Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Twenty-Four
They arrived at Cosmo Canyon within the hour. The landscape surrounding the area was too rough and rugged for the Highwind to land, so they were forced to make their landing on the plains just outside of the cliffs and walk the rest of the way.
There was one awkward moment during the flight when the Highwind flew over the Nibel Plains. Cloud and Tifa had looked out of the window and watched in silence as Nibelheim passed by beneath them. Though both were born and raised in that town, it no longer felt like home. Not now they knew all of its dark secrets.
Cloud had spent some time looking down at Shinra Manor. From above it looked like any other mansion. But beneath its creaking floorboards was the manor's true secret—another of Professor Hojo's secret labs. It was there that Hojo had tested on the injured Cloud and Zack following Sephiroth's defeat at the Reactor. Sensing his discomfort, Tifa had placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling warmly.
Once in Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII bounded swiftly up the slope and stopped outside the main building. It had been so long since he had been home that he was filled with excitement—an excitement that his tail showed keenly, swishing back and forth. The hound barked, urging them to hurry up. Barret and the others were too exhausted after their trek through the cliffs to continue for now, so Cloud and Tifa left them outside to rest while they followed Red XIII up to Bugenhagen's room. They took the three pieces of Huge Materia with them, carrying it in a large bag.
They found Bugenhagen waiting in his planetary display room. The old man must have known that they were coming, for he started speaking the moment they entered the room, even though he had his back to them.
"Ho Ho Hoooo. If you are ever in need of my wisdom, you are always welcome here." The old man turned and smiled broadly, his old face creasing.
"Yeah, that's why we came," said Cloud, squeezing past Red XIII and making his way towards the old man.
Bugenhagen folded his hands behind his back and looked up at the blank dome hanging over them. He did not need the added effect of holographic planets to project the images his mind's eye could see. "What to do? Have you lost your way? When that happens, we each have to take a good, long look at ourselves." He took his eyes off the dome and fixed his gaze on the three in front of him, looking at each in turn. "There's always something in the deepest reaches of our hearts. Something buried or forgotten. Remember it…" he urged them. "Whatever that is, must certainly be what you are all looking for."
"That's easy enough to say," Cloud muttered, running a hand through his hair, "but I can't remember a thing."
Bugenhagen looked at him closely, his expression unreadable. "It must be there," he insisted. "Look harder!"
Tifa's brow creased as she thought hard, but nothing came to her. "…No good," she said, shaking her head. "Cloud, let's have the others come."
Cloud nodded and pulled out the PHS from his pocket. He was surprised the device had lasted as long as it had, after being thrown about, dropped into the Lifestream, and even sent up into space. Yet it did still work, and so after a brief word with Barret, he placed the device back into his pocket and waited for the others to arrive.
Barret and the others arrived a few minutes later. Once Cloud finished telling them what it was they had to do, they piled into the room and began to think. While they were thinking, Bugenhagen watched them closely, waiting for them to remember.
"Do you see it?" the old man asked, breaking the silence. "What is it that you are searching for?"
There was another long silence. Cait shook his head. "Nope. Not a thing," he said. He crossed his legs and drummed his fingers against his megaphone. Then he rubbed his chin and tugged his whiskers, as though changing actions would help him to remember. The cat sighed. "Naw," he said finally. "Can't come up with a thing."
"Me either!" said Yuffie loudly, as she rapped her knuckles against her head. "I don't get any of this."
Cloud hesitated before answering. "I remember Aeris a lot," he said. He then frowned and looked at the ground. "No, not that," he corrected himself. "You haven't remembered. You haven't forgotten. That's not it… How would you say it…"
The swordsman tapped his foot against the floor as he tried to sort through his thoughts. No matter where he started, all lines of thought eventually led him to Aeris. Her smiling face was always there in the back of his mind. Smiling… Aeris was always smiling, always cheerful… No matter what the situation was, no matter how grim things became, Aeris was always there to lift everyone's spirits.
He remembered their first meeting, that fateful morning when he had crashed through the church roof in Sector 5. The first thing he had seen when he opened his eyes was her face smiling down at him.
