"Master Cyrus," shouted the Repentant piloting the helicopter Cyrus had hijacked back at the Forgotten City, "it seems we won't have enough fuel to make it back to Nibelheim. What are your orders?"
Cyrus sighed as he fidgeted with his glasses. While the majority of the Repentant that joined him on his pilgrimage to the Forgotten City had taken the boat back to Nibelheim, he decided that he could return faster by taking the Turk's Shinra-issue helicopter. Unfortunately, with the low fuel problem, he'd be lucky to make it back before the boat.
"Oh, well. One or two day's difference won't matter in the end," Cyrus thought as he clutched the Clear Materia in his right hand and his cane in his left. He took a moment to admire the Legendary Materia before pocketing it. "All right. Head to the nearest town and see if we can't refuel there. We can't save the Planet if we crash, now can we?"
"Yes, sir!" the Repentant pilot acknowledged. "From our current position and with our fuel supply, we should be able to make it to Costa del Sol. They possess a helipad and fuel reserves that we can use."
"Make it so," Cyrus ordered as he sat back and relaxed. Aside from the pilot, Cyrus had selected two other Repentant to join him in the helicopter. All three Repentant had earned Cyrus's trust and admiration when they discovered the three spies Reeve had sent to the Forgotten City. While Cyrus was certain the WRO was in no position to effectively launch a retaliatory strike against him and his Collective for at least a week, he had learned to be careful and to never count out any variables.
Several hours later, the commandeered Shinra helicopter landed at the helipad at Costa del Sol's dockyards. Cyrus stepped out and immediately breathed in the ocean air, heard the sound of seagulls over the crashing waves. Seeing the beautiful coastal town with all the smiling faces almost made Cyrus regret what he would soon be doing…almost.
Still, since they were here…
"Comrades, gather round," Cyrus softly commanded. "I want you to refuel the helicopter and run a quick maintenance check. Then, I want you to take advantage of our time here and enjoy yourselves."
"Sir?"
Cyrus chuckled. "It's getting late, and it's dangerous to fly the helicopter at night. Besides, we have all worked very hard to complete our penance. I'm sure the Planet will not mind if we take a small break to sit back and admire its beauty before we and all life return to the Lifestream. All right?"
The Repentant nodded in unison. "We understand, master. And…thank you. We will do as you asked."
"Very well. Proceed with your duties." Cyrus said as he started to make his way into town. After getting to the alley connecting Costa del Sol to the docks, he called back and added, "Oh, and please do something about that Shinra insignia. It stands as an offense to the Repentant."
He didn't hear any of his comrades reply back, but Cyrus figured they were busy enough with their duties and decided it wasn't a particularly important request. The Repentant leader walked past Costa del Sol's many stores and outdoor kiosks before making his way to the tourist town's famous beaches. As he stepped out, his military-style boots sunk deep into the sun-kissed sand. Cyrus fought the urge to remove his boots and go barefoot as he stopped just short of where the tide was coming in. A pair of dolphins was playing with some of the tourists out in the warm ocean water. Cyrus smiled and shook his head as he reached for the Clear Materia in his pocket and held it up to the sun. The materia acted as a prism, separating the white light into its many colors. Cyrus admired the colors as a tiny voice piped up:
"Hey, mister! Whatcha got there?"
Cyrus looked down towards the source of the voice: a five year old girl with blonde pigtails. She wore a pink sundress with yellow polka dots, and her feet were bare. She looked up at Cyrus without a trace of nervousness and asked again with a smile, "Mister! You awake? I asked ya whatcha got there?"
"This?" Cyrus said. "This is a materia. Do you know what a materia is, little one?"
The little girl pouted a little as she put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I got a name, okay? It's Gabby! And I know what a materia is! It's a magic rock, right?"
Cyrus laughed. "Not exactly…Gabby was it? Let me ask you; have you ever heard of the Lifestream or the Ancients?"
Gabby nodded excitingly. "Yep! Mommy says the Ancients lived a long time ago and protected people like us from monsters. Mommy also said the Ancients aren't around any more and watch over us from the Lifestream."
"That's correct. The Ancient's knowledge continues to watch over the Planet from the Lifestream. That knowledge sometimes transforms into stones that people can use to call up magic. That's what a materia really is."
"Wow…" the little girl whispered in amazement. "So, what's that materia do? I never saw a materia without color before."
"That's because this is a very special materia. If I focus hard enough, I can fix the Planet with it."
"Really? I didn't know the Planet was broken."
Cyrus nodded. "Oh, yes. But this materia will take a lot out of me…even end up hurting me and my friends if I use it. It's that powerful."
"Oh…but, if it can fix the Planet, you and your friends can be tough. Can't ya, mister?"
Cyrus was surprised by the little girl's last statement. "Yes. I can be tough…I will be. No matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice…I will fix the Planet."
"Mister?" Gabby asked. "You okay? You look a little weird just now."
"I'm fine, Gabby," Cyrus said, pushing his thoughts aside. He pocketed the Clear Materia again and reached for the Time materia he had taken from Reeve's puppet back in the Forgotten City. "Here, this is for you. Consider it a thank you for helping me see things clearly."
