Hello all
Hello all! Wanted to post another chapter before I went home for the 4 of July to blow things up! Hee hee! Once again, thanks to all the readers and those of you who review. I've noticed I've been getting reviews from new people! Thanks to you! I love hearing from new readers as well! I hope I can continue to satisfy your tastes in the future chapters. Wow! I'm onto chapter 20 already! I had no idea I was gonna make this story so long. I just keep finding more and more things to add and write about! I hope no one has lost interest. : ) well I'll stop blabbering and get on with the story! -Annubis
Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy VII, Squaresoft does.
Chapter 20
Zack held onto Aeris tightly. He felt crushed that something terrible had happened to her. He whispered in her ear repeating his words to her.
"Aeris…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Everything will be alright now. Everything will be alright." He wanted to apologize for not being able to help her last night, even though he still did not know what had happened. She sniffed, now calming herself.
"What!? What happened!?" Cloud stopped at the top of the stairs. He saw how Zack held onto Aeris tightly. Tifa walked towards the group.
"It's alright. No body panic. She's fine." Tifa looked back at her friend. "I'm going to have a talk with her…privately."
"Privately?" Aeris looked up.
"Yes. I think everyone being here right now will only make things more complicated." Tifa walked to Aeris and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me everything and when you are ready we will tell everyone what had happened." Aeris nodded her head. She understood what Tifa meant. Zack stared at the two girls.
"I gotta leave too?" He asked. He bit his lower lip as Aeris nodded her head.
"Don't worry. You'll hear the story soon enough." Tifa smiled and led Zack out the door. The rest of the group was standing in the hall, their mouths gaping. No one had a clue as to what was going on. They all had been enjoying their breakfast and having friendly conversation. Someone mentioned Aeris and they all thought that she had slept in late. Tifa and Zack had been filling their plates with food when they heard the terrible cry from upstairs. They were the first to leave. The rest of the group listened and later hurried when they heard more yelling and Tifa crying.
"You guys go finish your breakfast, we won't be long." Tifa grinned and shut the door quickly and locked it. Cloud stood by Zack's side as everyone went back downstairs.
"What's going on?" Cloud asked.
"I…have no idea." Zack frowned. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. Cloud stared at his dark haired friend.
'He was dead…Zack…He was shot. He was the only friend I ever had, and I left him to die. I was too weak to do anything, and he helped me. If it was not for him, I would be dead. He dragged my worthless body all over the country. If I did not have to rely on him so much, he would have made it to Midgar. He probably would have made it back to his girl…' Cloud stopped his thoughts. He remembered the past memories of Zack proudly telling him about the girl he had been dating. Cloud never knew her name. Now everything made sense.
"Aeris…" Cloud whispered.
"Huh?" Zack looked down at the blonde haired boy.
"You…love Aeris. She was your girl. You told me all about her." Cloud grabbed the sides of his head.
"…Uh…yeah." Zack scratched his head. "I did tell you about her, didn't I?"
"And your plans to become a mercenary." Cloud smacked his forehead. "Damn it! I was trying to live your life!" Cloud turned to Zack.
"You…what?"
"I was living in your dreams. I…after you died…I thought I was you…I don't know what happened. I met Aeris and my life felt pieced together like it should have been." Cloud headed down the stairs. Zack quickly followed behind.
"Cloud…You…" Zack did not know what to say. He was lost for words. "Do you remember anything that happened after the incident at the City of the Ancients?" This question made Cloud stop. He looked back up at Zack, his eyes were blank.
"…No." Cloud frowned. "Why…why can't I remember anything!?" He clenched his fists.
"I stabbed you. Then I got injured. We all were at Aeris' house." Zack tried to trigger something in Cloud's memory.
"You were covered in blood. I was…confused as to how the hell you came back." Cloud pieced everything back together. He felt his mentality coming back, he no longer felt like the child he once was. "No one knew how you came back. No one could give any answers. I…felt threatened." His eyes grew cold.
"Threatened?" Zack took a step back. Cloud did not meet his eyes.
"Yeah. I don't know why, but I felt like you were trying to take everything away from me." Cloud turned and continued down the stairs.
"I…I was taking away from you?" Zack covered his mouth. He did not know how to take that statement. He commented to Cloud quickly. "That's funny. I felt the same way about you." Zack straightened himself.
"Really!?" Cloud turned to him quickly; an angry look crossed his features. "You should be dead! What the hell more can a dead person lose!?" Cloud scoffed and walked out of the hotel.
"I'm still alive you worthless piece of…" Zack stomped down the stairs, following Cloud outside.
Aeris and Tifa sat on the bed next to each other. Everything was silent at first. Aeris did not know how to begin. Tifa sensed her discomfort.
