Captured
VG Shrink
chapter 9
by
copier
· original author:
tinylelouch
Still smiling Aerith bent over and looked at the garden growing in the ground. "Isn't it wonderful Cloud? These flowers, even in a city like this, grow beautifully, in the midst of a slum no less."
Cloud's eyes were distant when he eyed them, "Yeah...it's proof that no matter what anything is possible. That no matter what happens being stubborn enough will allow you to persevere...." Cloud playfully eyed Aerith, "Maybe they learned from you."
Aerith made a face at him, "Oh behave. Or I might just drop you."
"The flowers cushioned my fall before didn't they?"
Aerith giggled, "They had something to cushion then, like this I doubt you'd get such a soft landing. In fact, you would probably go right between any flowers that could save you. But you did a good job taking care of the flowers, I won't do anything to you."
"You make it sound like the possibility of you doing something like that is pretty high." Cloud laughed.
Aerith's eyebrows raised in amusement, "If you keep yapping that mouth the odds just keep going up."
"You couldn't harm a fly."
"Oh come on Cloud, I've helped you fight monsters remember?" Aerith was no sitting on the edge of the garden, Cloud in hand.
"And you always played healer!" Cloud grinned.
"Aww how cute." A mocking voice called from the back. Aerith looked over her shoulder and in the opening Cloud saw who it was too, and they both paled. Elena, Elena of the Turks was at the door of the Church, no doubt ready for some form of resistance.
Aerith rose back up and eyed Elena threatingly, albeit failing, Cloud did a much better job. "What do you want?"
Elena smirked, "No hello? Not even going to get angry at me for ruining your little moment?" Every word she said was clearly mocking the two.
Cloud took a few steps forward in Aerith's hand and pointed the small knife at Elena, "Not at all, but you ignored my question. What do you want?"
The intruder's gloved hands went up in a peaceful gesture, "Relax shorty, unless you think you can take me with that butter knife of yours." Cloud gritted his teeth and calmed, Elena was right of course; at his size there was no way he could take on a Turk. "By the way...I see you've gotten...smaller. Was it flowers by any chance?"
Shock appeared on both Aerith and Cloud's face, Aerith saying "How did you know?"
Elena shrugged, "Hojo's experiment, he was apparently doing something with Mako and the genetics of plants....I think Jenova cells were involved too. He said it was pure research but if you ask me the nut was trying to make plant monsters. Anyway that's not important right now, I'm here on orders."
Instantly Cloud felt a renewed hatred for Hojo stirring, but he didn't act on it; before he returned to Midgar with the gang Vincent told him all sorts of stories, and his experiences in SOLDIER didn't help his impression either. But Cloud put aside his vendetta and continued staring down Elena, "And those orders are?"
The Turk spoke with the clear sound of quoting someone, "Find the Ancient and bring her to me, any resistance can be dealt with as you see fit." She smirked, "Tseng's orders, now girl...come with me or I take you by force."
"Like hell you will!!" Cloud roared, pointing his blade at Elena with renewed vigor, she just saw his bravado and laughed. "Get real! You aren't even a match for my work boots, let alone worth me even drawing a weapon. And girly there isn't one that good at fighting on her own. So there isn't really any choice in the matter is there?"
Both Cloud and Aerith gritted their teeth, but Aerith spoke up first. "If I go willingly would you leave Cloud alone and just bring him to someone like Tifa or maybe Vincent? Someone who can take good care of him?" Cloud looked dismayed and prepared to respond, but Aerith quickly jammed her thumb into his mouth to silence any protests. Her eyes looked at him with sadness, and a hope he would cooperate.
Once more Elena chuckled, "I hold all the chips and you're bargaining? I like the guts girl...alright. I'll honor you're request, on my word as a Turk I swear to do what you ask."
"Thank you...." Aerith softly muttered as she rose to her feet, and walked to Elena. She kept Cloud's mouth covered, and it would remain covered as long as possible until she absolutely had to let go. If she heard his protests Aerith might lose her will. Elena opened the door of the church for them and led the way through the slums, towards a helicopter. The group boarded and instantly the machine took off.
No one spoke while on the chopper, Aerith just looked sad, Elena stared intently at her, and Cloud was still unable to speak despite his attempts at prying Aerith's finger from his jaw. It took about twenty minutes before the helicopter landed and whirred to a halt. Once again Elena led the way by jumping from the chopper. They didn't even take five steps within the building before a Shinra guard came, "Sir! I am here to escort the Ancient to Mr. Tseng Sir!"
