"Cloud!?"
"CLOUD?!"
Tifa ran through the Wonder Square, looking for Cloud in every place she could think of. She had already scoured the Grub Square, Event Square and Chocobo Square, but all to no avail. Looking around the games area, she paused for a brief moment as she spied the snowboarding game - and noticed a small packet of cigarettes was just lying there on top of the coin slot.
"Well, no guesses where Cid's been....." Tifa chuckled to herself as she picked up the small carton and stuffed it into her pocket. "Oh well, coming here wasn't a total waste of time. Cid will be most happy to get his friend back......."
Tifa's smile quickly faded as she walked out to the chutes, thinking of where to go next.
"Well there's no point in looking through the Grub Square, that would be closed now. The Speed Square is a no go for Cloud, not after that incident with the rollercoaster. I've already been to Event and Chocobo Square....... so the only place I can think of where he'd go now is Battle Square."
Tifa looked at the chutes in the floor, and jumped down the Battle Square chute. As she came out the doors and into the Battle Square, she looked around quickly.
Nothing.
"Why am I even bothering?" Tifa said sadly and hung her head. She slowly made her way up the hideously bright purple stairs that led to the Battle Arena. Looking up, she shook her head. The doors had been shut and locked hours ago. She was just about to give up and go back to the Hotel, when something caught her attention. A jut of something yellow was sticking up slightly from the left turret on the roof of the Battle Arena building. Tifa ran up quickly and started climbing the ladder leading up to the turret, her heart beating furiously all the way.
"Cloud?!" she said, halfway up. "Is that you up there?!"
After not receiving a response, she climbed even faster. When she got to the top, she was shattered - the so called jut of blonde was hair was just a yellow tarpaulin that had just been left there. Tifa crawled onto it miserably and curled herself up into a ball.
"Cloud....." she sighed as the tears came. "Where are you, buddy?"
------------------------------------------------------
"This is so stupid......."
"Oh be quiet, Cid." Red XIII said. "At least you don't have to walk around on your hind legs....."
"I happen to enjoy dressing up like Sephiroth...." Yuffie said, twirling around in her outfit. "It makes me look threatening!"
"And that's a good thing?" Cid scoffed.
"Yeaaah...." Yuffie nodded. "Raaurrgh! Watch out, Yuffie the Sephiroth-look-alike Materia Hunter is coming to get you!"
"Forgive me for not screaming out in absolute terror....." Cid said sarcastically. "But I happen to have a sore throat."
"Oh will you two stop it?!" Aeris snapped. "We have a mission to concentrate on here...."
"Hmmm....." Cid sighed. "Not enough crew."
"You're right....." Aeris nodded solemnly. "We need Tifa and Cloud."
"We still have to continue on without our friends....." Red XIII said, sighing deeply. "Whether we want to or not."
"Right...." Aeris said, nodding. "So Sephiroth, what do we do now?"
"We plan our attack....." Sephiroth answered. "What's the time?"
"10:49 pm." Cid answered.
"That means we have exactly 1 hour and 11 minutes till midnight." Sephiroth said thoughtfully. "Hmm..... That means the parade-goers will be out seeking good viewing points in which to see the parade. Now is a good time as any to go out there and find out what's going on."
"I agree with that...." Red XIII said. "Shall we go then?"
"Yeah!" Yuffie squealed happily. "I'd love to go see a parade!"
Cid sighed angrily. "We could be headed for a catastrophe, and all you can think of is fun!?"
"Cid......?" Red XIII looked in his direction. "Will you be going?"
"If I must...." Cid grumbled, folding his arms. "But this Sephiroth costume really bugs me! I don't like this leather strap wrapped around my chest like this....."
"How do you think us girls feel!?" Yuffie yelped.
"At least you don't have the leather chafing your bare skin!" Cid grumbled.
"That's true." Yuffie said, smiling a little. "I had to wear this white shirt underneath. Otherwise I would.... um..... show off too much....."
"Cleavage?" Cid offered.
"Yeah....." Yuffie nodded weakly, turning a light shade of red.
"Hmm..... It's a real pity Cloud's not here." Cid chuckled. "He might have enjoyed that.... well I know he would've if Tifa was here."
"CID!!" Yuffie howled.
"Oh stop it you two!" Aeris said, shaking her head. "Geez, there's always someone chipping at someone else in this group...... Seph? Let's just get out of here."
"Right." Sephiroth said with authority. "Move out!"
Cid smiled. "Heh. At least you don't say something wimpy like 'let's mosey' or some sh*t like that."
Sephiroth gave him a puzzled look as they left the Hotel room.
----------------------------------------
"Hello?!"
"Anybody!?"
Tifa jolted up suddenly from her place atop the left turret of the Battle Arena building.
"Mmm....." she said, rubbing her eyes. "I must have fallen asleep or something...."
"HELLO?!"
Tifa looked over the side and far down below to see who had woken her up. Looking over the balcony, she nearly jumped a mile.
"Vincent?!" she yelled suddenly. "Is that you?!"
Vincent bolted up the stairs, squinting at her all the way. A shocked look crossed his face when he realised who was up there. "Tifa?!"
"Yeah!" Tifa yelled happily, waving madly to him.
"What are you doing up there!?" Vincent hollered.
"More importantly, what are you doing down there!? I thought you hated theme parks!"
"Come down here this instant!" Vincent demanded. "We have a major crisis on our hands!"
Tifa quickly climbed jumped down the off the ladder, landing right next to Vincent.
"What's wrong, Vince??" she said, confused. "Reeve sent us a letter saying that you guys showed up saying something was wrong with our weapons??"
"NO, that's not it at all!" Vincent yelled. "A couple of Weapons touched down a few hours ago!"
"Weapon!?" Tifa choked suddenly. "Here?!"
"Yes...." Vincent nodded. "And they're sitting just outside the Gold Saucer, almost as if they're waiting for something......"
"What colours were they?!"
"One was a blood red colour, the other was sapphire yellow."
"So something must have happened to the light blue one......" Tifa sighed.
"Whatever the case, something very bad is just about to happen." Vincent said thoughtfully. "Why else would two Weapons just show up like that??"
"Where's Barret?"
"Still around the park looking for all of you....." Vincent answered. "Why are you by yourself, anyway?"
"I was looking for Cloud....." Tifa sighed miserably. "He ran off to be by himself after Aeris upset him or something......"
"He gets upset over the slightest things....." Vincent said, shaking his head. "Now let's go find the rest of the group and warn them about Weapon!"
"Right!" Tifa nodded in determination. "I know where they are, follow me!"
Vincent followed quickly behind as Tifa ran off toward the Ghost Square.
--------------------------------------------
"Look at all these people......" Yuffie said, looking at the mass of people move through the archway out to the rollercoasters. The group just stood up against the back wall of the Speed Square, watching them silently.
"Geez, it was as if the Gold Saucer was open during the daytime, only everyone's wearing black capes!" Cid grunted.
"Humph, a sandy-desert lion in a Sephiroth outfit......" Red XIII said uneasily as he stumbled over for the hundredth time. "I'm really sure that blends in with the crowd...."
