Days of Exile
Folks, my deepest apologies for letting the story go for more than one month! I have been writing, but at a snail's pace. Gee. I'm real sorry. In fact, I was so delusional, I thought that I've already uploaded Chapter 49. Totally shaking my head here...
Enough of that. I know you guys aren't here to see me rant and grumble. Without further ado (and without further proofreading), I give you... Chapter 49.
Chapter 49 – Keeping Expectations In Check
Previously on Days of Exile…
Would Reno's advice for Meia be the help that she needs to evacuate the stubborn people out of Wall Market? As Meia and Legend return to Sector 5, Beren is waiting for them with more challenges ahead…
17 January 0008 (Four days to Meteorfall)
Despite the fact that Legend and Meia hardly worked together, they managed to make a pretty good team. While Legend did the heavy damage, Meia covered him by fending off sneak attacks from Beren's guards. The guns did little damage to them. The moment Beren issued the command to kill them, Meia shouted a "Protect" spell over them. The spell reduced the bullet attacks into non-life threatening ones. Soon, the guards ran out of bullets but before they could reload, Meia and Legend kicked the guns off their hands. The guns skittered to a far corner.
"I did not pay you handsomely to see you get beaten up like this!" roared Beren. "Get your act together!"
"Meia!" shouted Legend. "Don't let them get to their guns again! Keep them busy!"
"You've got it!"
Quick as a flash, Meia pounced upon one of the men running for the guns. She grabbed hold of the man's jacket and pinned him to the ground. She braced her fist and punched the man as hard as she could. The man's head hit the ground at the impact. The man was so shaken that he did not see Meia conjure an "Ice" spell over his feet. By the time he came to his senses, his feet were encased in an icy lock, rendering him unable to move.
"Hmm… I thought you said no weapons, huh?" Legend raised an eyebrow at her.
Meia shrugged. "Materia is my best friend. I hardly consider it as weapon." She ducked under another guard's swing of his rod and kicked his stomach. The man stumbled back. "Sleep!" She stretched her hand and touched the man's forehead firmly. The guard struggled to keep his eyes awake, but it was futile against the strong magic power of the girl. He dropped to the floor, snoring.
On the sidelines, Beren was silently counting. Protect, Ice, Sleep… Due to the immense physical and mental strain, no one, no matter how hard they train themselves, would hardly equip themselves with more than 4 Materia. "She has Materia equipped! Watch out for Ice and Sleep spells!"
Meia smirked. "How many have you taken down?" she asked Legend. Legend raised a hand to indicate that he had taken down four. "Remember not to kill them! We just want to incapacitate them!" She turned to the remaining two, raising her arm, palm facing outward. "Aero!" she shouted.
That was the finishing touch that she needed. The wind picked up in the stale slums and swept the two men in the air. The men struggled and kicked against the wind, but they were unable to gain control of their limbs while in the air. Below, people stood gaping at the sight.
"What was that?"
"Wind?"
"I haven't felt that in a long time."
Meia stood, looking at Beren with a grave expression. "Are we finished with the cajoling?" She asked.
Legend walked up and stood beside her. He cracked his knuckles. "If you have any more of them weaklings," he taunted. "Bring them on!"
"Boss," Meia's heart sank when she heard that voice. "Let me handle this."
"Samuel." She stared at the young man in front of her. "You would challenge a girl? I thought you were better than that."
Samuel looked at her coldly. "Meia, here's my deal with you. Leave this place, or die."
Legend folded his arms. "Tough choice."
Meia followed suit. "Limited options," she rejoined. "We need some negotiations." She pointed to the two men in the air, who were no longer struggling when they realized that they would not fall even though they were in the air.
"Return my men," demanded Samuel. Meia shrugged and with a flick of a wrist, she tossed the men back onto the ground, but not roughly.
"How about we give you a new proposal," Legend bared his teeth into a feral grin. "Listen to our instructions, or we tear this place down with fireworks?"
Meia spun around and stared at Legend angrily. "You set this place up with explosives?" She demanded. "Without discussing with me?"
