Chapter 8: "There’s Nothing To Be Afraid Of."

Celes wandered up on deck, just in time to see the last sliver of daylight slip beneath the ocean horizon. She and her small band had boarded the ship Epoch on its journey to Costa del Sol, where they would meet up with Cloud and the others. Her thoughts drifted as she crossed to the deck rail, feeling the cool ocean breeze against her skin and in her hair. She felt refreshed by it—so clean a wind had never reached her in Midgar, and she missed the feeling of open space. As she watched, tiny glittering stars began to poke out of the canopy of sky.

"Admiring the view?"

Celes glanced over her shoulder, slightly annoyed at herself for not noticing the presence earlier. When she knew who it was, she understood. "You could say that," she replied finally.

"Spending time in Midgar," Glenn said thoughtfully, crossing to the railing, "makes one forget the beauty in this world."

She nodded, but now her focus was on him. By now his identity had found its place in nestled roughly in her memory, and her eyes were filled with old visions. "I was hoping we might meet like this," she said softly, her voice tight with controlled emotion. "Alone. We have a lot to talk about."

His eyes sought her face, scrutinizing her expression. "So, you do recognize me. I wondered about that, since we never met face to face."

"I was there when it happened."

"A long time ago."

Celes turned her gaze to the darkening sky. "Yes. It was, wasn’t it? A long time. But not so long for me."

Glenn considered a moment. "I didn’t know you were there. I hardly remember anything from those times." His voice, rough as always, grew distant. "When I heard about Sephiroth’s death I thought perhaps it was over for me. I wanted it to be over." He sighed. "I know now that it is not that simple."

"Sephiroth’s…death… Is that supposed to make me pity you?" she demanded harshly. "Should I feel sorry for you, after what you did to my companions, my friends? Never." Her body was trembling. "What gave you the right to kill them? All those SOLDIERs were my family, all of them. Why?"

Finally he met her gaze directly, and his eyes were almost apologetic. "Because that’s what ‘heroes’ do," he replied simply, turning away. Without looking back he walked on, admiring the ocean with those same golden eyes that had for a moment sought repentance. Now they only flittered across the waves. Celes watched him, her temper swelling, but then she forced herself still. Anger towards this man would not help her, for she knew he wouldn’t care. Instead she merely scowled and turned away from the rail to head back to her room. A hero indeed she thought bitterly. How dare he. The men he killed were good men; men with families, friends, ambitions—how dare he take it all away and mask his crimes with justice. He probably intends to—

"Watch out, coming through!" Lucca appeared out of the lower deck, pushing her out of the way. A moment later Locke dashed by, moved to the railing, and promptly vomited over the side of the ship. "Sorry about that," Lucca apologized to the general. "Didn’t mean to shove ‘ya, but I don’t think you want to be in Locke’s way right now."

Celes didn’t feel like talking to any of them, but Nanaki had followed the pair as well, and she didn’t want them all to know she was disturbed. Trying to calm the questions Glenn had generated she asked "What’s wrong with him?"

"He’s seasick."

"I am not seasick," Locke insisted from the rail. "I’m fine. Just fine."

Lucca grinned wryly. "Oh, then I suppose it doesn’t matter to you that the boat’s swaying back and forth, up and down, side to side..."

His face paled, and he turned over the side and retched.

"Beasts never have to worry about getting seasick," Nanaki said thoughtfully, rubbing his ear with his paw.

"Well, our Locke’s not a beast." Lucca handed the man a cloth to wipe his face. "He’s a thief."

"Treasure hunter," he croaked weakly.

Celes regarded him indifferently. "You don’t look like someone who’d get seasick," she remarked, hoping to find some way to disengage.

He glared at her briefly, sitting on the deck with his back against the rail. He kept a hand on his stomach. "I’ll have you know," he said loudly, "that only very dignified, intelligent men get seasick."

Lucca put her hands on her hips and laughed. "Well, then maybe you just got food poisoning or something."

"That’s not funny."

Celes glanced about the deck just in time to see Glenn returning to the interior. Her eyes fastened on his back, burning into the cloth of his cape. She scowled.

