Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Where the lost ones go ❯ Turn of the tide ( Chapter 28 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

28. Turn of the tide

Barret closed the door silently behind him, entering the semi-dark room to approach the woman curled up on the bed. Tifa had her back towards him, and the others said she had been like this ever since her return to Midgar. Rufus ShinRa's death had completely broken her spirits, and no one appeared to be able to reach her.
"I hear you haven't been quite yerself, Teef." Barret sat down on the bed, reaching out his human hand to gently touch her shoulder. "In fact, the rumours are so bad that they actually dragged my ass over half the continent jest to check up on ya!"
Tifa opened her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice, but didn't turn to face him. There was a short silence before the words were whispered; "You didn't come to the wedding..."
Barret nodded, acknowledging his guilt while he continued to stroke her shoulder. "Yeah, I know... But I've been working under-cover at Jinrei's place, and we were on a mission... I'm sorry I missed it..."
"You never liked him anyway," Tifa said distantly, clutching the pillow slightly tighter.
Barret cleared his throat awkwardly, gazing down at the floor. "Think what you want, Teef, but I actually came to realise he wasn't all that bad. Jest a bit of a snob. I wanted to be at yer wedding. I really did. Marlene still hasn't forgiven me for not letting her nag you into letting her be ya flower girl."
Smiling faintly, Tifa then sniffled. "I missed you there."
"I'm here now," Barret declared gently. "So how about I get a hug?"
Tifa hesitated briefly, then she slowly turned over and wrapped her arms around the muscular neck like she had done many times before. "He's gone, Barret... They keep saying he's gone...!"
"I hear ya, girl," Barret muttered softly, wrapping his own human arm around her thin frame. "But I also hear he ain't completely gone.." Smiling gently at the confused look Tifa sent him, Barret then shrugged. "The lives inside you, Teef, they're a part of him too."
Wine coloured eyes widened slightly, then filled with tears. Tifa sobbed silently as she let Barret cradle her in his arms, placing her own hands on her stomach. Rufus would never have forgiven her for endangering the twins... "I never... even got to tell him... about... twins..." Tifa choked out between tears, stroking her stomach apologetically.
"Ya should make sure you can tell yer kids about their father," Barret advised silently, feeling how horribly unfair it was to have the too kind Tifa in so much pain.
Nodding, Tifa sniffled. "You're right..."
Barret exhaled relieved, hugging her slightly closer. "That's my girl! We've been through a lot of shit together, Teef, so we've come too far to give up now!" He rested his chin on top of her head, sighing. "And there's a bunch of lost people out here that needs ya."
Closing her eyes, Tifa swallowed hard. "How bad is it...?"
"Bad," Barret admitted. "At least Cid is back, but there's no sign of Spikey nor Psyko..."
Managing a faint smile at the horrible nicknames, Tifa still felt more than a little worried to hear both Cloud and Sephiroth had vanished without a trace. "Then... who is in charge of Midgar?"
"At the moment, Reeve might be lurking in the shadows, but it's all Seto's game now." Barret grunted to underline his dislike for the situation. "That cat is up to something! He brought in a bunch of goons. The same damn goons that got ya shot, Teef!"
"What?" Tifa tensed and sat up to face him, ignoring the dizzy feeling. "The attack wasn't from Jinrei? And Seto brought them here?"
Barret got up, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Nah, the attack wasn't Jinrei. The Cetra wanted to assure themselves ShinRa's support, so the idea was a fake assassination attempt at his life, leaving the impression that it was Jinrei's army. You, I think they said, was an accident. They took advantage of the accident afterwards. They got the result they wanted, right?"
Tifa drew a hand over her tired eyes, feeling a flicker of anger and disbelief. Weren't the Ancients on 'their' side? Weren't they the 'good' guys? And still they were willing to sacrifice lives to manipulate their allies? "Barret... You can't let them get away with this... I can't... I'm not..." She let her hand sink before gesticulating faintly. "You're our last hope, Barret..."