Yuffie giggled, and patted the great lion's head lightly. "Never mind Red, at least you blend in with our crowd!"
"What's the time now?" Sephiroth asked.
Yuffie quickly checked her watch. "It's 11:06pm."
"Then we'd best be off in the middle of the action........" Aeris nodded.
"Correct." Sephiroth said, and stood upright. "Let's go."
The group walked in through the archway and through the colourful tunnel.
"Whoa....." Yuffie said in awe as the group arrived at the gate to the rides area.
"It sure didn't look like that a few hours ago!!" Cid said, impressed.
It was true. The rides area had been transformed into an even more colourful place than it had been just mere hours ago. Flood lights lit up the night sky, numerous floats and temporary stalls had been erected in 'lanes' all over the place and a bustle of people all wearing black outfits walked around the place.
"Impressive....." Cid smiled.
"What is?" Aeris asked.
"How they managed to duplicate so many of Sephiroth's outfits with the state of the world today...."
"Huh?"
"Even though Sephiroth says these outfits came directly from the Shinra Building, even I doubt that his wardrobe consisted of thousands of these things........."
"That's right." Sephiroth answered. "I owned only seven of these complete outfits. The rest of my wardrobe was just a few t-shirts with various prints on them, and a plain Shinra jacket."
"What were you getting at, Cid?" Red XIII asked.
"There's no Mako reactors any more, right?" Cid explained. "That means there's no electricity, therefore there's no mass production. So how did this cult manage to churn out a million of these black capes??"
"That's a good question." Sephiroth nodded.
"I think we'll..... find all our answers..... inside...." Red XIII said, tripping up once again. He leaned up against the wall for support. "You bipedal animals sure are good at keeping your balance..... Even with my tail out in the open, I can't seem to keep upright."
"Why don't you pull the pants up?" Sephiroth asked. "They're down over your feet, of course you'd trip up...."
"Oh yeah, Red!" Yuffie said suddenly. "You can't walk properly like that, nobody can!" she bent down and quickly freed the cuffs of Red XIII's pants from under his feet. "There you go!"
"Are you right now?" Sephiroth said, raising an eyebrow.
"Quite!" Red XIII said with sudden happiness. He began to bounce around on his hind legs. "Hey, this isn't so hard, I think I could get used to this!"
"Okay, now just try to mingle in with the crowd." Sephiroth grunted, and walked past the gates. The rest of the group followed.
"What do you think will happen at midnight?" Cid asked, as they made their way past various stalls.
"I can't exactly say....." Sephiroth answered quietly. "But be prepared for anything, especially if the Shinra are involved....." he stopped dead in his tracks suddenly as a pair of girls ran up to him, giggling.
"Wow! That's some costume, and I've seen a lot today!" the shorter one smiled warmly. "I'd mistake you for the real Sephiroth, sweetie!" she purred, making flirty eyes at the grey haired man. Yuffie smothered a giggle.
"Well I assure you he's not." Aeris said coldly, stepping in between the two.
"Why don't you participate in the Sephiroth-look-alike contest later on? My money would be on you! My god, you're even the same height as him! And that lifelike Masamune at your side only adds to your whole look!" she continued, pushing Aeris aside. "Say honey, what are you going to be doing later on tonight?"
"He's going to sleep......" Aeris said angrily, eyeing the woman.
"So what exactly is happening with this parade at midnight?" Sephiroth asked, ignoring both of them.
"You mean you don't know!?" the girl squeaked. "Oh, you haven't just waltzed in off the street, have you?!" the girl said.
"No!" Sephiroth said quickly. "But.... ahh.... you see, none of us are..... members of this cult thing?"
"You're not a member of the cult?" the girl said sadly. "So how'd you find out about the parade tonight??"
"Uhm...." Sephiroth scratched the back of his head, and tried to think up something on the spot. "You see, I have this colleague..... his name's....."
"Vincent!" Cid interrupted.
"Uh yeah, his name's Vincent....." Sephiroth said with obvious uncertainty, as he tried to make up something.
"And he's.... he's a member of this whole thing!" Yuffie said quickly.
"Yes, he told us to show up tonight and watch the big celebration with him." Red XIII said calmly.
"Only he's a chicken wuss, and he got real sick at the last minute." Cid added. "He couldn't come....."
"Ohhh that's too bad." the taller girl said sympathetically. "If your Vincent friend looks anything like this Sephiroth look alike........." a smile spread across her face as she drifted into dreamland.
"Forgive my sister." the short girl chuckled. "She's boy-crazy."
"I know the feeling." Yuffie sighed deeply.
"Hey! I have an idea, why don't you all say you came with us??" the girl said suddenly. "You're all dressed up and ready, it's not like anyone would think you're not a member!"
"That is an impeccable idea." Sephiroth smirked.
"Yeah, if anyone asks, say you came with Bimbo and Topsy." the other girl said suddenly.
"Bimbo and Topsy?" Yuffie said, raising an eyebrow. "Well I know which one's the bimbo, but....."
The girls gave Yuffie a cold look. Yuffie scowled right back at them.
"Great." Sephiroth said assertively, stepping in between the two. "Let's go."
--------------------------------------------
"This way!!"
"Are you sure you know where you're going??"
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life!!" Tifa yelled quickly, as she dashed up the path to the hotel in Ghost Square.
"They're up in the hotel...." Tifa told him. "At least, they were before I left."
Tifa flung the front door open and bolted up the stairs, Vincent hot on her heels. Nearly ripping the door off it's hinges as she flung it open, her expression changed to melancholy in two seconds.
"Oh no!" Tifa howled.
"What??" Vincent said angrily, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "What the hell is wrong now!?"
"They're not inside!"
"What do you mean, they're not inside?!"
"I don't know!!!" Tifa howled, close to tears. "They must have gone already!!"
"Gone where?!" Vincent demanded, as he stormed up the stairs to the hotel rooms.
Tifa ran inside the room and looked around for Reeve's note madly. Just then, Vincent appeared at the door.
"Now what are you doing?!"
Tifa ignored him and continued her frantic search. Vincent just stood there, arms folded, looking at her with slight confusion as she ratted around the room furiously.
"What are you looking for??"
"A note......" Tifa said, jumping onto the bed, messing it up. She looked under the covers quickly, and popped her head under the bed for a few moments.
"A note?" Vincent said, shaking his head. "Of what importance is this note??"
"Here it is!!" Tifa said triumphantly after a minute or so.
"Here is what??"
"This is the note!" Tifa quickly handed the piece of paper to him. "And this is our current situation."
Vincent read the note quickly and gave Tifa a puzzled look. "Parade?? And what's with this 'not blending in with the crowds'??"
Tifa walked over to the cupboard, pulled out a neatly folded black outfit and tossed it in Vincent's direction. "Here, put this on."
"Huh??" Vincent said, as he caught the clothing. "What is this??"
"Just put it on." Tifa said quickly. "Then try and find the rest of the group."
"Won't you be coming??"
"No, I have to find Cloud." Tifa said, shaking her head. "I won't be able to stop till I find him."
