Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Ice ❯ Sephiroth Awaits ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: Sephiroth Awaits

 

Cid kicked the bloodied and mangled piece of flesh that was once the body of a strange monster they had encountered in Gaea's Cliff. It had been two-headed and almost impossible to defeat.

 

“Tough bastard,” he commented aloud, giving the corpse another swift kick for good measure. Cid's eyes flickered to his companion, who was pulling himself off the ground.

 

Vincent coughed. “And I'm afraid I was more harm than good,” he mumbled struggling to his feet. He had hit his limit break during the battle and transformed into Galian Beast. Unfortunately for him, the creature absorbed fire attacks. Cloud was about to knock the gunman out until the monster did it for him. The two, Cloud and Cid, defeated Schizo themselves.

 

From over to the side, Cloud shrugged. “We can't know everything can we?”

 

Cid shivered as he stood at the mouth of the cave, leaning out to look down and then up. The wind pushed at him, ruffling his hair and clothing. “Only one more climb,” he commented.

 

“This is it then,” Cloud said softly, full of anticipation. “The last moment before we face our final battle.”

 

“What the hell are we waiting for?” the pilot asked, lighting up a cigarette for good measure. “Let's get the bastard.” He smiled.

 

Cloud and Vincent nodded in agreement, checking their equipment before coming up behind Cid at the mouth to the cavern. The wind was fierce and bitingly cold as it pulled at them.

 

Cloud was the first to go, grabbing the easiest handhold as he used his strength to climb the rather short distance to the top of the crater and the apex of Gaea's Cliff. He cleared the way for the other's to follow, gouging out hand and footholds.

 

It wasn't but ten minutes later when they three men stood at the lip of the crater, looking down into what Sephiroth had called the `Promised Land'.

 

“Doesn't look very promising to me,” Vincent remarked drolly, earning a bemused look from Cid.

 

Cloud shrugged. ”Maybe there is more? Sephiroth doesn't strike me as the stupid type.”

 

“Who cares? Let's just get this over with,” Cid proclaimed, taking a step down into the crater.

 

It was then that they heard the sound of a helicopter or airship above them. As they made their way down the steep slope, eyes turned upwards, finding the recognizable symbol of the ShinRa as it made its way to the center of the crater.

 

“Well, I'll be damned! That's my fucking airship!” the pilot exclaimed, angrily. He gripped the butt of his spear tightly, furious with ShinRa's gall. His burned-out cigarette quivered in his mouth.

 

Cloud shook his head in dismay. “We have to hurry then. We can't let Rufus get there first.” He took off quickly, heading for the glowing area ahead of them, Cid making as if to follow.

 

“Cid?” Vincent stated cautiously. He hadn't moved just yet. He seemed to be in deep contemplation. Slowly, he pulled out something he had been dragging with him for the past few days, waiting for the right time to reveal it.

 

“What?” questioned Cid, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. He stopped moving to turn and look at the gunman. His eyes widened in surprise.

“That's…” he began to say, breathless.

 

“You cracked your Javelin in the fight with Schizo today,” Vincent answered softly.

 

Cid shrugged as he reached out to take the proffered gift. “What do you expect from something ya find lying around in an old icy cavern?”

 

“Yes, well, we can't be fighting Sephiroth with broken weapons, now can we?”

 

“No,” Cid answered as he stroked the Partisan that he had been eyeing in Icicle Inn lovingly. “No, we certainly can't.”

 

The gunman's lips twitched upwards. “Come on, Strife is waiting,” he said finally, moving past the pilot to hurry towards Cloud who was tapping his feet impatiently. Apparently their leader had realized they were not following him. His movement hid the small smile that had crept onto his features. Cid liked the gift… that was what mattered.

 

“Thanks, Vince.” Cid smiled softly as he transferred his material from the cracked Javelin to the shining new Partisan.

 

Vincent did not answer. But then again, he did not have to.

 

* * *

 

The sound of flesh hitting flesh ripped through the air. Tifa lay on the ground, hand clasped to her cheek where she had just been slapped silly by a furious ninja.

 

“You bitch!” Yuffie screamed, darting forward to attack the dark-haired girl again, but she was grabbed up from behind by Barret.

 

“Calm down, spitfire, she ain't worth it,” the somewhat wiser older man intoned, holding the ninja back.

 

“We trusted you! You fought at our sides and worked with us… and the whole time you were a fucking spy?” Yuffie exclaimed, eyes flashing.

 

“Yeah, and you dumb asses were none the wiser.” Tifa smirked, getting to her feet. She sauntered over to stand back beside President Rufus, wrapping her arm around his waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder and flashed the group of friends another charming smile.

 

“Did you like the present we left behind for you?” Rufus questioned, cocking his head to the side. “Mechasect was a new invention of Heidegger's. He was quite proud of it.”

 

Everyone was standing in the base of the crater surrounded by shining green and blue substance. Cloud, Cid, and Vincent were standing off to one side as Yuffie, Barret, Reeve, and Nanaki were in a group on the other. Not but a few moments after they arrived but also President Rufus arrived, accompanied by his merry band of idiots… Hojo, Scarlet, and Tifa.

