Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Premonitions: Uncut	By : Hippo_and_Friends_with_Benefits Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 3901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I am not making any money of of this writing.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Chapter 16: The Barge
Hojo stood alone in the lobby at the Shinra field office in Junon. Sephiroth was on the loose, he realized. He had speculated that this day might have come sooner or later. But he had never speculated what he might do in the situation. For him, the future was as uncertain as it was for his company. He wondered if her should remain loyal to them, or…
"Hojo," greeted Rufus as he entered the lobby and interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes, sir," Hojo replied.
"Still no sign of Sephiroth?"
"None whatsoever," Hojo replied. "To be perfectly frank, Sephiroth has the potential to destroy us all. Look at what he did to your father."
"I think it's time we took a meeting," Rufus suggested.
"Yes, sir," Hojo replied. He groaned inside; he knew where this meant.
MEANWHILE...
"This is bad," said Cloud as he looked down on Pricilla's lifeless body. "You don't think she's dead, do you?"
"I hope not," said Tifa nervously.
"Priscilla!" exclaimed an elderly man as he ran to her and kneeled down. "Nope, she's not breathing."
"Can't anyone resuscitate her?" asked Cloud.
"Hey, that's it!" shouted the old man with a gleam in his eye. "Young man, CPR, now!"
"Mouth to mouth?" asked Cloud. He had learned CPR during his training, but had never the chance to carry it out in practice.
"C'mon Cloud!" ordered Barret.
"Cloud, hurry!" added Aerith.
"You know I can't," said Red XIII.
"Guess I gotta do it," Cloud agreed.
He held the poor girl's nose shut and breathed into her mouth. After his third exhale, she coughed water into Cloud's face. Cloud staggered back as spectators cheered.
"Uh...ugh…" groaned Pricilla.
"Hey hey!" shouted the old man as he picked up the tiny girl. "Priscilla, are you alright?" He then disappeared into his house, leaving Cloud to scratch his head.
"You're welcome," he muttered.
A few minutes later, Cloud and the group found themselves in the house of one of the female spectators.
"I heard what happened. You've done so much for Priscilla," the spectator explained.
"You all must be tired. If you want to get some rest, stay here. Make yourselves at home."
"I'm gonna relax for a while," Barret announced.
"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "Let's rest."
MEANWHILE...
"Hojo," began Rufus from where he was sitting, "it's highly likely Sephiroth is going to come after you."
"I've considered that myself," said Hojo, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
"Good," replied Rufus. He was sitting on the toilet with his pants at his ankles. Bathroom meetings were his worst habit. "Then you've probably been expecting me to give you a leave of absence."
"Excuse me?" asked Hojo.
"No worries," said Rufus. "It works for both of us. Sephiroth will notice you're not among us. He won't come after us, and he won't be able to use us to find you."
"How are we going to explain this to the public?" asked Hojo.
"We'll tell them you disappeared," said Rufus. "Leaving a letter of resignation."
"And if he finds me?" Hojo asked out of reasonable concern.
"You'll have undercover bodyguards," answered Rufus. "All female."
"How long will I be gone?"
"We'll call you back once we get close to the Promised Land."
"Will that be all?" asked Hojo.
"I believe that will be," answered Rufus. "Now, could I get a little privacy, please?"
Hojo muttered profanities under his teeth as he left the bathroom.
LATER...
"...That reminds me."
"You again?"
"…Who are you?"
"…You'll find out soon. But more importantly, 5 years ago…"
"5 Years ago…Nibelheim?"
"When you went to Mt. HOMET then, Tifa was your guide, right?"
"Yeah…I was surprised."
"But where was Tifa other than that?"
"…I dunno."
"It was a great place for you two to see each other again."
"…You're right."
"Why couldn't you see each other alone?"
"…I don't know. I can't remember clearly…"
"Why don't you try asking Tifa?"
"...Yeah."
"Then, get up!"
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THE NEXT MORNING...
"Tifa," began Cloud the next afternoon, "When Sephiroth and I went to Nibelheim, where were you?
"We saw each other, right?" Tifa replied.
"The other time," Cloud clarified.
"No...it was five years ago. I don't remember," said Tifa. "But something seems strange outside. Cloud, come quick."
"Seems like something's goin' on up there!" said Barret as Cloud made his way out of the house.
