(A/N) Yeah. So since Zack is going to be incapacitated for a while (Sorry) this chapter is going to be a bit different. I figured it was only fair to you guys that I put a fill-in chapter here and there so you know what's going on in the eyes of some other characters. So this chapter will consist of Angeal, short bit from Loz, Aerith, Reno, and of course Sephiroth. Hope you all don't hate me.
--
Angeal~
I tapped my fingers impatiently against the pedestal as I watched the two young men closely. It seemed that I had developed the same syndrome Zack had previously and as soon as they refilled the mirror I was glued to it. Although nothing was happening at the moment; it seemed both were unconscious as luck would have it. I had to pity them both really. Neither were getting very far very quickly. Zack was currently on the Shera headed back towards Mideel to unwillingly participate in an AVALANCHE mission. And Cloud was safe with those men as far as I knew. Both of those men had no origin but I could sense that they were good at heart. After all, there was nothing more humble than a pair of chocobo farmers. So I didn't pay too close attention to him. Aerith watched over him whenever she could, I was instructed, by her, to watch Zack and keep him on the right track.
The poor kid seemed so lost. It had always amazed me over how much he could lose his head over one cute little cadet. Thank the planet I was already out of SOLDIER by the time they became lovers. Then I may have lost my patience with him.
"Now what…?" I sighed. Nothing interesting was happening. I suppose the ancients didn't tell Zack that he couldn't overexert himself or the body they'd restored would burn out and he'd be unconscious for days. I suppose they'd left a few obstacles to see how well he could handle this situation. But even I didn't know what else was to be expected from them.
"They only said we were forbidden to go to the planet and help…" I recalled. So it wasn't breaking any rules if I watched over everything. Besides, Sephiroth wasn't something they had exactly planned. They also said nothing about sending someone else as an ensured aide in his quest. It wasn't like I told someone else to leave the Lifestream and help them out. I simply asked a favor of an old friend; a favor that he was oddly willing to accept. Not even many questions were asked. I wasn't about to second guess on his help, but it was unlike him. Normally he would be skeptical.
"Angeal…?" I heard Zack's voice call from far away. Immediately I stopped looking into the mirror and sensed for him. He sounded far way, but he was closer than he was on the planet's surface. That, and knowing that he was unconscious only led me to believe that he was dreaming. I guess I could get in on that. I would've done it earlier but I'd learned from experience that it's better to wait until they're expecting you. Otherwise you could cause damage to their mind. So, now that I was invited, I made my way to the portal to the dream realm and stepped through the veil.
After that, all I had to do was stay focused on Zack. That was another thing I'd learned through difficult experiences. If you couldn't stay focused, you could end up just about anywhere. It's much better to play it safe, close your eyes, and picture the person whose dream you want to enter.
But once I got there, it wasn't what I'd expected. The first dream that Zack had in so many years and, to my surprise, it wasn't about his mountain boy. I couldn't really tell what it was. But, soon after I'd arrived, it didn't really matter. Everything disappeared. Zack had some control over his dreams it seemed. An impressive skill I must say. But he looked as though he were going to demand a lot of answers about many questions. I hoped he'd expect that I couldn't say a word even if I did know the answer to any of them.
"Angeal, have the Ancients told you anything?" He asked actually sounding more… desperate than demanding. I looked down trying to think of something, but I came up with nothing.
"No. They haven't told me anything useful." I spoke half truthfully. "This is your task. You have to find your way or else…" Actually… they hadn't mentioned any consequences if he failed.
"Thought so." He sighed. He looked so discouraged afterwards. I felt kind of bad about my lack of knowledge, but this was a punishment after all. There wasn't much more I could do that I wasn't already doing, planning to do, or thought of. "Well…" He started again. "Do you know what's going on in the waking world?"
"No." I lied. If he knew that Cloud had fallen out of the airship he'd probably have a nervous break down. I didn't want to see how he'd react to it. Especially since he was now in the hands of strangers.
"I thought you'd been checking in on us." He said as if he were calling my bluff.
"I haven't checked lately." I shrugged, lying again.
