天の龍 ~ 「俺の運が変われると思う…」 (kiraya) wrote in drops_n_ripples, @ 2006-01-14 20:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | butterfly effect |
Butterfly Effect: Chapter 3
Authors: Bard Linn and Kiraya
Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: “Well, then. I believe we will be taking a trip tomorrow, Cloud.”
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 3
Four weeks after Vincent began training Cloud, he was forced to reverse his first opinion.
Cloud would make a very, very bad Turk.
He was an observant child, true, Highly curious, too… but he had absolutely no skill at hiding that curiosity. Because he had been the sole object of Cloud’s scrutiny, Vincent hadn’t noticed it at first, but the boy had absolutely no poker face. The look of intense concentration he wore while studying a subject would be obvious to even the most inexperienced watcher. A habit like that would get him killed if he were shadowing someone, something a Turk did on a daily basis. This in and of itself wasn’t too big an issue, though; under Vincent’s tutelage Cloud was developing the type of mask necessary to survive in a big city like Midgar.
No, what would damn the boy was his utterly singular focus. Cloud had the worst case of tunnel vision Vincent had ever seen. Even five years of work hadn’t helped the boy much with that. So, in an attempt to build up his student’s danger sense, Vincent had taken to springing surprise attacks on him. It was slowly but steadily working, though Cloud seemed to be developing a “Vincent radar.” The former Turk found it more and more difficult to sneak up on his pupil… which as just as well, since it forced him to work on his own skills.
Settling down in the shadows, Vincent waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sometimes Cloud found it difficult to believe that five years had already passed since he had found Vincent in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. The time had been incredibly busy, as Cloud had tried to balance his demanding training with his everyday life and keeping Vincent’s existence a secret. It hadn’t been easy; Cloud had broken down once, begging Vincent to lighten up on him. The man had vanished immediately, not returning for a week… long enough for the child to think he was gone forever. Three worry-filled days after Vincent’s departure, Cloud had resumed his training, putting more effort into it than ever before. Vincent had returned four days later; the blond had no doubt the man had watched him the entire time, judging his dedication. From then on, Cloud never raised a complaint again.
In the beginning his training had mostly consisted of weight training, running and other activities to build him up physically. Then his mentor had added katas, hand-to-hand training, and mental exercises. The latter endlessly fascinated him to a degree that probably wasn’t healthy; the eleven-year-old was a great lover of puzzles, and had quite a knack for solving them.
Cloud waved goodbye to his mother and walked quickly towards the mountains in the distance, picking up his staff from where it was hidden in the one of the mansion's outer secret passages. Of all the weapons Vincent had Cloud try – and there had been quite a few; his teacher was skilled in the basics of most weapons – the staff had suited him the best, next to the sword. The sword Vincent had tested him on had been an old, rusted thing hardly worth the steel from which it had been made, though it had fit into Cloud’s hand like he was born for it. Unfortunately, Vincent had very little skill with the sword. He could hit things well enough, but he lacked any ability to duel, and didn’t own anything that could help him teach his protégé… who had been a bit young at the time to be using bladed weapons, anyway.
So Cloud had been forced to focus on his second favorite weapon. The staff he held now was a simple piece of wood without any decoration or materia slots, but it did what it needed to do: namely, get him in one piece up to the small shack they had built Vincent a few years ago. He wanted to see if his mentor had returned yet.
Vincent had made several trips in the past five years to trading outposts in the area, selling the valuable parts of monsters he killed. This had allowed him to purchase a gun and basic supplies, including the materials necessary to build a small hut further into the mountains. Cloud had noticed Vincent’s dislike of the Shinra Mansion previously, and hadn’t been particularly surprised that his teacher wanted to have another place to live… though he did not know why. That was one of the few things that had remained constant over the years; Vincent was still very much a walking mystery.
Cloud abruptly froze as his danger sense screamed a warning at him, and shifted his feet so he could better defend himself. This close to the village the more dangerous monsters were not usually a problem; most likely it was a small nuisance, one he could handle on his own.
