Author's Note: I apologize for the wait folks. Right now I'm kinda in a slump. Bummer.
Author Note 1: I thank all those who reviewed some of the chapters too! Woot!
Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just anything outside of the game I own…cha cha cha!!
Part 8
"PUSH YOURSELF!!"
The next day came and today, out in the wastelands beyond Midgar, Selena thought it was about time she learned the art of fighting. Sadly, she seemed to be having a rough time. Shibuki was mentoring her and boy, did she find out quick that he was all business. For the seventh time in a row, Shibuki knocked her down and pinned her to the ground in his lion form. He slowly backed off from her and let her up. Eyes scrunched tightly close, she slammed an infuriated fist into the ground.
"Damn it!" she cried out and Shibuki took a seat on his haunches.
"You want to get Faera back don't you?"
"Of course I do! Otherwise I wouldn't be out here!" she snapped at the Summon and Shibuki shook his head.
"It's not enough to be out here Selena. You really have to put effort behind it."
"I'M TRYING!!"
"Well, not hard enough!" Shibuki growled and released a frustrated roar before pacing. Suddenly, Sigmund came out from the shade of an out jutted boulder and approached them.
"Shibuki, may I take over this lesson?" he asked cautiously and the big cat fixed his noble amber eyes on the silver wolf.
"Fine…just don't get carried away." The elder breathed irritably before taking his place under Sigmund's previous refuge. Sigmund watched the big cat go and took a seat on his haunches, his undivided attention on the goddess now.
"Okay, Selena, let's try something different. You like dancing right?"
She nodded and Sigmund's ear twitched as a fly began to pester him. He nipped at it, missed and tried again. After failed attempt of trying to catch the pest, Selena's hand shot out and
snatched the fly away from Sigmund. She opened her fist and let it go, it buzzed away to go bother someone else.
"What were you saying again?"
"…Oh yes…Dancing and fighting…right! Okay, both are very similar in many ways. As you know from experience, dancing is all about rhythm and timing like waltzing!"
"I hate waltzing though."
"I know, just go with me on this one, 'kay! Okay, look, fighting requires the same thing and it's not always about physical strength either." He explained and shifted back into his human form. He doubled his fists and took his stance.
"Come at me."
"What?"
"Just do it! I'll go easy on you, I promise."
Selena looked skeptical, but gave in. She quietly took her stance: her palms open and up. She slid her bare feet against the earth, analyzing the texture and her environment.
"Anytime today would be good."
"Sigmund…"
"What?"
"You're dead when I get through with you."
In a blur, she flew at him and went to slap him, but he caught her wrist in his left hand.
"Am I? Well, let's see my Goddess…" With yell, he swung her forward and pushed her to the ground. Selena scrambled to her feet as he slowly began to approach. She backed away slowly, until she felt the heated part of rock jutted out from behind her. A plan formulated. As Sigmund got close enough, she whipped around in aquamarine whirlwind, cut the trunk of the stone in half and sent it flying at Sigmund in one swift round house kick.
Sigmund hit the dirt as the chunk flew over head. He peered up with in a split second and made a scramble as Selena was onto him and went to slam her fist into him. Lucky for him, he moved just in time or else, she might a broken some bones instead of creating a fissure in the desert soil.
"Easy Selena! It's just practice!" he cried, eyes widened with fright as the goddess flipped her hair from her face.
"Yes, I know but I wanted to make sure you didn't get too confident." She smirked and giggled.
Suddenly, a golden blur erupted from her side and she dodged just in time to see Shibuki's fist sail inches from her face. But it didn't stop there. She dodged, blocked and guided his fists away from her body until he flipped back and lunged at her in lion form. With a little grin, she danced aside, but the grin faded instantaneously when thick tail wrapped around her wrist as he flew past. She was dragged down, he whipped around and with a roar, he brought his paw down. His claws collided with the earth and he had purposely missed her golden head.
Eyes wide with surprise, Selena couldn't bring herself to breathe. When Shibuki got serious, she knew she could not expect him to ease up. It was not in his nature to do so. His tail unfurled from her wrist and he frowned. He sat promptly on his haunches and frowned. Sigmund trotted up to him and he was not happy.
"I said I would train her! What's your problem?!"
