AN: Hello everyone! Welcome back to chapter four! Not that I was rushing things, but I'm super excited for the next mission for there will be a huge surprise in the midst! And I'm so sorry for not updating :(( Had no inspiration until recently, so please continue to review, guys, I'm losing it as we speak.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. Just me, myself, and I.
To Anon: Oh my gosh thank you so much for your review~ :3 Thanks for the tip; I'll keep that in mind~!
To EmperorPalamecia: Haha, will do! And thank you for your review..!
To Lethum: Thanks for the review! And I'm sorry for not updating. :/ I kinda lost my inspiration. T_T
To pinkus-pyon: Arigatou~ I like your review too..! ^O^
Please read and review, thanks!
Enjoy Save File No. 4
~Rivai
Save File Four
The train finally screeched to a halt outside Sector 7 train station. Everyone disembarked the train while I went along with them. Stepping outside, I breathed a small sigh of relief which was built up inside of me. I'm glad to get back home and rest. Plus there's the promised dinner Tifa said earlier. When I thought about food, my stomach grumbled audibly. I, too, grumbled as I walked into the station, waiting for the others to catch up to us.
"Yo! Get over here, all' ya!"
Everyone gathered around Barret, waiting for him to say something. "This mission was a success. But don't get lazy now." I grimaced at the thought of the next one. "The hard part's still to come! Don't y'all be scared of that explosion!" Honestly, I'm really scared for the next one. "'Cause the next one's gonna be bigger than that!" Barret surveyed the rest of us with his black eyes.
"Meet back at the hideout! Move out!" The team nodded as we went west of the area. I was with Cloud so that I could keep an eye on him; who knows maybe he'll find some good treasure. We walked into the familiar environment of metal scrap houses and poorly lit streetlights. It seemed more hectic than usual. There are crowds gathering in front of Tifa's bar when Barret joined into the fray, he was yelling for everyone to mind their own goddamn business and get the hell out. The guy really needs to get his heart rate checked, "Wonder what's happening?" I rounded at Cloud, who shrugged.
"Dunno." Man of few words, huh.
We dashed towards the Seventh Heaven, where Barret's already kicking everyone out, especially Johnny. We could see Tifa coming out, bowing and apologizing to the patrons and coming back inside. Once the patrons were out, the gun man smirked at Cloud, "Ok! Go on ahead." We walked past him and inside the bar. In an instant, the smell of delicious cooking wafted to my nostrils. My stomach practically growled as I eyed the mouthwatering food just inches from me. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were already eating and drinking to their hearts content while Tifa was serving drinks.
"Papa!"
Me and Cloud turned to see Marlene jumping for joy, but shrank back when she saw Cloud and hid in a corner. I sniggered at him, who glared at me in contempt. Tifa threw the wash cloth in the sink and approached Marlene, saying, "Marlene! Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud and Noel?" The child gave no response as Tifa sighed and walked over to us, smiling, and said "Welcome home, Cloud, Noel. Looks like everything went well." She looked at us from top to bottom. "Did you two fight with Barret?"
"Not this time."
"Not really, Tifa."
Tifa's smile grew wider and more caring while she giggled, continuing to inspect us. "Hmm, you've grown up. Knowing the two of you, you're like little kids, trying to act all mature." I felt a blush came up to my face as I awkwardly scratched the back of my mousse brown hair. "Shucks, Tifa. That's kinda nice… I think." The girl stared at me, and then her gaze lowered to the green gladiolus tucked in the front pocket of my windbreaker.
"Flowers? How nice… You almost never see them here in the slums." She admired the flower as Cloud stuck out his hand with the forget-me-not flower from his pocket. "But… A flower for me? Oh, Noel, you shouldn't have…" Her voice trailed when I just handed it to her wordlessly. There's a grin already plastered at my face as a soft blush tinged her cheeks.
"Thank you, Noel. It smells wonderful. Maybe I should fill the store with flowers." She said as she twirled the pretty little thing between her fingers. Chortling slightly, I raked a hand through my hair. "Yeah, maybe you should. That way, people would come more and enjoy the flowers." This seemed to have cheered her up a little. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cloud walking over to Marlene and handing her the small forget-me-not. The small girl gave off a short gasp as she accepted it and smiled shyly at the blond, who nodded mutely at her. She proceeds to hide behind Tifa, grasping the flower in her tiny fist.
I plopped myself down on a chair near the three members and took the nearest fried chicken in front of me. A bowl of fried rice sat near said chicken so I took that as well. I'm a rice person, as do every Filipino at my country. Taking a bite, my taste buds sprang into action at the delicious taste. Screw this; food made by Tifa is more awesome than McDonalds and/or Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC! I dug into my meal more heartily as the guys laughed at me. "Wow, you sure are hungry, Noel!" Wedge said, smiling. Jessie and Biggs were talking about the bombing while Cloud sat on a chair next to me, drinking water. "Aah! Nothin' like that first drink after a job! Hic!" I sensed Biggs getting drunk, but I reached out for the glass of scotch near me and raised it to clink with his, "Well said, bro!" We laughed as we drank cheerfully. Damn, Seventh Heaven is a food and drink haven! The Seventh Heaven! Zack named it, and it fitted perfectly well! We ate until we had our fill, or until Barret suddenly barged in.
"Papa, welcome home!" Marlene cried for joy as Barret lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder. He was smiling a fatherly smile, and believe it or not, it fitted him quite nicely. "Yeah, I am." He quickly looked at the flower she's holding. "Huh? Where'd you get that flower?"
"Cloud gave it to me."
"Oh…" His smile faltered a little before resuming back up. "Did you thank him?" He asked just as the girl went silent. She gazed at the blond swordsman with a tiny grin, "Thank you, Cloud. We'll take care of you." Cloud nodded stiffly, albeit shy since all attention was on him. Tifa stepped forward worriedly, "You all right, Barret?" The man turned to Tifa and produced a thumb up. He seemed a bit cheerful than before.
"Great! Get in here, fools! We're startin' the meetin'!" Having said his piece, he descended with Marlene on the pinball elevator. The three guys suddenly stopped eating and began following Barret at the lower level, leaving me, Cloud, and Tifa at the bar. I stood up from my seat as I joined Cloud sitting on one of the stools surrounding the counter. "How about…" She gazed at our faces. "…something to drink?" I instantly slapped down ten Gil on the counter with my goofy grin at my face. Cloud rolled his eyes at me as he looked back at Tifa, exhaustion visible in his eyes.
