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
- 55
- 56
- 57
Chapter 56: To The Tower!
8:30 p.m.
Cloud turned his attention away from the flaming rubble and looked toward the destination.
"Yuffie's still up there," he said. He then turned to Cait Sith. "Where's the tower elevator?"
"Just two blocks down Purvis Street," the cat answered.
Everybody looked. The elevator to the tower was clearly visible.
"Well," Tifa began. "Shall we?"
"Let's," Cait Sith agreed.
In any case, the further they could get away from the burning ruble and the grieving teenage Bestla, the better.
They managed to walk a few feet before a buzzing sound began.
"What is it?" asked Tifa.
"Sweepers," Cloud replied. "They're weak, and the slightest jab can finish one off, but if given enough time, they'll shoot you dead."
"Lovely," Tifa replied.
Right on cue, two sweepers came from around the corner and began to advance on Cloud. These were odd-looking machines; they almost looked like humanoid grills with guns where their arms should be. Of course, Cloud had fought them during his training years before. He promptly took them both out with one swipe.
"Who invented these things?" Cid wondered aloud as the group continued down the street.
"Certainly not Hojo," Red XIII replied.
The six advanced several yards before two more sweepers appeared and began to close in on Cid.
"You bastards just won't quit!" he grunted as he jabbed them both with his spear.
"They're desperate," Tifa pointed out as they crossed the street. "They know they're losing. They're going to throw everything they have at us."
"We're in the second block now," Vincent announced. "We're getting there."
When they were in the middle of the block, four more sweepers came from around the corners.
"Persistent little buggers!" Cloud muttered.
One of them advanced on Cait Sith. He promptly put an end to it by smashing it with his fist.
Another attacked Vincent, who quickly put an end to it with his revolver.
"Cloud, help!" he then heard an alto shout.
He turned to see the last sweeper advancing on Tifa, whose only weapon was her fist, which was quite useless against metal.
Without missing a beat, Cloud struck the sweeper down with his sword.
"Thanks!" she said with a smile. "But you know this doesn't make me a damsel in distress, right?"
"You got it," Cloud replied. "I can still kiss you, though, right?"
"Get over here," she commanded.
Cloud did as he was told as Tifa placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed her lips against his.
Moments later, they were all at the end of the block. The elevator was just a few feet in front of them. There were no sweepers to be seen.
"We'll do three at a time," Cloud announced, as he looked upward.
"Are you serious?" Cait Sith objected. "That's the slowest elevator I know of!"
"I know," Cloud replied. "But if something happens to that elevator, we need some of us remaining. Not a cheery idea, I know, but it's a reasonable precaution." He paused. "I'm going on the first ride. Who's joining me?"
"Me," Tifa predictably answered, rather quickly.
"I'll join them," Vincent volunteered.
"Perfect," Cloud said. "So it's settled." He then pressed the button, and the elevator doors opened.
"Watch yourselves," Red XIII warned.
"Will do," Cloud replied as the three of them boarded.
8:45 p.m.
The door closed and the elevator began to ascend. For the first few moments, it seemed as if it would be smooth ride upward. And then, Rufus jumped down from the ceiling.
"You're in trouble again, Cloud!" he announced. "It almost seems to be what you do best."
He had a revolver in his hand, and pointed it directly at Tifa's forehead.
"You've already had one girlfriend die on you," Rufus taunted. "If you or your zombie friend draw any weapons, you're going to have another!"
Cloud and Vincent slowly withdrew their hands away from their weapons.
"Smart move," Rufus sarcastically complimented. "Now, this elevator's slow as fuck, but when it gets to the top, we're going back down. When we hit the bottom again, you two gentlemen will leave us. Tifa will be mine. She can spend the rest of her life chained to my bed, for all I care. And don't say I can't. I'm the President of Shinra!"
"I may have some breaking news for you, Mr. President," Tifa suddenly replied in an equally taunting voice. "You're not the president of anything anymore."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Rufus skeptically.
"All your Turks quit on you. Your executives are dead. Heidegger and Scarlet blew up with the Prod Clod. Palmer got hit by a truck. Your top scientist has gone totally insane and is doing experiments behind your back. There's no company anymore, Rufus. You're just a man."