"Hey, ain't my fault that I couldn't contact you when you were snuggling up with you-know-who." Legend shrugged. Meia rolled her eyes in complete disbelief. "You want results, Meia. This is the quickest way to get it." He motioned Meia to look around him. "Look at these people. Look at their anxiety. In fear and anxiety, people do anything."
Meia groaned loudly. Why did Legend have to do that? "No." She gave Legend a look of warning. "We will not threaten and harm the citizens that way." Facing Samuel, she said, "Fight with me. If you win, we will leave this place on your conditions."
The man raised his eyes. "Any conditions?" Samuel asked. Legend glanced at Meia questioningly. Did Meia have the confidence to defeat this man?
"Any condition," she repeated. "But if I win, all of you will leave Sector 5 and follow us wherever we will bring you." She pulled out her guns and tossed them to Legend. "Unarmed combat, of course."
Samuel considered Meia's words. "Challenge accepted." In his hand, he dropped his wooden stick and pulled out a dagger from the inside of his coat. "Unarmed. I probably won't need weapons to handle a kid like you." He felt his confidence waver a little when he looked at Meia's toned legs carefully. Despite her youthful look and lithe physique, Samuel knew that he could not take Meia too lightly. She was a Turk, after all. He took a huge gulp from a water bottle hanging from his belt.
Meia made the first move. She ran towards Samuel, head on. Unarmed and without Materia, Meia was not as efficient a fighter. However, she was still confident of her skills. She was taken by surprise when Samuel swiftly side-stepped her and elbowed her at her back. Meia fell to the ground.
Her heart quickening, Meia rolled to the side and out of harm's way. She stared at Samuel, and ran towards Samuel again. They exchanged blows, surprising Meia. Samuel was able to parry her attacks without taking damage. It was Samuel's turn to strike. He lashed out at Meia's throat, but she was quicker than that. She quickly leaned backwards and side-stepped him before he could clutch her throat.
He reached for his water bottle again. "Thirsty, aren't you?" Meia observed coolly. Without waiting for his answer, she lunged forward with an elbow attack.
The man pushed her away as if swatting a fly. "Hmph," snorted the man, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thirsty for your defeat!"
Meia laughed. "Impossible, yo!" She taunted, purposefully imitating Reno's speech pattern. She made a small run towards him and swung her right foot into a roundhouse kick. Samuel easily stopped it with one hand.
How could that be? She widened her eyes. He just stopped my kick with one hand!
Samuel quickly pushed her foot away and delivered a punch at Meia's jaw. Upon impact, Meia was taken aback at how strong his punch was. It felt ten times stronger than it looked. Meia clutched her jaw, rubbing it. "Is this all you've got, Turk?" Samuel smirked.
The woman narrowed her eyes and did not immediately reply. She remembered that Samuel had a good foundation of fighting skills. Every merchant would know how to fend for themselves against thieves and robbers. However, Samuel's combat skills were abnormally strong. She kept further comments at the back of her mind. "When did you pick up all these skills?" She asked. "You must have had a lot of training, haven't you?"
"I don't need to tell you anything!" Samuel launched into a flurry of attacks. Soon, Meia found herself desperately blocking and avoiding his attacks.
"Good! Good!" Beren shouted gleefully by the side. "Take that weakling down! Exhibit your strength, Samuel!" Legend pursed his lips and frowned at the fight, but said nothing more.
With a swing of his arm, Samuel drove his fist into Meia's stomach. Meia choked and staggered. She clutched her stomach and hopped many steps behind him. Samuel closed in the gap, his fists ready for attack. Meia dodged and hopped from corner to corner.
"What happened to you, Turk?" sneered Samuel. "Not so arrogant anymore, are you?" Meia did not reply. She concentrated on dodging and side-stepping Samuel's wild but powerful attacks. Luckily for her, Samuel was not as agile as Reno. He was not even as agile as Haato. However, his fists really pack a punch. She analysed calmly in her head. I must not be hot-headed. I have to be calm to win this. I cannot be hit by him anymore.
"Meia!" Legend called out from the crowd. "Try to end this quickly! We don't have much time left!"
People next to him laughed at Legend's remark. It was clear who was having the upper hand of the battle. Meia was grateful for her partner's faith in her, but it was not as easy as he thought.