Hopefully.
The creature burst from the shadows, nearly knocking Cloud over with its first attack. The boy successfully dodged and counterattacked, bringing the staff up. It was blocked by a golden claw. Cloud suppressed a groan as he realized Vincent had ambushed him yet again. This was starting to get old, especially since the eleven-year-old had no idea why his teacher insisted on constantly doing this. In a matter of seconds Vincent had disarmed his pupil and pinned him. That didn’t mean Cloud hadn’t fought back; his actions had been rather impressive, considering his age, but his mentor was abnormally quick. Fully-trained warriors in their prime would have difficulty defeating him. “Better.” Vincent gave his pupil the briefest of smiles. “Come, I have some things to show you.”
Cloud grinned at that; Vincent always had the neatest things when he said that. As he walked beside his mentor, the blond broke the comfortable silence. “Something odd happened today.” Vincent raised an eyebrow. He knew when Cloud said something like that it was usually important. “Zangan invited me to study under him. He mentioned that he’d be teaching Tifa, too. It was really strange; everyone knows my family doesn’t have that kind of money.”
Vincent sometimes doubted that the rest of the village even remembered Cloud’s existence, he spent so much time inside or out here beyond the outskirts of town. But Zangan’s request was indeed unusual, and it only took Vincent a moment to figure out why. Cloud’s training was obvious to anyone who knew the fighting arts, showing in every step the boy took. The ex-Turk made a mental note to start teaching his pupil how to hide his abilities, and soon. With luck, Zangan wouldn’t see him for quite some time, and would attribute his earlier observations to natural grace… not that Cloud actually had natural grace. Vincent had quite a few stories saved up concerning the youth’s mishaps.
In any case, the martial arts master had gained another point of respect in Vincent’s eyes. Not only had he spotted Cloud’s skill, but he had sweetened his offer with Tifa Lockhart, the mayor’s daughter. Rather pretty for her age, Tifa was a girl most of the village children wanted to befriend, and Cloud was no exception. Zangan had baited his trap extremely well. It was a pity that his student couldn’t join the class without giving his abilities away, since Zangan undoubtedly was more proficient than himself in hand-to-hand combat.
By now the pair had reached the shack. Vincent gestured for Cloud to enter, following him. “I managed to pick up some materia. They aren’t very strong at the moment, but we should be able to work with them in a few years.” Cloud’s eyes lit up at the prospect. “You won’t be able to use them for quite some time, I’m afraid. Most people don’t have enough power to cast even the simplest spells until they’re well into adolescence.” His student’s face fell. “I did, however, pick up something you’ll start using sooner.”
Cloud’s eyes went wide at the sight of the object Vincent scooped out of the bag. “Whoa… are you really going to let me use that?”
“Yes, though it will be staying with me when we are not practicing. You are quickly approaching the end of my knowledge concerning the staff, and I believe you have shown enough maturity to begin learning my specialty.” Vincent made good on his word, demonstrating how to clean and load what would one day become his student’s gun.
Later, after the new weapon had been carefully stowed away, Vincent showed Cloud the materia he had gotten — a Restore, a Lightning, and an Ice — and explained their properties. “I wish I had been able to buy some more powerful materia. These won’t mature for quite some time, and until then they’ll only be able to cast the weakest of spells.”
“Hmm…” Cloud looked thoughtful. “There is a materia cave around here… I remember Dad showing it to me once.”
“And you didn’t mention this before because…?”
Cloud shrugged. “It’s quite a way up the mountain, pretty deep inside dragon territory. Mom made me promise that I wouldn’t go up there alone.”
“I see.” Vincent’s red eyes glinted. “I suppose if I accompanied you, that would hold you to your promise…”
“It would,” Cloud agreed with a grin.
“Well, then. I believe we will be taking a trip tomorrow, Cloud.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud stifled a yawn, bid his mother goodbye, and headed out to meet Vincent. He was excited; it had been years since he had seen the materia cave. It had been quite an experience, though; he hoped growing older hadn’t made the place lose any of its wonder.