Aeris gazed out over the dry plains and she couldn't help the thoughts that kept haunting her mind. So many questions. It seemed that lately all there was questions and no answers. It was now three weeks since she'd seen Sephiroth and there had been no sign of him. Just like he'd dropped off the face of the planet.
She knew he wasn't dead.
Nor was there any trace of Cloud or Jessie. And that worried her almost as much as Sephiroth's disappearing act.
Sighing, she turned away from the window and absently placed a hand to her stomach as if to at least calm the life inside her. Who could have known that things would get like this? All those days she'd spent planting those flowers in the church Aeris had always pictured her future as a bright and happy one. The dreams of a naive little girl. Raising a hand to her tired eyes, Aeris swallowed hard to keep herself together. She had some happy times, hadn't she? Yes, in the ice lands when it been just her and Sephiroth. Why couldn't they just have stayed there?
Aeris sensed him even before he spoke. Before his arms went around her and she could lean her head back against his chest.
"I told you that we'd see each other again," Sephiroth murmured against her hair, inhaling the delightful scent of flowers.
Trying in vain to fight against the uneasy feeling racing through her, Aeris nodded. "You did." She hesitated before turning in his arms to gaze up at his face. "What have you done?" He looked the same, but her heart could painfully easy read the change inside him. She almost didn't recognize his soul.
"Nothing much," Sephiroth murmured, much more interested in cupping her face with his hands to make sure she was really there and not just some dream again. "I have some amazing news though."
Aeris managed a faint smile, reaching up to place her own hands over his. "Oh? What?"
"I found my mother," Sephiroth whispered, and then took Aeris' hands firmly between his as he saw the look in her eyes. "No, Aeris, I'm not talking about Jenova! That thing will not trick me again! No, this is my real mother! Her name is Lucrecia. She thought I was dead, so she was so happy to see me too!"
Turning her face away, Aeris focused on breathing. Lucrecia. She was alive? Still, that didn't explain the change in him. "And Jenova? Is she alive as well?"
Sephiroth tensed and hesitated. "Jenova..." He released her and stalked over to the window before spinning around to look at Aeris again. "She's not going to trick me this time! I have control!"
Green eyes filled with tears as Aeris shook her head slowly. "Oh, Sephiroth..." So her worst fears had come true...
"No, you don't understand!" Sephiroth exclaimed angrily, "It was Jenova who lead me to Lucrecia, but that was all! She's not inside my head, Aeris! Not like before!"
Aeris wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the floor. "Do you really believe your own words, Sephiroth?"
There was a short silence, then Sephiroth exhaled and walked over to sneak his arms around Aeris again, relaxing slightly as she rested her forhead against his chest. "Aeris... Come with me... It can be just the two of us again..."
Aeris sniffled silently, lifting a hand to place it over his heart. "They need us here... There is a war going on, Sephiroth..."
"It's not our war," Sephiroth muttered annoyed, hugging her slightly closer. "It's not our problem."
"They're my friends," Aeris countered silently, "and this war concerns the whole planet. We're a part of it too. I can't just run away from that!"
Sephiroth frowned, then he smoothly tilted Aeris' face up before catching her lips in a kiss that revealed just how much he'd missed her, and for a moment he felt a twinkle of hope as she responded so willingly while her fingers dug into his shoulders. The silver haired man shivered with excitement when she finally lowered her lips from his and gazed hazy eyed up at him. "Come with me, Aeris," Sephiroth lured, stealing several light kisses. "You're the only reason why I came back. I need you. You're not safe here, you know. Come with me..."
It took everything in her to turn away, but Aeris drew a shivering breath and closed her eyes tight as she did. "I can't!" She struggled to find the right words."I can't abandon my friends! I need you here, Sephiroth! Jenova is going to trick you again, you know that! A-and Lucrecia can come here too, can't she? I don't want to loose you, Sephiroth..."
"You will never loose me," Sephiroth whispered in her ear, and she shivered slightly with the feeling of an unspoken threat in those words. "I will return, Aeris, again and again until you agree to come with me..."
The flower girl sank to her knees and fought back the tears as she was suddenly alone, and Aeris wondered if it was even possible for things to have a happy ending this time...