"Angeal, why is this so hard?" He asked almost breaking down before me. "I didn't think it'd be this hard to keep track of him." Indeed. And in all fairness it shouldn't be so hard to watch one kid. But Sephiroth wasn't making it easy. And there was also the problem of the boy being cursed with bad luck! I had no idea if the Ancients did it or if he'd always been such a clumsy weakling. He had always been seen as weak, but that was next to Zack. How would one compete with a SOLDIER? The task was impossible. Especially if you were trying to compete with a first. And Zack… he was dim but he was an excellent operative; it was mostly his determination. Already a first class operative and he still acted like he was shooting for something higher.
"I wouldn't say it's… well… the situation isn't exactly supposed to be easy." I said scratching the back of my head. "But I think anyone would have trouble keeping track of him. He's young, energetic, and likes to hide from trouble makers apparently."
"What am I supposed to do? I get the feeling that it's only a matter of time before I lose him forever."
"That's impossible." I laughed. "You can't lose him forever. As long as you keep on going after him, you'll get him back every time. Just stay committed and he will return to you."
"That sounded very Ancient-like." Zack mumbled. I saw a smile trying to work its way up to the surface, but he stifled it. "How can you be so sure?"
I thought about a reply when I felt a pull at the back of my mind. That usually meant I was being called back. "Zack, I don't have much time left." I sighed. "If there is any doubt…" I thought about what to say next, though I doubted I could tell him anything that would help him. The best thing I could do for him was to tell him to never lose faith. As long as they both never gave up on one another the tides would turn in their favor. "… just remember that the planet is on your side. Never give up and fight with your honor." I said the same way I used to. Now that got a smile on his face.
"I don't know for sure what that means, but thank you." He answered gratefully.
"Do your best with the boy…" I put a hand on his shoulder. "… but remember to take care of yourself." That was all I could muster before the pull became too much and a call was blaring in my ears. I had to get out of Zack's dream and check something in the dream realm. The Ancients could sense something was there that didn't belong. I hesitantly turned from Zack and left the way I'd came.
Once gone from there, I appeared back into the vast white that was the dream realm. There was nothing but calm. So I searched through the beams of light and found nothing at first. But then I saw something that I hadn't expected. "You?!" I gasped as they ran into the blinding white and disappeared.
--
Loz~
"I can't believe you did that!" I winced at the words. "Do you know how bad it could've been for all of us if Sephiroth hadn't quickly come up with a back up plan?!" Yazoo continued on. I couldn't really follow since I didn't know what I'd done that was so bad in the first place. "Sure, you started out fine, and then you go easy on him?! Sephiroth told you not to do that! We were supposed to treat him like the traitor that he is! Because you got soft and cared for him we lost him." He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. I waited while I tried to think of what to say.
"But Yazoo…" I said a little confused. "He doesn't act like the traitor, he… he… acts like he doesn't remember or even know. I couldn't hurt him." I paused. "Do you like to hurt him?"
"That's a stupid question." He sighed. But then he thought about it. "Honestly? No." He shook his head. "He's our Nii-san. None of us want to hurt him. But if Sephiroth tells us to, we must. It doesn't mean we have to like it." He said walking up the steps to the large building that was our base.
"But… but…" I thought. There was something that didn't fit in all of this. "If we don't like to hurt Nii-san, why does Sephiroth?" If we didn't like to there was no way he could. So why?
"I wouldn't know that." He answered opening the door. "But you have to be more careful." He jabbed me hard in the chest. "If Sephiroth finds out about another fumble of yours then we'll all suffer."
"Yazoo. I tried, but I couldn't. He was crying." I complained.
That definitely got his attention. His look was quizzical. "Nii-san? Cry?" He thought about it. "You must be lying." He said walking inside.
"I am not!" I shouted following him through.
--
Aerith~
I approached the mirror in an attempt to find Angeal. He'd always been there before, but today he was gone. I stared into the water to see where he was and saw only white. That meant he hadn't left the lifestream, he was safe. I sighed in relief with that reassurance. It wasn't that I thought he'd do something rash, but… I dunno. Maybe I didn't trust him as much as I thought I did. It was Zack after all. I shrugged and shook off the thought. "Better check on Cloud." I told myself. I didn't want to risk him being trapped in another box.
The mirror rippled and then showed his limp body seated on the saddle of a chocobo, leaning against one of the men who had found him outside the mountains. His wounds were probably nothing compared to that throbbing bump on his forehead. They'd stopped the bleeding and bandaged it. But I doubt it had numbed much. Poor kid. He was unfortunate but lucky that he hadn't gotten any severe injuries from falling out of the airship. The three of them were headed towards the Gold Saucer.
