OK everyone! Finally, here's chapter 11! Just a warning though, there is FLUFF! I do apologize for not getting this out sooner; it's been a longgggg summer. But now that I'm back at school, I'll be using my computer a lot more, and hopefully I'll be getting out chapters faster than I have been. As always, R&R, so I know that you guys are still reading this, lol...enjoy!
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I gently pushed Yuffie's hair away from her eyes, which remained closed. I slid my hand into my pocket and pulled out a Phoenix Down. My heart rate quickened as I waited for the result.
Suddenly, I saw Yuffie's index finger move.
"Uh…" Yuffie's eyes opened. "Tifa…?" She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she groaned from the pain in her side.
I stopped holding my breath and sighed with relief. "Oh, Yuffie…what did that bastard do to you…" I held her hand tightly as I used Cure 3 and watched the blood running freely from her abdomen go from a flow to a trickle, until the wound healed over. Yuffie sat up slowly and stared at me with fresh tears in her eyes, from both pain and gratitude.
"Thank you Tifa, thank you." She threw her arms around my neck and held on tight. "I told that jerk that he should go to hell for torturing my friends and tried to fight him. He was so fast…so fast…" Her voice faded.
I helped her to her feet and walked her to Barret and Cid, who Cloud had just helped out of their chains and back to standing positions.
"Yuffie, I'm so glad you're alrigh'! That son of a bitch is gonna pay!" said Barret as he grabbed Yuffie's hands in both of his.
Cid winked at Yuffie, lightly punched her arm, and then turned to the rest of us, his brow line deepening with thought.
"Now that we're all up to speed, how the hell are we gonna find our way out of here? No one knows how we got here, since that devil knocked us all out…anyone have any ideas?"
Cloud turned to me. He looked confused. "How were you able to open those walls in the first place? I mean, I sweat my brains out trying to push them aside, and with one small shove from you they 'magically' opened. How did that happen?"
I wrinkled my nose and thought hard. I know that I'm strong, but it was rather odd that with barely any effort I was able to open those walls, while Cloud couldn't even budge them.
I took in a deep breath. "Well, I don't know how I did it, but we should probably leave this room immediately. Cedric could be back any second, and we need preparation before facing him once more," I said with a whisper.
Staying close to the walls, the others followed me behind the stone chair to where Cloud and I first entered the horrible room. The wall had remained open from when we came in, so very quietly we all slipped out and tip-toed back into the dimly lit hallway of staffs. After looking in both directions and making sure that we were alone, I pulled the group together.
"Okay, I don't know why, but for some reason I can move these walls with no problem. What I want all of you to do while we walk is listen. Keep your ears open for any sounds of water, or birds, or anything else that sounds like the outdoors. When one of you hears something, I'll try and push the wall open. Everyone got it?" My eyes traveled around the team, and found agreement from everyone. And so, we walked.
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After fifteen minutes of silence, Cloud waved me over. "Can you hear that?" He asked me while pointing to the wall on the left.
I listened carefully. It sounded like a man's voice…
"Cloud, back up." I said strongly. He obeyed and backed away from the wall. My heart was pounding like mad as I walked towards the wall and put my ear up against it. It sounded like two men arguing, and I knew both of their voices in an instant. The first voice was Cedric's voice; and the other caused a shiver down my spine…
"Master, I don't know how it happened…"
"Your stupidity will not get you very far, Cedric."
"Master, I'm sorry…it was that retched girl…"
"Do not give me excuses Cedric…"
"But Master, she knows how to open the walls…how does she know how to open the walls? I thought only we can open the walls!"
"You will pay dearly for this if you do not find them. I did not create you just so you could fail miserably at the task I assigned you."
"Yes Master, I will find them Master."
"I want the girl alive. And if you can't do the job, you know what will happen. We'll have to take a trip to the Ancient Forest again, and…tighten a few hinges. Do you understand, Cedric?"
"Ye, ye, yes Master…"
I couldn't stop shaking. Hojo. He was here, right next to us with only a wall separating us. And what's worse, he created Cedric; just as he created Sephiroth.
Where is he…is he alright?
A sharp pain in my chest caused me to pause, and then I remembered that we needed to find a way out.
I turned quickly to the team. "We need to get out of here and find the others before making our move," I said quickly and quietly. "We won't be able to defeat Hojo or Cedric otherwise."
Cloud put a hand on my shoulder. "Tifa, who was it? It sounded like voices…"
"There's no time to explain, we've got to get out of here!"
