Ultimate Heroes 2007
Stage Four – Conflict and Union
The dust reared itself once again all too soon. Cloud's thick boots compact the dirt beneath his feet as he slid some distance across the fine rock surface. No more than a stones throw away the long silver haired SOLDIER general was in a similar position, slightly crouched as his much longer and more battle experienced boots grated against the ground until the friction gave his flight way, and he crept to a halt. Without so much as pause for breath Cloud was upon him, the deadly broad sword scraping against the metallic edge of his own fine blade, swaying frantically in movements that seemed almost rehearsed through the blood-soaked conflictions of these two warriors. Sephiroth, last son of Jenova, and restless divinity, slung his Masamune in a spiral swipe which Cloud made caution to block, the unexplained force of the two clashing blades lifting him from the earth and sending him spirally over Sephiroth's own head. The twisted inspiration of his life still with both eyes locked, their faces met as Cloud was flung over Sephiroth's own shoulders, until the blond saviour once again found his footing on firm ground. Immediately searing hot metal collided, the blades flicked and flared off one another's surfaces. With a kick and a dodge, each made their territories as they cascaded from rocks and rubble, their weapons sending spirals of unknown force and magical essence into the air. Cloud's midnight blue fleece jacket flicked against his neck, once minute straight, the next pulled any which way by gravity as the dramatic acrobatics became more frequent. Then the blades locked, equal force bore down on them both as Cloud and Sephiroth hung temporarily suspended in the air above the crater and its fresh layer of destruction they weighted down on it. Then Sephiroth's teeth glinted through pale lips, like dying and wilted roses, once more; only this time, the unspoken traitor to humanity was supporting a gentle smile- something that foretold doom. The Masamune slid along the length of Cloud's First Tsurugi at speed, sending the once unstable warrior back down in a free style fall and landing on his feet without any sign of strain, raising his hand and somehow capturing the falling blade in his grip as though the weight of such a weapon was nothing. That was when the leather clad arm began to emit a glow, something so supernaturally luminous and mirrored a colour like that of the life stream, something which had once again arisen in this battle at the crater but, for the first time, seemed to really hold the full wicked heart of the demon supporting it.
An unearthly flare combusted and blazed, like a falling star from the still heightened Sephiroth's arm, which was spread out and pointed lazily at his admittedly worthy opponent. There had been a time, long past, when Cloud had wished that Sephiroth would see him as an equal, as someone worthy of his greatest talents and to behold his most powerful secrets in battle. This was not one of those times.
The eruption send waves of the very air around them spiralling dangerously in all directions, the force of the blast slammed against the ground below and shook the very earth loose. The crater walls caved in a little more and the light became blinding, a ballistic sound raged out, so powerful and overwhelming it drowned out all else, but this sound itself was unheard, leaving all but sudden silence as the terrible comet plummeted the short distance from the ever rising figure of Sephiroth, who was once again high enough to be eloped by the sun itself, and thus the mystical terror impacted with ground quaking force and enveloped half of the craters distance. It all happened seemingly immediately, the world around them jutted and swayed, distant buildings at the outer skirts of the abandoned city trembled and collapsed without noise. The wound in the earth in which this deathly battle was fought took the full impact, the floor of the crater giving way in places and the building seas of dirt, which was quickly crushed and burnt into sand by the blast, flooded down into the fissures below; wherever they may have led.
Cloud had vanished; Sephiroth remained suspended while the initial flare subsided and slowly, the rumble of the impact came back to his enhanced hearing once more and the light of the powerful blast vanished, leaving only rubble and chaos in its wake. Then another flare, fiercer and more focused, launched like a spear from grounds unknown and caught an unwary Sephiroth through the chest. It was as lightning, only it had been targeted to the burlier fighter who now revolved almost mystically until he was lying in the air, against some unseen surface on which he lay with arms still stretching down toward the ground. Cloud Strife dusted off his deep blue trousers quickly, emerging with utmost caution from behind a freshly spurred boulder from the uneven ground. His surprise attack had worked, the glowing green treasure in his blades hilt pulsated from its recent use. A lighting spire, directly to the heart, while promising would not be enough to take down a creature that had seen the face of death itself and smiled.