"Doesn't it seem a little strange?" added Tifa. "Everything getting so noisy all of a sudden?"
"Does this have something to do with the Shinra?" asked Red XIII.
Just then, Pricilla came out of her house, still malnourished, but having recovered from the incident.
"Are you all right now?" asked Cloud.
"Thanks for helping," replied Pricilla. "I'm sorry, I mistook you for one of those Shinra, Inc."
"That's all right," said Cloud.
"What's that music?" asked Barret. "It sure sounds lively."
"I heard they're rehearsing the reception for the new Shinra president," Pricilla replied.
"Rufus?" said Barret. "I gotta pay my respects."
"Grandpa and grandma told me this beach was beautiful when they were small," Pricilla continued. "But after the Shinra built that city above, the sun stopped shining here, and the water got polluted. I was raised on that story and hate Shinra so much, I could die!"
"You think Rufus is thinking about crossing the ocean from here, too?" asked Aerith "Does that mean Sephiroth already crossed the ocean?"
"We gotta get to the town up there," Barret pointed out. "Mebbe we could climb the tower?"
"No! No!" exclaimed Pricilla. "There's a high voltage current running underneath the tower. Don't wander near it, it's dangerous! But you might be able to if Mr. Dolphin helps you. Follow me!"
"High voltage tower," Tifa observed. "I guess this means Cloud'll be all right."
"Yeah," Aerith added. "Better leave it to Cloud!"
"We're counting on you, Cloud," Red XIII joined in.
"Hey!" Cloud exclaimed. "Wait a second!"
The others, naturally, ignored him. Defeated, Cloud trudged down into the water where Priscilla was standing.
"Wait a minute," ordered the girl. With that, she blew a whistler. In response, Mr. Dolphin jumped high out of the water.
"Now ain't that something!" observed Barret. I ain't never seen no dolphin jump like that!"
"Pretty cool, huh?" gloated Pricilla. "When I blow this whistle, Mr. Dolphin jumps for me." She then handed the whistle to Cloud. "This is for you, Cloud!"
"What am I supposed to do with it?" he asked.
"Just go into the water, blow this whistle, and Mr. Dolphin'll jump you to the top of the pole!"
"Jump to the top of the pole?" asked Cloud.
"See that rod sticking out at the top?" replied Pricilla. "If you jump just right, you can climb to the top of the town."
"Good luck, Cloud!" said Barret. "If you make it, we'll follow you!"
"What do you mean if?" muttered Cloud.
ELSEWHERE...
Kalm was still a quiet, peaceful hamlet when Bestla and Nara entered the town.
"They were here," Bestla declared. "We saw them head off in this direction from Midgar."
"How can you be sure they stopped here?" asked Nara.
"They would run out of supplies," Bestla explained. "And they would tire. They probably stayed at the inn."
"Then where do we go from here?" asked Nara.
"We ask around," Bestla replied. "Start with him," she ordered, pointing to a middle-aged villager in the town square.
"Me?" asked Nara.
In response, Bestla once again pointed to the villager.
Defeated, Nara made her way to the villager as Bestla looked on.
"Excuse me," Nara asked sheepishly.
"Yes?" replied the villager.
"Can you help us?"
"Well," the villager replied, "that depends on what you need help with. Are either of you looking for a boyfriend?"
"We believe a group of five people were here not too long ago," Nara began, ignoring the previous question. "A guy with spiky hair. A girl with a pink dress. Another girl with practically no clothes on. A red cat. And, finally a man with a machine gun where his arm should be. Did you see such a group of people?"
"I sure did," the villager replied. "They went off in the same direction as a gray-haired oddball."
"Sephiroth!" exclaimed Bestla.
"So that's his name?" asked the villager. "That's the weirdest name I've ever heard. Was he your ex?"
"What direction was that?" asked Bestla, refusing to dignify the question with response.
"Not my business," the villager answered.
"Is that so?" growled Bestla.
MEANWHILE...
Cloud, meanwhile, had made his way into the military base. He had been there before; when he was training for SOLDIER. But he had no time to think about that now. He needed to focus on Sephiroth.
Just then, soldiers began to run by.
"The new president!" exclaimed one of them. "He's here! He's here!"
"Hurry! Hurry!" exclaimed another.
Cloud then turned to see an angry-looking commander staring him down.
Shit, he thought. I've been caught!
