3 days later
Caelum Corporation's Building
The CEO's own floor. Noctis' Bedroom inside his offie
03.00 AM
Kring !
Kring !
KRING !
"Urgh…" Noctis moaned quietly as he rolled to the nightstand, where his phone was ringing loudly on the nightstand. Looking to the caller ID, Noctis cursed. "Just when I was be able to sleep." Noctis muttered grumpily before finally he pressed the green button and walked to the balcony for a better signal. "What the hell do you want on this hour Prompto ?"
"Well, I think you'd be glad to know that Cloud-nii-san finally be able to track her location. Or that's what I am told about." Prompto said, sarcasm dripped in his words. "Meet me on the basement."
He didn't wait for an answer as he quickly went out from his balcony and put on something more appropriate; a pair of denim jeans and a black, body fitted shirt. After he finished with the task, he quickly collected his things. Noctis didn't wait either as he quickly hurried go to the basement. He picked up his black-grayish jacket on the way out and hurriedly met Prompto outside. He has been waiting in his yellow-black sport car, right beside his dark blue-black one. He got into his own car, turning the engine on before finally they took off towards the HQ. Thank God the streets were as crowded as a cemetery so they were able to speed up just like one of those Fast and Furious movies, and he secretly also thanked himself for his decision to buy an expensive sport car.
When they arrived, the HQ's EL, stands for Emergency Lobby, was packed with the higher ups people, 1st and 2nd Class Soldiers with its special team (consisted of Tifa, Vincent and Yuffie), Reno, Rufus and their intelligents from Turks Departement, the Healing Team led by Serah and Aerith, Lightning's subordinates and of course, his own team. Ignis was checking the weapons along with Gladiolus, who for the first time ever, didn't have at least a small, reassuring smile on his face.
Confused of this sudden full packed team, he turned his head to Prompto, demanding an answer. Yet Prompto only shrugged his shoulder, having the same confused look on his face.
"Both of you are finally here." Sephiroth said in a deep, serious voice. Everyone's attention turned to them, as if they has just realized their presence between their preparation and heavy disscusion.
"What's going on ? Why does the full pack team is here? I thought it'd be just my team and Lightning's." Noctis voiced out his curiousity, as well as his irritation.
"It's going to be a small war as well as Lightning's aid." Sephiroth calmly said.
"What ?" Prompto said; shock evident in his voice.
"I believe you still remember the drug lord you should have killed on your mission, Noctis." Genesis started. "Even though you didn't manage to kill him, but you managed to destroy his reputation by cancelled out most of his orders, thanks to your explosion in his island, which is angered him. We deducted, that's why he started to find any informations about you, and used Lightning as a bait. We don't know how the hell did he know about your almost divorced status, when we don't even know about it." Cloud explained as he secured his weapons on his clothes and took his big swords.
"And the fact he managed to ambushed Light-chan when she was in a mission is hardly a coincidence. In fact, we suspect that he has been tailing her for some quite time now." Zack added.
"We managed to find where is their hideout, thanks to Tseng and Reno's Intelligents, but shortly when we wanted to inform you about this, an email appeared on Rufus'. They simply want a revenge, as I quote it, and if we want our pink lieutnant back, we'd have go through them." Genesis continued.
"So, what's the big deal about it until we need a full packed FF team ?" Prompto voiced out my mind.
"Well, the bad news is, he's also a good friend of the ex-DeepGround member and," Cloud emphasized, "they asked for, or paid, for a better term, their help. This also explained the suspicious behavior from the ex-DeepGround member from a few months ago."
"So, the higher ups thought, it'd be slightly troublesome if we sent only two teams. Especially this person is the one who could abducted THE never-abducted Lightning and the one who can make THE Dark Prince failed his mission halfway." Mr. Caelum snorted.
"And don't forget the DeepGround too. As much as I hate you for making my daughter suffered through her marriage, but she loves you and you definitely like her. I'm giving you the last chance on making things right, Noctis." Mr. Farron strictly said while Noctis mentally cursed.
"Wew, it's like we're the character of those fairy tales where a princess needs to be saved from an evil by a group of knights." Prompto commented as he took a seat near them.
"Agreed with you there, kid. But we'll be damned if we can't save her. " Reno replied as he plopped down on to a chair nearby.
"Damn... When are we going to take off ? And where is their hideout?" Noctis asked demandingly after every bit information he has recently got finished being processed in his slightly tired body.
"After Reno done arranging the transportation, and Rufus and Reeves done arranging other trivial things such as passport blablabla, we're ready to go. And it's around southeast of China. Are you ready to have some delicious dumplings ?" Zack answered.
