Blearily Tifa forced her eyes open. Her throat was parched and her head pulsed with pain. The sunlight streaming through the hundreds of gaps in the roof hurt her eyes. She rolled over, her head still foggy and reached a hand out for Aeris, finding nothing but cool sheets. There was a clink of shifting materia orbs from beside the bed and the martial artist turned to follow the noise. No one else lay in the bed and Yuffie lazed in a chair peering into the depths of a red sphere. Where was Aeris? Suddenly her thoughts snapped into focus.
"Aeris!" She sat up, Yuffie starting at the sudden noise.
"Tifa!"
"Where... where's Aeris?" she asked, an awful premonition already coursing through her head. She knew she was right from the look on the ninja's face.
"We hoped you might know... She's gone... She's been missing a week..." She trailed off as Tifa digested the information.
"A week?" She gasped. "I've been sleeping a week?" Yuffie nodded. "We've got to get after her."
Yuffie smiled slightly, as Tifa unsteadily got to her feet and began pulling on her clothes. "Cid's already prepping the plane."
Tifa paused. "How... how does he know where we're going?"
"Cloud woke up this morning. He had some kind of dream... He said Sephiroth knew where Aeris was going... and that he was going to stop her."
"Where did he say she was going?"
Yuffie told her and the martial artist gasped. "That's exactly what she told me..."
The ninja stared at her. "She told you she was going? And you let her?"
"Not out of choice! You think I'd let her go alone like that Yuffie?"
The other girl hung her head. "No... no of course not."
"She sent me to sleep after saying goodbye," muttered Tifa sadly. She straightened and continued dressing. "But if Sephiroth is after her, we can't waste any time."
The ninja nodded.
The Tiny Bronco skimmed over the water as the air grew chillier. She'd never been this far North - none save the pilot had. There was little in the inhospitable climate save the archaeological dig site of Bone Village and the winter resort of Icicle Inn. And yet Aeris had told both her and Cloud that a lost City was hidden on the continent. Cloud had looked away guiltily when she and Yuffie had joined the remnants of their group. He apologised profusely for his actions, and while she could not quite stay angry at him, she told him firmly that she was not the one he had to apologise to. She scrambled forwards to Cid; the land mass of the continent was just visible ahead as they raced towards it.
"What do you know about this place?" she yelled over the roar of the engines.
"Bone Village? Quiet place; all academic types there. Spend their entire time scrabblin' around in the dirt. They've got this amazing skeleton they dug up a few years back. Looks like an unknown dragon type or somethin.'"
"You're certain we should be headed there? Not Icicle Inn?"
The pilot shook his head, "For one we have nowhere near enough fuel to make it round to the coast; and that's if the sea isn't frozen yet. The other reason is that Bone Village sits right in front of the Sleeping Forest. And since both of you mentioned that, I figured it was our best bet."
"Do you know what's beyond the forest?"
Cid shook his head. "As far as I know no one has either gotten through it and gotten back. No one's managed to fly over it either; there's some weirdness with magnetics in that whole region. Biggest mystery on the whole Planet."
"Sounds the most likely place for a lost city, doesn't it?"
"You said it, sister." He smiled, a cigarette perched between his lips as usual.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. Wait 'til we know she's safe."
The thought sobered her, and she sat back to watch the land grow larger.
Cloud lead the way through the deeply shadowed groves of the Sleeping Forest. The teams at Bone Village had confirmed a brown-haired girl with green eyes and a pink dress had passed into the forest three days earlier, ignoring their dire warnings in much the same way Cloud had. They had plunged into the woods without delay; the forest nothing like they expected. The edge that bordered the excavation sites was densely packed, barely any room between one tree and the next, forcing them onto the rough dirt path that trailed off into the gloom. Cloud strode on, moving purposefully through the trees even after the path petered out. The densely packed trunks reduced and the forest became almost pleasant as they moved North. The tree canopy was still close to total, but rays of sunlight still shone down through gaps in the foliage. The wall of trees that marked the perimeter fell behind them and they soon found themselves walking along a natural avenue, the trees becoming more naturally spaced.
"This is where I saw him," Cloud said quietly.
"Sephiroth?" muttered Barret. The former SOLDIER nodded nodded.
"Aeris ran that way," he gestured forwards; they could distantly see a gap in the treeline ahead. It was a few miles to the forest's opposite edge where they found the the remnants of a small camp. Aeris' staff had been lent up against a tree like some kind of monument with her small clutch of materia spheres lying beside it. There was the remnants of a fire and a brief meal along with other oddities. Her red jacket and sleeping bag lay neatly folded beside the blackened twigs, and piled upon this were her bracelets, boots and socks.
"A ritual perhaps?" Vincent mused. "She left everything she didn't need behind her."
"She's awfully trusting," murmured Yuffie, turning the materia over with her fingers.
"We'll take it with us. For her." Tifa carefully picked up the jacket and the bracelets. Aeris' scent drifted up from the garment, that ever present aroma of flowers; She was close. Cid picked up the staff and strapped it to his back in place of his spear while Yuffie dropped the loose materia into her own bag, insistent she could separate out the Cetra's later. The raven-haired girl pulled the bolero jacket over her shoulders, not caring it didn't quite fit her, and then slipped the bracelets over her wrists.
