Making progress, yes I am. I am SPOILING you.
After much depate with some friends (such as EarmuffedAmazon, who needs to post her Bones fanfiction STAT!), I have decided that, well, yes there is some language in my fic, but there is no violence, and certainly no sexual content, so a rating of M just didn't make sense. My fic is now rated T.
Thank you to everyone who is reading this and an extra special thank you to everyone who has left me a pretty review!
The Place Where There is Water.
Now with his horn Assallam struck a barren rock, piercing it to a great depth, and drew forth a gushing spring of life. Wherever those waters flowed, fires were quenched and the Earth was made fertile with a multitude of fruitful things. Great trees rose up and blossomed, and under their shade came beasts both wild and tame. All this was by the intent of the Holy One, and the Unicorn was the instrument of His will. In such a way was formed the Garden of the Unicorn, called Shamagim, which means the Place Where There is Water.
Unicornis: On the History and Truth of the Unicorn
annotated by Michael Green
Part Three
The Flower Girl was watching over them. She had always been watching over them. Even now, in the rainy darkness, they could feel her presence.
Even Tifa.
The frantic woman finally came to a stop in an alleyway once she realized she had no idea where she was going, or even where she was. She leaned against the side of a building for support while catching her breath, sobbing uncontrollably as she did so. With her back against the wall, she slowly slid down, letting out a cry of agony as she did so.
She found herself calling out a name. It was a name she would not have expected to say, not earlier. But here, in this rain, she somehow knew the person would hear her, and she knew the person would know how much she felt betrayed.
"Aerith!"
There was no response but for the chills that ran through her body.
"I thought you were there! I thought you were there to protect him! How could you?"
Again, nothing.
"How could you?"
Joy, such intense joy. That is what Tifa had felt on the bridge of the airship. Tifa had thought that it was joy over Cloud's victory, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe, it was over Aerith's. Perhaps Aerith knew what was coming, and was therefore happy that, in the end, she had truly won and now Cloud was finally hers.
No, she wouldn't. Don't think like that! Aerith was your friend!
But Tifa didn't know what to think anymore.
She had to admit that she had always been jealous of Aerith. The flower merchant was so beautiful and strong. She was the type of person who could walk into a room and instantly make friends with everyone in it, and rarely did she meet a man who did not fall in love with her.
Tifa knew perfectly well, back when they traveled together in the name of saving the Planet, just who it was that had the strongest hold on Cloud's heart. It was that very fact that had made Aerith's death so hard for Tifa to bare. The jealosy, in time, had turned into a guilt that she could not shake off, no matter how deep she tried to burry it.
But now that guilt was threatening to turn into anger. Anger at losing the love that was never fully hers. Her feelings were unrequited, and no matter what the two of them shared, or the things that she did in the name of their friendship, Tifa knew that a girl in a pink dress would always come between them.
She knew it wasn't on intent; Aerith had certainly never known how Tifa truly felt about her childhood friend. Tifa had even told Aerith countless times that there was nothing between them, being too afraid to allow her heart to be known.
She would never get a chance to reveal it now.
Tifa pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face against the rain. "Please, please don't take Cloud away," she sobbed.
You plea for his life?
Tifa's head jerked up and she saw, much to her surprise and horror, a pair of glowing yellow eyes from further down the alley. She quickly stood, taking a defensive stance.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the eyes moved forward.
"Who's there?" she demanded, quickly wiping her face with her hand.
The creature came forward into the dim light that filtered into the alley from the street, revealing itself to be a small, gray wolf.
Tifa's eyes widened in shock. Had this creature spoken to her? It didn't look like any relative of Red XIII's, but what other answer was there? She took a tentative step toward the beast in curiosity.
The wolf merely gazed up at her with it's large glowing eyes, and Tifa couldn't help noticing that, despite the rain, the animal appeared to still be dry.
"Who are you?" she finally asked.
A friend.
Not once did the wolf's mouth move.
Tifa couldn't help but feel like she should recognize the voice, but she could not remember ever hearing it before. She couldn't even tell if it was male or female.
