100 Steps Chapter 72
Title: Forgiveness
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [072.] Happy
Word Count: 2,975
Rating: R
Summary: Cloud could never shake the feeling that terrible things were destined to happen in this place. Simply, he was outnumbered.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to the Kingdom Hearts (or Final Fantasy) franchise. I’m sure it shows.
Author’s Note: The honest to God truth is that I started this chapter right after I finished the last one, ran into a minor problem with the storyline, fixed it almost immediately, and just never returned until now because I was either busy with other commitments or I just didn’t think to do it. Silly me. So it’s been two years that I’ve been writing this story and it will be finished this year. Why? Because when I made my New Years’ Resolutions, my roommate put down on my list that I finish this story by December 31st or she is deleting all the files on my computer and never allowing me to write in it again whether I have two chapters to go or not. Heh.
Cloud’s eyes tried to rove around the room, but his stubborn persistence to not look at Tifa or Zack won out. His gaze remained fixated on his clasped hands lying in his lap. He didn’t know what they were staring at him for. What did they expect? That now that he was left with no option but to go off after Kadaj and the kids by himself he was just going to throw his hands up and say, “Guess the kids are screwed”? He had to go after them now; Cloud just wished someone would have considered his shortcomings before they made the decision.
Reno and Rude could have done this job just as well-probably better-than Cloud was about to do it. Neither one of them was weak from Geostigma, weak from a pained heart, and pathetic at accomplishing anything they set out to do. Maybe Tifa thought she was doing a good thing for Cloud by forcing him onto this mission, but she probably should have considered what was best for the kids instead. Reno and Rude would get there in time and save them from whatever Kadaj planned on subjecting them to. Cloud...Even if Cloud got there in time, there was a good chance he’d fail anyway. Then it was going to all be his fault and he’d feel worse than if he’d never gone at all. What was Tifa going to say then?
“Well?” Tifa repeated, a little louder the second time. “Are you going to just sit there or are you going to go?”
Cloud sighed and looked up at the door Reno and Rude just vacated. “I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”
“I’ll stay here with Tifa,” said Zack. “Just in case one of them shows up again or one of the kids comes back.”
“We’ll send Vincent after you if he gets back from meeting with Reeve soon,” said Tifa.
“That isn’t necessary,” said Cloud, standing. He readjusted his sleeve and grabbed First Tsurugi from where someone had it propped by the door. “The kids are counting on me, right? Everyone is.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t use help!” said Tifa. “You just can’t run from these things anymore, Cloud. That’s how Sephiroth keeps coming back so many times. I know you have light in you, but you refuse to let it out. Stop living in the past already.”
Cloud paused; he turned to glare at her. “What does living in the past have to do with anything?”
“You blame yourself for every bad thing that goes wrong! You beat yourself up over and over again. You never finish anything because you’re still too fixated on everything that’s gone wrong before. It’s why you don’t finish Sephiroth-because you don’t think you can. I know you’re afraid to go after the kids because you’ve been too late before or because you couldn’t stop bad things from happening even when you were there, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. That doesn’t mean you can’t try! It doesn’t have to be like that!”
“Give him a break, Tifa,” said Zack. His eyes stared at the Geostigma-marred bandage still clutched in his hand. “He’s got things to do and the last thing he needs...”
“The last thing he needs is someone else babying him!” Tifa leaned forward, and though still seated, she may as well have been advancing on Zack with the way she glared at him. “The last thing he needs is someone else telling him its okay to keep running away when something gets a little too hard to handle! Stop coddling him!”
Zack looked up from his hands and stared back at Tifa, his face lax, eyes fierce. Cloud closed his eyes for a moment.
“Stop coddling him?” said Zack. “If I’m coddling him, then you’re pushing him.”
“You’re damn right I am!”
“A little too fucking hard. Maybe he doesn’t need anyone else to tell him its okay to keep running away, but he doesn’t need anyone screaming at him, either. He doesn’t need anyone putting the pressure on any thicker than it already is.”
Cloud tightened his grasp around First Tsurugi, slipped out the bedroom door, and closed it behind him quietly as Tifa snapped at Zack. He made his way down the stairs and into the garage. Their shouts only faded from his hearing when Fenrir revved up; Cloud rode out into the streets of Edge.