"What if he's with the rest of the group?" Vincent asked, raising an eyebrow. "Looking anywhere else would be rather pointless if that were the case."
"That makes perfect sense!!" Tifa cried out happily. "I've looked for him everywhere else, that's the only logical place he could be!!"
"Precisely." Vincent said with a smirk.
"Oh Vincie, I could hug you!!" Tifa said as a wide smile crossed her face.
"Please, I'd rather you wouldn't." Vincent said, leering at her slightly.
"If that's how you want me to repay you for suggesting something so sensible, I'll grant it!" Tifa smiled. "Now I'd better grab one of these outfits and put it on myself!"
"Outfits??" Vincent said, as Tifa quickly ducked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Vincent shrugged and unfolded the outfit. His eyebrows shot into his fringe when he realised what it was.
"There is no way in hell I'm dressing up like Sephiroth!!"
Tifa ran back out into the room after getting changed quickly. "Sure you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"NO I'M NOT!!" Vincent howled. "I refuse to clothe myself in the outfit my archenemy wears. In fact I......."
"Put it this way....." Tifa interrupted. "It's either dress up like Sephiroth and blend in with the crowds - or announce to the world that you're going to crash their party, giving them ample time to put up a decent defence."
Vincent sighed angrily.
"The element of surprise has always been the best form of attack. Our enemies are caught off guard and their defences are down." Tifa explained. "For a small group like AVALANCHE, this is the best form of attack we can hope to adopt."
"Alright, I'll wear the Sephiroth outfit." Vincent grunted. "But the second this is over, I'm throwing it in the garbage."
"I understand." Tifa nodded. "Now get changed and we'll go!!"
------------------------------------------
"I am so bored!" Aeris exclaimed.
"Well cheer up, it's only 2 minutes to midnight." Yuffie said, looking at her watch. "Nearly time for some action."
"The crowd's getting restless." Sephiroth noted. "Not a good sign."
"Why don't we get somewhere in the middle of it?" Red XIII suggested.
"Bad idea." Sephiroth said, shaking his head. "Stay on the edge of the crowd if you value your weapon, your Materia and your life. Get in that crowd, and it might mean you'll lose all three."
*"Why am I commanding this operation??"*
*"Because you have exceptional leadership qualities."*
*"How come you didn't choose to lead this? I thought I was following your command?"*
*"Um..... this is a test."*
*"A test?"*
*"To see how good you are at looking out for the well being of others."*
*"Oh, right."*
"It's one minute to midnight." Yuffie said, swallowing hard.
"Be brave...." Red XIII said, nuzzling her hand with his nose.
"Time for action...." Sephiroth said with determination. "We'll stay back in the crowd unless something major happens."
"Right." Cid nodded. "So we may not even attack?"
"That's a possibility." Sephiroth nodded. "This parade may just turn out to be a harmless gathering...."
Cid grunted. "Somehow, I doubt that."
"Hmm....." Sephiroth said quietly. "So do I."
Just then, Fireworks exploded high in the air, illuminating the cloudy sky. Yuffie's watch clicked over to midnight.
"It's begun....." she whispered.
"Geez, when they said 'midnight sharp' they weren't kidding, were they!?" Cid grunted.
Over at the entrance, Tifa and Vincent entered the Square. Tifa looked around with interest, while Vincent stood there, annoyed as usual.
"So he has a following......" Vincent said angrily. "This is just absolutely ludicrous....."
"Let's push our way into the crowd somewhere." Tifa whispered. "We'll blend in easier that way......"
The sound of hundreds of instruments suddenly filled the air, all playing the opening bars of a corrupted sounding tune. A string of different coloured floats slowly snaked their way down to the end of the Square. A few of the floats had interesting themes, mainly depicting damage or destruction. One was of particular interest - the whole float was done up to look like Midgar. A giant 3D model of a red Meteor was erected on a pole, aimed at the city.
"This parade seems very sinister......." Red XIII noted. "I think it captures your harmful side rather well, Sephiroth."
Sephiroth only shook his head in disbelief. "I cannot believe that ordinary people actually endorse my previous actions....."
The last float was the biggest of the lot, and also the most bland looking. It was just a series of large white obelisk-like structures with a man standing in a black cape and cowl on the top of the highest one, looking very bored. It was obviously the most important float in the whole parade because it was being carried by a large group of people in black capes, all wearing cowls as well.
As the largest float made it's way through the middle of the crowd, the man on the top made a quick downward motion with his right hand. The group below immediately dumped the huge float and stepped backwards.
Just then, the man on the top of the podium cleared his throat loudly and raised his left hand, making an immediate silence fall over the area.
"Wow...." Cid whispered. "This guy seems rather important."
"He must be the leader." Sephiroth nodded. "If he can quieten a whole gathering with just one motion of his hand, he has to be in a position of power...."
"Fellow comrades, tonight is the night in which I, your leader must call up another to power." the man on the podium yelled loudly. "This gathering has never been bigger, and it's all thanks to this one man, and all his television signal barring......"
"Television signal barring!?" Tifa choked suddenly. "Why, I watched that happen during the movie I was watching the other night!!!"
"What??" Vincent said suddenly.
"Yeah, they've been doing it for months...." the man next to them whispered loudly. "Every night, during Channel 62's horror movie lineup, they'd bar the signal and preach about Sephiroth's second coming."
"Sephiroth's second coming!?" Vincent said quietly, raising an eyebrow.
"Didn't you know??" the man whispered, in slight shock. "Sephiroth may be returning this very night!! That's why we're all gathered here - if and when he comes, he'll descend from the heavens as and take us all under his wing. If we all live under his command and follow every word he says, he'll deliver us to the Promised Land!!"
"This isn't a Sephiroth cult....." Tifa said, shaking her head. "It's a religion!!"
"Cult??" the man laughed. "Whoever told you that!? This ain't no religion either - this is reality!!"
Meanwhile, up on the podium, the man got more excited with every sentence.
"....It is with great pride I call this new man up to join me in my position as leader. With both of us commanding, it will surely bring this allegiance into a new golden age! And with the second coming of Sephiroth, this planet shall be ours!! Look to the sky, fellow comrades! Sephiroth may descend at any time now!!"
Loud cheers ensued from the crowd.
"The second coming of Sephiroth??" Red XIII repeated to himself. "He may descend at any time now?"
"I think they're a little late." Cid grunted. "He's here already."
"Maybe so....." Sephiroth sighed. "But I certainly don't want to live up to the message they're conveying!!"
The man on the podium waited a few moments for silence once more.
"Arise to the podium, second-in-command!"
A loud cheer kicked up as a second man arrived on the stage, also wearing a cowl and a black cape. But it didn't hide his appearance altogether - his cowl didn't quite completely hide the blonde hair that stuck out slightly, or his glaring red eyes.
Cid nearly had a heart attack.
"That's the Shinra man!" he whispered loudly. "That's the man who beat my high score on the snowboarding!!"
"He is??" Aeris whispered.
"Be quiet!" Sephiroth hissed. "Just sit tight and see what develops from here......"
