Arc One: Chapter Eight

When the Skies Fell

The unconscious form of Sephiroth lay on a thin futon in the center of the room labeled Castle Urd. He was stripped from the waist up, his clothes replaced by bandages so numerous that the Goddess could barely see any skin at all. He's kind of cute when he's asleep. Urd smiled a little as the thought crossed her mind.

The first and only time that she had actually spoken to him, he had been preparing to depart on the doomed mission to stop the voices. He had looked a little scary, scowling as if he would cut the next person he saw in half with that huge sword of his. She found herself wondering what the legendary warrior, famed as perhaps the strongest Templar in a thousand years, was truly like.

Leaning forward, Urd wiped the damp, bloodstained cloth lightly across the face of the unconscious God. There had been a great deal of blood on him when Keiichi brought him back, so much that she wondered how he hadn't died. Something that puzzled her though, was that she couldn't figure out where it had all come from. He had numerous wounds all over, but nothing that could account for the vitae that had matted his white hair and soaked his coat near the bottom of his shoulder blades.

She vaguely wondered if he had healed his worst wounds himself before passing out. Not that it really mattered right then. Sephiroth would heal in time, and he would be able to answer her questions himself.

Content that she had cleared away most of the dried blood from the cut on his cheek, Urd set the rag aside until Keiichi returned with more fresh water. He had also said that he would be checking on Peorth, who was resting in his room. The Goddess of Roses had used her powers to stabilize the Templar leader, saving him from death but wearing herself out in the process. She was still asleep as far as Urd knew.

Turning her attention to a pewter tray setting on the floor beside her, Urd began to prepare another bandage. Taking her pestle and mortar, she ground two yellow, oblong sort of beans and a sliver of black bark into a fine powder. With the practiced hands of a master, she carefully spread the mixture onto the white strip, then carefully added three beads of green liquid from an eyedropper.

Satisfied with her work, she again leaned over her patient and placed the small white strip over the cut on his cheek. Leaving her hand over the bandage, she closed her eyes and directed a trickle of her power into the wound to speed the absorption of the salve. A few seconds later, she let her head drop a little as she breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally finished. That's all his wounds."

Opening her eyes and looking at her patient, she was surprised to see a set of green eyes staring at her. With a startled jerk, she yanked her hand away as the God watched her suspiciously.

"Where am I?" His voice held no sign of his near death experience, in fact, he sounded only marginally less commanding than he did when he had left.

Urd hesitated for a short moment, still a bit off balance from his sudden wakefulness. "Well, you're in my room. We had to act quickly before you bled to death."

He apparently realized how injured he was, as he made no move to try and sit up. Of course, if he had she would have forced him back down. She had a perfume bottle filled with a sleeping potion ready for just such an eventuality. "I don't remember making it back to the temple."

His confident tone sounded strange to Urd, as she thought it was obvious that he was confused. "You didn't," she replied quietly, "At least not on your own. You collapsed onto the roof of a building across town. The human who lives here, Keiichi Morisato, found you and brought you here. You would have died if it weren't for him."

The Templar's eyes left her for the first time and began to take in his surroundings. "How long have I been here?"

"I'm not sure myself. Three or four hours, I guess, maybe a little more. I haven't been watching the clock." A smile crept across her face as she spoke, "You seem to be recovering faster than I expected, though. With your wounds, you should have been asleep for at least a day or two."

His expression remained neutral, his eyes continuing to dart about the room. Soon his eyes settled back on her, "You treated my wounds?"

"Well, Peorth helped a little, so I can't take all the credit," the Goddess gave a shrug, though she was plainly happy to be able to show off her skills, "but yeah. I healed you as well as I could, given the circumstances. Still, nobody would have been able to save you if Kei-boy hadn't brought you back here as fast as he did. You're lucky to still be here."

His eyes narrowed at her words. "Lucky, you say?" Urd couldn't read the expression he wore, but she could tell something was wrong. "Somehow I can't think of what has transpired today as being lucky at all."

