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Chapter XIII – A Fruitful Wizard
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The furious beating of wings matched the thundering of boots that resounded deep within the caverns, alongside various degrees of cussing by a certain muscular and dark-skinned man. The shouting resonated outside as the volume grew and grew, until finally a torrent of black shadows burst from the Mythril Mines; alongside a frantic and near flailing Barret. Bats swooped and weaved around the man as they clicked, screeched and chattered, just barely missing his head and making the hulking man duck before flying off into the dusky gloam. Barret quickly moved his hand to the back of his neck, shrugging into his puffy white vest in a way that shook the garment out. Marlene calmly walked up to her father, watching with a smile as he patted down his arms.
"It's okay, daddy," she spoke up, causing the man in question to spin around, startled that his little girl had caught him in such a position. "They looked like fruit bats!" Barret shot her a rather incredulous look as he attempted to regain his composure, though it fell flat when a stray bat glided past his head and caused him to almost throw himself to the ground.
"I don't care what kinda bats they are, Marlene! Everyone knows tha' bats can bite ya!"
His daughter giggled, shaking her head in amusement. "These ones don't, honest! They eat fruit and mainly live in rainforests."
Barret stopped checking his vest collar to look down at his little girl in disbelief. "You gotta be kiddin' me. Where'd ya hear that nonsense?!" He was about to continue but faltered when he saw Marlene's face. Her cheeks were slightly puffed out as she held her arms close to her sides; a telltale sign she was annoyed.
"It's not nonsense! I read it from a school book!" The gun-armed man attempted to console his daughter, but he couldn't quite rid the look of doubt from his face. This only served to make Marlene even more upset, her frown tightening into a small scowl; it also didn't help that Barret found her expression to be amusing and the smile that tugged at his lips only served to further the little girl's anger.
"She's right," a voice spoke up from behind, causing them both to turn around and see Nanaki approaching with Cait Sith straddled upon his head. "They certainly looked like fruit bats to me, if I'm not mistaken."
"See!" Marlene called in triumph, before a thoughtful expression passed over her face. "But it's strange, because they don't normally live in caves." Nanaki smiled a feline smile, his lone ochre-coloured eye almost appearing to glimmer.
"That's right. I believe it may have something to do with the tree your father bumped into." Barret, who had been looking up in search of more of the winged creatures, suddenly became alert on being mentioned. Crossing his arms, he raised an eyebrow at Red XIII and was about to question the fire-dog but Cait Sith beat him to it.
"Oooh aye, that was quite tha' nasty bump ya had thair," the cat puppet laughed. Barret almost grumbled. While they were traversing the mines, their group came across a rather wondrous sight. Past the sloping crags and crevices lay a steep cliff that opened up onto a great cavern. A huge pool of Lifestream lay at the bottom that divided the area, great streams of it occasionally bursting forth like a geyser and splitting the scenery with vivid emerald. But what made the sight truly wondrous was the lone tree perched on the edge of the precipice. Light shone down upon the great plant from an opening in the ceiling, while the steady glow of the Lifestream encased it from below; giving the whole scene a near tangible ethereality. Or at least, it did, until Barret accidentally stumbled into the tree and cast a whole colony of bats into flight.
"Yeah, so what if I knocked tha' tree?" Barret spoke up in defence. "What's tha' gotta do with bats livin' there or not?" Movement in the distance caught his eye and he looked past the fire-dog to find Tifa, Vincent and Denzel emerging from the caves having just caught up. However, Barret had to double-check at the sight. If he was not mistaken, Vincent seemed to be slightly hunched over. His brow furrowed as he watched Tifa hover by the gunman's side like a fluttering bird, a hint of worry etched on her features.
"An astute question, but it concerns the mammals because if my nose does not deceive me, the tree in the Mythril Mines was in fact a fruit tree." Red sat back on his haunches, his tail flicking behind him and sending a wave of sparks into the air. "I assume they must have gone inside to feed, rather than actually roosting there." Marlene nodded, happy that Nanaki was helping to explain the odd occurrence. She looked to her father in hope of some sort of recognition, but was disappointed to find him staring off into the distance instead. Cait Sith stared down at Marlene from his seat on top of the fire-dog's head, sensing her solemness but remaining silent.
