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Shattered Ice Redux	By : Crya2Evans Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1100 -:- 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
- 21
- 22
- 23
[This
is Chaos speaking]

(This is Galian Beast)

Chapter 22: Seeing Stars

The Highwind landed without incident on the southern tip of Wutai, the barest
glimpse of tiny islands just visible off shore. Yuffie�s cave certainly didn�t
appear to be more than a hole in the ground from above, and the airship�s
occupants spilled out one by one until they all stood before the entry.

Staring at the dark, yawning mouth that was the entrance to Deep Man�s Cave,
Cloud wondered why they had even bothered to listen to the girl. He stood with
his hand on the hilt of his sword with it slung over his shoulder. A frown
decorated his face alongside a slightly perplexed expression. Beside him, both
the ninja and the lion wolf turned human stood, gazing into the darkness. They
were all that he planned to have accompany him inside.

Barret had taken one look at the darkened cave with its eerie and disgusting
smell and had backed out, claiming that �Spike� and the rest could handle it
without his aid. He had returned to the airship before Cloud could say anything
else. Looking at the size of the cave, their leader didn�t think a large group
would fit anyways. It even seemed to be a tight squeeze for someone of Yuffie�s
size, much less a person with Barret�s girth.

So instead, he chose the strong, agile Nanaki and, of course, Yuffie as a
guide. The others were sent back to the Highwind, not that there was any
argument. No one seemed too enthused to enter into the cave, especially since
it was the ninja�s plan to begin with.

�It smells like the only thing we�ll find are piles of rotting fish,� Cloud
remarked with a wrinkle of his nose. He began to wonder if claustrophobia was
something a person could just suddenly develop or if he had had it all along.
Perhaps it was just his imagination running away with him. Regardless, he was
still none too keen about following the ninja into �Deep Man�s Cave.�

Nanaki nodded in answer, holding a somewhat clawed hand over his own nostrils.
There was no airflow, but the smell seemed to waft out of its own accord.

�The air is positively foul,� the demi-human remarked, turning his head away.

Yuffie was, however, grinning from ear to ear. �Aw, come on! You guys aren�t
afraid of a little smell, are you? I�m sure the key is down there� somewhere,�
she responded with a vague wave of her hand.

The swordsman resisted the urge to sigh. Cloud gestured towards the darkened
entrance to the tunnel with one hand, twisting his wrist around as he did so.

�Lead on then,� he acquiesced with a frown.

It was Yuffie�s idea to come here, so let it be her pleasure to be the first to
enter the black and disgustingly foul hole.

She shrugged nonchalantly, twirling one of her throwing stars around a finger
before strolling jauntily into the cave. She obviously expected the two men to
follow her as she didn�t even look backwards. There was a bounce to her step
that was higher than usual and an odd gleam in her eye. Then again, there
always seemed to be an odd gleam in Yuffie�s eye, so they couldn�t really be
sure.

Nevertheless, Cloud and Nanaki exchanged ominous glances.

�She is acting strangely,� the demi-human commented. He made it a point to
check for his materia, counting and agreeing that it all was there. He also
tightened the claw on his wrist as well. It never hurt to be too careful.

�So you noticed it, too, eh? We should keep a close eye on her,� responded
Cloud before following the ninja inside. Golden eyes traced the other male�s
movements before Nanaki readied his claw and also entered the cave.

Almost immediately, they were surrounded by darkness and silence. The deeper
they trod the more the sounds from the world outside were dimmed. Finally, they
were completely quieted. The steady drip of water from something along with the
noise of their footsteps against the rocky ground were the only things that
accompanied their movements. Yuffie was humming some merry tune, the same
�Materia, Materia� from before, if Cloud remembered correctly. Incidentally,
they weren�t sure exactly how Yuffie knew where she was going and thought it
best not to ask.

