Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Ice ❯ Shadow Flare ( Chapter 36 )

Chapter 36: Shadow Flare

 

The airship landed on the very outskirts of the crater. One of the crew members lowered a rope ladder from the deck so that the friends could climb down into the crater. It was more convenient than trying to exit through the cargo bay.

 

The friends gathered at the lip of the crater, looking down into the dark depths. At the bottom, they could see the greenish glow of the mako pool that had gathered there. Unconsciously, they checked their equipment and materia.

 

Cid looked up from making sure Jade Tiger was still in his armlet to find that Vincent had pulled Cloud over to the side, and they were discussing something. He was insanely curious as to what, being as the gunman had made no mention that they still had something to discuss. Shrugging his shoulders and filing away the information for later use, he tore his gaze away from them and concentrated on making sure his stock of ethers and potions was just enough.

 

A few moments later, the swordsman and the gunman rejoined the group. Everyone looked down nervously into the spiraling depths.

 

Reno swallowed noisily then stepped slightly back. “After you, yo,” he said, gesturing towards Cloud.

 

The blond rolled his eyes and drew his sword, Ultima Weapon. He eyed the friends gathered around him.

 

“I will take Nanaki and Cid and head out first. The rest of you can follow after us in another group. That is the best way to go about this, I believe.”

 

“Sounds good to me.” The pilot shrugged. He hefted up the Venus Gospel over his shoulders and stuck a cigarette in his mouth, though he didn't light it.

 

Cloud nodded. “Let's head out.”

 

* * *

 

The friends came back together after climbing down three levels of the crater. There the path split in two opposite directions, almost on a horizontal axis.

 

“Should we split up?” Yuffie questioned, head craning to see both ways. There was only the left, which seemed like it required more climbing, and the right, which seemed wet and dark.

 

Cloud seemed uncomfortable at having to make that type of decision and sighed as he glanced from one path to the other. He crossed his arms and looked to the others, namely Reno and Vincent for help. They were the only two that he suspected knew anything about tactical military maneuvers.

 

“Sephiroth probably already knows we are here,” the red-head offered up. “We stand a greater chance of reaching him if we divide ourselves.”

 

“That would mean separating our strength,” Vincent mused aloud.

 

“You don't think we are strong enough to handle being divided?” Cloud asked, narrowing his eyes.

 

“No, but… what happens if only one path leads to Sephiroth, and one team is forced to face him at only half power?” the ex-Turk returned.

 

“If we spend too much time running around this crater like a bunch of idiots just trying to find him, Meteor will crash before we even get a chance to face him in battle,” Reno responded, shaking his head.

 

The leader eyed them both. “What would you suggest then?”

 

“Divide us,” Vincent answered. “That will be the hard part…”

 

Reno nodded. “If you don't separate our different strengths and weaknesses properly, you could spell defeat for us all.”

 

Cloud sighed again and crossed his arms, thinking deeply. He had already decided who would lead the other team. He would go to the left, and he would have Vincent lead the others to the right. Cid had already expressed his intentions to never be leader again, so he wasn't going to force it on the pilot.

 

He again considered how he would split them up. The swordsman chose to take Yuffie as the right seemed to require a good bit of climbing, and she would be of good use to him in that regards with her agility. He could also rely on the ninja's accuracy with her weapon and her daunting skills in battle. She would complement his solid swordsmanship well.

 

He eyed the musculature of Reeve and decided that it would be better if he went with Vincent. He wasn't sure if the ex-executive was really built for climbing. Besides, the dark-haired ex-ShinRa was probably the best out of all of them for throwing magic out. He always seemed to know what was useful and what wouldn't have an effect without much difficulty. Besides that, he and Vincent got along well.

 

Nanaki would also go with Vincent. Cloud wasn't ashamed to admit, but ever since the demi-human had changed into his new form, he had become probably the most powerful member of their team strength-wise. Physically, the demi-human could take them all down. He knew that since Vincent was not going to use his limit breaks at all, he would need Nanaki's help. The ex-Turk feared he wouldn't be able to control them, and if something happened… well… Nanaki would know what to do.

