Chapter 38. December 22 – 24,εуλ0007

"Fuckin' a," Cid spat a wad of tobacco into the ocean. "This has got to be the most fucked-up plotline I have ever seen."

"This scenario IS a bit bizarre," Vincent, next to him, agreed. "We're using a plane as a boat, and what we're doing… well, stranger things have happened. "

"Like what?" Cid grumbled. "And why do you have to talk so goddess-damned formally? Makes you sound like that dog. Lion. Whatever the red guy is."

"You can call him NANAKI. He has a name," Aerith scolded. "And let's worry about what's important. Aren't you worried about your wife, anyway?"

"My wife?" He wasn't any fucking husband material, he thought, lighting another cigarette to pass the time. Why the hell did SHE put up with his shit, anyway? The way he treated her, he'd certainly deserved for her to be long gone. And her stories about staying because she owed him or whatever, when he owed HER for almost letting her die… Shit. NOTHIN' in his life made any sense, so why was this anything new? So he got angry, and took it out on her, and she just took it, and –

Mother-fucking Hades-damned Honeybee whores. He was just going in circles again. Ramuh. Anyways. He'd joined this clusterfuck of a group against all good sense, to give Shinra a kick in the ass back for what they'd taken from him. You know, just for shits and giggles.

Cloud, Barret, and Tifa were conferring, although the general plan was there; they were just working out details. Core of the operation, those three. Smoothly oiled, when they worked together. He could respect that. But as for who was really giving the orders…

"Try explaining it to me again," he suggested to Aerith. "From the beginning."

The girl in pink sighed. "Cid, that's going to be a REALLY long story."

"Well, at least enough to explain to me why we are going to the GOLD SAUCER next." He looked around. "This thing ain't meant to be a boat. We're not going to get there for quite a fucking while. "Not like a good airship, around the world and back in a matter of hours…

"Ok then." Aerith looked around, getting the point. "From the beginning, then. So… have you heard of the Ancients?"

A subtle shift in the party had begun when they had descended the far side of the mountain, a casual, mellow stroll with none of the anxiety or urgency of the climb up. Tifa was grateful to leave Nibelheim behind, even as the intensity of the night before was giving her wings forward today. Taking with her the only memories from there that truly mattered.

She snuck a glance at Cloud; he seemed once again focused firmly on the objective ahead, but she knew better. The little piece of his heart he'd opened to her under the stars, letting her see him in a different light – finding what she'd hoped had been hiding there underneath. Something subtle had shifted, and she couldn't quite explain how; but it let her move forward with the confidence that he was Cloud, and he was, in the smallest way so far, hers – just as she knew part of herself belonged to him. Irrevocably.

So, a relief, yes, but also somehow… a serious letdown. Finally crossing the mountain – she didn't know what she expected, some kind of fanfare or something. All those years of legends of ghosts, dogging her associations with Mt. Nibel for as long as she could remember; but here they had crossed, and no one was dead. In fact, everything felt exactly the same.

Cloud led the way forward, ever conscious of the position of the others relative to him. All of them his responsibility, but Tifa, Tifa most of all… that simple fact never far from his mind. It was a distraction, not an unpleasant one, but he couldn't afford to get completely sidetracked. No matter how badly he wished he could just give in.

Out here, on the relatively tranquil plain, he was recapping the mission so far and the next step forward. They were chasing Sephiroth, that much he knew for sure, but he was having difficulty putting into words the exact reason why. The pull he felt here, so strong back in Nibelheim, was now thin - giving the murkiest picture of their objective. He was following Sephiroth, and the rest were following HIM; so much to hang onto the thinnest of reasons.

He heard the rumble of Barret's voice in response to something Vincent had said; that spurred a thought. While the team might generally share the same goal, there were small differences in their motivations, and he would do well to keep the perspective of the others in mind. Shinra was still a presence. Shinra was still a threat. Rufus's taunts of a new Shinra era, as the Turks flew him away from their match, rankled, and he wished he'd had the chance to finish handing his ass to the arrogant Shinra heir. And to complicate things further, Shinra sought Sephiroth as well to lead them to the Promised Land (Aerith, thankfully, having been a dead end for them there) – putting them in an unpleasant race with each other, not entirely enemies but constitutionally unable to cooperate. Too much bad blood there.

Aerith. She'd cheered some since Gongaga, since Cosmo Canyon, and he was grateful for the change. It all came down to her, didn't it? Whatever the Promised Land was – and he still wasn't sure he understood, was it a place or not? – it was part of the core of who she was. Would she find her way there? For that matter, maybe that was what they all were looking for.

Maybe they would all find their Promised Land by the end of this journey… somewhere this side of infinity.