"I wonder what those men could possibly be doing there." I sighed. But I guess it wasn't a bad thing if they wanted to have a good time. They'd just better keep a good eye on Cloud. I hoped they knew just how much trouble he could land himself in. But I suppose the two men were responsible enough to keep a really close eye on him. The older one felt entirely responsible for him. Probably because he was the one who knocked him out. I could tell he wouldn't leave him alone in a place like the Gold Saucer. Not all of the people who went there were trust worthy.
"I should talk to him in person." I thought out loud. So I headed towards the dream realm and walked through the veil. Maybe Angeal was in there too.
That was what I thought until I realized I couldn't find him if I wanted to get to Cloud. If my focus was too divided I wouldn't reach my destination. So I kept my thoughts on the blonde, it wasn't hard. Although we never were what I had hoped, he was still so endearing that he'd left an impression on me. He was, admittedly, more typically endearing now than when I'd met him I suppose. It was hard to tell. Either way, I landed myself in his dream easily.
"I wonder where I am." I said looking around. The room I'd appeared in was very dark; it was also clean and well furnished. The tiles on the floor looked as though they were freshly polished and all of the furniture was leather. Those things really didn't matter to me. I just had to find Cloud. So I wandered while trying to listen for a sound. Once I passed a glass pane, I began to think that I wasn't as focused as I'd thought I was. For the pane said this was floor forty nine. That could only mean I was on the SOLDIER floor in the Shinra building. A clock also told me that it was around ten. That had to be an hour past curfew at least. "Well this isn't the right place."
I closed my eyes and with a little nod of my head, I was in what had to be the barracks. The place was a mess and the furniture was torn in places and ragged. The floors were carpeted with holes here and there. It didn't seem like a very hospitable place. But somehow the boys here were able to find comfort and sleep in such a horrid place. "At least some of them anyway." I mumbled seeing a light on. But it was a dream after all. The lit room had to be where Cloud was.
I took a few steps until I heard hastened breathing. Doing my best to keep calm, I remained at a walking pace until I could enter the room to see the blonde huddled in the corner. He was shaking and hiding his face. Judging by that… this must've been a nightmare. "Cloud…?" I asked.
His head shot up and he stared at me. "Who…? Who are you?" He asked. I started and then stopped to quickly run through all of the restrictions the Ancients had given us. After that, I decided I wasn't doing anything wrong.
"My name is Aerith." I said walking closer. He shied away a bit. "You don't have to do that. I'm not going to hurt you. Do I look like I will?"
He stopped and stared some more. And after quite a while he shook his head. But even though he said I didn't look dangerous, he still moved away whenever I stepped closer to him. "You should go." He said glancing around for something. "This place isn't safe." I watched him look around some more and couldn't help but wonder what kind of demons this boy could've created to make him so crippled in his own mind. After being in the lifestream it appalled me that people could lose control in a world that was theirs to control and bend to their will. But even I couldn't when I was on the planet.
"Why isn't it safe?" I asked.
"Because…" He answered shakily. "The behemoth is outside and… and the guys are inside."
"Oh…" I mumbled. So the behemoth was guarding the outside to add to the trapped feeling he feared. And since Zack asked me many times what he should do about Cloud's bully problem… well I'm guessing the guys were the ones who were doing the bullying… So this was what his younger mind had nightmares about? I guess this would be easier than what his older mind could cook up. Then again, at this point, he hadn't seen all of the horrors of fire and death. "It's alright." I said walking over and sitting next to him. "Those guys won't hurt you."
"Yes they will." He argued. "They never leave me alone." His eyes suddenly got wide and he hid his face again. "I can hear them coming!"
I looked over to see the boys he was talking about, but I couldn't see anything. There was nothing. And still Cloud was acting as though he could hear the footsteps of the other cadets. So it was one of those nightmares. I hated those and fortunately had few. "No one's there." I told him putting my hands on his shoulders. "Look. There's nothing to be afraid of."
