PAST MEETS PRESENT

With Yojimbo's help through the mountains, the party reached the end of the peninsula within a day.

"Well look who's here." Carlos said as they reached the beach.

Waiting for them, standing at the bow of the Quicksilver, stood Cid.

"Long time no see. Seems that you survived the trip!" Cid laughed as he jumped off, landing on the sand.

"How did you know that we were coming?" Storm asked.

"I gave him a call when we were in Wutai." Shri-Lanka answered.

"And here I am." The older man noticed Talon and eyed him curiously as he aimed his cigar at him.

"So who's the new guy?" He asked.

"This is Talon. We ran into him a couple of days ago." Karin explained.

"Does he have any money?" The rest of you are covered, but I can't let anybody on unless they can pay." He made clear as he took a drag of his cigar.

"Well I'm not one for burdening people so I think I can front you my share. So how much?" Talon reached into his shirt.

"25,000 gil."

The normally suave Talon looked at the man with an astounded look and made a sound that was like he was choking.

"25,000! That's highway robbery! I can't pay that!" He shouted.

"Well sucks to be you. I guess this is where you get off." Storm said as he walked by Talon, who gave him a death glare.

"Wait. I'll pay for his ride."

"What!" Both men said as they looked at Karin.

Talon regained his bearing as he took a knee before taking her hand.

"Truly, from the bottom of my heart, from the deepest part of my soul, I thank you. I am forever indebted to you."

He kissed it gently, making the woman blush with embarrassment.

"Please, there's no need to thank me." She said as he stood up.

Storm couldn't believe that Karin was actually paying to bring that shallow, egotistical asshole with them.

"Well alright then. Lets head back to Dias." Cid said as everyone got on board.

Storm and Talon were the last to get on board.

"Well, looks like you're not gonna get rid of me that easily." Talon said with an arrogant smirk.

"Just watch yourself. Your tongue might have gotten you out of this, bgut the second you do anything to hurt them, you won't live long enough to worry about the consequences." Storm warned.

"Duely noted. Now lets get going, shall we?" Talon patted Storm on the back and got on board.

Storm grinded his teeth together.

"I really hate that guy."

XXXXX

The Quicksilver roared as it shot across the water.

"Wow, this ship is fast." Talon said as he checked out the Captain's Room.

"Impressed? She's unlike any other on the sea. I made her from the best material money can buy." Cid said proudly.

"So is there any other ship that is good enough to match it?"

"Well there is one that can do that." Cid said.

"Is it big and gold?" Talon asked.

"Yeah, that's the Gold Saucer. Why?"

"Cause I think it's heading right for us."

Cid's eyes got big as he turned to see where Talon was pointing.

The battleship indeed was on their left coming right for them at top speed.

"Damn, they must have followed me." Cid growled as he grabbed the mic.

"Attention on deck! The Gold Saucer is on the port side! Get ready everyone! I think they're coming back for round 2!"
"What side?" Said Wedge.

"The left side! The left side!" Cid shouted.

"Why didn't you say so!" The demi shouted back.

Cid was ready as he unleashed his 30 mm cannons at the bow.

"I knew you'd come back so I put on some extra firepower for ya!"
Two more holes opened up and two missile launchers, each one carrying a payload of 4 radar-guided missiles.

"Now let me line you up for a clear shot." Cid looked at a scope with a target reticule aimed right at the Gold Saucer.

As he did, he had a look of confusion on his face.

"What the hell are they doing? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they were..."

Then he realized.

"Everyone strap yourselves in! They're gonna ram us!"

The group followed his command and strapped in.

"You think you're gonna take me without a fight! Fuck you!"

Cid launched all eight warheads at the ship as well as firing his 30 mm machine guns.

Despite the barrage , the ship continued on its course.

"Brace for impact!"
The two ship collided, the Quicksilver cut in half as the Gold Saucer rammed its side.

Metal shrieked from both ships, but the Gold Saucer's larger frame held intact as it exited from the other side, not even slowing down, leaving the Quicksilver to sink into the water.

XXXXX

The ocean's waves washed the Quicksilver's debris ashore, all that remained of the great ship.