Everyone agreed as we continued quickly on through the long tunnel. The more and more distance we covered the more uphill we went, until finally we reached a dead end. "Alright everyone, let's see how reliable my 'powers' are," I said half joking, but silently praying that they would work.
I stepped up to the wall and pushed with my hands. Nothing happened. I leaned closer to the wall, pushing not only my hands but my arms against it. Nothing. Finally, I put my entire body against the wall and gave one great heave. The wall moved aside, almost as if it was alive. Bright sunlight burst through the entrance as we all stepped outside.
"Where are we?" asked Yuffie, squinting and looking around. A memory came back to me as I looked around the tiny island. I saw in my memory a green pool of Lifestream, and a small dog that followed me around. Mideel.
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After traveling a safe distance away from the cavern, I looked around the team and settled my eyes on Barret. "Barret, give me the PHS please." I said as I put my hand out in front of Barret. He passed me the phone and I dialed Vincent.
"Tifa, where are you?"
"We're in Mideel, Vincent. Everyone's okay, and we found yet another one of Hojo's secret places. You must come quickly!"
"We don't have the Highwind, we won't be able to get there very fast."
Cid interrupted. "Wait! The Highwind is just outside of Cosmo Canyon! The bastards cut us off on our way out of the desert. It's not far at all!"
Vincent muttered away from the phone and then returned. "Alright, we'll go find the Highwind and be on our way soon."
Sephiroth's face popped into my mind. "Is everyone okay over there?" I asked with trepidation.
"Yes, we're all ok, and we're on our way." He replied. My heart slowed down to its normal pace.
"Brilliant. I'll see you when you get here." I returned the PHS to Barret and sat on the cool ground. Images of Sephiroth quickly formed in my mind.
Will he talk to me once he gets here?
Of course he'll talk to you…he cares about you.
I need him here.
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The minutes passed by like hours when finally the familiar sound of the engines of the Highwind entered our ears. The deck's ladder was lowered down, and each of us climbed up to the familiar safety of our ship. I took one glance back at Mideel, remembering its beauty years ago.
How ugly this place has become; thanks to you, Hojo.
We walked inside. Vincent and Nanaki where there, greeting everyone as we came on board.
"Yuffie! Are you alright! You have a huge scab across your side! What happened..."
Barret and Cid joined in to tell Yuffie's story of Cedric. I slipped out unnoticed and walked towards my room, hoping Sephiroth was there. As I walked into the room, I saw him. He was sitting on his cot, looking at the floor, deep in thought.
I walked towards him, and paused when he looked up at me.
No one spoke. And then…
In one swift movement, Sephiroth was standing right in front of me, staring into my eyes. "Tifa, when Cedric disappeared with you, I thought…" His voice faded and his eyes continued to watch me carefully.
I waited to catch my breath before speaking again. "I'm okay. But I did find out something…Cedric was created by Hojo. That's why you two were so equally matched. He's been doing some terrible things in the Ancient Forest…we have to stop him."
Sephiroth's eyes went from thoughtful to menacing at the sound of Hojo's name as he whipped his head to the side.
"That bastard…he'll pay for what he's done to you…." His voice was barely audible, but I could make out the words clearly.
"What do you mean?" I asked with a whisper almost as quiet as his remark.
He turned to me and spoke softly and gently. "Tifa, I apologize to you for earlier on. An emotion rose up inside of me that I never felt, until I met you," He put his hand gently to my chin and lifted it. I lifted my hand and touched it.
"Once I felt it, I was confused. But I now know what it means."
He inched closer.
"I understand…Vincent explained everything to me…but does that mean…" A glimmer of hope spread throughout my entire body.
"I love you..." His voice got even softer as he leaned in slowly. "And I'll never let anyone hurt you again, including me."
I couldn't speak. My face felt hot as Sephiroth reached my lips with his. I lifted my arms and placed them around his neck, moving my hands through his silvery hair. My whole body trembled as my lips parted and I let his gentle tongue explore my mouth. A soft moan escaped from his mouth into mine as his hands moved downward from my face to wrap around my waist. My heart rate quickened as his hands moved slowly up and down the sides of my stomach. I had never felt this way before, not even with Cloud.
I broke off the kiss gently, as I was feeling rather breathless. "Sephiroth," I whispered. "I love you too."
I barely got those words out; Sephiroth's now very tender lips pressed gently on mine once more, while the Highwind moved away from Mideel and back towards Nibelheim.
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Well, that's chapter 11! I hope you enjoyed it, and please, PLEASE, review! I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy reading your reviews:)