Hey! Started classes again today. Have a character design class. Its gonna be awesome! Coming up with stories and images for the characters! Keep me in the creative mood. Well I've been trying to come up with more ideas to keep this story rolling, exciting and full of romance. Today will be a set up for future romance/drama! Love can be so frustrating, can't it? Thanks to the reviewers for their support, you keep me going! Well it's getting late and I want to post this up in time for people to begin reading! Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Annubis
The Decision Between Life or Death:
A Second Chance
Chapter 12
A dark, endless, abyss. That's what was contained behind the walls of the inner city; winding tunnels that curved into mazes, broken paths, dead silence and caverns that dropped for miles.
Aeris shivered at the darkness before her. It was too similar to the clones who had previously abducted her. Who knew what was lurking in the shadows. Well, she had an idea, but it wasn't something she had wanted to think about.
"This is very interesting." Shelke said as she popped her small head through the hole. "I would love to go with you, but I think I would benefit you all more if I went back to the ship."
"Go back?" Tifa asked.
"The computers. I can connect to the computers in Cid's ship and try to hack into the old Shinra files. Then I can find out more about Hojo's final research." the girl turned to Vincent.
"You think there's anything in these tunnels?" the dark man questioned.
"I'm almost certain. I could have sworn there was something about an ancient text of some sort. Maybe I can find the location." with that said, the very young looking woman turned and headed up the spiraling, glass stairs. "Keep your PHS nearby. I will call in if I find anything useful." she tapped the side of her head and continued her ascent.
"Well what're we waitin' for!? Let's git!" Cid drawled. The man turned to the tunnel and tightened his grip on his spear. There was without a doubt in the pilot's mind that all dark places contained some form of evil within it.
"You think there's any materia in there!?" Yuffie skipped after the man.
"If there is, it's mine!" Cid spat.
"Not if I can help it!" the girl argued.
The group followed one after another into the dark tunnels. The path was very narrow, the edges rigid and covered in loose sand. Aeris looked to the side, the path was suspended in the air by thin pillars. If anyone were to fall over the side, they would find themselves dropping quite a ways before finding a new ground. Navigating through the tunnels was going to be quite difficult.
"Ye back already?" Cait Sith followed Shelke into the back of the ship.
"I've come to gather data." she simply stated.
"What kind of data?" Kadaj asked. He watched the girl curiously as she slid into the blue leather chair. Her small hands grabbed the sides of a rather large helmet.
"Data on the City of the Ancients and the tunnels within it." the girl lifted the mechanical device and slid it over her head. The thick cord in the back thumped against the side of the chair. She pressed a button on the side of the device. The head gear hummed as a blue light beamed across the top. Mechanical beeping and ticking sang as she began navigating the mainframe.
"Cait Sith, Please make sure nothing happens to the connection. I'm going to try hacking into Hojo's files. It can be quite difficult. If I get disconnected while still activating the mainframe through my mind, it can cause some...problems." the girl informed the robotic animal.
"Aye." the cat nodded. He turned to Kadaj. "Why don't you an' I go back upstairs to play another game?"
"Ok." Kadaj nodded slowly. He stared at the girl before him, not sure what to make of her and the mechanical devices she wore. "Can we go back outside later? I want to make...a snowman. Is that what it was called?"
"A snowman?" Cait Sith smirked. "Did Aeris tell you about this?"
"Yeah! I think it sounds interesting to make a man out of snow." Kadaj grinned. He stared at his hands. "To be made of snow. It doesn't sound like something very strong, but perhaps a man of snow would have some interesting powers."
"Powers!?" Cait Sith scratched his ear.
"I want to make the strongest snowman of them all!" Kadaj raised his fists in the air. He was made of Jenova's cells. Perhaps being made of snow would have it's benefits as well.
"You have a lot to learn, Kadaj..." the cat purred. The feline trotted out of the room, Kadaj followed slowly. He looked back at Shelke once more before closing the door behind him.