"Greetings, fellow comrades!" the new man said happily. "Well, let's start my induction off with a bang, shall we??"
"It's him alright...." Cid whispered. "That voice is unmistakable."
"Shh!!" Red XIII said, silencing the disgruntled pilot.
"Tonight, I bring you something special!" the man on top of the podium yelled excitedly. "I bring you all a public execution!! No more shall anyone oppose the mighty name of OWARA!!!"
The man stuck his left fist into the air and began to chant loudly. The crowd began to do the same.
Meanwhile, over the other side of the stadium, Tifa jumped a mile.
"OWARA!!" she blurted out. "That's what the man on the TV said, and the child at the Battle Square!! This is very bad indeed!!"
"What is??" Vincent asked furiously.
"I'll explain later!!" Tifa said, shaking her head furiously. "But right now, just watch and see what happens!"
Meanwhile, up on the podium.........
"This night, we will make an example of those who wish to oppose our unholy allegiance with our lord and ruler, the Great Sephiroth!" the red eyed man yelled happily.
"I am the Great Sephiroth. I work alone, with no accomplices or 'sidekicks'." Sephiroth said through clenched teeth, leering at the two men on the podium "I am not your lord, or your ruler. I have no desire to....."
"Calm down, Sephy!" Aeris interrupted him, pulling him back. "Don't get carried away, keep level headed about this!! It's just a show, nothing more! Nobody knows you're alive apart from us!"
"And Reeve." Red XIII added.
"Do we have to watch the execution?" Yuffie said, sounding distressed. "I don't want to watch some poor innocent person die!"
"Then just sit." Red XIII said, dropping on all fours again. "Respect that person's pride and refuse to watch their execution. I know I will."
As Yuffie slumped to the ground, Red XIII nuzzled her lightly under the chin.
"Be strong." Red XIII whispered in her ear.
"We found this man out of dress, and he was just wandering around the park!!" the red-eyed man yelled. "He is a traitor to our realm, and he must be put to death!!"
"I bet he was just an innocent park-goer who had just lost his way!" Red XIII said angrily. "And they're going to put him to the slaughter??"
"I can't say I approve of this attraction." Sephiroth said quietly. "Getting disembowelled always makes me kind of mad."
"Yeah, I would never come back to this park if someone did that to me." Yuffie whispered.
"Well...." Cid shrugged. "It's not like you could....."
"I now present to you..... a traitor!" the red-eyed man howled.
Just then, a platform opened up one of the lower sections of the obelisk. Slowly, a figure with a black sheet draped over him rose from the floor. The person underneath struggled somewhat and made a muffled growling sound, but didn't move. Sephiroth guessed he was most probably bound up so he couldn't get away.
"That poor man...." Aeris sighed sadly, shaking her head. "So what are you going to do, Sephiroth?"
"What am I going to do??"
"You're the one in command." Aeris nodded. "Are you going to blow our cover and go save him, or are we going to sit here and watch him die?"
"The best thing to do would be to sit here and watch." Sephiroth answered. "If these idiots keep making long and seemingly frivolous speeches before they do anything, I figure we have a while. If it looks like they're really going to slaughter him, only then will we intervene. Understand??"
"Sephiroth!!" the other man up on the podium yelled, looking skyward. "We are ready to receive you!! Come down from your heaven and rule over us!!"
Nothing.
"Heh, I could sit here all night and watch these false prophets make complete asses out of themselves." Cid chuckled. "Idiots."
"Imagine....." Red XIII whispered. "Sitting there waiting for Sephiroth to come when he's already here, and has moved on from being a heartless destroyer....."
Sephiroth had to smile faintly at that.
"Well if this is all the parade's going to turn out to be, we might as well just sit back and watch the fireworks at the end." Yuffie smiled.
"No, what about the execution??" Red XIII said quietly.
"Oh, I forgot about that." Yuffie said, slumping to the ground once more.
Up on the podium, the man looked a little frustrated, so he cleared his throat loudly.
"It seems the time my not be right for Sephiroth's second coming....." the man paused for a brief moment. "However, we must not give up. Sephiroth will still come, for it has been written!"
"I know!" the red-eyed man yelled suddenly. "Why don't we execute the one who opposes us??"
Cheers from the crowd.
"Very well!" the other man nodded. "Sephiroth, I hope you are watching this, for this will be one of the most spectacular murders you will have ever seen....... besides all your own glorious ones, of course!!"
"Oh I am watching....." Sephiroth said quietly, through bared teeth. He unclipped his Masamune from it's place on his belt. "Get ready to move in, guys....."
The red-eyed man quickly jumped down, landing a short distance from the man and poked his victim sharply, making him let out an angry muffled yelp.
"Sephiroth!" the red-eyed man called out to the heavens. "Are you ready to see the face of a traitor!?"
"You just named the traitor, impudent human."
Sephiroth nearly jumped a mile. The red-eyed man stopped dead in his tracks. A sudden silence swept over the crowd.
"What the sh*t was that!?" Cid roared, breaking the deafening silence.
"CID!!"
"Huh?" Yuffie said suddenly, and looked up. She watched as a brown haired girl and a black haired man quickly ran through the crowd, getting closer to them by the second.
"Hey Tifa!!" Yuffie cried out, realising who they were. "And Vincie!!"
"Tifa and Vincent are here??" Red XIII smiled.
After half a minute or so, Tifa and Vincent had finally made their way over. Tifa dropped to her knees out of exhaustion and began to catch her breath.
"Hey....." Tifa said, out of breath. "We've..... been looking for you guys......"
"Yes." Vincent nodded. "And I am quite glad to see that you've all congregated in one group."
"Wait a minute...." Tifa said suddenly. "Where's Cloud!?"
"Cloud's not here." Aeris shrugged hopelessly. "I had hoped you would have found him by now."
"No!" Tifa cried. "We need him!!"
"Whether you like it or not, we'll have to worry about him later." Cid told her. "Something bad is going down here!"
"I'll give you a show to see, you worthless little parasites!! And I'll give you a beautiful sight to see in the sky, more spectacular than the one before it!!"
"She's here....." Sephiroth whispered.
"Huh!?" Cid said, screwing his face up. "Who is??"
"Jenova." Aeris answered, looking skyward. "She's returned."
"Jenova's here...." Red XIII nodded. "And I think I know what she wants......"
"What does she want??" Cid barked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sephiroth said, vexed. "She wants me."
Just then, Jenova-SYNTHESIS descended from the sky. Every eye looked skyward as she silently hovered over the crowd, chuckling wickedly to herself.
"What the hell is that??" someone cried out.
"Is that Sephiroth?" someone else in the crowd wondered.
"But isn't he a guy?"
"Is that Sephiroth....?" the red-eyed man choked. He glared upwards at his partner. "You never said all that crap about Sephiroth's second coming would actually happen!!"
"Silence!" the other man barked suddenly. "Sephiroth's time is upon us!" he looked upward to Jenova. "We are ready to follow your command, oh mighty Sephiroth!"
Jenova looked somewhat amused. "The one you refer to as 'Sephiroth' is no more than a traitor."