He remembered the destruction of Sector 7. Aeris had been with Tseng on his helicopter, about to be taken away for Hojo's human experiments. She had smiled then, after assuring them that little Marlene had managed to make it to safety.
He remembered their date in the Gold Saucer. Aeris had smiled the most that night, thoroughly enjoying the time she had spent with him that night. He could clearly remember those moments in the gondola, going around the theme park, watching as the fireworks lit up the night sky.
It was during that gondola ride that Aeris had turned to him and said "I want to meet… you." At the time, Cloud had found those words confusing. Now that he knew the truth about himself, he had to wonder… Did Aeris have a feeling all along?
Lastly, he remembered Aeris's last moments on that podium in the Forgotten City. She'd smiled then, too, right before Sephiroth had descended and cut her life short.
"Aeris was right there all along," said Cloud, as recalled each memory, each one more painful than the last. "Right by our side. She was so close, we couldn't see her. What Aeris did… The words she left behind…"
"That reminds me… I was the same," said Tifa, remembering her first meeting with Aeris, during her infiltration of Don Corneo's mansion. Even though they had only just met, Aeris had willingly decided to participate in Tifa's plans to find out what Don Corneo was scheming.
Red XIII nodded his head, smiling softly with memories of Aeris. "…As was I." He could almost feel the Ancient's touch against his head, scratching behind his ears. Looking down at his tail, he remembered the way Aeris would walk along behind him, her eyes lit up in fascination as she watched his tail move of its own accord.
"Me too," said Barret.
Everyone had their own memories of Aeris, each one of them precious in their own way. Aeris had never judged anyone based on their actions. Whether they had been terrorists (or freedom fighters, as Barret insisted) or Shinra employees (as Cait recalled sheepishly), Aeris had always been there to offer a smile. Of course, none of that had anything to do with Aeris being an Ancient. That was unimportant. It was just Aeris being…… Aeris.
But was that always the case? Cloud thought back to the events following the destruction of the Temple of the Ancients. That strange dream he'd had… when he and Aeris had been standing in the middle of the Sleeping Forest. Had that really been a dream, or had Aeris used her powers as an Ancient to speak to him? Now that he thought about it more clearly, he believed it was the latter. Aeris had been smiling then, too, even as she ran on through the Sleeping Forest to the Forgotten City. Cloud ran those last moments speaking with her in his mind.
"This forest leads to the City of the Ancients… and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it… The secret is just up here. At least it should be… I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something. Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."
"She said she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth's Meteor," said Cloud. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he thought about that scene again, running Aeris's words over and over in his mind.
"But Aeris is gone," said Tifa.
"Is it impossible for us to carry on… what Aeris tried to accomplish?" asked Red XIII.
Barret raised one eyebrow and looked down at the hound sceptically. "We ain't no Ancients, if that's what ya mean," he said.
"What, did that girl go off to that place?" asked Cid.
Suddenly, Cloud snapped his fingers. "That's it!!"
Cid blinked. "What's it?"
Cloud looked around, and his eyes lit up as a thought—for that's all it was—suddenly clicked. "We don't know about it. What did Aeris know?" he asked them all. "Why did she face Sephiroth without running away?"
"I see…" said Red XIII, also thinking back. "She returned there once again, correct?"
Bugenhagen listened in silence as they talked. He stroked his beard. He had seen much in his long years of life and knew much about Nanaki's friends and their journey, but there was only so much his machines could tell him. It seemed that Nanaki and his companions had begun to discover the memory that they had forgotten. Perhaps returning to the scene would help them to remember it further. "Hmmm," the old man said thoughtfully. "Perhaps I'll have you take me there."
"You're going too?" Red XIII asked, surprised.
"What's so surprising about that…?" returned Bugenhagen, and his voice carried a slight, reprimanding tone. "Even I want to get out from time to time and see the outside world." The old man then smiled and looked up at his blank dome. "I wonder what did it? I haven't felt like this in ages."
"It must be the planet," said the hound, smiling back at his grandfather admiringly. "The planet is calling you!"
