16/08/2013
Title: A Mother's Love
Chapter: 9
Author: Jade Tatsu
Raisa shivered. After living thirteen winters in Nibelheim she never thought she'd feel cold in another part of the world. She was wrong. Wutai was cold! They'd managed to make it to land after jumping from the plane, though the waters were shocking with their chill. Thankfully, while biting, the cove protected them from the worst of the waves and wind and once they struggled up the beach, they had huddled together at the edge of the sand. There had been a tiny part of the rock scooped out, too small to be called a good cave, but large enough to provide them some shelter and with the drift wood that littered the beach they had been able to start a small fire and properly dry out.
They were warm enough that night but the next day Raisa knew they had to move. There was always the chance that when Cid Highwind returned to Rocket Town he would be questioned. He would have no reason to keep their movements or identities secret and there was every chance that Shinra would order him to fly someone to Wutai to follow them. It depended a bit on how pedantic they were being.
So the next day they had hoisted their packs onto their shoulders and made the climb up out of the cove. Once they'd gotten under the trees, it had been marginally warmer, mostly because they were out of the wind, but the trees had their own dangers. Several times wolf, or Fenrir as Cloud was now calling him, had jumped in front of them, growling savagely at something Raisa couldn't detect and once Cloud had shot… something. She had no idea what it was, but her boy's hand had been steady when he'd fired and as Vincent had taught him, he cleaned his gun properly that night, making sure that everything was as it should be.
They'd walked for a day or so and even though the Wutai capital was south, there had been a tug on her mind that said go north so she followed it. Cloud actually asked her that first night why they were heading away from the capital and she'd tried to explain but he had simply nodded at her, his blue eyes understanding in the firelight. Fenrir had barked his agreement and that had made the small knot of worry in her gut dissipate. She thought she was doing the right thing, but Cloud and wolf were far more in tune with the planet than she was, and if their instinct's had no objection to heading north, then that is what she would do.
It had taken another five days before they found it; an estate, high in the mountains, completely remote and protected by sheer cliffs. The instant Raisa laid eyes on it, she knew that was her destination but with it in sight, she pulled up and they set up camp two hours walk back along the faint path they had made.
They couldn't camp forever. Raisa knew that and their activities were eating into their supplies but they had enough for several more weeks and Raisa would wait as long as she could. Something was meant to happen here, just she didn't quite know when. Wolf hunted for them, bringing back game and after the first night in their new campsite, when Cloud and Wolf had brought back the carcass of some black cat they were not disturbed by other predators.
On the day she had enhanced Wolf, there had been an instantaneous change. His eyes glowed a brilliant intelligent golden, and after the Mako treatment his healing had been improved, but over the weeks of travel further changes had become evident. Fenrir's claws were slightly longer and his teeth seemed whiter and sharper. He'd grown too so that where he once stood at Cloud's hip, now he stood at her boy's chest. No wild wolf could compare. She'd seen him fight, so she knew how savage Fenrir could be, but she had also seen him with Cloud each night, playing and licking and sleeping as her boy cuddled into him. It was a comfort to her to know that he had such a loyal guardian.
So they waited, even though they weren't sure what they were waiting for. Raisa didn't return to the estate but each day Cloud did and each day he reported that nothing had changed. The guards still patrolled but all was quiet. His former forays into the mountains around Nibelheim served him well here though it did take Cloud a few days to get the hang of climbing trees. Thereafter he was like a squirrel and every time Raisa saw him, scampering about on the worryingly thin limbs of some tree she felt her heart clench. But Cloud was surefooted and agile, moving through the still dense trees quickly while his wolf ghosted along the ground beneath him. She was confident they would not get caught and that he would not fall.