"Wait a minute....." the man said, a puzzled expression written on his face. "Are you saying you're a traitor?"
"That's not Sephiroth, you blithering idiot!!" Sephiroth howled. He quickly pushed his way through the crowd and stepped onto the lower levels of the podium.
"What do you think you're doing?!" the red-eyed man yelled. "Get down back there before I terminate your membership!"
"I am not a member!" Sephiroth yelled. "I am the Great Sephiroth!!"
"Sephiroth!?" the red-eyed man choked. "Well if you're Sephiroth, then who the hell is that thing up there?!"
"That is Jenova." Sephiroth hissed. "And if you can't tell the difference between us, I'll murder you!"
"Idiots." Jenova said coldly. Her expression changed to amusement on spying Sephiroth glaring at her, his eyes filled with hate.
"Hello...... mother." Sephiroth growled, holding his Masamune at eye level, poised like a cat about to strike. "And so we meet again."
"Hello boy. I'm a little surprised to see you." she said in a sickly sweet voice. "And I see you have your precious little possession with you."
"That's right." Sephiroth smirked wickedly. "My Masamune's rather thirsty tonight, and I'm just itching to rip you apart......"
"I also see your precious little possession still has it's little prize inside."
"Prize??"
"What's going on??" The red-eyed man said suddenly. "If that's Jenova, why are you two trading threats?? I thought you two were allies, both of you were to take over the world and rule over it!!"
Sephiroth glared at him. "She's the one who wants to take over the planet, and she needs me to do it!" he averted his attention back to Jenova. "But I refuse. You care nothing for me, for I am just a tool in your masterplan."
"That's not true....." Jenova said calmly, lowering herself to his level. The crowd below her scattered in fear. Sephiroth gave her a puzzled expression.
"What?"
"I do care for you. Why else would I keep asking you to join me? These humans have nothing to offer you, boy." Jenova reached out a tentacle and began caressing the side of his face lightly. Sephiroth closed his eyes and turned to jelly with the sudden show of affection. There was a dull clattering sound as he inadvertently let go of his Masamune.
"What mother does not care about the future of their child? I want only what's best for you......"
"I....." Sephiroth stuttered.
"What do you say?" Jenova purred. "Join me and eternal happiness is yours."
"Mother....."
"Don't listen to her, Sephy!!" Aeris cried out desperately. "Remember what she did to you! She's cruel and heartless and cannot be trusted!!"
Sephiroth looked up at her suddenly as he snapped back to reality, a pained expression on his face.
"Remember the barren wasteland.... the place of nothingness!!" Aeris cried. "It's for an eternity! Is that where you want to return!?"
"Don't listen to the rambling of the Cetra girl, boy." Jenova smiled wickedly. "She is the enemy, a barricade to stop you from fulfilling your destiny......"
Sephiroth looked up into the eyes of Jenova, searching for something.
"Mother.......?"
"Will you join me?" Jenova whispered. "We make a great team. If it wasn't for the humans, we would have succeeded the first time....."
"You need me....."
"Join me and you will reach your Final Evolution......"
"Final evolution??"
"Don't listen to her, Sephy!!" Aeris cried out desperately. "She's gonna tell you something you don't wanna hear!!"
Sephiroth looked hopelessly at Jenova, then at Aeris and the group, torn between the two.
"Come on Sephiroth!!" Cid yelled, joining the melee. "You gotta stay on our side! I haven't even taught you how to smoke yet!"
"Yeah, listen to us, Sephiroth!" Tifa yelped. "You have to help us find Cloud!"
"Do whatever you wish." Vincent grunted. "Just don't cohort yourself to that thing."
"Sephiroth, Jenova only wants to use you." Red XIII told him. "You can never equate happiness with power. No-one who has it all is ever truly happy with themselves. Life becomes distasteful and boring."
Sephiroth inhaled his lungs with air and breathed out heavily. With a new found sense of determination, he slowly took two steps back from Jenova. He picked his Masamune off the ground and clipped it back onto his belt.
"What are you doing, boy??" Jenova said suddenly, the smile wiped off her face.
"No."
"What?!"
"I said NO!" Sephiroth barked. "I want no part of your masterplan, mother!"
Jenova scowled deeply.
"Be that way!!" she howled, smacking him across the face, the impact hurling him right across the square. He felt himself plummeting...... and then a bump. He opened his eyes quickly - the impact he should have made as he hit the ground would have seriously injured him. But something, or someone had broken his fall. Looking downward, he noticed that several people, all wearing black capes had caught him, breaking his fall.
"Uhh....." Sephiroth said uneasily. "Thanks."
"No Sephiroth, thankyou." one of the people said. "We owe our very existence to you. You are our overlord."
"No I'm not." Sephiroth laughed nervously. "I'm just an ordinary person...."
"So humble......" someone else below him smiled. "Such a leader deserves our respect."
"Hey!" Sephiroth yelped. "Watch where you're putting those hands!"
"You sword is so cool!" a girl's voice squealed happily. "Can I touch it?"
"No!" Sephiroth said angrily. "Put me down!"
The people did as they were told. Sephiroth ran back to the middle of the crowd.
"Sephy!!" Aeris said happily, as she hugged him roughly. Red XIII looked somewhat amused, as did Yuffie. Cid wasn't paying attention - he was staring skyward, watching Jenova look around, now flustered.
"What is she so worked up about??" he wondered.
His question was answered in a matter of seconds. Just then, a low roar filled the air, quickly followed by a much louder and deep throated one.
"Weapon....." Vincent whispered. "So that's why they came....."
"Weapon is here?!" Cid yelped. "We're in sh*t!!"
"Haaahaaa haaa!!" Sephiroth laughed wickedly. "Weapon's here! Better run, mommy!"
"Aaarrrgh!!" Jenova howled. "Damn your brazenness, boy! If it weren't for your rebellious attitude, this planet would have been mine years ago!"
"Well that's too bad, isn't it!?" Sephiroth mocked. "You can't always get what you want."
"There's no escaping my command, boy!" Jenova scowled. "If I can't make you willingly join me, I'll have to force you!!"
"Force me!?" Sephiroth mused. "I'd like to see that!"
"That can be arranged."
"Wha........ aaaaahhhhgghhh!!!" Sephiroth cried out in pain suddenly and clutched at his head. He fell to the ground and began to writher in agony.
"No, stop it!" Aeris yelped. "You leave him alone!"
"Watch my pretty little puppet dance!" Jenova laughed. "And now watch this....."
Sephiroth stood up suddenly, a removed expression on his face.
"What is your purpose, boy?" Jenova growled.
"My purpose is to become one with the planet." Sephiroth said coldly, his face set in a deep scowl.
"What the sh*t is going on!?" Cid barked.
"Sephiroth's being controlled!" Tifa howled. "I've seen this happen to Cloud so many times it isn't funny!"
"Correct, only it's really funny. It's my best form of entertainment." Jenova laughed, then averted her attention to Sephiroth once more. "And how must you become one with the planet?"