The key is patience. She reminded herself. Patience and enduring stamina.
The battle looked more like a dance. As it dragged on, even children could tell that Samuel was losing patience with Meia's endless dodges. Occasionally, Meia would throw a feigned attack to change the dynamics of the battle, but none of them were serious or even fully executed. Before Samuel could counter, Meia would stop her attack and resume her evasion dance.
It's close to five minutes. Meia glanced at her watch anxiously. How long more do I have to wait?
Samuel's patience was at its end. "Are you mocking me?" He roared. "Come and fight me, you wimp!"
"Gee," Meia tutted. "You need to learn how to behave in front of a lady." She gave him a smug smile. "Don't blame me if you can't get married."
"Don't play with me! I swear I will rip that smug face off your head if you don't stop your prancing and fight me seriously!"
A kick came out of nowhere – Meia barely dodged it. A chill washed over her body. She had to be more careful. Just a little longer. "I will fight you seriously if you want. But you need to tell me your reason for hating the Turks like this."
"I do not need to explain things to the likes of you!" Samuel spat.
Meia placed her hands on her hips. "Please be reasonable and use your head." She tapped her head. She could not believe that she needed to sound condescending to bring her point across. "You may have your dealings with the Turks, big deal!" She shrugged. "All of us have issues with Shinra." A murmur of assent rose among the crowds. Meia did not know if she should be encouraged by that or not. "So don't go around thinking that you're some kind of special existence."
"You will regret the moment you make fun of me," said Samuel dangerously. "You will really regret it!"
He ran towards her, ready for another round of attack. Meia tensed in preparation for more evasion and also, a long lecture that she had for him. "You are missing the big picture here, Samuel!" She said firmly, between quick, uneasy breaths. "No one wants to sit around the premises while you wallow yourself in self-pity. I mean, whoa," she quickly dodged. "I mean," she continued without missing a beat. "No one is stopping you and Beren from being lone rangers. You can stay here till Meteor descends for all I care, but you are denying the others of a chance of survival. And I'm telling you-" Finally, there was an opening in his defense. With a loud smack, Meia swung her arm at his neck. Samuel choked, momentarily pausing. Meia, with a chance to catch her breath, said finally, "There really is a freaking Meteor above Midgar." She jabbed a finger above her. "And if you are going to be such a stubborn mule about this, you'll leave me with no choice."
Samuel coughed. "Oh yeah? I'll like to see you try then."
"Oh Sammy-"
"Do not call me by that name." Samuel lowered his fists and glared at her. In her heart, Meia breathed a sigh of relief. Both of them were panting heavily by the vigorous sparring, too tired to talk and fight at the same time.
"Samuel," sighed Meia. "I really hoped that I could convince you to see differently. It's just too bad that after all this, you are still unmoving in your beliefs." Meia smiled warmly. His stubbornness never really changed. "You were always quite the stubborn one. However, you know it yourself," she said. "Deep down inside, you know that what you do will not change anything about your situation. You have… you have to stop this nonsense and move on."
Her words had a huge effect on him. Samuel's face turned blue. "Stop talking to me as if you know me!" Samuel roared. With newfound strength, he held Meia by her shoulders and threw her onto the ground.
"Meia!" Legend yelled. People gasped as Samuel mercilessly kicked her tightly curled body. Legend stole a glance at Beren, whose face was full of mad glee. Was there anything he should do?
"What do you know?" Samuel growled, bending down and pulling Meia up by her hair. "You don't understand how it feels to lose the only people that you can rely on. You will never know." Samuel roughly threw her back onto the floor. He too, was trembling in his own wrath. "Say anymore… and I will bash your head against the floor. Don't test me."
Meia pushed herself up from the floor slowly, tasting the saltiness of the blood from her cut tongue. It was a huge effect, but the wrong kind of effect. She was lucky that she did not lose any teeth. She took a deep breath and stood again. When Samuel saw her face, he saw a young face full of dirt and tears, sadness and resignation. For moment, he felt his heart waver. Meia's face was sincerely sad for him. Why would she? He wondered. I did nothing to help her ever since she became a Turk. Is she still living in her fantasy dream of what we used to be?