Cloud exhaled sharply as he was shoved into a room and met the ground hard.
Struggling over on his back, the blonde glared back at the two guards that had pulled him to his new cell and could only watch as they slammed the door shut. He would have given anything to have his hands untied and the Ultima sword at that moment!
"You ok?" A voice suddenly said, and Cloud glanced over to see a young, dark haired man sitting in the corner of the cell.
"Yeah," Cloud muttered as he managed to sit up and gazed around in the small room. "Have a thing or two to say about the service in this place, but I'll live." He then frowned as he glanced over at the man again. "Don't I know you...?"
The dark haired man smiled faintly. "We were never properly introduced, but we've met. I'm Hawk, a Wutai ninja working for Lady Yuffie. How did you end up here, Cloud?"
Cloud inched over to sit and lean against the wall. "They kidnapped a friend of mine a while back. I've been looking for her for... I don't know how long now..." He sighed and shook his head. "I spent a few weeks tracking them, but then... I ran straight into an ambush and I woke up here... Don't even know how long I was out of it, but something tells me it was more than a night or two..."
Hawk leaned his head back against the wall. "Me and Lady Yuffie were investigating the tunnels Jinrei's army uses to move around without being seen, when I got discovered and brought here. Like you, I have no idea how long I've been here either..."
"What is this place?" Cloud asked silently, trying to work his hands free from the restraints.
Hawk shrugged. "I think it's their main base, but I don't know where it is located. I was unconscious when they brought me here."
Finally giving up on freeing his hands, Cloud started scrutinizing the room for possible escape routes. "Smells like a damn lab." He waited a few more seconds before he struggled to his feet and wandered around in the small cell. "Some of the sounds I heard out in the halls were not human... It must be here they grow those monsters..." It was no comforting thought, but something told Cloud that Jessie's powers were important enough that she would have been brought to the headquarters. He had no doubt that Jessie was here too!
"Do you have any idea why we're here?" Hawk asked silently, getting up as well. "I mean, why haven't they killed us? Why bother keeping us alive like this?" As a Wutai ninja, he had been trained to never fear death. However, years had shown him there were much worse fates than death, and they were usually delivered by the hands of Jinreis!
Feeling a taint of worry, Cloud gave the door a light kick. "It probably means they have other plans for us..."
Memories of being trapped in a tank, a mad scientist controlling his every breath and the barely visible face of Zack resurfaced inside Cloud's mind, and the blonde felt the taint of worry grow to a rising sense of panic.
He could not survive that a second time!
Hawk nodded, feeling whatever courage he had left vanish. "I thought as much." He tried a mirthless smile. "Guess that means our time is up, huh?" It was now up to Lady Yuffie to avenge Wutai, but he was painfully sorry that he didn't get to see his little brother again.
"No," Cloud sneered, eyeing the door with renewed energy. "I don't care what happens to me, but I promised Jessie that I would protect her. I promised her that she would be safe with me, and they was never going to hurt her again! I'm not going to let her down! Never!"
Watching Cloud tug fiercly to free his hands for a while, then Hawk pulled himself together. "Turn you back to me, and let me try, ok?"
Soldier and ninja used twenty minutes to free their hands and start working on the door. They were too eager to see the camera watching them with it's vigilant eye.
Their triumph when the door opened was quickly strangled as General Joy greeted them right outside with several other Jinrei soldiers behind him.
"Where is Jessie?" Cloud demanded to know in a furious voice, taking a step towards the fair haired general without acknowledging the other soldiers aiming their weapons towards him.
Joy grinned, enjoying the upper hand. "She's close by. You shouldn't worry so much about the Soldier Girl, Strife, but be more concerned about your own fate!"
Both Cloud and Hawk started slightly when shots were fired, but the Wutai ninja had just enough time to see the culprit before the tranquilizers kicked in. "Lee...?"

Days would turn into weeks and weeks turned into months.
Tifa struggled to her feet, but was only a shadow of her former self. Her one light in her darkness was her growing stomach that confirmed that Rufus was still alive in the twins. It was no secret that Midgar was no longer the fort that it had once been, but Tifa did not have the energy to do anything. She was busy keeping herself alive.
