Chapter Seventeen
The Valkyries
The Valkyries, the Elite Force of the Cetra's Combat Unit, could at last see the place where they knew the Reactor of Sealing was. "What the……Did any of you know that the Reactor of Sealing looks like a whole bunch of smashed rocks?" One of them asked surprised. He had pitch black hair which stood to all sides. His eyes were a deep brown color. Across his face, there was a scar diagonally across his face. "Don't be silly, Murasame-kun. Someone's obviously been here before us and destroyed the mountain protecting the Reactor and the Reactor with it." Another Valkyrie said. The Valkyries looked at the place where the Reactor of Sealing had once been that Aeris alone had destroyed so thoroughly.
"Wonder who did this." Murasame said. "Hey, Lin-Sama! What should we do now?" He asked their leader, Lin; A Valkyrie with short pale hair, deep, dark blue eyes, and a rough look. Lin was (along with the rest of the Valkyries) dressed in a white cloak. Unlike the Cetra's celebration outfit, the cloak was shorter, and more suited for combat. Inside the cloak, were many small pockets where the Valkyries could keep small weapons, such as kunai-knifes, and small Shurikens. (Shuriken is the Japanese word for "throwing stars", and Kunai is the Japanese word for "throwing combat knifes") On the back of the cloak, was a device used for attaching Katana-swords, and big Shurikens. Lin thought for a moment before answering Murasame. "Aireth is not here anymore. I'm guessing she was the one who did this, though I can't understand why she would destroy the Reactor of Sealing like this. It cannot have been with the purpose of hiding traces of that she'd been here; she wouldn't have destroyed the Reactor along with the mountain like this if she'd wanted to avoid us discovering it so easily." So, what do you suppose we should do now, Lin-Sama? We haven't got any idea where the heck she could be." One of the Valkyries asked. He had short, dark hair, with light green eyes. His face didn't have the same roughness as Lin's; instead, it had the look of someone who very often felt uncertainty in life, and didn't always know how to say what he felt. He was dressed in the same combat suit as his boss', but somehow, it didn't look as if it fitted him the same way it fitted Lin's "If you could be quiet for ten seconds, Masamune-San, I'll think of what to do. The boy fell silent, looking offended. "Sometimes, that woman can be a pain in the ass." He mumbled loudly enough for all the Valkyries to hear him. Lin pretended not to have heard, and thought more. "We should search for clues to find out where Aireth is.
We stand a few hundred meters away from the rampaged mountain. We should move closer, and see if we could find anything that could help us solve this mystery. Move out!"
Lin said. The Valkyries soared into the air, and flew the few hundred meters to the rampaged mountain.
They landed, looking at the small village at the foot of the destroyed mountain. "How come this village is unscathed when it's so close to the destroyed mountain?" Murasame asked.
"Can you guys for once ask me a question I can answer!" Lin asked tired. Murasame fell silent too, scowling at Lin's back. "I agree, Masamune-kun. That woman is really a big……Banana!" Murasame mumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear him. "Are you so lost for words you cannot come up with anything more fitting than a banana? In case you haven't noticed, Murasame-kun, bananas don't give orders, or telling people to shut up. And bananas don't wear Valkyrie Combat cloaks." A girl in the squad said, and burst out laughing over Murasame's stupid babble. She had long, dark hair tied back in a green ribbon. She had deep green eyes. Just like Masamune, her face had the look of someone who didn't always know how to express her feelings towards people, or show that she cared, something which she struggled with especially if she was with the person she had a crush on. Her combat suit, just like Masamune's, didn't fit her very well. Just like Masamune, she wasn't the fighting type. "I'll head over to the houses, checking for people. The rest of you, stay the hell out of sight. We don't want to attract any more attention than we have to." Lin said, and walked over to a house at random, and knocked on the door. The other Valkyries watched her.
