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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter 8: Reunion
A. N. Before reading, you may want to re-read the lottery scene in Chapter 1...
Cloud started at the charred remains of the Guard Scorpion.
"Funny," he muttered. "Those things are obsolete."
"You mean there's worse out there?" asked Barret.
"You bet your ass!" Cloud replied.
Just then, red lights began to flash again. This time, it was not to announce an intruder. This time, it was something much worse.
"Come on!" yelled Cloud. "Let's get out of here! We're about ten minutes away from detonation."
Cloud and Barret quickly ran back the way they came. Occasionally, Shinra soldiers appeared, attempting to attack them, but they paid them no heed; the soldiers would die when the clock reached zero.
Eventually, Cloud and Barret met up with Jessie. But she did not run. She did not even stand. Something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" asked Cloud. "We gotta go!"
"My leg got stuck," Jessie replied.
Cloud quickly freed her.
"Thanks," she said in gratitude.
The three of them made their way to the elevator and took it down. There they met up with Biggs. He and Jessie deciphered two more codes. Nobody looked back. Wedge joined them near the exit. Just as the five of them made safe distance, the reactor exploded, sending a powerful shockwave visible to whole city.
A few minutes later, the five found themselves in a debris-riddled tunnel. The reactor was destroyed. Their mission was a success. Of course, now they were outlaws.
"That should keep the planet going, at least a little longer," observed Biggs.
"Yeah," agreed Wedge. "A little while. We'll work on making it long term."
Barret remained silent. His worries were focused on someone else.
Meanwhile, Jessie was fiddling with a blockage at the end of the tunnel. "Okay, now stand back!" she warned.
The four of them did as they were told. The blockage quickly exploded.
"I'm going to go deaf from all these explosions," Wedge remarked.
"Wedge!" shouted Jessie. "Your pants are on fire!"
"All right, now let's get out of here," ordered Barret as Wedge stopped, dropped, and rolled. "Rendezvous at the Sector 8 station! Split up and get on the train; we don't want any suspicion!"
"Hey!" protested Cloud.
"If it's about your money, save it 'til we're back at the hideout."
IN THE STREETS...
The flower girl in pink was despondent. She had been on the streets forever, and still had not sold a single flower. She was beginning to feel tired; it had been a rather long day. She looked around and noticed the passers-by dwindling down. It was after midnight, after all. On top of that, everyone in her area had seen the explosion as well, and moments later, they were all absorbed in their cell phones, hoping to learn what happened. The few phoneless passers-by began flocking to the few bars that were still open.
And then, she fell to the ground. She had been knocked down from behind.
"Excuse me!" she angrily reprimanded, but the culprit was already long gone.
As she stood up and brushed herself, she saw Cloud approaching from the mouth of an alley. The girl's heart skipped a beat; he was the best looking guy she had seen all night. But he looked like he was in a hurry. Even then, maybe, just maybe, she could get one flower sold.
"Excuse me," she began, "what happened?"
"Nothing," Cloud lied. He then looked at the basket she was carrying. "Don't see many flowers around here."
The girl was surprised he stopped to notice. Maybe the night wouldn't be a dud after all.
"Oh these?" she replied with hope. "Do you like them? They're only a gil!"
Why not? thought Cloud. She needs the money.
"I'll take one," he said.
"Oh, thank you!" she replied happily as she handed him one. "Here you are!"
A few moments later, the flower girl was gone. Cloud roamed through the streets, hearing people chatter away. It seemed sad they were wasting their time talking about the petty stuff nobody really cared about. And then, he heard someone say something that did matter.
"Hey! You there!"
Cloud turned to see two soldiers approaching, obviously to arrest him.
"This is a lost cause!" Cloud announced to himself. He was in no mood to fight. "I don't have time to be messin' around with you guys."
With that, he quickly jumped onto the roof of a passing train.
INSIDE THE TRAIN...
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside that same train was speculative.
"Cloud never came," sighed Wedge.
"I wonder if he was killed," added Biggs. "Or captured."
"No way!" denied Barret. "Not after tonight."
At that moment, the four of them heard footsteps from the roof.
"That would be Cloud," observed Jessie.
"I knew the bastard was still alive," Barret muttered.
"Say, do you think Cloud's going to fight to the end for Avalanche?" asked Biggs.
"The hell would I know?" asked Barret as he pounded a crate with his fist. "Do I look like a mind reader?"
