A/N: Here it is! The last chapter. As for continuing onto 'The two Towers', I'm not sure yet. Maybe if I ever feel like it, but I was kind of wanting to get onto different things and such... Anyways, enjoy!
Oh, and thanks to dragonriderVII for pointing out a mistake in the last chapter. Always appreciated! :)
Warnings: Character Death (unless it's not obvious by the title, I won't say who.)
22.) The Departure of Reeve
"Run! Run!" Reeve shouted to Rude and Reno as he fought off the many orcs single-handedly.
Reno and Rude ran, but only for a moment before stopping and turning around to make sure that Reeve would be alright.
He was not.
Reno cried out as an orc shot Reeve in the chest.
Reeve continued to fight off the orcs bravely, but even Reno knew that he wouldn't be able to hold it out much longer with an arrow sticking out of his chest.
Indeed, he was shot two more times before falling to his knees, body finally falling victim to his severe wounds.
Reno and Rude tried to fight off the orcs, but were taken away.
Lurtz, the Uruk-hai, was about to shoot Reeve in the head to finish off when Vincent appeared out of absolutely nowhere to fend off the orc.
Vincent stood like a king in front of Reeve, guarding him as he took out his Ceberus and took careful aim at the orc who had tried to finish off Reeve. In one swift movement, he raised his gun to the level of his eyes, and shot.
The bullet lodged itself between the orc's eyes, causing him to fall over dead without so much as a sound.
Once the orc fell dead, Vincent turned and knelt gracefully next to Reeve.
"No," Vincent whispered, watching Reeve's face turn to a ghostly white.
"They took the little ones," Reeve breathed, saving his last breath for selfless words.
"Stay still," Vincent cautioned, setting a hand firmly on the dying man's shoulder.
"Cloud," Reeve said softly, his voice soon to come to an end, "where is Cloud?"
"I let Cloud go," Vincent told him, lowering his gaze to the ground.
"Then you did what I could not," Reeve said, sadness and regret filling his voice. "I tried to take the Ring from him."
"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Vincent said, trying to calm Reeve.
Reeve's eyes slowly closed, and he let out a pitiful sigh.
"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all," Reeve whispered under his breath.
"No, Reeve," Vincent said, shaking his head, "You fought bravely. You have kept your honor."
Vincent's eyes drifted away from Reeve's alabaster face to the arrows embedded in his chest. Placing a firm grip on one of the arrows, Vincent prepared to remove it.
"Leave it!" Reeve hissed. "It is over. The world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness," Reeve took a deep shuddering breath before trying to speak further. "My city to ruin."
"I do not know what strength is in my blood. But I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall. Nor our people fail." Vincent pledged, bracing Reeve's shoulder in a firm grip as he looked straight into his eyes.
"Our people," Reeve whispered; his voice filled with grief. "Our people..."
Vincent took Reeve's bloodied sword from off of the ground, and placed it in Reeve's cold grip.
Tseng and Barret appeared behind Vincent, leaning over Reeve.
"I would have followed you, my brother," Reeve said, his voice now barely hearable. "My captain..." Reeve's eyes rose to Vincent's eyes and he finished with one final phrase:
"My king..."
With that, he shut his eyes and went limp in Vincent's arms, dead.
Vincent shut his eyes momentarily, absorbing the fact that Reeve was indeed dead.
"Be at peace, son of Nibelheim," Vincent whispered, leaning in to embrace the man once more.
"Cloud!" Zack shouted, running to Cloud.
He had been looking for Cloud, and had finally found him standing by the boats.
Zack stopped just behind Cloud to catch his breath, setting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily.
He then turned to Cloud, to see that Cloud was holding the Ring on the palm of his hand, looking at it with a sort of misery on his face.
"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened," Cloud murmured.
"That's what everyone wants," Cid sighed.
Cloud closed his hand over the ring, and set out in one of the boats.
Zack, realizing what his friend was attempting to do, ran to the shore.
"Cloud, no! Cloud! CLOUD!" Zack shouted.