"Give me something hard."
"Brandy, will ya' Tifa?"
"Coming right up! I'll make one for you two." Tifa took my Gil as she emptied bottles and mixed the drinks. She then handed me a glass of my drink and another one for the blond. "You know, I'm relieved you made it back safely." She said as Cloud looked up from his own drink, "What's with you all of a sudden? That wasn't even a tough job." I drank my share, relishing the burning taste. The bar lady sighed softly, wiping glasses while speaking to Cloud, "I guess not… You were in SOLDIER." I could hear the hint of sadness between those lines. I stared at her as I swirled my drink. I always wondered why she even hid the fact about him not being in SOLDIER in the first place. Sure, he was an infantryman when he came to Nibelheim with Zack and Sephiroth, and that Tifa didn't even know he came, it's just that, I don't understand what the hell's going on around these two.
Cloud puts down his half-empty drink with tired eyes. The girl noticed this and said, "Make sure to get you pay from Barret." Cloud stood up and inclined his head at her. "Don't worry. Once I get that money, I'm outta here." He slouched his way to the pinball machine and went down. I breathed a small sigh as I turned to the downcast girl, trying to say something to comfort her. "It's alright, Tifa. I'll keep an eye on him." I gave off one of my famous grin as I, too, stood up and made way to the elevator. I sensed a smile coming from the bar lady as I pushed the lever down. Really, is there chemistry going on between these two? Nah, they may be childhood friends, but Cloud never really did have the balls to ask her out. I read a lot of fanfiction about them, and they suck at describing the ex-SOLDIER's feelings. Needless to say, even author-sama sucks in this. Wait, what?
When I reached the lower level, I saw Jessie hunched over a computer, typing nonstop and listening to the news on the tv. Biggs is at the far corner of the table, hiding drugs or whatever. Wedge is just sitting on a box, watching the news and eating a sandwich. There's Marlene, cheering for her father who's punching the bag relentlessly. Cloud was standing before him, as if trying to speak to him. I walked over to what Wedge is doing and sat on a box, listening to their conversation. "Yo. Cloud! There's somethin' I wanna ask ya'." He gave a short nod to let him know he was listening. "Was there anyone at SOLDIER fighting us today?" Cloud shook his head as he crossed his arms.
"None. I'm positive." Really now, Cloud..? With your damn, unreliable, badass reliability, it's hard to make it count. I quietly snorted at this as Barret paused punching the bag and looked at him, "You sound pretty sure." The ex-SOLDIER stared at the gun man coldly, "If there was anyone from SOLDIER you wouldn't be standing here now."
"Don't go thinkin' you so bad jes cus you was in SOLDIER." Barret lost his rag and tried to get at Cloud. But Biggs stood his ground and restrained the big man. The blond was silent as if he was contemplating about something. Just as he gave up, Barret punched Biggs forcefully as the guy soared midair and landed on a pile of boxes. I whistled a tune of appreciation while the guy was panting heavily, as if to control his blood pressure, "Yeah, you're strong. Probably all them guys in SOLDIER are." He pointed a thick finger at Cloud's direction. "But don't forget your skinny ass's working for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' on to Shinra." This seemed to have pissed Cloud. He was shaking in uncontrollable anger as he glared at Barret.
"Stayin' with Shinra? You asked me a question and I answered it… That's all." He walked dangerously towards Barret, his fingers clenched into a fist. He neared Barret and towered over him, their glares are sparking up tenfold. "I'm going upstairs. I wanna talk about my money." Hearing this, I also stood up and took their attention. "Not to break the conversation or anything but, I'm goin' up too. I needed the money." Cloud curtly nodded at me while Barret paled. I swore I heard him mutter something about 'no money' and 'brats' and another rude word. Just as Cloud moved to the elevator, Tifa rushed out of it, looking at him frantically, "Wait, Cloud!"
"Tifa! Let him go! Looks like he still misses the Shinra!" Barret barked angrily.
Cloud rounded back to him, fuming with rage, "Shut up! I don't care about either Shinra or SOLDIER!" He lifted a fist to his eyes to show how infuriated he really is. "But don't get me wrong! I don't care about AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter..!" Glaring, he stomped his way to the elevator, where I already stood waiting for him. I was staring at him plainly, trying to find the words to say. It was harsh, yes, but I knew it wasn't true. Cloud really is a kind person at heart; someone you could rely on. He may be a coldblooded jerk, but deep inside, there's always a light that never goes out. Huh, I just quoted a line from Kingdom Hearts and it still sounded cool. How awesome is that?!
We went up to Tifa's bar, and as we made way to the door, Tifa came right back up at us. She looked ready to beg right now, "Listen, Cloud. I'm asking you. Please join us." The blond bent down his head and shook it slowly, "Sorry Tifa…" I met her solemn eyes with mine. They seemed almost heartbreaking. "I'm sorry Tifa; this is what he wanted."
"The Planet is dying. Slowly, but surely it's dying. Someone has to do something."
"I think Barret is pretty much compatible to help that cause;" I answered in Cloud's case, who happened to be shifting his eyes around.
"It got nothin' to do with me." Cloud turned to leave again when Tifa stomped her foot on the wooden flooring, looking extremely desperate. "So! You're really leaving?! You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend?!" He suddenly stopped in his tracks, his shoulders stiffening. I could feel his sadness radiating from him; I wonder why though.
The blond faced us again, his expression unreadable, but he quickly apologized to the girl for walking out on her. I smiled a small one at their direction and noted them that I'll be doing some shopping. What, with my Gil heavy in my pocket and my grin never leaving my face, I guess it's time to explore the shops here for a bit and leave these two alone.
As I walked in and out of the shops, my Gil bag came considerably lighter and less noisy. I stocked up on Potions, sold Ethers since we won't need it that much at this point of the game, and I bought new materia. I welcomed the Fire and Restore materia in my arsenal as I equipped them. The next I would visit is the weapon's store. I need new gloves to do, and something else to replace my short sword. I feel safe with these, and the more weapons I carry, the more safe I could be.
Ting!
