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Chapter FortyOne The Highwind loomed at the edge of the city, an anachronism beside the small, humble seashell homes of the Cetra capital. After all the unusual powers that were present in the city, the purely scientific nature of the propellers and engines seemed almost unnatural as the small party approached it. Bugenhagen seemed to find the contrast amusing, chuckling to himself as he floated up over the side. "It'll be good to get back to Cosmo Canyon, where science and Mako energies work in harmony a bit better," he commented.
Cloud was just reaching for the ladder to follow him up, when the ground began to shake. "Wh, what the...?"
Red made a low, rumbling noise deep in his throat. "I remember the last time we felt this, in Mideel. Weapon is surfacing."
The PHS on Cloud's belt went off again. "Cloud! Get your #$& up here!"
"Just what we need," Cloud muttered. "Now we've got three things to deal with."
Upon reaching the deck, they found red lights flashing and alarms going off everywhere as they rose into the air to get a better look. Off in the distance, a huge form was lumbering through the ocean to the northeast. "Not again," Yuffie was complaining. "How many times do we have to deal with this thing?"
Another buzzer began adding to the noise, and Cid shot a look at one of his men. "What's wrong?" he shouted over the din.
"It's a strange signal!" the man shouted back.
"From where?"
The man hesitated, eyeing Cait Sith. "It's coming from this... person...?"
Everyone's eyes were on Cait Sith now. "Wow!" Cait exclaimed, suddenly hopping towards them, bouncing around as if out of control. "Hey!" As they all watched cautiously, he fell still again. "That was a surprise, the controls went crazy," he explained apologetically. "This ain't good... Weapon came out of the sea and is heading straight for Midgar."
"The new weapon should stop him, right?" Cloud asked, as Barret glowered. Kit was rather surprised he didn't say anything.
"I don't know if it's ready or not..." Cait admitted.
Finally Barret broke his silence, stepping up to Cait. "Hey! What's gonna happen to Marlene?" he demanded.
"Doncha worry none, Marlene's in a safe place," Cait assured him. "She's with Aeris's mama." Barret seemed to be a little calmed by that, but still looked dubious as he turned away, scratching his head. "Barret! What was that scratching just now?" Cait asked innocently, as the moogle bounded over to him. "As long as Marlene's safe, who cares what else happens, right?"
Barret ignored him, and Cait slumped over, sighing in frustration. "I been itchin' to say this to ya fer a while now," he said bitterly. "When ya blew the Midgar No. 1 up, how many folks d'ya think died?"
Barret paused before answering. "...That was for the life of the planet. Ya gotta expect a few casualties."
True, Kit thought. She'd agreed when Barret had said the same thing back in Cosmo Canyon, but this was a little different. If it was people like those on this ship, agreeing to the danger that they might die for the good of the planet, that was one thing. But she'd known people in Shinra who had worked at the reactors, and the explosion at No. 1 had left them terrified. For once, she had to admit this spy had a point.
"A few?" Cait said incredulously, turning his back on Barret. "Whaddya mean 'a few'? What may be a few to y'all is everything to them who died..." The cat glanced back at Barret, who was still standing there, staring out the window towards Midgar. "Protect the planet. Hah! Y'all sure sound good! Ain't no one that'd go against ya."
Kit cringed, anticipating a loud, angry response from Barret, but there was none. In fact, the expression on his face seemed almost ashamed.
"So ya think ya can do whatever y'all want?" Cait continued to taunt him.
Finally Barret turned to aim a vicious look at him. "I don't wanna hear that from no one in Shinra..." he told Cait in a low, dangerous tone of voice before turning back to the window.
Cait looked ashamed as well. "...Nuthin' I can do 'bout that..." he said stubbornly.
"Stop it!" Cloud finally exclaimed, glaring at both of them.
"Cait Sith..." Tifa spoke up, "...Barret, he knows what he did. What we did in Midgar can't be forgotten no matter what the reason. Right?" she asked Barret. "We haven't forgotten, right? I know you," she added, turning to face Cait Sith. "You can't quit the company because you're worried about the people in Midgar, right?"
Neither Cait Sith or Barret responded, and she sighed, going back to stand by Cloud. "...Cloud?"
The argument seemed to be at a standstill for a moment, and so Cloud shrugged. "Okay! Let's go! We'll beat Weapon ourselves!" he declared.
Cid looked dubious. "Hey Cloud... You think we can win against that monster? We got a chance of winnin', right?"
"How would I know?" Cloud muttered impatiently. "But that's no reason for us to just let him go! We're goin' to Midgar and fight Weapon! Come on, let's move!"
Apparently he was willing to play that leadership role a little more confidently after their talk on the way out of the City of the Ancients, Kit thought. Now if only their skill could match up to his bravado...
The Highwind's powerful engines got them across the ocean to the smoggy airspace over Midgar before Weapon arrived, and the airship turned to face the northwest as it lowered to the rocky ground. The view through the window showed the approaching wake as Weapon slowly made its way through the ocean. "Yuffie, Barret, come with me," Cloud called as he left the bridge and the others went to their places to watch. "Everyone else stay here, and stay ready."