The Goddess turned her eyes away, speaking in a somewhat subdued voice, "We heard what happened from Ceres. I'm sorry about your comrades."

"People die," his voice was cold as he scowled at the ceiling, "Neither they nor I need your sympathy."

Urd was taken aback by his lack of emotion. "How can you be so callous about it?"

"What are you talking about?" The God's eyes met hers with an unreadable look.

Her voice became harsh as anger crept through her. "They were your men. They died following your orders!"

He returned his gaze to the shadowy ceiling tiles, his voice very matter of fact, "Nevertheless, they are gone and I am still here."

A loud pop filled the room, and a red mark slowly began to appear on the God's cheek opposite the bandage she had so carefully placed there before. His green eyes widened in something that resembled surprise as his head involuntarily turned away from the Goddess' fury. "I can't believe you!" Her voice shook with rage as she stood, thrusting an accusatory finger toward him. "You don't even care that they're dead, do you? You have no right to lead men!" Stalking to the door, she paused to look over her shoulder just outside. "You may be a powerful warrior, but you are the worst man I've ever met!" With those words, she slammed the door shut.

It was strangely silent in the hallway, and she began to feel a sting on her left palm. Looking at her hand as she open and closed it, she realized how hard she had hit him, but she didn't feel the least bit sorry.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh, my dear?" Peorth was slowly walking down the hallway toward her, running her fingers through her hair dramatically.

"Absolutely not. That bastard deserves way more than that!" Urd was having trouble keeping her voice from being heard through the whole temple. "He doesn't give a damn about anyone! He has no right to lead anyone into battle, I don't care how well he can fight!"

"Urd, that Templar in there just came back from a terrible loss on the brink of death," she spoke firmly, crossing her arms resolutely. "Everyone Sephiroth was responsible for was killed all around him. Maybe he's just trying to distance himself from their loss, or maybe he's still out of it because he just came so close to death himself."

The white haired Goddess turned to walk away, anger still smoldering in her voice, "Maybe it would have been more just if anyone in that team but him had made it back instead of him."

Urd was a little surprised that Peorth didn't respond to this, nor did the other Goddess try to follow as she went outside. She was glad to be left alone, however. Stopping on the wooden porch, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I shouldn't have said that. It's the kind of thing he would say. Plopping down on the polished wood with a huff, she looked out over the yard where Keos was giving instructions to several other Templars.

The unwelcome sound of footfalls drew her attention, and she shot an icy glare over her shoulder at the person intruding on her thoughts. Keiichi took an involuntary step back from the look the Goddess gave him. Realizing who it was, her face quickly softened into a small smile. "Oh, it's just you. Have a seat, Keiichi." She patted the wooden floor beside her.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you," he said as he sat down. "I overheard you and Peorth."

Her scowl returned as she looked across the yard. "That guy just pisses me off. He talked about the ones who died like they were just plastic army men. The fact that they were real people and are dead now isn't his problem, it seems."

Keiichi thought for a minute. "Peorth told me about that huge sword of his, the Masamune. She said it was a Holy sword and that it can only be wielded by someone it finds worthy." Urd turned her head toward him as he continued. "Well, if it's a Holy sword, and it lets him use it, then doesn't that…well…" He hesitated for a moment, then scratched the back of his head as he grinned at her, "Well, I don't really know enough about things like this to be making judgments one way or the other. I suppose you would know more about this than I would."

Her weak smile returned, "I know you're trying to cheer me up, Kei, but it's alright. Maybe he's not as bad as I think he is, but I still don't like his attitude. Disregarding the death of someone that was fighting to protect others is something I can't deal with."

The human nodded a few times, then changed the subject. "So, who is Ceres? You guys keep talking about her, but I don't think I've ever heard her name before. Is she another friend of yours?"

Urd nodded, "She was just starting to make a name for herself when I left Yggdrasil, so Peorth knows her better than I do. She's a real nice girl, kinda makes you think of Belldandy sometimes. When things get sticky though, she's a total professional. She's good at her job, one of the most reliable people up there. I have to admit, I'm glad she's been in charge up at Yggdrasil for most of this. It could be real chaos without her."