"What did you mean by what you said before? You won't what?"
The wolf cocked its head sideways and gave her a curious look. After a moment its eyes lit up and Tifa swore that she saw it smile at her. It then turned and bounded off down the alley in the opposite direction.
"Wait!" she called, running after it.
The wolf ran fast and was far ahead of her, but every time she turned a corner she saw the distant swish of a tail going around another. Was it stopping to wait for her each time? Where was she being led?
It seemed as if she was being led toward the center of the city where the streets were more densely populated, but as she turned down the main street that would lead her to Monument Square, the site of the riot earlier that day, she saw the wolf turn down another street off to the side that led away. As Tifa followed it finely dawned on her just where the wolf was going; the ruins of Midgar. Perhaps to the site of the explosion where Reeve and the W.R.O. still searched?
But no, the wolf seemed to be leading her away from that area. There were much more direct roads than the ones they were taking.
She finally came to a stop at the edge of the town, leaning against the side of a building to catch her breath. The wolf had finally gotten too far ahead for her to see it, but she knew perfectly well where she was. This was the road that would lead straight down into the old sector five slums.
When Tifa looked up she saw that the wolf had come back. It stood in the light of a street lamp a few feet away.
"Where are you taking me?" she panted, her words barely audible in the intensifying rain.
I am showing you where to go.
"Why?"
Everyone else must come this way.
"Everyone else? I don't understand."
The wolf turned again and bounded off down the road into the slums. Tifa stared after the animal in disbelief, still trying to regain her breath. She then reluctantly pulled away from the wall and made her way down into the slums.
It wasn't an easy road to travel. It was very steep, and once it got a short ways away from the new growth of civilization it fell into disrepair. It was mostly made up of gravel and chunks of tar and concrete hastily thrown together without care. It was slow going, and the rain turned the finer gravel into mud, making the road slick and dangerous to walk on.
The wolf was waiting for her at the bottom. When Tifa saw it she took off in a run, wanting to catch up to it before it got too far away again. However, she did not see the smooth, mud-covered rock that she stepped on with her right foot, and before her mind had time to register that she was falling, she found herself flat on her back and staring up at the rainy sky.
Closing her eyes, Tifa let out a cry of frustration. She was sore, tired, wet, and now completely covered in mud. She had no idea where the wolf was leading her or even exactly why she was following it in the first place.
She sensed a presence standing beside her and blinked in the rain, barely making out the figure of the wolf in the darkness. She closed her eyes as she once again began to cry.
"Why are we doing this?"
The wolf did not answer.
"Please, just leave me here."
No one will be left behind.Tifa rolled over away from the wolf and propped herself up into a sitting position with her arms. A flash of lightning revealed her hands to be completely submerged in mud, but she didn't care.
"No one? No one at all?" she asked in a shaky voice. "And just who qualifies as no one, huh? Me for some reason?"
There was no answer.
"So why me, then? What about everyone else? What about Cloud? And Denzel? How come the rain can heal everyone else but not Denzel?"
The first rain washed away any taint that it touched. We did not cause this new rain.
Tifa bowed her head and began to sob. She felt a presence next to her again and assumed that it was the wolf come up behind her, but this time she felt hands rest on her shoulders, and she heard a very distinct high, soft feminine voice, one that she definitely knew she had heard before and would never forget.
"Please don't be so angry. This isn't like you."
Tifa's eyes went wide and her sobs stopped immediately. She held her breath, afraid to breathe out.
"You know I would never willingly cause you pain."
Another flash of lightning revealed a shadow on the ground of the woman behind her, but when Tifa turned to look upon her lost friend, no one was there.
"Aerith?"
Only the wolf remained, its head cocked to the side, continuing to stare with its bright yellow eyes. Tifa slowly stood, and when she finally got to her feet the wolf took off again. But now Tifa knew where they were going.
Before long, she found herself standing in the doorway of an old abandoned church. It was such a relief to finally be out of the rain. She took a few steps inside, her shoes squishing as she walked.
