First of all, I want to thank everyone who sent their love and well wishes after I posted the last chapter. Lilo passed away on December 29th, but I know she's in a better place, happy and healthy once more. I still miss her like crazy, and it's been hard to adjust to the gap she left behind in my life, but I'm doing the best I can to move forward.
Streaming has helped. It's given me a routine to follow and taken my mind off of things for a while. Writing has been a bit more on and off, but I'm sure that will improve with time as well. Overall, I'm still kind of a lonely wreck who misses their best friend on the inside, but I'm at least a functioning one.
Huh...I've turned into Cloud.
Neat.
Anyway, thank you for the support and patience you've given me during these last few months. It meant a lot and was very much appreciated.
That being said, I know how much some of you have been looking forward the chapter, so I won't keep you here any longer. Please read on, and I hope you enjoy!
(Chapter posted on 03/29/22)
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Act 1, Scene 3: Harbinger
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Just what was this thing...that it could still stand up after everything? How could it still stand up after everything?!
"R-Ryuu. Ryuu, you need to wake up. Wake up! Come on, Ryuu!"
Even through the feverish haze that was falling over me again, I felt a lump in my throat as I stared down at him. His breaths were shallow, but it was enough for me to know he was still alive.
I didn't know for how much longer that would be the case.
Off to the side, the monster ram stumbled onto its legs, bleeding heavily from a fatal wound on its neck.
A fatal wound that was healing before my eyes. Again.
A fatal wound that had actually not just been a mere wound a minute ago, but a complete decapitation.
"H-How is this even fair...?" I choked out.
. . . . . . . . . .
It had gone so well, at first.
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~Two hours earlier~
Despite everything- the confusion and the ache in his heart and the worry -Vincent still moved into a defensive position between Lucrecia and the wraiths.
"They won't attack," she told him with the same defeated tone as before (and just what had happened to her throughout all these years to cause it?). "Not unless you give them a reason to."
Sure enough, Vincent noted that, so long as he remained where he was, they did not come forward. It was only when he made any movement towards the tunnel leading out of the cave that these Whispers became agitated.
"Have they hurt you?"
"...No," she replied quietly. "But I think that's because I may still have some part to play."
Part to play. Like this was all some sort of story or-
Or a game.
His eyes narrowed, a rare surge of indignation and anger rising up within him.
It had been some time since he'd thought about the world Castalia had left behind- or rather, how she first came to learn of this one -but he couldn't say it was any easier to make that comparison now than it had been back then. There was just something that felt so inherently...wrong about thinking of his life as a predetermined set of events- that he'd never had any control over what happened. If it were true, then that made everything he'd gone through- and everything he could go through -all but meaningless.
He refused to believe that was the case.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Vincent? What-...What do you think our chances are- realistically? Of changing things, I mean."
The hesitant question- so different from Castalia's usual cheerful determination -made him frown a bit as he looked down at her.
She was looking at her hands. Both were trembling slightly after their extended shooting practice that day, but if constantly having to brace for the recoil had hurt her, she didn't say.
He pulled out a cure materia and took her hands in one of his own. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just that we-...There are only two of us, Vincent. Against ShinRa- maybe even against Sephiroth if we can't keep him from losing his mind. And I don't-...I don't know if I could ever do as much as what I remember the others doing. What if-...what if we can't-? What if-?"
"Castalia."
She finally looked up at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears and an all too familiar fear in her eyes. With an almost inaudible sigh, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We will do what we can, which is more than if we did nothing at all."
"I-...Yeah," she agreed, attempting a shaky smile before she realized it was futile. "Sorry. I'm just...scared, Vin. I don't-..."
A fragile expression settled on her face, held together only by the hope of their success.
"I don't want to lose everything again."
"...We won't."
Her smile was stronger this time. "Right."
. . . . . . . . . .
She had asked if things could be changed, seeming to forget that they already had. These creatures were just reaffirming that. If they were meant to enforce "Destiny," then the fact that they were here now only meant that he and Castalia were considered a threat.
It meant that whatever they were doing now was going to change something.
And he was not going to let them ruin that.
"Lucrecia."
He looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking with hers for what felt like an endless moment.
"I am going to save your son. Come with me."
Her eyes went wide. "I-I...The Whispers-"
"I'm here now," he gently cut her off. "That's proof that change is possible."
"N-No. I've tried! Again and again only to-! It won't work!"
"We'll make it work."
"No, Vincent!" she snapped. "What can the two of us even hope to do against them?!"
"Whatever we can."