'Is she supposed to be doing things like that? I get the feeling mother wouldn't like it.' Kadaj thought carefully. It was hard to tell the difference between the voices in his head. For all he knew he wasn't listening to mother, but she said she was. The young man shook his head, but every time 'mother' spoke to him, it gave him a strange feeling. It wasn't the same feeling he got when he was with Aeris. He shivered as soft whispers began to call within the back of his mind.
LINE
"I wish there were some lights in here." Yuffie scoffed.
"I'm tryin'. Shut yer trap." Cid muttered as his flicked his cigarette lighter repeatedly. "Damn piece-!" the man fell.
"Cid!"
"I'm alright. Seems there are some cracks forming along the path. I don't think there should be so much weight on 'ere all at once." the man clicked the lighter once more, revealing a broken and frail walkway.
"We should cross individually." Vincent suggested.
"I'm not going first!" Yuffie scampered around Cid.
"Should send you in first. Then if there are any monsters they'll jes' get you an we won't hafta worry about a thing and jes' get outta here." Barret snorted.
"Hey!" Yuffie smacked her hands against her hips.
"I'll go first." Vincent opened his cell phone. The light gleamed in the darkness.
'Why didn't anyone bring flashlights?' Vincent rolled his eyes.
"I'll stick by Red." Zack patted the animal on the back. "He's pretty damn efficient in the dark." he lifted and held onto the animal's tail. The small flame flickered in the darkness.
"Don't do that." Red growled. His tail dropped quickly.
Vincent walked slowly across the path. His blue light flashed against the rocky surface surrounding the pit of darkness. It reminded him of his tomb he had slept in for too many years. He stopped abruptly as the light dissipated; the sleep function activated. He was engulfed in pitch blackness. He closed the phone, looking before him in annoyance. His thumb flicked it back open, light emitted into the darkness once again, but the sight was quite different. Vincent saw no rocks, no path, just two beady red eyes glaring back at him. Despite the cool demure of the man, the sight scared the hell out of him. Giant wings spread and wrapped around the man. In a flash Vincent was gone, along with the brilliant blue light.
"Vincent!" Yuffie called out.
"What the & was that!?" Barret raised his gun arm.
"Where is he!?" Tifa stared into the darkness around her. It bothered her not being able to see her enemies. The darkness was just too similar to the times she was in a coma.
Loud bursts of gunfire echoed within the tunnels. Bright flashes of light engulfed the darkness every split second. The group blindly watched in horror. Even if Vincent killed the creature, he'd fall with it into the dark pits below the pathway. A chime emitted, ringing out in the blackness.
"Vincent's phone." Tifa said to no one in particular. Shelke must have found out something useful.
'Damn it." Vincent mentally cursed. He shot again at the beast clinging onto his shoulders. His other hand flipped open the phone.
"Shelke, can't talk now. Fighting. Call Cloud." Vincent replied. The bright light made the creature growl angrily.
Cloud's phone sounded a moment later. He flipped it open quickly.
"Shelke?" he asked.
"Cloud. There's a lighting system along the ceiling. It reacts to fire spells, the Ancients relied on magic for basically everything. Try sending some flames up towards the ceiling, see if anything happens."
"Ok." Cloud closed his phone and grabbed his arm. He slowly closed his eyes, thinking about the energy within the bangle on his wrist. He felt the warm tingling sensation of a level three spell. A smell which reminded him of campfires invaded his nose. He raised his arm into the air, concentrating on the target.
'This had better work.' Cloud released the energy.
A blast of light rushed into the air. It sparked and crackled and flew into the black sky. The group watched as the ball of fire flew past Vincent and his predator and slowly dissipated from view.
'How big is this place!?' Cloud gaped.
"Um...Cloud, you missed." Yuffie gave the man a confused look.
"I wasn't aiming for the monster." he frowned.
A second later a loud explosion of sound invaded the quiet tunnel. A blinding light burst across the sky. Everyone shielded their eyes as fire etched it's way across the top of the cavern.
"A lighting system." Aeris whispered. She watched the intricate designs of light wind its way across the far away ceiling. Light beamed in all directions. A dim orange glow ate away the darkness.
"There he is!" Yuffie pointed. The group watched as the winged creature spiraled downward with Vincent in its grasp. "He killed it!"