Keiichi turned to look at the sky, something that he had been doing quite since she left. Urd had been awake so much since the Templars arrived, she wasn't even sure how long it had been since Bell and Skuld left. It was painfully obvious how much he missed her, despite how hard he tried to hide it. It was likely going to be several months before he would be able to see her again, and he was already counting the minutes until he could hold her.

Urd sighed wistfully. Why can't I find a guy that'll pine over me like that? Her eyes followed those of her human companion into the sky, quietly absorbing the stillness of the early evening. The dark gray clouds had finally thinned and broken up enough to see the light of a few stars in the dark heavens.

Some of her tension was fading from her when she realized that there was something wrong with the scene above her. Tilting her head curiously as she squinted, she wondered out loud, "What in the world is that?"

"What's what?" the human beside her asked. "What do you see, Urd?"

Something was definitely odd, and it was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. "There wasn't supposed to be a meteor shower today, was there?"

The Goddess didn't see the look of confusion on his face, but she could hear it in his voice. "Uh, I don't think so. I don't remember hearing anything about one on the news. Why?"

"I'm not sure," she mumbled, wondering if she was simply imagining things. Glancing over and seeing the concerned look she was getting, Urd quickly forced a smile as she patted him on the shoulder. "It's probably nothing. I'm just going to give Ceres a call to see if anything's up."

She left Keiichi squinting up at the sky, trying to see what she was talking about, but she doubted human eyes could perceive it. It seemed so miniscule that on a normal day she wouldn't have given such a thing a second thought. Well, things aren't exactly normal, are they? Better safe than sorry. The Goddess gave a short chuckle at her own thoughts. Better safe than sorry? Have I ever even uttered that phrase before?

She made her way into the temple house and floated into the hall, her worries all but forgotten. As her hand reached for the plain black phone, it let out a sudden ring. The ominous sound gave pause to the white haired Goddess as she landed. Her emerald eyes were fixed on the small device as it rang once again.

It's just a coincidence. Yeah, someone just so happened to call, it doesn't mean anything. Deep down, as she lifted the receiver to her ear, Urd knew she was just trying to fool herself. "Hello?"

"Urd!" Ceres' strained voice quickly greeted her over the static filled line. "There is a world wide meteor storm forming. We have no hard evidence, but we think it's the source of the voices. We're showing that the first hits will come in about ninety seconds, and most of these things could incinerate half a city block." Urd's heart felt very much like a block of ice as she heard the words through the receiver. "Yggdrasil's interface just started to lock up in some sectors. There's nothing we can do to stop it from up here. Listen, this is going to cause untold damage to the Earth. We can't even estimate how many are going to die from this."

"Ceres," Urd had finally recovered her voice, "what do you want us to do?"

"I'm afraid that if this really is the voices," she explained, "then it won't be much longer before we have to start fighting openly down there. The humans will find out about us. I'm trying to get permission for you guys to intercept what meteors you can, but it will be several more minutes before the messenger can get back with the Almighty's decision. I can't order you to do it, but…well, you know what you need to do."

"I understand," she replied, trying to squelch the nervous fear that she felt. "We'll do what we can."

"Our prayers are with you." With that, the line disconnected.

Urd took a deep breath. "Peorth! Gather the Templars!"

As the white haired Goddess flew into the yard, she found Peorth and Keiichi standing there. It seemed that the Templars hadn't needed to be gathered, after all. They seemed to be as interested in what had appeared overhead as everyone else. Urd's breath caught in her throat as she took in a scene she could not have imagined.

The sky itself was ablaze, lit with hundreds of fireballs streaking toward the surface. The clouds were backlit with an angry, reddish-orange glow. She could see them quite clearly now, and she knew that Ceres had not been exaggerating about the damage potential of these massive rocks. She was quite certain that some of the largest meteors could probably vaporize over a square kilometer on impact. It was as if Hell itself was raining onto the unsuspecting Earth, and the humans who resided there.

