Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Akirame Norwen ❯ Arrival at Cosmo Canyon ( Chapter 32 )

(A/n: this is the longest chapter I do believe I've posted here on ff.net yet. 17 pages, booyah! Music selections? Well.. like I said, I dunno if you guys care for them or not, so unless you guys pretty much beg for me to put them back up, I'm not going to bother. *shudders as the midi-like song from Cosmo Canyon on FF7 plays through her mind*)

Chapter 32: Arrival at Cosmo Canyon

The next morning a blazing red ball rose over the horizon and shone fiercely into the faces on the slumbering teens. There were loud groans of protest and hisses of pain as they slowly awoke. Riku couldn't possibly have felt worse. Wherever a needle had pierced his skin there was a large, itchy rash, and his joints felt slightly swollen. Despite all this, he was determined not to complain. He gingerly rose from his sleeping bag and smeared on a liberal amount of sunscreen, then packed away his stuff and sat down to wait for everyone else. Injured or not, he still had responsibilities as leader.

Fate had most strongly set itself against them, for the sun showed them no mercy as they trekked across the dunes. It beat heavily upon their skin, making whatever injuries they had sustained seem twice as bad. As soon as the sun was high overhead, the pain became unbearable. Sora, Irvine, Jerdania and Riku all felt the effects powerfully. Their joints were swollen, their skin was burning and even so much as blinking was excruciating. Irvine was the first to collapse into the sand. Soon after, Sora's legs failed him, and Jerdania wasn't too far behind. Knowing that they couldn't just abandon their friends, Erik helped Akira slide Irvine onto Red's draconic back, and then gently scooped up Jerdania while Kairi proved herself to be unnaturally strong and had Sora on her back piggy-back style.

Their progress had now been slowed down to a mere crawl, but they continued on nonetheless, spurred by the knowledge that the end of their travel was coming ever closer. Riku, despite all the pain he was in, still pushed himself, refusing to be weak or neglect his duties as leader. He looked down at the map that Jerdania had been using to guide them, and checked the compass. They had to be getting close.. maybe just one more day, he didn't know, he couldn't actually read the map, just the directions. He looked up at Erik, who was carrying the still-unconscious Jerdania, wishing that she would wake up and tell them how much farther they had to go. Erik gave him a small smile and a nod, as if to assure him that he could still go on.

Sighing and looking around him, he reached down to his waist for his water bag and raised it to his lips, tilted as far up as he could, but only a small, dusty sip of water, sickeningly warm from the hot air, filled his parched mouth. He knew he couldn't last much longer, even if their destination was close at hand. With a look of fierce determination to do his best, he pushed onward through the fierce desert sun. Endless miles seemed to fall away under his feet, infinite numbers of grains of sand slipping away. He lost of track of all time, only concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. They climbed to the crest of a great dune, and there, in the slowly fading sunlight, he could see the canyon, great red rock rising out of the earth. "But... I won't see it any closer." He thought to himself with an ironic smile, and he took another step forward, and suddenly felt as if a sword had been rammed into his gut, and he gasped out more from surprise than pain. His head swirled and his empty stomach heaved as blood from a thousand infinitesimal wounds trickled down his body, his face and into his eyes and mouth. He could feel the ground falling away underneath him, and he was being pulled into the center of the earth.

"Riku!" Akira screamed as she watched her friend suddenly collapse and slide down the dune.

She leapt after him and leaned into her fall as she surfed down the slope, increasing her speed so that she quickly overtook him, and then spun around and caught him. The others quickly sprinted down towards her as she gently took Riku into her arms and felt his forehead. "He's gone... totally dehydrated and unconscious." She told herself, gently brushing the sweat out of his face.

She then looked up at the towering red rock, less than a mile away. And the terrain was all smooth and flat from here... why did he have to give up so close to their goal? She resolutely picked him up in her arms and gently slung him over her shoulder, taken off-guard by how heavy he was, and strained to stand up. "Come on guys, we're not giving up, we're too close..." she said breathlessly under her heavy load.