"Vincent! You're going to fall!" Tifa hollered.
The man's head turned downward at the woman's warning. He pushed against the animal, kicking away. Vincent flipped and glided across the air towards the platform. He landed softly, skidding near the edge. He dug his claw into the dirt. The man stared at his surroundings. The ceiling was hundreds of feet overhead. Tiny flames decorated the surface. He looked down below. He could see numerous paths below the walkway they currently were on, each further than the other and surrounded by darkness. They all had to be connected in some way.
"You awright?" Barret thudded across the platform. "You kill it?"
"I'm no sure." Vincent replied.
"Not sure if yer alright or if you killed it?" Cid sarcastically scoffed.
"If I killed it." Vincent stood.
"At least we can see our enemies now." Tifa wrapped her arms around herself. It certainly was cold in these tunnels.
"I suggest we continue moving forward." Vincent turned on his heel and continued down the path into the tunnel. A shrill shriek screeched from within the darker hall.
"What was that?" Yuffie shivered.
"I think we have more company." Zack unsheathed his massive sword.
Red XIII narrowed his eyes.
"There's a twist to the left and another to the right. The tunnel splits. We can split into two groups and head both ways, I'm sure we will meet up on the other side. If not, we should be able to see each other at some point." His ears twitched. He took a couple steps forward. "The pressure up ahead changes again. There should be more open space, most likely more walkways."
"Split up?" Tifa asked.
"In only two groups. That way the groups aren't too small and everyone will be able to keep safe." Red nodded.
Tifa, Cid, Cloud, Yuffie, and Barret took the left path. Zack, Vincent, Aeris and Red XIII took the right. Vincent and Cloud could keep in touch through their PHS.
"If we don't meet up again in ten minutes, make sure you make a call to see where the other party is at." Red had suggested.
The two groups made their way down their separate paths. Quiet screeches and chatters echoed against the walls.
"What happens if one group comes to a dead end?" Tifa asked.
"Then the others wait for them to backtrack and meet back up." Cloud tilted his head.
"And if it splits again?" Cid asked.
"Would it be wise to split up again?" Tifa interrupted.
"If we separate, our numbers will get smaller and I don't like that idea." Yuffie shook her head.
"How 'bout if we reach another split we all continue until we find another open space or walkway. Then another person can go back and see if that other tunnel leads to the same area."
"Sounds risky." Tifa sighed.
"We do have to cover a lot of ground. I'll be the one to back track." Cloud volunteered.
"Yeah...cause you so bad ass." Barret rolled his eyes.
"I'll rely on him before I'd rely on you." Cid retorted.
"Wha's that supposed to mean!?" Barret raised a fist.
Tifa's group continued their arguing. She smiled softly at the sounds around her. It was almost nostalgic hearing everyone's voice again, even if it was bickering. She just wished it was under better circumstances, like a party of some sort rather than a life-risking adventure. They ventured for a few minutes before coming to a fork in the road.
"Damn." Barret cursed.
"Let's keep heading forward. We'll find the clearing Red was talking about and then I'll head back and see if the other leads to the open as well." Cloud mumbled in a monotone voice. He reached into his pocket as his phone began sounding a small chime.
"Vincent?" Cloud asked. "Already? That was quick..."
"Red's nose led us straight to the walkways. You should be very close if you're at a split. We just sent Zack down the other tunnel to see if it meets at the same spot. I suggest you do the same. Then we can cover more ground. Red is certain that all these tunnels will meet back up. If not, we can always back track, though that does take more time." Vincent continued with the ordeal while Cloud listened intently.
Aeris sat on the ground, waiting for the others to show up. She stared at the new brown boots Tifa had bought for her. They were covered in dirt. The woman frowned.
"What's the matter?" Red plopped onto the ground next to the woman. "Why are we here?"
"Hm?" She looked up to meet the gaze of the fiery animal. "He told me to come here." she whispered.
"What is it he wants?" Red XIII glanced at the green materia placed in the woman's half ponytail.
"I'm not entirely sure. He was very vague. Just told me to come here and to bring the materia..." She sighed. Why was she telling red all of this? Wouldn't it only cause trouble?
