SPOILER ALERT: Lightning's real name.
Dahaka, Fal'Cie of the sky, the one that damaged the Highwind.
The l'Cie and the heroes of old had been battling the Fal'Cie for the greater part of an hour. The brute strength of the heroes had been proved futile against the flying Fal'Cie. They had resorted to materia but proved to be of little use, materia needs to charge after several uses. The l'Cie had a seemingly endless supply of mana, which made the heroes feel weak. Then again, when they fought the self-proclaimed deity, they had relied on their physical strength more than their materia.
Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, and Yuffie stood off to the side to avoid getting in the way of the l'Cie.
Cloud was mainly focusing on Lightning, the strawberry-blond moved with an unnatural speed, just over superhuman fast and far below impossibly fast. It wasn't just her speed though, it was her gracefulness, every slash and thrust carefully calculated to be placed in the right spot for maximum effect. Cloud only knew of one other who fought like that and HE could do it fast, impossibly fast.
Cloud felt a little ashamed at how he did not have what Light did, finesse. She fought with speed and skill. He fought with brute strength, weight and gravity.
As Lightning delivered the final blow to Dahaka the Fal'Cie let out a very loud shriek as it trembled in the air. They all heard something else along side the shriek.
"Thank you."
As Dahaka fell and disintegrated Cloud quickly looked around at everyone. He wanted to make sure he wasn't the only one hearing voices, it wouldn't be the first time for him.
"Did anyone else hear that?" Sazh asked openly.
"Hear what?" Snow replied.
"It said thank you." Hope answered both of them "Why would a Fal'Cie thank us for killing it?"
"It was in pain," Vanille said in a sad tone "But what could cause a Fal'Cie so much pain?"
"I don't know Vanille," Fang said not trying to hide the worry in her voice "But what caused Dahaka to turn so violent? He was peaceful from what I remember."
One thought instantly jumped forward in Cloud's mind, Sephiroth. Cloud quickly forced that thought back and forced the memory of Sephiroth's destruction at his hands to come forward.
"He's dead, I killed him," Cloud said under his breath several times.
"Fang," Lightning said, breaking the silence "Which way to Oerba?"
"If I'm correct we go down that path," Fang said pointing to the part of the tower that fell over.
"Oh no," Vanille said quietly but loud enough for everyone to look.
When they all looked at the land on the other side of the tower, all they saw was miles of white, with a spot of blue in it. The blue was the lake that Oerba rested beside.
Vincent turned away from the sight and summoned the elevator that would take the group down.
After the several minute, cramped elevator ride the door opened and that was when the image sank in. The fields were not white with snow; they were white with crystal dust. Everyone was silent as the group of ten walked over the hills of crystal dust and fought Cie'th after Cie'th.
When they reached the center of Oerba there was a group six vampire Cie'th. The group of ten quickly ended the Cie'th and stood in silence as they contemplated the area.
"Split into pairs," Vincent said, being the first one to speak in over three hours "Search the buildings for supplies, meet back here."
Fang and Vanille went to search the building they lived in before all of the events. Cloud and Vincent went to the largest looking building. Lightning and Sazh searched what turned out to be a small school. Tifa and Snow, Hope and Yuffie, searched the houses that stood on either side of the building that Fang and Vanille went into.
After an hour the sun was beginning to dip and everyone but Cloud and Vincent had returned. Vanille was talking to Sazh about being able to repair Bhakti.
"There they are," Snow stated just loud enough for everyone to look.
Cloud had a large book in his left hand, what it could be was anyone's guess. Vincent was walking beside Cloud and they were discussing something but no one could hear them. They stopped talking once they were within earshot of the group.
"Tifa," Cloud said as he tossed the large book to her.
"What's this?" Tifa asked completely confused.
"It's the photo album Barret made us send to Marlene," Cloud said "Before we went to the Forgotten City. She must've lived here until the war of transgression."
"We should find a place to camp before we look at the pictures," Snow suggested.
"Over there," Vanille said pointing to the building her and Fang 'searched.'
They went inside and turned on the lights and heat. There were six beds in the building, a full kitchen, but nothing worked, and a bathroom that only partially worked, no hot water. But that was easily fixed.
Everyone sat/stood on one side of the small table, except Vincent, so they could all see the photos. The first picture was of AVALANCHE a day or two after they 'recruited' Cid to their cause. The order of the group in the photo was Vincent, Cid, Yuffie, Barret, what the l'Cie assumed to be Cait Sith on a giant moogle, a woman in a pink dress, Cloud, Tifa, and Nanaki in front of the group. Everyone in the picture looked happy, even Vincent.
