Start Date: December 12, 2022
Windwillow
Final Fantasy VII
After confronting Sephiroth at Nibelheim, AVALANCHE headed to Rocket Town. There they befriended Cid Highwind, and managed to acquire his Tiny Bronco airplane. But as usual, there was a hitch in the plan: the plane crashed, and it became useless as aerial transport. However, Cid managed to salvage the Bronco into a nautical transport. In search of the so-called Keystone, which as its name suggests is the key to the Temple of the Ancients that Shinra seeks, they headed to Wutai where, to the surprise of no one, Yuffie mugged them and ran off with their materia. After having rescued her, however, the party has earned a true friend, an invaluable ally in their war against Shinra and Sephiroth. On top of that, it turns out that Yuffie does know where to find the Keystone!
Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Traitor in Their Midst
Scene One
Yuffie's betrayal may have come at a bad time, but the rewards it reaped for Cloud and Tifa (almost) made it worth it. Once they'd picked up Cid and guided him and the Tiny Bronco closer to Wutai, Yuffie threw a party to make up for her antics, and it was on her dime. Wutai's lesser known dishes, such as tonkatsu ramen and fried rice, became known to the trio when Yuffie introduced them to the party. Cid was allowed time and resources to adapt the Tiny Bronco, and managed to latch on a small riding platform onto the back for the others to ride in. What was most noteworthy, however, was the trip to Wutai's ancient Da-Chao bath houses. There were two halves, one male and the other female, and so the four split into teams of two to relax in the hot springs.
"Whoa! Sweet Lord Above, this is warm..." sighed Cloud as he stepped into the water, removing the hand towel from his lower torso. Wutai's onsen were traditional, and visitors were required to keep their towel above water after a thorough washing and rinsing before delving into the warm mineral water that defined the onsen's allure. Dropping down into the water soothed his aching bones, muscles, and joints. "Oh, yeah..." he moaned, coming to rest at waist level before slowly sinking down to his chest. "Now, that's the stuff..."
"And they keep this to themselves out west?! Damn, man!" Cid groaned, joining Cloud in sinking into the hot springs. Each inch he descended seemed to prickle his skin with a thousand needles in the most pleasant way. Finally sinking to chest level, Cid loosed an almost passionate sigh. "Oh, God... I think they just pinpointed Heaven on the freaking map..." he sighed contentedly.
"Almost makes it worth it not to have throttled Yuffie!" Cloud chuckled. The water seemed to seep into his scars, a warm and soothing sensation taking the pain away from the wounds. He inhaled a deep breath before releasing it along with almost all of his stress. "When we take out Shinra, I have got to bring the others here..." he sighed. "Not that I want to see Barret naked, mind you. And I have no idea what we'd do with Red XIII..."
"Yeah, you got some funky friends, huh?" laughed Cid. After exhaling a sharp, relaxing gasp, Cid started to relish the feeling of the hot springs on his aching body. "You guys do a lot of weird bull, from the way you describe it. Shinra, Sephiroth, the Planet... Ah, screw it!" sighed Cid. "Like you said, you guys are doing pretty much everything at this point, huh? I can't wait to hear how much hell you've raised for Shinra!"
"Stories are meant to be told around a camp fire, not here... But if you really want to know... Let's wait until everyone else is back together..." said Cloud. "I feel bad for the others that they aren't here right now. Aerith said they were huddling in a rocky hut, but that she's in your house with Shera..."
"Bah, you just had to pour salt on my wounds! Bastard!" Cid sighed with a huff. "Ten thousand Gil says she puts up new drapes or something... God, the sheets! And what about the furniture?!" he snarled. "Having that little screw up as lady of the house pisses me off just thinking about it..."
"We're in the middle of a hot spring, so pull your head out of your ass before you scald your face..." spat Cloud, splashing water into Cid's face, much to his fury. With a chuckle, Cloud turned his eyes to the steaming ceiling above them. "Have you even noticed how she feels about you, you stubborn old bat?" he sighed. "The way she talks about you, you'd never know you torment her as much as you do. You want to know what she told us?" Cloud asked flatly. "She said she loves you... for whatever reason, I have no clue..."
"She said what, now?! That little idiot loves me?!" choked Cid, nearly hacking up a heart attack. "God, what a turd... She loves me? Who gave her that right?" he groaned. Seeing Cloud's glare, Cid angrily flipped him off. "Don't you give me that look, punk! I got the right to treat her however the hell I want! She ruined my dream!" growled Cid. As he turned his eyes up to watch the steam float around the room like transparent clouds, however, he internally started to soften, though he wouldn't admit it even if he had to do it to keep his life.
She loves me? You serious? God... What an idiot! I ain't treated her worth bull for sixteen years! Maybe those sixteen years have been a bit long to hold a grudge? Nah... He's just blowing smoke up my ass, no way she said that...
"What about that little sweetheart of yours?" Cid asked. As he watched Cloud nearly hack himself to death, Cid's mood quickly changed from mad to mischievous. "Oh, so it's like that?" he laughed. "And you think I have a bad poker face! What do you think of the girl? Come on, out with it!"
"We're friends! We have been since we were little!" sputtered Cloud. "There isn't anything like... that..." he said flatly. "And I'm sure she'd back me up on it! We're fighting together to defeat Shinra and stop Sephiroth!"
"Oh... Is that so? Tell me this, then: How bad do you feel that you aren't on the other end of this hot spring right now, sitting next to her and washing her back?" asked Cid fiendishly. Cloud nearly slapped him, but Cid leaned back and laughed. "I thought so... And you yell at me about Shera?" he chuckled. Seeing Cloud's anger build, Cid waved him off and splashed water in Cloud's face. "God, you're full of it!" he chortled as he choked back his laughter.
Maybe I am too? Bah... I'm just telling him off...
"You don't have any idea what you're talking about!" growled Cloud, gruffly folding his arms over his chest. Though, although he wouldn't admit it, thinking about her created feelings in his chest that he'd never have admitted to. "Sit your ass down and stay on your end of the springs!" he snapped. "I'm through with you bitching at me!"
I mean, we're friends, right? That's good enough, right? Right...? Gah, she'd slaughter me and Cid if she were here. Just thinking makes my head hurt...
Scene Two
The women's side of the onsen was more or less identical to the men's side. Like that half the women were required to thoroughly wash and rinse their bodies before entering the hot springs. Tifa and Yuffie had indeed done so, with Tifa's voluptuous and toned form evoking a bit of jealousy from the young ninja. But, as they entered the onsen, no more ill will or jealousy remained between them.
"Ooh... Wow! I've never had a bath like this before!" Tifa cooed, slowly dipping her toes in the water before sliding down into the warm onsen. As she submerged and felt the simmering heat travel from her toes to her chest, Tifa loosed a soft, soothing sigh.
"Yeah, you'd better enjoy it! This cost a lot of money!" Yuffie growled. Still, as she slowly stepped into the water and lowered herself to chest level, all the stress of money was washed away with a most pleasant heat. She took in a deep, haggard breath as she finally submerged, her towel dropping to the ground just as she slid in with a sharp breath. "Problem is, we ain't got nothing but saggy old hags over here!" she scowled as she began to settle. As Tifa forced herself to restrain her laughter, and ultimately failed, Yuffie's face seemed to light up. "So, you do laugh!" chuckled Yuffie. "I was afraid you were going to knock my block off!"