If there was one thing Cloud really hated, it was people telling him (or anyone else) what he needed. He especially hated people telling each other what he needed when he was standing right in front of them without acknowledging his presence. It would be nice if once and a while someone consulted Cloud on what he thought he needed, but maybe he was too close to the situation for anyone to listen. For example, instead of an argument about whether he was being coddled or pushed too hard, Cloud would have preferred a short wish of luck and have that be it. No expectations, no blows to the ego, no Zack pushing him into the damsel role-just a short “good luck” would have sufficed.
Tifa might yell at him when he saw her again for just cutting out like that without saying anything. Maybe he was ‘running away’ from the conversation, but while they were fighting, Cloud’s odds of failure in rescuing the kids from Kadaj were increasing. Their sweet, dulcet tones raging about him weren’t exactly the amped, pre-rescue mission reminders he needed. Zack was in SOLDIER; he should have known better than this. Someone had clearly forgotten to mention to them that pre-battle motivational speeches were supposed to be motivational. It was possible that they did know, but if they did, they both had odd ways of encouraging victory. Sephiroth, on the other hand, had always given very nice speeches.
Then again, Sephiroth had always been elaborately wordy, even during battle. Kadaj, being a remnant, a cocoon, or whatever he was to Sephiroth, had the same annoying habit. It would work in Cloud’s favor, he hoped. The kids (all of the kids) had been gone for a while now, but there was a good chance Cloud could make up some lost time while Kadaj was going off on some long, lengthy speech about the finer, more sentimental points of Jenova’s head. Whether it would be enough time, though...
The Forgotten City was located to the far northwest of Edge on the northern-most continent of Gaea. Back when he first fought Sephiroth, it was impossible to reach save by the Highwind or special-bred chocobos (a means of transportation Cloud had never been particularly fond of for the most obvious of reasons). Since then the eastern continent Edge was located on had been connected to the northern continent by a series of bridges spanning over three small islands just south of Bone Village. At this time of night with traffic slow Cloud made it to the northern island in excellent time, thankful not to have to make any stops for a chocobo rental on the way. He reached The City of the Ancients in just over three hours thanks to both Cloud’s disregard for all speed limit recommendations and Fenrir’s ability to comfortably go 160 miles per hour.
Cloud had tried not to let his mind wander as he sped from Edge, but now in the wood leading to The Forgotten City, his fears overwhelmed him again. This was a place that had haunted his nightmares only a few years ago. When he first laid eyes on this place, something about it-like the church in Sector Six-just reminded him of Aerith. Whether it was intuition or he had just gone crazy didn’t matter because Cloud could never manage to feel comfortable here. He was thankful the entire time that she too had not taken off with Yuffie and Tifa to come after him in Gaea because he was certain that despite the strange, ethereal light that came from these woods and the city itself in an almost spiritual way, terrible things were destined to happen in this place. He could never quite shake the feeling-always making him uneasy whenever he was in this vicinity. Now that he was here again, chasing down Kadaj and the other remnants, trying to save the kids when he wasn’t even sure he could, all those doubts came crashing down on him like a furious, insisting weight that would shake it’s hold.
There were so many places he had gone wrong; he was so close to the breaking point. Despite all the good, Cloud just wasn’t sure if he could dispel all the bad anymore. Tears didn’t help. None of his actions ever turned out just as he had planned, but going back wasn’t an option anymore. Tifa had seen to that. And even if she hadn’t, he wanted to do it. He wanted to rid all the worlds of Sephiroth’s existence, and that started with Kadaj. He wanted to be happy. He wanted to be forgiven more than anything, not that he knew exactly who he wanted to be forgiven by. Leon for always causing trouble, for leaving Hollow Bastion in the first place. Aerith for always taking off, shutting her out. Tifa for always running out on her, building her up only to disappoint her, for always pissing her off. Zack for causing so much heartache. Even Yuffie and Cid for always being such a whiny, negative little shit. And Riku. Riku for dragging him through hell and back, pretending to be strong when Cloud just wasn’t and inevitably breaking down when it mattered most. But probably, most importantly...Just maybe, more than anything, Cloud wanted to forgive himself.