On his way out of the village, he spied a discarded newspaper and gleefully snatched it up. He already had a copy of this one, but Vincent might like to see it.
When the war in Wutai had started last year, ShinRa had begun distributing newspapers in all of its territories. They had extensive coverage on the war and the soldiers in it, including the SOLDIERs… including the great Sephiroth.
Last year Cloud had gotten to see a picture of his idol for the first time. He was so different, with his long silver hair and sharp green eyes. Tall and obviously quite strong, intimidating even on paper… it was almost enough to make Cloud pity the vicious Wutaiian guerillas. He carefully hoarded all the news and stories he could about the valiant war ShinRa’s fighters waged against the savage people of Wutai, his mind filling with dreams of someday becoming a hero like the General… perhaps even fighting by his side. Not even the foulest of villains would be able to stand up against the two of them. Wouldn’t it be awesome…?
Maybe… maybe when he was old enough he would go to Midgar to try out for SOLDIER. It couldn’t be that hard, right? He smiled to himself. Compared to what he usually did with Vincent, it was probably pretty easy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Vincent sighed to himself as he spied his apprentice. Cloud looked tired, which probably meant he had been up late into the night watching the television at the inn — the only television in town, it might be added — hoping for a glimpse of Sephiroth. The boy’s obsession had only grown over the years, and the propaganda pouring out of Midgar was just feeding it further. The ex-Turk didn’t doubt for a moment that Cloud had a box of newspaper clippings under his bed somewhere.
“Hi Vincent!” Cloud grinned as he held out a newspaper. “I found an extra copy and though you might want to see it.”
Vincent wordlessly took the paper and stored it inside. He did appreciate the access to information on current events, and on Sephiroth; he just really wished he could get a more unbiased source. “Take your staff and your cloak. It’s likely to get cold today. And make sure you have two of the potions safely secured. We might run into some trouble, considering the size of the monsters around here.” Not to mention the reactor farther up the mountain. This area was saturated with Mako, one of the reasons it had been chosen for the JENOVA Project all those years ago.
“Okay.” Vincent checked his own weaponry and supplies, then led the way up the mountain. He didn’t trust the look of the old wooden bridge, so they were going to take the long route, traveling down the side of the ravine and then back up. They were about halfway across the bottom of the valley when Cloud spoke. “I was thinking earlier about becoming a SOLDIER.”
Vincent forced himself not to grind his teeth. “You’re too young.”
“Not now. Later.” Cloud was preoccupied with his dream and wasn’t observing his mentor, and so didn’t pick up on Vincent’s irritation.
Vincent silently vowed they would discuss propaganda tomorrow. The boy’s naïveté was beginning to get on his nerves; Cloud was old enough now he should be able to deal with the truth of how ShinRa operated.
The fact that his pupil reminded him so much of himself before the Turks snapped him up had absolutely nothing to do with it.
“I’m going ahead to check the path. Stay here out of sight.”
Vincent disappeared around the bend as Cloud hid among the rocky scree along the path, crouching with his staff at the ready. As the minutes crawled by, his nerves grew more and more tense. Despite (or perhaps a little because of) the fact that he knew his mentor was close by, he felt uneasy.
Aha! There was definitely something… there!
Without hesitating, Cloud struck, up and a little behind, pleased with himself at being able to actually catch his teacher in the act of ambushing him. Grinning, he turned to look at Vincent… only to find himself face-to-face with baleful red eyes and a fetid maw full of sharp fangs.
A dragon.
All sense of triumph immediately forgotten, he rolled away as the creature’s right claw stabbed into the very spot where he’d been waiting. Settling into a combat-ready stance, he took a moment to size up his opponent. Though it loomed over him, it was still small enough that it couldn’t be much older than a wyrmling—
Only reflexes honed by years of training saved the blond from the vicious swipe of the creature’s spiny tail. The dragon hissed, frustrated at such nimble prey, and slithered closer.
