Violet Shadows (FFVII)

V) The Jungle

The jungles surrounding the Temple of Ancients are thick and humid. Cluttered. Bugs buzz so loudly that our ears ring and sweat glues my clothing to my skin. Tifa complains about how her hair's reacting to the humidity and Cloud ignores her, chopping his way through the greenery and following Aeris's senses to the Temple. She claims to feel its energy in contrast to the man-inflicted environment.

"We're getting close," she murmurs.

"I hope so," Cid mutters. Barret grumbles to himself and fiddles with his gun arm while he trudges along in front of me. I spend time wondering how he reloads the thing.

"Gawd, I could just die!" Yuffie draws, throwing her head back. "It's so hawt!"

"Shut up, brat. It's not like yer wearin' any clothes anyway," Cid snaps, tugging at the collar of his sweat-stained blue shirt.

"I am too wearing clothes, you old fart!" she cries, kicking his leg.

"I ain't old!" he protests, elbowing her hard in the collarbone, simply because where that's where the blow landed. "Everyone over thirty ain't old."

"Thirty's ancient!"

"Hey!" Barret shouts. Vincent casts a weary look in their direction.

"Maybe I'll remind you of that when you're their age," I suggest, raising an eyebrow. Yuffie huffs and sticks out her tongue before stomping over to Tifa and ranting in a high pitched whine.

"Guys! Wait for me!" comes an irritating cry.

I roll my eyes and everyone ignores it, leaving Cait Sith to struggle on his own through the jungle. Two nights ago, when we were at the Gold Saucer, the cat stole the Keystone and handed it over to a Shinra agent who was waiting outside. Apparently, the traitor is a man working the controls for Shinra and acting as a spy on Avalanche's whereabouts. I don't even want to know if he's reporting things to Hojo. I don't understand how a kid as weighted as Cloud, even as naïve as he tends to seem, could trust everyone in the group. A traitor was inevitable.

"The Temple... It's here!" Aeris cries, running ahead past a series of rubbery branches and floppy leaves.

The rest of us hurry to catch up. I skid to an abrupt stop and Cid nearly crashes into me. Before us towers a pyramid of faded stone that emits an odd aura; Shadow snarls. Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris rush up the steps and I'm hot on their heels, eager to understand the source of this energy. I skid to a stop once reach the top, however, spotting the crumpled figure of a Turk slumped against the wall, clutching a heavily bleeding wound across his chest and rasping out Sephiroth's location. Aeris chokes on a sob, clutching a hand over her mouth and turning away sharply, tears spilling onto her cheeks as she whispers, "Oh, Tseng." Cloud eyes the wounded man for a second before stepping toward him and accepting the Keystone that he holds out with one bloody hand. The blond then heads toward a pedestal obviously meant to hold the stone and sets its key down, stepping back. And then they begin to sink. Instinctively, I lunge forward to grab them, only to feel a hand wrap around my bicep and pull me back. I can already tell who it is from the tingling on my skin.

"Guess that means I'm in charge," Barret proclaims proudly. "An' I say we get the #$%^ outta here."

"This place gives me the creeps!" Yuffie squeals, running out of the entrance and down into the jungle. Cid chuckles and he and Barret leave together. Vincent releases his grip on my arm and glances down at Tseng before looking back at me. And then he leaves, his crimson cape swishing behind him as his long strides carry him away.

I take a deep breath, reveling in the peaceful energy of the temple before turning my eyes down to the Turk breathing shallow gasps on air on the floor, his ink-black hair sprawled out across his shuddering shoulders and his pale hand tightening its grip over the bloody hole in his shirt. He watches me with eyes as black as night, alert as any Turk should be, even in their dying breaths. I know he'll refuse any help, so I refuse to offer it, though I crouch on the floor before him and take up the handgun that lies on the stone floor to his left.