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Premonitions: Uncut	By : Hippo_and_Friends_with_Benefits Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 3905 -:- 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
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Chapter 72: The Lower Pagoda
The pajama-clad Aerith moaned in delight as Cloud dug his thumbs into her soft shoulders around and under her tank top. She was sitting on his lap, basking in the shoulder rub he was giving her. He had said it was his reward to her for making breakfast, but she could tell that he had wanted to do it anyway.
Aerith continued to sigh in contentment as Cloud destroyed one knot after another. She had not had a massage in years, and the fact that she was having one at that moment took care of years' worth of stress that she had accumulated.
"When did you get so good with your hands?" she purred.
"I dunno," Cloud replied as he tended to her shoulder blades. "You're the first girl I ever gave a massage to."
"Really?" she asked in surprise.
"You got it," he answered. He was baffled by her surprise; she was his first girlfriend.
"Bummer," she said. "You should've become a professional masseuse; you're that good. No man has ever treated me this well."
"Maybe I can, after all this is over," he playfully suggested. "I could open up my own parlor on the boardwalk."
"Forget it, babe!" she playfully dismissed. "You've got a woman now who wants your hands full time!"
Cloud chuckled slightly before becoming silent. He had tried to be as cheerful and upbeat as possible, but reality remained. He wondered whom that shadow belonged to. He wondered why he had the same dream three times in a row. He wondered why it made him so sad every time he dreamt it.
After a few minutes, Aerith grew concerned. At this point, she could read him like a book.
"You're not getting horny because I'm sitting on your lap, are you?" she asked.
"No," Cloud replied softly.
Aerith scratched her head, wondering what the issue could be. Then, she realized it.
"You had that dream again, didn't you?" she asked him.
"For the third time," he replied. There was no use in hiding anything from her.
"You're not letting it get to you, are you?" she asked. She had noticed that was indeed a habit of his.
"I'm trying not to," Cloud insisted. "And if it happened once, I wouldn't. But three times? That's never happened before."
"I take it you we out in the field again? With the butterflies on the flowers and reeds?"
"You won a million gil," he replied.
"Were you sad?"
He nodded. "And it got worse as the dream went on. That's the kicker; the dream gets longer and longer each time I have it."
"What could you be so sad about?" she asked. "In your words, the band is getting back together. Not to mention, your girlfriend's back from the dead."
"Maybe they'll stop once we take care of Sephiroth," Cloud suggested. "Maybe I'm just upset over the unfinished business."
"Maybe," Aerith replied as she got up off of his lap and stood up.
"You don't have to leave," he assured her. "I'm not starting to get horny."
Aerith briefly stretched.
"I am, however," she then replied, as she turned her head and winked at him.
LATER THAT DAY...
Cloud, Aerith, Vincent, and Cait Sith stood at the entrance to Wutai. The familiar quiet stream and Western Island-style buildings greeted their eyes. Turtle's Paradise was visible in the background, as was the Da-chao statue. The town had not changed since they had last visited, and the residents were going about their lives as if the end of the world was not coming.
"What is up with them?" Cait Sith asked aloud. "They're not taking one look at the fireball in the sky!"
"They're not an individualistic society," Vincent replied. "They have more concern for the town than each person's survival. That's why they would fight to the death during the war. As long as Wutai survived, their lives were expendable."
"Wutai won't survive if we don't finish," Cloud reminded them.
"Funny," Aerith said. "The last time we were here, we got robbed. And that pervert came back!"
"Oh yeah," added Cait Sith. "That was a nasty fall the poor Corneo had. The reports said that the Don will live, but his spinal chord was severed."
"In other words," said Aerith, "he won't ever be able to have sex again?"
"Nope," replied the cat as he shook his head.
"That's perfect karma," she observed.
"You believe in karma?" asked Cait Sith.
"Absolutely, I believe in karma!" Aerith replied. "Not in the supernatural sense, but that definitely seems to be the way things tend to work out."
Meanwhile, Cloud had his eyes fixed somewhere else. The Pagoda stood at the northern edge of town. It was the tallest building in the village, and it seemed to be calling everyone.
"Guys," Cloud began.
"People!" Aerith playfully snapped.
"Right," Cloud corrected himself. "I think we have somewhere to be."
The four of them made their way to the Pagoda. Inside, there was a foyer with the front entrance at one end, and a stairwell at the other. The interior was similar to that of any other Wutai building. Next to the stairwell stood a guard, who appeared to be in his fifties and not quite in shape.
"Good morning," he greeted.
"Good morning," Cloud greeted back. "So I'll be up front. What do we have to do get up those stairs?"
"You want to climb the Pagoda?" the guard asked.
"That's right," Cloud replied.
"Which one of you?" the guard asked. "Traditionally, this Pagoda has one person fight the five beasts."
"We all want to go up," Cloud explained. "All four of us. It's very important to saving Wutai, and the world."
The guard ran his hand over his chin.
"Normally, I would never allow this, but..."
"But what?" asked Aerith.
"Someone came to challenge the Pagoda many hours ago, and has not returned."
"You did say there were beasts, didn't you?" Vincent asked. "I'm going to assume it's a dangerous climb."
"That's correct," the guard said. "Traditionally, one person fights the five. If that person is successful, then he or she gets the prize at the top."
"The gills," Aerith whispered.
"But," continued the guard, "early this morning, this one girl went up the stairs and never came down."
"What happens if the person fails?" Cloud asked.
"They usually retreat," the guard replied.