 

Cid seethed with anger, shaking his fist at the brunette traitor. “Your bitch ass had everyone turned on Vince. I should kill you!”

 

“Now, now, now, there will be plenty of time for that later,” President Rufus clucked, shaking his head. He turned to gaze at Hojo, the crazed scientist already looking around interested.

 

“Where is Sephiroth, Hojo?”

 

“Isn't it obvious?” Hojo smirked. He looked up into the cavern before he passed by Cloud. “My, my, if it isn't the failed experiment…”

 

Cloud stiffened, seemingly remembering his past all in one moment. He looked at Hojo with a dazed look in his eyes.

 

“I am surprised you survived this long,” Hojo mused aloud. “Perhaps not such a failure after all?”

 

“Give me a number professor,” Cloud said, beginning to sound as if he was begging.

 

Hojo simply looked down his nose at the spiky-headed blonde. “Failures don't deserve numbers.”

 

Cloud sighed heavily, shoulders heaving. He turned sadly away from Hojo and moved towards Nanaki, near the entrance to the small cavern.

 

“Thanks… Nanaki. Where's the Black Materia?” Cloud asked nonchalant.

 

“I still have it,” the lion wolf explained with a hint of some nameless emotion. His eyes searched that of his leader's carefully, almost as if he did not trust him.

 

“Let me have it,” Cloud demanded, holding out his hand.

 

“He doesn't seem like himself,” Reeve mused aloud, inching closer to the lion wolf. “I don't think you should,” he whispered to Nanaki, barely moving his lips. Yet, Cloud noticed the action and the words anyway.

 

“I am fine, Reeve,” Cloud snarled. His mako eyes flashed, even as he returned his attention to the fire wolf. “Give me the materia.”

 

Nanaki searched his face. “Alright.” He reached into his pack, showing surprising dexterity to be able to do such a thing while standing on three legs, and handed Cloud the tiny orb of blackness.

 

The blond nodded his head in thanks before turning to move into the center of the cavern. All eyes were on him and his movements.

 

“Cloud?” said Yuffie questioningly, taking a step forward.

 

He ignored her completely.

 

“I'm sorry,” Cloud intoned, his voice somber and dead, as if all the life in him had disappeared.

 

“What the %$#@$?” Cid cursed suddenly, moving to restrain Cloud even though he did not understand what was going on. Vincent grabbed his arm and shook his head negatively.

 

Cloud sighed heavily; mere moments later he floated up to the ceiling of the crater. Everyone watched in rapt fascination as a mako egg dropped down revealing the location of Sephiroth. Cloud hovered before the mako container before he pushed his arm through the material, pushing the black material to Sephiroth's body. It glowed a mysterious dark color.

 

“No good will come of this…” Vincent intoned, shaking his head somberly.

 

“What the hell is going on?” Barret questioned, still holding a furious Yuffie. He was livid and upset with Tifa's betrayal, too, but he kept it locked up inside. His brown eyes were heavy with the feeling.

 

“The Reunion, of course,” Hojo tittered, nearly shaking with his glee. “It appears my theory was correct.”

 

“Fuck you and your theories! What the hell is wrong with Cloud?” Cid demanded, reaching for his spear menacingly.

 

However, before Hojo could answer the ground began to shake violently and suddenly as pieces of debris began to fall from the ceiling. It seemed something shifted behind the bluish-green material-like substance of the cavern. An eye appeared to open, looking angrily down at the gathered humans and creatures.

 

“What is that?” Reeve exclaimed, wide-eyed. He moved for his weapons, knowing that they would be useless against something that size.

 

“Weapon…” Hojo mused. “Professor Gast was right after all.”

 

“I think it is best that we leave now,” President Rufus ordered, gesturing towards where the airship was moored. “You all are coming with us.”

 

“But… what about Cloud?” Yuffie asked, looking up to where Cloud was disappearing into the debris and material surrounding Sephiroth.

 

“He is lost to us,” Vincent answered warily.

 

“It is no longer safe here. We are leaving. Come on,” President Rufus commanded. The entire cavern began to shake, cracks forming in the ground as whatever was behind the walls shifted and moved.

 

“He is right,” Reeve said, shaking his head. “We have no choice.”

 

Everyone began to make their way towards the airship, prisoners of the ShinRa. Yuffie was holding fast. Cloud was her friend, giving her a chance when no one would. She didn't want to leave him behind, and she could not understand why everyone else was willing to leave him.

 

“Come on, Yuffie. I don't want to leave him either. But we can't help him. It's like vampy said, he is lost to us,” Barret stated, giving a great heave. He picked her up off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. They were the last to leave as the remainder of the cavern ceiling toppled to the ground and the cavern began to collapse around them.

 

* * *

 

Yuffie sighed as she sat on the edge of the metal cot, legs swinging back and forth. She wore a bored expression on her face. Seven days… she had spent seven days locked up in this room. And to be honest, the little ninja was absolutely sick of it.

