Chapter Thirty: "Sephiroth Has The Black Materia"

Tifa awoke slowly, and yawned as she stretched out on the bed. She felt a bit sore but content, and despite the unusually chill air she was comfortably warm beneath the sheets. Her peace was short-lived as her pounding skull brought on reality. "God, how much did I drink?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes. She sat up, putting out a hand to steady her, but flinched as her fingers touched skin. She wasn’t alone. Sabin lay beside her, half covered by the sheets and sleeping quietly. His face was turned away from her.

What is this? Tifa stared at him, then glanced down at herself; she wasn’t wearing anything. She never slept naked. Feeling confused and disoriented she climbed out of bed and began to get dressed.

She stopped. Her head was already pounding and her heart began to as well. In watching Sabin she began to remember the events of the night before: she’d been playing cards with Sabin, Locke, and Cid, and then she came back here, and then…

Sabin exhaled heavily in his sleep, readjusting himself on the bed.

"Oh God…" Tifa sank into the room’s chair. Her stomach tightened with a sickening sensation. Had she…no, she couldn’t have. There had to be some mistake. She’d been dreaming about Cloud…

What should I do? She didn’t remember what had happened, and the more she tried the sicker she felt. Her gut lurched. I’m gonna be sick. But—oh Sabin, what happened? Did we…how…I…

She couldn’t stay. Gathering her belt, shoes, and gloves, she started for the door. Her eyes flickered back to Sabin a moment, and they began to fill with tears. Stop it she commanded of herself, wiping them away almost fearfully. It…it was a mistake. You were both drunk—he’ll understand that. It wasn’t anything.

There was a heavy knock on the door, and before she could answer it was thrown open. Nadia was there. "Tifa—thank God. Cloud’s in trouble. He—"

She broke off, gaping in disbelief at the figure behind Tifa. Her jaw dropped. "Holy shit…you two…?"

Tifa bit her lip, sensing the return of her tears. She searched unsuccessfully for a response. "You didn’t, did you?" the younger woman stuttered. "I mean, wow. Did you?"

"Listen," she said finally. "Can you tell Sabin when he wakes up that…that I…" Her face twisted. "Well, that I’m sorry. Could you tell him that?"

"You can tell him yourself."

Tifa turned around dreadfully, and grimaced. Sabin was sitting up in bed, watching her calmly. No emotion she could recognize showed in his brown eyes. Her lips trembled for several moments without speech, searching for an explanation. "Sabin, I…"

"It’s okay, Tifa," he interrupted. His voice was gentle, without any falter of anger or disappointment. "I understand. Cloud’s in trouble, right? You should go help him."

She stared at him, shocked. Her heart fluttered about in bewilderment at what was happening, but she didn’t have the strength to question. "Are…are you sure?"

"Go on." Very slowly a smile reached the corners of his lips. "He needs you, Tifa. Go on."

"Sabin…" Tifa approached and awkwardly kissed his cheek. "Thank you. Let’s talk later, okay?"

"Sure."

She managed a weak smile, then moved back to the door. "Where is he?"

Nadia blinked, stunned by what she was seeing. "The courtyard," she replied dumbly. "Can’t miss him."

"Thanks."

Once she’d gone, Nadia turned back to Sabin. "Sabin," she whispered hoarsely, "what the hell happened?"

He didn’t hear. With Tifa gone the smile fled from his face, which was now contorted in a pained expression like none she’d ever seen on a man. He tried to hide it beneath his hand. But he wouldn’t let himself fall apart—not in her presence. The muscles in his jaw and neck were tightened in restraint even as he choked on a gasping sob, and his knuckles bore painfully into his eye sockets. All of these signs were pale in comparison to the churning sickness in his gut.

"Sabin?" Nadia came forward hesitantly, carefully laying a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. "Hey, what happened?"

"Nothing," he hissed weakly, not able to face her. "Nothing at all. Forget it, okay? Why don’t you go help Cloud."

She bit her lip, unable to let herself be unaffected by the heart-breaking scene. "Talk to me," she pleaded. "This isn’t you, Sabin."

"Who cares who the hell I am?" he half shouted, his eyes searching hers for some answer he could use. "I’m not good enough for anything." And before she could respond he continued with bitter laughter. "God damn it, I should have known. I’m not good enough for her. But…but I…" He pounded his fist into the mattress suddenly with an impact that stirred the springs and startled Nadia. "And damnit, my name isn’t Cloud."

Nadia pulled her hand back, not knowing what to say. Neither spoke for what felt like a long time. Finally she quietly asked, "Do you want to talk?"

