Chapter Three
Sorry for the late update. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any characters thereof. I only own my original characters.
Sleep is hard to come by for those whose minds are occupied by unwelcome thoughts. Max stared vacantly at the ceiling. Over the last few years, she had given up all hope of a decent night's rest. Constantly plagued by painful memories; memories that she would give anything to have locked away inside her mind, never to be replayed. Memories that had no place in this life. Despite her weariness, staying awake proved a far less tiresome ordeal. At the very least, it provided some relief from the constant repetition of her past.
Lora, I want you to come with me.
She inhaled sharply, holding it for the briefest time before forcefully expelling it.
No one to stop us from being together.
Abruptly sitting up, Max swung her legs over the side of her bunk and got to her feet. She moved over to the sink, above which hung a mirror, but she dare not look at herself as she splashed her face. For she would not like the eyes staring back at her. The icy water did little to drive away the memory and proved less of a distraction than she'd originally thought. Her fingers curled around the edge of the sink, her skin becoming a porcelain white when she strengthened her grip. Water dripped from her chin and nose, the only noise to fill the silence.
You're free. Of obligation and duty. Now we can leave, together.
A muffled whimper escaped her. Why was this happening? She glanced up; the tall, cloaked figure in the mirror disturbed her, but she knew it wasn't real. Just a figure for her imagination. The figure raised its head, its face hidden by shadow but its eyes were all too apparent. Those Mako eyes. In a fit of anguish, Max drove her fist through the mirror. Glass rained down, clinking loudly against the floor. A shout of surprise was heard from outside and the door burst open to reveal a distressed Tifa, who immediately shouted for a medical kit the moment she laid eyes on Max. And what a sight it was. The woman stood rooted to the spot, her breath heavy and her body trembling. She gave no indication that she had even noticed Tifa, who quickly began inspecting her hand. Blood seeped freely from fresh wounds on her knuckles, littered with shards of glass deep enough to cause scarring.
"Max? Max! Are you alright? What did you think you were doing?"
Given no answer, Tifa shook her head and resolved to clean her up before questioning her again. Cloud watched silently from the doorway as she led the unresponsive woman to the bed and carefully began extracting glass. Nimble fingers made quick work of the task, swiftly scouring Max's blood stained skin for anything she might have missed. His gaze trailed from the woman's hand to her face; her countenance devoid of all emotion. Whatever happened had disturbed her to the point of near shutting-down. This could have been avoided, had she not been so disobliging and taken his advice. Running was never the answer. Cloud could attest to that. And now she was making the same mistakes that nearly cost him everything. And, despite aggravating him to no end, he couldn't let that happen to her. His brow furrowed at the baffling thought. Why was he going to such lengths to protect her? Why did he feel such concern?
"Tifa," Said women, who had just finished bandaging Max's hand, turned to him. His gaze remained fixated on Max as he spoke. "I'd like to speak to her. Alone."
She glanced between her uncommunicative patient and the severe-looking Cloud, not too keen on the idea of leaving them alone, given their current dispositions. But she knew the Mako eyed man well enough to know that he wouldn't cause Max any harm. And so, with a nod, she gathered the medical kit and left, flashing Cloud a warning glance before closing the door behind them. Silence fell, neither of them making any attempt to start a conversation. A long moment passed and Max had yet to recognise his presence. Cloud studied her; her body tensed for a fight, back straight, shoulders back and head raised. Not the posture of someone who had purposefully injured themselves. He sauntered towards a nearby chair, positioning it in front of her before taking a seat and continuing to stare at her. Finally forced to acknowledge him, she narrowed her gaze.
"What was that about?" He noticed her injured hand flex in his peripheral vision, the only response he received. His gaze hardened. "You're making them worry. Barett and Tifa. But you don't care, do you?"
Chapped lips parted, her voice hoarse, as though she had spent the last hour screaming. "But you do." He blinked in confusion. "You care enough for the both of us." Her gaze snapped over Cloud's shoulder, focusing on the broken mirror. "Do you want to know why I did what I did?" He gave a subtle nod. "Because I didn't like what I saw."
"And what did you see?"
Max met his gaze. She was all too aware that her hollow stare troubled him greatly. "My guilt."
