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
- 17
- 18
- 19
Chapter 18: Old Friends
An old man was sitting alone as Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII made their way up the path of Mount Corel. It was early in the day, and the Costa del Sol break was over. The pursuit of Sephiroth had resumed.
"Excuse me," began Cloud, "but have you seen anyone come this way?"
"You're actually talking to me," the old man replied.
"What is it?" asked Cloud.
"I just passed a guy in a black cloak back there," the old man replied. "I just tried to tell him that it's dangerous up ahead, and he ignored me!"
"Sephiroth," Cloud deduced.
"There was a black-cloaked guy here, too?" asked Aerith. She was dressed in a black tank top and yet another pair of hip-hugging jeans. She had described herself to Cloud as a jean-a-holic. These jeans were a darker blue and really flattered her backside; Cloud couldn't stop noticing. What he didn't notice is that her eyes were slightly tired. She couldn't sleep that night. He excuse would have been that everyone's situation had been on her mind; she was to embarrassed to admit she had been horny.
"Let's hurry on," insisted Tifa. She was dressed in a looser shirt and a pair of jeans. What Aerith had said about her attire had hit her hard.
"It's dangerous up ahead," warned the old man. "Be careful on your way. If any strangers should greet you warmly while traveling, make sure to greet them back. I guess that's the fun of being on the road."
Further up the path, they reached Mako reactor with train tracks leading out of the front entrance. They then followed the tracks until they were stopped by a raised bridge.
"Unless someone lets down the bridge, we're stuck," Aerith observed aloud before smiling at her man. "Cloud should be able to do something."
"I think there's a switch in that shack over there," Tifa added.
Cloud sighed as he entered the shack. "Sure is tight in here," he muttered. But seconds later, the bridge was down.
They continued to follow the tracks until they reached a place that made them all feel miserable. Especially Barret. They were in North Corel. The town was desolate, with ruined buildings in every direction.
"Hey! He's back!" shouted a townsperson as he ran away.
Another man went straight up to Barret and, to the shock of everyone, punched him as hard as he could in the face.
"Well, lookey here!" said the attacker. "Never thought I'd ever see your face again. Those people over there, they with you? Well, I feel sorry for 'em! Hangin' around a walkin' death sentence like Barret."
"You got a lot of balls comin' back here!" taunted another villager. "Look at this place! It's all your fault North Corel turned into a garbage heap! Why doncha say something!? Or did ya forget what you done here already?"
"I'm sorry," Barret sighed.
"Fuck!" shouted a third villager. "You ain't even worth the effort. Don't waste your time talkin' to that techno-freak!"
The villagers then turned and walked away as Barret turned to his companions. "You heard 'em... It's my fault this town was destroyed."
Beyond the ruined town lay a station that none of them, even Barret, had been to. Before anyone could verbally speculate, Aerith turned to Barret.
"Barret, what happened?" Aerith asked.
"Yeah, what happened?" added Cloud.
"My hometown used to be around here," Barret replied.
"What do you mean 'used to?'" asked Red XIII.
"It ain't here no more," Barret said sadly. "Heard it got buried in just four years."
"But how could those people say those terrible things?" asked Aerith. "It doesn't seem right."
"It's my fault," said Barret. "All my fault. My hometown, Corel's always been a blue-collar coal mining town. It's so dusty-but-calm and so poor...a real small town, this one. That's the first time I ever heard the word "Mako Reactor" mentioned since that time.
FLASHBACK…
"What are we going to do?" asked the mayor. "The only one against this is Dyne."
"I am definitely against it, no matter what," insisted Dyne. "There's nothing to talk about if you're thinking of throwing away our coal! Our coal's been protected for generations. Our fathers, and theirs before them, risked their lives for it. We have no right to throw it all away so easily!"
"But listen, Dyne," began Barret. "No one uses coal nowadays. It's the sign of the times."
"Right," agreed Scarlet, who was representing Shinra at the meeting. "Everything is Mako, now. It'll be all right, Dyne. Shinra, Inc. will guarantee your livelihood once the Mako Reactor is completed."
"Listen, Dyne," pleaded Barret. "I don't want my wife, Myrna, to suffer anymore."
"I know how you feel!" began Dyne in an upset tone of voice. "I feel the same way too, dammit! But even so, I won't give away our coal mines!"
