Lean On Me (FF7)

19

~Cloud's POV~

I look around completely confused. It's way too quiet in this sunken plane. It's usually full of the shrieks and growls if the monsters that inhabit it. Instead it's dead silent. Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Barret are all in the room that you see the door to when you first enter. We're in the actual cargo area.

"I don't think anything is here," Cid whispers.

"Shh," I hush him, glancing back at him and RedIIX.

"Why aren't there giant sea serpents jumping out of nowhere?" Red says quietly, his large feet making no sound on the floor.

"Shh!" I say again.

They give up attempts at conversation and we walk slowly and silently to the other side of the top walkway, hunched low. Tifa and Vincent are back on the sub. Vince, because Yuffie insisted. I'm assuming it has to do with his shoulder injury. But Tifa was just being... persistent. Which is weird, she never turns down the offer to fight by my side. It's a blessing and a curse. I don't have her giving me google eyes every second like I'm a god or something, but I also don't have my fight partner. Suddenly, a movement catches the corner if my eye. Cud stands up to his full height.

"There's nothing here.."

"Get down!" I hiss.

"But there's nothing..."

"Down!" RedIIX knocks him down from behind and lays down on his back.

Cid reaches out an arm and manages to wrap his gloved fingers around his spear, which rolled away when Red knocked him over. There it is again. Me and the talking animal share a look as Cid struggles to get him off.

"I can't breathe," he grits quietly. Red bops him on the back of the head with one of his big, orange paws, knocking Cid's crooked nose into the metal floor. He winces, but gives up on speaking. Finally, it stops zooming back and forth at an inhumane speed and looks around itself frantically.

"No no no!" It yells in desperation. "Mother, where are you?!" Let me clarify: It = Kadaj.

"It's the mama's boy," Cid grumbles; Red growls softly in response.

"Shh," I redirect my attention to the distraught Remnant.

"Jenova is an odd name, don't you think?" Cid says quietly.

"Mother?" Kadaj looks up towards our hiding place expectantly.

"Um... Yes?" Cid says in a high pitched voice. I face palm. This is why I don't take him with me. Kadaj sneers up to where he heard the pilot's voice before unsheathing his sword and climbing up the stairs excruciatingly slowly.

"It's obvious you're not Mother." He takes another step. "Mother speaks through the soul."

I glare at Cid who shrugs, but his eyes are full if surprise and fear. Well what did you think was gonna happen, idiot?! Next time, keep your grandpa mouth shut. Red growls again, shoving Cid's head into the floor again before rolling off him, landing like a cat on all four paws. He's like a cat in some ways and in others he's like a dog. And then he's just Nanaki with the nickname Professor Hojo himself gave him that stuck. I'm so glad that scientist is dead, I can't express it enough.

"Might as well stand, he'll find us eventually," Red looks up at me with his bright orange irises.

"You're right," I hold out a hand to help Cid up, who is checking his nose to see if it's okay.

Dude, it's always been crooked, you'll survive! I've always wondered if he got in a fight at school or something because his nose is crooked and when his limits were pushed he would go into a punching/stabbing frenzy. It used to freak me out that a guy that seemingly friendly and funny would just forget his spear and punch the crap out of some beast because he's mad. Although he wasn't too friendly when we first met him, and kept yelling at us to drink our tea. Such a friendly, cough, grouchy, old man. E even though he's not old. It's an inside joke, people, he's only 42! I stand, tugging him up with me and push my way in front of him, broadsword readied. Kadaj smirks at me evilly, twirling the long, thin katana between his fingers teasingly as he stops about four yards in front of us.