Author's note: This is a collaboration between Ceara Ivory and Asirainis. We don't own Final Fantasy VII!

Those Chosen By The Planet

Disc 1 Part 7:

Aftermath

Sephiroth ran through the building, leaping down the stairs two, three at a time. The elevator was too slow. He could go faster this way. He was wishing now that he still had his sword. The man who took Anna would pay with his life, he promised himself.

Down at the first floor, he saw a bunch of people lined up on the wall, hands up, a path cleared. "He's already been down here hasn't he?" Sephiroth asked.

The guard lowered his arms first. "Yes, he took your wife sir. We could do nothing. She had a child with her and we feared hitting one or both of them or that he would harm them. I'm sorry sir."

Sephiroth roared with frustration. He had just gotten home and his wife was kidnapped.

A bell rang and the intercom went off. "Sephiroth please report to the President's Office. Sephiroth please report to the President's Office. Thank you."

Sephiroth sighed in defeat. What was he going to tell the President. Sorrowfully, he trudged up the stairs. "I will get you back Anna. I will save you."

Barret led Anna and Marlene through the streets of Midgar by the barrel of his gun. "That's not necessary you know." Anna told him. "I'm here of my own will. I'm not going to run off with her."

He growled, "I don't care Princess. Keep moving. We have a ride out of here just beyond the gates. Something I left hiding for such a case as this."

He continued to move them towards the edge of the city, using her as a shield whenever they came to the guards. Going so far as to demand that they cut their means of communication while he passed so they couldn't merely radio in their position. Soon we'll be away from here. Soon I'll be with Marlene in Corel. I failed Dyne, I'm so sorry…

Tifa sat in the helicopter, her head down with shame. "She told the truth…" She was still having trouble believing it, despite having seen it. "Rocket Town's Wind Plant...it was...amazing...and Costa Del Sol. Are they really doing similar things all over the world?"

Tseng nodded. "Mako was simply a stopgap measure for power. Energy that is. President Shinra knew this when the grass around Midgar started dying. So he started researching new ways. We want to Promised Land because we think there may be other methods as well there." He stopped in front of Tifa. "Your hate of Sephiroth is justified. It doesn't make you right to hate him, nor does it make you right to hate Shinra because of what he did. Sephiroth is a man just like your friend Cloud."

Tifa jumped at Tseng's hand going to her shoulder. "He killed my father...he nearly killed me...and Shinra made him what he was."

"Sephiroth is a man. Capable of mistakes. Do you know who is really is? Or do you hate him so much that you can't see beyond your own hurt?" Tseng said. "When you've been hurt Miss Lockhart, the best way to get beyond that pain is to remind yourself that you're not the only one to have ever been hurt. Compassion and forgiveness is not for the sake of the one who hurt you but for your own sake. Do you understand?"

Tifa nodded. "Yes. Thank you again." She paused for a moment, "How long before we return to Midgar? I'd like to apologize to the Shinras again as soon as possible, unless of course it is an unreasonable hour." She didn't want to put it off, but she didn't want to make it awkward with the strange hour.

Tseng smiled, "We're about an hour's time from the landing pad."

The flight was determined to be quiet until his cell phone went off. Tseng reached for it in his jacket. "Tseng here. What?! When?! Damn it! On the way."

He hit the communicator on his headset to the pilot. "We need to get there immediately. There's an emergency at the tower. Go now."

Tifa looked at Tseng in worry. "What happened?"

Tseng frowned. Could he really trust this new Tifa? Deciding that he could, she had genuinely changed during the flight. "Barret snuck in and tried to kidnap Anna, Sephy and Marlene. His flunkies had used Airlia as leverage to get Anna and Marlene only. Now we have to return to the tower and try to figure out where the fuck he's going."

Tifa paled a few shades immediately. "Is Airlia alright?" She recalled the wounds with a shudder.

