The Planet's Enemy: Chapter 2
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ff7_fanfictionTitle: The Planet's Enemy
Author: Ebonrune
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Possible swears and violence
Disclaimer: I of course, do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the compilation. That pleasure belongs to Square-Enix.
Status: Complete
Summary: It's been half a year since Omega was sent back to its rest and everyone has moved on with their lives. As Cloud and his friends soon discover however, the past refuses to remain buried.
Author's Notes: This story occurs post Dirge of Cerberus and makes references to it, as well as Crisis Core, the original Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children Complete, and Before Crisis--a game released on cellphones only in Japan. As well, I've chosen to use the fan names (according to the Final Fantasy wiki) for Cloud's various swords, since they don't have official names and 'Tsurugi' is Japanese for 'sword'. As the swords are not labeled which is which on the wiki, here's the picture for your reference.
Prequel: Ties of Friendship
Chapter Links: One Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen
Cloud stared in horror at the clone body of his best friend as it tried to break its way free. However, though the glass was starting to develop slight cracks, Cloud noticed that blood had begun to float out among the mako.
He's hurting himself..... Cloud squeezed his eyes shut for several moments. He was certain that the Zack who'd carried him almost all the way to Midgar had been the real Zack, even if he wasn't sure he was the real Cloud....but..... Damnit!
"That's enough, stop!" Cloud yelled to make sure he'd be heard. "I'll get you out of there!" He looked along the side of the tube for a release switch and soon found it. He pressed it, and then jabbed at it hard several times when nothing happened. Finally there was a hiss and the stagnant mako began to drain. He heard Zack begin to hack and wheeze as soon as he had his head out of the liquid. Cloud knew that you could breathe fresh mako, but stagnant.....probably not, which meant the clone had been drowning. Within a minute, the mako had completely drained and the tube creaked open halfway on rusted gears before the glass froze in its tracks unable to move further. It was wide enough for Zack to slip out however, and this he did, still hacking and gasping for breath. It was at this point that Cloud realized there was another problem.
Oh geez.... Cloud half-covered his eyes, for Zack was stark naked, a fact he'd overlooked in his shock. "......You okay?" He asked after a few moments when Zack's coughing had subsided a bit.
"Soon as.....I get a hang......of this breathing bit......" Zack responded, rasping every few words and still half-doubled over. Fixating on the upper half of the clone's body through his fingers, Cloud noted differences between the Zack he remembered and this clone. He saw no scar on the left cheek and his dark hair was much longer and shaggier than Zack had worn his own hair. Somehow however, he seemed to have the same amount of muscle development--though Cloud had never seen his friend in a state of undress so he couldn't be completely certain except that the clone definitely had muscles.
"I'll....ah.....I'll go buy some clothes for you down in Nibelheim." Cloud told the clone of his friend. "Um.....what's your shoe size?"
"Twelve and a half....or thirteen...." The clone gave a final phlemy cough and straightened up a bit to look at Cloud with bright mako enhanced blue eyes. "Cloud...."
"Okay, gotcha. I'll see what I can do. Just...um.....don't go anywhere." Cloud turned on his heel and left the specimen room, trying to keep from running. First Sephiroth in his head and now dead clones coming to life....this wasn't a good month at all.
It took him about an hour to return. Part of the delay was caused by the spinning of his thoughts--thoughts he was very glad Sephiroth wasn't commenting on--and the rest was caused by trying to buy clothing for a 6'3" individual when no one in Nibelheim was over 5'10". When he returned, he found the clone had chosen to migrate out of the extremely dusty room and had instead parked himself in the library doorway of Hojo's former lab. He'd placed an open book over his privates--something that nearly made Cloud start laughing--and was holding the relic in his hand. He looked up when Cloud entered with the clothing, though he didn't move to stand. "Hey man, welcome back. You took a while."
"No one in town is as tall as you are." Cloud explained. He set the clothing down by Zack and then retreated and turned his back. "I hope everything fits alright."
Zack didn't answer, though from the grunting and muted swearing that soon started emanating from behind Cloud, things weren't going well.
"Well," The clone said after about a minute. "Good guessing on the part on everything below the hips....not so sure about this shirt though."
Cloud turned around, and found he had to stifle a laugh. The pants were at least three inches too short in the leg, though at least Cloud had gotten Zack's waist size correct. The shirt however had practically molded itself to Zack's skin. It was the uncomfortable look on Zack's face that finally did the blond in however and he covered his mouth as his shoulders began to shake.
"No one in Nibelheim is as built as you either." He half-snickered. "I'll take you to the Gold Saucer in the morning. They should have clothes that would fit you." A clone this Zack may be, but he seemed to be acting like Zack so far and Cloud was deciding that was good enough for him.
"Oh cool. I've always wanted to go there." Zack swayed a bit, wiggling his feet in his new shoes. "So, Cloud.....no need to worry about that legacy thing now, hey? I can live my own life again!"
Cloud froze and stared. Legacy? But....but he..... "How.....legacy.....?" Cloud frantically went over that hazy time, Zack's last moments. If there had been anyone around, Cloud would've been shot. But then how did the clone know that Cloud was Zack's living legacy?
Zack planted his hands on his hips and gave Cloud a funny look. "Um, Cloud? Yeah, hi? It's me, Zack. I know I need a haircut, but seriously now."
Cloud put a hand to his head as it began to throb. "You're a clone...." He muttered. "How could you know what happened then....?"
".....Ohhh. Now I get it." Zack nodded, though Cloud was looking down and didn't see. "Well, that's easy! You can't clone a soul!"
"Can't clone.....a soul......"
"Yeah, that's right!" Zack put his hands on Cloud's shoulders and shook him gently. "Guess you saw that clone of you in there, huh? Don't worry about it, the real thing's way cuter."
Cloud jerked and made a choked sound, then his head snapped up to stare at Zack as his face turned into a tomato. "Z-Zack!!!"
The taller man snickered and moved his hands. "Got your attention now, didn't I buddy?" He ruffled Cloud's hair affectionately, making him squawk. "No worries, Cloud. You're you and I'm me, 'cause you can't clone a soul!"
Cloud stepped back until he found a wall that hopefully wasn't going to swing open on him and sagged against it, bringing his hand back up to his head. "How.....did this happen, Zack? Dead bodies don't just.....come to life, and that mako was stagnant....." He wrinkled his nose. "In fact, you still smell of it."
"Yeah, I noticed that part." Zack looked up toward the ceiling. "Too bad the pipes in this place are probably all rusted or I'd try to take a shower." He shrugged slightly and looked back at Cloud. "As for how I'm here, weeell....I figure this thing has something to do with it." He picked up the relic from where he'd placed it on the lab table and waved it at Cloud.