"Dyne," insisted the mayor, "you've got to understand."
…END FLASHBACK
"That's how the Corel Reactor was built and completed," Barret explained. "We all thought it would bring us an easier life. And then, Corel was burned down by the Shinra troops. All the townspeople...all my relatives...everyone...everything. It happened when Dyne and I were out of town for a few days.
"Shinra troops?" exclaimed Cloud. "What for?"
"There was an explosion at a reactor," Barret replied. "Shinra blamed the accident on the people. Said it was done by a rebel faction."
"That's so terrible!" Tifa exclaimed.
"Well, I guess that's true," agreed Barret. "But more than Shinra, I couldn't forgive myself. Never should've gone along with the building of the reactor."
"Don't blame yourself," assured Tifa. "We were all fooled by the promises Shinra made back then."
"That's why...that's why I get so pissed off!" explained Barret. Not only did they take advantage of me, but I lost my wife, Myrna, too."
"Hey everyone!" interrupted the operator of the tram car at the station. "If you want to go to the Gold Saucer, hurry and get on!"
"Sorry," dismissed Barret. "We're busy."
"Wait a minute," began Cloud. "Sephiroth might be up there."
"Doubt it," dismissed Barret. "We won't miss him if we move onward."
"We can't take the chance," warned Red XIII. "If he's up there, we can corner him."
"Agreed," said Tifa.
"Alright," said Cloud, as he headed towards the tram. "It's decided."
UP ABOVE…
The tram duly made it's way to Gold Saucer. There were windows to look out, giving guest a full view of what was in store for them. There were roller coasters, racetracks, stages, and everything a guest could wish for.
"Wow!" exclaimed Aerith as they disembarked the tram. "Let's have fun!" He knew they were there to find Sephiroth, but she couldn't resist.
Barret gave her a sour look.
"I know this isn't the right time to do this," she began. "But, hey, Barret, cheer up!"
"I ain't in no cheery mood," Barret snorted. So jes' leave me alone."
"Really? That's too bad," said Aerith as she ran over to Cloud. "Let's go on a date!"
"What?" asked Cloud.
"A da-te!" Aerith reinforced as she took his hand. She then looked at Barret. "We're gonna go play."
"So play!" snapped Barret. "Don't forget we're after Sephiroth"
"I think he's mad," observed Aerith as she led Cloud into a tube. Beyond the tube, they were greeted by a rather muscular man in a red speedo.
"Hey boy," he greeted.
"Boy?" asked the perplexed Cloud as Aerith naturally giggled.
"How is it?" the man continued. "You having fun?"
"You bet!" Aerith exclaimed.
"Mmm, so, you are having fun," said the man. "Well, good, good for you boy."
"My name's Cloud. And stop calling me boy!"
"I'm the owner of the Gold Saucer," continued the man, as if he didn't even hear Cloud. "The name's Dio. By the way, boy, do you know what a 'Black Materia' is?"
"I know what it is," Cloud replied. "Why d'you ask me?"
"Well," continued Dio, "a while back, a boy your age came in and asked me if I had a 'Black Materia.' I thought you might know who he was, seeing as how you're both about the same age."
"Did he happen to have a black cape?" asked Cloud.
"Why yes, yes indeed," replied Dio. "And a tattoo on his hand that said '1.'"
Cloud's eyes widened. "Where did he go!?" he asked angrily.
"I have no idea," Dio laughed in response. "Well then. I say, stop by the Battle Arena if you like, boy. You'll probably like it. Many of my collections are on display there."
With that, he turned and walked away, causing both Cloud and Aerith to grimace. What had appeared to be a speedo had actually been a thong, riding up his crack.
"Ew!" Aerith whispered. "Can we go somewhere else?"
"No prob," Cloud quickly agreed.
They quickly spotted another tube and took advantage of it. This tube led to a strange area with the word "Wonder" in lights on the wall.
"This must be Wonder Square," Aerith observed.
"I heard this is where all the games are," said Cloud.
In response, Aerith put her hands on her hips and gave Cloud an annoyed look. "What is it with you boys and your video games?"
"I dunno," Cloud replied. "Just look on the bright side."
"What do you mean?" asked Aerith.
"Dio's not here," sighed Cloud in relief.
"Finally," agreed Aerith. "Some you and me time."
And at that moment, their apparent peace was shattered once again.
