Another chapter is here!
Enjoy!
The next day after that call from Kunsel, Cloud sat atop Mount Tamblin and overlooked Fort Tamblin. The group had just gotten through cleaning out the area of the monsters that moved in after the war, though Aerith stated that she felt many uneasy souls of dead Wutai and Shinra forces lingering. After that, Yuffie's father pointed them to a secret base hidden nearby that fed into the mountain and eluded detection during the war.
Cid and Shera were hard at work in getting the repairs underway using the parts from the captured machinery. They'd offered to help, but Cid threw them out. He didn't want to be distracted and, in his defense, none of them were engineers, so they couldn't do much.
After that they split up. Crimson took to exploring the fort for some reason, while Aerith wanted to get someplace closer to Lifestream and took Yuffie with her using Mog. As for Cloud, memories came unbidden as he stared at the fort.
He recalled the events that Zack had gone through here. He recalled Angeal, the Genesis Clones, and Sephiroth. He even recalled Yuffie met Zack here, though she didn't exactly know him by name. When he compared himself to them, he questioned his own strength more than his identity now.
Kunsel mentioned someone with SOLDIER modifications managed to overpower him, which Cloud barely managed to do. It said a lot when Kunsel had far more skill with his sword than Cloud did. His strength was his strongest asset, so if he met this Azul and lost to him in that department, he would likely die and the others would follow after him.
His thoughts went back to the night before and the kiss. Crimson's body was warm, her lips were soft, and he found himself wanting to experience that again. Yet, when he recalled how fragile she was as he picked up her limp body, blood coating his fingers and arms as it left her, he couldn't help but ball his hands into fists.
Before he could give her an answer, he needed to sharpen his sword skills. "Odin."
The jolt to his mind was like a blade as he triggered the Summoning Materia. The flash of light gave birth to a looming presence that exuded uncanny power. Clad in argent armor, yet bereft of mount or weapon, the Fell Knight stood at his side.
"Can you tell me your story?" Cloud asked. He'd gotten the idea from Crimson's discussion with Ramuh. If a justiciar who eventually became a legend served as the basis for her summoning, then a Fell Knight that could cleave their enemies in two with a single swipe of his sword must've been a skilled knight in life.
Odin inclined his head forward. Then he spoke, in a voice that was raspy. "I was once a loyal knight that belonged to a valorous kingdom that has long since ceased to exist. Yet, the throne fell into the hands of the son of the previous king, who knew nothing of morals and the value of life. His acts became… unacceptable in the end, thus I became a Kingslayer when my ideals of justice could no longer be shelved for the sake of fealty."
The plate of his armor shifted as the Fell Knight raised his hand to his chest and then clenched his fist. "The act was met with revulsion. Not because it was heinous to slay the man, but because there is nothing more dishonorable that betraying the throne that a knight swore themselves to. I was forced to flee as my head was sought by former comrades who would not hear my words. And, as I did not wish to die, I slew all that approached me in the process."
It made sense to Cloud, to an extent. Zack's memories were similar, facing the corruption and betrayal, he sought to flee and Shinra pursued. But when it became clear that they would never stop chasing them, he chose to return and face them head-on. The price of freedom was steep on both ends as countless troops fell to the Buster Sword before Zack succumbed, yet the lives lost and bonds he fostered were perhaps the only reasons Cloud was still alive and not captured.
"For years, my loyal mount and I fled and fought to survive," Odin continued. "Every clash of steel sharpened my skill, and every corpse left behind added to my infamy. Thus I became known as the Fell Knight, a man turned demon in the eyes of the people, rumored to be able to slay all that crossed my path while atop my steed. "
"And then you died and it stuck?" Cloud guessed.
Odin nodded. "Thirteen knights from a fledgling kingdom approached me for the bounty, and the battle was glorious. Their prowess was unmatched in might and magic, yet I fought on and made each of them bleed. When my body fell under the weight of my wounds and I could no longer move, they vowed to bury my remains with honor before they took my head—a promise they kept when my own countrymen would have not."
He honestly sounded as though he was praising those who killed him. It might have been because it was a different time, but Cloud felt certain he wouldn't have such high words for the people who came to take his life if that happened to him. However, if his prowess with a blade matched the legends, then he was certainly the person to consult.
"I need to be better with my sword," Cloud said. "I can't just rely on brute strength, so I was hoping you could train me."
"Only through combat can one hone their skill," Odin claimed. "I have no qualms with being the one to sharpen your blade, not if it is in service to the Child of the Planet. Whenever you are ready, simply have someone else call me forth to maintain my manifestation as we do battle."