He ignored the hitch of her breath- the conflict he could see in her eyes -and kept his expression neutral. As much as he wanted her to agree, he would not allow any more of his feelings to affect her decision.
The choice would be hers alone, just as it had always been.
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"Any improvement?"
Annie shook her head with a sigh as she packed her equipment away. "Nothing that's going to make much of a difference, Mari. Might give them a day or two more, but if the kid can't come up with a cure, there's not much we can do."
"Do-...Do you think she can do it?"
"...Can't say. No one's ever tried."
When this only seemed to distress her friend, Annie tried to think of something to say that was more than an empty promise.
"But I won't say she can't. To be that young and already be a master of her craft? That means she's clever. And it's clear she already has some experience working with livestock. I'd say she has just as much chance as any other alchemist would. We just have to hope for the best."
"I suppose..."
"That reminds me, though. Have you lost any more chicks to whatever's lurking around at night?"
"Last night was quiet, thank the Goddess. Do you think it's gone?"
"Until I see a body, I'm going to say no."
"Have you heard back for that request you sent in?"
"Yeah. Thankfully, they'll be here soon and we can get rid of one worry, at least."
"How many are they sending?"
"Just one. From the sounds of it, he was already in the area on another job, and since the monster's just been targeting chicks they didn't think he'd need any help."
"I hope so. I'd hate to put-"
A knock at the door cut her off, and they exchanged confused looks.
"You expecting someone?"
"Not until tomorrow. Maybe Castalia forgot something?"
Marielle opened the door only to see Maurice standing there, looking a bit sheepish.
"Maurice? What are you doing here?"
"Sorry to bother you, Marielle, and I'm probably worrying over nothing, but I was wondering if Miss Allen was still here? She said she'd be back after giving the last of your chocobo something to tide them over while she worked on a cure, but it's getting kind of late and she hasn't come back yet."
Annie frowned. "She didn't run off, did she?"
"Annie!"
"I have to ask, Mari. She's clever, yeah, but she's still a kid. Maybe it was too much for her."
"All of her stuff is still at the inn," Maurice said with a shake of his head. "I doubt she'd leave without it."
Oh, that was a different- and much more concerning -matter entirely, then.
Judging by Marielle and Maurice's expressions, they thought the same.
"Then where-?"
All three of them gave a start when what sounded like an explosion came from the fields, then yelped as the ground shook beneath them right after. Any teasing Annie may have done over the fact that Marielle had quite literally fallen into Maurice's arms was pushed to the side as they ran out to see what was going on.
"Annie! Are you okay?! What happened?!"
She was quickly swept up herself, and Annie allowed herself a brief moment of comfort in her husband's arms before pushing away.
"I'm fine, and I'm not sure. It came from the fields, though. We need to check it out."
It felt like the whole town had joined them by the time they made it to the edge of town, but Annie's attention was quickly drawn to what looked like some sort of ram in the distance.
Only that ram was attacking Castalia- and going by the giant rock that hadn't been there before, it was doing its absolute best to make sure it succeeded.
She was running before she even realized it.
"Annie?!"
Only to get blown back off of her feet right when she reached the path leading to the fields.
"What the-?!"
"Annie are you crazy?!" Marielle asked, kneeling down and taking hold of her shoulders before shaking her back and forth. "What did you think you were going to do rushing in like that?!"
"I was going to run in and get her out of there, but something's stopping me!"
"What?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but just try going down the path!"
She could tell the exact moment Marielle reached the invisible barrier- her friend's expression going from confused to startled as she was quickly blown back.
"What is this?"
Similar exclamations of shock began resonating through the villagers as more and more of them tried to make their way out to help.
"But then- Castalia. How can we help her?"
Annie bit her lip hard as she wracked her brain for an answer.
Fortunately, it came to her moments later.
"I'll be right back!"
"Annie, where are you going?! We have to figure out-!"
"I'm calling that SOLDIER guy and telling him he needs to haul ass!" she yelled over her shoulder. "I'm not going to let whatever that is kill a kid!"
Not on her watch.
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His PHS was ringing.
Now, that in itself wasn't exactly unusual, but all of his friends knew he preferred texts while on missions and, last he'd spoken to HQ, there had been no changes in his task.
Scope out the town, investigate the claims of a monster attack and, if true, eliminate the threat.
It was straightforward enough- at least enough that the Director felt it didn't require more than one person to take care of it. Eiketre was a small village, and the report stated that only chocobo chicks had been targeted. It should have been an easy job- a nice way to wind down after the back-to-back missions he'd had ever since his promotion to 2nd Class.
