I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL FINAL FANTASY 7 CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(
Chapter Ten
Reunion…sorta
Jeanne awoke later that night when Cloud shook her shoulders. She quickly sat up and noticed that the doors to all the cells were open, but she and Cloud were the only ones up.
"Who opened the doors?" She asked, rubbing her eyes as she stood.
Cloud shook his head. "I don't know, but come look at this," He led the way out of the cell and she followed him.
The first thing that she noticed was the three swords that were stabbed into the wall. Hers, Cloud's, and Claire's. It was then the two guards beneath them, dead, with spikes of ice pinning their heads to the wall from their eye sockets and their mouths. Jeanne's eyes grew wide. The only woman that she knew that could control ice was…but that meant…was she the one who…
"Tifa, wake up!" Cloud's shouting woke everyone up.
"What's wrong?" The woman with black hair asked. She stood.
"Something's wrong. The guards were attacked!" Tifa hurried out to Jeanne who still stood over the bodies, realization still stuck on her face.
"What happened?" Tifa demanded.
"I know…" She whispered. She stood, grabbing her sword from the wall. "I'm going on ahead! Get the others and get the hell out of here!" She ordered them over her shoulder as she ran off.
~It couldn't be…could it?~
The Tank that Jenova's body had been in was ripped to shreds. Jeanne paused for a moment, staring at it and Red Xlll, quickly followed by Cloud, Claire, Aerith, and Tifa, hurried up behind her. She knelt down and ran her fingers over the edges of the ripped parts, ignoring the man's body beside her. It was freezing cold; ice again.
"Did it get away?" Cloud asked.
"That or…someone was here." Claire said. "Jenova didn't have a head. Someone must have come and taken her, as well as killed all these people. But who-"
She was cut off as Jeanne jumped to her feet and began to follow the trail of blood to the elevator. She hurried up it, leaving the others behind. She had to get there first. She had to see! Was she there? Were the both of them still alive?
The blood continued to lead and she found herself making her way back towards the President's room. Bodies of employees and Infantrymen were everywhere, following the trail of blood to the main office. Rushing up the stairs and bursting into the room, she froze.
The President was there all right, bent over his desk was a long sword pierced through his back. Hadn't she just recently told the President something about being happy when he was pierced with a sword? Talk about foreshadowing.
Speaking of that sword; she'd recognize that one anywhere.
The Seven-foot long blade…
The Masamune…
Sephiroth…
Tears spurted up in Jeanne's eyes. The last time she had seen that blade…She thought that Sephiroth and Sienna had died. If Sephiroth was still alive, then Sienna was too! She had to find them! Where were they? They would be trying to bring ShinRa down as well, right? Kill Hojo? They could work together. Both of them would agree to work with Jeanne! She knew them for five years! They were like the parents that she never had!
"He's dead," Barret's voice made Jeanne look behind her. Everyone had joined the room. "The leader of ShinRa Inc is dead…"
"That sword!" Tifa recognized it too. She ran forward to grab it, but Jeanne flung her arm out.
"Don't touch it!" She snarled. "No one touch it." She told them. Tifa glanced at her, wide-eyed, but then nodded.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud seemed to recognize it too and Claire wore a small smile on her face.
"Sephiroth is alive?" Tifa asked aloud.
"I knew it…" Jeanne placed a hand over her face and titled her head back. "I knew they couldn't have died from just that.
"Only Sephiroth can use that sword," Cloud told Tifa.
"And that ice in the men back there," Claire added. "If Sephiroth's blade is here, then that was Sienna's ice. She's here, too."
"Who cares who did it! This is the end of ShinRa now!" Barret replied.
"No, it's not." Jeanne turned and faced them. "There's a Vice President, remember?"
"But that's not Shinra!" Barret argued. "Shinra is dead."
"Rufus is still alive, you idiot!" She yelled at him."
"Who the hell is Rufus?" the large man demanded and then he began to curse. "Damn; I forgot about him!"
"Who's Rufus?" Tifa and Aerith asked together.
"The vice-President," She whispered, turning back to face the dead body and the sword. "President Shinra's son." She watched as Palmer tried to flash by them, but she caught him by the back of his collar.