A small bell sounded as I opened the door of the weapon's shop. Heavy metal music blasted into my ears as I looked around. There was a guy doing rounds with a heavy loaded machine gun, a black earmuff covering his ears. Another man sat on a pilot's seat, smoking tobacco cigs while reading a newspaper. I approached him nervously, seeing that this is my first time. "Hey, welcome." He looked up from his reading and directed his attention at me. I made a small motion about weapons and he gave me a small list.
Peering inside the list, I was highly disappointed at their lack of weapons. However, I do spot some decent armor, the Iron Bangles, so I bought four of them. Bangles look like gauntlets, very much like the ones Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were wearing a while ago. I strapped it on my right arm and made sure it was strapped carefully. I observed the small slots in my bangle, so I figured the materia will be placed in there. I unlatched my materias' Fire and Restore, I left my Ice as usual in my right glove, and I slapped the other two in my bangle.
Oh man, I almost forgot about my weapons. I turned back to the shop owner while he raised an eyebrow at me, "I want to order a custom-made weapon." I said confidently. Both eyebrows were already raised, but he took a notepad from a table and positioned a pen over it, "Details." Smirking, I took off my gloves and laid them on the counter.
I had this idea going around me, since I read this in a fanfiction where a guy like me gets sucked into the game as well. "I need a pair of materia infused gloves. You happen to have the equipment necessary for that?" I asked dubiously as the weapon's owner carefully examined my gloves. He was making noises of approval and the negated through the process of it. After a minute, he placed it down and turned to me again, "Of course I have that. Problem is, you actually need a materia to fuse it with." He said sharply while I backtracked. Wow, I knew it was materia fusion, meaning I have to pay up with materia, but wow…
"I already have one needed." I plugged off my Ice materia and handed it to him. It's sad to think I'll part with this materia now, knowing all the good times we shared during battle, but I know that this is only for the good of my battles from now on. The shop owner gave me a stub with my order in it and told me to go get it tomorrow morning. Taking my bangles with me, plus the bag full of Potions and Phoenix Downs, I exited the shop and went upstairs, to the guild hall.
Arriving there, there are not much people inside except a man and his dog, sorting crates. I spotted the All materia lying next to me, so without warning, I snatched it up and pocketed it quickly so that the man didn't see. Doing so, I think I heard something click, and a huge crate just busted in from above! I leap into a fighting position by instinct, and my face grew red due to how embarrassing that is. The man and the dog rounded at me and laughed, "Well, son, thieving isn't really good, but take the thing inside the chest. I'm sure it will help you understand the ways in the slums." He guffawed at the sight of my flushed face as I lowered my arms and scratched the back of my head.
"Er…Thanks..?"
"Hah, no problem. Now get the hell out..!"
"Eh..!?"
Soon after that, I was kicked out of the Guild Hall with the All materia and an Ether. I was so shocked at this that I made myself look like a total dumbass just staring at the closed door on me. Shaking my head, I climbed back down the stairs and went back to Seventh Heaven bar. Tifa and the others should be asleep, so I should be careful not to wake them up.
The door creaked noisily as I stepped inside. I was relieved to see Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, sleeping on chairs and tables, the three of them snoring peacefully. Barret's head was lolled on the bar counter, one meaty arm clutched onto a large tank of empty beer and the other supporting his head. I couldn't find Marlene, so I think there's another place in here that the game didn't show. I figured Cloud'll be down below, dozing on a pipe. I walked slowly to the elevator, coz I wanna sleep downstairs too. When I trudged deeper into the bar, I noticed that I wasn't the only one awake.
"Hey, you're late! I was about to close up." Tifa cheerfully said while she wiped a glass. I looked up at her and smiled tiredly. "No place like home, yes?" She nodded at me as she set down the glass inside a cabinet and began wiping the counter. I sat down a bar stool at least two seats away from that big lug, propping my head with the palms of my hand as I looked around the bar. Everything looked so shiny and clean, I can't even see a speck of dust in here. The floor was recently waxed too, and it smelled nice like floral scents. I stared at the little things a bit more when the bar lady suddenly brought me a glass of milk.
I stared up at her questionably when she frowned at me. "What?"
"Er…" Seriously, milk? I never had it even after I went into Middle School.
Tifa sighed as she pressed her elbows over the counter and stared at me, "I figured you would need this more than alcohol or brandy. It's good for your growing bones, Noel…" I smiled at this kind, motherly gesture of hers and downed the glass in one go. Hmm, it actually tasted delicious though. I raked a hand through my hair when she suddenly giggled at me.
"What?" I raised a brow at her.
"You got a milk mustache, Noel..!"
At this, I flamed up at once as I hastily wiped the leftover milk from my lips and hid my face from embarrassment. Tifa continued to giggle silently when I noticed something else.
"Hey, Tifa."
"Yeah..?"
"It's El."
"…El..?" I grinned at her. She is so cute~
"My nickname. That's my nickname, El. You can call me that." The brawler pondered for a moment, until she nodded at me with a smile. "Okay, El! You can call me Tif!" I chuckled at the nickname, but regardless, I agreed to it. Tifa's smile is really pretty; it made me crack up one too…
"Sure thing, Tif..!"
It was certainly annoying when it comes to throwback Thursdays…
Especially when you're a high class, professional assassin called the Turks.
The so-called bodyguards of the President of a badass corporation such as the Shinra Electric Power Company.
Tseng just finished stacking up the paper work and dropped them into a metal basket that'll be picked up later by the office secretary. He is certainly tired from all of this; tired from work, tired from taking orders, tired from covering up Reno's ass in certain occasions. Yes, the life of a Turk is full of odds and ends, orders and deaths, blood and innocent lives…
It was his job. It's not like he even wanted it, hell, he despised it. He has taken more innocent lives than full-time criminal master-minds. He did it for the safety of the President, he did it in order of the President, and his life is basically just a sacrificial lamb for the President. Tseng was perfect for this job; he fitted the role of an assassin pretty well that it actually suited him. But no matter what he did, he would never erase the fact that he's a killer, a blood lustful killer. Children die by his hands. Flowers even.