"I think you should give someone else the materia. We'll say we never found it." Red halfway barked.
"He's not stupid. It'll only cause problems if I allow things like that to happen." the woman shook her head. It ached badly.
"Just don't get yourself hurt again, Aeris. You know its the last thing we need."
"I know." the woman slowly stood. Vincent had hung up his phone.
"When is he-?" Red began but was hushed when Aeris scratched his head.
"Cloud and the others are near the same location. Cloud has backtracked to the splitting tunnel." Vincent informed.
"Is it a good idea to let those two split up?" Aeris asked.
"Zack and Cloud are strong enough to handle things themselves. They were the best solution." the crimson eyed man stared at the walkway about twenty feet away.
"What if..." Aeris began but decided not to finish her statement. Red snorted at her.
'What if he shows up and causes trouble with those two?' the woman twirled her hair.
"It's good to keep them separated." Vincent stated. Red and Aeris gave him a questionable look. "Then they won't be able to fight with each other."
"Oh." Aeris bit her lip. 'We can't trust anyone right now...' she didn't know for sure what that thought meant, but she was thinking it. That evil man was good at fooling anyone, and if he wanted her to be here he would without a doubt in her mind make an appearance. She thought of the conversation she had with the man the other day.
"But why?" Aeris shook her head quickly. It didn't make any sense.
"It'll leave him vulnerable, just what I need." the man grinned.
"Vulnerable? You're just going to kill him again!" the woman yelled. The man rubbed his temples.
"Why must you be so hard to convince? What does it matter to you if he gets hurt anyway?"
"Because I love him!" she screeched.
"Do you?" the man chuckled. His green eyes were delighted by that response. "But what about the other one? I thought you loved him."
"You just enjoy seeing others suffer, you can't make me do it."
"But I can! You see...I am quite capable of handling things myself, it's just way too bothersome. I think that it would make the game much more fascinating if you were involved. Don't you want to be a part of it all?" The man ran his fingers through his hair.
"Not a part of your plan." she hissed.
"Pity. I guess I can kill you now." The man grabbed at her throat. She backed away quickly. "You don't want to be killed?"
"Who wants to be killed!? Would you?" Aeris folded her arms. He ignored her.
"I think you should play my game. You don't want anything bad to happen, like mentioned earlier, right?" the man grinned. Aeris scowled; she knew he loved the sound of his own voice.
"No..." She said meekly.
"I thought so." He sat beside her. "Well then shall we continue as planned? I promise, no one will get hurt."
"How can anyone believe any promises from you?" Aeris spat .
"Your words are always so cold. You'll learn to get used to me, I'll make sure of that." The man laughed. He ran a finger down her neck.
"Don't touch me!" She slapped away his hand. "I'll play your stupid game, but you cannot hurt anyone! You cannot do anything bad to any of them! You hear me!"
"I'll get what I want, Aeris. You just do what I say and I won't have to use this." The man held up a yellow orb. Aeris gasped at the sight of it. "So you do remember! I'm honored!"
"You're a bastard!" the woman growled.
"I can be even more if you don't do as I say." The man said in a warning tone. He twirled the materia in his fingers.
"...Fine." Aeris sighed. She didn't like the idea of distancing herself from Zack. She knew that it was all a part of his evil plan to do something terrible to Zack and the others. But why? Why did she have to hurt him so much emotionally? He certainly was a mysterious and eccentric man. Someone you could never trust.
"Then, let's continue." He snapped his fingers. The sound was deafening to her ears. At once all the skittering clones darted from the hole in the wall and out onto the platform a few feet away. She screamed when one wrapped its hands around her waist and lifted her from the ground.
"Ah! Sephiroth!" Aeris reached out to the man. She pulled back quickly and immediately wanted to smack herself. He was the one who was causing all this and even still she had reached out to him for help. The man was deeply amused by this.
"This will be much easier than I thought." the man grinned.
Shelke shuffled through the files one by one in her mind. She had found out some interesting information on the tunnels and its architecture. She would send of that information, but first she wanted to find out what was so important about the tunnels. She didn't want the group to search the entire structure if there was nothing there for them at all.