"If you're right, you're right! I hope I don't look like this in sixty years!" laughed Tifa. Leaning back in the springs, she gave a deep sigh and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "You know, this almost makes it worth it... You know, you stealing from us!" she said with a sigh, prompting Yuffie to scowl at her. "But hey, my stomach's full, and now I'm chest deep in the best bath I've ever had," Tifa laughed. "So as far as I'm concerned, we'll call it even."
"Well, that's a load off of my mind... I've been expecting you to strangle me for the last few hours!" Yuffie chuckled. Like Tifa, she felt the warm, soothing relief of the onsen burn her pain away, pain partially caused by Tifa assaulting her. "And that's just 'cause I've been such a kind and gracious hostess!" she boasted. Tifa began to laugh mockingly at her, so Yuffie took her head and dunked it into the water. By the time Tifa had emerged, Yuffie's face looked like a death mask, frozen solid in terror.
Oh, God... Well, it was a nice life...
"Whoo! Ha ha ha ha!" laughed Tifa as she burst out of the water with joyous laughter, settling back in and loosing a cute giggle as she leaned back into the water. She seemed to take it in stride, no blood lust or anger at all. To Yuffie, this was akin to the Devil stopping at a bake sale and buying a batch of cookies; it simply wasn't supposed to happen.
"Um... Not that I'm not glad you haven't ripped my face off... But you've changed, girl!" said Yuffie with a sigh of relief. She'd expected to have a few broken bones after what she'd done, but for some reason Tifa only seemed happy. "You know... Ever since we went to Nibelheim, you've changed..." sighed Yuffie.
"Heh heh heh... ha ha ha! I think you're right!" chuckled Tifa, placing a hand to her face and finally breaking out laughing. Even she was surprised at her reaction, and it wasn't something she would normally let Yuffie get away with, but somehow she managed to shrug it off. As she reclined back into the water, Tifa looked at things with a more acute eye. "Back in Nibelheim, I was... I was really scared, you know?" she murmured. "Everyone said that I never existed... When no one even admitted my father lived there, well... I guess it really shook me..."
"Um... Cards on the table? The reason I got so mad back there was 'cause everyone was lying..." admitted Yuffie with a sigh. "Weird, right?" she laughed, as Tifa returned it. A pleasant calm came about the onsen, until Yuffie had an errant thought. "But, I've been wondering... What do you think about Cloud?" Yuffie asked. It was a question Tifa wasn't expecting, and she quickly jolted when she was asked.
"We... We're friends! What else is there to say?" Tifa stuttered. The sudden breach of her relationship with Cloud seemed to have instantly soured her mood, much to Yuffie's mixed joy and terror. As she thought more about it, however, even she had her doubts.
Do I... want us to be more than friends? Seriously... Do I...?
"Ooh, girl! You got the hots for him bad!" chortled Yuffie, rubbing her hands together fiendishly. "Just admit it! You love the bastard!" she cackled, said shortly before Tifa took her head in both hands and shoved it into the water. She struggled around a bit, desperately clawing at Tifa, until finally she was finally allowed to surface. "Hey! The hell?!" Yuffie gasped as she emerged. "You little..." rasped Yuffie. Watching Tifa's amusement, Yuffie quickly flipped her off, but Tifa took it in stride, quietly reclined in the onsen,and stared at the ceiling.
Do I...?
Scene Three
With their onsen adventures done and over with, the quartet of Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cid headed back to the Tiny Bronco to leave. Yuffie, still desperate to keep on her friends' good side, had packed a few rice balls and mochi cakes for them to snack on until they reached Rocket Town. Cid's newly created raft wasn't anything much to look at, but it gave the other three space to lay in rather than cling onto the plane's busted wings. The trip back took two days, the same amount of time it had taken to get there. Throughout the voyage, Cloud and Tifa remained tight lipped to each other as to what had happened in the onsen, but neither of them hid their emotions well whenever their eyes met. For their part, Cid and Yuffie had been so sufficiently threatened that they said nothing to the others about what had occurred as they enjoyed the onsen.
Once they'd landed, the quartet hurried back to Rocket Town, where they met and reconvened with their other friends. Aerith was the only one that had had a happy time, having stayed in Cid's bedroom while her friends huddled in a clay hut, and Barret repeatedly reminded her of that fact. Red XIII was glad to dispel his earth magic, as five days of breathing in musty air around a crackling fire did nothing to help his sinuses. Vincent and Cait Sith never complained, though for Cait Sith that was mainly because he had his own bed to sleep in back in Midgar. Although Aerith severely scolded Yuffie for her betrayal, to her surprise Tifa came to her side to support her. When even Cloud and Cid stood up for Yuffie, Aerith and the others more or less let the issue go.
"Okay, okay, so I made a huge mistake! I'm so sorry!" Yuffie said apologetically, quickly handing out treats to her friends in an attempt to keep them happy. "I'm sure Red told you, but I knew where the Keystone was the whole time. I mean, it looks really bad, right?!" she moaned.
"It looks bad? You made us camp out for six damned days and you say it looks bad?" growled Red XIII, prompting Yuffie to loose a yelp. As he sat down and curled his tail around his toes, Red XIII scowled at Yuffie something fierce. He really didn't need to say anything else to voice his discontent, because his bared fangs told the story well enough.
"I know, I know! I know I made a mess and all... but I'm in this for good, now!" protested Yuffie. As she dropped to her knees and laid her head on the ground, bowing to her friends, she began to sincerely shake. "Please forgive me! I won't do it again, and I want to stay friends with you!" she begged. "So, can we start over?!"
"She's loud, but she apologized, so I'm satisfied," said Vincent plainly, punctuating his words with a glare that quickly dropped Yuffie to her back in terror. "Where do we get this Keystone, then?" he wondered.
"To get to Henschel's place, we'll need to ride the buggy east past Gongaga," explained Red XIII. That meant that everyone had to pile into Cid's raft in order to get to the buggy. "It's a good ways away through Cosmo Canyon to get there, and hopefully we don't get attacked..." he said with a sigh.
"I've never ridden anything called a buggy before," said Vincent. He was more accustomed to antique limousines and cutting edge technology (at least, cutting edge thirty years back) than he was with Coates' old vehicle. Besides that, he hadn't ridden anything in three decades, so anything would be new. "But I suppose that means that Red and I will share the back seat," he said plainly.
"A-About that, Vincent? I was kind of wondering if you could sit in the next seat up?" asked Red XIII feebly. After all the hell he'd been through in the buggy, Red XIII didn't want to give up his cherished back row, much less be forced to use Bugenhagen's seat belt. Upon seeing Vincent's indifferent stare, however, he quickly gave up and hung his head. "Right, then... Back seat buddies, it is..." he whimpered.
