The New Crisis

                                                             CHAPTER 1

         Cloud bundled up tightly as he recalled the last time that he visited the Great Glacier and the Crater, remembering the sheer cold that would whip onto his face every few seconds. He had been helping Tifa with her bar in Rocket Town. Cid still lived in the broken, dusty town, but many were moving away because of the monster attacks that had been going on.
          "Hey, Tifa," said Shera, busting through the door right before the two were about to leave, "me and Cid wanna know if you're gonna need any help."
         "No," said the martial artist."Cloud and me are gonna do this by ourselves."
         "Come on," pleaded Shera."You know that you might need all the help you can get, right?"
         "Fine," said Tifa."Just be well prepared and bundled up warmly, okay? Cid probably remembers the last time we visited Great Glacier."
         Shera and Cid had gotten married now that the blond astronaut had forgiven her, and were living in the same house that the rocket had once been behind all those years ago. The woman left and returned a few minutes later with her husband.
         "You guys all ready?" asked Cloud, cooly."Do you think that we've got enough supplies? If we run into some Malboros up there, we're gonna need some rememdies or something."
         Tifa nodded and got some from her stash that they had used three years ago when fighting the notorious Sephiroth. While there she grabbed some elixirs and X-Potions just in case one of them became weak during the journey.
         "Remind me again why we're goin' on this trip," said Cid.
         "Cloud thinks that he can find Aeris if we go back to the Promised Land of the Ancients," answered Tifa."He remembers thinking that he could meet her there after he killed Sephiroth and Meteor hit."
         The spikey-haired hero shook his head, though."I know that she's somewhere, Tifa, but that's just my best guess. It's the land that was promised to the Ancients."
         "Wadda we waitin' for?!" yelled Cid."Let's get the heck outta here."
         The others murmured agreement and stepped outside to where the fixed Tiny Bronco was waiting for them. The plan was for them to fly up to Icicle Inn and then trek or snowboard their way down the mountian until they reached Mr. Holzoff's house. Then, they'd scale Gaea's Cliff again until they reached the monster infested crater.
         The four of them piled into the plane with Cid as the pilot and Shera right behind him. Cloud and Tifa took the next set of seats closer to the tail. The engine revved and fired up, and they took off.

                                                           CHAPTER 2

          Red woke up from his sleep and padded softly to the base of the canyon to the bar, where he saw his old friend Barret having a drink.
          "Hey, Red!" yelled the dark-skinned man, jumping up and giving the fierce-looking animal a scratch behind the ears. The red furred wolf breathed softly, like a kitten, before finally making conversation.
         "Barret, I've sensed it too," said Red."I think Cloud is right -- Aeris is still alive somewhere. My guess would be that she ended up in the lifestream, and that would mean that she'd probably end up in Mideel."
         The head miner of North Corel shook his head."Red, we all saw her die. Sephiroth ran her through with that sword of his. Even if that didn't kill her, she would've drown when Cloud put her into the pool."
         "But she was an Ancient," argued Red."Those rules might not apply for her as much as they do for us."
         Barret shook his head."You're talking crazy, mutt." He was joking of course."If you can prove that she's alive, then I'll believe you, but until then I've got to go back to Corel and make sure everything's running smoothly."
         "I can prove it to you," said Red."Please, follow me."
         Barret shrugged and followed the fiery wolf up the stairs until they reached the door that led into the Cave of the Gi. Red proceeded to open it, but Barret tried stopping him.
         "You can't go in there," said Barret."Don't you remember last time when we were nearly run through by those spirits' spears, bit to death by spiders --."
         "Come," said the brave beast, opening the door."Scared?"
         The man with the gun arm started shaking his hand, and, getting over his brief anger, said,"Fine, we can go down. If those Gi kill us though, I'm gonna rip your fur right off of your frickin' body."
         Red laughed quietly and walked over to the metal container that Bugenhagen had sealed the button in. He opened it and pressed the switch. The large metal door opened, loudly, and the two friends passed through. Red closed the door from the other side and jumped down to the next level. Barret decided to take the rope down as the more agile creature jumped to the bottom.