"Hey!" exclaimed the commander. "You still dressed like that? Come here!"
The commander then led Cloud into a locker room. "Today's the big day when we welcome President Rufus!" he explained. "Hurry up and change!"
Cloud did as he was told. A Shinra uniform, he thought. I was so proud when I first put it on. I wonder when it was...I couldn't stand wearing this thing anymore.
"Wow!" exclaimed the commander, bringing him back to reality. "You look good in it!
You remember the greeting procedure, right?"
Cloud nodded. He was experiencing déjà vu again. He remembered every move. But he would think about that after Sephiroth was dead.
The parade went well, with Cloud marching a few hundred feet behind Rufus, who was riding in an open car. After the parade, they returned to the base.
"Good!" exclaimed the commander. "We made it." He then realized his company. "Oh! President Rufus!" He turned to his troops again. "Hey! Line up and shut up! Don't make a move!"
Rufus wasn't even paying attention. He was focused on Heidegger. "How's the job?" he asked. "What happened to the Shinra 2000?
"The long range airship is still being prepared," Heidegger replied. "It should be ready in about three more days. Gya haa haa!"
"Even the Air Force's Gelnika?" asked Rufus.
"Gya haa haa!" cackled Heidegger.
"Stop that stupid horse laugh," snapped Rufus. "Things are different than when father was in charge. Is the ship ready?"
"Yes, sir, we'll get it ready quickly," replied Heidegger. He then raised his fist and took Rufus's abuse out on Cloud once the former left the scene. He then followed his boss.
"What a disaster," said one of the soldiers.
"Heidegger was really irritated," said another.
"The man in the black cape's been roaming the city, but we can't find him," added the first.
"Man in a black cape?" asked Cloud.
"He showed up two or three days ago, and killed a few of our soldiers," explained the second soldier. "He disappeared right after that. There's a rumor going around that it was Sephiroth."
Just then, the commander returned. "Attention!" he called. "Dismissed!"
Cloud failed to follow the soldiers. His mind was on Sephiroth.
"Hey!" shouted the commander. "Hey you! You messing with the army?"
"Who cares?" replied Cloud, forgetting his place in the food chain.
"You're too lazy!" shouted the commander. "No break for you! Get over here!"
After a few minutes, Cloud found himself back in the locker room. He didn't care; Sephiroth was in the area.
"This is the military, soldier!" barked the commander. "Your orders for today are to send off President Rufus at the dock! I'll keep drilling you until it's time!"
Cloud groaned.
After the drill, the commander led Cloud and the two soldiers through the streets. As they stopped at a red light, Cloud could see Rude smoking in an open-air bar. Tseng, Elena, and Reno were sitting nearby.
If they recognize me, I'm fucked, thought Cloud.
"Hey soldier-boy, aren't you still on duty?" asked the bartender.
"Stay outta this," Tseng ordered.
"The President's safety is secure because we're here," Reno said.
"The minute you think the job's boring, you guys start messing…around," added Elena. She then became very quiet.
"What's wrong?" asked Reno.
"It feels like we're had this discussion before," Elena said.
"We do have our down time," Rude said as he put out the cigarette. "We got to this bar every week."
"But I was just promoted," Elena said. "And I remember being at this bar. Having this conversation. With you!"
Great, thought Cloud. Now Elena's having déjà vu. It's way to obvious…"
"Hey jackass, move it!" shouted the commander as the light turned green.
"Well done," complimented Rufus after the soldiers' performance. "Keep up the good work for Shinra, Inc."
"Mr. President," called Heidegger. "The ship is almost ready for departure."
Rufus quietly walked over to Heidegger. "Once the word gets out that Sephiroth's here, Cloud and his friends will show up, too," he whispered.
"We'll crush them as soon as we find them!" Heidegger said, trying not to laugh.
"We can't have them get in our way," insisted Rufus.
"Leave it up to me, sir!" assured Heidegger. "Gya haa ha!"
"I thought I told you to stop that stupid laugh!" shouted Rufus as he boarded the barge.
Heidegger raised his fist, but then the ship's whistle blew. "Guess this is your lucky day," he grunted as he followed Rufus.
"All right!" shouted the commander. "Dismissed!"
"That was close," said the first soldier.
"Heidegger's been really edgy lately," added the second soldier. "Because Hojo disappeared, leaving a letter of resignation. Heidegger's been forced to take care of that investigation, too."