"No," he murmured, eyes staring without focus at the wall. "No, I don’t want to talk. Sorry."

"Don’t be. Just…" she sat down beside him and put her hand on his arm. "It’s not your fault, whatever happened. Tifa’s…well, try not to think about it much. When this blows over you two can work it out."

"Aren’t you going to go help Cloud?" Sabin growled.

She sighed, willing to put up with his mood given the circumstances. "Yeah. This is pretty serious, Sabin. I won’t ask you to come."

He closed his eyes. "No, I’ll come. Just give me some time."

"Okay." Nadia gave him a quick hug and started to go. "I’ll wait outside. Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks, Nadia."

Tifa managed to struggle into her clothing on the way to the courtyard, even as she was battling the effects of the last night’s alcohol. Her mind prickled with apprehension. Her sleep had been filled with strange dreams of the past, things best left behind in the mist. When she tried to reach the images they fled from her. Cloud, what’s going on? She asked silently. I’m scared…

She hadn’t even left the building when she heard it—a man screaming. It was Cloud. Her pace quickened, carrying her outside and into the bizarre scene. Cloud was on his knees in the center of the clearing, crying and yelling as he gripped his skull. As she watched, Aeris began to approach, and he hollered for her to retreat. She didn’t, but Celes took her arm and pulled her back fiercely. Her words were masked by the awful commotion.

Tifa joined them, shuddering. "What happened?" she demanded. "What’s wrong with him?"

"Don’t know," the general admitted. "He just started screaming—he won’t let us near him. Look what he did to Lucca." She gesture behind here, to where the young technician was leaning against Cait Sith’s moogle body, bleeding from the nose and lip. Crono was tending to her.

"Sephiroth’s nearby," said Aeris quietly, watching Cloud with concern in her eyes. "He’s doing this."

Cloud stopped to take a breath, exhausted and shivering. In his mind the dark voice continued to ring, chanting once question over and over:

I’ve known where it was the whole time, Cloud realized. It’s in my memories. But Sephiroth was in my mind…he couldn’t uncover it because it would hurt Tifa if he did. He ground his teeth, resisting the temptation to recall those ancient times. But I gave Tifa up by breaking that deal—he doesn’t have to protect her anymore. And that means…

"We have to help him," said Tifa desperately. "Aeris, Celes, please—we have to do something."

Celes nodded. She waved for Crono to come forward. "We have to calm him down to find out what’s wrong. Come with us, Crono."

Aeris went first with Crono, confident that she could help him in some way. He didn’t take notice of her approach until she was crouched beside him. "Get away," Cloud hissed, trying to keep her from touching him. "Go away—leave me alone." His hand snapped out suddenly, and Crono was sent sprawling into the dirt. "Don’t interfere!"

"Cloud, stop it," she said as Celes and Tifa came forward as well. "We’re trying to help. Please tell me what’s wrong."

"Stay back." He dragged himself across the ground like a wounded animal. "Please, Aeris."

"Cloud."

Tifa’s voice froze him in place, and he didn’t know what to do as she knelt beside him. "Cloud, it’s Tifa," she said quietly. "Please talk to us. Tell us—"

Cloud wrapped his arms around her suddenly, pulling her roughly against her. "I’m not letting go," he whispered, holding her so tightly that it was almost painful. "I won’t let go—it’s not fair. I won’t let go."

"It’s not fair."

Celes motion for Aeris to step back. She knelt at Cloud’s side and touched the top of his head. "Cloud, talk to us. What isn’t fair?"

He held Tifa out at arms length, studying her with a careful eye. His expression tightened in discontent. "You…you really did, didn’t you? I thought it was a mistake." He wasn’t angry or upset, merely scrutinizing. "You did."

Sabin and Nadia entered the courtyard then, and they were immediately spotted. Cloud’s eyes darkened. "But I don’t blame you, Tifa," he muttered. "I blame him." He let her go and climbed to his feet.

"Cloud—wait—" Tifa moved between the two as Sabin came forward slowly. "Please, don’t do anything. It wasn’t his fault."

"Stand back," he instructed firmly, pushing her aside. "I won’t let anyone take advantage of you."

"But—"

"I thought you were in trouble." Sabin finished putting on his vest, and confined his clenched fists to his pockets where they’d be hidden. "You okay now?"

Cloud’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the man. "Until you showed up. I should have killed you a long time ago."

Everyone flinched at his words—except Sabin. "What’s going on?" Aeris asked.