[-oOo-]
Roughly two days later, Yuffie found herself wandering around Wutai now that the repairs to the Tiny Bronco had been completed. Since she was obviously going with the group, she wanted to make sure everything was in order and memorize what she could, since there was no telling when she would be back. She'd already stashed away the excess materia that she had collected in her hiding place, so now she had room to collect even more—in addition to her shiny, new Leviathan Summoning Materia.
She literally had her village's guardian deity at her beck and call… though she probably shouldn't call it out unnecessarily. Not after what happened with her father. She still wasn't sure what to think about the fact that Crimson admitted to her that she would have let it eat him if he didn't keep his end of the bargain.
Fortunately, her thoughts on that subject were shelved when she came home and heard talking coming from downstairs. She cracked open the door to find Cid and Shera inside, the latter of whom she agreed to let stay since someone had to keep the place clean. They were talking to one another in a low tone, but her hearing sharpened enough to catch what they were saying when she concentrated.
"If that's your decision, then I can only remain here," she said. "You will come back though, won't you?"
"Yeah, when all's said and done… listen, about that mess with the rocket launch back then…"
"Yes?"
"I've been doin' some thinkin' since what happened in Rocket Town." He scratched the back of his head for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, I could've been the first man in space. That had been my dream. But when I pressed that button to stop the launch, it all came to an end."
"I'm… so sorry," she said, lowering her head to not meet his eyes. "I know that I've apologized every day since then and it's still not enough, but it's all I can do."
"Quit being daft and let me finish," he said. "Yeah, you made the call for me to continue, but I made the call to stop the launch. That's the choice I made, and the consequences of that was the program being shut down. I lost my dream that day, but when I think about what would have happened if I had gone up to space at the cost of you… "
Yuffie saw where this was going. The signs were all there, yet the gruff pilot was actually hesitating. Seeing the poor woman just standing there, waiting to hear what he had to say, Yuffie decided to take mercy on her and force his hand. "Just tell her you love her!"
Both of their heads turned towards the stairs, where they spotted her.
"This is a private conversation, Brat!" Cid yelled.
"It's my place," she reminded him, grinning. "And I wouldn't need to butt in if you'd just tell her you like her more than anything else in the world. That's what you're trying to say, right?"
"I don't need you puttin' words in my mouth," he said. "I can tell her by myself!"
"Is… that true?" Shera asked cautiously.
He turned back to her and fumbled to find the right words. "I've just been thinkin' on it and, since it's been years now…" He looked anywhere but his assistant and then scowled when he saw Yuffie still there. "How long are you gonna stand there?"
Yuffie did her best not to cackle at seeing him flustered while she closed the door, leaving those two alone now. Even if he didn't admit it, his reaction was more than enough to give it away. There was no more covering that up. Good.
If there was one thing she learned in her time here, it was that beating around the bush when it came to things like that only made them worse. People needed to be clear about what they felt and what they were doing with the people they cared about. Otherwise the issues that came from them would just get worse over time, until they couldn't understand one another. It took Yuffie and her father coming to blows, combined with her near-death experience and his willingness to stand up to one of their gods, before the two could talk about everything without screaming at one another.
The door to the outside opened before she could decide whether or not to use the secret entrance she had to spy on them again. Aerith came in with Yuri behind her. The former had gone with the latter to take a final look over his mother before they left.
"How's your mother doing?" Yuffie asked him.
"She's feeling a lot better," he said. "I really can't thank Miss Aerith enough for what she's done. I haven't seen my mother this active in some time now. It's a relief."
"I know the feeling," Aerith said sincerely. "When my adoptive mother got sick once before, I did everything I could to try and make her feel better. I didn't want to lose anyone else if I could help it. That's when I bought my first Restore Materia from the Wall Market."
"Your mother was very lucky to have someone like you as her child," Yuri said respectfully, before turning to Yuffie. "You're leaving with them, aren't you?"
She nodded. "These guys need me and Lord Leviathan's spoken. Plus, there's a lot more materia out there for us to find, like the one in the cave. "
Yuri stepped forward and then reached into the bag slung over his shoulder. He pulled out something wrapped in cloth and then slowly unraveled it to reveal it was a dagger, with a sheath that had an emblem of their nation—Leviathan curling around a sword. "I want you to have this."
Yuffie knew this weapon. She had seen it mounted on the altar set-up for his father nearly every time she visited his home. "This is your father's, isn't it?"
He nodded. "I talked it over with my mother. We both agreed that it would be best if you carried it along with you for luck."
She hesitated, knowing how much this meant to him and his mother. "Yuri, I can't just—"
"Please," he said. "I wasn't able to give you anything when you left before, so this time I want you to have it. At least until you come back to us. Please take it."
The insistence in his tone pulled on her heartstrings. She took the weapon and cloth and held it gingerly. "I'll take good care of it until then, I promise."
