Violet Shadows (FFVII)

XI) Hojo

I flick the blood off my hands before firing another arrow at the two handed dragon we're struggling to kill. This morning, Holzoff (the old man) sent us toward the cliffs lining the Northern Crater, an incredibly huge wound in the Planet's surface. It may as well be Shinra's Promised Land with all the mako I can feel resonating from it, even at this distance. I grit my teeth and hiss in pain as a wave of fire singes my clothes and skin, leaving a nasty burn behind. Thinking fast, I grab three arrows and light them in the that fiery breath before firing them at the ice-based head.

As the dragon's head bellow, Cid drives his lance through the fire side's skull with a sickening crunch. The beast screams, throwing its head back and sending Cid flying into the cavern wall as it rears its head a final time. Chunks of stone fall from the ceiling and splinter upon hitting the floor. A rock the size of a materia narrowly misses cracking my skull open. The fire head falls limp, its neck giving out. A wall of icy air sprays about the cave; Tifa counters with her own leveled Fire spell, striking the monster's gaping wounds with her powerful fists.

Cloud slices deep into the base of its green-scaled neck, blood spilling onto the stone floor. Barret peppers the dragon with a spray of bullets and Vincent fires his shots with more precision. Finally, another rumble rattles through the cavern and Yuffie nearly misses being crushed, saved only when I dive forward and tug her clear of the falling rocks by the back of her shirt. The dragon collapses at last and we breathe a collective sigh of relief. We quickly reconvene and heal our wounds. I stand clear of the materia being passed around and chug down a slimy potion, feeling the warm energy rush through my blood and heal my wounds.

"You seem to enjoy those," Vincent comments, though I can tell he's not serious. I shake my head quickly, a shudder rippling down my spine.

"They're repulsive, but I'm not using materia."

"Your fear is rather groundless," he points out. "It's not the same as the diluted—"

"You don't think I know that? I'm not using it. Period." I counter, raising an eyebrow and tossing the empty vial to the side. Vincent waits for its clattering to stop before turning away and following Avalanche out of the cave wordlessly. Cloud stands outside, peering up at the tall cliff face that's coated in a thin layer of ice.

"Looks like we're climbing again," he murmurs. He manages to loop the rope Holzoff gave us on a thick branch that hangs a bit over the edge, giving a tug before tying the rope around his body. "I'm going up first."

"We can see that," Yuffie points out, earning herself an unamused glance. Cloud makes it to the top easily enough, although the creaking branch is enough to put us all on edge yet again.

"Next!" Cloud calls, peering over the edge. No one offers to go, so I sigh and take hold of the rope. It's all too easy to get to the top. The view steals my breath away.

"Whoa," I whisper. A huge whirlwind of mako and snow surrounds the crater in the center of this massive, lifeless volley. "Sephiroth did that?"

"Must have," Cloud replies, his voice haunting as his eyes turn to me. "Who else could have?"

"Yo! Quit chattin' and send the rope down!" Barret bellows. I huff, obeying and biting back a reply. Once we're up, and after I catch Yuffie so she doesn't go for her first free-falling lesson, we begin to descend into the thin mist that hovers over the dark crater. The wind whips the closer we get, pulling my hair into my eyes and tugging on my cloak. Barret gives a low whistle, eyeing the green glow of the center.

"We sure about this, Spikey?"

"What choice do we have?"

A creature ahead stops all conversation. A wobbling figure in a black cloak shudders, flickering like a hologram. By the time Cloud reaches it, it's gone. Cid swears and Cait Sith mutters to himself, absently stroking the fur atop his mog. The fog grows thicker over the ground and Cloud's pace picks up as he anticipates confronting the man who murdered Aeris. Tifa sprints past me.