"Taking care of you like this reminds me of the good’ol days," Lucca was saying, helping to clean Locke’s face. "Right, Celes?"

She tore her gaze away. "What?"

Locke watched her a moment before concluding, "You were talking to Glenn, weren’t you?"

The general nodded just barely. "Yes. We talked."

"Did he tell you he was a hero? That damn ass." He laughed. "Thinks he’s been sent by the Ancients to destroy their enemies. Damn crazy stuff, but ask him and he’ll prove it."

"The Ancients?" Lucca asked curiously. "What about them?"

"I’m not just a treasure hunter," he replied pointedly, "I’m also a historian. I’ve studied a lot about the Ancients—the original people of this world. Supposedly there aren’t any left now. But Glenn says there’s still some about, and he’s the one doing their work."

Celes snorted. "By killing SOLDIERs?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. We met up a three years ago, and he told me how a while back something happened to him, and now he’s gotta hunt down SOLDIERs. I’m along for the ride, I guess."

"And that’s why we found you with Cloud."

"Yup."

"Why SOLDIERs?" Celes hoped to find the answers to her questions in him, as partitioning Glenn had already proved hopless. "Why would the Ancients want to destroy SOLDIERs?"

But all Locke could offer her was another shrug. "Something to do with what they’re made of."

Nanaki set his head on his paws, having quietly absorbed the conversation until now. "SOLDIER members are men exposed to Mako," he said. "Isn’t that right?"

"Basically." Lucca pursed her lips. "But Hojo does all that himself now—no one knows exactly what he’s doing. I’ve suspected for a while that Mako isn’t the only thing he uses."

Celes frowned, feeling unsettling suddenly. "If he did do anything else," she added, "I think I’d know. I was one of the first."

The group fell silent for a while until Locke spoke up. "Please, keep talking. Then I won’t have to concentrate on being sick."

"What will we talk about?"

"I don’t care." He shifted on the wooden floor, breathing deeply to try and dispel some of the nausea. "Why don’t you tell me what’s so special about this Cloud guy?"

"An explanation would be helpful," Nanaki agreed.

"Well…" Lucca looked to her friend, and decided that she had better do the talking herself. "I guess I know as much about him as anyone. I’ve been taking care of him for the last five years in Midgar. He’s…special."

"Why’s that?"

She struggled for an appropriate response, unsure as to whether she should share the entire story. After all, these men were enemies of the Shin-ra, and even if she’d quit…

Locke caught onto her hesitation quickly. "Listen," he said seriously. "I’ll talk to Glenn—I’m sure he’d be willing give up his ‘occupation’ for a while, at least until we get everything sorted out. After that I can’t say, but if you want help tracking this guy you’re gonna have to trust at least me."

She looked to Celes again, who nodded vaguely. "It’s a long story," she started carefully.

"That’s okay—I’m not getting any sleep tonight on this hell-boat."

"It all started when they brought Cloud back from Nibelheim five years ago," Lucca began at last. "Him, a SOLDIER, and Tifa. Tifa had her injuries fixed and was later released. I doubt she remembers any of that, though. We lost the SOLDIER, but he told us what happened before he died. According to him, Sephiroth had gone mad and destroyed Nibelheim, but Cloud’s story was totally different, and changed every time he told it—even with truth serum his recollections were totally unbelievable."

Locke frowned, listening with his eyes unfocused as if imagining the scene. Celes was silent, and Nanaki looked thoughtful. "Unbelievable how?"

"As in they didn’t make sense. He even told us a version in which he destroyed Nibelheim. We kept trying, however, because Hojo had proposed the idea that Cloud had killed Sephiroth." She expected him to be surprised by this, but he accepted the fact quickly and waited for her to go on. She realized then that Locke wouldn’t be surprised—he did, after all, work with someone that hunted SOLDIERs for a living. "Anyway, Hojo tried everything to find out what had happened, but the stories kept getting stranger and stranger. He even attempted to have someone read his mind using a special materia, but the man who volunteered was put into a coma twenty seconds after initiating the spell. That approach was abandoned. When Hojo got tired of trying to find the truth he decided to make Cloud a member of SOLDIER by putting him through the process."