Both males were unusually jumpy, almost expecting a monster to pop out of
nowhere. Luckily for the ex-SOLDIER, the mako helped him to see in the dark,
and Nanaki was having no trouble with his superior vision. The light from the
demi-human�s fire tail wasn�t really helping much, but it was still better than
nothing.

The dead fish and rotten smell had not faded and seemed to only increase the
further they went in, and quarters were becoming increasingly cramped, the
three of them walking in a line as opposed to side by side.

The trio walked for the better part of twenty minutes in relative silence, not
having much to say and reluctant to open their mouths to the revolting stench.
Cloud was glad for the silence as he found his mind rather full and confused.
There was a lot that had been plaguing his thoughts lately, and it seemed
Vincent and he were becoming more and more alike as the blond had taken to
brooding.

He wondered what the purpose of this key was. The old sage had said that it
might be the clue in solving the mystery behind Holy, the special materia that
would bring the Planet�s salvation and destroy Meteor. The key was to a music
box, or so they had assumed. Would this box perhaps hold another materia like
Holy? But then, who would pray for its activation? Was Aeris� sacrifice even
necessary?

And then, Sephiroth� the General had been the one to slay her, slicing her
through as if she meant nothing to him. The faint smile, a rather rare thing
for the silver-haired man, had quirked at the corner of his mouth even as he
did so. The blade had cut so smoothly through Aeris, and Cloud had been
helpless, useless� as he had always been in the General�s presence. Sephiroth
had been his idol, the man that he both admired and perhaps even desired at one
point. But now, seeing what he had become, despite what Cloud remembered of the
green-eyed man, he wondered if there was anything he could actually do to stop
the General.

It was his same failure, the same weakness. He hadn�t been able to stop
Sephiroth five years prior, and he hadn�t even managed to save the woman he
loved either. His own mother had been slain as a result of his inabilities, and
now, his love was lost also. He had to stop Sephiroth; it was the only choice
left to him now.

She had come to him in the Lifestream, helping him put the fractured pieces of
his fragile mind together. Aeris had said that he had nothing to feel guilt
for, that she had known all along her fate, and she had not faulted him for it.
The flower-girl had wanted him to forgive himself, but he just could not do it.
There had just been so many deaths� too many.

�How did you know of this place, Yuffie?� Nanaki questioned, his voice breaking
through the silence and interrupting Cloud�s thoughts.

Her humming ceased as she considered the query. �I used to play here all the
time with my friend Liana. She was such a scaredy, though. She wouldn�t hardly
come any further than where she could see the light.� The blond could practically
see the girl�s smirk of remembrance.

�I can imagine why,� Cloud murmured in response. �I�m surprised a monster
hadn�t attacked us.�

Yuffie�s humming continued then, the girl sporadically ceasing to respond.
�It�s really too small in this part, but it gets larger once we exit the
tunnel.�

�Grandfather never mentioned a tunnel beneath the ocean on Wutai; I wonder how
old it is?� Nanaki thought aloud. Yet, he was not answered, and they fell into
another companionable silence, which was occasionally filled with the ninja�s
persistent song.

Nothing out of the ordinary occurred until the commonplace sound of Yuffie
humming abruptly disappeared. Instantly, both males stopped in their tracks,
ears straining, but they only heard the steady drip of water.

�Yuffie?� came Cloud�s tentative voice. It wasn�t that he feared her loss, but
rather, that he wasn�t sure if he actually cared that she was missing. He was
even silently weighing the options in his head as he tried again, �Hello?�

The remaining two glanced about them. The darkness was nearly impenetrable,
though they could make out the outlines of the rock walls around them and
boulders that lay in their path. The ninja, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Cloud reached out for Nanaki, the pair finding each other in the dark and
managing to stand back to back. They were now prepared to fight a foe they
could neither see nor hear.

Suddenly, a rock cracked to the right, falling off the wall and crashing to the
floor with a sharp rap. Their attention was immediately stolen in that
direction, but they weren�t prepared for what happened next. The sound of
something hard striking something of equal hardness resounded throughout the
silence as Cloud felt his companion slump against him.