Without hesitation, Zack jumped into the water, chasing after Cloud.
"No, Zack," Cloud said softly, mostly to himself.
He hadn't even turned to look at Zack.
"Go back, Zack. I'm going to Midgar alone," Cloud told his friend.
But Zack persisted, wading deeper into the water.
"Of course you are!" Zack exclaimed, though his face was not happy. He was still upset about Cloud trying to leave without him. "And I'm coming with you!"
Cloud looked over at his friend, and furrowed his eyebrows as he watched his friend following him through the water as it got deeper. Then a thought hit him: Zack could not swim.
Panicking, Cloud shook his head.
"You can't swim," the blonde said. Then, louder, he shouted "Zack!"
Just at that moment, Zack's head plunged underwater.
"ZACK!" Cloud screamed, rushing to the edge of the boat to help his friend.
Zack, underwater, reached towards a ray of light coming from above the water's surface. But he couldn't reach it, and soon went limp, sinking slowly with his right hand weakly reaching upwards.
Then, Cloud's strong hand reached underwater, finding Zack's wrist; Zack found one last grain of strength in him to tighten his hand around Cloud's.
With much difficulty, Cloud helped a spluttering and coughing Zack into the boat.
In unison, the pair both turned their heads towards each other.
"I made a promise, Cloud," Zack gasped while recovering his breath, "A promise: 'Don't you -- lose him, Zack.' And I don't mean to."
Zack smiled, and reached out to grab a hold of Cloud's arm, bracing it tightly.
"I don't mean to," Zack repeated with a grin.
"Oh, Zack," Cloud said, tears filling his eyes.
He had tried to leave without Zack, but now he found it impossible. Zack was much too loyal a friend to ever even think about leaving behind.
With that, the two friends embraced each other, holding on tightly before some time, before Cloud sat back, though still with a tight grip on Zack's forearms.
"Come on, then," Cloud said with a wry smile, nudging his head in the direction of the great river that seemed to have no end.
Oars in hand, they rowed off together, eastward across the Great River.
Reeve's body was placed in one of the Elven boats, at sea. The dead man's hands were clasped lifelessly around his sword.
Vincent tried on Reeve's gauntlets while staring off into the distance as Reeve's funeral boat was taken to the falls and swept over the side.
Meanwhile, Barret stood alone by the shore, as Tseng rushed out, hurriedly pushing one of the boats into the water.
"Hurry! Cloud and Zack have reached the eastern shore!" Tseng yelled.
Tseng paused as the other two made no move.
Grief-stricken, Vincent looked down; then, across the river, where Cloud and Zack could be seen rushing off into the bushes.
He sighed.
"You... mean not to follow them," Tseng said, observing Vincent's gaze.
"Cloud's fate is no longer in our hands," Vincent stated.
"Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed," Barret said, crossing his arms angrily.
Vincent shook his head and walked over to Tseng and Barret, still looking off into the distance.
"Not if we hold true to each other," Vincent said, though turning his gaze to neither of the two.
Barret's grimace turned into a grin as he nodded fiercely, placing his and on top of Vincent's.
"We will not abandon Reno and Rude to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light." Vincent said, sounding a little flustered. Then, finally turning towards Tseng and Barret, a rare smirk crossed his face as his golden eyes brightened with malice.
"Let's hunt some Orc," Vincent whispered, his smirk widening slightly.
"YEAH!" Barret agreed, thrusting a fist into the air.
And so they did.
Zack and Cloud looked over to Midgar, taking in the great importance of the task ahead of them.
"Midgar," Cloud breathed; his voice a mixture of hope and despair. "I hope the others find a safer road."
"Dracula will look after them," Zack said in an assured voice.
"I don't suppose we'll ever see them again," Cloud said, his voice neither sad nor joyous.
"We may yet, Cloud. We May," Zack said, swinging an arm over Cloud's shoulders and throwing his friend a promising smile.
"Zack..." Cloud said, looking his friend over. Finally, he shook his head and grinned. "I'm glad you're with me."
THE END.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children.
Hasta la vista my beloved reviewers!