Scene Four
Before getting to the buggy, the party was forced to huddle into the Tiny Bronco's life raft until they crossed over to where it sat near Nibelheim. Much to their displeasure, everyone found that Cid hadn't allowed enough room for anyone to sit in comfort but the one in the pilot's seat, meaning himself. After traveling across the water to the Nibelheim area, the party prepared to huddle into the buggy for the next leg of the journey. Or at least that was the plan, until Vincent pointed out that the Tiny Bronco could bypass it through a long river that led to the Gold Saucer area and, just beyond it, Henschel's place. They could simply ride the Bronco the whole way and ignore the Cosmo Canyon route altogether. None of them were pleased to go the whole way around in the Tiny Bronco's crowded quarters, but the idea of riding the buggy again was even more unpleasant.
The voyage through the river and on through Gongaga took the better part of a day, during which time the party exhausted their supply of snacks. Still, uncomfortable as it was, it still took much less time to go through this route than to run all across the continent using the buggy. They finally passed Gongaga by night time and moored near Henschel's compound, although the common consensus was that they'd have to stay the night in Red XIII's structure. By the time daylight came, the party was ready to head to Henschel's house to negotiate with him for the Keystone.
"Hey, it's you guys! I wasn't expecting you so soon!" Henschel chirped cheerfully. What the others didn't know was that he'd received no advance warning from his scouts that they'd be coming, so he was totally taken by surprise when they arrived. No one in Cosmo Canyon or Nibelheim had been able to provide any information on the Form materia. When he turned to Red XIII for answers, and was told that it was too hard to reverse engineer, Henschel quickly began to pout.
"Look, I'm sure you have some sort of stake in something I don't know about... But we came here for one reason and one reason only: The Keystone," explained Cloud. "I heard from one of my friends that you had it... So, we want it."
"Oh, come now! Take a look at all these wonderful goods and tell me you're worried about a silly rock!" chided Henschel, desperate to make a sale. If he couldn't make money off the Form materia, he intended to do so in some other way.
"We're here for the rock," Vincent snapped flatly as he gave a glare that sent a chill down Henschel's spine. Vincent had his eyes on the prize, and had no desire to mess around with the Weapons Seller. "Do you have it or not?" he wondered.
"I, uh... Sorry folks, but I already sold it for a million Gil to the owner of the Gold Saucer, Dio," explained Henschel with a sigh. "If you want it, you'll need to ask him, and he's a very busy man, so good luck with that..." he muttered.
"Well, he's going to have to make time. We don't have any to spare," growled Cloud, further intimidating Henschel. Cloud was still under the impression that Dio had sold them out to the Turks, and meeting him again might have been detrimental to his health. "Give us all the information you have..." he said testily.
"Well, that's the thing, see? Dio's a notorious collector of unique items, and he keeps them in his trophy room in Battle Square," said Henschel. "But while people can look, they don't look long without his permission..." he explained. "The only people he shows his trophies to are the folks who make it big in Battle Square. If you want in, I suggest you polish your sword."
"So... In order to get the stupid thing, I'm going to have to fight? Works for me!" Cloud said, a tint of excitement in his voice. The idea of beating some frustration out of something had its appeal. "Let's head to Battle Square and talk to Dio!" he said cheerfully. Turning his eye to Tifa, who had a very dissatisfied scowl on her face, however, a deep frown crossed his face. "That's... assuming Tifa doesn't rip his guts out..." he groaned, putting a hand to his face and praying for the best.
The destination had been fixed: off to Battle Square to earn the Keystone, though the specifics remained vague. While most of the party remained in the dark, one member had already formulated a plan. Even if Reeve had come up with the plan, however, it was a different matter altogether if he could bring himself to complete it.
Decision time. Do I choose these folks or my job? I might have to make a choice I'll regret...
Scene Five
AVALANCHE's last trip to the Gold Saucer had ended in imprisonment, suffering, and Coates needing to begin therapy. Given that they were already aware of the nature of the place, the party bypassed the bingo machine from hell and entered the lobby's central elevator, which they rode to a newly rebuilt Battle Square. The deceased staff had been replaced, the entire lobby renovated, and Dio was placed squarely in front of a very displeased Tifa once they entered the place.
"Hey! It's you guys! Howdy, hello, welcome back!" exclaimed Dio cheerfully. He was still dressed in his best (and only) speedo, and looked joyfully at the warriors before him. It didn't take long for that joy to dissipate when Tifa took him by the shoulders and pulled him in close. "Whoa! You going to do to me what you did to Coates, little lady?" he asked desperately.
"Just a few days ago we got ambushed at a location you directed us to..." growled Tifa. As she stared Dio straight in the eye, his speedo began to moisten from fear. "And I just wanted to ask directly: Did you sell us out to Shinra, or do I owe you an apology?" she asked testily. "If not, sorry. If yes, I'm going to beat the snot out of you."
"Um... Seems to be a bit of a miscommunication, little miss..." Dio said, swallowing his terror hard. He looked around to the others for help, but, finding nothing, he quickly surrendered and broke free of Tifa's grip. "Whatever happened, I had nothing to do with it," he said flatly. "I swear on my life... Which, uh... apparently is at stake? I don't deal with Shinra unless I set the terms. I hate those punks."
"Whoo... Okay, I guess I'm rusty at being the bad guy, 'cause you seem believable... Sorry, Mr. Dio!" Tifa laughed as she cheerfully backed off, surprising Dio. He'd been expecting that this nether regions would disappear, but upon seeing Tifa's legitimate regret, Dio decided to let the issue go. That, and if she did change her mind, he probably wouldn't make it out intact. "But that begs the question: Who did betray us?" she wondered quietly.
I don't think it was Yuffie... So that leaves Cait Sith. But, he doesn't have any way to contact the Shinra that I'm aware of. Have we been followed by someone else?
"Uh... Minus the fact that my friend just threatened to gut you, there is a request we want to make of you," sighed Cloud. Dio didn't seem to hold a grudge, at least, so Cloud decided to go on ahead with the plan. "You bought a Keystone from a merchant named Henschel, and we need to borrow it... Do we have any chance of doing that?" he asked politely.
"What? The Keystone? You want to borrow that?" wondered Dio incredulously. Given that he'd bought it for his mother in law, 'losing' it would at least give him an excuse not to give it to her. "Yeah, I can lend it you... If you fight in my Battle Arena!" he said forcefully. "But it won't be easy! It's a series of battles back to back, and in between each round you're required to sacrifice either some of your mana or some of your stamina! It'll be of your choice, of course. But don't think I'm going to just give it to you. I intend to make this the fight of your life, and excite the fans like never before!"
"Sacrifice?!" gasped Aerith, holding her hands to her mouth. Minus the question of how he'd do it, there was no certainty that Cloud could hold up against a gauntlet of unknown enemies in addition to weakening himself after each round. "Cloud... If you overextend yourself again, I might not be able to patch you back up..." she said darkly. "The only reason you recovered from using Materia Fusion last time is because Bugenhagen's folks gave you therapy."
"First off: I'm stronger than when I first used that. Second point: We don't have a choice, Aerith..." Cloud said flatly. After he'd trained with Bugenhagen, he had toughened himself to the point where he could use Materia Infusion, so short of fighting something really nasty Cloud thought he could manage somehow.
What kind of fighters am I going up against? Humans? I don't want to have to hold back, so I hope it isn't humans that I'm fighting...