"You were being too lenient, Sigmund. What Selena needs is a mentor, not a childhood friend. I respect the fact that you care a lot about her, but a fight with Artemia is the very matter of life and death for Selena and the world. If Selena dies, all that gathered life in the Lifestream will gather and feed off itself until it has nothing left to give. The dead would not have proper burials and the livelihood of newborn children would not exist. There will be nothing left." He replied solemnly and looked to the clear blue sky.
Selena slowly sat up and wrapped an arm about herself. What could a lowly base born like herself accomplish against someone like Artemia? She slowly picked herself up off the ground and started walking away.
"Selena, where are you going?"
Sigmund was about to trot after her, but Shibuki was on his feet and blocked his path.
"Isn't it obvious? Our beloved goddess, the very goddess we practically raised, is just going to give up. It's a shame isn't it?" he said sourly as he fixed his narrowed amber eyes on her. Selena stopped in her tracks and mumbled "There's no way I can win, Shibuki."
Shibuki unleashed an angry roar and instantly, Sigmund dashed past Shibuki to act as a shield between the two of them.
"Don't you roar at her like that!" Sigmund snarled protectively and his hair was on end. Shibuki regained his usual serene composure, but his thick ebony claws tightened down into the earth, shifting through the dirt and cracking the stones that stood in their way. It was very rare that he got angry, but right now, he was in no mood to be challenged by his lupine pupil.
"Sigmund, stand down. I have no wish to hurt you."
"Stop it…JUST STOP IT!!" Selena screamed at them as earthen spikes erupting from behind her. She whipped around in all beautiful fury and a dark wind swept across the wastelands. Her eyes glowed brightly as her once gentle somber expression contorted into a wicked snarl. Sigmund was terrified of this being before him, but Shibuki stood his ground.
…That's right…channel your fury…channel your wrath and use it as your weapon… he thought as he watched her struggling to control herself.
"Don't restrain it Selena, channel it!" he yelled to her as he crouched down, ready to pounce. She shook her head.
"Damn it Selena!! Think of all the pain she's put you through!! Think of all your friends and family she's hurt!! Grasp your godly wrath and unleash it into a furious wave!!" he bellowed and dashed at her. She clutched her head as the fear and anger surged through her entity. She glanced up at the last second, just as Shibuki became air born, and something happened. An aquamarine light erupted before her, ensnared the Lion Summon and promptly smashed him into the ground.
The ultimate sound of silence settled and the light crept back from whence it came. Selena collapsed on the ground, wide eyed and horrified by what just happened.
"S-Shibuki?" she called out softly, but there wasn't a sound. She carefully rose up and shakily approached the massive crater before her. Sigmund warily approached her side and they looked down in. In the crater, Shibuki lay in his human form struggling to get to his feet and occasionally coughing up blood.
"Oh no…what have I done?" she murmured and rushed down the slope to get to him. She skid to a halt, dropped down beside him and instantly set to work on healing both external and internal injuries.
"Shibuki…Shibuki, I'm so sorry…" she quailed as the tears streamed down her cheeks. The great Lion Summon looked up at the goddess and gave a rare smile. He reached out and dried her right eye.
"Good girl, Selena. A little rough perhaps, but still…We have to get you to do it again."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU!!" she yelled at him and quickly wiped away her tears. She scowled at him as she finished what she could and helped him sit up. Shibuki gave a painful laugh and replied "Selena, I am of the earth. It will take much more than that to kill me off. Let's try it again."
"Absolutely not! We're going back to the bar and you're going to rest. End of discussion." She snapped and helped him to his feet. With the help of Sigmund, they got out of the crater and went back to the bar.
7th Heaven Bar…
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
Cloud peered into the kitchen to find Tifa cutting up some vegetables. She turned to him and gave a gentle smile.
"I'm fine when you're around."
That's right…act normal…act as if everything is fine… said a dark angelic voice in Tifa's mind. Tifa gave Cloud a wink and returned to her task at hand. Cloud cocked an eyebrow out of surprise and shrugged.
"Ummm…okay I guess…Do you need any help? I've got nothing better to do."
"No, I'm fine." She replied and batted her eyelashes at him. Cloud only nodded and decided it was best if he left the room now. He took a seat in the bar room and lazily drummed his fingers against the counter. He hated having nothing to do and having all his energy being wasted like this. Suddenly the door opened and he turned to see Selena and Sigmund helping in a battle worn Shibuki.