 

And as much as he hated it, Aeris would have to go with the gunman, as well. There was no way the girl could climb up a cliff in that dress and lug that long ass staff with her as well. She would balance out their team well, providing a healing position that would help keep the ex-Turk away from limit break range.

 

Cid would come with the swordsman's team. His dynamite would be a good weapon if they were attacked while climbing and the pilot was a solid fighter. He would need the blond to help control the energetic ninja as well.

 

And Reno would also join their merry party, completing the foursome. The red-head was a brilliant tactician, and he knew just when and where to strike out at an enemy. He also carried some of the more unusual magics that might come in handy.

 

Cloud blanched when he realized that he had inadvertently split up every single couple in the group. It had been completely unintentional but then when he thought about it but inevitable. He supposed that was what made them get along. Opposites attract ne?

 

He nodded slowly as he came to his conclusions. “Alright, we'll split up.” His mako eyes met that of every member of his group as he took a deep breath.

 

“I will take Yuffie, Reno, and Cid, and we will follow the left path. Vincent, I'm counting on you to lead the others.”

 

The ex-Turk appeared startled at this show of complete trust. He regarded Cloud thoughtfully for a moment before nodding slowly.

 

“I will make sure they come to no harm,” he intoned lightly.

 

“Then there's nothing left to do except go, yo,” Reno said uncomfortably. He shifted in position as he realized he would have to go in a different direction than his lover. He had considered protesting, but then he considered what Cloud must have been thinking. It was almost the perfect balance of their strengths. It appeared that the swordsman knew more about what he was doing than he had initially let on.

 

Being neither the time nor the place for heartfelt and tearful goodbyes, the friends split as they were ordered: Yuffie, Cloud, Reno, and Cid to the left; Vincent, Reeve, Aeris, and Nanaki to the right.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Somehow I have a bad feeling about this,” Yuffie grumbled as she searched for another handle hold. The ninja clung tightly to the side of the cliff as the friends slowly made their way down the spiraling stalagmite of the crater.

 

“About what?” gasped Reno from a little way ahead of her. He had taken the lead, determined to map out the easiest route and handholds but had found the task more daunting then he had originally assumed.

 

“You know,” she grumbled in return. “Where to start in the list of things that I can't stop feeling uneasy about… hmmm, us climbing down a huge cliff for one… half our party gone in another direction for two. Sephiroth still unaccounted for three. I could go on and on.” She shook her head then tightened her grip on the hand hold, inching her feet down a little bit more.

 

It had been that way for over two hours. They were getting nearer to the bottom, and the dark-haired ninja was more than glad to see that from there it would be smooth hiking. Great.

 

“You could,” Cloud huffed from just above and to her left. “But I would prefer it if you didn't.” He was of course referring to her list from moments before.

 

“Gargoyle at three o' clock, yo!” Reno drawled on the moment he heard the beat of the almost stone-like creature. All members of their foursome craned to see that indeed the bluish-green creature was flapping their way, malicious intent in their eyes.

 

“I got this!” Cid called out. Moments later a piece of lit dynamite flew out of nowhere and smacked the gargoyle in the face.

 

“Ice3!” the other blond hissed, letting go of the cliff for only a moment to cast the spell. Instantly the monster was encased in a block of ice, effectively trapping the dynamite inside.

 

The gargoyle icicle then started falling rapidly to the ground, exploding into a half dozen icy pieces before it bombarded itself on the rocks below.

 

“Gee,” the only girl remarked gamely. “I wonder if the others are having as much fun as we are.”

 

“Oh, shut up,” came Cid's snarled return. He had volunteered to go last, figuring if he fell the only person he would injure would be himself. The plan was actually rather flawed, but he didn't feel like berating himself.

 

“Hey, hey. Look what I found!” Reno exclaimed.

 

“What is it?” asked Cloud tiredly, unable to see what the Turk had discovered from where he was currently climbing.