Which was why he was honestly taken aback at the frantic voice that greeted him when he picked up.
"Oh, thank the Goddess. Listen, this is Annie, the one who put in the request for aid. I don't know how far you are from the village, but you need to get here yesterday!"
He frowned but prompted his chocobo to pick up the pace nonetheless. "I'm not too far out- maybe fifteen minutes? But what's happening? Has someone finally spotted the monster or has something changed in how it's attacking?"
"Both! There's a huge rock right in the middle of the fields that wasn't there before, and it shook the whole damn town when it landed!"
That sounded an awful lot like-
...but it couldn't be. No monster had that ability.
"Has it attacked anyone?"
"It's attacking someone now! There's some sort of invisible wall keeping any of us from getting to her and if you don't hurry-!"
Right. That was reason enough for a frantic phone call, he decided.
"I'll be there in five."
His chocobo would definitely be out of commission for a while, he noted with a wince when he jumped off her back a few minutes later. Poor thing had exhausted herself keeping up a brutal pace, but she'd managed to get them there in record time.
Just as well, since he could hear screams of fear and panic.
Sending her a silent apology and a promise to pamper her for the next week, he ran towards the sound. In moments, he came across what looked like the whole town gathered around a path leading east out of the village.
"Out of the way!" he raised his voice over the crowd. "Get clear and go somewhere safe!"
"You heard the man!" another voice was quick to respond. "Get as far away as you can and let him handle it!"
The villagers quickly dispersed, a few of them sending relieved, though concerned words of thanks as they were directed away by a man in a work apron. Only three people remained once they were gone, and a woman was quick to step forward.
"I'm Annie," she said. "This is Marielle and Maurice. Thanks for coming."
"Ryuu Teneil," he greeted with a curt nod of his head. "SOLDIER 2nd Class. You said something about a wall?"
"See for yourself."
She brought him over to where the crowd had been standing, and he actually had to brace himself a bit as the wind picked up around him.
"None of us could break through," Annie explained. "We all kept getting pushed back by strong gusts of wind."
This just kept getting stranger and stranger. First, a monster that seemed to be able to use comet, and now a wind barrier of some kind. Neither of which he'd ever encountered in any way before today.
Still...if it was just wind that made this...
"Oh, come on!"
His head snapped up at the familiar voice, and felt a jolt of concern when he finally realized just who was on the other side of the barrier.
"Castalia?!"
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I would admit, while I was more prone to cursing in this life than in my previous one, I still tried not to make a habit of it. But this?
"Shit! Shitshitshitfuck!" I gasped as I dodged a miniature cyclone.
This was an exception.
So far it hadn't summoned another comet thing, and I could only hope it wouldn't, because the strange, invisible barrier wasn't exactly giving me a lot of room to work with.
"Oh, come on!" I screamed in frustration as I ran into another wall.
I wasn't even trying to run anymore! I was just trying to get a good shot!
I'd only managed to get a few thus far, but they hadn't seemed to do much. In fact, nothing seemed to phase this thing at all. I wasn't sure if it was because I was too weak, the monster was just ridiculously resilient, or a combination of the two. None of them were good options, honestly.
It would probably help if I knew what the hell it was.
BAAAAHHH!
My eyes widened at the bright light that suddenly flared right next to me. I managed to dodge to the side but was met with a burst of some sort of powder to my face and that probably wasn't good.
Then I was blasted backward.
I hit the ground hard and my vision whited out from pain for a second, although that was nothing compared to the fact that I couldn't breathe.
'Focus! You can't afford to sit still with this thing! In through your nose and out through the mouth, just like Master Zangan taught you! Now, GET UP!'
Easier said than done, especially when you were winded and still in the process of getting your ass kicked by some kind of mutant monster sheep.
I was getting kind of tired, too.
"'It'll be fine,' I said," I wheezed out, choking back a few coughs as I stood and reached into my pouch for a Remedy. "'You can make it down super fast in an emergency,' I told him. Should've fucking known better than to tempt fate like that. It's just asking for trouble."
I only managed to keep dodging for a bit longer before my legs gave out beneath me. Then, the fear I'd been doing my absolute best to keep at bay surged through me when I finally stood- or tried to, at least. Instead, the world seemed to spin wildly out of control, and my body started to feel almost like it was burning.
Whatever that powder had done, Remedy wasn't curing it.
I was a sitting duck.
The demon sheep appeared to have reached a similar conclusion, since it seemed to be taking its sweet time approaching now, sharp teeth almost looking to spread in a predatory grin. It was as ridiculous as it was creepy, and I couldn't help a soft snort of laughter from escaping me.