There was no sign of life as the water silently washed the beach.

Storm and Karin gasped for air as they broke the surface.

Both were holding onto one another as they struggled the last few meters and collapsed on the dry land.

The others also began to surface and made their way to the shore.

"Everybody okay?" Storm asked.

"We're alive if that's what's you're asking.' Shri-Lanka replied.

"That was a close one." Ramuh said with a little humor.

"For us, maybe. Aren't you guys immortal or something?" Carlos asked.

"In a manner of speaking. Elements in their natural state don't affect us (non-spells)." Yojimbo replied.

"Is it just me or am I hearing voices?" Cid asked as he knocked some water out of his ear.

"Oh yeah, we didn't tell you what we found in the Fallen PLains." Shri-Lanka said.

The Beasts introduced themselves to the man, who was a little surprised.

"Well guess it's too late to charge ya for stowin away on my ship. God damn pirates." Cid muttered as he threw away his soggy cigar and brought out a case from his jacket, which had dry cigars, biting off the end of one.

He pulled out a box of matches, but they were ruined by the salt water.

"Damn piece of shit." He growled and threw the matches down in rage.

Cid was surprised as Storm placed his hand underneath the cigar, creating a small plume of fire.

He leaned into the fire and took a few puffs to let it catch.

"Thanks." He said.

"Don't mention it." Storm helped Karin to her feet.

"But it looks like we'll have to go on foot from here. So I think we deserve a refund."

"Whadya say?" Cid asked.

"Well we did pay you to take us to Dias, but since we didn't get there by your ship. We should get our money back." Storm impled.

Cid walked up to him and gave him a hard glare, which Storm wasn't fazed by.

Cid took a few puffs of the cigar. Nobody saying anything with the tension in the air.

Cid suddenly fell into a fit of laughter, shocking everyone.

"You got me there, kid! Hahahaha! I did fail to hold my end of the bargain so what can I say! Of course I can only refund today. The rest was used for the Quicksilver's arsenal." Cid explained.

"That's enough." Storm replied.

Storm handed Karin back her payment.

Talon was surprised at what just happened, as were the others.

"I suggest we get moving incase that Cruiser comes back to see if we're still alive." Storm said as he headed inland.

"Good idea." Carlos said as they followed him.

XXXXX

Upon leaving the beach, the party ran into a bizarre array of bluffs and plateaus.

From a bird's eye view, one could say that it resembled a maze.

"Where are we?" Karin asked.

"Beats me. Never had to come this way before." Cid replied.

Shri-Lanka looked up at the rocky surface from its base.

"These walls are nearly vertical. Scaling them would be impossible without the proper gear." She stated.

"Well I guess that leaves walking the only option. It's too narrow for Ifrit to make it through." Said Storm.

"Awww." Ramuh whined.

"Do you want me to eat you, Old man." Ifrit growled.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ramuh replied.

XXXXX

The group made their way through the maze of ravines and chasms, but ever since they entered, an uneasy feeling settled around them.

Every hole and cave posed a possible threat of an ambush.

High above them, a large body on four legs silently moved from shadow to shadow, watching them.

Wedge looked up and noticed a flicker of light, for a moment, he thought he saw fire at the end of a tail.

Shri-Lanka stopped, her eyes darting back and forth and behind them.

"Hold it, we're surrounded." She told them.

In that moment, dozens of feral wolves leaped from all directions, jumping from edge to edge until they landed around the group.

Everyone brought out their weapons.

"Stand back Cid. We'll take care of this." Storm said.

"What? And let you have all the fun?"

Cid reached into his jacket and pulled out a silver rod which extended from both ends to become a 7 foot trident.

"I can handle myself just fine."
Storm looked back at the weapon which had a polished shine on its body.

"Fair enough."

The pack snarled and attacked.

Shri-Lanka unleashed her Blizzara, impaling several wolves on its spikes.

Talon cast Aerora, which was a concentrated ball of air that exploded violently when it struck a group, knocking them into the chasm walls.

Karin threw a vial of green powder which exploded, covering the wolves, confusing them as they started to mistakenly attack each other.

