Tifa was almost afraid of Cloud when she saw him. He’d seen a ghost, or at least, she would bet on it.
“Cloud! Where’s Rufus?”
“I couldn’t finish him,” Cloud shook his head in a mixture of anger and disgust. “Do these elevators work?”
“They both sorta exploded on the way down,” she replied slowly.
Cloud paled. “The others…?”
“They were in there…” Tifa nodded, “But, I dunno, maybe they made it out?”
“Come on,” Cloud started for the stairs. There may be working elevators in Hojo’s laboratory, and it was worth a shot.
“Heads up!” a youngish voice called out, “The terrorists!”
“Another SOLDIER!” Cloud growled, “Hurry! That elevator is active!” Cloud took off, but a large, thick bolt of lightning assaulted Tifa. It slammed into the ground before her, tearing the floor apart and rattling her with electricity.
“Wait!” she called weakly, crumbling to her feet.
“Got her!” the SOLDIER cheered, motioning for two Moth Slashers to move in on the prey. Cloud dashed back towards Tifa, scooping her up just as the Slashers breezed past. Duped but not done, they turned around for another pass. Cloud beat them to the elevator, slamming the “Door Close” button. The doors closed right on the chasing SOLDIER’s foot. His screams stopped when the Moth Slasher robots crashed into him from behind.
A flash of green light lit up Tifa’s body, and soon she felt the effects of the electricity going away.
“What was that?” she asked, pulling herself to her feet.
“An improved Bolt spell,” Cloud answered, “Bolt2 I think.”
“Bolt2?”
“Yeah. His Materia must have grown in ability.”
“Can we do that, too?”
“Eventually.”
Tifa frowned. “Bolt2. The name kinda sucks. Is there a Bolt3?” She was joking.
Cloud grinned. “Yep.” She blinked in response, imagining the power of such a spell.
They wound up on the second floor, near the Shinra’s motor display. Several motorcycles were lined up next to each other behind a massive window leading directly out to the highway. President Shinra had thought it would draw more attention that way.
“Cloud!” Tifa ran back towards him excitedly, “They’re there! I checked! They made it!”
“Good,” he nodded.
“What…?” she asked slowly, knowing the look on his face.
“Get them outside to that truck,” he motioned to a large blue vehicle in the parking lots outside, “There’s an exit leading to the bottom of Midgar down the highway. Get driving! I’ll meet you there!”
“Okay,” she replied, “Cloud? Don’t do something really stupid.”
“Never!”
“Shit!” Barret cursed as he set another soldier on fire, “These guys are everywhere now!”
“Rufus might have ordered a sweep of the building,” Red pointed out.
“Think that means Cloud blew it?” Barret asked solemnly. No one answered. Instead, they each picked an attacker and killed them.
“Hey AVALANCHE!” a soldier called from a balcony above them. “Eat this!” He chucked a grenade down, but Aeris’s Ice spell would forever prevent him from seeing the results. The results were significant, though. All three were floored, gasping in pain.
“We can’t keep doing this!” said Red as he shook away the dots appearing in front of him.
“I know!” Barret snapped, “Hurry yo’ ass down here, Cloud!”
“You guys…” Aeris said softly, but got their attention anyway, “You guys go ahead. It’s me they want. Regardless of what Rufus said, they need an Ancient to get the Promised Land.”
“Hey!” Barret took her firmly by the shoulders, though his gun-arm didn’t provide for much of a grip, “You listen here! You saved my daughter’s life! If you think for a minute that you’re gonna get away that easily, you got another thing comin’!”
She blinked. “Thanks, Mister Barret…”
“Hey!” he laughed, “None of that ‘Mister’ crap! Jes’ cuz I’m older than ya all!”
Red looked ready to comment, but didn’t. Instead, he turned his attention to an approaching figure. “Hey! Isn’t that Tifa?”
“Hey!” Barret roared at her, “Bout frickin’ time! Us people are runnin’ around blowing up Shinra’s tanks and choppers, and now all these frickin’ guards, while you wait around for an engraved invitation?”
“Didn’t have your coffee this morning?” Tifa frowned.
“No, I had too much! Where’s your buddy?”
“He’s got one of his ideas,” Tifa started ushering them outside, “Look there! See that truck?”
“The blue piece of shit, yeah, I see it,” Barret nodded.
“Must you always be so cynical? It grates on people’s nerves.” Red wondered what kind of response that would invoke.