Cloud glanced up, then covered his face again with a soft groan. "Never mind. It's too late in the day to be thinking this hard. We'll just head to the Saucer in the morning and figure things out from there....." Like how to tell you I have Sephiroth in my head.... He straightened up to leave the room, and after a moment Zack followed, carrying the relic with him.
---------------------
"I'm so sorry....."
Vincent looked up from his sitting position to gaze upon the woman speaking to him and he let out a soft exhalation.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Lucrecia." He told her, his voice gentle and soft. "I'm alive thanks to you."
A choked sob was his answer. "I'm so sorry....."
Vincent sighed softly again, wishing he could get through to her. Wishing he could find the perfect words to say to take her pain away.
"Brrrrt! Brrrrt!"
Vincent snapped awake as his phone continued its vibrating dance on the bedside table. Fumbling for it, he flipped it open and answered without looking at the call display. "Hello....?" He said, still a touch sleep groggy.
"Vincent?" It was Yuffie, and Vincent felt a flash of irritation. He'd told her before not to call him, and it was still night according to the lack of light peeking in through the blinds of the room. Did she think that his thirty years in that coffin meant he didn't sleep the rest of the time?! However, he then acknowledged her tone, which was weary and maybe also a touch spooked.
Vincent sat up, pushing his hair back from his face, as he'd taken his bandana off to sleep. "What is it, Yuffie?" He asked.
"Well......I was in the area by the Crystal Cave, so I thought I'd pop in and give her some company, let her know how you've been--not that I've seen you lately!" Vincent sighed, but Yuffie just kept talking. "But Vincent! When I got there, something was wrong! The big crystal's all broken up and she's not there!"
Vincent stiffened. "........How long ago was this? When did you get there?"
".......About two hours ago, but I couldn't get any service there! I had to walk halfway to Nibelheim to call you!"
Vincent was already out of bed and gathering together his few items. "It will probably take about that long for me to get there." He told her. "Head back to the cave if you can and I'll meet you there, otherwise just continue to Nibelheim and I'll find you." He didn't give Yuffie a chance to answer and hung up. Finishing his preparations, Vincent put his bandana on and left his room at the inn. He headed next door to Tseng's room and knocked firmly on the door, then waited impatiently for the Turk leader to answer.
"Something has come up and I need to leave." Vincent told Tseng briskly. "I'll catch up to you all later if I can."
Tseng nodded slightly. "Alright, Vincent. Do what you need to." Vincent could tell he was relieved at no longer needing to worry about an outsider, but he was in too much of a hurry to care. Turning on his heel he left the inn and stepped out behind it, and then he let Chaos out.
The proto-WEAPON flexed its wings and then took off into the sky. Chaos could move quickly when it wished to, and it put its speed to good use now. Both it and Vincent were in accord, though for different reasons. Both of them wanted to reach the Crystal Cave, and so Chaos jetted through the sky towards its objective.
---------------------
Yuffie had chosen not to return to the Crystal Cave. It was creepy and damp there and she was closer to Nibelheim by the time she'd gotten a hold of Vincent anyway. In spite of having walked such a long distance, the young ninja was still quite energetic and decided to head up into Mt. Nibel to hunt through the caves there and fight the monsters. When she got there however, she found that someone or something else had already decimated the local monster population.
Generally wary by nature and going by the assumption that it was probably just a bigger monster, the young woman snuck up the mountain with her shuriken held in a ready position to be thrown at a moment's notice. Instead of finding a mysterious monster however, Yuffie found herself coming across a tall man with long spiky black hair and oddly fitting clothes dispatching a Bomb with.....
Hey! That's Cloud's sword! Yuffie thought with surprise and anger. Bet this guy knows where he is! No one's allowed to steal from my friends but me! Sneaking up behind the taller man, she waited until he was done fighting the monster before she pointed her shuriken at his neck so the edge pricked him, causing him to tense.
"Okay, buddy!" Yuffie said, making her voice gruff in an effort to sound older--for even though she'd recently celebrated her 20'th year, she still sounded rather young. "Tell me where Cloud is and maybe I'll let ya live!"
The man slowly lifted one arm in the air--the other holding Cloud's sword--and attempted to look behind himself at her, but she gave him a jab in the back with a kunai in her other hand to discourage it. Anyone who could wield Cloud's weapon with one hand was probably more than she could handle on her own.
"Who're you, asking after Cloud?" The man said at last. Yuffie tilted her head slightly. He sounded somehow familiar....
"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, Wutai's greatest warrior!" Yuffie responded and poked him in the back with the kunai again. "Now cough up the info or you're in for a world of hurting!"
"Yuffie.....?" Abruptly the man jumped away from the weapons prodding him and spun around to face her, then they stared at one another. After a few moments of the staring contest, Yuffie abruptly realized who he was and pointed her kunai at him.
"Y-You...! Ugly...Shinra...SOLDIER..." She floundered for his name. "Zack!"
Zack pointed back. "Ah! It is you! Ohmanohmanohman!" His face broke out in a grin and he dropped the sword onto the ground, then before Yuffie could react he'd practically tackled her in a hug. "You've gotten so big!"
Yuffie yelped and started to panic, but then Zack let go again and put his hands on her shoulders, grinning like a loon. "Oh man, just look at you! You're all grown up!" He exclaimed happily.
It was like being reintroduced to a relative who hadn't seen her in years and Yuffie found herself mentally reeling, unable to process what had just happened. She put her kunai away as she tried to figure this out. Zack had been someone she had pretty much contacted when she wanted him to get to something for her and for the most part she'd been very careful not to let him get too physically close to her--except that time she'd stolen a summon materia from him that she'd later discovered she couldn't use and sent back. But when had he gotten so fast and why was he so happy to see her?! Not that she wasn't happy to see him of course, but.....
"You stopped answering my letters, you jerk!" She exclaimed, punching him as hard as she could in the stomach and hurting herself from hitting solid muscle.
"Ow!" Zack pouted at her, but then his expression turned sheepish. "....Well...ahaha.....I was kinda....um.....busy. Occupied." He stepped back, letting go of her and rubbed the back of his head.
"Busy?!" Yuffie was indignant, she put her shuriken on her back and went to sock him again in spite of her smarting knuckles. "You forgot about me, didn't you?!"
Zack caught her wrist before she could complete her swing and shook his head slightly, his expression now a bit saddened. "I was in a bad place, Yuffie......you're not the only one who didn't get replies to their letters." He told her softly, but then he perked up suddenly. "Oh! You were wondering where Cloud was!" He let go of her wrist and turned to pick up Merciless. "C'mon, I'll take you to him!" And without waiting for a response he'd put the weapon over his shoulder and was trotting down Mt. Nibel, leaving a bemused Yuffie to follow him.
---------------------
Chaos roared in outrage.