Razor thin pupils jarred into life, his eyes snapping open and without motion he had vanished, only to emerge within the space of a heartbeat at Cloud's side. The noble ex-SOLDER, with his oversized broad sword and eternal chip on his shoulder, caught the transfer in time to bring up his arms once more, knocking away Sephiroth's lengthy blade before a strike could even be made and forcing him back. The self deluded 'god' known as Sephiroth, his strong arms raised before him with the mighty Masamune balanced between them. It came then, not for the first time, it was like some kind of sick dance between the two. Flurries of force unknown, presented in flashes of light the colour of the most formidable poison, chasing each of Cloud's movements as the twisted smile returned to Sephiroth's face.
"I don't intend to lose, Cloud." The first words he had spoken since arrival, spoken with such calm venom that his nemesis had come to wish he had never heard anything at all, "I may have lost mother's head, but I shall soon have yours!" Such malice was something uncommon in Sephiroth, whom usually made his threats through his actions, and never relied on such methods to put across his plentiful intimidation.
"Not gonna happen psycho." Cloud deflected a random shockwave with the flat side of his sword, moving at such a speed as he could muster as the cascading energy projectiles found there home amongst the rocks and the craters ledge, which soon shattered with such velocity the resulting shrapnel was flung far from the crater itself, much of which met with the actual clouds overhead before coming back down to their home with dangerous enthusiasm, all around the outside of this tempest crater many smaller replicas were being formed as the overflow of Sephiroths power chiselled away at the desert only returned the favour as solid rain. Once Sephiroth grew tired of their hellish waltz he lowered the blade partially, preparing to make with another disastrous assault, only then did the air grow still enough for Cloud to regain his focus. He had been moving fast, he was exhausted but alive, and already he had counted out the rhythm in such an attack to avoid the likelihood of death, but still the lifting fog of sand and what smelled strangely like mako remained heavy. Their battle should have been destined to draw far longer, with the two combatants growing steadily stronger and more capable to push their performance. However it was now, once the demi-god of destruction had lowered his samurai weapon that fate decided to play a whole new hand.
The tip of the body-length Masamune clattered against a flat stone, Sephiroth, who once stood at the centre of rapture, was left with gaunt face chiselled blank. For the first time since their arrival, neither fighter had their mind focused on the other. A billow of dust that had nothing to do with the battle was rolling like a heavily concentrated avalanche down the opposing side of the crater; this would not have aroused too much interest under normal standards, but when an object tearing downhill faster than a Highwind slips down onto the stable ground and hurtles towards them, it was hard not to take notice. It took merely seconds to reach them, and internally Cloud was pleased for the breather, Sephiroth was affronting far more viciously than he had ever remembered. Taking almost lengthened time with each movement, Sephiroth drew back his sword until it tailed behind him, placed both hands onto its hilt and, with a furrowed brow to their interruption, locked in stance, waiting on his own strike.