Carlos used his martial arts to take care of any wolves that dared attack him.

Wedge was pounced on by several wolves, which turned into explosives in his place before detonating.

"Take that you dumb mutts!" Wedge shouted at the fireball.

Storm shifted out of every lunge they tried, stabbing vital areas with his blades as they passed, the animals spilling blood behind them as they collapsed in a heap.

Cid was crowing like a rooster as he jabbed the butt of his trident into the throat of a wolf and turned to impale another in the chest, swinging his weapon to throw the beast into another.

"Whoohoo! Come on! Bring it!" He dared as he fiddled with his goggles.

The group was faring well, but their numbers weren't dwindling.

"Don't these guys know when to quit?" Carlos said.

"Doesn't look like it." Shri-Lanka replied as they were getting pushed into a corner.

"Need some help?" Shiva asked.

"Thanks, but with your powers, this entire place would collapse right on top of us." Storm warned.

"Well better think of something fast. Otherwise you're gonna be dog food." Said Ifrit.

A large shadow covered them and they looked up to see a very big lion sail over them, landing between them and the wolves.

It was as big as a horse with dark red fur and a single feather sticking from an Indian headband.

The lion let out a tremendous roar that caused the ground to shake.

The wolves backed away, but didn't retreat as both sides growl threateningly at each other.

"Follow me." Came a voice.

They turned to see another lion.

"This way, hurry." He motioned with his head before running off.

"Do what he says!" Ordered the other lion. "I can handle these guys myself!"

With a roar, he charged, barreling through the pack, swatting and biting every wolf in reach.

"Lets go. We don't have another option." Karin said and they followed the lion.

The lion was waiting for them.

"Come on." He said and ran down a corridor.

Even though they went deeper into the maze, the lion never left their sight, making sure they could see him.

"We're almost there!" His voice echoed as he disappeared through a dark cavern.

As they followed, only the light from his tail gave him away as it guided them through the darkness.

In minutes, they reached an exit that overlooked a single passageway.

The lion was standing next to them as he pointed with his paw. He was considerably smaller than the other, as tall as they were at the shoulder.

"The way out is through there. It's not much further." He leaped down the side of the wall, sliding down its surface.

The party followed him, carefully making their way to the passage.

As they continued down the corridor, they noticed a statue of another lion overlooking the path.

It seemed odd as it was pierced with many arrows.

The reached a doorway that was left open. They entered and the lion shut it behind them.

"You'll be safe here." He said as he walked up a stairway.

The group looked around, seeing that the place looked more suited for people to live in. Doors leading into stores, a bridge, tables and chairs as well.

The only thing was, there were no people. It looked... deserted.

They followed their guide outside to a tower with a large telescope aimed at the sky.

The lion nudged the door open and walked inside.

"Someone's been expecting you."

The tower was quite large with dim lights illuminating the room.

At this point, they were wondering who it was.

The lion walked to the other side of the room, disappearing behind the telescope.

"They're here, Dad."

The group heard movement and saw a large figure walk around the telescope.

"So we meet at last. Welcome to Cosmo Canyon." It spoke.

The one speaking was as large as the other lion, but his chin and parts of his small mane were touched with gray, showing his elderly stature. But the biggest difference was the number 13 tattooed in Roman numerals on his right shoulder and he was blind in one eye.

"I am Nanaki, but call me Red XIII. You've already met my sons, Jessie and James."
Jessie sat next to his father.

"Hello." He said.

"Yo." James said as he came from behind them.

"Any trouble handling The Pack?" Red XIII asked.

"Not really Pops. Without their leader, they're all bark and no bite." James said as he laid down to relax.

"So these are the guys? I'm not impressed."

Red gave his son a stern glare.

"Please forgive James. He's like that around new people."

"That's fine, but why were you waiting for us?" Karin asked.

"And why do you act like you know us?" Talon asked.

"I do, well more specifically, your ancestors." Red XIII answered.

"Our ancestors?" Wedge said.

"Exactly, but some of you I've never seen before."

Red walked up to the group, his great size somewhat intimidating as he sniffed them individually.

He sat down again as if deciding what he should say.