"P-p-p-please, don't kill me!" Palmer cried, trying to pull away.
"I won't," Jeanne assured him. "As long as you tell us what happened."
"It…It was Sienna…Sienna came!" Palmer looked like he was about to piss himself. "Se…Sephiroth. Sephiroth was right behind her."
"Did you see them?" Cloud and Claire demanded together.
"Yeah, I saw them! I saw them with my own eyes!" The man cried.
"You really saw them?" Jeanne asked.
"Uh! Would I lie to you at a time like this! And I heard their voices too! Um, Sephiroth was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land."
"Then what?" Tifa demanded. "Does that mean that the Promised Land really exists and that Sephiroth's here to save it from ShinRa?"
"So he's a good guy then?" Barret asked.
"Save the Promised Land? A good guy? No way!" Cloud replied.
"Neither is Sienna. She's worse than Sephiroth can be!" Claire added.
"It's not that simple!" Cloud continued. "I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different!"
"You don't know shit about Sephiroth! Or Sienna!" Jeanne's voice was full of malice as she glared at the twins. They pulled a surprised look at her. "You came in towards the end! You weren't around them until all of this happened! They weren't…" She bit her lip to keep the tears back. "This is all ShinRa's fault!" She said again, glaring at Palmer. She wanted to rip him apart, but she let him go and the fat man ran outside as a helicopter arrived outside the large windows, heading for the roof of the building.
Jeanne turned immediately and ran out the door that led to the roof. Palmer was talking to another man.
"So…" The new man said. "So Sephiroth was actually here. Sienna, too."
"Rufus." Jeanne's voice was rough as she glared at the man before her. She hated him just about as much as she hated his father. Now with the father gone, he was all that was left.
Rufus Shinra was dressed in a white business suit with a matching jacket over a black shirt. His eyes were blue and his hair a pale blonde with a look of surprise on his face.
"Jeanne…it's been a while." He glanced around the roof. "I'm not surprised to see you here, but…who are these guys?"
"I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER First Class!"
"Claire, same as my brother."
"I'm from AVALANCHE!"
"Same here!"
"…A flower girl from the slums."
"…A research specimen."
Rufus shrugged. "What a crew you have here, Jeanne." He gave them all another look. "I'm Rufus, the President of ShinRa Inc."
"You only President, 'cause yer old man died!" Barret told him.
"That's right. I'll let you hear me new appointment speech. 'Old man tried to control the world with money.'" Jeanne closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't want to hear this. "'It seems to have been working. The population thought that ShinRa would protect them. Work at ShinRa, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the ShinRa army will help you. It looks perfect on the outside. But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them.'"
Jeanne frowned. This was not the Rufus Shinra that she remembered. It seems that the Old President didn't affect just her, did he?
"He likes to make speeches just like his father." Tifa said.
Jeanne took a step forward. "Get out of here," She called over her shoulder to the others. "Rufus and I here have to have a talk." The man smirked.
"What?" Barret asked.
"I'll explain later. All of you! Just get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving you here alone!" Claire took a step up.
"Yes, you are. Get out of here. Now!" Jeanne growled. Claire didn't want to move, but Cloud grabbed his sister's shoulder. "Come on. Jeanne knows what she's doing."
"But Cloud," Tifa sounded worried.
"Come on; let's go." Cloud turned to move way but looked back at the older woman. "Hurry and catch up."
Jeanne nodded; her eyes still on Rufus. She had to wait until the others were all gone. She didn't have to wait too long and she put a hand on her hilt.
"Why do you want to fight me?" Rufus asked.
"You're just like your father," Jeanne shook her head. "I can see it just from the look on your face. He had that same look every time he spoke."
"I'm not like my father. Jena can assure you that," Rufus gazed over Jeanne's shoulder. "Can't you, Jena."
Jeanne froze for a moment before she turned. Someone in a black suit was standing behind her. They were leaning back against the building; her legs kicked out and crossed before them, half of her hidden from the building's shadow. At the name, the form straightened and stepped forward. Jeanne could help but smile. It was Jena. She was older now, her hair longer, but it was her.