The crystals within the cave, its birthplace, were smashed as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to them. For that, the proto-WEAPON was furious. Vincent however, seconded the rage for a different reason.
Lucrecia had been kidnapped, and he had no idea who had taken her. The only scent in the cave he could detect was Yuffie's. Whoever had kidnapped Lucrecia must have done so at least a couple of weeks ago, though Vincent hadn't been near the cave or anyone for at least three months. Chaos could have been raging that entire time and he wouldn't have known with the Protomateria shielding him.
Vincent now fully understood why nearly everyone had been reacting to him so strongly. The Protomateria had been buffering him from Chaos, but the proto-WEAPON had known something was not right with its birthplace. If he'd only listened, maybe he would have gotten there sooner! Gotten there in time.....
Pushing Chaos back with more than the usual effort, Vincent regained his own form and stepped forward to put his gauntlet hand on the edge of the now jagged remains of the crystal that Lucrecia had melded herself with. He caressed the edge almost lovingly before he spotted something yellow lying within the crystal and reached forward carefully with his right arm to pick it up.
Her hair ribbon. Vincent clenched it in his hand and growled lowly, his lip curling up. Someone had taken Lucrecia, but this was left behind. Did they know Vincent would come here and left it purposely? Had Lucrecia? Why would they take her? Who were they and how had they found her?!
Lucrecia.... Vincent bowed his head, eyes closing in pain. Again he'd failed her, and now she was gone. Rescuing her was out of the question, he didn't know where she was. But he would find out somehow, and he would get her safe....if she was still alive to rescue.
His eyes opened again, pupils yellow and sclera black. Chaos was trying to force its way to the forefront again, and in spite of some trepidation, Vincent let it. He didn't know why the proto-WEAPON was continuing to be so furious, but as he was very angry himself he allowed it its freedom for the time being. He only hoped he wouldn't come to regret it later.
---------------------
Cloud had no warning. One minute he was buffing some scuffs out of Fenrir, and the next he'd been tackled to the ground.
"Fooounnd yooooou!" Yuffie chirped cheerfully in his ear.
"......Ow." Cloud moved to push himself up, Yuffie's slight weight no problem for him to move. He got to his feet with her still hanging off his neck. "Did you need to ambush me like that?"
"Yep!" Yuffie let go, then gave him a swat to the back of the head. "You never said you knew Zack!"
Cloud blinked and looked over his shoulder to see his best friend coming up to join them, snickering softly with Merciless resting on his shoulder, then he looked at Yuffie and arched a brow.
"Yes I did. I told all of you that I thought I was SOLDIER because I'd muddled my memories with his. So I'd say it's you who never said you knew Zack."
"Wh....?" Yuffie looked between the two men, then stared at Cloud with a confused expression. "...That's...he's...th-that Zack...?!"
Zack grimaced and handed Merciless off to Cloud, unable to look at Yuffie right then. "Yeah....." He said quietly. "I kinda am 'that' Zack."
Yuffie stared between the two of them again. "So...so that's why you reminded me of him!" She pointed at Zack while looking at Cloud, her expression absolutely baffled.
Cloud turned away to pop open the sword compartments to place Merciless inside with the other pieces. "So, how do you know Zack?"
"We met--" Zack began before Yuffie interrupted him.
"Wait wait wait!" She flailed. "H-How is he....you said he'd died!"
"Ah....." Cloud glanced at Zack, who grimaced slightly, then he closed Fenrir's sword compartments and turned to face her.
"He did die.....but well......" Cloud motioned vaguely toward the mansion behind him. "Hojo made clones of....a few people, and this relic I'd found at Mideel......I guess it put Zack's soul in his clone body." He rubbed his head. "I don't really understand it, to be honest."
Yuffie stared at Cloud, then her lip began to wobble and she switched her watering gaze to Zack. "But....but....."
"Aw come on, Yuffie.....don't cry." Zack looked a bit lost at her expression. "I'm back now, at least."
Cloud leaned back on Fenrir, too used to Yuffie fake crying to take this seriously. "She's more likely mourning the materia and gil she never got the chance to steal from you." He commented.
She spun on him, tears escaping her eyes to trail down her cheeks. "H-How can you say that?! He w-was my friend and y-y-you.....!"
Zack stepped up behind Yuffie and put his hands on her shoulders lightly. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay."
"So Yuffie," Cloud spoke quickly before she could crank the waterworks up. "what brings you to Nibelheim?"
Yuffie rubbed at her eyes, sniffling. "I-It's a long st-story...."
Cloud arched a brow. "Uh huh...." He sighed heavily then. "I'm sorry, okay Yuffie? Please stop crying. You can tell me about it once you've calmed down."
Yuffie took a few minutes of sniffling, letting Zack rub her shoulders. After those few minutes though, she pulled away and gave Cloud a look. "Jerk." She growled at him.
"I know, I know. So what's this long story?"
"Hmph." Yuffie crossed her arms and didn't answer at first. "I was in the area of the Crystal Cave looking for materia and I decided to pop up and check on Lucrecia....." She eyed Cloud briefly as if expecting to be chided for it, but when he said nothing she continued. "When I got there though, the crystal was all smashed up and she was gone without a trace!"
Cloud's eyebrows went up. "Lucrecia is gone?" He repeated.
"Mm hmm." Yuffie nodded. "I couldn't get any reception out there, so I walked here so I could call Vinny and let him know. He's probably gotten there by now....."
"Ooh boy...." Cloud put a hand to his face. Sephiroth in his head, Zack back from the dead, and now Vincent's love was missing. What else could possibly happen....? He thought to himself.
"But now I found you first!" Yuffie rubbed her hands together gleefully, grinning fiendishly. "I wonder if I'll get some kind of reward?"
"Wait.....what?" Cloud dropped his hand to look at Yuffie in confusion.
Yuffie pointed at him. "You've been gone for like, a month and a half or something and Tifa's called in the cavalry to track you down, and I, the great Yuffie Kisaragi, found you first!"
Cloud stared at her mutely for a few moments, and then his hand returned to his face. "....That long, huh...?" Well, at least he didn't have to worry about Sephiroth taking control of him and destroying the world, because Tifa was definitely going to kill him.
Zack looked at Cloud, then at Yuffie, then back at Cloud again. "Well then, I guess we're not heading to the Gold Saucer, huh Cloud? If Tiff's looking for you, you should get back to her."
"She's not my keeper." Cloud half-muttered a bit sulkily. "She just worries, especially since my Geostigma...."
"You have Geostigma?!" Yuffie chirped in alarm. She darted at him with intentions of seeing where, but he fended her off with his arm.