With trembling legs she took the first step forward, and found that with time she seemed to adjust to her burden, and walking quickly became easier. Even so, halfway to the entrance to the canyon, pain began to shoot up her legs and back, and she began to think that she was beyond all help. She looked up at Erik when she heard his voice urging her to press on, but even though she saw his lips moving, the voice seemed to be coming from miles away. She blankly stared and blinked, and then looked back up at the canyon looming overhead. She closed her eyes, and imagined herself at home. She was lying in her bed, her boom box playing some gentle, tinkling piano music, and she could hear the waves gently lapping at the beach. Suddenly she heard a strange, ominous roar, and she looked out the window to see that the sky had been shrouded in darkness. A huge tidal wave was approaching... somehow she was standing on the beach, and she was staring up at the wave, rooted to the spot. She could hear Riku screaming at her to move, but she couldn't, her feet were like lead... "Akira... AKIRA!"

Akira quickly jerked awake and looked up to see that Erik had been shaking her. "S..Sorry..." She mumbled, and slowly started to walk forward again, determined to get somewhere. She barely noticed as the rock walls rose up some thirty feet on either side of her, leaving her in the cool shade. The ground under her feet was gritty, and the sound of the soles of her shoes scraping against the ground echoed loudly all around her. The further they walked on, the more she was ascertained that the place was completely devoid of inhabitants. Her legs were beginning to tremble again, and she was forced to sit down on a boulder to rest, and let Riku gently slip into her lap. "Do you think we came the right way?" She asked breathlessly, staring up at the strikingly blue sky.

Erik opened his water bag and tilted it upside down, not surprised when nothing came out. "I dunno... but at least we're not wandering out there anymore."

Akira vaguely nodded and pricked up her ears when she heard a strange scratching noise not too far away. She slowly stood up, carefully leaning Riku against the boulder, and walked towards the source of the sound. She followed it around a couple corners, and soon found herself in a small grotto, where a strange cougar-like creature was sniffing and scratching at a crack between a fallen rock and the canyon wall. It kept making small, frustrated grunts and finally fell back onto its rear and leaned on its gargantuan paws. It turned its head when she approached and gave her a small meow. "Hey there, little guy..." She said in a gentle voice, slowly crouching down and crawling towards it. "Watcha got there?"

"Rowr."

Akira grinned and, sensing the animal was no threat, peered into the crack it had been digging at earlier. Inside she could hear a tiny mewing noise. "Holy cow... your baby is in there!" She softly exclaimed, and slid her hand into the crack and reached around.

Her hand came to rest upon the small, furry body, and she gently wrapped her hand around it and pulled the small, bright orange kitten out. The larger cat sniffed her hand, licked the small kitten and purred appreciatively. "You're welcome I guess." Akira laughed, and stood up. "Come on, let's go show the others."

The cougar-thing followed after her on its hind legs, walking like a human. She looked over her shoulder and laughed, and the cougar sheepishly put a paw behind its head and scratched, squinting its eyes. Shaking her head, she turned back and continued to walk on, thoroughly convinced she had to be out of her mind. Erik spotted her as she approached and jogged over to her, a huge smile on his face. "How cool, you found Moombas!"

"Moombas?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, they're super-smart..."

Kairi gave a delighted squeal upon sighting the cub in Akira's hands, and reached out and scooped the small, puppy-sized ball of fur into her arms, smiling and scratching it under its chin.

"Wait, didn't that Cloud guy say something about there being Moombas here at the dig site?" Erik suddenly asked.

Akira looked away, trying to remember. "I... I think he might have..." She looked down at the Moomba and sighed. "So, little fella... you wouldn't by any chance know where Red XIII is, would you?"

The Moomba suddenly gave an excited growl and hopped up and down, then took off running down the path. Erik and Akira exchanged looks before quickly picking up their gear, including Jerdania and Riku, before madly dashing down the canyon floor after the bright-red animal, Red and Kairi hot on their trail.

After several minutes of hectic running, the narrow trail abruptly stopped, opening onto a huge ledge overlooking a deep gully. A city had been carved into the cliff wall behind the ledge, long ladders snaked up amidst the precipitous sandstone dwellings, creaking in the wind. There was a huge bonfire atop a small hill on the ledge, and several dark figures were sitting around it, quietly conversing. The Moomba raced ahead of them and began loudly growling and meowing, pointing to the strange visitors standing not too far away.