He cautiously looked, but when he did I didn't expect him to scream. It made me jump and look around while he hid once again. When I looked I saw red everywhere. But I was only frightened when I saw some pitch black forms begin to move about. I started to ask what those things were but he'd already told me before I'd finished. "Those are the guys." He whimpered.
"Oh…" I said finally understanding why this was a nightmare. Those shadow creatures definitely weren't the troublesome cadets Zack had told me about. Is this what he saw them as?
"Go away!" He shouted at the figures ghosting towards us. That was not the way to solve the problem. If the nightmares could sense the fear they'd only advance further. Which they did, 'the guys' only started coming in closer.
"No. No. Cloud. Don't yell at them, don't even look at them." I said ignoring them myself. "As long as you don't see them they can't hurt you…" He gave me a funny look. "As long as you don't see them, they don't exist." He looked as though he were trying but couldn't. "Okay… don't look at them, look at me." I said putting my hands on the sides of his head so he couldn't glance over and see them.
"I can't… they're still there." He whined.
"Don't think about it. You can do it. They're only apparitions." He had to try. Very horrible things could happen to the mind if it was allowed to be swallowed up by fear. "Just think about something else." I said encouragingly. "Think of something that makes you happy and really focus on it." After I told him that I watched the figures closely as they fought but melted away into a brighter light than before. The cold room was replaced by a warm, cozy home. There was a lit fireplace at the edge of the room and the most delightful, delicious smell coming from the kitchen. This place was so enchanting by merely being humble in appearance.
"Uhh…" I heard Cloud say. "Could you let go of my head…?" He asked.
"Sorry." I said removing my hands. And then the Ancients sent out a call for me to come back with the worst possible time. I didn't want to leave. Maybe that was why they decided to call me back so soon. This place could make anyone stay. "Drat. I have to go." I sighed. "Will you be okay here?" I asked. He nodded faintly. "I know. This visit was cut a little short but I'll always be here if you need me." I said practically abandoning him. Somehow I could sense he was staring at me as I walked away. But this call sounded urgent. So I stepped out the door which led me straight back to the dream realm.
--
Reno~
I listened to the blades spin on top of the helicopter as I searched anywhere on the ground for the blonde they'd lost. Yes, it seemed that the brilliant Tifa and company had lost Cloud right out of their airship. So without any way to bail on their mission, AVALANCHE called in a favor to Rufus Shinra who sent out the remaining Turks. Not that I was complaining, things were pretty dull around Mi… Edge… so I was a bit eager to get out. And for one reason or another I was flying solo. Not really. I'd just dropped off the others around the continent the Shera had just been so now I had to pick a spot and search it. "How do you lose someone like that?" I asked myself. "Did the stupid kid fall out?" No… who can just fall out of the airlock when the ship is taking off? "Maybe he was pushed." I said casually. But I knew that couldn't be true. No one was on the ship that would dare push him.
I decided to land the helicopter right around the spot where the ship last was. There wasn't much else since Tseng was checking Nibelheim; Elena was checking Costa Del Sol, Rude was checking Rocket Town, and we even called Cissnei to help out and check Gongaga. That being the case I was planning on making my way to the Gold Saucer.
I mean, there wasn't even a way for us to figure out where he would've gone to. If it were the older Cloud we would've stayed as a team and checked Nibelheim. But somehow… Cloud was… younger… and a cadet. Tch. I'd believe it when I saw it. Besides, it was Cid who said… yelled it. So there was the possibility that he was having delusions while under the influence. More than likely it was going to be Tseng who found him. After all, it's natural for the joey to return to the pouch.
Keeping that in mind I decided there was nothing else worth exploring at the moment. So why not goof off? …And look for the scamp a little bit.
I made sure to stay near the helicopter in case the odds of someone being able to steal it arose. There was nothing much around except for the imprints where the ship had been and a little trail. What was that? For that matter, what was the other little area of upset dirt?
Maybe I did find something. I walked over to make sure.
They had said that they weren't certain when they'd lost him. Just by glancing, I'd have to say that they'd dropped him just as they took off and then he was well enough to wander off. "Maybe it'll be a cliché and he'll have amnesia or something." I thought out loud. That'd be ridiculous, Cloud was stronger than that. He'd probably landed on his feet like the show off he was. "… But maybe not." I said glaring down at some blood in the grass.