"Such a nasty woman," Rufus muttered to himself.
Unfortunately for him, Tifa heard the insult.
"Oh, hell no!" she exclaimed, before charging him and driving her fist into his stomach, causing him to drop the gun before he had a chance to fire.
She continued to punch him in the abdomen.
"You think you can run your mouth without any consequences?" she demanded as she grabbed his hair and continued pummeling him. "I've got news for you! I'm Tifa-Fucking-Lockheart," she shouted as she threw a punch for every word she said. "AND I WILL NOT BE PUSHED AROUND!"
On her last word, she uppercutted him in the face with such force that his body lifted off the floor. And then, unexpectedly, he broke through the side glass of the elevator. With a scream, Rufus disappeared over the edge.
"Ho-ly shit!" Cloud exclaimed. He then looked down from the edge.
Rufus lay face-up on the ground, dead as a doornail.
Cloud looked back at Tifa, as if she had fifty heads.
"I didn't mean to knock him out of the elevator," she said. "I figured the glass would be a lot stronger. Is...is he...?"
"Yes," Cloud replied. "He should've taken the stairs!"
"There are no stairs," Tifa said.
Vincent sighed at Tifa. "You ruined it," he said.
And then, the elevator came to a stop.
9:00 p.m.
The elevator door opened. Out stepped Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent. They were now at the top of the tower. Looking around, they could see endless metal grating, along with some kind of console that seemed to be meant for controlling the cannon, had it still existed.
And then, there was Yuffie. She was bound by rope and suspended off of the balcony. She was also gagged, unable to speak. She could only make random mouth noises. Sure enough, she noticed them, and began to make noises of desperation. But it was impossible to tell whether she was begging them for help, or warning them to stay away.
"So how do we get her down?" Vincent began.
"There has to be a way," Cloud replied as he began to scan the console.
As he did so, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Drop your weapons," ordered the voice. "Or I drop your friend!"
Cloud turned to see Hojo standing three yards away. He was holding a remote control, with his finger on a button that would presumably drop Yuffie to her death.
"It's over, Hojo," Cloud said. "Let her go. There's no more Shinra to reward or punish any of us."
"Oh," muttered Hojo as he scanned Cloud. "The failure."
"I have a name, you know," he reprimanded. "It's Cloud."
"Every time I see you," Hojo continued, "it pains me that I had so little scientific sense. I evaluated you as a failed project, but you are the only one that succeeded as a Sephiroth clone. I'm even beginning to hate myself."
"Never mind that," Cloud said. "I did some soul-searching. I found out the truth. You can cut the lies about me being a clone, as well as this nonsense."
"Nonsense?" Hojo replied. "Oh, this? Sephiroth seems to be counting on the energy, so I'm going to lend him a hand."
"And why would you want to help him?" Cloud demanded. "For the record, I heard him say some things about you that were less than flattering."
"Quit asking me why, you moron," Hojo dismissed. "Actually, you might be cut out to be a scientist. My original plan was to feed him energy from the cannon. But now that it's been destroyed, I have a new objective. I need to stop anyone who might want to harm him."
"You're insane," Tifa snapped. "If he succeeds and Meteor strikes, don't you realize that you'll die, too?!"
Hojo simply cackled. "My son is in need of power and help. That's the only reason."
"You're son?" asked Cloud, in the split-second before he realized what he meant.
"Although he doesn't know," Hojo continued. "He was always looking down on me like that. What will Sephiroth think when he finds out I'm his father?"
"Sephiroth is your son!?" Cloud exclaimed.
Hojo cackled again. "I offered the woman with my child to Professor Gast's Jenova Project. When Sephiroth was still in the womb, we took the cells of Jenova and injected him."
"You!" Vincent exclaimed.
"You son of a bitch!" Cloud shouted. "So Sephiroth was an innocent bystander. This is all your fault!"
"No," Hojo replied, "you're wrong! It's my desire as a scientist!"
"I was wrong," Vincent said. "The one that should have slept was you, Hojo!"
"I was defeated by my desire to become a scientist," Hojo said. "I lost the last time as well."