"Not when he can't even properly handle his own proper food." Aerith butted in. "Honestly Noctis, I never know that you can be this foolish. Going a war with a empty, lack of nutrition body?" Aerith complained as she shoved a tray full of decent meal while behind her, Tifa, Yuffie and Serah does the same; giving a tray of food to each male in the room. "Really, to think that the so called Final Fantasy Team by public is consisted of a bunch of anorexic men."
"But you can't say we are anorexic when we have six to eight pack on our body honey." Zack playfully kissed Aerith's cheek. "Beside all of you love us. Well, who wouldn't ?" he cheekily said.
"I'd say that the only men who are considered normal in here are Sephiroth-senpai, Cloud-senpai and Vincent-senpai. " Noctis snorted. Prompto just laughed beside him as the mentioned men just smirked.
"Hey, Serah, lemme help you with that." Snow's voice filled the busy room.
"Oh no, you wouldn't dare." Prompto cussed before he got up and went to Serah and his long rival.
"They never change." Noctis shook his head in disapproving manner as Cloud took Prompto seat.
"I blame my parents for giving me such a foolish otouto. And you too." Cloud pointed out. "I know that you know that you've been aware of your feelings with Lightning, but you keep denying it. It's just hurting you both in the process."
Noctis shrunk to his comfortable chair. "I know. I was planning to set things right between us but "this" came through."
Cloud sighed. "Listen, Noctis, you wouldn't have liked the bitter taste when the girl that you loves slipped from your hands to another man just because you acknowledged your feeling a lil' bit too late. It's just too painful."
"Is that what you feel when Tifa-senpai left you for Reno-san ?"
"Pretty much. It's a very unpleasant feeling. It's a miracle that I was be able to win her back and marry the woman that I love. Maybe in our point of view, we don't do anything foolish. But if you look it at a different perspective, you'd see that you make a big mistake when you let herself falling out from your grasp because of your denial."
"But you really are foolish back then." Noctis blinked.
"And who say that you are not too ?" Cloud asked,with his eyebrow arched.
"The plane is ready !" Reno yelled as he put his headset on his shoulder.
"Just listen kiddo, if you'd never regret it if you lower down your pride a bit and acknowledge you feeling. Don't walk to the same path like me and Vincent. And the one who aware of your feelings are just us, Vincent and your father. It seems that if we have the same mistake, we could read each other too well." Cloud chuckled as he patted his head and he walked passed him to retrieve his swords.
Noctis just keep silent. His face looked ignorant at his senpai's advice but he's contemplating it deep in his mind.
"So, as usual, Reno lead the Turks, The First Class will lead themselves while Cloud with Tifa, and Vincent with Yuffie. Hope, you're the leader in Light's team." Sephiroth was breaking out the team while Genesis and Zack were giving each member an earpiece, a GPS, and other necessities. Snow softly moaned, "Why not me?", which made Zack rolled his eyes. And he commented, "God, what did Serah see in Snow back then.." which earned him a quite punch from Aerith. Prompto just snorted as he circled his right hand to Serah's waist, possessively showed to the grumpy Snow who Serah belonged to now.
"Noctis, you'll lead your team as usual. Aerith, you'll lead Team Medic Alpha and Serah, you'll lead Team Medic Beta. The journey is going to take approximately 6 hours before we land on our rendezvous point in China. After we are prepared in our point, we'll go attack." Sephiroth ended.
"Our point is going to be here," Genesis continued. "And their point is here." he pointed out a small dot on the projector map. "The journey is around forty five minutes to one hour. But seeing that we have many men who are driving like a bunch of Lunatic driver, we'll probably arrive around thirty minutes." Genesis rolled his eyes. Mr Caelum and Mr Farron just chuckled.
"The GPSs have a tracker inside. I, Gladiolus, Ignis, Rude, Tseng and Elena will guide and foresee everything from our point. Zack will drive up Genesis and Sephiroth, Cloud and Tifa with his bike, Vincent with Yuffie, Reno and his turks will help you from the air, Medics will be in one van, Prompto and Noctis, you'll drive alone. Your team mission is to rescue Light and Hope, I want your team to back up him. When we arrive, Serah, you'll go with Noctis team to rescue Lightning, while the other will clean up the other problems. Sephiroth and the other will go first then it'd be Noctis' and Hope's turn. Clear ?" Angeal wisely said.
"We are going to take a rest in our six hours journey, so I'm not expecting some of you to play poker, cards, or even making some joke around." Tifa strictly said, followed with an approving nod from Aerith who gave Prompto, Zack and Yuffie a pointed look.
"Everything is ready. Let's go." Rufus said after he flipped down his phone.