Tseng flipped his cellphone closed. He was given orders to retrieve the Ancient, the Cetra girl, or simply put, Aeris Gainsborough. He still remembered those years that passed already. Meeting her, seeing her everyday (Veld occasionally called this 'stalking'), spying on her, and trying to keep her out of trouble for the sake of his friend who he made a promise to. The sweet little girl he grown accustomed to had matured quite a lot since Zack Fair's death, or what his supposed-to-be-death. And to be honest, he finds it beautiful…
The Turk shook his head as he inwardly blushed at the thought. Never could he imagined that this so-called beautiful target of his 'attractive'. It was forbidden in his book. He could swear to any god though that this is true. But… At least he contemplated his past for once. If he never did accept the job, would he still have the peace of being with a woman he truly loves? Especially if this certain woman just happens to be Aeris, the flower girl of the slums? He sighed as he made way to the office, her face and her form in his mind.
When Tseng reached the office, he was greeted by a steaming hot cup of coffee from his secretary, Elena, who he never bothered to greet back. He took it in his hands and drank it to the half. The blonde nodded at him while she turned back to her computer to type in a report. Tseng opened the door to his office room to see a redheaded Turk wearing his uniform informally. He was lounged up at the sofa as he inclined his head at him.
"Been waiting for hours, yo. Where've you been, Tseng?" Reno of the Turks. He's a little carless and a bit lazy when it comes to paperwork, but he does his field work well. Silently, the Director pulled a manila folder from his desk and threw it on the coffee table in front of Reno; where the goddess-like face of their target stood looking up to them with her soulful eyes. The redhead peered into it and comically sighed at his boss.
"The usual?"
"The usual."
Mornings were usually the best unless there's someone beside you, yelling at you to hurry up your breakfast. And that someone just happens to be the boss of your work. So, of course, you gotta act all nice to him just so you can get easy money.
After Tifa's amazing breakfast (which is strawberry pancakes with maple syrup), the whole group strapped up their gear and weapons. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie went ahead to the Reactor while me, Barret, Cloud and Tifa stayed put to discuss our plans some more. The table we're gathered around is full of maps and plans, charts and other papers filled with diagrams and shit. It took me a while to understand it all, but I just nodded at whatever it's saying.
Tifa's joining us this time. Cloud's not happy about it, but I was completely glad to have Tifa in the battlefield. "Come on, Cloud! It shouldn't be that bad. In fact, Tifa's a pretty good fighter; I can rely the safety of my life on her." I said as I winked at the bar lady, who blushed at my words. The ex-SOLDIER pointedly stared at me, but nonetheless, he finally agreed to get his childhood friend on board.
I strapped in my newly acquired armor, the Iron Bangle, and slotted in my materia. I handed the party their own, and when Barret snapped at me for not telling them first, Cloud came to my rescue and thanked me. He also noted that it's great that I shopped for the whole team so that we won't waste any more time now. I smirked at how cool this remark is while Barret grumbled behind me.
"Hey, uh, Cloud! I, uh…" The gun man fidgeted and squirmed on the balls of his feet while he uncertainly stared at the stoic man. "I don't know how to use materia! So, could ya teach me the basics?" Wow. Now I knew why Barret is so nervous. I chuckled at how he thought his ego got bruised that badly in front of the mercenary. "…Alright, but I only get to say this once, kay'?" I listened up for a bit, since I am a tad bit behind the basics of Materia usage.
…
Ugh…
This is such a freaking bad idea. I feel too damn sleepy that I swear Cloud's on fast mode version of a video clip. Hell, his voice is even tiny and squeaky too. I tried to concentrate, but failed miserably. "…And that's pretty much it. Any questions?" The blond asked us, and I mentally snapped myself awake. Barret furiously shook his head, "Damn! I don't even get it! …Fine, I'll ask Jessie then! You handle the materia!" Barret stomped outside to vent his anger while Cloud tossed the Restore Materia to Tifa, who caught it with a surprised expression. "You handle support, while Barret and I attack on main force. Noel, you could do the go-between." The three of us nodded at each other as we packed up the last of our stuff needed for the mission and left Seventh Heaven bar in Marlene's hands. Seriously, how the hell can a kid handle a bar? Well, this IS Final Fantasy, I can expect the least expected here…
"Noel! I got a message from the Weapon Shop guy! He said something about your weapon is ready." Tifa said to me as I immediately smacked my forehead at the sudden thought. Da-mn! Even I forgot about my custom made weapon! I made a dash to the Weapon's Shop once we stepped outside the bar, and I was greeted by the loud noise of a gattling gun, and the tense stench of cigarette smoke in the air.
The man behind the counter waved at me with a pair of leather blue gloves. "Oy, you! Here's your order..!" He grasped the receipt I had in my hand and stuffed it in his pocket. In exchange, he gave me the gloves. I expected the weapons I now hold and gave off a satisfied sigh. For a junk metal scrap of a weapon's specialist, these look pretty damn good! It was made up of firm leather which is of a blue color. There are four slots for the Materia in each glove, and already one of them occupied a single materia which I now realized that it was my very own Ice Materia. I gazed at the shop owner in amazement as he smirked at me and blew a cloud of smoke.
"It's called the Nativus. Each elemental materia placed in the slots will grant you the same elemental attack. For example, setting an Ice Materia in the slot, the glove will turn blue. For Fire, it will be red and so on and so forth. I found this Elemental materia around here and I thought of experimenting it with yours. And it turned out fine, didn't it..?" He grinned at me as I slipped them one. It felt cool to touch as I too smiled at him. "Thanks very much!" I feel extremely grateful towards him; he's probably a better weapon smith than those from Wutai.
"Try to experiment with other Materia and come tell me so we'll see what happens next."
"Yeah, I will!"
As I exited the shop, Cloud and Tifa were waiting for me, "What did you do?" Asked Cloud as I waved my gloved hands in the air. Tifa looked amazed while the ex-SOLDIER raised a brow. "Customized my weapon of course..!" We gathered up our stuff and headed out to the train. Barret's already there, looking for us. He waved one meaty arm at us, with one finger up, which I presumed was pointed at Cloud. Regardless, I snickered as we got inside the train.
"YO!" The gun man shouted at the silhouetted forms of Biggs, Wedge and Jessie at the front of the car. "Looks like this ain't no private car! So split up!" He ordered as they followed and disappeared into the next car. There was an employee from Shinra at the seat near the intercom, obviously afraid of Barret and his doings. While the big man was bullying the employee, I could hear bits of their conversation like something about saying some things of Shinra and being empty aluva or whatever that thing is.