Tseng nodded. "Rufus said that she was alright aside from a bruise on her face. Anna apparently got Barret to release Sephy in exchange for her going quietly with him. So now Rufus is pacing like a tiger and Sephiroth is on the warpath to find Anna." He knew his choice of words wasn't exactly good, but the situation required him to show how dire it was for her cooperation.

Tifa nodded. "I don't blame him since she is his wife, and the mother of his child for being angry. If it were me and the role was switch where my husband was kidnapped, I would probably be doing the same thing."

They arrived in just under twenty minutes, pushing the helicopter to go as fast as it possibly could. They jumped out immediately for Tseng and Tifa to race inside to try and figure out the next possible move to try and recover Anna and Marlene from the crazed Barret.

Sephiroth paced the office, his head felt like it was swirling in all different directions. He hadn't felt that since...no...he had to get his head under control. "Anna...he took my wife. He took her my wife!"

Shinra watched the young man pace. He almost expected to see a hole form beneath him in the rug. He felt like pacing with him. But if his own son's behavior was any indication, he would have to be the voice of reason, the one to keep anyone from panicking and possibly doing something to aggravate the situation.

Rufus held his gun. "I will kill that bastard next time I see him. I don't care what Anna says."

"Sephiroth, Rufus, settle down both of you," Shinra ordered. "Strife, I'm surprised to see you here as well. What did I miss?"

Cloud bowed his head and Rufus answered for him. "I released him Father. He had no part in Airlia's abuse or even her captivity. The time he'd spent with Avalanche was minimal at best. And as he rescued Anna before, I saw no reason to keep him a prisoner."

"Anna...Anna…" Sephiroth chanted, trembling and shaking.

Shinra approached the man, who was currently in the process of hyperventilating. "Sephiroth, we'll get her back, there's no reason to fear…"

Sephiroth looked into Shinra's eyes and the President took a short step back. His eyes were glowing with the mako inside them. The building began to shake and realized what the trembling and shaking must be.

Each floor quaked with the force running through it. People fell and the walls cracked.

Cloud realized what was happening. "Sephiroth! Get a hold of yourself! Destroying Shinra building like you did Nibelheim won't help Anna!" He snapped.

Sephiroth wrapped his arms about himself, fighting to get the power inside him under control. "I can't…I'm trying...Anna! Anna!"

Footsteps were heard as an elderly woman came up the stairs. "I knew you weren't ready to come back yet." She knelt beside him. "Come on Sephiroth. Remember your training. Deep breath in, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Hold it, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Now release, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Again…" The woman talked Sephiroth through the breathing exercise. "Now, draw the power back into yourself. Like we practiced." Slowly the building stopped quaking and the glow in Sephiroth's eyes died back down to normal. "Good boy, now rest." She put a hand on his shoulder and the man dropped to the floor in a sound sleep. "He needs to sleep now, and he'll be alright." The woman told the group there.

"Who are you?" Rufus asked.

The woman waved her hand and Sephiroth vanished. "Don't worry, I've just sent him to his bed. I am Jenova. Sephiroth's mother and teacher."

Rufus blinked. "There are a few questions I have for you then. How did you get in? And what do you mean by mother and teacher? Please explain yourself."

Jenova nodded. "I am his mother in as much as half of his cells are made up of my own cells. Genetically he is my son. He has the same powers as I, though, as you saw, not the control. He is still learning. I got in the same way everyone gets in here. Through the front door and through security. Sephiroth cleared my entrance. He should not have returned yet, he wasn't ready. And you really should not blame him for his silence the last five years. I forbade him to contact anyone, lest he be found."

Solomon growled which was echoed by Rufus while the President continued. "What do you mean lest he be found?! He was a father and never even knew it. My daughter was in pain every waking day because her husband was missing in action and presumed dead! Who are you to judge that he couldn't even send so much as a postcard saying he was alive?! At least then she wouldn't have hurt for these five years, knowing that he was trying to get in control of his abilities to be able to come back to her. Yet you left her with no knowledge and a son to raise on her own."