"I would get killed by something like this, wouldn't I? Oh, Vincent is going to be pissed."
I was going to take comfort in the fact that, whatever this thing was, it wouldn't live to see tomorrow. Not after he got through with it.
I was not going to think about how this was probably going to wreck my second family.
BAAAAHHH!
I closed my eyes when I saw the light again, braced myself as best as I could for the impact (but how in the world does someone brace for their death?), and took a remorseful breath.
'I'm sorry, Cloud. Guess I couldn't keep that promise after all.'
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In Nibelheim, Cloud turned uneasily in his sleep, a fist unconsciously tightening around a well-worn chocobo toy...
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"I-...How are you so sure something can be done?"
The question was barely a whisper- the lost look in Lucrecia's eyes a better indicator of how she was feeling than her voice.
"I'm not," he admitted.
But he knew what would happen if he didn't try.
"All I know is that I can't stand aside anymore."
He thought back on a time of self-exile where he'd been drowning in regrets and what-ifs. A place he'd been so sure he'd spend the rest of his days.
Until he wasn't.
"I won't try to imagine what you've gone through all these years. The heartaches and hardships you've suffered...It will be difficult, but please, give it one more try."
Just as he had.
He took a step forward. "Lucrecia-"
"I'm sorry."
And felt the crack in his heart deepen when she looked away.
"I-...I can't fail him again," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm sorry."
He stared at the woman he loved- now broken to a point where she was almost unrecognizable from the one in his memories -and grieved.
"...Me too."
He saw her flinch, but steeled his heart and turned back toward the Whispers.
She had made her choice. Now, there wasn't any more time to waste.
"Stay here until they're gone," he told her, preparing to fight his way down the mountain. "I'll lead them away."
"No!" He felt her take hold of his cloak. "You-...You don't know what they're capable of. Don't fight them. Please."
The fear in her voice made him pause, and he sighed softly.
Even if she had made her choice, he couldn't ignore her.
"I'll wait for you in the town below for two days."
But this was the last chance he could give.
"Vincent-"
He rushed forward, the sharp crack of his gun echoing loudly moments later.
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His father had a lot of sayings. Some of them were funny, others made you think, and a rare few made him want to sink into a hole in second-hand embarrassment. The point was, it felt like his old man had a saying for just about every occasion, and he felt like he'd heard just about all of them too. Despite that, no words came to mind as he whisked the girl in his arms away from what would have probably been a really painful death.
Instead, all he could do was offer a smile of relief when her eyes opened wide in surprise.
"R-Ryuu?!"
"Fancy meeting you here, Cassie," he laughed shakily.
"How-?"
"I was already on my way to deal with whatever's been attacking the chocobos," he explained, grunting a bit as he had to make a sudden turn to avoid a mini cyclone from the very disturbing ram monster (and he most definitely did not yelp when he first saw its face. Nope. Not at all.) "But I got a call a bit ago telling me I needed to hurry like I had a Hel Firaga on my ass, so I picked up the pace and got here as quick as I could."
"But- the barrier."
"Oh. That."
Ryuu felt his eyes look up at their own accord, and a shiver trailed down his spine as they fell upon dozens and dozens of black wraiths hovering in the air all around them.
Wraiths that he hadn't even been able to see until a scant few minutes ago.
"It...wasn't as solid as it seemed," he replied, hoping his grin didn't look as fake as it felt. "It took me a bit, and a generous use of magic, but I managed to break it."
It was more like he'd only managed to disperse them enough to squeeze through (which, coincidentally, also happened to be the moment they became visible), but now wasn't really the time to go into specifics.
"Anyway, are you okay?"
"Could be better," Castalia admitted, wincing a bit when he had to make another sudden turn. "Took a few falls, might have bruised a bone or two, and I'm pretty sure I've got some kind of status on me right now. Body feels weird."
"Weird?"
"Feverish. Weak. Getting-..." she blinked slowly for a moment before weakly shaking her head with a frown. "Getting hard to concentrate."
"Remedy?"
"Didn't work."
Oh, that wasn't good.
"Try to avoid getting hit by any powder that thing shoots at you. That's-...That's when it started."
"Right."
He grit his teeth when a wraith pushed him from behind, almost tripping him up. Seemed like they were done being spectators.
"Sorry, Cassie. Gonna need you to brace yourself a sec."
Castalia gave a slight groan of pain when he shifted her from his arms to his back but gave no further complaints. Instead, she seemed to catch on to what he wanted and slipped her arms under his suspenders to give herself extra support as she clung to him.