Cid rolled his eyes and made no effort to hide the cynicism from his voice. "Yeah, hoo boy, the planet calling… right." Deciding that this was too philosophical for him, the pilot pushed himself away from the wall and walked out of the room, reaching for his cigarettes as he left. He'd accepted much on this long journey, but the concept of a planet talking and calling out to people was just too much.
Bugenhagen clasped his hands behind his back once more and looked around at those remaining in the room. "Ho Ho Hoooo," he chuckled. "Then let's go."
One by one the others left the room, until only Cloud and Bugenhagen were left. "Oh yeah, Bugenhagen," said Cloud, approaching the old man, who turned to face him. "I have one more thing I want to ask you." The swordsman held out the bag he had been carrying—the one containing the Huge Materia. "We're carrying around Huge Materia. This is pretty delicate stuff and we would like to keep it in a safe place…"
Bugenhagen looked at the plain, nondescript bag with interest. "Ho Ho Hoooo. Then we'll put it upstairs," he said. "Now, shall we be on our way? I'll teach you how to work the machine. Watch carefully now. You just pull this here…"
Cloud watched as Bugenhagen pulled on the lever next to the machine and then joined him on the panel. It hummed and the lights dimmed, making the room dark. Lights then came on from the dome overhead and the panel began to rise. Cloud looked up as the ascended into the observatory, where Bugenhagen watched the stars and planets, as well as the events of the world.
Once they were inside the dome, Cloud opened the bag. Reaching inside, Cloud pulled out one of the three pieces of Huge Materia. He held it out in front of him. The Materia floated up out of his palm and hovered in the air before him, of its own will. The Materia then floated slowly across the holographic solar system, stopping beneath one of the larger planets that circled the dome.
As Cloud withdrew the other two pieces, Bugenhagen examined them with interest. "Ho Ho Hoooo. Is this what you call Huge Materia…?" He watched as the other two pieces copied the first and floated across the dome, stopping beneath the large planet. The old man stroked his beard. "This is really rare Materia, indeed. Materia this rare is certain to have a special consciousness enclosed in it."
Putting the bag down on the panel, Cloud approached one of the floating pieces. He had not been able to properly examine them before, not with everything that had gone on. Now that he had chance, he looked at it closely.
The Huge Materia's rugged surface glittered as the light of the holographic sun passed over it. As Cloud leaned over, the Materia began to glow a gentle green. It had gentle warmth that passed over his face like a warm breath.
"Huge Materia…" the swordsman whispered softly. "It's glowing strangely." He moved closer to it. He could feel its power lying dormant inside it, waiting to be activated. "This colour… it's the same colour as magic materia."
Cloud left that one and went to the next piece of Huge Materia. This one was a fiery red, and emitted a fierce glow as he approached. Its heat burned hotly against his face as he leaned in. "This colour… it's the same colour as summoned Materia."
Cloud left that one and went over to the last piece of Huge Materia—the one they collected from the rocket. The fourth and final piece still lay at the bottom of the ocean in the sunken submarine. As Cloud stood by the third piece, it started to glow. Unlike the other pieces, this one emitted a cold, icy glow. As Cloud leaned over, he could see his breath puff out in front of him, condensing on the Materia's surface.
Curious Cloud touched the Huge Materia's crystal surface with the tip of his finger. He recoiled instantly as an icy chill spread through his hand, making it numb. Cloud rubbed his hands vigorously, trying to restore its warmth. It wasn't just the glow that was cold—the Materia itself was cold as ice! It hadn't been that cold on the rocket ship… what was making it so cold?
A loud roar suddenly shook the dome. Cloud and Bugenhagen looked up in alarm as it echoed around them, making the dome rattle loudly. Even the holographic stars and planets quivered.
"Is that… Bahamut…?" Cloud asked. A second roar sounded, deeper than the first. It joined with the first roar, until both were roaring in unison.
A flash of light caught his eye. Cloud looked down at his gauntlet. The two pieces of summon materia—Bahamut and Neo Bahamut—were both pulsing with light. A third roar sounded in reply to the two dragon's calls. The two summon materia's glowed fiercely and rattled in their holdings. There was another flash of light, and Cloud looked up at the Huge Materia in front of him.
