Repeated Past

By: Mouse-chan

: K-chan

Standard Disclaimer: The characters used this fanfic are owned and copyright by Squaresoft. The characters are used without permission. This series is only made for entertainment use and does not make any profits of any kind. Any original characters are copyrighted to the authors. Changes in this fanfic can occur without any warning. Please bear in mind that the story contains yaoi, violence and adult language for that matter.

 

Comments can be sent to Mouse-chan at cheese_factory@hotmail.com or K-chan at karina_lye@yahoo.com .Any flames about the yaoi coupling in this fanfic will not be entertained.

 

[Warning, spoilers for the game]

"-" conversations
/-/ personal thoughts
italic flashbacks

[CHAPTER 2: HIDDEN MENACE]

 

[PART 5: FEAR]

 

Cosmo Canyon was silent.

 

The cavern was slightly empty. Tifa and Yuffie had long since retired to bed. Vincent disappeared into the darkness of the night after saying that he was going for a short walk outside. The longhaired man seemed to be rather preoccupied with his thoughts. Red had gone up to where his grandfather's house was. Cloud presumed that his furry friend wanted a few minutes to mourn for the departed soul. Cid and Barret were merrily inhaling beer their hostess provided while trading various insults.

 

/And Sephiroth/

 

He stared down at the mug he was carefully cradling in his hands. The last time he checked Sephiroth was fast asleep on the bed the inn provided. The clear liquid sloshed in the ceramic. Ice gently hit the sides of the mug as it bobbed uncertainly while he shifted the ceramic from one hand to another. Through his thick leather gloves, the blonde ex-trooper could feel the chill from the glass' surface. His nose twitched at the stinging smell of alcohol. The mug was still full, its contents untouched.

 

Cloud had ordered the drink on a whim.

 

Now he found himself blinking at it while wondering why he had not even touched a single drop of the liquid. He felt strangely numb. Normally when Sephiroth' name faintly made itself known in his mind, the old anger would lash out like a wounded tiger provoked. But these few days, Cloud found himself barely feeling any anger at all. The only thing he felt when he was around the silver haired man was the mounting confusion.

 

/the rest of the group most probably think I am mad…/

 

Quickly he swallowed the liquid feeling the burn as it traveled down his throat. For a moment he considered another but decided against it. Knowing how badly he handled alcohol, Cloud crossed his fingers as he wondered if a single mug was enough to make him drunk. The last thing he needed was to get smashed on such a night. Gentle warmth radiated in his stomach. The blonde ex-trooper pushed the empty mug away from him with a sigh. It wasn't like him to drink alcohol. He only drank the stuff when it was given to him or when it was offered. Never until now had he asked for a single drink.

 

/And there was Zack../

 

Cloud smiled faintly remembering the time when the dark haired SOLDIER first dragged him, protesting and squirming, into a bar when he just turned fourteen. Zack was the person who bought him his first beer and laughed when he choked at the bitter taste. Then thumped him on the back and ordered him another one. Cloud supposed Zack treated him like a kid brother. It was nice to have someone you could trust especially within Shinra. It was rare to have good friends. Everyone was too busy backstabbing one another in order to reach the top. Others were watching their own backs to prevent themselves from being a victim.

 

Cloud had always thought Zack as a part of his small family. The smile on the blonde ex-trooper's face faded slightly.

 

/too bad I never got to introduce him to mom../

 

Morbidly Cloud wondered why did the few people he cared for died.

 

/mom, Zack, Aerith…/

 

/maybe it's me…/

 

/maybe it's my fault…/

 

The fingers on the table trembled slightly. Cloud glanced at his own hand with slightly narrowed blue eyes. He clenched them tightly so that they would not shake. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, Cloud gasped. The table was covered with sticky crimson liquid. He opened his palm to see streaks of it on the dark brown leather. His heart stopped when he realized the red streaks were growing larger until it pooled in his grasp. The crimson color stood out vividly in his mind. Drops of it slowly trickled down and splashed onto the floor.

 

Terrified, he stumbled away from the table. His chair fell onto the ground with a loud crash.

