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Post by Cloud Strife on Jan 10, 2013 0:19:09 GMT -5
Cloud didn't know what hit him.
IF anything hit him.
He was merely standing out in front of the church, having just mounted Fenrir to travel back to Seventh Heaven when suddenly it felt as though the ground from underneath him had suddenly been pulled away. He felt himself and Fenrir fall through space, letting out a surprised gasp as he plummeted through the nothingness. Then, just as sudden as his world was ripped away, he suddenly found himself plummeting from an extreme height. His eyes widened as he fell, grabbing his bike's handlebar to keep up as he released his sword compartments. The swords slid out of the compartments as he maneuvered himself around, assembling the weapon together fully. Looking below, he gritted his teeth as he mounted Fenrir again, revving it up and positioning it to try and catch him as he-
THOOM
A loud crash rocked the canyon as he was thrown off of Fenrir, the bike breaking into several pieces as he brought out the Fusion Swords. He disassembled it to two parts, and tried to stab them into the wall to slow his descent. However, just as he thought he was safe, his knees struck a rock that was jutting out one foot too far, and he found himself hitting the ground with a heavy thud. He felt the world spinning as he tried pushing himself up, feeling the sting of the scrapes along his arms and face, his goggles having shattered upon impact, and his pants torn at the knees where he had struck the side of the canyon wall. He spat blood where he bit his tongue, and stood.
"Guess I owe Hojo one for this..." he muttered. Had it not been for the Jenova cells and the Mako in his blood, he may have died upon impact. But, the increased resilience from this... condition was more than enough to just give him one hell of a body ache. He stood up the rest of the way, looking up to see his swords still jutting out of the side of the canyon wall, a good fifty yards up. He closed his eyes, then crouched, launching himself up towards them, kicking off the walls and yanking them both out of their resting place, landing near where he had crashed, his knees now screaming in pain. He stood, his face unchanged as he clicked the swords back together and sheathed the blade, only a slight grimace in his eyes as he straightened himself, looking either way.
Just where was he?
He furrowed his eyebrows as he surveyed the landscape, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he looked around this alien place. This was most certainly not anywhere on The Planet... The air was different. The very feel of the ground beneath his feet felt... strange. He took a deep breath and looked down one stretch of the canyon, seeing the broken remains of Fenrir. He grimaced, visibly this time.
"... I hope the others are ok..." he muttered, turning away from the wreckage and starting down the path between the two tall walls. He had to find something.
Or someone. |
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Jan 10, 2013 1:32:30 GMT -5
How many days had she left Academia just to find the few people she considered family? It was hard spending nights at a new inn, camping outdoors and sometimes she would carry herself forward throughout the night just so she could dover more distance in less time. It was starting to feel a lot like all those years ago when she travelled under the leadership of her childhood friend.
Nostalgia creeped over her and after a few minute Tifa grew preoccupied with her thoughts. It wasn't that she missed those days, but then there was a purpose far greater than her own life that she fought for and even though she had lost so much; Tifa missed that feeling. It was probably why she fought on The Academy's side; for that sense of purpose.
Still, it was a lot easier doing what she did best and that was support the children left orphaned. It was hard trying to explain the situation to them and so leaving them in the care of other Academy members while she went looking for her friends was her only escape from the questions she had no answers for.
Tifa was so immersed in her thoughts she barely caught the sounds of crashing not far off in the distance. It sounded like chunks of metal falling down the canyon and she noted that they were too far off from any of the hunters' settlements. With a large crash she could hear the metals finally fall and she couldn't help but quicken her pace. Whatever it was, if a person was involved she wondered if they would need help.
Ina split second Tifa was running the crash still echoing through the canyon and she stopped not too far from the source. Tifa couldn't see a figure quite yet, but a chunk of metal had found its way far from the wreckage and as she picked it up her pulse quickened and a bulge formed in her throat. It was the unmistakable fenrir symbol. It was the only thing that always symbolized Cloud and to see a chunk of his bike brought hope that he had made it to this world, but also dread as to what she could expect from this accident.