"Hey!" shouted the commander. "I thought you were dismissed!"
X1 quietly made his way to the cargo hold. He had spotted something out of the corner of his eye that he thought he had recognized. When he got there, his suspicions were confirmed.
"Hey, hurry," said Red XIII. "You're the last one."
"How did you get here?" asked Cloud.
"A dolphin gave me a ride," the cat replied. "Priscilla remembered the dolphin after you climbed the pole. But, you mustn't be mad at her."
Cloud sighed. "We'll cross the ocean, to the new continent. Even if we are wearing Shinra's uniforms."
SOMEWHERE ELSE...
The villager had awoken from a nap to the smell of fire. Alarmed, he cautiously made his way over to his bedroom door and felt it, as he had been told to as a child. It wasn't hot. He slowly opened it and check the kitchen. Nothing. The house seemed to be fire free. And then he noticed. There were endless shades of red and orange through the windows. In a panic, he ran outside to be instantly greeted by a wave of heat and smoke. The entire city of Kalm was burning to the ground. Bestla was standing triumphantly in the town square.
"What are you doing?!" pleaded the villager.
"Don't worry. Not your business," Bestla cackled.
"How many people have died?!" he exclaimed.
"I never counted," Bestla replied.
"You bitch!" cried the villager as he prepared to attack her.
Bestla immediately pulled out her laser blaster and aimed it at the villager. "Let's not try anything stupid," she warned. "That said, I do have some aqua materia. I can put it to some good use if you can tell me where that party went."
The defeated villager sighed. He realized he had no choice, not to mention that the blood of the other villagers was at least partially on his hands. "They were heading for the mines!" he replied in a panic.
"See?" gloated Bestla. "That wasn't so hard."
"Why would they be heading for the mines?" asked Nara.
"I'm not sure," the shaking villager replied. "But I know Junon is beyond the mines. Maybe they want to cross the ocean?"
"Thanks again," said Bestla as she promptly fired on the villager, reducing him to a pile of dust in a matter of seconds.
"What now?" asked Nara.
"We get back to the Urchin," Bestla replied. "Take it across the ocean and keep an eye out for them. Most of the barges in this time went from Junon to Costa del Sol."
"What about them?" asked Nara, pointing to the burning buildings.
"What about them?" retorted Bestla. "It's a good day to die."
With that, they left the burning village.
AT SEA...
Meanwhile, Cloud and Red XIII made their way deeper into the barge. The ship had departed, and they were now at sea. Sephiroth might be somewhere on the ship, and Cloud was already looking for him. He would find him, kill him, and put an end to the charade. Then he would kill Rufus and Heidegger, and put and end to Shinra. And then…he would find out just where the hell those premonitions were coming from.
Just then, another solder appeared in front of him. Before Cloud could say anything, the solder threw its arms around his neck, jumped, wrapped its legs around Cloud's waist, and kissed him hungrily on the mouth.
"It's me, Aerith," she giggled in a whisper. "Hey, Cloud. Did you see the airship at Junon?"
"I heard it was big," Cloud replied. "But I didn't expect it to be that big."
"That was really something," said Aerith. "Hey, do you think I could get on it?"
"I'll take you someday," replied Cloud with a wink.
"Wow!" exclaimed Aerith with a smile. "I'm really looking forward to it!" She kissed him again and put her feet back on the ground. "Let's ride the airship together, okay? Promise, promise me!"
The three went up to deck. It was deserted, save one soldier.
"Yes sir! Everything quiet, sir!" the soldier said to them. "But, you know what? I really hate this uniform. Uniforms, soldiers, war, I hate 'em all. They take away all the things and people you love. I wish they'd all disappear. Right, Cloud?"
"Yeah, Tifa," Cloud agreed.
"You're right!" Tifa smiled. "Uh, yes sir, I'll continue my watch sir!"
"Hey, Cloud," began Aerith. "Did you see Barret? I hope he's not doing anything stupid."
The next doorway led to the outside deck. There, they found Barret, looking into a window. As they joined him, they could see Rufus and Heidegger inside.
"They're this close but we can't do a thing to 'em," Barret muttered. "How can he be goin' off laughin' like that? Because of him, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie...God! I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna settle things here and now!"
"Barret, no!" Tifa exclaimed.