 

"Hey, spike! Ya okay?" Barret called from another table.

 

Cloud blinked bewilderedly at his hands. His gaze turned towards the table's surface then backed at his open hands again. Both were spotlessly clean. Not a single line of blood could be seen. The blonde ex-trooper glanced at the floor, which held no splattered blood on the slightly dusty ground.

 

/maybe I -am- going mad/

 

"Spike?" Barret's voice had a tinge of concern in it.

 

A small part of Cloud's mind pointed out that he better answer the broad shouldered man's inquiry or both of his friends would become rather worried. They were under a lot of pressure and did not need any new problems in their hands. He dug into his brain, pulling out words to form the correct sentence.

 

"I am fine, Barret." Cloud answered feeling slightly shaken.

 

"Ya sure? You look like someone just told ya another meteor is coming" Barret frowned at his own words before hastily correcting himself. "Sorry, didn't mean it that way but cha know what I mean."

 

"I am fine, really. Just....a little off center." Cloud replied. He forced a faint smile. Carefully, he wore his leather gloves and buckled them on tightly.

 

/Right, I am stressed. Stress can lead to a lot of things. Hallucination can always be one of them/

 

/Now, I just need to keep a clear head/

 

/Don't get so easily distracted…right…damn/

 

The blonde ex-trooper noticed the odd looks Cid was giving him. It appeared his thoughts got the better of him, again. Letting out a rueful grin, Cloud shrugged. "I think I should get a bit of fresh air. Help clear my head a little."

 

"Yea, I think you should. Fresh air can do wonders. Besides I am gonna hit the sack. Don’t know what that freak might be up to. Tomorrow could be another full day" Cid nodded and gulped down the last of his drink before walking up the stairs that lead up to the bedrooms. There was a creak of a door opening and then a quiet click.

 

"Right, goodnight Barret" Cloud waved and exited the tavern.

 

Carefully he collected his thoughts. Cid had proposed to keep an eye on Sephiroth while the rest of the group got their rest. There were three rooms that came with three beds. Cid, Sephiroth and Vincent took the middle room. Tifa and Yuffie were sleeping in the room on the right. He was supposed to share the left room with Barret and Cait Sith.

 

Wondering if he had taken too long a nap during the afternoon, the blonde ex-trooper raked a hand through his hair. He glanced up at the night sky. It looked dark, there was not a star in sight. Cloud raised his glance upward to look for a glimpse of the moon but found none. The blackness consumed the whole horizon. For a moment he toyed with the idea of going up to the observatory just to see the stars then brushed away the thought knowing that Red would not appreciate his presence. Red was a good friend and it would be unforgivable if he intruded when the beast was wallowing in the past memories. He peered up into the sky again.

 

Suddenly he felt restless as if someone just dumped a couple of elixirs on him. The need to do -something- was carving itself into his veins. It was odd since it was rather late at night and anyone with a rational frame of mind would have been blissfully asleep by then.

 

/Great, not only am I stressed but it appears that I am an insomniac too/

 

Cloud briskly walked towards the entrance hoping that the short trip would somehow burn up his excessive energy. He took a couple of steps before stopping. Every limb froze in motion, Cloud's blue eyes narrowed. His mako-enhanced hearing caught a slight rustle coming from one of the many shadows looming from the buildings. Out of years of training, the blonde ex-trooper quietly slipped behind a large jar, hiding himself away from view. His right hand moved automatically to the handle of his sword.

 

A snake-like slither could be faintly heard. It could have been a snake moving against the dusty ground. Cloud paused again feeling uneasy, straining his sensitive hearing he waited in the dim light. A heartbeat later, the same sound emerged from the shadows but from the sound of it, it seemed like there were a dozen of snakes fighting among themselves. The last time he checked, snakes were rarely found around Cosmo Canyon.

 

Carefully, he peeked over the edge of the large ceramic.

 

The blonde ex-trooper was just in time to see an oddly colored skin slide out of view. It looked like a queer mixture of green with a dash of muddy brown. The thick darkness made it impossible to tell what lay beyond them. The buster sword drawn, Cloud winced for if that was a snake; it was a hell of a big one!