"Who's that?" Vanille asked pointing to the woman in pink.
"Aerith," Cloud said without facing Vanille "She was murdered by Sephiroth."
"She was fun to be around," Tifa said as she flipped the page to show a picture similar to the first one but this was less serious.
Yuffie was on Vincent's back, who had exaggerated annoyance on his face, Barret had Cid in a head lock, Cait Sith was on Nanaki's head, Aerith and Tifa had their heads on Cloud's shoulders, and Cloud had his arms around their waists and a large smile.
"Aerith must have really been something," Snow wondered aloud.
"She had a wild spirit, was always happy, and never let anyone feel sad. She even made Vincent happy," Tifa said with a smile as she thought back.
Tifa flipped the page and Snow's eye's just about shot out of their sockets. There was a picture of Tifa and Aerith lying on a beach in bikinis. Snow very quickly scolded himself for even allowing that kind of reaction.
As the evening went on there was constant laughter at the pictures and the occasional story from Tifa.
"Who was taking the pictures?" Hope asked.
"All of us, except Nanaki and Cait Sith for obvious reasons," Tifa said with a smile "Aerith bought the camera, well made Cloud buy it, when we got to Kalm."
Cloud walked away from the table and to the window. He let a smile appear on his face as he remembered the time they went to back to Kalm in the winter.
Yuffie had tied some mistletoe to a stick and would hold it above random couples in Kalm and say 'Mistletoe!'. Most of the time the people would shrug and follow the tradition. When the group was at the hotel she held it above Barret and Cid and they both just told her to 'Fuck off' when she held it above him and Vincent and they just glared at her. When Tifa and Aerith entered the hotel, talking about the jewellery they saw, Yuffie did the same to them. Aerith looked up at the Mistletoe, looked back at Tifa, and then kissed her. Cid had said 'No fucking way,' Barret did a double take, Cloud had just about passed out and Vincent slightly raised one eyebrow. Aerith broke the kiss and continued with the conversation while Tifa had a very surprised and confused look.
As Cloud let that sink back into memory he felt a sharp pain in his left temple. He raised his left hand to rub it and his right temple started pounding. He put both hands on his head as the pain quickly consumed his entire head. He felt his legs get weak so he leaned against the closest thing. His vision faded to black and he just barely heard the small table with a picture frame and a lamp, topple as he fell.
The commotion made everyone look away from the album. They saw Cloud lying on his back next to the overturned end table.
Cloud opened his eyes and saw nothing but white. He looked at his hands, arms, legs, and torso. The hairs on his neck stood up and he knew he was being watched.
"Don't worry," An unforgettable voice said "Your not dead yet."
Cloud turned around and saw the one thing he feared above all else.
Sephiroth.
"This is not real," Cloud told himself "You're dead. I killed you."
"Two of those are true," Sephiroth said with his cruel smile "This isn't real and you killed me. But do you really think I would simply die? You know me Cloud, I never give up and to die is to give up." Sephiroth then quietly chuckled.
"How is this possible?" Cloud asked himself.
"The life stream is quite easy to manipulate from the inside," Sephiroth stated while looking around the emptiness "I rebuilt my body and was going to finish what I started but then the planet stepped in. It created the Fal'Cie to keep me in a crystal stasis. But over time they got weak and I took control of them."
"Sephiroth," Cloud said hoping to gain some knowledge "Why are there people on Meteor?"
"Because of me," Sephiroth laughed "After my 'defeat' I tainted the life stream. Every person born on Gran Pulse after our showdown had a 'Sephiroth' gene. I got it to spread like a plague and then made all my chosen people take up arms against any I did not choose. Shinra then moved all those who were 'clean' to the very thing that should have ended all."
"Then Fang and Vanille."
"You could call them my chosen and the other l'Cie the toys of my puppets."
"What does that mean?"
"The Fal'Cie were once my captors, but now they are my puppets. With the exception of most of the Cocoon Fal'Cie."
"Most?"
"I have been using Barthandelus just like how I used you once."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because even if you tell them what I have said they won't believe you. I have made it so none of them have anything left to lose. I took Claire Farron's sister, who was Snow Villiers fiancé, everything Fang and Vanille knew, and Sazh Katzroy's son."
"And Hope?"
"Collateral damage."
"What are you planning?"
"I plan to finish what I started."
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Random Thought: Is it just me or does the song Land of Confusion by Disturbed seem perfect for both FF7 and FF13?