“You a cold man,” Barret smiled, amused, “Jes’ like someone else around here, but I won’t name names.”
“Let’s go,” Tifa climbed into the truck.
“You want me to ride in that?” Barret mocked being appalled, “I can’t be seen in something that…Shinra-ish!”
“Inventing your own adjectives now, are ya?” Aeris smiled, hopping in after Tifa.
“Typical,” Red and Barret said in unison as they hopped into the back, “Those women get the shelter.”
“And me with no bullets,” Barret grinned. Red gave him an uneasy look.
“They’re getting away, sir!” the MP whined over the radio, “They hijacked one of our trucks and are speeding down the highway!”
“Well, I don’t know, maybe you should stop them?” Tseng hissed back, “We carry plenty of mobile attack forces. Dispatch your motor troops! Cut the truck to ribbons!”
“That may not be enough,” the MP pointed out, wishing he were in Tseng’s position inside the Shinra safe house, “They have come this far.”
“Fine,” Tseng sighed, “I don’t think it’ll be hard getting Scarlet’s permission to sic Motor Ball on them. I’ll report back to you in say, five minutes? Make sure you don’t turn the damn radio off, or I swear I’ll leave you out to dry!” He hung up, and the slam echoed throughout the room.
“Having a bad day?” Rude asked softly.
“Bad day, bad night, bad week, bad life, etcetera.” Tseng sat down, trying to relax. “We’re probably going to take the rap for letting them escape.”
“Letting?” Rude frowned, “We sent Hundred Gunner and Heli-Gunner after them.”
“And what do we have to show for it?”
“Two busted elevators and a whole lot of scrap metal,” Rude conceded.
Tseng picked up the phone again, dialing a different safe house. “Scarlet? This is Tseng. AVALANCHE is getting away.” He paused, moving his ear away from the receiver to avoid Scarlet’s screeches of rage. He smirked at Rude, mouthing the word “bitch”. When the yelling subsided, Tseng spoke again. “I request permission to deploy your Motor Ball unit. I think it has the best chance at cutting AVALANCHE off.” He waited a few minutes. “Thank you,” he replaced the receiver a lot calmer than the last time. “It’s a go.”
“I’ll let the HQ know,” Rude got up. “Any word on the others?”
“Scarlet, Heidegger and Reeve are all in the same safe house. Palmer and President Rufus touched down in a small fortress hidden in the slums. Hojo is there with them. The President is hurt, but not badly. That Cloud bastard again.”
“We’ll give him a run for his money this time,” Rude smiled evilly.
Cloud tensed. He was seated on a motorcycle he’d freed from the metal bonding it to the floor, and now looked on ahead as the truck with his friends disappeared down the highway. What worried him was the swarm of Shinra motor units speeding after them, riding bikes similar to his own. He would have to try and fend them off until reaching the exit, which was really an end in the road. Once they dropped down to the lower levels of Midgar, they’d have quite some time to plan and move before anyone found them. This was it, the final stretch.
Cloud took a deep breath and revved the engine. The bike shot forward, plowing through the glass like a bullet, and shattering it in the same manner. Cloud had broken away from the display case, and now he was exposed to all enemies. He made a break for the highway, whizzing past a cursing Shinra officer. The enemy sped up, trying to match Cloud’s pace, but the mercenary had picked a very good vehicle. Once he was confident that he was getting the hang of things, Cloud brought out his sword.
“SHIT!” Barret howled, pressing himself to the floor as bullets whizzed past his head.
“They can’t really aim,” Red pointed out, motioning at the motorcyclists, who were struggling to maintain control of their bikes and fire shots at their enemies.
“Well we can’t really fight back!” Barret retorted, wishing he’d brought more magazines of ammo.
“They’re using swords!” they heard Aeris exclaim. Indeed, more soldiers had sped up, and were now cutting into the truck with long blades. Gashes appeared everywhere, narrowly missing Barret and Red in the back. Tifa tried to concentrate on driving. They had to get to the exit. They couldn’t lose now. Her thoughts were interrupted as a blade appeared to her side, having pierced clear through the door. Reality struck. They could lose now, and not to the Shinra barons, but their common soldiers!
“Tifa!” Barret snapped, “Speed up! Move to one side! Get them off of us!”
“I can’t!” she cried. The sword had linked the bike to the truck. Tifa glanced out her window, and to her horror, she saw the man on the motorcycle fumbling to take out a gun. All he’d have to do was point it at the window and fire, and AVALANCHE’s mission would be over.