“VINCENT!” Cloud cried, knowing he’d never be able to take the beast down on his own, wyrmling or no. Oh please let him come soon…
The dragon drew its head back in surprise, startled by the yell echoing back off the mountains. When the noise failed to produce any immediate results, however, it growled in annoyance, striking with its wicked claws. Miraculously, Cloud managed to parry both hits with his staff, though one talon raked his left cheek, leaving a long, shallow gash that stung painfully. Chest heaving as he struggled to suppress the terror that threatened to overwhelm him, he attacked again, hitting the creature smack dab on its sensitive snout.
The dragon shrieked in pain and fury, lashing out with tail and claws together, sending Cloud stumbling backwards, his staff still held at the ready. His breath caught in his throat, and fear rose up thick and bitter when he saw the yellow-orange incandescence flickering around the edges of the beast’s muzzle as it reared back...
Oh sweet Planet help me. He’d forgotten about the breath weapon.
Cloud screamed as half his staff turned to ash in his hands, and his right side exploded with blistering heat. He collapsed to the ground as it ended, choked sobs tearing their way out of him. Somehow he’d managed to escape most of it, but… fighting down nausea, he forced himself to look away from the charred, blackened thing that had been his hand. Perhaps it would’ve been better to just let it…
As the dragon padded closer, rumbling with satisfaction deep in its chest, Cloud closed his eyes and prayed for it to end quickly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“VINCENT!”
The former Turk’s head whipped around, and without hesitation he started sprinting toward the source of the shout, gun already in hand, cursing the uneven landscape for slowing him down. He made it to where he’d left Cloud just in time to see the young dragon that had attacked his pupil unleash a stream of scorching fire against his student.
He brought up his gun and shot, snarling as the bullet only grazed the creature’s head frill. Still — he allowed himself an instant’s relief — the flames ceased as the dragon swiveled to look for the source of the attack. After a moment of just glaring in his direction, though, the creature turned back to its incapacitated prey, approaching it for the killing blow. Stupid animal.
Whether or not Cloud was still alive — he fervently hoped it was the former — Vincent had no time to lose.
He couldn’t afford to hide this secret anymore.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cloud’s eyes flew open as an earsplitting roar that was not from the dragon rang out in the cool mountain air. Shifting slightly, he saw a huge, hulking man-thing leap from a rocky outcropping to attack the creature that had wounded him. The dragon shrieked in rage, snarling and snapping at its assailant.
A distraction… ohh, just what he’d needed. Gritting his teeth against the pain, tears flowing freely down his face, Cloud managed to extract a potion from his pack with his good hand. Wrenching the stopper out with his teeth, he greedily drank the contents of the entire bottle, almost sobbing in relief as the excruciating pain of his burns faded to a stinging ache. Unfortunately, his efforts having exhausted him, the boy could only lie there, watching the battle unfolding before him, hoping that the victor would be too tired and pained to bother with him.
The man-thing was an impressive fighter, using his meaty fists like hammers, smashing relentlessly into his opponent. The dragon’s claw and bite attacks were vicious, but the man-thing all but ignored them, shrugging off damage serious enough to have slain a human as if it were nothing at all. Cloud found it almost frightening how intent he was on the utter destruction of the dragon, watching in horrified fascination as the man-thing caught it in a chokehold and proceeded to strangle it, eventually snapping its neck with his powerful arms.
He held his breath as the man-thing carelessly dropped his kill and turned towards him, and then… the strangest thing happened.
The man-thing blurred around the edges, becoming fuzzy and indistinct all over, the ghostly pale skin of his body changing to match the bloodstains on his arms, all dark red and black and… gold?
Vincent stood silently in the space formerly occupied by the brutish creature that had saved him, gazing somberly on the dragon’s corpse.
Cloud froze, blinking rapidly, more than a little frightened, half hoping he was delirious. What the…?
The man shook his head and let out a heavy sigh… then, as if having come back to himself, turned immediately towards Cloud, at his side in an instant. His eyes in that moment were hardly like Vincent’s at all — full of concern, heavily laced with guilt, rather than carefully expressionless. “Are you all right?”