"What have you done to Yuffie?" Tifa demanded.
"I was going to do an experiment on her," Hojo replied. "But I changed my mind at the last minute."
"Come again?" Tifa asked.
"Why should she have all the fun?" Hojo continued. "I've injected Jenova's cells into my own body! Here are my results!"
"We'll observe your results in the morgue," Vincent announced.
He aimed his revolver and pulled the trigger, only to be greeted by a clicking sound. He was out of bullets.
"You're a pathetic failure as well!" Hojo announced as he quickly advanced toward Vincent, grabbed him, and began to repeatedly thrust him into the wall.
"For Rufus!" Hojo shouted as he continued to pound him. "And Palmer! And Scarlet! And Heidegger!"
And then, he felt a foot strike him from behind.
Hojo turned to see Tifa standing there, with her firsts already armed.
She wasted no time; she punched him in the face once before driving her foot into the scientist's crotch, causing him to drop to his knees.
"Too bad I didn't to that before Sephiroth was conceived!" she declared.
"You bitch," groaned Hojo as he rose to his feet again.
Tifa armed her fists once more, but then, she noticed a change; her opponent's skin was beginning to display a greenish tint. Something was happening.
"Now let's see," Hojo said. "How is the Mako juice reacting?"
The greenish tint suddenly changed to a light purple. His teeth became sharp. He began to grow taller as well. When he reached seven feet, his legs fused together. When he reached eight feet, spikes began to grow from his body. When he reached nine feet, his right arm began to change into what almost appeared to be a trident. Finally, at ten feet tall, he stopped growing. His body was now out of proportion to the point where he had to use what had been his left arm to support himself.
"Jesus H. Christ!" shouted Tifa as she jumped back to a safe distance.
Despite his limited mobility, Hojo began to advance on the three.
"Oooooiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee!" he shouted as he armed the "trident."
Cloud drew his sword, realizing he was the only one of them who could fight him off."
"Ooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooiiiiiiieeeeiiiiiooooo!" Hojo hissed as he raised the "trident" and swung it at Cloud.
Cloud ducked as the "trident" swung so low he nearly felt it. He barely had time to stand up again before seeing that the "trident" was coming back from the other way. This time, not only did Cloud duck, but he held up his sword.
The "arm" sliced off clean as "blood" began to gush from the remaining stub. Hojo let out a scream of agony.
Seeing his chance, Cloud sliced off the remaining arm, along with the "legs" in one swipe.
Hojo fell to the ground, let out one final cry that no longer sounded human, and became still. He slowly began to shrivel and dry.
"My God," Vincent sighed. "I knew he would go to far. I didn't know he would go this far."
Then, suddenly, the dried up Hojo began to move again. The dry exterior began to flake off, and moments later, he was in yet another form.
"How many lives does this guy have?!" Tifa exclaimed.
Now, Hojo could say nothing at all; he was no longer verbal. He no longer had a face; there was a golden orb where that had been. His hands and fingers were gone as well, and his arms seemed more like tentacles than arms. There was also a longer tentacle coming from the back of his head.
He could also float, and he floated precisely in Cloud's direction.
Before Cloud realized it, and before he had time to react, the long tentacle from the head wrapped itself around his neck. It was a tight grip, cutting off oxygen and circulation almost immediately. Cloud dropped his sword and struggled, unsuccessfully, to remove the tentacle with his hands.
Tifa and Vincent advanced with the intention of prying the tentacle, but Hojo threatened them with what had been his arms.
They realized it would take a miracle to stop him.
Meanwhile, Cloud began to feel himself losing consciousness. His arms weakened, and fell to his side. And then, his head sank.
"BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"
The stunned Hojo dropped his grip, releasing the fallen Cloud.
Just then, Cait Sith, Cid, and Red XIII appeared.
Cait Sith was proudly sporting his HP Shout, the source of the noise.
"So that's what it's for," Cid commented.
Realizing the dire situation, Red XIII began to charge.
Hojo turned quickly and armed his tentacles.
But Red XIII was quicker. He lunged at Hojo and drove his teeth into his "neck," ripping out a chunk of flesh in the process.