"Aeris…why don't you tell me what happened last night. You know you can tell my anything. Whatever you don't want the others to know, we don't have to mention." Tifa's voice was comforting and gentle. It did help relax Aeris.
"Well…at first I thought it was all a messed up dream, but then I noticed it wasn't and that everything did happen." Aeris pulled out two leather gloves from her robe pocket. Tifa gawked at the leather, holding her breath.
"Oh, no! He was here!" Tifa covered her face. "That bastard!"
"Tifa, when you were in the hall you said 'He did it'." Aeris squeezed the gloves. "H-how did you know?" Aeris stared at Tifa. She noticed her face turn red.
"Well…actually last night I had a visitor as well." The brown eyed girl sighed.
"Sephiroth!? No! He didn't touch you did he!?" Aeris felt the sting of tears in her eyes again. She did not want Tifa to go through the same thing.
"He…he snuck in last night and posed as Cloud." Tifa said slowly. She felt a lump in her throat. "I could tell that it wasn't Cloud. He was so fierce and cold. I at first thought that Cloud had gone insane and then I noticed his eyes. They were a bright green." Tifa shifted her weight and sat with her right leg curled under her body.
"Did…did he do anything to you?" Aeris stammered.
"He kissed me and then said some awful things. I protested and then he slapped me across the face and left." Tifa rubbed her cheek. "I cried at first. I was hurt and it was not until this morning I concluded that there was no way it could have been Cloud." Tifa shook her head and smiled.
"Cloud would never do a thing like that. At least from what I have seen from him. I can't imagine him ever hitting anyone close to him." Aeris sniffled. Her face was red.
"Sounds like Sephiroth is playing with us. I think he wants to make us all uncomfortable and ruin our trust. He's just a bastard!" Tifa grit her teeth and popped her knuckles. She was so angry.
"He likes mind games. It's all fun for him. And now…I am afraid that he may be anywhere. He said he had been watching us for days now." Aeris stretched. She was feeling a lot better.
"What!? But…I thought he was hiding in the Northern Crater! Why would he come out here just to mess with our heads?" Tifa rubbed her eyes.
"He…he said he wanted me to join him." Aeris said quietly.
"He came here for you?" Tifa leaned forward, looking at Aeris.
"Yup…he wants me to help him destroy this world and everyone. He tried to force me, but I resisted. At first he was violent." Aeris shivered. Tifa put an arm around her shoulder.
"What did he do, Aeris?" Tifa asked with concern.
"He choked me and threw me across the room, cornered me against the wall. The next thing I know, I see a yellow glow." She stopped to take a breath.
"A yellow glow?" Tifa raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah…Confuse and Manipulate materia." Aeris said. This sent Tifa's mouth open and her eyes wide.
"He didn't!!" Tifa covered her face again. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders.
"H,h,he…opened my robe. And then he tried to confuse me." Aeris continued. Tifa shook her head from side to side, not wanting to hear the terrible news. "Suddenly Cloud was in the room. He was forceful, kissing me, and then I realized it wasn't Cloud but really Sephiroth."
"No…" Tifa muttered. Aeris continued.
"I told him to leave. He left and then I locked the door. A minute later Zack was knocking, wanting me to let him in. I let him in and things got…heated up." Aeris wrung her hands. "Once again…it was Sephiroth posing. He had me on the bed by this time. Now he was manipulating me. He…got me to…no longer resist." Aeris stopped.
"No…no…no." Tifa wanted to cry. She could not imagine how awful and frightening the event could have been.
"Then he had his way with me. He laughed…his eyes stared at me. He pulled off my robe. I…don't remember the rest." Aeris turned away from Tifa.
"Aeris…there was nothing you could have done. Absolutely nothing." Tifa reassured her friend.
"I feel horrible. I feel so low and like…him." Aeris wrapped her arms around herself.
"It's not your fault. You couldn't stop him." Tifa hugged Aeris. "I'm so glad he did not kill you! If you resisted too much…things could have ended a lot worse than they did."
"But…I…there was nothing I could do! I did not want him to win but I couldn't help it. I gave up. I let him use me…" Aeris sniffled and held onto Tifa. "Please…don't let him get me, Tifa." These words felt like a stab to her heart.
"Did no one hear anything?" Tifa asked, choked up.
"No…Sephiroth put a spell on everyone to keep them asleep." Aeris let go of Tifa.
"That…Bastard! I'll tear him apart!" Tifa stood up. She looked down at Aeris. "He will never touch you again! Not if I can help it!" Aeris followed Tifa.
"We should hurry. I don't want to keep everyone waiting." Aeris made her way to the door. "I'm just glad he didn't find my materia. He was here to steal it and I left it in my clothes." Aeris smiled.
"Oh…What luck." Tifa shook her head. "I guess that is one thing to look on the Brightside."
