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Chapter FortySix A sudden jarring crash roused Kit out of her dreams rather abruptly, and her eyes flew open to see what was the matter. Cait Sith was seated in front of her at the controls of the helicopter, with his back turned just as it had been when she'd fallen asleep. "Oops," he muttered sheepishly.
"...Oops?" Kit repeated hesitantly. Waking up to a loud crash inside a helicopter was not exactly her idea of a pleasant start to the day.
He turned back and smiled at her. "Ah, good morning! Don't worry, nothing major - it's just that landing isn't quite as simple as taking off. But we're here now, so it won't be happening again."
Kit shifted in the tiny interior of the helicopter so that she could stretch - the seats inside were not meant for napping in, and her back and legs felt stiff. Through the window she could see a grassy field, and the looming shape of the Highwind hovering overhead. It was mid-morning now, but there was no one else in sight as they stepped outside the helicopter. "Looks like we're the first ones back," she observed. Of course, it could be that no one else was coming back, but...
"Well, we still have a few hours," Cait said pleasantly, bounding off towards the airship as if such a thought had never crossed his mind. "And we're probably not going to get too many more quiet moments in the next couple days, so I'm going to take advantage of this one and grab myself a... cat nap."
Kit groaned. "There are a lot of things I never knew about Reeve," she commented, "but I certainly never imagined he had such a hideous sense of humor."
"Quite right," the cat agreed. "Reeve's a dry, humorless executive. But on the other hand, anything goes with Cait Sith! ...Especially when I'm this tired," he added.
"Then I'll forgive you this time."
As they approached the Highwind, one of the rope ladders was tossed down over the side, and Cait's moogle grabbed hold of it as the cat itself bowed. "Ladies first! I'll steady it for you."
Kit nodded her thanks to him; though she really didn't need the assistance, it was nice of him to offer. And to think only a few days earlier, she wouldn't have trusted that fortuneteller out of her sight!
Cid met her at the top, and gave her a hand up. "Back so soon?" she asked, somewhat surprised. She'd expected Cid to spend some time making amends with Shera in these uncertain days.
"Yeah, well, I couldn't let Cloud @$&% around with my airship too long, right?" he said grumpily, but with a good-natured edge to his voice that suggested he was pleased to see them as well.
"Cid, great to seeya!" Cait exclaimed as the cat rose up next to the deck, perched on the moogle as it climbed into view. "So you and Shera came to some kind of understanding pretty fast, huh?"
Cid turned red. "That ain't none of yer #$@& business." Kit grinned as he stalked off towards the door that led to the airship's interior, still grumbling to himself. "Not like I had any reason to go see her anyway, much less stay there and listen to her. Why the #@$& does everyone talk to me about her all the time, anyway?"
"I bet he didn't even get up the nerve to go into his own house and talk to her," Cait whispered to Kit with a decisive nod as they followed, and Kit stifled a grin. That wouldn't have surprised her in the least.
On the bridge, Barret was staring out of the front window as they entered. "Nope, they didn't notice a thing," he told them, without even bothering to turn around.
"Who didn't notice what?" Kit asked as Cait Sith bounced away from the doorway into a corner and fell still.
"Cloud and Tifa," Cid explained. "Looks like they're getting cozy down there."
"'Bout time those two got some time alone with each other," Barret said as Cid and Kit joined him at the window. A little ways off, she could see Cloud and Tifa seated on the crest of a grassy hill. Cloud's arm was around the girl protectively, and her head rested on his shoulder.
"So now that they have that time alone, we're spying on them," Kit observed.
"Well... yeah..." Barret scratched his head uncomfortably.
"We've just been waiting for them to get together all this time," Cid shrugged. "Not like it's a peep show down there... It's just nice to see, that's all."
Kit shook her head slightly with a smirk. She had to admit they were right. After all the troubles the two of them had been through, it was comforting to see that they had finally come together. It might be that they'd never get another chance to admit their feelings to each other, after all...