"I don't have it anymore, Yuffie. Aerith, or.....the Lifestream.....cured it in Aerith's church, where the children went." Cloud sighed softly. "I guess I should get back to Tifa, though. If she's so worried about me she's sending our friends after me, then I shouldn't waste any time."
Yuffie backed off and eyed Cloud for a few moments, then she planted her hands on her hips and sighed heavily. "We've gotta wait for Vinny." She told him matter-of-factly. "He said he'd meet me here if he didn't find me at the Crystal Cave."
"......Alright." Cloud sighed and sat down beside his bike, both anxious to head back to Edge and glad to have a reason to delay facing Tifa's anger. Zack--unsurprisingly--began doing squats, though he soon shed his constricting shirt much to Yuffie's obvious delight. Cloud remained lazy and watched as Yuffie decided to try tackling Zack and a game of keep-away started, Yuffie chasing and Zack dodging. This went on for about fifteen minutes before Yuffie collapsed beside Cloud and flopped onto her back.
"Are you alright, Yuffie?" Cloud asked her, trying to hide his amusement.
Yuffie wheezed several times. "S...tupid...ugly...Shinra...."
"Am not!" Zack protested.
A smile tugged at Cloud's mouth. "You two are like siblings, or something." He commented.
Yuffie just continued wheezing and huffing, but Zack's expression turned thoughtful. Because Cloud had turned his attention to him, he also noticed the person they were waiting for coming in the rusted gate and moved to get to his feet.
"Hey Vincent." He greeted the older man, trying not to wince at the smoldering anger in his crimson eyes. "How is.....everything?" Now he did flinch when the smoldering burst into fire. Way to be tactful, Cloud. Maybe he'll do you in before Tifa gets the chance.
Vincent stopped his approach and put a hand to his face, exhaling explosively. "Lucrecia is gone and I know not who took her, and Chaos is angered that its birthplace was defiled." He said after a few moments. "It is a relief to see that you are safe, Cloud. Tifa will be glad to know."
"So Yuffie told me, more or less." He nudged the young ninja, who whined at him. "Is there anything I can do to help, Vincent?"
"I will let you know if I think of anything." Vincent dropped his hand from covering his eyes and looked at the blond, his expression much calmer. "Why is Yuffie puffing like a bellows, and who is this strangely dressed individual?" The latter comment was followed by a gesture at Zack, who was--reluctantly--putting his tight-fitting shirt back on.
"He's Zack, who Yuffie was chasing and couldn't catch. And yes, he's the very same Zack who I based my belief in being a SOLDIER on." Cloud leaned back against Fenrir. "I'll tell you what happened when we get back to Edge, because chances are Tifa is going to want to know as well and I don't want to have to keep repeating myself."
Vincent arched a brow. "It seems I need to keep in closer contact with you all. I apparently miss some rather interesting developments." He couldn't do anything about Lucrecia at the moment, so he decided to focus on the current conversation and try to keep Chaos suppressed so people would stop flinching from him.
Yuffie whined again louder and lifted an arm to wave weakly. "Vinnnyyyy...." She fussed. "help me uuuup."
"You can't get up?" Vincent's tone was bland, but inwardly he was amused. Yuffie irritated him sometimes, but at others he found her cute and endearing and for some reason his reaction was in the latter--perhaps because she'd been trying to catch a SOLDIER.
"Nooooo...."
"Hm." Choosing to humor the young ninja, he stepped over and grabbed her wrist with his right hand to easily pull her to her feet. He tried to let go and step back then, but when he let go of her she grabbed him in a tight hug.
"Hiii Vincent!" She chirped cheerfully, no sign of her prior exhaustion now. Vincent kept his arms at his sides and simply waited the hug out. He only had to wait a few moments before she let go of him and stepped back and to the side to avoid Cloud's bike so as to take a proper look at the taller man.
"Oh wow, nice boots Vinny!" She eyed the black, buckled, mid-calf boots that he was wearing. "You finally got rid of those clunky other things! About time too! I'm surprised you never tripped in them! What took so long, anyway?"
"My old bank account has been inaccessable until recently." Vincent explained with an arched brow, apparently not seeing what the big deal was.
Yuffie crossed her arms and huffed. "That's what mercenary work and selling mastered materia and stealing is for."
"Ah," Vincent responded a touch dryly. "but I wouldn't want to take over your market."
While Zack and Cloud snickered softly at the comeback, Yuffie proceeded to flail at Vincent, "Don't you know how much mastered materia are worth?! Especially support materia?!" She huffed. "I could sell two or three and be set for life!"
Cloud eyed her and arched a brow. "Yuffie, you're a princess. You're already set for life."
Yuffie crossed her arms and sulked.
"Only if she can find a husband of good status, from what I understand of it." Vincent spoke up.
Yuffie sulked harder.
Cloud smiled faintly, but then he sighed heavily and became serious. "Alright then." He said. "I guess there's no more putting this off. Let's get back to Edge. Will you be coming along, Vincent?"
"Yes." Vincent said. "I need to let Reeve know to tell Rufus to call off his Turks." He tilted his head slightly. "Apparently Tifa asked Rufus for help in finding you as well."
Cloud stared at his older friend for several moments, then groaned heavily and put his hand to his face. "Oh man....Tifa's gonna chain me to the bed or something. She must be pissed!"
"Chain you to the bed?" Yuffie put a hand on her hip and arched a brow, then smirked. "That sounds kinda kinky, Cloud."
"Oh for--just shut up!" Cloud turned toward his bike, face flaming red. "I'll see you two in Edge. Come on, Zack!"
"Uh....oh, right!" Zack scurried over to get on Fenrir behind Cloud. He barely grabbed hold in time, as Cloud brought the engine roaring to life and went peeling off around his friends. "AIEEEE!!!"
Yuffie started snickering, watching them go, then she turned to Vincent. "So!" She chirped. "How're we getting to Edge?"
Vincent looked back at her. "Don't you have a transport, or something?" He asked.
"No way Vince, I walked here." Yuffie paused and sighed, then scratched the side of her nose. "Well, I did have a hover bike, but I had to ditch it when it ran out of gas...."
Vincent stared at her for several moments, then sighed heavily and put his hand to his face. "......It seems there's no help for it, then." He muttered.
"Huh?" Yuffie blinked at him as he moved away from her, then yelped when the transformation energy overtook him to replace his form with.....a very large wolf. The only Galian feature was the large horns protruding the sides of his head. "Vince....?"
Galian turned to look at her and gave a low 'wuff', then lay down, inviting her to get on.
Yuffie stared for several more moments before she squeed and hopped over to climb onto his back. "You're awesome, Vinny! I didn't know you could do this with the Galian. Oop!" She had to hastily grab hold of his fur when he stood up and then gave another squeal when he took off running full tilt in the same direction Cloud had gone. Soon she was laughing in delight however. She would probably get motion sick later, but for the time being she was having a blast.