"Well," began Wedge nervously, "what about our money?"
In response, Barret pounded the crate again, and Wedge apologized.
Just then, the roof door opened, and a second later, Cloud landed on the car floor.
"Cloud!" greeted everyone in unison.
"Looks like I'm a little late," Cloud observed.
"You're damn right, you're late!" said the still-furious Barret. "Come waltzin' in here making a big scene!"
"It's no big deal," replied Cloud. "Just what I always do."
"Shi't!" exclaimed Barret. "Havin' everyone worried like that you don't give a damn about no one but yourself!"
"Hmm," replied the surprised Cloud. "You were worried about me!"
"I'm taking it outta your money, hot stuff!" Barret snorted.
"Hot stuff?!" asked Cloud.
"I was being sarcastic!" Barret insisted as he moved to the center of the car. "Now we're movin' out! Follow me!"
The four did as they were told.
"Hey, Cloud! You were great back there!" complimented Wedge.
"We'll do even better next time," added Biggs.
"Be careful," warned Jessie as Cloud passed through the train door to the next car. "I'll shut this." She shut the door and then turned to Cloud. "Your face is pitch black!" Before Cloud could reply, she wiped his face with a handkerchief. "There you go!"
"Please tell me you didn't blow your nose into it," Cloud asked.
"By no means!" Jessie laughed. "Say, thanks for helping me back there at the reactor!"
At that moment, a voice sounded the intercom. "Last train out of Sector Eight Station. Last stop is Sector Seven, Train Graveyard. Expected time of arrival is 12:23 A.M., Midgar Standard Time."
"Hey, Cloud," continued Jessie, "you want to look at this with me? It's a map of the Midgar Rail System. Let's look at it together. I'll explain it to you."
"Actually," replied Cloud. "I think I've seen this before."
"Really?" asked Jessie
"Well, these are the reactors, numbered one through eight, which power the city. We just blew up the first reactor, so we have seven more to go."
Jessie was speechless. "You've done your homework," she complimented. "Did you learn this in SOLDIER?"
"No," replied Cloud quietly. "I just knew."
"Just knew?" asked Jessie. "That's amazing. Not that it surprises me. You seemed really confident back at the reactor."
"Thanks," said Cloud.
And then, a red light began to flash.
"Shit!" exclaimed Jessie. "I forgot to mention the fake I.D.s!"
"But we're okay," Cloud assured.
"That we are," said Jessie.
"Look," interrupted Barret, "you can see the surface now. This city don't have no day or night; if that plate weren't there we could see the sky."
"A floating city has pretty unsettling scenery," Cloud replied.
"Never expected to hear that outta someone like you," Barret replied. "You're just full of surprises."
"You can say that again," added Jessie. "But he's really smart. I can tell."
"The upper world... a city on a plate...it's 'cuz of that fucking 'pizza', that people underneath are sufferin'! And the city below is full of polluted air. On topa that, the Reactor keeps drainin' up all the energy."
"Then why doesn't everyone move onto the plate?" wondered Cloud.
"Dunno," replied Barret. "Probably 'cuz they ain't got no money. Or, maybe cuz they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets."
"I know. No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except where its rails take it."
SOMEWHERE ELSE...
The flower girl, meanwhile, took the bus to Sector Six. There, she boarded an elevator, and took it down. When she stepped off, it was a very different city from the one she had just been in. The streets were now dirt instead of paving. The sky was no longer visible; a plate separating that world from the more fortunate one was all one would see if they looked up.
She walked through the streets amongst the few people who were still out at this hour. Most of them were drunk or stoned, and paid little attention to her. Occasionally, she would get a cat call, but nobody would try to touch her. She kept mace spray in her dress pocket just in case.
Finally, she arrived at her house. Relieved that she was home, she took her keys out of her pocket and let herself inside.
"Mom!" exclaimed the flower girl as she stepped into the kitchen.
Her mother had been sitting half asleep in one of the chairs. "I've been waiting for you," she said. "I was worried."
"I'm sorry, mom," the flower girl apologized. "I sold one flower."
"Just one this time?" asked her mother as she sat up straight.
"Just one," she replied. "To a really great-looking guy."
Her mother gave her a look.
"Boy crazy again?" she suggested. "It has been a while since you've had a boyfriend."
"I really like him," the flower girl insisted. "I think there's a spark. At least I'm feeling one."
"Did you get his name?" asked her mother.
