AUTHOR'S NOTES: All Final Fantasy VII characters, vehicles and themes © Squaresoft, and no infringement is intended.
Repressed Memories
Chapter 3: Hangover Can Be Hell
Written by Cloud

     I awoke with the sun shining through my tent with blinding ferocity. My head was pounding like a steel drum, my veins threatening to tear themselves from my brain. Stumbling out of the tent, I vomited in the grass until I felt like my guts would burst. My heart was pounding in my chest as Zack rushed over to see if I was all right.
     "Drink a little too much?" He asked quietly, but my ears made it sound like he was screaming at the top of his lungs.
     "Something like that…" I expected him to laugh, but instead he gave me a knowing look and started tearing down the camp and packing up the miscellaneous items that were strewn across the ground last night in our little drinking party.
     "We've got a lot of ground to cover today, Cloud." The kid reached into a sack and produced an azure bottle of liquid.
     "Oh please, no more booze…" I started.
     "Relax, it's just a potion. Drink it, it'll settle your stomach." I decided to take his word for it and accepted the blue drink, slowly sipping it into my system. Within moments, my headache was completely gone and my stomach had indeed settled back to normal. Zack snickered at the look of surprise in my eyes. I must seem really green to him.
     "That's nothing, Cloud. Watch this!" The other unsheathed his buster sword from its scabbard and brandished it menacingly at his forearm.
     "Zack, what the hell are you doing?" I shouted, but it was too late. The other swordsman had already slit his wrist with the gigantic blade. The sword seemed to draw away from the crimson liquid that poured over it, as if it was tainted from spilling the blood of its own master. Zack dropped the sword, laughing insanely, and produced another potion. He gulped the whole thing down in seconds, and the cuts disappeared as if the blade had never ever touched his wrists. I was amazed, to be sure, but even more I was angry, angry with the friend that had appeared to be committing suicide before my very eyes. "Stop laughing you bastard! I was scared shitless!" Zack's chortles abruptly stopped as he saw the rage on my face.
     "I'm sorry Cloud. I got a little carried away with it." My hands were shaking, but the fury began to fade as I somehow regained my composure. He had merely been showing me the power of these little blue bottles, how they could help me in a fight.
     "It's alright, I gotta warn you though, I get paranoid about stuff like that."
     "I understand. Who wouldn't be?" His gaze shifted, as if he were becoming bored with this conversation, bored with this place we had elected to stop and get rest in the wee hours of the night. "Let's get the hell outta here, shall we?"
     I nodded and began to help my friend pack the provisions and supplies that we would need to get to Midgar. We had to get to Costa del Sol first and take a boat to Junon before we were even on the right continent. I had heard that the roads were littered with monsters that the Shinra had yet to put down properly, and muggers that loved to plunder the meek of their wealth as well. Thankfully, with our gigantic swords and sparkling personalities, Zack and I were anything but meek. We finished packing our things and left the camp, taking the shortest route to Costa del Sol.
     An hour into our trek, I heard the sound of distant thunder coming from the horizon. I checked the sky for an incoming storm, but the overcast was completely clear, the only clouds in the sky were the puffy white ones that oftentimes held hidden images that were really just the workings of your own imagination. Apparently Zack heard it too- the other stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.
     "What the hell is that sound?" I asked him as I saw his eyes fill with fear.
     "Run Cloud!" He shouted, taking off as fast as his legs would carry him, "Run!" I burst into a sprint, catching my friend at half-stride, but we were both weighed down by the provisions and the enormous swords we carried. The sound grew louder and louder, splitting my ears in it's deafening wake, and I was glad I no longer had the hangover I had started the morning off with. I finally collapsed; I could go no further. I expected Zack to abandon me- to keep on running from whatever it was that so earnestly pursued the two of us. I was surprised to see that he turned back, running to me as I fought to get up from the dead grass. He drew his sword and stood protectively over my fallen form, as I finally caught sight of what had been chasing us.
     There must have been 30 chocobos on our tail, and at first I dismissed it as a simple stampede. The error of my thinking jolted through my brain- chocobos never traveled in herds, they were independent animals that liked solitude and only came together to breed. That and the fact that the chocobos had jockeys put my spinning mind back on track. The man I could see was very large, a gruff red beard partly masking his weathered face. Although he was haggard in appearance, I could tell the man was strong in spirit- obviously their leader. As I got to my feet, he spoke to Zack.