He turned in surprise, only to see stars as something slammed into the back of
his head, a faint �oomph� escaping from his mouth before he, too, slumped to
the ground. As the world faded into oblivion and he slipped into blessed
unconsciousness, the last thing he heard was the faint sounds of the song
�Materia, Materia� once more.

Cloud would now forever hate that song.

-�� -�� -

It was silent in the common room, nearly empty save for one person. And that
was exactly how Vincent preferred it.

He sat at the table, parts and pieces of the gun he had recently acquired
spread around him. He was both cleaning it and rearranging his materia. It was
more busy work than anything, something to keep him occupied rather than
sitting in the dark in his room and �brooding� as Cid would call it.

The ex-Turk wasn�t so much avoiding Cid at the present moment as he was
desperately seeking some solitude. He needed time to think� and time alone at
that, not that his seclusion had helped him understand anything. He just knew
that his heart was starting to react in familiar ways, and Vincent wasn�t sure
he was ready to admit that to anyone else.

First, there was the uncharacteristic urge to comfort the pilot and concern for
his well being. He had worried for Cid with the man�s stress of being leader
and the pilot�s own concern for the location of Cloud. That was the only reason
why the former Turk had gone to him at all. Something within him would not
allow him to walk away when he knew that Cid was in need of� something.

And then, there was the damn jealousy, and he truly recognized the emotion for
what it was now. When he saw Shera and Cid laughing and getting along, it had
burned through his chest. Perhaps he had thought, even for the briefest moment,
that it meant the two would finally see what they had in each other. Some
hidden part of him had turned raged within him, wondering what it would be like
to laugh openly like that himself.

The brash pilot had somehow found a way to draw him out, to make him see beyond
the guilt he had wrapped himself in. Vincent was slowly changing bit by bit,
piece by piece, and he wasn�t sure if that scared him or encouraged him.
However, it was enough for him to avoid the pilot for a short time, if only to
try and think things through.

He couldn�t afford to allow himself such feelings again, not considering what
had happened the last time. Lucrecia had suffered a cruel fate because he had
not kept to his Turk rules. If he had just done his job and left well enough
alone, none of his own suffering would have occurred.

None of anything would have occurred.

He would have been able to stop Hojo; he would have shot the deranged man
before he could bring destruction onto the world.

Yet, instead, he had been a fool, captured by brilliant, brown eyes and a
loving smile. And the gunman would be damned if he wasn�t still partially in
love with her, too. He supposed that was why he somewhat empathized with Cloud,
despite their differences.

The ex-SOLDIER blamed himself for a death he could not have prevented. Vincent,
himself, was guilty for being too weak to do anything to save the woman he
loved. He could fully understand the blond�s pain, though he wouldn�t allow
himself to say anything aloud. The swordsman and he were still at odds far too
often to allow for that kind of comfort.

[Ha, ha, ha, You run the same words through your mind over and over as if by
picking through them you might find the answers you seek,] teased the demon in
his head, the one whose presence was getting stronger.

It was yet another source of his somewhat self-hatred. If it hadn�t been for
his own weakness, Vincent might have never found himself with four fearsome
demons occupying his mind. He didn�t know for sure what had happened thirty
years ago, his fractured memory not revealing much, but the ex-Turk did know
that most of his ills - his scarred body and the loud, blood-lusty demons -
were caused by Hojo.

�Shut up,� he murmured under his breath, more of an unconscious response rather
than having any meaning behind it. Vincent was increasingly having more than a
little trouble blocking out the demons lately, their protestations and taunting
growing louder and stronger with each passing day.

(Haven�t you even wondered what it is you have forgotten?) Galian Beast
questioned, his rasping voice a dry echo within the gunman�s mind.

