Vulnerabilities
Cloud, 22
"Oy! Rise and shine! We've got a household to break into!" Cloud was jolted awake by a very frustrated looking Yuffie.
"Where are we?" asked Cloud sleepily. "What time is it?"
"It's three o'clock and we're about fifteen minutes by foot out of Wutai, in a position where we can sneak up on Syratov," Yuffie answered. "Now, what's the plan?"
'What is my plan?' Cloud thought for a moment.
"We can't all go in at once," Cloud said. "Yuffie, you should definitely sit this one out."
"No way!"
"You need to make your father aware of the situation. If you could call Reeve, that would also be helpful. The more people we have on our side, the better this will go for us." If only he had more information to send. This plan was bigger then just one man, or even one family.
Cloud looked at the guards.
"I'll need your names," he said.
"Enlai."
"Rui."
"Arata."
Cloud silently rehearsed the names until he had them committed to memory. Then he thought about his own troops. He'd have to decide who would come with him tonight.
"Okay, you three plus Alexis and Orwell will come with me. I want the rest of you to accompany Yuffie. If anything goes wrong, I'll be contacting you via PHS, so it's important you keep them on."
"You do know the way to the Syratov house, don't you?" Cloud asked the three guards.
"Of course," replied Enlai. "Fydor Syratov is one of the most powerful men in Wutai."
"Is he the only member of his family?" asked Cloud. Enlai nodded.
"His father and elder brothers were killed during the war. His mother committed suicide soon after."
In other words, he had a fairly good motive for acting against Cloud. He wouldn't realise that Cloud also had good reason to hate everything Shinra had stood for.
'Still…it seems too obvious. Is revenge really all this about?' Cloud wondered.
"Let's go, then," said Cloud. "We'll go first. The second team should follow after ten minutes."
"I've got this," said Yuffie. "I'll keep everyone safe."
Cloud has his doubts, but he didn't voice them. He stepped outside of the car and followed Enlai as he walked towards the Syratov house. Alexis and Orwell struggled to stay silent through the thick, grassy fields.
As they approached, Cloud noticed there were no fences or guards patrolling the perimeter. This just confirmed his suspicions.
"This is a trap," he said. "Hopefully we can beat Syratov at his own game, though."
If they had more time it might have been possible to investigate their location, but then again espionage was not really his thing. Maybe if Vincent had been here or one of the other Turks, even, they would have a chance. For now, he would have to rely on his own abilities.
They went up the back steps and approached the door. It was locked, but Rui silently gestured for Cloud to step aside. He unlocked the door with a soft 'click' and they were able to walk inside the silent house.
'Still no guards,' Cloud thought. 'If he abducted all these people, he has to have guards. So where are they tonight?' Cloud took the lead here, as his mako-enhance vision allowed him to see in the pitch black house.
The more he walked around the house, the more normal it seemed. There was no evidence that anyone other then Syratov had been living here or that he was involved in any illegal activities.
He was walking through a hallway when he noticed that one of the rooms was lit up. Cloud internally cursed his ill-fortune. Syratov was ready for them after all and he wasn't even bothering to be subtle about it.
Cloud listened at the door. He could hear, very faintly, the noise of someone breathing. He could also hear mechanical noises, similar to that of a computer system. Cloud gestured at the door and the swung it open, making sure to keep his blade at the ready.
Syratov was sitting at a desk, looking at a computer screen. He was fiddling with a powerful looking gun.
He looked up at Cloud contemptuously.
"Come to kill me?" he asked. "Like you killed all those others?"
"What others?" asked Cloud."I don't know what you're talking about."
"No, I don't suppose you do. Very soon, four families are going to be found, all brutally murdered. It will be revealed that they had raised objections to the WRO's involvement in Wutai. They had gone into hiding, you see, but you found them anyway," Syratov said mockingly. "How cruel, to murder the children as well as their parents." Enlai gasped in horror, while Arkari spat out curses in Wutai. Rui seemed too shocked for words.
"This isn't revenge," said Cloud. "This is too cruel and impersonal for revenge. So what do you want?"
"Oh, it's about revenge, too," said Syratov. "I want to see you helpless, like Wutai was, when Shinra invaded. But you are right, it's about more then just that."