"I must....." Sephiroth unclipped his Masamune from his belt and raised it above his head. "ghhhh..... I must.... not....."
"Dammit boy...." Jenova growled. "Don't oppose me......"
"I can never oppose you, mother......" Sephiroth said blankly. "I cannot.... ghhh!! Leave me alone!!"
"That's it, fight it Sephiroth!" Aeris demanded. "Come on, you've got to!!"
*"Sephiroth!?"*
*"Help me, dammit!! I can't control this damn body!! I'm trapped inside it and it's not working for me!!"*
*"Jenova's controlling it, Sephiroth. Just keep fighting it!"*
"I'm trying!!! And it isn't working!! HELP ME!!"
*"I'll try....."*
*"Aeris!?"*
-
*"Aeris?!"*
-
*"Godammit Aeris, help me!!"*
"Guys!" Aeris snapped suddenly as she came back to reality. "Sephiroth needs our help!"
"No sh*t, Sherlock!" Cid yelped. "He's being controlled like a freakin' puppet!"
"What can we do?" Red XIII wondered.
"Distract her." Aeris whispered. "Do so until Weapon moves in to attack....."
Just then, the crimson red Weapon flew overhead. The commanding man that had been on top of the obelisk fled for his life. The Weapon perched itself on top of the white structure and stared at Jenova, it piercing yellow eyes filled with hatred.
"Well that was quick, wasn't it?!" Cid yelled.
"Coral Weapon's here." Red XIII whispered. "No need for the distraction. We don't have to do any more."
"That's not true." Vincent said, shaking his head. "We have to get out of here."
"We can't leave!!" Tifa said desperately. "We have to find Cloud!! And we have to get Sephiroth out of there!!"
"That's right." Aeris nodded. "Jenova's intent on controlling Sephiroth. So if we take him, she can't use him, right?"
Just then, the red-eyed man jumped down to meet the group.
"What do you want, Shinra freak!?" Cid roared.
"Does this belong to any of you??" the man said, producing a large sword with a purple streak in the centre of the blade. "I found this in the storage hull of the obelisk float."
"That's Cloud's Ultima Weapon!!!" Tifa howled, taking it from him. "Now I know Cloud's in trouble!! I have to go find him!!"
"This belongs to your friend??" the red-eyed man said suddenly. "You don't have to find him. I know where he is."
"What!?" Tifa yelled. She grabbed the man by the collar and shook him roughly. "Where is he?! Where's Cloud??"
"See that man up there? The one under the sheet who was to be executed?"
Tifa gave him a murderous glance. "You were going to execute Cloud?!"
"Hey!!" the man chuckled nervously. "It's not like we did!!"
"I have to go to him!!" Tifa yelled. "Meet you guys later!"
Tifa quickly ran off and began to push her way through the crowd.
"Tifa!!!" Yuffie yelled. "Come back!!"
"Leave her, Yuffie." Red XIII said quietly.
"But why!?" Yuffie yelped. "We need her!!!"
Red XIII shook his head. "Cloud needs her even more than we ever could."
------------------------------------------------
"Who are you?"
"I am your son, have you forgotten already?" Sephiroth said angrily. "I will pick up what I have started, I will succeed where I have previously failed. I am the harbinger of destruction, the end of humanity."
*"But I goddamn hate you!"*
"So your mind is free." Jenova said thoughtfully. "Pity. Apart from that minor flaw, you are a brilliant killing machine. Very well, for your first task, I want you to rise above this stadium and annihilate every one of these watching sheep!"
"I cannot do that." Sephiroth answered monotonously.
"And why not??"
"I seem to have lost the ability to soar to the heavens." Sephiroth told her. "It's been put to sleep, expired."
"Sephiroth!!!" Tifa yelled as she bounded onto the stage.
"What do you want??" the grey haired man barked, turning his attention to her. "Don't waste my time with your frivolous conversations."
"Sephiroth, listen to me! Wake up, I know you're in there!!"
The man leered at her. "Well of course I am. I am the Great Sephiroth, and I have returned to take over this world."
Just then, a loud cheer went up from the crowd.
"You guys think this is all part of the show, don't you!?" Tifa hollered, making them all quiet. "Well this is for real! Just get out of here!"
"Boy!" Jenova chuckled. "What must you do now?"
"I must become one with the planet." Sephiroth answered blankly. "It is my reason for living, and my destiny. I am one of the rightful heirs to this planet!"
"No you're not, the planet belong to everybody!" Tifa yelled in his face. "And I thought you gave up on that!! You helped us find Aeris, didn't you?!"
"Be quiet, impudent human." Sephiroth leered at her.
"Boy, carry out my orders!!" Jenova demanded.
"Very well, mother." Sephiroth nodded, raising his Masamune over his head like a trophy.
"What are you doing?!" Tifa yelled.
"You are postponing this event, useless creature." Jenova growled. "You can have your little toy back in a few moments when I have finished with him...."
"What are you going to do with him??"
"He's going to summon something with his nice little prize for me......"
"Prize?"
Just then, Aeris arrived on the scene.
"You leave Sephiroth alone!! Your fight has always been with the Cetra." she demanded. "And seeing though I am the only one..... your fight is with me."
"I quite agree!" Jenova laughed. "Go my boy, go and fight for me!!"
"No." Sephiroth shook his head. "It will only postpone the inevitable even further."
"This much is true...." Jenova nodded thoughtfully. "Now do what you must."
Coral Weapon suddenly lunged downward, taking a ferocious snap at her as it swooped by. She only just managed to dart out the way. Another weapon joined Coral after a few seconds - the new one was a deep yellow colour.
"I can't take it any more, this planet shall die!!" Jenova yelled. "Boy, summon that damn thing NOW!!"
Sephiroth raised the handle of his Masamune to the sky.
"Fight it, Sephy!!" Aeris screamed. "If you can hear me in there, fight it for all you're worth!!"
"No." Sephiroth said shaking his head. "Mother won't be happy......"
"What's Sephiroth doing?" Tifa asked. "Why is he so intent on raising that damn sword to the sky!?"
Aeris shrugged, thinking hard. And then it hit her.
"Go rescue Cloud!" she yelled at Tifa suddenly. "Now!"
"But....."
"I'll tend to Sephiroth, don't you worry!" Aeris yelped. "Now go!"
Tifa nodded, and ran off in Cloud's direction.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Cloud!!"
Tifa ran over to the chained up man under the black sheet, and quickly threw it off him.
Cloud was underneath right enough, his arms had been tied behind his back, and his mouth had been gagged with a cloth. He nearly jumped a mile on spying Tifa, and he began to struggle furiously.
"I'm here now, Cloud!" Tifa smiled, as he began to take his restraints off. "Don't you worry about a thing!"
"Damn!!" Cloud yelled as she pulled the gag off his face. "What the hell is going on!?"
"Where the hell have you been, you jerk!?" Tifa barked, quickly untying his bound wrists. "We've been looking all over for you!!"
"Worry about that later!!" Cloud yelled. "What the hell is going on!?"
"Jenova's here!" Tifa explained. "And that OWARA group is the one holding this parade! Now come on Cloud, we have to help Sephiroth!"
