Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Angel of the Lifestream ❯ Trip to the North ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3:

Trip to the North

"Ready?" Vincent asked Cloud as he jumped on to Phantom, his Mountain Chocobo.

"One second," Cloud said as he tighten the rope so his sleeping bag wouldn't fall off. "There!"

"Are you two sure you don't want us to come?" Barret asked.

"Will be fine," Vincent answered as Cloud climbed up on to Mydas, his Ocean Chocobo.

"If we're not back in two weeks, you can come looking for us. Okay?" Vincent suggested.

"Okay...." Yuffie agreed.

"You best keep your spiky head alive or I'll kill ya," Barret said.

"All right, Barret," Cloud smiled. He turned to Vincent. "Let's go."

The vampire smiled and headed off toward the Northern Crater with Cloud right behind him.

"Bye everyone!" Cloud waved back.

"Be careful you two!" Tifa called back.

"Don't worry, Tifa. Cloud and Vincent can take care of themselves," Cid said.

"I know. It's just...." Tifa lowered her head.

"It's just what?" Red XIII asked.

"Just a feeling." Tifa looked back up to see Mydas and Phantom right before they disappeared into the Sleeping Forest. "It's just a feeling...."

*****

"We're here," Cloud said as they entered Icicle Inn.

"About time," Vincent said as he got off of Phantom. Cloud jumped off of Mydas and followed.

"What? Didn't you enjoy the snow storm?" Cloud joked.

"Funny, Strife," Vincent smirked.

"Hey, at least we have the cloths this time," Cloud said as he pulled down his hood.

"Yeah." Vincent looked around the snow covered town.

"WOW! Is that an Ocean Chocobo?"

"Hmm?" Cloud looked down to see a little blue eyed girl in a pink snow suit. He smiled at her. "Yes, he is."

"What's his name?" she asked. Vincent looked at the child and smiled too.

"Mydas."

"Mydas? That cool." She looked at the Mountain Chocobo. "What's his?"

"Phantom," Vincent answered.

"Wow. Did you get them from the chocobo lady?" she asked.

"Huh? Chocobo lady?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, she the pretty lady who sometimes comes here and lets us ride her chocobos, before she takes them to Midgar to sale," the little girl said.

"Do you remember what she looks like?" Cloud asked as he kneeled before the girl.

The little smiled and nodded her head.

"Can you tell us what she looks like?"

"My brother says she's a beautiful angel that came from Heaven to ride his sownbroad for him. What does he mean by that?"

"Uhh?" Cloud blushed. "Just tell us what you think of her, OK?"

"Okay. Well, she's very pretty. She has long dark brown hair and.... What they call them? Oh! Dark perisan blue eyes! Plus, her skin is tan," the little girl answered. "Daddy says she not from here."

"Do you know where she lives?" Vincent asked.

"Daddy said she lives up closer to the Northern Crater than she does the town and Mommy said she lives she's surrounded by all mountains and that the only way to get to her is through a cave," the little girl smiled. "But I do know she has to come through here first to get out in the open."

"Thank you,...."

"Mimi's my name," she smiled.

"Thank you, Mimi," Vincent smiled.

"Let's go, Vincent," Cloud said as he climbed back on to Mydas. "We have a long way to go."

"No joke," Vincent said as they started off..

"Bye-bye!" Mimi waved. "Stop and ask the Cards! They know where she lives!"

"What?!" Cloud yelled back. "What did you say?!"

"Mimi! It's time to come in!" Mimi's mom called for her.

"Mommy's calling me! Good luck!" Mimi ran inside.

"What did she say?" Vincent asked.

"I don't know." Cloud turned to the large mountain range. "We don't have time to go back and ask her. We only have a week and a half now."

"Let's go then." Vincent tip Phantom lightly on the side with his foot to get the large black bird to run.

"Hey!" Cloud yelled playfully. With no need of Cloud's help, Mydas started after Phantom in a little game of chase.