         "Hold up!" yelled Barret as he began descending the second rope. Red chuckled as he watched the man climb down until he reached him."You think it's funny or sumthin'?"
         "Quite," answered the wolf, nearly falling onto his back with laughter."Come, let's get going. It's a long way from here."
         "Goodie," said Barret, sarcastically."This sucks."
         Red laughed quietly again as he entered the forbidden place that they'd ventured all those years ago. Gi Spectors immediately rushed at them, and Barret jumped into action with his Missing Score gun that he'd picked up, scattering pieces of them around the cave floor.
         "Ha!" laughed the dark-skinned man."Even if I'm an old fart, they're still no match for the best gunman in the world."
         "Your real modest," said Red.
         "Shut up," said Barret, walking cautiously behind Red XIII as they continued through the twisting corridors. They reached an intersection that Barret hadn't noticed on their previous visit. He assumed the lead, walking slowly through the dark hallway and aiming his gun at any shadow that flickered.
         Red was nervous as well."This is really creepy."
         "How'd you find out about this place?" asked Barret, looking up at the ceiling for any kind of movement, when suddenly, Red yelped in pain. Barret twisted around quickly to see a Gi spear embedded in his friend's side. He quickly shot the Gi spirit that was hovering over the wolf's body. Another one came out of nowhere, followed by a Sneaky Step, which was a bony, spiny, wolf-like creature. Barret shot the Gi as his friend attacked the other enemy. He tried to get a good shot off at the Sneaky Step but was afraid that he'd hit Red. His friend finally vanquished the foe, and they moved on despite the pain in the wolf-creature's body.
         "How're you feeling?" asked Barret.
         "Except for the throbbing pain in my side, I'm fine," said Red, almost dragging himself along the path. They continued through the corridor until they reached a room cut into the rock wall. They entered, and Red shut the door behind them, pushing the wooden bolt onto its rack."We should be safe in here."
         "So what did you bring me down here for?" asked Barret."I don't see nothin'."
         "Watch that wall carefully," said Red, breathing heavily. Suddenly, it began to shift, and a small bookshelf began to form from the rocks. Books suddenly appeared, and the movement stopped. Red walked over and picked a book from the shelf with his teeth. He opened it and began to flip the pages crudely with his paws until he came to a stop.
         "Come over here," he told Barret. The man walked over and read the page.
         "See," said Red."This book says that it is possible for an Ancient to come back to life if a certain Materia crystal can be found. Or, if the Planet wills it, the spirit can be brought back from the Lifestream and put back into the body."
          "She'd drown right away, though," said Barret in his own defense."She sank like a rock all the way to the bottom."
          "Now what if the Planet moved her body?" asked Red."What if it moved her to a different location. What if she ended up in Wutai or Rocket Town, or Mideel, where the Lifesteam ends up?"
          "I just don't think so," said Barret."But, if she is down there, we should go and look for her. It would be just like old times. Ya know, we'd go out and kick monster butt again."
          "Let's get out of here," said Red, knowing that Barret agreed with him. They opened the door and went back through the cave with no problems. After climbing back up to the top, Red opened the door and went back into the cool air of Cosmo Canyon.
          "So are we going to go and look for her?" asked Barret.
          Red nodded."I am. You do what you want, but I'm not going to leave a comrade of mine behind when she might need me."
          "You sure do know how to make a guy feel guilty, Red," said Barret."Ooooh. Oh, I guess I'll go with you for now. The miners can do fine without me for a little while."
          Red smiled at his friend before going downstairs and out the exit to the canyon outside, where the buggy that the Gold Saucer manager had given them lay in wait for another adventure. They got in, and Barret turned the key to get it started up. They began driving towards the ship dock at Costa De Sol.
         It took the two companions no more than two hours to reach the seaside town of Costa De Sol, where ships were being dispatched all over the world. They drove their rickety old buggy into the town and onto a dock where Barret parked. He and Red got out of the car and walked over to an old ship. A sign had said that it would be heading for Mideel in a day, and Barret wanted to talk to the captain about transportation. It took them nearly two minutes to locate the gruff man giving out orders to the rest of his crew, and Barret decided that it must be the captain.