Each day she practiced with the materia that they had. She cast 'Restore' on almost everything she could and discovered that it worked on anything. She knew it worked on people because her back had been healed and from that she figured it would work on animals but she had not expected it to work on plants and even to a limited extent on water. The effect on plants was interesting and she made sure she returned to the plant she had used it on each day. The materia had pushed the plant into its spring colouring and in the middle of winter, that was not healthy, so each day she gave it a little boost so that it would survive. The effect on water was almost as interesting. She'd tried it on a small stagnant pool that had been almost frozen beneath one of the great trees. The water had become clear, but the pollutants that still hung suspended in it remained. It could not be considered fit for drinking. The experiment though made Raisa wonder if there was not another materia that might be used to clean the water entirely. If there was, that could be a useful trick to know.
Water wasn't a problem. Wutai, like Nibelheim was blessed with an abundance of small streams, all carrying clear crisp water. The only problem they faced was collecting it. Well, that was one problem. Keeping it out of their camp site and shelter was another. As was keeping all the bugs away!
Nibelheim got its share of bugs, mostly in the summer as the chill of winter drove them into dormancy. But Wutai! It was cold but the bugs were still out in force. Granted some of it could have been due to the warmth of their fire, but not all of it. The entire place was infested! It was a daily battle against them and Raisa realised quite savagely that she did not like bugs. There were even a few she incinerated without remorse after realising that their bright colours most likely meant poisonous. Those and spiders. She felt absolutely no shame each time she raised the fire materia against them, casting tiny fire spells to get rid of them. She also used the fire material to keep the little fire they risked going. While it didn't seem to snow in Wutai, the way it would in Nibelheim, it was still bitterly cold and they needed that fire.
As she used each materia, she could feel them becoming stronger and when she looked into the tiny orbs, Raisa almost swore that the green had become deeper, somehow seeming to stretch further. It was odd but comforting in a way, as if the Planet was reaching out to embrace each materia.
She gave Cloud instructions to go back to the estate each day and to watch carefully. He could not get caught, that was paramount but she had to know what was going on. Faithfully Cloud watched each day, and reported back to her at the end of each day.
Three and a half long weeks later, everything changed. Cloud came running back to their camp with his eyes alight. It was about noon and the instant Raisa saw him she began gathering up the few items that had been spread around. They didn't expect to be found this deep into the forest, but she had made sure that they did not spread out just in case they did have to run.
"There's something," Cloud reported. "Everyone is rushing around and there was some screaming."
Raisa frowned. She'd expected that, but she had hoped that Cloud would not have to hear it. "It's alright," she made sure her voice was calm. "It's not anything bad," she reassured Cloud. "You'll see when we get there."
Cloud looked confused. How could screaming be good? But he couldn't ask his mum for further details because the moment her pack was tied shut, she had hoisted it on to her shoulder, indicating that he should grab his own and they were off.
She didn't know how long the screaming had been going on for. Cloud had left to observe just after breakfast and assuming that he hadn't run, then, factoring in travel time to the estate and back, it was conceivable that it had been going on all night. That would be normal; normal in the way that it always seemed that children liked to make themselves known at the most inconvenient time. As a result, Raisa made for the estate with all the speed she could muster, running where she could through the dense jungle. It was on that trip that she learned exactly how fit her boy was.
Cloud easily kept pace with her, running with a smooth fluid motion, jumping and leaping and occasionally taking to the trees. Fenrir accompanied him, the large wolf a silent shadow. She, on the other hand, was not nearly as graceful and after a while her heart hammered in her chest and her breath was sharply laboured. Cloud and Fenrir could have been out for an afternoon stroll, they were breathing hard, but only so much as you might get if you ran from their house to the inn in Nibelheim. They probably could have run that way for hours.
Thankfully it was only a two hour walk to the Estate so they reached it about forty five minutes after they left their camp. Raisa stood for a few moments, looking down at the large house, one hand resting on a tree as she panted, gulping down air as fast as she could.
And then she heard it. A scream cut their air. It was drawn out and tortured and the blonde woman shuddered.
"That's not good," Raisa muttered, her blue eyes narrowing as she looked down at the house.
"Mum?" Cloud asked, his voice worried.
"That's not normal," she told him.
"But?" The question was obvious, considering what she had said earlier.
"Let's find out what's wrong," she replied, beginning to walk down to the Estate.
It was almost surreal. There should have been guards. There were guards, they were just concentrating on something other than guarding at the moment.