"… I understand."
Samuel was surprised by her new response. "I hope you do."
Meia staggered and stood before Samuel. She took a deep breath and clenched both her fists. "You know Samuel? Angry people can never be heroes."
Samuel widened his eyes at her provoking remark. "What do you mean?" He growled.
"Yes, you are strong, but your tricks and toys can't hold me back anymore."
"What?"
Meia gave him an icy stare. "This charade ends now."
She stood and walked towards him. Samuel loosened his wrists and took a deep breath. I must not give up, he thought. Not at this point. He took a deep breath and reached for his water bottle… to find the cap loose and the contents empty. "What the-"
"RAAAAARGHH!"
Before Samuel could react, Meia ran towards him, yelling at the top of her voice. She threw a high kick at him – Samuel caught it with his hand – but he was unable to block the kick firmly this time. He was instantly pushed away by the kick's impact and he was thrown onto the ground. Samuel groaned – she was a lot stronger than he thought. Meia knelt next to him. "Say goodnight, Sammy," she said sweetly. With a huge swing, she punched Samuel in the face, knocking him out instantly.
"Way to go, little Meia." Smiled Legend to himself. Perhaps he was the only one in the entire sector who believed in Meia's victory. Samuel did not stir from the punch, thus declaring Meia the victor. The murmurs following her victory were aubible and plenty.
"No way…"
"She took him down with just one hit?"
"But I thought she…"
Beren was beside himself in shock. "What was that? Wasn't that girl having trouble keeping up with Samuel?"
"Are you kidding me?" Legend turned to Beren with a raised eyebrow. "Meia is a Turk," said Legend matter-of-factly. "If a Turk cannot even win a regular street fighter, then anyone can be a Turk."
From Samuel's belt, Meia ripped out the water bottle and took a whiff of the contents. "Just as I thought." She smiled to herself.
"What is it?" Legend asked.
"Hero drink," Meia answered. "Raises the attack, magic, defense and spirit by 30%. Stackable up to four times. Lasts for about ten to fifteen minutes. However, duration of effects can be shortened with a high body temperature." She chanted as if she had practiced that line for many hours. Legend shook his head to himself. He barely caught what she said, but it did not matter. "Hey," Meia slapped Samuel's face gently. "My punch should not be that bad… Oh well, he should wake in a few minutes' time."
An audible click from behind her caused Meia to spin around. Pointing at her, was a shiny gun. "Now, now." Beren grinned. "We don't want to ruin your pretty face."
Meia narrowed her eyes. "What is the meaning of this, Beren?"
"That would be Mr. Beren, thank you very much. I did not expect Samuel to be defeated by the likes of a little girl." Beren's lower lip trembled as he glanced at the seemingly normal-looking woman. His gun did not waver though. "If you make one more move, I will blast the brains out of your head, do you get me? Now, I want you and your joker friend to leave this place."
"I'm afraid you have mistaken yourself," cut in Legend smoothly. Meia blinked. A moment ago, he was standing in front of her. All of a sudden, he was standing beside Beren calmly. Bodyguards raised their guns at Legend in response. "Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You might hurt Mister Beren," Legend mocked. "You see, while all of you were captivated by Meia's performance, I've taken the liberty to attach my specially-made, brand new kamikaze device onto Mr. Beren's jacket. One excessive move from him, and…" Legend whistled. "Well, let's just say 'inside out' will barely begin to describe how Beren will look like."
Beren's face was seething red with anger, he dared not move. "You!" He cursed. "Are underhanded tactics that only things that you Turks know how to do?"
"Excuse me?" Meia almost screeched. "We agreed to a duel, and we won fair and square! Do NOT get me started on how your minion used two Hero Drinks to gain the upper hand, alright?"
"It's okay, boss," a tired voice interrupted. Meia turned to see Samuel propping himself up from the floor. "There was no doubt about it." Samuel took a deep breath. "I… I lost. Turk, we will listen to your orders. And boss, I'll take whatever punishment you have for me later."