"What?!" Cloud yelped, as if someone had just told him that he had gone bright green.
"I'll explain later!!" Tifa yelled, tossing him his Ultima Weapon. "Now let's go!!"
Tifa and Cloud stopped dead in their tracks. There was Sephiroth, levitating in the air high above them. His Masamune was arced above his head, handle to the sky.
"Sephiroth!!" Cloud roared. "What are you doing!?"
Sephiroth looked down on them. "Hello Strife, my favourite enemy."
"Grrrr....." Cloud growled. "I told you all Sephiroth was no good!! We should have killed him off when we had the chance!!"
"Cloud!" Tifa yelled at him. "Jenova's controlling him right now!! Sephiroth's not like that at all!!"
"Oh yeah?" Sephiroth smirked. "If I'm not like that, how do I have the heart to do this?"
"Huh??"
Sephiroth smirked as the handle of his sword began to glow with a strange purple light.
"What the hell is going on!?" Cloud barked. "What is he doing!?"
Aeris gave Cloud a deeply apologetic look.
"Sephiroth still has the Black Materia, and it's slotted into his sword." Aeris cried. "His lust for wanting to summon Meteor is too strong for me to counteract....."
"Damn, why didn't you say anything?!" Cloud hollered. "We could have got it off him days ago, without any of this melodrama!!"
"I'm sorry Cloud....." Aeris whispered. "I have failed."
Sephiroth raised his sword to the sky and chuckled wickedly. "I summon thee......."
"Don't do it, Sephy!!" Aeris cried.
"Meteor!"
"NO!!"
There was a brilliant flash of light as the Meteor was summoned. Raw ultimate destruction magic spiralled out of the Materia inside Sephiroth's Masamune and shot off into the night sky. Within a few minutes, a low rumbling sound was heard from the heavens. Every eye watched silently as a menacing giant red sphere suddenly appeared in the sky, twice as large as the one before it, three years ago.
"....and Meteor shall scorn the sky once more......" the red-eyed man whispered, looking at the giant unheavenly object in the sky. "And so it was written."
Sephiroth smiled at Jenova after it was all over.
"I have completed my task." he panted. "What is my next purpose?"
"Your purpose is finished...." Jenova smiled, releasing her possession on Sephiroth. He slumped to the ground like a piece of junk. The crowd began to scatter in a panic.
Just then, the Coral Weapon went nuts. It lifted it's head to the sky and bayed angrily at the Meteor. As it flew past the obelisk, it turned sharply, it's tail whacking a huge chunk out of place. The whole structure began to crumble suddenly and pieces of it began to shower down into the crowd.
"Sh*t!!" Cid cursed. "No-one's safe here!!"
"We need to get out of here!" Vincent yelled.
"But what about Cloud?! And Tifa?!" Yuffie yelped. "What about Sephiroth?! What about Aeris!?"
"Can't you worry about anyone other than yourself for one second?!" Cid hollered. "If you don't get out of here, you'll die!!"
"So what!?" Yuffie barked.
"Shit!!" Cid yelled, watching as the largest chunk of the obelisk began teetering uneasily.
"Get out the f*cking way!!" Cid hollered.
Red XIII watched as the chunk began slowly sliding off the float. He took three steps backwards. Vincent did the same.
"What!?" Yuffie yelped. "I'm not moving anywhere, I have to go back and get the others!!"
"Worry about your goddamn self and get outta here!!" Cid roared. "Sh***tt!!"
As the large chunk of cement fell down towards them, Cid grabbed Yuffie by the collar and pulled her back sharply. He just barely got her out of the way, but got his leg pinned under it as it crashed down into the crowd.
"Cid!!" Yuffie yelped. "Are you alright?!"
"I have a giant f*cking rock pinning my leg down!!" Cid yelled. "And you're asking me if I'm alright?!"
Vincent and Red XIII quickly dashed over on seeing the giant rock fall.
"Cid!!" Vincent yelled. "We have to help him!! Lift that damn thing off him!"
"Right!" Red XIII said in determination. Yuffie, Vincent, and Red XIII quickly took hold of the bottom side nearest them and tried in vain to lift the giant hunk of rock.
"...I can't lift it!!" Yuffie grunted, struggling. "It's so damn heavy, I can't lift it..."
"Don't worry 'bout me!" Cid roared. "Worry about your goddamn selves and get outta here!!"
"We can't leave you behind!!" Red XIII yelled. "We love you!"
Cid wiped his eyes with one of his gloves. "You're all stupid. You're all really goddamn stupid......"
"Cloud!! Tifa!!" Yuffie yelled, seeing them in the corner of her eye. "Get over here!!"
Cloud looked up suddenly.
"Did you hear that!?" Cloud yelped. "Cid's in trouble! We gotta help him!"
"You worry about them!" Aeris yelled. "I'll tend to Sephiroth. Now go!"
Tifa nodded in determination and ran off. Aeris picked up Sephiroth and took to the sky. Cloud watched Aeris disappear into the sky for a brief moment before finally running off himself.
-----------------------------------------------------
"Come on!!" Cloud yelled. "Pull harder!"
"We're trying!!" Tifa yelped.
"F*cking get out of here, you guys!" Cid barked. "Those Weapons are gonna tear this place to the ground! You'll all be killed!"
Cloud looked up at Cid briefly. "...I can't go without my friends......"
"You bloody idiots, get outta here!" Cid barked. "No time to worry about other people!"
"We're gonna do whatever we can." Tifa said, smiling at him though still trying to lift the giant piece of rock for all she was worth. "Don't you worry about a thing, Cid...."
"You're all so goddamn stupid...." Cid said, his voice breaking up. He held his head in one hand and covered his face. "F*ck..... you guys......"
A high pitched roar filled the air. Just then, a light blue Weapon descended from the sky and landed clumsily on the ground, making the crowd scatter. It lifted it's head to the sky and made an unimpressive deep throated roaring sound.
"Hey look, it's that baby Weapon we saved!" Yuffie smiled. She quickly waved at it and went back to trying to lift the chunk of broken obelisk.
The wave caught it's attention. It bounded over to the group and watched them silently.
"Oh SH*T!!!" Cid yelped. "That thing's gonna attack us!! Get the f*ck out of here, worry about yourselves!!"
The Weapon watched as the group continued to tug at the fallen chunk of rock. It thought it was a game. It wagged it's three tails quickly and picked the hunk of rock up with no trouble. It began to bound around happily with the massive chunk of cement in it's clutches, while making a loud warbling sound.
Cid took one look at his leg before passing out.
"My god....." Yuffie said, screwing up her face on viewing his leg. "That's not even humanly possible!"
"It's broken, without a doubt." Cloud said calmly. "It's just been twisted at a weird angle, that's all. Cid will live, don't you worry."
"Yes, I've had injuries worse than this." Red XIII said quietly. "And I recovered with no medical attention......"
"Shut your faces!" Vincent barked. "Are we going to get out of here or not!?"
"Right!" Cloud said with determination. "Let's get out of here!"