Of course, Vincent had wondered, but having no means of restoring his memory,
he hadn�t wasted much of his brooding time on that particular problem. He had
decided that the answers would come when they were ready. Just as the issue
with Cid would either resolve itself or perhaps he would be able to drive the
pilot away, just to save him from Lucrecia�s fate.

So the gunman continued to pointedly ignore the demon, swiping an oiled cloth
over the parts of the Winchester scattered around him and gauging how much
ammunition he had. It was getting near to the time that he would have to
purchase some more. The last gun had served him well, but with the stronger
monsters that they were encountering as of late, a stronger weapon was needed.
Still, the Winchester suited his purposes just fine, though it had necessitated
some fine tuning.

[My, aren�t we sullen today?] Chaos snickered. [What you need is a good
killing. The smell of blood will certainly dissolve that apathy that you seem
to enjoy so much.]
�

(I agree, Chaos), Galian Beast cackled. (He needs to get over this ridiculous
belief that he is human and finally listen to us.)

�I never claimed to be human,� Vincent muttered under his breath.

(I think we should slay the foul-mouthed one,) Galian commented murderously,
his tone filled with enchanting malice. (Now, that would be far more amusing
than being pinned in this body all day.)

The ex-Turk narrowed his now blazing, crimson eyes, prepared to make a sharp retort
when the door to the common room banged open, and Cid stepped through, grinning
like the idiot Yuffie was. Vincent surreptitiously shook his head as a physical
effort to ignore the demons and eyed the pilot curiously, wondering what the
smiling man was up to. The Captain pulled up a chair, turning it around
backwards so that he could lean against the back of it, laying his arms across
it.

�Whatcha doin�, Vin?� questioned the pilot. His sky-blue eyes sparkled with
mischievousness.

The gunman raised a darkened eyebrow as he gestured towards the many parts of
his weapons and materia scattered around the table. �You are in a fine mood,�
he commented without answering Cid�s question. He could still hear the demons
muttering in the back of his mind but chose to stoically ignore them.

The pilot grinned. �Yuffie�s gone off in that tunnel with Cloud, and it�s
finally quiet on my airship. Don�t have no damn ninja rolfing all over the
Highwind. That�s a good enough reason for me.�

Cid watched as Vincent deftly reassembled the pieces of the gun, oiling those
that needed it and snapping the bullets into their casings. The man definitely
knew his way around his own weapon, his skill not just a boast but a fact.

The ex-Turk nodded in acknowledgement. �Her absence has been duly noted.� He
wondered why it was the pilot had come to see him, knowing that there was a
purpose behind the visit. Had Cid realized that he had been avoiding him?

�So where you been?� came the pilot�s next question.

Vincent made a neutral sound, his internal inquiry being answered. �I have been
here,� he replied enigmatically.

Cid watched him closely. The gunman was concentrating wholly on his weapon, and
he hadn�t even looked up except for when he had first entered. The pilot was
relieved that his own weapon was something mostly simple to handle� rather than
the intricate pieces involved in a gun.

He was glad that he had finally caught up to the elusive ex-Turk and had plans
in mind which involved them doing something together outside of the airship. He
wasn�t sure what Vincent was admitting to himself was between them, but he was
willing to experiment a little, to try and prove it was more than great sex.
His heart was certainly telling him that there was.

�Say, let�s go to Wutai, while they are gone,� the Captain blurted out after a
moment of silence. �I have to get something for the Highwind.�

Vincent set down what appeared to be the barrel and the oiling cloth as his
crimson eyes flickered to Cid, raising one eyebrow. �And you need me for this?�

The blond grinned again. �I hear they have some great hot springs in Wutai�
Besides, I�m going a bit stir crazy in this enclosed space.�

The corner of the gunman�s lips quirked up into a half smile, recognizing the
pilot�s words for what they were� an attempt at seduction. Cid had his own way
of doing things, far from flowers and candy, which Vincent would rather not
have. Perhaps it was time he stopped running away and stuck around, at least
conversing with the pilot. Maybe then he could better understand what was going
on inside him.