*****

a week later

At midmorning Vincent wake-up to find Cloud still asleep. He smiled and got up. He dress guietly and gone outside the tent to start on breakfast.

*****

"Sale some quickly, Mama," Sephen said cheerfully.

"Okay, love," Zair smiled and kissed her little one on the forehead.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Sephiroth asked.

"I'll be fine," Zair giggled as she hugged her brother. "Besides, I've made this 123 times with only a little trouble. Plus, I'm meeting up with my workers at Icicle Inn. And someone has to watch Sephen for me."

"All right," the tall man sighed in defeat. "When will you be back?"

"Probably in 2 months."

"Okay. If you're not back in two months, I'm coming after you."

"All right. I'll see you later." Zair kissed him on the cheek and then climbed up on to Shin. She turned to the over two ocean chocobos and one mountain. "Let's move out, Storm!" she yelled to the large golden bird.

With one loud wark from the giant chocobo, the herd started to move. A mass of 24 normal chocobos, 12 river chocobos, 14 mountain chocobos (green ones), and 7 river/mountain chocobos (black ones) moved over the white villy of sown.

"Bye, Mommy!!" Zair heard her son call before she disappeared over the horizon into the snowstorm.

~Don't worry, Seph.~ Zair thought. ~I'm grown up now. There's no need to worry about me anymore.~

"OKAY, STORM! LET'S MOVE OUT TO ICICLE INN!!" Zair ordered

"WARK!!" the large chocobo answered.

*****

"Come on, Cloud. We've been here for a week and a half now," Vincent said to his blond leader. "We need to start back now or we'll have Barret up here scaring the monsters."

"All right," Cloud sighed as he turned Mydas around.

"We'll come back later," Vincent said as Cloud rode up beside him.

They started off back towards Icicle Inn. As they arrived into, Cloud stopped.

"Vincent?" Cloud said.

"What?" Vince asked.

"Look." Cloud pointed to the snow covered ground. Vincent looked down to see an overload of chocobo tracks. "Didn't that child.uhh... Mimi say she comes through her with chocobos?"

"That's right," Vincent answered.

Cloud just stared at him for a second and then yelled at Mydas and the large chocobo raced into town with Vincent close behind him.

*****

"Yeah. She came through here yesterday to get her crew and headed off," the old man who own the weapon shop answered.

"Did she say where she was going?" Cloud asked.

"No, but she usually goes to the Golden Saucer, Midgar, or the Chocobo Ranch," the man replied. "But than again, she could go anywhere. Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you," Cloud said as he turned around and headed out.

"You're welcome." He heard the man said as he closed the door.

"So?" Vincent asked as Cloud climbed up onto Mydas.

"Let's head back to Bone Village. The others are waiting." Cloud looked back towards the Northern Crater. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Then looked back at Vincent and headed off.

Vincent watch him for a short time and then followed.

*****

"Hey, guys!" Reeve waved to his friends as they entered Bone Village.

"Cloud! Vincent!" Yuffie and Tifa yelled happily.

Mydas and Phantom stood on the cliff that over looked Bone Village. Cloud smiled as he saw his friends.

"Welcome back, Vinnie!" Cid said happily.

"Hi, Cloud!" Nanaki yelled.

"So, what do we do now?" Vincent asked his leader as he looked at him.

"We go back to Midgar," he answered simply.

"Okay. Let's go, Phantom." The two large birds headed down the small cliff to their masters' friends.

*****

"So, how many are there this time, Ms. White?" Chris asked.

"Should be 57," Zair answered as she looked out to the big blue ocean. She allowed the wind to dance through her long dark hair. "You must enjoy it out here, Chris."

"That I do, ma'am. It's the best life me on the sea. No cares, no worries. Just the open sea and the stars to guide me."

"Poetry?" Zair smirked at him.

"Oh." Chris blushed. The color not matching his pale skin at all.

"Hmm...." Zair smiled and turned back to the sea. ~No worries. Sounds great.~