"Why did I become a Valkyrie? Having to listen to Lin-Samas orders gives me a terrible headache." Masamune said to the others. "Why do you still call her "Sama" while she cannot hear you when you have so much against her, anyway?" A girl asked. The same girl who'd laughed at Murasame's babbling. "In case you've forgotten, Masamune-kun, the title "Sama" is a Japanese title you give someone you admire, not someone you think annoying all the time." "Stop acting all superior, Hasegawa. You think I've forgotten that?" Masamune replied testy.
Hasegawa ignored him, and went on. "I bet you still admire her, then, since you call her "Sama", even when she cannot hear you?" "Of course I do. Even if I think she's annoying to the bone, I really admire her. She's so damn Magically Powerfull, and does not fear anything. She'll never leave her teammates and friends behind under any circumstances because of the person she is. Of course I admire her. Heck, we all do! The whole village does!" Masamune said. "Tell me something I don't know."
Hasegawa said. Masamune opened his mouth to retort. "Will you two give it a rest? You're more tiring than Toomy Hermanius when he preaches us in the Temple." Another girl in the Valkyrie-squad interrupted.
Masamune and Hasegawa stopped arguing, and resumed their observing of Lin checking all the houses. She had now reached the house where Tifa, Cloud and Zack lived, unable to hear anything on the other doors.
Lin knocked on the door, already half-ready to leave, and give up hope that the village wasn't deserted. She could hear movements from inside the house, and footsteps approaching the door.
She heard a click, when the handle was bent down, and the door opened. A boy stood in the doorway. He had dark, spiky hair which stood to all sides. He had light, brown eyes, which for the moment looked puzzled. "Eh. Hi. Who're you?" The boy asked.
"My name is Lin. I was just wondering how this mountain came down, and what caused it." "Don't tell me you just show up here, and ask me that question just like that when I've never seen you before. Who are you, anyway?" Lin observed him for a moment. "I said I would prefer not to attract more attention than necessary. To start telling this guy who I am would be a sure way of attracting attention. But on the other hand, I won't be able to get information here if I don't tell him." She thought. He had a look on his face that told Lin he was suspicious, but still curious. That he wasn't the type it was impossible to talk to.
"I am a Cetra from the Village of Himitsu Shi to the north on the Northespole Island. I am the leader of the Elite Unit of the Cetra's Combat Force; The Valkyries. I am searching for a Cetra named Aireth. She deserted my people a little more than a week ago, and is up to something against the Cetra which must be prevented at all costs. I was told she would come here, to this mountain. But when I came here, I see the whole mountain smashed to bits. I was just wondering who did this, and how your village is still standing." Lin explained. The boy nodded. He seemed to relax a little bit more.
He breathed more freely, it seemed, and the suspicious look on his face disappeared, and all that was left, was the curious expression Lin had seen before. "The Cetra?" He asked, and Lin nodded. "I suppose you've heard of Sephiroth? Haven't you?" Lin nodded again. "He came to Himitsu about three months ago, and started a war against your people. I and my friends, Tifa and Cloud, who live here with me, had been on the run from him for about a week when we sought refuge in your village. There, we met Aeris, who we told everything. When Sephiroth came to Himitsu, a war broke out, and Aeris killed him in a one-on-one duel. We helped out by slaying a few of the dragons he'd brought with him, so the three of us are known in your village."
Lin fell silent after this story. "Oh, and just so you know. The name is Zack." The boy said, looking as if he couldn't sit still, for some reason. "Aeris told me about the war when I and the Valkyries came back from planet-patrol. We'd been told by our village's Chief to scout the planet for fiends, and kill the ones we could find. She also told me about you guys, but she didn't tell me where you lived." Zack nodded. "Aeris came here a few days ago, and told us about Aireth, and how she was searching desperately for her. She went over to the mountain, and a few hours later, the whole thing came down. I and the others escaped this village when we saw that it would get crushed by all the falling rocks. When we came back to the village a few minutes later, we saw Aeris standing at the remains of this house, crying so her whole body shook, trying to dig our bodies out from the ruins, and apparently thinking us dead. When she saw us, she got all overjoyed, and restored the village. She told us that Aireth had accomplished her objective, and released one of the worst enemies your people has ever had." Lin's eyes widened in shock, and she gasped at these news. "So we're too late. Aireth has released The Lord of Darkness." Lin thought. She nodded at Zack's news. "She then went after Aireth. We don't know where she is now." Zack took a deep breath when he'd finished, as if he'd been trying not to breathe while talking. Lin nodded. "So Aeris did this. I wonder why? I'll ask her when I see her again. Thanks for the help, Zack. Tell your friends I said hi." Lin said, and went out of the village.