"Lets start from the beginning. Many years ago, this world faced a danger much like it is today. One man almost destroyed our planet with the most powerful magic, Meteor. That man had more power than any one man could possess. His name was Sephiroth. But thanks to the strength of a powerful group, he was stopped."

Red XIII paused a moment.

"You are the descendants from members of that group."

"How do you know all of this?" Karin asked.

"Because I'm one of them." He answered.

"No way, you'd have to be..." Carlos said.

"Over 800 years old." Red finished.

Cid nearly dropped his cigar out of shock.

"My kind age slower than you. I've still got another 200 years left in me." Red XIII chuckled a little.

"Since then, I have vowed to watch over their children. As the years went by, I watched as this world changed. Midgard, the one place that was affected by Meteor, become the center of the world."

"What is he talking about?" Wedge asked.

"He means Dias." Shri-Lanka answered.

"And I've watched every generation, checking on them occasionally as they lived out their lives."

Red's eye landed on Cid.

"Cid the 24th. You're the spitting image of Cid the 3rd. Down to the same brand of cigars. You're also an avid flyer."

Cid laughed as he scratched his head.

"You have been watching us. Of course I haven't flown in over five years."

"Karin Sinclair, Princess over all of Gaia. I can see the Mako energy in your eyes. The descendant of our world's savior, Cloud Strife. I am sorry about your father, he was a good man."

Karin nodded. " Thank you."

"Carlos Lockheart. Descendant of Tifa Lockheart. Nice to see that you share her passion for martial arts."

"Thanks." He said.

"Finally. You I lost track of after your hometown was destroyed. Until recently, I had thought the entire Valentine Bloodline was lost."

"Valentine? Why does that sound so familiar?" Shri-Lanka said out loud.

Karin looked at Storm with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

"You're name is Valentine?"

"Yeah, of course you probably know it from my big brother, Kain."

"Kain Valentine." Carlos nearly knocked over everybody to reach Storm.

"THE Kain Valentine?" The Legendary Rey Slayer? The man who single-handedly stopped Doomsday?"

"That's my brother." Storm confirmed.

"I mean, he's a hero. I never would have guessed that you were related to him."

"More like a Martyr. I was young when he died. If he hadn't come home when he did, I could have died back then."

Storm clenched his fist tightly.

"I've thought of nothing but making them pay for my brother's death. I swear I'll make them pay."

Red looked at Storm's fist as black fire encircled it and snaked its way up his arm.

"Calm down, Storm. If you let your anger take over, you'll lose control of that power and become a raging beast with no sense of friend or foe. Now calm down." He commanded.

Storm took a few deep breaths and the fire receded.

"Seems that the Vincent's power is still strong after so many generations. All thanks to that psycho Professor Hojo, the transformations in your ancestor's body are embedded into your genetic structure. Most never used its power, but now is a time when it is needed again."

Storm said nothing, just turned around and left.

Karin followed him out.

"Guess he can't handle the pressure." James said.

Red sighed as he watched them leave.

"Give him time. His road to vengeance will bring him nothing but destruction. All of them have a bigger part to play in this war than they realize."

XXXXX

The cool night air kissed the once vibrant town as the stars shined brightly in the cloudless sky.

Karin searched the area, finally finding Storm sitting on a rocky ledge that overlooked the town.

"Found you." She said as she walked up to him.

Storm fidgeted with one of his swords, poking the ground in irritation.

"Mind if I sit?" She asked.

Storm stopped poking the ground and put his sword away.

Karin took it as an invitation and sat next to him, letting her legs swing back and forth over the edge.

For a while, neither of them spoke. It seemed like an eternity of silence between them.

"I'm sorry... for the way I acted earlier." Storm finally said.

"Well finding out about your ancestors was pretty big for us. But I wasn't expecting you to be the little brother of Kain Valentine. Aside from my father, he was the most well know name in all of Gaia. He was called the World's Most Powerful Man."

"Kinda hard to live up to the name of Valentine huh?"

"So you were envious of your brother?"

Storm let out a light chuckle.

"Envy? No, just the opposite, like everyone else, I idolized him. When our parents died, he made sure that we were taken care of. Even taking military contracts for money."