Author: Ebonrune
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Possible swears and violence
Disclaimer: I of course, do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the compilation. That pleasure belongs to Square-Enix.
Status: Complete
Summary: It's been half a year since Omega was sent back to its rest and everyone has moved on with their lives. As Cloud and his friends soon discover however, the past refuses to remain buried.
Author's Notes: This story occurs post Dirge of Cerberus and makes references to it, as well as Crisis Core, the original Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children Complete, and Before Crisis--a game released on cellphones only in Japan. As well, I've chosen to use the fan names (according to the Final Fantasy wiki) for Cloud's various swords, since they don't have official names and 'Tsurugi' is Japanese for 'sword'. As the swords are not labeled which is which on the wiki, here's the picture for your reference.
Prequel: Ties of Friendship
Chapter Links: One Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen
Cloud stared in horror at the clone body of his best friend as it tried to break its way free. However, though the glass was starting to develop slight cracks, Cloud noticed that blood had begun to float out among the mako.
He's hurting himself..... Cloud squeezed his eyes shut for several moments. He was certain that the Zack who'd carried him almost all the way to Midgar had been the real Zack, even if he wasn't sure he was the real Cloud....but..... Damnit!
"That's enough, stop!" Cloud yelled to make sure he'd be heard. "I'll get you out of there!" He looked along the side of the tube for a release switch and soon found it. He pressed it, and then jabbed at it hard several times when nothing happened. Finally there was a hiss and the stagnant mako began to drain. He heard Zack begin to hack and wheeze as soon as he had his head out of the liquid. Cloud knew that you could breathe fresh mako, but stagnant.....probably not, which meant the clone had been drowning. Within a minute, the mako had completely drained and the tube creaked open halfway on rusted gears before the glass froze in its tracks unable to move further. It was wide enough for Zack to slip out however, and this he did, still hacking and gasping for breath. It was at this point that Cloud realized there was another problem.
Oh geez.... Cloud half-covered his eyes, for Zack was stark naked, a fact he'd overlooked in his shock. "......You okay?" He asked after a few moments when Zack's coughing had subsided a bit.
"Soon as.....I get a hang......of this breathing bit......" Zack responded, rasping every few words and still half-doubled over. Fixating on the upper half of the clone's body through his fingers, Cloud noted differences between the Zack he remembered and this clone. He saw no scar on the left cheek and his dark hair was much longer and shaggier than Zack had worn his own hair. Somehow however, he seemed to have the same amount of muscle development--though Cloud had never seen his friend in a state of undress so he couldn't be completely certain except that the clone definitely had muscles.
"I'll....ah.....I'll go buy some clothes for you down in Nibelheim." Cloud told the clone of his friend. "Um.....what's your shoe size?"
"Twelve and a half....or thirteen...." The clone gave a final phlemy cough and straightened up a bit to look at Cloud with bright mako enhanced blue eyes. "Cloud...."
"Okay, gotcha. I'll see what I can do. Just...um.....don't go anywhere." Cloud turned on his heel and left the specimen room, trying to keep from running. First Sephiroth in his head and now dead clones coming to life....this wasn't a good month at all.
It took him about an hour to return. Part of the delay was caused by the spinning of his thoughts--thoughts he was very glad Sephiroth wasn't commenting on--and the rest was caused by trying to buy clothing for a 6'3" individual when no one in Nibelheim was over 5'10". When he returned, he found the clone had chosen to migrate out of the extremely dusty room and had instead parked himself in the library doorway of Hojo's former lab. He'd placed an open book over his privates--something that nearly made Cloud start laughing--and was holding the relic in his hand. He looked up when Cloud entered with the clothing, though he didn't move to stand. "Hey man, welcome back. You took a while."
"No one in town is as tall as you are." Cloud explained. He set the clothing down by Zack and then retreated and turned his back. "I hope everything fits alright."
Zack didn't answer, though from the grunting and muted swearing that soon started emanating from behind Cloud, things weren't going well.
"Well," The clone said after about a minute. "Good guessing on the part on everything below the hips....not so sure about this shirt though."
Cloud turned around, and found he had to stifle a laugh. The pants were at least three inches too short in the leg, though at least Cloud had gotten Zack's waist size correct. The shirt however had practically molded itself to Zack's skin. It was the uncomfortable look on Zack's face that finally did the blond in however and he covered his mouth as his shoulders began to shake.
"No one in Nibelheim is as built as you either." He half-snickered. "I'll take you to the Gold Saucer in the morning. They should have clothes that would fit you." A clone this Zack may be, but he seemed to be acting like Zack so far and Cloud was deciding that was good enough for him.
"Oh cool. I've always wanted to go there." Zack swayed a bit, wiggling his feet in his new shoes. "So, Cloud.....no need to worry about that legacy thing now, hey? I can live my own life again!"
Cloud froze and stared. Legacy? But....but he..... "How.....legacy.....?" Cloud frantically went over that hazy time, Zack's last moments. If there had been anyone around, Cloud would've been shot. But then how did the clone know that Cloud was Zack's living legacy?
Zack planted his hands on his hips and gave Cloud a funny look. "Um, Cloud? Yeah, hi? It's me, Zack. I know I need a haircut, but seriously now."
Cloud put a hand to his head as it began to throb. "You're a clone...." He muttered. "How could you know what happened then....?"
".....Ohhh. Now I get it." Zack nodded, though Cloud was looking down and didn't see. "Well, that's easy! You can't clone a soul!"
"Can't clone.....a soul......"
"Yeah, that's right!" Zack put his hands on Cloud's shoulders and shook him gently. "Guess you saw that clone of you in there, huh? Don't worry about it, the real thing's way cuter."
Cloud jerked and made a choked sound, then his head snapped up to stare at Zack as his face turned into a tomato. "Z-Zack!!!"
The taller man snickered and moved his hands. "Got your attention now, didn't I buddy?" He ruffled Cloud's hair affectionately, making him squawk. "No worries, Cloud. You're you and I'm me, 'cause you can't clone a soul!"
Cloud stepped back until he found a wall that hopefully wasn't going to swing open on him and sagged against it, bringing his hand back up to his head. "How.....did this happen, Zack? Dead bodies don't just.....come to life, and that mako was stagnant....." He wrinkled his nose. "In fact, you still smell of it."
"Yeah, I noticed that part." Zack looked up toward the ceiling. "Too bad the pipes in this place are probably all rusted or I'd try to take a shower." He shrugged slightly and looked back at Cloud. "As for how I'm here, weeell....I figure this thing has something to do with it." He picked up the relic from where he'd placed it on the lab table and waved it at Cloud.