 

Muttering a 'wall' spell under his breath, he moved away from the jar. With a swift movement, Cloud made a wide cut across the inky shadows. His sword sliced through the air in a deadly arc. The metal made a small noise as it embedded itself into the stone wall. Cloud blinked in bewilderment. The only sound he could hear was the noisy chirping of crickets from the bushes.

 

His eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. The blonde trooper looked around, his eyes narrowed in confusion. He could have sworn that there was something hiding in the shadows a minute ago. Glancing at the empty space surrounding him, Cloud sighed as he sheathed his sword and slumped against the wall.

 

/Another hallucination.? Two in one night is not a very good sign../

 

A cold feeling crept up on him. Cloud shifted uncomfortably as he tried to brush off the sensation. Blinking once again, he realized that there was something cold on his hand. Pulling his palm away from the stone wall, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. On his hand was what he could only describe as a 'lump of disgusting slime'.

 

A stale smell that reminded him of rotting meat invaded his nostrils.

 

The foul liquid was thick and sticky in his fingers. Like slime, it dribbled down onto the floor below with wet 'plops'. It looked slightly greenish with the sickening tinge of pale yellow. Cloud supposed it was some sort of creature's mucus.

 

/Right, not a hallucination…something came here/

 

He absently rubbed his hand clean onto the stone surface. The dust on the wall helped smother the revolting stench. Careful not to stain his other glove, he peeled the leather off his hand. Wondering where could he find the nearest water tap, Cloud moved out of the shadows. His eye caught a movement coming from his right, without even thinking the blonde ex-trooper swiftly threw his hand out and blocked whatever that was coming.

 

Instinct came before thought, Cloud pulled his other hand out with the intention of harming whatever that was in front of him. Unfortunately his fist met a resistance that was hard but warm. The dull pressure bled away in a second.

 

Cloud narrowed his eyes then blinked for the millionth time for the day. Instead of some slime monster he was expecting, a tall human figure stood in its place. The blue eyes widen as they acknowledge the fact that he was in a rather interesting hand to hand block with a very familiar silver haired man. The position almost reminded him of the training he went under during his years as a trooper. Cloud immediately pulled his hands away and took a few steps back.

 

"What…what are you doing here?" Cloud demanded, forcing some anger into his voice.

 

"I was enjoying the fresh air" Sephiroth answered unperturbed by Cloud's obvious hostility. "Then I saw you"

 

"You mean you attacked me!"

 

"Attacked?" the silver haired man looked faintly puzzled.

 

"It is obvious that amnesia had no effect whatsoever with your fighting skills" Cloud dryly retorted. "Thought of killing me then hanging me on some sort of pillar? Maybe leave me there for a few days to rot?"

 

"I merely wanted to place my hand on your shoulder. I assure you I have no intentions on killing anyone" Sephiroth replied curtly. "I can see that you have a very wild streak of imagination."

 

Cloud's mind raced to fit the words with facts. His anger deflated at once when he realized that it was the truth. Awkward as it was, an apology was in order. The blonde trooper dearly did not want to do so but his conscience pricked at him. He shifted his weight uncomfortably to another foot before picking out the right words.

 

"I ' am sorry. Didn't mean to jump into accusations" Cloud muttered then frowned. "Wait, Cid let you out?"

 

"Cid, the blonde pilot I presume, is currently asleep." Sephiroth raised an elegant eyebrow at the blue eye glare before deciding it was best to elaborate since the look the blonde ex-trooper was giving him was as though he had done something incredibly wrong to get out of the room. "He was tired, the other dark haired man was tired. They fell asleep. I guess it has been a long day"

The silver haired man paused before adding "Cid did try to keep an eye on me."

 

Cloud knew it -had- been a long day. He couldn't blame anyone for not keeping an eye on the silver haired man. Things were already so stressful and exhausting, the group was not ready to handle another burden so soon. They were stretched thin over a lot of problems. The blonde ex-trooper racked his fingers through his spikey hair. Trust was a hard thing to give to an archenemy. Cloud knew that he was not yet ready to even think about trusting the man before him.

