Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Learning Curve Continuum ❯ Prison Break ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Definitely not mine; always returned to Square Enix after they’ve been thoroughly confused.

A/N: The implausible set-up for the Corel Prison sequence annoys the hell out of me so I altered it, and to the person on the Advent Children production team who decided that Cait Sith would have a Scottish accent in the English dub – wtf were you smoking?  

Warnings: Coarse and suggestive language, artistic license.

Bouquets to my generous betas, Empatheia and Ranuel.  

Learning Curve Continuum
Chapter Five: Prison Break
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“Come with me.”

Cloud’s voice was as flat as ever, but Tifa detected the underlying strain and immediately rose to her feet.  The rest of the group looked on, their curious expressions illuminated by the campfire; however, he offered no explanation, just led the way into the darkness.

“Wait a minute… not all of us have your night vision,” Aerith called, tossing Tifa a flashlight.

“Thanks.”  Clicking on the beam, she hurried after the swordsman, grateful for the protection of her slacks as she brushed against prickly vegetation.  The terrain changed so quickly once we left Costa del Sol!  It had been warm until the sun went down, but then they had to break out their heavier clothing.  Cloud was apparently immune to the chill and had muffled her in his cowl as soon as they stopped for the night.  There’s nobody to send ‘the message’ to, so I don’t understand why - but I’m not complaining!  

“Over here.”  Bright blue glowed from her left, and she angled towards him.

“What’s up?”

“Something Hojo said is eating at me.”

“Me, too,” Tifa muttered.  I should’ve wrung the jerk’s neck until he told us everything!  “Er… what are you doing?”

Cloud shrugged out of his shoulder straps.  “I want you to check my back and butt for ShinRa markings,” he answered.

“M-markings?”

“Tattoos... or maybe brands?” he grimaced.

“Um, this isn’t really necessary,” Tifa protested, her eyes widening as he began unbuckling his belt.  “I’ve, er, seen you without any clothes.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t lookin’ for stuff like that.”  His attempt at a cheeky grin came out lopsided.  “Bet you were checkin’ out other stuff.”

“I was not.”

“Uh-huh.”

“There wasn’t anything worth seeing,” she sniffed.

“Suuure about that?”

“Yes.”

“Better take another look.”  His trousers fell to his ankles and Tifa yelped as she spun around.  Cloud chuckled, then his gloved hands landed on her shoulders and tried to turn her back.  She squawked and resisted, until he said, “It’s dark, if you haven’t noticed, and I am wearing underwear….”

“Er, right,” she agreed sheepishly, turning to face him.

“... most of the time.”

“Eep!”

“Kidding.  But you do have to look at my ass.”

Tifa groaned in defeat.  “I guess this falls under the heading of ‘things friends do for each other’?”

“Shit, don’t make like you’re gonna be scarred for life.”

“I might be.”

“Way to make a guy feel good about himself.”

“I’m sure I would’ve seen something when we were in the bathroom at 7th Heaven – when you were a girl,” she said desperately.

“If my balls disappeared, who knows what else might have gone missing?”  

“Not your ego, that’s for sure.” Tifa took a deep breath and moved around behind him.  As he first shoved up his sweater and then slid his boxers down over his hips, she played the flashlight’s beam over his bared skin.  “I don’t see anything,” she finally said, trying not to admire the toned muscles on display.

“Nothing like Red’s tattoo?”  The undergarment slipped lower, revealing lean thighs.

“Definitely not!  What made you think of that?”

“When Hojo asked about the number I’d been ‘assigned’.”  Tugging up his boxers, Cloud bent over to pull his trousers back into place.  “Made me wonder if he had somehow got his greasy little hands on me.”

“When?” Tifa gasped, horrified.

His entire body tensed.  “I have fuzzy memories of what I thought was a hospital,” he slowly admitted, tucking in his sweater.  “But maybe… maybe I was in Hojo’s lab, because when he suggested that I ‘come back’ – I lost it.  You saw that.”

She helped straighten his straps, using the excuse of touching him to reassure herself.  “If that was even remotely possible, it’s more likely that he’d mark you somewhere more visible.”