Hojo hurled Red XIII to the ground, but the damage was done.
He had severed the jugular. "Blood" was gushing down his side.
Hojo continued to hover at a lower and lower altitude before collapsing. He lay on the ground, dead as a doornail.
But Cloud also lay motionless on the ground.
"No!" cried Tifa as she ran over and knelt by his side. "Cloud?" Tifa called in a shaky voice as she rubbed him. "Cloud?!"
And then, he opened his eyes.
"Oh my God!" Tifa sighed in relief. "I thought you were gone."
"What happened?" asked Cloud.
"That silly HP Shout saved your butt," she replied as she helped him to his feet. She then turned to the corpse. "I can't believe Sephiroth is Hojo's son."
Just then, Vincent knelt by the body.
"Hojo," he said, "rest in peace."
"Motherfuck," Cid grunted.
"You guys!" Yuffie muffled through her gag. "I'm still up here!"
Cloud picked up the remote from the fallen Hojo and quickly maneuvered Yuffie onto the catwalk. He then cut her bounds with his sword.
"My hero!" Yuffie exclaimed as she threw her arms around Cloud and pecked him on the cheek. She then turned to Tifa. "What?" she asked. "It was a friendly kiss!"
"Are you ok?" asked Vincent.
"No, I'm not okay!" she replied. "I got my ass captured! Not to mention I got captured by the Don Corneo and exposed butt naked at Gold Saucer. And now I'm about to get fired from the group for disobeying orders. That's four nails in my coffin! And I'm getting tired of the sound of hammering!"
"I think we can forgive this," Tifa assured her. "Had we not gone to rescue you, we wouldn't have taken out Palmer, Heidegger, Scarlet, Hojo, and Rufus. They're all dead."
"That's the totality of the Shinra executives!" Yuffie commented.
"I know," Tifa replied. "Like I said, all dead."
"What about the Turks?" asked Yuffie.
"They quit," Tifa answered. "Maybe someday we can all meet again in peace."
Meanwhile, Cloud pulled out his cell phone.
A couple of minutes later, the Highwind arrived, with a rope ladder prepared to take them up. Everyone boarded one by one, with Yuffie receiving the dirty look upon reuniting with the pilot.
"What about Rufus?" Barret asked.
"Removed from office," Cloud replied. "The hard way."
He could not wait to tell him of the other adventures.
"Uh-oh!" Barret suddenly muttered upon looking at a console.
"What is it?" asked Tifa.
"I see the Urchin on the monitor," Barret replied. "It's right behind the Shinra Building!"
Everyone stared out the front window. There stood the Shinra Building. Behind it lurked the Urchin.
In the adventures leading up to Yuffie's rescue, they had all nearly forgotten about Bestla. If she dropped an orb onto Midgar, all their efforts would be in vain.
"What now?" asked Yuffie.
"She's no doubt planning to drop one of those things on Midgar and turn it into dust," Red XIII answered.
"We're not done here yet," Cloud announced. "We need to board the Urchin and force Bestla into a final showdown. The whole city's depending on us right now."
None of them objected.
"How do we get inside?" asked Yuffie.
"Diamond Weapon left a gaping hole,"Tifa replied. "Cait Sith, how many parachutes do we have left?"
"Plenty," the cat replied. "Enough to send us all in."
"Then it's settled," said Cloud. "It's time to finish her off for good." He then turned to Barret. "To the other side of the building."
The Highwind began to advance toward the now-defunct Shinra Headquarters.
"Wait a minute," Yuffie continued. "Didn't you say she has a gun that turns people to dust?"
"She can't fire on seven people at once," Tifa replied. "And one of us can be destroyed without actually dying."
"Figures!" muttered Cait Sith. "But this is my last avatar!"
"Shinra's finished!" Tifa replied. "When will you need it again?"
"Touché," replied the cat.
The Highwind arrived a few yards from the Shinra Building and began to circle around.
"Get ready!" Tifa announced. "Bestla's Urchin is around that corner!"
"So Tifa," Vincent began, "you met this Bestla before?"
"You got it," Tifa replied.
"So...what did she do?"
Tifa chuckled. "She killed me."