Before Barret could do something stupid, red lights began to flash, and a siren began to sound.
"Emergency alert!" declared the intercom. "Reports of a suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found! I repeat. Suspicious character found on board! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!"
"Damn, did they find us?" exclaimed Barret.
"Everyone's here, right?" asked Tifa.
"Hey, wait," insisted Barret. "You don't think that suspicious character is Sephiroth?"
"Really?" suggested Tifa.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" replied Barret.
"Let's find out," ordered Cloud.
"It's the most logical thing to do," suggested Red XIII.
Back in the cargo hold, the bodies began to appear, murdered in the same fashion as those at the Shinra building.
"It's him," Tifa said. "It has to be."
"Let's end this," Cloud said.
Beyond the cargo hold was the engine room. There, Cloud saw a figure standing with his back turned to him.
"Is it Sephiroth?" Cloud asked aloud.
Almost as if in response, the figure fell to the ground, dead.
"No, not Sephiroth!" Cloud corrected himself. And then, they all heard the voice.
"After a long sleep...the time has...come."
"Look, Cloud!" exclaimed Aerith.
Cloud turned his eyes to where Aerith had been pointing, just in time to see Sephiroth rise through the floor. He looked just as Cloud had remembered him.
"Sephiroth!" exclaimed Cloud. "You're alive!"
"Who are you?" asked Sephiroth.
"You don't remember me? I'm Cloud!"
"Cloud," Sephiroth repeated.
"Sephiroth, what are you thinking?" demanded Cloud. "What are you doing!?
"The time is now," Sephiroth replied.
"What!?" exclaimed Cloud. "What are you saying?"
In response, Sephiroth leaped toward the ceiling. Down came a repulsive, silver creature that all five of them recognized.
"Jenova!" shouted Tifa.
"Nice head!" Barret shouted sarcastically.
"She's colored differently," Red XIII observed.
"Forget that!" Cloud shouted. "Look!"
Jenova fired lasers in all directions, causing the group to disperse.
"I didn't think that thing was really Sephiroth's mother," Red XIII began. "But now I see the resemblance!"
Just then, Jenova spotted Aerith in the corner. Surprisingly quickly, the creature began to advance on her. Aerith quickly tossed her staff at Jenova, only to have it smack it away with her tail.
Jenova continued until she was just a few feet away from Aerith.
"Look out!" Cloud shouted. He cast lightening, directly striking Jenova. When the dust cleared she had been reduced to a small tentacle. Before Cloud could draw his sword and finish the tentacle off, it quickly slithered away.
"Oh, Cloud!" squealed Aerith as she got up and ran into his arms. "I thought I was going to die!"
"That's what disappeared from the Shinra building," Red XIII observed.
"Jenova," said Cloud, his arms still wrapped around Aerith's waist. "The arm of Jenova. So it was Sephiroth."
"He said the time is now," Barret reminded them.
"Rufus!" shouted Cloud suddenly. "I forgot about him!"
"Could the new president be dead now, too?" asked Tifa aloud.
"Nope," replied Barret. "I know he's not."
"What's with these premontitions?" Tifa asked in a somewhat frustrated tone of voice.
"I have no idea," Red XIII replied. "They've just been happening.
"You too?!" Tifa exclaimed.
"Honestly," continued Red XIII, "I feel like I've done this before. Ever since we hit Kalm."
"It must be déjà vu," suggested Aerith.
"But if that's the case," continued Red XIII, "how could we all have had déjà vu at the same time?"
"I'm not," said Aerith.
"Neither am I," added Tifa.
"I remember once," Red XIII continued, "an argument Hojo and Heidegger were having."
"About déjà vu?" asked Tifa.
"Actually," continued Red XIII, "about time travel."
"What would time travel have to do with déjà vu?" asked Cloud.
"Hojo once suggested that it someone traveled back in time, it would disturb the fabric to time itself. But as the fabric of time itself is material and therefore can't be destroyed, if someone changed the future, the future would still exist in some form. When Heidegger pried a little more, Hojo suggested that we would feel when something is supposed to happen."
"So you're saying we actually did live though this before?" asked Cloud.
"It's all speculation," replied Red XIII. "I don't personally believe it."
"But if that's the case," began Tifa, "who's the time traveler?"
- 15
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- 17
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Premonitions: Uncut