Akira squinted her eyes in the low light and tried to make out their faces, but the closer they got the more blurry they seemed to become. She suddenly felt dizzy and her knees buckled under Riku's weight. One of the strangers grabbed her arm just before she hit the ground, and gently removed her heavy load while lowering her until her knees rest on the cool, inviting earth. The strangers began to quickly talk to one another in some strange language, their voices raised at first in questioning tones, then leveled off as they began to instruct one another. Akira made no effort to either hinder or assist them as they stripped off her backpack, weapon and empty waterbag, but simply watched through glazed-over eyes as her stuff was carried away somewhere. Suddenly her mind snapped to as she became aware of tight, biting coils of rope binding her hands together behind her back. Surely they weren't taking her prisoner! "Hey, hey!" She tried to shout with her parched throat, but all that came out was a raspy whisper. "Hey! What are you doing? Don't tie me up, I've got a reason for being here!" She forced out.

A figure squatted down in front of her, and she could just make out a handsome, copper-skinned face with a couple black streaks below his light brown eyes, and bright red hair with a long, white and black feather braided in just behind his ear. He spoke to her in his language with a hasty, commanding tone. "Ha'ii sheth ne'hila sele et?"

".....say what?" Akira asked, drawing her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Tell him to repeat the first part, I didn't quite catch it." Erik said from behind her, and she turned to see that he was also tied up, as well as Kairi.

The stranger shook her shoulder, and she turned her attention back to him. He repeated himself, this time talking slower and making gestures with his hands. Again, she was completely confused. "I believe what we have here is a failure to communicate." Erik quipped.

Sighing, the stranger looked up at his raven-haired friend standing behind him and the two quickly conversed for a moment. Akira shifted uncomfortably and pretended to look around when the dark-haired one whispered something into his friend's ear, grinning and nudging his buddy's shoulder while pointing at her. The red-haired one scowled and rolled his eyes, apparently taking offense, but he then looked at her and seemed to consider whatever his friend had said, and she could've sworn that he was blushing. She gave him a weak, sheepish grin and gulped, then sharply looked up when she heard Red give a loud growl, and saw that he was being back into a corner by several more strangers who were holding ropes in their hands. He swished his tail about threateningly and spread his wings out to his sides to ward them off. A rather brutal, yet brief struggle ensued, and despite his best efforts he was unable to prevent several lassoes from flying over his head and around his neck, and he was quickly pulled down to the ground and muzzled.

Erik shouted in protest and tried to get to his feet, but a tall, sturdy blonde teen pushed him back down. Akira pleaded to him to calm down and be agreeable, and once again the red-haired boy shook her shoulder. She turned to look at him again, and he held a finger up over his lips to signal her to be quiet, and it was the last thing she saw before her eyes were blindfolded.

Akira groaned and rolled over as someone shook her awake and spoke to her. "I'm up..." she groggily said, sitting up and trying to open her eyes.

A hand reached around her head and untied her blindfold, and she blinked as the sun blinded her. After squinting for a few minutes, she looked around and remembered the events of last night. For being a prisoner, she was in an awfully nice room. Well, as far as living in a rock house goes, it was nice. The dingy orange sandstone walls were brightly illuminated by sunlight coming in through a round, carved hole that was partially covered by what appeared to be a deerskin. The scattered remains of a small fire lay in a small ditch in the floor, which was covered by another animal pelt, and the opening that served as a door was covered by yet another pelt that obviously provided privacy. Her eyes wandered back towards herself and she found that she was sitting up on what was a woven grass mat covered with several layers of even more animal pelts. She then looked up when she remembered that she wasn't alone, and the red-haired boy from last night was sitting cross-legged in front of her with a friendly smile on his face. In the light, she could see that his eyes weren't brown at all, but a pale violet color. Apparently happy to see she was awake, he spoke to her in his language as if explaining something to her, and Akira just shrugged as he reached around her and untied her wrists. "What a relief." Akira mumbled as she rubbed the raw, red patches on her arms from where the rope had bitten into her skin during the night.

