Lost in the Shadows
Chapter 4 - Unexpected Encounters Prt. 1
Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters, settings or the like. These words, however, are mine.
The sun was pouring through the window of the villa that Tifa and Cloud happened to live in together and it was beginning to annoy her to no end. She walked over to the window from where she was reading and closed the blinds, effectively shutting out most of the annoyingly bright light.
It had been six months, six long months since the defeat of Sephiroth and the death of a beloved friend, Aerith. Shaking her head and ridding herself of the depressing thoughts, she found herself ending upgazing at a picture on the table. Walking over, she picked up the picture and looked at it closer.
All of Avalanche stood there. Before everyone had parted ways, Yuffie had decided that they needed a picture to remind them of their victory. And their friendship. A warm smile played on her lips and she remembered all the good times they'd had. They truly were their own little mixed up family, Tifa thought, remembering the day that Avalanche had stood on the Highwind after Meteor and Holy had disappeared.
She and Cloud had moved to Costa Del Sol that very same day, both preferring to get the move out of the way so they could just relax. Cid had landed the Highwind not too far away from Costa and all of Avalanche had gone over to the villa to inspect before they made their way to Nibelheim. They found that certain disgusting animals (In Tifa's opinion and to Yuffie and Cait's great liking) had taken residence there and Cloud, Barret and Vincent had cleared them all outas soon as possibleat Tifa's request. They had been staying at Costa ever since, enjoying their time together. Cloud had gotten a job making weapons and they occasionally visited the others, though not often, as the others chose to travel out to Costa most of the time. Who could blame them? The villa was large enough for every one of the Avalanche members to live in, including Elymra, Shera and little Marlene and they were so close to a beach...
Yuffie had gone back to Wutai and had hastily claimed her ninja title. Not too long after, she'd fled her hometown, hoping never toreturn. That hadn't lasted very long though. She had visitedTifa and Cloudthe most out of all the Avalanche members and the last time Tifa had seen her, Yuffie had said that she was busy exterminating monsters from different areas while visiting the others.
Barret, Elmyra, Marlene and Reeve had gone to Corel after the townspeople had finally forgiven Barret for what he'd 'done'. They'd said that they had been misguided by their hatred towards Shinra and had blamed it on him for unfair reasons. They welcomed him back with open arms and everyone was now working together to restore Corel to it's former glory as a coal mining town.
Cid. Tifa shook her head in amusement. After Cid had dropped Cloud and Tifa off at Costa, he had immediately flown to Rocket Town and proposed to Shera. Amazingly, she had said yes. They were currently expecting a little Cid and Shera and nobody could be happier for them. 'Sierra' was the name of Cid's latest airship, as the Highwind had taken quite the beating in the Northern Cave. He still denied that there was any connection between his wife's name and his airship's name. Pure coincidence, he said.
Vincent had called Cloud a few days ago through the PHS. Tifa was quite amazed that he had kept it. He said he was on his way to Wutai and he was going to settle in there. Yuffie agreed to move back there as well to keep him 'company', or so she said. Once Vincent had settled in and Yuffie hadfinally lugged all her stuff back to her house, they had gone to exterminate monsters together wherever they could.
What else did they have to do, really?
The Turks had finally gotten out of those blue Shinra suits of theirs and now ran around to different places, helping in the restoration of towns. They could always be found at the Wutain or Costa Del Sol bars at the end of the day, Reno and Rude drowning themselves in liquor. Elena was always there to keep them in check though, so nobody worried about them too much. They'd all become pretty close, the Turks and Avalanche. It was nice, in a way and very rarely was it awkward. Their pasts were put behind them in the light of a new world.
Tifa's thoughts were shattered at a sound erupting from beside her. She placed the picture back on the table and turned to see Cloud taking his boots off and throwing them aside, letting themhit the walls.
"Way to make a commotion, ne?" Tifa said, a hint of humor in her voice.
She was really pleased with how well things had been going between them lately. They had become a lot closer in the past six months and she was beginning to feel something more than friendship coming from him. Her heart fluttered when he smiled at her and she gave him a loving smile back.
"Yeah, well... Anyways, looked like you were deep in thought before I made this 'commotion' you're talking about, though I really don't know anything about that..." He said, flashing her a quick heart melting grin."What were you thinking about?" He asked.
She turned around to face the picture that stood on the table.
"Just thinking about how everyone had gone their separate ways. It's a little sad really, I think we should have all stayed together." She said, quickly turning around to face Cloud.
"Cloud, let's go visit everyone! We haven't been out of here for a while and... I think we should go and see the world again." She winked to him and he smiled.
"I don't see why not..." He trailed off. "But uh... How? We have no transportation and calling Cid would kind of defeat the purpose, don't you think?"
"Hmm..." Tifa thought for a moment before smiling. "We'll do a Yuffie and Vincent type thing. We'll walk it." She said, silently mocking him. His face contorted in disappointment.
After everyone had parted, he hadn't really been getting his exercise. All the walking that Avalanche had done had been good for him -- All of them! But... He hadn't been keeping up with it afterwards like almost everyone else had.