"Jena!" She watched her sister's face. It was blank for a moment before she was encased in the black-suited woman's death-grip.
"I knew it! I knew you weren't dead! I feared it when they told me about Zack, but…but I just knew it!" Jena pulled back a bit. "Why? Why didn't you come find me?"
Jeanne wanted to respond, to tell her why, but she was lost for words. Instead she turned back to Rufus.
"Do…do you want the Promised Land just like your father?" Jeanne asked.
"Just like…just like Sephiroth and Sienna?"
"Of course," Rufus answered. "Did you know that the two of them are Ancients?" ~That's right…No one besides me, Genesis, and then Sephiroth and Sienna had ever read the books that I was left. That and Hojo, but he'd keep his mouth shut with something he failed on.~
"I…I can't let you have the Promised Land…if it's real." Jeanne told him.
Jena gave her sister a look and pulled away from her. "And if…If Sienna and Sephiroth came to you and asked for your help to acquire it…would you help them?"
Jeanne couldn't answer that question. Not truthfully anyway. Rufus snorted at her reaction.
"I see. I guess this means we're not friends any longer." Rufus seemed to pull a shotgun out of nowhere, holding it in one hand. Jena watched as Jeanne pulled out her sword. She was confused with what to do. What should she do? Rufus had taken care of her for the last 3 years…been there for her for everything. But Jeanne…that was her sister.
~A sister that didn't let you know she was still alive~ A voice rang in her head. ~If she cared she would have let you known.~
Jena was still frozen for a few moments as she watched the bullets fly, the sword swing, and the bodies move. She was caught and so, she had to choose. And the moment that Jeanne's sword found its way past Rufus' gun barrel the moment she moved.
Jeanne was caught off guard as Jena's sais appeared in her hands and halted her blade from its path to Rufus and the other one penetrated her left arm. "Jena!" Jeanne looked confused. "What are you doing?"
"I…I can't let you do this, Jeanne." Jena glanced away from her sister.
Knowing that something was about to burst between the two sisters the man with them decided to move. "Heh, that's all for today," Rufus grasped Jena's hand and dragged her behind him. Jena glanced over her shoulder and watched her sister stare at them as they hurriedly jumped back onto the Helicopter, leaving her behind. Jena wanted to say she's sorry but she couldn't make her throat work. Jeanne just stood there, watching them, that look still on her face.
What could she really say? What could she really do? Try and jump on the helicopter? Bad idea. Call after them? It wouldn't matter. Jeanne had chosen her side and so Jena had chosen hers.
Turning around, Jeanne left the roof of the building. She planned on grabbing the sword out of the ex-President's back, but there was a problem. Sephiroth's sword was gone. There were two conclusions to why it was gone. Cloud or Claire had taken it or…Sephiroth had returned for it. She hoped it was the later.
Thinking to herself what all had just happened tonight, Jeanne headed down the stairs.
"He ran?"
She lifted her head and saw that Cloud and Claire sat on the desks, waiting for her. She sighed. "Yeah."
"Damn," Cloud sighed as he stood. "Things are going to get complicated." He noticed the wound on her arm and reached out to touch it but she pulled away.
"We can worry about that later. Let's just get out of here." She had forgotten about the stab her sister had given her. At that moment the stinging and the blood pouring came to her mind. How had that not come into contact with her mind before?
They hurried down the stairs, but Claire came to a pause as they passed a window. "Holy Shit!" She cried out. "Look at all those guards!" Jeanne and Cloud joined her. "How are we ever going to get out of here?"
Jeanne thought for a moment; what here in the facility could get them out of here. What had she seen before…
"Miss us?" Claire shouted. The ones by the door turned to see the young woman running down the stairs with a large smile on her face.
"Claire! Where's Cloud and Jeanne?" Tifa asked.
"Follow me! We're getting the hell outta here!" Claire replied, moving towards the other set of stairs.
"But-"
"Just trust me, Tifa." They all nodded and followed the woman, glancing around the place, looking for Jeanne and Cloud.
