-1A/N: Hello again my little chickadees. It's your humble and slightly twisted author, Vaughn of Stull. I was locked out of my apartment for 6 whole days! Don't let that get you down though. If you really cared you would have reviewed my fic…But, I'm just going to enjoy my Maruchan ramen and my White Owl strawberry cigar whilst writing! So there! sticks out toungue, dropping the cigar in the process OWCH! That burns!

(AMARANT'S POV)

All around me blue and mysterious light glows with alternating intensity. Strange, alien platforms and architecture surround me on all sides.. High above me and far away a few people stand, nearly out of my view. Among all of this new stimuli I finally focus on the quiet sounds coming from behind me. I turn around to see a young man standing in front of a girl who is crouching down on the platform.

The man is wearing a blue uniform and has very spiky blonde hair. High above his head he is raising a inexplicitly massive sword. He grunts as his body convulses, wary of his apparent target. She on the other hand is almost completely still, deep in some contemplation and totally oblivious to her very much impending doom.

"Cloud! Snap out of it! There is someone behind you!" a woman's voice shouts from in the distance.

Slowly "Cloud" turns to face me. Eerily glowing eyes search in vain for my own orbs of sight. He shakes his head from side to side and returns to this reality.

"Who…who are you? Wh…what am I doing!" the confused warrior says as he looks at his sword.

"I'm Amarant, and as for the second question: you were going to kill that most likely innocent girl." I say, trying to fight the confusion which also plagues the man in front of me.

"You've been sent by Sephiroth, haven't you?"

"NO! Listen to me…" I start to say, but am interrupted by my sixth sense. Someone or something is coming.

sssSSSHhhhhh An ominous sound cuts the air from above. We both look up see to a man falling from the sky. He is clutching a long, thin sword and is pitch black in appearances, save his flowing silver hair and the twisted white smile upon his pale face.. I feel the world around me hush in awe for this angel of death. Cloud moves to protect the still oblivious girl but he isn't moving fast enough. Gaia damn it! What the fuck am I supposed to do! ARGH!

My body moves faster than my conflicted mind, and I am armed instantly. In a split second I use Cloud as a stepping stone to assault the demonic man who is only a few feet from striking the praying young girl. I run on the air and impale the mystery man in the right shoulder. He is caught off-guard by my attack but is still on a path to the ground. I lose my balance in tumble over his shoulder, landing on another platform nearby. In horror I watch as his long blade pierces clean through the girl's shoulder, luckily missing her vital organs. She screams in pain the sword is hastily removed from her body, causing blood to splatter across Cloud's shocked face.

"Aeris! NOOOOOO!" Cloud screams, dropping his own sword and embracing the falling maiden, tears falling down his cheeks. "Damn you Sephiroth!"

'Sephiroth' coughs up blood as he clutches his triple wound, his menacing eyes staring intently at me. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he roars.

I smile and launch a shuriken which lands right between his eyes. That is who I am. I'll ask questions later.

"BLAARGH!" he bellow as he takes off, straight up to where he came from. As he fades from reality, a massive deformed creature falls onto a nearby platform.

"Yuffie! Cait! Tifa! Take care of Aeris an' Cloud! We'll handle dis overgrown piece o' fuckin' shit!" A large, dark skinned man yells as he leaps down the stairs leading to the main altar, his deep booming voice echoing across the area.

I watch as a crowd of people storm the main island. The huge man, a mysterious man with a metal hand, and a gruff-looking blonde man with a spear form a protective perimeter around Aeris. A young scantily clad girl, a black haired mysterious man and…a cat riding a bloated moogle are racing down the stairs to join them. Meanwhile, a rather busty woman pries Cloud off the injured girl as the others tend to Aeris, who is going into shock.

"Whose side are you on?" a one-eyed red lion demands to me, his voice coarse and intimidating.

"I…I am on yours…but I don't know what is…"

"Just help us please! ARGH!" he pleads before being cut off by a blast of red energy which washes across the area.

I watch as the burning storm rips through the group. Although Aeris was mostly shielded by a the large moogle, she too suffers from the attack. I watch, motionless as the bizarre beast's magic shreds the front lines. I look in horror as blood pours from Aeris' shoulder and old words enter my mind. What am I doing? Why did I attack that black caped man? I don't even know where the hell I am! But…

'You don't need a reason to help people!'

I snap. Rage flows through my entire body and I feel it.

TRANCE

I leap across the far gap onto the main altar. "Everyone! Out of my way!" I shout. With in an instant I pick up the huge sword Cloud was wielding in my hands. The beast stares me down and prepares to attack me. It won't have the time. The next second I release the massive sword which spins horizontally through the air and cuts the abomination in half. I turn and close my eyes. I feel each of their chi and synchronize it with my own, restoring their strength. My trance ends and I look around at everyone.

"Aeris! Please don't go…" Cloud cries into her chest. Her torn pink dress is soaked with her own blood. I look at her pale face. She's…so pure. I can't let her die! She's…just like Juliet.

"Barret, she's…she's gone!" Tifa yells, clutching his massive arm.

"No magic is working! The bleeding won't stop! She's…" the black cat who is wearing a red cape and a crown says, backing away.

"NO!"I yell at them all, "She isn't dead yet!"

I throw the weeping Cloud from her and place both my hands above the wound. I won't let her die. This…isn't a normal sword wound. It's been done by a sinister magic…my hands glow blue as it is suppressed and finally dispelled. I touch the glowing wound with my bare hand and feel desperately for some sign of life. Finally, I lock onto Aeris' energy and force my own chi into her directly. It burns worse than any feeling I have ever felt. I let out wild screams until I can't scream any longer. When I do, I open my eyes and see her own eyes open and look at me. I turn to look at her companions, but they all stand there frozen in time. What is happening now?

STRANGLE HER.

What?

DO IT.

Who the hell are you? Are you Sephiroth?

BWAHAHAHA! NO I AM NOT! NOW…KILL HER! YOU KNOW DEEP DOWN YOU WANT TO DESTROY! ALL THOSE YEARS KILLING CRIMINALS…YOU SAID YOU WERE DOING IT FOR REVENGE, BUT YOU KNOW THAT YOU JUST WANTED AN EXCUSE TO S L A U G H T E R!

THAT'S NOT TRUE! Get out of my mind! Are you the one who has been throwing me between the planets?

HA! IF I COULD DO THAT, I WOULD BRING YOU TO WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW AND KILL YOU! NOW…KILL HER! SLICE OPEN HER VIRGIN BODY AND DRINK HER SPINAL FLUID!

FUCK YOU! I won't do anything you say! I don't even belong here!

"How did you hear my prayer?" another voice calls to me. I look down at Aeris and realize instantly that it is her voice. She remains frozen though.

'I…didn't! I just came here without thinking about it…'

"Oh. Well I thank you, sir. But, please leave this planet at once. I can feel a dark presence tormenting you…and he is closer to you here than on the other planes."

'But, I…I don't understand what is going on!'

'Shh…just return to where you are loved. You've earned it. We can live here peacefully now, thanks to you. Now leave…'

'I don't know how!'

'Just listen to the voice of your heart. You possess the ability to hear across the universe…return to the one you love, she is waiting.'

'The one I love?'

When I blink, everything animates again. Aeris manages to smile at me weakly. Everyone stops crying at the sight of her gentle hand reaching up to touch my cheek. I turn and see Cloud now crying tears of joy.

I blink.

END CHAPTER 14

A/N: Wow, powerful stuff…

Albums I listened to: Guitar Vader - DAWN, Robbie Williams - The Ego has Landed, Gorillaz - Demon Detour (live album)