Okay, so first of all, I'd like to apologize for the long delay. I went through a massive slump after the last chapter that kind of drained me of the will to do much of anything. I've since gotten myself out of it, but now I find my schedule taken up by both work and classes (I've gone back to school). I'm not trying to make excuses, and I can't promise there will be a set schedule to my updates, but I thought I'd let you all know what's been going on.
Anyway, moving on to story relevant things.
Originally, I'd wanted to write a chapter that covered ShinRa's entire stay in Nibelheim, but today I finally decided to just split it into two parts. Not only was it getting too long, but I'm still having a bit of trouble on how to wrap it up in a way that I like. The first half hasn't undergone any major changes in a while though, so it's probably safe to say it's good to go.
On a more lighthearted note, the shippers have been forming and it's all very amusing. Honestly, I'm not thinking about a serious romance for Castalia right now, but I'm pretty sure that a number of you have been wearing your Vintalia goggles since around chapter two or three. It's gotten the most support thus far, but I can say right now that all of Cass and Vin's interactions to date are completely platonic. As for the future...Well, I can see them getting exasperated with people's speculation as to their exact relationship and trolling them for the hell of it, but that's just me.
I am sorry to say that one ship will most definitely be sinking today, however.
Moving on! I do have a bit of exciting news for you. There's only going to be a couple more chapters (by my estimations) before it starts heading into canon events. One of them will include a very important day in the Strife-Allen household. Gender is a surprise but the last name will be Strife (Matt thought the surname was too cool to get rid of despite his marriage to Skye), so if you want to suggest names, both boy and girl names are acceptable. After that, however, it's going to start venturing into Before Crisis/Crisis Core territory.
This means that the much anticipated meeting between Cloud and Vincent will also be included somewhere within those next chapters. Talk about pressure...
So...not much else comes to mind, but if I didn't address something, let me know. Thank you for the support and patience you've given me while waiting for this. I sincerely hope it doesn't disappoint. The next chapter shouldn't take so long since most of it is written, so please bear with me a little longer. For now, please read on and enjoy.
[Edited on 4/23/20]
No real changes made to this chapter other than correcting some spelling errors and rearranging some sentences. Carry on.
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Chapter 9
~Day 1
Okay...I could deal with this. Vincent had planned far enough in advance that ShinRa arriving a bit early wasn't going to do too much damage...I just wished I'd had a little more time to prepare myself for this.
Was I really ready?
A part of me felt like I was a step away from hyperventilating as I closed the shop door, moreso when I saw all the people- ShinRa -walking around from the corner of my eyes. This was it. There would be no more time to go over possible scenarios in my mind. Everything I did from here on out was the real deal, and would have very real effects on the future.
Navy blue joined the crowd.
I swallowed, doing my best to ignore how dry my mouth seemed to have become.
"Castalia?"
It was sheer luck that I didn't flinch in surprise, but I was grateful. Cloud looked concerned enough as it was, and the last thing I wanted was to let him know anything was wrong. Especially now.
"Ah, it's nothing," I said, turning to him with a (hopefully convincing) smile. "Just trying to remember if I forgot anything before we join up with Mr. Tuesti. You know how I can be sometimes."
Relief filled me as my comment garnered a teasing smile. "Only sometimes?"
'You can do this,' I told myself as I playfully rolled my eyes in response. 'You just need to focus. It'll be fine...It has to be.'
It wasn't just my well being on the line, after all.
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Nibelheim was a charming town, Reeve decided.
He doubted he could live here himself, but there was something to be said about a town settled in the mountains. It was rustic. Peaceful. Almost like the setting to the fairy tales his mother would read to him when he was a child. Also, despite the fact that a mako reactor was a little under two miles away, the air was fresh, and thus far he'd noted minimal signs of mutation in the environment- all of which were easily reversible at their current stage. Overall, quite well off considering the Nibelheim reactor had been one of the first to be built.
He filed the thought away for later, instead turning his attention to the girl who'd become a pen-pal of sorts over the last few months.
"I guess you guys finished early in the last town? You're here earlier than what you told me you'd be."
"Ah, well, the dates I gave you were more of an estimate, really. Though I suppose we did finish work on the last reactor rather quickly."
He knew she was intelligent- the letters they'd exchanged were proof of that -but it was, admittedly, more than a bit difficult to connect them to someone that looked so young. If it hadn't been for the fact that she'd been in the process of synthesizing, he might not have believed it. As it was, he still having trouble connecting the complexity of their discussions to the youthful face. He would have thought something like that would be easier, given his own intelligence at that age, but it was turning out to be a different experience as the outsider looking in as opposed to the other way around.
Perhaps he was getting old.
'Not a thought I want to have when I'm only in my twenties,' he thought wryly.
Still...maybe that was all it was, or at least part of the explanation (he had to bite back a chuckle as he recalled flushed cheeks and a shy smile). Nevertheless, he hadn't gotten to where he was by passing things off so easily. He was many things- some of which were better left unsaid -but he was thorough in everything he did. He would keep a figurative eye on Castalia Allen for now. Perhaps, like him, there was more to her than she let on.
"Castalia, come on."
Her brother, on the other hand, was proving much easier to figure out.
He could no longer hold back his amusement at the look the small blond sent him before grabbing his sister's hand and pulling ahead. The boy- Cloud, he reminded himself -had yet to leave her side since his arrival, and always made sure to interrupt whenever Castalia grew flustered during the tour of the town. It was cute. Part of him almost wanted to make an excuse to visit from time to time in the future, if only to see how he acted when she was seriously dating someone. It promised to be very entertaining.
Thoughts for later, he supposed. For now, he figured he'd enjoy the brief change of pace before focusing on the reactors.
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Cloud had forgotten just how uncomfortable ShinRa made him.
The people walking around now weren't the subdued, struggling group he had grown used to seeing post-Sephiroth (bar the Turks, but he doubted that would ever change). In fact, the sudden return to the prideful, near arrogant, air of before was jarring and made him more than a bit uneasy. Each blue suit and white coat that passed by was a reminder of times he'd really prefer not to think about. Even Reeve- who seemed to be involved in a discussion on the local wildlife with Castalia as they walked -wasn't the idealistic, but competent leader of the WRO he remembered.