Cid tried to keep his courage up, but it wasn't easy as the antidote was starting to loose it's effect and he was up to triple doses and he struggled with fierce fevers for days, once even for a whole week. The pilot put on a brave face, that Shera easily saw through. She didn't say anything. She merely held him close when the nights were at their darkest.
Vincent would vanish for days, and reappear ragged as well as exhausted. The former Turk would sometimes bring Yuffie as well, but neither spoke about why they came back in such weary states. Seto accused them of being involved in series of assaults launched against Jinrei armies, but could not prove anything.
Reeve was relieved that Barret agreed to deal with the ShinRa army, but both was helpless to watch as the soldiers lost faith and Seto's army of unknowns were growing. Days were spent just trying to make Midgar function, as well as Junon. Slowly, the ShinRa army was loosing it's grip on it's surroundings while the Jinrei army was picking up the pieces. Now it was only Midgar and Junon under ShinRa control, and the harbour city was under constant attack.
Sephiroth had kept his promise, and Aeris was an agonized witness as to how he kept drifting away from her despite his random visits. The flower girl tried everything from pleas to threats, but the silver haired soldier kept urging her to come away with him to safety and ignoring the words she hoped would reach him. But now months had passed, and everything was almost unchanged! Aeris was tempted to give up everything and just go with him. If she couldn't save the world, maybe she could save the man she loved?
Hojo rubbed his temples tensely as he hovered over his test sample. "I don't have time for this, you know!"
"You're always so conveniently busy, Hojo," Aeris said absently as she leaned against the door frame, trying to appear unfazed. "Your son just left." There was no reply from the scientist, so she pressed on. "We're loosing, Hojo. Everywhere."
Snorting, Hojo kept his eyes on the petri dish. "I'm not surprised." He finally straightened and glanced over at Aeris. "What do you want from me, Cetra? What?"
Aeris let out a tired laugh, not sure why her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know... Everyone has their own problems, and things just keeps getting worse... There hasn't been a single trace as to where Cloud is. I heard Reeve telling Barret he thinks Cloud is dead, but I can't believe that! A-and Sephiroth...!" Anger mixed with despair suddenly made the air heavy and Aeris felt her knees turn to jelly. She wasn't really aware of what was happening, but knew she would have collapsed if arms hadn't caught her. The flower girl exhaled wearily as she was lowered down to sit on a chair and a glass of water was pushed into her hands.
Hojo gave a short laugh as the girl gazed into her glass and sent him a suspicious look. "Don't worry, Cetra. Your kin wouldn't allow me to poison it." His words seemed to reassure her, and he waited as she slowly drained the glass before he spoke again. "You can't save anyone if you push yourself like this, girl."
Aeris shook her head and studied the empty glass she was holding with both hands. "No matter what I do... it never makes any difference..."
Hojo took of his glasses, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. "Then give up! Run and hide!"
"Never!" Aeris snapped angrily, glaring up at him. She felt a light colour creeping over her cheekbones as Hojo put his glasses back on with a smirk. "Okay, point taken, mister smarty-pants!" And for a brief moment, they shared a smile, but then Hojo seemed to remember who he was and turned away abruptly.
"My point, Pinky, is that you need to take a little more concern to your current condition or you will just add another burden to your friends," Hojo snapped annoyed, brushing away his bangs from his eyes. "Make sure you rest enough, and get enough water as well as sufficient nutrition." He froze completely when slender arms wrapped around his waist and Aeris rested her forhead to his back for a few seconds.
"Thank you," Aeris said softly, as if she was talking to a frightened animal. Still, the flower girl was unable to keep from a slight giggle as her rounded stomach delivered a kick to the tense scientist. Releasing him, she took a step away. "Sorry about that. Just your grand child saying hello." Aeris then walked over to the door before gazing back at the still stunned Hojo. "But thanks... And don't worry, I wont tell anyone you can be an alright guy if you put your mind to it!"
