Reunion Chapter 26
By Janet Monstwillo
"Legolas, Elena never came. She never came. Where’s the baby? Where’s Raieyana?"
A low feeling of dread settled at the base of Legolas’ spine. (Elena. Damn it, we shouldn’t have trusted her.) He sighed. (What can I say so Lia doesn’t feel so worried?) "I’m sure..." he began. Then he faltered. "Wait a minute Lia, somebody left a voice mail message on the PHS." He pushed the button.
"I’m not sure if I can reach anyone in time. I know I won’t reach you in time...to save myself. But that’s not important. Raieyana has safely left, but Lucrecia...she ran off with the baby. My head hurts so bad...there’s so much blood... Lucrecia has Patrick... and I think the Reunion is starting."
Over the line, Lia burst into tears. "Elena didn’t betray us. Lucrecia did. And now Elena’s gone. Why do all the good people die, and the vile survive?"
"I think," said Legolas slowly, "that Lucrecia might not have been in control of her mind. She probably was called by the Reunion. But if Lucrecia’s going to the Reunion, we gotta find out where it is. So we can get the baby back. We have to, for Raieyana. Wherever she is."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The wind whipped her hair into her eyes. (I needed an excuse for another break, anyway.) Raieyana pulled out a hair band from her satchel and tied her hair back. (I’m so tired. Costa Del Sol was never so far away. I swear.) She heard a loud rumbling sound in the distance. She looked around. (Funny. I don’t see a thundercloud anywhere.) She slowly started walking again.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ruther, sit down. Sit down!" Elsie watched in horror as all the men around her arose from their cots and started walking towards the door.
"...time for the reunion...reunion..."
"hojo...hojo...where are you?"
"...the child..."
"Ruther!" She grabbed him by the shoulder. He threw her down. She stood up, angered. "Fine, go ahead! I don’t know where the hell you think you’re going to go! You’re on a fricken’ island, you morons! Ruther! Get back here, you’re sick!" She followed him out the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"I have a rhetorical question," said Yuffie. "If we just blew the Amber Weapon out of the jet stream, where did it go?"
"Shut up, just shut up, Yuffie! Goddammit! Where the hell is that Weapon," asked Cid.
"You said we had enough firepower to blast its head off," said Cloud.
"It’s not my fault. I wasn’t the fucking genius that miscalculated," he said, looking at Red XIII.
"Don’t try to blame me," said Red XIII, "you told me they were anti-aircraft missiles. I think they must have been ‘peacefully-protesting-against-aircraft’ missiles."
"We don’t have time to wait around for the Weapon," said Legolas.
"We’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. And find the Reunion. But we have to make sure the Weapon is gone from this area," said Vincent.
"We can’t let it hurt these people after we protected them for so long," said Tifa.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
(Tired. So very tired.) Another roar. (What the hell is that?) Raieyana whirled around. (Oh my god.)
The Amber Weapon grinned maliciously at her. The powerful blow from its arm sent her flying. She landed on her right leg. Hard.
Struggling, Raieyana stood, unable to put weight on her ankle. (I must have sprained it or something.) She looked at her sabres. (Shattered. There’s got to be some decent materia in here.) The Weapon started to reapproach her. (Enemy Skill...okay...how about Aqualung?)
The Weapon roared in fury. Its eyes blazed with a monstrous power. It ran at Raieyana, clawing at her. The talons tore her clothes and ripped at her flesh. She fell prostrate on her back. She looked at the materia again, without much hope. Then she saw the red materia.
She remembered picking it up at some quaint little souvenier shop in Costa Del Sol. The fat, balding shopkeeper had told her it had enormous power. She still hadn’t used it, thinking it was worthless. (If that was the one time in my life I’m wrong, let it be it.) She held the orb in her hands, concentrating all her strength on it. The inscription on the side: the Furies.
Slowly an incantation came from Raieyana’s lips. It came from her lips, though the origin of it was anonymous.
"Aeterni reges ob delicta, invicta monstra, persequitores maleficorum, Erinyes, audite meam implorationem. Iacete vestram iram in hoc quo innocentes interfecit. Servate me fato monstruoso."
The colors flashed; Raieyana’s mind spun. Beams of light tore through the sky, inflicting damage to the Weapon. Then she saw what she had summoned. The Furies.
She screamed as the three hideous beings flew past her. She fell to her knees, weak with pain and fear. She could not bear to watch the attack on the Weapon. (What have I done? What if they go after me next? What if...) Then the Weapon shrieked, and the sound reverberated throughout the mountains and across broad waters. Everyone within fifty miles of that spot heard the Weapon’s death cry, and the Furies rose in a tailspin above the clouds and were gone as quickly as they had come.
Raieyana laid her head down on the sand of the beach. (I’m not bleeding too bad...Costa Del Sol isn’t so far away...I can make it on my ankle...I’ll just rest for a little while.)
That evening, the moon rose and gleamed its soft rays over the warm beach where Raieyana laid sleeping. Sometimes the eye of the hurricane is more dangerous than the storm itself. The forces of darkness converge for the final stand against the hope of humanity; however, at least for one moment, all fear is forgotten as Raieyana rests, quietly preparing for the battle of her life.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Raieyana awoke, the waves were lapping at her feet. (Well, good morning, it’s high tide now.) She tried to stand, but she couldn’t. She finally managed to get to her feet, and she noticed that her clothes lay in tatters on her body. She pulled them together as best she could to cover herself up. Her shoes were nowhere to be found. She slowly started limping in the general direction of Costa Del Sol.
She turned around for one more look behind her. She saw her crushed sabres, strips of her torn clothes, and the carcass of the Weapon. Far in the distance she saw the crater and Lucrecia’s waterfall. (If I defeated this Weapon, I can defeat Shelding.) Her hope rose. (I beat Death, I avoided the first Reunion. I think I’m strong enough to make an appearence at this one. I think I’m strong enough to start acting like a woman again and not like a child. It’s time for me to make some decisions. And the first one I make is to not pity myself anymore.) Raising her head, she walked confidently towards Costa Del Sol. Every step she took was as firm as the frame of her mind.
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