 

/Amnesia or not, he is still dangerous../

 

"Right" he folded his arms. "So, taken your fill of fresh air?"

 

"Tell me about my past" Sephiroth asked, ignoring the sarcastic remark.

 

"What do you want to know?" Cloud questioned cautiously. He didn't remember much of the past since his mind turned into a misty veil when he tried recalling old memories. Sometimes little bits of the past would trickle into his consciousness but most of the time, his past remained uncovered.

 

"Anything" the silver haired man made a vague gesture with his hand.

 

"Anything?" Cloud echoed hesitantly. 'Anything' was a very wide subject.

 

"Yes, anything"

 

"Okay,.." the blonde ex-trooper paused thoughtfully. "There is not much about your childhood. I don't know much only bits and pieces here and there."

 

"It doesn't really matter." Sephiroth interrupted, sounding a little irritated.

 

"You were born in uummm・ Cloud frowned wondering if it was Midgar or Nibelhiem. Knowing Hojo it would most likely be in some sort of laboratory. He felt a flutter of sympathy towards his arch nemesis but firmly told it to go find someone else to bother. "Well, that doesn't really matter. You spent most of your life in Midgar anyway."

 

"Midgar" Sephiroth murmured under his breath. "And my parents?"

 

Cloud winced remembering Vincent's complicated past. He had a feeling the dark haired man wouldn't like to be dragged into this however much he loved Lucrecia. Vincent would talk to Sephiroth but it didn't mean that he had to like him. That and the fact that Cloud had always noticed a slight similarity between the silver haired man and his brooding dark haired friend. Although it could have been just a coincidence or a genetic alteration made by Hojo, it was still a very delicate matter. The blonde ex-trooper felt as though he was treading on a minefield that could blow up in his face at any minute.

 

"Your father is Hojo and your mother.." Cloud paused again. It would be a -very- bad thing to mention Jenova right now. He didn't want to run the risk of Sephiroth going insane again. Especially when a certain spikey haired blonde was suspected of hallucinating. Two armed men, both skilled in the art of fighting, mad.

 

/No, that is definitely not a good thing/

 

"Your mother, Lucrecia." Cloud ended wondering if he told a half-truth or a complete lie.

 

"Lucrecia.." Sephiroth repeated softly. A faint smile on his lips before a frown entered his expression. "I don't like this 'Hojo' name. Are you sure he is my father?"

 

"Yeah, he is" the blonde ex-trooper replied skillfully hiding a snort. He pondered who, in their right mind, would like Hojo after all he did. Given him the half an opportunity, Cloud would gladly leave the scientist to the crows.

 

/Considering the situation, Sephiroth could be said a victim/

 

Cloud blinked.

 

/Where did THAT come from?!/

 

"Huh? Did you say something just now?" Cloud turned his gaze back onto the silver haired man.

 

"I asked what did my parents do for a living"

 

"That is…" The blonde ex-trooper found himself in a rather sticky situation. 'Scientist' was bound to bring out bad memories. Dodging the subject would raise suspicion. Both were very bad options. "They… believe…they did research?"

 

/Another half-truth. This one was intentional too…lies, lies, lies…hasn't there been enough lying?/

 

"I mean, they were scientists" Cloud blurted out. He felt bad trying to keep the truth from the other man. Sephiroth had been lied to so many times in the past and led by the nose, so to speak. Consequences be damned. He couldn't bring himself to lie to the silver haired man. Lying to himself was one thing, lying to another person was a different matter altogether.

 

/Enemy number one or not, he has amnesia. And I am being nice…yeah, right. But he is still considered dangerous/

 

"Scientists. For whom? Who did they work for?" Sephiroth pressed.

 

"Shinra" Cloud snapped feeling really like a sponge being squeezed dry. "They worked for Shinra."

 

"Shinra?" a slightly puzzled look tinted the fine features.