"There it is!" Shelke cheered.
Her mind clicked and opened one of the last files. The screen before her eyes showed multiple files written by Hojo. They contained the structure's strong and weak points, theories on the Ancients and their way of life within the tunnels, and finally lost 'information'. The girl grinned. She read the section on the lost information.
"This is not what I thought it was!" Shelke panicked. "This ancient information is not ancient text...but ancient DNA!" the girl scrolled through the documents. Hojo's information wasn't always text. In this case it was a form of monster DNA. He was researching the beast in order to create one of his own. "Either that, or he planned to unleash it. Jenova had created the monster when she first began exterminating the Ancient race. She had contaminated one of the planet's protectors, WEAPON! There's a WEAPON down there!?" the girl scrolled to the end of the page.
"Basically, it's a creature strong enough to destroy WEAPON and can easily be controlled by Jenova! Everyone is going to be exterminated if they go down there!" the young woman began closing all the files and prepared the line to call Vincent.
"Vincent! You need to get out of there! The Ancient information wasn't text! It was DNA! Get out-!" Shelke gasped loudly as a tingling sensation interrupted her thoughts. She spasmed as the computer screen fizzled out of sight.
'The connection!' Those were her last thought before she fell into darkness.
Gloved fingers gripped the cord that was once connected to the helmet the girl wore. Green eyes watched in amusement as the woman slumped in her chair. Mechanical drones sounded quietly along with the electric crackle of the now severed cord.
"Now that she's out of the way..." a satisfied voice sounded.
"Shelke!?" Vincent called out.
"Whats wrong?" Red asked.
"I don't know. I couldn't understand her..." Vincent hung up the phone. "Whatever it was, it wasn't good...something about DNA."
"DNA?" Aeris asked.
"...Anything about the text she was looking for?" Red asked.
"Sounded like she said it wasn't text." Vincent thought hard. The phone didn't hardly had any reception within the tunnels.
"Hey!" Cid's voice called out.
"There's Cid." Red announced.
"Looks like everyone's here." Aeris glanced at Zack whom was on the walkway about twenty feet to her right and to the other two on her left.
"Now what?" Yuffie asked. She was answered by a shrill cry from above.
"Incoming!" Cid shouted.
From the ceiling came four falling winged creatures, one for each walkway. They all spread their wings and began their attack without hesitation. The formation was set up so the two middle walkways had long distance fighters. The two outsides, Zack and Cloud, had plenty of materia to take the beasts down.
"Is this all you got!?" Barret shouted. As if answered to his taunt, a low growl sounded from either side of all the walkways.
"Now look at what ya' did!" Cid griped.
"I din't do nuthin'!"
Yuffie stared at the tunnel next to her. She was on the opposite side of the walkway where they just came from. Cid and Barret guarded the side they came in on and Tifa was placed in the center.
"What just growled at me?" Yuffie backed away slowly.
"Whatever it was, it growled at me too." Vincent eyed the tunnel beside him. He was in the same situation as Yuffie, guarding the entrance to the new area of his walkway. Red guarded the other side of the walkway and Aeris was in the middle.
The battle continued as everyone opened fire, swung their weapons, and blasted the enemy with materia. Meanwhile giant, round balls of flames shot out of the dark tunnels from all the exits. They were surrounded.
"I hate these things!" Zack cursed as he stared at the two bombs on either side of him. He hated the monsters since the day he battled them on the train bridge leading to Corel. The two bomb's beady yellow eyes glared at the man between them. A shriek sounded from above.
'This isn't very fair...' Zack sighed. Since when was anything fair with Zack Fair. He felt like he was cursed, to be the butt of all ironic jokes.
The man swung at the creature overhead, the blade dug in deep. The winged creature screeched with pain as it dropped into the cavern. He watched as his comrades struggled with the other critters. This was certainly going to take a while. The man twisted himself bringing his sword into the bomb nearest him. It crackled as flames burst from the wound. It sent Zack flying backwards as it exploded.
'Not good!' his eyes widened as the platform burst into pieces. The supporting pillar beneath the walkway held the rest of the structure up. Luckily, he had landed on the other side so he wouldn't slide down into the dark abyss.