There was a rattling sound, and then the train started moving. "Looks like they finished connecting the cars." Tifa hung her head, clearly perceptive about things. I looked around and everything seemed normal enough.
"So, what's our next target?" Cloud questioned while I shrugged.
"Ha! Listen to Mr. Serious-About-His-Work!" Barret appeared as if he's beaten Cloud at a bet or whatever. "Awright… I'll tell ya!" I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned. Barret's too boastful these days. "Jessie's probably already told you, but there's a security check point at the top plate. It's an ID scan system checkin' all the trains." Oh, so that's how it works. That's pretty damn smart of Shinra though.
"Which Shinra is very proud for." You could say that again, Tif.
"We can't use our fake IDs anymore." The intercom of the train suddenly comes on. Barret and the others stopped talking as we listened to it. A cool female voice took over, saying, "Good Morning, and welcome to Midgar Lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 station will be 11:45." I checked my watch and it was ten minutes advanced. Tifa turned to me and spoke, "That means we only have three minutes until the ID checkpoint…"
"Alright, in three minutes, we're jumpin' off this train." Barret hollered as he went down the aisle to sit on one of the plush chairs. Cloud and Tifa were going to take a look of the Railway Map Monitor while I stood near the passenger doors, ready for the countdown. My mp3 player, recently charged and regenerated (courtesy of Jessie) was placed in my pocket, along with my phone and wallet. Wallet is full of Gil; that should be enough for the journey as of now. Phone has number-lock, to keep them from spying into my personal life. My headphones were clipped around my neck securely, I made sure to clean it last night. My windbreaker is safe, fortunately for me since I don't want to wear different clothes for now. Biggs and Wedge gave me a new set of shirt and pants, along with a red band tied around my forehead and keeping the stray mousse brown bangs from my face. I already equipped my Nativus gloves, but for safety measures, Jessie handed me her gun.
I fixed my holster in place at my left hip, when suddenly a red light started flashing inside the car. "Huh? The ID checkpoint is supposed to be further down…" Tifa whispered as Cloud gripped his sword for incoming danger.
Type A Security Alert!
Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be conducted!
Repeat! Type A Security Alert!
Unidentified passengers confirmed... A search of all cars will be conducted!
"Wha-! What the hell?!" I responded when Barret got up fast from his seat. "What's goin' on!?" He angrily shouted as Jessie rushed inside the car, her face bathed in sweat and anxiety. "We're in trouble. I'll explain later. Hurry! Get to the next car!" She disappeared right in after she said that. Barret turned pale.
"^%# %! Someone blew it..."
Unidentified passengers located in Car #1
Preparing for Lock Down
"Let's go! Keep it up!" Without warning, Barret took my shoulder and shoved me face-first inside the next car. "Shit!" I screamed as I tumbled to the wooden floor, cursing and cussing the man. Cloud helped me up to my feet as Barret and Tifa made it in at the second car. We heard a loud click and the door behind us slid closed. Panting, I gripped onto Cloud's shoulder and gulped first some air. I'm definitely gonna kill Barret for this…
Car #1: Locked Down
Upgrading to Level 2 warning
"Hurry!" A familiar young man dressed in a different set of clothes hurriedly whispered to us. We rushed forward, hearing a stout young one saying that the door will close in any second; we needed to keep on going.
Unidentified passengers located in Car #2
Preparing for Lock Down
Jessie came into view again and waved her arms at us, "Just run! Changing to Plan 2!" She said as she ran ahead of us. Cloud led the route this time, me following suit. We ran forward to the next car until the door behind us snapped closed.
Car #2: Locked Down
Upgrading to Warning Level 3
The light suddenly stops flashing. The ex-SOLDIER looked around confused as Barret spoke into the din of the train, "Awright! We clear!?" The bomb specialist rounded back and turned to us, "Not yet. They're starting another search. If we're caught, we're done for!" I groaned audibly as I tried to calm my asthma steadily growing inside me. "But, don't worry. If we move up the train, car by car, we should get past it!" She then faced forward and socked the person blocking her path. The red lights start to flash again:
Unidentified Passengers: Moving to front of Train
Currently tracking location
I grabbed the first hand my own made contact to, which apparently was Tifa's, as I gripped into it and ran forward, making our way towards the next compartment. The blond and gun man followed quickly, knocking down people who tried to barricade their way. We were able to reach it in just a hair's breathe, and Barret was nearly squashed by the door if not for Cloud, whose first instinct was to block with his sword as the man make his escape.
Car #4: Locked Down
Upgrading to maximum security alert!
"All right! We made it!" I gasped when the train car was filled with Shinra Soldiers. But as Barret ran forward, they greeted him with a nod while the man saluted them. I think they're the other AVALANCHE members, but the game failed to mention them. We made to the front as the gun man forcefully opened the door of the train. A blast of wind knocked off my senses, but Tifa was able to make me stand my guard. "Let's go! We're gonna dive outta here!" Barret yelled over the noise of the sound of the wind. I froze on my spot.
God, I forgot…
How the hell can I jump from the train?!
While I stood dumbstruck, Tifa already made way to the door. "Watch closely. I'm gonna jump!" She waved her hand with a confident smile, and leaped from the train. I stared after her with my mouth hanging open as Cloud motioned me to go along. Gulping, I moved over to the edge of the door and stared down. Outside looked pretty dark; I can't trust my eyesight on this.
"Oy! What the hell are you doing?!" Barret screeched in my ear as I shook vigorously in fear. I know that this is just a game, but I can't believe I'm going to do this…
Before I made a decision, I let out a surprised scream as someone shoved me off the train. I tumbled on the ground, coughing and spitting. The pain left me as quickly as it came; and then a dull shoot came from my knees. Hissing, I carefully stood up from my spot as I examined the blood leaking from a wound just above my knee. When I tried to move it, I screamed as I felt something poking out of it.
"Ngh..! H-help…" I mumbled a cry for help as I softly fingered the wound only to let out a small growl when a stinging pain erupted from the spot. Footsteps came from the path up ahead, and in an instant, a flashlight dawned upon me and Tifa's worried face loomed into view. She gasped at the sight of me and ran quickly to my side, "Noel! Oh my goodness let me see..!" She brushed off the dust from my knee and let out a troubled sigh.
