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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening	By : Saan Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 844 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Ecka's head began to loll around and she was starting to pale.

"You okay?" asked Vincent.

"I'm okay,� she answered. "The drugs are just kicking in. I need to lay down. If you want just take a look around. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE!� The girl got up from the table and stripped off her cloak. She was wearing a black tank top underneath. The shirt seemed to be too baggy for her. Aged bandages were wrapped around her flat chest and were visible through the large armholes. Leira recognized the article of clothing immediately. "Wasn't that Zack's?"

Ecka pushed down her dirty baggy pants and kicked them off her ankles along with her oversized boots. "Not like he'll need it anyway. Especially where he is�he gave it to me after you almost got us all butchered!" She snapped the elastic waistband of her skintight blue biker shorts. The young SOLDIER noticed that Vincent's eyes were glued to her bandages. "You wanna know about this don't you?" she calmly walked over to him and put his right hand to the area that covered her breasts.

Vincent had not been expecting the type of reaction she had given him. He thought about his age for a second and than wondered, what Leira's thoughts would be about his hand pressed to the young girl's chest. The Elite was still sitting at the table. Her hands covered her face. He was unable to tell if he upset her.

"When they attack you, they do it without remorse."

The ex-Turk looked into her blue eyes. He wanted to ask whom but was instantly caught up in what he was able to feel. He felt a hole where there should have been bone. There were sharp jagged edges where the rib cage seemed to have been broken apart.

To add to his curiosity she lowered a corner of her bandage to give him a better idea of what he was feeling. There was a web work of red puffy scars below that one small section of tape. "They've got powerful jaws. Rudah saved me just as they went off to tell their master that I was dead. Good thing he showed up to or some clone would be living my afterlife for me." She scratched her forehead. "I like you."

"What?" Vincent asked. She was standing above him. Her voice was so peaceful.

"You've got a bum arm too." she said pointing at his claw.

Vincent blushed than noticed that her facial expression had changed. Her face was burning with anger. "You're eyes! They're�red?!"

Leira raised her head at the former thief's yell. Sephiroth was too busy studying the map to bother with the disturbance.

"You're one of them! Forget what I just said!� The little SOLDIER backed up and swung her right leg around in a powerful roundhouse kick. Before either would-be combatant knew what was going on, the aggressor dropped to the ground. The Elite was holding her ankle in the air.

"Relax�he's one of us not�whoever�" Leira dropped her ankle. She knew about how volatile the girl was and wanted to protect her teammates.

"A few of Hojo's creations have red eyes just like yours!" the twenty six year old stammered. "He's a friend?!" an accusing finger leveled at the dead man.

Vincent took a breath and explained his situation to the girl. He told her about his love for the mad scientist's wife so many years ago and the price that he still paid even in death.

Ecka smiled. "That's pretty. I'm gonna take a nap." she sauntered over to her set of old mattresses and lie down. Too much excitement made the side effects of the drug become harsh.

"You know who she's talking about, correct?" Sephiroth's voice was still distant. His posture even sported a lack of concern with his finger resting below his smooth triangular chin. The burial map still held a large percentage of his interest.

"What? The part of Hojo's creations, right?" Leira asked.

Sephiroth nodded in solemnity. "We just found where Ecka was laid to rest and I think these tunnels might lead us to a couple others."

"What are you getting at, Sephiroth?" Vincent kept his voice low so as not to disturb the sleeping girl.

"We all caught a glimpse of her coffin. You saw it yourself,� the cold-hearted man said flatly.

Vincent stood side by side with Leira. "The gray lid outside?" he slowly recalled the coffin shape doorway to Ecka's lair.

"She must have had a false burial,� added Leira.

Sephiroth grinned and faced the others. "She was good at being tricky. I'll give her that."

"So who's next on the tour?" asked Leira while folding her arms.

Sephiroth was about to reply but Vincent was way ahead of him. "That would be number twenty nine. Wouldn't it?"

Leira suddenly felt like she was in a nightmare. "Twenty nine?!" She faced Sephiroth in confusion. "That can't be�"

The former Shinra general lowered his head. He had known that this particular burial site would be painful for her.

The world seemed to spin around Leira at a dizzying pace. Number twenty-nine was a SOLDIER that she could recall without much thought. She could remember how much the SOLDIER from Wutai had touched her life.

"What is that?!" she blurted out.