 

“Hm,” muttered the red-haired Turk thoughtfully. “It's called the Mystile. Not really that powerful compared to what I got equipped.”

 

“Keep it anyways.” Yuffie shrugged. “It might come in handy.”

 

“Dammit!” Cid cursed fluidly. “Yo, down in front? How much longer?”

 

It was just in that moment that Reno found he wasn't that far from solid ground. He shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of nonchalance and jumped to the ground. He landed hard and rolled, coming to a stop. The Turk stood up and brushed himself off, finding he was uninjured.

 

“Just a stop, drop, and roll away, yo!” he called back to them.

 

“Damn! He just jumped right off the freakin' cliff,” Yuffie commented. She had managed to move faster than the red-haired man and had come out of the spiral just to see him take the leap of faith.

 

“Little girls shouldn't curse,” Cloud admonished.

 

“Hmph,” muttered the ninja. She decided she would try and see if she could outdo Reno. Taking a deep breath, the lithe ninja jumped off the side of the cliff and came to graceful landing next to the Turk, bending her knees slightly to absorb the shock. She smirked at him. “I'm far past the age of being a little girl.”

 

Reno rolled his eyes at her and huffed quietly. Sneaky little thing had outdone him. The two waited for the others to finish their descent, the Turk making sure to keep a special eye on the ninja's sticky hands. He had been a thief once, after all; he knew what to look for.

 

Less than five minutes later, all four members of their party were standing at the base of the spiral cliff that someone had actually called a path and were panting quietly at the exertion.

 

“Yuffie,” said Cloud. She looked up at him. “Cast a Haste and Shadow on yourself and give me a five by five.” That meant, take a five second run on the path up ahead while she cloaked herself in darkness and check out what was up ahead.

 

She nodded and reached into her pocket where she kept her special materia, like the Shadow one. She wasn't sure where she had picked it up but the dark-haired girl hadn't let it out of her sight since then.

 

Hmm. It wasn't in her front pocket… or in her back pocket… or attached to her armlet or even in her Conformer. “Uh…” she began slowly as she quickly did another search of her pockets.

 

“Uh… what?” questioned Cid, giving her an odd look.

 

“I can't find it,” she admitted. “Shadow… is gone.”

Beside her, Reno chuckled as he unfolded his arms and suddenly handed her the little green ball. “Seems like the little thief can't handle being thieved, yo.”

 

She snatched it from his hand. “How did you….?”

 

The red-haired Turk continued to chuckle as the others joined in on Yuffie's predicament. “At the same time I retrieved the Carbuncle that Reeve had given me from your pocket.”

 

Yuffie now stared at the Turk with something akin to awe at having been bested in such a way. Her mouth had dropped open.

 

“Don't sweat it kid,” muttered Reno, reaching out and ruffling her hair. “I was doing this before you were born, yo.”

 

Cid laughed. “Got what was coming to you, brat. Now go do the five by five.”

 

The ninja shook her head, smiled, and then promptly disappeared.

 

Ten seconds later she returned, not even out of breath. “There is a small cave up ahead that leads to a set of stairs that looks remarkably like a spine. Looks like it's going to be a rough road as we have to walk down the spine-like object. But at the bottom I think is the jackpot. I caught a mako glow.”

 

Cloud nodded then drew his weapon. He had momentarily sheathed it when they were forced to climb down the rocky stalagmite.

 

“No point in hanging around here. We should get going. For all we know the others could have already found Sephiroth,” the Captain grumbled. He unconsciously reached up to his goggles and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it almost immediately. He didn't admit it aloud, but he was worried about Vincent. In fact, all of them were worried about the others but didn't voice it aloud. That would imply that they didn't think the other group was capable of taking care of themselves.

 

The swordsman agreed with him and the four friends started on the path, heading towards the cave that Yuffie had described.

 

“Oh, by the way,” said the ninja pulling up to the swordsman's side. “I found this on my five by five.” She held out her hand and showed Cloud the silver armlet.