I changed my mind about before. There was a possibility this wasn't Cloud's blood or even a humans. But it still kicked the crud out of my plan to goof off. Because whatever it was, it would be fun for me to figure out. If it was Cloud, I could hold saving his injured butt over his head for months. If it was a person, I still got credit and self satisfaction. And if it was a wounded animal, I'd keep it and annoy Tseng. Everything amounted to a win-win situation for me.
Getting back to business, there was a good sized rock nearby with blood all over it. So whatever this victim was… it was hurt intentionally. So there was a perp? This was getting more interesting by the minute. "So the next step would be the tracks…" I sighed contently. This was a bit easy.
I walked over to the tracks and studied them until I was sure what the three-toed pattern was. It had to be a large bird. That limited it to a small number of things, but once I caught sight of footprints made from a boot… well… that reassured me that the bird tracks were made from a chocobo. No, two. There were two chocobos.
So! There were tracks of two chocobos next to blood left behind where Cloud was believed to have fallen out of the airship? It looked like this was a case of abduction! Or not. I wanted to wager that there was a fight, but there wasn't enough evidence of it. One thing was certain; Cloud could take care of himself. I mean c'mon. He could take a hit to the head. I still stuck with the plan of following the trail for the sake of getting Tifa to stop calling and asking about him. Getting back in the helicopter, I flew relatively low to keep my eyes on the trail. And a little unexpected, it led to the Gold Saucer.
"Sweet."
--
Sephiroth~
Sparks flew from the rocks as I slashed them in half. This was so irritating! I thought I'd have him by now. It couldn't possibly take more than a day to track down one small boy! Of all the incompetence! If it weren't a form of suicide I would kill Loz. How did I expect him not to screw things up? The thing that nagged the most, however, was that he had him! I slashed again before stopping. I'd had enough therapy and it was only hurting Masamune. It was just so… so… how could he get a hold of him and then lose him in such short a time? And the biggest grievance was that he'd lost him by falling for Zackary's little trick. Honestly, how could he be my remnant?
"This is fine." I told myself taking a few deep breaths. It was clear that I needed to be less assertive and switch my focus. I shouldn't be going after the boy straight off. It was just like fighting a war; you had to take down the fortress before you could eliminate the enemy. Getting AVALANCHE out of the way wouldn't be too hard, but I'd need some leverage for it. I'd just have to lay low for a while and then devise a plan where they'd have to go away on a mission and then I would have a chance to move in on Cloud. But actually getting them separated might be a problem…
However the real problem was Zackary.
He was sticking to Cloud as much as he could. How could I get a SOLDIER operative away from him? Especially Zack. "As much as I don't want to I might have to kill him." I couldn't risk injuring him and leaving him for dead. I did that once and he turned out to be alive. Plus the damned planet was on his side. So I suppose I would have to send him straight back to those idiots in the lifestream. One had to wonder what they'd do then. "Do they even have a plan for that?" I asked myself. What could they do if they already expelled him and then… he died?
"Ha…" The thought of the look on his face made me laugh. But maybe it would be better if I kept him alive. All I'd have to do was make sure he was locked up well enough and then he'd beat himself up just knowing I had gotten the boy. Just let him imagine what I was doing to Cloud.
"Hmm…" That stopped me. What was I going to do to him? There were SO many options. And I was getting quite interested in the water torture they used in Wutai. But there were variations of that as well. But … forced ingestion would kill him. And I didn't want that to happen right away. He had to suffer first! Waterboarding could work, so could dunking and dripping water. A water dungeon was too elaborate. I'd also heard that dumping cold water over the victim made piercing the skin much easier with a whip…
But right now I had to find the boy, appoint someone to keep track of him, and devise a plan to get him away from Zack. Only then could things move forward. "This stand still is starting to piss me off." I sighed. No progress had been made and now Cloud had vanished. I had to wonder if those idiots found an effective way of hiding him. Perhaps they had flown him someplace and stowed him in a box. That'd just make it easier for me. And that thought led me to think of solitary confinement to loosen him up a bit. Perhaps I would seal him up in a wooden crate for about three days. It didn't matter right now I suppose. This place I'd found for a base, surprisingly, had many torture devices and such. So it was safe to say that the blonde would receive a warm welcome when he got here.
"Or would he?" I asked myself. I'd been conflicting over this for the past few hours and I desperately wanted to have at him as soon as he came through the door. But I rather liked to deceive.
