Red Dawn

Red Dawn: chapter 4

Author: Sweetstarlights (sweetstarlights@hotmail.com)

Site: www.lonelykitten.cjb.net

***

Author’s note: Chapter Four!!! Yes... I know I haven’t killed anyone yet, but give me time! I’ve had two years [or is it three...] to think about when the perfect time to start killing Cloud’s friends. And that would be as Aeris dies. Everyone is so surprised that Sephiroth killed her that they’re in a state of shock. It’s perfect! [laughs evilly] And it might be during this chapter that it happens! Who knows!

***

The Sonic Speed lay twitching on the ground as Eve pulled her dagger from its head. That’s what happens when you cross my path... she thought as she walked away from the twitching mass of flesh. She looked over her shoulder and saw the tiny outlines of Cloud, Barret and Vincent. Eve was quick to continue on, though not without catching a glimpse of the red caped man. Things looked so different, since everything looked more real than cartoon. The realism made Vincent more beautiful than he was in the game. But if anyone asked if she had any feelings for Sephiroth, her answer would have been no. She tried to ignore anything she felt, including any feelings of care. That’s why when he kissed her she was mad, how was she supposed to have no emotions if he pulled crap like that?! But this also pulled up another question, what was Eve to him? But now really wasn’t the time to think about all this, she had to keep ahead of Cloud and meet the great villain on the other side of the mountain. I think way too much...

***

Sephiroth was glad to see that Eve made it over Mt. Nibel as he watched her walk down the path. She glared at him as he expressed how much he was happy to see her. But knowing Eve better than anyone, including herself, she was just as happy to see him. Though he would never tell her what she really felt underneath all masks she wore to hide her real self, she would most likely yell some cruse and try leaving him. Which wasn’t something he could afford, she still refused to tell him anything other than what was going to happen next, she would never tell him what would happen after that. But that was the smart thing to do on her part, if she told him everything that he needed to know she’s cease to be useful.

Eve eyed Sephiroth oddly as he walked off after they decided to leave the area before Cloud got there. There was something behind his silence that made Eve less than comfortable. She took a breath and was going to ask him what his problem was when he suddenly said, “We are off to the Temple of the Ancients, am I right?”

“Errr... yeah. But you need the keystone to get into the temple,” she replied as she wonder if he had been reading her mind again. “But don’t worry about that, the Shin-Ra will get it. All we have to do is get there.”

“Hmmm... walking will take too long...” Sephiroth glanced over at Eve. He stopped walking and waited for Eve to do the same.

Finally she turned around and asked, “Alright, how are you proposing we get there?” She stood before him with one hand on her hip, arrogantly standing as if he couldn’t kill her that moment if he liked. Sephiroth couldn’t help but think that Eve wasn’t like any woman he’d ever met. Although he was used to women throwing themselves at him, while she pretended that he wasn’t really there. But he didn’t get a chance to tell her this, she quickly said, “You want to fly, don’t you?”

Sephiroth merely smiled at her as slowly walked over to her.

***

Eve stared darkly at the ground as it flew underneath her. Needless to say, Sephiroth had his way on flying to the temple. Now she was carefully held in his arms as he took them across Cosmo Canyon faster than the first time they crossed it. Eve felt very uncomfortable, she wasn’t used to people touching her. And the fact that Sephiroth was that close to her made her uneasy. Eve began drifting into daydreaming again, but it never lasted too long. Every time she tried Sephiroth would squeeze her midsection, like he didn’t want her to ignore him.

Suddenly it was near dark and Sephiroth touched down on some unknown beach. Sephiroth let Eve go, she immediately fixed her shirt which had ‘some how’ ridden up during the little flight.

“So... why did you stop here?” Eve asked as she sat on the soft sand.

Sephiroth looked down at her, exhaustion clear on her face as she looked out at the ocean. “Because by now Cloud has reached the Gold Saucer and has gotten the Key. Tomorrow they will reach the temple, and someone from Shin-Ra will open the temple for us. To go any farther now would be pointless.”

Eve flopped onto the ground and placed her arms behind her head. “Sounds good to me.” She closed her eyes to rest as much as she could before dawn, when she knew Sephiroth would want to leave. She heard him take him place on the sand somewhere near her, but she didn’t bother to open her eyes, Eve was too tired to move and too tired to sleep.

***

It seemed like hours that Eve laid there, somewhere between sleep and awake. Finally she opened her eyes and saw that Sephiroth was asleep. She looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was barely visible over the forest in the distance. Eve sighed, the night was gone and she was going to have to travel more before she’d be able to try sleeping again.

