Chapter Eleven: Reunion

Peshe and Teiaiel stand amidst the pouring rain, both watching their opponent intently. The water droplets roll down the serrated blades of the swords held by Peshe, and evaporate on contact with Teiaiel's own straight blades. The two are motionless for a moment, the weather producing the only sounds. Then, a loud clap of thunder rings out.

Peshe is high in the air, Teiaiel speeding towards him. Striking first with one sword, then the other, the man in blue grins satisfactorily as Peshe deflects both attacks and strikes back himself. The two continue climbing higher as the four blades strike each other again and again, each hit producing a small flash of bright energy.

Teiaiel draws both arms back to one side and slices at the teen with both swords together, the weapons screaming as they ricochet off both of Peshe's. Twisting from the momentum, Peshe corkscrews into the building behind him, disappearing into its confines. Teiaiel pursues his prey, leaping through the same opening to follow the boy.

Cloud rises from his place amidst the debris and removes the First Tsurugi's exterior blade from it's core, now wielding two great swords himself. Gripping them tightly, he begins to leapfrog up the building's exposed framework, following the other two fighters up.

Within the dark building, Teiaiel runs through the cluttered hallways, seeking his enemy. Peshe suddenly leaps from around a corner, swinging both swords from opposite sides in a scissor-like attack. Bringing his own swords up, Teiaiel easily halts both weapons and pushes them outwards, away from himself.

Snarling with anger, Peshe jumps forward, rotating in mid-air and spinning the swords with him. Teiaiel sidesteps the first downward strike and blocks the second. Momentarily exposed, Peshe narrowly avoids a deadly swipe from the man in blue, then leaps back out of reach of a follow-up attack. Teiaiel again follows, leaping forward himself.

Peshe mimics his idol as he himself ricochets throughout the building, bouncing from wall, to ceiling, to floor, all while engaging Teiaiel in close-quarters combat, the metallic strikes of the swords echoing off the building's surfaces. Momentarily eluding his opponent, Peshe leaps up and cuts through the ceiling, repeating the process over and over until he's reached a high level of the tower.

Now standing on a walkway around a circular shaft, Peshe takes a moment to gaze up at the large cylindrical chamber, a column of complex technology descending from the ceiling and down into the pit beyond the walkway's railing. He doesn't have time to take note of the details though, as Teiaiel bursts through the floor beside him in a gout of blue flame.

Giving the teen no time to recover, he advances, the two trading blows at a rapid pace, dancing back and forth along the even floor, illuminated by the chamber's pale green lighting. Howling with frustration, Peshe brings both swords down on his opponent and Teiaiel raises one sword in defense. With his other hand, he fires another indigo sphere into the boy's gut, sending him flying back.

Peshe bounces once as he rolls across the floor, then manages to slide to a stop, one knee up. He glowers at the man in blue, who casually smiles back at his young opponent. Peshe climbs to his feet and gets ready to go again as a loud clang rings out. Turning to face the sound's source, Teiaiel sees Cloud land a short distance away.

The three warriors stand quietly for a moment, Teiaiel between the two friends. He glances back and forth at them both, his smirk still present. "My my, you two are giving Genesis a run for his money."

"Enough with the act, Teiaiel," Peshe growls. "Just hurry up and die already. Then you can be with your precious Jenova."

The man in blue turns his full attention to the young man. "Be with Jenova? My boy, I am Jenova." As if to prove his point, he unfurls his three white wings, and a new black one, this one behind his right shoulder. "And as you can see, I'm nearing completion. I just need two more ingredients."

Cloud speaks up, his demeanor calm and controlled. "Unfortunately for you, those two ingredients are gone forever. Looks like you'll never meet your goal, so why even try?"

Teiaiel laughs as he glances over one shoulder at the blonde fighter. "That's what you think, human. The truth is, those ingredients do in fact exist. I can feel them even now. And I will be complete, all in good time."