'Zack!' Aeris turned her attention to the man.
The black haired, blue eyed man stumbled to his feet, the walkway vibrated dangerously beneath him. A low growl sounded from behind. Were the monsters planning this?
"Watch it! They're gonna blow up the walkways!" Zack called over his shoulder to the rest of the group.
Meanwhile on the opposite side, Cloud battled with three of his own beasts. He sliced at the bomb before him. His blade stuck into it's wound. Cloud quickly put a boot against the bomb's spherical body and kicked it away. The being exploded a few feet away, above the never ending pit. It took away one side of the platform.
'Not good...no matter what you do, they'll destroy the walkway.' Cloud glared at the other orb beside him and the shrieking winged beast above him.
"Duck!" Yuffie screamed as an explosion occurred overhead. She had landed her Shuriken within one of the bombs bodies after Tifa had landed a swift kick and forced it into the air. Hot ash and debris rained down upon the group.
"Ah! Damn #!" Cid speared the other bomb in the side. "Get him Barret!"
"No, don't!" Tifa reached out as the bomb exploded between her and Barret and Cid. The platform disintegrated.
"Tifa!" Yuffie screamed as she dove into the dark tunnel next to her. She got to her feet in time to watch her comrade slide down the now broken walkway and fall into the darkness below.
"Shit!" Barret reached out to her, but was too late. The woman was out of sight. Now Barret and Cid could no longer advance with the walkway ruined before them.
"Tifa!" Cloud shouted. He felt a blow to his side. The blond dropped to the ground, hanging halfway over the walkway.
"Damn..." Vincent aimed at the winged monster above. He fired once again. This would be the final shot to take out the monster. The bullet went through the beast's neck as it darted forward, toward the platform where Zack fought.
"Watch out!" Red called out as the monster collided with Zack's platform.
"What-!?" Zack toppled to the side as the walkway crumbled beneath his feet. His eyes dilated, trying to adjust to the approaching darkness that awaited him.
"Zack!" Aeris screamed.
"Hey! Careful!" Red snarled. Aeris turned just in time to see the bomb by Red explode into millions of pieces, along with the path she was on.
"Aeris!" Vincent shouted. The bomb by him exploded as well. Vincent flew into the tunnel, rock and debris flooded over the entrance, dividing him from the others. "Damn it!" he pounded his fist into the wall.
Aeris followed the same fate as Tifa, falling into the darkness that awaited her death. Red was as in good shape as Cid and Barret, trapped with no where to go but back to where they came from. The only way to advance was to go back and around the way Cloud had gone.
"What are we gonna do!?" Yuffie threw her weapon into one of the flying beasts. She gasped as she watched the next scene unfold. The creature spread it's wings and with it's last dieing breath, collided with Cloud and his platform. "NO!" she held onto the sides of her head.
"Cloud!" Barret hollered.
"Ugh!" the wind was knocked out of the man. He tumbled and fell into the cavern below. His blond spikes wiggled as the air blew past his body. Quickly, the soft orange glow from the ceiling turned into an ugly, sharp shade of pitch blackness.
At once all three of the remaining bombs sacrificed themselves to take out the others, though they also took out the final winged demon as well. Yuffie and the others dove into the tunnels, the broken rock enclosing them within the dark halls. The battle was finally over. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, and Zack had been thrown into darkness. Cid, Barret and Red XIII had no where else to go but back and Yuffie and Vincent were left to find a new way out. Devastation fell upon those who remained in the light. They feared for the lives of their comrades. Was there any way they could have possibly survived?
Zack groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He was surrounded by darkness and silence. The man drug his hands over the rough ground he lay upon. His bones cracked as he slowly got to his knees. An awful ache came from his skull. He touched the sore spot and quietly hissed upon contact. Blood covered the tips of his fingers.
'Great...' the man sighed and got to his feet. 'Where the hell am I?'
He raised his head, frowning at the pain it caused. The glowing ceiling seemed so far away. There was no way he'd be able to safely navigate through the tunnels without any light. He seemed to be on solid ground instead of a walkway. He must've fallen to the bottom of the cavern.
