Chapter Two

The moonlight reflected off the crystalline structures surrounding the Radiant Garden, illuminating all the surroundings in a soft blue hue. It was the only beautiful thing on this night. The rest of the city was ravaged. The marketplace was in flames, the castle began to crumble. The streets ran red with the blood of townsfolk unfortunate to be out. But the most disturbing thing about the night was the sound of blood-curdling screams resonating through the air. Not screams of people, though those screams were present as well. No, these were inhuman screams. Maybe even unholy.

Green streaks filled the sky as more and more stars slammed into the crystal gale just outside the city. There were hundreds of these horrifying creatures crawling out of the small craters created by the dozens of crashes. The city was lost, and Leon knew it. But that didn't stop him from at least trying to save what was left. To his left stood Yuffie and Tifa, both with their fair share of cuts and bruises. But they were the faster of the group, so they got off fairly easy. To his right, Cloud, who was supporting Aerith on his shoulder. The green creatures got her leg good, it swelled and turned a bright purple. But she still wanted to fight. She was the sort of person that was willing to lay it all on the line if it meant others would live for it. Leon had to respect someone that had that much heart, but he still thought it was stupid. And he had the right to be pessimistic; Cid and Merlin were dead. They died trying to protect the now demolished market. And the way those creatures killed them… it made him sick to his stomach.

Now their only plan was to kill as many off these bastards as they could, much in the same manner that Sora had done with the Heartless and the Nobodies the previous year in the same valley. If only he was there… then maybe this wouldn't have happened. Or maybe he would have died just the same. They stood in a line, all breathing in heavy breaths of both terror and exhaustion. This would be their final battle and they knew it.

"Cloud…" Aerith winced through the pain as she attempted to stand on her braced leg. "I-I just want you to know if we don't survive this… I love you."

This almost brought the blond to tears, and that was something that just didn't happen. He forced a smile on his face and kissed her softly. "Don't talk like we're gonna die. You know I'm too stubborn to stay dead."

Aerith tried to be strong and nodded, but she couldn't hold back all the tears that invaded her eyes. And she choked a little on her words before she realized she had nothing she could say. Leon closed his eyes tight and looked down as he spoke to his comrades. "I just want you guys to know that it's been one hell of a ride…"

This was followed by uncomfortable silence from the rest of the group. As much as they tried to deny to themselves, they knew this was it. "We don't have long… but… tell me when you're ready."

Some of them said silent prayers in their head. Others gave each other one last soft embrace. But they didn't take long, and when all was done they took a deep breath and nodded. Leon gripped his gunblade and steadied his finger on the trigger, then took one step forward. "Here we go. Fight like you mean it."

And with that he rand down the valley, slicing his blade into dirty green flesh as he did. For creatures that packed a punch, they seemed to fall apart at the touch of a swift blade. One beheading here, one gutting there. It seemed easy to Leon, which was probably just a side effect of the adrenaline mixed with intense fear. The others soon joined in the fight, a flurry of fists and feet and cold metal engaging in a violent intercourse with each other. Cloud swallowed a dry gulp and looked to Aerith.

"Stay by my side." He said as they were engulfed by a mob of the creatures. His sword began to glow as he released a frenzy of attacks, forcing many to crumble to dust as they fell. Aerith, while not the most skilled fighter, was much more proficient at magicks. From what she had learned in their previous bouts with the rabid demons, fire was the element they feared the most. Aerith gathered a nice Firaga spell would do the trick. She stood in place and her hair began to blow in the whirlwind that followed. Soon tiny sparks ignited in the air, then turned to huge pillars of flame, engulfing five or six more of the unholy mob.

Cloud smiled to himself, thinking that somehow they had developed the upper hand. Then he noticed that Leon had been forced into his back, along with Aerith who was still recovering from her last spell.

"Don't suppose anyone has an Ether handy?" She asked, tiny hands turning white as she gripped her rod. "Where's the others?"

A shrill set of screams coming from their left answered the question. The creatures had somehow doubled in number and it was starting to take it's toll. One had Yuffie pinned against the wall while it drank from her neck in a vicious manner. Meanwhile, Tifa was being ravaged by three others. This tiny circle of three were now all that was left to fight. Aerith huffed as her hands began to glow. She had just enough energy for one more Firaga spell, but waited for just the right moment to release it. Leon, who was usually stalwart and fearless in these situations, began to hyperventilate a little. If someone like Leon could be that scared, then this was not going to turn out well. "Calm yourself, Leon. If we have any… if we have a chance we need you to fight with a clear head."

Of course fighting with a clear head was impossible now. He had just seen most of his dearest friends be murdered right before his very eyes. Any attack that followed now would be filled with unrelenting rage and tremendous sadness. Not to mention fear.

"Leon!" He said, expecting some kind of answer. What he got next would be the last he'd hear from the man.

"If you survive, don't be afraid to lead them. To lead who's left. You'll be their only hope." He said with sadness in his voice. Then he ran into the sea of green, carelessly hacking and slashing away.