Celes shook her head. "I don’t know. Something’s wrong with him." She came forward. "Cloud, leave Sabin alone. He isn’t worth your trouble."

"It’s his fault," he snarled. "He’s the one who decided, not me. I didn’t have a choice." He was shaking. "Not me."

"I don’t know what—" Sabin was interrupted by Cloud’s attempted punch, which he blocked. He jumped back. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

"Shut up!" Cloud shouted. "It’s your fault! You took her away!" He charged, but the conditioned martial artist was well on guard. He stepped to the side and pounded his fist in his attacker’s face, sending him into the dirt.

"Everyone stop this," Celes commanded angrily, trying to intervene. "Whatever happened, this isn’t helping, so calm down, both of you."

"I can’t." Cloud pushed onto his knees. "I can’t think anymore. It’s his fault for taking advantage of Tifa."

Sabin’s face contorted, and an anger unlike any before formed in his eyes. "You don’t know what you’re talking about," he retorted vehemently. "You son of a bitch. You don’t know anything about Tifa!"

Cloud rose to his feet, and everyone began to retreat, awaiting the inevitable confrontation. The tension surrounded and penetrated them like a solid mist. Like a storm it was coming, covering them until they’d given up trying to stop it. They waited.

"Do you know her?" Cloud asked at last, not daring to let his eyes falter from his enemy’s. He knew he had to keep his mind focused and occupied or risk losing his thoughts to the more powerful antagonist within. "Sleeping with her doesn’t entitle you to anything."

Sabin stiffened, as did their audience. All eyes leapt to Tifa and she turned away, trying to hide from their questions and their shock. Nadia stood by her, willing to be comforting as no one else was.

"You have no right," Sabin hissed, struggling—for Tifa’ sake—to control his aggression. "Not after the way you’ve treated her."

Cloud scowled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I’m talking about you and Tifa, Cloud," he snapped. "I don’t know why you’re concerned all of a sudden—you don’t love her." He knew he should stop himself, hold his tongue and not say any more, but he couldn’t help it. "How can you—you’re in love with Aeris!"

Before anyone knew where to look the fight had started. The distance between them disappeared in an instant of blurred movement, and the first round of blows was exchanged. Each blocked the other’s strikes perfectly. They backed off if only for a moment and met again. This time Sabin’s strength overpowered that of his younger opponent, and he was thrown onto his back. Then they met again.

"Can’t we do anything?" Aeris said, watching helplessly from the sidelines. She cringed as Cloud struck Sabin’s jaw, an impact she almost felt. "Can’t we stop them?"

"I wouldn’t suggest getting tangled in that," replied Lucca, who had come up behind her, still cleaning blood from her face. She looked disheveled but otherwise okay.

"It might be good for them," Celes mused. "Sometimes when men fight it solves things—something I never understood."

"Yeah, but not if they cream each other first."

Tifa pulled her hands away from her face, turning a tear-stained gaze to the fight. Their bodies were a smear of color against the rusty orange of the rock walls, battling without thought or reason. Her heart had stopped, or so she imagined. She didn’t know what to do.

They broke apart, gasping and bleeding, and it seemed for a moment that the dual had ended. Cloud wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He’s good he thought to himself. Better than me. The only reason he’s not beating me is because I can read his moves faster. Damn, he’s tough…

I don’t understand. Sabin scowled, tightening the bands on his wrists. I should have made some kind of contact by now. For a moment his gaze fell on Tifa—she was watching him, pleading with him to stop. But he couldn’t.

Cloud took advantage of his hesitation to attack. His heel smashed heavily on the man’s forehead, and Sabin was sent reeling. With his skull already pounding from his hangover the pain was deafening. They resumed the battle. But this time they didn’t fight by defending; it became a contest to see which would survive the longest under the other’s brutal punishment, and every hit found its mark. Accusations and curses flew with the blows, leaked from their every pore, making their skin glisten with their anger and red with the fury. They weren’t fighting to be better, though—they weren’t even fighting for Tifa, or themselves. They were claimed by a madness, and as the injuries mounted it only increased their fever.

Sabin grimaced as he was tossed again into the dirty rocks. He quickly rolled out of the way of a counterstrike.

Something in Cloud’s chest snapped; he’d broken a rib. For a moment he staggered back, but the next instant he continued as if he didn't care.

Tifa gasped, watching as Sabin fell into a stance she recognized: her master’s move, the most powerful and lethal of the style. My god, he’s— And suddenly she was on her feet again, shouting, "Don’t kill him!"