He paused for a minute.

"I can see that is why Doomsday came to be. It was a challenge. My brother did everything he could to stay out of the war, but it looked like one of the Reys wanted to fight him. Either to measure him or kill him to show that not even our strongest could beat them. My brother won won, but at the cost of his life."

"Sounds like you should be proud of him."

"I am, but that's the problem. I'm almost as old as he was when he died and I'm not even one tenth his strength. I can't even transform."

"What are you talking about? I've seen you change before."

"No, at most I can briefly use that power, but I haven't been able to completely transform. As much as I want to avenge Kain's death, I can't match their power."

Karin saw that Storm thought he couldn't meet his brother's expectations.

"Maybe it doesn't have to come to that. This war has gone on for too long. I know as long as we're at war, people will continue to die and only lead to senseless bloodshed. I want to make a treaty between our people in order to prevent this from happening again."

Storm nodded.

"We both have our reasons for going to Terra. Lets just see which of our goals can be accomplished."

Jessie approached them.

"My father has asked for your presence." He turned to head into town, which they followed.

Inside, the others were waiting, light flooding the tower now.

Red XIII began once everyone had gathered.

"Please forgive me if my words seemed offensive. There are beds for you to rest at the Inn."

"Thank you very much." Karin bowed in respect.

"But something tells me that you didn't bring us here to tell us that." Said Shri-Lanka.

The large lion nodded.

"I have something to show you." He walked towards the wall and pressed a switch.

"Please don't move." He said.

Suddenly, the ground shifted and began to levitate, taking them to a higher floor.

At first, everything was dark before light filled it, momentarily blinding everyone.

When they opened their eyes, they saw a display of weaponry on the walls.

"These are the momentos of your ancestors. These weapons were used to defeat Sephiroth so long ago. They could prove useful for your future battles."

Each weapon had their previous owner's name engraved beneath them. The only ones missing were Red's and Yuffie Kisaragi's. Red was wearing his and Gin retrieved it years ago where it resides in Wutai.

Carlos took his ancestor's Premium Heart and inspected it closely. The condition was almost perfect.

Cid inspected his ancestor's Venus Gospel, testing its weight and balance.

"Fine piece of work.

Storm looked at the Death Penalty, but didn't reach for it.

Red stood next to him.

"Something the matter?"

"Not really, just that I didn't take my ancestor for using guns. Kain and I only use blade weapons."

He brough out his Raven Shredders.

"Hmmm, that's too bad really. The Death Penalty version of his Ceberus was and still is among the strongest firearms in the world. Vincent saved the world twice with it." Red explained.

Storm nodded as if understanding.

"I'll take it. I can find some use for it."

"By all means, it's yours."

Karin and Shri-Lanka looked at Cloud's Ultima Weapon.

"that's a big sword." Shri-Lanka said as its rainbow colored blade shimmered.

"But I can't use it. I'm not a warrior." Karin said.

"Yes, the Ultima Weapon has insurmountable power and it takes a skilled swordsman to wield it. But I think there is another weapon more suited for you."

Red led her to a staff with strange glyphs on it.

"The Princess Guard belonged to Aeris. She was of an extinct race of beings called the Ancients. She the only person who could use Holy, the only magic strong enough to stop Meteor. Because of that power, Sephiroth killed her. It took me years of searching the Temple of the Ancients to find it. I think it would be fitting if you were to have it."

Karin reached out and took it from its resting place.

As she did, something shined from the Ultima Weapon.

Red noticed the light.

"As for the rest, I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help to you." He apologized.

"That's alright. I prefer my Naginata anyway." Shri-Lanka replied.

Wedge seemed a bit disappointed.

Talon was indifferent.

"Now would you please head to the lift so that you may rest." Red insisted.

Everyone turned to leave, but Karin was cut off by the lion.

"Except you Princess."

The others heard him and turned back.

"Go ahead. It's alright." She assured them.

They obliged her wishes and left, leaving the two alone.

"Is there something you needed to speak with me?" She asked.

Red sat down before her.

"Not me, someone else would like to speak with you." He responded.