As she ran to the wreckage there didn't seem to be any sign of Cloud. Even his sword compartment was left open and empty. The dread was slowly lifted from her spirits an Tifa quickly walked in the only direction he could have gone. She moved slow in case he was hurt and had passed out somewhere, she would hate to miss him. The blood in her veins was pumping faster and with ever step she took she could feel a sense of joy. Having someone she considered family to be found was overwhelming all the things she had to tell him, all the days she worried that he was hurt... she was glad to know her friend was safe.
“Cloud!”
She called out to him once, maybe the echo would carry her voice to him, she wanted him to know that she was close and that she was looking for him.
“Cloud let me know you're okay.”
She could hear her voice carry through the canyon, she hoped he was close enough to hear... she hoped he had been near his bike and walked away unscathed.
WORDCOUNT:: Five-Hundred and Sixty-Four
MUSICPLAYING:: B.B King Dont you lie to me
CURRENTMOOD:: WIRED
POSTTAGGEDFOR:: Cloud
AUTHORSNOTES:: Is it weird this post made me crave candy...
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Post by Cloud Strife on Jan 11, 2013 10:38:01 GMT -5
Cloud had no sooner taken ten steps as he heard the sound of a familiar voice echoing behind him. He turned slowly, unsure if he really heard it, until the second time the voice rang out. He turned completely around and stepped forward, rounding the corner in time to see Tifa, standing on the other side of the wreckage that was Fenrir. He stood for a moment, an incredulous look in his eyes, which was shortly abandoned in exchange for a warm, relieved smile.
"Hey." he said quietly, stepping forward, forgetting his injuries as he made his way across the crash site, wondering if she was real. Finally, he reached her, standing at an arm's length away, letting a small smile break out as he gently hugged her. "Good to see you..."
He then stepped back slightly, looking up and around, a concerned frown now evident. "So, what's... going on? One second, I'm preparing to come home, the next, I'm in this canyon..." He reached up and brushed his gloved hand across the scrape on his forehead and cheek from where he landed. Obviously, if this had been a planned exodus, then they might have brought Cloud to a safer place, or at least a safer landing.
Unless, of course, they were trying to kill him.
He hadn't been home for a while, having been running deliveries, so he had no idea that she had been around longer than he had. As far as he knew, they both had gotten here at the same time. He turned and looked back at the bits of Fenrir that were laying about, he then wondered silently why he was brought here. He could tell by the feel of the ground, the thickness of the air that this wasn't home.
"Where are we? And... where are the kids? Denzel... Marlene? The others?" |
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Jan 11, 2013 14:02:04 GMT -5
With each step she took her pulse quickened and she was ready to full out run, but not long after she called did she see Cloud turn the corner and relief washed over her.
Cloud was alive and he was able to walk, albeit she could tell he was injured. As they closed the distance she surveyed his features very quickly her brows knitting together in a frown; what happened to him?
As she was pulled into a hug she was able to see the gash across his cheek clearer and she pulled away from the hug she didn't hide the concern on her face
“I'm glad you're alive.”
Tifa brought her hand to his cheek, keeping it inches away from the cut. It looked painful and as she looked down to her gloves she mentally swore having forgotten her cure materia. At least she had two potions on her; grabbing the two vials from her pocket she stuck out her hand for Cloud to take.
"I can explain all that later, but you need to get better, we have a long walk.”
Tifa placed her free hand gently on his shoulder, she was ready to steady him if his injuries were bad. It was hard to believe she found him, after all this time of worrying and fearing for the worst he was alive and for the most part in one piece... although she couldn't say the same about Fenrir.
"What I can tell you is that... we're not on our world anymore."
It was going to be hard to explain, but if she was going to explain anything to him she may as well take him to one of the hunter villages nearby; perhaps she would be able to find him more potions or a place to rest up for a bit she could explain more then, but right now she wanted to take Cloud somewhere safe.
It was hard for her to not outright tell him everything, there was so much on her mind... so much to explain, but where would she start? Could she tell him that everyone he thought was gone came back to life, Aerith, Zack even the one SOLDIER Angeal. It was a good sign, but it also brought dread to her heart... would Sephiroth be back as well?
She couldn't voice these concerns, for now she wanted him to concentrate on trying to relax, she knew the mako in his body made him more able to take damage and she knew that he would heal a lot better, but that didn't make him invincible, nor immune to pain.
"You need to stop almost getting yourself killed."
