Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Ice ❯ The Choice ( Chapter 29 )

 

Chapter 29: The Choice

 

A flash of some type of magic through the air raised the hair on Cid's arms, and he realized that the battle for the Sister Ray had already begun. He put on a burst of speed as he climbed the stairs, Yuffie, Reeve, and Nanaki hurrying to keep up with him. He had only one thought on his mind. For some reason, he just knew that Vincent was in trouble. He didn't understand it, but he was relying on that gut instinct and that very thought made him hurry even more.

 

He crested the last staircase and stepped onto the control panel platform, nearly skidding to a stop at the sight that he saw. Reno was lying in a mangled heap near to the control panel. Cloud and Aeris were standing back to back trying to fend off attacks from three monsters, one of which looked remarkably like Vincent's third demon form Hellmasker.

 

Cid's heart sank. Somehow he knew that the third didn't just look like his lover, but WAS him.

 

“Reno!!” Reeve exclaimed with horror as he ran up behind Cid. He wasted no time dashing onto the platform, ignoring the other chaos as he ran to the red-haired Turk. One of the smaller monsters made as if to attack him, but Reeve barely spared it a glance as he cast Fire3 on it and kept going.

 

Yuffie dashed past the Captain as well, pulling out her shuriken and attacking the second smaller monster, Poodler. She slashed at it with a vengeance, green blood staining the metal floor of the platform.

 

Nanaki raced to Aeris' side, noticing that she desperately needed a Cure2 or perhaps something stronger as Cid finally overcame his momentary shock and joined the battle as well. He added his spear to Cloud's strength and together the two of them fought to push back Hellmasker.

 

“Never happier to see you, Highwind,” Cloud grunted out as they two of them struggled to push against the greater strength of Hellmasker.

 

“What the hell happened? Why is Vince attacking us?” the pilot demanded.

 

“It's Hojo. He's got some type of ring that controls him,” the leader gasped out. With a great heave, the two managed to push Hellmasker back and throw him to the ground. The chainsaw skittered out of its hands and across the floor of the platform. Cid ran forward and kicked it out of reach. This didn't faze Hellmasker at all as it jumped up and leaped at Cloud. The spiky-headed blond held out his sword in defense, but the demon just grabbed the blade and held on, the sharp edges cutting into its skin and bringing forth crimson blood.

 

Hojo laughed in his new form that of some type of golden snake and eagle creation. “Your only choice is to kill your friend. He won't stop unless I tell him to.”

 

Nanaki growled as he finished applying the last of the Cure2 to Aeris. The fur on his back rose as he felt an overwhelming anger course through his body. He glanced around darkly.

 

Cid jumped on Hellmasker's back, trying to subdue the demon, but it was still fighting them tooth and nail, invariably getting hurt in the process. Reeve was now cradling Reno's head in his lap and was attempting to waken the fallen Turk. Yuffie finished hacking the last of the monsters to bits, even the seriously charred one that Reeve had managed to slow but not stop. She was now making her way over to where Nanaki and Aeris stood, limping only slightly. And the flower girl… the lion wolf had just finished healing a serious slash wound across the kind girl's stomach.

 

Hojo had gone too far!! The crazed scientist thought he was above the law of man, using humans and living beings alive in his experiments. He hurt those that Nanaki cared about, and still managed to laugh as if he thought he would still win.

 

The lion wolf felt hands thread through the fur on his neck and looked up to see Yuffie standing next to him, glaring at Hojo with grim determination. He felt a tingle race through his body and suddenly the amulet around his neck began to glow. Nanaki growled and took off at a dead run at the mad-man, feeling the energies beginning to gather around in his body, enveloping him in a golden-blue light.

 

A great wave of power exploded around the room as Nanaki suddenly transformed into his demi-human form, attacking from the sky with his claw outstretched aiming directly for Hojo. He slashed with great force but was repelled by the barrier that the man had erected against himself. The demi-human landed delicately on his feet, glaring at the scientist with angry golden eyes.

