Discovering Myself
Summary: Do you ever get that feeling where you might be missing something important? You know, it's on the tip of your tongue but it just won't come out? I get that feeling every day. It's plagued me day in, day out for almost five years now…
Disclaimer: This is a Fan-fiction story of the Anime & Manga series; Naruto and the game; Final Fantasy VII and is in no way affiliated with the actual series. All characters and other materials related to the show that are used are not intended to infringe on any Copyrights. Elemental-Zer0 takes sole responsibility for any mistakes or offence that may be taken but truly not meant.
However, this story plot and all Characters not affiliated with the show are Copyright © 2010 to Elemental-Zer0.
Warnings: Welcome to the Zer0-Express line where action and adventure await. Step inside and take a seat as we journey to a place where the words may be harmful, the mysteries are hazardous and the potato chips just plain suck – sorry not a lot we can do, they're from our sponsor. So keep your arms, legs, hairspray, grannies and nuclear warheads inside the cart and hold on to your hats! It's gonna be a bumpy ride! Yeeehaaaaaa!
A/N: Ok so still in separate perspectives but this was required for the flow of things. Hopefully its not as bad as i think it is.
Let me know what you think, but no flames please. If you have any criticism to make please do it politely otherwise I shall ignore your words. (It's happened before, I'm sorry to say, and I hadn't even posted any chapters…)
Chapter Six: Problems in Edge
The journey home in the airship was as exciting as Seiko had imagined it to be. Cid had even let him take control and pilot the hulking massive flying machine. Seiko was turning out to be quite the pilot and Cid couldn't be prouder. But as Cid watched the young amnesiac, said amnesiac was looking curiously at the barometer on the dashboard with a frown. The pressure was bouncing up and down and it was becoming very hard to keep the airship on course.
"Uh, Uncle Cid?" Seiko asked tentatively, "Does that mean what I think it means?" He asked pointing out the barometer pressure reading. Cid looked at the dial and promptly felt ill. It was a Storm.
For a while now, earthly acts of nature had been becoming increasingly dangerous to venture out into. For example, if this was just a normal storm, the barometer would have dropped consistently and he'd be able to pilot the ship to sit above the storm until it was safe to descend. However, this was not a normal storm, this was mako storm, the type that sent the barometer readings buzzing up and down in no normal pattern. And there was nowhere to run. No matter how high he'd taken the ship he just couldn't clear it. He'd always been forced to land and wait it out. And that was what he was going to do now.
Cid quickly took the control from Seiko and handed him his cell phone just as Tifa came over to the bridge to see what was wrong. "Call Cloud, tell him what's coming. There's no way he'll make it back before the storm." He ordered.
"What's coming?" Tifa asked as Seiko took the cell phone and quickly dialled Cloud's number. It rang a few times before his foster father/brother figure finally answered.
"Cloud! There's a storm coming!" Seiko wasted no time in explaining, also inadvertently answering Tifa's previous question too. "Cid said he's going to land somewhere near you so you can come aboard and take shelter." Seiko added but Cloud's response stopped him in his tracks.
"Tell him not to land, the earth is quaking." Cloud's voice was muffled through the phone and Seiko could only imagine how the older blond was holding onto his cell and riding an earthquake on his bike at the same time. There were very specific reasons as to why cloud was Seiko's self-chosen role model.
"Cid! There's an earthquake! We can't land!" Seiko parroted to the pilot. To which Cid frowned.
"Well he can't stay out there in this." Tifa replied, a hint of worry edged her voice as she held onto the guard rails near the control podium.
"I'll fly low enough for him to jump aboard. Tell him to get ready." The older man replied as he battled with the second set of high powered winds. Sand circled the huge windows in a mesmerising pattern but Seiko wasn't paying too much attention.
"Cloud, Cid said he's goi-" Seiko started but was cut off.
"I heard what he said. I'm heading to north ridge point. I'll jump on from there." Cloud interrupted, his voice only wavered a little. Seiko frowned at the phone as the connection went dead.
"He said he's heading to north ridge point." Seiko parroted again as he made his way over to the old pilot and handed the man back his cell phone. The airship shuddered under his feet and he had to quickly grip the guard rails or risk losing his footing entirely. He stood on the opposite side of the podium to where Tifa clung to the railing. "He'll jump on from there." He finished quickly as the ship shook again then calmed a little. The controls rattled in the man's grip matching the shaking of the floor under his feet; a testament to how rough the winds were becoming. Seiko's eyes found the barometer again and he could only watch in fascination as the pressure jumped up and down in an erratic fashion.
