Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ White Devil's Kiss ❯ Beginning of the End ( Chapter 1 )

1

“So, tell us again why you called us here, Vincent.” The group formerly known as Avalanche, new members and old, were gathered in the Shin-ra Mansion in Nibelheim. Vincent Valentine, one of those who had joined after Cloud left Midgar, had called them all together for an emergency meeting. Not everyone was thrilled.

 

Cloud was fine with it. He sat on an old pouf chair, relaxing as if he lived there all the time. His clothes were still the same SOLDIER uniform that Zack had given to him when they had escaped together. Nanaki was also relaxed in front of the roaring fire that made the cold, dark building seem homey and warm. The great dog-beast had not had to travel far.

 

Cid Highwind, who had flown the airship to pick everyone up, was also relaxed in a pouf with a cold beer. He didn't really care about traveling because he did it almost every day. Barret Wallace was one of the agitated people. He wore a new suit instead of his usual jacket and jeans. His gun arm had been traded for a prosthetic arm.

 

Tifa Lockheart was also grumpy, to say the least. Her new bar had just opened and she was not there to supervise it. She and Barret had both traveled from Kalm Town. But Tifa's usual shorts and T-shirt were traded for a short skirt and blouse. Cait Sith looked fine, though he was a machine anyway so why should he be bothered? Reeve could sit in the comfort of his office while running the robot's every move.

 

Yuffie Kisaragi had come the farthest. And, surprisingly, she was the most comfortable with the situation. She had stretched herself out next to Nanaki on her stomach, watching Barret pace around. She still wore her Ninja outfit, though she had grown up a bit.

 

“It would be nice of you to explain why this is so important, Vincent. I have a very important meeting soon.” Barret said, looking up from his pacing.

 

The vampire sighed and pulled a small book from a hidden pocket in his cloak.

 

“This is why I asked you all here.” Everyone stared in shock for a moment before erupting into different reactions.

 

“A BOOK!” The shout was done in unison as the group tried to grasp the meaning. Tifa reacted violently and stomped up to Vincent like she was going to deck him one right in the mouth.

 

“You called me away from my grand opening for a stupid little book!” Despite this, the taller man remained calm.

 

“Not exactly, Tifa. It is what is in the book that is important.”

 

Cloud came forward and pulled Tifa back.

 

“Please, tell us what's in it.” He said as he sat her down in the chair he had occupied.

 

“It is a diary, one of many, written by Hojo.” This made Tifa fall silent. “Since I live here, I felt it necessary to clean up the mess left by Sephiroth and many other people in that basement. I found this among the clutter on the floor.” He opened the book to a marked page and began to read. “`For by the will of the Devil shall the Angel fall. But should the Devil fall before the Angel, hell by any other name would not describe the pain.'

 

“This is a verse that is part of a poem inspired by Hojo's final work. It was written by one of his fellow scientists before the poor man fell victim to this `Angel'. The entire poem reads like a description of the end of the world.”

 

“Is the whole poem in that book?” Nanaki asked as he sat up on his haunches.

 

“It is. And it goes something like this:

`White Devil, Black Angel

Written by: Anonymous

 

Can an Angel fly from heaven,

To join our fellow man?

Can the Devil rise from hell,

To hide among our clans?

 

Willful spirits tell us no,

But some do yet believe,

That man himself can concur this,

Breaking boundaries like a sieve.

 

Though you have discovered this,

Is it right to go?

The pain these two will face,

Seems unfair to make it so.

 

Can an Angel bring destruction,

Upon this world of ours?

Can a Devil bring redemption,

And bring peace instead of wars?

 

And now I come close to the end,

Please listen a moment longer.

For I will tell you a dark secret,

That this man has brought down upon us all.

 

Ariah, Ariaus.

 

Please remember those two names.

For by the will of the Devil shall the Angel fall.

But should the Devil fall before the Angel,

Hell by any other name shall not describe the pain.'”

 

 

Everyone sat silently for moment. Each pondering the words that were said. Nanaki was the first to speak.

 

“He broke the rhythm. Why didn't he continue the pattern?” For the answer, the vampire held up the book for them to see. The poem's words were splattered with blood.

 

“He knew he was going to die as he wrote it. He tried to keep it true to poetry, but didn't have time to think carefully enough. This man knew he was going to die.”

 

Cloud stared at the floor, deep in thought. Then spoke his own question.

 

“What do the names mean? Ariah and Ariaus? Are these the two it is talking about?” Vincent nodded.

 

“Yes. They are the `White Devil' and `Black Angel' he refers to. Though, which is the Angel and which is the Devil is unclear. It doesn't even mention it in the book.” Finally, Tifa spoke. Her hands were clutched tightly in her lap.

 

“What does it say after that?” Once again, Vincent began to read.

 

“`Test one complete. Success for the male. He grows stronger as the days go by. Soon, he will be stronger than Sephiroth himself! The fool had it coming. How dare he tell me he couldn't gain the final piece to complete them! The female is a disappointment. She is far to pampered. We will just have to work harder with her. The failsafe cannot be weaker than the weapon.

 

“`But that will come later. It is time to move them back down to the Vault. No one must know about them. Not until they are complete. I must find the final piece if they are to be completed. Curse Shin-ra for moving them so far away from my lab in Nibelheim.'

 

“There is more, but it is all equations and instructions on how to build and complete these things he calls a weapon and a failsafe.”

 

“Does it give a location for this `Vault'?” Cloud asked, clearly worried.

 

“Yes it does.” Cid spoke up for the first time in a while.

 

“So why don't we go down and blast the @#&!*? If its gonna be a damn threat, we should get rid of it as soon as @#%!* possible, right?”

 

“No.” Nanaki said firmly. Cid jumped up and faced him.

 

“And why the hell not!”

 

“Because, there might be innocent people in the Vault as well. We cannot just blow them up, too.”

 

Finally, it was Yuffie who brought some logic to the whole thing.

 

“Why don't we find out where it is first? That would help determine what to do.”

 

“She's right.” Cait Sith stated, bouncing on his mog. “Depending on the location, we'll know if it's destroyed already or not.” They all looked to Vincent who went back to the book.

 

“It says that the location of the only door is underneath a glacier northwest of Icicle Inn.” All eyes immediately went to Cait Sith. He shifted nervously under their gazes.

 

“What are you all looking at me for? I don't know anything about this. I never bothered with Hojo.”

 

“Are you being honest, Reeve?” Tifa asked.

 

“Very honest. I've never heard of this stuff. I've never heard of any of it.”

 

Cloud once again became the leader and quieted everyone down.

 

“It doesn't matter whether you knew about it or not. What we need to do is find out what it is. And whether it's dangerous or not. In one week, let's meet again and go to Icicle Inn to see if we can find the Vault. We need to know who Ariah and Ariaus are. Then we need to find out what they were created for.”

 

All were in agreeance with the terms. It was time for a bit of action anyways. It had been far to quiet during the past few years. They all got up to leave and thanked Vincent for telling them the information. Nanaki stayed behind in order to spend more time with his friend. Besides, he needed someone who could hold an intelligent conversation without constantly swearing or other such things.

 

 

Outside, unknown to the group, another person was listening. He wore a long black cloak that covered his body and face. Quietly, he spoke the name of the one person he had been searching for. “Ariah. So you are alive. I will find you again. I promise.” Then, with a wave of his cloak, he disappeared into the night to begin his long journey to the glacial continent.