Chapter 3: The Dead Chrysanthemum
Zack smiled and said, "Don't worry. This isn't hell. This is a world in the Lifestream."
"That's not what we really want to know," Tifa said, confused. "We're really dead…?"
Zack looked over to Angeal and Angeal sighed. "That might be the case since the three of you are here," Angeal started. "In fact, some things have just gotten bizarre around here. Those shadows…"
"They attack people who appeared in that odd red Lifestream," Zack said, crossing his arms. He was serious now. "They haven't attack Angeal, Lazard, my sons, and I, but if we get in their way, they do attack. It's strange that they only target you guys so far."
"The red Lifestream…?" Tifa remembered. "So it appeared on this side too then?"
Zack nodded. "Did it appear in your world too?"
"Yeah," Cloud said.
Cloud quickly gave a brief summary of what had happened when he and everyone were going to have a picnic together. Zack and Angeal looked at each other. They did not know what to think of that but there was also an earthquake in the Lifestream world as well, which had never happened before.
"That is odd," Zack rubbed his chin, thinking. "After the red Lifestream vanished, Sephiroth and Genesis also appeared in this world, but the even weirder thing is…"
"Sephiroth?!" Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent yelled.
Zack shook his head. "Don't be shocked. This is the old Sephiroth we're talking about. And Genensis… I'm sure he was still alive the last time that I saw him so I don't know why he's here as well. Right now, the two of them are with Aerith, protecting her if anything happens while we're out stopping those… shadowy… monster thingies."
"The old Sephiroth?" Tifa blinked. She thinks back to the days when she was Zack's and Sephiroth's tour guide. "So… it's not the Sephiroth who wants to conquer the world now? Is that what you're saying?"
"It's shocking, yes," Angeal said. He still could not believe it himself after knowing what Sephiroth had done over on the other side of the world. It all just happened too suddenly. "Oh, sorry for the late introduction. My name is Angeal Hewley. The other one just now, who look like me, is Lazard Deusericus." He looked at Vincent and then at Tifa.
Tifa smiled, "I'm Tifa Lockheart."
Vincent nodded, acknowledging Angeal. "Vincent Valentine."
Zack smiled brightly. "Hey, want to go and meet Sephiroth and Genesis? Aerith is making us dinner tonight."
Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent were uncertain about Sephiroth. Genesis was not a problem, since Tifa and Vincent did not know him, but Sephiroth? It seemed suspicious since Zack said that Sephiroth appeared when the red Lifestream disappeared. What if Sephiroth was planning something and was only acting like the man he used to be? How does Zack know for sure?
The most important question was why was Sephiroth alive? No. He did not join the Lifestream. So why is he here?
"Don't give me that look, guys," Zack chuckled, putting his arm around Cloud's neck. "Seriously, this is the Sephiroth who we know and cared for! You'll see if you meet him in person. I mean, he remembers the things he's done, but something changed him."
Tifa smiled nervously. "Still kind of hard to believe," she said. "There has to be something behind his motives. And you say that Aerith is with them? Sephiroth… I mean… he did kill her before, you know?"
Zack smiled. "We were all cautious about that too. But, really, this isn't the Sephiroth who is all evil-like. He's definitely the old Sephiroth! He even has the same hairstyle from years ago. You know, his bangs reaching to his chin."
"This conversation isn't going to get anywhere," Vincent said. He wanted to note this because it really was unbelievable. The questions about Sephiroth would continue and before they know it, it would already be time for bed. He wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
Angeal sighed again. "Sephiroth… he had helped some people who appeared out of the red Lifestream as well. He wouldn't have done that, now would he?" Everyone fell silent. Angeal turns around and looked at the other side of the bridge. "We'll talk about this matter once we get something to eat. I'll carry you all one by one across to the other side of the cliff."
Cloud looked at the ground. Sephiroth… He thought. Did he really have a change of heart? Even Aerith was willing to be around Sephiroth. The man who killed her, she was making dinner for everyone and him. Perhaps Sephiroth did change. Aerith would know for sure if she let Sephiroth around her like Zack had mention.
"Alright," Cloud said, looking at Zack. "I'd like to see the old Sephiroth."
Zack smiled at him. Vincent and Tifa looked at Cloud. He was serious and curious about Sephiroth. It's not like they could refuse Zack's offer anyway. This is the world of the Lifestream after all. They would not be able to tell where they were going.
"What about Sephiroth's remnants?" Vincent asked, not that he was worried about them though. He was only curious.
"Lazard would be with them," Zack assured. "Well then, let's go!"
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"Would you two help me serve the dishes?" Aerith smiled, walking around the kitchen preparing for dinner.