Tifa had been expecting total darkness once she stepped inside, but there seemed to be a soft glow that illuminated the entire sanctuary without actually casting off any light. Looking down she noticed muddy foot prints and hastily took her shoes off.
The wolf was standing further down the main isle between the pews staring at something Tifa could not see. As she approached, however, she gasped at what she saw before her.
She had been in this church many times before. The wolf stood at what had once been the edge of a flowerbed. Now it was the edge of a pool. Tifa came up beside the animal and squatted down beside it, stretching out her hand to touch the water.
The heavy rain fell in through a large whole in the roof, causing the water to ripple. Despite this, the water was perfectly clear and light enough for her to see the bottom. This appeared to be the source of the soft glow that lit up the sanctuary.
When she looked up at the wolf, she noticed that the it wasn't staring at anything at all. Its eyes were closed and its head was bowed, as if in prayer.
"What happened to the flowers?"
The wolf kept its head bowed and remained silent for a few moments. Tifa became afraid that she may have interrupted its prayer. But then the wolf opened its eyes and looked up across the pool.
Taint.
"Taint?"
Destroyed by one who was tainted. The Planet wishes to be rid of them. The rain brought about their death.
"Whose death?"
The remnants of her legacy.
"Her?"
The Calamity from the Skies.
"Calamity from the Skies? Jenova! You mean those three silver haired men?" The wolf bowed its head again.
Tifa nearly fell over in her excitement, managing to catch herself with her knees on the ground. "So they're dead? You know this?"
Mm.
"What about Cloud? Where is he? What was that explosion?"
Again the wolf remained silent.
Tifa slammed her fists on the floor. "Answer me, please!"
A decision has not yet been reached.
"About what?"
Life or death.
With that, the wolf turned and began to walk down the isle toward the entrance.
Baptism in the holy waters of Shamagim erases all sin; all taint. This is a holy place once more.
"Wait!" Tifa cried out. "Don't leave! Please! If you know where Cloud is tell me! Where do I find him? How do I save him?" But the wolf kept walking.
"I BEG YOU!" she screamed. She turned to face the entrance, still on her knees. She put her hands out in front of her and bowed low. "On my hands and knees I beg you. Please tell me!"
There were a few moments of silence.
You humble yourself for him?
Tifa swallowed hard but did not move from her position. "I would do anything for him."
How deeply do you care?
"I love him." This was the first time she had ever admitted the fact out loud to anyone.
There was silence. Whether the wolf was still there or not, Tifa did not know, but she dared not look up, lest it might believe she wasn't sincere.
She then heard the soft steps of padded feet and saw the edges of furry paws in the outskirts of her vision. The wolf stopped directly in front of her, looking down. Tifa did not meet its gaze.
I am only a messenger.
Tifa did not reply
I will let the judges know that which may persuade them. For now, do not fear. He is not alone where he is. He has friends.
"Who?" Although Tifa already knew.
Perhaps the wolf sensed this, for it did not answer, but instead turned and again made it's way toward the entrance. Tifa slowly raised her head and watched the beast go. Once at the entrance, it turned to look at her. After a few seconds, however, Tifa got the impression that she was not whom it was looking at. She turned around and sure enough, on the other side of the pool, stood another creature.
It was something she had never seen before. It was white, and larger than the wolf yet much smaller than a chocobo. Through the curtain of thick rain that fell through the ceiling Tifa had a hard time making out exactly what it was. But there was one thing that was certain; it had bright green eyes that stared back at her with a feeling of gentleness. She couldn't see them clearly, but the image surfaced in her mind.
Tifa stared at the creature for a good long while, and couldn't shake the feeling that she knew those eyes well. She stood and made to walk around the pool for a closer look, but the creature turned and quickly bounded through the door in the back of the sanctuary and was gone.
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"Hey, Denzel," said Marlene as she walked into the main room of the bar. The boy had not gone into the back with the others. He was sitting at one of the tables with his head resting on his folded arms. Reno and Rude had not even noticed him sitting there when they had made their exit.