It was with some faith, weak as it was, that Cloud rode on. He pushed away as many fears as he could and forced his shaky resolve on the task at hand. His timing was impeccable. The gunfire came first and it was soon after that Yazoo and Loz moved into view, effectively blocking Cloud’s path forward. His stomach dropped at the sight of them, adrenaline flooding into his system with full force. He only took a fraction of a second to wonder when they had gotten their hands on the materia now infused into their weaponry when Kadaj, smirking his maniacal grin, came into view behind them. Cloud managed to avoid both Loz and Yazoo’s attacks, drew First Tsurugi, and took the offensive position. His head was clear now, in the game and focused, but then he noticed Kadaj come forward and the presence of all the missing children come into view, encircling him, and among them Marlene in Denzel’s grip, his face trance-like and emotionless. They were both standing in the middle of the road. It only took a second and Cloud lost his balance, Fenrir skidding away from under him. He hit the ground, First Tsurugi landing nearby.
“I’m glad you could make it,” said Kadaj, smirking.
Cloud grunted, pushed himself up the best he could, and glared. “I only came for the kids.”
Kadaj turned away to face the kids, a wild expression on his face. “See this man?” Kadaj said with sweeping gesticulations. Feeling one of his speeches coming on, Cloud inched toward a part of First Tsurugi strew on the ground only a short distance away. “He’s our big brother. But alas…In our happy flock…” Kadaj took the moment to point his sword at Cloud. Cloud glared and pretended not to be inching toward his own blade. “...He’s what you’d call a black sheep.”
“Cloud!” Marlene called.
Cloud welcomed the distraction. As Kadaj looked in her direction, Cloud took the opportunity to roll out of the way, seize his own sword, and get to his feet. It all seemed to happen so fast once he attacked Kadaj; the entire place turned into a chaotic battleground. Repel bullets, dodge bullets, dodge people, punch, kick, swing sword, repeat. Mind back in the game, he shifted attention between fighting off Loz and Yazoo and searching for Kadaj. It was between volleys of bullets and fighting on tree branches, constantly having to jump out of the way of certain death to fight the other remnant that Cloud’s resolve to win turned into a pure drive to survive. This was also, of course, around the time Kadaj came back into view.
He relied on every instinct he knew, every resource he had from fighting Sephiroth so many times but he was too weak and simply outnumbered. His head was spinning. The pain throbbing in his arm was too great to bear. His arm was on fire, his vision spotty. He tried to charge Kadaj but after a beating went flying through the air and landed hard on the ground. There was another round of gunfire and then everything went dark.
-0-
“Tifa sent you?” said Cloud, staring up at what was probably one of the most disturbing images he’d ever woken up to in his life.
“Not even a thank you,” Vincent replied and stepped back.
Cloud looked away, sighed, and pushed his body into a seated position. He winced as the pain shot through his left arm again. He kneaded it gently. “I passed out again.”
“Seems that way.”
“What happened to Kadaj?”
“He’s gone now, probably on his way to Edge.”
“And the kids?”
“Gone with him.”
Cloud scoffed. “See, I knew I’d be no help.” Vincent didn’t respond. Cloud looked down. “Vincent. It’s all really happening, isn’t it? Kadaj is a remnant of Sephiroth. And the Geostigma...”
Vincent walked over and kneeled by Cloud, taking his left arm. Cloud winced.
“The stigma…it’s a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it and overcompensates. Inside our bodies is a current like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off malevolent intruders.”
“You mean the Jenova cells.”
“The Sephiroth gene. Jenova’s memetic legacy. Call it what you want. Tseng and Elena were brought back from the Northern Cave half-dead. They told us what they could before they passed. I did all I could to save them, but...”
“So is Kadaj really...I mean...He feels like Sephiroth.”
“If they wanted to, they could recreate Sephiroth,” said Vincent, calmly. “But you already know that.”
“So he is just another vessel...Just another way...”
Cloud couldn’t even bear to finish the sentence. He hung his head. This was entirely his fault. The kids. Kadaj. None of this needed to happen. Vincent stood, watching him, not breathing a word and then a rustle came from a thicket behind them. Cloud leapt to his feet, readying First Tsurugi, and Marlene came running from the brush.
“Marlene!” said Cloud.
“Cloud!” Marlene shouted, barreling into his body and clinging to him. “Denzel…and Tifa…!”
Cloud took a breath. “Tifa is all right.”
“I wanna talk to her!”
Cloud reached for his phone, and tried the other pocket, but it was gone. Marlene’s face fell and she turned to Vincent.
“May I?” Vincent whipped back his cape and stared at her. She gasped. “You don’t have a phone? Vincent!” Cloud could sometimes hardly believe Vincent lived with these children at all as Marlene pouted at him.