"Usually?" Cloud asked.
"We have had fatalities," the guard honestly informed them.
"Has anyone ever won the prize?" Cait Sith asked.
The guard shook his head.
"The girl said she would be the first. She also said she was tired of being a professional thief."
Cloud and Aerith looked at each other.
"That has a familiar ring to it," said the former. He then turned to the guard. "I think this person is a friend of ours."
"Then I'll make an exception for today," said the guard. "I'll let the four of you up, since it's a rescue mission."
"Thank you," Cloud said as he took a step toward the stairs.
"Wait a minute," commanded the guard. "You young people are too impatient. I have not informed you about the beasts that lurk up above."
"Oh yeah," Cloud sighed. "The five of them."
"First there's Gorky," the guard began. "He flies around and has a cow's kick."
"That's not so bad," Cloud dismissed.
"Bill warned be about cow kicks," Aerith said. "They're a lot worse than they sound."
"Second, there's Shake," the guard continued. "He might seem harmless and stupid, but by no means is that so."
"We've learned stuff like that the hard way," Cloud assured him.
"Third, there's Chekhov," said the guard. "Master of magic."
"Thank you, next," said Aerith.
"Fourth, there's Staniv," continued the guard. "Here, your dodging skills will be tested.
"Practice makes perfect," Cait Sith said cheerfully.
"Finally, there's Godo," the guard finished. He said nothing more.
"And that's it?" asked Cloud.
"That's it," the guard said. "But there is one rule I can't make exceptions to," the guard said. "You all have to wear a gi."
"Even me?" asked Cait Sith.
"Even you," the guard replied. "Oh, and you're going to have to leave behind your giant moogle."
"What?!" the cat exclaimed.
"It won't fit through the stairwells, now lose the moogle!" He paused. "And the rest of you, lose your weapons."
"No weapons allowed?" Cloud asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Nope," the guard replied. "This is all hand-to-hand combat."
Cloud, Aerith, Vincent, and Cait Sith all groaned in unison.
A FEW MINUTES LATER...
The four of them quickly changed into gis and returned to the Pagoda foyer.
"Are you ready?" the guard asked.
"We are," Cloud said. He then looked toward the stairs. "Don't be dead, Yuffie," he sighed.
"We know Yuffie's okay," Cait Sith assured him. "You told us we all live another nine years after this."
"That was the old timeline," Cloud reminded him. "Remember, history's been changed. We're all in danger; there's a real risk of death. Yuffie could really be killed if we don't help her."
He then started for the stairs again as Cait Sith gave him a troubled look.
"Wait!" commanded the guard again. "One more thing I forgot to mention."
"What's that?" asked Cloud.
"I'm Gorky," the guard announced.
"Who?" asked Cloud.
"The first person we fight," Cait Sith replied. "Weren't you paying attention?"
"I paid more attention to the description than the name," Cloud insisted. "Didn't he say that Gorky flies? This guy doesn't have wings."
The guard simply smiled.
"Don't be deceived from how I look," he warned.
Suddenly, a young boy of perhaps nine years of age ran down the stairs, stopping at the right-hand side of the Pagoda.
"Yo!" he shouted. "They call me Shake! I'll be watchin' your fight with Gorky!"
"Oh shit!" shouted Aerith. "It is him!"
The guard grinned.
"Power change!" he shouted.
A blinding flash of light filled the room. When it subsided, a blue, bat-like creature with reddish legs was hovering above the four.
Gorky's first target was Vincent; he charged him, kicking him with his legs and knocking him to the ground.
The fallen Vincent quickly turned toward Cloud.
"Cast Knights on this son of a bitch!" he demanded.
"I'm not casting Knights!" Cloud insisted. "I need to save that!"
A moment later, Gorky turned his attention toward Aerith. Before anyone else could react, he charged her, preparing to kick. Unfortunately for him, Aerith was seven inches shorter than Vincent, causing Gorky to barely miss the top of her head. Instead, he flew a yard past her.
Aerith quickly turned one hundred and eighty degrees. Instinctively, she raised her leg as quickly as lightening, striking Gorky in the back of the knee.
The winged beast let out a howl of pain as he lowered his altitude. He had been caught off-guard.
Aerith realized that it was not over yet. She had time, but not much. She kicked him again, this time in the back.
Gorky did not make a noise this time. Instead, he plummeted silently to the ground. He lay there, not moving a muscle.
"Oh my," Aerith uttered in a panicked tone of voice. "Did I kill it?"
"Doubt it," Cloud replied. "I think it's an act."
Another blinding flash of light filled the room. When it subsided, Gorky had reverted to his human form.
The middle-aged man rose to his feet and smiled. He did not seem injured.
"Not bad," he complimented.
"Did I hurt you?" Aerith asked.
"Only temporarily," Gorky replied. "I must say, I've never seen anyone kick quite like that."
"Thanks," she said.
"Tell me, did you take martial arts?"
Aerith shook her head. She had never even worn a gi until then.
"Did you play a sport like soccer in high school?"
She shook her head again.
"Then where did you learn to kick like that?"
"Cheerleading," Aerith replied, with a slight blush. She was well aware that it was not the answer he had been expecting.
Meanwhile, the child quickly darted up the stairs.
"Well," said Gorky, "I won't keep you. You have four more challengers ahead of you. I hope you find your friend up there."
Cloud nodded.
A moment later, the four of them, one by one, ascended the stairwell.
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Premonitions: Uncut