“Oh no…” Red breathed as he, too, realized what the enemy was doing. He heard the roar of another bike closing in on them. So this was really it. He tensed, waiting for the newcomer to attack.
A large sword flew through the air, ramming clear through a soldier who’d been hacking at the car. Red and Barret barely made out the shocked look on the man’s face before he disappeared behind them, bike tipping over and scraping against the road. Sparks flew everywhere. The soldier attacking Tifa spat a curse and pointed his newly drawn weapon at his attacker. The sword flashed through the air again, cutting into the man’s side and slashing into his bike, which began to spark furiously. Stunned, the man dropped his gun and began to lose his grip on the handles of his bike until he finally slid off it all together.
“Cloud!” Barret was overjoyed, “Why do ya always have to be such a damn hero?”
“You’re welcome, Barret!” he replied, smiling slightly. That did seem to be the case, he realized. Then he saw that the sparking bike was still attached to the truck. Swinging hard, Cloud sent the Buster Sword clear through the enemy weapon, dislodging the bike, which fell back and exploded violently, taking out two other pursuers with it.
“Almost there!” Tifa announced.
Almost was too long. Cloud decreased his speed a bit. There were two more bikes coming up from behind. It was extremely difficult holding the heavy sword in one hand and steering the bike with the other, but Cloud was managing, for what other choice did he have?
The two approaching attackers were armed with swords, and that was a relief. They’d have to get in close to attack. The bikers positioned themselves on Cloud’s sides, holding out their swords towards him. They then swerved in the mercenary’s direction, trying to stab him with two weapons. Cloud simply eased up on the gas and drifted behind them. They realized they weren’t going to make it in time to pull their weapons back before they impaled each other. Cloud drove his bike to one and brought his sword to his side, preparing to swing out, when suddenly, the enemy did the unpredictable. He threw his sword at Cloud. The weapon collided with Cloud’s, knocking it out of his hand. Cursing, Cloud spun his bike around, looking for his sword.
The huge weapon had hit the ground with the blade end up, and now seemed to be doing cartwheels. The tip would hit the ground, and the momentum of the flight from Cloud’s hand forced it over. The handle would hit the ground, and the weight of the sword would flip it again, and so on. Cloud steered his bike straight at it, pulling to the side a bit and reached out his hand. He caught it as it was starting another spin, and he caught it by the blade end. Cursing in pain, he absently removed his other hand from the handle in order to get the sword situated in his hand again. When he completed that task, however, he realized that he was heading straight for a wall. With a quick word of prayer, he swerved sharply towards the right, hoping he wasn’t too late.
What happened next was almost comical. As Cloud moved to regain his sword, the biker who was still armed had turned his bike around and sped after Cloud, even as he was heading for the wall of the tunnel he was in. When Cloud swerved, he missed the wall and drove in a circular motion until he was facing the right direction again. When the biker swerved, he didn’t quite make it. He crashed, screaming in annoyance and fear, into the wall and disappeared in a cloud of flames.
Laughing despite himself, Cloud sped up and went to rejoin his friends.
The exit was in sight! It was a simple end to the road, since it was not completed. All they had to do was jump down there, and…
He heard a roar from behind him. The remaining biker had restarted his pursuit, and was now driving straight at him! He swerved as if to turn, but instead kicked off his motorcycle, which went skidding across the pavement into Cloud’s own! Cloud threw himself off the bike just before they both exploded. He landed poorly, hurting his shoulder and elbow. When everything stopped spinning, he started making out familiar voices.
“Cloud? Are you okay?”
“Yo, white boy’s can’t jump! I give that leap a one-point-three!”
“How generous, Barret.”
“Aw, shush Tifa! We’re all here and we’re all in one piece!”
Cloud pulled himself to his feet, somewhat disbelieving everything that he saw. Aeris, Tifa, Red, and Barret were there, standing near what remained of their truck. Barret was twirling rope he’d found in the truck, hinting at Cloud to start getting ready for the descent.
“Well. We made it.” Cloud smiled slightly, looking over all his friends.
“Yep,” Aeris smiled back, and Tifa breathed a sigh of relief. Barret tapped his foot impatiently until Cloud moved to help him with the rope. Red just looked over them all, curious as ever.
“Ya know,” Barret said as they worked on tying the rope around a pole sticking out of the unfinished pavement, “When we all get someplace quiet, it would be nice if we could get some information ‘bout this Sephiroth dude.”