She had worked to prepare dinner for more than two hours. There were a lot of people from the other world who did not have homes in this one so Aerith decided it would be easier if they ate outside. Tables had been already set out by Sephiroth and Genesis. Aerith wondered if the people all had died in some kind of war in the other world but she didn't want to ask about it. She had to make sure they survived in this world.
Sephiroth and Genesis were in the kitchen with her. Neither of them wanted to serve the dishes outside. They would feel weird doing it.
Genesis looked at Sephiroth for a moment and grinned. "Sure," he agreed. "It's not like it's too hard. Right, Sephiroth?"
"Humph," Sephiroth offered a tiny grin. He really was not going to do it. Sephiroth heard knocking at the front door, which should be open. He went to take a look. A young woman stood there, unhappy. "What do you want?" he walked up to her.
She had short red hair in low pigtails. Half of her face was cover in her long pale violet muffler. She wore a white leather tunic, pale violet long gloves, pale violet leather belt, black pants, and pale violet and yellow scale leggings, which reached to her knees. She had piercing green eyes and it made her look like she would snap at any second.
"…Never mind," she said, turning away. Her stomach started to growled from hunger. She rushed out of his sight, embarrassed.
"Did you just scare someone off with that face of yours?" Aerith walked by him, carrying a large bowl of rice.
Sephiroth chuckle lightly, turning to her. "I don't think so," he said. He looked behind him and Genesis was carrying many plates. "Make sure you don't drop those, hero," he remarked.
"I won't," Genesis grinned.
Aerith stopped walking and Genesis almost bumped into her. She turned to Sephiroth. "Can you go out and make sure there aren't any of those creatures around anymore?" she asked, worried that they would attack again.
Sephiroth walks away and stepped outside. Aerith figured that was a 'yes' from him. Genesis seemed unhappy. He probably wanted a more hero-like job than to be serving dishes, but he did not say anything about it. She smiled, thinking that having them around would be fun.
She placed the rice bowl on one of the tables. The phone rang inside the house and Aerith hurried to get it as Genesis set the tables. Aerith entered the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello, Aerith here," she said. She paused for a moment and smiled with a light giggle. "Don't worry, there's enough for Cloud and the others."
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Tifa helped Cloud bandage Vincent's left shoulder where he was bitten by the strange shadows. The bite mark was just as large as a human mouth. It was bleeding, but not serious. After that, they followed Zack and Angeal through another forest.
Vincent was walking behind the group as Zack chattered on about the world in the Lifestream. He said none of the cities and towns had a name so the people here just gave all of them names themselves. Even the lakes, rivers, oceans, and mountains had been given names. Over population wasn't a concern because the Lifestream was infinite. Some didn't want to be reborn. They didn't want to return to the other world to feel pain and sadness.
The place they were heading was called Firefly Light Village. It got its name from the fireflies that lived in the area. The bugs only came out during dawn and dusk. They were going to have dinner after the bugs had flown away.
"I totally forgot!" Zack stopped walking with the group and turned to Vincent. "You must be Vincent Valentine. Aerith mentioned you a couple of times. I'm Zack Fair," Zack knew some of Vincent's history and felt rather troubled by it.
He felt that way because it must have been hard for Vincent. He was another victim of the Hojo's horrible experiments. Now that he thought about it… Was it really Vincent inside the coffin, snoring, at the time?
Vincent nodded, "Pleased to meet you, Zack."
"Then that makes all of us acquaintances!" Zack grinned, walking along the group again. He went to catch up with Angeal.
Tifa smiled. She was walking beside Cloud. He was carrying his sword. When she turned to him, he did not look happy. "Cloud?" she bent down a little bit to look at his face. He looked at her. "Is there something wrong?"
He forced a smile. "I'm fine," he told her. She did not believe him. He looked away. "It's nothing really."
"Is it about Aerith?" she asked. He fell silent. She smiled. "What, are you shy about seeing her again?"
Cloud looked at her. He had come to terms with the guilt he felt over the Ancient's death. Ever since the day he'd seen Aerith after the battle with Sephiroth's remnants, he knew that Aerith had never blamed him. He knew that he wasn't alone anymore. Yet, something was bothering him. He was not sure what it was though.
"It'll be like the old times," Tifa said, nodded. She walked backwards in front of him. "You know what I mean? So don't give her a gloomy face when we see her, okay?"
He smiled this time. "Right…" he said. He wondered how Tifa could still feel energetic about this. "Are you excited about seeing Aerith?" he asked.
She nodded again. "Of course I am. It has been a while since we last saw each other. Since we're in this world, she has a physical body. I can hug her and tell her how much I'm thankful for her being with us after all this time."
