty more times, he'd just knock the hell out of the three and go out alone.
"Sir! Piette, sir!" Everyone's attention turned to another soldier that had just entered, breathing heavily as he saluted. "President Rufus is here, sir!" he announced with a deep breath. Piette's eyes lit up, gripping his baton tightly and trembling with excitement. Slowly, a look of fear crossed his face.
"Already?!" shrieked Piette. "Will we even be able to make it...?" he wondered. Swiveling to the soldiers (and Cloud), he lifted his baton triumphantly. "Poe! Finn! Um... You! We have to hurry now!" he ordered. As the three soldiers saluted and ran from the room, Cloud lowered his head in shame. This was way too much to ask, putting on the uniform again!
You know, the last time you wore this uniform, you were...
"Oh, shut it!" Cloud snapped bitterly. "I don't need you in my head making this any worse than it already is! God!" He immediately turned and followed after the other troopers. The last time he'd worn a Shinra infantry uniform, it really was a very important time in his life...
Scene Four
Following President Shinra's death, his son Rufus had ascended to the head of Shinra Inc. AVALANCHE, sworn enemy of the company, had now taken a detour from dethroning Shinra to chase the rogue SOLDIER Sephiroth, a greater threat even than Shinra was. Disguised as a Shinra infantryman, Cloud has been recruited to celebrate Rufus' coronation ceremony. He's been dressed for the part, drilled by the Shinra equivalent of the Three Stooges, and is heading to the parade.
However...
"We're late?! Dear God!" Piette stretched his baton until it broke, sending him into a rage as he discarded it (his only one). "This can't be happening! We were supposed to be..." He paused, turning to Cloud in a rage. Again his finger found itself in front of his nose. "You! This is all your fault!" Understandably, Cloud was more confused than anything else. He put a hand to his head to stifle a migraine.
Why didn't you just go without me?
"This is my job on the line!" moaned Piette, stalking back and forth. "I mean, come on! I take a few unauthorized coffee breaks and have a couple bad performance reviews, and now they say I'm unreliable! So what! What do those paper pushers know?! I put in my forty hours a week and now they're gonna-" he said as he spoke frantically.
"Sir! It's okay, sir!" Finn spoke firmly, tapping his commander on the shoulder. Piette suddenly piqued, his attention caught. "I know a shortcut!" Finn said proudly. As Piette's face lit up like a lantern, Finn beckoned him towards a side street. "It's right through here!" he shouted heartily.
"Oh, thank God!" Piette breathed hard, wiping the sweat from his brow. He stared at the remains of his baton, pouted, and tossed the broken wood aside. "Excellent job, Private Finn! Private Poe! Um..." He paused and pointed fervently at Cloud. "Private, uh, you! Let's go! Now!" he ordered. With a shrug, Cloud followed after the three dunces. It was better than fighting the entire Shinra army to get to Rufus.
Rufus' celebratory parade involved dozens of soldiers marching, rifles shouldered, triumphantly through the streets of Upper Junon. He wanted all the citizens to know he was there, and he wanted them to celebrate the fact that he was in charge. Heidegger was there mostly to make himself look more important than he actually was anymore.
"God damn it!" Piette cursed, seeing the soldiers marching in lockstep through the many meters of road that lined Junon. "We have to just get in line and make it work!" He gestured to his subordinates (and Cloud), directing his finger at the parade. "Slip in and act like you're supposed to be there!" he ordered. For a moment he paused, and then he started to fume. "Wait, you are supposed to be there! Go, go, go!"
To the relief of Piette, both Poe and Finn marched into line, shoving aside the soldiers they were now sandwiched against. The troopers took it in stride, not wanting to make a scene and incite Heidegger to anger. While the two late arrivals got into line well enough, it took Cloud a few moments to build up his resolve. Cloud stepped from the backstreets and ran into line, shoving the others aside and creating a bump in the line with one extra man. He shouldered his rifle and marched as he was instructed, but while the other troopers cheered, he remained silent. Whether Piette cared or not, he didn't.