“Yeah,” Cloud nodded, mouth suddenly dry, “I think I owe you all that much.”
“First though,” Barret tied a strong knot and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. “We all need a good night’s sleep.”
“Day or night really matter?”
“Nah.” They stood up, looking back at the others. They were staring down the road, chattering quietly, but it was obvious that they were nervous.
“Something’s up,” Cloud stated. Barret nodded agreement and the two ran back to their comrades.
“Yo, wassup?” Barret asked.
“Listen,” Aeris ordered, “Or, better yet, feel.” Cloud blinked, the words having no meaning to him until he actually did feel something. The ground was shaking. Slightly, but it was indeed shaking.
“Something’s coming,” Tifa decided, and everyone added unspoken agreement.
“Make sure your Materia is ready,” Cloud took charge, “Barret, grab something to wield. Whatever it is, we’ll be ready for it.”
Yeah, right. What appeared from the dark tunnel down the road was nothing short of monstrous. A tank, it looked like. A robot with a massive, tank-like base that sported armored treads. Its torso and body resembled something humanoid. Two arms adorned its sides, each with large pipes coming out of the shoulders. On the head, two larger pipes spouted continual fire. The massive machine sped at them with notable speed, stopping only when its CPU registered that it was close enough to the enemy.
“Damn,” Tifa commented dryly.
“Red,” Aeris whispered, “What is it?
“Shinra Unit Motor Ball,” Red Sensed, “Weak to electricity.”
“It’s mine!” Tifa spat as she concentrated on a Bolt spell. Soon enough, it blasted into Motor Ball, jolting it badly, but also prompting it to attack. It positioned the pipes on its shoulders towards the fugitives and spouted trails of fire. The fighters scattered in horror, none wanting to burn to death. The flames continued. Eventually, Barret and Red fired back some of their own heated spells, but it did little to Motor Ball except infuriate it further.
Aeris used an Ice spell on one of the shoulders, stopping up the stream of fire for a bit, but the flames melted the ice soon enough.
“Hey, Aeris!” called Cloud, “Do it again! To both shoulders! And keep doing it! Lemme get close!”
Aeris replied by firing two more spells at Motor Ball, slowing each stream of fire, and whenever she suspected that one was picking up its fire rate, she froze it again. The amount of spells began to grow on her, though, and her endurance began to dwindle. She finally just had to quit. No problem, though. Cloud took the opportunity to inch closer to the machine, sword at the ready. He first considered slashing the treads, but he began to notice that the base of the torso that connected it to the base was considerably thinner, though every bit as armored. He jumped back when electricity surged through Motor Ball again. Two more Bolt spells hit, causing smoke to rise from various points of its body. It positioned its flamethrowers at Tifa and only Tifa, angry and showing it. Flames erupted towards the wide-eyed young woman, and she darted to the side, rolling towards Barret’s hiding spot behind the truck.
“All yours, Cloud!” she called.
He climbed up the side of the base with no effort and stood right by the torso. Cursing furiously at things usually helped improve his strength, so he did so now, slicing at the target like he was cutting down a sequoia tree. Motor Ball shuddered, sparks flying from its lower torso. But it reacted. Groaning and creaking, it began to fold its torso down. Cloud realized this just in time and jumped down, rejoining his hiding comrades.
Motor Ball’s torso had folded neatly down so that the flaming pipes atop his head were now facing directly at AVALANCHE. There was a groan of some internal engine, and a huge burst of fire came out of each pipe. Surprised but not frozen, they ran from behind the truck, which disappeared into flames seconds later. It didn’t take long for Motor Ball to track down its enemies. More random bursts of flames flew everywhere as AVALANCHE ran around like frightened rabbits, avoiding the fire at any cost.
This would not do, Red XIII realized. Eventually, all of AVALANCHE would be cooked by Shinra’s machine. He bellowed orders, and his voice was no longer calm and even, but huge and booming. “Get behind it! It can’t turn around very well in this area!”
After kicking themselves for not thinking of it first, the others scooted around the machine one by one until they were behind it. Barret and Cloud climbed aboard as before. Barret bashed the pipes with his gun-arm and Cloud hacked at them with his sword. Eventually, Motor Ball realized that its second strategy had gone down the toilet. It started “standing up” much to its two rider’s distaste. They slid off unceremoniously, collapsing to the pavement.