"Yazoo, I'm not lying!" I heard Loz shout around the corner. They must've been going inside. I stepped briskly so as to catch them and only saw Loz disappearing into the fortress.
"Get over here the both of you!" I hollered before the door shut.
There was a long pause before the two of them came trudging out. The act was a bit ridiculous, acting as if I were going to kill them. As if I would dispose of two of my important pawns. That'd be a stupid move. No. I simply decided to appoint one of them. It'd be smart to have Kadaj do it, but I couldn't risk losing him. He wasn't the best at blending in and he could be overpowered easily. I didn't have a plan for breaking anyone out of the confines of AVALANCHE or Shinra. It wasn't that I thought he'd talk in an interrogation or anything. But he was important to future plans and I didn't want any more screw ups. So that being the case, Loz was NOT suited for this job. But I also wanted to make sure Yazoo was kept for another time. What a decision. But…
"I want Yazoo to find Cloud and keep track of him." I sighed.
"What?" They both asked. I couldn't believe it. Hadn't they been paying attention?
"I've lost sight of him and I want Yazoo to pick it up where trail ended."
"He's not on the airship?" Loz asked.
"No. That's where he disappeared actually." I answered in a very frustrated tone. "He was on the ship as long as it was on the ground and vanished when it took off."
"Do you think he fell out?" Yazoo mused.
"That would be unfortunate." I thought out loud. If he'd fallen out there was a good chance that he was dead. That would explain why I'd lost him. There was the off chance that he was unconscious. Which he could be. The planet and the Ancients above wouldn't let him die so easily… and neither would I. If he was dead I swore I'd… I go up there and drag him back out myself! He could die someday, but I doubted it. The planet liked him too much. They'd all probably keep him alive to defend the planet from any sort of trouble it got into. So there'd be plenty of time to make him pay! Plenty of time to make him watch as I accomplished my goal to send this whole forsaken planet to oblivion. And everyone on it.
"My apologies, Nii San, but we have to tend to something else right now." I heard Yazoo say after coming out of my trance.
"Very well, go on." I said shooing them away. I had to think about how to fix this mess. But how could I do it without error. I didn't like this faltering problem we'd been having.
I suppose that it was a good call appointing Yazoo. This would be his area of expertise. He had the ability to stay out of sight and then appear out of nowhere. Loz would probably blunder right away. I couldn't have that. I needed this therapy as one would call it. I needed him to suffer! To taste his pain!
Revenge was and had been my new obsession ever since I burned down that hick village! I couldn't believe that little cadet stabbed me in the back… literally. The humiliation still burned like a fresh wound. That's why I had to pay him back with interest before the end. He'd pay for it a hundred times over before I decided it was enough. And not just him! Zackary had to pay too. And not just because he was being a thorn in my side. No. I ought to be thanking him for giving me this marvelous opportunity. But he was the blonde's accomplice in this matter. Not only had he slowed me down with that pointless battle, but he also provided the sword that had gone straight through me and killed mother!
"That horrible little…!" I growled. But I composed myself. After all. Mother hadn't really died. She'd lived on in that pointless, beloved lifestream of this burnt out planet. But not before she'd become a part of me. Not that it really helped me out. That damned blonde bumpkin always managed to stop me at every turn. A simple country boy! Dammit, how did he do it? With help or without it, he always managed to send me back to the lifestream.
"This planet is overdo for destruction." I sighed. "But not before I make sure he sees it."
He had to witness the world washing over in blood first hand. Only then would I truly feel relieved and be able to move on with mother. And maybe I'd even feel some remorse at the loss of a challenge. Perhaps there'd be a new one on the next planet that mother and I came too. One thing was for sure, thanks to Zackary, this little nuisance was finally taken care of…
It had to be done. They were traitors. All of them! Especially Zack! He must've poisoned the cadet against me all those years ago. He stole him from me. There was little hope of either of them turning sides. But I didn't want that anymore. That was a naïve hope. Now I just wanted to bask in their glorious misery. I wanted to destroy him. And the insufferable blonde! He just grinded me down until there was nothing left but the primal urge for vengeance! So I decided I'd take everything he had and get some closure. Some…
I didn't intend to kill him straight off and I doubted killing him would work. This planet had to die before he did. Otherwise it would keep on reviving him! Damn thing!