Cloud, Raisa and Fenrir walked purposely through the gates and then into the house. It was not like a Nibelheim house. Most of the corridors were on the outside forming long sweeping walkways that were covered by the roof. It made moving around interesting and easy though they did encounter a few people, most of them wore the uniform of servants and skirted around them with wide frightened eyes.
Raisa paid no attention to them. Now that she was here, she moved with a purpose. The screams came periodically but she was honing in on them. As they got closer they encountered more people but no one stopped them. The look on her face caused most to shrink back. She made it to outside the room where the woman was screaming. Raisa didn't understand Wutainese but she didn't need to. She knew the tone. It was quiet but worry was thick in every word.
Even in the time she had been within earshot the screams had been growing weaker. The woman making them was tired. It had been going on too long and if it wasn't ended soon, both she and the child she laboured to bear would die. That was what Raisa was here for. This time, the Lady of Wutai would not die.
"I can save her," Raisa announced firmly, hoping someone would understand but confident that the meaning would carry across the language barrier. Cloud stood slightly behind her, looking around with wide blue eyes. Fenrir stood with Cloud, close enough to touch her boy. The wolf's golden eyes could not show curiosity but they did show wariness. In this new situation, the wolf was ready to run if that's what was called for. Raisa knew he'd take Cloud with him and she was comforted.
There was a babble in Wutainese and Raisa shook her head, blonde tresses tossing around her face. "I can save her," she repeated, gesturing towards the door where she knew the Lady of Wutai lay behind.
"You can save the Lady?" The question was harsh. "What would some blonde bitch know about healing?"
"What does it matter? I can save her."
"You? You are most likely some Shinra spy."
Raisa smiled serenely. She had expected this to be honest. "What does it matter?" She replied. "I am here and you can arrest me. But if you do that, she will die. So will her child. I can save them. I want to save them."
The man who had spoken looked at Raisa carefully, evaluating, judging. It was difficult to believe her words. The blonde woman didn't smell but her clothes were wrinkled and rumpled as if she'd been wearing them for a long time. The boy's clothes were the same. Her hair was tied back into a scraggly pony tail and was knotted. She looked like she'd come in from the jungle, which, he realised belatedly is probably what had happened. There was nothing special about the way she looked. But there was about her a sense of assured confidence. Whatever else this woman was, she was courageous enough to enter enemy territory and to stand proud. Even now they could cut her down without effort and she seemed to know that but she showed no fear.
He was Lord Godo's Chief Advisor. He did not trust this blonde woman but he knew he would not be able to look his Lord in the face if there any chance of saving his wife and he did not take it.
"So save her." If the Lady of Wutai lived, then they could deal with the blonde later. If she died, then the blonde would also die.
Raisa nodded and motioned for Cloud to stay put as she entered the room, her boots tapping on the wooden floor. At least if Cloud remained outside, Fenrir might have the chance to grab him if things went wrong. But nothing was going to go wrong, she told herself firmly as she pulled out the materia she had brought with her. If she ever saw Vincent again she'd have to thank him for insisting that she buy the Restore.
The situation was worse than she thought. There was blood on almost everything and all attention was focused on a small woman in the centre. She was gasping and around her various other women scurried. The activity seemed pointless and Raisa wasn't sure what it was for. She had been present at the birth of other children in Nibelheim and it was usually a straight forward affair. The men were banished to the Inn and the women took care of the birth and clean up. Simple, easy and efficient. This seemed anything but.
It probably started out that way but it had deteriorated. It had gone on too long and the Lady of Wutai was too weak. Raisa raised the materia and cast. Restore was a simple enough spell and she let the power of the magic wash over the Lady of Wutai. It seemed to bring back some of her strength but it was not enough and Raisa cast the charm again and again, forcing energy into the small woman to restore her waning strength.
The guards who had been standing at her back fell back after a moment when it was obvious that the magic was helping their lady. The other women began to calm down as well and resume their jobs.
"Push, my Lady, push!" The encouragement might have been in Wutai but it was easy enough to understand.