"Process?"

"The Mako exposure, like Nanaki said before," Lucca explained. "But again, I have my doubts."

"That doesn’t explain everything," Locke protested. "So he’s a lying psychotic—what’s wrong with that?"

"What’s wrong with it," Lucca retorted hotly, "is that we got more than we bargained for. It turned out that Cloud was someone us scientists refer to as a Brute—someone’s whose body can retain vast amounts of Mako energy, but their mind can’t handle the stress. He spent three months in a coma. But Hojo was determined, and gave him all sorts of drugs to try and improve his ability to deal with the powers. And then of course each drug had its own side affects, which lead to different treatments and procedures to correct the mistakes."

"Like a puppet," Nanaki filled in, "with strings going in different directions."

"Sounds more like a kid with his dad’s gun," Locke grunted.

Celes glanced down at them, finally adding her own say. "He’s not just an experiment," she said quietly. "He’s a boy, and he can’t take care of himself alone. It’s amazing he can even think straight out of Shin-ra."

Lucca went on. "Celes had to be there a lot, because she was the only one he ever talked to without blurting out another set of lies. He treated her better than his own mother. Anyway, Hojo got tired of his guinea pig being a disappointment, and finally reported to the President that the project had failed—five years, all nothing. But Celes and I couldn’t stand to let them just execute him like a criminal. We broke him out and gave him a serum that counteracted most of Hojo’s drugs, and wiped out most of his memory of his time in Shin-ra—his life’s been hell the past five years, and we didn’t want him to remember that. As of now he’s been recreating his memory to fit whatever he wants."

Locke paused, then asked, "And Sephiroth?"

"Don’t know," she admitted. "If he really is alive then we’re in for some big trouble. He won’t stop at President Shin-ra."

The General glanced at her briefly, but she didn’t say anything. That is, until Locke took off his coat and dropped it on the deck. She hadn’t noticed before then his belt, nor the sash that crossed his chest; both were decorated with materia: four yellow, one green, and one red. She bent down and inspected the coat more closely, and discovered four green spheres sewn into the collar and two more violet ones in the shoulders. Several more were in the pockets. "Locke," she asked, "where did you get all these?"

"What? Oh, those." He scratched the back of his head. "From everywhere. I’ve been collecting them."

Her face darkened as the realization came, and she dumped the jacket back onto the ground. "Stealing them," she corrected, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. "Taking them from the bodies of dead SOLDIER members. That’s why you work with Glenn, isn’t it?" Her eyes narrowed. "The undertaker and the grave robber."

He blinked, surprised by her sudden accusations. He began to stutter guiltily. "Well, I just—"

"I helped train those men," she hissed, trying and failing to suppress her anger. "I took them and taught them everything for years. They were like my children, my brothers; the closest thing I’ll ever have to a family, and you butcher them like brainless cattle."

"Celes—"

"We don’t need your help." She let her temper slide back into her characteristically icy tone. "You want to keep killing them, you’ll have to get rid of me first—you probably planned on that the whole time. Just remember what you’re dealing with." She turned on her heel and marched off the deck, leaving a threatening wake to slide over the three. She disappeared down the short stairs.

Locke stared after her a moment, then let his breath out in a low sigh. "It’s not like that," he muttered to himself, looking sick again. "It’s not like that at all."

"What is it like?" Lucca was watching him very carefully now, not accusing, but wary. "Why do you work with this guy?"

"For the materia," he replied. His voice was suddenly very strained. "I’m…looking for something. SOLDIERs always carry the best materia, and, well…"

"It’s convenient," Nanaki supplied.

"Sort of."

Lucca frowned, staring in the direction Celes had gone. "This isn’t like her," she mused. "You don’t see a general upset very often. She’s been acting kinda weird ever since we left Midgar."

The treasure hunter nodded sympathetically. "I can understand, I think. She’s been pulled out of a life she’s always known, to chase something she’s not sure is there. It’s hard to do."

"Yeah."

"But she’ll be fine."

"I know."

