I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 7 CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(
I seriously love the ending of this battle between Jeanne and Sienna. The best part of the entire chapter, lol. It made it cry :(
Chapter Nine
Mother
"Good to see you, Cloud."
That was all that could be exchanged before the man struck out with his blade and sent Cloud and Claire flying back to the building they had jumped off of. Jeanne and Jena were sent right after them. All four watched in silence as the two figures followed them, landing up on a high ledge to look down on them.
As Jeanne stared up at the two above them she couldn't help but want to smile. She had nearly forgotten just how majestic and strong her 'parents' were.
At 6'1' in height the man was dressed head to foot in black leather with silver pauldrons. His chest was bare, covered with crossing, leather straps. His hair was long and silver, reaching nearly to his ankles and his eyes were a cat-like green with leather gloves on his hands.
The woman at his side was at 5'11' with long black hair to her waist and matching, cat-like eyes to his. She was also dressed head to foot in black leather and the jacket covered all but the crest of the grey top she wore. A pair of crystal earrings hung from her ears and a pair of black gloves were on her hands.
(Damn, I can already hear the music starting, lol)
"Your Geostigma is gone?" Sephiroth asked Cloud and Claire. Both of them stayed silent as they glared at him. "That's too bad."
"You two though," Sienna's gaze was stuck on Jeanne and Jena. "You never had it," She commented on the elder sister. "But you, Jeanne, you still have it. It seems like it didn't want to go away." She grinned. "I wonder why that is."
"I have a few good ideas on why that is," Jeanne replied. "But I'm not going to tell it to you!"
"What do you want?" Cloud asked them, cutting the conversation short.
"The last thoughts of Geostigma dead." Sephiroth answered him. "Those remnants will join the Lifestream and girdle the Planet. Choking it."
"Corroding it." Sienna held her hand out and they watched as that crystal blade of ice formed.
"What we want, Cloud," Sephiroth took over again, glancing up at the sky for a moment. "Is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as our vessel…" He looked back at the four beneath them and then raised his right hand into the air. "Just as our mother did long ago." When Sephiroth opened his hand the sky was covered with swirling dark clouds.
"Then one day we'll find a new planet," Sienna spread her feet out a bit more, tightening her grip on the ice-blade in her hand.
"And on its soil we'll create a shining future." Sephiroth told them.
"But then…what about this?" Claire demanded.
"This Planet?" Sienna gave a laugh as she and Sephiroth exchanged a look.
"Well," Sephiroth grinned. "That's up to you."
And as Sephiroth brought his hand down the fight began.
~Noli manere, manere in memoria
Noli manere, manere in memoria
Sephiroth, Sephiroth~
~Won't remain, remain in memory
Won't remain, remain in memory
Sephiroth, Sephiroth~
Sephiroth's form didn't change like it had last time and Claire was pleased that she could still stare at the sexy, silver-haired man while she and her brother fought him. He might have been the enemy but that didn't mean he couldn't look good while she beat him up.
If she could beat him up. It seemed that Sephiroth was actually much faster than he had been last time. Or maybe it's her fault for not staying in-tune with her blade like Jeanne and her brother had.
Vine-like structures were falling from the sky, reaching for everything. Claire tried to ignore it as much as she could as she and her brother flew through the air, hacking and slashing at the man before them. She felt…strange though. Sephiroth wore that damn smirk of his. It made Claire think that he was playing with them.
Claire got tossed aside like a ragdoll and her brother soon followed after. With a quick glance to find their opponent they saw him flying at them from the right before twirling in the air, striking Cloud, and sending him flying towards one of the buildings, leaving Claire on her own for a moment. She didn't have any time to think before the silver-haired man jumped on her.
~Saevam iram, iram et dolorem
Saevam iram, iram et dolorem
Sephiroth, Sephiroth~
~Raging anger, anger and misery
Raging anger, anger and misery
Sephiroth, Sephiroth~
"So, here we are again, huh?" Jena's voice was cool and calm as this trio just stood there, staring at eachother for a moment while the other group fought off to the side. Neither of them had moved when the others had. They all were silent for a small while before Jena decided to break it.
"So it seems," Sienna glanced between the two women. Her grip had loosened on her blade but both the sisters knew that it meant nothing; that woman could kill them both in moments if they weren't careful. "I do have to say that I am quite surprised to see the two of you here…" Her voice was low towards the end so they weren't sure whether or not they were supposed to hear that.