 

"It's was a company that ran Midgar." Cloud shrugged, relieved they moved onto a safer subject. "Midgar is gone now since the meteo-・h I mean Rufus ran the company, since he was rather young when he took control of the company. His father died・.yeah, that sums it up."

 

/What safer subject?!/

 

"Is there something I shouldn't know? Or find out about?" Sephiroth asked carefully. "Or are you hiding something?"

 

/Yes, there is a LOT you shouldn't know to avoid becoming possibly insane again. That includes the meteor, killing lots of people, Jenova, Lifestream, Hojo and that little factor of world domination. God, Cait Sith is a much better liar than me! Or a better cover up anyway/

 

"That's a very good question" Cloud managed a weak attempt to refrain a headache from emerging.

 

/Don't lie…don't lie…just../

 

"Is there anything besides that you want to ask?" he placed a hint of irritation in his tone.

 

/avoid the subject/

 

"What else do you know about me?" Sephiroth comfortably folded his arms.

 

Although his tone was casual, Cloud could not help but feel as if he was under questioning. There were rumors that Sephiroth, during his time as the General, was very good at questioning. Of course there were other people in charge of asking for facts out of unwilling people but word has it that the General excelled in many fields, this included. Promising to be as honest as he could afford to be, the blonde ex-trooper proceeded in giving the details he knew. "You were a first class SOLDIER. A very promising one too. You were quite famous. Zack was your second in command”

 

"Zack, he sounds familiar"

 

"Both of you were like best friends" Cloud frowned a little. He knew that Zack was pretty close with Sephiroth but he could not seem to remember how close. "More or less anyway."

 

"So where is this Zack now?"

 

"Dead" the blonde ex-trooper hugged himself feeling the chill wrap itself around him. He didn't want to remember that particular death if it was possible. The death of someone that close to him was too painful even time did not do much in dulling the pain. Details were foggy but there was a frightening clarity that Zack had died and he helpless in saving him. Cloud wondered if it would haunt him tonight in a form of a dream. Memories usually did when he somehow remembered a little part of it. He suppressed a shudder.

 

Sephiroth glanced at his face for a moment and allowed the silence stretch on.

 

"I suppose you want to know how and why. I will give you an answer tomorrow." Cloud sighed feeling tired. Perhaps if he got some sleep, memories would come easier to him.

 

"You don't have to if you don't want to"

 

Cloud tilted his head to one side. Sephiroth was offering him a way out. He longed to take the easy path but reason pounded on his head pointing out the facts.

 

/That would be lying to myself all over again wouldn't it?/

 

"It's okay. Doesn't matter if I don’t want to. You have a right to know" Cloud shrugged non-committedly.

 

"Tomorrow then" Sephiroth nodded before heading back to the tavern.

 

Cloud stood still feeling the coldness of the night air brush against his skin. Remembering the slime on the wall, he frowned. As far as experience went, no normal monster would enter a populated area. The thought of the beasts in Nibelhiem entered his mind. Something out there was creating these killing machines. They had to stop it before any more innocent lives were brutally taken.

 

/The table's surface was stained with blood. There was blood on my hands/

 

He shivered and hurried back to his room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Damn"

 

A pale hand rose to wipe off the soap that somehow gotten into his eye. Steam rose in the small closed area. Cloud relaxed his muscles and enjoyed the feel of the warm water. The clear liquid was hot, almost scalding, but he didn't mind. It was one of the luxuries Cid managed to install in Highwind. The blonde ex-trooper had to agree that it was nice to have an opportunity to have a hot shower while hopping from one place to another.

 

He quickly washed off the grim reveling in the feel of being clean. Most travelers weren't able to bath for days. Turning off the shower, Cloud stepped out of the stall.

 

With one hand, he reached out and grabbed a towel. His bare feet were slippery against the wet tiles. Wrapping the white towel round his waist, he pushed open the door and entered the bedroom. The bedroom was small, similar to the rooms he lived in when he was a trooper, but it was clean and provided a safe place to sleep. That was all that matters.