Tifa went to work immediately, shooting it with three Bolt spells. She cast them too fast, and fell to her knees in exhaustion.
“Magic wears at your mind,” Aeris reminded her, helping her to her feet, “Take it easy.”
“Yeah…” she nodded. “Hey…look!”
Motor Ball was turning around! Slowly but surely, it was making all the movements back and forth, and was spinning to face the team. There was no room to cross to the other side of the machine, lest they wish to be ripped apart by the treads. So, Cloud took a gamble. He hopped up onto the sides, climbing while the treads were moving. It was very risky. One false move and he’d be road kill.
“For the love of…” Tifa sighed. “Be careful!”
Cloud soon became the least of their worries. Motor Ball had turned. Flames flew instantly at them, scattering AVALANCHE once again. Red was the only one who dared to stay out in the open. He darted back and forth with great agility, drawing Motor Ball’s attention and fire.
Cloud had time to get to work. Sparks flew each time the sword connected, and Motor Ball’s armor was slowly fading away. Still, the fire kept going, and eventually Red ran out of breath and had to retreat.
Barret swore. Here they were, right at the end of their dilemma. President Shinra was dead, the Headquarters evacuated, and AVALANCHE was still alive and thriving. For how long, though? Would this final obstacle be the end? No, no it would not. Fiery energies gathered around Barret’s gun again, and he poured his fury at the situation and his hate for the Shinra at the projectile he would send at their brainchild.
“Cloud!” he snapped, “Get off!” Then, to answer his ally’s questioning look, “This bastard’s mine!”
The instant Cloud disembarked, Barret’s shot flew through the air. Motor Ball’s shoulders flared, ready for another burst of flames, but the only flames that came were from its torso. The shot ripped through most of the support, and the sheer weight of its upper body was too much for the remaining support to handle. Motor Ball’s torso caved in, and in a fury of flames the upper body crashed into the base. The fight was over.
They all rested quietly, breathing heavily and totally spent. But they were all happy. The battle was over, and they had survived it.
Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aeris, and Red XIII were seated on the dirty ground, but it didn’t matter to them, for the dirty ground was far below the battlefield where Motor Ball still sat burning, a sign to the Shinra: They were no match. Finally, someone had come to whom the Shinra was no match. Well, not exactly. In fact, they probably were the perfect matches for each other. AVALANCHE just kept winning.
Everyone knew by now what had happened in the Shinra’s Headquarters. Barret, Aeris, and Red had related their battles with Hundred Gunner and Heli-Gunner, as well as the near death experience that followed. Cloud told of his fight with Rufus and Dark Nation, but not of Sephiroth’s missing sword. He figured some things were better left unsaid.
“So,” Barret yawned. “Prez Shinra is dead and his son was beaten. That’s sweet, real sweet!”
“Yeah,” Tifa grinned. “It started with a few reactors. Who’d have guessed it would wind up like this?”
“Like this…” Red murmured.
“Hrm?” asked Aeris.
Red scanned their faces when he spoke. “You realize that Midgar is no longer a safe place for us.”
“Yeah,” Barret nodded slowly, “I guess.”
“Hadn’t really thought about that…” Tifa agreed.
“Well,” Aeris frowned, “Then what do we do now?”
Cloud stood up slowly, looking out into the horizon. The sun almost blinded him, for he was so used to not seeing it. “We have a new mission, if you’d care to come along.”
“The true crisis for the planet?” Barret smirked.
“Yeah,” Cloud smirked back, “Sephiroth is still alive. That means there are things I have to do.”
“Like what?” asked Tifa.
“Go after him, for one thing,” he replied.
“I’m going too!” Aeris piped up.
“Sure?” Cloud frowned, “It’s not going to be an easy journey…”
“I can take care of myself,” she huffed. “Besides! I kinda wanna learn a little more about the Ancients, if I can.”
“That might be a good idea,” Barret nodded sarcastically, but smiled to soften it. “Count me in, I guess. I still wanna save the planet and stuff, so your enemy is my enemy.”
“Don’t forget me,” Tifa stood, “I’ve got nothing left for me here.”
Red paused, frowning slightly at them. “I owe you all a debt for the escape.”
“Nah,” Cloud waved it off, “You fought with us and saved our butts a few times. Consider any debt repaid.”
Red smiled slightly, but it was obvious that he didn’t agree with Cloud. “My hometown is in Cosmo Canyon. I’ll go with you until then.”