"Hey you!" shouted a campy voice. "What're you lookin' so down for?"
Before them stood a cat, standing triumphantly on top of a large, white creature. The creature had a face, but the voice had come from the cat, who was sporting a crown, cap, and a megaphone.
"I jinxed it!" Aerith sighed.
"To be perfectly frank," replied Cloud, "our date just got interrupted."
"Oh, that's too bad," said the creature. "Want me to read your fortune!? A bright future! A happy future! Oh, but don't hold it against me if it's not a great prediction!"
Aerith quickly became cross. "Who do you think you are, anyway?"
"Oh, so sorry!" apologized the creature. "I'm a fortune telling machine. The name's Cait Sith."
"You can only read the future?" asked Cloud. "Then maybe you can help us."
"That's what I do best," replied Cait Sith.
"My friends and I have been getting premonitions lately," Cloud began to explain. "We can sense something is about to happen before it actually does."
"Hmm…okay," Cait Sith replied. "We can do that." He proceeded to do some kind of dance. "When you're with a cute girl, and you're deeply in doubt, please do the right thing, and whip your pork out."
"Eww!" cried Aerith. "That's disgusting!"
"Ooops, sorry," apologized Cait Sith sheepishly. "Let me try again. Unlucky for some, what's pursued will be theirs. But they'll lose something dear, at the bottom of stairs."
"That doesn't explain why we're getting those premonitions," muttered Cloud. "Or the déjà vu."
"Wait," pleaded Cait Sith. "One more chance. The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish, and on the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he…"
"Enough!" exclaimed Cloud and Aerith in unison.
"Fine," sighed Cait Sith. "You're no fun anymore. But then again, you mentioned those premonitions. As a fortune teller, I can't help but think about this. If I don't see what it leads to, I won't be able to relax. That's why I'm going with you!"
"What are we going to do, Cloud?" asked Aerith.
"Well," began Cloud.
"I'm comin' with you no matter what you say!" Cait Sith gleefully announced.
"Fine," muttered Aerith as she placed her hands on he hips. "I guess that means this date's over." She then walked up to Cloud. "But I had so much fun, you still get a good-bye kiss." Aerith promptly wrapped her arms around Cloud and pressed her lips against his. Then, without warning, she began to kiss him hungrily, tongue and all, leaving Cloud with a surprised face when she broke the kiss. "My room, at ten p.m." she ordered with a seductive wink. With that, she kissed him again. She then walked off, throwing Cloud one last, seductive smile before she disappeared around the corner.
"I will admit," began Cait Sith, "that even I didn't see that coming."
Tifa then emerged from a tube. "Guys!" she announced. "We have a problem…who's he?"
"Cait Sith," replied the cat. "The fortune teller."
"Well," began Tifa, "I think our fortunes just went south."
She led the two of them to Battle Square, where a Shinra soldier was standing in front of a stairwell.
"We're in trouble," Cloud muttered.
Then, almost as if in response, the soldier fell to the ground.
Cloud immediately ran over to check his pulse.
"Dead," he observed.
"What?" Tifa exclaimed.
Cloud then darted up the stairs.
"Wait, Cloud!" shouted Tifa as she followed him.
At the top of the stairs, there were dead soldiers left and right, just like the other times.
"Did Sephiroth do this?" asked Tifa.
"No, it's not him," Cloud observed. "They're all shot. Sephiroth would never use a gun."
Cloud then noticed a wounded guest. He quickly ran over to her. "Hey, what happened?" he demanded.
"A man…with a gun…on his arm…" she struggled to utter.
"A gun on his arm!?" Tifa exclaimed.
Just then, Dio entered the room with two armed security guards.
"Hold it right there!" one of the guards demanded. "And stay quiet!"
"Did you guys do this!?" demanded Dio.
"No, it wasn't us!" Cloud insisted.
One of the guards pulled out a stun prod.
"Hurry and run, it's gonna get ugly!" shouted Cait Sith.
Cloud, Tifa, and Cait Sith made a run for it, only to find themselves cornered in the arena.
"That's as far as you go!" announced Dio.
Three giant robots entered the arena. Before anyone had time to react, they grabbed them, restrained them, and tossed them down the hatch in the middle of the floor.
"Pay for your crime down below!" ordered MANAGER as the hatch sealed tightly. Ironically, it read "Gateway to Heaven."