Eve turned her head to the ocean and watched the waves. She sighed again and stood up, being careful not to wake Sephiroth as she moved. She slide down the sand and walked over to the water’s edge. She carefully slipped her boots off and placed her feet into the chilly water. Eve breathed in the ocean’s air, remembering how sweet it was in the morning. She hadn’t lived in Tahoe her whole life, before her family moved they had lived in a small ocean side town. That was before she became feared by everyone around her, when she still had many friends. Eve closed her eyes as the wind blew, trying to remember the days before Tahoe...and before all this. This might have been different if she’d never moved, she might not be here now if she was still living in that little ocean side town surrounded by so many friends... Eve watched the clouds turn pink and then red. Red dawn... troubles not too far ahead. The sea looked like was on fire as the sun rose behind her.

Little did Eve know, Sephiroth had already woken up and looked down on her as she stared out at the sea. The sky and Eve’s hair were the same color as the wind blew it to one side, then the other. She didn’t even sense that he was behind her, she was too lost in her own memories. So... she wasn’t always this emotionless person that she said herself to be... he thought as he watched Eve. “Eve,” he finally said after dawn was over, “it’s time to go.”

Eve turned and murmured something under her breathe, but slipped her boots back on and made her way up the hill. Sephiroth was surprised at this, never had Eve did something he asked her to do without saying some rude comment or arguing that he could do it himself. She simply didn’t take orders, even from him. At all. Sephiroth watched her grab her pack and walk back over. He saw that she hadn’t slept, that was why she was down by the water. He slipped his arm around her waist and lifted her into the air. Now they were on their way to the Temple of the Ancients, with still more of the journey ahead of them.

***

Jungle trees, as far as the eye could see. Eve slowly walked behind Sephiroth as they made their way through the thick trees. Then they walked into a mass clearing, the temple before them. It rose out of the ground like a great Mayan temple, Eve stared in awe of the massive building. There was no way to tell if the Shin-Ra was already there or not, but Sephiroth walked up the old steps anyway. Eve ran to catch up with the quickly moving Sephiroth up the steps. Inside the temple room, the Key stone was already in place. Shin-Ra was already here. Sephiroth silently beckoned Eve over to the alter, were they stood side by side. The floor beneath them glowed a sickly green color. As Eve looked down she felt her body start passing through the floor. Then suddenly they were on the other side of the floor, the great maze before them.

There was no need for Eve to tell Sephiroth which way to go, he could already feel the knowledge of the ancients all around him. Sephiroth drew to him the knowledge he needed and called for Eve to follow him. Instead of taking time to walk through the maze, he merely jumped from one part to another down to the level he needed to be at.

Torches lit the hall they walked into. It was the room that usually had crescent boulders rolling down the corridor, but the trap had been turned off when Shin-Ra, actually the Turks... Eve remembered. She wanted to go to the pool of the ancient’s knowledge and see what it would show her, but Eve continued to follow Sephiroth. She merely took her eyes off him for a second, but when she looked back he was gone! Eve ran into the room with the giant clock in it and yelled, “Sephiroth, where the hell are you!?”

I am Cronos... spoke a voice. Where is it you wish to go...?

Eve looked around and stared at the doors. She vaguely remembered that the door to where the Black Materia was. Eve called out, “Six o’clock!” and watched the hands move so that she could cross the room. Slowly she inched her way across the clock’s hands and was almost to the other side when she heard footsteps. Not knowing who it might be, Eve jumped from the hand and landed in the doorway next to the one she needed to be in. Eve slowly backed into the shadows, hoping that she wouldn’t be seen. Elena of the Turks walked happily across the hands to the other side. Eve sighed loudly and looked around. No other steps could be heard other than Elena’s reseeding steps. She stood at the opening of the hall, trying to figure out how she was going to get over when the clock’s hand moved over to her door. Eve didn’t argue, she stepped onto it and felt it slowly move over to the six o’clock door. She jumped off the little hand and ran down the hall.

When Eve had reached the door maze she saw one of the little ancient things hiding in on of the door. A brief thought crossed her mind, that it was afraid of Sephiroth, but she continued to the large doors and shoved them open. On the ground was Tseng, blood running down his chest where Sephiroth sword had cut.

“Awww... I missed it?!” she cried as she walked into the room. Tseng stared up at Eve in horror when she walked over to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth smiled as he always did and answered, “Yes... you did.” He looked over at the paintings on the wall. “Please take the human out of the temple, I must absorb the knowledge here....”

Back to her normal self, Eve replied in a sarcastic tone, “Sure thing, oh great and powerful one...” He acts like I’m not human....She grabbed the neck of Tseng’s suit and started pulling him out of the room.

Tseng tried to struggle out of her grip, but to no avail. “Let go of me now...” he chocked out.

Eve looked over her shoulder, down at the bleeding man. He was glaring up at her when she said, “I don’t think you’re in the position to demand anything of me. You’re the one bleeding to death here, not me. So shut up.” She dragged Tseng all through the maze, finally but up into the alter room. Eve threw him on the floor and went back down to the maze. She took her time going back to the room with the paintings, knowing full well that Sephiroth would be absorbing the knowledge and wouldn’t notice her.

