Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Mako Eyes ❯ Escape ( Chapter 11 )

Aneilla's eyes flew open when she heard the sound of commotion on the floor above them. She sat up quickly as she heard gunfire and loud banging noises and a smile crept up onto her face. They're here... she thought happily. She looked down at Vincent and gently started to shake him awake. Vincent groaned and he looked up at her questionably. “They're here,” Aneilla told him. “Time for our escape.” She got to her feet and hunted through the room until she found Vincent's belongings. She helped him dress and made sure that Cerberus was back in its holster where it belonged. She then draped one of his arms over her shoulders and, wrapping one arm around his waist, she proceeded to help him out of there…

 

…only to be stopped by the door flying open and James, Nemo and Bear blocking their escape.

 

Damn it...

 

*~*~*

 

“There's too many!” Yuffie exclaimed as she spun around with her shuriken, slicing through the defenses. “James was expecting us.”

 

“Just keep pushing through, Yuffie,” Cloud told her through the com-link.

 

“Easy for you to say,” the ninja retorted, “you and your big ass sword.”

 

“Hey, me and my `big ass sword' are having just as much trouble as you are...”

 

“Will you all stop fighting?!” Cid hollered. “You sound like a bunch of old grannies!”

 

“Sorry, old man,” Yuffie said, cutting down two more of James's men.

 

“DON'T CALL ME OLD MAN!!!”

 

*~*~*

 

“So you really thought that you could escape,” James said softly, a smile on his face, but his eyes glowed with murder.

 

“Uhh… yeah, I did, actually,” Aneilla said, slowly stepping back, away from James, although she knew that she had no escape. Think, girl, think! We need to get out of here. I have to protect Vince. There's no way in hell I'm going to let James hurt him again.

 

James started to glow with the dark fire, the pupils of his eyes becoming slits. “You little bitch, I will teach you some respect,” he hissed as the dark aura around him exploded.

 

Aneilla lowered Vincent to the floor gently and faced James, her own red fiery aura beginning to surround her. Vincent gripped her hand and she looked down at him, crimson eyes meeting crimson.

 

“Aneilla…” he said, worry for her in his gaze.

 

Aneilla smiled and said, “Don't worry…” She then turned to face James again, allowing her power to course through her.

 

“I will kill your friends, and then I will slowly kill your love,” James said, spiting out the last word with disgust. “I will force you to watch as I peel the flesh off his bones and gorge myself off of it!”

 

Hot red anger burned through Aneilla as he threatened the lives of the people she loved. Her aura exploded and her body tingled with the fire of the dragon burning inside of her. “I won't let you…” she whispered softly, before throwing up her hand and causing the floor between her and James to explode with Dragon Fire.

 

As the room burned, Aneilla released the dragon inside of her. She reared up on her hind legs and roared, her eyes glowing as brightly as the fire. On the other side of the flames, James's black wings unfurled as he took the form of the black dragon. His golden eyes glowed with hate as he looked at Aneilla over the flames, but he couldn't get to her. Aneilla lowered her head to look at Vincent. The red cloaked man gazed up at her with glazed over eyes. She lowered her muzzle, crooning softly deep in her throat. Vincent reached up with one hand to touch the side of her muzzle before he slipped back into unconsciousness. Aneilla roared again with anger at James for what he did to Vincent, and she carefully picked up Vincent's still form with her front claws, holding him close and protectively against her chest. Holding him close with one claw, she freed the other to have a better stance as she lowered her head, opened her jaw wide and used Dragon Fire once again to cause the room, and most of the basement, to explode.

 

*~*~*

 

“What the hell?!” Cid yelled as he saw part of the reactor explode from what looked like the underground. “Hey! Are you all alright?”

 

“Yeah, we're fine, just a little shook up,” Cloud replied.

 

“What was that?” Tifa asked.

 

“Dunno,” Cid told her. “It came from the basement, from the inside. You guys might want to get out of there. The reactor is already catching fire.”

 

“Right,” Cloud said. “We'll rendezvous as soon as everyone's...

 

“Holy fuck!” Cid yelled, the toothpick he had in his mouth dropping out, interrupting Cloud. “I just realized what that explosion was!”

 

“What was it?” Cloud asked.

 

“Let's just say that you guys don't have to worry about Annie and Vince anymore…” the pilot replied as he watched a ruby red dragon shoot out from the angry flames that were beginning to consume the reactor, clutching a still form in her claws against her chest.

 

*~*~*

 

Aneilla's wings were drawn close to her back as she ejected out through the basement and a few of the floors of the Mako Reactor before bursting outside. She roared as she spread her wings out into the open air and spun around in time as James rocketed after her. She twisted out of the way, using her hind claws to slash at his head and slamming the spikes of her tail into his stomach. James roared in pain and lashed out at her with his poison barbed tail, which Aneilla easily dodged. James lunged at her again, but Aneilla dove back into the flames that were beginning to claim the Mako Reactor, being able to fly through her flames unharmed, but James wasn't as lucky. She smirked slightly to herself as she heard James's roars as he tried to get by the flames to get to Aneilla.

 

She dipped low and flew into the cliffs surrounding Nibelheim, her mind racing as she thought of nothing but making sure Vincent was safe. Behind her, she heard James's roars of rage as he lost her.