He gave a sidelong glance at the pilot before he finally began to put the
pieces of the Winchester back together in their proper order and popping the
materia back into its rightful place. He narrowed his eyes, seemingly in
concentration. Yet, Vincent was really thinking about the suggestion.

�Will they not leave without us?� the ex-Turk finally inquired.

Cid held up his right hand, the jangle of metal accompanying the movement.
�They can�t. I�ve got the keys, and I left strict orders that the Highwind not
move from this spot.�

�Very well then, let�s go,� Vincent replied, as though making a great
concession. He rose to his feet, smoothly placing the Winchester in its holster
even as Cid stood as well. He pushed his chair back under the table.

The Captain grinned and reached for his goggles as the two headed for the cargo
bay, intent on exiting the airship and strolling to Wutai. Yet, one stern
glance from the gunman had him shaking his head and sighing as he forewent his
cigarette and put down his arm.

*�� *�� *

Soft, mako-blue eyes fluttered open with a groan as Cloud sat up, holding his
head. His mind spun with dizziness as he licked his lips, trying to clear the
cotton feeling out of his mouth. The smell of dead fish and such still
surrounded him. His skin was cold and clammy from lying on the floor of the
cave, and for a moment, he entirely forgot where he was.

He looked around for his companions, finally spotting the dull flickering of
Nanaki�s tail a short distance away. And then it hit him like a ton of bricks�
that was when he remembered and cursed aloud, trying to jump to his feet but
failing as his legs shook like jelly.

Curse that *%$#&!@ thief!

The short sound of the demi-human�s moan alerted him, and the blond turned his
gaze to the side, finding Nanaki slowly sitting up, also holding his head.

�You all right?� questioned Cloud.

�Other than my aching head, I suppose,� the demi-human commented. He did a
quick systems check. All of his limbs were intact, and nothing was broken.
Other than the sizeable lump on his head, he was uninjured. He still had his
claw and yet� he checked again. Yep, both his armlet and weapon were devoid of
materia.

�Damn,� he muttered lowly.

Cloud raised his head, eyebrow furrowed in confusion. �What?� he asked,
performing a body check of his own. He still had his weapon, and his body was
uninjured. His head would hurt like a bitch for a while, but it was tolerable.
His form was cold and clammy, and his clothes probably covered in muck. It was
then that realized his situation as well.

�That *%$#&!@ thief!� he swore as he stood to his feet all in an anger. �My
materia�s gone.�

The demi-human sighed softly. �As is mine.�

�I should have known she was up to something!� the swordsman muttered
furiously. The demi-human rose to his feet as well, glad to find that his body
was shaking no longer. �We�ve no choice then. Back to the airship. We�ll pick
up Cid. I�m sure he�ll be glad to hear of this. And then, get to Wutai.�

Nanaki nodded in agreement, and the two headed off in the direction they hoped
was the exit. At least, it seemed that the air was less foul from that
direction. As they walked, they fell into a silence. Cloud�s ShinRa issued
military boots clomped angrily across the rock-strewn floor, and his furious
mutterings were plainly audible. Nanaki thought it best if he didn�t say
anything.

Besides, he felt Yuffie couldn�t have possibly been that bad. Perhaps there was
a reason that they didn�t know. So she had led them on a goose chase, knocked
them out and stolen their materia� at least, she hadn�t killed them. There was
one tidbit of information that the demi-human had kept to himself.

Yuffie had stolen his materia, this much was true, but she had left behind one
- his Earth materia. Whether or not she had done it on purpose, Nanaki couldn�t
be sure. She knew that was one of his favorites, if not his most favorite. The
two of them had become close lately, seemingly the best of friends. The betrayal
he felt in his heart for what she did could not possibly compare to the anger
that Cloud was feeling.