***

When she had returned to the room Sephiroth was sitting on the floor, back against the alter of the Black Materia and his sword across his legs. His eyes were glazed over; it looked like the world was dead to him. Eve gave a inward sigh and sat down facing the wall behind the alter. She didn’t know how long she had till Cloud came, so Eve closed her eyes for just a moment. She drifted into sleep before she could stop herself, the calming energy of the temple all round her.

***

...Eve... wake up... they’re here.... you need to awaken now... Sephiroth's voice rang in Eve’s mind. Sluggishly she opened her eyes and tried getting up. I wouldn’t do that... they are here in the this room...

Eve opened her eyes in shock, she had nowhere to go! She had fallen asleep and now Cloud was here. Listening to the conversation behind her, she heard that Sephiroth had just told Cloud that he planned to become one with the planet. Eve hoped to God that Aeris or anybody wouldn’t notice her, she was sitting so that no one could see her had over the alter but here was still the chance that they could find her.

Eve... it’s time for you to stop hiding from them... they can’t hurt you if I’m here... Sephiroth told her.

Eve’s thoughts raced back and forth across her mind until she gave up. Fine...

Cloud’s voice suddenly became full of anger as he yelled, “But you still haven’t told us what this woman has to do with this!”

Eve took this as her queue to get up, slowly rising to her full height. Then quickly she turned and faced the three people; Cloud, Aeris and Vincent [author’s note: no, this has nothing to do with the story, I just usually put Vincent in my party at this point of the game. Nothing else.]. “Does it really matter why I’m here?” she asked the shocked group. Aeris looked at if she was going to say her name or something like that, so Eve answered her before all the dramatics. “Yes, I’m the woman with Sephiroth. Who were you expecting? I was there in Midgar the day Cloud went to save Tifa, before sector seven fell; I was there in Junon and on the boat. That was me in the doorway.” Eve paused as Sephiroth laughed.

“But why?!” Aeris cried.

“Because she’s making sure that I am able to become one with the planet,” Sephiroth answered with a huge grin on his face.

“Yeah.... it’s nice knowing every move they’re going to make, huh?” Eve leaded over the alter and looked at Sephiroth. “But he’s still a problem,” she said with her finger pointing at Cloud.

Sephiroth closed his eyes, not answering Eve. Sephiroth suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. When the light was gone Cloud was over looking at the painting on the wall, freaking out. Aeris ran over to Cloud as Eve pushed herself up off the alter. Vincent was left staring at Eve in shock. When he started walking towards her a black hole opened up underneath her. Quickly Eve slipped down into the darkness, leaving Vincent near where she once stood. The next moment she was flouting in mid air, not too far from Sephiroth.

“That was fun, lets go again,” she said with a childish voice. She was flouting upside down, her hair hanging down beneath her. Eve started spinning around, much to the surprise of Sephiroth. She suddenly stopped and turn to him, “Wait, how am I doing this?”

“Me,” he merely answered.

Eve sweatdroped. “How do I know you’re not going to drop me?”

Sephiroth smiled at her and answered, “You should trust me a little more than you do.” Eve stuck her tongue out at him and looked down at the temple, waiting for it to disappear. After the first few minutes Eve started spinning around again to pass the time. After fifteen minutes the temple finally started shaking. Eve stopped her spinning and stared down. Sephiroth and Eve watched Cloud, Aeris and Vincent run out of the temple as it collapsed in on its self. They ran to the empty hole that once was the temple and jumped into it. As Cloud picked the Black Materia up Eve felt herself going downward. She was, along with Sephiroth. Eve was the first to touch the ground, gently sitting on the lip of the crater, followed by Sephiroth who stood beside her. Quietly he whispered to Eve, “Sing for them...”

She took a breathe and started singing a short song she had heard on the Dance Dance Revolution game. Again, it was in Japanese, but it was better that they didn’t know what she was singing. Slowly Cloud and Vincent fell to the ground holding their ears, trying to block the sound of Eve’s voice. It wasn’t painful; they were just losing control of themselves, just like a real Siren. Aeris crouched over Cloud trying to help him. As Eve finished the last syllables of the song Sephiroth jumped gracefully into the crater and held his hand before him. Eve knew what he was doing, he was telling Cloud to give him the shinny black orb that he clutched in his hand. The Black Materia. Gradually Cloud made his way to Sephiroth, fighting inwardly to stop himself. Cloud placed the materia in Sephiroth's gloved hand. He smiled and jumped back out of the pit, having told Cloud to attack Aeris. Eve felt herself fall back into the back void as Sephiroth flew upward, leaving Cloud and all his friends [Cid, Vincent, Yuffie, Red XIII, Tifa, Barret, Aeris, and Cait Sith. Not Cloud because he’s unconscious.] staring in disbelief.

~To be continued in Chapter five of Red Dawn~