"May Leviathan and Da-chao watch over you." He gave her a brief hug, one just strong enough for the warmth of his body to reach her skin, and then turned to leave.
Aerith waited until he shut the door before she spoke. "He cares a lot about you. It must be hard on him to let you leave again after so going so long without speaking before."
Yuffie nodded. "Yuri's…" She struggled to put it into terms. The first one that came to mind was 'Best Friend,' but that hug left her face and chest feeling… warm. "I'm just really glad that you could help his mother. Thank you for that."
"You're welcome." The smile she had on corner of her lips slid down to form a concerned frown after a moment of thought on Aerith's part. "I take it that Crimson told you about the second call we got from Kunsel, after he arrived at the Bone Village?"
"Yeah, she told me about it." That discussion had led to the one about her father and Leviathan. "She mentioned that he was looking into a 'Keystone' of some kind to access a temple?"
"The Temple of the Ancients," she said. "Once I knew of the keystone, the memories of the past Cetra in the Lifestream were able to give me insight into it. The temple is the seal that houses the Black Materia, one of the oldest and most destructive natural materia on the Planet. I think that's what Sephiroth is after now."
"Then let's grab it and use it on him," Yuffie said. "That'd take care of our problems, wouldn't it?"
Aerith shook her head. "You misunderstand. The Black Materia will act as a beacon and call forth a meteor from space. It requires a lot of power to activate it, but such destruction will devastate entire landmasses and cause untold damage to everyone and everything on the Planet if it is used at all."
"Oh." That ruled out her plan to ask if she could keep it for her collection afterwards.
The last of the Cetra crossed her arms as though to hug herself. "I can't fathom how he obtained the knowledge of it though. No one alive should know of it. Even I only know of it because of my gift to hear the voices of the Planet."
"Maybe that Jenova thing?" Yuffie suggested. "It was messing with Cloud's memories, so maybe it can implant knowledge too?"
"Perhaps." She sighed. "Fortunately, we know where the keystone is. Tifa and the others should be retrieving it as we speak. Once we have it and the group is back together, we'll discuss what to do with it."
[-oOo-]
Elena watched on the television screen as one of the primary targets, Tifa Lockhart, fought in the arena of the Battle Square. So far the woman had won several of the eight matches, and it was looking like she was close to winning the next one. The Turk actually felt a pang of sympathy for the monsters considering she had been on the receiving end of that gorilla-strength in Rocket Town.
But she was also the reason why Elena was here. They had received notice through their intelligence network that some members of the group they were following were located here, and she was dispatched to gather intelligence on what they were doing. Mostly since she was the only one who fit the requirements needed to fill in the opening in the staff, after someone went on a murder spree some time ago.
"First time I've seen someone make it this far," said Tiffany, one of her co-workers. The brunette was snacking as she leaned against the wall next to her. "But you've had your eyes on her for a while, Sam. Anything you want to share?"
Samantha (or Sam for short) was her cover, according to the documents that Tseng had prepared. She was born in the town of Kalm and moved to Junon a year ago to take care of her grandmother. But she needed a well-paying job, so she came to the Golden Saucer. It held up under the background check and her own skills allowed her to get in from there.
While Elena wouldn't dream of being anything other than a Turk, she could safely say that Dio paid very well. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't think I haven't caught the glances you've been giving her when she's at the bar, or with that big cat of hers." She smirked. "Just remember to keep your hands-off. Dio's made it clear she's a special guest of his and he doesn't want us messing around with them."
"Quit teasing me, I already told you I'm into someone else." Elena rolled her eyes to keep her cover, but she winced inwardly. Her perfume was designed to mask her scent from the creature that they passed off as an exotic pet, and she had taken to wearing a wig. But if she was being so obvious that Tiffany, the gossip of the staff, noticed then she was being too careless.
She turned back to watch as Lockhart threw one Velcher Task into another. The giant, green, poisonous monsters writhed to get off one another when she followed up with an Ice 3 spell to leave them frozen. The punch that followed shattered the ice and they stopped moving. The match was over.
"Out of curiosity though, you wouldn't know why she's fighting in the Arena, would you?" Normally the matches were planned ahead of time, so people could place bets and emergency measures were prepared. And so that Dio could make sure all the paperwork was in order, just in case the security bots couldn't get to the participants fast enough after they went down. But this was abrupt all things considered.
"You didn't hear it from me, but Dio made a bet with her over something in his collection," Tiffany said. "Supposedly, if she wins all the challenges, she'll get to borrow it."
"That's… interesting." She made a mental note to send that information along to Tseng in her next report. Whatever it was that they were after; there was no doubt it was something the company needed to check on.
Unbeknownst to her, the message would reach three pairs of ears more than just those of her superior….