"I thought only the stupid questions were reserved for the newest Turk." He smiled. Decorating a portion of his back, left arm and chest was a large tattoo. It was a picture of some kind of long serpent with crimson, blue and black scales. "If you must know, it's Wutai's sacred seal. This is Leviathan, my countries water god."

Leira gave him a shy smile and turned back towards the warm shower water. She picked up a bar of soap and began to lather her arms. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Timal had entered the stall behind her.

"Y'know�There's no use in me wasting anymore water." He said slyly. "The other tattoo�twenty nine, that was a number that Hojo assigned me. I've got no idea why. I'm only twenty-seven. I wasn't even in my twenties when I first joined SOLDIER."

Leira looked at his left arm and noticed the black-stenciled number just underneath the midsection of Leviathan. She had not noticed it before. She blushed as her eyes had wandered down his arm to his naked hips.

Timal put his left hand up to her chin. "Hey you." He said gently. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

Sephiroth laid a hand on her shoulder. "If you're sure you're up to it. One of these tunnels should be able to take us directly to him."

Vincent looked around and found a compass hanging from one of the nails used to hold up the map. He took it down and pointed it at one of the blocked off hallways. With another brief glimpse at the map, he was able to determine the path too to the SOLDIER's final resting place. "It's that way,� he pointed to an open corridor.

Leira took one last look at the snoozing Ecka before she followed the other two down the flame lit hallway.

"What do you think we'll find?" Vincent asked Sephiroth.

The white haired man tried to remember the faces of those that were present for his resurrection.

He suddenly found himself at a loss for words as Leira decided to speak up. "Hopefully we'll find a body." She pushed ahead of the men. She was anxious to see what had become of one of her most personal friendships. Ecka's talk about clones had set numerous fears running through her mind.

"Hey, wait! I've got the compass here!� Vincent cried aloud and took off after her.

Sephiroth paused. "I wonder�" One thought in particular was racing through his mind, "How well did she know this fallen SOLDIER?"

A growling noise came from one of the walls beside Leira and was quickly followed by two more. She froze and turned to the others. "Someone's hungry!�

Vincent grabbed her by the arm and forced her out of the way. He reviewed his materia before positioning himself in an attack stance.

Sephiroth ran a hand through his long hair. He found himself itching for a good fight.

Three wolf like creatures leapt out at them. "No problem." Vincent said. He extended a hand at the creatures and whispered a quick chant. It was at that point that Sephiroth and Leira became more concerned with the materia the former Turk was wearing rather than the number of creatures he destroyed by fire. Vincent turned to them sheepishly. "Maybe she should have been more careful about shutting down corridors."

As the rogue Kalm Wolves turned into ash, Leira made a grab for the dead man's wrist. "Where did you get this?! Do know who this belonged too?!" Leira was pointing at one of the many materia gems he had been wearing.

Sephiroth grabbed her by the underarms before she completely dropped to her knees.

Vincent was taken by surprise. He looked at Sephiroth and than back at Leira. The Elite had begun to sob. "What is she talking about�?"

"I don't know�" Leira's ex-general was becoming more and more concerned with her ability to continue.

The Elite looked from face to face. "Let's just move on. It's nothing."

Systematically the three walked. The corridor seemed to get darker and darker. Leira's light blue uniform was getting harder for Vincent to recognize. "I can't see the needle on the compass anymore."

Leira halted and leaned against a partition. "We're lost aren't we?"

"That's impossible�" Sephiroth sputtered. He maneuvered his way around the two Turks. "We're going in the right direction!"

A small sound caught the dead man's ear. It sounded like tinfoil bending. He turned to his sense materia in an effort to try to isolate the noise. "Don't go any further!�

Sephiroth was quick to disregard his words and continued. Rapidly, the floor had dropped out from underneath him. He managed to hover in the air briefly. Leira reached out to try to make a grab for her former general but it was too late, his waning powers had given out. Sephiroth had already been swallowed by the blackness. He fought to grab hold of something but the assortments of wires hanging from the interior of the hole were not enough to support him.

Vincent hurried to Leira's side. "How big do you think it is?"

The Turk Elite sat on the edge. "Knowing Ecka, I'd say it's wide enough for her not to care about any heavy enemies coming across!"

"That big, huh?"

"Yeah. You think we should help him or do you think that he'll fly out on his own?" The next thing Leira knew the ground under her feet had begun to rot away. "HOLY SHIT!� she yelped as her hands dashed about for something to grab onto.

"I've got you!� Vincent assured her. He had grabbed her wrists just in time. "I'm going to pull you up! I'm beginning to think this was a bad�" He started to lift Leira to sturdy ground just as the floor had unexpectedly dropped out from underneath him as well.