"Helpless?" asked Cloud. "I think your position is more precarious then mine. If I kill you, then have these three testify in the courts, I'll almost certainly be cleared."
"Perhaps, but I have a significant portion of the Wutai army on my side. I could have used my more loyal soldiers, but to be quite frank I found manipulating them to be amusing."
Rui rushed past him straight towards Syratov. The man didn't even blink as he killed the guard. Even Cloud didn't have time to react.
"A pity," he commented. "I'll have to disguise his cause of death." Cloud went to attack him, but felt the cold kiss of steel at his throat.
He looked around as far as he was able. Guards had swarmed in, taking advantage of their momentary distraction. He could probably take them, but they had the advantage. He doubted they'd be able to kill him, but they could easily take out the others.
He was out of options. There was only one thing left to do and it was stupidly risky. He touched the materia in his blade, feeling it react to his will. He could feel the life inside, waiting for him to summon it.
He gave it nearly all his life-force, or that's what it felt like. The pure energy required to summon something this powerful onto the physical plane, even if it was just an echo, was immense.
'Which is why I shouldn't have to resort to this,' he thought. A burst of light radiated from the materia and with it, a force which knocked everyone to their feet. When the light faded they could see that the roof had been destroyed. Flying above them was a phoenix, the bringer of life and death.
It was a shining beacon above the city of Wutai. If Yuffie hadn't realised anything was wrong, she was about to find out. It was too ostentatious for Cloud's liking, but in these closed quarters it had been too likely that someone would get hurt. Now, he had completely changed the nature of the fight.
He watched as the guards which had been previously confident panicked. Syratov fired round after round into the apparition, which continued to shower the enemies in flame. It would take much more then a couple of bullets to bring it down.
'But I can't sustain this forever,' Cloud realised. Each moment the phoenix remained was a drain on his strength. 'I'll have to let it take out some of the guards and hopefully grab Syratov.'
The phoenix let out one final devastating attack before Cloud dispelled it. The smell of burning flesh filled the house. Somehow, Syratov had managed to survive the attack, but he was badly burnt. Cloud considered finishing him off, but decided not to. He would need his testimony – willing or not – to conclusively prove his innocence.
Cloud eyed his injuries. He'd passed out, most likely out of pain. The shock alone might kill him and Cloud didn't think he could use materia anymore. He considered asking one of his allies to do it, but discounted the possibility. He was fairly sure that none of them had been trained in anything but the most basic materia usage.
He took out his PSH and dialled Yuffie's number. He was pleasantly surprised when she picked up.
"About time!" she yelled as soon as she answered. "Half my guards have gone rouge, you're lucky I'm not dead!"
"I didn't realise…Can you get over here now?"
"Yeah, why? Did someone manage to survive the giant, flaming bird attack of doom?"
"Yeah," replied Cloud. "And I need you to make sure he stays that way."
"Alright. I guess I'll bail you out, then."
She hung up the phone. He turned to the others, searching them for any sign of injury. The two remaining guards were obviously traumatised. Arati stared at the body of his friend while Enlai turned away in grief. Orwell was trying awkwardly to comfort them while Alexis looked at the carnage, his eyes curiously blank.
Cloud checked on his downed opponent. He was still breathing, but his pulse was irregular. He wouldn't last long and there wasn't really anything he could do for him. He cursed his own helplessness.
"Materia-princess Yuffie, to the rescue!" Cloud turned around. Yuffie was standing besides a cloaked figure he eventually realised was Vincent.
"What-?"
"Never mind what I'm doing here," said Vincent, cutting him off. "You needed help?"
Cloud pointed to the unconscious Syratov.
"Heal him," he said. "He's behind tonight's events. I want him to stand trial." Vincent and Yuffie looked him over.
"He's pretty far gone," she said. "But we'll do what we can." Cloud watched as the duo managed to stabilise the criminal.
"We'll need to take him to the holding cell," said Vincent calmly. Yuffie grit her teeth.
"Damn straight."
"Can you take him?" asked Cloud. "Or is the castle still compromised?" Vincent shook his head.
"Not anymore, to the best of my knowledge."
"Any injuries?"
"Nothing major."
"Take him, then," he said tiredly. "Is there anything else that needs doing?"
"Nothing you can do," Vincent replied cryptically.
"Fine," said Cloud. "Then we can all accompany you. We're moving out!"
Alexis finally tore his gaze away from the flame scorched room. Orwell helped Arati and Enlai begin to move, occasionally looking at Vincent with undisguised awe.
Wandering through Wutai, Cloud was shocked by how quiet the city was. Didn't people notice the fact he'd summoned a giant phoenix in their city? Shouldn't they be up and about?
The inside of the palace was a different story. Corpses littered the rooms, blood splattered the walls. Hardened to death as he was, Cloud still couldn't help but blanch at the sight.
"A nation torn down the middle," Vincent observed coldly. "It was an invisible civil war, one which Syratov may have well won, if not for the fact that he grew over confident." Cloud didn't bother replying. He just followed as they placed Syratov in a holding cell and then returned to the main hall of the palace.
"I want to go find my family," said Arati. "Even if they're…even if they're gone, I want to look at them and know the truth. Please, you have to let me!"
"You should take people with you," said Cloud. "There might be some of Syratov's men waiting for you. I'm still not sure exactly who was involved in this…"
"Syratov was the founder," Vincent said. "But there were a lot of other families, mostly involved in the military." Cloud gave Vincent a sharp look.
"Then you should take someone with you," he said, turning back to the two guards. "If we could find the others, I'd have my team escort you."
Cloud leaned up against the wall. He was mentally and physically exhausted. He mightn't be injured, but he felt as if he had run a marathon.
"Wow, someone's gotten soft. Can't you go two hours without falling asleep, now?" Yuffie taunted.
"Shut up, Yuffie."
"Never mind. I'll go get your team and send them out. I think they're all fit to go."
"Fine."
Cloud watched Yuffie go. Then he turned to Vincent.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You're not working for the WRO, at least not officially. I wasn't told you'd be working with me. So why are you here?"
"You could say I'm freelancing," Vincent replied. "Actually, I've known about Syratov for ages. He's been systematically sabotaging production in Wutai since before Meteor. Incidentally, he's been hording food and resources."
"Very interesting," replied Cloud. "Doesn't explain what you're doing here."
"I knew that Syratov would choose this opportunity to attack and I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it, uninformed as you were."
"So you're here to help me?" asked Cloud. "Or are you here to swoop in and save the day?"
"What do you mean?" asked Vincent. "I came, I helped. I don't see what you have to be upset about."
"You could have just told me about this," Cloud pointed out.
"You would have given yourself away," Vincent said.
Cloud disagreed, but didn't say anything in reply. He trusted the gun-man, but he didn't understand him or his motives. He had managed to get himself to Wutai – not an easy task in these times – and somehow he was more informed about the Wutai situation then the WRO. It was too much effort to go to for no real reason.
'Unless he's here for Yuffie. Maybe she's reason enough,' Cloud thought hazily. It didn't seem likely. Vincent appeared to be too wrapped up in his own grief and loss to care so much for another person, let alone someone like Yuffie.
"We should help with the clean up efforts," Cloud said, reluctantly removing himself from his corner. He reported to the nearest guard and began the grizzly work that needed to be done.
He continued working through the night and into the early dawn. When Godo was finally awake and ready to see them, he dragged his troops plus Vincent up to the castle.
"I want to go home," Cloud said as soon he was near the emperor."It seems like we were just bait, to make Syratov act rashly. If that's the case, we're done now. If you really need to hold a trial, I'm pretty sure there are people here who will testify in my absence."
"But this is only the beginning," Godo protested. "We need to reunite the people and inspire them…"
"Too bad."
Cloud met the Emperor's hard stare in a battle of wills.
"If you leave, I want you to ask Reeve for scientists and workmen," Godo said firmly. "As you can see, there is much to be done."
"Fine," said Cloud. "Vincent, whether you stay or come with us is entirely up to you. The rest of you, I expect to see you back on the plane…"
"But sir, we're supposed to stay here for a month," said Orwell. "To help with the rebuilding." Cloud went to argue, but he could see how obviously the younger boy wanted to stay.
"Who wants to stay?" he asked. Orwell, Carter and Brooks all stuck up their hands, looking nervous. Alexis shook his head and Lillian stood besides him firmly. Young also moved behind Cloud, looking nervous.
"Fine," said Cloud. "I'm sure Reeve won't care, either way, though I can't be sure. I'll have to contact him before I leave."
"I'm sure he'll be grateful to have you back," said Vincent.
"Hmph. At least some of you are eager to help," Godo said. "I assure you, you'll be treated well here."
"They had better be," said Cloud firmly.
Against all manors and protocol Cloud walked out of the meeting, the two siblings and Young following behind him. He sent a quick message to his pilot – who had been unable to go home due to lack of resources – and then dialled Reeve.
The WRO leader was busy, so Cloud left a quick message explaining what had happened. He was pretty sure that Reeve would understand his reasons for leaving and besides, it was highly unlikely he would be fired. They were friends, for starts and the WRO was desperate for manpower anyway.
It took until the early afternoon for everyone to be assembled, packed and ready to go. Yuffie and his 'borrowed' team members came to see him off, though Vincent was conspicuously absent.
Cloud knew he should say something, to mark the end of the mission and to help his team cope in the aftermath of an emotionally difficult battle.
The only words which came to mind where, "Good work." He should have said more, but he was just too damn tired.
"Are you alright?" asked Lillian. "You don't look well."
"I'm fine," Cloud said firmly. She was about to argue that statement, but her brother shoved her little and she fell silent.
Cloud looked away from both of them. They needed him now, but he wasn't good enough to help them and he never would be.
'I failed,' he thought in despair. 'Just like always.'
The smell of smoke burnt his nose, choking him. The crimson flames had already devoured everything in their path, leaving only charred remains.
He was crouched on the ground, his head bowed in despair. Just like that day, he was left staring after Sephiroth, wondering how this could have ever happened.
"They rebuilt this place," Cloud said out loud, trying to distract himself. "They filled it with people who all pretended they belonged there. Almost as if the fire never happened."
"I know," said Zack. "They liked to pretend that their failures never happened. Shinra, the perfect company."
"I'm just the same. I can't face failure, either."
"Don't. Nothing you've done deserves the pain you put yourself through. You can't live like this."
"But I'm not good enough! I can never be good enough to walk in your footsteps. I'll never be who you wanted me to be!"
The flames which had been previously dormant grew higher and more ferocious. Their heat scorched Cloud's skin. Breathing was becoming futile as more and more smoke entered the air. Zack was saying something, but Cloud couldn't hear him over the roaring of the flames.
"I'm sorry," Cloud repeated over and over again as his skin begins to burn. The pain was incredible, but it only lasted for a moment before everything faded away…
Cloud, 16
Cloud couldn't sleep. He had woken up in the middle of the night and now he simply couldn't fall back to sleep. This was mostly because of the persistent aching in his arms. He understood, intellectually, that the pain was good, because it meant he was getting stronger. That didn't mean he had to like it.
He was beginning to enjoy training, however. Over the four days of his new training he had already started to notice improvements in his own abilities. Sure, he wasn't going to be making SOLDIER any time soon, but it was easier to believe he had a chance now.
Things were better with his squad, too. Bizarrely enough, Griffin hadn't bothered him once. Cloud wondered if Zack had said something, but decided not to investigate things. He was happy with the way things were.
Overall, he had no reason to complain. His training was difficult, yes and having to hide his relationship with Zack was occasionally frustrating, but he could deal with everything at the moment. Besides, there were moments which more then made up for their difficulties.
The thought made him smile. It was lucky that no one really cared too much about what he did, or people would have figured out his feelings for their Lieutenant ages ago. It was obvious that something about him had changed and you didn't have to look too closely to realise what.
Cloud tried in vain to find a more comfortable position. He should really try and get some more sleep. He didn't want to be tired for training. If only he could find a way to keep his muscles from aching…
He started as he heard the door open softly. He opened his eyes slightly. The hallway was dark, but he could just make out a figure standing behind the door, their eyes glowing slightly.
Cloud opened his eyes fully.
"Zack?" he called out hesitantly. Which other SOLDIER would visit him in the middle of the night?
"You're okay," said Zack shakily. He walked into his bedroom. "Perfectly fine."
"Of course I'm fine," replied Cloud, slowly easing himself out of bed. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Zack pulled him into a tight embrace, not saying anything. As close as they were, Cloud could hear Zack's ragged breathing and feel the racing of his heart.
"I didn't mean to wake you," Zack admitted. "I just wanted to see you for a moment."
"It's okay," said Cloud, even thought things clearly weren't.
"I was walking through the halls, killing everyone who tried to stop me," Zack said, his voice eerily flat. "I didn't know why or what I was doing, I just knew they had to die."
"W-what are you talking about?" Cloud asked shakily. Was Zack having a breakdown or something?
"Then you appeared. You begged me to stop. But I didn't...I killed you, instead. The way your eyes went dark…The blood covering your shirt…I had lost everything, then, to become a mindless tool of Shinra."
"But that must have been a dream," Cloud interjected quickly. "I'm fine and you're still fine and everything's going to be okay, now."
"I know…I know that now. Just my imagination, tormenting me with my worst fears." Cloud looked up at Zack. He could see now the pain which the older boy kept hidden most of the time.
The things he must have seen and done were beyond Cloud's understanding. The fact that he was able to smile and keep on going showed just how strong he really was.
"It's understandable," Cloud said. "But, Zack, I believe in you. I can't imagine that you would ever lose yourself like that."
"But Angeal seemed so strong," Zack said despairingly. "And in the end…." He trailed off.
Cloud didn't know the exact details, but he knew enough to realise that whatever had happened between Zack and his mentor had been extremely traumatic. He fought for the right words.
"He trained you, didn't he? He must have known you better then anyone else."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Zack. "But, that doesn't really mean anything."
"It does," said Cloud. "Because he trusted you. It seems like, to me, that he wanted you to succeed him. So he must have thought you were strong enough to withstand this."
"You have a point," Zack said. The SOLDIER took a couple of deep breaths, settling slightly.
"I'm sorry," Zack whispered finally. "I shouldn't have disturbed you over something like this." Cloud shook his head.
"I want to be there for you, like you're always there for me," Cloud said. "Besides, it's not good to keep your doubts all bottled up inside. I know I can't help you much, but I'll be there to listen, if you need someone to talk to."
"You don't know how much that means to me…How much you mean to me." Cloud blushed and turned away.
"I'm glad," Cloud said.
They stood together for a moment, taking simple pleasure in each other's company. Cloud began to fell sleepy again. He tried and failed to stifle a yawn.
"What time is it?" Cloud asked. "Is it very late?"
"Technically, no, it's actually very early."
"Very funny."
"I should really leave you alone," Zack said. "I imagine this falls under the 'irresponsible' category."
"I guess," said Cloud. "You could always stay for a bit and then let me arrive later for training?"
"Not a chance," said Zack, in a semi-sadistic tone Cloud had learnt to dread. "You don't want to miss a moment of training, trust me."
Cloud sighed, though he'd already expected that answer.
"I'll be surprised if I can walk by the end of it," he said dryly.
"If that happens I'll just have to carry you all day," Zack replied. "Sounds like fun…"
Cloud shook his head, but he couldn't help from smiling. Zack must have felt a bit better, if he was joking around again.
"As tempting as your offer is, I might just try and get some rest." Cloud reluctantly turned away from Zack and got into bed.
"Good night, chocobo," Zack said.
"Night, Zack." Zack began to open the door then stopped and turned around.
"And thanks. For everything."
Cloud smiled sleepily as Zack returned back to bed. For once, he had been useful to the older boy. He hoped that he'd managed to banish some of the darkness which Zack kept hidden so well.
'I think I understand now…What it truly means to be a hero,' Cloud thought as he fell back asleep.
Author's Note : Just a quick note on materia as represented in this story. While everyone can technically use materia in the story, most people struggle with it. Cloud was naturally gifted to start with (kinda like Yuffie, I suppose) and the mako treatments ect. help with his innate abilities. That's why he can Summon things. Most people couldn't and even SOLDIERs struggled to maintain a summmon. Also, losing 'MP' is represented as being tired and generally fatigued. While they're not physically injured, someone who's out of 'MP' is unlikely to continue fighting unless they really have to.
So, that's all sorted. Oh, and In case anyone's wondering, Tifa will indeed make another appearance in the next chapter.