Cloud glanced up, then covered his face again with a soft groan. "Never mind. It's too late in the day to be thinking this hard. We'll just head to the Saucer in the morning and figure things out from there....." Like how to tell you I have Sephiroth in my head.... He straightened up to leave the room, and after a moment Zack followed, carrying the relic with him.
---------------------
"I'm so sorry....."
Vincent looked up from his sitting position to gaze upon the woman speaking to him and he let out a soft exhalation.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Lucrecia." He told her, his voice gentle and soft. "I'm alive thanks to you."
A choked sob was his answer. "I'm so sorry....."
Vincent sighed softly again, wishing he could get through to her. Wishing he could find the perfect words to say to take her pain away.
"Brrrrt! Brrrrt!"
Vincent snapped awake as his phone continued its vibrating dance on the bedside table. Fumbling for it, he flipped it open and answered without looking at the call display. "Hello....?" He said, still a touch sleep groggy.
"Vincent?" It was Yuffie, and Vincent felt a flash of irritation. He'd told her before not to call him, and it was still night according to the lack of light peeking in through the blinds of the room. Did she think that his thirty years in that coffin meant he didn't sleep the rest of the time?! However, he then acknowledged her tone, which was weary and maybe also a touch spooked.
Vincent sat up, pushing his hair back from his face, as he'd taken his bandana off to sleep. "What is it, Yuffie?" He asked.
"Well......I was in the area by the Crystal Cave, so I thought I'd pop in and give her some company, let her know how you've been--not that I've seen you lately!" Vincent sighed, but Yuffie just kept talking. "But Vincent! When I got there, something was wrong! The big crystal's all broken up and she's not there!"
Vincent stiffened. "........How long ago was this? When did you get there?"
".......About two hours ago, but I couldn't get any service there! I had to walk halfway to Nibelheim to call you!"
Vincent was already out of bed and gathering together his few items. "It will probably take about that long for me to get there." He told her. "Head back to the cave if you can and I'll meet you there, otherwise just continue to Nibelheim and I'll find you." He didn't give Yuffie a chance to answer and hung up. Finishing his preparations, Vincent put his bandana on and left his room at the inn. He headed next door to Tseng's room and knocked firmly on the door, then waited impatiently for the Turk leader to answer.
"Something has come up and I need to leave." Vincent told Tseng briskly. "I'll catch up to you all later if I can."
Tseng nodded slightly. "Alright, Vincent. Do what you need to." Vincent could tell he was relieved at no longer needing to worry about an outsider, but he was in too much of a hurry to care. Turning on his heel he left the inn and stepped out behind it, and then he let Chaos out.
The proto-WEAPON flexed its wings and then took off into the sky. Chaos could move quickly when it wished to, and it put its speed to good use now. Both it and Vincent were in accord, though for different reasons. Both of them wanted to reach the Crystal Cave, and so Chaos jetted through the sky towards its objective.
---------------------
Yuffie had chosen not to return to the Crystal Cave. It was creepy and damp there and she was closer to Nibelheim by the time she'd gotten a hold of Vincent anyway. In spite of having walked such a long distance, the young ninja was still quite energetic and decided to head up into Mt. Nibel to hunt through the caves there and fight the monsters. When she got there however, she found that someone or something else had already decimated the local monster population.
Generally wary by nature and going by the assumption that it was probably just a bigger monster, the young woman snuck up the mountain with her shuriken held in a ready position to be thrown at a moment's notice. Instead of finding a mysterious monster however, Yuffie found herself coming across a tall man with long spiky black hair and oddly fitting clothes dispatching a Bomb with.....
Hey! That's Cloud's sword! Yuffie thought with surprise and anger. Bet this guy knows where he is! No one's allowed to steal from my friends but me! Sneaking up behind the taller man, she waited until he was done fighting the monster before she pointed her shuriken at his neck so the edge pricked him, causing him to tense.
"Okay, buddy!" Yuffie said, making her voice gruff in an effort to sound older--for even though she'd recently celebrated her 20'th year, she still sounded rather young. "Tell me where Cloud is and maybe I'll let ya live!"
The man slowly lifted one arm in the air--the other holding Cloud's sword--and attempted to look behind himself at her, but she gave him a jab in the back with a kunai in her other hand to discourage it. Anyone who could wield Cloud's weapon with one hand was probably more than she could handle on her own.
"Who're you, asking after Cloud?" The man said at last. Yuffie tilted her head slightly. He sounded somehow familiar....
"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, Wutai's greatest warrior!" Yuffie responded and poked him in the back with the kunai again. "Now cough up the info or you're in for a world of hurting!"
"Yuffie.....?" Abruptly the man jumped away from the weapons prodding him and spun around to face her, then they stared at one another. After a few moments of the staring contest, Yuffie abruptly realized who he was and pointed her kunai at him.
"Y-You...! Ugly...Shinra...SOLDIER..." She floundered for his name. "Zack!"
Zack pointed back. "Ah! It is you! Ohmanohmanohman!" His face broke out in a grin and he dropped the sword onto the ground, then before Yuffie could react he'd practically tackled her in a hug. "You've gotten so big!"
Yuffie yelped and started to panic, but then Zack let go again and put his hands on her shoulders, grinning like a loon. "Oh man, just look at you! You're all grown up!" He exclaimed happily.
It was like being reintroduced to a relative who hadn't seen her in years and Yuffie found herself mentally reeling, unable to process what had just happened. She put her kunai away as she tried to figure this out. Zack had been someone she had pretty much contacted when she wanted him to get to something for her and for the most part she'd been very careful not to let him get too physically close to her--except that time she'd stolen a summon materia from him that she'd later discovered she couldn't use and sent back. But when had he gotten so fast and why was he so happy to see her?! Not that she wasn't happy to see him of course, but.....
"You stopped answering my letters, you jerk!" She exclaimed, punching him as hard as she could in the stomach and hurting herself from hitting solid muscle.
"Ow!" Zack pouted at her, but then his expression turned sheepish. "....Well...ahaha.....I was kinda....um.....busy. Occupied." He stepped back, letting go of her and rubbed the back of his head.
"Busy?!" Yuffie was indignant, she put her shuriken on her back and went to sock him again in spite of her smarting knuckles. "You forgot about me, didn't you?!"
Zack caught her wrist before she could complete her swing and shook his head slightly, his expression now a bit saddened. "I was in a bad place, Yuffie......you're not the only one who didn't get replies to their letters." He told her softly, but then he perked up suddenly. "Oh! You were wondering where Cloud was!" He let go of her wrist and turned to pick up Merciless. "C'mon, I'll take you to him!" And without waiting for a response he'd put the weapon over his shoulder and was trotting down Mt. Nibel, leaving a bemused Yuffie to follow him.
---------------------
Chaos roared in outrage.