Now with a splitting torrent of sands raising aside it like a cracked tide, the re-proportioned cycle, with its maroon oak paintjob trailing behind it like a numb light alongside the red and dim blue lamps to its rear, jutted relentlessly on the unstable ground around it. Twice over the widening berth of seemingly bottomless fractures in the dirt the steed crackled and sparked, issuing random flares from unseen internal propulsion that pushed it on at a pace unnatural of such a vehicle. Light Yagami was perched with a harsh lean across the stable bike, his eyes almost completely closed as a barrage of filth rushed over his form. The side of the bike was rather more deformed than before, even with the transformation still in place, as a deep gash ran across its side where something had caught and torn into the metal, at the brink of the tear a single kunai blade jutted out to the side. With one foot placed precariously onto the blade, and a hand supported aside Light's on the wide handlebars, Kizuguchi somehow supported himself off the side of the vehicle, despite their speed, which was keeping an adrenaline pumped Light welded to his seat. The older Buraindo tilted his head aside, unlike Light he did not have to hide himself against the sandstorm centred on them. Something was not right about the awaiting scene. Light recognized a flash of brilliant blond, but…
"Kizuato is not here." It didn't even matter if his subtle companion heard. That said, no sooner had his lips parted than his expression clenched, grabbing onto the bar and twisting, wrenching it almost from Light Yagami's possession. An already unstable cycle skipped almost completely from the ground, slung onto its side with both its passengers grasping in desperation to its trembling body. Shattering along the right side of the bike, which was frankly displayed as the cycle teetered on edge, still climbing in pace with two startled riders and passing past a scene of utter chaos, a sudden flash of white light lashed out like a whip. The Masamune tore into the body kit, slicing it clean across one side. The nose broke the sands surface, buried through the dirt in a jagged trail as the rear of the bike skipped and sprawled behind it before ending its thundering journey in a spiralling cartwheel, then implanted like a monolith in the wastes.
"Still not beyond attacking the innocent." Cloud stated. For an instant he thought he recognized one of the riders, however there was something different about him, something he hadn't seen before. He must have been mistaken.
"Innocent? You use that word too often…Cloud." Sephiroth smiled through frosted lips, pale blue and speaking only ice. "None are innocent. Regardless of what you thought of those in Nibelheim, of your friends, none are without sin."
Light had his arm shielding his face, his normally immaculate white shirt clotted to the stitch with grit and dirt, and yet he did not feel injury as the bike slammed with dramatic presence into the earth. A metallic chime and drone sounded some ways off, the sudden outburst had come to a silence, and Yagami could feel not but the wind on his sleeves. Daring to unveil the world Light took a moment for his cosy toned brown eyes to readjust from the blurring world to the solitary counterpart, the swirling colours of the illuminated dashboard still shining behind his eyelids.
"Has the world stopped melting?" An attempt at maintaining some sarcastic demeanour as the promising honour student opened his eyes. The ground was not familiar, barren and filthy, however that was not much of a matter as Light was not intimate with the ground at this time, so it was all good. However, it was off that he wasn't making any contact. Kizuguchi was perched with strict discipline, structured on one leg and another crossed past his waist in balance, hoisting a limp Yagami over his shoulder and perching with utmost precision on the wide surface of the First Tsurugi. "Perhaps some day you could teach me how to do that with my eyes closed." There was an immediate period in which the desert seemed just as it should have been, settled and without irritation, after such an apocalypse of clashing force that tore and spread the wasted land apart. That was when all opposing forces confronted, unmeasured powers collided, and some serious shit happened. The blade vanished beneath the swift ninja's feet, which kicked off instinctively and catapulted with help of Clouds great swing into the air. Sephiroths vicious katana split from the sand, which was struck to such force it glowed and melted to glass fragments around the charging blade as it split the earth. A slip of the arm, a spin of the fingers and a flick of the wrist- a shower of kunai clouded the earth as 'Ziguchi took aim at none but targeted all. Light clutched against the fabric of the aqua shirt, or perhaps his trousers, was no time to distinguish. A solitary flare of plasmid orange glow, coursing like a great spire of light from the earth of the crater and maintaining its almost solid presence, much as a solitary ray of sunlight from the ground itself. Then it all fell. The craters base collapsed on itself, this time in almost continental portions as its mass waned and died, letting pass to even more streams of neon energy. This irrational event