Yet, in her act of leaving him his favorite materia, it was almost like she was
apologizing� or that she valued their friendship as much as he did. He hoped
that both were true since he didn�t want to end the companionship that had
developed between them. However, he certainly wasn�t going to say anything
aloud to Cloud. The man was angry enough as it was, not that Nanaki didn�t
blame him.

His head ached nearly as much as his heart, and he wondered what on Gaia Yuffie
had struck them with. He gently raised a hand, gingerly pressing it to the sore
bump in the same moment that Cloud muttered a curse, catching his attention.

Golden eyes looked up and found that there was a small corona of light in front
of them, obviously the exit. And thus, the reason for Cloud�s cursing. They had
only been walking for about five minutes. Earlier Yuffie had led them in the
cave for at least twenty. The sneaky devil had been leading them in circles,
though Nanaki wasn�t sure how she had accomplished that. The fact of the matter
was that she was even more conniving than they had suspected. Nanaki had to
suppress another sigh.

Finally, the two stepped out into the warm sunlight, the shine glinting off the
still present airship. It was a most welcome sight for the two men, though the
sudden brightness was something that caused them to wince. The foul smell of
the cave at last cleared from their nostrils with a breath of wind, and their
spirits lifted if only for a fraction. This is, until Cloud had the present of
mind to look at his attire.

Then another round of cursing began, obviously the swordsman had been around
both Cid and Barret for too long. Every bit of his clothing, from boots to
turtle-necked sweater was covered in a thin layer of greenish grime and grit.
Even his blond spikes were tinted with the goop from brushing at the top of the
cave while they walked. He grimaced with disgust, attempting with vain to brush
some of the mildewy mold off before giving up.

If he didn�t have a ninja to track down, he would have gladly showered.
However, Yuffie was most likely going to be a slippery thief to catch and he
couldn�t justify the delay.

And Nanaki wasn�t faring any better. The reason for the gentle flicker of his
fire tail was obvious. He was coated in the gunk as well, some of it even
clogging up the gears of his claw. He picked at the slime with one of his
taloned nails, trying to return movement to his weapon as Cloud began stalking
towards the Highwind. The swordsman continued muttering to himself, sounding
both insane and furious as he did so.

It wasn�t until they entered the airship and were surrounded by its utter quiet
did the two even realize what they had not earlier. The Highwind was shut down
completely. It wasn�t even on standby. The hallways were completely silent and
deserted as well, as if everyone aboard had just up and disappeared. Completely
confused, the two companions headed for the bridge after exchanging perplexed
glances.

However, in walking, Nanaki caught something out of the corner of his eye as
they passed the common room. Frowning, he paused, grabbing the edge of Cloud�s
sleeve as he did so and pulling the swordsman to a halt. He backed up a step to
confirm what his eyes had told him.

Nothing had changed.

�What is it?� Cloud questioned, moving to his side.

Nanaki inclined his head towards the common room before the two entered,
stopping just inside the doorway.

There was Barret, sitting in a chair with his head lying down on the table. He
would have appeared to be simply asleep were it not for the fact that his head
lay pillowed on a plate of cheesy mashed potatoes. The sound of a snore could
clearly be heard. The situation would have been highly amusing had Cloud not
been so angry to begin with.

�Uh� Barret?� the demi-human questioned, stepping slowly into the room. He
received only a snore in response as the dark-skinned man snorted and shifted
slightly in his sleep.

Cloud furrowed his brow, following Nanaki inside. He gripped the gun-armed man
by the shoulders and shook him violently.

�Get up, you lazy ass! This is no time to be sleeping!� he ordered.

Silence.

�It is a magical sleep,� the demi-human commented shaking his head. �And we
haven�t a single Heal or Remedy.�

�Dammit,� cursed the blond as he silently checked both Barret�s armlet and his
weapon. Yet, as he had originally suspected, both were devoid of their materia.
�Yuffie strikes again.�

With a sigh, the two turned from the common room and headed for the bridge,
leaving Barret to his sleep on his pillow of cheesy potatoes. It was, after
all, far more amusing that way. Though they would have loved to see the look on
his face when he woke up, they had far more pressing matters to attend to.