Sabin’s pause ended the battle. Cloud’s knee met the less guarded flesh in his gut, crushing the breath from him. One last hit felled him. The older man lay on his back in the blood-splattered pebbles. His eyes drifted to the early morning clouds, but the rest of him refused to move. He was utterly exhausted. A moment later Cloud collapsed some feet away. I won Cloud's mind whispered.

Sephiroth’s presence was there, calmly replying, "I’m proud of you, Cloud."

"Proud…?" Never in his recollection had Sephiroth said such a thing. He himself began to fill with pride.

Everyone was beginning to approach—Cloud knew they would take care of him. "In Nibelheim," he said quietly. The spirit of the fight had erased all his previous concerns. "In the fort my father built. Under a stone. I hid it there." And then he lapsed into a peaceful slumber.

"Everyone, stand back," Celes ordered, kneeling next to Cloud. "Give him room."

Lucca prepared to give him a sedative she’d prepared, but seeing that he was already unconscious decided otherwise. "He’s out cold. Not that I blame him—that was some beating."

Aeris crawled over to his head, wiping away the blood and the sweat. She felt as if something had changed inside him—he was no longer struggling. A terrible weight had been lifted, but was replaced with feelings of guilt and resentment. He celebrated and mourned at the same time. She wondered vaguely what had happened.

Meanwhile, as everyone surrounded Cloud, Sabin was left alone. He lay there in the dirt, just as beaten physically and emotionally, but unattended. He didn’t care anymore—there was no feeling left in him other than the pain of his loss. It was his fault for being weak. Ten years…ten years he’d spent training, fighting, mastering the arts of his teacher, but he’d still lost. He imaged that it was rather pathetic.

A hand touched his forehead, and he was a bit disappointed to see Nadia leaning over him. She and Crono began to wipe the blood off him. "You okay, big guy?"

He let out a deep sigh. "No. What is Tifa doing? I can’t look at her."

Nadia frowned. "She’s just sitting there, Sabin. She’s crying."

"Is anyone taking care of her?"

His two attendants exchanged glances, amazed that after it all his concern was only on her. "Cait Sith is with her. She’ll be okay—just a bit shocked, I think."

"Tell her I’m sorry." Then Sabin closed his eyes, joining his enemy in slumber. His, however, would not be so peaceful.

***************

The woods outside Nibelheim were dense, so that no matter where a path was made it was full of twists to avoid the ominously towering evergreens. The trees were very much like the mountains themselves with their foreboding presence, the smell of pine mixing with the darker aura of the monsters that lurked among them. But the man who traveled through it now was oblivious—or else impervious—to the warnings from the land. He was listening to the voice speaking to him.

"All men want to be great," the SOLDIER replied.

He ducked his head under a branch and kept going. "Keep talking."

"This doesn’t help me find the materia."

"Oh." A pause. "Well, one day out I found a fort built out of stones and rotting wood. It was far from the town. My mother said that Father played there with his friends as a boy, but they’d all forgotten it."

"That’s more like it." He adjusted his course to follow the image he saw—the boy’s memories. "So you hid the materia there."

The SOLDIER came upon a circle foundation of rocks, covered in vines and moss and half destroyed from years of violent weather. One flat stone caught his attention, and he moved it aside to reveal a small black sphere. He brushed the soil away and lifted it out for inspection. "I have it. The Black Materia."

And now a different voice reached him. "Good work. Bring it to me in the Promised Land. I’ll meet you there, with the others."

"Yes, master." He pocketed the materia and started out of the woods.

"And thank you too, Cloud," the second voice came again. "Your mind is very helpful. Meet me there as well, won’t you?"

***************

"Sephiroth has the Black Materia."

Aeris inhaled sharply, startled by Cloud’s sudden verbalization. "What?" She leaned closer. "What was that?"

They were alone in Cloud’s room, as Aeris had accepted full responsibility in his care. She’d thought him to be asleep, as Nu was curled and dreaming on his stomach. Presently, however, his eyes were opened slightly, and his lips parted to speak. "I had it all along. I told him where it was. He had one of his men there, waiting…" For a moment he didn’t speak as Aeris dealt with the abrupt news. "He has it now. He’s going to the Promised Land."

"Promised Land…" she echoed. "But…where?"

"In the cold. The snow and the cold." He blinked slowly. "Somewhere with much energy."

Aeris closed her eyes, trying to imagine such a place. The planet whispered answers to her questions. There was someplace she had to go, and something she had to do. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary. "Cloud," she said softly, "go to sleep. Just rest here, okay? I’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry."