In a sense it was a tease, but Tifa was worried with the frequent rate at which Clouds life hung by a thread; yes he had been in worse situations than whatever it was that happened to him, but Tifa always feared that one day he wouldn't be so lucky.
WORDCOUNT:: Five-Hundred and Fourteen
MUSICPLAYING:: my professors online lecture... FUN
CURRENTMOOD:: fairly calm mood
POSTTAGGEDFOR:: Cloud
AUTHORSNOTES:: I was tempted to make Tifa playfully hurt him, but then she felt bad and didn't want to knock Cloud out lol kidding... kinda!!
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Post by Cloud Strife on Jan 12, 2013 11:54:07 GMT -5
He took the potions and nodded, looking down slightly.
"I'm glad you're ok, too." he replied quietly. He nodded when she said they had a long walk, then felt her gloved hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes for a second, then looked back at her as she told him they weren't on their world. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking around, his fears confirmed. He looked back to her when she told him that he needed to stop almost getting himself killed.
"Hey, this time, it wasn't my fault." he said, crossing his arms and grinning. "I've taken worse punishment before. I'll be fine." he handed her back the potions, "Save these. I'll be ok." He looked towards where she had come from, feeling a stab of nostalgia as he realized this would be somewhat like the days they adventured trying to save the Planet from Sephiroth. How he felt then, regaining his identity, and finding the strength to finish Sephiroth off...
He pushed those memories out of his head, nodding to Tifa.
"We better get going, then." he said, looking towards her with a smile. His knees screamed. His head pounded. But he was ok. Nothing serious. He determined that he would be healed up in a day or so. No reason to use these potions- especially if they run into something unfavorable on their way to... wherever they were going.
"I want to know... what happened. Where is everyone? The kids? Denzel, Marlene? Barret and the others...?" like Tifa, he feared for the worst, hoping that they were all waiting back where she had come from.
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Jan 12, 2013 20:38:27 GMT -5
As he handed back the potions; Tifa couldn't help but scowl. Ever since he had gotten over his 'geostigma' phase she had seen tremendous improvement in his mood, even the way he acted was a lot more open and as glad as she was she couldn't help but feel like he was more reckless now than before.
Tifa turned to walk, but hesitated for a second. Maybe he should sit down and rest for a second, but she knew it would be futile to even attempt and suggest it. Instead Tifa made sure he was close enough that if his knees gave out she could support his weight, but she gave him his space, the last thing she needed was to accidentally hurt him even further.
“I.. don't know where to begin answering your question.”
The whole chaos explanation they had for her still confused her and as much as she tried to wrap her head around it, it still made no sense to her; the only chaos they knew of was the beast inside of Vincent and she was positive that if his chaos was the cause everyone would have been dumped in gaia.
His mention of the others made her shake her head slowly. As much as she tried to find them Tifa found no sign of their friends only the kids were safe. Tifa's hand went to the pink ribbon on her arm and it was hard not to burst out and tell him that Aerith and Zack were okay, but she was scared that by these people returning to life her other friends were not given a chance to come to pulse.
“I've been looking for them too, but so far it's only you and the kids.”
She mentally noted the other two, she would mention it later... or ease into the subject if she found an opening, but Tifa was not prepared to outright blurt it out... that was least sensitive thing to do.
“But now I guess it will be easier to find the rest with you around.”
Somehow Clouds presence was enough to keep her going and somehow when they were with him everything would turn out alright, at least now she knew that someone had made it and the rest were probably not to far. Tifa made sure to keep a slower pace, she didn't want to stress his already battered body and it took her strong will to suppress the urge ro have him completely lean on her; she felt he would be too proud to offer support. Always the one to be the savior, but never wanting to be saved... Cloud sometimes would never change.
WORDCOUNT:: Four Hundered and Fourty Five
MUSICPLAYING:: I'm not sure neighbours calypso I think...
CURRENTMOOD:: mehhh
POSTTAGGEDFOR:: Cloud
AUTHORSNOTES:: I'm starting to hate being home alone >.>
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Post by Cloud Strife on Jan 14, 2013 17:32:12 GMT -5
Cloud didn't need her to say it, he could hear it in her voice. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder gently and smiled wryly.