Hojo didn't reply or move at all as she left, merely stared straight ahed. She'd... hugged him! No one ever dared to come close to Hojo, and most certainly not hug him! He was even more frustrated at his own reaction, but for once his startled heart refused to listen to his logical brain and there was a flicker of relief of being treated as a human being instead of a monster. That girl just kept growing more dangerous!

"I'm telling you that if we don't do anything, it's just going to get worse!" Joy declared furiously, glaring at Jinrei's back as the scientist was busy cutting at some poor creature on the table. "Are you listening to me?"
Jinrei hummed thoughtfully, tilting his head as he gazed at his work. "I find it hard to believe that a few set backs are enough to worry the great General Joy..."
"A few, I can handle!" Joy snapped, clenching his hands into tight fists to keep from loosing his temper. "But this has been happening for months now! That damn Valentine keeps cutting down our scouting troops like weeds, and Sephiroth wipes out entire divisions! They're like frigging gnats in my ear!"
Turning to gaze at the angry Joy, Jinrei absently waved a scalpel in his direction. "I thought you said that the ShinRa army was in pieces?"
Joy drew a deep breath, feeling his pride bristling angrily. "It is! Midgar is their last hiding place, as it's only a matter of time before Junon falls, but it seems like some people have a hard time understanding that!" He started pacing. "Rumour also has it that Sephiroth is not merely out to stir things up for us, but that he has some argument with Lee! The kid is freaking out every time he has to set foot outside of this place, and I've never seen Lee scared of anything before!"
"Sephiroth saw Lee shoot down the ShinRa brat, didn't he?" Jinrei mused, seeing the look of understanding dawning on Joy. "While that dreadful Valentine is merely out to make my life miserable, the cretin!"
"So," Joy ventured, "let me take a team out to end their interference!"
Tutting, Jinrei moved over to wave his scalpel straight under the suspicious Joy's face. "You're forgetting the most important factor, Joy!" He gazed over at the window, seeing the bright sun shining outside. "Jenova is out there too..."
"I don't see what that giant blob can do to harm us," Joy muttered. "Even with that crazy woman to help!" He crossed his arms haughtily, lifting his chin. "I think our top priority is Valentine and Sephiroth!"
Jinrei gave a dangerous smile, the kind that made people's skin crawl for no apparant reason. "You shouldn't underestimate Jenova, Joy. That might be your last and biggest mistake. According to your rapports, Sephiroth is no longer using Midgar as a base, so how do you know Jenova isn't behind his attacks? She's crafty, the Crisis, and she will not loose again!"
Joy wasn't aware of taking a step away from Jinrei, but kept his stubborn look. "So what do you suggest we do?"
Jinrei glanced back at the creature on the table. "We musn't loose focus, Joy. It is Cid Highwind we want. Don't forget that."
"I haven't forgotten that, but Midgar is their final fort. They've dug in pretty thoroughly, and we need to break the supply line from Junon before we can hope to break through their defenses!" General Joy wandered over to look at the world map hanging on the wall. "Most of the other towns have already fallen into our grasp, but Junon and Midgar are tough nuts. The walls in the harbour city are even a challenge for Soldier Girl!"
Jinrei frowned before walking back to his work, putting his scalpel to action again. "I saw the latest rapports, Joy. Remember that she needs to rest or you will burn her out completely and kill her. The Soldier Girl is much too valuable for such a fate!"
"I am aware of that, sir," Joy muttered, knowing he'd pushed the girl a little too much lately. "How is the progress with her friend?"
Jinrei grinned and glanced back at Joy. "Ah, yes, Mister Strife has proven himself to be quite the challenge. The Jenova cells in him does not allow for anything to intrude through his immune system. It doesn't mean I intend to stop trying though!"
"Then at least one of us are having a good time," Joy muttered, trying hard to keep from sounding like a petulant child. "Sir, you have to let me go after the two pests!"
This time, Jinrei laughed and finally waved a dismissive hand. "If you think it's that important, you may send out troops to deal with them, but I need you here, Joy!"