DOWN BELOW…
"Where are we?" asked Cloud.
"A desert prison," replied Cait Sith. "Corel Prison."
"A desert prison?"
"Yup, a natural prison in the middle of the desert, surrounded entirely by quicksand," Cait Sith continued. "I heard that once you get in, you never get out. But, there was one special exception."
Just then, the three prisoners noticed Barret was sitting nearby.
"Barret," began Cloud. "Did you really…"
"Stay back!" snapped Barret. "This is something I gotta deal with. Jes' leave me alone." With that, he ran off.
"That's one of your friends?" exclaimed Cait Sith. "He sure looks dangerous"
"Barret," whispered Tifa silently.
Cloud, meanwhile, was examining another body. "This one's been shot too," he observed.
"This isn't right," Tifa said. "Barret would never do this!"
"They've all been shot," Cait Sith pointed out.
Just then, Tifa spotted Barret browsing about. And Barret had spotted her.
"Didn't I tell you not to come here?" he shouted as he began to raise his gun-arm.
"Just hold on for a second!" pleaded Cait Sith. "We just want to talk! You'll understand if you just hear us out!"
Barret fired in their direction, causing Cloud, Tifa, and Cait Sith to jump in unison. Each checked themselves for bullet wounds. Then they heard a thud. Cait Sith looked behind to see a dead thug with a knife.
"Didn't want none of you to get involved," Barret continued.
"Yeah," replied Tifa sarcastically. "We're already involved in this."
"You guys," sighed Barret, defeated.
"Please tell me this wasn't you," Tifa begged.
Barret shook his head. "There's another... another man that got a gun grafted into one of his arms. It was four years ago. I remember... I was on my way home from visiting a Mako Reactor being built.
FLASHBACK…
"Barret! Dyne!" cried the mayor of the village. "Come quick! The village's being attacked! It's Shinra soldiers!"
"What!?" Barret and Dyne exclaimed in unison as they ran to an overpass, only to see North Corel ablaze.
"What the hell happened?" demanded Barret.
"Hey, Barret!" shouted Dyne. "It's not over yet! Everyone's waiting! Let's go back to the village!"
As soon as they returned, they found themselves fired upon by soldiers.
"C'mon, Barret!" shouted Dyne. "We gotta hurry!"
"Kya ha ha!" cackled Scarlet from an overpass as she pushed a soldier off, to his death. "You can shoot all day and never hit them with aim like that. Stop playing around and cover me!"
At that moment, Dyne noticed one of the soldiers was aiming directly at Barret.
"Watch out!" cried Dyne as he jumped in front of his friend to cover him. Seconds later, he found himself dangled by Barret over a cliff, with the pain of a bullet in his right arm.
"Dyne! Hang on!" cried Barret. "Listen to me! You're comin' back to the village, hear?
"Yeah," groaned Dyne. "I ain't letting go."
"You're comin' back!" Barret continued. "Everyone's waitin' for ya. Eleanor and Marlene. They're all waitin' on us."
And then, bullets struck both of their arms simultaneously.
END FLASHBACK
"From then on," Barret continued, "I couldn't use my right arm no more. I was depressed for a while. But then I threw away my artificial arm and got this gun grafted in. Got a new right arm to get revenge on the Shinra, who took everything away. Back then, I heard the doc say there was another man who got the same operation as me. But, his was the left arm."
"He'll probably join us to fight against the Shinra," suggested Tifa.
"Wouldn't bet on it," Barret dismissed. "I gotta apologize to Dyne before I can rest in peace. And that's why, I gotta go alone."
"Do whatever you want," said Cloud. "Is that what you want to hear? Well, I can't let you do it. Because, if you die on me, I'm gonna have nightmares."
"Weren't you going to save the planet?" added Tifa.
"Shit!" Barret exclaimed. "Tifa, you oughtta know by now."
"I'm not so different from you!" Tifa announced.
"So there it is, Barret," added Cloud.
Back at the northern end of the prison, the four of them noticed another corpse..
"This one's been shot too," Cloud observed.
Beyond the corpse was a junkyard. Dyne was there, near a ravine. He was obviously in a deranged state.
"Dyne?" called Barret as he stepped forward. "Is that you?"
"Now that's a voice I haven't heard in years," Dyne answered as he limped in Barret's direction. "A voice I'll never forget."