"Peorth," she spoke urgently, "We have to do something." Before the other Goddess could give voice to the shocked look on her face, Urd continued. "Ceres is getting permission to reveal ourselves as we speak, but she won't get word until it's too late! We have to do something right now!"

The dark haired Goddess finally managed to get a word in, "Are you insane, Urd? If permission gets rejected, everyone who goes will get their license suspended! With your track record and the fact we're at war with Heaven knows what, you might even get thrown in prison!" Her point was punctuated by an explosion in the distance. The first meteor had hit.

All the Templars were watching the two Goddesses now, wondering what they would be ordered to do. Keos, the senior Templar present, stepped forward slightly and clasped his hands behind his back. "Lady Peorth, Lady Urd, what are your orders?"

"Peorth," Keiichi's troubled voice came next, "My friends are going to die out there. My little sister, Megumi, and all the people you met when you came to Earth last time, they are all in danger. You can't tell me that you are going to just sit here and do nothing while they all die!"

Peorth's eyes watered as she listened to the mortal's pleas, but turned away as another explosion was heard, reverberating through the ground beneath them. He suddenly reached out, grasping Urd by the arms. "You have to do something, Urd. You aren't going to let them all die, are you?"

"No, Kei, I'm not," she told him softly, giving his arm a squeeze before turning to the Templars. "I can't order any of you to go. You all know that you may be reprimanded if you do this, but you will be saving innocent lives. I'm going to fight for the people of this city. Will any of you help me?"

Keos immediately nodded, "I volunteer, Lady Urd." Some of the other Templars also nodded and began to step forward. They all froze when the next voice called out.

"Nobody is volunteering for anything," came a strong, deep voice from the temple house. They all turned to see the tall figure of Sephiroth, his black coat back on and massive sword in hand. As he approached the group of Celestials and single human, he spoke again. "The mission is to intercept all meteors possible, minimize damage to the city, and help any humans that you can. Those are your orders, do you understand?"

All the warrior Gods came to the position of attention as they called out in unison, "Yes, sir!" Urd wasn't sure, but most of them seemed quite pleased that the choice had been taken out of their hands.

Peorth spoke up, "Did the Almighty give the order?"

"I am giving the order, Lady Peorth," he replied in a tone that allowed no argument. Looking back to his Templars, he spoke only one word. "Move."

"Yes, sir!" they yelled in reply. Urd could feel their powers spike as they turned and large, angelic wings formed on their backs. As a group, they all leaped into the air, rushing off with the speed of a rocket.

As Urd watched them begin their defense of the city, she heard Keiichi's voice behind her. "Thank you, uh, Lord Sephiroth." She turned to see the young human bowing deeply from the waist. The Templar leader, who towered over the short Keiichi, only raised an eyebrow. "I know that you could get in trouble for doing this, but your order may have saved my friends and my sister. Thank you."

Sephiroth looked at the bowing form before him, his face stony and unreadable. "Stand up," he said simply. Keiichi promptly did as he was told. "I've been told that I owe you my life, Keiichi Morisato," he briefly glanced at Urd as he spoke. "That is why I am doing this. It is impossible for us to save everyone in this city. Those that we do help, will be saved because of your actions."

Keiichi wore a look of astonishment as he listened to the God's words, one that Urd suspected was mirrored on her own face. The dark haired human recovered first, swallowed hard, and gave the Templar a determined nod, "What should I do?"

Sephiroth looked to the fiery sky, where his men were already destroying the rocky projectiles, and spoke grimly, "I suggest you pray for our success."

Urd couldn't believe what she was hearing from the God. Looking at Peorth, she saw the other Goddess was as amazed as she was. They both looked back when they felt his power surge, far stronger than any of the other Templars. But where his angelic wings were supposed to form, she was shocked to see only the right hand one appear.

