Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Mako Dreams ❯ Spike Dies ( Chapter 2 )

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

The room was comfortable but dimly lit, an otherworldly air that vexed neither man present. Vincent stood with his arms forward, hands flat upon the table.

Bugenhagen hovered.

"You will meet a woman, Flipped Turtle. And then... death."

Vincent smiled grimly.

"I was killed once before... by a woman."

---

He walked up to Tifa. The bar was closed, AVALANCHE all tucked away to bed. Tifa aimlessly polished the counter.

"Tifa," he said, gesturing.

"Cloud," she said, looking up to him genuinely.

"Spike dies," he said.

Tifa's eyes showed pain. She ran out of the room, out the door.

---

Cait Sith stood atop his Mog under a street light. Cait Sith was dancing to and fro and the Mog was hopping eagerly.

Barret walked along, stopping to face the two, staring in dismay.

"You are one silly son of a bitch," Barret said, shaking his head.

He began to walk away.

"Spike dies," he said.

The Mog finished a hop and then stood still. Cait Sith slumped forward with limp arms and a crooked crown.

---

He stood in front of a townsperson. They pointed in a direction he didn't understand and nodded their head.

Finger? What the hell?

"A man in a black cape goes walked that way," they said.

Cloud nodded deeply. He had no fucking idea what they just said, but he walked away as if satisfied.

---

Yuffie was in a good mood. Her knees bent in, crooked, and her torso leaned down, she was petting Red XIII on the nose.

His head was lifted to receive this affection, his tail swinging slowly.

"Hee-hee," Yuffie laughed. "Would you like it if I plugged your nose?"

"Spike dies," Red XIII said simply, tilting back his head in a snooty manner.

"What the!" Yuffied yelled.
Red XIII walked away.

"HEY! Get back here!" Yuffie yelled, chasing after him.

---

The airship rattled as it tore through the sky at high speeds. Everyone was gathered in the bridge, the student pilots attempting to maintain course as Cid stood front-and-center, facing the team.

"Alright, listen up, you maggots!" he said, swinging his left arm for some reason.

Everyone was looking at him.

Cid saw that he had their attention and nodded, putting his fists on his hips.

"...Spike dies," he told them all, smiling with certainty.

Everyone groaned and hung their heads while he nodded again to himself.

---

They stood gathered around an old coffin locked away in the cellar of the Shinra Mansion where it smelled of death.

Vincent stood atop the rim of the coffin, speaking to them, albeit briefly.

"There's nothing more to discuss," the grim and mysterious man told them.

"You are interrupting my nightmares. Go away."

He floated up and descended into the coffin, the lid abruptly flying in and settling shut tightly.

Cloud shrugged awkwardly and they walked to the door.

"Wait," Vincent said.

The lid flew off and he floated forward, feet tapping onto the ground. He walked up to them. They turned to face him.

"Nevermind," Vincent said, drifting up and standing on the front edge of the coffin.

"Go away."

He returned to the coffin once more and shut himself within it.

They turned and opened the door.

"Wait."

---

The sky was painted the colors of the sun and moon as they traded places. The stars began to light up over Cosmo Canyon.

Red XIII stood with Bugenhagen atop a cliff, staring into that perfect sea above.

"I don't get it, Granpda," Red XIII said. "Did Spike die?"

Bugenhagen rocked and tilted his head back in laughter. "Ho ho hoooo!"

He stared up at the sky. "Who can say? Maybe Spike died, and maybe Spike didn't! Either way, the series ends... Everyone dies, so what does it matter?"

Red XIII tried to understand, but he was still too young.

Solemnly he howled at the moon.

---

A bunch of gritty, black-and-white images began to flash onscreen. As this is a text-based story, and the visual style is almost entirely lost, I will describe them.

Vincent in bed with Lucrecia.

Vincent looking out a window, shirtless.

Vincent, back-to-back with Hojo, smiling.

Hojo in bed with Lucrecia.

Vincent in bed with Lucrecia again or something, I don't care.

Vincent in bed with Hojo while we're at it.

Vincent just walking down the street with a bouquet of roses, looking dejected.

A bouquet of roses which logic would dictate belonged to Vincent, lying in a puddle.

---

Okay, now things are in color again.

---

The slums were a rough place, but this part was warm, sunny. He had just brought Aeris here, her 'bodyguard.'

"Thank you," Aeris said gratefully.

Cloud shifted one leg forward and raised up his forearm in front of himself...?

"No problem," he said.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked politely, hopefully.

Cloud shook his head, turning to leave.

"Cloud..." Aeris said, putting her arms behind her back, taking a step forward.

Cloud looked over his shoulder.