Now things had to be much more tedious than previously intended. Now I had to capture the boy, throw in some torture here and there while destroying the planet. Possibly kill Zackary in the process and then kill Cloud once the lifestream was gone from this rock. The list had grown significantly, but I suppose intricate plans worked the best. There was no question that I could get it done. I had nothing but time.
"At least things are moving forward." I sighed. Now that Yazoo was going out to find him. All I had to do was tell him not to harm him or even make his presence known before I gave the signal.
The new plan was to find him first of all, track his position from their, learn about all of the surrounding obstacles. Then from there we could figure out how to counter them. Once the obstacles were removed we could move in. I'd tell Yazoo to move and he would get the boy. After that things would get on track towards the bigger picture. But nothing much could be done until I learned of who was surrounding him. There was Tifa, Cid, Vincent… they'd probably extend it to all of AVALANCHE. I didn't quite know about all of them. And Zackary I knew about but he'd also been changed by Hojo. I only knew of his old abilities. And now… dare I say it… he may actually pose a challenge. I didn't know about his new abilities. There was no… wait.
"Would it be on record somewhere?" I thought out loud.
It was worth a shot. And if not, they'd definitely have files of the AVALANCHE members on record. This was the perfect opportunity to use Kadaj. He could take down any Turk guarding Rufus and force the information out of the paraplegic. It was kind of a long shot, but I happened to know that Shinra never disposed of those records. Not even of those they'd proclaimed K.I.A. That was because the president was paranoid and always believed that they would come back. Hell, they probably had MY file right out in the open since I did keep on coming back.
Now all I had to was to find Kadaj. He had made a habit of just wandering off without saying anything. Not that I cared, but it was so darn inconvenient. All I could do was sigh and hope he was inside.
With many things running through my mind, I went up the steps and passed by Yazoo. I was so caught up in other thoughts that it took me a while to remember I had to tell him not to do anything rash. "Yazoo." I called sternly, not moving or even turning to look at him. I heard his steps halt as well. There was a bit of a pause before I said, "Don't hurt him." Then I continued inside and he continued his trip down the steps of the abandoned fortress.
That took care of that. Now for Kadaj. Where would he be? He didn't really have any particular place to be inside here. I searched for him in the open area in between the great stone walls. But he wasn't out and about anywhere. It was times like this when I started to think if any of this was worth the trouble. But all I had to do to banish those thoughts was think about all of the humiliating defeats that boy made me go through. "How could something so… so… weak always get the best of me?!" I growled under my breath. It was as if his sheer determination was much more powerful than my will. How could someone fighting for the wrong reason be so powerful?
None of it made any sense. I was just the one who saw this rock for what it really was. All I wanted was to right the many wrongs the traitors had done towards mother. How could someone fighting for those disgusting things win?
That was how my thoughts always went and I always had to stop before I started thinking dangerously. Sometimes I tried too hard to make sense of it and came to the conclusions that I was the one doing wrong. But it couldn't be. The proof was always there and always had been. I just wished I had found those records sooner so I could've spared myself the embarrassment of working under that fat idiot. It also would've saved mother the pain of having to watch me do the enemies bidding for all those years. Now it was time to repent and destroy all of these creatures!
I just wish I could start with the blonde's mother again. But, sadly, she was gone for good. She got what was coming to her. Getting in the way like that. It wasn't like I was going to kill the Cloud at that point in time. No, that intention didn't come until later. The scene always confused me. She just… jumped into it. "Why would someone so monstrous behave like that?" I asked. She was one of the traitors who stole the planet from mother. And yet she… sacrificed herself.
It had to be right about thirteen years ago when it happened.
The violent orange flames brought a very harsh glare to my eye. The building went up much faster than I'd thought. And now the sight was keeping me mesmerized. The warmth of it was comforting from this distance, but to the people screaming inside, it was merely the introduction to the fires of hell waiting for them. The damned traitors!
"What're you doing?!" A small voice screamed.
I turned away from the fire and stared at the masked blonde who was trying to look firm, however, as soon as I stepped toward him he began to shrink away from me. "Finally got out bed, did you?"