"What are you doing?" Peorth almost yelled at him, "You were almost killed this morning! You shouldn't push yourself so soon! Urd, say something."

"You should think a little harder about this," Urd tried to reason with him, though she knew it wouldn't work. "You could end up far worse than when Keiichi brought you here."

Sephiroth's snow white hair was still stained crimson in places. As he stood there, watching the struggle overhead, Urd silently gasped as she saw a new dark spot, glistening wet, formed on his black coat. She finally understood why there had been so much blood on him earlier. The place where his left wing should have stretched out from his shoulder was bleeding profusely.

"You are correct," he spoke, drawing her attention away from his grievous wound, "I may very well require some of your medication when this is over. Nevertheless, I refuse to stand here idly while my men fight for this city." He turned to look over his left shoulder, his green eyes glowing brightly. "You misunderstood what I was saying earlier, Lady Urd. It was not that I didn't care that my men had died in battle, it was that I didn't die alongside them."

With that, he flashed away into the angry sky.

Urd shook her head as she watched the man who was almost dead half a day before. Her whispered words were too quiet for anyone else to hear. "You idiot." Looking back toward Peorth, she gave a challenging grin. "Well, dear? You aren't going to stand by either, are you?"

The Goddess of Roses returned the smile as she looked up, "No, I suppose not. Even though I doubt that fool Tamiya would die even if a meteor struck him in the head, the other humans aren't quite so think skulled."

Urd gave a small chuckle as she nodded at her friend, receiving a nod in return. "Keiichi, maybe you should take that jerk's advice." With that, the two Goddesses flew into the battlefield that was the sky over the city of Nekomi.

The Templars were pushing hard, zooming to destroy one meteor with their no-dachi, only to throw up a shield program to try and force another back into space. The red skies were speckled with the blue glow of magic circles.

The two Goddesses nodded to each other again, then split off in different directions.

Urd built up her energy and summoned her angel, World of Elegance. The angel had one black wing and one white, and her hair was similarly split between the two colors. This reflected the descent of her host, as Urd was half Goddess and half Demon. Appearing with a look of determination on her face, the angel needed no instruction from her Goddess. The divine being was soaring toward a meteor within seconds of being awakened.

Quickly finding a target of her own, Urd positioned herself before the flaming projectile as it streaked across the sky. Setting herself, she began to gather her energy. The Goddess spread her arms, then brought her hands above her head. The light began as just a small bead between her fingers, growing quickly to the size of a basketball. She began to feel a strain as she channeled more and more power into the sphere. As the meteor came closer, she brought her arms forward and, with a great yell, launched her power toward it.

The energy sphere connected with the flaming meteor, which disintegrated in a brilliant flash of light and a loud crack. She could feel the pressure from the explosion as bits of fiery rock flew in all directions. Ignoring the heat, Urd flew through it toward the next one.

Crackling energy began to surround her right hand as she rushed forward. The lightning completely obscured her forearm within a matter of seconds and she struck her target head on only moments later. The meteor shattered as the flames singed her clothes.

Taking a breath as she watched the last bits fall away, she glanced to her side to see Sephiroth squaring off against one of the projectiles. He was perfectly still for a few seconds, watching the fireball approach him. Then, just as it reached him, his huge sword lashed out with lightning speed. The meteor exploded to dust and the one winged God flashed to the next one, almost too fast for Urd to see.

She intercepted another, then another, soon loosing count of the deadly projectiles she destroyed before they struck the city below. As the minutes passed, she could feel her strength beginning to fade. "Urd Lightning Bolt!" Another destroyed meteor scattered into tiny shards. Wiping the sweat from her brow, her eyes quickly scanned the sky for her next target. She noted with some relief that there seemed to be fewer now. As she flew toward the nearest fireball, she fought back the fatigue that was permeating her body. The storm is passing, just a few more now. C'mon, Urd, you can do this! You can't slip now!