His eyes opened a little wider. "You’re leaving?"

"Only for a little bit." She smiled pleasantly, reassuring him. He didn’t understand how she did it, but whenever her lips curled for him, he couldn’t help but think that the earth was worth saving. "Don’t worry—when it’s all over, I’ll come back. Until then be strong. Go to sleep now."

Cloud nodded, and his eyelids drifted shut. She straightened the blankets around him and patted Nu on the head. "Too cute," she chuckled. "Cloud’s a perfect chocobo mother." She gigled, but her mood was quickly becoming serious. She watched as he melted silently into slumber; his face relaxed, and his breath deepened. His lips were slightly parted, the way a young child might sleep. It was disarmingly cute. Never would she have imagined him to hold such a terrible power inside him—the power that killed President Shin-ra, resurected the greatest SOLDIER, and now uncovered the location of the Black Materia. Especially with the tiny bird perfectly at ease on top of him.

Aeris had fallen in love with him that afternoon at the chocobo ranch. She’d been given a view of him that few could see—the Cloud that hid within the turmoil, the spirit of the little boy who’d never had a chance to grow. The Cloud that had laughed. He was very much like a child with his careless manner and retorting remarks, but there was something deeper…something she almost desperately wanted to find. She’d promised.

I have one last chance, she thought to herself, sitting on the bed beside him. She placed her hand lightly on his forehead. Let me find you, Cloud. He soul descended upon his. I want to fulfill my promise. Just once, can’t you open yourself to me? I want to see the real Cloud…

Something unexpected and at the same time remarkable happened—his soul reached back. She had just begun her gentle search when she was enveloped in a burning heat, and it took a moment for her to realize that it was his essence. While hers was warm and sweet, his was constantly shifting, raging, and retreating, the heat of a fire and the sting of bitter ice mixing and competing against each other. She tried to retreat but it pulled her closer, into the whirling vortex of screaming, crying, anguished voices.

Finally Aeris was released. She felt empty, cold, and alone. The darkness surrounded her and pricked her skin with goosebumps. Is this what Cloud’s mind is like? Am I in his mind? She wondered, searching the abyss. It can’t be. There has to be something…

She heard a voice, weeping softly. It sounded like a little boy. She followed, reaching out to blindly probe the expanse of black. A light surrounded her, white and intense as if a sudden bulb had been turned on. But it only focused on her, and did nothing to reveal the path before her. She kept going, and the crying grew louder. When it was directly before her the sound was reduced to a frightened whimper. Trusting her instincts—for she could not see the source—she knelt down and held her arms out.

A shuffling of movement. Just as she had expected a small child crawled out of the shadows and into her lap, huddling against her body for warmth. He cried softly into the front of her dress. With a faint smile Aeris held the boy and rocked him slowly, whispering words of encouragement and assurance. The boy said nothing.

Aeris began to understand. Sephiroth was here, waiting and resting, with each passing moment beating Cloud’s spirit down. He might have fought, or tried to escape, but now he was beyond that. Things had gone too far. Now he only cried, lost and afraid, waiting to be rescued. After that…

…things would start to break down. Sooner or later this boy would begin to accept his fate. He’d stop fighting or protesting all together, surrendering to the terror, welcoming and consuming his own pain to keep from going crazy. Already she could see the evidence of his hopelessness in this lost world. If Sephiroth stayed, and this continued, soon there would be no boy left at all, but a fading nightmare in a world without peace or light. A tiny, lifeless shell. And then…

"This is the real you, isn’t it?" Aeris asked quietly, plucking at the boy’s spiky blond hair. "The real Cloud that I’ve been looking for. You’re trapped, aren’t you?" He didn’t respond, and returned to whining. "Shh," she hushed with a motherly tone. "I’ll help you." But she knew she couldn’t—she may be his only light, but how could she carry him out of a realm with no end? He would have to create his own light, and she couldn’t be there for him anymore.

There was a knock on the door, and Aeris was jerked back into herself once more. The effort had used up much of her energy, forcing her to catch her breath before answering. "Yes?"

The door opened and Crono walked in with a tray of food. He smiled brightly. "Oh, hi Crono," she said cheerfully. "Thanks—I’m starving."

Crono nodded, and handed her a bowl of soup. The aroma was heavenly to her deprived senses. He watched her patiently as she ate. After a while she paused to ask, "Are you waiting for me?"

He nodded politely. At least you don’t have to look hard to find what he really is, Aeris thought to herself, smiling. What a guy; Nadia’s lucky. Not that I’m unlucky. "Well, you gonna let me know what for?"