 

*~*~*

 

Getting away from the reactor was easy once everyone boarded the airships. Finding where Aneilla and Vincent disappeared to was an entirely different matter.

 

“Where could she have gone?” Yuffie asked as she looked down the window of the airship as they flew over the cliffs and mountains. They had been searching since the end of the fight, and it was now getting close to daybreak, meaning that they've put at least four to five hours in this search, with no results. It was like the dragon disappeared off the face of the planet.

 

“Somewhere she felt safe,” Red said softly, standing beside the ninja. “She was using everything she had to make sure Vincent was safe, even when it weakened her defenses.”

 

“She wasn't fighting with everything she had,” Cloud said, remembering when he had gotten out of the burning reactor and saw Aneilla fighting against James while holding Vincent close to her in protection. She hardly fought, just dodged and swiped at the black dragon with her tail, keeping a distance between them.

 

Cid sighed wearily where he stood at the helm and shook his head. “We better find them soon, before James does.”

 

Cloud nodded and then his phone rang. Looking at the caller I.D. he said, “It's Reeve.” He flipped his phone open and held it to his ear. “Cloud…”

 

“We've found them,” Reeve said, “at the Northern Cave. You might want to get down here quickly.”

 

“Alright,” Cloud said, hanging up. He looked at Cid and said, “Head to the Northern Cave, and quickly. They found them.”

 

Cid sighed as he turned his ship in the direction of the Northern Cave. “Why do we always see to end up there? I really can't stand that place.”

 

“I know,” Cloud muttered, thinking of the place where he'd given the final blow to Sephiroth… the first time. It was also the place where Rufus had found Jenova's head that Kadaj and his gang were after.

 

Within the hour, they reached the Northern Cave and Cid eased his ship down to the bottom, through a thick mist that formed. Once safely landed, they all stepped off to find Reeve and some WRO soldiers waiting for them. Cloud gave a nod of greeting to Reeve, who returned it. “You found them?” Cloud asked.

 

Reeve nodded again and gestured behind him. “About a quarter of a mile that way, but be careful… she's not exactly in the right state of mind. Perhaps someone she knows well will bring her back.”

 

Cloud nodded and glancing at the others who came up behind him, they all headed out. Cloud unsheathed his sword as they walked through the mist, searching around him for any sigh of Aneilla or Vincent. He stopped when he heard a low growl. “Aneilla?” he called out.

 

With a loud “whoosh” noise, the mist cleared slightly and Cloud could see Aneilla lying on the ground curled up. Between her two front claws laid Vincent. Aneilla looked at Cloud and hissed and she folded her wings that she had used, as well as some magic Cloud had no doubt, to clear the mist. Her eyes were hair-like slits in crimson orbs and she was breathing heavily. “Stay away from him...” she growled.

 

“Aneilla, it's me, Cloud,” Cloud told her, sheathing his sword. “You two are safe now.” He gestured to the others to stay back and then he took a crouching position. He looked at Aneilla and smiled slightly. “I can wait until you calm down.”

 

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Aneilla broke eye contact and muttered, “I was a fool to allow James to control me like that...”

 

“You were doing nothing but protecting someone you cared for,” Cloud reassured her. “Any one of us would have done the same.” He then turned and gestured to Yuffie to run back and have Reeve bring one of the trucks over so they could get Vincent out of there. “Right now,” Cloud continued, turning back to Aneilla, “Vincent needs some help, so you're going to have to let us. He'll be fine now, Annie, trust me.”

 

Aneilla looked at Cloud and nodded. “I trust you,” she said, before shifting back to her human form… her human form without a stitch on. She had burnt away her clothing when she transformed since it wasn't enchanted like her regular clothes. Cloud chuckled when he heard Cid curse lightly behind him and Barret shift so he had his back turned. Aneilla lifted up Vincent and held him close to her, his head resting on her shoulder. “I feel like it's my fault that he got hurt like this…” she whispered.

 

“It isn't, and you know it,” Cloud told her. “Like I said, any one of us would have done the same to make sure someone we cared for was safe.”

 

Aneilla looked up at Cloud and said, “But, even though I did everything James wanted me to, Vincent still got hurt and if I didn't, James said he would kill him… no matter what, Vincent suffered because of me.”

 

“I don't think it was as one sided as you may think,” Cloud told her.

 

She opened her mouth to question what he said, but was interrupted when on of the WRO trucks arrived. A few soldiers came out of the truck and headed towards Vincent and Aneilla. They slowed down slightly when they saw Aneilla and Cloud saw a few turn a shade of red.

 

“Yuffie,” Reeve said, shrugging off his long dark blue coat as he came up beside Cloud, “give this to Aneilla. Men, turn your backs.”

 

Cloud chuckled as he stood and turned his back along with the other men as Yuffie ran to Aneilla with Reeve's coat. He saw Tifa trying to stifle giggling behind a hand. Once Aneilla was decently covered did the WRO soldiers pick up Vincent and carefully carry him to the truck. Aneilla looked at Cloud and he nodded, and he watched as Aneilla followed the men.

 

“I'll go with her,” Red said before trotting after the young woman.

 

“Well,” Reeve said, looking at Cloud, “shall we head back?”

 

Cloud nodded and then they all headed back towards the airship, the truck slowly driving ahead of them.