 

With a loud growl, Hellmasker threw Cid off and kicked at Cloud, causing them both to scatter in different directions. He bobbed in between the two blonds, unsure of which to attack first, deciding that the Captain was the easier of the two targets.

 

In the same moment, two spells were cast.

 

“Ice3!!” Cid shouted, aiming for Hellmasker.

 

“DeBarrier!!” Yuffie cast, pointing one delicate ninja hand at Hojo. After Barret had given up his materia to Reeve, the girl had reclaimed the Destruct Materia for her own.

 

The sound of a Protect barrier shattering was accompanied by the sound of Hellmasker's roaring as he was slowly encased in a sheet of ice.

 

“Hurry! Cast Stop while he is weak!!” Cid exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet, wincing a bit from the pain of having hit the metal hard.

 

“Reeve!!” Cloud roared, remembering that the ex-executive had the only other Time materia. Nanaki was too busy growling and slashing at Hojo who was trying to frantically dodge the powerful attacks. Yuffie was dancing around the room, catching and throwing her shuriken in smooth movements.

 

The dark-haired ex-ShinRa looked up from the other side of the platform and unequipped the materia from the slot in his armband. He tossed it to Aeris, who caught it easily, turning to cast Stop on Hellmasker before it completely fought off the Ice3 attack.

 

The spell hit Hellmasker in full force and the demon stopped moving, even after the ice exploded, sending shards in all directions that quickly evaporated in the air. Hellmasker was frozen in place, a victim of the Stop spell.

 

Recognizing that the spell was only temporary, Cloud lunged forward and slugged the demon across the jaw, hoping to knock it out. Thankfully, he was successful, and the heavy body of Hellmasker crashed to the ground.

 

It lay there motionless for a moment before shining with a dark light. In seconds, Vincent was left lying there, unconscious on the metal flooring of the platform.

 

“Oh, God, Vince…” Cid murmured, dropping to his knees beside the prone form of his lover. He quickly checked for injuries, though he did not try to awaken the gunman until the damned control ring was destroyed.

 

Cloud sighed at the scene and turned towards the battle with Hojo. Aeris was casting her Healing Wind now that she was through with the Stop spell, and was aiding Nanaki and Yuffie, who were both still viciously slicing at the demented scientist.

 

Laughing manically, Hojo noticed that all of the attention was now upon him and his distraction technique was now down for the count.

 

“Lasera!!” he called out, casting one of his most powerful spells. The friends were forced to take cover as rays of light and energy came bursting from all areas of Hojo's body and struck throughout the room.

 

At the control panel, Reeve erected a hastily cast Protect over himself, Reno, and the control panel so that they could still stop the Sister Ray. The beams of light struck the shield but it held well.

 

The others threw themselves to the ground to avoid the stinging lasers. A shuriken flew through the air and slammed into Hojo, cutting off one of his arms. It dropped to the floor with a squelch, blood spurting from the stump.

 

The ninja reached up to catch the shuriken and missed when a laser sliced into her forearm causing her to cry out with the pain.

 

“That's it!!” Cid growled, tired of fighting the maniacal scientist. He pushed himself to his feet and spun his Scimitar in front of him, effectively warding off the laser attacks that came his way. His body began to glow a deep red, signifying his limit break.

 

He slowly advanced on Hojo, gathering power unto his form as he prepared to slay the man that would dare cause harm to his lover. “Hojo! You will regret the day you touched what belongs to me!!” The furious pilot growled.

 

With a great roar of anger, he took to the sky, over and over again, performing a series of jump attacks on Hojo, each one resulting in large releases of energy. The mad-man was powerless to do anything, screaming with each stroke, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

 

Finally, Cid dealt the final blow, landing easily on the ground behind Hojo. He couldn't help grabbing a cigarette and lighting it as the now completely deceased scientist collapsed in a heap of burned and mutilated flesh.

 

Yuffie couldn't resist the cheer that bubbled up in her throat at the victory and rose to her feet, hand pumping the air. Everyone else was just as excited, though they were more subdued about it. Reeve took the opportunity to take a moment and shut down the Sister Ray safely before destroying the panel so that no one could ever use the damned mako cannon again.