"I always hoped I'd be able to see you again someday," said Barret. "I knew you were alive somewhere. We had the same operation. Listen, Dyne..."
Before he could finish, Dyne fried at Barret's feet, causing him to stop in his tracks.
"What's that?" asked Dyne. "I hear her voice."
Barret scratched his head in confusion.
"I hear her voice," Dyne repeated. "Eleanor's voice. Begging me not to hate your rotten guts. That's why I didn't hunt you down."
"I know I was stupid," Barret sheepishly admitted. "I'm not asking you to forgive me.
But what're you doin' in a place like this? Why ya wanna kill those that ain't even involved? Why?"
"Why!? The hell do you care for?" sneered Dyne. "Are the people killed going to understand why? Are the people of Corel going to understand just hearing Shinra's excuses? I don't care what the reason is! All they give us are artillery and stupid excuses. What's left is a world of despair and emptiness!"
Barret nodded silently. He couldn't help but agree.
"You still want to hear why?" Dyne continued as he fired his gun-arm into the sku repeatedly. "All right, I'll tell you. Because I want to destroy everything. The people of this city. This city itself. The whole world! I got nothing left in this world. Corel, Eleanor, Marlene. All gone!"
"Dyne, Marlene's still alive!" Barret exclaimed. "I went back into town. I thought she was gone for sure. That is why I wanted to be by her side till the end. That's when I found her...found Marlene. She's in Midgar. Let's go see her together, all right?"
"So she's still alive," said Dyne as he lowered his head.
"That's right."
He raised his head again. "All right, Barret. I guess that means you and I gotta fight."
"What!?" Barret exclaimed as he prepared his gun-arm.
"Eleanor's alone all by herself," Dyne explained. "I've got to take Marlene to her."
"Dyne, are you insane!?"
"Marlene wants to see her mom, don't she?" asked Dyne as he opened fire on Barret.
"Stop, Dyne!" shouted Barret as he desperately tried to dodge the fire. "I can't die yet!"
"Oh yeah?" retorted Dyne. "Well my life's been over ever since then."
"Stop it!" pleaded Barret. "I don't wanna fight you!"
"Barret!" shouted Cloud.
"Cloud, you stay the hell out of it!" ordered Barret. "This is my problem!"
With that, Barret aimed his gun-arm, and unloaded everything he had. Suddenly, sparks flew from Dyne's gun-arm. Dyne quickly aimed his gun-arm at Barret and tried to fire, but it was no use. The weapon had been disabled beyond repair. Defeated, Dyne fell to his knees.
"Look, Dyne," began Barret as he made his way over to his friend. "Sometimes…"
"Back!" shouted Dyne as he stood up and leaned against the wall behind him. "It wasn't just my arm...back then...I lost something irreplaceable. I don't know where I went wrong…"
"Dyne," began Barret, "I don't know either, man. Is this the only way we can resolve this?"
I told you I want to destroy everything," replied Dyne. "Everything, this crazy world, even me."
"And what about Marlene?" Barret demanded. "What's gonna happen to her?"
"Think about it, Barret," Dyne answered. "How old was Marlene back then? Even if I did go to her now, she wouldn't even know me. And what's more, Barret, is that these hands are a little too stained to carry Marlene anymore."
Barret stood silently. He saw his point. But his own hands…
"Barret," began Dyne as he pulled out a pendant, "give that pendant to Marlene. It was...Eleanor's...my wife's...memento…"
"All right," began Barret. And then, the premonition came to him. He saw the gap behind him. He saw him disappearing into it. He's going to kill himself! Barret thought. He's going to jump!
Barret, before he could think twice, fired upon Dyne's legs.
Dyne shrieked as he collapsed to the ground.
"What the fuck?!" he screamed. "You fucking…you fucking…" And with that, Dyne passed out from the pain.
"Someday," began Barret, "you'll thank me for this." He paused. "I don't believe it."
"What?" asked Tifa.
"I had a premonition where he committed suicide," Barret replied. "But I stopped it! Dyne's going to live!" And for the first time in a long time, Barret smiled.
Cloud, meanwhile looked ominously into the sky. It was turning red, the sun was setting, and he was stuck in the middle of a desolate prison. He wondered when, and if, they would get out.
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Premonitions: Uncut