Half way through Raisa felt the materia in her hand change. It was hot, as a result of her pouring her energy into it but she could feel it grow. It deepened. That was the only real way to describe it and the next time she cast, the charm was different. Energy sufficed the Lady of Wutai but unlike the other charms Raisa had cast, this continued and she could feel the drain of energy from her but she did not let the spell go.
The Lady of Wutai screamed again. But it was not like the tortured screams of earlier. It contained pain but it had a note of purpose and the black haired woman gasped and screamed again. This time it was words and though Raisa didn't understand, it didn't matter. The Lady of Wutai was getting stronger.
And then another cry joined hers. Thin and high but incomprehensibly beautiful.
The small green materia in Raisa's hand jumped, pulling more energy from her diminished reserves, casting another charm, this time at the small red baby that had finally been delivered. The wash of magic was deeper and stronger and Raisa let it feed from her without hindrance. The last thing she saw was the Lady of Wutai smiling down at the baby in her arms and after that everything went black.
Raisa heard breathing before she became fully aware. She recognised the rhythm and she held back a smile as she awoke fully. Cloud and Fenrir. Their breath formed a pattern she was intimately familiar with and it was comforting. She was warm, and beneath her there was something soft. The covers were heavy, pressing into her but allowing movement. She could almost imagine this was a lazy summer day in Nibelheim but it wasn't. Those days were forever gone. Slowly she opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself looking up at a tan ceiling. Wooden beams criss-crossed the room, the wood rich and dark and well kept.
She squirmed, reaching up to push the covers down, sitting up as she opened her eyes. Cloud and Fenrir were sleeping beside her. The wolf looked comfortable, and the warmth from him emanated through the blankets. Cloud was hunched over at her side, his head resting on his arms and his breathing even. One hand reached out towards her and one was fisted in wolf's thick fur. He had obviously been sitting there until he fell asleep and she was touched by the gesture.
"So you live to see another day, woman."
Raisa vaguely recognised the voice as the man who had spoken to her outside the birthing room. "It would seem I have," she replied, shifting slightly. The man was near the door, kneeling and as he looked up he put a scroll down. The blonde wasn't sure of the cultural requirements so she nodded her head at him. "Thank you," she added.
He was silent for a while and Raisa made no other conversation. She looked over at Cloud, pulling him closer to her, so that she could stroke his hair. His blond spikes were soft and still almost downy and she enjoyed the quiet moment. She didn't know how long it would be until the next one.
The man broke first. "What do you want woman?" The question was the obvious one. "No enemy willingly walks into a war zone without wanting something."
She looked over at him, her face amused. Did he really think she would give up the advantage so easily? "I want an audience with Lord Godo."
He made a sharp intake of breath. The impudence of the woman!
"It's not like I want a private audience," Raisa continued with a little smile. "His guards may be present so that if I'm some sort of spy he will be protected. But that is all I want and considering the service I have done for Wutai, I don't think it's much to ask."
"Nor do I," a new voice spoke and Raisa turned towards it. On the other side of the room there was a bamboo screen. She could see the outline of a figure behind it. From the shape she figured it was male and seemed to have a regal bearing. The voice was sure and held a note of command. There was the impression of motion and suddenly the screens were raised.
"My Lord!" The other man gasped and from the corner of her eyes Raisa saw him bow, putting his head to the floor.
She would not bow but she did politely incline her head to the Lord of Wutai.
He was a powerful man. His hair was long and stroked back into a knot. The temples were just turning grey and she almost laughed at his eye-brows. They were pronounced yet somehow they went with his mustash and pointy beard. He wore purple though Raisa could tell the vest was not his only symbol of power and on the battle field it would be abandoned. He lead from the front but for now he knelt, looking down at a wrapped bundle that rested in his lap, his expression soft and almost disbelieving. She knew that look. Her Damian had worn it when Cloud was born. It was the look of all new Father's and she felt her heart go out to the Lord of Wutai when she thought what he had lost the previous time. His grief would have destroyed his focus on the war. Now, it was easy to understand how Wutai had lost.