“The guy is obviously warped.”

“I won’t disagree with that.”  Touching his arm, Tifa cautiously brought up one of her own concerns.  “Hojo called you an ‘escapee’, but the troopers in Midgar referred to you as a ‘deserter’… um, which one is the truth?”

“Beats the hell out of me,” Cloud said bitterly.  He bowed his head, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.  “To be honest, I don’t remember much between fighting Sephiroth in the reactor and meeting you at the train station.”

“Th-that’s five years.”  Tifa reeled, more questions tumbling around her already overworked mind, until she noticed that Cloud’s shoulders were hunching and his arms had crossed defensively over his chest as if he expected rejection.  Prying at his arms until he loosened them, she quickly stepped close and hugged him tightly.  All those small scars on the front of his body... they could be scalpel marks, not battle wounds. She was startled by the strength of his response when he clutched her like a drowning man, while the idea that Cloud had possibly been experimented on made her stomach turn.  “If Hojo did something to you, he’s a dead man.”

“I don’t have any proof... just some disjointed images that might not even be true memories,” he rasped.

“You’ve lost five years of your life; someone is going to pay for that,” she insisted.

He straightened and released her, but then caught hold of her hand.  Kissing her fingertips, he murmured, “Thanks.”  She smiled back, and he stayed close as they made their way through the undergrowth.

When they walked into the circle of firelight, Aerith arched her eyebrows.  “That must’ve been some quickie.”  While Tifa stopped dead in confusion, the other girl gave Cloud’s crotch a significant look.

He smirked as he buttoned his fly.  “Just because it was fast doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.”

Tifa immediately volunteered to take the first watch.

Five years as a laboratory animal... I mean, we don’t know if that’s what happened, but it could explain why his memories of Nibelheim differ so greatly from mine.  And why I didn’t hear anything about him the entire time I lived in Midgar.  Tifa pulled Cloud’s cowl up over her head in an attempt to wring a little bit more warmth out of her clothing while staying alert to her surroundings and on track with her thoughts, but she found that the last two activities cancelled each other out.  But... if he was being held in a lab, then he wouldn’t have been able to read the incident reports – and I’m back to square one.  Argh. An errant tree root caught the toe of her boot and she nearly fell; hopping on one foot while rubbing her ankle, Tifa cursed her lack of concentration. However, her thoughts quickly drifted back to Cloud, and the strong sense of indignation at what ShinRa might have done to him came roaring back.  

She was working up a full head of steam when she remembered something else from Cloud’s version of events.  If too much mako can turn humans into monsters... and ShinRa’s been doing horrible things like this for decades... does that mean we’ve sometimes fought and killed mutant humans?  Shuddering violently, her stomach churning, Tifa stumbled again and had to prop herself against a tree.  The monster that came out of the reactor when that trooper and I were waiting outside... there’s no other logical explanation, because Cloud mentioned Sephiroth freeing one of the creatures, er, humans.  

Sliding down the tree trunk into a crouch, she put down the flashlight and rubbed her temples.  Did they volunteer for the experiments?  From what I’ve seen of Hojo and ShinRa’s ethics - then they probably didn’t.  This... is going to make things complicated.  We have to defend ourselves, but....  Looking up at the stars, she searched for answers.  If they’re so far gone that their humanity is destroyed, maybe we’re doing them a favour by putting them out of their misery?  Shaking her head, she felt tears threatening.  I’m only trying to justify my actions, like the casualties from Reactor One.  Am I any better than ShinRa?

Shortly afterwards, upon her return to the group, she managed to hide her distress from Barret as she handed over the PHS and the flashlight.  “Anything to report?” he rumbled, pocketing the one and testing the brightness of the other.

“There’s a huge bank of prickle bushes over that way; I don’t recommend falling into them,” she replied, trying to keep her voice light.

“Get some sleep,” Barret advised.  “We’re heading to North Corel for supplies.”