"This is gonna hurt a little, just bare with it…" She said, as she firmly gripped onto the thing that was stabbed through my knee. I clamped a hand to my mouth to block my yells when the pain came back, hitting me with full force. With fast movements, Tifa pulled out the metal shard while I writhed on the ground, tearfully clinging at the white hot pain. Footsteps started to appear and Cloud and Barret emerged from the shadows, looking unhurt yet worried. "What happened?! What's wrong?!" Cloud demanded, rushing forward and knelt next to Tifa, who was fumbling with her Materia.
"D-damn…" I stuttered, the pain leaving me as I lay cold and half caught up in breath. Pressure was applied to the wound, and light glowed from it. And as soon as it came, the pain is gone. My leg is still numb, but I can still walk long enough to get to the reactor. "We should be a little more careful when it comes to jumping off trains this time…" Tifa shot Barret an accusing look, who threw his hands in the air. "Whatever already! Let's go..!" I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and followed the three down the tracks. If I could remember exactly what happened here in the tunnels, then I know exactly how to pay my boss back...
We reached the end of the tunnel, well, most likely it's called the end since there is a Shinra security beam blocking the way to the reactor. Cloud shook his head and was trying to figure out how to get there. "Shoot, a dead end…" The gun man sighed as we began to search for a way to pass. While Tifa suggested of going back and take another route, I expertly kicked some debris away and opened up the hatchet that leads straight to the vantage point below. I loved to see the reactions of their faces, it's priceless!
Cloud bent down and took a look at the dark hole, "Hmm, it seems that we can get to the Reactor faster if we used this to go there…" He said as he pondered while Barret visibly shuddered. I looked at him all the while forcing myself not to laugh. Oh yeah, claustrophobic like Cloud… "What, scared of the dark now, Barret-o?" I smirked at his horrid face who clenched his jaw. Tifa stepped up in case we got into a fight again, which I silently agree with her, but decided to torment Barret more.
"You know, I heard about these shafts…" I made myself a sadistic smile as we went down the shaft one by one. Cloud went down first, while Tifa is just below me, and Barret right above, trying to squeeze himself in.
"Yeah, El?"
"They're pretty old, and that they could give off at the wrong weight." I heard the bigger man gulped in fear while the bar lady let out a small 'huff' "El, this is no time to joke about..!" I softly chuckled to myself as we lowered unto the shaft and stood solid ground. Cloud was already there, looking around the place, but what I noticed differently is that his face is a little pink. "Cloud, something wrong?" I placed a glove hand on the blond's shoulder, who flinched at the contact and quickly rounded up at me, shaking his flustered face. "N-nothing, it was nothing!" I raised a brow at him, who looked away again and inwardly coughed.
"Nothing, let's go." So much for being a talker… We waited a bit for Barret to come down, who was quiet all the same. When I looked at Tifa however, I sweat dropped at how she also looked pink as well, with her arms crossed over her chest and her mouth in a firm line.
"Er, am I missing something over here..?" I timidly asked when the raven haired and the blond shouted a 'NO!' consecutively.
"Okay…" I threw my hands in the air in defeat. Silence ensued, and Barret's still being a wuss for going through that damn shaft. …Boring…
"Gah! This is so boring!" I yelled loudly when suddenly-!
BANG!
There was a loud crash coming from the north, as the team plus me readied in a battle stance. "Heads up we got enemies!" Cloud unsheathed his Buster Sword and ran into the dust, a violent slash piercing the air. The dust was split into two, revealing the ex-SOLDIER in an awesome stance, and several green looking trashcans with a rotating ball each on its hands, I presume as fists. I don't know their names, but hell, who cares? I sprinted towards them with my hands clenched in a boxer's position. "Take this!" Expertly leaning back my shoulder and throwing a right cross at said green trashcan, which spun out of control, and unfortunately for me, it counter-attacked with its rotating hands, knocking me back several feet away from it. Ack…this is gonna bruise…
"Hiiyaah!" A sickening crack was heard from the brawler Tifa, with lightning reflexes she pushed and punched the monster's lights out. Barret was somewhere by the back, peppering bullets while screaming curses left and right. Cloud's along the front lines, casting Bolt spells and the occasional snips and slashes of his Buster Sword. Leaving myself to my own devices, a small group of roboguards surrounded me. Counting them all, they're about three of them, something that I could manage well on my own. I pulled up another sadistic smirk as I licked my lips.
If I could remember correctly, I jumped out of the way as they sent a bawling smack towards me, which I avoided sneakily. These guys are susceptible to electricity attacks, and Cloud will be a good chance on this one. I thought as I fired my Ice magic. "Ice!" My right Nativus glove glowed bright blue as I directed the spell at the nearest guard, who retaliated with a green glob heading straight to my head. "Shit! Bio!" I immediately got out of the way as the poison thing went flying past me and landed itself on a few barrels, which melted like acid. I panted a bit until I felt someone's presence beside me. "Leaving me out on this one?" I looked up to see Barret grinning down on me, his gun arm preparing to spray another wave of bullets at the enemies. My smile grew wider as I quickly nodded and jumped into formation, drawing my gun from its holster and my left glove, which is glowing a bluish-green color.
"Lock and load, foo!" Barret unleashed a load of his ammo on the remaining two monsters, almost emptying his whole ammunition while I too aimed and open fired with my small pistol. My aim isn't all that great, missing a few and miscalculating my shots, but at long last, the guards finally dropped and disappeared, leaving a few spare Potions to use, a rare Ether, and enough Gil. I placed down my gun and placed it back in its holster while the gun man turned to me with one meaty arm nervously scratching the back of his neck. "Eurgh, sorry, about earlier… I really didn't mean to say that." Huh, coming that from someone who curses and cusses, someone who doesn't give a shit about me, someone who has not given a damn about me after all this time, my eyes widened and snapped my gaze towards him, my mouth slightly open in a small gasp, I barely managed to say the words right, "S-sure…yeah, it's okay; no harm done." Barret's mouth curved into a small, awkward smile, and he raised his other arm to me, for me to shake and seal the deal.
"So, we cool?" I smiled myself and gingerly shook his hand.
"Yeah, we are."