"I owe the life of my beloved and son to you. It would be impolite if I did not hear you out."
Raisa gulped. She had not really expected to see Lord Godo for quite some time so this was surprising. But she knew what she wanted and she knew what she had to offer. This was the entire reason she had left Nibelheim after all. This was the plan her future self had conceived in the Lifestream and she would carry it out. Her son would not go through that future again.
"I came to…" she paused. How best to say this? "I came to bargain with you," Raisa started again.
"Bargain?" The Lord of Wutai seemed surprised.
"The war," Raisa continued. "I can give you enhanced soldiers."
"What!?" The advisor gasped raising his head, his voice showing pure shock. Lord Godo was more restrained but she could sense his surprise as well.
"You?" While the question was mocking she was not offended.
"I realise it seems unlikely," she said, still stroking Cloud's hair. "I come from Nibelheim, a village I'm sure you have never heard of. It was the place Shinra developed their SOLDIERs and I know how they did it."
"And you will enhance my people?"
"For a price."
"Sir! There is no proof!" The Advisor was almost too quick to object.
"There is every proof," Raisa retaliated, not even bothering to turn to face the Advisor. Lord Godo was the one with power and he was the only one she needed to answer to but no doubt he would want proof. "The wolf before you is enhanced," she added, gesturing towards the sleeping animal. "Gold eyes that glow, strength beyond any other wolf, endurance, healing, everything the enhanced SOLDIERs you face possess."
"We will test that in time," Godo said. "What is your price?"
"I have six conditions, though some of them are more requirements," Raisa said.
"Name them."
This was proceeding rather more easily than she thought it would but Raisa was aware that no deal had been made yet. The Lord of Wutai might not agree. She took a deep breath and continued. "No matter what further arrangements you may yet make with Shinra, I am never revealed. Never."
"That's one."
"It is. The second is that I will not enhance anyone under sixteen. The process is brutal and I will not inflict it upon a minor."
"That is sensible. Go on."
"I will not enhance anyone from Avalanche, nor will I reveal the technique to them."
There was another hiss of breath from the door and Raisa concluded that he was one advisor who supported Avalanche's presence on Wutai. It mattered very little to her. They were necessary for the future but not in the way they had been. She had no plans to change them. They could change themselves or they would die. It was that simple and they were replaceable.
"That is three conditions. What are the others?"
"One condition and two provisos," Raisa said. She could not read Lord Godo's tone so she opted to make the best of it. He was the leader of his country. He would listen to the whole proposal and judge it then, not before. "The last condition is more a statement. I will enhance my son when he is old enough." Her eyes were soft as she allowed herself to glance down at Cloud. He still slept soundly and she was grateful for that. No doubt he had been awake as long as he could before he succumbed to sleep.
"At my expense no doubt."
"A minimal cost," she replied, not missing the almost jovial tone in Lord Godo's quip. "The last two are not conditions, but are provisos. The first is relatively simple. I need someone from Midgar. It will most likely be two someones but I cannot do anything without them. And the second concerns Avalanche."
"What is it?"
"It may be presumptuous of me but it would seem to me that if Avalanche are your allies, then they should be fighting. Not here, not on Wutai. You have your pride and your forces are enough to take out Shinra by themselves. But Avalanche would make a fine strike force on the mainland."
"How many can you enhance?"
"That would depend on how much Mako you can get."
"How long does it take to enhance?"
"For the initial effects are almost instantaneous, a day or so but further effects take longer. I cannot make you SOLDIERs of the power of Sephiroth, Genesis or Angeal but I can give you those who can match the rest of the Shinra's SOLDIERs. For all their power, the Generals are just men and without support, they can only do so much."
"Do not speak tactics to me," Lord Godo said in a warning tone but Raisa could tell he was interested in her proposal, despite the liberties she had taken in her words. "You give me much to think on woman," the Lord of Wutai said after an intense moment of scrutiny. She felt like his black eyes were weighing her but Raisa managed to keep her face serene.
"I'm sure I have," she replied calmly.
"What of the materia you brought here?" The question was abrupt.