The thought of someone else finishing off his prey was almost as bad as the thought of Valentine and Sephiroth wandering around without horrible pains, but Joy knew the most important thing was to remove the threats and his personal feelings would have to come second. Hell, he could always torment Strife again with hints about the Soldier Girl! Joy only hoped the blonde would stay awake longer this time...
"And you might want to advice General Lee to continue to keep indoors, by the way," Jinrei advised without looking away from his cutting. "If Sephiroth is indeed after our little Lee, then he'd better pray your troops gets Sephiroth before he reaches Lee..."

Silence had finally lowered itself over the fields again, as Sephiroth was the last man standing.
Gazing out over the fallen soldiers, the silver haired man frowned displeased as he holstered his beloved Masamune without a sound. The small group of elite soldiers had not provided with much resistance like he'd hoped, and their leader was not the person Sephiroth thought he was. Crouching beside the leader, the lone swordman studied his face. "A bit inconsiderate to die before I could ask you about Lee, don't you think?"
There was no reply, as one would expect from a lifeless form.
Snorting, Sephiroth straightened and scouted the horizon. Jenova kept declaring he wouldn't find Lee until he broke into Jinrei's headquarters, but he was reluctant to do anything the Crisis suggested. Lucrecia merely declared that she trusted Sephiroth's judgement, no matter what.
But months had passed now, and he'd only caught a fleeting glance of Lee fleeing while leaving his soldiers behind to fight Sephiroth. The damn coward had gone into hiding, and didn't look too eager to be leaving safety just yet. Which was a bad thing, as Sephiroth had just run out of patience!
His thoughts were troubled with the thirst for revenge and words spoken by a frail flower girl. As Sephiroth was walking back towards Jenova's lair, he kept glancing in Midgar's direction. Aeris had looked so tired the last time he'd seen her, but her will was just as strong. She kept pleading for him to return to Midgar, return to his chains and be at the mercy of the Cetra again. Like it would be that easy?
Sephiroth clenched his jaw angrily. The Ancients warned him about what would happen to him if he went against their wishes, and he simply wasn't ready to die yet. There were several things he had to do first!
He had to hunt down and kill General Lee.
He had to make sure his mother was secured a safe existance, far from crazed scientist and anyone aiming to exploit her.
And maybe most importantly, Sephiroth had to fix things between him and Aeris. Make things like they used to be. Back to good. Then he would hold his child in his arms, making damn sure the world would treat that child better than it had treated it's father!
Sephiroth cast a final glance towards Midgar before shaking the thoughts away. It was no use thinking about it.
As he was walking, Sephiroth came to the conclusion that Jenova was right. Lee was hiding, and was not coming out in the open anytime soon. The silver haired man knew Jenova was dangerously eager to show him Jinrei's secret base, and it looked like she was going to get her wish. Enough time was wasted on these small fry soldiers, when Sephiroth was unable to move on before Lee was dead. It would be no easy task to break into the heart of Jinrei's base, but Sephiroth had never backed down from a challenge yet!
The only thing that kept nagging at him was the faint possibility that he might get killed...
Snorting, Sephiroth shook his head again. He was the greatest soldier there was!
Even monsters had learned to keep away from the silver haired man who roamed through their territories, and his return to Jenova's lair was without any incidents. He was torn out of his gloomy mood when Lucrecia greeted him back with an enthusiasm that made him briefly wonder just how long he'd been gone.
Scouting to his left and his right, Lucrecia finally gazed puzzled at her son. "No Aeris...?"
"No, she still refuses to leave Midgar," Sephiroth grumbled, "but give me time. She will see reason eventually."
Lucrecia pouted slightly, fidgeting with a lock of her chestnut hair. "I know you're probably right, son. I just hope her hesitation wont result in separating you from your child, like it happened to us."
Sephiroth's eyes flared with anger and he took a step towards his mother. "No one will take my child away from me! No one!" The deadly threat of promised violence in his voice made Lucrecia flinch, so he turned away and cleared his throat. "Where's Jenova?" In truth, she was never far away as her thoughts kept entering his mind from time to time, but recently she had made a habit of going all quiet for long periods of time. It was almost more unnerving than when she tried to manipulate him.