Cloud was on his feet instantly as he took Shibuki from Selena. They escorted the Lion Summon up the stairs and along the way, Cloud asked "What happened? Were you attacked again?"
Sigmund snorted and replied "Nope. Shibuki bit off more than he could chew when we were practicing." Selena shot him a dirty look and his sheepish grin faded. Selena tucked Shibuki in and sighed.
"Get some rest and I swear if I catch you out of bed without a reasonable explanation, you'll be in much bigger trouble than earlier." She chided and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She guided Sigmund and Cloud out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Cloud cocked an eyebrow.
"Practicing? Practicing for what?"
"Never mind. I fear it's beyond your concern."
"…You want to get Faera back, don't you?"
Selena eyes lit up and she slowly nodded.
"Yeah…I'd do anything to get her back. I mean, Faera's like family to me."
"…Alright, I guess I can help you. I have nothing better to do anyway."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Absolutely not!"
Cloud tilted his head and looked confused as Selena shook her head. She didn't want him getting involved any further.
"Cloud, you and Tifa have done so much for me and look at what has happened. Tell me, do you really think I want to endanger your lives any further?"
"Well, if our lives are in danger, then why stay here? No one's confining you here."
Selena's gaze met his own and they stared the other down.
"What exactly are you implying Cloud Strife? Do you really want me to leave that badly?"
"No, that's not it! I was just-"
"Does Tifa see me as a threat? Does she want me to leave-"
"Selena! No one's asking you to leave. I was just saying that you came here of your own free will."
Selena frowned a little, placed a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes.
"Free will is an understatement. I went into hiding remember?"
"…So do you want me to help you or not?"
Selena tilted her head now. Was he really that bored at the moment? With a sigh, she nodded in defeat and placed a hand over her eyes.
"Alright, alright…have it your way, but if you die, I won't forgive you." She said calmly. Sudden footsteps caught Selena's attention and she turned to see Tifa standing behind her. Tifa shot her a brief glare and then turned to smile at Cloud.
"Cloud, Reno just called. He said Rufus wanted to see you about something important." She informed him and occasionally shot glares at Selena. Cloud sighed and stretched lazily. Well, he did say he wanted something to do, but after a while, catering to people like the Turks made him feel not as energetic as before.
"Fine…" he grumbled but added "but Selena's comin' with me."
"WHAT?! But why Cloud?"
"Because I said I was going to help her look for Faera."
"But Cloud, do you even know where she is? It'll take a miracle to find her."
"That's why I'll be going along." Sigmund called out and grinned. Tifa frowned and put her hands on her hips.
"Oh I see how it is…" she growled menacingly as she turned to shoot Selena a death glare. Selena put her hands up defensively and yipped "It's not like that at all Tifa! I'm not trying to take Cloud from you!"
"Yes, you are! You just think because you're a goddess that every guy you come across will fall for you!"
"Tifa, what are you talking about? I don't have any intentions of taking Cloud-"
She was stopped short as the lovely bartender smacked her across the face. Cloud's eyes widened as he quickly restrained Tifa. Sigmund, naturally, went to Selena's side and put his arms protectively about her. Selena blinked away the tears of confusion. She had never seen the bar tender like this.
"Tifa…" the goddess gasped as she tried to keep her composure from crumbling under the scrutinizing glare of Tifa. Selena could hear a lupine growl forming in Sigmund's throat. She looked up and saw his eyes were alight with fury and his teeth were bared. Cloud quickly put Tifa behind him and acted as her shield.
"I know what Tifa did was wrong, but I can't let you hurt her." He said quietly. He watched warily as Sigmund's silver hair stood on end and his growls intensified.
"Sigmund…please don't fight…"
"No…I won't let that bitch get away with that…One way or another, when I get my hands on her, she'll wish she were dead. I don't care if I have to go through him to get to her." He
snarled as he slowly pulled away from Selena. Selena made a grab for him, but it was too late. He lunged and the battle ensued.
Author Note #2: Cliffhanger!! Okay, I know this chapter may seem sketchy, probably because I know where I wanna take it, but sometimes I have a hard time trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation. So all in all I apologize if the characters seem OOC.
P.S.: I will not take this story down just because people don't like it, but as a compromise, I'm willing to redo a chapter. So please quit saying 'take it down' because chances are I will not tolerate that phrase or anything hinting toward it. So…Toodles!!