 

“It's a Tetra Elemental,” Reno filled in softly, taking in the intricate runes printed on the outside. “The only way to get one of these is to morph a Cactuar, but it hasn't even been proven that they exist.”

 

“What's it do?” Cloud frowned as he took the armlet and looked it over. He had never heard of it.

 

“It absorbs all Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Earth attacks turning them into healing magics rather than those of harm, yo,” answered Reno, shrugging slightly.

 

“Do you need it?” Cloud asked of the red-haired Turk.

 

“Naw, give it to Cid,” Reno answered. “I've got a ribbon. I'd rather have that.”

 

“I don't need it either,” responded Cid, suddenly joining them from where he had been bringing up rear guard. “Nanaki loaned me his Reflect Ring.”

 

“We are equipped to the gills,” the leader mumbled softly, shaking his head. He flipped the accessory in his hand then tossed it back to Yuffie. He knew she carried nothing more powerful than the Water Bracelet. At least this would provide even more protection. “You can keep it.”

 

She grinned at him and clipped the silver metal around her upper right arm.

 

“There's that cave, yo.” Reno pointed to an area just ahead of them.

 

The foursome quickly made their way towards the tunnel opening. Cloud was surprised that they hadn't really encountered anything since that Gargoyle. On their way down, before the friends were forced to split, they had to battle their way through what seemed like hordes of monsters.

 

Just then, a chill wind swept through an area where there should have been none and Cloud knew that he had thought a bit too soon. A dark shadow passed over the group before they had a chance to step into the tunnel.

 

“Get down idiot!” he heard Cid's gruff voice seconds before the pilot pummeled into him, knocking him down and to the side.

 

All four members of the group ended up on the ground, having dove out of the way of the new menace.

 

When the dust settled, the four managed to sit up from the ground, choking on the dirt that had filled the air and rubbing sore parts of their bodies.

 

“What the hell!” Cid exclaimed, noticing first what had caused them to all take to the ground.

 

There, blocking the entrance to the cave with the spinal stairs, was a monster that was not at all pleasing to look at. It had many arms and a skeletal build, vaguely resembling a dragon that was dead and gone. The creature keened noisily and stamped its feet, as if daring them to try and get by.

 

Reno pulled himself to his feet and immediately tried to Sense the monster as he charged up his Electro Rod.

 

“Dragon Zombie… and it's got Shadow Flare…” The red-haired Turk blanched visibly. They all remembered the effects of that attack when they had fought Ultimate Weapon to get Cloud's newest sword. “… and something else too… Pandora's Box.”

 

“We'll have to take it down,” the leader grumbled shaking his head. He got to his feet and pulled his sword, leveling it at the skeletal beast.

 

Cid flanked him on his left, and Yuffie appeared at his right. It was time for battle. And Dragon Zombie wasn't going to wait any longer.

 

With a keening, echoing cry of pain and loss that seemed to come from somewhere deeper than the creature's throat, the zombie started forward. Two of its skeletal arms reached for the dark-haired ninja even as it prepared its first magical attack.

 

“I hate fighting the fuckin' undead!” The Captain cursed, moving to intercept the arms with his spear while Yuffie nimbly danced out of the way.

 

“Fire3!” Cloud cast, throwing a massive ball of fire at the creature, engulfing the head in a mass of flames. With a roar, the Dragon lashed out violently and blindly with its limbs.

 

One caught Cloud in the chest, while he was avoiding another, and he slammed backwards into a wall. Cid lopped off one of the arms he had countered and hurriedly threw up a Protect around himself before another of the creature's many appendages slammed into his barrier. Yuffie had leapt to a higher position and threw her Conformer at the creature, lopping off yet another of the Zombie's decaying limbs.

 

Reno did what anyone would do in such a situation. He summoned. “Ruby light!”

 

A small hole developed in the floor, from which the rabbit-like creature called Carbuncle popped out its head. It leapt out with a little back flip and hovered in the air, facing the party. It bubbled merrily as the ruby on its forehead glowed with a brilliant light, shining down on the party. Each member was embraced by a reflective and magical barrier as well as imbued with the Regen technique. And it was not a moment to soon.