"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed in surprise, running after him. "You can't do that! That's Weapon out there, not some ordinary monster!"
"So what else are we supposed to do?" Cloud shot back, turning to face her from the catwalk just beyond the doorway as Barret and Yuffie ran on ahead. "What other choice do we have?"
"I don't know... maybe we could all fight it together?" she suggested.
He shook his head firmly. "Whether or not we can beat Weapon, there's still Sephiroth to deal with. If we fail, someone's got to carry on."
"But... Cloud, I..." Tifa's voice faltered, and grew softer as she approached him. But Kit had been headed up to the dock, to watch the fight from above, and from where she was standing on the stairs, she could hear Tifa's words perfectly. "Can't I go with you?"
Cloud shook his head. "Tifa... stay here, and stay safe. Okay? Cid, if anything happens to us out there, you're in charge," he called back through the door.
Tifa shook her head right back at him. "What special use would I have if I were to stay here, if you died?" she whispered fiercely. "Cid's got the airship, Vincent and Kit have the special powers and training, and Red has the knowledge of the planet, but me - I'm just-"
"You're strong," Cloud told her. "You're powerful, you're smart, and..." He hesitated all of a sudden, his face going uncertain all of a sudden. "You saw Nibelheim. You know just as I do how badly Sephiroth needs to be stopped, and I trust that you of all people won't let him win. know. Besides... you know."
So, she knew, did she? Kit smiled a little, watching the two of them. Something had definitely happened between them during their dip in the Lifestream, but Cloud seemed as uncertain as ever.
Tifa nodded. "Yeah... but...?"
He shrugged. "Don't worry about me, Weapon won't take us out. If it starts looking like it could, then come on out and help." Suddenly he grinned, drawing his sword and doing a victory salute. "I don't think you need to worry about that though. Go on back to the bridge, and I'll put on a good show for you."
Tifa nodded, finally mollified. "Be careful, Cloud." She flashed a grin at him over her shoulder as she headed for the bridge. "You were the one who was supposed to save me, remember? I don't want to have to save you unless I have to."
"Right," Cloud agreed, as he turned to go as well. Seeing Kit on the stairs, he paused. "I thought you were listening... Would you do me a favor?"
"Sure, I guess I owe you for eavesdropping," Kit admitted. "What's that?"
He glanced back at the door to the bridge. "If anything does happen out there... don't let Tifa come after me, okay?"
Kit understood immediately. "Well, I don't know if I can do that."
"Please? You know what it's like, to..." He coughed, averting his face suddenly. "I don't want her to get hurt, you know?"
"Yeah, I do know," she replied. "That's why I don't know if I can do it. Seeing as I'm a woman in love myself, I don't think I have the right - or the heart - to stop another."
Cloud looked up at her dubiously. "Wait... You think she likes me?"
"Oh, come on - of course she does," Kit told him. Actually, she was a little surprised that he hadn't figured it out yet. "You think she'd have stayed in Mideel to take care of just 'a childhood friend'? Especially after Sephiroth's revelation of what you'd become?"
"Well..." He scratched his head. "She would. She's that loyal. That's something I always liked about her, she was so good to her friends... even when they didn't deserve it."
Kit shook her head, incredulous. "Cloud, if only you knew the things she's said when you're not around. Jenova powers or no Jenova powers, I don't know if I could stop her if I tried. And you know what that means," she said with a grin. "You'd better win out there, for her sake - and mine, if I'm supposed to stop her."
Cloud nodded, and he ran past her up the stairs on his way out. Not so fast that Kit didn't see his face turning a little red, however. "Just... think about it, okay?" he asked one last time before he disappeared.
Sure, she'd think about it. But she wouldn't change her mind.
From her place up on the deck, she could see the white water churned up by Weapon's approach. Painfully slow in its approach, it seemed an eternity before the creature drew close, plodding through the rough ocean waves like a child in a wading pool. Weapon looked down at the three pathetically tiny life forms standing between it and its intended destination, and let out a roar which shook even the ground beneath the Highwind as the monster prepared to attack.
Energy flashed all around the scene as the party let loose with their most powerful magics, and the metal of Cloud's sword and Barret's gun-arm flashed in the light. The beast took all they had to give, and responded with a powerful blast of its own. Kit winced, anticipating that Tifa would show up soon enough, but Cloud stumbled to his feet again. Placing his sword on his back, he began the motions of a summon, and the battlefield erupted in flames. In a flash of multicolored light, a gigantic bird appeared for an instant, and when it was gone, Yuffie and Barret were standing again.
Tifa appeared then, and rushed to join Kit at the side of the deck. She sighed in relief, looking down to see Cloud standing tall again, swinging his sword at Weapon. "He made it..." she said breathlessly.
"Yeah. Cloud's a lot tougher than I'd thought," Kit admitted. This was a dangerous situation. On the one hand, she thought of him and the others as friends now, and the fact he could stand up to Weapon was very impressive - but she knew what he intended to do with that power and skill, and it terrified her. She'd laughed when they first met and he claimed he was going to kill Sephiroth, but he'd grown so much since that time, it might very well be possible.