"I'm afraid not," the flower girl regretfully answered. "But he'll come by again."
There was a silent exchange of smiles.
"You know," her mother began a few moments later, "now's a good age to think about getting married."
"Mom!" protested the girl, "I just met him!"
"You're not going to be young forever, dear," said her mother. "I would really fish while they're biting."
"I'll need to get to know him more," the flower girl insisted. "But, so far, he seems so sweet. If I like him the next time I see him, I'll flirt with him until he asks me out."
ELSEWHERE...
"Tell you what," began Barret as he got off the train. "I won't doc your pay over that little stunt of yours, but I want you to go to the ticket booth and buy a lottery ticket."
"I don't gamble," Cloud retorted.
"Well, if you want your pay," Barret stated, "you do now!"
"Fine," Cloud muttered as he walked off towards the booth.
"As for the rest of you," Barret began, "this mission was a success, but don't get lazy now. The hard part's still to come! Don't y'all be scared of that explosion, cause the next one's gonna be bigger than that!"
"But Barret," began Wedge, "aren't all the reactors the same?"
Barret sighed. "Meet back at the hideout. Move out!" Sometimes, he just wanted to strangle the oaf. Then, he remembered who was missing. "Yo, Cloud! Over here, now!"
"Where to now?"
"Right here," Barret ordered, pointing to Reagan's Bar.
"I'm not thirsty," Cloud protested.
"Neither am I," Barret said, "but there's a huge-ass TV and the sound's actually on!"
Inside the bar, Cloud and Barret sat down next to Jessie, who was in the middle of a lager.
"What are your numbers again?" asked Barret, gazing into the TV.
"1-8-7," replied Cloud."
"Shhh!" whispered Jessie. "They're drawing!"
"We have a one!" shouted the announcer.
"So far, so good," said Barret.
"We have an eight!" the announcer continued.
Barret quietly gasped.
"And finally, a seven!"
There was thirty seconds of silence. Barret was speechless.
Cloud was utterly amazed. He felt his heart pounding in his chest.
"How did you know that?" asked Barret at last.
"I'm not sure," replied the equally perplexed Cloud. "I just knew."
"This is creepy," observed Barret.
LATER THAT NIGHT...
The flower girl sat up in bed. Her fuchsia nightgown shimmered in the dim light that shone through her bedroom window. She was unable to sleep.
She was thinking about what her mother had said. Looking around her bedroom, she saw the pictures of her life. She saw a picture of her eight-year-old self in the school play. She saw a picture of her ten-year-old self in a spelling bee. She saw a picture of her seventeen-year-old self as the cheerleading captain. She thought perhaps a picture of her twenty-two-year-old self in a wedding gown should naturally come next.
Don't be so eager, she thought to herself. Get to know him first.
She had many boyfriends over the years, but, for some reason, she had never felt about any of them the way she was feeling about him now. He was handsome, he was muscular, and, for some reason, he reminded her of someone.
She fell asleep attempting to recall whom it was.
IN ANOTHER SLUM...
"Ok!" commanded Barret as the five of them arrived at their destination. "Go on ahead."
"Another bar?!" asked Cloud.
"Get off your slow-movin' ass!" Barret demanded.
Upon entering this bar, however, Cloud found the atmosphere quite different. Despite the fact it was a bar, it seemed to feel warm and welcoming.
"Papa!" squealed a four-year-old girl as she immediately looked for Barret.
"Marlene!" reprimanded the hostess behind her, "Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud?"
Cloud's attention quickly shifted to the hostess.
"Tifa!" he exclaimed.
"That's my name!" she replied.
"It's good to see you again!" Cloud said happily.
"You've only been gone a few hours," replied the perplexed Tifa, "but it's good to see you, too."
Cloud then remembered what he had bought. "I have something for you."
"Really," replied Tifa. "What's that?"
"This," he declared, presenting the flower.
"A flower for me?" she gasped. "Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have."
"No big," he insisted.
"Thank you, Cloud. It smells wonderful," she said. "Maybe I should fill the store with flowers."
Tifa was dressed in a white midriff top and a short black skirt. She seemed so youthful and optimistic, generating an aura of good feelings to anyone around. It was true he had only been gone a few hours. Yet, somehow, inside, he felt very happy to see her. As if he hadn't seen her in years. As if he felt something terrible had happened to her, but then he found out it didn't.