"We must move. Night is falling." Before he could gain an answer, Vincent briskly passed the group with long strides, his tattered cape billowing after him. Tifa moved to follow, but decided against it and stopped next to Barret. The gun-armed man watched Vincent leave with suspicion before turning towards the fighter. He found her expression troubled and waited before calling out to the others behind him.
"He's right. Come on, let's move out, y'all." As the group began to follow after the gunslinger, Barret lowered his voice to Tifa. "Everythin' alright?" The fighter looked up in surprise before turning to watch the retreating back of Vincent Valentine.
"I'm not sure," she paused in thought. "I'll tell you later." Barret wasn't quite happy with her answer but nodded anyway. After a few moments, Tifa dropped back to walk with Denzel, having no doubt noticed him walking off to the side alone. Barret observed as they seemed to discuss something that brought a small smile to the young boy's face. The sight caused Barret to make one of his own.
'You always were able to make people smile, Tif'. Jes' wish I could make you smile more. An' not one a those fake ones you seem so good at doin'. A real one.' Barret became lost in thought as he began to think back to all the times Tifa had really smiled. He cast his mind back, and subsequently cast his mind away from the scenery slowly changing around him. Barret did not notice as trees began to creep up around the group, interspersing the plains with bright foliage and a sweet smell that drifted upon the wind. It wasn't long before the party found themselves surrounded by trees.
"... Do you guys remember this small grove being here before?" Tifa suddenly voiced, her confused tone breaking Barret from his reverie. The gun-armed man looked up and blinked in surprise at the sight of the small woodlet that seemed to have just grown up around him.
"Hey, these are all fruit trees!" Denzel called out, looking around in wonder. Barret looked up and found the boy to be right; the trees were ripe with an abundance of fruit ranging from lemons, to apples, oranges and peaches. The fruitful orchards waved their branches to them in the wind, their leaves causing a great rustle as if the very trees were chattering amongst themselves.
"Well, I believe this answers the question of why fruit bats are in the area," Nanaki observed with great interest, raising his nose into the air and inhaling the sweet scent of fruit. He turned to Tifa, "And to answer your earlier query, I don't recall this grove being here during our travels years past. Admittedly, I forgot to mention this as I passed through here on my journey to Edge. It is a great sign of a healing Planet."
Tifa nodded, reaching out to gently caress one of the leaves of a nearby apple tree. "It's a wonderful place... but we need to keep moving. Vincent's right, it's getting dark."
"What's so bad about it getting dark?" Denzel looked confused, turning to Tifa for answers. The fighter blinked, forgetting that the children didn't know about the powerful monsters that now appeared. She was about to answer Denzel but Barret beat her to the punch.
"It's bad cause Ifrit will come in tha' night an' snap ya up!"
Denzel simply stared.
"Yeah, right. You really think I'm going to believe something as childish as that?" Despite his confident words, the hazel-haired boy looked slightly unsettled. Barret noticed this and continued with a grin, persisting to tease the boy. Tifa frowned upon this, but the smile that tugged at the edge of her lips was unmistakable. As Barret continued his gibes, Vincent walked on alone while Nanaki, Cait Sith and Marlene brought up the rear. The cat puppet looked down from his perch once more, finding Marlene to be just as quiet as before they entered the orchard.
"Hey, Marlene, whit is yer favourite fruit?" The young girl looked up in surprise, blinking at the question from the little robot. She turned away to look at the ground, moving her arms to wrap around her waist and tucking her chin into the collar of her white turtle-neck jumper.
"Peaches..." she said dispiritedly.
"Well, ya see," Cait Sith began, "ah think I mae 'ave something stuck in mah ear..." Marlene looked up in question, tilting her head as she watched the small cat twist his finger inside his fluffy pointed ear. Suddenly he grasped at something and pulled it away in a gloved fist. The young girl was about to question when he opened his hand to reveal a juicy, ripe peach.