"Are you...even going to be able to fight like this?"
"Just focus on hanging on. I'll try to finish it off quickly."
With everything he'd seen today, he wasn't going to risk the chance of these things taking off with Castalia while he was fighting the monster (and why the hell were they even targeting her anyway?). Still, whatever they were, it looked like they were counting on this freaky ram thing to finish them off.
So, logically, if he got rid of it they might go away. Or at the very least it would give him some breathing room to figure out what to do next.
Luckily, it seemed like a good chunk of them were already taking off somewhere up the mountain. He did wonder about that for a moment (you didn't retreat when you were at the advantage- not unless it was part of a plan or if soldiers were needed elsewhere), but ultimately brushed it aside. He could start figuring everything out later, but for now...
For now...
He readjusted the grip on his glaive and brought it up, testing his overall balance for a second before facing his opponent.
"Let's get started then."
He felt like he was going to have to give everything he had to this situation.
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There didn't seem to be an end to them.
Vincent scowled as he was forced to stop yet again on his way down the mountain. Getting out of the cave had already taken far longer than he was comfortable with, but any hope he'd had of a quick return once he'd broken through the wall was quickly replaced with a growing sense of irritation when he ran into another.
And another.
And another.
He growled under his breath as he brought up his gun and fired. A few Whispers fell back with a quiet, airy screech, and more moved quickly to take their place.
But not quick enough.
He sprinted forward, falling into the slight space left behind, and shot at the Whispers in front of him, repeating the action over and over until he was through.
While he might be able to actually kill them (he wasn't sure yet), the Whispers were durable enough for him to realize that doing so would take too much time and ammunition. He wasn't about to waste either of those when he didn't know what awaited him at the bottom.
"They are enforcers of Destiny- determined to keep certain events in place...and they will stop anything and anyone who threatens what should be."
They hadn't hurt Lucrecia, and all they'd been doing is blocking his path.
"Don't let this be the thing that keeps you from seeing her again."
But what would the Whispers do to Castalia, who had nothing to do with the "Destiny" they were trying to uphold?
"I-...I can't fail him again...I'm sorry."
His jaw clenched, a snarl escaping him when a group of the damn things rushed up from somewhere down the mountain.
"I don't want to lose everything again."
"Get out...of myWAY!"
"...We won't."
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You must leave now! Quickly, while they're distracted!
Cloud awoke with a start.
For a few moments, he lay on his bed, his heart racing like he'd been running for miles and a sense of urgency unlike any he'd been feeling as of late.
Looking out the window told him that it hadn't been that long since he'd dozed off. The room was dark, but the kind of soft darkness that came about right when the sun had just set, and he could still hear everyone downstairs.
He'd already told them he was going to sleep. If he left, they wouldn't notice until tomorrow morning. Afternoon, if he was lucky.
Cloud paused as the thought crossed his mind.
It was true that he was planning to leave sooner rather than later, but this seemed a little too sudden.
And yet...
He'd definitely heard someone speak to him while he'd been sleeping. The words faded from his mind the more he tried to remember, but it didn't have the malicious feeling to it that Jenova or Sephiroth had had. It was more like when Aerith or Zack had spoken to him from the Lifestream.
...Minerva then.
Whatever her reasons were for telling him to leave, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to question it when she seemed this insistent that he do it now.
Moving as quietly as he could, he crossed the hallway into Castalia's room (he did his best to push away the sudden spark of concern the thought of her brought up. She was fine), grabbed a few potions she'd left behind, and took a moment to say a silent goodbye to the twins before heading to Ma and Da's room. From there, he grabbed a copy of his papers and (more than a little guiltily) took some gil from their safebox.
Just enough to get him to Midgar. And if they ever forgave him for pulling this, he'd make sure to pay it back tenfold.
After that, it was just a matter of packing a few changes of clothes. While he would have loved to pack some food as well, he couldn't exactly go into the kitchen right now. So he'd just have to see what he could scrounge up on the way to the next town. From town it should be easy enough to catch a ride to Rocket Town, then Junon, then Midgar.
Right. Piece of cake.
...When he really thought about it, how in the world had Zack managed all of this at thirteen without any problems?
'Guess I'm about to find out.'
He could only hope Aunt Rio didn't try to chase him down on a chocobo once they realized he was gone. She seemed the type.
Well, he'd just have to make sure he got as far as he could tonight. That would make it harder to track him.
With a quiet sigh, he slowly opened his window. This wasn't the kind of departure he would have done, given more time, but he was starting to get the feeling that if he didn't leave now it would be nearly impossible to do in a month or two like he wanted.
Still, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't going to miss this.
"But I promised I'd keep you all safe, so...time to go."
Wuff.
Cloud froze with one leg on the windowsill and turned to see Lilo sitting there, staring at him.
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Even with my added weight, Ryuu burst forward in a blaze of motion. Each swing of his glaive was like a dance- one movement leading right into the next -even if it didn't seem to do much damage at the beginning. Some of those movements tugged at fuzzy memories in the back of my mind, and for a second, I could imagine a burst of flame shooting out of his closed fist.
The next second, Ryuu pierced its heart with the blade of his glaive.
Silence fell over the clearing.
"Is-...is it dead?"
"...I think so," Ryuu breathed out, his tense posture relaxing along with it. He tapped one of my legs which were wrapped around his waist and looked back with a smile. "Which means I need to set you down real quick to deal with the rest."
"The...rest?"
"Oh, that's right. You probably can't see-"
Ryuu's head suddenly jerked back, and with a sense of dread, I looked over his shoulder.
"R-Ryuu...Ryuu, it's getting back up."
"Son of a bitch. This is even worse than them fighting."
Like some sort of scene in a horror movie, the hole in the monster's chest finished closing up, seeming to be no worse for the wear other than its blood-stained pelt.
BAAAAHHH!
"Shit! Hang on tight, Cassie!"
That was actually really hard to do when your head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, but I somehow made it through the next few minutes of frantic dodging before Ryuu managed to regain his bearings. It took almost everything just to make sure I kept hanging on, however, so a lot of what followed was mostly a blur. All I knew was that Ryuu somehow managed to kill it again before he got hit with the powder.
"Fuck...Fuck!" he hissed before chancing a glance back. "Cassie, you still with me?"
Barely, but his voice gave me something to focus on, so that helped a bit.
"...'S much as I can be...I think. Keep...zoning out..."
"Exactly how long did it take for the worst effects to kick in?"
Good question...How long did it take...?
"Castalia!"
"Sorry. Sorry..."
How long did it take? Come on. Come on! Think!
"Ngh..." My eyes clenched shut as I tried to push through the fog. "T-three...?"
No, that-...that wasn't it.
"Three minutes?!"
"No..."
"Please don't tell me it's less."
"No..."
That didn't sound right either...
"Oh, thank fuck. Come on then, Cassie. Focus. How long? Five minutes? Ten minutes?"
That was it.
"...Ten..."
"Ten?"
Yeah...ten sounded right.
"Ten. Okay. Not nearly as long as I'd like but..." A pause. "...I'm going to have to put you down for this one okay?"
It...was kind of strange that he hadn't already done that.
"That's-...I'll tell you later. Anyway, just stay put and scream if you feel like you're moving, okay?"
Weird, but okay.
"Great."
The grass felt kind of funny, didn't it?
Wait...
When did I get on the ground?
"Oh, I hope this isn't permanent..."
But...grass wasn't permanent.
...It did feel funny, though. Kind of...
Gritty.
"Probably that Goddess damned powder. I'd put you somewhere else, but there's no time. Now stay right there. I'm going to finish this thing off for good."
Powder...
Powder.
There-...there was something important...about it...Right?
I think...
Did I...need it for something?
Ugh, my head was killing me.
...Maybe I needed it for that?
Where did I put my vials...?
Ah, there they were.
"SUN...STRIKE!"
BAAAAHHH!
I groaned as the light of the explosion sent a wave of pain through my head, but any thoughts went flying out of my mind when Ryuu crashed into the rock I was propped up against and limply fell to the ground.
Adrenaline and fear snapped them back into place.
"Ryuu!"
Shit, what happened?! What had I been doing up until now? Okay, I just had to take it one step at a time. What did I remember?
Ryuu saved me, and then he put me onto his back to free up his hands while he fought...
He-...He managed to kill this thing, but then...Then it came back to life! Twice!
Apart from that...I couldn't remember...because...
Because my mind had been fuzzy from the powder!
I looked down, frowning at the vials packed with said substance clenched tightly in my hand. When had I...?
I shook my head, quickly tucking them into my pouch before pulling out an elixir and a phoenix down. Now wasn't the time. I could already feel the sluggishness starting to come back now that the shock was fading, so if I wanted to help Ryuu, I had to do it now.
At least the monster was dead, I thought with a grimace. I really doubted it could come back from having its head chopped off.
...SOLDIERS really were something else, weren't they? I hadn't even managed to phase that thing and Ryuu had killed it three times- and he was only a 2nd Class!
What could someone like Sephiroth have managed?