Reeve looked at the cat once more. "We need to be ready in the event there will be more clones."

"Gotcha, boss!" The little black and white cat hit a few more keys. In minutes, the cat had drawn up another image. The monitor began showing several men standing side by side. Long tinted shields hung from their black helmets. "You meant these guys right?"

The men on the screen were decked out in heavy black body armor and had large black rifles slung over their shoulders. The camera angle went wide and showed them knocking their heels together in military fashion. "YES SIR, MISTER PRESIDENT, SIR!�

"Good job, Cait!" The President acknowledged.

"Well�you know�� Cait Sith blushed.

"Gentlemen, I have a job for you! I need you to arrive at the Presidential residence ASAP! The Highwind will be running as soon as you make it here! Board the ship and have your gear ready! We have another clone on our hands!�

"unnnnnnnh,� Leira�s eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. "Ouch�is everyone okay?" Her body began to ascertain the damage it had suffered. "That's definitely going to leave a mark or two�" No broken bones were sustained but the bruising had started to feel just as bad. She wrinkled her nose. "Pitch black�" she snorted. The Elite whispered the chant that would activate her fire materia. A ball of fire burst to life and hovered a couple feet off the ground. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!� she yelped as a face became visible in the dancing flame. "Bomb�fire elemental�Ice materia�need ice materia�" she whimpered and began to back away.

"You almost burnt my eyebrows off!� Sephiroth had made it to the bottom in one piece and had followed the sound of Leira's chanting. "Vincent's around here, right?" His eyes glanced around.

The ground behind Leira started to moan. "I'm here�"

"Wherever that is�" Leira scoffed. The pit they had fallen into resembled the train tracks that led from the top plates of Midgar to the slums below. The only difference was this particular section was loaded with tons of garbage and scrap. "Do you think we're still in the Freezer?"

Sephiroth took a minute to think but gave up.

Vincent Valentine brought himself to his feet. He looked into the fire. "That's an interesting blaze. I don't think I've seen one float in place like that before. Anyone feel like singing?"

Sephiroth stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Chances are you haven't. Congratulations, Leira�" his eyes shifted from Vincent to the Elite. "Your materia usage is getting back to what it used to be."

"Huh?"

"You're regaining the abilities you learned while Norelliies was in command. You and Ecka. You saw the blast she used while we were chasing her. Norelliies liked to use fire spells so she made sure to outfit everyone that served with her. She even carried Ifrit materia."

Vincent frowned. "This Norelliies�She had control over the god of hellfire?!"

Sephiroth addressed him with a shifty smile. "That she did. She even gave it to me before I was sent to Nibelheim. I can't recall what happened afterwards�I might have dropped it somewhere�I could never get rid of the thing for too long�oh, well."

The dead man could only stare at the offspring of his lost love. Had Sephiroth used Ifrit to burn the village to the ground? Maybe he really had gone insane? It had become clear to him that the man still did not seem to be entirely stable. A flicker from the fire caught Vincent's attention. Absentmindedly he fumbled around for the compass. The little trinket began to reflect the fires brilliant red, yellow and orange hews. The needle of the compass was pointing directly at one of the walls. "Hmmm." Vincent pulled out his map and checked it against the device.

Sephiroth and Leira stood eye to eye. "You keep talking about her. If Ifrit was such an awesome materia, why did she give it to you? What type of�relationship�"

The brown haired Elite started to see things a little clearer.

"It's about time." He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to clean out the corners of his eyes. "I was beginning to think you'd never remember. That woman is not my favorite topic of discussion�"

"Number twenty nine! I think his coffin might be behind that wall!" Vincent ran over to the edge and began to dig.

Leira shot Sephiroth a nasty look. "How could you say something so vile?!" she hissed and removed the top of her uniform. "She was on the list! Where are we going to find her? A sewage drain?!" She tossed it to the ground and went to help Vincent.

"I had no control over anyone's final resting place. I was�otherwise occupied at the time." Sephiroth mumbled and sauntered over to help with the excavation.

Hours had passed and the party had tried to find ways to keep themselves comfortable while they searched for the coffin of the SOLDIER known as Timal Klefmon.

Leira helped the two men tear a panel down. Her white undershirt was now so soaked with sweat that it was now grayish in color. She sat down on a busted crate panting. Vincent nodded to Sephiroth and sat down between them. During this time, he had also taken it upon himself to remove the upper portion of his clothing. "I'm surprised she made it this far." He squinted. "It's usually the fairer sex that gives in before any manual labor takes place."