“C-Corel...?”  His grim expression discouraged her from asking anything more, but her stomach twisted again as she watched him stomp away.  Turning her attention to sleeping arrangements, she huffed enviously when she saw how Yuffie and Aerith had cleverly sandwiched Red between them.  Between his fur and their bedrolls, they’ll be toasty!  Collecting her sleeping bag, Tifa admitted that with the direction of her thoughts, plus her brief exchange with Barret, she really didn’t want to sleep alone.  Even as she chided herself for being weak, she couldn’t help glancing across the fire to where Cloud was seated on his bedroll, reclining against a rock.

As soon as she made eye contact, his fingers crooked in invitation; she was mildly annoyed with herself by not thinking twice about taking him up on it.  He silently watched her shake out her bedroll and unzip it all the way around, so that she could leave her booted feet out in case of attack during the night.  She was shifting around, trying to find a comfortable position that let in as little cold air as possible when Cloud scooped her into his lap.

I - I really shouldn’t... but I want to.  His arms around her were strong and comforting, his heartbeat beneath her ear steady and reassuring.  I... need him.  Admitting as much caused her to blush heatedly, but instead of pulling away, she snuggled closer, wrapping her bedding around both of them.  One of his arms slid beneath the thick material, his hand curling around her waist, while the other pulled the cowl down and began sifting through her hair.  Tifa sighed contentedly; just before she drifted off, she pressed a kiss to his chest and earned an answering one to the crown of her head.  Nothing was said; nothing needed to be.

When Barret returned three hours later, his eyes narrowed at the sight of Tifa peacefully asleep in Cloud’s embrace, her long hair loosely wound around his fist.  However, he realized that Tifa couldn’t have ended up in that position without her cooperation, so he grumpily held his tongue and instead shook Yuffie awake to stand watch.

The teenager grouched and muttered, but finally shambled off, stretching and yawning; Barret noticed that Cloud was watching her with a doubtful expression identical to his own.  The swordsman let go of Tifa’s hair long enough to reassure himself that his weapon was handy before again tangling his fingers in her dark locks.  

Barret settled into his bedroll and distracted himself from his concerns of the next day by covertly watching the couple, and had to grudgingly admit that despite the younger man’s often flippant behaviour, Cloud cared deeply about at least one thing - the young woman in his arms.  The way he sometimes saw Tifa looking at Cloud, her smile soft and her eyes bright, reminded him of another woman who had once warmed his life with her laughter and love.  “Myrna....”

“Who?”

He blinked and turned his head away.  “Nothin’.”

“The only time I ever heard someone say a name like that – all sad and low – was when my mom was missin’ my dad.”  Cloud gave Barret a steady look over the top of Tifa’s head.

“My wife,” he reluctantly disclosed.

“Great big guy like you... bet she was a dainty little thing.”

“‘Bout the missy’s size,” Barret sheepishly admitted, jerking his thumb in Aerith’s direction.

Cloud grinned.  “I also bet that she didn’t have any trouble keepin’ you in line.”

“Nope.”  Barret’s expression softened.  “She had a smile that lit up an entire room, a figure to make a man go weak in the knees and a heart of purest gold.”

After a respectful silence, Cloud quietly asked, “What happened?”

“She died when ShinRa destroyed Corel.”  As the swordsman’s mouth thinned, Barret poked the embers, sending up a shower of sparks.  “Marlene lost her parents - my best friend Dyne and his wife, Eleanor – at the same time, so I took her on.  If I didn’t have Marlene to keep me goin’... I prob’ly would be dead by now.”  

“What was ShinRa’s excuse for the attack?”

“The reactor exploded, and they blamed it on us.  Said we were supportin’ a rebel group.”

“Bastards.”

Barret stared into the fire.  “That’s why I targeted the Midgar reactors – revenge for Corel.”  When Cloud remained silent, he added, “I saw what ShinRa was doin’ to the Planet – destroyin’ it, jus’ like Corel – and knew I had to do somethin’ to make sure Marlene had a future.”

After several more moments of silence, Cloud spoke. “Hey, Barret.”

“Yeah?”

“Forget about my fees.  Put the gil towards Marlene’s schooling.”  Barret peered at Cloud to find him blushing as he steadfastly stared off into the shadows while quickly asking, “How long will it take us to reach North Corel?”

“If we hoof it, about three hours,” Barret replied.

“Any weapons or materia shops?”

“Dunno.  Ain’t never been back.”

“You gonna be okay?”

“Prob’ly not.”   He shrugged. “But there’s no gettin’ off this train we’re on until we reach the end o’ the line.”

“Excuse me, sir, is this the way to North Corel?”

“Yes, miss, but be careful!  Needle Kiss are very active in this area!”

“Thank you for the warning.”

“No problem; at least you listened to me, unlike that fellow in the black cloak I talked to earlier.”

“Did he have long, silver hair?”

“Couldn’t tell, on account of the hood.”

Aerith glanced at Cloud, who nodded.  “We’ll assume it was Sephiroth.”

“Why would he be heading for North Corel?” Tifa wondered.

“Maybe he wants to try his luck at Battle Square?” the stranger suggested.

“Battle Square?”

“The Gold Saucer’s newest attraction!  Valuable prizes to be won, they say.”

“Materia?”  Yuffie perked up.

“I don’t know, kid, but I wouldn’t be surprised!  You’ll find all kinds of strange things at the Saucer!”

“That guy wasn’t joking about finding ‘strange things’ at the Saucer.”  

“No kidding.” From a safe distance, Tifa and Aerith examined the odd creature that had buttonholed Cloud upon their arrival at the Gold Saucer’s Wonder Square; it appeared to be an animatronic cat seated on the head of a squat, stuffed Moogle.

“It also couldn’t have been Sephiroth that he tried to warn about the Needle Kiss.”

“If it was, we would’ve found a body,” Tifa murmured, trying to overhear the discussion going on between the creature and Cloud, who was becoming more agitated with each passing moment.

“Come to think of it, there was an odd fellow who lived in Sector Five,” Aerith mused.  “He had a tattoo of the number ‘two’ on his arm, in the same style of Red’s marking.”

“Aside from the tattoo, what else was odd about him?”

“He was totally unresponsive, and when he wasn’t staring blankly, he was mumbling to himself.”

“The ‘black-caped’ man who asked Dio for the Black Materia was definitely able to speak coherently....”

“But he also had a number ‘one’ tattooed on his palm.”

“It could be a coincidence,” Tifa cautioned.   

“Are we certain that Cloud is tattoo-free?” Aerith blurted out.

“He asked me to check his butt for one last night.”

“So that’s what you were doing!  Bet his ass is even nicer than when he was a girl.”

Tifa blushed.  “Er, I guess.”

Aerith giggled and changed the subject.  “Where do you suppose our ninja princess disappeared to?”

“Red’s with her, so she won’t be able to get into too much mischief... I hope.”

“Optimist.  Why was Barret so agitated?”

It appeared that Cloud’s patience with the stuffed cat was about to run out; Tifa moved closer to Aerith and whispered, “Wouldn’t you be shocked if you found out that not only did ShinRa destroy your community, but then built an amusement park over the graves of your wife and friends?”

Aerith gave her a sharp look.  “Taking that into consideration, I don’t think it’s wise to let Barret roam around the place on his own.  If he loses control of his temper, he could bring ShinRa down on us in no time flat.”

“When you put it that way... we’d better find him!”  

Cloud stomped up to them, his entire frame tight with frustration, followed by the Moogle and its rider.  The girls looked questioningly at him; he bared his teeth in a pained grimace and kept going.  The Moogle shuffled to a stop and the cat regarded them with shiny button eyes before doffing his crown and bowing.  “Cait Sith at yer service, lassies!”  

“What, exactly, are you?” Aerith demanded.

“Nothing more than a simple fortune teller, lassie,” he said, replacing his crown.  Puffing out his chest, Cait continued, “I shall be yer faithful companion on yer journey from now on!”

“I guess every team needs a mascot?” Tifa commented distractedly, concerned about the way Cloud appeared to be on the verge of exploding.

“Or a jester,” Aerith said, flicking askew Cait’s tin crown.  “Hey, wait up!”

“You itchin’ for a fight, laddie?”