He gave her an uncertain smile. "Uh... Walk it? Why?" He asked.
She gave him a sly smile.
"It'll do you some good, hun. You'll see. Besides, we need to improve our fighting skills, don't you think? We haven't done that for a while." She turned and walked into the next room without another word, leaving a very sad Cloud standing alone in the kitchen.
After three days of resting in Bone Village, Sephiroth and Aerith had finally departed, though Aerith was rather reluctant to go.
She had taken it upon herself to buy supplies for them before they left. She tookway too long in Sephiroth's opinion and he had become irate. On top of that, she felt she had to thank every single person there for their kindness. Sephiroth ended up dragging her out of there.
Now they were trudging through the forest outside of Bone Village, battling fiends every few minutes and, to Sephiroth's great dislike, Aerith insisted on calling him by a new nickname. Sephy. It was Sephy this, Sephy that. She was lucky he had no more urges to kill anyone or she would have been the very first.
Every so often she would start singing or slowing down and Sephiroth would tell her to be quiet or stop to wait for her. She hadn't fully recovered during their stay at Bone Village either so she couldn't waste her energy on battling.
After a few hours of walking, Aerith finally fell to her knees and started complaining to him.
"I can't do this anymore! We've been walking for hours, can't we rest?" She asked.
He regarded her with a look before answering her.
"No."
He turned swiftly and walked away, smirking to himself. He then stopped when he didn't hear her follow him and frowned.
He turned and found her in the same spot as before, gazing at him intently. He looked at her for a moment before walking over to her and sitting in front of her.
"Why are you still sitting here?" He asked her with a cold voice.
"I'm not stopping you from going anywhere. But I refuse to go any farther. I'm exhausted." She said with finality in her voice and turned so her back was facing him.
Sephiroth sighed. He knew he hadn't wanted to come back for a reason, especially with this girl. He'd always known that she was a stubborn girl, but he never thought she'd go to such an extent as to argue with him.
He wasn't scared or anything, he knew he could protect both of them without a problem but… He felt uneasy. He couldn't explain why either, he had never felt uneasy about anything in his life.
He sat there for a few minutes, eyes burning into her back, before he finally gave in. There was no way he'd be able to get her to move any farther. Sighing, he poked her hard in the back, secretly hoping to leave some kind of a mark.
She turned around with a huge grin and her face and squealed. She hugged him quickly, feeling him tense up, before settling down and digging through the pack they had received from Bone Village's excavators.
He sat there with wide eyes for second, just staring at her. She hugged him? For something as simple as letting her rest? He blinked a few times and shook his head. He stood and walked over to lean against a tree and keep a lookout.
She had pulled out a water bottle and some food before she spoke again.
"Do you want anything, Sephy?" She asked.
His eye twitched when he heard the name. He gave her a glare. "No and stop calling me that, Cetra."
She sighed and looked at him forcing a glare onto her face. "If you won't call me by my name, why should I call you by yours?" She queried.
He gave her a face before turning away from her.
"Whatever, your loss... But I really think you should eat something Sephy. Wouldn't want you to starve." Aerith trailed off, flashing him a quick smile. She started eating her food and got lost in her own little world.
Sephiroth ignored her last remark as best he could, though his other eye twitched when he heard her say that ridiculous nickname again. He started glancing around the area. He was beginning to feel uneasy again, but this time it was worse then before.
He relaxed a little at the sound of Aerith's soft hummingbefore he heard a rustle in the brush around them. His hand hovered over the hilt of the Masamune the moment he heard the noises and his eyes narrowed; there was something here and it was watching them.
Two figures ran around wildly, jumping and back flipping offrandom trees,disposing of every monster they saw with a well aimed throw or a round of bullets that never missed their target. Their figures were just a blur through the trees in the Ancient Forest, but anyone could guess who they were when they saw the large shuriken and tattered cape.
The perky Ninja Yuffie, former Avalanche member and savior of the Planet disposed of two fiends and raced forward to find more. She hadn't changed much over the past 6 months; she still loved to prank others and she was always hyper and annoying others. For the most part, anyway.
Vincent Valentine, also a former Avalanche member and savior of the Planet was also racing around with Yuffie. He had become theslightest bit more talkative, but only alittle due to Yuffie's influence, although he usually only talked to Yuffie. He still loved the gothic appearance and his moments of solitude though, it would seem.
Yuffie had challenged him to a match on who could defeat themost monsters in the Forest and they were bothon a roll, jumpingaround wildly and trying to hinder the others' course. They were sure they had set their new record for the amount of time spent on exterminating.
They had gotten a call from their good friend Nanaki the other day, asking for their help. The monsters in the Ancient Forest were acting strangely these days and were even trying to get into Cosmo Canyon. The fact that they were coming from the Ancient Forest made it all the more confusing, as the monsters inhabiting the eerie foresthad never left their haven before.