The Huge Materia glowed brightly, the light pulsing in waves across its surface. The unknown roar sounded once again, making the dome rattle right down to its bolts. The light intensified, and something dropped from the Huge Materia and rolled by Cloud's feet. The two summon materia in Cloud's gauntlet stopped shaking, and the light gradually faded. Cloud lowered his arms and looked at the Huge Materia. The Materia was no longer glowing, and returned to its dormant, coldly glowing state. Cloud turned his attention to the item by his feet.
It was a ball of summon materia. It was a slightly deeper shade of red than ordinary summon materia, but it was summon materia all the same. Cloud bent down and picked it up, holding it up to his eye so he could see inside. There was the shadow of a six-winged dragon there, roaring silently. Cloud looked at the Huge Materia in wonder. Was this the kind of power the Huge Materia was capable of bestowing?
"Ho Ho Hoooo." Bugenhagen's chuckle came so suddenly that Cloud nearly dropped the new materia. He looked up at the old man. "Good," the old man said with a grin. "Now let's leave. Do you remember how to use the machine below?" Cloud nodded. "If you ever want to see the Materia, come here any time."
"Hm, hmm, hmm!"
Standing outside the Operations Room onboard the Highwind, Bugenhagen took a long, deep breath and sighed in satisfaction. "……Smells like machinery," he said with another sigh. He looked back at Cloud, who stood behind him. "I love this smell. Of course, I also love the smell of nature, too……"
The old man floated forward, his head turning this way and that, taking in the sights of the airship's interior. He nodded to himself, noting what a wonderful piece of machinery it was. The old man then turned and looked up at a door at the top of the steps. "Hm? Is the deck up there?" he asked. Cloud nodded. The old man grinned. "Then I'll be on the deck, just passing the time. I can feel the workings of the planet in the smell of the wind. I also feel the greatness of man's wisdom and knowledge in the smell of machinery…" The old man smiled wistfully. "Well, bye for now."
Cloud couldn't help but smile as the old man floated up the steps and disappeared on deck. Bugenhagen certainly did seem quite excited about this trip. He guessed the old man didn't get out of Cosmo Canyon that often anymore. Holograms were nice, but they did not match the real thing.
Cloud decided to let the old man enjoy his moments of freedom and went up to the bridge in search of Tifa. She had been unusually quiet since leaving Cosmo Canyon, and had gone straight up on deck without saying a word to anyone. Knowing that this was not like her, he wanted to speak to her, to find out what was troubling her.
He found Tifa in her usual spot on the bridge. The fighter stood gazing quietly out of the window, watching the ground rush by beneath them as the airship sped over Cosmo Canyon and headed northwest towards the Corel Plains. She still looked troubled, her brow creased in thought.
Cloud came to stand beside her. She glanced at him briefly, before returning her attention back to the rushing ground. Together they watched as the rocky cliffs gave way to the grassy fields of the Corel Plains. Up ahead they could see the desert that surrounded the Gold Saucer. The airship would cross the desert and head out into the ocean, heading for the Forgotten City.
As the airship began to make its way cross the vast desert, Tifa sighed heavily.
"I wonder what Aeris felt… when she was on that altar…?" she said quietly.
Cloud leaned one arm against the window and watched the desert sand roll by. He remembered Aeris kneeling on the altar in the depths of the Forgotten City, her hands folded and eyes closed in prayer. In his mind's eye she opened her eyes and looked at him, that soft smile touching her lips. And then… a dark wing descended.
The swordsman shook the image from his mind. "I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet…" he answered finally.
Tifa bit her lip and looked down at the floor. "Really? I wonder?" she said. She shook her head, her hair tumbling over her shoulders. "I don't think that's it at all. I think she didn't think she would die at all, but that she planned on coming back all along."
The fighter looked up again, looking past the desert and towards the horizon. "She always used to talk about 'Next time'. She talked about the future more than any of us… Although she never talked about it to us she must've had a rough life… I think Aeris looked forward to tomorrow and the future more than anyone..." The fighter sighed again. "…She must've had many dreams……"
Before Cloud could reply, something hit the airship. Or rather, they hit something. Some unseen force blocked their way across the desert, and they had driven right into it without knowing. The airship was hurled sideways, throwing Cloud and Tifa and all those on board off their feet and skidding across the floor. The airship began to descend swiftly, heading towards the ground.