Vincent gave her a look.
The Highwind had circled the building by forty-five degrees.
"Hey Cid," called Barret. "Question."
"Shoot," Cid replied.
"Would ya mind pilotin' this time?" Barret requested. "I'd like to deal with Bestla. Kinda personal."
"No problem," replied Cid. "I'd prefer to stay the fuck away from her, anyway."
And then, the Highwind began to reach the other side.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" ordered Cloud. "The Urchin is right..."
He looked out the center window.
"...here?"
He was staring at empty space.
Everyone else saw the exact same thing.
There was nothing but empty space. There was no sign of the Urchin.
Cid was the first to break the silence.
"Well, where the fuck is it?!" he demanded.
Barret checked the console. The Urchin no longer appeared on it.
"I dunno," he replied. "It was here, an' it's gone."
"Ascend a thousand feet," Cloud ordered. "I need a view of the city."
The Highwind ascended a thousand feet, and turned three hundred and sixty degrees. There was still no sign of the Urchin.
It still did not appear on the console.
"What the fuck is goin' on?" Barret demanded.
"Yeah," Cloud added. "What the fuck is going on? Can you find anything?" asked Cloud.
"Negatory," Barret replied. "No trace of the Urchin whatsoever."
"She should at least still be in the area," Tifa commented.
"Mind you, she's from nine years into the future," Vincent pointed out. "Perhaps the Urchin can travel at highest speeds or teleport."
"Unlikely," Red XIII dismissed. "If she had that technology, she would have destroyed us long ago."
"Not to mention," Cait Sith added, "the Urchin was designed and built this year." He paused. "By Bestla's late mother."
Everyone was silent.
"Maybe she went back in time again," Yuffie suggested.
"No way," Cloud dismissed. "There would have been a distortion."
"The good news is that she didn't destroy Midgar," Yuffie said. "And Shinra is finished."
"Is Shinra finished?" asked Barret. This time, it was a question.
"Yes, Barret," replied Reeve. "I'm the only executive who didn't die. And I got fired. Someone will buy the shares, strip the Building, and blast it to smithereens."
"So what now?" asked Red XIII.
"Yeah," added Vincent, "what now."
Everyone looked at Cloud.
"We'll do what we did the last time," he finally replied. "We'll all go our separate ways. And, if we want to, we can come back."
"We did that?" Barret asked.
Cloud nodded. "Barret, it's time for you to see Marlene. Yuffie will go back to Wutai and spend time with her family. Cait Sith might need some maintenance from Reeve. Red XIII, I strongly suggest you spend some time with Bugenhagen. Cid will spend some quality time with Shera. Even Vincent needs to reflect on his life."
"What about you guys?" asked Red XIII.
"We didn't have a home to go to," Cloud replied. "So we stayed together here."
"TMI!" Yuffie sighed.
"Grow up!" Tifa reprimanded. "We were never even together in the original timeline."
"When does Meteor hit?" asked Vincent.
"Grandfather's not sure," Red XIII answered. "He thought seven more days, but now that it's been struck by a rocket full of Huge Materia, we've certainly been given more time. It could be weeks or even months."
"Then we'll do what we did," Cloud said. "Red XIII, you'll be at the observatory. You'll know how to reach me if anything changes."
"No worries," the red feline assured him.
LATER...
10:30 p.m.
Everyone was dropped off, one by one, until only Cloud and Tifa remained.
"What did we do last time?" asked Tifa.
"You fell asleep on my shoulder," Cloud replied. "And everyone saw us. You were so embarrassed you collapsed to the ground."
Tifa began to laugh. "I remember that now." She paused. "Can we go somewhere more private?"
BACK IN HOMETOWN...
10:45 p.m.
Cloud slowly opened the door to his old house. The Shinra employee pretending to be a resident had long vacated, leaving the house empty once more.
Cloud looked around, scanning the parlor and the kitchen. They had been rebuilt exactly the way they had been since the fire five years ago. He almost felt as if he was home again, but not quite.
Then he looked at Tifa, and that feeling changed immediately.
"We're home," he said. "After all the craziness, we're finally back home."