"Surprised?" Jeanne raised a brow. "Why would you be surprised?"
Sienna shook her head and took another step back. "Don't mind that," Her gripped tightened and she lifted her blade to the height of her face; Jeanne had a quick flash-back of Genesis. "Just so you know…I won't be taking it easy on you like I did last time."
"That was easy?" Jeanne asked her.
Sienna grinned in silence before finally beginning their own fight.
~Ferum terribile, terribile fatum~
~Fierce terror, fierce fate~
Claire soon found herself in the building as well, the sparks radiating off of their swords when they hit the other, lighting up the building as the two of them jumped through it. With a shout, Cloud dropped in from nowhere, saving his sister from a blow that would have hurt. And despite the fear and the worry, Claire couldn't help but let a smile pull on her face. She had missed this…missed fighting, so much. Everything was just so…boring now.
"Oh," Sephiroth grinned down at the young blond. "Where did you find this strength?"
"I'm not about to tell you!" Cloud growled, shoving the man off of him. Sephiroth made a path out of the building and the twins took off after him. When they made it out though they found a piece of the building falling on them and no sight of Sephiroth. They jumped out of the way and turned just in time to see Sephiroth pop up out of the smoke and attack again.
"Could it be because of her?" Sephiroth's smirk was still there as they fought. The Strife Twins didn't need to ask who he was talking about and their silence was all the answer that he needed. "So it is. She seems to be quite influential. Even more so than her dear sister." Sephiroth grinned as he sliced a triangle out of the building they were on and watched it slide towards the twin, making them jump off, before following them. "I suppose I should be proud." He commented as they continued in the air.
"Proud?" Claire scoffed, pushing him off of her brother. "What right do you have to be proud of Jeanne? You and Sienna both left her behind! Everything she has done for the last ten years she's done on her own! You have no right to believe that you were involved in it!"
"So you think," The silver-haired man smirked. His words and look enraged Cloud beyond belief, shooting him forward in another attack.
~Noli manere, manere in memoria
Noli manere, manere in memoria
Sephiroth, Sephiroth~
~Won't remain, remain in memory
Won't remain, remain in memory
Sephiroth, Sephiroth~
Sienna said nothing, just continued to grin and fight as more and more of her ice spikes protruded out of the ShinRa building, giving the three women paths to jump around after eachother. What she had said from before was turning out to be true. Sienna had been taking it easy two years ago. Either that or she had, somehow, been given some kind of extra strength. The first strike that hit Jeanne seemed to burn like it was fire instead of ice. A cry escaped her lips as the blade cat through her left thigh. She brought Genesis' blade forward to attack but Sienna jumped backwards just to land into a brawl with Jena.
The removal of the blade just seemed to make the wound worse. Jeanne didn't remember the same reactions like this from last time but then again did she truly notice the pain from the last time they had fought? She had been more intent on trying to convince Sienna not to fight them instead of just trying to beat them like now.
Here was another question. Could they truly call this woman…Sienna? Were they really here? Karina and Kadaj weren't truly Sephiroth and Sienna and yet they seemed to know a lot about what had happened. Could that mean that this was truly Sephiroth and Sienna? If it was did this mean that they were never going to be truly gone?
~Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili
Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum
Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili
Hic veni, da mihi...~
~Come, my son. Come, my son
Come here, give me death once more
Come, my son. Come, my son
Come here, give me...~
"I've thought of a wonderful present for you." Sephiroth smirked. He turned in the air to slice in half a large piece of building as it flew at him from the other fight. "Shall I give you despair?" Claire grunted as she jumped off of one of the ice spikes that Sienna had made and flew over her brother's head as he fell a bit. Sephiroth knocked her right back down to the spike though as Cloud stood on his sword after shoving it into the building. Both of them stared up at Sephiroth as he landed. He didn't need anything; he just stood there sideways as he stared down at them. "On your knees." He called to them. "I want you to beg for forgiveness."
The overhang above them fell from Jeanne's attack and came crumbling down to them, mixing the two fights together. Cutting through the blocks of what was left of the ShinRa building, Claire found herself face to face with Sienna instead just in time to have that ice-blade of hers to sink into her stomach. Her cry was mixed with another. That was Jena this time, not Jeanne. That only meant one thing; Sephiroth had gotten the elder sister just like Sienna had gotten her.
"Get away from her!" Cloud's voice cried as he came to his sister's rescue.