Right now he was ShinRa, just like the rest (and perhaps that, more than anything, made him feel off-kilter).
Resisting the urge to sigh, Cloud pushed all of that to the back of his mind. Instead, he focused on dragging his wayward sister home for lunch, since Castalia didn't seem inclined to listen to him right now (he would forever deny that a part of him really was a bit jealous over that, seeing as she'd almost always put him first for everthing). Maybe she would stop being so distracted once their da made his disapproval known.
Sure enough, it was with a carefully hidden smirk that he watched Matt stare Reeve down about half an hour later. Not that everything was going perfectly- Ma was giving him a look and Castalia rolled her eyes when she thought no one was looking, but he could live with that. Better exhasperation than that admiring look from earlier.
Although to be fair, she'd been toning it down even before they'd made it back.
He was pulled out of these thoughts by a snuffling near his knee. With a more genuine smile, he looked down at pleading amber eyes on a tan and white face. He didn't really remember just how Lilo the dog had come to live with them (or how they had come up with such a strange name), but he couldn't deny that he liked her. She was affectionate, protective, and obedient- traits that he loved seeing in canines. He vaguely recalled one of his "before" memories, where Castalia was trying to train her, refusing to allow the small puppy to gain bad habits. It was interspersed with muttering and determined looks, but his younger self hadn't paid it too much attention at the time.
A quick glance around the table, and a small piece of carrot found its way into her mouth.
"Cloud."
He winced. How his mother always seemed to know, he wasn't sure. All he could say was that he was glad she wasn't mako enhanced- although when he really thought about it, he wasn't sure that would really make much of a difference. A scary thing to think about, but true nonetheless. Unfortunately, his (admittedly routine) spoiling of Lilo was ruined when Reeve laughed, painfully making his prescence known once more when the sound of it caused Castalia to look down with a pink tint to her cheeks.
'That's it,' he thought, giving the man a flat stare before locking gazes with Lilo again. 'I'm teaching you how to chase away any guy who isn't me or Da that gets near her.'
He took the tilt of her head as a sign of agreement.
"You said you're the head of Urban Development?" he heard his ma ask. "I don't believe I've heard of that department before..."
"It's relatively new," Reeve replied. "It had only been around a few months or so before I took over, and it is an admittedly small department compared to the rest. Apart from the reactors, I've also taken over the last bit of building going on in Midgar as well as the tentative plans for the restoration of Sector 6. Those sorts of projects used to be under the jurisdiction of all the executives, but as they were all focused on other things, President Shinra saw fit to set the task to one person."
"So you were hired specifically for that reason?"
"Well, not exactly," he said with a chuckle. "I've actually been with the company for quite a while, working in Research and Development. However, I was chosen for the position due to my studies in economics. They must have figured that I would know how to get the best results for the least amount of money. I'm not complaining really, but it is rather amusing to think about."
Huh, he hadn't known that. He'd always assumed Reeve had proposed the idea himself.
"So, you didn't know anything about land development when you started?" Castalia asked in surprise. "I always thought- you seem so knowledgeable on the subject..."
"A result of much studying, I assure you. In a few years, I'm sure you'll know just as much."
Castalia smiled shyly. "Oh. Thanks."
Matt cleared his throat, seemingly torn between whether to be pleased at the confidence of the statement or disgruntled at the fact that Reeve's attention had more or less shifted back to his daughter again. For a brief moment, he thought he saw a frustrated expression on Castalia's face before she stood up, but it was gone too quickly to be sure.
"I think I'm done. Mr. Tuesti?"
"I believe I'm finished as well," he agreed. "Thank you for the wonderful meal, Mrs. Strife."
"Don't mention it. No, no, Cassie, I'll get the dishes. I'm sure you have more things to talk about with Mr. Tuesti, so Cloud will help me tidy up."
He stiffened. "But Ma-"
"See? Happy to help. Isn't that right?"
The problem with not having his mother around for years, he realized, was that he couldn't seem to refuse anything she asked of him. With a sigh, he could only nod and grumble to himself as he watched his sister walk out the door.
At least Matt was on his side. "Honey-"
She sighed and smiled in fond exasperation. "You're lucky that you're being overprotective in a cute way rather than an annoying one."
Matt gave a funny sort of squawk of protest. "It's not being overprotective-"
"Isn't it?" she asked with a chuckle before kissing his cheek. "Relax and trust in Cassie. Even if Mr. Tuesti did try something- which I doubt as he doesn't seem the type -our girl's tough enough to kick up quite the fuss. He wouldn't make it two steps before either she put a stop to it or someone else did it for her."
"I...suppose you have a point..."
"Of course I do. Now, as endearing as I find your behavior when it comes to the topic of Castalia and boys, would you mind helping Cloud tidy up? I'm feeling a bit worn out."
As he watched his surrogate father scramble to clean up as quickly as he could, he realized that his mother's influence over him may not have been due to the time travel as much as he'd thought.
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'I wonder if Vincent's doing alright. It's been a while since the scientists started making their way to the mansion...'
I resisted the urge to look over, knowing that it wouldn't do me any good. Still, despite knowing that his plan was sound, I couldn't help but worry. I hadn't seen Hojo, but Reeve had pretty much confirmed his presence. All it would take was one little slip- one ripple from the butterfly effect I was undoubtedly causing -and it would blow everything out of the water. He would know that Vincent was still alive, and if he knew Vincent was alive, he would keep a closer eye on Sephiroth. He might even decide to accelerate his plans and push him into insanity before anyone would be able to stop him.
That was the worst of the nightmare scenerios my brain had come up with.
"Are you all right?"
I gave a slight start as the question brought me out of my thoughts. To my chagrin, I noticed I had started falling behind, causing Reeve to stop and look at me in a mix of concern and curiosity.
"I'm fine," I brushed off, hoping the smile I sent him didn't look as nervous as I felt. "I just have a lot on my mind."
Reeve remained silent, and I inwardly panicked a bit when his gaze seemed to flicker in the very direction that I'd avoided. How he even suspected it was anyone's guess, but I wasn't about to ask. Instead, I just felt relief when he dropped the subject, although I very much doubted it was forgotten.
These past few hours were really pointing out how incredibly (frighteningly) intelligent he was.
After that, we continued on. Unfortunately, the truth was that as much as the town had flourished under the increased income I'd inadvertently brought about, Nibelheim was still small. So, it didn't take long before there was nothing left to show Reeve. He didn't seem to mind, and instead decided to follow me back to the shop, where Cole was quick to introduce himself and start talking.
I let myself relax a bit, content to have a moment to myself after hours of interaction.
Since the almost mindless task of sweeping was currently really appealing, I busied myself with that while keeping half of my attention on them. I quickly found that, despite his lack of interest in matters that didn't concern him, his business, or the town, Cole didn't have any trouble striking up a conversation. It was probably the salesman in him, but it was still interesting to listen to. I knew he was smart- he had to be. He'd not only taught me the basics of item synthesis, but he also made a majority of the non-synthesized items we sold, as well as managed the store. Intelligence was pretty much a given. Still, he rarely went over any specifics. Hearing him talk shop was fascinating.
Of course, then he had to ruin it by bringing the attention back to me.
"Cassie's been workin' with me 'bout seven years now," he told Reeve with a wide grin. "The first few years was just teachin', but she picked it up quick. Made her first potion when she was eleven."
I let my burning face fall into my hands while repressing a helpless laugh. It seemed that being an adult in mind didn't spare a person from feeling embarrassment over comments like that, although it was mixed with a sort of pleased amusement. Cole almost sounded like a proud parent, bragging about their kid.
"Quite the accomplishment," Reeve nodded in agreement. "She's your apprentice, then?"
"Well...as close to one as you can get, I guess. Gotta admit, she knows a few things I don't now. It's the reason I wanted her to learn- I'm no good at it."
"I was never much for item synthesis myself. My specialty is in machines."
"Machines, eh? Might get along with her old man, then. From what I hear, he knows his way around them too."
Reeve coughed lightly into his hand, but it sounded more like he was trying to hide a chuckle. "Is that so? I'll be sure to ask."
"He's usually free in the afternoon," Cole provided. "Mornin's no good since he'll be out with some of the others makin' sure we don't have wolves and the like prowlin' around."
"Ah. I'll keep that in mind."
"Mr. Tuesti?"
I looked up at the new voice and found that it belonged to a young man. Maybe a year or two older than I was with an angular face, black hair, and honest to goodness amber eyes. I might have stared for a moment, but eye colors were something I liked looking at. This guy had eyes on par with Vincent and Cloud in how pretty they were. Seriously, at times their eyes looked like they were glowing.
Oh man, I sounded like some kind of creeper, didn't I...
"Oh, Ryuu. Am I needed for something?"
I felt a bit of confusion and, despite my best effort, a bit of apprehension at the name. Other than Master Zangan, it was the most oriental sounding name I'd heard in a long time, and in this life, those tended to come from Wutai. While I knew that they weren't the bad guys in this conflict, I couldn't stop years of propaganda from having some kind of an effect on me.
The best lies had the basis of truth to them, after all, and Wutai hadn't exactly been twiddling their thumbs in this war.
He- Ryuu -probably knew as much too, if the heavy sigh was any indication. "Mr. Tuesti, with respect, I really would appreciate it if you didn't use my first name."
"SOLDIER Teneil, then," Reeve complied. "My apologies."
Ryuu smiled slightly. "I just don't want to make the people here uncomfortable. Anyway, you've got a call."
"A call...? Ah," he smiled, "-that'd be the missus, I think. I'd better take that. Why don't you stay here and mingle while I'm gone?"
"But, I'm not supposed to min-"
"Please excuse me, Castalia, Mr. Cole," he cut off, giving us a brief glance before turning back to the newcomer. "Be sure to actually converse, Ryuu! I'll be back in a while!"
"Don't call me-! Never mind. I don't even know why I bother with him," the teen muttered when he realized the man was already gone. "He's as bad as Dad."
I was still staring at where the head of Urban Development had been standing, completely confused. "He has a wife?"
I think I vaguely remembered reading something along the lines of him having a family once, but I didn't recall that until he'd mentioned it. It made sense, I guess, seeing as he was in his mid twenties- that was about the time most people settled down in the more urban places. In the rural areas, it was more in the sixteen to twenty range (thank you again, Da, for that random fact of life).
As for me...well, I couldn't say I wasn't disappointed, exactly, but I think a part of me had known nothing would ever happen. Regardless of mental age, I think that would've been a little strange.
Cloud and Da would be happy, I'm sure.
"Girlfriend, actually," Ryuu told us. "But he's been with her long enough that it's really just a matter of time. Gaia knows how much I've had to endure his prattling."
I laughed a bit while a memory from my other life came to mind. I barely remembered the details of most of the animes I'd seen before, but Fullmetal Alchemist had been one of my favorites, and its characters were memorable enough that it still lingered. Comparing Reeve's behavior with Maes Hughes only brought a rush of fond nostalgia rather than the slight pang I'd come to expect when thinking about the life I'd left behind, and a part of me was inordinately proud.
It was kind of ridiculous, considering it had taken me years to get to this point, but I was proud nonetheless.
"You know him well then?" Cole asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Well enough. He's made it a point to talk to everyone in our group."
"Seems the type," he said with a nod of agreement. "So, can I interest you in anything? Got a lot to choose from."
I rolled my eyes fondly at the question. Cole was ever the dilligent businessman.
"Maybe later, Mr...Cole, was it?"
"Just Cole is fine, no need to add titles. And this here's Castalia."
I smiled and waved when he turned to look at me. He seemed nice enough, but something about him was also kind of familiar. Maybe he just had one of those faces? I'm pretty sure I hadn't met him before today...
He just grinned and gave a short, flourishing bow (goofball or just dramatic?) "Hmm, I guess you already know my name, but...SOLDIER Third Class Ryuu Teneil at your service. Due to the aforementioned fact that my name is Wutaiian in nature- and because some people had difficulty pronouncing it -everyone calls me Lou. Or Lu Ten when they feel like poking a bit of fun at me."
...What?
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She was funny.
"I can clean it up, I swear."
Okay, it was more than that, Ryuu admitted to himself with a snicker. His new aquaintance was too busy apologizing to the shopkeeper for what seemed to be a rock-hard mass stuck to one of the worktables to notice his amusement.
"Just clean it up before he gets back."