"Sh-shut up!" He snapped back in a choked voice. Probably holding back more tears. I smirked and quickened my pace. This little cadet always managed to awaken whatever compassion I had in me.
"Does it still hurt?" I asked wrapping my arms around him. "Did you want me to comfort you? Is that why you disobeyed me?" He fought a little, but I ignored it, stripped off his helmet, tossed it, and ran my fingers through his soft hair in an attempt to calm us both down. Sadly, it didn't work. He refused to just rest in my arms. He insisted on struggling. It confused me. He usually loved gentle touches like this. "What's wrong, Cloud?"
"Let me go!" He shouted still trying to jerk away from me.
"Just tell me what's wrong." I said insistently. I'd completely forgotten about the flames still dancing in the background. There was only him. A part of the reason why I'd ordered him to stay in the Inn, he distracted me so easily.
"You just burned down someone's house, what do you think you're doing?!" He answered now deciding to kick. He was just flailing in my grasp now. There was nothing he could do. "Just let go of me!"
"No. Now I think you'll run away." I sighed walking around the water tower in the center of town. I heard the flames roar as they grew behind me. "I can't let you run away. I told you that." He thrashed more violently and made me stop in my tracks. "You're staying with me."
"No!" He screamed. I leaned in for a kiss and he pulled away from it as much as he could. I just used the hand on the back of his head to force him back. His lips landed right against mine. He whimpered behind it and tried his best to tear away from it, but he couldn't move. I just skillfully maneuvered my tongue past the obstacles and into his mouth. That definitely won me a shriek. It was stifled, but it was still there. He resisted as much as he could, but I still helped myself to the tasting of his mouth. "N-n-no!" He screamed again when I let him up for air. I kissed him once more, but softly. "I said no!" He shouted punching me as hard as he could in the gut. I'd never expected something like that from him and wasn't at all ready for it. I was startled.
My eyes went wide when he'd actually got away from me. But they soon narrowed into a glare when he tried to run back to the Inn. He didn't get very far before I caught up to him. I whipped him around to face me and grabbed hold of both his wrists. "Where do you think you're going?" I growled tightening my grip. He winced and bit his lower lip. "I told you, you cannot leave." The anger was swelling up even more. So much so that I tightened my grip to the intensity.
"Ah!" He screamed. I stopped in my fit of rage and listened. I could faintly hear the bones in his tiny wrists just about to give. Instantly, I let go and punched him as he did to me… but with a lot less force. It was still enough to make him fall to his knees. I walked around him until I was behind him and unsheathed Masamune. It was my full intention to hit him with the hilt on the back of the head to knock him out. And as I remember, my angle was off. As soon as I brought it down, I heard a scream and then saw something jump in the way of the blade. I saw it as a good thing because the blade would've struck the blonde if something hadn't gotten in the way. It took me a while to realize that the object that had blocked me was a body. A woman! I was disgusted.
I picked up the body and glared, but it wasn't worth the effort. She was already dead. Grudgingly, I dragged the body over to the flames and tossed her in. A part of me heard the screaming coming from behind me, but I just couldn't register it. So, with that done, I walked over and picked up his helmet. "Would you like this back while I take care of things elsewhere?" I asked bringing it to him. I then found that the screaming had been him. There were tears rolling down his face and he was still screaming about something. "What's the matter now?" I asked genuinely concerned.
"Mom!" He shouted. Mom? Was that what he had been saying? What for? I looked at him and saw that he was staring at the fire as he shouted for his mother…
"Oh no…"
Therefore, I'd killed his mother completely by accident. But I didn't regret it afterwards. Not after thinking about it for long. She was only a traitor after all. I couldn't possibly regret something like that. Cloud was very hurt by it, but it didn't matter to me after he had so recklessly attacked me. And then he got exactly what he deserved. Then my thoughts were interrupted by a glimpse of silver in my periphery. "Kadaj." I said before the young man got away again.
"Yes?" He asked.
"I have something I want you to do for me…"
--
(A/N) Sorry about the depressing flashback, but I was just going off of the vibes Sephiroth gives. Oh! And I know the Gold Saucer can only be reached from North Corel, so please don't think I'm stupid. Just read on and it will explain. And again, Zack will not be heard from for a little bit, but don't get discouraged. HE WILL RETURN! So, if you made it through this jumpy thing, review. Thank you.