"I suppose. It is slowing meteor down. If Sephiroth got a hold of it, the planet would already be destroyed." Aeris opened the door. She and Tifa walked down the stairs to eat some breakfast. There was a lot of noise coming from outside.
"What's going on?" Tifa ran outside. Aeris looked through the window.
"Oh! Stop it!!" She ran out the door as well.
"What the hell is your problem!?" Zack shoved Cloud against the large well in the center of the town.
"My problem!?" Cloud shoved back. "Don't you ever &# touch me again!"
"I'll #& do whatever the hell I please, you pathetic #!" Zack grabbed Cloud's hair. Cloud screamed and punched Zack in the stomach. "Gah!"
"Some SOLDIER! What!? Am I even too much for you!? How the hell do you plan on defeating Sephiroth!? He already beat you once!" Cloud lurched forward, tackling Zack.
"And you think you can stop him!" Zack picked Cloud up. Cloud swung his feet in the air, trying to get free from Zack's hold. "You weren't even in SOLDIER! You were nothing but a child, hiding under a helmet!" Zack spun, throwing Cloud onto the ground. Cloud rolled numerous times and got back to his feet.
"I didn't allow myself to be killed now did I!?" Cloud dove into Zack again. Zack held onto Cloud.
"I…I…" Zack frowned. 'I died…for you.' He felt tears form in his eyes. "You selfish bastard!" Zack pushed downwards on Cloud's back. The young man's knees gave out and he collapsed to the dirt.
"Selfish? You're the one who came back, expecting everything to be the same just for you. It's been five years!!" Cloud got on all fours. He was breathing hard.
"You're the one stealing my life! Like you did not have one of your own!" Zack grabbed Cloud be the collar. He pulled his fist back, preparing to hit Cloud across the face.
'Don't do it…you'll kill him.' Zack hesitated.
"Oh! Stop it!!" A voice called from the hotel.
"You boys really are getting on my nerves!" Tifa stomped over to the fight and squeezed in between the boys. She pushed her arms out, shoving both of them and holding them outwards. "I have sensed this tension between you for a long time!" Tifa scolded them.
"Zack! What is the meaning of this!?" Aeris smacked him on the backside of his head.
"Ow! He started it!" Zack turned away and walked off.
"# you!" Cloud yelled. Tifa smacked him, following Aeris' actions. Zack just waved at him.
"Why don't you grow up?" Zack muttered.
"Both of you…inside! Now!!" Tifa pulled on Cloud. "Aeris will you get him?"
"Already there." Aeris tugged on Zack's shoulder. "What is the matter with you!?"
"I…he…" Zack sighed and walked into the inn. "You wouldn't understand." Aeris watched him walk indoors.
"I wish you boys would open up to me and let me know what is going on." She whispered and followed Zack inside.
"Damn…I slept like shit last night." Reno complained.
"You do look like shit…" Rude muttered.
"Heh heh…very funny!" Reno slapped Rude on the shoulder.
"Smell like it too." Rude added.
"Alright! That's enough! I couldn't help that!" Reno folded his arms. He and Rude were strolling through the halls of Shinra Co. Reno had been alert all morning, expecting to be ambushed after each turn.
"Is it so hard to remember to change your uniform?" Rude muttered. He turned to his right instead of the left.
"Where ya goin'? We gotta meet up with the president." Reno pointed in the opposite direction.
"Not with you looking like that. Come on, I'm taking you to the apartment to get some fresh clothes." Rude pulled out his car keys. "Besides, I left my cell phone at my apartment and need to pick it up."
"Do we have time?" Reno looked at his watch.
"We have plenty of time." Rude led Reno out to the parking garage.
"Nice wheels…" Reno scoffed. He stared at the leather interior and shiny black exterior and chrome metal. "You and Elena have got to be getting paid twice as much as me." Reno sat in the smooth passenger seat.
"No…we just don't spend over half our paychecks on pizza and beer." Rude started the engine and pulled out of the garage.
"Why does everyone say that!? Does it really make that much of a difference?" Reno sighed.
"You'd be surprised." Rude chuckled. The dark luxury car sped through the city towards Reno and Rude's apartment complex. Reno lived on the first floor and Rude occupied the top floor. Reno had been in Rude's apartment a couple of times, but never paid attention to how big it actually was. He had only been in the kitchen and the living room. He knew it followed a long hall and that there was more behind the door at the end.
"So…how big is your apartment?" Reno asked curiously. Rude looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" Rude asked.
"Jes curious. You've been in my apartment many times. Is mine as big as yours?" Reno rubbed his chin.
"Hmm…" Rude thought long and hard about the question. "Well from what I have seen mine has got to be at least twice as big as yours."
"What!?" Reno threw up his arms.
"Yeah…got a good deal. But it's not as big as Elena's place." Rude said quickly.
"…Wait! How did you know how big her place was!?" Reno poked Rude on the shoulder. Rude cleared his throat.
"Well…I…uh…" Rude turned pink in the face.
"Aw!! You dog!" Reno chuckled.
"What? It's not what you think. We were talking one day…about recipes. And she was having a…party at her place…" Rude spit fragments out rather quickly.
"Recipes!?" Reno laughed.
"I…happen to like to cook. I…did go to culinary school for a while before I became a Turk." Rude stared at the stop light in front of him.
"You wanted to be a chef!? I don't believe it!" Reno leaned back in his seat. "Well…what the hell kind of party was she having?"
"Uh…well…er, it was a pampered chef party." Rude began to sweat.
"WHAT!!" Reno cackled.
"I was interested in learning new recipes and wanted to get some new…cooking supplies." Rude looked out his side window, Reno's laughter was loud and embarrassing to him. "Shut up…" He said quickly. This made Reno laugh even harder.
"Well…you did have me worried. I thought that you and Elena had some kind of fling." Reno looked at Rude seriously. "But I'm glad to hear that you were a real gentleman and were actually at a ….pampered chef party!!" His hooting continued.
'Why did I tell him that?' Rude shook his head.
"Get out. Let's get our stuff." Rude parked the car and got out quickly. Reno followed and stumbled up the stairs, he still laughed quietly. Rude pressed on the elevator's button and waited for the doors to open as Reno continued laughing and tried to unlock his door.
"Shut up." Rude said quickly and entered the elevator. Reno smiled and pushed the door to his apartment open. He flicked on the light and looked at his mess.
'Man…I know it's been a while since I cleaned but I don't remember trashing the place.' Reno walked over the trash and flipped over chairs. 'This isn't right.' He thought. He rushed into his bedroom and grabbed a fresh suit from the closet. Reno changed rather quickly. He noticed a gentle breeze and found his windows were broken.
"Shit!" He shoved on his clean pants. "I knew something wasn't right!" He was almost out the door when he heard his cell phone ring. Reno answered it quickly.
"Rude! Yeah…you're place too!? We gotta get to Elena's! I'll explain on the way there!" Reno rushed out the door, carrying his jacket and tie. His shirt was still unbuttoned. He met Rude outside the apartment. Both men sprinted for the car.
"So, why would our place be broken into?" Rude asked quickly as he sped off to the opposite side of the city.
"Alright…I was gonna wait to tell you but I guess it's too late now. Yesterday I was making my rounds and I noticed something strange in Hojo's lab. So I went in…" Reno had difficulties sliding on his jacket.
"You went into his lab!? You know that can get your ass fired!" Rude groaned.
"Well! I wasn't finished! I went in and guess who was sitting on the operating table!" Reno slid on his tie and began tying the knot. Rude looked at him, his mouth open.
"Who?" He asked nervously.
"Tseng. Our boss! Tseng was lying on that operating table, waiting to be experimented on! I don't know how the hell it happened but Hojo found a way to bring him back to life!" Reno buttoned his shirt.
"WHAT!?" The car swerved slightly.
"I know it's a lot to take in but you gotta believe me. So I try to get him set free and Hojo comes back in and wheels him to the special elevator that goes to this weird sub-basement level underneath the entire corporation." Reno tried his best to explain the situation. "So we got locked down there because we didn't have the access code. Tseng was paralyzed and could barely move and talk. A minute later Elena shows up! She figured out the code, freaked out about Tseng, and then Hojo sent some weird soldiers that he created down there to stop us!" Reno continued. He pulled out his cell phone.
"But…how…? Why?" Rude tried to make sense of Reno's story.
"So we get in the elevator and manage to escape. Then we go to Elena's place to hide Tseng since she had a guest room. That's why I had to wear the nasty suit again. I stayed at her place on the couch last night. I bet Hojo is looking for Tseng!" Reno dialed on the phone. "I'm callin' her!" He selected speaker phone. The phone rang loudly in the silent car.
"Is she gonna answer?" Rude looked down at the phone.
"She better!" Reno bounced impatiently in his seat as the phone continued ringing.
"Hello?" Elena's voice sounded.
"Elena! You and Tseng need to get out of there immediately!" Reno shouted.
"What!? What are you talking about!?" Elena sounded nervous.
"Just get him out of there Elena!" Rude yelled.
"Rude is that you? Guys, what's going on!?" The noise of Elena running through the apartment was heard.
"Get Tseng out of there! Hojo is trying…" Reno stopped and listened. The sound of glass breaking and Elena's scream sounded loudly.
"ELENA!!" Rude and Reno both yelled. Soon there were gunshots, both sounded like automatic fire and others sounded like Elena's Dessert Eagle. Then there was static and the phone lost the call.
"Damn it! Step on it, Rude!" Reno shouted.
AVALANCHE boarded the Highwind. They had to finish their mission of getting the Huge Materia. Everyone parted ways and stood in the cabin. Cloud looked out the window as Cid started the plane.
"Right now we're currently busy keeping Shinra from retrieving the Huge Materia. I have heard of an underwater reactor off of the Junon harbor." Cait Sith informed the group. "Shall we head there next?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Cid pushed the levers on the panel and the plane took off towards the next destination. The group separated and headed for different parts of the plane. Zack went down the stairs towards the chocobo stable.
'Haven't seen Hector in a while. I bet he's depressed.' Zack smiled and entered the stable. There was a big golden ball curled up on the hay covered floor.
"Hey there, big guy!" Zack said.
"Wark! WARK!! WARK!!" Hector leaped from the corner of his stable and waddled towards Zack.
"I didn't forget ya'. Don't worry." Zack smiled and pet the bird on its nose. The chocobo cooed quietly. "So sweet, aren't you? You're nothing but a big baby."
"He is a cutie." A voice sounded. Hector craned his neck to see who else was in the room.
"Oh…yeah." Zack smiled. Aeris walked up to the stable and patted the bird on the side.
"Where did you find him?" She asked.
"In the Junon area. I was about to fall a few hundred feet and this guy here, helped me out." Zack chuckled and hugged the bird. He loved animals.
"Really!? Wow, you're some chocobo!" Aeris giggled. The bird warked quietly.
"I left him in Junon and he followed me all the way to the other continent!" Zack shook his head. "Poor guy was so tired."
"He must really love you. I can see why." Aeris stared at the bird's brilliantly colored eyes. Zack turned towards her.
'The bird has gentle eyes. Just like his owner.' Aeris smiled and noticed Zack was staring at her.
"Why?" He asked. The question surprised her.
"Um, well. You're a caring, sweet, and gentle person. You are a perfect match for that bird." Aeris giggled as Hector poked at her jacket with his beak.
"Only for the bird?" Zack looked at Hector. The bird warked and hit his head against Zack's forehead like a cat would do.
"Well…I couldn't let the bird take all of your love." Aeris rubbed an arm.
"Oh? So I gotta share it with you?" Zack folded his arms. "An' what if I don't want to?" He pouted.
"Hey! Fine! Don't share it with me!" Aeris ran away towards a small dorm.
"Wait! I was jes' kiddin'!" Zack ran after her. This made the chocobo wark sadly. Zack turned around and hugged the bird. "I gotta get to her. She's important to me, like you!" He smiled. The bird chirped and nudged him in the chest. Zack continued after Aeris. He heard one of the doors close.
"Aeris?" Zack asked and knocked on the door.
"No…I don't want any!" Aeris' small voice sounded.
"Aww…but I wanted to share!" Zack leaned against the door. It swung open quickly and he fell forward. He heard Aeris yelp, he had knocked her over. Zack reached forward and pulled her upwards towards him.
'This time I'll close the door.' He smiled and kicked the door shut.
"You brute!" Aeris smirked.
"I know." He said simply and lifted Aeris and carried her towards the bed. He laid her gently on the mattress and crawled over her. She felt her face get warm. Her heart fluttered. "Now…where did we leave off?" Zack reflected on the other night and how close he and Aeris were.
"I…don't remember." Aeris laughed nervously.
"You alright?" Zack asked. He sat up. "Hey…what happened last night?"
"…" Aeris rolled over onto her side.
"Please…tell me." Zack pleaded.
"Tifa is upstairs, explaining the problem with everyone else. I told her I wanted to speak to you alone." Aeris took in a deep breath.
"Well…don't leave me out." Zack pulled on her shoulder, rolling her towards him. Aeris sat up quickly.
"Okay. Last night…" Aeris began. Zack sat next to her and put an arm around her waist. "You have to let me finish this alright? I'm gonna say it quickly." Aeris said.
"Okay. I won't interrupt." Zack nodded. Aeris waited another minute and then began.
"Last night I had a visitor. He came into my room and started some trouble." Aeris began. Zack immediately got serious.
'Who was it? It better of not been Cloud!' Zack clenched his fists.
"Um…it was…" Aeris waited. The silence was intolerable. "…Sephiroth."
"WHAT!?" Zack stood up quickly and then kneeled on the floor and held onto Aeris' shoulders.
"Please…let me finish. He wanted me to join his side and help him out. I refused and things got out of hand. He became violent and then started using Confuse materia." Aeris continued as Zack stared at her in disbelief. "He posed as Cloud first. It was so hard to tell the difference between the reality and what he was putting in my head. I finally realized it was Sephiroth and not Cloud and I told him to leave. He did. Next there was a knock at the door, and it was you." Aeris stopped.
"Me?" Zack asked. He did not know what to do. He was furious and hurt at the same time.
'Why didn't I detect anything? I never knew!' Zack wanted to tear Sephiroth apart.
"I thought it was you and opened the door. You….Sephiroth…sounded just like you. He said things that you would say and acted like you. He got me to the bed and cornered me. I thought it was you and then realized that you were wearing clothing and not that bath robe!" Aeris began to cry. Zack almost had an outburst but held it in. "He pressed me against the mattress and then began using Manipulate materia."
'Damn it! I'm gonna kill him!' Zack felt some blood drip down his hands. He didn't look down at his new wounds he created from digging his nails into the palms of his hand.
"He…took off his gloves and laid them next to my pillow. Then he took off…" Aeris couldn't say it in detail. "And then my robe…then…" She sobbed. Zack stood up and looked down at the girl.
"…he had his way with me." Aeris held onto herself, crying. Zack turned away, pulling on his hair. He took deep breaths, slow and heavy. Aeris felt into her coat pocket and pulled out Sephiroth's gloves.
"I thought it was all a dream but in the morning I found his gloves on my pillow still." She stared at them. Zack turned quickly to look at them. The small leather clothing was like a disease. He walked up to Aeris and pulled them from her hands. Zack threw them across the room and hugged the girl. She lost all composure.
"I…I called for you. I was hoping that maybe the sleep spell he put on everyone would have worn off by then but it didn't." She cried. The words cut Zack's heart.
"I'm sorry. So sorry!" He held onto her as she shook. "Please…I…" Zack felt tears of anger and sadness in his eyes.
"There's nothing you could have done. Nothing anyone could've done." Aeris took shaky breathes.
"I promise…nothing like that will ever happen again. NEVER!" Zack snarled.
"Please…help me." Aeris squeaked. Zack pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. He lowered his head. He imagined those same words coming from her lips as Sephiroth manipulated her. He held onto her tighter, never wanting to let go. His black hair touched her brown.
"Zack..." Aeris whispered. He pulled away and kissed her gently on the cheek. He wiped her tears away and then kissed her again on the lips. The two stood up, holding onto each other.
"I promise I will always be there for you. I'd die if anything ever happened to you." Zack whispered.
"I…" Aeris dug her face into the side of Zack's neck, she stood on her tiptoes. "…Love you." Zack never imagined that those words would hurt. He took in a staggered breath.
"I love you, Aeris." He held onto her. He was not expecting this turn of emotions. He was expecting a completely different scenario when he first entered the room.
"Everyone…we have reached Junon. Please depart ASAP." A quiet call came from the intercom. Zack and Aeris released each other. Tifa must've just finished the story with every one since Cid sounded so solemn compared to his normal self.
"Let's go." Zack grabbed Aeris' hand and led her out of the room. She wiped the tears off of her face.
"Zack?" Aeris stopped the man. "Whenever we get to rest again, I want to be with you." She said quietly and held onto him.
"Yeah. I'll never leave your side." He nodded.
"Elena!?" Reno ran down the hall towards the girl's apartment. He and Rude both darted through the doorway, the door had been broken down. There was broken glass covering the floors and dead bodies everywhere.
"Elena!?" Reno called out again. He stepped over the dead and wounded bodies. Reno kicked the guns away towards the hall. Everything was silent.
"What if they found Elena and Tseng and took them back to the lab?" Reno asked.
"I hope that did not happen." Rude held his gun to his face. "Elena? Tseng? Are you two here?" Rude made his way down the hall. He heard a noise in the guestroom. Together Reno and Rude kicked in the door. They heard a yell of surprise.
"Oh! It's just you two." Tseng said. He was standing over the guestroom bed.
"Where's Elena?" Reno asked. Tseng sidestepped away from the mattress. Elena was lying in the bed; blood soaked sheets around her. Reno gasped.
"Oh damn! How many times was she shot!?" Reno gripped the sheets.
"Three…one in the shoulder another in the leg and…" Tseng took a breath. Rude joined his side. "The third was in the stomach."
"Elena…" Reno gritted his teeth.
"I've stopped the bleeding for the time being but I don't know how much longer she can go on." Tseng lowered his head. "I wasn't fast enough." He thought about the situation at hand.
"Guys, what's going on!?" Elena dropped her cell phone as soldiers flew into the apartment from the windows and the front door. She rushed to the kitchen counter and grabbed her Dessert Eagle. She had been cleaning it while breakfast was cooking. She lifted it and fired once just as the machineguns went off. She dodged as many as possible and dove on the other side of the couch. She continued firing and was hit in the shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound and sent her sprawling backwards.
"TSENG!!" She called out. Elena stood up. She shot quickly as she ran for the hallway another bullet hit her in the thigh. She cringed and crumbled to the floor. Her gun rolled down the hall. Blood gushed out onto the waxed wooden floor. The bedroom door down the hall flung open. She held onto her leg as the soldiers neared. They aimed and were ready to fire.
'Oh! Shit! I'm so dead!' Tears stung Elena's eyes. She heard the bullets fly and heard the loud boom from the Dessert Eagle over her. She looked up to find Tseng standing over her firing at the intruders. His form was perfect and he barely flinched as he shot. He was a genius marksman. He hit every last soldier in the living room. A second later there was gunfire from the two rooms behind them. Tseng ducked and spun, shooting at the new intruders who busted through the bedroom windows and had run out into the hall. He fired, once, twice, three times and the gun clicked, empty.
'Damn…' He reached for a nearby machine gun lying on the floor. He hit the floor hard and lifted the gun with one arm, firing at the nearing soldiers. The bullets flew by, hitting many and flying through the walls. In seconds the apartment was silent. Tseng Checked both rooms, dead bodies lined the floor. He drug them out of the guestroom and out into the hall. He then rushed over to Elena.
"Tseng…" She said quietly.
"It's alright Elena. You're going to be okay." He tried to lift her but stopped and stared at the fatal wound in her stomach.
'Damn it! She must've been shot while on the floor.' Tseng carried her to the guestroom quickly and began pressing the sheets onto her wounds trying his best to stop the bleeding. 'Don't die on me! Please Elena.' Tseng panted.
"I did my best to stop the bleeding. I hope it'll hold. But…how do we get her to a hospital safely? I knew if I called Shinra we'd all be done for." Tseng stared at the unconscious blonde-haired girl in the bed.
"Let's get her to a hospital ASAP!" Reno shouted. He began to lift the girl. "Rude help me out! You're driving!" The men carried the girl out to the car.
"But…the meeting with the President! And I'm supposed to head to Rocket Town! And you to Junon!" Rude exclaimed.
"Screw the meeting! He isn't dieing is he?" Reno said bitterly. Once we get to the hospital, you head on over to Rocket Town. I'll stay with Elena and Tseng. I don't care about the damn undersea reactor! If anyone is gonna get in, I'll put the commander in charge. They know what to do anyways." Rude nodded as he got into the driver's seat.
"Everyone, hang on!" He revved the motor and sped off towards the nearest hospital. Reno watched for Shinra intruders and police officers while Tseng held onto Elena in the backseat.
Zack and the rest of AVALANCHE had walked down the path of Junon towards the giant elevator. It was guarded by one soldier.
"Hey let us on the elevator! What's the big deal!?" Zack complained to the soldier guarding the elevator door.
"No way! I'd get in so much trouble letting you guys on!" The soldier shook his head.
"Come on!" Barret shook his fist.
"If you want to ride it so badly then give me ten gil!" The soldier smiled.
"No way!" Cloud scoffed.
"You're sucha cheapskate!" The young soldier folded his arms. Zack looked at Cloud. Cloud rolled his eyes.
"Ok…I guess." He handed the soldier ten gil. The soldier smiled greatly and opened the large door quickly.
"Hurry up and get in!" He shoved everyone in. He stopped and stared at Tifa.
'Whoa! She's pretty!' The soldier smiled at her. She looked at him and blushed slightly. 'Gah…why can't I get girls like that!?'
AVALANCHE rode the lift up to Junon. The ride was very loud. The group was happy to get off and get into the street. They looked out over the empty space. The last time everyone was at Junon there were parades and excitement everywhere. Right now everything was dead.
"I may be mistaken but…doesn't it feel like we're missing something?" Cloud looked over the side of the walkway.
"The Junon cannon!" Cid spat. "What the hell are they gonna do with it!?" He puffed out some fresh cigarette smoke.
"HEY!" A commander of a squad ran up to AVALANCHE. He pointed at the group and yelled to his men. They all looked scared or nervous. "Alright! Let's see how hard you trained!" The commander blew his whistle. All the soldiers turned and ran away from AVALANCHE.
"That's impressive!" Yuffie cackled. The commander turned around to find his squad running away.
"Wha-!? Hey! That's the underwater reactor!! Come back here! You cowards!!" The commander followed.
"Heh…looks like we know where to go now." Barret strode in the direction the enemy just went.
The group had few encounters from the soldiers around. It was an entertaining event of soldiers betting on who would win and who they could beat. Zack was very amused when half the men ran away by the mere sight of him. Cloud often swung quickly, disarming the soldiers or injuring them. Often the men stopped and gawked at the girls, desperately wanted to get a date. This often posed as a distraction for the other men to knock out a few soldiers for themselves. It seemed like in no time Cloud, Zack and the others had made it to the elevator which would take them all to the underwater reactor. Cloud was the first to step off of the elevator, obviously already in the place of being the leader of the crowd.