It was something to think about. He was finding it harder and harder to hang on to hatred as a reason to keep on going.

Aerith found herself looking at Cloud, at everything, with new eyes this morning, she flush with pleasure after the invigoration of the mountain, feeling somehow, some way, different from the person she had been only a day before. Its spirit energy– more powerful than she had felt in a long time, left her strangely fulfilled, at peace; she'd learned something from Mt Nibel that Cosmo Canyon hadn't let her know. Something more about what might lie ahead for her, and with her heart and soul opening, she found herself looking forward to receiving more of the answers she so desperately sought. She didn't know what exactly had passed between him and Tifa the night before… but subtle differences in his demeanor told her all she needed to know. He was learning not to love the idea of being in love, but the true, raw love she knew he could find with Tifa. And for herself, she realized she had her own part to play in Cloud's life, and she hoped she was finally, fully up to the task.

Vincent had answered Barret's questions to the best of his ability and desire; it had taken Barret a while to be convinced Vincent had nothing more to say, he leaving to join Yuffie and Nanaki instead. Vincent couldn't help but notice the contrast, the yammering young woman on Barret's left flank, the dignified beast on his right - and Barret now looking trapped in the middle. Nevertheless, Vincent was grateful, content to be left to himself.

He silently observed each party member in turn. Cloud, their designated leader, but fragile cracks in his soul, the same flaws Vincent had once bore before he hardened them shut. He remembered all too well the source of his undoing; perhaps Cloud had a better chance to heal. Vincent's eyes flicked to Tifa. Kindness filled her soul; Vincent felt the soft affection for her that one feels about someone impossible to hate. And as much as she tried to be subtle, her furtive glances to Cloud screamed out to Vincent's sharp perception, as did the occasional glances Cloud returned her direction. He could only hope they would fare better than his own ill-fated desire.

And then there was Aerith.

Cloud might be the leader of the party, but Aerith was the heart. Of all the things Vincent had seen as a Turk – he had never met a Cetra before, half-dismissing them as superstition even as Hojo madly tried to recreate them. Jenova, the Ancient that wasn't. Vincent's… modifications… were not those of a SOLDIER; they gave him no sense of Lifestream, yet it shone out of Aerith to his eyes nevertheless. An effusion of life, such a contrast to the emptiness he felt; accessible, penetrating, and he wondered if she could see his scars, the ones invisible to the eye. And if perhaps she was the key to healing them.

Nanaki's step was subtle, but his approach was easily detected by Vincent's Turk senses, even before he nudged his muzzle under Vincent's glove. "It is a wonder to meet a Cetra, is it not? She glows with power, yet she is simply a young woman nevertheless."

Vincent didn't answer. He didn't feel he was expected to; Nanaki seemed comfortable with a long moment of silence, before the beast spoke again. "You are older than me."

"In a sense," Vincent agreed.

"But you have seen things… before these other humans were born. I am technically older than all here… yet you see, for my race, I am little more than a child, like that one." He nosed in the direction of Yuffie. "And my understanding is you are doomed to have a long life, like myself. Perhaps you are even immortal?"

"It could be," Vincent replied. "There's no way to know for sure." The… modifications… done to him had been so unprecedented. Followed by Lucrecia's desperate act to save him… he was no longer sure who, or even what he was. Was he still even human?

"I was hoping we could create an acquaintance with each other," Nanaki said. "You must have had many experiences. I feel there is much I could learn from you."

Vincent turned glittering ruby eyes to meet Red's one gold one, ignoring the puckered scar that took the place of the second. "Experiences, maybe. But I doubt I have much wisdom to offer from them." Nanaki did not answer; Vincent was thankful that Nanaki was as terse as he himself. Economy of words, sparing him the strain of social interactions long-rusted and emotions long unused.

The peace was short-lived, as Barret rejoined them, thankfully with no more questions about Shinra. It wasn't that Vincent disliked Barret – he was just a little… overwhelming. More than Vincent was ready for.

"What are y'all talking about here?" Barret rumbled.

"We were considering the Cetra," Nanaki replied for the both of them.

Barret reached behind his head with the formidable firearm he bore. Strange how easily that could start to seem natural on a man. "She's really something, isn't she? The way she rescued Marlene – "

"Marlene?" Vincent inquired politely. "Your wife?"

Barret gave Vincent a wilting look. "My daughter," he scoffed. "My little darling girl. Damn, if I don't miss her so much – " Vincent was sincerely shocked to see an actual tear roll down the big man's face.

"My apologies," Vincent demurred. "You must indeed miss her terribly."