“If I were you, I’d stop calling him ‘laddie’... unless you want to find out exactly how fast he can gut a small, noisy toy cat.”

“I am not a toy, lassie,” Cait said haughtily.  

“You’re darn noisy, though... and I might be tempted to see how fast I can gut you,” Aerith coolly threatened.  “Er... why are we going to Battle Square, anyways?  What if we get stuck with another gag gift like him by the management?”

“Lookin’ for the others so that we can get the hell out of here,” Cloud said tightly as they approached the entrance.

Aerith turned on Cait; the Moogle scooted back a few steps.  “Hey, fortune teller... can you locate missing people?”

“One of my many specialities, lassie,” he said confidently and began shuffling his cards.  “Who’s missin’?”

“Three other members of our party....”  Shouting accompanied by the sound of intense gunfire from up ahead cut her off, and then they were running, leaving the cat in the dust.  A moment later they found themselves in Battle Square’s garish foyer, their boots skidding on the bloodied tiles as they stared in horror at the slaughtered troopers and amusement park personnel.  

“Shit.”  Lowering his sword, Cloud glanced rapidly around – then frowned.  “Unless Barret used up a whole case of ammo himself, there was more than one gun involved.”

“How do you know?”

He gestured to the shot-up walls and ceiling, perforated by hundreds of rounds just as a voice yelled, “You, there!  Stay where you are!”

“Damn.”  Cloud stepped in front of the girls, but Tifa moved up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, facing down the squad of heavily-armed troopers that arrived on Dio’s well-tanned heels.  “We’re not responsible for this,” he said bluntly.  

“Don’t insult my intelligence, boy,” Dio snapped.  “Unless your sword is an extremely unusual gunblade, you couldn’t have committed this crime.”  They relaxed their stances, but in the next moment they were staring down the muzzles of at least a dozen rifles.  “One of your party, however, was involved.  Take them away.”

“We’re not going anywhere until we know what you’re planning for us,” Cloud gritted out.

“Until I get to the bottom of this, you and your friends will have a complimentary stay in Corel Prison.”

“Like hell.”

“I don’t think we have much choice,” Tifa muttered.  “We don’t know where Barret is, never mind Yuffie or Red, so we can’t fight our way out without the risk of leaving someone behind.”

“Listen to the lady, boy.  I’ll even provide you with some entertainment – the cat goes, too.”

“Now that’s cruel and unusual punishment!” Aerith protested, earning her smirks from some of the troopers.  Nobody tried to seize Cloud’s sword or their packs, which made Tifa wonder exactly what they were going to be facing as they were hustled down a corridor towards a steel door.

“Are you two all right?”

“This place sucks,” the teenager grumbled, dusting herself off.  “The jerks said something about a murder charge; what’s going on?”

While Aerith brought Yuffie and Red up to speed, Tifa approached Cloud, who was listening to Cait Sith while assessing their bleak surroundings.  When she drew close, he curtly silenced the cat with a gesture, grabbed her hand and towed her around the corner of a dilapidated building.  She didn’t resist as he backed up against the flaking wooden wall and pulled her into his arms, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.  His lips brushed distractingly against her skin as his embrace tightened, but not enough that Tifa failed to notice the way he was trembling.  Sliding one hand up around his neck, she gently ruffled the short hairs on his nape and waited.

“Damn cat and his damned fortunes,” he finally ground out.  Tifa patiently continued petting Cloud’s hair until he continued, his tone strained, “He said that what I’m pursuing will be mine.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

Shaking his head, Cloud squeezed her to the point of discomfort.  “He also said that I’ll lose something dear in the process.”

“Oh.  That would be awful if you lost your sword,” she commented, then wondered why he snorted.

“It isn’t the sword I’m worried about,” he replied, straightening up but still holding onto her rather tightly.  

“It’s just a silly stuffed cat,” Tifa said firmly, “brought to life by electronics.  You don’t really believe what he says, do you?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t.  We have enough real issues to worry about... like where Barret’s gone, and how to get out of this place.”

Cloud let her go, but as Tifa stepped away, he cupped her cheek and moved in for a lingering kiss. “Red can track him,” he whispered a long minute later, running his thumb over her lips before ushering her back to the others.  