The smirk slid from her face as she sighed and turned away, feeling a sort of bittersweet ache. She and Sephiroth had taken that chance, and she was grateful they'd had it at all - she wouldn't have exchanged the memory of his arms enfolding her in sleep for anything - but the thought that it could never happen again seemed so wrong. The thought, not the knowledge; in the bright morning light, and the wind blowing gently across the grassy fields below, it seemed impossible that the day ahead could bring destruction and death, even if Meteor could still be seen off on the horizon.
That was something she didn't want to dwell on. She'd have to deal with that soon anyway, so why ruin the last few peaceful moments? And she of all people should know ; she'd been a doctor once. If anything, she should be helping the others put their minds at ease about the confrontation that awaited them.
Not that Barret and Cid sounded as if they needed it. She listened, slightly amused, as they went on gossiping about Cloud and Tifa, who apparently were content to stay as they were for quite some time. The conversation between the two men then turned to speculating about Cloud's feelings about Aeris - honestly, those two could be as catty as any females Kit had ever witnessed in Midgar - and then to Mrs. Gainsborough, whom Barret had just visited in Kalm when he went to see Marlene. As Barret steered the conversation towards his little girl, Kit became more interested, and asked him questions about her early childhood, and what it was like raising a child. She'd never really known anyone with children, seeing as she'd lived in the SOLDIER barracks for as much of her life as she could recall, and she had no idea what lay in store in the months to come. From what Barret proudly boasted, being a parent sounded so complicated and yet so rewarding, and the thought that she'd be experiencing such wonders as a child's first words, and teaching him to count, made her both anxious and excited.
Shortly after that, Red returned. Saying nothing aside from a quick greeting, he took up his usual place in the stairwell, and listened to them talk as his tail swished back and forth. Though he remained as quiet and thoughtful as ever, his presence was comforting somehow, and Kit was glad he'd come back.
Some time later, Cid glanced back down at where Tifa and Cloud had been sitting, then at one of the consoles at the front of the bridge. "$#&% - I forgot, we've got a job to do," he reminded them. "The lovebirds are back, so it's time to go."
"Aw, man," Barret muttered. "There's a few still missin'..."
"Well, Cloud did say that he wouldn't hold it against anyone if they didn't come back," Kit pointed out. She did feel rather disappointed that Vincent hadn't returned, since the two of them had a great deal in common when it came to the mixed feelings they'd had about this mission, but for that same reason she understood completely. Yuffie was the other one who hadn't returned, and Kit couldn't say she was surprised there either; she'd never understood exactly why the girl had come this far in the first place. The Highwind seemed strangely quiet without her bouncing around, teasing Red and moaning about her airsickness, but it couldn't be helped.
"Yeah, yeah," Cid grumbled, punching a couple buttons on the console. There was a distant roar as the engines started up, and the airship began to turn, hovering in place. "I can't blame 'em either. We're all a bunch of #$&% idiots for doing this, you know. But still..."
"Barret! Cid!" Cloud's exclamation as he and Tifa entered sounded not only surprised, but a little uneasy too. From the looks on their faces, they had no idea anyone had returned yet.
Barret turned quickly from the console he'd been suddenly preoccupied with when Cid had discovered that Cloud and Tifa were on their way back. "O, oh... Is that okay with you?" he said, much too quickly to sound innocent.
Red bounded up to greet them, and Cloud did another double take. "Red XIII!"
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Tifa demanded, glaring at Barret.
Red's tail twitched, and he glanced over at Cid, slightly exasperated. "But, you know, Cid."
Cid sighed, giving up his pretense of being interested in the console as well. "Hey, Red XIII," he commented irritably. "If you butt in now, you never know what they'll say later."
Tifa's jaw dropped, and her face turned as red as the beast's fur. "Were you watching?" she gasped. Getting no answer except the purposely innocent looks from Cid and Barret, she turned and covered her face in humiliation.
"It's not that bad," Kit told her, going to her side. "More than anything else, we're all happy for you." Tifa just shook her head, still hiding her face.
The flutter of a red cape by the entry caught everyone's eye. "Vincent!" Cloud exclaimed.
"Why the puzzled look?" the man asked warily. "Don't you want me to come?"
"No," Cloud said quickly, "it's just that you're always so cold. I thought you didn't care what was happening."
