Highwind airship
After paying their respects to Priscilla and her Grandfather, Cloud
and the others reluctantly made their way to the Highwind’s Control Room.
The atmosphere inside was hushed. Vincent sat deep in thought by the
door. Cid talked in hushed tones with the Highwind crew. There was a click
as the doors opened and Cloud walked in.
“Listen up, and let me tell you what we’re going to do. First, we’re
splitting up. Myself, Vincent, Yuffie and Reeve will take the Highwind
to try and convince these friends of ours to join up in the hunt for Sephiroth.
Red XIII, Barrett and Tifa will take the submarine to the Junon Underwater
Reactor to see if Sephiroth is hiding there. Cid: after dropping us off
take the Highwind and fetch Shera and Marlene. Find Lucrecia if you can.
I know it sounds stupid, but Sephiroth could come after them.” He looked
up. “Any questions?”
There were none.
-
Everyone moved out of the room rather quickly. Suddenly Yuffie found
herself alone with Reeve.
“Erm... Yuffie.” he began. “This is kind of embarrassing...”
Oh, gawd! thought Yuffie. He’s going to ask me out! I know it! Why
did it have to be Reeve? Anyone but Reeve!
“...but could you lend me some materia? I normally would have some
but it’s been five years since we had to fight and I lost mine. I thought
I’d ask you because you always...” he trailed off. “Hey. What’s the matter?”
Yuffie found herself bitterly disappointed. She held back tears and
kicked herself under the table. “N-N-Nothing! Nothing! I’m fine!” She lied.
“Here. Have this.” She tossed a glass orb in his direction. “Keep it.”
she said quickly. “It’s yours. I’ve got plenty of them, anyway.”
He smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Yuffie.”
He was gone.
What was she thinking? That was some good materia! Maybe she should
ask for it back... Anyway, she didn’t care. It was only Reeve. Annoying,
self-righteous Reeve.
But she did care. Inside she knew she did.
No! I don’t care! It’s just Reeve!
Then why? Why was she so disappointed? She felt her cheek and found
she was crying.
What’s come over me? Why have I gone all soft?
Yuffie sniffed and wiped her eyes. Godo would never have approved.
Briefly, she smoothed her hair and straightened her clothes.
Not for Reeve, she told herself, just ‘cause I want to.
-
Mythril Mines 4:09
The Mythril Mines were dangerous, but that’s what made it so exciting.
Kim shivered. It was cold.
“Hey!” whispered Dixon, “are we gonna explore, or what?”
Dixon was twelve, three years older than Kim. Kim idolised Dixon, with
her striking black hair and grey eyes. She was everything Kim wasn’t; beautiful,
smart and popular. What amazed Kim more was that Dixon was so strong even
though her left arm was almost useless. Dixon was only twelve, but
Kim still felt safe with her.
“Ok! Let’s go!” she whispered back, and they clambred down the wall
and into the mine.
“I heard that Cloud came by here once.” said Dixon casually.
“Oh, wow!” breathed Kim. “Tell us, Dix, please?”
“Oh alright!” said Dixon in mock annoyance. “It was five years ago,
when Cloud and his gang went after Sephiroth. They came through here on
their way to Junon. Before that, Sephiroth was even here!”
Suddenly, as if on cue, a blast of cold air blasted through the tunnel.
Kim yelped and the sound of her squeel echoed down the passage.
“Shut up!” hissed Dixon. “Do you want the monsters to hear?”
“Sorry.” said Kim, turning red. “It’s just that that was so spooky...”
“Yeah... I know.” replied Dixon.
“What are you girls doing down a scary mine like this?” asked a voice
behind them.
This time they both screamed.
It was a man, dressed in black. A cape hung from his shoulders and
a massive sword was by his side.
“We’re exploring.” said Dixon bravely.
The man smiled. “But, tell me, my dear girls: what if someone found
you in the mines? What if something happened to you? There would be no
one there. For miles and miles around.” he drew his sword. “No one would
here you scream.”
“Who are you?” called Dixon.
Sephiroth chuckled as he remembered Priscilla’s pathetic plea.
“Perhaps you know me from your nightmares. I am Sephiroth.”