The boy cleared his throat to catch her attention, and she looked back up at him to see he was holding out a bundle of tan leather, offering it to her. "Um... thanks." Akira said, taking the bundle and unfolding it, surprised to see that it was clothing. "Wow, these are great!" Akira happily said, admiring the delicate fringes and the beaded embroidery. "You want me to put it on, right?" She asked him, looking up at him.

He smiled back at her as if trying to understand, and Akira rose from the bed and gently pushed him out the door so she could change. She was in awe of how well it all fit her, the soft, velvety tank top with all its fringes and beads, the wrap-around skirt/pants combo which laced up the side, and even the moccasins which fit her feet perfectly. For a moment she felt slightly suspicious at the generosity, but perhaps it was a way of apologizing for last night's misunderstandings. She poked her head out the door and her new friend smiled at her. She stood in front of him and looked around, wandering what to do next. He tried to sign something to her, like he wanted to tell her something. She watched closely as he pointed to himself and said "Liko".

Akira watched him do this a couple of times, and it finally dawned on her: his name was Liko. "Oh, okay... ummm.... Akira." She finally responded, pointing back at her self.

"Ah...keerah?" Liko tried, sounding out the strange word.

Akira nodded and smiled. "Yep, that's me."

Liko looked happy to have broken down the barrier in communication in some small way, and then looked up when his raven-haired friend from last night approached them. The two talked for a moment, the dark-haired one glancing at her a few times. The two then quickly lowered their conversation to a low whisper, and she felt frustrated that she couldn't understand them. For some odd reason the fact that she was wearing the same kind of clothing as them seemed a bit more ominous. After a few minutes Liko stopped and then pointed to his friend. "Miroki."

"Ah. Hi Miroki." Akira casually said, not taking to him much.

Liko and Miroki continued to glance at her and almost openly discuss her, now certain that she couldn't pick up on a word they said. After a few minutes of teasing and pushing, a third person approached them, but this one appeared to be an adult. He looked directly at her, then spoke hastily to the two boys before approaching her. "Are you with the other outsiders?" He slowly and carefully asked.

Akira felt immensely relieved. "Yeah... where is everyone?"

The adult took her words in and chewed on them for a minute. "You're not allowed here in Cosmo Canyon.... you are outsiders. You don't have..." He drifted off, hunting for the word.

"Permission?" Akira offered.

The man nodded. "You will stay here with Liko, our chief will call for you later."

Akira sighed and slumped against the wall. She was going to be stuck with a couple of boys who kept talking about her, and she couldn't even tell what they were saying. Liko seemed to notice her distress, and made a suggestion to Miroki, who shook his head in return and pointed out something. Putting it together in her head, her best guess was that Liko wanted to do something with her... maybe show her around? But Miroki thought it was a bad idea... perhaps she was under a house arrest of sorts, like he had been stationed to guard her. Maybe her other friends were being watched nearby? Or... what if she was the only one who was being guarded in such a low-security manner? Then what was that supposed to mean?

Loki seemed to have won the argument, and after a final low-hissed accusation, Miroki walked off down the stone hallway. Akira looked up at Loki, who shrugged and shook his head. After pausing in thought for a moment, he squared his shoulders and offered her his hand. She stared at it for a moment, and when he gave her an encouraging smile, she took it and let him drag her down the hallway. He gave her a complete tour of his home, helping her down ladders, pointing out people going about their daily lives, and Akira took it all in with great interest. She found it completely astounding that people could live such harmonious lives free from technology and outside contact. It was like some sort of strange utopia, hidden here among the grainy sandstone cliffs. And for every person she saw there seemed to be a Moomba following them, assisting in any way they could. It was all strangely awe-inspiring.