Yuffie and Red had scavenged a large box and taken shelter inside it out of the direct sun, while Aerith fanned herself with a scrap of cardboard; they all ignored Cait Sith.  “We found the way out, but there’s two catches.  One, someone named ‘Dyne’ has to give permission, and two, we have to win a Chocobo race.”

Cloud went very still.  “Did you say ‘Dyne’?”

“Uh-huh.”  Using the cardboard to shade her eyes, Aerith peered up at the swordsman.  “Do you know him?”

He hesitated before carefully replying, “He was a friend of Barret’s back in the day.”

Tifa frowned.  How does Cloud know that?  “Dyne was Marlene’s father; I always assumed that he died.”

“Apparently not.”

Red’s muzzle abruptly swung to the right, and he let out a low whine as a familiar figure lumbered into view.  He barked sharply and Barret jerked around to face them.

“What the hell are you doin’ here?” he demanded.  “This ain’t yer business.”

“Since we’re here on account of a friend of ours, it is our business,” Cloud replied, moving across the cracked earth towards Barret; he came to an abrupt stop when the big man waved his gun in his direction.

“Leave me alone, Spiky.  Gotta deal with this m’self.”

“Oh, please,” Aerith grumbled, flapping her cardboard at Barret.  “Spare us the manly ‘lone avenger’ crap.”

“Is ‘Dyne’ really Marlene’s father?” Tifa asked, ignoring his threatening stance to approach; he suddenly looked very weary.

“Yep.  We both had our arms shot off – my right, his left – by that bitch Scarlet from ShinRa.  He had the same surgery and has a gun-arm, too.”  Barret rubbed his hand over his eyes. “Dyne’s gone as fuckin’ crazy as an inbred Chocobo.”

“So he was the killer?”  Red didn’t bother to conceal his relief.

Nodding slowly, Barret said heavily, “But it’s my fault that Dyne’s the way he is because I’m the one who convinced him that ShinRa was trustworthy – an’ everythin’ went to hell because o’ that.”

“You trusted ShinRa?” Yuffie sneered.  “How stu....”

“Yuffie.”  Cloud loaded the single word with heavy promise of retribution; she sensibly shut up.  Pinning the teen in place with a sharp look for good measure, he continued, “Take care of business; we’ll wait here.”

The fire returned to Barret’s eyes.  “I gotta make peace with Dyne afore I can move on – an’ I gotta tell him that Marlene’s alive.”

“Barret....”  Tifa squeezed his hand.

“I’m okay,” he rumbled as he awkwardly patted her shoulder.  “You been the best li’l momma that Marlene coulda hoped for.”  She blushed, and he grinned crookedly.  “I ain’t plannin’ on dyin’ here, so don’ worry so much.”  

They watched Barret stomp away with his peculiar rolling gait.  “He’s got ten minutes before I go after ‘im,” Cloud said, drawing his sword with a careless twirl.  “Until then, we might as well earn some gil.  Anyone up for a little monster extermination?”

Tifa froze, then hurried over to the box where Yuffie pouted and Red panted in the heat.  Kneeling in front of her furry teammate, she waited until he acknowledged her.  “May I ask you something?”

“Certainly, Tifa-san.”

“Have any of the monsters we’ve fought smelled at all... human?”

He tilted his massive head, closely inspecting her with his good eye.  “What an intriguing question, Tifa-san.  May I ask what sparked it?”

Worrying the hem of her skirt, she answered, “ShinRa performed experiments where they exposed human subjects to huge doses of mako....”

“SOLDIERs, in other words,” Yuffie jeered, glaring at Cloud as he stalked a spiked ball floating between two nearby piles of junk.

“Far more than that.  Enough to deform their bodies so that they weren’t recognizable as humans any more.”

“Are you thinking about the monsters in the tanks that Cloud talked about?” Aerith asked over her shoulder; she was following the swordsman’s purposeful actions with interest.  “Oh, darn - I think we have company.”

Yuffie instantly deployed her shuriken, squinting against the sun.  “Where?”