“Glad to have ya,” Barret slapped him on the back, awkward as it may sound.
“So,” Tifa swayed a bit, squinting at the morning sun, “Where are we headed?”
“Wherever Sephiroth goes, I guess,” Cloud sighed, “Might be a long way.” He paused.
“Don’t be surprised if we start following the Shinra around, or vice versa. Rufus wanted to find Sephiroth, too.”
“I’m cool with that,” Barret grinned, “More of a chance to put a bullet in that dude’s head!”
“Yeah, that’s the spirit,” Aeris smiled wryly.
“Well,” Barret snapped to attention, “We’re gonna need a leader for this lil party! Course only I could be that.”
“Really?” Tifa frowned.
“I dunno,” Aeris tilted her head, “I pick Cloud.” It was unanimous.
“Hrmph!” Barret pouted and spat a curse, but he was smiling slightly. He patted Cloud on the back. “Don’t worry, Cloud, I was gonna vote for ya anyway.”
“Right,” Cloud also grinned wryly.
“Hmm,” Red pondered, “You do know more about this Sephiroth and his mission than any of us. Naturally, you should lead us.”
“Aye,” they all replied.
Cloud breathed deeply. He’s started out as Barret’s employee who only served to piss everyone off. Now, he was going to lead Barret and company, and he had all their respect. The best laid plans of mice and men? Oh well. They were right. He was the best leader in this scenario.
“All right,” he nodded, “Where’s the nearest city? We need to sleep.”
“Kalm Town,” Barret answered, “It’s ‘bout a mile south of Midgar. I’m getting a move on.”
“Me too,” Red got to his feet. “You can lead us there at least, Barret.”
“Hold up,” Tifa joined their group, “I’m tired. Let’s go get a bloody few hours of sleep in an actual hotel.”
“I’ll hang back a bit,” Cloud glanced nervously upwards, “Just in case any of the Shinra want to follow us.”
“Meet ya there!” Barret waved, and his party started off.
Aeris walked up to him and handed him a yellow Materia orb.
“What’s this?” He quirked a brow.
“Red got it out of the holding tank during the fight with SAMPLE,” Aeris explained, “I’m not sure what it does.”
Cloud pocketed the orb and looked Aeris over. “Ever left Midgar before?”
“Nope,” she shook her head slightly, “At least, not that I can remember.”
“Nervous…?” he dared.
“Nah,” she grinned, “I can take care of myself, but I have a bodyguard when things get tough.”
Cloud laughed and shook his head. “If only he’d stop screwing up, eh?”
Aeris fell silent. She glanced around as if a little nervous.
“Aeris…?” he asked, tensing for another battle.
She surprised him, however, when she quickly embraced him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Startled, but not wanting to seem cold, he returned the favor, holding her for a few moments.
“What’s this for…?” he finally whispered.
“Thank you…” she said softly.
“For what?”
“For coming after me.” She released him and stepped back, a bit embarrassed. “I thought…I thought I was screwed when Tseng took me away. I didn’t really think that anyone would brave the Shinra’s powerhouse just to come help me. But…I still kept hoping. You know…maybe Cloud would come.” She smiled. “And you did come, you and all of AVALANCHE! And you got to stick it to the Shinra, too!” She looked him in the eyes, an easy task since they were both about the same height. “So, you see…you didn’t screw up. You never did.”
Cloud just stood there for a while, taking it all in. She really thought that? He’d failed her when he’d let her slip into the Shinra’s hands! Or at least, he thought so. She apparently didn’t.
“If you say so,” he finally replied. It wasn’t the most brilliant thing in the world to say, but it was all he could think of.
Aeris laughed and shook her head. “You know? For all your strength you’re slightly impossible when it comes to certain things.” She looked down the road, where Barret, Tifa, and Red had disappeared. “Think it’s about time?”
“Yeah,” he replied following her gaze. “Ready?”
She whipped out her staff and twirled it like a master. “I think I’ll be all right.” She paused. “I’m positive, in fact…” It was spoken lightly, too lightly for him to hear.
Cloud and Aeris started away from Midgar together, following the trail the others had unintentionally made. As they walked, they were silent, each thinking of different things. In Cloud’s mind, his thoughts suddenly turned from the present to the future. Somewhere out there, a man with a black cape was moving around, setting up for something, but Cloud did not know what. He knew only one thing.
He would find that black caped man.
And he would kill him.