"She's here," Lucrecia revealed silently. "She said you would be changed when you came back. You're going into that mean man's place, aren't you? That man is going to be sorry he ever went against my boy. You're going to kill everyone in that place, aren't you? Yes, Sephiroth, every single human in that place has to die!"

A place far from where the dialogue was taking place, where silence usually ruled, the peace was disturbed by a ripple in the water.
A water that had only been disturbed twice in the last twenty years.
Once, twenty months ago, when a young girl had been lowered into the waters, to later emerge with a mission from the Cetra.
Second time it was disturbed was a little under six months ago, when a second body was lowered into the crystal clear substance.
The third time, it was barely noticeable as the movement caused a mere ripple. But it was an eagerly awaited movement, and a figure stood up from a small fire to walk over with a curious look.
"It's time," the figure said, it's voice strangely wrong in the silence that usually ruled the air as well as the waters.
Minutes passed, and a second movement was seen in the water. Pale fingers moving sluggishly, like they were testing to see if they were still attached. Later, arms were twitching slightly and a shivering gasp was heard. Like someone waking up from a long sleep, fighting their way back to life.
The water rippled as the figure took a hold of the person drawing shivering breaths and pulled that person half-way up on the banks with a huff of exhaustion.
This time, hours would pass before anything else would happen. However, the figure standing beside the unconscious form found the wait worth it as eyelashes fluttered.
"Yes, it's time you wake up now," the figure said, a note of cheerfulness seeping into his voice. "I trust you will be able to sort out the mess and build up a new army against Jinrei. You're still needed, young one."
Blue eyes painfully took in daylight for the first time in many months, and memories were slowly piecing them selves together to make sense of who that person was and what had lead that person to this place, wherever this place was. A strange feeling of having to be some other place, that someone was in trouble, came before any memories managed to resurface. A sense of having no time to waste.
Even as the memories returned, a body being kept still for months demanded almost a full day before it would obey any command with heavy objections. The night sky was clear and filled with stars, as the two forms were sitting by the small fire. Huddled in a blanket, the young man reached out his hands and tried to thaw up his fingers even more. "How...?" His voice was a mere whisper, but the other form by the fire heard it well enough.
"The water is special here," was the cryptic reply, and a big cup with soup was handed over. "Where there is life, there is hope."
Swallowing down some soup, and forcing his stomach not to rebel at the first sign of food for months, the young man gazed absently into the flames. "Tifa."
"Yes, she is waiting for you. But I think we should at least let your body rest one night before we set course for Midgar. Don't you agree, Rufus ShinRa?" The night was still at it's darkest, and monsters were eager to eat anything foolish enough to cross their paths where they were lurking in the shadows. "There are things I have to tell you before you are ready to face the world again. A lot has happened since you were injured."
Glancing over, the fiery haired Rufus felt a flicker of annoyance that there still was someone who didn't jump at his command. His annoyance grew as he was too weak to do anything about it. "Like what?"
It was no easy way to explain things, and no short cuts could be taken either, instead every detail had to be revealed about Sephiroth's fall, Seto's odd behavior, Vincent's rogue missions, Barret's return with the runaway Cid and Lucrecia's resurrection. His absence had triggered a chain of events that was still threatening to break any resistance against Jinrei.
Rufus sat with a heavy heart and uneasy feeling. Sephiroth sided with Jenova again...? He couldn't believe that the silver haired man would betray Aeris and the others. Something had pushed Sephiroth into this situation, and he had a sneaking feeling that the Cetra might not be as innocent as they made themselves out to be. And Sephiroth had also been on a mission of avenging Rufus' death? Smiling faintly into the flames, the brat prince suddenly realised that it was probably that 'friendship' meant. "How do you know all this...?"
The other by the fire laughed and tossed another small branch into the flames. "I pay attention."
Snorting, Rufus glanced over with a look of raw annoyance. "You always avoid answering people's questions?"
"You asked me a question?" A hand was raised to scratch underneath a huge hat. "Can't remember for the life of me..."