Dixon drew her tiny dagger. It looked pathetic against Sephiroth’s
katana.
“Run!” she yelled to Kim.
Kim ran. She did not look back.
-
Sephiroth wiped the blade clean. The girl had put up and excellant
fight for a twelve year old cripple. Or maybe he was out of practice. It
was of no consequence. All that would change soon. Soon...
He looked at the girl running down the tunnel, her short legs dragging
across the ground. It was too late to catch her now.
He shrugged. The monsters would not go hungry tonight.
-
Wutai 6:20
“Drink up and be merry.” muttered Reno as he took another swig of beer.
“That’s what we’ve done for the past five years.”
“Sir, permission to speak freely?” asked Elena.
“For God’s sake, Elena!” cried Rude. “I’m not your superior officer
anymore. Just say whatever the hell you want and shu’up. That’s the joy
of retirement, see?”
“Retirement sucks!” shouted Elena. Quickly, she added a “sir” on the
end.
“You know what, Elena?” said Reno, “You’re right. Retirement sucks.”
“Ever since Shin-Ra collapsed we’ve done nothing but get drunk.” said
Rude.
The door to the Hotel opened, and in strode a familiar face.
“Well, I’ll be...” Reno trailed off. “Look who it is!”
“Hello.” smiled Cloud. “You’ve got fat.” He looked at Rude.
“Yeah. Don’t I know it. I haven’t had a decent fight since... since
we fought you that last time.”
“But, since we’re no longer Turks... come and get drunk with us.” added
Reno.
“Uh-uh.” Cloud shook his head. “No way. But let me ask you something.
What were the last orders given to you?”
“To seek you out and kill you.” said Elena.
Cloud was silent for a moment. “Okay...” he said slowly. “How about
the orders before that?”
“To destroy Sephiroth, of course.” said Elena.
“And you were to carry out those orders, regardless?”
“...Well, yeah...” said Elena slowly. “But then you went and ruined
our company and defeated Sephiroth for us.”
“What would you say if I was to tell you that Sephiroth is alive. Again.”
All three of them looked up.
“Then I would say bye-bye to retirement!” whooped Reno.
“So you’ll help us?” asked Cloud.
“Well...” said Elena. “It’s against the rules... but what the hell!
Count us in!”
Rude stared at Elena.
“Elena? What’s gotten into you? Are you okay?”
Elena smiled. “Better than ever.”
-
They followed the Turks outside, when the Phone rang. It was Barrett.
“Cloud!” he bellowed. “Get down to Junon now! And I mean now!”
“Woah! Barrett!” said Cloud. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Junon! It’s under some sort of spell. All the people there won’t
wake up. Anyone who try’s to wake them just falls asleep themselves. And
Cloud...”
“What?”
“Tifa is in Junon.”
Cloud swore. “I’ll be there.”
-
Highwind airship
She was just gonna ask him, now. And to hell with the conseqeunces.
He must have sensed she was up to something because he avoided her
most of the journey. She finally cornered him on the deck.
“Right.” she began. “I’m just going to say it. Okay?”
He looked puzzled. “Say what?”
She took a deep breath. “Oh, gawd! You want to make this hard on me,
don’t you?”
He smiled. “Of coarse.”
“Right. Well... I was just wondering if...”
Reeve was chuckling. “Wondering what?”
“...Well what I meant to say is...” Yuffie was exasperated.
“Yes?”
“I... I was wondering whether you would go dinner with me someplace.
There. Satisfied?”
He pondered. “Hmmmm, I don’t know...”
Yuffie found she was holding her breath. “Please?”
He was silent for a long time. “Why not?” he said suddenly.
She recovered herself. “Well, I should think so, too! Men should be
grateful to go out with a babe like me!”
“Shall we say, next week?”
“Yep.”
“See you then, Yuffie.”
“See you.”
With a final grin he opened the door and went below deck.
Yuffie sighed. Why did this sort of stuff have to be so difficult?
Yeah, she thought, give me materia any day.
-
Nibelheim. 6:30
“Any word from the scouts?” cried Grissom.
“None.” replied Duane.