She blinked suddenly. She had intended to give them to Wutai even though she only had the most basic of the orbs. Already they had proven useful. "I will give them to you, though I would suggest you always keep an immature one here."
"Why?" There was a quirk to one of Lord Godo's eyebrows that bespoke volumes.
"Only immature materia can divide."
There was more than one gasp from behind her and Raisa was not surprised to see that here were more advisors there now. She hadn't heard them but that wasn't important. "I do not know much about materia," she said easily, "just what they told me when I bought it."
"You would appear to know more than us," Lord Godo admitted. "And you have given me much to think on."
Raisa nodded at that.
"I will give you an answer shortly. For now, you have my most profound thanks and the hospitality of my house. And for the life of my wife and son, you will always have that."
The silence was shattering and Raisa was slightly confused until Lord Godo gently put his child aside and bowed. This was big. Backwater, ex-servant of Kalm's Mayor, country bumpkin of a woman she may be but she knew that the Lord of a nation did not bow to a woman such as herself. The Advisors at the door were equally stunned and it was Raisa's turn for her breath to catch in her throat. The hand that was resting on Cloud's shoulder bunched the fabric of his clothes and as best as she was able to she returned the bow.
"Lord Godo," Raisa began in a dry voice after taking a moment to organise her thoughts. "Their lives are their own. It would have been against the code of any woman to let another die in childbirth without doing all I could. I am a mother and I know how much every child needs their mother. That is all I have done, given Lady Yuffie and her brother, their mother." It might have been more diplomatic just to accept his thanks, but with what her actions would cost Wutai, the truth would be a far better balm for her consciousness. If they took her offer, she didn't know how many more lives would be lost, but it would be many. Shinra wouldn't let it go, and once they embarked upon this course, Wutai could not let it go. They had survived the first war, barely, living as a tourist attraction but losing their pride. They would either survive this or die. She may not have given the Lady of Wutai and her son much of a life at all.
The Lord of Wutai rose, his black eyes sharp as he examined her for signs of falsehood. It was true she had used the situation and that didn't need to be pointed out to anyone. But it was equally true that she had saved the Lady and her child. Every one of the Birthing Servants was adamant that his Lady was beyond their ability to save. Yet she had been saved, by this foreign woman who sat with her own son and brought him the most outrageous proposal.
Assuming she could do what she said she could, which would have to be proven, was it too much to dream? The court knew the war was not going well. They had been throwing monsters at the Shinra forces for the last part of the Autumn Campaign yet the SOLDIERs seemed to shrug them off. But enhanced… that was a different matter. If they could match the normal SOLDIERs on the field, then Lord Godo had no doubts of the ability of his warriors. They would find a way to match the three no one could face. As the woman had said, they were just men and determined troops could take down even the toughest of men. And his ninja were determined.
But it was a whole new level of war. He could already see in his Advisors those who were cautious and those who wanted to go ahead. They hadn't thought through all the implications yet. If they went this way, if she could make enhanced beings then Shinra would fight them all the harder. But Shinra would also be thrown. They would be hunting for a spy, a traitor when none existed because the knowledge was here. That was a part of what made this offer, if true, so tempting.
He needed to think, to meditate and the woman thankfully seemed to realise that. She wasn't pushing for an immediate answer. She wasn't desperate for something. Which actually assured him all the more. She knew what she was offering, what she was capable of and it was up to them now. With a final nod at the woman the screen was lowered and he picked up his son. The tiny bundle of warmth had slept through the entire interview, much like the woman's son but the Lord of Wutai knew newborns. Soon enough he would want his mother and it would be a joy to see them. Silently he rose and padded out of the room catching the gentle way the woman shook her son to wakefulness.
Of course it didn't end there. With an offer such as the one Raisa had made to Wutai there was proof required and after a day or so she was obliged to provide that proof. Cloud helped put Fenrir through his paces and the wolf was remarkably accepting when they carefully parted his thick winter coat and nicked his skin. The wound healed almost instantaneously leading to startled gasps from most of those gathered. It confirmed her offer though. Glowing eyes could have somehow been counterfeited, as could the size and strength if they had just found a particularly large wild wolf and trained him. It was impossible to duplicate advanced healing without it being the real thing and Raisa had not been allowed her materia for that test.