To their left was a mirror Claudia used to use before heading out the door. Tifa turned to gaze at their reflection. But, in her mind, she saw many.
She saw herself at twelve, in her green dress. She then saw herself in the jeans and crop top she wore on her thirteenth birthday. Next, she saw herself at fifteen, wearing her hat and explorer outfit. Sixteen-year-old Cloud was in his trooper uniform. After that, she saw herself at twenty-two, wearing her leather top and pants-skirt. A moment later, she saw herself at twenty-seven, in her wedding dress. Finally, she was twenty-nine, in the outfit she had been wearing when Bestla killed her. She shuddered, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw herself and Cloud in the present day once more.
"We've come a long way," said Tifa. "Haven't we?"
"We have," Cloud replied. "Like no other."
"What do we do now?" she asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Other than Sephiroth and Bestla?"
"The loose ends," he answered.
"Loose ends?"
"Like your father," he clarified. "He may very well be alive. But we'll find out for sure."
Tifa was silent. It was starting to make more sense that her father was, indeed alive. But there was still the question of how they would find him, and how he would react once he discovered that she and Cloud were now together.
"But I suppose," Cloud continued, "on the side, we can start planning our life together."
Tifa smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"But," he added, "for now, my back is killing me," Cloud muttered.
Tifa rubbed his shoulders affectionately. She could tell that his muscles were tense. Then, she got an idea.
"You know what you need?" she suggested.
"What?"
"You need a massage," she finished.
Cloud looked around the parlor.
"The couch won't fit me," he said.
Tifa smiled again. "Then let's go upstairs!" she replied.
"You're the boss," Cloud agreed.
She took his hand and led him up the stairs.
"You wear the pants in this relationship, don't you?" asked Cloud as he followed her.
"You bet," she affirmed as they reached the top. "Even though I have a skirt on."
She kissed him again and led him into the bedroom.
"Have a seat," she commanded.
Cloud sat down on the bed that had been his for the first fourteen years of his life.
"Arms up," Tifa ordered.
Cloud put his arms in the air.
Smiling, Tifa gripped the bottom of Cloud's shirt and lifted it over his head. She blushed slightly; she had seen him shirtless before, but she had never removed any of his clothes until now.
Without a prompting, Cloud lay down on his stomach. For a few moments, he felt nothing. Then, he felt his girlfriend's knees press against both sides of his abdomen, and realized that she was straddling him. Seconds later, he felt ten feminine digits digging into the skin of his bare back. The relief came almost instantly.
"This is ten times better than sleeping under the Highwind," Cloud groaned.
"You've earned it," she said. "You've had such a stressful day."
He thought about the day. It began with old wounds from the past, and before the day was out, he had almost died. Yet she was there for him the whole time.
"Tifa," began Cloud in a serious tone of voice," "you were there for me all day. Even during my weak moments." He paused. Nobody had ever been that supportive of him in his life. "Why, Tifa, why?"
"Because I love you," she replied. She then kissed him on the cheek and resumed the kneading.
Cloud felt the stress fading and fading until it was almost gone. It was amazing how much this woman could make him feel better. She had been there all his life, yet he had never known how wonderful she was until now.
Tifa, meanwhile, felt the blood beginning to flow through her fingers. The fact that she was kneading deep into his bare skin, to say nothing of the fact that she was practically sitting on him, began to affect her.
"It's times like this I wish we were married already," she suddenly said.
"Why's that?" asked Cloud.
"Because I'd rip my skirt off right about now."
She was not joking. It was sorely tempting to rip her skirt off and continue massaging him in her underwear. Or, even better, that her panties would rip off with it.
Cloud, meanwhile, was surprised. It was the sexiest thing he had ever heard her say. Of course, it meant that she was again struggling to resist the urge.
He realized this woman loved him more than life itself.
He realized it might be time to take the next step.
Tomorrow, I'll buy a ring, he thought. I'll propose to her. Maybe we can even elope before we go for Sephiroth.
He was ready. He had know her for two decades. There was nothing more to learn, except for what kind of wife she would be.
The was indeed her final night as his girlfriend.
And then, out of the corner of his eye, Cloud saw the Urchin out the window.
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Premonitions: Uncut