"Cold?" Vincent flashed them a quick, amused smile. "Hmm... I guess that's just how I am, sorry."
As he leapt back to his usual position in the stairwell near Red, flashing lights and the sound of static drew everyone's attention to the moogle slumped over in the corner, just in time to see the cat yawn and blink. "Well, lookey-here - the Shinra manager's come back," Barret said, as sarcastic as ever. But somehow, his voice seemed just a little warmer than it had been before.
"Uh, excuse me," Cait's thin voice said as the moogle bounced over to stand before Cloud, bowing. "But... I wanted to come with the main group, but I couldn't get away. So some people in Midgar took me in. I know I have a stuffed animal body, but I'll work real hard!"
Surveying the room, Barret nodded. "I guess that's everyone."
Red, doing likewise, shook his head. "No, Yuffie's missing." Of all the people Kit would have expected to miss her, Red wouldn't have been one.
"She ain't gonna show up," Barret scoffed. "Least this time she didn't steal our materia. Guess we gotta be thankful for that."
"How could you say that?!" a familiar voice rang out, and a slight figure somersaulted down from one of the support beams overhead to land before them. Yuffie glared balefully at Barret. "I came all the way here after being seasick as a dog! I didn't go through all that just to have you guys have the best parts all to yourselves!"
Noticeably relieved, Cloud nodded to her, and even smiled a little. "Welcome back, Yuffie."
The young ninja regarded him with shock. "Gee, Cloud... that's so nice of you to say that." She peered at him a little more suspiciously. "You sick?"
Before he could reply, she swung back up into the support beams, out of his sight. "Well, whatever. I'm gonna be in my reserved seat in the hall... waiting... upp!" Her face already green, she dashed from the bridge.
Cloud watched her go, and then nodded slightly. "Thanks everyone," he said.
"We didn't come back for your spikey headed @$%!" Barret retorted. "We came back for Marlene..." His voice softened as he spoke. "Guess it's jes' my... whatcha call, feelings or somethin'. I, uh..." Stumbling over the unaccustomed kindness, he cleared his throat. "I ain't got no words now..."
"It's all right, Barret," Kit assured him. "We all know what you mean. No need to say it out loud." Not after all they'd gone through together so far. After all they'd endured, words were merely a formality. "We're a team now, we know what's in each other's hearts... and I'm willing to bet that every one of us feels the same way."
In the sudden comfortable silence, Red's tail swished, and he looked out the window into the distance. "...Although she's not here, she left us a window of opportunity," he stated softly. Again, there was no need for him to be specific, they knew who he meant: the one member of their team that couldn't be present.
Cid turned and nodded to Cloud. "We can't let it go like this."
With a wistful sigh, Cloud turned to gaze out the window too, staring out at the Meteor in the distance. "...Aeris..." he murmured. "She was smiling to the end. We have to do something..." He turned back to the others then, with a faint smile of his own. "...or that smile will just freeze like that."
Tifa grinned back at him, and Barret and Cid nodded. "Let's all go together," Cloud continued. "Memories of Aeris... Although she should've returned to the planet by now, something stopped her and now she's stuck... We've got to let go of Aeris's memory."
After a brief moment of silence, Cid glanced around. "Has anyone here changed their mind?" There was no response, and really no reason to ask. The members of AVALANCHE were all determined and ready to go.
"I'm counting on you, Cid," Cloud told him.
"Yeah, yeah..." For his part, Cid didn't look too confident as he looked over the instrument panels. "There are two levers here that've been buggin' me for a while now... Let me try them out." He paused, then glanced back. "All right, so what should I do? You decide, Cloud."
"This is our last battle," Cloud stated firmly. "Our target is the North Cave. Our enemy is... Sephiroth." He kept his face carefully cold and composed, and Kit, remembering her SOLDIER training, did likewise despite the sharp pain in her heart. "So let's move out."
With a nod, Cid flipped the levers. The Highwind shuddered strangely for a moment, and then the clanking, grinding noise of machinery at work clamored from every side. "What the @#&% you doin'?" Barret bellowed at Cid, looking around suspiciously.