 

Cloud ran his fingers through his damp hair as he walked towards the desk that sat in a corner. Besides the research on the mako information, he had also asked for Sephiroth's SOLDIER files. Cait Sith had left a stack of information, which he had dug out, from the SOLDIER files. Among them were also reports on the mako usage from the lab they found in Nibelhiem. Clippings of explanations from the Neo-Midgar scientist littered all over the pages making it somewhat easier to understand. Reeve had made another copy of the papers which were now sitting in Neo-Midgar and being viewed for clues.

 

The blonde ex-trooper picked up a sheet and read the first few lines.

 

/This is…/

 

He frowned slightly at the almost familiar genetic codes that were printed all over the paper. Numbers and alphabets repeated themselves throughout the entire page. The bold imprint reminded him of something but he couldn't put his finger on it.

 

/I seen this somewhere before/

 

Looking further down, he noticed a small clipping at the edge. The blue eyes narrowed as he made out the almost unintelligible handwriting.

 

"Experiment on unknown species. Level of mako used was extremely high. Experiment was a failure."

 

He quicly browsed through the few of the sheets under it. It all resulted the same thing. He noticed the date imprinted on the edge of the papers were quite recent. Cloud placed back the papers on the desk, his expression thoughtful.

 

/A failed experiment. It that good or bad for us?/

 

"Cloud? Are you in here" Tifa walked into the room before her brown eyes widened. Her face turned a mirage of colors before settling on a bright red. "Oh…”

 

The blonde ex-trooper blinked at her then realized that he was wearing nothing but a towel. He blushed and grabbed his clothes that were lying on the bed nearby. Cloud hurried into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. With a firm grip, he clicked the lock in place. The left over steam from his bath was still a little warm. It felt wet against his cheeks.

 

"Sorry" Tifa called her voice slightly muffled through the door. "I didn't know that you…umm…just finished your shower."

 

"It's okay, really" Cloud replied putting on his clothes. It was rather hard in the confined area but he managed. Quickly, he slipped on his belt.

 

"I should have knocked first" Tifa murmured.

 

"My fault. I forgot to lock the door" Cloud answered as he pulled on his gloves. He adjusted the complex straps on them with an expert hand.

 

"So" Tifa paused, she leaned on the wall near the door so her voice could be heard through the wood. "Did you sleep well?"

 

Cloud froze and his hand stopped in midair. His mind raced through the restless night he endured in Cosmo Canyon. After the talk with Sephiroth, he wandered off to bed. As he predicted the details of Zack's death came back to him with frightening clarity. He almost felt that his friend had just died. Cloud woke up expecting to see Zack's body lying somewhere in the room bleeding to death.

 

/Will the dreams ever stop./

 

He had to admit while most of his dreams were considered rather bad for his mental health, sometimes on rare occasions they would remind him of happier times. But those dreams were rare and spaced far apart.

 

"Yeah," Cloud resumed at the task at hand. He didn't want Tifa to worry over him. "I slept pretty much okay"

 

"That's good"

 

The blonde ex-trooper could hear the faint sound of the carpet. He smiled knowing the longhaired woman was unconsciously scraping her shoe against the floor. It was one of Tifa's childhood habits that she brought into her adult life. He wiped the foggy mirror to see his own reflection. Cloud tilted his head looking at himself before flicking a strand piece of hair into place. Unlocking the door, he entered the bedroom once more.

 

"How far are we from North Crater?" Cloud asked. He bent over to retrieve his buster sword. A brief thought of the Utima weapon fleeted through his mind. He wondered if there was any possibility on getting the crystal sword back.

 

"Just a few more hours" Tifa smiled. "Cid is raving about the dent Ruby made"

 

"About time. If he hadn't started soon, I would be wondering who kidnapped the real Cid and replaced him with a clone"

 

"True"

 

"We should be meeting up with the rest of the group in the pilot's room" Cloud stated He moved his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of the buster sword.

 

"Okay"

 

Cloud opened the door when Tifa spoke up again.