"She's just such a perfect, adorable thing," Barret sniffled. "Why, just the other day…" Relieved, Vincent was able to simply listen politely to a father gushing about his daughter, his pride obvious, and Vincent revised his opinion of the man.

"So, Marlene is what you are fighting for," he finally interjected. "You told me you sought revenge on Shinra, but that's the truth behind it, isn't it?"

Barret stopped, and stared in surprise. "You know, I've kind of been thinking the same thing," he admitted glumly. "Hate's getting harder to hold onto. And speaking of Cetra…" All three looked forward to where she walked ahead, all by herself but somehow not a bit lonely. "She says we can all talk to the Planet the way she can, if we try hard enough. I'm wonderin' if that's the answer to it all."

"It very well might be. The Elders of Cosmo Canyon think much along those lines," Nanaki agreed. Vincent remained silent, considering.

It brought him back to what he was thinking at the start. What was he fighting for now? Love had proved nothing but a dead end, so what was there for him? Here he was awakened once again, wondering if he was set to find anything other than an eternity of nightmares.

How strange to have rejoined the world again. Little left but thoughts of revenge in his hollow soul, but for now, it would have to do. The sun beat down on his face, the wind ran through his hair, and it uncomfortably reminded him that he could not escape life after all.

Perhaps living was to be his penance instead.

"Look, Tifa," Cloud suddenly urged, as the sun began dripping down from its zenith.

Tifa squinted, knowing Cloud could see whatever lay ahead miles before she herself could. "I can't see anything." But she was grateful he'd taken the time to point out whatever it was; the day before he hadn't told her anything, seeing the ugly truth of Nibelheim and wanting to spare her for those few precious minutes more. It reassured her that there was nothing to fear ahead.

"Maybe you can't see it clearly yet," Cloud said apologetically, "but that's almost certainly a rocket. I think we're nearing our destination."

Sure enough, as the minutes flew away and the distance shrank, she could see at least the most prominent feature of the town ahead. A needle on the horizon, something that might at first be mistaken for a spire, a tree, anything… but as the houses around its base began to congeal into view, the object clearly showed itself for what it was, towering above the town to which it lent its name and leaning at a rather disconcerting angle.

"I wonder what we'll find there," Tifa mused. "I mean, it was just over the mountain from where we grew up, but we didn't really know anything about it. Or anyplace else, for that matter, I guess." She swept a look over the surrounding plains, stretching as far as the view from Mt. Nibel's summit had promised. So many things new on this journey… She glimpsed surreptitiously at Cloud, the catalyst for these new experiences. And, she hoped, many more.

Cloud knew what he expected to find there – it might be a stretch to say hoped. SEPHIROTH. So why was he feeling a tug in a different direction entirely? No matter, there was really only one viable destination; nothing to be done but head there and try to find out more.

Aerith and Tifa were left staring at one another in astonishment as Cid rumbled through his house, berating Shera, the tiny woman bearing it without complaint. Uncomfortable with the display, they'd retreated to the back hallway, pretending they wanted to check out the plane some more; now they were just hiding out there until their goddamn tea was ready.

Tifa had thought she'd been prepared for just about anything, but not quite this. They'd found the plane. And the loudmouthed-pilot to go with it. Now, apparently, they were waiting for… Rufus Shinra.

It was all getting pretty weird.

Rufus… now that was disturbing to think about. Tifa didn't remember their last encounter particularly fondly. Any encounter that left Cloud hanging off the edge of the building was Not Ok in her book.

Come to think of it, she never did ask him how the fight went, did she? A sort of draw, it must have been; was this shaping up to be some kind of rematch? Aerith seemed to feel the same, both worry and righteous anger mirrored on each other's faces.

"We should have spoken up," Tifa fretted. "Cid shouldn't be talking to her that way. Why does she put up with it?" She'd hesitated to intervene; now she was starting to regret it.

"Yeah, I know," Aerith replied. "But you've got to look at it a little more thoroughly. Something's going on between the lines there."

"What do you mean?" asked Tifa.

"Didn't you notice upstairs?" Aerith said, a bit smugly. "This house has only one bedroom."

"Oh," Tifa mused, then finally understanding. "Ohhhhh."

"Trust me, there's gotta be something under all Cid's bluster," Aerith spoke to her thoughts, with that uncanny mindreading tendency of hers. "I'll bet there's some kind of turnaround. You know… like behind closed doors," Aerith smirked.

It took Tifa a second to gather Aerith's meaning. "You don't… I mean… Aerith!" she gasped, slightly shocked.

Aerith just giggled, putting one hand to her mouth. "Why, Tifa, did you know you are actually blushing? It's really cute. But you know," she continued, smirking with satisfaction. "Cid's probably a big softie who's just trying to act cool. Sound like anyone else we know?"

