"Dimensional Whiplash"
By Aleenia Rheese
Chapter Thirteen - Wish In One Hand, Spit In the Other
In Cloud's World...
Rocket Town
"Aie, yi, yi!" Cid moaned. "We just got rid o'that guy! How can that looney still be alive!?!" He rubbed his eyes. "I need a smoke..." Cid stepped outside, and gazed up at the stars. He was home, back at Rocket Town (they really needed to change that town's name).
He looked over to the rocket site, not seeing it as he lit up a cigarette. He sighed, a cloud off smoke rising in the night air, gray on the black background of night. "Dammit. I wish that @#$! would just stay dead," Cid growled, to no one in particular.
Shera came out and stood beside him, long brown hair swaying in the wind. "So, Sephiroth has returned?" Cid nodded. "And you and the AVALANCHE members have to find him, and kill him." Cid nodded again. She hugged him, their relationship having gotten a little closer since six months ago.
Cid hugged back. "Shera, how are we gonna stop him? Cloud killed him once; he shouldn't still be here! Shit!" He rested his lips in her hair. Shera hugged him tighter.
"You'll find a way. Let's go back in; I'll make you some tea."
"Can you make it Irish?" Cid asked meekly.
Shera laughed. "Sure."
Back inside, Shera made the 'old' pilot some tea, adding a little liquor. He took it gratefully, sighing. He hefted his boots up onto the table, and tipped back in his chair so that its front legs were above the wood floor.
Shera drank some regular tea, then decided to bring up the kid Cid had been talking about. "So, Captain Highwind, tell me more about this Samuel. Do you believe him?"
Cid looked at her through one eye, the other closed. "Why?" She gazed at him expectantly. Cid sighed heavily. "All right. I don't know. Considering Sephiroth's still alive, I guess what he was sayin' could be possible."
Shera smiled. "Well, we'll see, I suppose."
7th Heaven, Midgar
Sam lay on his assigned bed in the little back room in Neo-Seventh Heaven. He could hear the AVALANCHE members talking about him in the bar. He sighed. "I wish they would tell me what's going on. Why won't they let me out?"
For some reason, Sam had been locked in his room. He glared at the door. He was extremely worried about Yuffie Kisaragi. They had dropped her off at Wutai, at her request. She had said she wanted nothing to do with Sephiroth. After all, there was no Materia in it for her.
But Sam saw past the nonchalance, and saw how truly frightened she was. Poor Yuffie... maybe I'll ask her out on a date... Sam smiled. Despite himself, he chuckled softly. That girl was a true pain in the @$$. Just his type.
Inappropriate thoughts at the time. Aah, well. He was inappropriate by nature.
A knock sounded on his door. He looked over at it, and gave it the finger. "What? You locked me in here, why bother knocking?!" he shouted at the door.
There was a pause outside, then the sound of a key in the lock. The door was pushed open. Surprisingly enough, it was Vincent. "Tifa told me to come get you," he said in his detached voice.
"Pfft! Uh-huh. Whatever. I'm not leaving this room. That bitch locked me in here, dammit!" Sam growled.
Vincent sighed. "Do I look like I care? Come on." Like Sam could see him. The younger boy had his back to the man!
"Look," Sam said, sitting up. "I don't wanna, okay? Dozzat register with you? I just want to sit here and try to think of a way to get to my sister." Sam's eyes began to sting, and he cursed himself. "Shit, now I'm turning into a freakin' weenie!"
Sam buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he sobbed quietly. For a moment, Vincent just stood there, watching the pitiful sight. Then he walked over to Sam.
Standing in front of him, he said, "Stop it. You're a young man. Men don't..." He trailed off. Vincent cried. He cried almost every night for Lucrecia. "...It's okay to cry."
Sam looked up at him, startled, his eyes red from weeping. "Huh?"
"If there's good reason, it's okay." Vincent's voice became slightly amused. "Just try not to cry in front of people. Especially women."
Sam laughed in spite of himself. "Yeah, can't ever do that."
Oddly enough, Sam and Vincent found comfort in that old joke, in their own ways.
In the other room
Tifa glared toward the back. "What's taking so long? I thought he went to get Sam, not flee the country!" Her statement was rather stupid.
Cait Sith looked oddly at the barmaid. "Huh?"
Tifa just sighed.
Vincent emerged from the doorway, Sam walking meekly behind him. Tifa raised her eyebrows at the way the boy was suddenly acting. "And what, pray tell, did you do to him? Sam, you okay?" she asked.
Sam looked at her, surprised. "Huh? Oh, I'm just kinda worried about what happened earlier. That guy was Sephiroth, wasn't it." It was a statement, not a question.
Tifa nodded stiffly.
"And he wants to kill everyone."
Another nod.
"Okay. Teach me how to kick ass, use Materia, and dance a jig, and I'll do my best to take the chicken down - with your help, that is."
Cloud started. "What? You're willing to take a guy you never even heard of on?"
Sam grinned. "What can I say? I like a challenge." Samuel rubbed his hands together. "Besides, if I can learn how to fight, I might actually stand a chance against those assholes at the high school. Mwahahaha!" He tossed back his head, and did a pretty good impression of an evil villain. "On the other hand, I'd like to pay him back for what he put Yuffie through." Sam's voice grew cold, and he looked pissed.
Vincent smiled slightly. "I like you," he said. "I'll teach you how to shoot."