"Oh," Sienna jumped back from Claire with a small grin. "So the man of the group finally takes his turn against me, hmm?" She narrowed her eyes a bit and Cloud tightened his grip to keep his hands from shaking. There was something about these eyes that looked worse than Sephiroth's. "I let Sephiroth have you and your sister last time. This time I'll take part of anything that gets in my way."
"Good." He growled before swinging the Buster Blade.
She took a good look at it. "You have Angeal's sword…I take it that Zack gave it to you before he died, as Genesis gave his to Jeanne. I understand her but what was seen in you I do not understand."
"Coming from the one that lost last time," Claire growled. She was ignoring the blood seeping from her wound as she stood up and beside her brother. "Let's show her what Jeanne taught us."
~Noli manere in memoria
Saevam iram et dolorem
Ferum terribile fatum
Ille iterum veniet~
~Won't remain in memory
Raging anger and misery
Fierce, terrible fate
The second advent~
As her attack shattered the building beneath their feet, Jeanne lost sight of everything as they began to fall; until her sister's cry caught her. She gazed above in time to watch as Sephiroth's sword struck its mark.
"JENA!" Jeanne cried. Masamune tore down her back. She gripped Genesis' blade and jumped off of a close-by piece of the building, rushing at the silver-haired man. Sephiroth turned as Jena's body fell, waiting on the other sister.
"I had wanted to take part in a fight like this last time as well but you brought your friends with you." He told her. "I am pleased to see that you changed your mind in just sticking to Sienna." The woman didn't reply to the man, just glaring at him as the two of them twirled through the air slicing at the other as they jumped from piece to falling piece. This wasn't the way that she had been planning on fighting Sephiroth. She never thought that she would after everything had happened but now the chance had come. Just not the way that she had wanted it. She had to try, at least one more time. If she could convince him to stop all of this then she knew that Sienna would as well.
"Sephiroth," Her arms were growing numb from all the strikes that the silver-haired man slung against Genesis' blade. "You have to stop this! Please!" He raised a brow and paused his attacks for a moment as they continued to face eachother. "You can stop, here and now! You're not just some monster, despite what Hojo and ShinRa did to you! You never were a monster! All of this can end! ShinRa isn't around anymore so you don't have to worry! You and Sienna can go off together and live in peace! All of this is pointless now! Why can't you see that?" She took a breath as they landed on the top of the ShinRa building again. She had to continue. "You won't be used as weapons anymore! You got your revenge last time when you tore down ShinRa. Going to destroy this world isn't something that you have to do!"
Sephiroth closed his eyes before turning his back to her. "Your words…I understand what you're saying, but I fear they mean not."
"Sephiroth…"
"I…I once thought about it," The silver-haired man's voice was soft. "Just the two of us, leaving. Disappearing. But not anymore. It doesn't matter. She wants her revenge and I will do all in my power to give it to her!" He turned back to Jeanne and lifted Masamune back to face her. "But it's not just her that wants it. We will use this Planet and our vessel and create a world all our own!"
She had tried but she knew that there was nothing else that she could do. She would always hope that she could somehow convince the two she saw as her parents to stop all of this but fate made her realize that she wouldn't; and it just made it bare down on her harder. But there was no other choice now. She had to save this planet and everyone one it from her parents; again.
Lifting Genesis' blade again she ran forward to attack Sephiroth once more…until Sienna landed in between them and knocked her away.
~Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili~
~My son, come, come, come, my son
My son, come, come, come, my son
My son, come, come, come, my son
My son, come, come, come, my son~
"Cloud," Claire ignored her wound and hurried to her brother as he fell to his knees. "Are you all right?" She had thought that Sephiroth was hard but Sienna…she was a monster. But, perhaps, Sienna was just harder to fight than Sephiroth was because this was the woman that Jeanne cared about. Claire remembered all the stories that Jeanne told her when she and her sister were taken in by this ex-SOLDIER. Everything that Sienna had done for them…
"Look out!" Jena's cry brought their attention behind them in time to see the woman block Sephiroth's blade from hitting them. She cursed and flung her left Sai away; Masamune had cut right through it. "Are you two all right?"
"No," Claire struggled to stand. "But I'm not done yet!" The two women ran at Sephiroth together as Jena pulled out a short sword to her now free hand. Cloud watched them fight as he pushed himself back to his feet. This fight…it was much harder than it had been last time. Why was that? How were Sephiroth and Sienna able to grow stronger over these last two years if they had been dead?