     "Give us your gil and provisions and we will let you go freely. Refuse, and you will die like all who have crossed the Black Marauders!" I could now see the man held a very long lance, possibly used for jousting, a lost art that was difficult enough without trying to ride a chocobo at the same time. His band of thieves were also armed, long daggers, swords, spears, and even guns were visible to their newest victims- us.
     Zack arrogantly drew his sword, preparing himself for battle. I shot him a look of confusion, but had no choice but to unsheathe Quicksilver as well. I was not losing the only friend I had ever had to these thugs. The leader scoffed at us, his spear quivering as he laughed in our faces. He dismounted in a flourish of shimmering steel, and the battle was on.
     The man with the lance was quickly upon Zack, slamming him into the dirt with the blunt side of his gigantic halberd. The other thieves dismounted, charging me with numerous swords and spears as the cowardly gunmen in the back prepared to fire. Something came over me all of a sudden, anger was burning like a raging fire in my veins, the world becoming a red haze of pain and grief that I wanted- no needed- to lash out against. By my own will, my sliver blade slashed violently through the attackers, their spears broken, their shattered swords flying in countless directions under my smoldering rage. The gunmen began to fire, but before their bullets could pierce my flesh, my sword reacted, as if it had a mind of it's own, blocking the bullets in a silver streak with the clang of metal on metal.
     The disarmed men who had charged me ran for their chocobos, shouting expletives beyond human imagination. A smile formed at the corners of my mouth and I began to laugh as the only swordsman who still had a weapon advanced toward me, halting the fire of the gunners as he came into range.
     Dressed in full body armor, his helmet shining in the fiery sun, the lone knight saluted me with his azure brand. The blue sword seemed to glow with unholy energies, tinting the armor the hue of the sky above. By this time my laughter had abruptly stopped as I steeled myself for a grueling battle.
     He advanced, his weapon slashing at my midsection. I narrowly blocked the attack, thinking to smash his face with my fist. Then I came to the realization that I would shatter my hand on the thick helmet that he wore. Instead I brought my blade up, the point slamming into his armored chest. I got a metal gauntlet in the face for my trouble, as my blade had been unable to slice through the heavy armor. As I staggered back I brought Quicksilver to bear; cleaving a violent arch from the ground up and catching the flap of the knight's helmet right under the chin. My adversary flipped up into the air then came crashing to the ground, the helmet rolling away and revealing long tuffs of shimmering crimson hair- and the soft face of a lovely woman.      Her composure was instantly shattered as she saw the point of my blade at her delicate throat. Her lightly tanned skin convulsed around her neck as she gasped for breath, gulping the air in with a look of abject fear. I lowered my weapon- I couldn't kill a woman, no matter what the circumstances I was placed under. Luckily for me, her azure blade had fallen far from where she lay trembling in the dirt. A look of confusion crossed her face, and our eyes locked. I noticed this was the most compelling feature of all- I had never seen violet eyes before.
     Of course, this was an opportunity the back row gunmen couldn't resist! Bullets tore through my body; I fell to the ground holding my gut as blood gushed through my dirty fingers. The woman was up in an instant, throwing her armored body over mine in an act of protection. The bullets bounced off her heavy armor as if they were more of a nuisance than an actual cause of injury. The clangs of metal were deafening, but not one more bullet got through to me.
     "Cowards!" The woman cried in an angry voice, taking up her sword as the brand caught fire. The glowing red on the blue was a strange sight to behold, and one that should definitely be feared. The stupid gunners kept firing at her, the bullets glancing off her armor without so much as leaving a dent. She advanced toward them, taking all the pitiful punishment they could dish out before slashing their rifles to splinters with the raging inferno that was her sword. They too ran screaming for their chocobos, the fight taken out of them. I struggled to turn my dirt-covered face to see if Zack was still alive.
     My friend was on his feet, struggling against the monstrous form of the man with the lance. He couldn't compete, the leader was twice as big as he was, and the spear itself outweighed Zack by a hundred pounds or more. I tried to get up, but it was useless as pain shot up the sides of my body. The woman who saved me rushed over, kneeling in the dirt over me. He arms were strong but gentle as she cradled my head in her lap, producing a small blue vial.