Scene Six
Fortunately for Cloud, Dio's Battle Arena only involved humans as the challengers. In lieu of fighting people, Dio's scouts had collected a number of unique monsters from around the world, some of which were actually artificially created and designed for providing maximum mayhem to the challengers. The Battle Arena was actually the place that Cloud and the others had been cornered the first time they'd visited the Gold Saucer. It consisted of a huge, circular platform surrounded completely by lava and held up by four giant chains, making the arena essentially the middle of hell. As Dio had explained, there was no rest between rounds.
"Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen! We have a new challenger today that hails from a certain group whose name I'm required to withhold!"" called out Dio over his loudspeaker. The crowds that had been gathered included both high brow customers and the lowest of the low, situated high above the arena. While the higher echelon got the best seats, even the cheap seats only cost a couple thousand Gil. "Today is a throw down in five rounds!" he said excitedly, flashing all five digits. "Whenever you're ready, draw your sword and let 'er rip!"
Being in the center of a strange, twisted audience certainly didn't fill Cloud with any joy. Fighting for the enjoyment of a bunch of strangers just felt wrong, somehow. As he looked into the stands and saw his friends, however, he found a certain satisfaction. Aerith and Tifa in particular were the two he wanted to impress, although he couldn't pin down who he was fighting for. Maybe even both of them? As the spectators stared down at him, Cloud silently forced his thoughts out of his mind, clearing it as best he could.
What is wrong with me?! I'm fighting for everyone... Why do I keep looking at those two? I must be losing my mind... They're all my friends, including those two. So... Bah. Screw it. It's time to kick some ass and chew some bubble gum. Guess what I just ran out of?
Through his own doubts, Cloud's fingers slowly inched towards his blade. When, in a single instant he drew his sword and brandished it flashily, a wild cheer erupted from the stands. Before Cloud could decide on how he felt about that, four hatches opened up in the center of the arena and four motorized tanks lifted up into the arena. They were the same enemies that Dyne's lackeys had tried to sic on him way back when, large, bull like spiked vehicles that could fire machine guns. For a moment, Cloud wondered if they were using live ammunition, and received his answer as he was forced to avoid a hail of gunfire, the bullets striking the opposite wall and scattering to the sides. As he dodged, he was unable to hide his shock.
They are shooting to kill?!
Cloud twirled his sword in front of him like a pinwheel, deflecting the ammunition long enough for him to break through their gunfire. When they had stopped firing and began reloading, he quickly took the Buster Sword in both hands and swept with a powerful horizontal slash that cleaved the four tanks in half. To the wild cheers of the crowd, the remnants fell inert to the floor of the arena. Cloud quickly realized that the leftovers would remain on the field to obstruct him further, shortening the space he had to fight in.
Damn. It's going to get real crowded, real fast...
"And so we have a victory in record time! The four Bull Motors stood no chance against our amazing challenger!" exclaimed Dio over the loudspeaker. From up above, he input a few controls and the ceiling opened slightly to reveal a tiny circle of light. "Round One is over! Now, our challenger must choose to sacrifice mana or stamina!" he roared. Cloud had no idea what that was supposed to mean, and had no idea how they'd actually take anything from him, but he decided he wanted to remain healthy enough to fight.
Can he even do this? I kind of doubt it...
"I choose mana!" yelled Cloud. While at first nothing happened, from the hole in the ceiling a thin beam shot down into the arena. To Cloud's amazement, the beam flattened to cover the entire fighting area, himself included, and once the light touched him he could feel his mana reserves take a massive dip. It felt like someone had pricked him with hundreds, if not thousands of needles, and he immediately sagged slightly before rising back up.
God damn! He actually... Oh, crap, this is going to suck...
Instead of rising from beneath the arena, Cloud's next opponent dropped from a gap in the ceiling and began to float in the arena. It was a huge, tentacled jellyfish of some sort, and the monster seemed to barely even exist; it was so slim and unassuming that he guessed it had to have some sort of trick to it. Cloud swiftly ran forward and slashed at the Crown Lance, but it just as swiftly slipped out of the way, narrowly dodging in much the same fashion that Reno had. Subsequent attacks produced similar results, until finally Cloud's patience broke and he hurled a large bolt of lightning at the Crown Lance that struck and vaporized it. As it dissolved, Cloud quickly realized that he'd overexerted his mana. He'd been so wrapped up in emotion that he hadn't controlled the amount he'd used up, and it hurt.
I felt that! I used up more mana than I thought it would!
"Another win for our challenger! Our lovely Crown Lance has fallen before an onslaught of lightning that literally fried it!" exclaimed Dio. As the others looked down at the scene below, Aerith quickly realized that Cloud's mana had dropped to about sixty percent. Another drain could endanger his ability to fight. "Now! Does the challenger choose mana or stamina?!" he shouted proudly.
Not that I want to find out what he means by stamina... But I want to keep my mana at a decent level...
"I choose... stamina!" shouted Cloud. Again a tiny blue speck shot down from the ceiling, quickly widening into a large field of energy that struck Cloud. He quickly regretted his decision. Rather than being pricked by needles, it felt like he'd been hit in the gut, and he immediately dropped to one knee in pain. The field had literally sapped his ability to move around!
S-Son of a... Well, I'm not doing that again! What comes next?!
Again the floor cracked open and a large form emerged, one that he was quite familiar with. This Heavy Tank was colored differently, but its body looked just as sturdy as it had at Gongaga. As it rose higher and higher, Cloud's eyes widened like dinner plates in the worst way possible. In the stands, Aerith and Tifa immediately shouted out his name, but Cloud had no time to respond to them before its eyes began to glow. He did, however, manage to throw out an expletive.
Oh, come on! Are you kidding me?! That stupid thing?!
The Heavy Tank's body began to rumble, seemingly generating power. Cloud didn't waste any time, hurling a blast of lightning at the creature that busted a hole in its treads. At the very least, he thought, that was an improvement. That optimism quickly disappeared as the Heavy Tank shot out its claw at Cloud. Though he dodged and slashed at the steel cord, he was unable to penetrate it, though after using all the strength in his body he managed to slash it off. The Heavy Tank launched itself forward and slammed into Cloud, and the only reason he didn't fall into the lava was because he'd embedded the Buster Sword in the Tank's torso and managed to keep himself from falling off. At last it retreated, and Cloud disengaged by dragging his weapon and cutting a wide gap in the Tank's treads before skidding back to a halt.
At least I can damage it! I don't have the energy to waste using anything special here...
As the Heavy Tank launched its remaining claw, Cloud quickly dodged out of the way. When it swung it back at him, however, he was forced to jump over the cord. He landed nimbly on the opposite side of the Tank, but was promptly forced on the defensive again when the Tank lashed the claw back towards him. Cloud used as much strength as he could to jump over the attack, braced against the ground and launched himself high into the air, sword outstretched. The jump dug the blade of his weapon into the Heavy Tank's torso and he, more or less, cut it in half from the center up. As it dropped on the ground in two pieces, Cloud barely managed to keep himself from throwing up before he was able to land.
God! I am so sick of that thing...
"Round Three is over, folks! The Heavy Tank stood no chance against our challenger!" cheered Dio. As the crowd went wild, for a brief moment Cloud lifted his weapon in victory. That was quickly ended as the ceiling opened up again. "And now he has to choose again! Mana or stamina! Which will he choose?!" Dio wondered loudly. Cloud cursed again, but he could feel the strain of the battle taking a toll on him.