Junon Harbor was a quiet, sullen place in the gray dawn of early morning, coated in a hanging smog. None of the residences were out of their homes yet. The entire city was built against the side of a mountain, trapped close to its slope by the ocean shore. There was also something foreboding about it, suspicion and uncertainty drifting in the salty air.

"This must be it," Sabin said, yawning. They’d traveled all through that night, and the effects of hours of walking without rest were starting to creep up on him. "Small place, isn’t it?"

"This isn’t the entire town; inside the mountain there’s a Shin-ra base." Cloud seemed to have fared the best out of all of them. He shifted Aeris’ weight—during the night he’d hooked his sword in front of him to allow her the privilege of riding piggy-back. It wasn’t the most comfortable arrangement, but the most practical. She’d long since fallen asleep. He’d often thought during the journey of how small she was, her arms wrapped around his neck and her cheek pressed to his. It was an almost pleasant feeling, one he was trying hard to ignore.

Sabin surveyed the town briefly, and pointed to a small building just within the cluster of structures. "That looks like an inn," he said. "We should stay and rest for a while, at least until lunch." He glanced at Bobbie, whose back was draped with the two sleeping women. "I think we could all use a break."

"I want to find out if Sephiroth is here."

He started to lead the chocobo to the inn’s stable. "There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Right now we need rest."

"It’s important."

Sabin paused, glaring at the man over his shoulder. "Fine, Cloud," he said at last. "Go ahead. But don’t do anything stupid. Just give me Aeris, and you can go do whatever you want."

"It’s okay," a new voice croaked. Aeris yawned, trying to stretch herself out. "I’ll go with him. I’m up."

Sabin looked unconvinced. "You sure? I’m going to get a room at the inn."

"I’ll be fine," she assured, climbing off Cloud’s back. She rotated her arms, as they were stiff and cramped. "It’ll be good for me to move around. Besides—" she winked "—someone’s gotta watch out for the big guy."

Cloud grunted indignantly, returning his sword to the holster on his back. He groaned as he stretched his arms and shoulders. "I don’t need any help," he muttered.

Sabin cocked an eye, then turned to Aeris. "Okay, go with him. We’ll be at the inn. Just don’t be too long, or you’ll get Tifa worried."

"Sure thing." She smiled a bit sleepily, then took Cloud’s hand and started to lead him away. "Take care!"

"You too."

Cloud followed her away from the inn, slightly perturbed by her constant hanging by his side. "Why are you doing this?" he asked abruptly as they wandered without purpose through the streets. "Why did you even come with us, knowing what we were up against? What do you have to do with Sephiroth?"

She shrugged. "Well, not much, except for about everything." She chuckled, as if it sounded funny even to her. "But really, I just knew I had to be a part of this. From the moment I met you, even. See?" She pointed at his belt. The flowers she’d given him were, amazingly, still there, and alive. "They like you, so I gotta come along."

"That’s ridiculous logic," he remarked.

"I know. But then…there’s something else." He noticed that they’d wandered down toward the waterfront. The beach was small, melting into the crystalline ocean waters. Foamy surf quietly lapped the sands. "If I tell you something," Aeris said mischievously, "can you keep a secret?"

He shrugged. "Sure. I guess so."

"Well…I’m really an Ancient," she told him, and he blinked rapidly in surprise. "Elmyra isn’t my real mother. My mother and I used to live far away, but…well, now I’m the last." Her voice lowered. "It’s kind of lonely, knowing you’re the last of your kind. But it also means I’m special. And when I heard all this stuff about Sephiroth and Jenova—I don’t know. I thought I might be able to do some good."

"An Ancient," Cloud mused aloud. "That legendary race that began the earth. The ancestors of all humanity." He looked at her, feeling a new kind of sympathy for her. "Aeris, that’s…that’s amazing. You’re really an Ancient?"

"The Ancients called themselves the Cetra," she correctly mildly. "But no one remembers those times. It’s okay, though, because I’m not sad. I’ve got some new friends now, right?"

He was about to answer when the sound of a whistle interrupted him, drawing their attention. "Sounds like someone’s up after all," he said, moving to investigate. Aeris followed.