Despite the scant bit of first aid training I remembered telling me that moving him after that kind of trauma was a bad idea, he couldn't exactly drink the elixir in his current position. So, banking on his SOLDIER durability and hoping for the best, I carefully maneuvered him until his head was propped on my legs.
"Drink up, Ryuu. You've definitely earned this. Actually, you've earned free stuff from me for life. So-...so don't go dying on me, okay?"
I could only pray his injuries weren't severe enough for these not to work.
...-ahh
No.
B-...ahhh
No...
Just what was this thing...that it could still stand up after everything? How could it still stand up after everything?!
"R-Ryuu. Ryuu, you need to wake up. Wake up! Come on, Ryuu!"
Even through the feverish haze that was falling over me again, I felt a lump in my throat as I stared down at him. His breaths were shallow, but it was enough for me to know he was still alive.
I didn't know for how much longer that would be the case.
Off to the side, the monster ram stumbled onto its legs, bleeding heavily from a fatal wound on its neck.
A fatal wound that was healing before my eyes. Again.
A fatal wound that had actually not just been a mere wound a minute ago, but a complete decapitation.
"H-How is this even fair...?" I choked out.
~Present~
I-...I never stood the slightest chance against this thing, did I? There was no way. Even if I had somehow managed to defeat it at the start, it would have just come back again and again until it killed me.
Hell, if it hadn't been for Ryuu, I would have already been dead.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this..."
Because it was more than clear that, for whatever reason, I was its target.
"I'm sorry that you got hurt because of me..."
Ryuu never would have been here otherwise.
"I never should have come to this town."
...But.
"We will do what we can, which is more than if we did nothing at all."
I was here.
I was here...and there was no changing that. No going back.
I had to keep moving forward, even if it meant only taking two more steps before I fell for good. That was still two steps more than if I had just stopped where I was. It might not have been a lot, but...
I looked down, Ryuu's face becoming blurry as tears flooded my eyes.
It was enough.
"I know this might sound selfish after all you did to keep me safe, but..."
Thank you, for being here.
"This time, let me protect you instead."
B-BAAAHH!
Funny. The comet's light was almost...warm.
. . .
"Shield...Wall."
OOOOOOO
It was quiet.
He ran into the field, his gaze quickly taking in its ragged state. Chunks of the ground were either upturned or full of scorch marks. No less than four comets were settled in the craters they'd created. There was debris everywhere.
But there was only one thing he was looking for.
There.
He was at her side the next moment, carefully turning her around in his arms and gently pressing against the side of her neck.
Where was it?
...Where was it?!
-mp...
B-bmp...
Ba-bump...Ba-bump...Ba-bump.
All the fight. All the anxiousness and worry. It felt like it all drained away when he felt her pulse beneath his fingers. It was weak, but present.
She was alive.
A sliver of black cloth brushed against her cheek, and his vision turned red.
"Get...away."
~She...does not belong.~
"I...will decide that."
~You forget your place...Harbinger.~
"As the Arbiters have forgotten theirs! I am the only one who may shephard death upon the lives of this world. No other! Yet you dare to encroach upon the task set upon me."
~A task you have failed...trapped for eternity in a mortal vessel...Destiny must be upheld...~
"Is Destiny so easily broken that it is threatened by one?"
~This one...knows too much...You have seen it...through the eyes of your vessel...~
"Perhaps...it is not her you should truly be concerned over."
He could practically taste Minerva's blessing on the boy, after all, and if Minerva herself was somehow involved in all this...Well, she had proven that she wasn't a force to be taken lightly. Even against Destiny itself.
~There is...no other...~
Well...It seemed Minerva was concealing her actions from the Arbiters. Impressive, though perhaps a bit foolhardy, as it was difficult to keep anything hidden from the workings of Fate for long.
Ba-bump...Ba-bump...Ba-bump...
...He supposed he could humor her whims, for now.
"As you say. Regardless, you are not to approach this child again."
The Arbiters around him flew faster, the only tell of their ire.
~Destiny-~
"Has never been confined to a single path. It seems you have forgotten much more than your place."
A spark of virulent violet flashed for an instant.
~Destiny...will be fulfilled...With...or without you...~
...Curious.
Still, they were gone, which was his intent. At least now he would no longer be bombarded by his vessel's turbulent emotions. Honestly, a few years in a deep sleep and the man lost all control of them. Hardly befitting of one granted the honor of hosting him.
If he was to be bound to a mortal for the rest of his days, the very least his vessel could do was be a dignified one.
"O-Oh..."
Hmm?