"Leon!" Aerith screamed, tears streaming down her face. The heaviness of the situation caused her to accidentally release her last Firaga spell, which hit a few but not enough to be worth it. Leon disappeared from sight, but they knew he was dead. They heard his last gurgled screams resonate through the air when the green demons surrounded him.

Aerith felt like she couldn't breathe. Cloud knew that fighting would only be useless. He grabbed at her arm and tugged a little. "C'mon, we've got to go!"

"Where!" Aerith shouted at him, her mascara streaming down her face like tiny black rivers, making her look more hardened then he ever thought she could be. "Leon is dead! Yuffie is dead! Cid and Merlin? Dead! Our gummiship dock is on the other side of that… that ARMY. So tell me, Cloud. Where are we going to run?"

Cloud knew she was right. But it was still worth trying. "Aerith… we have to live… You have to live."

"I… don't want to live after what I've seen today." She cried. His heart sank. She had given up. All he could do was cup her face and press his forehead against hers. After much silence, he knew that the crowd had finally descended on them. There was nothing they could do know. So he kissed her.

"I love you…" He said, tears finally marring his own face. And he held her tighter than he ever had before as the green mob closed in around them.

……….

Buffy shot up in her hotel bed, eyes wide. She was covered in a thin layer of sweat, even though it was chilly in the room. She hadn't had this reaction to a dream since… well since her last dream about the Turok-Han. But this dream took place in a world she did not recognize, with people she did not know. And yet at the same time, it all seemed so familiar to her, as if she had been there before and just forgot. She looked over to the bed next to her and saw an entanglement of red hair still laying motionless on the pillow. She didn't wake Willow, good. Buffy was notorious for her sleeplessness, so she didn't want to curse anyone else with it as well.

The small blond removed herself from the covers and made her way to the small kitchen that connected her room with Giles' and Xander's. She knew the brit wouldn't have gone to bed without making a new batch of coffee. Gross, chalky, hotel coffee, but still coffee. She poured some of the thick black fluid into a cup and took a quick swig before retching to herself. She forgot. It was gross, chalky, Scottish hotel coffee, that had to figure into it somehow.

Buffy stared down into the murky cup and scrunched up her nose in disgust, then gently shook the cup and watched as the fluid stuck to the sides and slid down slower than an actual fluid should. Maybe they had a free continental breakfast? With something other then pickled yak-guts? Buffy entertained this thought as she sat at the small table, but was soon distracted from a rattling behind her. It was Giles, opening the door in his trademark old guy robe. He shuffled into the kitchen and looked for a coffee cup.

"Buffy? I didn't figure you would be up at such an hour." He said, albeit muffled from grogginess. The search for a coffee mug seemed to befuddle him. Buffy half-smiled and handed him her cup.

"Here. Just took one sip and I feel properly caffeinated. Funny thing though, I'm not quite sure it's coffee." She quipped as Giles took the cup and drank from it as if he actually liked it.

"That's part of it's charm." He said with his normal dry sense of Giles-like humor. "I'd have figured if you were up you'd be out walking around. Trying to kill things on new soil and all."

"Thought about it." The blond said, tapping her fingers on the wood of the table. "Just woke up though."

Buffy chewed her lip and took a deep breath. Maybe Giles would have some insight on her dream? "Giles… do you think we killed all the Turok-Han?"

"Well Buffy, as it were you were the only person actually present at the time of their erm… vanquishing. Do you think they were all killed?" The older man said leaning against the counter, downing the entire cup as he said so. Blech…

"Looked like. It got all bright, they started getting dusty. It's just… I had a dream. And they were still alive." She said, pulling her legs up onto the chair.

"Just because you had a dream with a demon in it doesn't necessarily mean it was precognitive. Could be you're just now dealing with the fact that you won. Naturally your reaction would be to fear their return." He sat the cup down on the countertop and took off his glasses, cleaning them in a very Giles-y fashion.

"But the dream… it felt the same way one of my pre-whatever dreams do. I don't wake up like that for just any dream. And it seemed somewhat familiar and my god what are you cleaning your glasses for?" Buffy questioned, shifting focus mid-sentence. She knew that when Giles cleaned his glasses that there was something he wanted to say.

"It's just that there are other Hellmouths. There's the one in Cleveland, one under the catacombs in France, and any number of others that I can't name off the top of my head. It's possible that there could be more under any one of them. But still… It is curious. I should think that the forces that took out the Turok-Han were powerful enough to destroy them all." He pursed his lips, letting his glasses hang between his forefinger and his thumb. Buffy just stared at the floor and sighed.

"Our first research party abroad then?" She asked quixotically. Fun. In the sarcastic sense of the word. Well at least Willow would be happy. Buffy sat limply in her chair and stared out the window with a soft breath, then stood and grabbed her petticoat off the hook near the door.

"I think I will kill some foreign things now. Don't wait up." She said, then trotted out the door into the night.