"Not that I won't, but...I don't see how that'll make a difference. Not only did he already say he wasn't interested in buying anything, but I'm pretty sure he already saw it."
Whatever it was, it was something that made her stick out. Then again, it wasn't like he'd really been paying attention to anyone lately, being so occupied in trying to move up in SOLDIER and all. Maybe she just seemed different after not having much one on one interaction with people in a while.
"Castalia."
"I know, I know. Sorry, Cole."
...Well, that, and she was kind of cute.
"Mind if I help?"
He had the feeling that she'd forgotten he was there, if the way she jumped was any indication. Or she had terrible environmental awareness. Probably both. The shopkeeper certainly hadn't been surprised.
Speaking of which-
"Sure, kid. Prob'ly gonna need some muscle to pull that rock off the table."
He smiled, feeling it widen at her indignant protest. "I'll do my best."
"Go ahead and come back here, then. I'll be in the front, so holler if ya need anything."
He quickly made his way over, and then the shopkeeper was gone. Silence fell for a brief moment before she spoke. "You don't have to help. I'm sure you have other things to do."
"Not really," he said with a shrug. "I know I may have given that impression earlier, but work at the reactor doesn't actually start until tomorrow." He smiled, hoping it would make her feel at ease. "And I've already set my stuff at the inn, so I've got a few hours to kill. I'd be happy to help out."
She smiled back. "Thanks, then."
"Don't mention it."
The next few minutes were spent inspecting the white lump they were to clean.
"Jeez, it's really stuck on there," he heard her mutter under her breath. "Might not be able to pull it off at all...Maybe I can use a Soft?"
"What is it, exactly?"
She sighed, a slightly embarrassed expression slipping onto her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Basically? Petrified dough."
"Petrified- really?"
"Yeah. I was a bit careless today."
He couldn't quite stop the snort of laughter that escaped him.
"Laugh it up. I'm willing to bet you've made your own share of mistakes."
"Oh, I'm not even going to bother denying that," he admitted with a widening grin. "But my dad always said that it's better to find amusement in such cases. Something about making it easier to learn from."
She blinked, then laughed. "I don't hear that too often. Your da sounds like an interesting guy."
"You wouldn't be the first to think that, actually. Although most people only say it once they see how much he loves tea- especially jasmine tea. I swear he's addicted."
"Must be hard for him then," she mused, even as something on her face shifted- as if trying to remember something that she'd forgotten. "Unless I'm wrong, isn't Wutai the main provider of tea in the market?"
He sighed. "Sure is. He's already mentioned the travesty of the embargo in some of the letters he's sent. Luckily, he doesn't have too much time to dwell on it, or it would be much worse."
"Oh? Does he travel a lot or something?"
"I guess you could say that. He's actually a general for ShinRa's army. He's been stationed in Wutai for a while now." She seemed to choke on thin air at that, surprising him for a moment. "Something the matter?"
"N-No. No. Just surprised. I didn't think you had such an important guy in your family."
"Hmm, I guess it is pretty shocking. I honestly don't really think about it. My family has been military oriented for generations- at least that's what my dad tells me. I certainly haven't had any reason to doubt. My uncle Osric currently works as an instructor in ShinRa, and we have records of my grandfather and great-grandfather's service time. I'm pretty sure my little cousins Zian and Alani want to join up in the future too and even our moms-"
He felt himself trail off at her expression, silently cursing his tendency to ramble. She looked completely overwhelmed and- was that incredulity? Huh, that was a little strange. Maybe he was just imagining it.
"Uh...What about you?" he asked a bit lamely.
Luckily, she didn't point it out. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you have fighting experience too, right?"
He wondered if this was just a bad topic overall when her eyes widened in surprise.
"H-How did you-?!"
"I-I wasn't completely sure," he hastened to explain. "You drag your feet too much, and it looks like you have to remind yourself to make your movements controlled and even, but you still carry yourself differently from most of the people in town. Since I heard there was a martial arts instructor living here, I thought you might have been one of his students."
"Oh..." She fidgeted nervously. "A-And here I thought I was doing a good job."
"You are!" he assured her. "Trust me, it takes a long time to have it feel natural. You're just a beginner, right? You'll get the hang of it."
For a moment, he could have sworn she wanted to laugh, but it quickly passed. "Thanks. Now, let's see if we can loosen this before trying to pull it off."
He nodded, then sighed almost inaudibly when she turned around to inspect the white blob once more.
It was definitely the lack of social interaction, he decided. That couldn't have been more awkward if he'd tried.
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Cloud sighed as he relaxed in the living room of his home, a multitude of thoughts running through his mind.
Home...It was amazing how much his perspective on that had changed since starting this second life.
He'd never really considered the Nibelheim of the past- the one he'd never dared to step foot in after he'd regained his memories -home. It had merely been a place he and his mother had been forced to live in until he could find a way to get them away. Now...
Well, now this was the first place he thought of when he thought of home.
He couldn't say he was upset, exactly. Even though Tifa's bar had been the closest thing to a home he'd had in the life he'd left behind, it still hadn't really felt...right. He could relax, and he had felt welcome, but there was always that slight feeling of not belonging. The one that began to gnaw at him if he stayed too long. The same could be said of Aerith's church, despite the peace he'd found amongst the quiet rippling of the spring.
Perhaps he'd just been too used to traveling by then.
No, that wasn't quite right either. If that were the case, wouldn't he be having a much harder time? At least then, he could leave of his own volition. Right now, he was effectively stuck until he was a few years older, but that anxious need to go wasn't there. Instead, he was almost content to pass the days here with his new family. Almost, because as nice as it was, he still thought of the future.
A future where no one would be safe if there was no one to stop Sephiroth.
He closed his eyes and brushed away the pang of fear that had sprung up at the thought. There was no doubt in his mind as to whether or not he would head to Midgar once he was old enough. Not if he wanted to protect the people he cared about. He refused to accept the alternative.
He was brought out of those thoughts when Castalia came through the front door.
"You're back," he noted with some surprise (and relief). "Shouldn't you still be at the shop?"
"Cole wants to open up early tomorrow, so he closed up for the day," she explained before walking over to the sofa and sitting down with a sigh. "Man, I'm tired..."
She did look tired, he realized. There was a pinched look around her eyes, and her body language had the sort of tenseness that usually came from a stressful day.
"What happened?"
Castalia must have heard something in his tone, since she immediately looked over and smiled slightly. "I'm fine. I just forgot to put away the materials I was using for the Softs when Mr. Tuesti first arrived. The cokatrice err-...venom? Acid? I'm still not sure what to call it -got knocked over at some point while we were gone and spilled on the dough I had set aside for my next batch of Remedies. Long story short, I just spent the past few hours trying to pry the thing off of the table after it all but fused to the surface."
He couldn't help but snicker, remembering her earlier stalling at the shop. "So you did forget something after all."
"Hush, you. Don't you have any sympathy for your dear older sister?"
"Not in this case, no."
"Brat," she huffed, even though he could see a grin tugging at her lips. "See if I let you sneak into the shop anymore."
"As if Cole doesn't notice when you let me in," he shot back. "Besides, I'm sure you had help."
It wasn't in Reeve's nature not to help out, after all.
"Well, I guess that's true," she admitted. "I ended up making a new friend, I guess. Sort of." She grimaced slightly. "It was a bit awkward for a while, to be honest."
He frowned a bit in confusion. "I thought you were already friends with Mr. Tuesti. Isn't that why you've been exchanging letters?"
"He was gone by then. He got a call from his girlfriend and had to leave."
Girlfriend? So, he wasn't...
Castalia started laughing. "Seriously Cloud, you're a few years too young to play the part of overprotective older brother, don't you think?"
He felt the protest forming, even as a bit of amusement at the irony of that statement mixed in, but she continued before he could say anything. "Look, I know you were worried about me. I appreciate that. Really. But you went about it all wrong. I can take care of myself, so there was no need for you to hover or get Da involved like you did."
"You like him," he pointed out.
"A crush," she admitted with no hesitation- although there was some embarassment, if the pink on her cheeks was any indication. "And? It wasn't like I was going to throw myself at his feet. I have a little more self-respect than that."
His lips twitched, but he managed to hold back his smile. As if knowing this, she grinned in response and got up to face him. "Besides, we both know he has no romantic interest in me whatsoever. So would you stop being an annoying little punk and trust me? I'd appreciate it."
The smile finally broke through. "I wasn't that bad."
"Don't even try to deny it," she laughed while ruffling his hair. "It was cute, though."
He halfheartedly smacked the hand away. "What is it with you and Da always doing that?"
"We just can't resist, Chicky. Your hair's so fabulous."
He rolled his eyes at that, but otherwise took it in stride.
She just shook her head with a smile and wrapped her arms around him. "Teasing aside, thank you. It's such a silly thing, but it makes me happy."
He sighed, but returned the embrace. "It's not silly."
Still, he could feel himself relax as the tenseness on her face finally faded. "If you say so. Now, has Ma made dinner yet, or is Da making it today?"
"Da," he told her. "Ma's feeling tired today."
She snorted softly. "With how big she's getting, I'm honestly not surprised. Anyway, I'd better go help him out or we'll be eating at the inn again."
He nodded, a slight smirk escaping him. "Good luck."
Now she was the one to roll her eyes. "You're hilarious. Get out of here, Cloud. I'm sure there's enough time to get your butt kicked by Tifa or something."
"That hasn't happened recently," he protested, but started making his way to the door nonetheless. "I'll be back later."
"See you then."
He ended up coming back midway through dinner, covered in dirt and hair an even wilder mess than usual (he wasn't sure if he should be proud or concerned at how good Tifa was getting with those throws), but his arrival was met with smiles and gentle teasing. He took it all in; a light, warm feeling rushing through him as he looked at the family Minerva had gifted him.
His mother, alive in more than one way as she tenderly kept a hand to her rounded stomach, looking happier than he could ever remember her being...
Matt, grinning and gesturing in an exaggerated manner as he recounted a story from his childhood...
And his sister, eyes bright as she laughed freely, with no trace of the tension of before.
He continued to watch them, a content smile on his face, until he was inevitably pulled into the conversation. He joined in without hesitation- a far cry from the stoic silences he'd been prone to before but here, at least, there was no need for it. He wasn't sure why he was so confident in that fact, only that he was. For the longest time, home and family had been such an abstract concept to him. Now, he felt like he was finally starting to understand.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
~Day 2
The next morning was about as hectic as Cole had anticipated. There was a rush as the construction workers woke up and began heading up the mountain trail. I even saw a blue suit or two mixed in the crowd as well, and I definitely saw Ryuu at some point, but I was so busy at the time that I could do no more than wave at him in greeting before my attention was pulled away by something else.
I was happy to be so occupied. It gave me an excuse to limit my interactions with the company- something I desperately needed after yesterday. Being on guard all day was exhausting.
Part of it was my own fault, as I'd overthought a lot of the questions Reeve had asked and made myself paranoid, but to be fair, he'd asked some rather pointed questions. Then, after seeing how perceptive Ryuu could be, I had been watching practically everything I said and did for the time we were together. Luckily, nothing like that first conversation had come up again, but it had still been pretty draining to monitor all of that in the hopes that no attention could be drawn to me.
'That's the last thing I need,' I thought once things finally slowed down. 'Hopefully, I'll be able to make it through these next two weeks without trouble.'
For now, though, food. The after rush clean-up was done and I'd missed breakfast, so I was starving.
"Cole, I'm gonna get something to eat!" I called out as I grabbed my bag. "Want anything?"
"No need to shout, brat," he grumbled from behind one of the shelves. "I'm right here."
"I thought you were in the back," I replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I guess I'm getting you some coffee?"
I snickered at the glare I received for the comment. A tired Cole was fun to tease, though that wasn't to say he didn't give as good as he got.
"As much as I like you bein' my gofer, I think I'll join ya. Those ShinRa folk won't be back for a few hours at least, so I can afford to close up shop for a bit."
"Cool. Let's go then. Adventure number one-o-two of Cole and Castalia."
"'S too early for this, Cassie," he groaned.
"You only have yourself to blame."
He raised a brow in response. "Yeah? How so?"
"You're the one that told me to come early."
I grinned when he shook his head.
Ten minutes later, the two of us were on our way to the inn. Normally, I'd eat at home, but breakfast there was currently a gamble. Plus, I was craving some potato pancakes, and everyone in town knew that the inn had the best potato pancakes. Hopefully they weren't all gone, but considering how many people were staying...
Well, at least it was going to be empty when we got there. Everyone was already at the reactor, including Reeve. He'd mentioned that he had to overlook the beginning of the remodeling even though, by this point, a majority of the workers knew which parts stayed and which had to go. Still, there was always the chance that something would happen, so he had to be there just in case.
I really should have remembered to not tempt fate with thoughts like that.
The sound of an explosion went off in the distance; loud enough to startle the two of us and strong enough that we felt the ground shake a bit. From where I was standing, I could even see a large plume of smoke rise up into the sky. Despite my best efforts to keep calm, I began to panic.
There wasn't supposed to be an explosion.
Reeve had said that the first bit was them just shutting down the reactor for a while so that they could safely drain the mako. It was only after they were done that they would use explosives to begin taking it apart, and it would be nothing that powerful. So, for something that strong to have happened...
I hoped it was intentional, despite my doubts. Because if it wasn't, and something- Jenova -got out...
"Damn it, I thought they knew what they were doing!" Cole swore. "Cassie!"
I jerked out of my thoughts at the forceful tone and turned to face him. His expression was nothing I'd ever seen on him before- fierce...and worried.
Dread began to grow.
"You get to that dojo of yours right now, ya got that?! An explosion that big's bound to bring trouble!"
"Trouble?" I thought of the various wildlife and monsters that lived up on the mountains and felt myself go numb with shock. "Y-You don't mean-?!"
"Yes! Now, snap out of it and run! You'll be safe there!"
"Wait, what about-"
"I'll be fine!" he cut me off before practically shoving me in the direction of the dojo. "Move it! There's no time to waste dawdlin' here!"
"R-Right!"
My heart felt like it was racing faster than I was as I took off, and my head felt dizzy. It was only the training drilled into me by Vincent and Master Zangan that finally let me shake the worst of it off and keep going. This was not going to turn out like the manor incident. I was better prepared to face monsters this time.
Wasn't I?
I found my hand gripping onto my materia bangle as I ran.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Tifa smiled as she and her mother walked to the general store. Originally, she'd planned on spending the day with Cloud, but she had to admit that this was nice too. Ever since she had started training with Master Zangan, she hadn't really been spending that much time with her.
"I missed this," her mother said with a smile and a laugh, almost as if she'd read her thoughts. "I was afraid you were going to grow up before we had the chance to spend the day together again."
"I wouldn't do that, Mama."
"Really now? You're already so big, Tifa! And so strong too!"
She giggled, but resisted the urge to show off. While she didn't think that her mother would mind, this wasn't the time for that. Today was going to be completely free of talk of fighting. She owed her mother that much after she'd let her start training in the first place.
"Cloud says the baby is gonna be born soon," she said instead.
"Oh! How wonderful! Do they know what it's going to be yet?"
"He wouldn't tell me," she huffed. "He said it was a surprise."
"I'm sure you'll be the first to know when it is born."
"You think?"
"Of course. Cloud and Castalia are your friends aren't they? Not to mention both Skye and Matthew are very fond of you."
Her smile came back as she thought the statement over. It was true that she didn't really see Cloud and Castalia interacting with any of the other kids- except the few times the village girls cornered Castalia, but that didn't count. She did wonder about that sometimes (didn't they get lonely?) but for the most part, it actually made her feel special that she was the only one they actively looked for on occasion.
"You're right. And if not, then Cloud's gonna get it!"
Her mother laughed, making her grin as they continued walking. A few minutes later, she spotted another pair coming up the path opposite of them and felt like laughing too. It was kind of funny that she would show up while they were talking about her, after all.
"Look, Mama! It's Cassie and Mr. Falkov!"
The two of them looked like they were having another one of their silly fights- the ones where they kept arguing but seemed to have fun at the same time. She didn't really see the point of them, but they seemed to enjoy it, so she didn't bother thinking about it too much.
"I can see that. Why don't you say hello?"
She had been raising her hand to do just that when a boom made her pause. The shaking that followed only made it worse, and she forgot about it completely when Mr. Falkov seemed to change. He looked kind of mad, and he was shouting at Cassie.
"Tifa, sweetie, we need to go."
He pushed her!
Tifa looked up at her mother in surprise, but she didn't notice. Instead, she was looking over at the smoke that was coming up from the mountains. "But, shouldn't we help Cassie?"
"What?" Her mother blinked and turned to look before shaking her head. "There's nothing to worry about. Besides, she should be making her way over in a bit."
"Huh?"
She was right. Almost as soon as she'd said that, Cassie started running toward them while Mr. Falkov ran somewhere else. At first, the older girl didn't see them, but once she got close enough, she seemed surprised, then scared.
Why was she scared? What the heck was going on?
"Cassie? Why are you-"
"Sorry, Tifa," she said before taking a deep breath and looking over at the mountains. "There's no time to explain. We have to get to the dojo as quick as we can, okay?"
"The dojo? But, Master Zangan said there was no training today..."
"I don't think he'd mind if we paid him a visit," her mother cut in. "I-I've been meaning to invite him over for dinner, so why don't we go now?"
"Weren't we going to the-"
"We'll go later, Tifa. The store's closed right now, anyway."
"That's right! I'm not there, and Cole went to get something to eat."
Something wasn't right.
She frowned. "Did he really go get food? Why was Mr. Falkov yelling at you?"
"Tifa, please. We should really-" Castalia started before her eyes widened at something behind them. "Get down!"
She couldn't stop a short cry of surprise and pain as she was knocked to the ground, but any thought of yelling at the older girl for tackling them was forgotten when she figured out why.
"M-Mama..."
"Castalia, w-what-?!"
"Seriously!? I knew sonic speeds were fast, but I didn't think-!"
"Mama..."
"What do we do?!"
"We have to get to the dojo! I-It should be safe there!"
Terror seized her when she realized that Castalia was trembling. She'd never seen her like that before- her eyes wide, her face pale, and her voice not nearly as steady as usual.
It struck her then that Castalia wasn't just scared, but terrified.
"Mamaaa!" she wailed.
Immediately, she felt her mother's arms wrap around her and lift her up onto her feet.
"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. I need you to be strong, alright? Like you are with Master Zangan."
Right. Strong. She had to be strong. She couldn't be strong if she was scared.