"There's gotta be some way to get light down here." the man rubbed the back of his head. "What'd the Cetra do when they were down here?"
The ex-SOLDIER took a step forward and stopped. He sensed someone, or something, close by. The man listened intently a moment before hearing a shuffle off in the distance. Zack's attention went to the source of the sound. He squint his eyes, catching a glimpse of movement. A soft flicker of light appeared behind some rock structures about a hundred feet away.
"Fire..." the man whispered. He slowly headed towards the light and had a second thought.
'What if it's one of those fire bombs?' he reached for his sword and panicked. It wasn't with him.
"Ah! Where...!?" he looked back and forth at the ground by his feet. "I'll worry about it later..." his blue gaze went back to the flame in the distance, it was getting closer. He prepared himself for a battle, pressing himself against a nearby stone structure. He rubbed his knuckles as he waited, listening. There was another shuffle followed by the sound of something stumbling or falling.
'Almost...' he watched the ground, trying to catch glimpse of a shadow. Another sound, and a trickle of small pebbles skipped across the dirt past his feet. 'Now!' the man leapt from the shadows.
"Ah!" the intruder screamed. There was a loud smacking noise as Zack felt something make contact with his face.
"Ow! Damn it!" the man cursed. He mumbled some more, rubbing his cheek.
"What!? Who?" a voice called out. "Zack!?" it was a female voice. Zack squint his eyes, not used to the bright light in his face.
"Tifa?" he shielded his eyes.
"God! Zack, you scared the #& out of me!" the woman sighed. "You alright?" she clenched the torch in her hands tightly. The fire crackled as she moved. She was lucky enough to find it in one of the tunnels that were beside her when she regained consciousness. Tifa had just enough strength left to light it with her materia.
"Yeah...I'm fine." he groaned. Suddenly he jumped in shock. "Are you alright!? You fell! How'd you get here? You fall far? You okay!? Where are the others?" the man rambled.
"Yeah...I'm okay. I fell hard, but was lucky enough to catch myself on one of the lower platforms." she scoffed. "Only managed to scrape my hands, knees, and bump my head on a rock. I think I should live." she said sarcastically. Zack let out a relieved breath.
"It could have been so much worse!" the man sighed.
"Yeah...I know. I have no idea how I made it through that one. I was so sure it was over." she breathed a nervous laugh. "Anyways, I don't know about the others. I'm so glad I found you, though! I thought I would be left here all alone!"
"You wouldn't have been left, you know that. We would have come looking for you." Zack smirked.
"I know...I would have too if anyone else had fallen." She gasped. "Did anyone else fall?"
"I don't know. I fell right after you." the man shook his head, his dark bangs swayed gently.
"Great..." she rubbed her neck. "I suppose we should find a way out of here. Hopefully we'll find the others soon."
"Hey." Zack pointed at the torch. "Help me find my sword."
"Tifa..." Cloud whispered. He heard his own voice reverberate in the darkness. 'Where am I?' the man sat up. He remembered the battle he had just gone through. His joints ached and his back felt like a chocobo was stepping on it, talons digging into his skin. The sword was still clenched in his hand, he had a death grip around the handle. Cloud rubbed his head as he rose to his feet. He reached into his pocket to search for his cell phone. He tugged the item from his clothing, frowning at the crack across its screen. Luckily, it still worked; sadly, there was no reception and the battery was low.
"Damn..." the man groaned. He shown the bright light across the wall, lighting the tunnel walls beside him. He stared at the item attached to the rocky surface. It was a torch.
'At least something went right today...' the man let out an irritated breath as he reached for the object. He concentrated a moment, bringing his thoughts to his materia to light it. Fire brightly blazed a moment later. The light hurt his eyes, sending a sharp pain to his brain. He began his journey, searching for an exit.
The blond frowned, his ankle popped every time he took a step. It was an awkward feeling. He shook the thought out of his head. There were a lot more important things to worry about than his ankle. He walked forward, approaching a walkway. He stumbled to a halt at the sight before him. Dangling across the walkway was a frail, broken body.