"Huh," Tifa replied. The thought truly hadn't occurred to her. But Aerith, with her way of reading people… she was probably right.

"Love takes mysterious forms, Tifa," Aerith told her, placing one hand gently on her friend's elbow; Tifa suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

"Marlene," she suddenly realized. "I miss her."

Aerith's face was kind. "You'll see her again soon. I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," Tifa replied. She was back to thinking of Cid and Shera, wondering if they would find a way to get unstuck from whatever impasse they were in. Why does Shera take so much blame, anyway? Just because she couldn't get an oxygen tank fixed in time? Just like Cloud, taking on both responsibility and blame so easily… and suddenly it hit her that she hadn't actually put that together about Cloud before.

It really explained quite a bit.

Vincent suddenly appeared before them, silent as a ghost. Neither woman had heard him approach. "The two of you had better come quickly."

"Tea time?" Aerith inquired, but Vincent shushed her hurriedly. "No. Rufus is up front with Cid, and Cloud's out there too. Barret rushed to join them, but I did not care to be seen, so I slipped away to let the two of you know."

Tifa and Aerith shared a glance, thinking the same thing. This could be trouble. Tifa rushed past Vincent, he gallantly swishing his cape out of her way, with Aerith only a step behind.

Outside, the tension hung thick as Cid faced down Rufus, flanked by Barret and Yuffie. Tifa was grateful to see that Cloud was hanging behind, but she could see, subtle, the coiled tension she'd become attuned to from him. One wrong word from anyone…

"…that's why we need to borrow your plane," Rufus had just finished explaining, never losing his irritating polished veneer. Cid's response was a string of expletives longer than Cloud had ever heard in his life. Stare honed on Rufus's sneer, for the moment Cloud forgot about Sephiroth, he seething inside of his mind. The president of Shinra – the symbol of all he had lost. Shinra. Sephiroth. The SOLDIER had taken his town, his mother, but hadn't Shinra made the man? Some of his hate had been fading away as they distanced themselves from Nibelheim, but now it flared up all over again, a rage without an outlet.

Tifa, he thought. She'd muddled all his goals for him. Not that he minded.

"Cloud," he heard her whisper behind him, and he nearly jumped, a symptom of how distracted he'd let himself get by the standoff before him. He turned; she put one finger to her lips; Aerith, behind her, motioned him back into the house.

"- got the fucking Highwind. Ship's got my Phoenix-burning NAME on it, and you kept it." Cloud didn't hear the rest as he stepped back through the front door, his eyes quickly adjusting from the bright sunlight outside to see Shera patiently waiting for them.

"You want the Tiny Bronco, don't you? For wherever you're going." Cloud nodded hastily; he still wasn't sure WHERE that was, but that tug, now more clearly to the southeast, was growing stronger. "Better you than Shinra. Come on, hurry." She rushed them through the hall and out the back door.

Aerith looked at the tiny plane, entranced. Airships, she had heard Cid mention, but this was frightening enough. She'd only begun to get used to the sky – was she really supposed to go up in it? To feel… that kind of freedom? Beyond comprehension. But she couldn't deny, as much as part of her was terrified, another part was exhilarated – what would it be like to go up into that blue? Further, even into space, like Shera had suggested? To see the Planet in its entirety – how overwhelming might that be?

Flowers reach for the sky, she reminded herself. And suddenly, she was proud of herself, for doing it without Zack, for doing it on her own. I miss you so much, my love, she thought, aching to see Marlene again as well. But she couldn't wait for something to cling to.

Cloud had already helped Tifa up, and was reaching down to her next. But another thing she'd caught from Rufus's remarks just hit her. The Temple of the Ancients. They were following Sephiroth there. And she felt a shiver run through her, some echo in her Cetra blood that told her, this is a place where you must go.

The White Materia seemed to vibrate inside its resting place, but not its usual soft hum. This felt more like it was quaking in terror, and Aerith couldn't say she didn't feel the same.

Barret was the last to clamber on; they could still hear Cid yelling at Rufus up front. Shera glanced once in Cid's direction, then turned to Cloud; he gave her a nod, and she motioned, directing them to take off.

The propeller turned, the engine sputtered, and slowly the plane rotated to a long strip of green suitable for takeoff. Vincent had taken the controls with confidence, the others gazing in fascination as he switched levers and pushed buttons, accelerating, thrusting forward – and with the lightest thump, its wheels left the ground.

Aerith laughed into the wind, feeling the ends of her ribbon whapping her ears. She was doing it. She was flying.