Elena groaned but she gestured for Aerith to go with the soldier, as she passed by Aerith slid Cloud into Elena's gloved hand. In that one second Cloud was gonna scream protesting but Elena somehow knew that she was to shut him up now too, which she did. Cloud was forced to watch sadly as Aerith nodded solemnly at him and turned to walk away.
"Hey." Elena began, "Does Tseng have anymore orders for me?"
The guard replied quickly, "No, but he did have a message. Ahem..."If you succeed in getting Aerith feel free to take the next few days off, having to get past her friends has more than earned you a break."
Elena chuckled, "He's forcing me to take a break? How funny." With nothing left to do the guard turned and led Aerith away, she gave one last concerned look at Cloud as she walked.
Once Aerith was out of sight Elena removed her gloved finger from Cloud, "Okay now then, I swore I'd keep my word so I'm gonna do it." Elena turned the opposite direction Aerith went and proceeded down the hallway.
It was a moment before Cloud responded, his voice was distant and sad. "Will Aerith be okay?"
"Tseng will make sure of it."
Cloud seemed slightly reassured, "Okay then, where are you going to take me then? Because there's a few of my friends I don't think would really be good for this."
"Is that so?"
Cloud nodded, "Yeah. Barret would likely let Marlene play with me, and I have no wish to be a little girl's plaything. Cid would probably make me do something involving machines. And most of all keep me away from Yuffie. I don't have a single doubt she would turn me into a toy for her on the spot. In a lot of ways she's the worst person to take me to."
"I see...." Elena sounded like she was thinking but she quickly changed the subject, "Why didn't you fight?" Cloud appeared surprised by the question. "What?"
Elena peered at him, "I know your skills. If you really wanted to do it you could've freed yourself from me or the girl ages ago. So why didn't you?"
"I....didn't have any real options after that. It's like you said I wouldn't be able to best you like this. It's why I'm going to look for a cure as soon as possible. I hate feeling weak like this."
Elena laughed, "You're sharing state secrets with the enemy you know."
"I don't care...."
A chill seemed to form in the air. Man take away his girl and he gets real emo! Maybe I should do something.... "Relax, you'll be in the hands of someone who will take real good care of you."
"Who?"
Elena eyed him with the eyes of a hawk, with a smile as demented as it was evil.
Cloud's eyes were distant when he eyed them, "Yeah...it's proof that no matter what anything is possible. That no matter what happens being stubborn enough will allow you to persevere...." Cloud playfully eyed Aerith, "Maybe they learned from you."
Aerith made a face at him, "Oh behave. Or I might just drop you."
"The flowers cushioned my fall before didn't they?"
Aerith giggled, "They had something to cushion then, like this I doubt you'd get such a soft landing. In fact, you would probably go right between any flowers that could save you. But you did a good job taking care of the flowers, I won't do anything to you."
"You make it sound like the possibility of you doing something like that is pretty high." Cloud laughed.
Aerith's eyebrows raised in amusement, "If you keep yapping that mouth the odds just keep going up."
"You couldn't harm a fly."
"Oh come on Cloud, I've helped you fight monsters remember?" Aerith was no sitting on the edge of the garden, Cloud in hand.
"And you always played healer!" Cloud grinned.
"Aww how cute." A mocking voice called from the back. Aerith looked over her shoulder and in the opening Cloud saw who it was too, and they both paled. Elena, Elena of the Turks was at the door of the Church, no doubt ready for some form of resistance.
Aerith rose back up and eyed Elena threatingly, albeit failing, Cloud did a much better job. "What do you want?"
Elena smirked, "No hello? Not even going to get angry at me for ruining your little moment?" Every word she said was clearly mocking the two.
Cloud took a few steps forward in Aerith's hand and pointed the small knife at Elena, "Not at all, but you ignored my question. What do you want?"
The intruder's gloved hands went up in a peaceful gesture, "Relax shorty, unless you think you can take me with that butter knife of yours." Cloud gritted his teeth and calmed, Elena was right of course; at his size there was no way he could take on a Turk. "By the way...I see you've gotten...smaller. Was it flowers by any chance?"
Shock appeared on both Aerith and Cloud's face, Aerith saying "How did you know?"
Elena shrugged, "Hojo's experiment, he was apparently doing something with Mako and the genetics of plants....I think Jenova cells were involved too. He said it was pure research but if you ask me the nut was trying to make plant monsters. Anyway that's not important right now, I'm here on orders."