The meteor shower had been falling for what seemed like forever, and Urd felt as though she could barely keep herself in the air. Her angel, Elegance, had already returned, as Urd became unable to sustain her. Breathing heavily, she again shook the sweat from her eyes as she scanned the sky. The Templars were still going, but considerably slower now. Keos was yelling for his companions to attack in twos or threes, combining their weakened powers against a single stone. They were worn out, just as she was, but it was beginning to look as though it was almost over now.

Before she could blink, Urd was tumbling through the sky. She could feel an incredible heat and a deafening roar filled her ears. She clenched her eyes against the black smoke as she struggled to right herself. As she regained control, she opened her eyes and followed the trail of smoke to the huge meteor that had streaked past her. Horror filled her as she saw where it was going.

The Goddess of the Past shot toward the ground, flying parallel to the black trail the falling star made. As she pushed herself in front of it, she looked once more over her shoulder, at the temple she called home. The place she had told Keiichi to wait. No, I won't let him be destroyed.

Facing her nemesis, anger filled her. Hate toward the thing that wanted to destroy her home and the man she loved as a brother. "I will not let you take him!" she screamed as she thrust her hands forward. A huge mandala, glowing with a blue energy, spread out before the equally huge meteor. She forced all the power she had into it, and pushed forward, trying to force the thing back into the reddish sky.

Her body trembled as sweat stung her eyes. Her mind screamed as the power she forced through herself threatened to tear her apart. And still it continued to fall toward it's target. I can't give up! Bell would never give up, she would find a way!

She cried out as she forced still more into the shield program. Her limbs began to tingle, and it felt like scalding water was flowing in her veins. She was giving it everything she had and more. She had managed to slow it some, but it still came relentlessly.

Her vision was growing dim, her body becoming numb. I can't do it. Bell, I'm so sorry. The intense heat was evaporating her tears before they could fall. Keiichi, forgive me.

"I know you aren't quitting already, Urd!" She couldn't believe her ears, and as the exhausted Goddess turned, she was shocked out of her sorrow by the face she saw.

"Marller!" The surprise couldn't have been any more obvious in her voice, and on her tired face. "What are you doing?"

Marller placed her hands over Urd's, "Now's not the time!" The Demon First Class smiled at her old friend and rival, "Now push, damn it!"

Urd pressed her palms against the massive shield she had created, and summoned everything she had in one last surge. As she did, she could feel Marller's demonic energy pouring through her hands and mingling with her own power. This has to work! Please, Almighty, let this work!

The Celestial and Infernal let out a powerful yell as both pushed with all their might. Slowly, the meteor began to change its trajectory. Finally, as Urd's shield collapsed, the fiery object was hurtling back into space, safely away from Earth. The last of Urd's power left as a wave of relief flooded her. Her exhausted form fell into the Demon's arms. "I don't know what you're doing here, Marller," she could only manage to whisper into her old friend's ear, "but thanks. Really."

"Forget it, Urd." Marller looked around them as she spoke. "We're going back to the temple. I've got something I have to tell you. I just hope none of your Templar pals try to kill me on the way."

Urd was too tired to know if the blond haired Demon was joking or not.


AN:

Okay, sorry I've been going so slow the last week or two. Work is going to be extremely hectic this month, so don't be suprised if I'm forced to slow down a little. I'm going to try and get one more chapter out this weekend (ending Arc I), but don't hold your breath.

I'm too tired to go back and proofread this chapter, so it's possible there are some parts that are garbled and make no sense. Please let me know if I screwed up anything major so I can go back and fix it.

I really hope that you guys are enjoying this, and for those who read Zankoku the first time I posted it, I hope you still like it. Bear with me for a while longer, since we are still just under halfway through the story that I posted before. Plus I'm adding new stuff, including the forces of Hell, though they won't do much till Arc II. Once we get near the end of Arc II, then the all new, totally, uh, new stuff will start.

Please let me know what you think, and thanks to those who have already reviewed! Keep on giving me feedback! (BTW - Keiichi fans will be sated once we get well into Arc II, so please be patient!)

See you all next chapter, I hope!

Katamari Damacy