"Don't worry. If we're here, the others have to be. We'll find them." he nodded slowly and bent slightly to pick up a piece of Fenrir, then looked up to where he had landed up on the cliff; a particularly jagged, vicious looking part of the cliff. He shuddered internally, glad he had somehow pulled Fenrir with him when he came down, otherwise he would...
He closed his eyes and sighed. "I think I'll stick with delivery boy work, from now on." he said, half jokingly. He dropped the piece of the bike, making sure to note that he would need to turn right back around and scoop up these parts; it was a distinct possibility that he could salvage these parts, and, if they had the means, repair Fenrir to make this little hunt for their friends easier. He furrowed his eyebrows, and looked towards Tifa. "How long have you been here?" he asked, trying to piece together some sort of timeline to follow. He had been away for a week or so, so, she could have been here longer than that.
He remembered the trip back. Almost as if something were tugging him back to Midgar, he had let his hand ride on the gas a little heavier than usual, kicking up the speed to get home, anxious and admittedly worried about what he would find. The feeling he felt seemed ungrounded, as he pulled up to the church. Sure, the city was quieter than usual, but what could he say? It was early morning, and some Midgardians liked their beauty sleep.
He remembered the feeling he felt when he stepped out the church. Much like how you feel when you're standing still, and you see something move from behind you in the corner of your eye, giving you that fleeting illusion that you've suddenly started moving backwards against your own will. Once he mounted his bike, he felt that feeling tenfold grip him from behind his ribs, yanking him what felt like skyward. It wasn't pleasant...
He looked back to Tifa, wondering if her entrance into this world was just as violent, or if she and the kids had the mercy of just... appearing. He decided to question this later... she didn't seem to want to talk to him about much now, and he could steal a guess why.
"I've taken worse than this from much less. C'mon, what's been going on?" |
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Jan 17, 2013 23:56:32 GMT -5
The pressure of his hand on her shoulder was comforting, it reminded her of why he was the one who led them all those yeas ago; something about the way he held himself always made her feel like everything was going to be alright. Tifa turned to look at him and nodded in acknowledgement of the gesture, she was grateful that even battered and bruised he was still attuned to his teammates.
“I know you're right; I just worry about everyone all the time.”
There was a lot of truth to this; Tifa had without noticing taken the role of being the groups 'mother'. She always wanted to make sure everyone was alright and even when they travelled Tifa would fuss over who wasn't taking good care of themselves and who was being too reckless in battles, but with the kids now she had actual children to look up to her as a mother and she never felt more satisfied.
Still, it didn't stop her from scowling when she eyed Cloud one more time her eyes stopping on the various cuts and bruises that adorned his skin. It never failed to amaze her how one body could take so much damage and he still managed to crack a joke through it all; she didn't hide her eye-roll, but there was still a lighthearted smile that almost never left her face. His question made her wonder, had it been a few weeks now? Perhaps a bit over a month? She had lost track of all sense of time with how hectic life had become.
“A month give or take. Where have you been?”
Time must have been warped if Cloud had just arrived, it was already too confusing to grasp and Tifa didn't want to think about it anymore the concepts where so enigmatic that it almost scared Tifa to think about a being possessing such power to cause such a rift.
"I've taken worse than this from much less. C'mon, what's been going on?"
Tifa didn't speak for a while her eyes were focused ahead to where she wanted them to go, but she knew she couldn't not tell him he would ask and if she didn't spoke she feared he would be upset with her from keeping something from him.
Sucking in a deep breath she turned to face him and stopped walking her hands edging towards the pink ribbon that was still tied around her arm.
“No one knows how to explain it, but... they came back.”
She didn't say who, but the ominous tone in her voice didn't reveal who she was talking about; sucking in a deep breath Tifa mustered a smile, but she was scared he wouldn't believe her and she was scared he would react poorly.
“I saw her at an inn and she back in the flesh and she's not the only one...”
While speaking she had averted her gaze, but after telling him and pausing before she continued Tifa allowed her eyes to meet with Clouds.
WORDCOUNT:: Five-Hundred and Five (505)
MUSICPLAYING:: Nada
CURRENTMOOD:: Pleasant mood
POSTTAGGEDFOR:: Cloud
AUTHORSNOTES:: Finally! Got this one done!
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