 

Spitting on the body at his feet, Cid reached down and pulled off the gold ring that Hojo had on his now rapidly decaying finger. He eyed the slim piece of metal skeptically, taking in the small script that lined the inside of the ring. Hmph. It was better off destroyed. With that in mind, he dropped the ring to the floor and crushed it beneath his boot. For reasons he couldn't comprehend, it shattered into pieces, despite the fact it was metal.

 

Considering it a job well done, Cid turned away from the battered and broken body of the scientist. He flicked his now completely smoked cancer stick at Hojo and quickly crossed the platform to come to Vincent's side. He knelt down and gently brushed a hand over the gunman's cheek. He felt so cool to the touch.

 

“Vince?” Cid called out, softly, hoping to awaken his lover, but the gunman still did not stir.

 

Meanwhile, Yuffie somewhat limped over to her friend. She had landed wrong when she fell back down after getting slashed in the arm and had twisted her ankle. “You changed again,” she stated, with an air of obviousness.

 

“Yes,” Nanaki answered simply. “And still I don't know why. What is the catalyst? Can I even control it?”

 

She placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry. At least it's not something dangerous.”

 

He nodded in agreement, turning to look at her. His golden eyes flashed with happiness until he noticed her arm. “Oh, Yuffie, you are bleeding.”

 

“So I am,” the girl murmured, looking at her arm as if surprised to find blood there. Nanaki tsked and forced her to sit as he pulled out his Cure materia to heal the cut.

 

“C'mon, Vince, you can wake up now,” Cid urged, tracing one finger down the side of the gunman's face. “Hojo's dead, and he's got no power over you now.”

 

The ex-Turk moaned slightly and stirred, eyes opening ever so slowly. “Highwind?” he asked quizzically as he struggled to sit up. He instantly winced as pain spread throughout his body. The injuries that Hellmasker had endured were healing just not fast enough to suit him. “What happened?”

 

The Captain shook his head. “What do you remember is a good place to start.”

 

“Hmm,” Vincent appeared thoughtful as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He tried to ignore the stabbing pains in his back. “Confronting Hojo about Sephiroth and the Sister Ray. There are flashes of something else, gold light and black smoke, but that is it.” His crimson gaze traveled over the rest of the platform, taking in Reeve with Reno, Nanaki tending to Yuffie, Cloud checking on Aeris, and Cid looking worriedly at him.

 

“You transformed into Hellmasker, and… well, uh, you attacked us,” Cid explained.

 

“What! Why?” the ex-Turk asked, completely surprised. He had turned into his demon forms plenty of times, but never once had he turned on his friends.

 

“Why didn't you tell us Hojo could control you?” Cloud demanded, interrupting their conversation and screaming at Vincent.

 

“It wasn't his fault!” yelled Cid in response.

 

“It never is!” the leader declared angrily.

 

Vincent glared, coughing slightly. “Because I didn't know.”

 

“Dammit, Vincent! How many times? How many times am I going to have to choose between killing you and saving my friends?”

 

“I can control it, Strife,” the ex-Turk answered, as if that was the answer to Cloud's question.

 

“Like you've been controlling it so far?” the spiky-haired man questioned angrily.

 

“I remember a time when you were not under your own power, either,” Vincent hissed. “Need I remind you as to why Meteor hangs in the sky right now?”

 

A chilly wind swept through the area, testament to the way the blood drained from Cloud's face.

 

“Make up your mind about me now, Strife, because I am not going to listen to it anymore,” the gunman continued in a low voice. “Either you trust me or you don't. I will walk out of here right now; after all, I got what I came for.”

 

“Cloud…” Aeris said softly, placing a restraining arm on his arm. She noted that he was trembling beneath her touch. “Remember the choice.”

 

“Augh!” he yelled angrily. He slammed his sword down into the metal of the floor where it managed to stand upright. A rain began to fall on the group as he contemplated what to do. It was light and gentle, and might have been cleansing, if not for the dark aura surrounding all emotions present.

 

Reno groaned and started to gain consciousness, waking up to see the worried face of Reeve leaning over him.

 

“Reeve…” he whispered, eyes blinking blearily.

 

“I thought I told you to stay safe,” the ex-executive responded.

 

Reno grinned as he struggled to sit up. “I'm a Turk. Safe is not a word we comprehend.”

 

“You idiot,” Reeve muttered, but that didn't stop him from wrapping Reno up in a strong embrace, something he had been aching to do ever since he was forced to run from ShinRa in fear for his life. The red-head easily returned the hug, burying his face in the older man's neck and breathing in his scent.

 

“How do I know I can trust you?” Cloud asked, his question cutting into their private moment.

 

“You don't…” the ex-Turk pointed out. “And that is enough of an answer for me.” He stood up as if to leave, albeit swaying lightly on his feet. As indestructible as Vincent Valentine thought he was, he still needed time to heal from his wounds.

 

“No,” the flower girl declared standing to her feet and gaining everyone's attention. “The battle for Gaia is not complete. If our strength is diminished by even one… who knows if we will fall or stand? We can't let such petty disagreements stand between us.”

 

“Aeris is right,” Yuffie agreed, sounding serious for once.

 

Nanaki nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. He looked at Cloud, seemingly boring into the blond's mind with his golden eyes. “The time for distrust and secrets is well past. Sephiroth is a master at mind games. He could easily tear us apart.”

 

The leader sighed heavily. “This is the reason why I have come to a decision, but not just about you Vincent. No, this pertains to everyone.”

 

There were many shocked expressions at that revelation. What could Cloud possibly have to decide about all of them? Had he suddenly decided that they were not to fight anymore?

 

“What is it?” Aeris asked.

 

Cloud shook his head. “Not here. I will tell you when we get back on the Highwind.”

 

* * *

 

All members of the environmental terrorist group AVALANCHE were present and accounted for in the cockpit of the airship Highwind.

 

Cloud, ever illustrious spiky-headed leader was standing at the front window, hands clasped behind his back as he stared out at the passing scenery. At this point the airship was merely wandering with no destination in mind. He had something important to tell the members of his team, but was now searching his mind to find the proper words to explain himself.

 

Aeris was standing next to him, humming softly to herself a tune that Cloud did not recognize. It was light and cheery though, easily succeeding in lifting his dreary thoughts, even if it was only for a moment. Aeris… she had only just recently been returned to him… a gift from the planet. The auburn-headed girl turned and flashed Cloud a warm smile before returning to gazing out the window. His heart warmed at the action and he couldn't help the small grin that crept onto his face. He would kill Sephiroth… if only to prevent him from ever hurting those that he loved again.

 

Reeve and Reno, both ex-members of ShinRa Corporation, were talking to each other in low tones. Their affections were blatantly obvious as expressed by their intertwined hands. The two had finally been reunited after a long time separate and wanted to waste no more moments apart. They had become nearly inseparable, much like two others of the group. Yet, another situation in which Cloud had to pretend that he saw absolutely nothing. He was only glad that Barret was not there to make a fuss.

 

Nanaki and Yuffie had become fast friends, developing a camaraderie that wasn't too unlikely considering they were the youngest of the entire group. Well, for his species anyway when one considered Nanaki. They were currently laughing as they shared some amusing story. Probably recalling a time they had teased Reeve into running away.

 

Cid was standing behind his pilot, firmly explaining landing procedures once again. The still rather green pilot had made a bumpy landing when he had come to retrieve the friends from Midgar. The Captain was unusually calm as he explained to the crew member the intricacies of flight interspersed with tales of his younger days in flight. Occasionally the blond would break out into a large burst of laughter with the usual curse words thrown for the hell of it.

 

And Vincent… enigma of enigmas was standing off by himself as usual, leaning up against a wall with arms folded over his chest. He appeared to be pondering something as he stared darkly at the floor, a slight frown on his face. The dark-haired man had always been like that, ever since the day that they had saved him from the basement of ShinRa mansion. Yet, now it seemed he and the pilot had developed a bond that was only friendship on the surface, but something much, much more beneath the still waters. This was evidenced the kiss that Cloud still claimed he hadn't seen.