They took their time walking. The fireflies were no longer around and Zack found it strange. He glanced up at the sky. The sky had not darkened and the bugs always hung around a little bit longer than this. They had their own routine of coming around and going away. Zack knew this for sure because he had kept track of almost everything around him.
A loud explosion rocked the forest floor, followed by loud voices of people. The black smoke darkened the skies in front of them, not too far from where they were.
Zack gasped and started to run. "That's where Aerith and the others are!" he said. Everyone started to run as well. "Angeal! Would you mind going first?" Zack asked.
"Alright," Angeal nodded. His white wing appeared on his right and he quickly flew off, already near to where the smoke was coming from.
He viewed the small village from the air. People were running around and Aerith was telling them to calm down, urging them to take shelter inside the house. Sephiroth and Genensis were fighting the humanoid shadows creatures again. Angeal then noticed another person who was aiding the people. She had red hair in low pigtails. She threw small bombs at the monsters and it caused a big blast.
"Angeal!" Genesis saw him as he landed on the ground. "Are Zack and the others here?"
"Lazard and the kids are still far off from here," Angeal told him, his right hand glowing with light. He shot a beam of light towards the creatures and they disappeared but more quickly replaced them. "But we have Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent. Zack is coming with them right now."
Genesis grinned, lifting his sword in the air when one of the shadows jumped at him. The sword stabbed into the shadow, causing it to disappear. "Cloud, huh?" he thought out loud.
Angeal heard another explosion and turned to the girl with the red hair. "Stop that," he told her. He knows that she is helping them but blasting things would only damage the environment.
"I know where I'm throwing," she snapped at him. She walked up to him with a glare, putting her hands on her hips. "Can't you see that I'm helping out here? There are only three of you."
The monsters were going to go into the house to look for the people. Sephiroth slashed through them. He leapt into the air and down into the shadows who were crowding under the shadows of the trees. "Stop talking and keep fighting," Sephiroth said, looking back at Angeal, Genesis, and the girl.
"The name's Theris," the red haired girl said, introducing herself. She spun away and lifted her right hand to her eye level. Her hand glowed brightly and faded away. She now held a bomb. She threw it towards the incoming monsters. It blasted them away, shaking the ground a little.
"My, my," Genesis grinned. His sword burned in flames. He was ready to attack. "Theris is so aggressive."
Angeal looked at Theris. How did she do that? He's referring to her bomb that she created out of nowhere. He did not want to ask her about it and turned his attention to the creatures that lurked around him.
Sephiroth heard a child's cry. He listened carefully and followed the child's voice. Beyond the trees, he saw a boy with dark brown hair. One of the creatures spotted the boy as well and leapt towards the defenseless child. Sephiroth sprinted across the clearing and thrust his katana into the monster.
"Sephiroth!"
He turned around and saw Cloud jumping towards him, the big sword in his hand. Cloud slashed at Sephiroth and he blocked it with Masamune. They looked at each other, gripping their weapons tightly as the blades pressed against each other. Sephiroth and Cloud felt another shadow coming at them. Sephiroth pushed Cloud away and waved his katana to his left. Masamune slashed through a shadow that had been aiming for Cloud. Sephiroth turned to Cloud with no expression. Then he walked away to help the boy.
Cloud stared at Sephiroth. He did not seem like the other Sephiroth. So it was true. The old Sephiroth would not have saved him nor would he have walked away from their battle.
"Sorry," Cloud said, moving his sword away. Sephiroth turned back to him. Cloud had thought Sephiroth was going to kill the little boy. Just now. He had not seen the shadow Sephiroth had been aiming for and thought that the former general had been attacking the child. "Just a little misunderstanding," Cloud said.
Sephiroth knew Cloud had thought that he was going to murder the little boy. Not that he could blame Cloud. Sephiroth knew the terrible things he had done and wondered what he was doing here. He did not feel the urge to bring the world to its destruction. His mind clouded with questions. But he did not want to be bothered by those useless thoughts. Sephiroth nodded at Cloud, "I assumed that it was a misunderstanding."
Upon hearing Genesis, Cloud turns around. He was not sure if Genesis had changed or not. He had not known Genesis well and his impressions of the man while suffering from mako poisoning were blurry. Genesis still looked like Genesis, if he remembered correctly.
Tifa punched her way through the crowed of shadows and saw Aerith. She was guarding the house where the people were chattering with fear. "Aerith!" Tifa smiled.
Aerith heard her voice and turned to her. "Tifa…!"
Vincent was being followed by some shadows. He ran up the tree and a couple crashed into the tree. He fired his gun at them and they disappeared. He landed on his feet and turned around to find more of them. He saw a figure running away from the battle. Thinking it could be one of those monsters and wondering if they were trying to hide something, he chased after it.