Raising my left hand, I silently casted a small Cure on us, which helped relieve the little bruises appearing on our skin and restoring some of our energy back. Cloud and Tifa seemed to be okay as we all set off once again towards the interior of the Reactor. We found Wedge by the ladder leading to another set of ventilation shafts as he saluted to us and noted us to be careful. "You be careful too." Barret nodded at him as I held up a V shape at my fingers directed to him.
"I'm…I'm so sorry!" Jessie cried as she sniffled and wiped her eyes. The moment we reached the other end of the vent we saw the bomb expert leaning and sulking at the wall. "It was my fault…back at the train…I was putting in our fake IDs when suddenly, the alarm came off. I didn't know what I did wrong; I'm so sorry!" Placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, Tifa spoke some soft and soothing words to calm down the young woman. "By any chance, whose ID were you supposed to place before the alarm came off?" Jessie sniffed and said something that shocked me.
"I-It was supposed to be Noel's…" I stared at her with hidden surprise. Why would my ID be the distressing one when it should be Cloud's? I deliberately shook my head as Tifa continued to console the girl. Barret said that we needed to hurry unless we wanted to get ambushed by the roboguards again. Seeing as that I do not want to waste my MP on something so tiring, I calmly smiled at the girl who looked surprised, "It's alright, and you did your best. There's always next time."
…I should get to the bottom of this though. If I wanted to be in this team, I have to find a way to clear myself first, and to avoid Cloud's seemingly suspicious drawn eyes pointedly staring at me with a stern expression.
"Hey, it's not like I did anything a criminal would do, Cloud-o'" I nervously grinned at him as we continued to venture on inside the Reactor. The smell was horrible, and as always, roboguards tried and dared to stop us. With my mysterious kick-boxing techniques and my magic, as well as my trusty handgun, I could probably be on a better level than I should be. I find it already easy to fight my way through and supporting my allies, and which I have to question myself, I like to keep better attention towards Tifa and help her in any way I can. Man, I'm such a ladies man…
After going through that exhilarating slide and those damn mazes of ladders and stairs, we finally reached the core of the Reactor, an exact replica of the one we saw yesterday. The blond turned to us as we all nodded and motioned him to the center. But as he moved to it, an image flashed towards my mind while I stumbled back, fear and anxiety bubbling up inside me.
Fuck, no, not again…
I was afraid that this is gonna happened. But to my horror and confusion, Cloud wasn't collapsing or kneeling. He simply turned back to me and stared at me quizzically. Another image flashed in my mind while I was on my back on fours my eyes watching the scene in my mind before me.
{Sephiroth? He did this to you?}
That's Tifa's voice… I tried snapping my eyes shut, but dammnit, I could still see it. The interior of the mako reactor in Nibelhiem, a younger version of Tifa kneeling by her father's side…
I wasn't…
{Sephiroth… SOLDIER… Mako Reactors … Shinra… EVERYTHING!}
I instantly gripped onto the roots of my hair and pulled, painful tears began to form as I tried to forcefully snap myself out of it. I could barely hear Tifa or Barret yell at me to break my mania while Cloud even tried to shake my shoulders, and I think he even slapped me. But it kept on, as I watched little Tifa picked up a sword from the ground beside her and screamed to the heavens.
{I HATE THEM ALL!}
I wasn't supposed to be seeing any of this!
I finally opened my eyes and took several large gulps of air. The raven haired lady was looking at me worriedly, her eyes brimming with incoming tears. "Noel…what happened..? Are you alright?" She held both my shoulders with her gloved hands as I blinked several times, trying to shake off those images.
They're horrible… "Y-yeah, I think so…" The three breathed sighs of relief as the gun man hoisted me up to my feet while the bar lady brushed my cold sweat with her gloves. Cloud seems to have finished setting up the bomb as he handed me a Potion. "…Just don't scare us like that next time. Okay, El?" He grinned a tiny one as I shakily gave him a thumb up.
Barret snorted at me as he pulled my arm over his shoulder to support me, which I now realized that my legs have gone numb. "Man, you're heavy. Ate a lot of Tifa's cookin' yesterday?" He smirked at me as my face flushed in embarrassment while I tried to flail my fist to punch him at the face. "Shaddup…" I quickly casted a glance at Tifa, who was currently staring at us in confusion. Dammnit, don't look at me like that Tif!
"We have to get out of here now, the bomb is gonna detonate in 15 minutes." Cloud nonchalantly said as he led the way, closely following him are me and Barret, and Tifa behind to cover our ground. We went through that bitchy maze of ladders and walkways again, as well as those stupid monsters and guards. Feeling that my legs are now okay, I charged forward with fists ready, eager to blow off some steam. I just really can't accept the fact that I'm the one getting crazy here and not Cloud now, huh?
"Fire!" I deftly casted the fiery spell, neutralizing the last monster as we ventured on. I pulled along my bag full of looted Gil and the Potions and Ethers we obtained. We at last arrived at the control room where there are those buttons that we needed to press at the same time. Done there and onto the next one, I drank another Potion to up my stamina as we sprinted to the bridge, Barret leading the way.
"This way!" The big man turned left at the intersection when suddenly, the door burst open and Shinra soldiers barred his way. He took a few steps back as he stared at the men before him in alarm. "Shinra soldiers?! The hell is goin' on?!" He cocked his gun arm while Cloud walked beside him, unsheathing his Buster Sword instinctively. "…A trap…" He cautiously whispered as I held Tifa behind me, seeing as other soldiers bursted from the place and multiplying their number.
"Dammnit, time to switch to plan B…" The gun man began to charge, but then he quickly stopped at the sound of footsteps coming closer to us. I turned my head to see a rather round man in an expensive red business suit and blond hair. No mistaking you, you bastardly President. "What are you doing here, old man?" I snarled sarcastically at him, drawing my gun as usual. Hmm, maybe I should save Sephy the trouble of killing this guy already. But Cloud seemed to have stepped forward to him with his gaze naturally cool.
"Long time no see, President." Pfft, even Zack never met this guy on person I can guarantee you that.
"Long time no see..? Oh, you." The President squinted his eyes in a sneer. "You're the one who quitted SOLDIER and joined this terrorist group. What was it named again, and what is your name, traitor?"