'But...Castalia is...'
No. She couldn't think like that. Besides, even if Castalia was scared, she was still getting up. That's what she had to do too.
"We need to go now! Whatever you do, don't stop running!"
"Right!"
It was so hard, though! At first, it was only because her mother was pulling her forward that she was able to move at all. All she could feel was fear and the thudding of her heart as they ran from the swarm of monsters.
(Was the swarm really that big or was she imagining that the sun had gone out?)
Hadn't something like this happened to Cloud and Castalia a few years ago...? The memory was fuzzy, but she kind of remembered them being brought out of the old ShinRa house by her master. How had they gotten through that?
"Duck!"
She flinched as a burst of heat passed overhead, and couldn't help but stare at the monster that fell to the ground. It was the first time she'd seen one so close, and had things been different, she might have been curious. Now, however, she wanted nothing to do with it.
"Close your eyes!"
The light that flashed in front of her was nearly blinding even through her eyelids, and the loud crack of thunder left her ears ringing. When she opened them a moment later, spots on the ground were charred around them, and three more monsters were lying there twitching.
"Those aren't dead, so we need to keep moving before they-!"
Castalia cut off what whatever she was going to say with a choked curse and quickly shot another fireball. Instead of hitting the flying monsters, though, it hit one that looked like a giant bug.
"Kyuvilduns," she said, a bit of panic slipping into her voice. "Of course there's kyuvilduns now! Why wouldn't there be?!"
"Castalia!"
She gave a start at her mother's sharp tone while Castalia jerked, turned to look at them, and seemed to flinch a bit before seeming to shake herself out of whatever she was thinking. "S-Sorry. Let's go."
They started running again, but it was much slower now that the other monsters had arrived. More than once, they had to go in a completely different direction in order to avoid large groups of them. Some of them only passed through, while some of the bugs and flying ones were attacking each other, but the rest...
"Castalia? Castalia, what's wrong?!"
She quickly brought her attention back at her mother's worried tone, only to see her friend slightly hunched over, hands on her knees and sweat beading her brow as she caught her breath.
It was then that she also noticed they weren't alone anymore.
"Cassie!"
It was like a switch had been turned on. Suddenly, the forms and screams of the other villagers rushed in, nearly overwhelming her. Some of the ones who had been caught outside had joined them, and were shouting encouragement even though they looked as scared as she felt. A few of them were trying to knock away the monsters while they were standing there, but even she could see that it didn't hurt them as much as when Castalia hit them with magic.
"You can do it, Castalia! Get up!"
"Stand up, Castalia!"
The fear in her gave way to awe as she looked around the group of villagers who were cheering for her friend. Like she was a superhero! It was almost enough to make her cheer too, and she had already taken a breath in preparation, only to feel it rush out of her when she happened to look back at her mother. She wasn't cheering like the others. In fact, she looked more like she was sad.
Confused, she turned back to Castalia.
It wouldn't be until she was older that she would realize just why her mother had looked so solemn at that moment. She would come to learn just how terrifying it was to have so many people counting on you to keep them alive when you could barely keep yourself going. Years down the line, she would think back on this as both a turning point in her life, and a source of fortitude in facing impossible odds. However, it would also serve as a source of anger. Anger at ShinRa...at these monsters...at the villagers...even herself...Because, just for a moment, she caught it.
That expression. That lost, desperate look in her eyes that said she was on the edge- just moments away from going over.
"I'm-...I'm fine," she panted, wiping both the look and some sweat off of her face. "Just not used to-...casting so many spells for so-...long."
She looked up, narrowed her eyes, and fired. The next moment, another monster fell from the sky.
"We should go. I'm not sure how-...how much longer I can keep it up."
"It's a blessing you had your materia at all," her mother told her amongst the cheers.
Castalia smiled, but it was weak. Trembling. "After what happened at the man-...manor? I never leave home without it."
Pushing the fear aside for the moment longer, she tried thinking about other things- like how she was going to ask for some materia after all of this was over.
Their group moved on, but it still felt like it was taking forever. Wasn't the dojo supposed to be close by? Panic settled in, especially when Castalia started to wheeze and turn gray- but she was able to keep running until they finally heard a voice.
"-ey! Hey! Over here!"
"T-There-..." Castalia was gasping for breath, but her expression was one of teary relief. "There's D-Da! Come on!"
Mr. Strife was standing outside of the dojo along with another group of people. Any other day, she might have laughed at the sight of them using things like bats and pitchforks as weapons like in the cartoons, but not now. Right now, she was glad that they seemed to be holding their own. All they had to was get there and they would be-
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
This...this wasn't happening.
"NO! Castalia!"
That wasn't his sister falling to her knees with a scream, her back arching in agony as a Sonic Speed made off with something that looked sickeningly like bits of flesh clinging to both its talons. That wasn't one of his best friends and her mother faltering at the cry, looking behind them for one fatal second and allowing another one of the monsters to get close. That wasn't Mrs. Lockhart collapsing to the ground shortly after, blood painting the ground red as she fell.
It wasn't.
"MAMA!"
He snapped back to himself at Tifa's anguished, horrified scream, and surged forward-
Only to have a pair of arms wrap around him and keep him in place.
"What are you doing?!" he yelled furiously, struggling to get out of the hold as people rushed around him. "Let go! I have to help!"
"You can't fight those things, Cloud! You'll get hurt!" the man who held him said (someone he knew, but he didn't really care right now). "Besides, help is already on the way!"
It was true, and for a moment, he had to pause and take in the sight that was his adopted father.
Matthew Allen was a laid back man. Very few things bothered him, and when they did, he tended to let them go quickly or talk it over with someone. Rarely was he upset for more than a day or so. But this...
He'd never seen him so angry.
If he had to be honest, he'd never really considered the shovel a weapon before, but he was definitely going to rethink that after today. His da used it with a brutal efficiency as he made his way over, and while there were more than a few close calls, rage gave him the edge he needed to make it relatively unharmed.
He only wished he could be there too.
It had been a while since he'd given thought to how much he was progressing as far as his fighting ability was concerned. Zangan's training was showing results, and he did feel more comfortable in his younger body than before, so he had been fine with taking a little longer than he'd first anticipated.
Now, he was regretting that decision.