Zack looked after her, thinking how weird it was that only Cetra's visited them. He went back inside the house, thinking about Aeris, and how sorrowful she'd been when they saw her.
Lin went back to the other Valkyries. "What'd they say,
Lin-Sama?" Masamune asked. "I was told that Aeris was here before us, and that she destroyed the mountain, and probably the Reactor of Sealing along with it. They told me that Aireth was here before the Reactor and the mountain were destroyed. They told me that Aireth has released Lucifer. We're too late. Aireth has accomplished her objective." The Valkyries gasped in horror, and looked at each other, trying to grasp what their leader had just said. "What should we do now?" Hasegawa asked after awhile frightened. "We should return to Himitsu Shi as fast as humanly possible. If we're lucky, the Cetra might still be alright, and we can make our stand against Lucifer." Lin said. "Move out!" The Valkyries of Himitsu Shi flew into the air, and sped towards their village, hoping with all their hearts that their people were safe. Hasegawa flew over to Masamune as they traveled. Above them, they couldn't see any stars, or any moon to cheer them up. The night had come
"Masamune-kun. Gomenasai for what I said back there."
Masamune looked at her in surprise. "Why should you be sorry? You didn't really tell me anything that hurt." Hasegawa looked at him sadly.
"The way I acted all superior back there. And the way you told me to stop. Gomenasai." "There's nothing special about that, Hasegawa. You've always been like that to me." "That's why I'm sorry. I don't mean what I say. The things I tell you every time we have arguments like that are not the things I'm really feeling." "Then what do you feel?" Masamune asked puzzled. Hasegawa fell silent. She bit her lip. Masamune had never seen her act like this before. Hasegawa looked at him, her green eyes full of longing. "Eh. Hasegawa. What's wrong?" Masamune asked. "Masamune-kun. I….." She looked as if she couldn't find words for what she felt. "I feel the same way all the time." Masamune thought. Hasegawa flew closer to him. "I really…like you" Hasegawa mumbled. Masamune stopped flying. Hasegawa did the same. They looked at each other. "What does she mean "I really like you?" Masamune thought. "What's so great about me, anyway? I cannot even tell people how I feel without acting like a goddamn moron. "Why do you like a guy like me? I'm just a big loser with no special qualities or anything." Hasegawa looked at him. "Everyone has their own unique worth, sides of themselves which separates them from others. The things I see in you are the sides of you I like. And if the end of the Cetra is near, I may not get another chance to say this. Masamune-kun….If you died, I would feel like something inside me fell apart, something irreplaceable. The only thing which makes me happy just by thinking about it. I don't want to lose you. I cannot live without knowing you're alive somewhere. And if you die, I just won't be able to live on." Masamune looked at Hasegawa. He took her hand. "Hasegawa. I feel the same way. That's probably why we've had so many arguments in the past. I don't want to lose you either." They looked at each other. Hasegawa held his hand in return. They flew closer. They could feel each others' breath against their faces. Masamune couldn't explain or describe the emotions swelling up inside him.
All he knew was that he hadn't felt like that before. Masamune and Hasegawa held each other.
"Hey guys! Are you coming, or what?" Hasegawa's and Masamune's lips separated. They looked over at the other Valkyries. "Yeah, Murasame-kun. We're coming." Masamune called. Hasegawa and Masamune flew over to them hand in hand.
The Valkyries continued their journey back to their home.
"Did we miss something?" Murasame asked. "You bet." Hasegawa replied. Masamune said nothing. He just enjoyed the feeling of Hasegawa's hand in his as they soared across the sky...