He said nothing. Guilt was one of the few things that wouldn't disappear over time. It would grow and fester until every fibre of your being was contaminated. Confession and forgiveness was the only cure. He wasn't certain when she had gotten to her feet, but in two swift strides, she stood between his legs, staring down at him. The void of her gaze was gone, her expression returning to the sneer he was accustomed to eliciting from her.
She lowered her face to his, her voice now whispered and menacing. "Don't presume you know me, Strife." He kept her gaze, despite the overwhelming urge he felt to pull away. "I've heard your sad story. I know what happened to your friends." The corner of her lips pulled up into a crooked smirk. "Tell me. Did you even bother to help them, or did you just leave them to die?"
Cloud launched himself from the chair, his hand clamping around her throat as he rammed her up against the nearest wall. The murderous intent he emanated brought a delighted smile to Max's face. Anger, anguish and hatred. Those were the driving forces behind humanity. Even if humanity itself didn't want to admit it.
"I know what you're doing." He leant closer. "Does the prospect of the future frighten you that much?"
"How can I fear the future," She smirked, "When I'm trapped in the past?"
Withdrawing his hand, he allowed Max to crumple to the ground, her hand rubbing the tender skin of her neck. Cloud turned his back to her, struggling to regain control over his body. He had allowed his anger to get the better of him. He frowned. It was incredibly unlike him. Max got to her feet, a glare fixated on the man's back. Silence followed and neither moved. And then there was a knock. Cloud turned to her, eyebrow raised in question. She gave the subtle shake of her head in response, before returning to her previous gesture of glaring. Upon realising that no one was answering, Tifa slammed the door open; the worst scenarios having come to mind. But the scene that faced her happened to be far more unsettling than anything she had pictured. Rampant dislike and unrestrained bitterness made the atmosphere of the room noxious. Her words were caught in her throat, unable to force themselves past dry lips. It was all too overwhelming.
"C-Cloud?" Tifa managed to choke out.
He shifted his attention to her, lessening the tension, though barely. "What is it?"
"W-We're at the outskirts of the forest. We'll be landing soon."
Max frowned, forgetting all about her hostility towards Cloud. "That can't be right. We're still a day's travel away."
"Actually, we're not entirely sure how." Max frowned at this. It wasn't the response she had been hoping for. And what Tifa said next only aided in furthering her concern. "One moment Cid's attempting to maneuver through storm clouds, and the next..."
Given this new piece of information, Max could only conclude that their journey would not end as happily as they had deluded themselves into believing. But it was an impossibility. Surely she would have sensed it. Such an occurrence would be difficult to overlook. Then again, as preoccupied as she had been over the last few days, it might have slipped past unnoticed. Her teeth dug into her lip, pressing hard enough for her canines to draw blood. Cloud stared at Max, noting the expression of muted horror she wore. Subtle though it was, he was more than capable of seeing right through her facade.
He crossed his arms. "Something you need to share?"
"No." Her response was immediately, though she failed to meet his gaze, instead choosing to stare blankly at the wall. "Everything's fine."
"Lora, I want you to come with me." The conviction in his voice permeated her mind with little difficulty, working to entice and persuade. "We can do everything we spoke of. We can travel the world. We'll see everything. No rules. No one to stop us from being together."
A tempting offer it was, and one Lora would have immediately accepted had he suggested the idea only a few months earlier. But things had changed. To be more precise, it was Lora who had changed. Being in the position of power that she was, there were certain obligations thrust upon her that she simply could not ignore. No matter how much she wished she could. Taran, unfortunately, would be incapable of understanding such responsibility, given that he had never stayed in one place long enough to form any sort of attachment.
"Taran...I-I can't."
He approached, Mako eyes boring intensely into her gaze. "What? Why not?"
She faltered several times, mouth opening and closing wordlessly before she managed to get a grip on her basic motor functions. "I-I have obligations."
"What?! To marry him!" Taran's countenance contorted in pure rage and, though he had not subjected her to physical harm, he seemed about ready to storm out of her room in search of a confrontation. A fleeting desperation flickered noticeably in his eyes, but was rapidly replaced by a burning hatred. "You don't love him! You love me!"
"Taran-"
"Your father is making you doubt yourself. He's making you doubt us." He took hold of her hand, gently but firmly, and lead her towards the door. "Once we reach the outskirts, you'll see. Everything will become clearer then."