Once again, he wondered just how much he'd changed with his arrival. ShinRa had come to Nibelheim at some point in his original childhood, but nothing like this had happened. He wracked his mind, frantically trying to think of what he could have done to have it ripple into this nightmare.
The familiar whoosh of a fire spell brought him back to the present, and he could feel his heart leap into his throat when he realized that, somehow, Castalia was still conscious.
She had a shaky arm extended toward Tifa and her mother, the materia bangle on her wrist still glowing bright from its recent use. Unfortunately, the kyuvildun that had gotten too close to the pair only gave a pained screech as it was knocked back in a burst of fire, but seemed no worse for the wear.
'How long has she been casting?' he thought worriedly. 'That should have caused a lot more damage.'
As if to answer the question, she swayed dangerously for a few seconds before finally giving in and passing out. Luckily, his da had reached them by then, along with Master Zangan, Cole (he almost didn't recognize him- the face was definitely his, but the armor and giant mace were new...), and some of the other men in town. The martial artist quickly picked up Mrs. Lockhart while Tifa held onto his back, Da carried Castalia, and Cole and the rest either carried the other wounded or provided cover. Between all of them, they were able to make it back to the safety of the dojo.
Mrs. Lockhart was one of the ones to be immediately swept away for treatment, and while he knew that her injury was much worse than Castalia's, he almost wanted to call out to the town's doctor in protest when the man followed. As it was, he felt like throwing something at him when they set Castalia down on a mat.
Still and pale and bleeding- just like Zack -and that couldn't be her- not his sister -and he had been helpless just like he'd been then-
He jumped at the heavy hand that fell on his shoulder and was met with a grim smile.
"I'm no doctor," Cole- now sans armor -said, "but I'm not too bad with materia. I'll do what I can."
He leaned over to inspect the wound, then called for his da to help out. Cloud stood there watching, torn between wanting to thank him and begging for him to please help her, but unable to form the words. It felt like they were all getting stuck in his throat, and each one added just a bit more pressure to the tight knot that had formed.
He knew that Castalia had become someone important to him. He knew he'd grown to care for her...
He just hadn't thought about how much it could hurt to see her like this.
"Hold her down," Cole told Matt with a grimace, bringing him out of his thoughts. "She's gonna feel this even though she's knocked out, but we gotta get the dirt outta there before I heal it up."
Cloud felt his jaw clench painfully, the little boy inside him- the one that had given him those few, treasured memories of growing up with Castalia -breaking down when glassy eyes shot open long enough for her to writhe and cry in pain.
Screams of agony that echoed off of metallic walls while blood slowly dripped onto the floor-
He wrenched himself from the memory with a shake of his head. This wasn't anything like it had been then. Castalia was injured, but she wasn't being hurt on purpose. They were healing her, not torturing her.
Her cries eventually petered out into rough, pained gasps.
"...I got the worst of it, but it's a patch job at most," the handyman sighed. "Odds are it's gonna scar somethin' fierce, but she'll be okay. You should still have the doc look her over when he's got a chance, though- and you, for that matter. In the meantime, don't let her move around- skin's practically paper over that wound."
"Thank you," Matt choked out, looking absolutely awful. His voice was hoarse, his body was trembling, blood sluggishly trailed down a gash in his arm, and he looked like he'd much rather pull her closer to him instead of carefully laying her down on her stomach so as to not aggravate her back. "Thank you."
Cole carefully clapped a hand onto his da's shoulder. "Nothin' to thank me for," he said gruffly. "Now, I think I got some potions lyin' around somewhere. Should help jump start the rest of the healin'. I'll go grab'm and let your missus know. You just keep an eye on Cassie."
He cast one final look toward her, then left the three of them alone. Cloud stood there for a moment, watching. He wanted to join them on the floor. He wanted to hug Castalia and never let her go, because if things had gone even a little differently, she might have-
But he couldn't. All he could do was stand there and let guilt flood through him as he stared at newly healed ridges of skin that were a harsh red and undoubtedly going to scar. In the end, he hadn't been able to do anything. Again. He'd had to watch as people dear to him were hurt. Again.
His fists clenched in tandem with his heart while he stood there, feeling helpless as the sounds of Tifa's sobbing reached him.
'I'm sorry.'
He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for anymore.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Vincent stirred.
For a moment, he lay there, trying to figure out what had woken him. Though he could not see anything but the walls of the coffin, he felt the hour was late. Very few people, if any, would still be up. He closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the cause while ignoring the stifling feeling of being confined to such a small area again after so long.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't be sure what it was just yet, although he knew it had something to do with why everyone had left the manor earlier. The worry he'd tried to sleep off had only seemed to increase in the few hours since then. Perhaps that was why he'd awoken so suddenly.
He wondered how Castalia was doing.
It wasn't that he did not have faith in her- on the contrary, he was confident that she would do well despite her misgivings -but he cared deeply for her wellbeing. If something had happened that had multiple people rushing out, then she might be-
No. Castalia was fine. They had prepared as best they could. It might throw all of their plans to waste if he left now. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't risk it- too much was at stake and both of them knew it. He sighed again and closed his eyes, trying to force himself back into slumber.
He hoped it was just paranoia that kept him up the rest of the night.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~Chapter End
So...yeah. Thoughts? My personal thought is that Noctus looks like he could be a direct discendent of Cloud and Tifa, but that's just- Not the time?
Joking aside, I know it's not the best place to end it, and I do apologize, but it made the most sense as far as story flow. The second half is the aftermath of what happened in this chapter, so it didn't make sense to start including it here. It's also the reason why I wanted to fit it all into one chapter- I wanted it all resolved without leaving people to wonder. Again, I'm sorry I couldn't make that happen, but I figure you've all been waiting long enough.
I am curious as to what you think, though. Were you expecting something like this to happen?
That being said, I am really growing to love Cloud in a brother type role and I have no one but myself to blame. I'd never considered him or read about him in that position before starting this story (is there a fic out there?) so getting to flesh out his character in that direction is both fun and a delicate challenge. It's also resulting in a much more lighthearted Cloud, but I like to think that was the sort of personality he had before Hojo messed up his mind. Reliving his childhood is just giving him the opportunity to return to his roots, so to speak.
I'm going to end this here, but I hope you liked it. Take care and until next time!