That's when the sound of a motor cut through the silence and they all turned around to see Cloud driving a motorcycle down the stairs, Jeanne on the back of it. Claire ran into the small museum that ShinRa had in the back behind the main desk and jumped into the driver's seat, hotwiring the truck. Tifa and Aerith joined her inside the vehicle and Barret took the bed of the truck, Red Xlll jumping in to join him. Cloud circled around them once and then led the way back up the first flight of stairs. Jeanne, a firm grip with one hand on the back of Cloud's shirt, stood up as the bike hurried towards the window. She mumbled a few words under her breath and then fire shot out of her lifted hand, shattering the glass. She sat back down quickly and grabbed Cloud with her other hand as they went soaring out the window, Claire and the truck following them. They flew over all the Infantrymen and whatnot before landing on the bridge and taking off. The Infantrymen weren't going to give in that easily and took off after them in their own vehicles.
There was really no problem with dealing with their followers. Cloud drove while Jeanne took care of the others with her sword with the help of Barret's gun-arm from the back of the truck. And then…the large tank decided to join them as they hit the edge of the road that once led to the top of Sector 7.
"Get back! All of you!" Jeanne flung her hand out, catching Cloud in the chest ass he went to run forward. He looked at her in confusion as her hand traveled into one of the inside pockets in her jacket. When he saw her pull out a small, black glass ball he backed up, knowing what it was.
Jeanne took a breath and then slammed the ball on the road beneath her; a fierce wind began to blow. Cloud gripped his sword tighter. He knew what Jeanne was summoning.
There was a black Portal that appeared from behind Jeanne. Cloud shoved everyone back out of the way as a figure began to materialize out of the black hole. It was a demonic-looking Knight with horns, a long, curved scimitar in his hand, and a black cape. The horse, named Sleipnir, he road held demonic-type attributes as well, such as red eyes and matching body armor.
It was the summon, Odin.
The large summon circle around Jeanne; almost as if in greetings, before charging towards the large tank and slashing it in half with his blade. The Tank exploded, and Jeanne covered her head as bits and pieces showered over them. Odin gave Jeanne another circle before returning to the black hole. It disappeared and the black ball that she had smashed at her feet flew towards her, completely whole, and landed in her hand.
Jeanne, opening her jacket and placing the black ball back into the pocket she moved to stand on the edge of the road, gazing down at what was once Sector 7; the others all stood behind her.
"Well, what do we do now?" Barret asked.
"Sephiroth is alive." Cloud replied. "As is Sienna. We have to settle to score. All three of us." He referred to himself, Jeanne, and Claire.
"And that'll save the Planet?"
"…Seems like it." Claire nodded.
"Awright, I'm going!" Barret told them.
Aerith took a step forward. "I'll go too. I have things that I want to find out."
"About the Ancients?" Cloud asked.
"Many things."
Jeanne gave the woman in pink a cold look. Everyone took notice and Aerith fidgeted under her gaze. "Do you have to come with us?" She asked. "I doubt that a Flower Girl can do very much damage in battle." Aerith lowered her head. "If you do insist on following, then make no mistake; I will not waste any of my time trying to save you." She turned her back to the other woman again.
Cloud and Claire shared a look. Whatever Aerith had done really pissed Jeanne off.
"I guess this' goodbye, Midgar." Tifa sighed.
Jeanne gave her own sigh before grabbing the cord that led to the outer rim of the city. She led the way down in silence, everyone else following her one by one.
"We need a group leader for our journey," Barret decided to say. "'Course only me could be the leader."
"You think so?" Tifa asked.
"I would have to be Cloud." Aerith smiled and Barret froze as Jeanne rolled her eyes.
Tifa, Cloud, and Claire all shared a look before they smiled and said together – "Jeanne's the leader."
The woman in question frowned. "I don't want to be the leader." She told them.
"Too bad," Claire and Tifa moved up on either side of her and hooked arms. "You're the Leader."
"^#$&%," Barret decided to reply. "Awright, fine. Go Northeast to a town called Kalm. That's where we should go for now."
Jeanne nodded and turned to lead the way, the two women still on her arms, Cloud and Red Xlll behind them and then Barret and Aerith taking up the end.
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