Sephiroth looked at him cautiously before something caught his eye. A look of revulsion was present and quickly gave away to reveal a toothy white smile. He looked past Vincent and witnessed something that he had become accustomed to back in his Shinra days. Valentine noticed that Sephiroth's attention had been diverted and followed his glance. The sight before him was rather odd. Leira had opened up her Turk knife and had begun to pick out the spaces between her teeth. She noticed that both men's eyes had rested on her and quickly withdrew the weapon. She flashed a wide smile and quickly hid it behind her back.

Their search had seemed like a fruitless challenge. "Are you really sure he's here?" Leira asked.

Vincent sighed and flicked off the beads of sweat that had gathered along his hairline.

Sephiroth perked up. "Did anyone hear that?"

"You're joking right? What could possibly be, here, in this hole, with us?" Leira retorted.

"No�he's right�I hear something too�" Vincent rose to his feet. His skin seemed to grow whiter. He and Sephiroth both grabbed Leira by the shoulders and hurried her to a far corner. The team ducked into a small hole to try to avoid being crushed.

What started as a sound of scraping metal quickly turned into a mini avalanche. Chunks of wall, abandoned equipment and other materials poured into the tiny space.

Almost a minute later, the noise and the debris flood were quieted. Sephiroth was the first to leave. He took a glimpse at the damage and tapped the other two on the shoulders. "It's safe now."

Clouds of dust blew into the fire and created a dull hiss. "Now what do we do?" Leira was becoming cross. "If there was something in there it's probably been destroyed." She kicked a wheel from an old office chair.

"Don't give in just yet." Sephiroth pointed at a large object sticking out from the hill the avalanche had created.

Leira clamored over to the object and began to pull it out of the wall. Vincent and Sephiroth joined her.

"HEAVE!� she shouted as she pulled on a corner. The two men did their best to dislodge the heavy item�

With a dull THUD, a large box slammed to the ground. The mysterious object was a battered coffin. "Let's open it and get it over with." The idea of a decomposing body did not bother her as much the hint that a good friend's decomposing body would be contained in the long metal box. Immediately she located the casket's seals and popped them open. Once the locks were disengaged, Vincent helped her push the lid off. Sephiroth folded his arms against his bare chest. He found himself to be curious about the contents of the metal casket. Did it really contain a friend of Leira's? He shut his eyes in thought.

"It's empty!" Leira cried.

Sephiroth was not surprised.

A white sheet with a SOLDIER emblem was draped over the cushiony interior. Indeed, there was no corpse.

"Maybe the handlers were scared off by Meteor so they never got a chance to put a body in it." Vincent assumed.

"That's not why." Sephiroth remarked with disinterest.

"What's your reason, then? Enlighten me." Leira urged.

Sephiroth gave a slight yawn and approached the coffin. Gently he lifted a corner of the fabric and pushed it aside. "Here's a hint."

A metal sheet hid underneath the cloth. "It looks like some kind of plaque." Vincent guessed.

"Very good." With a flick of a wrist, Sephiroth pulled the sheet out of the coffin and dropped it on the ground. "It's actually an epitaph."

Leira moved closer to the side and peered inwards.

Here Lay The Only Remains Of Neidlictzech, Norelliies �Norry� Of Kalm

General To Midgar Elite Unit 65 And Former SOLDIER First Class #9

Died At Age Twenty Nine

May You Return To The Planet Safely

"Well, that sure said a lot�" Vincent wondered if any parting words and been left for him when he had been stuffed into a coffin by Hojo and left in the dungeon of the Shinra Mansion.

"It said remains�but�there's nothing here�" Leira was suddenly worried. "Is she still alive?"

Vincent reached into the coffin and felt around. His hand came to rest on a secret pocket that was sown into one of the sky blue cushions that lined the casket. "Hmmmm..." His fingers came to rest on a plastic crumpled up bag. He pulled it out and held it in front for the others to view.

"So that's what's left of the old girl! I wonder why Hojo didn't bother to send along the rest of the pieces." Sephiroth's disinterested tone of voice was sickening to Leira.

Dangling from the ex-Turk�s fingers was a twelve-inch by fifteen-inch bag of human hair.

"May I see that?" Sephiroth asked Vincent.

The dead man handed the bag to him.

The white haired man opened the bag and removed a small lock of hair. "Wavy, smooth, healthy and blonde. Yep, this is Norelliies."
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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening