Crossed Fates
Chapter Thirteen: Facing thyself
"Why do I find all of this hard to believe?" Tifa asked quietly. Karly had just spent the better part of thirty minutes explaining the situation to her.
"Because I do too." Karly said in response. She pushed a hand through her hair. "I've been a watcher for a really long time and I still find it hard to believe some things. I assure you though, it's all true."
Zell was having an avid discussion with Marlene on the subjects of mixing drinks, cursing (which she was an expert in thanks to her father) and the rest of the group who had defeated Sephiroth. Cloud was watching this and the conversation between Karly and Tifa. Cid was quietly smoking away like a chimney in one corner. Squall looked around the dark room slowly. He was having trouble focusing on the scene around him, he didn't know if it was exhaustion for despite his time in the Lifestream he was still tired, or if it was something else. In any case his head was pounding.
"I..." Karly put a hand to her temple. "I'm gonna go. There's something wrong."
"What?"
"I'm not sure what it is."
Squall watched as she left the bar and stood outside under the moonlight. Something in his heart told him to go after her.
"Karly, you've been watching us a long time haven't you?"
"Of your world, you in particular."
"In the Lifestream, I saw things from my past. I saw you there sometimes, but I can't remember seeing you every time. Why?"
"That's not important, it's rare for someone to see me as often as you did. It was always thought that you'd be someone special. By me and a lot of other watchers. Go back in Squall, you don't look so hot."
Zell bounded out of the bar. "What's up?" Squall waved a hand to say 'nothing'.
"Squall's body is adjusting to the mako energy which has invaded it in the Lifestream. It's taken longer than normal because he isn't from this world. He doesn't realise it, but if he doesn't sit down he's gonna fall down."
"Is this right Squall?"
Squall opened his mouth to respond and immediately found himself falling backwards. Karly caught him by the wrist and pulled him back up. She held his arm and told him to sit down. "No..." He clutched at his chest. He closed his eyes tight, trying to stop the fire within them. A burning filled the whole of his being, he bent over trying to relieve the pressure on his lungs. It intensified; growing brighter and brighter, hotter and hotter, until he thought he was going to scream in pain. Suddenly, it had passed. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking to clear his vision completely. For some reason, everything was sharper than before, clearer somehow. He felt each of his muscles tightening. He could hear Zell's breathing. He could even tell that Karly was wearing a perfume of rose and vanilla. Every one of his senses was heightened and he felt so much stronger. He lifted his head, flicking his hair back.
"What the hell?" Zell said.
Squall's eyes were now brighter than before. They glowed with the power of mako energy. "It's the mark of mako. Be careful now Squall, it's also a mark of SOLDIER, and some people still dislike them. You're even more like Cloud now."
She turned and walked towards the pale green pool of mako, now on the outskirts of New Mideel. Her figure was somehow more tired, slower, with a greater weight on her shoulders. Squall glanced at Zell. "Shall I go after her Squall? You should go in, in case this mako stuff isn't finished."
"Yeah. Be careful."
"Am I ever not?"
Squall rolled his eyes.
"Be careful." He repeated.
Zell crept after her. As he rounded the last corner, he saw Karly.
She fell to her knees on the dew dampened grass, then lay flat out on it. She could feel the coldness of it and it permeated her whole being. She looked at her left hand, from nowhere pulling a platinum ring. She places it back on her ring finger, it fits perfectly and then almost immediately disappears. "What's happening to me?" She put a hand to her head, rubbing it with fingertips trying to stop the throbbing. "After so many years, this happens now? My love, what is this?" She sighed. "What did I do so wrong in life for this to happen to me? I am so tired... I look forward to the day when this is over. May death bring us closer together." She looked around as a twig snapped beneath Zell's foot. "What do you want Zell?"
"What's up?"
"The immortal being is feeling particularly mortal tonight. For some reason that she doesn't know, her powers have begun to fade."
"What?"
"I am beginning to loose my 'magic', that which allows me to pass between worlds. If I cannot use this, I cannot redeem myself. All our hopes are gone."
"Isn't there something you can do? Or the other watchers?"
"The other watchers...? Zell you're a genius." She plunged her right hand into the liquid mako. "I can use the energy of the mako to amplify my powers and contact them!"
"Okay, this is me not having a clue what you're talking about. I'll leave you to it."