“Vincent, will you bring Marlene back to Tifa?” said Cloud. “I’m gonna go see Shinra and get a few answers.”
“I can’t do that,” said Vincent.
“But I-”
“Forget it, Cloud!” Marlene burst out in tears. “Why don’t you ever pay any attention to us!”
She ran to Vincent and he wrapped her in his cape so only her feet were showing. It was hard to tell with Vincent sometimes, but Cloud was almost certain the emotionless facial expression he had been wearing had just hardened into something of a protective ‘make my little girl cry again and I’ll shoot you’ glare. Cloud took a breath.
“Marlene,” Cloud said, “Please give me some time. There’s a battle to be fought, but it’s not as simple as just fighting it. Understand?”
“No I don’t!” Marlene cried from under the cape. Vincent’s glare of death definitely hardened.
“Cloud…you sure this is about fighting?” Vincent said.
Cloud looked at Vincent and then at Marlene’s feet. What was he supposed to do? He wasn’t the girl’s father. Why was it his fault that Marlene attached herself to him back when Barrett was still raising her, before the plate crashed on Sector Seven and he gave her that flower from the Sector Six church just so she’d stop running away from him. He never asked for this. He was never around enough to even encourage this. He wasn’t running no matter what Tifa thought or what she had put into Vincent’s head. But still...she had relied on him. She had relied on him when he was living with Tifa before he left Gaea. She relied on him now and once again he was letting someone down. Cloud looked up.
“Are sins ever forgiven?” he said.
Vincent’s face didn’t react. “I’ve never tried.”
“You mean...Never tried...” Cloud sighed and then looked up. “Marlene, let’s go.” He expected a little resistance, but all she did was poke her head out of Vincent’s cape and nodded. She tugged on him and then ran forward. “Well, I’m gonna try.” He mimed putting a phone to his ear and said, “I’ll phone in the verdict.”
-0-
He tried to practice safe driving on the way back to Edge with Marlene as a passenger and as a result the trip home took twice the time than the trip up here. Things were already in chaos as he approached the city and something that looked like Bahamut flew through the open sky.
“How about I take you straight home so you’ll be safe?” said Cloud.
Marlene hugged his waist and nodded.
( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 72/100 Complete.
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [072.] Happy
Word Count: 2,975
Rating: R
Summary: Cloud could never shake the feeling that terrible things were destined to happen in this place. Simply, he was outnumbered.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to the Kingdom Hearts (or Final Fantasy) franchise. I’m sure it shows.
Author’s Note: The honest to God truth is that I started this chapter right after I finished the last one, ran into a minor problem with the storyline, fixed it almost immediately, and just never returned until now because I was either busy with other commitments or I just didn’t think to do it. Silly me. So it’s been two years that I’ve been writing this story and it will be finished this year. Why? Because when I made my New Years’ Resolutions, my roommate put down on my list that I finish this story by December 31st or she is deleting all the files on my computer and never allowing me to write in it again whether I have two chapters to go or not. Heh.
Cloud’s eyes tried to rove around the room, but his stubborn persistence to not look at Tifa or Zack won out. His gaze remained fixated on his clasped hands lying in his lap. He didn’t know what they were staring at him for. What did they expect? That now that he was left with no option but to go off after Kadaj and the kids by himself he was just going to throw his hands up and say, “Guess the kids are screwed”? He had to go after them now; Cloud just wished someone would have considered his shortcomings before they made the decision.
Reno and Rude could have done this job just as well-probably better-than Cloud was about to do it. Neither one of them was weak from Geostigma, weak from a pained heart, and pathetic at accomplishing anything they set out to do. Maybe Tifa thought she was doing a good thing for Cloud by forcing him onto this mission, but she probably should have considered what was best for the kids instead. Reno and Rude would get there in time and save them from whatever Kadaj planned on subjecting them to. Cloud...Even if Cloud got there in time, there was a good chance he’d fail anyway. Then it was going to all be his fault and he’d feel worse than if he’d never gone at all. What was Tifa going to say then?
“Well?” Tifa repeated, a little louder the second time. “Are you going to just sit there or are you going to go?”
Cloud sighed and looked up at the door Reno and Rude just vacated. “I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”
“I’ll stay here with Tifa,” said Zack. “Just in case one of them shows up again or one of the kids comes back.”
“We’ll send Vincent after you if he gets back from meeting with Reeve soon,” said Tifa.