Marlene looked in awe at the fruit, her mouth slightly open. "How did you do that?!"
The cat puppet grinned, rolling the fruit onto his forearm then down across his shoulders to bounce into Marlene's waiting hands. "Ya cannae put logic to magic, missy!" The little girl looked down at the fruit in thought, running her hands over the velvety skin. A delicate pink. She looked back up to Cait Sith, watching as he twirled his whiskers in amusement. However, the grin suddenly fell from his face as he shot her a serious look. "Keep ya chin up, lassie. You tell your uncle Cait Sith if thair's anything wrong, okay?"
Marlene hesitated, "But, you're not my uncle..."
As Red XIII moved on ahead, Cait Sith turned and called from the lion-like creature's head, "Ah guess ye cannae put logic to that either!" Nanaki looked back and graced her with a feline grin, the furry duo continuing towards the rest of the party. The small girl watched them go before raising the peach to her mouth with both hands and taking a bite out of the fleshy fruit. She chewed thoughtfully, turning Cait Sith's words over in her head. The fruit was delicious and she smiled a small smile as she wiped the juice away from the corners of her mouth. She began to move towards her father, now preoccupied with figuring out the cat's magic trick.
"Hey," Barret turned to her as she approached, pausing at the bitten fruit in her hands. He looked around, checking to see if there were any trees at Marlene's height for her to have plucked the fruit from. There wasn't. "Where'd ya get tha' peach?"
Marlene smiled. "A wizard gave me it." Barret gave her an incredulous stare as Marlene continued past her father, walking ahead to join Tifa and Denzel as they pointed animatedly at the different kinds of fruit trees. Barret shook his head, following after the party as their banter fluttered above the rustling of many orchard leaves.
It wasn't much longer before the great structure that was Fort Condor came into sight; an old Mako reactor that sat atop a steep rugged crag, situated on a grand hill. The reactor had seen better days, moss now creeping up the sides of the rusted metal and branching out around the unused apparatus like a leafed spider web. The sight was somewhat pleasing, as if the Planet was reclaiming something that, in the past, had taken so much from it. The most striking view however was the magnificent creature perched on top. Framed in twilight, a huge condor sat with its enormous wings outstretched, the wing feathers circling what was no doubt its nest. Tifa found the sight to be uplifting, knowing the noble bird was warming its eggs which hatched only once every few years. She had been so excited to see the species again. Now that she was actually here, she felt a great sense of pride knowing that herself and her comrades played a part in protecting them from Shinra three years ago.
Their party slowly made their way up the hill and into Fort Condor, the fort itself carved into the face and interior of the huge crag, and Tifa immediately noticed some changes since her last visit. Gone was the single rope that acted as the only entrance into the fort, instead replaced by a sturdy spiral staircase. However, the rope ladders leading to the other sections of the structure remained. Also missing were the majority of the resistance fighters, no doubt having little reason to stay now the threat of Shinra was abolished. Yet those who were greatly dedicated to the condors' safety remained and it was these people who recognised their odd crew. Hearty greetings were exchanged, as well as 'welcome back's to Nanaki, and a tour of the fort was quickly conducted for the benefit of the rest of the group.
"No doubt you have noticed some changes," the shop attendant who also acted as their guide informed them. "After Shinra fell, we no longer needed to maintain most of our defences. One of these being the main entrance, which used to be a single rope that you would need to climb to enter the fort. This was in place so that if the enemy did indeed attack, they would have to enter single file which would make it much more difficult for them..." Here, she turned and flashed them a rather cheeky grin. "... And easier for us. So now we've installed a spiral staircase which is much more accessible. We can continue to use it as a defence, however, since its narrow space still enforces single file rule." She continued down the corridor before stopping at a rope ladder and turning to smile at the group. "Up here would be most familiar to you, I'm sure."
"It certainly is," Tifa nodded. "It's where we carried out our defence of the fort against Shinra and issued commands to the resistance fighters." The guide nodded, pleased that she still remembered. As the attendant continued up the small wooden steps leading towards the item shop and sleeping quarters, Tifa couldn't help but feel rather sullen. Her memory of their efforts fighting at the fort were predominantly that of Cloud, given he was the one who mainly issued all of the orders. She mentally shook away the feeling, steeling herself once more. 'I won't let this get the better of me,' she thought. 'Especially not around the children.'