At last the day began to draw to a close, and Loki lead him back to the room she had awoken in, and grinning at her, he pushed away the pelt covering his window and leaned out backwards, sat on the sill and scooted backwards until she was certain he would fall, then reached upwards and pulled himself up and out of her sight. Curious to see where he had gone, she quickly leaned out of the window and looked up to see that he had climbed onto the roof. He waved to her and beckoned her up. Being careful not to see how far down her fall would be, she bravely tried to copy what he had done, scooting out on the window sill and staring up. She stretched her arms up and grabbed the edge of the roof, and with some effort she managed somehow to pull herself up. It was worth it.

The view was phenomenal. From her perch hundreds of feet above the ledge the stone city was carved into, she could see all the way across the deep gully to the other side, and the entire world seemed to be set on fire by the setting sun. Even from her view all the way up here, the gully was a deep slash in the earth that seemed to reach into its very center. "Wow..." she said breathlessly, and looked up at Loki, who was positively beaming. "Th...Thanks."

Loki's eyes lit up, for apparently he actually understood what she had said. He bit his lip in concentration, and with a great deal of effort he managed to respond, "You're welcome."

Akira gave him a smile, and soon the sun set and he led her back into the room. Once inside, he quickly assembled some sticks and kindling in the ditch in the floor and used a piece of flint and a blade he produced from a pocket in his tan leather pants and struck up a fire. The room was illuminated by the good-sized blaze, and shadows danced on the walls from the flickering light. Tired from her day's venture, she sat down on the bed and snuggled into the pelts, feeling strangely at home.

Loki's head suddenly snapped up when footsteps approached his door. The man that had spoken to her earlier in English peered in. "Our chief calls for you."

Loki rose and took her hand again, and the two followed the man down the hallway in the opposite direction Loki had taken her, and up a set of stairs that led out into the midnight sky. Akira looked around to see that they had come to the very top of the cliff, and the night sky had exploded into stars overhead. The relevance of the canyon's name finally dawned on her. The lack of moonlight made it hard to make anything out, but in the near distance she could clearly make out a raised platform, and perched upon it was an observatory. So there had been some sort of outside influence after all. Perhaps the chief was an outsider himself? A Wizard of Oz scenario began to unfold in her head as they climbed the metal staircase and walked into the huge building. The inside was lit up with electric lights, but hard as she looked she couldn't spot a single electrical cord. Where was the energy coming from? Across the room near the viewing end of the gigantic telescope that was currently not in use she spotted a few of her friends all grouped together, all dressed like her but only Erik bore decorative painting on his face. Like the rest of the local boys he wore no shirt, but only the deerskin pants and moccasins. "Hey, Poccahontas, over here!" Irvine called out to her, making her roll her eyes.

"Love your pants, Squanto," She quickly retorted as she approached them. "I see you're finally feeling better."

"So have you been out touring the place all day like Erik?" he drawled, looking rather strange without his trademark cowboy hat.

"Um... sorta.. where's Riku?" She asked him, looking around for her friend.

"I dunno... maybe this chief fella will tell us. I haven't seen Jerdania, Red or Sora either... maybe they're patchin' `em up?" He offered with a shrug.

Akira looked up expectantly when she heard footsteps clanging on the staircase outside, but was taken aback when a bright red lion with a tail tipped in flame entered. "Nanaki." Loki and the nameless man respectively said while bowing their heads.

As "Nanaki" drew closer Akira could see that his hair was ornately braided and beaded, and he had a feather sticking out from behind one of his pointed ears. One of his eyes was closed over by a scar, and his body bore various tattoos. She could hear the decorative cuffs gently clinging on his legs as he crossed towards them, and on his left shoulder she recognized the roman numerals XIII. "Thirteen?" She quietly whispered, and suddenly it all came to her. "Red XIII? You're chief of Cosmo Canyon?" She asked aloud, and the red lion gave her a smile.

"Since Bungahugen (sorry folks, can't accurately remember his name) passed away, I have been chief here. This was his observatory." He explained, proudly looking around. "Our home was quite open to the outside world eighteen years ago," he continued, "until rumors that a dark shadow that had held the world in terror would return. Out of superstitious fear the people demanded that our canyon be kept closed to the outside world to prevent this shadow from coming here. Some still believe the rumors, while others have forgotten it or consider them to be no more than mere tales. Loki for one, regards them as stories told by the elders to frighten children."

