Cheating Destiny

Fire and Ice

I AM SO SORRY YOU GUYS. I had such a hard time with this chapter -___- I didn't forget or abandon the series though! It just took a long time to get what I saw in my head into writing. Hope you guys enjoy~ ;D

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Not surprisingly, in such a tight room filled with so many people completely unopposed to eavesdropping, everyone had heard your conversation with [him]. Also unsurprisingly, you were far from everyone's favorite person upon hearing such revelations. Turns out people don't like it when a friend hides important facts and events from them – who knew?

"So, everyone remember the plan?" Zack asks, a hand hovering over the door leading into the hallway from the lounge.

"Kill the intruders –"

"And rogue SOLIDERs!" Sora interrupts Riku with a finger pointed in the air.

"And reconvene in the training room once the floor is cleared," Noctis finishes.

"It seems weirdly quiet, doesn't it?" Reno asks, pressing an ear to the wall.

Sure enough, as soon as your group had gathered in the lounge, the sounds outside almost immediately came to a stop. It was eerie, and definitely a little unsettling, to think that people might be on the other side of the wall plotting similar strategies to kill all of you.

"Don't focus on that," Leon chastises.

"Just focus on clearing the floor," Cloud adds with a small nod.

"This is the worst pep talk EVER," Yuffie complains with a huff as Zack and Genesis wrench the doors open.

For unknown reasons you find yourself flinching, expecting to see a massive army outside the room. When you're greeted with silence you slowly and hesitantly open one eye, then another. All you can see is your friends slowly filing out of the room. [He] glances over his shoulder at you, pausing in the doorway instead of following the group. You freeze in your tracks, unable to move. He shoots you a small smile and a wink before jogging after everyone else, and you almost burst into tears of joy at the playful action.

You're not forgiven, but it's a step in the right direction.

Zack, Axel, Genesis, Yuffie, and Leon lead the group into the unknown, followed closely by Cloud, Reno, Roxas, and Riku with direct instructions to span out and cover as much of the floor as possible. Xion, Sora, Noctis are to take the left side of the hallways, and you, Ven, Terra, and Aqua are assigned the right. Normally, you'd be terrified, especially since the hallway is dead quiet. But after the argument you just had... battle is the last thing on your mind.

"Why so quiet?" Terra asks, slapping your back.

You jump a bit at the sudden contact, stumbling forward slightly as you glance over at the brunet.

"You're so deep in thought," Ven adds with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Sorry," you mumble, running a hand down your face as the four of you turn down yet another wide, stark-white hallway. "Just distracted."