This is seriously pissing me off...
But as he marched, Cloud noticed Rufus' motorcade just ahead. The young executive stood atop the platform with Heidegger, who was decked out in more medals than he usually had (and, by the way, he deserved none of them). Rufus waved his hand to a cheering crowd, bowing to the spectators as he passed by. It was when he turned his face to Cloud that the mercenary caught sight of his smile. Cocky, self-assured, fully convinced that everything he did was right. He was just as insufferable as ever. Cloud's grip clenched hard on the rifle, and his legs moved just a little bit stiffer as they continued on. All he could focus on was Rufus' confident smile.
You overconfident son of a...
Cloud's steps began to falter, causing him to stumble. As his boots stomped the ground in his anger, he unwittingly lifted his leg too far and accidentally hoisted it into the crotch of the man behind him. As one would expect, the trooper cried out in pain and dropped, causing Cloud - and the rest of his line - to stumble and topple over each other. As the crowd jeered and the next wave of marchers simply moved around him, Cloud turned his eyes to the motorcade, where he saw Rufus staring at the scene with amusement. Cloud's fury built, until finally Rufus simply turned away with a wave of his hand. Somewhere in the television station, heads rolled, and for Cloud all he could do was to punch the ground in frustration.
"Don't you look away!" Cloud snarled under his breath as he staggered to his feet. He clenched his right fist and slammed it into his other palm, fury building. "Next time I see you, I'm gonna kill you!" Feeling a hand grip his shoulder, Cloud was whirled around to see a very irate Piette. The officer angrily pushed him forward, forcing Cloud to march (or rather run) towards Rufus' motorcade.
Author's Notes
I would normally want to use the names Biggs and Wedge for the two idiot soldiers, but they were taken already. So I settled on Poe and Finn, two key characters from the Rebel Resistance in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Piette's name is derived from Admiral Piett from Episode V, "The Empire Strikes Back."
The name Piette actually originates from Chrono Trigger, actually, where he was the third soldier in Norstein Bekkler's first carnival game. If I couldn't use Biggs and Wedge, I wanted to throw in a reference to CT's scene where they appeared. It's one of my favorite games, so...
As promised, I'll explain the cellphone puzzle's answers.
Cloud's initial cellphone number, 3-3-6-7-4-7 translates using the telephone... number dialing thingy... into F-E-N-R-I-R, which is the name of Cloud's motorcycle from the movie Advent Children. But I figured that was a bit too specialized, so I came up with the second one...
His second cellphone number is: 2-8-7-8-3-7. With each number signifying one of the digits one through nine, and the clue referring to his sword, it translates to B-U-S-T-E-R. As in, Sword.
Aerith's cellphone number is: 3-5-6-9-3-7. She may cast spells and kick ass, but in this case the word F-L-O-W-E-R is what I came up with.
Tifa's cellphone number is: 4-3-2-8-3-6. I figured the word H-E-A-V-E-N, referencing both her ultimate Limit Break and her bar Seventh Heaven, was a good one to go with.
Barret's cellphone number is: 2-8-5- 5-3-8. It didn't take long for the word B-U-L-L-E-T to come to mind. My first inclination was to use B-A-R-R-E-T, but I decided to go with something different, given he unloads a crap ton of them every time he shoots his Gun-arm.
Yuffie's cellphone number is: 7-2-4-6-3-2. The clue referenced Japanese architecture, and translates to P-A-G-O-D-A after the type of style some roofs are designed as.
I hope that some of you enjoyed the puzzle. Sorry if it was a bit too complicated and hard to understand. I'm not a big puzzle person, and this is all I could come up with. I apologize if it was something only I could understand.
I have autism, and so it's hard for me to relate to other people. That applies to everything I write, so... that's why I may not be totally understandable. I'm improvising my knowledge of social interaction just as much as when I actually write the chapters. But at least I'm having fun! I hope a couple of you are, too!