"Okay…let's find the reactor…" An alarm interrupted Cloud. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes.
"Nice one, Cloud!" Yuffie shoved past him.
"You trying to get us caught?" Barret pushed in a new clip.
"Heh…bring 'em on!" Cid lit up another cigarette. He was in a good mood ever since he finally got a new pack.
"It's alright, nothing we can't handle." Zack smirked and pulled out his sword. Cloud lowered his head.
'Why am I such a clumsy fool?' He shrugged and pulled out his own sword. 'Zack…I don't know what to expect from him.'
Cloud and the others made their way down the long hall on the ocean floor. The sight was unbelievable. The thick glass revealed all the ocean's creatures. There were brightly colored fish and eels. The plant life wriggled and shook in the water. Vincent stared into the dark abyss.
"What is it?" Tifa asked.
"There…" Vincent pointed towards the far back around some seaweed and coral. Tifa squint her eyes to see. "What is that?" He asked.
"It's huge!" Tifa felt goose bumps on her arms. There was a large sea creature hiding in the dark depths. "Is it…a WEAPON?" She asked.
"I hope not." Vincent turned his gaze towards the rest of the group. "I hope we never have to find out." Tifa stared through the blue ocean. The creature was beautiful in its own way. It flowed in the water, its fins and gills were magnificent. She could not believe that something so beautiful could be so dangerous.
"It's amazing." She murmured.
"Hmm? The creature?" Vincent asked.
"Yeah…it's beautiful." Tifa smiled.
"From far away it is. Come on, we are falling behind." Vincent steered her away from the window. Tifa stared a moment longer. She saw the creature turn slowly. Its head looked in her direction. Its magnificent glowing eyes lit up, meeting her gaze.
'It's looking at me.' Tifa felt chills. She blinked once and when her eyes opened again, the WEAPON was gone. She turned away and noticed Vincent was staring at her. She felt herself blush.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing…" Vincent looked forward. He realized his arm was still around her shoulder from turning her away from the window. He pulled it down quickly and looked to the side. He heard Tifa giggled. Vincent looked at her and shoved his hands into his pockets. He smirked slightly.
'What is this? Have I been missing this?' Cloud watched Tifa and Vincent. 'Since when was Vincent so sociable?' He walked into the core of the reactor after everyone else entered.
"The Huge Materia!" Cloud stopped dead in his tracks. They were too late. Shinra had already loaded the submarine with the Huge Materia and was ready to submerge. Troops darted from every corner of the main room and aimed their weapons at AVALANCHE.
"There's the submarine dock over there!" Cait Sith pointed.
"If we take the short cut, we might make it…" Red XIII growled. The group ran towards the giant submarine. Their boots clanged against the grated metal. Gunfire opened up on them all. Cloud and Zack dodged the bullets and swung hitting many soldiers expertly. They twisted and turned, swinging left and right. They dove and rolled, hitting soldiers in the knees. Zack leapt into the air, kicking one in the face. Before he landed he spun sideways and brought his sword down on another's shoulder. Cloud swung upwards, hitting one in the face. The two were the stars of the show. Everyone else headed for the sub. Cloud turned to the commander.
"Either give it to us, or else…which is it gonna be?" Cloud pointed the sword at the man's throat. The roaring sound of the submarine descending was deafening.
"We're too late!" Tifa yelled as Yuffie dove into the water, missing the submarine.
"Damn it! Now what!?" Yuffie sputtered and paddled back towards the walkway. Vincent helped her out of the water.
"Damn, the sub!" Cloud cursed and glared at the laughing commander. "What is so funny!?" Cloud asked.
"This!" The commander lifted a large controller. He pushed a button and a low hum sounded from the other side of the walkway.
"What the hell did he just do!?" Cid asked. Loud thudding sounded as a large robot crawled with spider like legs out onto the walkway. It squealed and screeched as it shot lasers out towards the group.
"Everyone get down!" Zack called. Many doors opened on the sides of the room. Troops sprinted into the room and positioned themselves around Zack and the others. Zack cursed as they were all surrounded and the robot neared the group. He heard the whining of the energy building up within its chamber, preparing to fire. All the soldiers cocked their weapons and aimed. They were going to leave no survivors. Over all of this the laughter from the commander echoed.
"I'm glad I was given the chance to lead this mission! I'm not like those stupid Turks. I don't grow soft in the face of battle! There are no options for you! You either die, or…DIE!" The commander laughed again.
'Damn it! We don't have the time!' Zack crouched and tightened his grip on his sword.
Well that's it for this chapter! Hope it was interesting and you all liked it! Please review I love hearing from you all! Have a nice Fourth of July! -Annubis