It was the second unusual feeling of the day he had dealt with. The first was when he was disembarking the train at Reactor Number One. He had been standing the entire train ride there, but, for some reason, upon arriving, he had felt as if he had just awoken after being asleep for a very long time.
Just then, Barret entered the bar.
"Papa, welcome home!" greeted Marlene.
"You all right, Barret?" asked Tifa.
"Great!" he replied as he descended an elevator. "Get in here, fools, we're startin' the meeting!"
Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge followed him down the elevator while Cloud stayed behind.
"Why don't you sit down," Tifa offered. "Take a load off."
Cloud did as she offered.
"How about something to drink," she offered next. "You've earned it."
"Give me something hard," Cloud requested.
Tifa casually poured him a shot of vodka. ""You know, I'm relieved you made it back safely."
"What's with you all of a sudden?" asked Cloud. "That wasn't even a tough job."
"What's with you all of a sudden?" Tifa responded in turn.
"I dunno," Cloud replied. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Tifa chuckled. "I'm not a helpless little girl."
"I know. I just have a bad feeling. Ever since I got off the train at the reactor, I've had it. Like something bad happened or will happen to you."
"Hey, easy!" Tifa insisted. "I don't die that easily."
"But I wonder," Cloud continued. "What's age going to do to us?"
"I'm twenty and you're twenty-one. We'll worry about that when the time comes," Tifa said. "You better go down below."
"I will in a minute," Cloud agreed. "But how've you been?"
"Cloud!" replied Tifa in surprise. "You haven't asked me that in a long time!"
"I should, shouldn't I?"
"Absolutely!" Tifa answered. "I've been good. Mostly."
"What happened?"
"Some perv tried to stuff a tip between my girls. I hope other hostesses find a black eye attractive."
"Wish I could have been there," Cloud said. "I would have kicked his ass pretty bad."
"Cloud," said Tifa, "I took care of it. You did your job, too. Which reminds me…" She clicked on the television.
A reporter was in the middle of a newscast. "President J. Fraiser Shinra had this to say."
The newscast cut to the president in his briefing room. He was a short, blond man with a mustache and a burgundy suit. "Today the Number One Reactor was bombed. The terrorist group Avalanche has claimed responsibility for the bombing. It is expected that Avalanche will continue its reign of terror. But citizens of Midgar, there is no need to fear. I have immediately mobilized SOLDIER to protect our citizenry against this senseless violence. Thank you and good night."
The newscast cut back to the anchor. "President Shinra has promised that the reactor will be back online before the week is out. In other news, reports of a strange anomaly above Reactor Number Four…"
Tifa clicked of the television. "You've earned another drink"
Just then, Barret returned to the bar. "You guys, what took you so long?" he asked. "You missed the whole meeting!"
"I'm not an official member anyway," Cloud said.
"Well," began Tifa, "that's what we want to talk about. We would like you to join us permanently."
"I just won you guys the lottery," Cloud said. "You have enough to hire some mercenaries. Maybe you can even bribe some Shinra employees."
"We need you," Tifa insisted. "That planet's dying, Cloud. Slowly but surely, it's dying. Someone has to do something."
"So let Barret and his buddies do something about it," Cloud suggested as he got up from his seat and pushed it in. "It's got nothing to do with me."
"So you're really leaving?" asked Tifa crossly as she folded her arms. "You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend?"
Cloud sighed. She had played that card.
"How could you say that?!" he exclaimed.
"You forgot the promise, too."
No I haven't, he thought. Funny, I figured I would forget it, but I remember it perfectly well. We made it when we were kids. I was fourteen years old and sitting at the town well. Along came thirteen-year-old Tifa wearing that green dress she used to wear. She sat down next to me. I told her that I would be leaving the next spring. It was there we made our promise. Why I suddenly remember this is beyond me. I really shouldn't at this point. A lot of weird things have been going through my head tonight. But a promise is a promise.
"If you were ever in a bind," replied Cloud, "I'll come save you."
Tifa gasped in surprise and covered her mouth with both of her hands.
"You remembered!" she exclaimed. "Do have any idea how happy that makes me? I almost want to cry. In a good way, of course."
"I'm not exactly famous," continued Cloud, "but I've been having all those bad feelings. Okay, you win."
Tifa smiled at him.
"Thanks, Cloud," she said. "That means a lot."
She was his old friend, and the one person he was willing to go out of his way for.
He then realized that there would be another mission the next day.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Premonitions: Uncut