         "Hey, you!" yelled Barret, walking up the gangplank and onto the deck."Are you the captain of this ship that's going to Mideel?"
         The tough-looking man nodded."Aye, that would be me. Whaddya want?"
         "Me and my friend here want to go over to Mideel to look for a friend, and we were wondering if you could take us an' our buggy along," answered Barret.
         "She is very special to us," said Red, quietly.
        "Hey, you're the people from Cosmo Canyon!" yelled the captain with enthusiasm."Don't you remember me? I fixed yer buggy!"
         "I knew you looked somewhat familiar," said Red with his gentle voice."How did you get to be a ship captain though?"
         "Well, I was heading for Midgar while it was still around, and we encountered a storm along the way. The captain found out that there was a mechanic aboard when the engine went, and his sailors weren't skilled enough to fix it. I fixed it, and I found out that I actually knew a lot about sailing, so the captain made me second mate and put me at the helm. I decided to be a captain after that and got all my money together to buy myself a boat. Started shipping food and goods off to the towns."
         "Anyway," said Barret, bored with the story,"do you think that you could bring us out to Mideel?"
         "I'll do anything for a price," said the ex-mechanic."It'll be five-thousand gil to bring you guys and your buggy."
         "Five-thousand!" yelled Barret."Thats-."
         "We'll take it," said Red, quietly.
         "Good," said the captain."I'll have my men bring your buggy aboard tonight, and we leave at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. If you miss the boat, it's your fault!"
         "Don't worry," said Barret, grumbling as he handed over the money to the captain."We couldn't afford not to."
          "Thanks for doing business with me, and I'll see you tomorrow," said the captain, tipping his hat."Oh, yeah, by the way, my name is Demi Seec."
          Red nodded good-bye, and Barret turned away, still angry about the expensive price that Demi had taken for the boatride. He kicked a small pebble into the water and walked down the gangplank.

                                                               CHAPTER 3

It didn't take more than fifteen minutes for the party of four to reach the snowy northland area near
Icicle Inn. They landed on the outskirts of the small town and walked through the snow until they had reached the village.
           A little girl ran up to Tifa immediately and pulled on her shirt."Are you and those people gonna help us kill Mr. Vater?"
          Tifa looked puzzled."And who would Mr. Vater be?"
           "He taked over our town a yeer ago and maked us all work for him and his soldiers," answered the bundled up little girl."He hurt my mommy a few days ago, and it's hard for her to walk now."
          Cloud looked angry and stooped down to talk to her."I'm sorry, but we're just here to find a friend. Maybe we'll help you when we get back."
          Suddenly, a soldier dressed in a Shinra uniform ran over to them. He kicked the little girl aside and aimed his machine gun at Cloud."Mr. Vater doesn't like visitors to this town. I think it would be best if you left right away."
          The spikey-haired man grabbed the muzzle quickly and pointed it away from himself. A split second later, Cid was on him with his spear at the soldier's throat. Cloud quickly relieved him of that position by drawing his sword out.
          "Mind telling me what's going on here?" asked Cloud, sticking the point to the soldiers throat. He pressed it a little more when the soldier wouldn't tell him anything.
          "Alright!" said the soldier, hoarsely."Mr. Vater hired some soldiers and took over this town about a year ago. He used to be in Shinra's SOLDIER. He was first class, just like the great Sephiroth. He was one of the best. He trained some mercenaries and took over this town. He's raising together an army to take over the Planet."
          "And you want to be a part of the slaughtering?" asked Tifa, stepping up from behind Cloud. "Killing countless people for your own power?"
          "Don't bother me," answered the soldier, but quickly taking it back when the sword point began drawing blood from his neck."No, not really......I......want the money.....not the murdering and killing.......involved."
          "You listen to me," said the spikey-haired man,"my name is Cloud Strife. If when I come back, you're still around, I'm going to shishkobab you and all the other soldiers on this nice sword of mine, alright?"
          The soldier nodded, and Cloud took his sword away from the man's neck, sticking it behind his back into its leather loopholes.