Crono reached into his pocket and pulled out a pad of paper that had already been written on and showed it to her:

Aeris frowned. "Why you?"

He pointed to the bottom of the page. BECAUSE YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH ME.

"Well, you’ve certainly got a point. You’ll just sit here until you’re satisfied, right? Let’s see…" There was no way around it; she had to tell them. "Actually, Sephiroth has the Black Materia. He’s going to the Promised Land."

Crono’s expression was calm as he nodded, as if he already knew. He had a way of accepting and understanding the things that happened to him without questioning, which led her to believe that the planet itself had somehow chosen him. She knew it must have been because of his extraordinary experience. It was a good idea to send him to speak to her, because she felt perfectly comfortable in his presence.

"It’s somewhere in the far North," she went on. "I…I think there’s something important up there. We may not be able to stop Sephiroth, but I think we’d better follow."

He watched her intently a moment, waiting for her to go on, but there was really nothing else to say. "That’s all I know," she said. "We’ll go as soon as Cloud’s ready, okay?"

Crono’s eyes reflected a question, filled with doubt, and Aeris caught on immediately. "Yes, I think he should go. If he’s ever going to help himself, you’ll have to give him the chance."

Thoughtful, he nodded, and retrieved a pencil from his pocket. He scribbled on the paper and showed it to her. WHAT ABOUT YOU?

She cocked her head to the side curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You can’t fool me" his eyes seemed to speak, and she sighed. "Crono, you are entirely too suspicious. Come on." Slurping down the last spoonful of soup, she wiped her mouth and stood. "I feel better after explaining it to you. Let’s go find the others."

Tifa didn’t look at anyone as they discussed what had happened. She sat in the corner and hugged her knees to her chest, letting the soft tendrils of her hair drape over her face to hide the blatant tracks of her tears. The words only barely reached her. She’d never felt so isolated as she did then; they all knew what she’d done, and the pain she’d caused. Sabin loved her; that was proved beyond all doubt. Presently he was asleep in the next room—what would she do when he woke up? What could she possibly do to explain herself? Even worse was when she tried to remember the night before, all she had was brief images and flashes of intense heat, the feel of skin against trembling skin. But her mind was in shock from the dreams she was just now beginning to recall, and only Cloud’s face made an appearance. She was certain she’d witnessed portions of Cloud’s memory.

"There’s obviously only one solution," Glenn saying. "We’ll have to go the Promised Land."

"We won’t possibly make it in time." Lucca scribbled figures on her notepad. "We still have Gabbiani’s buggy, which means we can make it to Porre, and then take a plane to Bone Village up north. That’s the furthest town before the glacier, and if we’re lucky we’ll be able to find some way to Icicle Inn. From there we’re on our own." She frowned. "But in all it’s almost a week of travel, no matter how you figure it. There’s no way."

Cait Sith scratched his ear thoughtfully, and flicked his tail—things he’d grown accustomed to doing as part of being a cat. "Even still, Lavos won’t toast everything all at once, will he? Isn’t there a way to stop it?"

"We’ll find a way. We have to." Aeris pursed her lips, and though appearing thoughtful the expression was childishly cute. "Maybe we’d better stop talking and do something."

Nanaki padded into the room then, his head hung low. "I’m afraid I won’t be coming with you," he said. "My grandfather—Belthasar—is ill. I don’t think I’d be much good to you anyway."

Lucca looked up sharply. "Ill? What do you mean? What’s wrong?"

"I’m not certain," he admitted, "but I think everything that’s happened is having an affect on him. He’s very weak." He shook his head slowly. "I just wouldn’t feel right about leaving him. I hope you’ll forgive me for quitting this journey."

"It’s okay, Nanaki," Aeris said, patting his nose. "Take good care of him."

"Thank you."

Everyone fell silent for a while, considering their options, until Glenn spoke up again. "There’s no choice to be made. We’ll go after him. I will. Who decides to come or not is their own business, and it makes no difference to me."

"We should at least wait for Cloud to get a little better," said Aeris. "And where’s Celes?"

"I haven’t seen her."

Lucca stared down at her notepad. "It’ll take a while to prepare, anyway. He’ll have some time. Locke and Cid, too—they’re both still hung-over from last night." Unconsciously she glanced at Tifa, and quickly forced herself to look away. "I’ll see if I can do some work on the buggy. The rest of you start getting ready, okay?"

They nodded and got to work.

To Next Chapter

Return