“That isn’t necessary,” said Cloud, standing. He readjusted his sleeve and grabbed First Tsurugi from where someone had it propped by the door. “The kids are counting on me, right? Everyone is.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t use help!” said Tifa. “You just can’t run from these things anymore, Cloud. That’s how Sephiroth keeps coming back so many times. I know you have light in you, but you refuse to let it out. Stop living in the past already.”
Cloud paused; he turned to glare at her. “What does living in the past have to do with anything?”
“You blame yourself for every bad thing that goes wrong! You beat yourself up over and over again. You never finish anything because you’re still too fixated on everything that’s gone wrong before. It’s why you don’t finish Sephiroth-because you don’t think you can. I know you’re afraid to go after the kids because you’ve been too late before or because you couldn’t stop bad things from happening even when you were there, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. That doesn’t mean you can’t try! It doesn’t have to be like that!”
“Give him a break, Tifa,” said Zack. His eyes stared at the Geostigma-marred bandage still clutched in his hand. “He’s got things to do and the last thing he needs...”
“The last thing he needs is someone else babying him!” Tifa leaned forward, and though still seated, she may as well have been advancing on Zack with the way she glared at him. “The last thing he needs is someone else telling him its okay to keep running away when something gets a little too hard to handle! Stop coddling him!”
Zack looked up from his hands and stared back at Tifa, his face lax, eyes fierce. Cloud closed his eyes for a moment.
“Stop coddling him?” said Zack. “If I’m coddling him, then you’re pushing him.”
“You’re damn right I am!”
“A little too fucking hard. Maybe he doesn’t need anyone else to tell him its okay to keep running away, but he doesn’t need anyone screaming at him, either. He doesn’t need anyone putting the pressure on any thicker than it already is.”
Cloud tightened his grasp around First Tsurugi, slipped out the bedroom door, and closed it behind him quietly as Tifa snapped at Zack. He made his way down the stairs and into the garage. Their shouts only faded from his hearing when Fenrir revved up; Cloud rode out into the streets of Edge.
If there was one thing Cloud really hated, it was people telling him (or anyone else) what he needed. He especially hated people telling each other what he needed when he was standing right in front of them without acknowledging his presence. It would be nice if once and a while someone consulted Cloud on what he thought he needed, but maybe he was too close to the situation for anyone to listen. For example, instead of an argument about whether he was being coddled or pushed too hard, Cloud would have preferred a short wish of luck and have that be it. No expectations, no blows to the ego, no Zack pushing him into the damsel role-just a short “good luck” would have sufficed.
Tifa might yell at him when he saw her again for just cutting out like that without saying anything. Maybe he was ‘running away’ from the conversation, but while they were fighting, Cloud’s odds of failure in rescuing the kids from Kadaj were increasing. Their sweet, dulcet tones raging about him weren’t exactly the amped, pre-rescue mission reminders he needed. Zack was in SOLDIER; he should have known better than this. Someone had clearly forgotten to mention to them that pre-battle motivational speeches were supposed to be motivational. It was possible that they did know, but if they did, they both had odd ways of encouraging victory. Sephiroth, on the other hand, had always given very nice speeches.
Then again, Sephiroth had always been elaborately wordy, even during battle. Kadaj, being a remnant, a cocoon, or whatever he was to Sephiroth, had the same annoying habit. It would work in Cloud’s favor, he hoped. The kids (all of the kids) had been gone for a while now, but there was a good chance Cloud could make up some lost time while Kadaj was going off on some long, lengthy speech about the finer, more sentimental points of Jenova’s head. Whether it would be enough time, though...
The Forgotten City was located to the far northwest of Edge on the northern-most continent of Gaea. Back when he first fought Sephiroth, it was impossible to reach save by the Highwind or special-bred chocobos (a means of transportation Cloud had never been particularly fond of for the most obvious of reasons). Since then the eastern continent Edge was located on had been connected to the northern continent by a series of bridges spanning over three small islands just south of Bone Village. At this time of night with traffic slow Cloud made it to the northern island in excellent time, thankful not to have to make any stops for a chocobo rental on the way. He reached The City of the Ancients in just over three hours thanks to both Cloud’s disregard for all speed limit recommendations and Fenrir’s ability to comfortably go 160 miles per hour.