Jenova shook her head. "He had killed many in Nibelheim. I know there had to be much hate for what he did. Nor was he in a position to truly protect himself. A wildfire destroys everything in its path. If even one person knew he still lived, then there was the possibility more could find out. I imagine some of the survivors of the Nibelheim incident are rather furious with him. There would be no guarantee he would be safe or anyone else. The only guarantee was in silence. Your daughter was safest believing he was dead."

Rufus snorted indignantly. "No, she wasn't. She cried every night Jenova. And unfortunately, being a Shinra, we are always in the limelight and have the perpetual targets on our backs. At least if we knew he was alive, we could have had the peace of mind to know that he would come back at least at some point in his lifetime to see his family again, to be with them again. This is fucking stupid!" He slammed a fist down on the corner of his father's desk. "You act like we were safer then. We were actually safer knowing he was alive. It helped to bury the hatchet with Cloud and with a young woman, Tifa, who suffered undiagnosed PTSD! They hated Sephiroth, but Tifa let her hate transfer to us regardless. That's what your keeping silent did."

"Naturally your concern is for your daughter as it should be. Mine was for my son and his safety. If not your daughter than he was safest through his silence." Jenova argued. "He has a mission to prepare for and I suggest you prepare your SOLDIERs for battle. It's coming."

"He has a mission to save my sister!" Rufus declared.

"Save your sister? Where is she? What happened?" She asked.

Rufus took a moment to breathe in and out, calming himself. "An extreme environmental faction known as Avalanche has been plaguing us with attacks while we try to convert energy to more sustainable means rather than via mako energy. We found a hornet's nest in one of our sectors and had to smash it with the plate to stomp it out. However three men survived. Barret, and two other goons. They infiltrated the tower and took her son, which would make him your grandson prisoner. They used a woman who has suffered terribly at their hands for six years as a shield while Anna negotiated the release of her son in place for herself. He also held a small child who is apparently his daughter, making it impossible to kill him without risking either. So yes, Sephiroth's mission right now is to save my sister, your daughter in law."

Jenova groaned. "If he goes on this mission, he could lose control again. He's still working to get his power mastered. And he has a mission to save this whole damn planet. Which is more important? Especially when you have others who could save her?"

Rufus didn't even need to think. "Saving my sister is the most important thing to Sephiroth at this moment. You haven't even said what this coming fight is. How do we even know it's real? The 'threat' that you sense could be nothing more than idle gossip to keep him attached to you. You think he would even be able to concentrate on saving this fucking planet while he knows Anna is in danger? Get fucking real." He was tiring of this woman's words and the hollow sound they carried to him.

Before anymore conversation could be had, Tseng led Tifa into the the office. "Well, good news President is that Miss Lockhart seems to have acknowledged her wrongs to both your family and to Miss Marchand. Now I assume we are going to be planning another rescue."

Solomon sighed with relief to see Tseng and Tifa. A hopeful end to the arguing between Jenova and his son. He didn't know who this woman thought she was, keeping his son-in-law from his rightful place with his family. "Good, Miss Lockhart, I assume then you won't object to a mission from me. As recompense for your crimes?"

Tifa nodded readily. "Tseng mentioned that Anna and Marlene had been kidnapped, am I right?" All Solomon did was nod. "So I assume you want me to go with some soldiers to try and find them and bring them back correct?"

"You are very close," Solomon said. "I am assigning you and Mr Strife to go with Sephiroth. Cloud, you will be needed to help Sephiroth keep control. Miss Lockhart, your martial arts will be rather useful as well. Miss Jenova, since you seem certain Sephiroth needs to keep training his power, you can go with them and help."

Jenova stood. "If it is your insistence that my son go on this mission, then yes, I will go with him."

Solomon looked her directly in the eyes. "It is my insistence because I know he won't be able to focus on your mission until he personally knows Anna is safe and sound Miss Jenova. He will continue to act as he has before you came up here. But this way he can still train on your mission."

Tifa smiled with a determined gleam in her eyes. "I was a trail expert in Nibelheim, I can surely help with tracking them on top of my martial arts abilities."

