Final Fantasy VII: New Beginnings

Chapter 2: Willow's Secret.

Healen Lodge, Willow's destination, property of Shinra, her ex bosses. Healen Lodge was formerly called Cliff Resort, a facility built for Shinra employees to holiday in but now being used for Geostigma patients. Healen consists of small, white, round lodges set among spectacular mountain scenery with trees and waterfalls. As Willow rode Choco she listened to her messages through a hands free set.

"What up, fool, its Barret! I am the man! Oil, Will! I just found the biggest damned oil field you ever seen! Surveyins done, so I should be able to get out there and see Marlene soon. You let her know, all right, Blondie?" Barret cheered on his message, bringing a small smile to her face, feeling slight relief that her friends hadn't forgotten her.

"Barret, you never change." She smiled as she played the next message.

"Hey Will, It's Cloud again. Listen, I don't normally get concerned for turks but Reno called again. He said to hurry. He seemed to be panicking about something. Just be careful, alright?" Clouds voice rang through her ears, clear as day.

"I will.." she nodded as she brought Choco to a stop then got off. She placed some greens down for him and petted him. "Here you go. Good boy." she then turned to the stairs and began climbing them, limping slightly, carrying her sword in one of her hands, feeling she'd need it and how right she was.

She swung the door open and swung her sword, clashing it with Reno's baton. He stepped back a bit then swung at Willow again with a small battle cry, only for willow to step aside as he missed her and stumbled outside, stopping then turning around to strike her again but Willow slammed the door in his face.

"Okay, so your good--" Reno said as he tried to open the door only to have it shut in his face again and locked because of course..only Reno would get himself locked out.

"Fuck off." She growled as she locked the door.

"Aww, come on Will, don't be so harsh!" Reno chuckled, pretending to feel hurt.

This caused her to sigh in annoyance and look ahead. "New me, deal with it." She scoffed as Rude entered the room.

The two exchanged glances at each other for a moment as Reno cheered on his partner from outside. "Yeah Rude! Looking sharp!"

Rude then got out his baton as fast as he could to take on Willow but she was faster and pointed his sword at his neck. Seeing no way of taking her on now, Rude backed off and put away his weapon as his boss entered the room in a wheelchair.

"Good, you fight Like the 1st class SOLDIER you were trained to be." Rufus complimented as he stopped infront of her. "You haven't lost your touch, Willow."

"Rufus Shinra?" She looked at him baffled on how he survived the explosion on Shinra's main building back in Midgar, she then looked to Rude who stood beside his boss. "Do I feel sorry for you." She said with hints of sarcasm in her voice, causing Rude to clear his throat.

"The day of the explosion--" Rufus began as Willow kept interrupting him.

"What do you want from me?"

"I managed to get out of the building--"

"Who were those guys who attacked me?"

"Before it collapsed--"

"I'm leaving!" She snarled.

"We need your assistance, Willow."

"I'm not interested!"

"I acknowledge that Shinra owes the planet a lot. It goes without saying that my company and I are the ones who put the world in the sorry state its in. Therefore, its our responsibility to set things right." Rufus explained.