At the water’s edge was a young girl, with dark hair and dressed in a bright orange dress. She had with her a small wooden whistle. Her eyes were focused on the distant waves and the tall metal structure that stood out of them. The tower was made of dozens of iron beams that reached high above them, then connected to a narrow catwalk leading into the mountainside.

"That could get us into the Shin-ra base," Cloud said thoughtfully. "If there was a way up. And if we needed to."

The whistle blew again, and both watched as a ripple appeared in the water. A moment later a slim gray figure leapt out of the blue depths, sailing gracefully over the lowest beam of the structure before disappearing out of view again with a splash. The girl cheered with delight.

Aeris went up to her, smiling broadly. "That was great. What was it?"

The girl grinned back, then turned to the water. "It was Mr. Dolphin," she replied cheerfully. "He’s my friend. When I blow the whistle, he does tricks."

"Really? That’s great."

Several meters out a gray head broke the surface, calling to them with its squeaking laughter. The girl laughed and waved to it. "Hello Mr. Dolphin!" she hollered. "That was wonderful! You’re jumping even higher now!"

The dolphin ducked beneath the waves again, only to return with a leap higher than the last. The two girls clapped while Cloud looked on with boredom.

"My name’s Aeris," she introduced herself, crouching down to put them on the same eye level. "And this is Cloud."

"Cloud?" The girl glanced up at him, and Aeris smiled as she blushed. "He’s handsome," she whispered, embarrassed.

"I know. I think so, too." She made sure he hadn’t heard them. "What’s you name?"

"Pricilla. And that’s Mr. Dolphin. He’s my very best friend."

They chatted for a while as Cloud stood back, indifferent, catching Aeris’ gaze occasionally as if to ask "Are you finished?". She ignored him. He cast his attention to the structure above them, and noticed a thick cable that snaked its way to the bottom of the structure: an electric wire, he assumed, powering some kind of electric field at the tower’s base, just above the water. To keep people from climbing up he thought to himself. Not that I care about Shin-ra right now. The only thing that mattered was Sephiroth: finding and killing him. It quickly became the only thing he could think about. He had to be nearby—he could almost feel how close—

His sight alerted him to a dark figure in the water, one previously not there. Like a rising shadow it ascended from the waves, surrounded by thick black robes that were unaffected by any weight dampness usually caused. It was the form of a cloaked man, hidden within the folds of fabric, balancing on the surface of the waves as if suspended by a supernatural force. With footsteps that echoed tiny ripples it came forward.

Cloud stood frozen, heart unbeating in his chest as the ghostly apparition advanced toward the shore. Neither girl seemed to notice at all. It came slowly and menacingly, and he didn’t know what to do. He felt as if his lips were lined with glass, and to move them would send hundreds of blood-drawing shards into his mouth and throat. He stayed silently paralyzed.

The sound of Pricilla’s sharp scream drew his senses back to him once more. His eyelids shut for half a second, but when they opened the scene had changed; there was no longer the black-cloaked figure, but the tubular body of some demented sea creature. Its long, toothless jaws had caught the young girl and it was steadily dragging her into the shallow surf. Aeris was beating desperately against its translucent skin. "Cloud, do something!" she cried, struggling out of her soaked jacket. She pushed out into the waves after the creature’s retreat, growling in frustration as they beat against her legs and thighs. "Cloud, please—you have to!"

Cloud ran ahead of her, cutting cleanly and effortlessly through the water. He could see the creature, for it was slow in the shallows. Pricilla’s body was lying half out of its mouth. He drew his sword as he approached, letting instinct and skill mix to form a plan of attack. Without so much as a thought he flung the blade, watching with satisfaction as it pinwheeled into the side of the beast’s neck. Dark blood began to flow. Aeris was there suddenly, ready to pull the young girl’s limp body away as she was freed. Screeching a final not of agony and rage, the sea monster sank under the waves and out of sight.

"Hey, he’s still got my sword," Cloud complained, following his companion onto the beach. "Had some good materia in that sword."