"Weapon's leaving...?" Tifa murmured at her side, and Kit was brought out of her thoughts with a start. Indeed, the monster was turning away from the party, and looking out at the ocean. With thundering steps, it began to walk back in the direction it had come from, leaving Cloud, Barret, and Yuffie behind. Barret raised his arms with a shout, and Yuffie cheered, but Cloud stood there staring after the monster even after Barret and Yuffie began heading back to the airship.
"What's Cloud doing?" Tifa wondered out loud.
Kit frowned, puzzled. "Something's not right about this."
"What?" Tifa asked. "They drove Weapon away from Midgar - what could be bad about that?"
"I don't know," Kit replied slowly. "But I don't think they were the reason it left..."
"What? Then why?"
Kit just shook her head. There was something strange in the air, but she knew she couldn't explain it in terms Tifa could understand.
Finally Cloud turned to follow Yuffie and Barret, and Tifa and Kit helped them over the side of the airship. "You had me worried there for a minute," Tifa told Cloud with a smile as she took hold of his hand, pulling him up from the ladder. "I guess I should have trusted you to take care of yourself."
Cloud shrugged, looking distracted. "Yeah, I guess... Something strange is going on," he muttered as they made their way back inside the ship. "Cait said something big's coming... What is it, Cait?" he asked as the cat bounced out of the bridge to meet them.
"Oh good, you're all back," the cat said nervously. He looked back at the door to the bridge, and raised his megaphone to his mouth. "Hey, you can take off now!"
"Wait just a minute!" Barret exclaimed as the engines began to roar, and the airship took off. "Where do you get off giving orders, cat?"
"Sorry, but it's gotta be done," Cait said, apologetic. "Like I said, we're in big trouble - Shinra's gonna fire the-"
Barret cursed, running back up to the deck, and the others followed, just in time to see each of the reactors around the perimeter of Midgar light up in the distance. Abruptly, the sparkling lights of the city all went dark, and a single beam of light shot past, dangerously close to where the Highwind hovered. The pilot turned the ship instinctively, and even Yuffie didn't complain as the scene unfolded. Now they had a clear view of Weapon returning to the sea - but as they watched, it turned slowly, raising the scales on its body. Flashes lit up the sky as the Weapon began to fire volleys of its energy.
"Which direction is it going to attack from?" Tifa asked worriedly.
The pilot seemed ready to evade attack again, but the flashes of light passed the Highwind without incident, mingling with the beam from the Sister Ray. "Midgar!" Red exclaimed.
"Marlene!!" Barret shouted. Everyone rushed forward, watching from the railings in disbelief.
Everyone except Cait Sith, anyway. Kit noticed him hanging back, facing the back of the ship. If he was in Midgar, she supposed, he had a perfect view of what was going on with his own eyes rather than Cait's - and he was in big trouble.
The airship circled, rising higher above the scene as the Sister Ray's beam struck Weapon squarely in the chest, sending it flying. It landed on its back with a thud that seemed to shake even the air itself, and Barret cursed again under his breath. "It went right through Weapon..." Red said in disbelief, staring down at the monster's corpse.
"I see," Cloud said suddenly, and they turned to him. "They're after Sephiroth! The crater on the Northern boundary!"
As the airship circled again, they caught a glimpse of a flash of light, far off in the direction of the crater, and Kit gasped painfully. Somehow, she could feel the assault on the crater as if the beam had hit her, and it left her shaken. "No...! They can't..." She completely forgot about Cait Sith as she rushed to the railing to try to get a better look, but there was nothing to be seen from such a distance.
After a moment, Cloud spoke up. "Whatever happened, it's over," he said calmly. "Let's go back in."
The others followed him, but Kit hung back, watching the sky off to the west. "Sephiroth..." she whispered into the wind. Finally, she turned to follow the others.
Back on the bridge, Cloud was looking out the window in bewilderment when she entered. "What happened to... Sephiroth?"
Kit closed her eyes, concentrating, trying to break through the sudden shock she'd felt as the beam hit its mark. After a moment's struggle, somewhere behind all that disorientation and distress, she sensed a familiar presence. He felt irritated, naturally, but otherwise the feeling she got from him was as cold and powerful as it had always been. "He's... still alive," she sighed.
Cloud didn't exactly look relieved. "Northern Cave..." he muttered. "Let's go see what happened to it."
Kit's heart began to beat faster in anticipation. Feeling his presence so clearly again, she wanted nothing more than to go to him, to see him again face to face. Even if it meant facing all her worst fears. Still holding onto that faint sense of him, she closed her eyes again, concentrating as she always did when she tried to contact him across the distance. Sephiroth, I'm coming, angel. I'll be there soon, I think, so hold on just a little longer...
Then come.
The response shocked her into opening her eyes, and the connection was lost. He'd never spoken back before, and now he sounded colder than he'd ever been with her in the past. Had his patience finally run out, she wondered, and was it a hopeless cause?
She sighed, closing her eyes again. I will, she told him silently, though she knew he wouldn't respond this time. Whatever happens, I will.
To Chapter FortyTwo. To the intro. That means it's mine, not yours! |
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