"Keep yer shirt on," Cid said dismissively. "Seems like it's..."
A loud rushing sound came from the rear of the Highwind, and then with a sudden lurch that knocked nearly everyone on the bridge off their feet, the airship shot forward. "Hooooo yeah!" Cid crowed. "Just like I thought!"
"What was that?" Tifa gasped, pulling herself back to her feet. Behind her, through the front window, the world beneath them rushed by so quickly that it seemed impossible to even tell where they were.
"Switched my baby to jet-propulsion mode," Cid said proudly, patting the console. "Always wanted to try that out, but never had an excuse."
"Hey, hey!" Yuffie's indignant voice rang out as she sprinted onto the bridge, her face white, startled and angry. "What the heck's going on? You could at least warn me before..." Her voice trailed off as she took in the scene through the front window, the ground speeding along beneath them almost faster than the eye could follow. Cid and Barret burst into laughter as she clamped a hand over her mouth and ran back off the bridge in a rush.
Kit couldn't supress a grin either. It was so great to be among them all, even on such a day as this. The way they teased each other, the way they squabbled and boasted and yet genuinely cared, it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Even with her fellow SOLDIERs back in Shinra, it had never been like this.
"You know, all of you..." she said quickly, making up her mind to speak before she could change her mind. "Aeris told me, a long time ago, that we'd all be friends. At the time, I didn't really believe that - I was still just tagging along, spying for Sephiroth - and I didn't even want that." The others on the bridge turned to look at her as she spoke, and she grew a little uncomfortable, with all those eyes on her. "Like... like Barret, I'm not real good at this stuff..."
"But?" Tifa prompted her.
"Yeah, but..." Kit repeated. "At the time, I thought all I needed was him... Sephiroth. He and I, that was all I needed. And I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't ended up following all of you, because I don't think I could stand against him myself. Even knowing he needs to be stopped at all cost, I... I don't think that I could oppose him at all without knowing that there were others who would be there with me. I mean... AVALANCHE goes beyond duty. I know after this is over, if we survive, you'll still be there." She hesitated, uncertain how to put her thoughts into words. "Maybe it's silly or naive of me to think this way - I can't really say I know what it's like, because well... I can't remember ever actually having a family, but..."
To her surprise, it was Barret who responded. "Nah," he said with a shrug. "You're right. Like you told me earlier, no need to say it, because we're all thinking the same."
"Don't worry about it," Cid agreed. "None of us is gonna run off and forget what kind of $#@& we all went through together. Right guys?"
Tifa nodded. "Yeah... Kit, I want to be there when your son is born," she said with a smile. "I'll babysit anytime, too."
It was such an absurd thought - they were on their way to a battle for the life of a planet, and Tifa was offering to babysit? - that Kit laughed out loud. "Thanks, Tifa, all of you... thanks. For trusting me and everything else."
"Well, what else would we do?" Cloud commented. "Aeris said it, so it had to be true."
"As weird as it sounds," Cid added, "I'm kinda glad I got mixed up in all this, to tell the truth. We might be in hot water now, but my life would've been pretty boring if you numbskulls hadn't come along. I'm going into space, I'm getting my airship back, I'm helping to save the $#*% planet... sure beats sitting around at home with Shera, tinkering with the Tiny Bronco... cept Palmer would've stolen it, so I wouldn't even have that."
"And I'd probably still be a nameless specimen in Hojo's laboratory," Red spoke up. "I'd probably never have gotten back to Cosmo Canyon, and learned the truth about my father. Even if we die tomorrow, I'll have gained more than I lost, because I know now that I'm the son of Seto, the great warrior... he met his death unafraid, and so will I."
"Except we won't die," Cait Sith put in, the moogle bounding forward. "I'm a fortuneteller, so I know these things, okay? All signs point to a great victory!"
"It has to be," Cloud stated. " We have to win for the world's sake, for Aeris, for all those we care about, and for each other too. We can't afford to lose, so we'll win. It's as simple as that." He glanced around at the others. "Right?"
The members of AVALANCHE nodded their agreement in unison. "Right!"
To the intro. To Chapter FortySeven. That means it's mine, not yours! |
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