Cid was the first to his feet. He rushed to take the wheel, which was spinning wildly out of control without the pilot there to control it. He grabbed the wheel and held it firmly. It strained against him, but Cid held it firm and refused to let go. Gritting his teeth, he began to pull the wheel back to the left, trying to steady the ship. The engines heaved loudly, but steadily the airship began to regain its balance. It also stopped falling—thankfully—and returned to its level flight.
Red XIII climbed to his feet and shook his head. He looked around, and his eyes widened in alarm as he realised that Bugenhagen was not among them. With a cry he leapt up onto the main bridge and rushed out in search of his grandfather. Cait tried to call him back, but the hound did not listen to him. Cait hesitated, and then followed the hound out the door.
"What was that?" Cid demanded.
A loud, chilling roar echoed throughout the airship. It was so loud and so piercing that everyone had to cover their ears, lest their eardrums burst from the pitch.
Cloud opened his eyes and inched forward carefully towards the window. He looked out; trying to see what was making such an awful, soul-shaking noise.
Something began to rise up out of the desert sand. One look told Cloud instantly what it was, and the swordsman cursed violently. This was all they needed right now.
It was Weapon. This one was red, with enormously long arms that ended in claws so huge and powerful they made the Buster Sword look like a table knife. Weapon had been hiding beneath the desert sands around the Gold Saucer until now. The unseen force that had almost knocked the airship out of the air had been its barrier, which they had disturbed when they ran into it.
Weapon rose up and towered over the airship. It raised its two arms and screeched loudly, painfully. Once more Cloud and the others clamped their hands over their ears, trying to block out the awful sound.
"Weapon!?" Barret spat when he could hear again. "Aw %^$#!!" The ex-resistance leader struggled to his knees and crawled over to Cloud by the window. "Yo, Cloud!" he shouted. "What do we do?"
Cloud glared back at him, and then looked out at Weapon. This was not an ideal place to fight. The Highwind was not a battleship—it wasn't built for this kind of battle. If they had not run into its barrier, they would not have known Weapon was lying here at all. It had not bothered the people of Gold Saucer until now, so it likely wouldn't have done anything at all. Now that they had disturbed it, however, simply flying away was no longer an option. They would have to fight it, somehow. Perhaps Bugenhagen knew of a way……
Bugenhagen! Cloud cursed. The old man was up on deck. It was probable that the old man had been thrown overboard during the collision, but if not then he was a sitting duck for Weapon. Cloud pushed Barret aside and ran for the door, ignoring Barret's calls.
Cloud leaped down the stairs and onto the central deck. He ran across the bridge and reached for his Buster Sword. He hoped the old man was all right, and that he had somehow managed to stay onboard the airship. If he was still onboard, then there was a chance he could get him to safety, away from Weapon.
"Hey, Cloud!"
The swordsman skidded to a stop and spotted Yuffie clinging to the rail bordering the bridge. She was pale, but had managed to gather enough of herself to talk.
"What's going on?" the young ninja demanded. "There was this shaking, and then Red and Cait came running past, shouting something about the old guy. What's happening?"
"Where did they go?" asked Cloud.
The ninja pointed to the stairs. "Up there," she said. Cloud followed her finger. They had run on deck, it seemed. Perhaps the old man was all right after all.
"Come with me," Cloud ordered, and then hurried towards the steps.
Yuffie watched him go, and pulled out her Crystal Cross. "What, no please?" she asked, hurt, and then followed Cloud up the steps onto the deck.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS
Whoo-hoo! Come on, all those who saw this coming, raise your hand! I can't remember if it's actually possible to fight Ruby Weapon at this point, but I figured it was a suitable time to have another Weapon battle. I'd been thinking hard about whether or not to include the Weapon battles, but I chose to include them.
Slight confession: I have never actually BEATEN Ruby Weapon before… Heh, heh.