The Reason

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Chapter 21


“Damn you I am SO not in the mood for this!” Jexebel snarled as she fought off round after round of nasty little frogs. She was traveling through the forests near Cosmo Canyon on her way to Nibelheim, where Weiss and Genesis were unknowingly awaiting their deaths. She had decided earlier that morning that it would be smarter to walk rather than fly as Quietus. A gigantic flying feline demon? Yeah, people might notice that.


She was paying for her decision now as the poisonous frogs lunged at her from every direction, almost faster than she could fight them off. Finally the last frog fell with a sickening ‘squish’ and Jexebel fell to her knees on the ground. She swore to herself when she left the Inn that she would not cry. She was strong. She had survived worse than this. But now sitting prone on her hands and knees in the dense forest, she felt almost helpless. As she felt the burning sensation in her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly and took deep, gasping breaths to try to stave off the tears.


Stupid frogs. It wasn’t like she wasn’t already having a bad day.


Not to mention the fact that by nightfall she would be standing in ShinRa Manor broken and bloody after killing her old lover, along with her old leader.


‘Well done, Jexebel of the Storm.’ Quietus’ voice echoed in her head.


‘Leave me alone, monster.’ She snapped back.


‘Oh a monster, am I? Oh sweet child of darkness…it was not I who planned this little…excursion. The premeditated murder of one whom was once loved…and another once worshipped is your burden.’ The beast made a small clucking noise. ‘Such betrayal…and you would call me a monster.’


The evil chuckle that followed reverberated through Jexebel’s skull. As impossible as it seemed…Quietus was right.


Another round of laughter echoed through her head again at that admission. Jexebel closed the link between herself and her beast for the time, even though it left her slightly vulnerable.


She had a long way to go before nightfall, and millions of frogs to squash before she could get there.



[Vincent]


The night had been agonizingly long for Vincent and the Turks. His search of the Forgotten City and Bone Village had been useless. Jexebel wasn’t there, and obviously hadn’t been in the first place. That fact pretty much confirmed his fear that she had transformed and flown away. ‘She could be anywhere.’ He thought to himself as he transformed back to his human self to question Reno and Rude on their findings.


“Nothing, boss.” Reno said. Sinse the group had left Icicle Inn; Reno had been referring to Vincent as ‘The Boss’.


Vincent sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He was dangerously close to breaking down.


But fortune had finally noticed Vincent Valentine and decided to pay him a visit. He realized this as Tseng and Elena came bursting through the door, both out of breath.


“We found her!” Elena gasped. Vincent whirled around and stared at them; his surprise at something actually going his way was almost comical.


“What?! Where?! How?!” He said.


“One of our contacts at the safe house in Cosmo Canyon saw a very large cat…flying through the sky toward the forest. He got a picture and sent it to Rufus. It’s her.”


“Who is the contact?” Vincent asked, dearly hoping that it was his old friend.


“Experiment R-XIII. Nanaki.”


“Good. Is she still there?”


“No, but she had a fire during the night, and Nanaki found it. The coals were still hot. She can’t be too far ahead. She’s heading to Nibelheim.” Tseng said, finally getting a word in.


Vincent paled. “We have to get there before her. She’ll get herself killed. You four go through the tunnels. You’ll come to a crossroads beneath the Nibel Mountains. The left will take you into the city; the right is fenced off. Break it down and go through the sewers. That’s how I got in last time. You shouldn’t have to worry about company. I dealt with the sahagin. I’m going to transform and try to head her off, and then meet you there. Its time to finish this before anyone else gets hurt.”


He didn’t wait for the others to agree or not. He doubled over and transformed, taking to the sky and flying at top speed toward Cosmo Canyon.



[Jexebel]


Night was falling fast and Jexebel was still a good four hours from Nibelheim. Those damned frogs were to blame! Every time she thought she was making good distance, another group would attack her. The path behind her was littered with the slimy bodies of dead frogs. She was tired, hungry, and irritated. She didn’t feel like dealing with frogs all night, so instead of building a fire and sleeping on the ground, she climbed a tree and stretched out across a thick branch. Trusting her instincts that she wouldn’t fall, she closed her eyes and willed herself to rest for the long day ahead of her.



[Vincent]


Vincent flew high above the forest outside Cosmo Canyon searching for his four-legged friend. He hadn’t been looking for long when he spotted a bright flame moving rapidly through the foliage. He swooped down into the trees and came to glide beside Nanaki. The giant cat didn’t even flinch. Vincent watched the trees ahead of him as he talked, avoiding oncoming collisions with speed and grace.


“Good evening, Vincent. I see you’ve been busy.” Nanaki chuckled.


“So I have. How is it coming?” Vincent asked.


“We are getting close.” He stopped running and Vincent had to make a quick loop to stop himself. Nanaki trotted over to a dead frog and nudged it. “This frog smells like you. I also detect female. I take it this woman is more than just a friend.”


Vincent came to look at the frog. “It’s been killed with a sword.” He noted. Then sighed. “Her name is Jexebel. I met her at Tifa’s bar a few months ago. She and I are…involved.” He explained. Nanaki raised an eyebrow.


“Involved?”


“I love her.”


Nanaki bowed his head. “I see. Well then we’d best hurry. We’re not far behind her. If we travel all night, we might just catch up to her.”


Vincent nodded, and the chase resumed.



[Jexebel]


Jexebel sighed and stretched as she stepped out of the cold water of the small pond she’d found. Dead frogs littered the ground around her. Awake and refreshed, she dressed in her damp clothes and used a tie from her belt to hold her long hair out of her face. Strapping her swords to her waist, her nose caught the subtle scent of burning flesh. She gasped and raced back to her campsite.


“Whoo.” She sighed in relief. “Just barely.” She reached down to her campfire and grasped a pointed stick. She chuckled evilly. “I love the smell of frog legs in the morning.”