The crystals within the cave, its birthplace, were smashed as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to them. For that, the proto-WEAPON was furious. Vincent however, seconded the rage for a different reason.
Lucrecia had been kidnapped, and he had no idea who had taken her. The only scent in the cave he could detect was Yuffie's. Whoever had kidnapped Lucrecia must have done so at least a couple of weeks ago, though Vincent hadn't been near the cave or anyone for at least three months. Chaos could have been raging that entire time and he wouldn't have known with the Protomateria shielding him.
Vincent now fully understood why nearly everyone had been reacting to him so strongly. The Protomateria had been buffering him from Chaos, but the proto-WEAPON had known something was not right with its birthplace. If he'd only listened, maybe he would have gotten there sooner! Gotten there in time.....
Pushing Chaos back with more than the usual effort, Vincent regained his own form and stepped forward to put his gauntlet hand on the edge of the now jagged remains of the crystal that Lucrecia had melded herself with. He caressed the edge almost lovingly before he spotted something yellow lying within the crystal and reached forward carefully with his right arm to pick it up.
Her hair ribbon. Vincent clenched it in his hand and growled lowly, his lip curling up. Someone had taken Lucrecia, but this was left behind. Did they know Vincent would come here and left it purposely? Had Lucrecia? Why would they take her? Who were they and how had they found her?!
Lucrecia.... Vincent bowed his head, eyes closing in pain. Again he'd failed her, and now she was gone. Rescuing her was out of the question, he didn't know where she was. But he would find out somehow, and he would get her safe....if she was still alive to rescue.
His eyes opened again, pupils yellow and sclera black. Chaos was trying to force its way to the forefront again, and in spite of some trepidation, Vincent let it. He didn't know why the proto-WEAPON was continuing to be so furious, but as he was very angry himself he allowed it its freedom for the time being. He only hoped he wouldn't come to regret it later.
---------------------
Cloud had no warning. One minute he was buffing some scuffs out of Fenrir, and the next he'd been tackled to the ground.
"Fooounnd yooooou!" Yuffie chirped cheerfully in his ear.
"......Ow." Cloud moved to push himself up, Yuffie's slight weight no problem for him to move. He got to his feet with her still hanging off his neck. "Did you need to ambush me like that?"
"Yep!" Yuffie let go, then gave him a swat to the back of the head. "You never said you knew Zack!"
Cloud blinked and looked over his shoulder to see his best friend coming up to join them, snickering softly with Merciless resting on his shoulder, then he looked at Yuffie and arched a brow.
"Yes I did. I told all of you that I thought I was SOLDIER because I'd muddled my memories with his. So I'd say it's you who never said you knew Zack."
"Wh....?" Yuffie looked between the two men, then stared at Cloud with a confused expression. "...That's...he's...th-that Zack...?!"
Zack grimaced and handed Merciless off to Cloud, unable to look at Yuffie right then. "Yeah....." He said quietly. "I kinda am 'that' Zack."
Yuffie stared between the two of them again. "So...so that's why you reminded me of him!" She pointed at Zack while looking at Cloud, her expression absolutely baffled.
Cloud turned away to pop open the sword compartments to place Merciless inside with the other pieces. "So, how do you know Zack?"
"We met--" Zack began before Yuffie interrupted him.
"Wait wait wait!" She flailed. "H-How is he....you said he'd died!"
"Ah....." Cloud glanced at Zack, who grimaced slightly, then he closed Fenrir's sword compartments and turned to face her.
"He did die.....but well......" Cloud motioned vaguely toward the mansion behind him. "Hojo made clones of....a few people, and this relic I'd found at Mideel......I guess it put Zack's soul in his clone body." He rubbed his head. "I don't really understand it, to be honest."
Yuffie stared at Cloud, then her lip began to wobble and she switched her watering gaze to Zack. "But....but....."
"Aw come on, Yuffie.....don't cry." Zack looked a bit lost at her expression. "I'm back now, at least."
Cloud leaned back on Fenrir, too used to Yuffie fake crying to take this seriously. "She's more likely mourning the materia and gil she never got the chance to steal from you." He commented.
She spun on him, tears escaping her eyes to trail down her cheeks. "H-How can you say that?! He w-was my friend and y-y-you.....!"
Zack stepped up behind Yuffie and put his hands on her shoulders lightly. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay."
"So Yuffie," Cloud spoke quickly before she could crank the waterworks up. "what brings you to Nibelheim?"
Yuffie rubbed at her eyes, sniffling. "I-It's a long st-story...."
Cloud arched a brow. "Uh huh...." He sighed heavily then. "I'm sorry, okay Yuffie? Please stop crying. You can tell me about it once you've calmed down."
Yuffie took a few minutes of sniffling, letting Zack rub her shoulders. After those few minutes though, she pulled away and gave Cloud a look. "Jerk." She growled at him.
"I know, I know. So what's this long story?"
"Hmph." Yuffie crossed her arms and didn't answer at first. "I was in the area of the Crystal Cave looking for materia and I decided to pop up and check on Lucrecia....." She eyed Cloud briefly as if expecting to be chided for it, but when he said nothing she continued. "When I got there though, the crystal was all smashed up and she was gone without a trace!"
Cloud's eyebrows went up. "Lucrecia is gone?" He repeated.
"Mm hmm." Yuffie nodded. "I couldn't get any reception out there, so I walked here so I could call Vinny and let him know. He's probably gotten there by now....."
"Ooh boy...." Cloud put a hand to his face. Sephiroth in his head, Zack back from the dead, and now Vincent's love was missing. What else could possibly happen....? He thought to himself.
"But now I found you first!" Yuffie rubbed her hands together gleefully, grinning fiendishly. "I wonder if I'll get some kind of reward?"
"Wait.....what?" Cloud dropped his hand to look at Yuffie in confusion.
Yuffie pointed at him. "You've been gone for like, a month and a half or something and Tifa's called in the cavalry to track you down, and I, the great Yuffie Kisaragi, found you first!"
Cloud stared at her mutely for a few moments, and then his hand returned to his face. "....That long, huh...?" Well, at least he didn't have to worry about Sephiroth taking control of him and destroying the world, because Tifa was definitely going to kill him.
Zack looked at Cloud, then at Yuffie, then back at Cloud again. "Well then, I guess we're not heading to the Gold Saucer, huh Cloud? If Tiff's looking for you, you should get back to her."
"She's not my keeper." Cloud half-muttered a bit sulkily. "She just worries, especially since my Geostigma...."
"You have Geostigma?!" Yuffie chirped in alarm. She darted at him with intentions of seeing where, but he fended her off with his arm.
"I don't have it anymore, Yuffie. Aerith, or.....the Lifestream.....cured it in Aerith's church, where the children went." Cloud sighed softly. "I guess I should get back to Tifa, though. If she's so worried about me she's sending our friends after me, then I shouldn't waste any time."