Grissom was silent for a moment. “They are dead, then?”
“Surely.”
Another silence. “Where are Bejart and Saarik?”
“We were separated some miles back. This accursed mountain will mark
their graves, I fear.”
Grissom drew his blade and snarled. “We have lost many men in search
of this elusive Mako Reactor.”
“Be clam, brother. It will be worth it. In the end. And look...” he
ran up the path to the top of the hill. “...here is the so-called ‘elusive’
Mako Reactor.”
Grissom sheathed his weapon and came to look over the top of the hill.
It was a truly magnificent site.
Mako energy had ruptured from the corroding pipes and crystallised
to form a shell over the reactor that was several meters thick and many
more high. Hundreds of shades of green, blue, purple, pellow and red all
spurted from the top of the Reactor, spreading globes of materia everywhere.
“By the gods...” whispered Grissom. “the materia, the power...”
“This was caused by the ‘final’ death of Jenova five years ago.” Duane
told Grissom. “The Jenova infested mako around here literally imploded
and crystallised into rare and powerful materia.”
Grissom looked at Duane sharply. “Why did you not tell me this before?
Did you hope that I would perish on the journey towards the mountain?”
He drew his steel sword. “Do not think, brother, that I would have any
hesitations about ending your life if I thought you had betrayed me.”
Duane laughed. “You? Kill me? I doubt it.” He drew his staff. “Try
my magic, brother, if you think you can defeat me.”
They stood for a long time, each one daring the other to attack. Finally,
Grissom put his blade away sullunly and said, “Are you saying Jenova has
the power to mutate the lifestream?”
Duane nodded. “In the same way it has invested the monsters here with
powers beyond even our soldiers, it will give us the powers of God’s!”
“Like Sephiroth?”
“No. We will not succumb to the powers of Jenova, for it is a disease
that infests the soul and bends the mind to it’s own evil will. No. Sephiroth
has become like that. We will draw our powers from the materia Jenova has
provided with us. Come, Grissom. Let us celebrate our ascension to a new
height of power!”
They walked down the path to the Reactor.
They did not look back.
-
Junon Harbout. 7:00
They were waiting when the Highwind landed.
Several people were sitting on a grassy hillside just out of Junon.
Red XIII and Barrett were among them. Barrett was shouting something,
his hands waving in the air.
“I don’t care what happens, but we can’t sit here an’ do nuthin’!”
he roared.
Red looked strained. “Unfortunatly,” he said, “there is really nothing
we can do. Anyone who enteres Junon falls under the spell.”
“What do we do then?” retorted Barrett.
“Wait.”
-
Cloud looked up at the group. They all looked very tired.
They were all here now, the Turks, Yuffie, Cid, Barrett, Vincent, Red
and Reeve. Marlene was giggling on Barrett’s shoulder and Shera was talking
to Cid solemnly. Cloud smiled. Cid had done a good job, even though he
wasn’t able to find Lucrecia. Vincent stood alone at the edge of the group.
There was only one person missing...
Cloud shook his head. He never realised how much of an effect Tifa
had on the group; her positive attitude would have really helped now. They
hadn’t been this down since Aeris died.
“I want to know some things.” said Cid quietly. “Like what is this
spell and how do we get rid of it?”
Several people looked accusingly at Red, as if he knew the answer.
Yuffie was, surprisingly, solemn. “Tifa won’t... what I mean is what
will happen to her?” she asked.
“What can I say?” said Red XIII angrily. “Everything will be alright?
No. Because everything will not be alright. People look to me for the answer,
but I just don’t know. Even Bugenhagen’s histories and archives say nothing
about a spell of this magnitude!”
Reeve spoke up. “Is the area affected by the spell widening?”
Vincent shook his head. “On the contrary. It is withdrawing.”
“Problem solved.” said Reno. “We wait for the affect to wear off.”
“I think we know who caused this.” said Rude.
“Sephiroth.” whispered someone.
“It may be a daft question... but why is he doing this?” asked Shera.
“Jesus! Shera,” cried Cid. “Because...” he slowed down. “Wait a minute.
Why does he want to do this?”
“Time will tell.” answered Vincent.