Zack swung his sword at the monster after another monster. "They just keep coming!" he smiled a little bit but then glared. More and more were surrounding them. "At this rate…!"
Vincent caught up with the running figure, jumping right in front of it. The person in the black ragged cloak with a large hood fell backwards, gasping for air. Vincent looked at the small person and asked, "Who are you? Are you with the people here? Or… are you an enemy?"
The person did not reply and slowly stood up. Vincent pointed his gun at the person. He notices the skin color on the person's skin. Though the sky was green and only showed green light, he could tell it was gray. The person's lips looked more like a girl's.
She touched the hood to make sure he would not see her face. She turned away and ran off.
He was not sure if she was a villager, but followed her anyway. "Wait!" he called. More shadows appeared before him and he stopped running. Who was that? He thought, getting his gun ready for another battle.
The sky turned red. Sephiroth looked up at the sky. He saw a red glowing red Lifestream appearing right next to him on his left. All of the shadow figures stopped moving, withdrawing from the battle and standing back. Cloud and the others gathered. They were confused about what was going on. The attack just stopped. Vincent had returned as well, but Theris was not in sight.
A young girl appeared in the red Lifestream and the red glowing light disappeared. She stared up at Sephiroth with her bright pink eyes. She had white hair that reached to her neck, her bangs covering her right eye. On her upper body, she wore a dark red-pink light metal armor with metal braces on her arms of the same color. Around her waist was a heavy brown belt. Her long dark red-pink skirt covers her left leg and a little bit on the right one. Around her right thigh is a little red-orange pouch. Her metal knee boots are dark red-pink too. She wore a dark red-pink metal choker and red lipstick. The wind started to come around and blew her bangs that covered her right eye. She had a red mark over her right eye, over her eyebrows down to her cheek.
She turned her look away from Sephiroth and observed around the shadows. "Return," she ordered. The instant she did, all of them vanished.
Zack looked at the dead-looking girl. She was still looking around, searching for something. "Are you the one who… summoned those monsters?" he asked, gripping his sword tightly. Otherwise how had she been able to make them go away?
She looked at Zack. "No," she said with no expression. "It must have been her. She only just began learning what she is." She looks around again. "It doesn't seem like she's here either."
"Who are you?" Sephiroth, who stood right beside her, asked.
The young lady looked up at him. She blinked once, her expression still emotionless. "…Chrysanthemum," she replied. "Oh wait, that would be too long to say when one needs to cry out my name. Just call me Kiku."
"Chrysanthemum…?" Sephiroth closed his eyes, assumed. "A flower that symbolizes purity?" His eyes opened and he stared at her for a moment. "Your appearance doesn't seem to match your name."
"Aren't you knowledgeable, but is that your way to flirt with the ladies?" Kiku chuckled, slightly turning her head with a smile.
Her expression changed. She seemed like a normal girl with a pleasant smile on her face. Or so he thinks.
Sephiroth smirked, "I wasn't flirting."
The others were silent, surprised by the turn the conversation had taken.
"Then you're saying I look ugly?" she looked back at him. Her smile was still on her face. Before he said anything she went on. "I guess I have to agree with you. I look dead, don't I? I'm nothing near purity."
"Don't talk about yourself like that," he said with a sarcastic tone. She grinned at him. To his surprise, she did not feel mocked but he did not show his expression to her reaction. Or maybe she did not hear his sarcastic voice. "So, what are you planning to do here?" he questioned, getting right to the point.
Kiku walked away. "I'm not planning anything yet. I'm just looking for the new member who had wandered off," she said. "Sorry for the trouble that she caused you."
"…Yet?" Angeal narrowed his eyes at her.
"Then what were those things that your 'new' member had summoned?" Zack asked, more like demanding though.
Kiku sighed, feeling tired. "Zetsumei. They eat beings that are not from this world. So do your best trying to protect the ones who are from the other world."
Just when Zack was going to ask for more information, her body turned into the red Lifestream and disappeared.
Cloud looked around to check for more signs of threat. He relaxed a little and looked at Zack. "Zetsumei?" he wondered out loud. "They eat beings… that are not from this world. The Lifestream."
Vincent recalled when one had bitten him. The creatures had been trying to eat him? The others looked at him as well. "That would mean we're not dead yet," he said.
"Those shadows, Zetsumei…" Tifa reminisced. "Vincent's right. He was bitten before. Those monsters were going to eat him, if that was what they were trying to do. Then that really would only mean…"
"We're alive, but are stuck in the Lifestream," Cloud finished the sentence. He looked at Zack to hear what he thinks.
Zack glared at the sky. It turned back to green again. "It seems we have something serious to take care of in this world as well," he said. Then he smiled and looked at everyone. "Well, anyone hungry?"