Beren stood, pale at the turn of events. Everyone looked at him for his answer. Initially, he was reluctant to agree, until Legend said, "It's only a matter of keeping to your word. Do you need such a long time to think about this? Not very good to show the people of this sector, eh?"
Finally, the sector head groaned loudly. "Do whatever you want! Just get that bomb out of my back!" There was a collective sigh of relief. Some even cheered. Meia smiled broadly. She was able to convince everyone to leave Sector 5!
In response to Beren's request, Legend blinked innocently. "What bomb?"
"You goat! That bomb that is on my back!"
"Oh that!" Legend laughed. "I totally made that up!"
Beren glared at him. "What did you say?"
"I mean, I really DO have the kamikaze devices with me now, but I don't want to waste them on junk like you." Legend shrugged. "Come on, Meia, we've got a lot of people to herd."
Meia grunted, but did not move. "Please keep to your promise." She said to Samuel stoically. Then, to the masses, she announced that they would be given one hour to pack their things. "Everyone will leave this place, whether they like it or not." She took a deep breath. "Anyone who tries to resist will meet undesirable consequences." She glared at Beren, whose face was as white as the pants that he was wearing. "Including you, Mr Beren."
The people briefly nodded and hurried away. If they had any objections, no one dared to voice it out after seeing their strongest fighter being defeated by a young woman. Even Beren mumbled to his personal assistant instructions.
Samuel glared at Meia. "I may have lost to you," he said slowly. "But I'll never forgive what Shinra has done to my family and me."
Meia turned to Samuel. "I don't give a hoot about what we have done to you," she said coldly. "I'm only concerned if you will fulfill your side of the deal." Legend noted Meia's sudden change of attitude and nodded approvingly.
The man stared at her in bewilderment. "For a moment back there, I thought you genuinely cared…" He stopped speaking. "Forget what I said. I was a fool to even believe that for a minute. Talk about managing my expectations. All of you are the same. You Turks are only concerned about getting the job done."
Meia turned away so that Samuel could not see her expression. "Yeah," she mumbled, soft enough only for Legend to hear. "Let's keep it that way."
20 January 0008 (One day to Meteorfall)
Meia stared out of the window blankly. In her mind, ideally there should be rainfall, hitting on the window in a haphazard rhythm. But who was she kidding, this was the Sector 2 slums. No rain nor sun has ever filtered through to the lower plates.
"Tomorrow is the day, huh?" She mumbled to herself.
"Scared?" asked Mason beside her.
Meia turned to smile at the martial artist. "Aren't you?"
"Just a little."
"Liar," grinned Haato. "He was just telling me that he probably could pee in his pants tomorrow."
"Hey!" shouted Mason, flushing. "Don't use such crude words in front of the ladies!"
"Aww come on!" said Haato and Meia together. They glanced at each other and laughed again.
"Well, it's great to see that you are still smiling."
"Veld, sir!" Haato stood to greet, but caught himself mid-action. "Oh!" He threw an embarrassed look at Veld. Behind Veld, his daughter, Elfe, giggled.
Veld waved Haato's actions lightly. "At ease, Haato. I'm not your superior anymore."
The swordsman laughed sheepishly. "Can't help it, I guess. It's more reflex than brain. You will always be the strict leader." Haato settled himself back onto the armchair.
Mason scooted a little so that Veld and Elfe could sit on the couch too. "Did you just arrive in Midgar?"
"Not really," Veld replied. "Elfe and I were just walking around the area."
"Leia had called us to help around the Sector 2 slums," said Elfe, Veld's daughter.
Veld nodded. "Everyone has been working hard."
"Sir, isn't it dangerous to be walking in Midgar all by yourselves?" asked Meia concernedly.
The father and daughter shook their heads. "I doubt anyone recognizes us here," explained Elfe. "Besides, the bigger issue now is to get everyone safely out of Midgar. Even though the slums citizens have been evacuating, the people in the upper plates are not budging much."
"Reeve said that he has activated everyone for evacuation, but I don't know. Do you think we can really save everyone on time?" Meia said softly, curling herself up into a ball. "I would hate to think that we could not save any group of people, even if it is due to uncontrollable reasons." She shook her head. "The people of the Planet has distrusted Shinra enough. There is no reason to do things to worsen this."