Still unsettled, the boy tried to scoot backwards, away from his savior. “What… what are you?" he managed, his quavering voice fearful.
Despite Vincent’s attempt to hide it, it was obvious to Cloud that the words hurt him on several levels, and he regretted them immediately. Before he could say anything, though, his mentor carefully picked him up — not with as much ease as he had when Cloud was younger, but still with less effort than most men would need. “I…” The man paused, then shook his head, sighing. “No. You have the right to know.” He looked down at his young protégé. “But first we must get back. The Restore materia is there, and I have some ointment for burns as well.”
Vincent would not say anything else on their trip back to the shack… and Cloud was too worn out to ask any questions.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Waking up was… strange.
For one thing, Cloud was no longer in pain; instead, his whole right arm was tingly-numb and delightfully cool after that intense heat. For another, something soft and warm lay against his forehead. “…Vincent?”
The other’s hand stiffened in surprise, then quickly pulled away. Cloud opened his eyes to see his mentor sitting next to the cot on the shack’s single small stool, hands in his lap, looking at him soberly. “How are you feeling?”
”Not bad, all things considered,” the boy admitted, flexing his fingers a little as he looked at his bandage-swathed arm. The movement stung a bit, but surprisingly, there was no real pain.
“Remember that our materia aren’t very strong,” Vincent explained. “I did what I could, but the skin is still raw, and blistered in several places. It would be best if you didn’t move it much for the next several days… and continue to apply the ointment I’ll give you to take home,” he added, indicating a jar on the table.
Cloud nodded, sighing a little in relief. One of his most pressing concerns alleviated; he would, from the way his mentor was talking, regain full use of his arm. But what in the world was he going to tell— “Mom!” he gasped suddenly, eyes widening as he sat up in the bed. “Oh man… What time is it?”
“Only mid-afternoon; no need to worry about being late.” His teacher paused. “I’m… sorry we didn’t make it up to the materia cave.”
Cloud smiled wryly. “No, don’t be. I’m sorry for getting into such a mess.”
Vincent shook his head adamantly. “I should have gotten there sooner — or not left you at all.”
There wasn’t much the blond could say to that. He looked down at his hands, twisting the blankets, and after a moment, finally asked that burning question. “What… Back there, how were you able to…” He waved his hand vaguely “…to do what you did?”
Vincent was silent for a long time, staring into the embers of the dying fire. He sighed. “It’s probably best if I start from the beginning; it should make things a little easier to understand.” Taking a deep breath, he began, “I was born in the town of Kalm, almost forty-five years ago…”
Cloud’s blue eyes were wide as he listened to his mentor’s story: how he’d become a member of the Turks, how he’d arrived in Nibelheim, how he knew Sephiroth… and how he’d come to be sealed in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. The words came almost reluctantly in some parts, fast and bitter in others; all Cloud could think, though, was that it just wasn’t fair for someone as wonderful as Vincent to have had so many bad things happen to him.
When the dark-haired man finished speaking, his mouth twisted into a self-mocking smile, Cloud reached out and, ignoring the sharp protest of his bad arm, hugged Vincent tightly, burying his face in his chest.
The former Turk started, looking down at him in surprise. “What…?”
“It’s not right,” came the boy’s voice, muffled by Vincent’s cloak. “You deserve better than that. No one deserves that, for only trying to help someone…”
No, it wasn’t right, part of Vincent agreed. People shouldn’t be allowed to do such things to each other.
“Shouldn’t” seldom mattered in the real world, though, he reminded himself. And after everything he’d done in the name of ShinRa… could he truly argue that he didn’t deserve it, at least on some level?
“Vincent?”
The gunman looked down at Cloud’s open, honest face, his bright, inquisitive blue eyes. He had changed so much since his young protégé had awoken him… so much for the better. Sometimes it almost seemed as if this boy was the Planet’s way of offering him another chance at redemption.
The former Turk said nothing, but smiled a little to himself as he returned Cloud’s embrace carefully, almost awkwardly.
This time, he would not fail.