"Denzel?" She stopped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay. Remember what I said before? The Fl…" Before Marlene could finish, though, the boy looked up at her.
"Marlene, I…"
Without thinking, Marlene took a step back away from Denzel as he fell out of the chair and onto the floor. Thick black liquid oozed out of the boil on his forehead. The little girl's scream brought the two men and the cat that remained in the building into the room, only to find her crouching on the floor over her fallen friend.
"He needs a bandage!" she managed through her tears.
"What the hell?" cried Cid. "Where are they?" But Marlene had begun crying too hard to answer.
Vincent quickly made his way over to the two children and knelt down on the floor. "Show Cid and Reeve where the bandages are."
Marlene was momentarily distracted by her confusion. "R…Reeve?"
"The cat," he replied. "I'll bring Denzel upstairs."
She sobbed again.
Vincent gently scooped the boy up in his arms and looked down at Marlene. "You need to be tough. Crying won't help. Show them where the bandages are."
Marlene remembered how, a couple months previous, she had witnessed Denzel have an attack for the first time. Tifa had sat on the edge of his bed dressing the discolored spot on his forehead while she stood in the doorway, crying. Cloud had walked up from behind and knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I know it's scary, but you need to be tough if you want to help. Denzel can't get better if you don't. Understand?"
But not long after that, Cloud had left them. He had left because he, too, was sick with the stigma. All these people, they needed help. Geostigma made them weak, so they needed those who weren't sick to be strong. Otherwise they would never get better.
And then there was the Flower Girl. She was with them tonight to make sure things turned out all right in the end. How could that fact be forgotten so easily? With this thought, Marlene whimpered, then looked up at Vincent and nodded in understanding.
Vincent stood and proceeded to carry Denzel up the stairs to what he thought must be the room he shared with Marlene do to all the toys scattered about. He placed the unconscious child on one of the beds and covered him with blankets. Very soon after Cid, Cait Sith, and Marlene entered carrying the bandages. To the surprise of them all, Marlene insisted on dressing the infection herself, claiming that she had done so many times before.
"I do it all the time. I just got scared, but I'm not anymore!" she said in defiance, and did a very fine job indeed of placing the bandage on Denzel's head.
"So, got a soft spot for kids, huh?" Cid asked teasingly of his enigmatic comrade.
"Hm," Vincent replied, "Someone had to take control while the rest of you panicked."
"Hey, I didn't panic," the pilot retorted.
Vincent did not answer, but merely turned and left the room.
--------
"Anythin' Red?" Barret asked of the beast standing a few feet ahead of him.
"The scent is going cold from the rain, but I think she went this way," Red XIII replied, cocking his head towards a street at their right.
"I sure wish we'd brought flash lights. Why is this place so dark? Shouldn't a city have more lights?" asked Yuffie, coming up from behind Barret.
"What? You're 'ninja skills' no' include findin' your way in the dark?" he asked.
"You're not funny," she replied.
"Perhaps I may help," said Red XIII. He raised his tail up in the air over him, and the ever-constant flame that burnt on its tip grew brighter. He looked up at his human companions and smiled. "I've learned to control it, and the rain can't make it go out."
"Nice," said Barret, "Now let's go."
The three of them proceeded down the street and continued on until they came to another intersection.
"Aw, which way?" asked Yuffie.
"She's nearby," Red XIII replied. "Down this way."
The three took another right and made their way slowly down the street; Red XIII leading the way with his nose pressed to the ground.
Not very far down the street Red XIII stopped abruptly, lifting his nose to the air and sniffing. Twenty feet ahead of them the road began to slope sharply down into the slums of Midgar.
"What's down there?" Yuffie asked.
"Tifa," Barret guessed.
Three chapters, boom, boom, boom. But starting this weekend they may not come so quickly. Not only am I moving, but I'm going back to school, so please bare with me. I know I've spoiled you all so far, but just don't think that I'm ever giving up on this one!
And I'm totally copping out on Cait Sith. I can't write Scottish accents (and when, by the way, did Cait Sith become Scottish?).