 

"Cloud"

 

"Yeah?" The blonde ex-trooper paused. He cocked his head to one side wondering what the longhaired woman had to say. Her face was still a shade of brilliant red. Cloud blinked again running through the options on why should she be so embarrassed.

 

"You know, when this is over…umm" Tifa hesitated. "Would you, I mean...are you free to…err"

 

"Free to?" Cloud prompted her. The blue eyes blinked, slightly confused as he wondered what was she trying to tell him.

 

"I…you…ummm.." Tifa shook her head, her face flaming. "Never mind."

 

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

 

"No, nothing is wrong! Just that…" Tifa stopped again. If it was possible, her face turned redder. "It's really nothing. Let's get going"

 

Cloud blinked as the longhaired woman brush past him and left the room. He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. If he correctly guessed Tifa wanted a date when they ended this mystery they were facing. The blonde ex-trooper contemplated if he actually -wanted- to go out with her. It was true that they were childhood friends but Cloud had never considered her being more than just a younger sister who liked to boss him around. In fact, he had never even thought of having dates at all.

 

He rubbed his head feeling a little out of place.

 

/This combined with the hallucinations and problems with WEAPONs and mako infused monsters....that and Sephiroth…what can be worse?/

 

Quickly, he walked into the cockpit where he found the whole group gathered. Cid was yelling at a co-pilot. Cloud managed to make out a lot of foul words riddled with the word 'dent' and 'bloody hole in the ground' coming from the Highwind captain. Tifa was talking to Yuffie. Vincent was quietly reloading his gun with fresh bullets. Caith Sith was staring at the radar. Barret was glaring at Sephiroth who was sitting silently in a corner. Red, who was standing nearest to the door, nodded in greeting.

 

"Right, I guess everyone is here." Cloud muttered.

 

"Yo Spike!" Barret hollered, pausing from his continuous glare at Sephiroth. "Ya late!"

 

"Did I miss anything?" Cloud asked Red. The beast shook his head in response.

 

"No, nothing at all" amusement spread onto the feline face. "Maybe if you consider Cid's ranting and wide variety of foul language"

The Highwind captain turned his attention from the cowering co-pilot to Cloud and Red. His cigar somehow managed to balance itself between his lips as he uttered a long line of curses. Cloud tried not to smile when he caught a rather unkind remark about WEAPONs, co-pilots, dents and what to do with them.

 

"Looks like someone had a bad night" Yuffie grinned. "Didn't get -lucky - last night eh, old man?"

 

Cloud stared wide-eyed at the ninja girl then at Cid who looked like someone just knocked him across the head. The implication of her words was impossible to ignore. The Highwind captain burst out into a fresh line of curses.

 

"Who the hell told you!" he demanded. Venus Gospel glinted threateningly.

 

Yuffie, undaunted, grinned wider. "Haven't you heard of girl talk?"

 

The blonde ex-trooper glanced at Tifa whose expression looked rather guilty.

 

"What's with the sudden interest on my love life all the sudden!?" Cid's voice was anything but calm.

 

"You said it not me" answered the mischievous ninja girl.

 

Vincent's pale skin seemed flush as he paid a remarkably intense attention on his gun. The rest of the group leaned slightly forward, interest lighting their faces. Cid retreated to his former position uttering something about women and why he didn't date them. Yuffie chuckled with glee for a moment before the ship did a sharp dip downward. Her face turned pale and she rushed out of the room.

 

An evil grin fleeted through Cid's face as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

 

"Children both of you" Red commented shaking his fiery mane.

 

Cloud bit his lower bit to prevent himself from laughing. He tried to look solemn but his blue eyes betrayed him. Unable to stop a smile from blooming on his lips, the blonde ex-trooper looked out of the window.

 

"How far away are we from North Crater?" he asked.

 

"Quite near actually" Cid replied. "The wind is on our side today. We will be there in no time"

 

"Good" the blonde ex-trooper nodded in approval. "When we get there, we will see if we can get into the crater again. If not, at least we know where the WEAPONs are."

 

"What about your sword, Cloud?" Tifa asked.