"See you around." She called as he was swallowed up by the darkness. Then, with her mind she cried out to the others. 'My brethren, my kindred. I call upon you from this world." She paused as she could feel their presences materialise around her. 'I am weak my fellows, I cannot see you any more. The dark one is trying to destroy me from a time that I was alive. I ask for your protection in that time. I can handle myself here, but not then. You may be asking what for. The answer is simple. With no reality, there is no watcher. For we would never have existed to watch in the first place." They seemed to agree. Then, their influence was gone. Well, all but one. A soothing influence, a pure and honest influence. This young watcher was a friend and very much like Karly. "Thank you. I know together we will succeed." She was alone again. She closed her eyes and pictured the man she had loved from the moment she'd met. "Soon, soon. I can find my peace. I will find you again." She fell asleep beneath the gaze of the stars and the heavens.
The watcher was being watched....
"Midgar?"
"Yes Cloud, Midgar." Tifa paused as she tightened the straps of her glove. "I saw her this morning and Karly told me her powers weren't the same as they once were so she was off to Midgar on foot. She said something about someone with unknown courage being in danger there. Marlene and I are going back to Junon, Barrett is waiting for us."
"It was good to see you again Tifa." He held out his arms.
She walked into them. "You too." They held each other for a moment. Squall and Zell watched this exchange with interest. "Are you going after her?"
"Probably. If we can get Cid to drop us off there, before he goes back to Shera. Are those two ever going to get it together?"
"Who knows?"
"I'll try and drop into your bar on the way back to Cosmo, okay Tifa?"
"I look forward to it. I'll tell Barrett."
"No don't. I want to surprise the Mr T wannabe."
"Stop it, one of these day's he'll find out what you call him."
"And he'll beat on my spiky head, right?"
"Yeah. If we don't go now we won't make it back by night fall."
Cid suddenly appeared by falling through the door of the inn they had stayed in. He landed at the feet of the two visitors and swore over loudly. "Where are we going so early in the damned morning?"
"Some place called Midgar I think." Zell offered.
"Where's Tifa going? Hey!"
"She and Marlene are going to somewhere called Junon."
"Dammit. Come back here, I ain't having you and that young 'un walk back there on your own, I'll drop you off."
As Tifa and Marlene left the Highwind, Cloud looked after her sadly. One night in three years and the wound had been reopened, it was as if it had never been closed. His love for Aeris, his love for Tifa... They weren't the same but they were both felt so deeply. "On to Midgar!" Cid shouted at the top of his voice and they were on their way. They landed outside the gate in sector five. Cloud wasn't surprised at how little everything had changed. The slums were worse if anything, Aeris' church had gone and so had Elmyra. She was living and working with Barrett, Tifa and Marlene. "Where are we going Cloud?" Zell asked from just behind him.
"I don't know. She could be anywhere."
"Should we split up and then meet back somewhere?"
"You don't know your way around."
"That hasn't stopped Zell before..."
"Okay then, if you check out sectors one and two Zell, and Squall takes three and four, I'll get six and eight. There isn't a seven anymore. Then we'll meet back here at the sector five wall market and head to whats left of the ShinRa building. That okay with you guys?"
"Sure." Squall was as used to taking orders as giving them. It made no difference to him as long as the job was done. He and Zell walked off in the directions they had been told.
Cloud turned and walked back towards the sectors, in his travels walking past the destroyed playground. He saw they way it had been once, when he and Aeris had been here. He saw the way sector seven had once been. He still wished that he could have managed to save the people of the sector.
There was no sign of her in either sector one or two. Squall was beginning to feel worried, she may have been able to fight when she had her powers, but what about without them? He was so deep in thought he didn't notice the two men behind him. "Oi! Pretty boy! Whatcha doing in our sector?"
He ignored them and continued on the path.
"The coward won't even turn around and face us." Squall stopped at the word coward.
"Coward?" The word cut into his soul, it had sounded from Seifer's lips so many times. He looked back over his shoulder. "What do you want?"
"You didn't pay our toll, so you've got to pay with blood." One of the men jumped at him, brandishing a sword. He ducked the blade and struck him in the stomach with the but of the gunblade. The man doubled over.
"Leave me alone."
"After what you've just done to my bro'? No way!" Squall simply slashed out at the man's hand as he pulled out a gun. As he clutched at the wound, Squall turned and walked back to the wall market.
Zell had not had any luck in finding her either, although he had found a few men who wanted to play. Quite a few actually, in the end more than he could handle. "A speedy exit is called for I think. Bye bye boys." He ran back to the wall market, followed by seven or so would be muggers. He spotted Squall and Cloud standing a few hundred meters in front. They saw him coming and his pursuers and drew their respective weapons. As he joined them he turned and stuck his tongue out. They took one look at the two blades and the Ergheiz as Zell pulled it back on before turning tail and running.
"No sign?" Heads were shaken. "Let's try the ShinRa building then.
Authors Notes.
Keeping the notes short... just mail me.