"... And here are your sleeping quarters," the guide pointed out as the last of them descended the rope ladder. "If you need anything else, you can find me in the item shop since, well, I work there!" She laughed to herself as the party thanked her, then climbed back up to the previous floor. Denzel wasted no time in running to the beds that arched against the granite wall, jumping onto the nearest one in excitement.
"This place is so cool!" the orphan exclaimed. "Did you really fight Shinra here?" Tifa and Barret began to make themselves comfortable while Vincent did the same, lowering himself down on the bed situated furthest from the others. Cait Sith jumped up to sit next to the gunslinger, while Marlene stood quietly next to the ladder that hung in front of the bed Vincent had taken.
Nanaki padded towards the boy, his tail tucked closer to his body in careful consideration of their close quarters. "We did indeed, Denzel. In fact, it was the only armed conflict that Shinra ever lost."
The boy stopped his bouncing to look at Red in surprise, an impressed expression on his face before it turned to one of smugness. "That's because Cloud was with you, wasn't it?"
Tifa looked back at the boy in surprise just as Barret glanced over to check her reaction. While the fighter was caught off-guard, she quickly recovered and instead smiled which only served to confuse the dark-skinned man. 'I guess despite everything that's happened, Denzel still looks up to Cloud,' Tifa thought. 'I'm glad he seems to be taking it better.'
Denzel's comment highly amused the lion-like dog judging by how Red had to bark out a laugh. He regarded the boy with mirth glimmering in his lone eye. "I guess you could say that." Before Nanaki could continue any further, something in his mane suddenly began to vibrate.
… Ring! … Ring!
Everyone looked towards the fire-dog as he blinked, reaching up with his bracelet adorned right pastern to scratch behind his ear. The PHS fell to the floor with a clattered thump, rattling inside the hairclip it was encased in as it vibrated. Nanaki opened the clip by pushing down on the end with his paw before attempting to press the green answer button with his nose. After a few sighs of frustration, he looked up to Tifa apologetically.
"Would you kindly?" he asked. Tifa tried to stifle her laugh, feeling sorry for the quadruped, and picked up the phone; hitting the loudspeaker button with her thumb after glancing at the caller I.D. A jolly voice resounded throughout the room.
"Good evening, Nanaki!" Reeve's voice came through loud and clear. "You answered very quickly that time, have you been practising?" Tifa couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing, a pretty, uplifting sound that made Vincent to look up in surprise.
'I do not recall her laughter being so... melodic.' He couldn't help but stare; it was like she was suddenly a different woman, one free from burden... and strife. That last thought caused him to think about a certain spiky haired ex-SOLDIER who also happened to share his last name with the word. 'Perhaps free from strife in both ways.'
Reeve appeared to share Vincent's feeling of surprise judging by his voice over the loudspeaker. "Ah! Tifa! I take it you've all met up with Nanaki, then? Most excellent!"
Barret crossed his arms, looking sceptically at the handheld. "Yeah, we did. An' you said it'd take him a few days to get ta Edge. What's tha' all about, man?"
Reeve paused, questioning this for himself, but thankfully Nanaki intervened. "It passed my mind to mention to Reeve that I was leaving from Fort Condor. No fault of his own."
This certainly caught the WRO leader's interest, judging by the sound he made on the other end of the line. "Fort Condor? That would explain how you've all met up so quickly! I apologise for misinforming you all."
Nanaki shook his head, his tassels clashing together musically. "It is I who should apologise, Reeve. Regardless, we all met up just outside of Kalm. We are in fact in Fort Condor currently." The fire-dog began to explain why he had been at the fort to begin with, while Barret and Tifa gave brief interludes of their progress and informed Reeve of the Kalm Fangs they had dispatched. Reeve sounded very pleased as Vincent listened idly by, more lost in his own thoughts and appreciative that they did not bring up his recent lapse of control.