"Cloud, ex-SOLDIER, mercenary of AVALANCHE."
"Barret Wallace, leader of AVALANCHE, and don't you forget it, jackass!"
"Lockheart Tifa, member of AVALANCHE…"
"Noel. I'm what they said too." I grinned at my sarcasm when the man pointed his nose in the air. "Like I am giving a thought to what you're saying." I immediately pounced on Barret, who was trying so very hard to get to him. "Unless you both turned into another Sephiroth, forgive me for asking." I then narrowed my eyes at him. Both? "Ah, Sephiroth, he was brilliant, far too brilliant." At this, Cloud backed a step away.
"Sephiroth…?"
I really can't restrain Barret from surging towards the blond bastard so I just let him anyway. The gun man ran up to the President and pointed his gun arm at him, who doesn't even look fazed. "Don't give a damn 'bout none of that!" He cocked it and aimed at him. "This place's goin' up with a big BANG soon! Serves y'all right!" The President shrugged defiantly at this.
"You're all beginning to bore me." He then snapped his fingers into the air. There was wiring sound, almost like that of a machine operating. I quickly turned to myself but I was greeted by a resounding kick at my head, sending me flying straight in the air. I barely heard what Shinra said, something about Air-Buster, a techno-soldier from the Weapons Development Department. "Noel!" Tifa screamed while a chopper took Shinra away. I gritted my teeth for missing my chance of killing him while Barret yelled at me to get up and get ready for battle. I sat up on my ass when Cloud sprinted towards me and lend me a hand. "Same tactic as Guard Scorpion!" He ordered when I stared at him dumbly? "Cloud, what are you-!" I didn't have any time to complete my sentence when the blond suddenly gripped very hard on my arm and swung me around, like what a Red Sox pitcher would do in a World series, and threw me in the air again, my mouth opening into a scream as I remembered this strategy. And unfortunately, I don't have my sword for this.
"Cloud you idiot!" I screamed as I was thrown, again, into the air and forcefully landing on Air-Buster's back. I nervously smiled at it while holding on for dear life, as it trashed around, trying to shake me off its body. A spear of lightning crashed down on its head, courtesy and idiocy of Cloud, which both shocked me and the robot. Loud hammering took place as Barret unloaded his bullets onto the thing while Tifa stayed behind, casting cure spells and throwing out random grenades at it. Gaining my momentum back, I jumped from the robot while gathering energy for my Ice magic.
"Ice!" A large snowflake erupted from its body which gave off a loud groan. Air-Buster is pretty quick on recovering though, as it procured its rifles and aimed for me and Cloud. Shots rained down on us, while some managed to graze my shoulders and the side of my neck. The blond looked unscathed and released another wave of artificial lightning from his Materia. I felt Tifa casting a Cure spell on me while I gave her a thumbs up in satisfaction and threw a bone crushing uppercut at the robot, which I nearly punched its circuits out. Barret continued to pepper more ammo onto the thing when all of a sudden, there was another whirring noise, and a grenade was thrown to Barret's and Tifa's side.
"Barret, Tifa!" I yelled for them, knowing that Big Bomber causes extreme damage. My left arm glowed bluish green, and I directed my Cure spell at the brawler. The other has been heavily injured, and blood dripped down from his forehead. "Hold on, Barret!" Tifa resumed back up and casted her spell at the big man, who regained some stamina and aimed his gun. "You son of a bitch you gonna pay for that!" The gun man growled and his gun began to fire off a large, rather hot sized fireball at the enemy.
"Big Shot!" The blast was enough to smash that thing into smithereens, but surprisingly, it did not. Just as I was about to cast another Ice spell, something yellow zipped from behind me as Cloud did an open air somersault, and positioned his sword at upper head. I grinned in spite of myself. Limit breaks are awesome.
The blond's eyes glowed mako blue as he came nearer upon Air-Buster. "Hraah! Braver!" And thus, the enemy was incapacitated. I smiled widely at the team as they did so back, except for Barret, who was pissed off because we let the President of Shinra go. I gently wiped the sweat from my brow while Cloud and the others scavenged for its remains. After which, the blond came to me and pulled me unto my feet, "Sorry about earlier." He casually said while I resisted the urge to punch his face. Ooh, I'm so getting him back for this. We're about to take off to the exit when-!
BOOM!
I didn't know what happened next when I found myself dangling over a bent piece of metal. Dammnit, I forgot about Air-Buster detonating on the spot! I gripped onto the metal firmly as I tried to get up from my situation. "Noel! Cloud! Hang on!" I looked up towards them, and saw Cloud being hoisted up by Barret, while Tifa is trying to reach for my hand. What? So Cloud isn't the one gonna fall here anymore?
"It's gonna blow! Let's go you two!" Barret exclaimed when the bar lady began to whimper silent tears.
"Barret! Can't you do something?!"
"Not a damn thing." The metal let out a groan as I hanged on for dear life.
"Noel! Please don't die!" Tifa tried once again to hold me when Cloud shook his head.
"Tifa…we have to go…" Fuck you two I'm gonna kill you both when I see you back again..!
"Oy! You gonna be alright?!" Barret yelled while I winced. This is gonna be a long way down.
I made up my mind. I was gonna meet her anyway. "You worry about yourselves! I'm all right, but take care of Tifa!" I can see the gun man shake his head.
"…Alright, sorry 'bout all this." Barret said as he dragged the hysterical Tifa away, leaving me to Cloud. The blond firmly stared at me as he said, "Stop trying to act as if this is the end..!" Okay, I take that back that you're a jerk. But gosh Cloud, that's kinda nice coming from you.
The ex-SOLDIER gave me a small salute and I weakly smiled up to him, knowing that this is going to be okay. The bomb exploded as the Reactor began to crumble. I felt the metal finally giving way as I fell down into the mass of smoke and smog, the last thing I saw is Cloud's face determinedly holding back a small barrage of tears.
AN: Hope that you guys enjoyed this, the plot is going to change depending on the mood I am in. The second hint is that Noel is closely related to both Aeris and Cloud, and I hope you guys can see that already~ ^O^
Please don't forget to review! If I'm going to be inspired, it will be coming from you, dear reader/reviewer. That will be just fifteen seconds of your life I promise!
Thank you for reading 'Through the Worlds To You'
~Rivai