Akira took in everything he said, eager to understand. "...and you?"

Red paced under the telescope and gazed up at the domed ceiling, almost as if he could see beyond it. "I have seen the shadow, and I know the ominous danger that shrouds it as it slips across the Planet."

Akira felt chills run up her spine at his words spoken with such mysticism. "Sephiroth." She whispered quietly, and she saw a strange glint in Red XIII's eye.

"I am afraid it would not be of much help for me to explain further without the presence of the rest of your party, especially that of Riku."

"Then....why did you bring us here, exactly?"

"To give you some assurance and put your confused minds at ease. Perhaps you will rest well tonight knowing that you are safe here. Your friends were badly injured, but morning will bring news with it. So tonight I ask you to sleep peacefully, and let your dreams reveal the unknown to you."

With that poetic dismissal, Red XIII turned to Loki and the still nameless man and instructed them something in their language, and after they both nodded in agreement they turned to the small group of tired teens and led them out of the observatory. Akira sighed in frustration as Loki led her back towards the room she was staying in. She had forgotten to ask Red XIII, or rather, Nanaki, where Riku was at. He had said that the morning would bring news, so maybe she would find out tomorrow. She closed her eyes as she sat down on the bed and listened to the sounds of Loki moving around, shuffling through things and mixing something together. After a few minutes she felt him sit down on the edge of the bed and she sat up to see that he had a small clay bowl half-filled with some strange black substance, as well as what looked like a small painting tool made from a thin willowy stick and a short tuft of fur. He gave her a soft smile and motioned for her to lean closer, and he quickly brushed her hair away from her face and dipped the brush into the ink. What on *earth* was going on? Was this some sort of way of marking her so people would know that she was a prisoner? It was possible, even though she had seen everyone else bearing the same black markings. Perhaps it was an identification system of some sort. Her mind kept reeling as he leaned in close and began to paint her face with the ink, using painstaking detail. He started by putting tiny dots around her eyes, almost Egyptian-style. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't be forced to stare into his face, and waited patiently as he took the brush and made detailed lines around her eyes, bordering in the dots. After what felt like hours he finally stopped, and Akira opened her eyes, only to see that he had produced a second clay bowl holding a red-violet ink. He used the ink to fill in the lines he had put around her eyes, and then sat back to admire his handiwork. Perhaps this was just some strange art form, and he wanted to let her participate in it, like he had in the small town square, where several older women had enjoyed themselves braiding beads and small feathers into her hair.

Loki tilted his head slightly, and then dipped his thumb in the red violet ink and gently streaked it on her cheeks and then took the brush to border them in with black, leaving her with stripes like his, but prettier. He leaned back to admire what he had done, and softly murmured "Waleila" . He seemed satisfied with his artwork and then got up to put the bowls away while she sat still, waiting for the ink to dry and trying to get a clue as to exactly what was going on. He placed the bowls by the bed and then reached under the folds of the pelts and felt around for something, then pulled out a delicately carved wooden box. He sat down cross legged in front of her and placed the box between them, and took off the lid. Inside was a beautiful onyx choker, and a long, graceful eagle feather among other various things, like a pouch made from rabbit fur and some rocks carved to look like animals. They appeared to be everyday things that had to bear some value for him, for he very carefully removed the choker and the feather and then replaced the lid on the box and lay it aside. Akira held still as he leaned forward and partially undid one of the braids that was scattered throughout her hair, and slid the tip of the feather under one of the braids and began to weave it into her braid and slid several beads over it to secure it. He smiled at her and then held the onyx choker in front of her. He was offering it to her. She bit her lip and considered. The choker couldn't be too significant, after all, she had seen the various jewelry other women had been wearing, and it seemed that onyx, silver and turquoise were rather common in the canyon. She reached up under her hair and began to unlace the choker she already wore -the one Erik had picked out for her in Transverse Town, what seemed ages ago-and let him put the onyx choker in its place. The cool stone against her neck made her shiver slightly, but she hoped that Loki didn't notice, lest he take it the wrong way. After all, she had a reputation to keep.