He looked down and noticed the child had awoken. Now, she was staring up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.
So, it seemed that even though his visage had changed somewhat since his binding, his form was still able to instill fear in mortals. Goo-
"I-I'm so glad."
What?
"You're here," she sobbed, relief thick in her voice. "Y-You're here...and you're okay...I'm so g-glad..."
B-Bahh!
The child flinched.
Flinched! When she hadn't done the same in his frightening presence! Turning, he scowled at the ragged, bloody creature before him. A creature that did not even belong to this world, from the looks of it.
How dare this pathetic thing garner more fear than him?
B-Ba-
"Chaos Slam."
His scowl deepened when a piece of horn chipped off from the resulting explosion cut across his face while he turned the girl away. Normally such a thing would never come close to injuring him, but perhaps it was because this was a creature brought forth from a different time and space. He could hear its soul ring dissonantly from the song of the planet, and that dissonance could be what gave it the ability to harm him in unexpected ways. If the Arbiters were aware of that and had brought this creature here with that in mind, then they were craftier than he gave them credit for.
He would need to be more cautious.
That aside, the death screech it gave was hardly satisfying, but as he watched its body fade and harmonize with the Great Flow, he was mollified by the fact that he'd just caused another annoyance for said Arbiters. After all, if it hadn't been a part of their world before, it certainly was now that it had been absorbed. If Minerva was truly against the Arbiters, as she seemed to be, she would ensure that more would appear now that she had the necessary knowledge to create them at her disposal.
Their fault for not cleaning up after themselves.
His attention was drawn back to the girl when he felt her curl in closer to him and tremble.
"T-Thank you...Thank you."
"...Hmph."
He was blaming his vessel for this.
Still, it wouldn't do to teach her how to fear him properly- not now when he could feel his vessel regaining awareness and starting to fight for control. No, he would have to save that lesson for another time.
Not for a while, perhaps, as it was only due to extenuating circumstances that he had appeared tonight, but there was no doubt that it would happen.
"Sleep, child," he growled instead, tapping a clawed finger against her forehead and granting her the ability to see the Arbiters as an amusing afterthought. "You're annoying."
A flare of protectiveness almost had him rolling his eyes.
"If you do not wish for me to take control then take better care of your possessions, Vessel. I may not be so inclined to aid you next time."
He did roll them at the indignation that followed when he set the girl on the ground.
"I did not deal with those annoyances just to have the girl be crushed under the weight of your collapsing body."
'Collapsing-?'
"What, you thought yourself ready to handle my power?" he laughed darkly. "You will never be ready, Vincent Valentine. Remember this, and perhaps you may have a chance of surviving it."
Uncaring of the fact that he was still standing, he relinquished control. If his vessel landed painfully, well, that was his vessel's fault. Not his.
At least the girl was sensible enough to follow his commands and not talk back.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Lilo, shh. Shh..."
Cloud gently pet her head, praying that those soft, high-pitched whistle whines wouldn't turn into something loud enough for the others to hear.
"I'm sorry, girl, but I have to do this. It's important."
Whine.
He flinched when she looked up at him with doleful eyes, almost as if pleading with him to stay.
He was starting to understand why Castalia had had such a hard time saying goodbye to her now.
"I know it's hard, but I'll come back, okay? Once everything is over-...it'll be different."
Dear Goddess, how many times had Zack been around whining dogs to be able to recreate that kicked puppy look so accurately? Should he be concerned about that?
"I need you to look after everyone while I'm gone, okay? That'll be your job. Keep'm safe."
Lilo's head suddenly tilted, one ear slightly raised as if she were listening to something. Whatever it was, it seemed to change her attitude, and with a soft wuff and a lick to his hand, she turned away and settled down on his bed.
...Weird.
Shaking his head to focus, he carefully climbed back onto the windowsill.
"See you later."
Midgar, here he comes.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~Chapter End
Ugh, that took forever.
And you know? Back when I posted the last chapter, I'd still planned to reach farther than this point in this one. Once again, however, this one just kept getting longer and longer until we reached where we are now.
I was determined to not leave off on such a steep cliff this time, though.
The next chapter will be the aftermath of this one where we'll wrap things up, as well as set things up for the next arc. Should be fun.
Also, while I'd really love to elaborate on some of the things that have happened here, I really need to get ready for work. So if you have any questions, feel free to stop by my Tumblr and drop an ask. I also put up some picrews of Ryuu, if you're interested in seeing more or less what he looks like.
I'll post this up on AO3 when I get back, but for now...
I hope you liked it! Take care, and until next time!