 

Seconds later, the dreaded Shadow Flare was cast, the Dragon not injured enough to forget its magic. The spell burst with a great force, the world seemingly going black and white.

 

The four members of AVALANCHE screamed, feeling as if their bodies were being pulled in a million different directions at once even as their worst fears were being brought to life in their own minds. Reflect could protect against the physical damaging aspect of the spell, but not from the feelings and not from the mental anguish it caused.

 

“Asclepius! Help!” Reno called out, not really understanding where that name had come from. The moment the words passed his lips, Carbuncle turned from where it was preparing to drop back into his hole and gave a feral growl that still managed to be cute on the little green summon.

 

His ear twitched, and he launched himself at the Dragon Zombie, effectively disturbing the creature's concentration. Carbuncle was not a physical summon but for the moment, he found itself trying to protect `his' humans more fiercely than usual.

 

Gasping, the friends were released from the spell, glad that Reflect had protected them from lingering side effects and any physical harm.

 

They had no time for rest. The little baby dragon-type summon was not faring to well against the Zombie. Although it was a summon, its powers were still more suited to protection, not physical attacks. The creature had already managed to cut up Carbuncle with one of its many limbs and currently had a deathlike vise on the summon's neck with its rotting and jagged teeth.

 

Reno growled angrily, picking up his Electro Rod from where he had dropped it and rushed at the Dragon Zombie. He dimly heard Cid's footsteps beside him as the pilot joined in the attack. The Turk launched himself at the enemy, thrusting the electrically charged stick into the soft flesh core of the creature's leg.

 

Dragon Zombie howled and released Carbuncle. The summon tore itself free and pulled away from the monster, breathing heavily, blood coursing down its soft green fur from the attack.

 

Cid lashed into the Zombie with more fervor now, determined to take the beast down for showing him… those images.

 

“Meteor Rain!” he heard Cloud let loose his limit break and looked up just in time to see his leader leaping high into the air above the creature and whipping his sword about him as if it were light as a feather.

Reno and Cid wisely backed away as large hunks of rocks appeared out of seemingly nowhere and pummeled into the decaying skeleton. The Zombie groaned and faltered but did not go down. It swept out with one of its arms and grabbed a hold of the pilot when Reno ducked out of the way. The Turk crashed to the ground and felt his arm jar painfully beneath him at the same moment he heard and felt a harsh snap.

 

He heard Carbuncle give a small whine and looked up to see the little summon standing over him, as if protecting the red-headed male. Yuffie rushed to his side, a cure already on her lips.

 

Reno smiled when he felt the gentle nuzzle of the summon and reached out to run an uninjured arm through the soft fur. Carbuncle keened musically at the touch, ignoring its own wounds.

 

“It's okay, yo,” muttered Reno softly. “We can take it from here.”

The summon nodded as if in understanding and bounding away, doing another backflip before disappearing into its hold which immediately sealed up behind him.

 

“Weird,” commented Yuffie, noticing how Carbuncle had actually tried to fight.

 

“Fuckin' dead ass! Put me down #@#$@!” They could hear Cid growling curses at the monster as he tried to fight his way free, arms trapped at his sides as his feet dangled uselessly in the air. “Cloud, you lazy ass, get over here and help me!”

 

“Just fix my arm, Yuffie,” growled Reno when he tried to sit up and noticed his shoulder had been knocked out of place. It hurt like a bitch.

 

“Huh? I don't know how to do that!” The ninja gulped openly.

 

“Well, I can't very well do it myself, yo!” teased Reno. She gaped at him. He sighed. “Look, just take my arm and pull, real quick and hard. It will slip back into the socket if you do that. You can't cast the cure until you do it.”

 

Yuffie nodded slowly and took a hold of his left arm. He fought back the gasp of pain so that he wouldn't frighten her off. Nodding at her, he gestured that she continue. Taking a deep breath, the ninja did as he asked. Reno reared with the pain but smiled when the bone slipped back into place.

 

“Okay, now's a good time for that cure,” said the Turk. He smiled when he felt the cooling essence of the spell pass through his body and the pain dissipated.

 

Yuffie held out a hand and Reno took it gratefully.

 

“Let's see if we can give the old man a hand, ne?” teased Yuffie.

 

Reno nodded as he electrified his retrieved weapon again. “It's time for a little payback!” In his mind, he was already cycling through his magic, trying to determine what would be of any use against the Dragon Zombie.

 

Cid hit the ground hard when Cloud severed the arm of the zombie, unable to release the fingers of the creature. They had locked around him and he writhed about, trying to free himself.

 

The pilot cursed loudly when he looked up to see Cloud and Yuffie facing up to the Shadow Dragon as Reno rushed towards him to let him free.

 

Then he paled when he realized that the Dragon was preparing to cast another spell. It was weakening and was beginning to use everything in its arsenal.

 

“We need fuckin' Alexander,” the redhead cursed as he dug at the monster's talons to free Cid.

 

“Right,” grumbled Cid. “And wouldn't you know the selfish bastard took all the good magic-users with him.” He was of course referring affectionately to Vincent.

 

Cloud suddenly went flying past them, a huge gash in the front of chest. The creature had struck him with its tail, an appendage the members of the party had forgotten it had.

 

The pilot tore away the rest of the talon and headed for the battle. He had seen that Cloud was slowly getting to his feet and would be able to take care of himself.

 

“Cid! Ifrit, hurry! Before it finishes that spell!” urged the leader, gasping slightly.

 

The pilot nodded and summoned. “Hellfire!” he growled, ready to take down that disturbing skeletal creature. He felt that familiar rush of power and knew that the summon had responded to his call.

 

The ground shook, and Ifrit burst up from it in a translucent ball of fire, roaring enough to shake them all senseless. The fire began to slowly disperse around him as he surveyed the scene. Spying the ugly Dragon Zombie, with fire dripping from his mouth, the demon grinned wickedly. He built up a corona of flame about himself and went flying at the Dragon, hurling himself into the creature.

 

The Zombie keened with pain as the summon crashed into him with the force of a train and the fires of Hell. Almost immediately the creature caught fire, its skin burning with a disgusting odor.

 

Ifrit slammed his fist into the Zombie's face and delighted in the sickening crunch that resulted from his action. Satisfied that his work was done, Ifrit disappeared in another ball of flame, going back to whatever dimension he had emerged from.

 

“Quick, Yuffie, an Ultima. Finish it off!” panted Cloud, holding his arm to the wound on his chest. It was beginning to be tinged with the air of green… poison. The blond had nothing to combat it just yet, and he couldn't use a cure without dispersing the poison. Blood dripped down the front of his clothes.

 

The little ninja nodded and cast her spell, using one of the most powerful ones in her collection. It had been a gift from Barret when he left the group.

 

A ball of what seemed to be green flame appeared in her hand, growing bigger as it coalesced into something almost solid. She threw the ball of flame at the monster, watching as it soaked up energy and grew so large that it lit up the entire cavern. Instantly it engulfed the Dragon Zombie in its eerie green flame, and Yuffie smirked triumphantly.

 

It was then that Reno noticed their leader's condition. “Cid, antidote!” he said unnecessarily as he reached into his pockets and pulled out the X-potion he had been carrying. The two men ran towards the slumped blond.

 

It was then that the keening death cries of the monster turned into garbled, scratchy laughter. Cid looked over his shoulder to see that the orange flame that had been covering the body of the monster was being devoured by the Ultima spell and that somehow the creature was turning his pain into a final attack.

 

Now a sickly greenish flame was building up stronger before as the Zombie soaked up the energy to cast his most powerful spell… Pandora's Box.

 

With a cry of delight, the Dragon moved quickly and snatched Yuffie off the ground. She screamed at the burning touch, the fire beginning to burn into her skin. To her it was like the battle with Scorpios all over again… only this time there was no Nanaki to save her.

 

The pilot dug into his pocket and tossed the antidote to Reno. The Turk nodded and rushed off to Cloud as Cid leveled his spear at the enemy and growled angrily.

 

“Put her down!”

 

The ninja screamed again and the monster cackled sadistically. It pointed one of its few remaining limbs at Cid and a stream of greenish energetic fire shot out, engulfing the pilot. For some reason, reflect was not effective against this magic…. but then again, it felt more like pure energy fire and not magic.

 

As both pilot and ninja screamed with the pain of the fire building up around them, the creature cast its last spell, feeling the Ultima-Fire energy combination around him sucking out the last of its life force.

 

At the same moment that a dark shadow seemed to engulf the group, a small bluish watery light was beginning to coalesce out of nowhere, drawing everyone's attention. Suddenly, Leviathan burst from the blue bubble and roared angrily. A huge tidal wave of water seemed to appear from its body as it curled itself protectively against Yuffie, effectively dousing her flames.

 

The massive sea god lunged at the creature with the upper half of its body and encased the Dragon Zombie with its massive jaws. In one hearty gulp, he had swallowed the creature and his tidal wave of water had doused all fires.

 

The battle had been won. Reno, having healed and unpoisoned Cloud, ran to Cid's side, hoping he had one more potion up his sleeve. The pilot was badly burnt but alive.

 

Yuffie lay curled in the embrace of the sea god's smooth, blue and scaly skin. She awoke when she felt the gentle tingle as if being healed and opened her eyes only to find herself staring into the ageless orbs of Leviathan.

 

“Levy…” she breathed softly. He had come to her without being summoned and he had destroyed the monster.

 

He nudged her face delicately with one of his flippers and laid her gently on the ground. In a flash, he was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

 

“Damn! How did you even concentrate enough to call for Leviathan to help you?” questioned Cloud as he ran up to the girl, who hadn't moved from the ground.

 

“I hadn't,” said Yuffie in a dreamy voice. “I don't think that was Levy. It was more like Barinthus… a god that we used to worship centuries ago in Wutai.”

 

A couple seconds later Cid and Reno joined the two and the four friends looked over each other wounds.

 

“Hm,” Reno said thoughtfully. “Wonder if the others are having as much fun as us, yo.”

 

“I hope not,” said Cloud gamely, wincing when he pulled on a newly healed cut. “Don't make me worry any more than I have to.”

 

“They'll be fine,” Yuffie said, startling everyone with her assurances. “Barinthus will protect them. After all, he watched over me…”

 

Cid sighed. “We've got to get going before the scent of battle attracts all the other monsters.”

 

“Sephiroth, here we come,” Reno mumbled under his breath as he helped Yuffie get to her feet. He couldn't help but worry about the other team, though. He wasn't sure if they could have handled something like the Dragon Zombie, and he only hoped that they didn't have to. Perhaps he was just underestimating the power of his friends. Either way, he couldn't help the urge that was building up within to go running after Reeve and saving him from whatever peril his mind kept conjuring.

 

He felt a heavy hand clamp down on his shoulder and Reno startled out of his visions of the many ways his lover could need his help.

 

“They are fine,” intoned Cid, looking the Turk in the eyes. He couldn't hide the worry he felt either, but felt he could in some way comfort the Turk that hadn't been with them for that long. “Vince is brilliant, Nanaki is the strongest of us all, Aeris can be a righteous bitch when she's angry, and Reeve can throw magic faster than anyone I know.”

 

Reno sighed. “I think I have this Knight-in-Shining-Armor complex, yo.”

 

The pilot laughed. “The both of you do. It's in your nature. But relax, they probably would have had this monster defeated in five seconds flat while we struggled. There better off than we are.”

 

“Reno! Cid! Let's go!” called out Cloud from just ahead of them, waiting just outside the entrance to the tunnel with Yuffie standing next to him.

 

The two men nodded and caught up to their friends. Who knew how much longer they would have to trek through this crater?

 

Sephiroth wouldn't know what hit him.

 

* * *