     "Drink this." She said, carefully pouring the small bottle's contents into my mouth. My dry lips closed around the bottle, the potion was very bitter compared to the one I had drunken before. Thankfully, it did its job, as the bullet wounds that littered my stomach and chest were closed up and sealed with new flesh. I sprang to my feet, running to aid my friend in his battle against the lancer.
     Upon seeing his former ally and I coming to aid Zack, a sudden decision was evident in the face of the leader of the thieves. Landing a forceful blow on my friend's midsection, he somehow leaped thirty feet into the air, landing on his chocobo which had been waiting a good long distance away. The amazement on Zack's face was obvious- he had probably never seen a dragoon before in his whole life. Neither had I, I had only read about them in the history books, as books were always an escape to a reality that hated you just for being yourself.
     At any rate, the dragoon was taking off from the same direction he had came, suddenly stopping on an outcropping far from the three of us. He screamed his anger over the wind,
     "You haven't seen the last of us!" As he rode away, I couldn't help but burst into laughter at his remark. Zack was up again, his sides shaking with his own snickering at the thief's choice of words.
     "Come on," he said through his laughter, "That's the oldest line in the book!" Our laughter died out as we saw that the woman that had saved both of our lives remained with us. I looked into her violet eyes as if I thought that would help me to understand what had just happened.
     "Why did you save me?" I asked her. Her gaze met my own, the shadows of her armor playing over her beautiful face.
     "You spared my life." She said simply, "Besides, a gun is a cowardly weapon, not so noble as the sword or the spear." Zack and I added an Amen to that.
     "What will you do now?" Zack asked of her. I could tell he found her attractive, and for some reason I also wanted her to stay. The fact that she had almost defeated me and had the most powerful sword I'd ever seen could have been part of it. She sheathed her azure sword and picked her helmet from out of the dirt.
     "I don't know, I can't go back to the Marauders now, they'll kill me for betraying them." She brushed the dirt off her helmet, preparing to place it once again atop her crown. Zack's hand reached forward, stopping her.
     "You're much prettier without that helmet on." He said flirtatiously. She made a face,
     "Nobody takes a woman fighter serious, I wear the mask as much for protection of my gender as I do protection of my body." I cut in, giving Zack a murderous glance.
     "The two of us are going to join SOLDIER, there is a lot of prestige for anyone who can make in into Shinra's elite fighting force. You can come with us if you like." Her lips pursed, as she seemed to consider her choices.
     "I don't even know your names." She said matter-of-factly. I smiled,
     "My name is Cloud Strife of Nibelhiem and this is Zack Garek of Gongaga." She smiled,
     "My name is Astfirie, no last name, and I'm nothing but a common thief." She pulled her helmet over her head in its former position. "We should be heading toward Costa del Sol."
     "Damn right." Zack replied, "and after all this shit I'm up for a little relaxation, eh Cloud?" I shrugged,
     "Whatever Zack, I'd like to get to Midgar sometime before hell freezes over, though." Zack smiled,
     "Hey, I thought you said it got really cold in Nibelhiem!" I couldn't suppress a smirk. If anything was hell, it was Nibelhiem. (Author's Note: In Norse Mythology Nibelhiem or an alternate spelling of it was the Nether Realm of the Frost Giants, making this either a strange coincidence or a purposeful plan of the game's designers.)
     "Shall we go then?" Astfirie asked of us, suddenly looking the part of the menacing knight again.      "Sure." I offered, suddenly realizing I hadn't even sheathed Quicksilver yet. I did so, grinning sheepishly at my own stupidity. She probably thought I was an idiot. The female knight about-faced and raised her gauntlet to the sky as a purple orb in the glove began to glow with intensity. Out of nowhere, a chocobo dashed to her, emitting a loud 'Wark!' as it did so.
     "Nice trick, but I can't pull that off!" Zack shouted. I could tell Astfirie was grinning beneath her helmet.
     "Then have fun walking, Zack." She said purposefully, as she rode off toward Costa del Sol leaving us in the dust. I couldn't help but laugh.
     "I can do that…" I said as Zack shot me an evil look, "I just don't want to." His embarrassment began to fade as we followed the mysterious girl on foot towards what would become our destiny.