stirred only too well with the above collision of force, and before any of these potential strikes could even land their mark, hell itself bled to the surface to join the brawl. As though the planet had lost its grip of gravity, tides of grit and sand rose from the ground, large rocks and shattered boulders released their hug on the earth and rose as the light grew stronger, illuminating all around it. The building grumble of the rock crumbling surroundings and the cliff face edges of the crater crumbling and sliding drowned out, possibly passing to a level of noise beyond sound, or perhaps the rush of energy sweeping past Cloud's feet like an aggressive breeze had banished the outcry of the chaos. For whatever reason, both the impressive figures of Cloud and his nemesis, the dark SOLIDER Sephiroth, removed their attention from one another and launched toward the growing sphere of blinding essence tearing up through the ground, like a rising sun from the earth taking up a substantial amount of the perfectly circular chasm. A series of pulsating flares pushed through Light's mind; he couldn't be sure whether his eyes were open or closed. One moment a sweeping view through a public child's park, some kind of intimidating laboratory, an eternally running freeway passing by, then the great shadow, standing below dominating metallic dome- then it all came back to focus without warn. The burning star had risen, now imprinting an aura into the sky. Or so it seemed, as the white haze lifted back to reality Light realised he was at ground level, the slow ascending phenomenon overhead. Past the shell of translucent amber energy a fraying scarlet rustle marked out with theatrical presence the paramount pose of a raging Tetsuo. Arms outstretched, holding together the radiating force-field that held him high. Light parted his teeth to call something out, but between hearing nothing but an inaudible white noise and feeling himself drop to the ground and receiving a mouthful of dancing sand there wasn't much to be said- clearly the discharging seismic waves from this indescribable force had caused Kizuguchi to recoil. Holding out a grotesquely pulsating arm the concentrated atomic bomb known a Tetsuo blasted back a soaring blonde warrior, Cloud Strife deflected back from the force and his overkill sword was disarmed back over his shoulder. Sound like progressing wind was building up, even the sickening echo of an elongated blade piercing into the shuddering shoulder of some telekinetic experiment. Sephiroths katana retracted from its wounded target. Tetsuo recoiled before his assailant was effectively rebounded from the sky. Cloud was not to be seen, however Light witnessed a sandaled foot taking off past his vision, seemingly slowed with the dragging pace of that persisting noise. That was when Light became aware the rotting desert was leaving him, replaced by nothing but a white mist draining down across his eyes. Something contacted him, grabbing his shoulder and hoisting him, Light's head tilted for that last moment, and he was certain he'd seen L.
"Cloud...you've grown into such a handsome young man, I bet the girls won't leave you alone." …Not really…"I wish you'd settle down and find yourself a nice girlfriend. There are a lot of temptations in the city."…Not interested… "I think you should have an older girlfriend. One who can take care of you- that would be the perfect type for you, Cloud." …whatever. "I will always be your mother."
It had been a long time since Cloud had dreamt of his mothers last days, the last time he'd seen her back in Nibelheim. It wasn't an unpleasant memory, but he'd been glad the constant phantom voices had left his sleep some years back. Why had the dreams returned? He was still dreaming wasn't he? His thoughts returned from the cosy old bed that had been reduced to ash, back to the unknown comfort of the rough texture scuffing against his immaculate golden lances. Yet his sights still swam in darkness.
"Ack!" The abyss passed as Cloud pressed his palms against the black leather of the wide sofa and retreated to its edge as a peculiar looking young man with raven hair and eyes seemingly without pupils, or pupils seemingly without eyes, dropped out of his crouching position onto his backside, still eyeing the freshly woken warrior with some mild interest. In reflex Cloud clutched to his waist but no worn handle did presented itself, his sword seemed to have been taken from him.
"Explain this." Cloud demanded, not specifying anything especially but the situation seemed to speak for itself. The room beyond the odd scene set the tone for Clouds curiosity; it was heavily nostalgic in the sense that the sheer amount of dark expensive oak, dwindling candles and expensive leather gave the air its own overpowering scent. The melancholy Ryuzaki shuffled from his seat and stood aside the cautious Cloud who followed him with a judging gaze. As though considering his words L pointed a finger slightly upward, raising his chin and let his eyes wander for a moment. Cloud couldn't help but consider the possibility he'd been assigned to an institution, the plain white shirt on a scrawny pale young man with rimmed eyes and startling hair made this a daunting speculation. Lowering his hand L looked down to Strife casually.