Instantly Cloud felt a renewed hatred for Hojo stirring, but he didn't act on it; before he returned to Midgar with the gang Vincent told him all sorts of stories, and his experiences in SOLDIER didn't help his impression either. But Cloud put aside his vendetta and continued staring down Elena, "And those orders are?"
The Turk spoke with the clear sound of quoting someone, "Find the Ancient and bring her to me, any resistance can be dealt with as you see fit." She smirked, "Tseng's orders, now girl...come with me or I take you by force."
"Like hell you will!!" Cloud roared, pointing his blade at Elena with renewed vigor, she just saw his bravado and laughed. "Get real! You aren't even a match for my work boots, let alone worth me even drawing a weapon. And girly there isn't one that good at fighting on her own. So there isn't really any choice in the matter is there?"
Both Cloud and Aerith gritted their teeth, but Aerith spoke up first. "If I go willingly would you leave Cloud alone and just bring him to someone like Tifa or maybe Vincent? Someone who can take good care of him?" Cloud looked dismayed and prepared to respond, but Aerith quickly jammed her thumb into his mouth to silence any protests. Her eyes looked at him with sadness, and a hope he would cooperate.
Once more Elena chuckled, "I hold all the chips and you're bargaining? I like the guts girl...alright. I'll honor you're request, on my word as a Turk I swear to do what you ask."
"Thank you...." Aerith softly muttered as she rose to her feet, and walked to Elena. She kept Cloud's mouth covered, and it would remain covered as long as possible until she absolutely had to let go. If she heard his protests Aerith might lose her will. Elena opened the door of the church for them and led the way through the slums, towards a helicopter. The group boarded and instantly the machine took off.
No one spoke while on the chopper, Aerith just looked sad, Elena stared intently at her, and Cloud was still unable to speak despite his attempts at prying Aerith's finger from his jaw. It took about twenty minutes before the helicopter landed and whirred to a halt. Once again Elena led the way by jumping from the chopper. They didn't even take five steps within the building before a Shinra guard came, "Sir! I am here to escort the Ancient to Mr. Tseng Sir!"
Elena groaned but she gestured for Aerith to go with the soldier, as she passed by Aerith slid Cloud into Elena's gloved hand. In that one second Cloud was gonna scream protesting but Elena somehow knew that she was to shut him up now too, which she did. Cloud was forced to watch sadly as Aerith nodded solemnly at him and turned to walk away.
"Hey." Elena began, "Does Tseng have anymore orders for me?"
The guard replied quickly, "No, but he did have a message. Ahem..."If you succeed in getting Aerith feel free to take the next few days off, having to get past her friends has more than earned you a break."
Elena chuckled, "He's forcing me to take a break? How funny." With nothing left to do the guard turned and led Aerith away, she gave one last concerned look at Cloud as she walked.
Once Aerith was out of sight Elena removed her gloved finger from Cloud, "Okay now then, I swore I'd keep my word so I'm gonna do it." Elena turned the opposite direction Aerith went and proceeded down the hallway.
It was a moment before Cloud responded, his voice was distant and sad. "Will Aerith be okay?"
"Tseng will make sure of it."
Cloud seemed slightly reassured, "Okay then, where are you going to take me then? Because there's a few of my friends I don't think would really be good for this."
"Is that so?"
Cloud nodded, "Yeah. Barret would likely let Marlene play with me, and I have no wish to be a little girl's plaything. Cid would probably make me do something involving machines. And most of all keep me away from Yuffie. I don't have a single doubt she would turn me into a toy for her on the spot. In a lot of ways she's the worst person to take me to."
"I see...." Elena sounded like she was thinking but she quickly changed the subject, "Why didn't you fight?" Cloud appeared surprised by the question. "What?"
Elena peered at him, "I know your skills. If you really wanted to do it you could've freed yourself from me or the girl ages ago. So why didn't you?"
"I....didn't have any real options after that. It's like you said I wouldn't be able to best you like this. It's why I'm going to look for a cure as soon as possible. I hate feeling weak like this."
Elena laughed, "You're sharing state secrets with the enemy you know."
"I don't care...."
A chill seemed to form in the air. Man take away his girl and he gets real emo! Maybe I should do something.... "Relax, you'll be in the hands of someone who will take real good care of you."
"Who?"
Elena eyed him with the eyes of a hawk, with a smile as demented as it was evil.
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March 13, 2025
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