The plane wobbled upwards, cresting Cid and Shera's house, and below them, Cid and Rufus looked up, startled, as the very item they were arguing over escaped from their grasp.

Rufus began shouting orders to his troops, but to Cloud's surprise, Cid began running after his beloved Tiny Bronco, and with a literal flying leap, managed to grab on. Red and Barret rushed to pull the pilot on board, Cid huffing and puffing with the effort. He hustled to the cockpit, Vincent decorously stepping out of the way to let him have the pilot's seat. Cid grabbed the controls with the practiced motion of an expert, but as they began to soar into the sky, the entire plane shuddered with a sudden impact.

"What the bloody Tonberry knife happened back there?!" Cid shouted.

"We've been hit!" Yuffie squealed back. "There's, uh, flames and stuff!"

"That's not good!" Cid called back the obvious. "We're going down! Hang onto your drawers and don't piss in 'em!"

Even faster than the plane had gone up, it was coming back down. Someone screamed; it sounded like Barret. The green of grass disappeared beneath them, and Aerith clung, horrified, as the blue of the ocean came up to greet them.

At the last moment, Cid yanked the nose of the plane up, and instead of diving straight down, they landed with an enormous splash; as the plane careened forward, the wake sprayed over them, dousing one and all to one degree or another, before the drag of the water slowed the plane enough to finally bring it to a stop.

And suddenly all was silent, as they looked towards the shore, nearly invisible in the distance.

Aerith stood, carefully, wringing out the hem of her dress in both hands. Gazing around them, she had only one word to say.

"Shit."

Kalm was a relief in so many ways, a literal breath of fresh air. Elmyra had planned for so many years to leave Midgar – eventually – postponing it time and time again, but now that circumstances had finally forced her hand, she felt a weight was lifted.

She hadn't heard from Aerith, but it had only been a little over a week since she'd left Midgar – two weeks since Shinra had taken her daughter. She could only have faith that Cloud and his friends had safely rescued her, and Aerith would send word when she could.

In the meantime, Marlene was there to brighten her days, like the sunshine of Aerith's childhood all over again. She'd brought several cuttings from the garden, insisting most of all on the vase of yellow flowers; as Marlene planted them in the window box, Elmyra wondered if they would grow. She was not at all surprised when they began to thrive under Marlene's attention. Just as with Aerith, she spoke with the flowers; Elmyra wondered if the flowers were answering. What could Marlene see in them?

The original Marlene had brought with her to the Sector Five house continued to thrive, and it served as reassurance – Elmyra had a superstition that it meant Aerith was all right.

As the days went by, she had her chance to see traces of Zack in Marlene as well; her granddaughter unafraid of the sky, unlike Aerith, running around freely in the sunshine for the first time in her young life. She searched Marlene's face for Zack's features as well; and even though it was far too early for a true resemblance to show, if she looked hard enough, she could see hints already there.

She thought she was free at last. She had Tseng's promise, after all, and whatever the man was, he could be counted on to keep his word.

Hence, it took her by complete surprise the day Rude showed up at her door.

She knew them all. Reno, a screwball who nevertheless knew his work. Tseng's composure. She'd even once met the rookie, Elena, who'd probably been promoted by now. But Rude was always the most decorous, the silent gentleman of the bunch.

"Elmyra," he greeted her cordially. "I regret to inform you of this, but we will be requiring Marlene."

Angrily, Elmyra pulled the child to her, in a reflection of Tseng's first visit all those years ago; Marlene bravely peeked out at the strange man who had arrived. "You can't possibly. Tseng promised. I won't let you take her." Irrationally, she gauged the distance to where her kitchen knife lay; even if she reached it, trying to fight off a Turk was insanity. But she'd let Marlene go to Shinra HQ only over her own dead body.

Rude may have always been a gentleman, but now she wanted to spit in his face.

Rude sighed. "And you as well, Elmyra." Even through his sunglasses, she knew he was gazing pointedly at her. "But we don't need you to go anywhere. Tseng intends to keep his promise. It's more of a… house arrest. Just think of it as Turk protection."

"What on earth do you want from us?" Elmyra found herself shouting. "Can't you leave us alone? Or are you still after Aerith? Where is she?! What have you done with her?"

"Aerith is well, and safe. She's far from here, with Cloud and the others. The new President no longer has an interest in her." Elmyra felt a sharp relief at Rude's words. Could what she hoped for really have come to pass? Aerith, finally free to live her life out of Shinra's shadow? "It's… something else we need from their group. Just an item. Not your daughter. You can help us with this. Collateral, if you will, but you will not be harmed in any way."

"Are you giving us any choice?" she asked bitterly. Marlene only whimpered beside her.