Yuffie backed off and eyed Cloud for a few moments, then she planted her hands on her hips and sighed heavily. "We've gotta wait for Vinny." She told him matter-of-factly. "He said he'd meet me here if he didn't find me at the Crystal Cave."
"......Alright." Cloud sighed and sat down beside his bike, both anxious to head back to Edge and glad to have a reason to delay facing Tifa's anger. Zack--unsurprisingly--began doing squats, though he soon shed his constricting shirt much to Yuffie's obvious delight. Cloud remained lazy and watched as Yuffie decided to try tackling Zack and a game of keep-away started, Yuffie chasing and Zack dodging. This went on for about fifteen minutes before Yuffie collapsed beside Cloud and flopped onto her back.
"Are you alright, Yuffie?" Cloud asked her, trying to hide his amusement.
Yuffie wheezed several times. "S...tupid...ugly...Shinra...."
"Am not!" Zack protested.
A smile tugged at Cloud's mouth. "You two are like siblings, or something." He commented.
Yuffie just continued wheezing and huffing, but Zack's expression turned thoughtful. Because Cloud had turned his attention to him, he also noticed the person they were waiting for coming in the rusted gate and moved to get to his feet.
"Hey Vincent." He greeted the older man, trying not to wince at the smoldering anger in his crimson eyes. "How is.....everything?" Now he did flinch when the smoldering burst into fire. Way to be tactful, Cloud. Maybe he'll do you in before Tifa gets the chance.
Vincent stopped his approach and put a hand to his face, exhaling explosively. "Lucrecia is gone and I know not who took her, and Chaos is angered that its birthplace was defiled." He said after a few moments. "It is a relief to see that you are safe, Cloud. Tifa will be glad to know."
"So Yuffie told me, more or less." He nudged the young ninja, who whined at him. "Is there anything I can do to help, Vincent?"
"I will let you know if I think of anything." Vincent dropped his hand from covering his eyes and looked at the blond, his expression much calmer. "Why is Yuffie puffing like a bellows, and who is this strangely dressed individual?" The latter comment was followed by a gesture at Zack, who was--reluctantly--putting his tight-fitting shirt back on.
"He's Zack, who Yuffie was chasing and couldn't catch. And yes, he's the very same Zack who I based my belief in being a SOLDIER on." Cloud leaned back against Fenrir. "I'll tell you what happened when we get back to Edge, because chances are Tifa is going to want to know as well and I don't want to have to keep repeating myself."
Vincent arched a brow. "It seems I need to keep in closer contact with you all. I apparently miss some rather interesting developments." He couldn't do anything about Lucrecia at the moment, so he decided to focus on the current conversation and try to keep Chaos suppressed so people would stop flinching from him.
Yuffie whined again louder and lifted an arm to wave weakly. "Vinnnyyyy...." She fussed. "help me uuuup."
"You can't get up?" Vincent's tone was bland, but inwardly he was amused. Yuffie irritated him sometimes, but at others he found her cute and endearing and for some reason his reaction was in the latter--perhaps because she'd been trying to catch a SOLDIER.
"Nooooo...."
"Hm." Choosing to humor the young ninja, he stepped over and grabbed her wrist with his right hand to easily pull her to her feet. He tried to let go and step back then, but when he let go of her she grabbed him in a tight hug.
"Hiii Vincent!" She chirped cheerfully, no sign of her prior exhaustion now. Vincent kept his arms at his sides and simply waited the hug out. He only had to wait a few moments before she let go of him and stepped back and to the side to avoid Cloud's bike so as to take a proper look at the taller man.
"Oh wow, nice boots Vinny!" She eyed the black, buckled, mid-calf boots that he was wearing. "You finally got rid of those clunky other things! About time too! I'm surprised you never tripped in them! What took so long, anyway?"
"My old bank account has been inaccessable until recently." Vincent explained with an arched brow, apparently not seeing what the big deal was.
Yuffie crossed her arms and huffed. "That's what mercenary work and selling mastered materia and stealing is for."
"Ah," Vincent responded a touch dryly. "but I wouldn't want to take over your market."
While Zack and Cloud snickered softly at the comeback, Yuffie proceeded to flail at Vincent, "Don't you know how much mastered materia are worth?! Especially support materia?!" She huffed. "I could sell two or three and be set for life!"
Cloud eyed her and arched a brow. "Yuffie, you're a princess. You're already set for life."
Yuffie crossed her arms and sulked.
"Only if she can find a husband of good status, from what I understand of it." Vincent spoke up.
Yuffie sulked harder.
Cloud smiled faintly, but then he sighed heavily and became serious. "Alright then." He said. "I guess there's no more putting this off. Let's get back to Edge. Will you be coming along, Vincent?"
"Yes." Vincent said. "I need to let Reeve know to tell Rufus to call off his Turks." He tilted his head slightly. "Apparently Tifa asked Rufus for help in finding you as well."
Cloud stared at his older friend for several moments, then groaned heavily and put his hand to his face. "Oh man....Tifa's gonna chain me to the bed or something. She must be pissed!"
"Chain you to the bed?" Yuffie put a hand on her hip and arched a brow, then smirked. "That sounds kinda kinky, Cloud."
"Oh for--just shut up!" Cloud turned toward his bike, face flaming red. "I'll see you two in Edge. Come on, Zack!"
"Uh....oh, right!" Zack scurried over to get on Fenrir behind Cloud. He barely grabbed hold in time, as Cloud brought the engine roaring to life and went peeling off around his friends. "AIEEEE!!!"
Yuffie started snickering, watching them go, then she turned to Vincent. "So!" She chirped. "How're we getting to Edge?"
Vincent looked back at her. "Don't you have a transport, or something?" He asked.
"No way Vince, I walked here." Yuffie paused and sighed, then scratched the side of her nose. "Well, I did have a hover bike, but I had to ditch it when it ran out of gas...."
Vincent stared at her for several moments, then sighed heavily and put his hand to his face. "......It seems there's no help for it, then." He muttered.
"Huh?" Yuffie blinked at him as he moved away from her, then yelped when the transformation energy overtook him to replace his form with.....a very large wolf. The only Galian feature was the large horns protruding the sides of his head. "Vince....?"
Galian turned to look at her and gave a low 'wuff', then lay down, inviting her to get on.
Yuffie stared for several more moments before she squeed and hopped over to climb onto his back. "You're awesome, Vinny! I didn't know you could do this with the Galian. Oop!" She had to hastily grab hold of his fur when he stood up and then gave another squeal when he took off running full tilt in the same direction Cloud had gone. Soon she was laughing in delight however. She would probably get motion sick later, but for the time being she was having a blast.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-16 04:09 am (UTC)