"On that show, Cowboy Bebop..." she said, tilting her head, her voice hinting.

Cloud took in and let out a sigh, at great length, his shoulders hanging forward.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, shaking his head.

She closed her eyes.

"...Spike dies," Aeris said.

Cloud swung his arm as he turned and faced her.

"Bitch, I said I didn't want to talk about it!" he said, diving at her.

Aeris tried to move. Immediately, Cloud was upon her. His hands clamped around her neck and he shook and he bore his teeth at her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he asked, letting go reluctantly. "Telling me that."

Aeris' legs wobbled, her posture shrinking as she put her hands to her neck. Cloud shoved her over by the shoulders and she lay on her side on the ground.

Cloud scuffed a cloud of dust at her with his foot then turned his back on her.

"I don't even like you," he said.

---

Yuffie cringed and clutched her stomach. She was within the airship, stomping her feet up and down.
"Oh god...!" she groaned.

Vincent came walking up.

"Huh? You're going? Just like that?!" Yuffie asked Vincent when she spotted him.

Vincent didn't answer.

"You'll die!" she pleaded, eyes beginning to water.

Vincent didn't answer.
Yuffie pointed her shuriken at him. "I won't let you go!"

Vincent started to go.

Yuffie tried to throw the shuriken but felt queasy and missed entirely, hitting the ceiling. "Urp... Oh, dammit!"

---

"Reno," Reno said into the phone.

"Uh huh," he said.

Reno and Rude stood on the streets of Upper Midgar, Rude's arms crossed. He watched Reno nod and listen to the phone.

"Uh huh," Reno said for the second time. "...You don't say."

Reno shut the phone and put it away.

"Spike dies," he told Rude, shaking his head slowly.

Rude's face held a flat expression. He then raised his fist up in front of his face, his arm shaking wildly.

"...Oh, god damnit," Rude said, his hand suddenly stopping.

---

It was the blackest of nights, only a few emergency lights showing them the way. The air was tense, the wind rushing past them as they scaled the framework of Midgar's plates. Everything was falling apart.

Vincent raced up the stairway, metal boots clanking against metal catwalks. Cloak fluttered, gun was drawn.

"Hojo!" Vincent said in all the seriousness of the world.

He pointed his gun at the shirtless man with the long blade.

Weiss the Immaculate laughed madly, Hojo's laugh, Hojo's voice.

"Ah, if it isn't you again," Hojo said.

"...Lucrecia is dead," Vincent said in bitter pain.

"You don't say," Hojo replied.

"It's time we finished this," Vincent said in resolution.

"I agree," Hojo replied. "After all, beasts like us only know how to bare our fangs. I told you that before, remember?"

Vincent ran up the stairs while Hojo rushed down them. Vincent fired, Hojo dodged to the side. Soon Hojo was upon him and Vincent could only block the sword with his gun. Metal rang against metal, weapons shook in tiresome unison.

The two drew apart and then came at each other. A shot was fired off. Hojo's sword swept past Vincent diagonally.

Hojo collapsed, dead on the spot.

Vincent clutched a bloody wound on his chest and began limping down the stairs.

Tunk.

Tunk.

Tunk.

He was nearing the bottom. The elevator opened up. He could see Cloud and the others.

Tunk.

Tunk.

He reached the end of the stairs. But all he could do was smile and fall back, left in a puddle of his own blood. He looked up at the sky which got brighter and brighter, the higher you looked, until you could almost see heaven itself... (this took several minutes.)

---

Cloud heard a ringing sound.

After a moment of not falling to the ground in confusing agony, he realized it was his phone. He took it out and answered it.

"Cloud," he said.

"Cloud," she said back.

His eyes widened.

"Aeris!" he said.

"You're alive...?" he asked in quiet awe.

"Of course," she replied with a little laugh. "What did you think?"

"Your MySpace is gone," Cloud told her.

"I have a new one," she said lightly. "I tried to add you, but..."

"Then, were you the...?" he asked.

"Yup," she answered. "It's Aerith now."

"...Aerith?" he asked.

"Yeah. ...Hey, I have to go," she said.

"Have to go?" he wondered.

"Yeah. Zack's here."

"Zack?"

"See you."

She hung up, and he put away his phone.

---

Spike scratched his hair a few times, a twinge of annoyance on his face. "Whaddaya mean, 'Aeris dies?!'" he asked.

Jet closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "I mean what I said! Aeris dies!"

Faye sighed and put her hand on her forehead. "And if she's dead, that means no bounty... I was so hungry, too..."

Ed hopped up and down, running around the group and laughing. "Ed dies too! Ed dies!! Watch Ed die, FayeFaye!"

Ein barked.