Cloud had tried not to let his mind wander as he sped from Edge, but now in the wood leading to The Forgotten City, his fears overwhelmed him again. This was a place that had haunted his nightmares only a few years ago. When he first laid eyes on this place, something about it-like the church in Sector Six-just reminded him of Aerith. Whether it was intuition or he had just gone crazy didn’t matter because Cloud could never manage to feel comfortable here. He was thankful the entire time that she too had not taken off with Yuffie and Tifa to come after him in Gaea because he was certain that despite the strange, ethereal light that came from these woods and the city itself in an almost spiritual way, terrible things were destined to happen in this place. He could never quite shake the feeling-always making him uneasy whenever he was in this vicinity. Now that he was here again, chasing down Kadaj and the other remnants, trying to save the kids when he wasn’t even sure he could, all those doubts came crashing down on him like a furious, insisting weight that would shake it’s hold.
There were so many places he had gone wrong; he was so close to the breaking point. Despite all the good, Cloud just wasn’t sure if he could dispel all the bad anymore. Tears didn’t help. None of his actions ever turned out just as he had planned, but going back wasn’t an option anymore. Tifa had seen to that. And even if she hadn’t, he wanted to do it. He wanted to rid all the worlds of Sephiroth’s existence, and that started with Kadaj. He wanted to be happy. He wanted to be forgiven more than anything, not that he knew exactly who he wanted to be forgiven by. Leon for always causing trouble, for leaving Hollow Bastion in the first place. Aerith for always taking off, shutting her out. Tifa for always running out on her, building her up only to disappoint her, for always pissing her off. Zack for causing so much heartache. Even Yuffie and Cid for always being such a whiny, negative little shit. And Riku. Riku for dragging him through hell and back, pretending to be strong when Cloud just wasn’t and inevitably breaking down when it mattered most. But probably, most importantly...Just maybe, more than anything, Cloud wanted to forgive himself.
It was with some faith, weak as it was, that Cloud rode on. He pushed away as many fears as he could and forced his shaky resolve on the task at hand. His timing was impeccable. The gunfire came first and it was soon after that Yazoo and Loz moved into view, effectively blocking Cloud’s path forward. His stomach dropped at the sight of them, adrenaline flooding into his system with full force. He only took a fraction of a second to wonder when they had gotten their hands on the materia now infused into their weaponry when Kadaj, smirking his maniacal grin, came into view behind them. Cloud managed to avoid both Loz and Yazoo’s attacks, drew First Tsurugi, and took the offensive position. His head was clear now, in the game and focused, but then he noticed Kadaj come forward and the presence of all the missing children come into view, encircling him, and among them Marlene in Denzel’s grip, his face trance-like and emotionless. They were both standing in the middle of the road. It only took a second and Cloud lost his balance, Fenrir skidding away from under him. He hit the ground, First Tsurugi landing nearby.
“I’m glad you could make it,” said Kadaj, smirking.
Cloud grunted, pushed himself up the best he could, and glared. “I only came for the kids.”
Kadaj turned away to face the kids, a wild expression on his face. “See this man?” Kadaj said with sweeping gesticulations. Feeling one of his speeches coming on, Cloud inched toward a part of First Tsurugi strew on the ground only a short distance away. “He’s our big brother. But alas…In our happy flock…” Kadaj took the moment to point his sword at Cloud. Cloud glared and pretended not to be inching toward his own blade. “...He’s what you’d call a black sheep.”
“Cloud!” Marlene called.
Cloud welcomed the distraction. As Kadaj looked in her direction, Cloud took the opportunity to roll out of the way, seize his own sword, and get to his feet. It all seemed to happen so fast once he attacked Kadaj; the entire place turned into a chaotic battleground. Repel bullets, dodge bullets, dodge people, punch, kick, swing sword, repeat. Mind back in the game, he shifted attention between fighting off Loz and Yazoo and searching for Kadaj. It was between volleys of bullets and fighting on tree branches, constantly having to jump out of the way of certain death to fight the other remnant that Cloud’s resolve to win turned into a pure drive to survive. This was also, of course, around the time Kadaj came back into view.
He relied on every instinct he knew, every resource he had from fighting Sephiroth so many times but he was too weak and simply outnumbered. His head was spinning. The pain throbbing in his arm was too great to bear. His arm was on fire, his vision spotty. He tried to charge Kadaj but after a beating went flying through the air and landed hard on the ground. There was another round of gunfire and then everything went dark.