Ice landed before him and Cloud glanced up to see Jeanne and Sienna locked in a battle of their own and they descended to the four of them. The ground vibrated when they landed but they were still too far away to be heard.
Cloud went to run to help Jeanne when Sephiroth dropped in front of him and knocked him back off his feet. He was sent across the top of the building just to land at Sienna's feet after she knocked Jeanne away. She glanced down at him and grinned. The woman began to beat down on him. Cloud didn't have a moment to attack back and just held up the Buster Blade to block until Jeanne joined back in and knocked Sienna away from him. Jena jumped back in to help her sister, leaving Cloud to turn back to Sephiroth and his sister.
~Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Qui mortem invitavis)
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Poena funesta natus)~
~My son, come, come, come, my son
(By death's invitation)
My son, come, come, come, my son
(Painful tainted birth)~
Cloud grunted as his back rammed against the wall behind him and winced again as Sephiroth shoved his blade into his right shoulder.
"Tell me what you cherish most." Sephiroth told him. "Give me the pleasure of taking it away."
"Oh Sephy," Sienna tsked, shaking her head as she dropped her blade. "You and I both know what his most cherished item would be." Cloud instantly glanced around to love for the others. Claire and Jena seemed to be knocked out a little ways away; Jeanne wasn't too far from them either, struggling to stand back up. Sienna had shoved ice spikes through the back of her knees; how the woman was even standing, Cloud had no idea.
~Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Noli nomen vocare)
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Ille iterum veniet)~
~My son, come, come, come, my son
(Won't call the name)
My son, come, come, come, my son
(The second advent)~
Cloud ripped the blade from his shoulder and twirled up, making Sephiroth jump back. He stood, trying to keep their attention on him and not the two women that were down for the moment. Jeanne knew what he was doing and closed her eyes before lifting Genesis' blade back up against Sienna.
"I pity you," Cloud huffed, staring at the silver-haired man. "You just don't get it at all." Sephiroth gave a 'Hmph' and ran at him. Claire's eyes opened slowly and she watched as her brother and Sephiroth fought some more before finding themselves in the air again. "There isn't a thing I don't cherish!" Cloud twirled the sword around over his head before his separate blades lined up around the man in the air.
~Sephiroth,
Sephiroth
Sephiroth~
Jeanne's strength seemed to be renewed as she fought against Sienna now. Her blows were harder. She could dodge the ice without a scratch. Sienna's smirk was no longer there. It had turned into a frown but at the same time Jeanne took notice of the look of pride in her mother's eye.
"You were all I ever wanted," Jeanne decided to say. This would be the last time that she saw her. If she didn't tell her now. "You were my idol! I wanted to be just like you! Not your power. Not your strength. Just you. You saved Jena and me and gave us hope. Gave us a life! I only have what I have now because of you! Without you, I never would have met Angeal or Genesis. I wouldn't have even met Zack! Or Cloud and Claire! None of these people! Jena wouldn't have met Reno or Rufus! We wouldn't have any of what we have now! You were our Mother, our God! I would have done anything for you! Anything to help you! But you didn't let me! You went and destroyed Nibelheim, not even asking for my help! If you had asked me then I…I would have done everything that I could have to help you!" Jena opened her eyes as she pushed herself to her knees. She took a hard breath, trying to ignore the tears that were threatening to fall. Looking up at her sister as she continued to fight their mother she found Jeanne was crying freely. "But you didn't. You didn't and you left me behind!" Jeanne's blows knocked Sienna's sword from her hands and the woman fell to her knees as Jeanne stood over her, glaring down at her. "I…I want to stop you but at the same time…" Her voice was soft now as the tears continued to stream down her face. "At the same time I want to help you! All you have to do is ask me. Ask me and I will help you with anything you want. Ask me for my help, and I will do all within my power to help you and Father, Mother!"
Jena held her breath as the silent tears fell down her face as well. At that moment she couldn't believe the words falling from her sister's mouth. Did she truly mean it? If Sienna asked, here and now, would Jeanne really change sides? No, it couldn't be true! If her sister did that, then there truly would be no hope for this world left.
Sienna stared up at the woman above her before a small smile spread across her face. Jeanne stared at the woman for a moment longer before taking a step back. Sienna watched with a firm eye as her daughter lowered her blade and turned her back. Sienna smiled and stood up.