All attempt at explanation was lost on him. He would never understand, not when he was so blinded by love and hatred. Lora stared at his back, a sorrowful expression on her beautiful countenance. He would never understand the incredible pain she felt. But it was her duty. And she would endure without complaint. For the sake of her kingdom and its people. Summoning all of her strength, she slipped her hand from his. Taran stopped the moment he felt her hand slip from his. His body tensed, fingers curling into a clenched fist, but he refused to face her, instead he opted to keep his back to her. A long silence followed. Lora stared at his back with a visible determination. She wouldn't waver, no matter how strongly she wanted to.
"The only way I'll stop...is if you tell me you don't love me." He slowly turned, locking his gaze with hers. She felt herself falter under the intensity of his gaze. And as he drew closer, Lora found her heart begin to throb painfully. When he came to a stop before her, he stood so close that there was barely a breath of space between their bodies. He drew nearer, his fingers forcing her too meet his gaze. "Can you look me in the eye and tell me?"
"Alright! Let's get this show on the road!"
Max frowned at the small, energetic figure that attempted to sprint past her towards the oddly pulsating forest border. Though eagerness was generally considered a positive trait, in this case, it was highly less favourable. Such reckless behaviour would lead to a premature death when travelling across this land. Being the case, AVALANCHE was particularly lucky to have someone so intimately familiar with the area, even if they weren't aware just how far her familiarity extended. Max reached out, catching hold of the figure by the collar and forcing them to stop.
"Settle down." Glancing back at the woman, Yuffie furrowed her brow in confusion. Max merely responded by releasing her hold, though she was careful to make sure that the hyperactive child didn't run again. "If you rush in there like that, I can assure you, you won't last an hour."
"Eh? It can't be that dangerous."
"You have no idea."
With that, Max promptly ended her conversation with Yuffie and turned her full attention to the other members of the group, all of whom were busily preparing themselves for the journey ahead of them. Lost in absentminded thoughts, Max found her gaze unconsciously focusing on the certain Mako-eyed blond who had, as of late, taken to irking her at every available moment. They were nothing alike. Complete opposite ends of the spectrum. They were, in every way possible, different. And yet, because of those damned Mako eyes, every time she looked at Cloud, she saw...him.
"Max. Hello? Are you still in there?!" She blinked, noticing the familiar face currently filling the entirety of her vision. Yuffie grinned. "Thought we'd lost you for a second there."
A gentle squeeze on her shoulder alerted her to the ever present concern of Tifa. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Clearing her throat, Max pushed aside her thoughts and focused on the situation at hand. "During the journey, I pondered over the most effective way to journey through the forest, hopefully without losing anyone along the way. We travel only during the day. Camp will be made before nightfall and a constant look-out posted throughout the night. Venturing away from the camp is strictly prohibited, but if absolutely necessary move in groups of no less than three. If we're lucky, we won't run into any monsters."
Tifa frowned. "Monsters?"
"These forests are contaminated with Mako." Her eyes momentarily met Cloud's gaze, before averting to the others. "Animals, plants...all matter of life is infected and transformed into savage creatures."
"Just a quick question then. Why the fuck hasn't the contamination spread?" Cid took a long drag of his cigarette, waiting somewhat impatiently for an answer.
Valentine spoke up. "I'm assuming that the kingdom implemented some form of barrier, in order to protect themselves and any surrounding villages."
Max stared at him in muted surprise. "How do you know that?"
"I'm well informed."
She raised an eyebrow. "So it seems."
Observing him a moment longer, Max discovered something she had previously failed to notice about him. It was only natural given her lack of interaction with him, but still. How could she have missed something so utterly obvious? Their eyes met for a fraction of a heartbeat and her hypothesis was confirmed. Some foreign object inhabited his body. And that same foreign object was what kept him alive. Her fingers clenched into a tight fist, her nails threatening to break the skin. All that unrestrained power. The chamber wouldn't allow him to enter. At least, not without killing him. A hand rested upon her shoulder, drawing her attention away from the silent and unexpected staring competition she was unknowingly engaged in.
Barret raised his free hand, motioning to the others. "Let's get a move on!"
"Just, one more thing." She reached back and drew her sword from its sheath. "Keep your guard up."