"Cloud." Aeris had stretched out the girl on the soft sand, and was leaning over her. "She’s not breathing."

Several figures began to appear on the path that led from the town, and one man rushed forward urgently, calling the girl’s name. "My God—what happened here? Who did this?" He sank to her side. "Is she…?"

"She’s not breathing," Aeris said, keeping calm despite the situation. "Cloud, come here—you were in SOLDIER, right? What should I do?"

Cloud was about to come closer but stopped, a strange feeling coming over him. Pricilla’s face was pale, her limbs limp, and her brown hair was filled with sand, sticking to her face and neck. Her body was still and silent. It frightened him. His heart began to pound painfully, and he realized with a start that he was shaking. What the hell?

"Cloud?" Aeris turned her face up, expression pleading. "Can’t you save her?"

"Please, sir," the man begged. "Please save my daughter."

"Cloud, what should I do?"

His eyes became distant and hollow. "Let her die," he whispered, fists clenching at his sides.

"What?" the girl’s father demanded. "What did you say?"

"Just let her die," he repeated, stepping back. "Don’t do anything; it’s not worth it."

Aeris glared at him in disbelief. "What’s wrong with you? Cloud, why are you—"

"No! Leave me alone! I won’t do it." He trapped his head between his hands, and his voice grew hoarse. "You can’t make me—let her die, just let her die!"

Aeris wanted to do something—his face had contorted into a look of pain. But Pricilla needed her help more. Afraid and confused she placed a hand over the girl’s chest, closing her eyes. Usually she wouldn’t resort to this sort of miracle-like curing, but now she didn’t have much of a choice.

Through it all Cloud could only stare, standing far away from the people who had gathered and the girl who was just beginning to catch her breath. He was ashamed—how could he not do anything to help her? He considered going back, but then he thought of the girl and a chill ran up his spine. Why was he so afraid? He turned his vacant eyes to the water, and he could see the dark figure there, standing atop the turquoise ocean, silently watching him. "No," he breathed, "you can’t make me. I won’t do it. It’s not worth it."

After a moment the girl began to cough and sputter, water pouring from her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered open. "Oh, thank you." Pricilla’s father held his child tightly, flushed with relief. "Thank you so much. How can I repay you?"

"It’s nothing." Aeris sighed, feeling slightly light-headed after the brief spell. After assuring the townspeople that the girl was fine, she moved over to her comrade. Several of the gathered audience members were watching him strangely, and she quickly charged them with the task of locating the town doctor, just to be sure of Pricilla’s health. When they’d gone she turned to Cloud. He was sitting down now in the sand, pale and shaken. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself from the shock of what had just happened. Regaining her calm she knelt down beside him. "Cloud?" she asked quietly. "What happened? Are you okay now?"

Cloud started, glancing at her only briefly. "Aeris…I’m sorry. I…I don’t know what happened." He licked his lips and turned his gaze back to the ocean. "But, there’s someone out there watching us."

She turned her focus to the direction of his eyes, but saw nothing save the metal tower. "There’s no one there now," she told him. "No one at all, Cloud. Who do you see?"

"The man from the marsh. Sephiroth." He shifted uncomfortably. "I’m not making it up."

Aeris looked again and still saw nothing. "I’m sorry, but I can’t see him." She felt as if she were talking to a small child, and tried to change her tone or risk angering him. "What’s he doing?"

"Watching me." He shook his head, and when he looked again he seemed to relax. "Well, not anymore." A sigh, one almost sounding like scorn, escaped his lips. "Guess it’s just me."

Aeris bit her lip. "Cloud, I don’t understand. Why did you say that Pricilla should die? What’s going on?"

"I don’t know." Cloud climbed to his feet, and she could clearly see he was trembling just slightly. "Just…it was like I was scared or something…" He shook his head again, as if that simple action could clear his mind completely. "I think I’m okay now. But…let’s go back."

"Sure. Don’t worry, Cloud; there’s nothing to be afraid of now." She took him by the hand and began to lead him back towards town, steering away from the linger townspeople. She glanced over her shoulder one last time to be sure, but was met only by a calm view of the water.

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