Cloud raised his hand. "Wait, I'm still having trouble understanding this. I'm willing to go with Sephiroth of course. I will help save Anna. And it's a good chance for me to try to forgive him. But Jenova?"

Jenova shot the boy a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You helped Sephiroth destroy Nibelheim!" Cloud declared. "Him, I think I can forgive. You? That's a whole other kettle of fish!"

Jenova growled. "I did NOT help destroy Nibelheim! Sephiroth was not in complete control of himself but I was not the one in the driver's seat."

"Yeah? Than who was?" Cloud snapped.

"The ones you call...the Cetra." Jenova finished.

Airlia groaned as she shook in fear, trying to clamp back down on it. Wracking her mind, she tried to think of anything from the six years of hell that could tell her where he was going. Suddenly it hit her like a sack of bricks. She wasn't sure if it was a place, but it was something that he kept mentioning.

Hurrying to the door, she opened it to see a red haired man talking with a petite blond in a blue suit. "Um… I know you're Reno right?" She mentioned to the red haired man who spun on his heels.

"Yep. This is Elena, the newest member of the Turks. What can I do for you Miss Airlia?" The redhead said in his sloppy uniform.

"I need to speak with Mr. Shinra and Rufus. I have an idea of where that man is going. Please." She said as he nodded.

"Right, let's go immediately Miss Airlia."

They went as fast as her body allowed to the elevator. Once inside, it was a straight ride up to the top floor…

Cloud had been about to question what a Cetra was when the door opened to reveal Airlia with two members of the Turks.

"I'm sorry to interrupt like this Rufus… I think I have an idea of where he's going…" Airlia spoke as she eyed the situation, the tension palpable.

Solomon had been relieved to have the break in the current situation surrounding the mysterious Miss Jenova. "Come on over my dear. Miss Jenova, this is Airlia, the one you heard us mention earlier."

Airlia blinked as she studied the older woman and offered a tiny, unsure smile. Tifa had been there, but after her apology, it had been somewhat easy to put it behind her. Moving to the desk, Solomon pulled out a large map and laid it out for her to look at. "Where do you think he might be heading my dear?"

She shook her head. "He kept mentioning something, screaming it really. 'I'll get them for Corel Dyne, I promise!'"

Solomon nodded. "Yes, I remember hearing his hometown was Corel. If I remember when we built the reactor there, he was one of the biggest supporters. But...what we didn't expect was the Coal Mines to completely close after the reactor was built. He was a coal miner."

"So his sudden hate," Jenova began. "Is because he suddenly found himself out of a job?"

Solomon nodded, "Yes. It was strange how quickly it changed from excitement to rage. However that aside, what he didn't know is we had checked the mines to see how good the sources were before building the reactor. They were nearly dried up in all of the tunnels. It was what ultimately pushed ahead the reactor. Still, why do you think he's going there Airlia?"

She shook her head. "He mentioned it so often, that it leads me to think that he has a nest there to hide in when things got rough. Perhaps if we find this… this Dyne person, he could lead us to Barret?"

Rufus smiled at her. "That is actually a very smart idea, but the problem is… Let me find that file." He rifled through his desk quickly for the document on Corel. "Yes, Dyne was labeled as dead in that reactor blow up."

Airlia frowned. "Maybe someone there would know where Dyne used to go and hide out?"

He nodded. "Yes, that is very possible, it's a better lead than no lead."

Tifa sighed. "Barret is crazy, he's practically lost his mind. All he talks about is destroying Shinra and saving the planet."

Jenova looked at her. "Saving the planet?" She'd heard that before. Many times from humans who had lost their senses in similar ways for similar reasons.

"Yes," Tifa said. "Why?"

Jenova looked at Shinra. "This mission must start immediately. We must find this man and the girl so that my son can continue his own mission as soon as possible. There's no time for dallying!"

"Wait, what about the Cetra? What are they?" Cloud asked. "You didn't tell us that."

"I can't tell you yet. But this mission must begin as soon as Sephiroth wakes," Jenova declared.