          "Wait, did you say Cloud Strife?" asked the bewildered soldier, rubbing his bleeding neck. "Are you the guy that saved this whole Planet from Meteor?"
          He nodded and then pointed his sword in the direction of Bone Village."I want you to go to Bone Village and wait for me there. If you aren't there, then I swear, I'll hunt you down until I find you, and I promise, your end won't be pretty."
          The soldier nodded and ran off to his house to pack up.
          "Cloud," pleaded Tifa,"we can't just leave them here to get worked to death by some power hungry SOLDIER!"
          "We have to find Aeris right now," said Cloud."We'll come back here and liberate the place if she's not in the Promised Land."
          "We liberate them now," said Shera, crossing her arms. Tifa stepped to her side as if to tip the scale. They both looked at Cid, who shrugged and walked over to Cloud's side.
          "Fine," said Tifa."I guess me and Shera will stay here and help the people while you two go looking for Aeris. We'll try to meet up with you in the Promised Land."
          Cloud nodded and turned around. He and Cid crunched through the icy snow until they got to the hill that they'd snowboarded down years ago. Since Mr. Vater had banned the fun boards from his town, they would have to walk down the cliff, losing two hours in the process. They began the boring walk down it, not talking for a very long time.
           An hour later, Cid broke the conversation."Hey, Cloud, do you remember which way takes us closest to Mr. Holzoff's home and the cliff?"
           The ex-SOLDIER shook his yellow hair."Sorry, Cid, but no. I think that we are supposed to take a right here, though. If we're wrong, then we wander around in the snow a little bit longer. Besides, that old man seems to find us first, anyway."
            The rocketman shrugged."I guess you're right."
            They continued walking down the cliff until they came to the next fork, taking a right once more. After another fifteen minutes of going through snow, they came to the green forest at the bottom, all of it very familiar to them. They began taking the rural trail through the woods until they came to a lone tree. They took a left from there, walking until they came to a fallen log that was the only bridge over a steep gorge.
            "We're not that far now, are we?" asked the blonde astronaut."I mean, once we get to the field, Mr. Holzoff's is only about five minutes away."
           Cloud shrugged."You're right about us not being very far away. We need to cross this log and take the upper path, I think."
           They crossed the snow covered log, Cid almost slipping in the process, and proceeded through the path that linked themselves and the kind old man that had helped them countless times in the past. They crunched through the crusty snow that had accumulated a layer of thin ice on the top, which cut into their ankles.
           Cloud pulled his coat tighter to himself, and the cold wind ran through his spikey hair, sending an icy chill down his freezing spine. Cid was feeling pretty much the same way as his friend was, cold. When the duo thought that they could go now farther, they suddenly spotted the smoking chimney of Mr. Holzoff's cabin and rushed even faster to reach it and get out of the cold. Cloud knocked on the door, wondering if the old man could hear them with all the wind from the blizzard outside.
          The door opened, and a kind face peered outside and brightened upon seeing them. Standing back, he opened the wooden door the rest of the way and gestured them inside. They did so welcomely and sat down next to the burning fire. Moments later Mr. Holzoff came into the room, holding scalding cups of tea for each of them. After being handed his, Cloud held it in his hands for a few moments to warm it up, then drank it, welcoming the hot liquid down his throat.
           "What are you guys doing back here?" questioned a puzzled Holzoff."When you passed through here on your way out from the Promised Land, you told me that Sephiroth was dead and there was no more need for me to watch out for you."
           "Don't worry," said Cid, smiling childishly."Sephiroth died back then alright, but now we're looking for a friend up there. We think that she may be cultivating the Promised Land in hopes to rebuild the Ancients."
           Holzoff looked puzzled."Ancients? What's all this talk about?"
           Cloud set his cup down and shrugged."The Ancients were a people that would settle the Planet, cultivate it, and then move on...."
           At the end of the rather long story, Cloud picked up his cup again and finished drinking it before saying,"Would you mind it if we spent the night here before moving on in the morning?"
           The grizzled man shrugged."Couldn't see any harm in it. You know where the spare bed is?"
             Cloud nodded at him and then to Cid before leaving the room.