"Heh," She scoffed. "I truly did teach my daughter well, didn't I?" Sienna looked at the youngest Rush and reached out to grab her shoulder but pulled back, turning her back to her as well. "I knew you would," She told her. "I always knew it but hearing you say it…it makes all the difference. I'm sorry, Jeanne. But I couldn't ask you to do that. I could not rip a flower, so beautiful and strong, from the ground like that. Not like I had myself…" She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for all the pain, Jeanne, but I will follow him to the end. I cannot…I cannot bring you with us."
Jeanne didn't move. She just hung her head before lifting it to look at the sky for a moment. "I know."
~She truly is like her~ Jena told herself. Jeanne had always been the closest to Sienna. She had always thought that it was because both were in SOLDIER but Jena now understood that it went further than that. She was envious. She had always wanted to have the strongest bond with her sister but it seemed that she had been bested.
"Go." Jeanne's voice was shaking still before she turned to smile at the woman behind her. "Go." She repeated.
Sienna gave Jeanne one last smile before taking off into the air and throwing her arms around Sephiroth just in time as Cloud began to attack him with his new Limit Break (Omnislash Version 5).
It was just like last time and the time before that. Sienna refused to let Sephiroth go alone. Jeanne didn't have to think about what Sephiroth would do if it was the other way around. He would do the same thing. Not being able to watch the attack, Jeanne closed her eyes until Cloud landed on the building beside her as his swords stuck in the ground around them.
"Stay where you belong," Cloud called up to them. "In our memories."
Sephiroth held Sienna's body to him as a single black wing sprouted from his right shoulder. Jeanne pulled a surprised look. She hadn't seen one of them since Genesis.
"I will never be a memory."
And with those final words the wing folded over both of them and they faded away into feathers, leaving Kadaj and Karina just limply hanging there in the air before they were dropped. Kadaj struggled to get up, Karina's hand gripped in his hand. Cloud and Jeanne got ready for them to attack but Karina didn't even make it too her feet and Kadaj fell into Cloud's arms, his hand still clutching to the woman beside him as she crawled forward.
"Brother…" Kadaj gasped before glancing at Karina. Jeanne knew what he wanted and moved forward. Picking the woman's body up Jeanne closed her eyes before placing it in Kadaj's arm. The man gave her a soft smile, gripping Karina close.
"Kadaj?" Cloud and Jeanne shared a look at the voice as the rain began to fall. Jeanne recognized it right off the back, but how was that even possible? For her voice to… "You don't have to hang on any longer."
"Mother…" Kadaj held Karina tighter. "Is that…"
"Everyone's waiting, if you're ready."
Jeanne bit her lip as she watched Kadaj begin to cry. It was all she could do to keep herself from doing it as well as he raised his hand to the sky. It only took a few moments before he and Karina's body dissolved into the Lifestream. With a ragged breath she turned to see that Jena had made her way to Claire and was helping her stand up. The rain was washing all their blood away but they were going to be okay. Claire was back to wearing that smile on her face as she shot a peace sign up to the air craft that Jeanne was sure everyone was celebrating on. Jena joined in gave one herself with a laugh.
Jeanne jumped at the feel of someone grabbing her left leg. She thought it was Cloud for a moment but he had stood to his feet and was looking at the sisters. Glancing down she saw nothing but still felt the pressure there. She didn't understand for a moment but she then grinned, watching as the Geostigma disappeared from her leg. The pressure disappeared, leaving the normal skin of her leg there.
"Your Stigma's gone."
Jeanne glanced up at Cloud and stood. "Yeah, I guess it was finally tired of fighting me."
Chuckling for a moment, Cloud closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting the rain fall on his face.
Jeanne watched him for a moment before reaching over and grabbing his hand. "Hey, Cloud," The blond turned and looked at her. "Let's go home."
He smiled at her and tightened the grip. He opened his mouth to speak when a gunshot went off. It ripped right through his shoulder, knocking him to his knees.
"Cloud!" All three women cried before whipping around to see the four from before. Yazoo, Luna, Loz, and Yakura stumbling towards them, all of them holding Materia in their arms. They had survived those bombs?
"We'll go…together," Yazoo mumbled, stumbling forward a bit more as he lowered his gun.
"Together…we'll play." Loz sighed.
"With the brothers," Luna whispered.
"And our sisters," Yakura continued.
With growls, Claire, Jeanne, Jena, and Cloud all rushed forward towards the other four to finish them off. They all lifted their hands though and fired with their Materia.
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