"We can only do the best that we can," Veld said, not unkindly. "Which, I assure you, we are doing the best that we can with all that we have in our hands."
"If only Jasper is here," sighed Meia. "I mean, I know his addition would not make a difference but it would be so awesome to have all of us here again." She giggled. "It would really look like we are all reunited and back in action, just like old times."
"Somebody missed me?"
Meia spun around in surprise. "Jasper!" She cried out. She jumped from where she was sitting and gave her comrade a big hug.
"Heya, Meia," he laughed. "Good to see you looking well. Was kinda worried when Cassie told me that Hojo caught you."
"Why are you here? What about your family business in Bone Village?" Meia gasped. "What about your fiancé?"
Jasper darkened at the mention of his hometown. "She... She is no longer my fiancé."
Meia stared at him. "What do you mean?" She asked. "What happened?"
His face quickly broke into a grin. "She became my wife!"
"You!"
Jasper choked as Mason wrapped a big arm around his neck. "You scared me there, buddy!" Mason chided as Veld and Elfe burst out laughing.
"Congratulations, Jasper," said Veld warmly, reaching out his hand towards Jasper.
The blond grabbed the outstretched hands with both of his and shook vigorously. "I'm mighty glad to be back working for you, Veld, sir!"
"What of your father?"
Jasper grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. "When he saw the massive Meteor, he was more than willing to send his son here to sacrifice his life! Nah, I was joking about that." He waved lightly. "He was obviously reluctant to let me go. But Leia and Haato had been egging me to come back," He said, nodding at Haato. "Luckily, Amber was supportive. No one can find a better wife than her!"
"Hope you are up for the challenge, newbie," taunted Haato good-naturedly. "Don't be scared shitless when you see how scary it is tomorrow."
Meia laughed and pushed the two of them away before they could get into a quarrel. "Really now, you can save your squabbles for after tomorrow."
Haato smirked at her innocent comment. "What makes you so sure that we will even be alive after tomorrow?"
Meia turned to him, her eyes sparkling. "Who knows? But with all of you by my side, I'm willing to even take on Sephiroth myself!" She laughed. "I am not expecting too much, but I still have faith nevertheless!"
She smiled to herself. Yes, I still believe that everything still may not be over. I will keep fighting until the very end.
Below the airship proudly known as the Highwind, the Northern Crater loomed menacingly. Swirls of cyan and turquoise fluttered through the sky, but it did nothing to ease the growing anxiety in the hearts of all the AVALANCHE members present. What laid ahead, at the centre of it all, was one of the strongest force that they had ever met so far. Who knew what their future would be, if they could survive.
"Too bad Yuffie and Vincent are not here," said Cait Sith sadly. "They would be a great help for all of us."
Nanaki's eyes were sharp and clear when he turned to Cait Sith. "We will do our best to save the Planet. I'm sure that would be what Grandfather wants."
"Everyone!" Barret roared. "The train is reaching its destination, eh? We've come so far; we will not be afraid! Whether we make it out dead or alive, I just want to… I just want to thank all of you for putting your life on the line for our next generation."
"Don't talk as if you are going to $%^*&(* die!" Cid shot back. "And you over there!" He barked at the now-experienced pilot. "Prepare for landing!"
"Roger, captain!"
Tifa glanced at Cloud. "Well… this is it." She smiled. "Are you ready?"
Cloud shrugged. "We can't turn back now."
"Cloud…" Tifa said slowly. "If we make it back alive… I… we still have so much to say. Promise me that you will be alive. That we will all be alive, and that we will finish our conversation."
Cloud looked at Tifa seriously. He nodded. "Alright, Tifa. When everything is over."
"We've landed!"
Yes, I'm unable to keep Barret's speech pattern like that in the game. Honestly, I'm bad at writing speech patterns, so I don't really try to imitate them.
Apart from that, I'm super stoked! The next chapter would be the fated day where Meteor falls on the Planet! What will happen? Of course you guys know what happened, but don't you dare think that I'll let the last moments of the Planet slip by just like that! So read and review this chapter, and you'll get your next chapter soon enough! Adios!