Again, they were struck by the abject silence of the airship. Still, no
crewmember had been seen in the halls, which was highly unusual, causing Cloud
to furrow his brow in confusion. Nanaki merely hummed and continued forward,
wondering if they could blame Yuffie for that as well. Would they be able to
find their companions? And would they be in the same state as Barret? Asleep
with materia gone? Even the stoic and ever-alert ex-Turk?

The door to the bridge slid open, and the two men walked inside, finding that
no one was present save for one crewmember. This thin man with a receding
hairline was reclined in a chair, feet propped up on a console as he read a
celebrity magazine. He didn�t even look up when they entered.

�I want this airship off the ground and headed for Wutai,� Cloud ordered in a
snapping voice as he stormed towards the man.

Yet, he was received with only a vague disinterest. The thin man didn�t even
look up from his magazine to respond. He uncrossed, then recrossed his propped
up legs.

�No can do, sir.�

Cloud spluttered angrily, more curses spilling from his mouth. However, the
crewmember, used to Cid, didn�t even blanch or flinch. It was up to Nanaki to
salvage the situation.

�Why not?� the demi-human asked patiently, crossing his arms over his chest.

The crewmember sighed and looked at them once before returning his attention to
the tabloid. �The Captain took the keys and grounded us when he went off to
Wutai. We�re all on a twelve hour break.�

�He did what?� Cloud�s eyes bulged from his head as a vein throbbed in his
forehead. It looked ready to pop.

The thin man sighed again and put down the magazine, laying the glossed pages
in his lap and looking up at the angry blond. He did not seem frightened in the
least.

�The Captain took the keys and that quiet fellow and went off to the main
city,� he responded, speaking slowly, as if that would make the swordsman
understand any better. �Everyone else is either sleeping or gone, save for
myself.�

Mako eyes twitched as Cloud took a breath to calm himself. �Have you seen
Reeve, then?� he questioned.

The crewmember raised an eyebrow as he appeared to contemplate. �Hmm�
dark-haired man, always wearing an expensive suit?� he questioned, rubbing his
chin in thought. �The one with a beard, right?�

Both Cloud and Nanaki nodded in response, a deceptively hopeful look on the
demi-human�s face.

The thin man frowned before picking up his magazine. �Nope. Haven�t seen �im.�
With that said, he pointedly returned his interest to the tabloid, ignoring
both the other males

�Well,� the demi-human said with a sigh, �I guess that means we�re walking to
Wutai.�

Cloud clenched his fists in anger. �I swear to Kami that when I catch that
ninja�� he trailed off, his meaning clear. It wasn�t even necessary that he
finish the threat. After all, he was sufficiently pissed.

He had no materia and very little stock of potions and such. His clothes were
covered in gunk from the cave, as was his hair. One of his companions was lying
asleep in a plate of cheesy, mashed potations. One was missing, no one knew
where. Cid had taken off with Vincent and the Highwind�s keys to the capital.
Today was not a good day to be the leader of AVALANCHE.

�Say,� commented the crewmember, deigning to speak once again and interrupting
the swordsman�s musings. �If you�re going to the capital, could be bring me
back one of those expensive chocolate Dao-Chaos, you know the raspberry filled
ones? They can only be found in the Wutai capital, and I have been craving one,
if you know what I mean.�

Cloud twitched, and Nanaki hurriedly intercepted the swordsman, turning him
away from the crewmember and directing him towards the door. He almost pushed
the blond out as he looked over his shoulder.

�We�ll see what we can do,� he replied before shoving Cloud out into the
hallway.

After all, they had a long trip ahead of them.

*�� *�� *
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Shattered Ice Redux