A voice crawled into his mind like frost creeping over glass, bringing a chill that lay heavy across his skull. Words were broken and spoke around cracked and sutured lips, moans of pain to follow after.
'In-no-cence strr-ay-ss.'
As Death Gigas ambled back out of his consciousness, willingly at that, Vincent grew concerned at the demon's strange behaviour. Blinking, he snapped from his reverie and became immediately aware of Marlene quietly climbing the rope ladder to his right. Suddenly understanding the abomination's words, Vincent decided to ponder on the creature's apparent assistance later. He had a more pressing matter to attend.
"Marlene." The young girl stopped, frozen. Hesitantly looking to Vincent, she behaved as if she'd been caught which wasn't lost on the gunslinger. She clung to the ladder, hanging midway as the group continued to discuss their progress with Reeve; none the wiser. Marlene waited with trepidation for Vincent's next words, and the crimson-cloaked man considered them carefully.
"... Do not stray far."
After her initial shock, Marlene's face lit up and she graced the man with a most pretty smile. Then with a small nod of her head, she climbed the rest of the ladder and was gone. Vincent watched her go, rather perplexed with not only Death Gigas, but with the young girl who rarely ventured out on her own. It was most strange for her to try and leave in such a manner, but he figured that if she wished to explore then that was her decision to make. Not his. However, Vincent held an internal struggle, feeling somewhat concerned for the child's safety. Did he make the right choice? He made to rise from the bed, but Barret's voice from hours past stopped him. 'You're an old comrade, an' tha' means summit. But 'til I can check things out with ya, just... stay away from ma lil' girl.'
Vincent remained seated.
Once again, he found himself to be in rather a difficult position. By respecting Marlene's wish to leave, he could also be leaving her within danger's grasp. By following to ensure her safety, he could also be ensuring Barret's wrath. Laughter, cruel and mocking, echoed in his head.
"Dinnae worry." The sudden voice caused Vincent to look down sharply at Cait Sith, surprised that the puppet had caught on to his train of thought. The cat looked up at him and nodded, readjusting the small crown on his head. "I'll follow 'er." Vincent remained silent, his blood-red eyes following the small robot as Cait Sith carefully climbed the ladder and slinked away after the little girl.
Icy fingers once more curled around his skull as words were snapped and dragged out. Pained and sore scarlet eyes bore into him.
'Da-aamned if y-ou do... da-aamned if y-ou do-nn't...'
This time, Vincent gently pushed away the hulking mass of lumps and stitches, careful not to provoke the creature's more volatile side. He knew all too well that, while Death Gigas was the more complacent among his demons, one push in just the wrong way could send the abomination into an uncontrollable frenzy; a frenzy more powerful than any of Galian Beast's capabilities. He closed his eyes, taking rare indulgence in the respite as the others continued their ramble in the background. Rarer still, he chose to respond to Death Gigas; who sensing this, listened eagerly.
'… I fear I am already damned.' As the gunslinger was left once more to his thoughts, he failed to notice the small shadow that darted away from the ladder. Unbeknownst to Vincent, Cait Sith had been watching him with great curiosity. The little robot turned away and began curling his whiskers, indulging thoughts of his own.
'Vince is sure actin' strange lately! Anyway, betta go find Marlene!' The puppet quickly made his way to where he last saw the girl, down another rope ladder that lead to the spiral staircase at the entrance. This greatly concerned the cat and he quickened his pace to follow the child. A few sharp turns and finally he sighted her, the girl slowly making her way down the corridor that lead outside. Cait Sith began to shadow her carefully, ducking under rocks to ensure he remained out of sight, curious to see what exactly she was up to. Marlene suddenly turned to look over her shoulder and the cat quickly threw himself behind a particularly large stone.
Cait Sith waited in slight alarm, hoping she didn't spot him; if she found him, he was unsure what she would do. Marlene paused, hesitating slightly before whispering, "I'm sorry, Vincent."