Cloud grabbed Cid roughly and the group bolted out of the Square as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, the light blue Weapon had attracted the attention of it's older brother, the Sapphire Weapon. As it flew over to claim possession of the light blue one's rock, it made an angry hiss sound. The light blue one bared it's teeth and hissed right back at him, then hurled his prized chunk of rock straight his brother. As Sapphire Weapon ducked quickly, the rock sailed over his head and smacked right into Jenova.
Both Weapons doubled over with laughter as she was knocked out of the sky.
"Arrgh!!" Jenova yelled, narrowly missing a quick snip from the Coral Weapon. "Damn you all!!!"
Just then, Sapphire Weapon began to spiral around her in tight circles, making quick fake attacks and delighting in her torment.
Jenova quickly retreated upwards to the sky and flew off. The three Weapons watched her go. The red one jumped into the air and flew off in the opposite direction, followed quickly by the yellow and the light blue one.
------------------------------------------------------
"Almost there....." Cloud grunted, straining slightly with the weight of Cid on his back.
"I can see the Highwind in the distance." Vincent said plainly. "I say our estimated time of arrival is seven minutes......."
"HEY!!"
"....unless somebody slows down our walking speed."
Red XIII chuckled lightly. Cloud stopped dead in his tracks, and looked behind him. Running up behind them was Aeris, Sephiroth draped precariously over her shoulders.
"Aeris??" Cloud said, raising an eyebrow.
Aeris caught up with the group and began to walk beside them.
"Hi guys." she said in her usual bright and cheery tone. Cloud just scowled at her and continued on his way without saying a word.
"I don't understand, Aeris...." Yuffie said. "Why didn't you just fly back to the Highwind and meet us there?"
"What I don't understand....." Tifa said huffily, facing Aeris. "Is why you don't just fly us back right now!"
"Yeah!" Yuffie said, folding her arms. "Why don't you just fly all of us back now??"
"Oh...." Red XIII said uneasily. "Don't you all start an argument, now."
"What are you talking about??" Aeris said, confused.
"When we were at the Temple of The Ancients, you made us all hover in the air when those Weapons hatched!" Yuffie said, folding her arms.
"Yeah." Tifa said indignantly. "And just now, when Jenova released her possession on Sephiroth, you picked him up and took to the sky."
"Oh that's what you're going on about...." Aeris laughed suddenly. "I can't just play around with my abilities whenever I feel like it, you know. That would be wrong."
"Huh?"
"I'd rather not use them all day long, or when I'm just feeling lazy." Aeris shrugged. "That would be abusing the gifts I was born with."
"Okay, I can take a hint...." Tifa shrugged. "If you don't wanna fly us back, then that's fine with me. A simple 'no' would have been more adequate."
"But...."
"But nothing." Tifa interrupted.
Aeris gave Yuffie an Tifa a hurt look. Red XIII shook his head sadly.
"Now, are you OK there, Cloud?" Tifa asked suddenly.
"Yeah...." Cloud said quickly. "Cid's no problem to carry. I'd still haul him on my back if he weighed twice as much."
The group walked on in silence.
"Look up at the sky." Yuffie said quietly. "My god, that thing is gigantic."
Cloud looked up and scowled deeply. "You're telling me......"
"It's at least twice as big as the first one." Red XIII shook his head in disbelief. "This planet will be nothing but bits of charred rock when that thing impacts......"
"Who said it's gonna!?" Yuffie said suddenly. "What about that Holy Materia??"
"Holy is lost, Yuffie!" Cloud snapped. "It's somewhere at the bottom of the Forgotten City's lakes!"
Yuffie began to sniffle quietly.
"Without Holy, how are we supposed to stop it?!"
"We're all gonna die." Yuffie said in a very small voice.
"No we aren't." Aeris whispered. "No matter how bleak things seem, the planet always prevails......"
"Oh yeah, Miss 'I won't fly my friends anywhere'??" Yuffie grunted. "How would you know??"
"Yuffie...." Red XIII said sternly. "You're being unreasonable."
"I'm sorry, Aeris......" Yuffie said apologetically.
Aeris smiled weakly. "That's alright."
The group continued to trudge across the terrain back to the Highwind. Just then, Aeris stopped, and gently dropped Sephiroth to the ground.
"What's wrong, Aeris?" Tifa asked suddenly.
"He's beginning to stir." Aeris said quietly, lightly brushing the hair out of the man's eyes.
"Just leave him." Cloud grunted, turning around. "Just leave him and walk off.."
"I can't do that." Aeris whispered. "I can't go without my friends."
"Are you serious!?" Cloud choked. "Look up in the sky, Aeris! He summoned that monstrosity!! And you call him a friend?!"
"What summoned Meteor was not the Sephiroth I know." Aeris whispered. "He has a dark facet to his personality that he can never escape. If provoked, it will consume him and take over......."
"That's just stupid." Cloud grunted. "If I knew someone like that, I'd kill them as soon as possible. I could never trust somebody like that."
Aeris sighed sadly, looking directly into Cloud's eyes. "So if you find an imperfection in something you love, you just discard it like a piece of trash?"
Just then, Sephiroth's eyebrows set in a scowl as he began to stir.
"Mmmphh......."
"Poor Sephiroth." Aeris said sadly. "You've had to endure so much...."
"Hmmm......?" Sephiroth groaned. "What the heck happened........?"
"Your head's just been overloaded, that's all." Aeris answered. "But you're OK now."
"Wha.....?" Sephiroth sat up suddenly. His hand clutched at his forehead suddenly.
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel like someone tried to ram a sledgehammer through my head....."
"Well you could say that." Aeris whispered.
"What's the time?" Sephiroth said, shaking his head in an attempt to gain his senses back.
"4:15, am." Yuffie answered. "The sun will be up in a few hours."
"Huh??" Sephiroth looked at her suddenly.
"Sephiroth....." Aeris sighed. "You don't remember anything, do you?"
"Remember?" Sephiroth asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Remember what??"
Aeris shook her head sadly. "No, I didn't think so. You were absolutely terrified....."
"But wasn't it just midnight a few minutes ago??" he looked around quickly. "Where'd the parade go??"
"It was over hours ago." Cloud answered coldly.
Sephiroth looked extremely puzzled.
"Don't worry yourself over it." Red XIII said suddenly. "Let's just go back to the Highwind and sleep."
The group nodded and began to walk across the terrain once more. Sephiroth crawled to his feet and began to follow.
"Sure is bright this time of morning." Sephiroth noted, looking around. "Everything has an eerie fire red glow...."
Aeris shook her head sadly. "Sephiroth............"
"Hmph." Cloud snorted. "Look upwards and you'll see why."
"Cloud!" Aeris said suddenly.
"Huh?" Sephiroth looked upwards and nearly had a heart attack. Red XIII sighed morbidly.
"Wha........?!" he squeaked, falling to his knees "What is this?!"
"Meteor." Aeris answered, her voice barely audible.
"How the hell did that get up there?!" Sephiroth howled, looking at Aeris desperately. "Who summoned that thing?!"
Aeris was silent for a long time before answering.
"You did."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"