-0-
“Tifa sent you?” said Cloud, staring up at what was probably one of the most disturbing images he’d ever woken up to in his life.
“Not even a thank you,” Vincent replied and stepped back.
Cloud looked away, sighed, and pushed his body into a seated position. He winced as the pain shot through his left arm again. He kneaded it gently. “I passed out again.”
“Seems that way.”
“What happened to Kadaj?”
“He’s gone now, probably on his way to Edge.”
“And the kids?”
“Gone with him.”
Cloud scoffed. “See, I knew I’d be no help.” Vincent didn’t respond. Cloud looked down. “Vincent. It’s all really happening, isn’t it? Kadaj is a remnant of Sephiroth. And the Geostigma...”
Vincent walked over and kneeled by Cloud, taking his left arm. Cloud winced.
“The stigma…it’s a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it and overcompensates. Inside our bodies is a current like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off malevolent intruders.”
“You mean the Jenova cells.”
“The Sephiroth gene. Jenova’s memetic legacy. Call it what you want. Tseng and Elena were brought back from the Northern Cave half-dead. They told us what they could before they passed. I did all I could to save them, but...”
“So is Kadaj really...I mean...He feels like Sephiroth.”
“If they wanted to, they could recreate Sephiroth,” said Vincent, calmly. “But you already know that.”
“So he is just another vessel...Just another way...”
Cloud couldn’t even bear to finish the sentence. He hung his head. This was entirely his fault. The kids. Kadaj. None of this needed to happen. Vincent stood, watching him, not breathing a word and then a rustle came from a thicket behind them. Cloud leapt to his feet, readying First Tsurugi, and Marlene came running from the brush.
“Marlene!” said Cloud.
“Cloud!” Marlene shouted, barreling into his body and clinging to him. “Denzel…and Tifa…!”
Cloud took a breath. “Tifa is all right.”
“I wanna talk to her!”
Cloud reached for his phone, and tried the other pocket, but it was gone. Marlene’s face fell and she turned to Vincent.
“May I?” Vincent whipped back his cape and stared at her. She gasped. “You don’t have a phone? Vincent!” Cloud could sometimes hardly believe Vincent lived with these children at all as Marlene pouted at him.
“Vincent, will you bring Marlene back to Tifa?” said Cloud. “I’m gonna go see Shinra and get a few answers.”
“I can’t do that,” said Vincent.
“But I-”
“Forget it, Cloud!” Marlene burst out in tears. “Why don’t you ever pay any attention to us!”
She ran to Vincent and he wrapped her in his cape so only her feet were showing. It was hard to tell with Vincent sometimes, but Cloud was almost certain the emotionless facial expression he had been wearing had just hardened into something of a protective ‘make my little girl cry again and I’ll shoot you’ glare. Cloud took a breath.
“Marlene,” Cloud said, “Please give me some time. There’s a battle to be fought, but it’s not as simple as just fighting it. Understand?”
“No I don’t!” Marlene cried from under the cape. Vincent’s glare of death definitely hardened.
“Cloud…you sure this is about fighting?” Vincent said.
Cloud looked at Vincent and then at Marlene’s feet. What was he supposed to do? He wasn’t the girl’s father. Why was it his fault that Marlene attached herself to him back when Barrett was still raising her, before the plate crashed on Sector Seven and he gave her that flower from the Sector Six church just so she’d stop running away from him. He never asked for this. He was never around enough to even encourage this. He wasn’t running no matter what Tifa thought or what she had put into Vincent’s head. But still...she had relied on him. She had relied on him when he was living with Tifa before he left Gaea. She relied on him now and once again he was letting someone down. Cloud looked up.
“Are sins ever forgiven?” he said.
Vincent’s face didn’t react. “I’ve never tried.”
“You mean...Never tried...” Cloud sighed and then looked up. “Marlene, let’s go.” He expected a little resistance, but all she did was poke her head out of Vincent’s cape and nodded. She tugged on him and then ran forward. “Well, I’m gonna try.” He mimed putting a phone to his ear and said, “I’ll phone in the verdict.”
-0-
He tried to practice safe driving on the way back to Edge with Marlene as a passenger and as a result the trip home took twice the time than the trip up here. Things were already in chaos as he approached the city and something that looked like Bahamut flew through the open sky.
“How about I take you straight home so you’ll be safe?” said Cloud.
Marlene hugged his waist and nodded.
( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 72/100 Complete.