She then continued outside, leaving the fort behind her. This caused the feeling of slight alarm to explode into fully fledged panic for Cait Sith and he quickly dashed to catch up with her, now uncaring if she spotted him or not. A light breeze greeted him as he stumbled out of the fort, his eyes darting around in search of the wandering Miss. Eventually he caught sight of her a little ways down the hill just as she was sitting herself on the edge of a pointed rock, the end jutting out from the side of the slope it was embedded in. She looked up to the purple sky, the last vestiges of eventide slowly giving way to night. Cait Sith sighed loudly in relief, causing Marlene to jump and spin around in panic.
"Cait Sith!? You scared me!"
The puppet looked slightly offended as he made his way towards her, dancing over stray rocks and pebbles that littered the steady incline. "I scared ya? Ye scared me! Ya shouldn't be out here! Vinnie told ya not tae go too far!" Marlene fell quiet, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rested her head on her forearms, staring wistfully at the mountain range. Cait Sith's brow furrowed as he reached her side, carefully sitting next to her. He wrapped his tail round her back gently as he swung his feet back and forth over the ledge. "Whit's tha matter, Marlene? Why are ye such a sad bairn?"
Marlene gently sighed, looking down at the small cat who looked back at her with a shared sadness. "I know I shouldn't be out here. I hope Vincent doesn't get angry with me... but I wanted to think."
Cait Sith blinked. "Tae think? Surely a bonnie lass yer age dinnae need ta go oot an think. Ye leave tha' tae the adults!" Marlene tucked her head into her arms causing Cait Sith to tilt his own head, seeking out her face. She huddled into herself and it took a few moments before her voice rose from her own self-made bundle.
"... It's daddy. He doesn't listen to me."
The robot cat was struck with confusion. "Barret? O'course he does! Whit makes ya say things like tha'?"
Marlene finally raised her head and looked over her arms with watery eyes. "Outside the mines, he wouldn't believe me when I told him the bats in there were fruit bats. And when I try and tell him things I've learnt from books, he doesn't listen to me then either..." Marlene's shoulders shook as she began to sob, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Cait Sith looked on helplessly, unsure how to comfort her. It sounded very strange for Barret to act in such a way if what Marlene said was true. The cat rose from his seat and clambered up her leg to perch on her knees. "Th-that's why," she managed between sobs, "I d-don't mention things like that any m-more. So I a-act like I d-don't know things, cause then d-daddy doesn't i-ignore me."
"... Tha' soonds very strange fer Barret, I'm sure he's got a reason. How aboot I talk tae him? Dinnae worry yerself, uncle Cait Sith is on the case!" The girl opened her arms and pulled Cait Sith into her lap, cuddling the furry cat as she tried to stifle her sobs. The little robot returned the gesture, holding her gently while he pondered on what Marlene had told him. They sat for a while, both perched on the jutted rock, huddled up against the wind which seemed to pick up by the second. "Come on, let's get yae inside. It's gettin' cald an' I bet the others are worried sick."
Without warning, a great whoosh of wind roared around them and Marlene and Cait Sith both looked at each other in question. When another resonated, this time from above with an echoing boom, they froze.
"... Thunder?" Marlene questioned hesitantly, looking up to the sky. Suddenly, a huge burst of wind struck them with force, making them cling to each other tightly in fear of being blow away. A huge shadow enveloped them, bringing the icy chill of fear with it as the wind grew stronger; boomed stronger, the currents more fierce. It took Cait Sith everything he had to hold on to Marlene. Abruptly, the girl was abruptly lifted off her feet and Cait Sith tumbled to the ground from the sudden force. He clawed at the rock below, just managing to hold grip as he finally caught glimpse of just what bore down upon them.
A huge condor hovered above, its enormous wings causing a mighty torrent of air to hit with each grand beat. It clutched Marlene in one of its talons and spread its glittering wings to their full span, no doubt readying to once more take to the skies. As it did, the wind briefly subsided and Cait Sith took this chance. Using every ounce of strength he had, he threw himself towards Marlene, just catching her foot as the condor took flight in a flash of gold feathers and a boom of air. Cait Sith yelled over the torrential gale and screams of a young girl.
"MARLENE!"