 

With a stifled groan Yuffie put her head in her hands. She hated it here… in her cell. She absolutely hated it! She just sat around all day, thinking about the lost Cloud, the betraying Tifa, and the nasty, taunting guards. To make a bad situation even worse, she didn't even know what had become of her other friends. She didn't know about foul-mouthed Cid, annoying Barrett, solemn Nanaki, funny Reeve, or silent Vincent. She didn't know if they were okay… if they were hurt… if they were even still alive.

 

Alright; that settled it… she had made up her mind. It was time to get out of ShinRa's custody and back out on the road. They needed to find Cloud. The ninja was absolutely positive that her friend was not dead.

 

The sound of male voices outside her cell caught her attention. Leaping to her feet, she moved to the door, placing her ear up against the cold metal. It wasn't time for her meal yet, which was unfortunate because she was beginning to feel a rumbling in her belly. If she kept her breathing down to a minimum, she could just hear what they were saying. One male voice, high and thin, was speaking to another, deep and rumbling.

 

“They decided what to do with some of the prisoners.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah, the big black man? He's gonna get executed. They say he's the leader of AVALANCHE.”

 

The deep voiced one laughed. “That's funny. He didn't really look like a terrorist, despite the gun attached to his arm.”

 

“You're right about that. And uh, Reeve, you know, the one that used to be a part of ShinRa,”

 

“They are going to kill him, too?”

 

“Yep, ShinRa don't take kindly to traitors, especially since Miss Tifa told the president about everything that happened.” High voiced man laughed with horrid amusement. “Deserves what he gets that one. I heard that they have evidence that he'd been stealing from the company, too. Giving money to those lousy good-for-nothing bastards in the slums.”

 

Yuffie gasped, instantly stifling the sound and succeeding in missing the next statement. They were going to kill Barret and Reeve! Barret… who yelled at her and called her brat, but who always made sure that she was fed and was never left behind. And Reeve… who was like a big brother and father rolled into one; one of the few people who never yelled at her no matter how annoying she acted.

 

That most definitely settled it! It was time to step up her plan; she had no time to waste.

 

“Yep. They haven't decided about the others. So, I suppose your little ninja here will just continue to rot in this cell.” The deep voiced one laughed.

 

Yuffie heard the sound of footsteps as she assumed he walked away. Sighing grimly, Yuffie turned around to look at her room. A metal cot, a tiny sink and toilet, not really much to work with. Then she smiled broadly. There was an air duct that was certain to lead to other parts of the ShinRa headquarters in Junon. Her stomach growled again.

 

She would wait until after lunch. Then she would have the most time before anyone discovered she was missing. Yuffie moved to lie on her bed, yawning. Just a short nap and then… put her plan into action!

 

“Hey! Ninja girl! Food's up!” The high-pitched whiny voice of the guard stirred her out of her dream and into sudden wakefulness. The smell of food made her stomach gurgle hungrily.

 

Sitting up quickly, Yuffie reached for the plate that was being passed through the tiny slot. She took it gratefully and began to scarf her food down. Having no weapons, she would need all her strength and her stealth to carry out her plan. It was a meager meal, only a small sandwich and a glass of water, but she would take what she could get.

 

She rapped on the door to get their attention before she pushed the now empty metal plate back through the tiny slot. Yuffie heard it clatter to the floor. She smirked satisfactorily. Good. In five hours they would bring her a dinner. She had only that long to get out of her cell, find the others, and somehow escape from ShinRa headquarters.

 

Piece of cake.

 

Clambering up onto her bed, she reached above her for the grate that covered the air duct. It was bolted down by several screws. Frowning, Yuffie reached into her boots and pulled out a small long flat object. Concentrating intently, she deftly began to unscrew the grating until it was loose enough for her to pull off. It screeched softly as she yanked it out of the ceiling. Freezing at the sudden sound, Yuffie perked up her ears.

 

No one came to the door demanding to know what was going on. Taking that as a good sign, she quietly pushed the grating up into the duct and off to the side. Then she reached up with her hands, grasping the sides of the now open duct.

 

“Here we go,” she mumbled under her breath. She gave a great heave and pulled her slight frame up into the air duct. Quietly, she replaced the grating, hoping it would hold up long enough without the screws. She was now faced with a dilemma. Left or right?

 

Yuffie crouched in the small metal tunnel, head swiveling from side to side. Hmm, a quandary indeed. Both ends were completely dark, save for other grates allowing for small spots of light. She did not know where the others were being kept nor which direction to even go in.

 

Sighing angrily, she thought about slamming her fist into the sides of the metal. But no, that would make too much noise. Now was the time for stealth. Never mind that she had never really mastered that skill.

 

Glaring at the choices before her, she finally just guessed. Better to head right. Her father had always said that when lost, follow the right wall because it will always lead you right.

 

“Hold on guys,” she vowed quietly, “I'm coming.” It was, after all, up to her to save everyone and get her materia back.

 

* * *