Avalanche didn't like her conditions. But she never saw them and apparently the Lord of Wutai eventually got tired of their politicking and gave them an ultimatum; either help Wutai fight or leave. Avalanche grumbled but conceded the point and orders were given on the mainland and their forces began moving. Yet they wanted the secret of enhancement. Some of Avalanche were enhanced, but it was not something that could be duplicated and a few troops they had had been stolen from Shinra and brainwashed. Raisa didn't think about the implications of that too closely. It wasn't her concern and the Avalanche her boy had joined was a very different entity.
She talked further with Lord Godo and was formally introduced to his wife, the Lady of Wutai. Lady Kasumi was a vibrant woman and after spending a few days confined after childbirth she was mostly recovered. Her near brush with death all but forgotten as she fussed over her new son. She was a fair mother though, and her daughter received her own share of fussing. All of Wutai celebrated. While inheritance could have fallen to the Lady Yuffie Kisaragi, they felt more secure with the son the Lord had given them.
His naming ceremony was a week after his birth and Raisa was invited to attend. She did, though she was confused by the proceedings and it wasn't until afterwards that someone told her what the babe's name was. With all the ceremony being conducted in Wutainese she had no idea what the final decision was. They had chosen the name Kichirou because he was lucky to be alive.
It was another week until Lord Godo gave her an answer. It was what she expected. They agreed. Their talks over the last two weeks had been productive. Cloud would be educated here in Wutai with the Lady Yuffie. Raisa would join the Lady Kasumi's entourage. She would become unofficially an advisor on eastern culture and that would suit everyone. It would give her the run of the royal palace which was where they would enhance the soldiers Lord Godo picked out. Raisa gave the Lord of Wutai details of the one she needed from Midgar and that was that. She heard nothing about the mission except that Avalanche was involved somehow. A wing of the palace in the capital was being converted as per her specifications already and by the time the spring campaign was upon them, Wutai would field enhanced ninjas in the battle against Shinra. There were changes happening all over Wutai though the winter snows hid many.
The move back to the capital was conducted in easy stages. While the Lady Kasumi had healed, it was still winter and she was still weak and no one wanted to see her or the newborn first son of Wutai take sick.
The materia Raisa had provided were already in use and many were working to master them. They like the enhanced ninjas would be unleashed in the spring, though stashes of newborn materia were being carefully hidden in strategic places. Raisa only knew this vaguely as she settled into her new life. From now on, everything she remembered would be different and when word reached her that they had successfully captured the one she needed, she felt a new fear come upon her.
The woman… girl, was essential. She could not enhance without her but would she be willing? She had just been pulled forcibly from Midgar, away from what she had known. She may not be willing to forgive them for that. And if she wasn't, was Raisa ruthless enough to force her will upon the girl? Was Lord Godo?
It was a telling moment for her when Raisa realised her answer was yes. She would force it upon the girl if she had to. She would regret it and the Planet would cry but she would do it. For her son, she would do anything and one child, no matter how important would not stand against her. Many years ago she had been sickened by the thought of killing a child Sephiroth but that was when she was naïve, when she was new. Now that thought was not as horrifying as it had been and the thought of forcing one child to comply was nothing.
She had come from the future with this plan. She would change the future. Thousands had died in the future, but thousands would die in this present. Neither path was free of blood and though the blood would be on her hands Raisa steeled herself against the pain. This was for Cloud. This was always for Cloud and so long as he was safe, she'd drown in blood if that's what it took.
Looking out at the capital of Wutai with its terracotta rooves and gravel and paved streets and idyllic streams Raisa smiled. The path began here.
If everyone who has followed or favourited this fic had also reviewed once then... yeah... so I challenge ya! Go on - do it!
To everyone who has been reviewing, heaps of huggles and love!
This chapter does represent the last of the fairy tale. From now on things get quite a bit more grim. :P
Thanks for reading.
Jade