Title: One Way Down
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Characters: Nanaki/Red XIII, Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace
Rating: SFW
Length: 1009 words
Content notes: None
Summary: As dawn breaks on the edge of Midgar, Avalanche work on getting clear of the city.


Nanaki peered over the edge of the plate and down to the wasteland that lay fifty metres below. Tifa had already succesfully descended the cable that ran from the construction crane to the dead earth below and she now stared back up towards them. Aeris much more gingerly started her slide down the cable, face tight with nerves as she relaxed her grip just enough for another few centimeters of wire to slip through her hands before she hastily retightened them.

He glanced over at the two men who stood near him. He wasn't entirely sure how Barret was going to cope with the sliding descent given his sole good arm. He'd boasted earlier that he had successfully climbed from Sector Six to the Midgar upper plate without issue, though Cloud all too quickly undercut the claim by reminding him that he'd only needed to haul himself up part of the way before they had reached the damaged lattice work of the fallen plate. Scrambling over those footholds had offered a much less exhausting route up to the surface.

Barret had flexed his good arm then, insistent that he would be capable of controlling his descent with just that and Cloud decided to not press the issue. However, getting down to the ground was a problem that Nanaki could not ignore. He lacked the opposable thumbs of his recently met companions, and had a sneaking suspicion that they had overlooked this as they tried to escape the city. This was certainly not how he would have chosen to leave Midgar, though scant hours before he'd have been more then happy for any method to get away from the Shinra company. He would however have still paused if that escape route included a seemingly impossible descent upon a fifty metre cable.

He sighed. He needed to ask for help before Aeris completed her slide to the ground and the two men made their own descents, leaving him if not precisely trapped, then at least with no way to get down that wasn't likely to severely injure him in the process. Brief thoughts floated through his mind of trying to wrap his limbs around the wire with sufficient grip to hang on, but that just lead to unpleasant visions of shredded fur and torn skin. His mouth was likewise an unwise method of control; trying would be a very good way to wind up toothless.

He cleared his throat, his one good eye fixed on Cloud. "I believe I will need some help getting down."

The ex-SOLDIER tore his gaze from his two friends far below. "I know, Red. I was going so suggest you hang onto my harness while I carry you down. No matter what he says, I reckon Barret's going to find this harder then he thinks with only one hand."

"Says you, Spikey. Just watch."

Below him, Aeris had reached the ground, dropping slightly awkwardly from the cable and into Tifa's waiting arms. The Avalanche leader grasped the wire with his good hand, wrapping the thick cloth they'd scavenged from the truck's seats around the cable. Taking all his weight on his one hand, he curled his legs around the cable and then slowly loosened his grip, beginning his descent.

"Well, he proved me wrong," admitted Cloud scratching the back of his head as he watched the man smoothly descend. "But I reckon he'll be exhausted by this evening after supporting himself like that."

"Are you sure you can carry us both?" Nanaki asked, the surprise of Cloud's forethought only now beginning to fade. He had genuinely not expected Cloud to have even considered the complications of getting a quadraped down to the ground via this route. That he had, and that he was personally going to assist him made him see this acquaintance in a new light.

The man smiled. "I'm sure. Though, possibly best to not carry you and the Buster Sword at once." Cloud tugged at the heavy blade, pulling it free from the magnetic harness across his back. Gazing carefully towards the ground he yelled "Look out below!" before flinging the sword out into space, arcing it forward and away from the still descending Barret and the two girls waiting on the sand. Nanaki watched the blade tumble a few times as it fell through the air, the turning blade catching the growing sunlight as it plummeted. It hit the ground a good distance from the surprised girls sending up a plume of dust as it lodged at an awkward angle.

Below them Barret shouted some only half audible expletives about Cloud messing with his sword, and Red laughed lightly. The ex-SOLDIER scratched at the back of his head again as he gazed down. "Might have to apologise to them all later. Probably should have done that before the girls went down..."

"I think they'll be okay," Nanaki remarked as he watched Barret complete his descent, talking animatedly to Aeris and Tifa as he gestured back up towards the two of them.

"Okay, we're up," Cloud said as he reached out to grip the cable. "Just give me a second, then try to cling on."

Nanaki watched as the swordman clung to the cable similarly to Barret. Cloud fidgeted a moment, settling both hands and his legs into place before nodding to his companion. Gingerly Nanaki rose on his hind legs, hooking his front legs over Cloud's shoulders, claws reaching gingerly into cloth and leather to anchor him. Cloud let them swing out into space, the muscles in his arms now straining.

"I think we'll be okay," Cloud said in halting speech through clenched teeth as Nanaki braced his feet against the backs of the man's boots. Not wanting to support both of their bodies for too long, Cloud began to slowly lower them towards the others. Nanaki found his feelings to the group shift slightly. He had expected at most tolerance from the group, and little more then a shared dislike of Shinra. Instead, he appeared to have found friends.