"Aeris!" the man trotted to the woman. He kneeled down and lifted her, placing her in his lap. "Aeris! Wake up!" he shook her gently.
"Ugh..." a moan erupted from her lips.
"Aeris! It's me, Cloud. Wake up." he brushed the woman's bangs from her face.
"Cloud?" her eyes flickered open. "You saved me?"
Cloud was dumbfounded. Saved? How could he possible have saved her? Unless she thought he had come searching for her. The man felt a bit guilty. He wished he could have saved her, kept her from falling, but he couldn't even save himself. Now it was his job to make sure Aeris made it out of the tunnels safely.
"Yeah...of course." he nodded. "Are you alright?"
"I think so..." She groaned as she sat up.
"Careful. We're on another walkway. It's pretty narrow." the man helped her to her feet.
"Where are the others?" Aeris stuttered. She was scared, in pain, and very cold. She just wanted to go home and forget about everything, forget about Sephiroth, forget about ever wanting to save the planet.
"I'm not sure. I know you, Tifa, Zack and I have fallen. Hopefully they are nearby and we will run into them. As for Vincent and the others, I have no clue."
"You don't think the others could have fallen...further?" Aeris gulped as she looked over the side of the walkway at the darkness below. She didn't know how many other levels there were below, and hoped that no one had managed to fall that far.
"It's possible..." Cloud started. He saw the worried look on the woman's face. "But I wouldn't worry about it! If they did fall, I'm sure they are all fine!"
"Oh! Your phone! Call Vincent!" she hopped up and down a little.
"Can't...no reception. Besides the battery will die any minute." he raised his head. "But I was able to find this. There should be more around here. We'll get you one as well." he shook the torch gently from side to side.
"Ok..." Aeris smiled. "Let's go find the others."
"We're trapped! There's no way out! We're gonna die!" Yuffie held onto the sides of her head.
"We'll get out..." Vincent replied sourly.
"How!? The exit's that way! And we can't go that way!"
"Then we will find another way out, Yuffie." Vincent grumped.
"We'll be wandering these tunnels forever, trying to find a way out!" the ninja girl whined. "Can't you just claw a hole through it or something?"
"Yuffie..." the man's tone was a warning. "There is a wall about five foot thick of rock debris...my claw wouldn't even make it an inch..."
"Then turn into a bat and blast through it! Come on! You made it up all those levels in the Shinra building! Can't you break through a tiny wall like that?" the woman placed her hands on her hips.
"No. I don't have enough energy built up right now. Besides I can't always control him. One of these days, he's gonna be unleashed and do what he wants." Vincent headed down the tunnel. Yuffie swallowed hard at the thought of that demon taking over Vincent and reeking havoc within the tunnels.
"Where you goin'!?" her voice raised in pitch.
"To find the others and get us all out of here." he simply stated.
"You're sucha macho man..." the young woman rolled her eyes.
"Someone's gotta save everyone's ass." the man sighed.
"Where did you develop this ego?" she gave him a smug look.
"I suppose I've been hanging around someone who thinks too highly of them self, lately." he glanced over his shoulder at the woman.
"And what's that supposed to mean!?" a hand slapped the man's back.
"..." he ignored her question, continuing his journey.
"Vincent! You're not gonna play this game with me!" she stomped after him.
"Perfect...Every thing's going as planned so far." an evil lurked in the shadows. "Too bad she had too fall as well. Perhaps I should go and save her." a chuckle resonated from the man's chest.
"I'll be her knight." he turned the nearest corner, glancing over the edge of the walkway. 'Mother, our game is far from over. I'm getting close, I know it. We will be able to awaken it. It's only a matter of time, now that they are out of the way. They've led us to it and thanks to that brat in the ship, we know exactly where to find it! With it's power, no one can stop us!' Sephiroth chuckled as he leapt over the edge of the walkway to the bowels of the cavern.
Okay Ive got to end it here for now. Next chapter will contain more romance and drama, don't miss it! Also, perhaps we'll find out more about Reno and Elena's babysitting adventures! Thanks for reading and reviewing i hope you enjoyed this chapter. -Annubis