I do not want to give up any more health...
"I choose mana!" Cloud exclaimed. Almost instantly the ray struck the ground and expanded into a field that, when it connected, dropped Cloud to one knee again. He could feel his mana dissipate, leaving his body with a single, massive gut punch. Somehow, however, he managed to lift himself to his feet again as the floor opened up to reveal the next opponents: three large lizards, each roughly his size, with fins and claws that looked sharp enough to clash with his sword. Cloud had no time to think, and before he realized it he'd charged forward and gave a horizontal slash that beheaded the three of them at once. He landed more or less nimbly, at least, but as he did he narrowly managed to keep his lunch down.
Is that it...?! Please, tell me that's it!
"And the Under Lizards go down! Four of our five rounds have been ended with amazing talent!" screamed Dio, causing Cloud to mutter a word that couldn't be printed. After all that, he couldn't believe there was still one round to go. "And, for the final time comes the question! Mana? Stamina? Tell us, brave challenger!" Dio called triumphantly. Cloud, incredulous at the scenario, weighed his options as best he could.
No matter what I choose, I can barely stand... But the only way I can end this quick is if I cut the sucker with my strongest attack! This is going to be one of the worst decisions I've ever made...
"I choose... Ugh... Stamina!" Cloud shouted, to the horror of the crowd and his own terror. The beam struck the floor and sent out a field of energy that literally dropped him to his knees and forced him to dig his sword into the ground to even remain upright. In the stands, none of his friends could believe that he'd kept fighting this long, and amongst them all Tifa began to shake the most, out of fear that he was pushing himself too far.
No... I don't think I can take any more of this!
For the final time, the floor opened and a huge, mechanical cyborg shaped like a gorilla lifted up. Its size was at least equal to the Heavy Tank, and with Cloud struggling to even stand, it didn't seem likely he could fight any more. As he struggled, his sweat drenched body barely managed to stand upright. He finally lifted his sword high into the air, taking it in both hands, and pulsed all the remaining mana he had left into the Buster Sword, though he only barely managed to stand upright.
Yep, one of the worst decisions I've ever made...
Cloud braced himself for the final time, certain that this would be the deciding blow. Then again, it had to be. Dio's machine had pushed him even further than when he'd fought the original Heavy Tank, and to use Materia Infusion again seemed outright stupid, but they had to get the Keystone to get to Sephiroth. The cyborg gorilla, its arms at least as big as Cloud's torso, slowly began to approach, using its powerful knuckles to drag its massive body forward.
Okay, sucker... I'm going to make you regret they ever made you!
Closing his eyes tight, Cloud's aura flowed up from his feet to the tip of the Buster Sword, and, using all the strength he had left, he slammed his weapon straight down. The resulting impact struck the cyborg and cut it in half, and when the sword hit the floor the monster was engulfed in a maelstrom of fire and lightning that was just as big as when he'd defeated the Stinger back in Cosmo Canyon, and the mechanical monkey dissolved into massive shreds of metal. The ground cracked, but somehow managed to remain intact, as the crowd stood in stunned silence. That silence lasted for only a few moments, then the crowd erupted into thunderous applause, cheering fans shouting out in amazement. His friends, however, shouted out in horror as Cloud dropped face first onto the floor and fell unconscious. Before he passed out, he managed a smile bigger than what he'd been expecting.
Hey... I feel like I can whip Sephiroth after all this garbage... Ain't that just peachy...
Scene Seven
Well, I still feel alive, so that's a plus. But after all that, next time I see Dio, I'm going to kick him in the nuts for making me go through that!
"Yeah, punk! I'm going to..."
"You're going to do what?"
His eyes jumbled as if he were made of broken puzzle pieces, Cloud's mind wavered and rippled across a dozen wavelengths. When his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was Tifa, smiling warmly. Every bone in his body ached, but it wasn't as bad as he was expecting. Dio's medics were first class. As Cloud slowly lifted himself up in bed, he found a set of knuckles in front of his face. After cracking a smile, one that burst into a laugh, he took his fist and bumped it with Tifa's triumphantly before dropping back down onto the bed with a deep groan.
I never want to do that again!
"You took a real beating out there!" said Tifa with a forced smile. Watching Cloud push himself to the edge and beyond, she'd almost lost her lunch. By the time they'd managed to patch Cloud up, she had gone through an entire pot of coffee in an attempt to make herself stay awake. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
"You know, living the dream... But I'm going to make Dio hurt for all that!" growled Cloud. Despite the fact that he put on a tough guy act, Cloud could feel that his body needed more time to recover before they could head out again. "But I am pretty winded, so..." he sighed, turning a smile to Tifa. "Can we stay the night together until I get better?" Almost immediately, as soon as the words came out, Cloud quickly drew his hands up to his mouth in shock.
I didn't mean it like that! Oh, crap!
"Wh... What did you just say?" rasped Tifa, her own hands going to her mouth as well. Even though she'd realized what Cloud was trying to say, the words still hit her like a ton of bricks. Her conversation with Yuffie fresh in her mind, Tifa's emotions began to beat from her chest and out her mouth in a quick and haggard breath. "What... did you..." she stammered, her heartbeat quickening,
"I didn't... I mean, I meant all of us together!" Cloud stuttered, doing his best to salvage the situation. The level of awkwardness in the room rocketed up to the stratosphere, and neither of them could look the other in the eye. "You know what I meant, right? I meant we all have to stay together..." he stammered. "That was all I meant! I need to stay here for a while longer... that's all I meant!"
"Turns out you two don't get a voice in the matter, 'cause we're beached!" Aerith said quietly as she walked into the room. As both Cloud and Tifa nearly jumped out of their skin in shock, Aerith hesitantly stepped forward towards Cloud's bed. Hearing Cloud say the words, even if he didn't mean them like that, felt like an arrow to her heart. Although her fist tightened, she quickly shook it off and pulled up a chair next to Tifa. "We can't leave, period!" she sighed as she plopped down. "The gondola is down right now, and without it we can't leave the Gold Saucer!"
"Oh, well that's just great!" Tifa hissed, folding her arms over her chest. At this point, all she wanted to do was get the Keystone and get the hell out. Her stress level had been maxed out, between Cloud's ordeal and the incident they'd just stumbled through. "So what do we do?" she growled. "Where are we going to stay?!"
"I've booked us rooms at the hotel in Ghost Square! And I brought flowers for our hero!" tittered Cait Sith. As he and his moogle hopped into the infirmary, the cat tossed a small bouquet of flowers at Cloud. Though he caught it, Cloud sent back a killer glare that nearly made the flowers wilt, and Cait Sith's mood went with it. "Don't shoot the messenger, geez!" he gasped. "I was just trying to be nice!"
"We have rooms already?! Shouldn't everything be booked?!" gasped Aerith. The more she looked at Cait Sith, and the lower his eyes went when she tried to meet his gaze, the more suspicious she became. "How did you get the arrangements made in just a few hours?" she asked pointedly. "Do you know someone we don't?"
"Oh, that? I'm a card carrying member of the... um... Let's just say I called in a few favors, okay?!" exclaimed Cait Sith, waving his hands up in self defense. Although his cat body was unable to sweat, his real body immediately moistened. "The bill is on the house!" he stammered. "I know these people! That's all that matters, right? That we get our rooms? Well, let's go! Everyone's waiting in the hotel!"
Tseng's already on his way. What am I supposed to do?
Scene Eight
Ghost Square's hotel was more or less what you'd expect from the name. Its rooms had a vaguely Victorian look about them, including for some reason an iron maiden liquor cabinet in each room. In the lobby, various ghouls and specters loitered, with two of them even playing an ethereal game of Chess. So, as everyone filed into the lobby, Yuffie, as one would expect, was a bit on edge.
"Holy crap! We are in a haunted hotel! Gawd!" shrieked a panic stricken Yuffie, gripping her head in both hands. Even though part of her realized that they were being treated to a gimmick, the vast majority was as drenched in horror as she began to sweat profusely upon seeing the Chess playing ghosts. "It's bad enough I'm traveling with Count Dracula!" she yowled. "How am I supposed to sleep next to some sort of weird, messed up, nosferatu, freaky son of a-"
"Calm down," Vincent ordered coldly. The intensity and the forcefulness of how he said it immediately caused her to seize up and fall limply into his embrace. Rather than be upset, he was more amused than anything else, and gently carried her to a chair where he laid her unconscious body to rest. "Now, I suppose we have other business?" he asked, pulling up a chair and sitting backwards in it. "Namely, why exactly are we running all around the world?"
"Yeah, I second the motion! I just joined this crazy bunch of freaks, and I could use some info!" seconded Cid, leaning into a recliner and clicking open his lighter. Before he could light his cigarette, it was quickly extinguished by a nearby ghost. Although he tried to hit it, Cid was unable to strike the specter, and so dropped to his seat with a huff. "They should've just had a sign that says No Smoking on the damn door! God!" he snarled.
"Oh... Okay... I guess that seems to be in order, yeah..." sighed Cloud. After dragging a chair from a nearby table, he sat down in it backwards and examined each of his friends. Some of them were savory, though the majority weren't, but that wasn't the point. "We call ourselves AVALANCHE, an anti-Shinra insurgency group," explained Cloud. "Our mission is twofold: take out Shinra in the long run, and find and defeat Sephiroth in the short term. Our objective is to keep Sephiroth from finding the Promised Land."
"Oh, so it's like that? Got it..." sighed Cid. Given that the situation still made no sense, he quickly slammed his fist on a nearby table, startling its inhabitants. "What the hell is the Promised Land?!" he snarled. "And why does Sephiroth want to find it?! What, is it the place where Happy Hour lasts all day?"
"The Promised Land is the final destination of the Cetra, the end point of their journey," explained Aerith. "It's a place of harmony and peace, but Shinra has a different interpretation... They think it's a fountain of Mako, and want to build their new capital city there so they can screw up the Planet even more," she said darkly. "According to what my mother told me, the Cetra will return to the Promised Land and find infinite happiness."
"Sounds like Happy Hour to me... If Shinra gets another source of Mako, they'd be on Cloud Nine..." Cid said. His interpretation was that, if they found the Promised Land, they'd never restart the Space Program, and that pissed him off. "But I got a question: What the hell is a Cetra?"
"The Cetra are what the Ancients call themselves," Aerith explained. While she was familiar with the term, most non-Cetra weren't. "The Promised Land is something you know you reach when you're there, and no sooner..." she sighed. "Other than that, to us, it's a total mystery... And..."
"And?" Vincent asked pointedly, startling Aerith. In his assessment, finding the Promised Land for Shinra was an obvious source of Mako, but Sephiroth's objective was foggier. "Why, precisely, is Sephiroth looking for the Promised Land?" he wondered. His eyes narrowed at Aerith, staring straight into her soul. "I take it you have an idea that we aren't aware of..."
"His... His objective is... Probably..." stuttered Aerith, unsure of what she wanted to say. He'd said to meet him at the Temple of the Ancients and alluded to the idea that he wanted to summon something, and after remembering what her mother had told her, it could only be one thing, but she wanted to keep her cards close to her vest. "It's probably the Black Materia..." she sighed.
"Black Materia?! What the devil is that?!" exclaimed Red XIII. Whatever it meant, the term 'Black', if it referred to Black Magic, had connotations that were far from pleasant. "Do you know what it is, Aerith?" he wondered. After thinking a bit, he narrowed his eyes. "Of course you do, if you know he's looking for it."
"Materia is the solidification of Mako, and naturally there are thousands of them, but throughout all of Gaia there are two special materia, created by the Planet itself," explained Aerith, holding up two fingers. "The Black Materia, used to invoke the Ultimate Destruction Magic..." she began, folding one of her fingers. "And the White Materia, which invokes the Ultimate Force of Creation..."
"Huh? What's that? What happened?! Why am I sitting down?!" shrieked Yuffie as she came to. Somehow she'd managed to regain consciousness just as Aerith began to explain the Black Materia, though a quick look at Vincent quickly jolted her awake. "So Sephiroth's looking for the Black Materia..." she began, still trembling from shock. "What about the White Materia? What exactly does this ultimate force of creation do?"
"All I know are the names of the materia and the spells, not the specifics," Aerith said quickly. She was lying, because she didn't want to tell them that she not only knew what the White Materia did, she was carrying it. "No one knows their locations or what would happened if they're invoked..." she sighed. "But I do know that the Black Materia can cause unimaginable damage to the world!"
"Um... Aerith? There's something that's been bothering me..." Red XIII whimpered. All this talk had somehow revived his doubts, doubts that had been building ever since they'd visited Nibelheim. "In Nibelheim, you saw a creature that was tattooed like I am, and kept muttering Sephiroth's name..." he began hesitantly. "Does that mean I'm going to end up like that thing?"
"I wish I could tell you a hundred percent, but I don't think you're going to become like those things," explained Aerith. She hoped he wouldn't, as she was the only one who had seen beneath its cloak and she didn't want that to happen to her friend. "But the people who get tattooed are apparently part of his agenda..." she began. "It's like he's steering them somewhere, but..."
"That's it... It has to be it! Sephiroth's Reunion!" gasped Cloud. Thinking back, Sephiroth had said that the Reunion was up north, but no one had been more north than Rocket Town. "If it's beyond Rocket Town... It has to be on the northern continent!" he resolved. "But I've never heard of a ship that can take you there..."
"That must be what that little prick Rufus was talking about back in Rocket Town... Why they needed my Tiny Bronco!" exclaimed Cid. "So, to get the Black Materia, they need to get to the Temple of the Ancients..." he reasoned. "And to get to the Temple of the Ancients, we need to use the Keystone! But where's the damn Temple?!"
"This is all making my head spin... Can we all go to bed?" asked Cait Sith. Everyone had forgotten he was even there, and whether he wanted them to or not was unclear. "Everyone has their own rooms... Except..."
"Except? What do you mean, except?" wondered Cloud pointedly. At this point, his own suspicions had begun to bubble up. There was something wrong with Cait Sith, but he didn't know what.
"You see, um... Well... We have nine people, but only eight rooms..." whimpered Cait Sith. "So one of us has to double up..." he explained, much to his friends' displeasure. "I booked everyone's room separate except for Yuffie and Vincent, so... They'll be sharing a double bedroom..."
Upon hearing this, Yuffie gave a horrific shriek and passed out. Cold. Vincent would have to carry her to their room himself. So, once everyone turned in, Cait Sith alone remained in the lobby. Far away in Midgar, even now, Reeve's loyalties had reached the point of no return.
I may have a job to do... but I also have people who need me. I've finally decided.
Scene Nine
The rooms in the Ghost Hotel were more or less typical to a normal hotel room, with a couple of differences. First off, the view was abysmal; darkness, clouds, and thunder were mostly all there was to look at outside. There were two beds in each room, so Vincent and Yuffie could sleep in the same room, although Yuffie was far from pleased with the arrangements and loudly voiced that opinion. One of the highlights of the room was an iron maiden that doubled as a liquor cabinet, thankfully missing the spikes and instead providing excellent alcohol. As he looked out at the darkness, Cloud's thoughts were as dark and murky as the view outside.
What the devil is Sephiroth going to do with the Black Materia? For that matter, what does the damn thing do? Then we have the tattooed people and the Reunion... Am I being used, too? God, this is a mess. I don't know what I'm supposed to think, let alone do...
"Um... Cloud?"
Cloud turned from the window when the door was rapped on. At first he didn't know what to think, but when the door was knocked on a second time, he walked towards it and drew it open to reveal a very timid Tifa, her eyes never meeting his. He thought back to what happened in the infirmary, and then what he'd talked to Cid about in Wutai. Somehow, Cloud was unable to pin down any words that he might say, or even find the breath it would take to open his mouth. Tifa seemed similarly afflicted, although her resolve was a bit stronger.
"Tifa? What are you doing here?!" rasped Cloud as he finally mustered up the courage to talk. When he saw the apprehension in her eyes, however, Cloud was unable to even speak. Slowly, he managed the courage it took to swallow his emotions and form words. "Tifa, what are you-"
"I-It's nothing, don't worry about it! Really!" Tifa stammered madly, her resolve seemingly crumbling. Then, the tiny ember inside her lit back up. "Do you... Do you think we can look around the Gold Saucer for a little?" she wondered. "I mean, it's okay if you say no, it's just-"
"No... We can... take a little walk..." Cloud gasped. Once again words failed him. He wondered what Tifa was thinking, then his own emotions came into question. Finally, he forced a smile onto his face. "Where do you want to go first?" he asked pensively.
Cloud and Tifa spent the next hour wandering around the Saucer. In some cases they watched the chocobo races, in others they talked about the hellish bingo machine they'd gone through way back when. They attended a play in Event Square, where Tifa played an imperiled princess and Cloud the valiant hero. As the event unfolded and the dialogue began to change towards romance, however, the two of them quickly shut down and the other actors were forced to improvise an end to the play themselves. Once they'd ruined the event, they both ended up in Round Square, where a gondola would take them on a trip around the Gold Saucer.
"Two tickets, please!" Tifa tittered to the attendant. Even as the words came out, so did her apprehension. Cloud seemed to share it, and when they were asked if they were a couple, the attendant was shocked to find Tifa openly hostile and threatening. Despite the attendant's terror and Cloud's apprehension, they both shared an uncomfortable glance before entering the gondola. The ride began, and the gondola began to circle the Saucer. As they both began to come in sight of the chocobo races, Tifa slowly turned her eyes to Cloud. "Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked timidly. Receiving no response, she slammed her fist into the bench and cracked it open. "I said, are you enjoying yourself?" Tifa asked more pointedly.
"I'm awake! I..." gasped a horribly startled Cloud, immediately coming to. As he did, there was a sharp burst of light that signaled the beginning of the fireworks. They both looked out at the glorious sight around them, staring out of the gondola at the fireworks, and neither of them had yet come to a conclusion of what to say.
"We've... We've been through an awful lot, right, Cloud?" asked Tifa. They really had been, but that wasn't what she wanted to say, just what came out. "We started in Midgar, then left, and now we're here..." she said softly.
"Yeah! It's been one hell of a ride, hasn't it?" Cloud laughed, leaning back in his seat. He wanted to find something to say, but nothing came to mind and so he winged it. "But it's a lot more fun with you! I mean we-" Immediately as the words exited his mouth, Cloud shut it hard enough to make his teeth hurt. Tifa was similarly shaken, and for the rest of the ride no words were exchanged, but Tifa's thoughts continued to echo in her head like her racing heartbeat.
I just can't ask it. He must have tried to come to me... Right?
Cloud's own thoughts were similarly muddled. He also remembered the promise he'd made that night, and through all his doubts, the one thought he came back to was that he couldn't keep it. That regret, that doubt, was also all he heard inside his own head.
How am I feeling right now? All I can do is keep smiling... But... Just seeing her smile, it... it makes me feel... kind of good...
Scene Ten
Following a very uncomfortable ride back down in the gondola, Cloud and Tifa left the nervous attendant alone and quietly took the elevator back to the lobby. Though neither of them exchanged a word, once they saw Cait Sith there they quickly opened their eyes in shock. Once they'd watched him holding the Keystone, their mouths spewed some words that simply can't be printed, and Cait Sith jumped inside the bingo machine, and before they realized what they were doing, they'd both followed him. They quickly regretted that decision as they were again dropped into the hellish bingo machine, which was just as chaotic as they'd remembered. Through their screams and yowls, they carefully kept track of Cait Sith, and as he dropped into the elevator for Chocobo Square, they quickly jumped in after him.
"Hey! Get back here, you son of a bitch!" shrieked Tifa. As she landed, to Cait Sith's horror, she hardened her fist and lunged towards him. The cat atop his moogle desperately turned to run, and an infuriated Tifa ran after him with Cloud close behind. Although they bobbed and weaved through the gamblers, despite all their efforts Cait Sith broke free and out of the lobby. Before Tifa could turn to maul him, she turned her eyes to the sky and, to her horror, saw Tseng in a helicopter, his hand outstretched. "Don't... Don't do it, you stupid-" she rasped in anger, but before she could react, Cait Sith hurled the Keystone into Tseng's hand, and the helicopter quickly flew away as soon as he'd snatched it up. Shaken, Tifa dropped to her knees and started to tremble.
"Bastard!" Cloud screamed, drawing his sword and holding it to Cait Sith's neck. As it came to rest just short of his carotid, the cat didn't even flinch. Cloud, trembling with rage, tightened his grip and narrowly resisted cutting off the cat's head. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" he yowled.
"Okay, cards on the table, I'm a spy Shinra inserted into your group," Cait Sith said quickly. Even with the threat to his life, however, he remained unmoved and made no effort to defend himself.
"Y-Y-You stupid...!" Tifa rasped, her fury growing. She'd finally got the answer to her question. "You led the Turks to Gongaga!" she roared. "You brought us head long into a trap that could have killed us!" she shouted, grabbing Cait Sith by the throat. Before she could finish the job, however, the crafty cat slipped out of her grasp.