"I don't really know." Clearly there were no answers to be gained from this one, and the intruding aroma of burning wood from the adjacent fireplace was making Clouds head grow heavy once again. Making an attempt to gain his stance the brave soldier felt a tremble through his legs as he almost met with the floor, though with such overblown carpeting it was likely softer than the couch. "I wouldn't try too much too fast," the eerily relaxed voice spoke, "I don't know how you managed it all, but it must have been a great strain on you." Disregarding the concern Cloud forced his frame to steady, flexing his arms before the connections were made.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Patting down across his armour Cloud ensured his equipment was in place, apart from his blade, before stepping back and scanning with stern scowl the aesthetically deep surroundings. There were numerous seats including a few arm chairs and a long sofa close by, confronting a crackling fireplace that fogged the entire stretch of the chamber in a ruby toned glow. Three of the four walls matched with steep bookshelves laden with leather faced tomes. Turning his back to one of the two semi-opened doorways Cloud caught the rather creepy glimpse of a shadowed smirk across those gaunt lips. L stood with his back arched a fraction, his bewitching eyes locked up at Clouds decidedly stone profile. His misplaced appearance reminded Cloud of the near-dead victims of the Sephiroth Clone trials.
"What?" The more upright of the two inquired, clutching toward his gauntlet on which latched his backup artillery of destructive material, before his hand made contact though the bluntly freaky young man straightened his own face and spoke flat.
"You have strange hair."
Before any more could be said the farthest door latched with a bolt and the jittering shadow of a new presence strolled across the walls. Cloud twitched his sight back across his shoulder; Ryuzaki didn't remove his charcoal peepers from the dynamic golden spikes of Strife's hairdo- standing before them in a luxuriously coloured, profound crimson smoking jacket, Ryu stood in the warmth of the firelight with a satisfied smile. Flicking rich strands of what appeared in the dark to be shining grey hair past his ear the omnipresent Kuro looked over to the two mismatched men by the couch and raised a silver decaled wooden pipe to his lips. Cloud remained at a loss for information but regardless he took the two steps to the fireside and confronted the rather proud figure with glass like eyes.
"I want to know how it happened." Kuro seemed less interested in Clouds hair and more in his eyes, there was something in there that amused him, with a swift smirk Ryu faced the flames and ruffled the thick cuffs on his traditional styled gown. Tapping the tip of his pipe to his teeth Kuro refrained from facing either of them again but spoke regardless.
"How what happened exactly? You should be more specific, Cloud." His voice was steady, which didn't do much to support the blonde's temperament over the situation. Cloud remained speculative as to how the irritating stranger knew of him, but that wasn't his primary concern at this time.
"I want to know how he came back." Once again that flicker of subtle amusement reflected in Kuro's features. L, who was abandoned besides the sofa with thumb to lips and head tilted aside, looked rather lost in the conversation, who were they referring to?
"I didn't know you smoked." Ryuzaki pointed out in curiosity. Ryu Kuro stepped away from the fire and looked down at the pipe in his hand, placing his between his teeth for a moment before sitting with legs crossed in the closest auburn armchair.
"I don't, the pipe just makes me look good." L nodded slowly, watching as he perched on the arm of the sofa. Cloud simply grimaced and stood before the mahogany fireplace, his shadow and shape making for an imposing image against the flames.
"That's very nice, but I'd like some answers while there's still someone left to question." Once again that nimble hand pressed onto the spherical orbs of ancient knowledge that pressed the message rather clearly for Ryu. Stroking his hair between his fingers in a way that reminded Ryuzaki very much of a certain boy he remembered from years back Ryu raised a warning hand which caused Cloud to hesitate.
"That's not like you Cloud, but I can see you're becoming desperate." Lowering his hand and placing it across the arm of the chair Kuro pointed the length of the pipe towards Cloud, speaking in a clear manner as Ryuzaki watched the odd spectacle from the sidelines. "You are here because I willed it. You will stay here, until it's over."