He crosses his arms before him and bows his head, his voice rising. "Now come. Entertain me before I am forced to finish this prematurely."

Radiating blue energy, the air around the warrior begins to shimmer from the excess heat given off. Tightening their grips on their respective weapons, Cloud and Peshe leap high into the air as Teiaiel beats his wings once, soaring high above them in the blink of an eye. All three warriors meet in space, Teiaiel stopping each of their swords with one of his, respectively.

With a powerful spin, he knocks the two fighters away, Peshe slamming into the chamber wall as Cloud lands among the room's central column. He leaps back off it shortly after touching down, eager to return to battle. The two swing their swords at each other, mirroring ech other's moves as the blades bounce back and forth.

Grinning at his opponent, the man in blue flaps his wings again, flying higher into the room as the affected air knocks Cloud backwards. He tumbles through the air, eventually landing back on the walkway as Teiaiel's laugh echoes around the room. Unable to spot his opponent, Cloud glances in every direction, worry showing in his eyes.

Then, from around the great column, a swarm of Teiaiel's trademark projectiles soars into view. Seeing the sheer number of them, Cloud stows his swords in their harness and begins running, the fireballs exploding close behind his heels as they follow him around the chamber.

As he runs, he spots Teiaiel high above and, mustering his strength, he leaps up, using his momentum to run along the wall in a twisting path along the chamber's edge. The fireballs continue to go off dangerously close, leaving the torn and shredded remains of the wall behind wherever he sets foot. Grasping his two weapons, he grunts with the effort of launching himself into the air with one leg, flying towards his enemy.

He soars through the chamber, swords held high as he descends toward the man in blue. But Teiaiel just smiles as Cloud draws nearer, motionless. At the last moment, he unleashes his energy in a maelstrom of power, sending Cloud tumbling to the floor far below. His limp body slams into the metal hard and lies still.

Teiaiel cackles with glee at his latest victory, but it turns into a cry of surprise as one of his swords is knocked away, flying from his hand to clatter on the ground far below. Turning to see Peshe, his face is emotionless. The teen glares back at him, gasping for breath, one eye swollen shut, and struggling to maintain his balance on the uneven surface of the unusual column at the room's center.

"Looks like you're out matched again, freak," Peshe stammers, growing weak.

Teiaiel shakes his head, his smirk returning. "You don't even know who you are," he hisses.

Peshe shrugs. "That may be partly true, but I do know I have the chance to save a lot of lives. So I guess that gives me a good chance at becoming a hero, which I'm fine with doing."

Teiaiel's smile only grows. "If only you knew...As a matter of fact, I think I'll teach you the truth right now."

Peshe's own lopsided smirk vanishes as he stares bemusedly at his enemy. Continuing to smile, Teiaiel raises his sword and cuts a deep gash across his free hand. Peshe's eye widens in shock as Teiaiel stares at the wound happily. "It's time for you to wake up, brother."

In the blink of an eye, Teiaiel has lashed out and is thrusting his bloody palm against Peshe's mouth, holding him tightly as he struggles for freedom. The bloodthirsty gleam returns to the man in blue's eyes as he watches excitedly. Peshe continues to struggle, his enemy's blood smearing all over his face. Fearing suffocation, he kicks and thrashes, trying to scream but making no sound.

Finally, Teiaiel releases him and begins to float backwards, his calm demeanor returned. He glances at his palm as the wound closes itself off, leaving a blood-stained, but unharmed hand. Far below, Cloud stirs, his vision blurry. After a few seconds, everything becomes clear again and he turns his focus to the two figures high overheard. As he studies the scene for a moment, his pupils shrink in fear.

Teiaiel smiles at his own cleverness as he regards his handiwork. His opponent wipes the back of his gloved right hand across his mouth, rubbing off the blood around it. Flicking the crimson ichor away, he tightens his grip on the long katana held in his left hand. Leveling his emerald, feline eyes on the man in blue, Sephiroth states plainly, "You're going to pay for that."