"Wow, thanks!" Gabby said as she grabbed the materia from Cyrus's outstretched hand. She admired it for a few seconds when a feminine voice called her name by the seawall.
"Sounds like your mother's worried. Better go to her, little one."
"Yeah, ok. Thanks again for the magic rock…I mean, materia! Buh-bye!"
The little girl waved before running as fast as her little legs could carry her toward the source of her mother's voice. Cyrus smiled as he made his way to a lounge chair under a large umbrella and sat down. A serving girl stopped by to see if he wanted anything to drink; Cyrus ended up ordering a carafe of Corel wine. When the server returned to fulfill the order, the Repentant leader looked out towards the horizon, more sure than ever of his course of action.
"Thank you, dear Gabby," Cyrus mused as he sipped his drink.
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It had been a couple of days since Yuffie, Cid, Rufus, and the Turks had escaped from the Repentant's trap and headed back to WRO Headquarters on the Shera. While Cid piloted the airship and exchanged information (along with the occasional insult) with Rufus and Tseng, Yuffie spent most of the trip in her cabin. Her notorious motion-sickness problem wasn't as bad as it had been four years ago…but that didn't mean that looking out the Shera's giant view port didn't make her stomach turn. So, Yuffie spent the trip dressing her wounds, practicing her ninja skills, or just plain napping. She was in the middle of replacing a gauze wrap on her right arm when her cabin door flew open.
"Morning, princess!" Reno said in a singsong tone as he sauntered into Yuffie's cabin.
"You prick!" Yuffie screamed. "Don't you know how to knock, damn it?"
"Oh, yeah…well, I just figured since we were such good friends and you're still ETERNALLY grateful for me saving you from that sleaze Don Cornea that you wouldn't mind me inviting myself in."
"Fuck off, Reno," Yuffie replied as she gave Reno the middle finger. "I'm busy here."
Reno shook his head and smiled. "Looks to me like you're busy screwing up that wrap-job on your arm. Let me help."
Yuffie frowned. Looking at her attempt at dressing the scratches on her arm, she realized Reno was right: it was a slipshod job. Not that she would admit it to Reno, of course.
"I'll get it…I don't need your help."
"Aw, come on," Reno said with what sounded like concern in his voice. "It'll be quicker if I help. The last thing anyone needs is for that scratch to get infected, especially before we go kick Cyrus Thresher's ass."
Yuffie was confused. Was Reno actually being…nice? She decided to test his sincerity by relenting. "Fine. If you think you can do a better job, prove it."
Reno smirked as he walked over to Yuffie's bed. He sat down beside her and, in a matter of seconds, fixed Yuffie's poor excuse for a dressing and bandaged her arm up. Yuffie was admiring Reno's handiwork until he shocked her by planting a kiss on top of the bandage. "There. Feel better, princess?"
"You bastard!" Yuffie shouted as she went to take a swing at the red-head. Reno deftly ducked and scrambled to make it back to the doorway. He was laughing as he said:
"Geez, princess. Take it easy. It was just a little peck, for Holy's sake! Didn't Daddy ever kiss your boo-boos when you were a kid?"
Yuffie scoffed as she tossed a pillow at Reno's head. "You wanna kiss my 'boo-boos' and make them feel better? I've got a bruise on my ass…how's about you kiss that?"
"Is that an offer?"
"Go to hell, Reno," Yuffie said with a snarl. After a couple of seconds, though, Yuffie started to chuckle a little bit. As strange as Reno was, he did manage to take Yuffie's mind off what she witnessed at the Forgotten City. If nothing else, Yuffie did owe Reno that much.
"Thanks, you red-headed bastard."
"No problem," Reno said as if he knew what Yuffie was really thanking him for. "Just looking out for an old friend. Well, I better go find Rude. I left him with Elena…"
"Yikes…and I thought being a bandersnatch's chew toy was bad. Better go save Baldie," the young ninja replied playfully.
Reno gave Yuffie a mock salute as he left her cabin to go searching for his partner. To her surprise, Yuffie couldn't get Reno out of her mind. She wasn't sure about the Turk, but it did seem as if he was mildly flirting with her. Not that she could blame him, of course…she WAS the White Rose of Wutai, after all.
Yuffie smiled at the remote possibility of a relationship with Reno. It certainly wouldn't be boring…and Godo would freak out at the thought of his daughter courting the slothful red-headed Turk. "Hmm…"
"Attention, crew!" Cid shouted over the intercom. "We'll be arriving at WRO Headquarters in thirty minutes. Get your shit together and get your asses to your stations!"
Yuffie sprang up and grabbed her gear as she exited her cabin and headed for the bridge. The time for daydreaming and playtime was most certainly over. Once they landed, the WRO in conjunction with the Turks and AVALANCHE would only have a few minutes before they would be heading out again.
The Repentant awaited them at Nibelheim. Their leader intended to call forth one final spell...and bring about the end of humanity.
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Author's Notes:
I'm on a roll...a chapter every day? I must be CRAZY!
But seriously, I hope you guys appreciate it. I do what I can to please the fans.
Anyway, this chapter's a bit of fluff, but I thought it was a nice chapter nonetheless. Hope you enjoy it.
Reviews are my drug...and you are my dealers. C'mon, people...hook me up!
Until next time,
"The Exile" Cyrus Truth