“Oh, put that away, ninja-girl,” Aerith sighed.  “We need our hand-to-hand specialists for these guys.”  

Red rose to his feet, his nostrils flaring.  “We will continue this conversation at a later time, Tifa-san,” he said courteously as he slunk towards the nearest masked biped.  

Tifa shot to her feet, exclaiming “Prowlers!” but after examining their opponents more closely, she amended, “Not exactly, but something similar.  Bandits, maybe?”

“Abilities?”

“Stealing stuff, usually.”

“Ah.  Relatives of yours, Yuffie?”

The teen stuck out her tongue at Aerith and took up a position in front of their packs.  “Since my awesome ninja skills aren’t needed, I’ll just stay back here guarding our stuff....”

“Tally-ho, laddie!  This buggy is the cat’s pyjamas!”

Cloud rose upright from his inspection of the low-slung vehicle’s wheels, his gaze markedly icy, and the Moogle shifted nervously even if Cait Sith’s stitched-on eyes didn’t waver.  After a long stare-down, Cloud declared, “The winged thing stays.”

Fabric ears laid back.  “I canna leave ‘im!”

“Not my problem.  You wanna tag along, you lose the excess baggage.”

Tifa bit her lip, because the stuffed creature positively drooped.  When Cloud moved around the back to check another part of Dio’s unexpected ‘apology’ gift, she followed.  “Isn’t that a little harsh?”

“You volunteering to ride on the roof?”  When she blinked, he continued, “It’s gonna be a tight fit as it is... and that thing creeps me out.  The cat’s bad enough.”

“Oh.”  She couldn’t help sounding a little deflated and looked away as she tried to think of another tactic.   Barret was fiercely scowling into the middle distance, turning a small, gleaming metal object over and over in his fingers.  Aerith was seated close to him, not speaking but offering comfort by simply being there while Red kept Yuffie and Cait at bay; it appeared that the cat was trying to rally support for retaining his bulky steed.  When Red curled his lip, revealing an impressive length of fang, she realized that Cait wasn’t getting anywhere and felt slightly guilty for not pressing his case.  “Can we put some of the luggage on the roof...?”

Cloud rubbed his hand over his face and leaned on the buggy.  “Why is this bothering you?” he wearily asked.

She twisted her fingers together.  “I wouldn’t want to leave a friend behind.”

Shaking his head, he patiently pointed out, “Neither of them are technically alive, so I doubt you can claim they’re best buddies.”

A commotion interrupted; Cait was bouncing up and down in front of Barret, bowing repeatedly until his crown fell off.  Retrieving the tin circlet, he declared, “You won’ regret this!”

“Better not, or I’ll yank out yer wires an’ give ya to Marlene,” Barret growled, tucking the pendant into his vest pocket and helping Aerith to her feet.  Cait exchanged a few words with the Moogle and it shuffled off, its large feet sending up puffs of dust, just before he scrambled onto Barret’s hand.  Stowing the cat on his shoulder like an exotic bird, the big man rumbled, “Where we off to now, Spiky?”

Pulling Dio’s letter out of his pocket, Cloud scanned it one more time before tearing it up into tiny pieces and scattering it on the desert wind.  “Sephiroth’s apparently heading south to Gongaga, so we’ll follow.”

“Gongaga...?” Aerith echoed, her hand flying up to touch the pink ribbon holding back her hair; Tifa heard the tremor in the other woman’s voice.

“Know anything about it?” Cloud inquired.

“My friend... the one who gave me the Transform materia... was from there.”  She managed to sound nonchalant.

“Huh.  I used to know someone from there, too; I remember this one mission where we joked about how being ‘country boys’ was an advantage because we were able to keep up when the city boys were all draggin’ ass.”

“Do you remember his name?” Aerith lightly inquired, her slender hand tightly clenching the front of her jacket.

Cloud scratched his chin, frowning in thought.  “Nope.  Nice kid, though – real keen.  He wanted to get into SOLDIER in the worst way.”  Turning his attention to Yuffie, he planted his fists on his hips.  “Find a barf bucket, brat, or sit by an open window.  We’re headin’ out.”


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