 

"We will have to fight the Ultima WEAPON if I want to get it back" he answered shaking his head. "That will have to wait until we find out why the WEAPONs are behaving so weirdly. I don't want any one to battle with the WEAPONs. There is too many of them."

"I hope there is some clue of what is going on" Tifa sighed. "We seem to be going in circles."

 

"Maybe someone is playing cat and mouse with us" Cloud muttered under his breath. His thoughts went back to the slime he found

in Cosmo Canyon. There was something disturbing about it. He frowned remembering the sensation that prickled against his skin. The unmistakable sting the slime infused.

 

/mako…another mako infused monster?../

 

Cid's voice pieced through his thoughts. "We are almost there"

 

Sure enough, the tips of North Crater emerge from the horizon. The forest surrounding the crater looked forbidding in the greenish light. The Life Stream could be seen bursting from the heart of the crater. Highwind rocked slightly at the immense pressure that was radiating from the persistent surge of power of the Life Stream.

 

The group stared at the sight. It almost looked familiar to them. Cloud remembered the scramble to get out of the crater after the fight against Sephiroth. At the thought, he glanced at the silver haired man. Sephiroth seemed to be entranced with the sight as they were. The blonde ex-trooper wondered if the memories were slowly returning to him.

 

"Now if ya kindly look to ya left" Cid sarcastically remarked after tearing his eyes away from the scene. "Ya will see the five WEAPONs. Closer viewing will show that those damn things are having a picnic on the east side of the freakin' island"

 

As the ship approached the North Crater, it became apparent that the WEAPONs were waiting for something. Cloud frowned wondering if the planet was actually giving out instructions to the large beasts. Ultima was hovering in the air. Its large black figure dominated the sky. Ruby's tentacles could be seen waving from one of the sandpits not far from the crater. Diamond stood motionless on the beach while in the ocean waters, Sapphire and Emerald skimmed the blue surface.

 

There was an eerie sort of silence before Cloud realized that Ultima had suddenly turned to glance at them. The yellow unblinking eyes stared unfeelingly at the large airship. It reminded Cloud of cold reptile eyes. The blonde ex-trooper frowned as another pair of eyes turned to their direction. Diamond glanced up towards them. It's red eyes shone like fresh blood against white cloth. One by one each pair of eyes turn towards the ship's direction.

 

Uneasiness crept onto Cloud making feel rather uncomfortable.

 

The blonde ex-trooper wondered if it was the noise that was attracting the WEAPONs attention but somehow he doubted it. A stretch of uncertainly strained the air before Ultima made a glass-breaking roar. The large WEAPON sliced through the air, coming towards them with the force of a bullet. Tifa had to cover her ears as the WEAPONs below bellowed with an unknown rage.

 

A large ball of fire slammed against the side of the ship causing it to tilt preciously to one side. Diamond gave an unearthly growl before the air was filled with blue colored flares of energy, all directed towards them.

 

"Damn shit" Barret cursed loudly.

 

"Get us the hell out of here!" Cid shouted as the ship jerked sharply. The dark figure in the air rapidly came closer. Massive wings pressed against the air. They could almost see the powerful muscles rippling as the WEAPON swiftly headed towards them.

Highwind's engines roared and the ship leaped forwards. The wails of the engines were so loud that Cloud thought his eardrums could burst any second. Metal screeched against metal as the machine worked to its fullest capacity. Highwind's occupants were thrown off their feet as the ship raced through the air.

 

The enraged roar that filled the skies slowly ebbed into an unbreakable silence that was only disturbed with the thundering sound of the engines. Cloud could hear his frantic pulse in his ears. He moved a little feeling the cold metal floor under him.

 

"What the -hell- was that?!" Cid demanded breaking the quiet.

The end of Part 5 of Chapter 2

 

NOTE TO ALL READERS

 

Please be noted that the story takes place 6 months after the game. There is also a YAOI content. So to all readers who do not approve to such pairing or dislike the idea, please do not continue reading. The authors will not entertain any flames or complains concerning the yaoi pairing/pairings involved in the fanfic.

 

Thankyou