 

Cloud Strife sighed once more as he stared out the window, his resolve finally gained. These were his crew, the ones who hoped to defeat Sephiroth and therefore save the planet.

 

Sighing again, the leader turned to face the members and his friends. It was time to tell them the decision that he had made. He cleared his throat to get their attention. The cockpit fell silent; the only sound the gentle thrumming of the engines of the airship.

 

“ShinRa is… finished,” Cloud began rather lamely.

 

Reeve nodded. “With Rufus missing - presumed dead - and Heidegger, Scarlet and Palmer all confirmed dead, there is no one to run the corporation. Midgar is free… mostly.”

 

“Right,” the leader continued. “Meteor's gonna fall in about…”

 

“Six more days. That's what Grandfather said,” Nanaki confirmed.

 

“Nanaki, you want to see everyone in Cosmo Canyon again?” Cloud asked.

 

The red-haired demi-human appeared startled as a look of sadness flashed over his face. He simply nodded an affirmation.

Cloud turned to Yuffie, “You want to see your father, don't you? Make all amends?”

 

The ninja could feels tears prickle at the edges of her eyes but managed to answer in a small voice. “Yes.”

 

“And you, Reeve, Reno, don't you want to make sure the Turks are alright?”

 

The two men nodded their answer, though they gave him a confused look. Where was Cloud going with all this?

 

“We'll beat Sephiroth… that is a given. There is no way we can fail… But if we don't release the power of Holy in six days there won't be a planet left to protect. If we can't beat Sephiroth… not saying that it is impossible… we are as a good as dead. We'll just go sooner than the rest of the planet who'll die from Meteor. We are the last line of defense,” he explained.

 

“You think we are going to lose before we've even started the battle?” the little ninja questioned.

 

“No!” exclaimed Cloud, shaking his head vigorously. “What I meant was… what are we all fighting for? I want us all to understand that. Save the planet… for the future of the planet… sure that's all well and good but is that really how it is? Is that all we have to fight for? Me personally, it is a feud. I want to beat Sephiroth and settle my past. Saving the planet just happens to be a side effect. It made me think. We are all fighting for ourselves.” The blond paused for a minute, musing slightly, “For ourselves… and that someone… something… whatever it is, that's important to us. That's what we're fighting for. That's why we keep up this battle for the planet. No one loves it that much!”

 

“You're right,” Reeve agreed. “It sounds all honorable and proper to say it's for the sake of the planet but…”

 

Aeris nodded picking up where he left off, “Looking back on it now, the way this group originally chose to fix things wasn't the right way to do things. We made a lot of innocent people suffer. Revenge against the ShinRa… it was always something more…”

 

“I think I knew all along somehow… what I was fighting for…” Reeve whispered, sharing a smile with Reno.

 

Cloud nodded. “Make sure you're right. All of you. Get off the ship, and find out your reasons for yourselves. I want you to make sure. Then I want you to come back.”

 

“What if none of us come back?” Vincent questioned. “The world ends in six days… what if we just gave up the useless struggling?”

 

“I may know my reason… I know why I'm fighting to save the planet but that is me alone. If you can't find that reason, then that's okay. You can't fight without that purpose, right? I won't hold it against you if you don't come back. No one is forcing you to fight this battle. No one is forcing you to die for an ideal that you could care less for.”

 

“How long do we have?” Reno questioned.

 

“Three days. I will give you until the sunset to return,” intoned Cloud. His gaze traveled over all those present, mentally gauging who would return and who wouldn't. Except, with friends like these, it was almost impossible to tell. “I've discussed this partially with Cid. The Highwind will drop you off wherever you wish then will wait at Costa del Sol until the appointed time. Just tell the pilot where you want to go.” He locked eyes with Cid who nodded, ensuring that he still hadn't changed his mind.

 

“Then we should just… go?” Nanaki asked, a bit flabbergasted.

 

Cloud nodded. “Yes. Everyone is dismissed.”

 

And just like that, each member of AVALANCHE was supposedly on his or her own.

 

* * *