"Vinnie, how many doyou have?"Yuffie yelled out to Vincent, who'd just managed to swing that little bit father out then Yuffie. She glanced in his direction before focusing her attention on the quickfiend in front of her.
"Fifty-seven." He answered back in his usual monotone voice.
Yuffie smiled at him slyly. "Is that all, Vinnie-poo? I have eighty-four! Sucker!"
He looked at her for a second before walking over to her; he'd just finished off another fiend. She jumped into a tree branch after getting rid of the monster and sat down rather ungracefully, swinging her dangling legs. Vincent sat down on a log nearby.
"Yuffie?" He queried.
"What is it monster man? Are you mad 'cause I totally kicked your ass? It's okay Vin-Vin, you'll get your time in the spotlight!" She mocked him, a huge grin plastered on her face.
"Not really. You only got thirty-five. I was counting." He said with a hint of humor in his voice. He looked up at her when a small pine cone hit his head.
"Heyyyyyy! That is so not fairrrrrr! Don't you trust me? The Great Ninja Yuffie never lies!" She said, showing off her puppy dog eyes.
"No. This just proves that." He answered before getting up.
She sat sulking on the tree branch while Vincent looked around for signs of any more monsters. He could feelthe demonsragingin the back of his mind. They felt something different about this forest, as Vincent did.
"How could you not trust me.. We've been living together and hunting down monsters for like.. How long was it? Hmmm.. It's been pretty long, I know that but still.. Pfft, stupid monster men.. Always thinking they're better then other people.. 'Specially Great Ninja Yuffie.." She continued to ramble on to herself but it didn't distract Vincent in the least.
Chaos entered his mind for a moment.
-There's something here..-
'I am aware heathen... But what is it?'
-That stupid girl is in danger you know... But don't try and rescue her... I think we'd all do a little better with that brat gone anyway...-
Vincent looked up in time to see something jump at Yuffie from behind and she apparently hadn't noticed. Moving with amazing speed, he ran over to the tree and grabbed one of Yuffie's feet, pulling her down only to knock them both over.
Yuffie was sprawled out on her back on his stomach and Vincent tried to push her off but she stopped him.
"I don't think so monster man! What the hell was that for? I gotta admit to ya though, good prank. BUT WHAT THE HELL? I WAS IN A TREE FOR LEVIATHAN'S SAKE!" She complained to him.
-MOVE!-
Vincent rolled over taking Yuffie with him just as whatever it was tried to attack them.
With Yuffie on the ground and not causing any trouble, he could now look to see what tried to attack them.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw it. It looked like a Epiolnis from the Ancient Forest, but it was glowing a bright lifesteam-green and was mutated in some parts of its body. The only thing he could guess was that --
A sudden pounding on his chest brought him out of his shock and thoughts. He looked down at her to find her staring up at him.
"Jeez Vinnie, I know you love me n all but come on! I'm only 17!" She grinned up at him and winked. He stared blankly at her for a moment and resisted rolling his eyes at her lack of attention.
He was on full alert now. Green mako-enhanced eyes darted around, trying to find where the rustling had come from. Another rustling sound from another direction sent him into another spell of uneasiness. Why though?
Aerith obviously had no idea what was going on because she suddenly started humming. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and sent a glare her way, but she never saw it. He walked over to her quickly and knelt in front of her, clamping a hand over her mouth. She tensed for a second and try to pry his hand off until he gave her a warning glance. She stopped and relaxed for a moment before she saw something move over Sephiroth's shoulder.
Her eyes widened at what she saw. Sephiroth noticed and turned around to look. Behind him stood two identical lifestream-green glowing Vlakorados' staring at them intently. Sephiroth was sure he had never seen anything like this before, and questions were running through his head.
Is this is crisis on the Planet? It seems so insignificant! Why is it glowing green… and mutilated?
The thoughts continued to spin through his head until he saw one of the Vlakorados' start to move towards them.
A sudden grip on his arm caused him to turn around to see a frightened Aerith. He looked at her for a second before speaking to her.
"Stay here Cetra, got it? If you move I swear you'll regret it..." He whispered to her. Standing up swiftly, he pulled his Masamune out of it's sheath and started to move towards the Vlakorados'.
He stopped just in front of them and stood in his famous battle stance, sword at the ready. The Vlakorados' both went for him at the same time, jumping past each other, teeth snapping. Sephiroth dodged them both only to turn quickly and run between them. He twirled his sword, slashing both the Vlakorados' in the neck.
Back flipping out of the way, he looked up to admire the damage his precious Masamune had inflicted. But he was shocked to find that he had left no sign of the sword ever touching them, even though he knew it had.
"What the hell?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes. He looked at them for a moment before running towards one of them and jumping into the air. He brought his sword right down on it's head but once again, no wound or blood.
He was really confused now. He had just delivered an instant kill blow but.. His thoughts were jumbled until he sensed something behind him. He quickly turned around to find two more green glowing Vlakorados' jumping out of the brush towards Aerith, who was now currently standing and looking around.
His eyes widened and he did the only thing he could.
"Cetra! Duck NOW!" He yelled to her.