Karin seemed confused.

"Don't worry, he just wants to talk."

Red walked to the platform.

"When you are done. Just take the lift."

After Red and the platform returned, the light vanished and Karin found herself surrounded by plants and stars.

"This is a hologram chamber." She thought.

"Greetings, Miss Karin."

"Who's there?" She demanded.

"That's not the right way to greet someone?" Said the voice.

Karin collected herself.

"Hello, Who are you?" She asked.

"In time, Miss Karin. I just want to say that I am intrigued by your words earlier. So you wish to make peace with those you are at war with?"

"Yes I do. Is there something wrong with that?" She asked.

"Not at all. I just wanted to see if what you say is truly what you believe. I can see that you are willing to risk your life to save your people. A fine quality for a leader."

"Thank you, but I find it hard talking to someone I can't see."

"Very well. If you insist."

From the far side of the room, a man appeared.

Karin watched as he approached her. When he came into full view, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Storm, what are you doing here?"

Storm looked at himself.

"So this is what I look like to you. The man with a demon inside of him."

Karin was really bewildered by the way he was acting.

"What are you talking about and how did you get in here, Storm. I saw you leave with the others."

"Lets keep this simple, shall we. I am not Storm, but rather the reflection of your heart." The doppelganger explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Karin's face blushing lightly.

The man smiled.

"It's impossible to hide from me. I am after all, the King of Beasts."

Karin couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"As all of us became sentient so long ago. I began to develope the ability to see a person's true self. I became the Mirror of the Soul, able to show a person their deepest desires. In doing so, I saw only desires of power and destruction in the hearts of men. Since then, I decided to wait until there was a person worthy of using my power."

Storm's body began to glow white as it grew and changed, the light so bright that Karin had to shield her eyes.

After the light faded, Karin now stood before the greatest summon in existence.

"Behold for I am the Dragon King, Bahamut!"

The great beast's massive frame filled the entire room, his powerful wings covered the ceiling as his black scales reflected the hologram's light.

"Miss Karin, I have seen that your heart is pure and just so I will bestow my power unto you."

Bahamut became a myriad of lights that encirlced he before converging on her hand, forming into a ruby studded ring.

"With me, you shall be able to use Ultima Material you carry at will."

"Really, thank you so much."

XXXXX

The group waited until Karin finally came down.

"So what happened up there?" Wedge asked.

"Looks like we got a new addition to the party." Yojimbo answered.

"How's it goin, Bahamut?" Long time no see." Said Ramuh.

"Stilla s annoying as ever, Ramuh."

"Bahamut!" Everyone shouted.

"Pleasure to meet all of you." Bahamut said.

"Well it's been a while. How long has it been?" Ifrit asked.

"I'd say over 300 years at least."

"That long huh?" Well it's nice to see a familiar face."

"Same here."

Red coughed politely to get everyone's attention.

"It's getting late. You'll need to rest for tomorrow."

Everyone agreed and turned in for the night.

XXXXX

That morning, everyone prepared for departure at the entrance of Cosmo Canyon.

"Thank you for you hospitality. I wish that there was something we can do to repay you." Karin said.

"Just end this war in my stead. It's time to pass the torch to the next generation."

Karin understood.

Red turned to Talon, Shri-Lanka, and Wedge.

"You, I give this."

To Wedge, he gave Speed Plus and Double Cut Materia.

Shri-Lanka he gave Death Blow and Elemental Materia.

Talon he gave MP Boost and Slash All Materia.

"I hope they can be of use to you in the future."

Wedge, Shri-Lanka, and Talon thanked him.

As everyone was leaving, Red stopped by Storm for a moment as they walked side by side.

"Storm, you seem troubled by what I told you last night."

"No, not really. Just thinking about my brother, that's all.

Red nodded as if understanding.

"So you doubt your power. You know, Vincent actually hated the monsters he became. He even put himself in a coffin to hide from the outside world. But in time, he realized that he could save the world with his power."

"What are you getting at?" Strom asked.

"When the time is right, you will realize that you have all the power you need."

"I hope you're right about that." Storm replied.

Red just grinned.

"Trust me."