"Okay, okay, so I kind of betrayed you and led you into a trap, yeah... That much is true!" protested Cait Sith. Still, despite his friends' clear and present danger to himself, the cat shrugged and extended his hand to Cloud. "But, hey, water under the bridge, right?" he tittered. "Let's go to the Temple tomorrow!"
"You... jerk!" hissed Cloud, finally losing his composure and grabbing Cait Sith by the throat. To his horror, the cat's eyes went blank and his body went limp. Horrified, Cloud dropped Cait Sith to the floor, where he quickly returned to life and massaged his throat. "Wh... What in..." he gasped, unsure of what had happened.
"Remember when I first met you? I called myself a Toysaurus... and it wasn't 'cause of the moogle!" tittered Cait Sith cheerfully. "I mean, it's partially the moogle, but the gist of it is that I control this cat from my own body, which is in Midgar!" he tittered. "So, you could cut off the cat's head and I could still make the body dance! Nothing you do can touch me!"
"You... rotten..." Tifa choked, trying to gather herself into a state where she could form language. Finally, she managed to keep herself from cursing and narrowed her eyes at Cait Sith. "Tell us your name!" she hissed.
"Afraid I can't, it's classified. But, like I said, I may be from Shinra, but you guys have stoked my interest!" said Cait Sith, with a bit more seriousness. "All the things you've done... the heroics... I must admit, it inspired me!" he laughed. "So, we're going to go to the Temple tomorrow!"
"You know what?!" snarled Cloud, ready for a fight as his anger began to peak. "Go to hell!"
"Papa! Tifa!" Once Marlene's voice popped from the cat's mouth, Cloud and Tifa nearly went limp. "Please save me! The scary guys took me from Aerith's mom!" she sobbed. "They say they want to make you do something! Please-"
"You... You son of a...!" rasped Tifa. Losing her composure and forgetting that it was a doll, she took Cait Sith's cat head by the throat and pulled it up to her face, which was in a state of fury that she'd never been in before. If Cait Sith could breathe, he wouldn't be at the moment. "You take a child hostage and expect us to work with you?! When I see you," she snarled, "I'm going to murder you!"
"I'd suggest against that, Tifa!" said Cait Sith, this time with dead seriousness. As she furiously hurled the cat on top of the moogle, it feebly climbed back on top and bowed its head. "You need me to get to the Temple of the Ancients..." he said darkly. "And tomorrow, I'm going to lead you straight there!" Before Cloud could react, Cait Sith's eyes began to glow. "This isn't up for discussion. Reconvene with the others in the morning, folks," said Cait Sith menacingly. Begrudgingly, Cloud and Tifa could do nothing but gnash their teeth and return to their rooms.
In the morning everyone gathered back together in the lobby, although of them there were three who hadn't slept. Unbeknownst to the majority of them, there had been a massive and upsetting development the night before. Had Barret known what had happened, there would be a very dead cat doll. But, because none of them knew what had happened, the party reconvened in relative satisfaction... Minus Yuffie.
"Do you guys have any idea what I went through last night?! Of course you don't! 'Cause you got to sleep!" yowled Yuffie, balling her fists and puffing out her chest. "I laid next to Count freaking Dracula for hours and he never went to sleep!" she shrieked, grabbing her head in both hands. "I would love to make you jerks pay for this, but I can't freaking keep my eyes open!"
"Oh, shut up," snarled Tifa, frightening Yuffie enough that she fell over. She hadn't gotten any sleep either, instead pondering innovative ways to torture Cait Sith's true identity. The simple idea that they involved Marlene made her angrier than she'd ever been, or likely would ever be. "We have bigger issues than you and your stupid insomnia..." she growled.
"Yeah, 'cause we have to get to the Temple of the Ancients before Shinra does!" tittered Cait Sith. Despite sensing an incredible amount of blood lust from Tifa, the cat slyly shushed her. "I mean, we all have issues to deal with, and some of them can't be helped..." he said quietly, causing Tifa's eye to twitch. He was threatening her. "The Temple is located on an island far to the east of Gongaga, so we'll need to take the Tiny Bronco." he declared.
"I'm going, and there's no one who'll tell me otherwise!" Aerith said, raising her hand forcefully. No one wanted to attempt to object, so she continued on. "I think it should be me, Tifa, and Cloud... We're the ones with the most stake in this!" she said with a laugh.
"And I'm coming with you!" trilled Cait Sith. Tifa's eyes snapped open in anger and she started to storm towards him, but Cait Sith lifted his hand and shook his head. "I'll miniaturize my moogle so I can go incognito. And it's not up for debate," he said cheerfully, further enraging Tifa, "Because you guys need me there! So, it's like you guys don't have a choice, see?" said Cait Sith more forcefully.
"OKAY!" roared Tifa, her body trembling hard enough that she nearly shattered. She took her fist, hardened it, and slammed it into the table that the ghosts were playing Chess on, blasting it apart, cracking the floor open, and somehow causing the ghosts to flee in terror. As the remains of the table began to crumble and her friends stared in mute horror, Tifa glared furiously at Cait Sith and began to quake in anger. "We're going," she snarled. "And we're going now! Get ready or else!"
No one else but Cloud knew the reason she was angry, but none of them either wanted to ask or wanted to even address Tifa. Cloud could only grit his teeth and clench his fists, staring at Barret with incredible emotion bubbling from inside. If Barret had any idea what had happened last night, he'd be on his way back to Midgar to ferret Reeve out, and they didn't have time for that. Yuffie, for her part, promptly screamed and dropped to the floor unconscious. Vincent, however, had a very different opinion, and the glare in his eyes told Reeve what he thought of him. He hadn't heard what happened, but the tension between Tifa and Cait Sith told him enough to deduce what had happened.
What did you do? Whatever you did, you should pray you never meet us in person.
Author's Notes
Let me start by saying that my research into onsen consisted of the Wikipedia page, mixed with my experiences in anime/manga. If I got something wrong, which I almost certainly did, I apologize. But I enjoyed writing the pieces in the onsen, and as you folks have no doubt guessed by now, I'm a big Cloud/Tifa fan. I actually considered adding Cloud/Tifa to the description for the fic, but decided against it. Not sure if I'd consider it a hundred percent canon, but I think there are enough hints that I decided to take it and run with it and the Cloud/Tifa/Aerith love triangle. Also note that this story is essentially Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith's story, with the others playing backup. I assure you, it wasn't intentional, sorry if it bothers you folks. Again, all of this is pulled straight out of my butt, anyway...
I might have overdone it with the Battle Arena thing, but I enjoyed writing it. I put some thought into the whole handicap system that the Battle Arena uses, and I couldn't justify poisoning Cloud or snapping his sword in half, so I decided on what ended up showing up. Hopefully I didn't push my (at this point, limited) credibility with the hell Cloud went through? Also note that I added in his Climhazzard Limit Break as a spur of the moment thought. In this story, I've made it a point that people don't call out their attack names like in Dragon Ball, so it didn't get named, same as all the other special attacks the characters use. I suppose I could have BSed my way through it...
Next note: Sorry if I made Tifa too brutal again. But I enjoyed every minute of it. ^_^ Having her destroy things, for whatever reason, just makes me happy. And even if she is in a better mood now, threatening Marlene would probably give her enough reason to be royally pissed off.