Cid frowned at the prospect of an earthquake and a mako Storm happening at the same time. These storms were becoming quite an issue. Every time one hit, people would start to suffer from mako poisoning. People were fainting and lying prone in the streets, unable to move out of harm's way. Others got a high off the wakes of mako radiation and acted like drunk hooligans, chasing the storms and ultimately perishing in them. The construction crews had had to build reinforced shelters to shield the people of Edge from the mako radiation. Over the last few years, people's homes had also been renovated to include a sheltering layer of mako repellent materials within the walls. Every year the storms worsened and the strength of the radiation seemed to increase by at least ten, if not twenty, percent. There had to be an underlying cause but every avenue AVALANCHE had abused and turned up nothing.
Half an hour later, Fenrir was secured to the hangar floor and Cloud stood next to Tifa on the bridge, holding on to the shaking guard rail for dear life while marvelling at the show of strength Gaia was displaying outside.
The storm was relentless. Cid's airship hadn't been built to withstand the mako storms. He was still designing the right armour and stabilisers that would work in tandem and not hinder the flight abilities but something just wouldn't play ball in his schematics. So he was currently flying without anything to really battle the high winds and gusts of raw mako energy that phased trough the hull completely. It wasn't ideal at all. Although the mako radiation in these storms weren't quite enough to poison someone if exposed for a short time, if they were exposed for too long then the mako poisoning could become a real issue.
Tifa, Cid and Yuffie were already beginning to feel drowsy and Cid was seriously wondering how long he could keep piloting. Yuffie had taken the initiative and had used the old parachute harnesses to strap herself to the hull of the airship. Tifa was currently securing hers and Cloud was stoically holding on without any aide. Seiko seemed to be faring just the same as Cloud if not a little more shakily due the difference in physique. Although the two blondes could be mistaken for family relations, there were difference in the pair. One being Seiko's lack of height compared to Cloud and then there was clouds broad shoulders compared to Seiko's slender build. Either way, the two were faring better than the rest of them.
A sudden loud clang resounded through the hull and at the same time a force seemed to knock into the ship, sending both Cloud and Cid flying form their perches. Something had just collided with the ship. Cid tried to get up, to get back to the controls but without his firm hand steadying the ship, the storm had taken control and he was being tossed about the place too much to get his footing again. Cloud seemed to have better luck but then another large object crashed into the ship again and both Cid and Cloud were knocked into one another. Something hard collided with his head and Cid's vision blurred. He fell to the floor unmoving besides an unresponsive Cloud.
Blearily, Cid glanced around his bridge and found both Tifa and Yuffie slumped down where they had secured themselves, the mako radiation having sent them to sleep. The only one left was Seiko who… Cid blinked, trying to convince himself he was seeing right. Seiko was still standing and in full control of himself. The airship lurched forward and down and Cid felt his body tumble to the side. His body was no longer responding to him. The radiation was too strong.
He soon felt the darkness take his consciousness.
Seiko felt the ship falling in a sudden drop and yelled out as he held on for dear life. In the corner of his eye, he saw Tifa and Yuffie's sleeping bodies flop uncontrollably in their harnesses. Seiko quickly glanced over to the control panel, expecting to see Cid battling the controls only to find an alarmingly empty seat. Seiko's heart disappeared into his stomach. They were nosediving in a mako storm toward a trembling earth.
Seiko did the only thing he could: he jumped for the controls.
He wasn't sure if he could battle a mako storm and he sure as hell didn't think he could save them from a sharp nosedive in one either. He was a rookie pilot. Still a learner. But he had to do something. With trembling hands and an enormous exertion of energy, Seiko gripped the controls and pulled. He could feel the resistance, the winds battering the hull, could feel the ship being pulled this way and that. But he could also feel the centrifugal force fighting his efforts. The world outside was a wall of darkness and dessert sand that had been whipped up from the howling winds. He could only rely on the dials in front of him.
He could feel the mako energy pass through him, distracting him from his mission. He could hear it talking, whispering to him like he'd always heard when the storms came. It had a familiar presence, harsh and gruff but warming and protective too. It called to him from beyond the veil that coveted his memories. And with it, he could feel four separate life energies close to him. Tifa. Yuffie. Cid. Cloud. They needed him to save them.
With an almighty roar, Seiko pulled his hardest on the controls. He didn't realise it but a spark of ruby red energy passed through his eyes. It was only a brief flicker but it was there all the same. The yoke shook in his hands from the two pressures fighting for dominance. After an eternity, Seiko finally felt the controls calm under his hold. A quick glance at the dials told him he'd eased out of the nosedive and not a second too soon either. The altimeter showed him he was dangerously low to the ground and he needed to gain some altitude before the ship could be considered somewhat safe.
The storm fought him at every turn and it took all he had to keep control of the airship. He was tired and exhausted but he couldn't give up.
If only he hadn't given in to his curiosity. This was all his fault!
A/N: sorry, another sort one for ya. Next one will see the combining of the two perspectives, which should make for a longer chapter for you. It shouldn't be too long for the next update but I've said that before now and years later I finally update so… we'll see how it goes.