The edge of forest was perched on the brow of a small rise, and they walked out into the open air at last. A curious path swept from the forest opening and disappeared around the rocky cliffs ahead. The path was cracked - no not cracked, segmented; formed from overlapping stones that resembled the spine of some gigantic creature, each vertebrae sunk deep into the ground. There was no choice but to follow it and then the city lay before them. Tifa had been expecting something that roughly matched the design of the Temple, but the City could scarcely be more different. Gigantic structures spiralled up out of the ground, looking like the discarded stone shells of some long dead and forgotten sea creature. Between these were expanses of dust and rubble, strangely free of weeds and other encroaching vegetation. The path split into three; one proceeded directly ahead, while the other two arced around the plateau. Contrary to the cooler air of Bone Village and the Sleeping Forest, the City was unexpectedly clement. The silence was almost oppressive in the city, disturbed only by the scuff of their boots as they walked. There could be no one here... could there? No one living... Tifa desperately tried to put the thought out of her head again. Aeris had to still be alive; they could not be that far behind her.
"I... I can smell Aeris' scent," Nanaki spoke up. He lowered his head to the ground, his nostrils flaring slightly. "It leads that way." He gestured along the path that ran ahead of them and into a rocky formation topped with gleaming white trees. An avenue lined with the same luminous trunks lead them into a clearing where another shell-like structure towered up from the bank of a small lake. The water was crystal clear, revealing the body of water to be astonishingly deep.
The interior of the shell spiralled up to a dead end; no one could hazard a guess at the building's former function, or the designs within. The walls were bare, and if there had been anything else previously it had been removed. The building felt wrong somehow, as if the spiralling interior should have lead up to something; it felt like a built structure on the inside, while a natural growth on the outside. Frustratingly there was still no sign of Aeris. The martial artist sighed, fiddling with the small flower she had picked from the Sleeping Forest; the flower girl had given her so many and now she wanted to at last return the favour. Nanaki padded up beside her and spoke in a low tone.
"I've lost her scent. There were traces of her on the path here, but now I can not pin-point her. I'm... I'm sorry."
She smiled softly. "Thank you, Nanaki. At least we know she was here."
They scoured the city as the day wore on; finding empty, strangely clean buildings and structures. Outside of the physical structures there was few remnants of the Cetra here, and no further signs of Aeris. Nanaki reiterated that her scent was strongest near the secluded lake, but even tracking the faint traces to the doorway of the shell building could not indicate a clearer destination for the flower girl. Grudgingly they retreated to one of the buildings that seemed to have been some kind of dwelling; there were beds set into the curved inner walls.
It felt oddly safe in this empty city, but Tifa found herself unable to doze off even as the others fell into peaceful slumbers. She stared at the flower, hoping that Aeris would appreciate the gesture.
"...Tifa..."
The martial artist started at the sound, her heart hammering in her chest as she held her breath listening for her lover's voice once more. There; it was faint but she heard it. A rustling from behind her made her look round. Cloud had risen and was looking distractedly through the air. "Was that... Aeris?" he breathed. She could only nod mutely. The whispering voice came again and an agitation overtook her. She was here and her hands itched to hold her once more. "Guys!" She hissed, somehow unable to raise her voice. "It's Aeris."
Straining her ears, Tifa lead them towards the the gradually rising volume of the voice; it lead them inevitably once more to the secluded lake and the high twisting shell house. Somehow Aeris had come to this building and then seemingly vanished into thin air. The raven-haired girl followed the gentle spiral up through the interior once more, wondering if this time the passage way would be longer and lead her at last to her lover who would be waiting patiently with that gorgeous smile. Cloud abruptly stopped short and stared down into the hollow core of the building. She followed his gaze and gasped. When they had visited the structure before a block of clouded crystal had been set flush with the bottom of the interior slope. It was now missing revealing a crystalline staircase that spiralled out of sight into a vast space below.
The stairs were dizzying; heavy blocks of a crystalline substance suspended by some unseen and unfamiliar construction. There were no guard rails and each member of the party stuck resolutely to the centre of the path as they descended. The stairs arced through subterranean darkness and slowly circled an almost conical structure far below them. Moonlight illuminated only a tiny portion of the vast cavern, its scale hidden in the darkness that hung all around them.
"There's someone down there..." Nanaki peered down at the structure below.
Tifa's heart was in her throat. "Is it...?"
He squinted. "I think so. It must be."
They moved quicker, Cloud leading the way with Tifa right behind him. It took so frustratingly long as the staircase swept away and around the structure, slowly circling closer to it. They were now close enough that she could see that it was indeed Aeris on the platform and relief flooded the martial artist as they walked. The flower girl did not move but remained kneeling, her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her. The raven-haired girl wanted to call out but the words died in her throat. How could she possibly interrupt her prayer?
The stairs ended in a series of large platforms, forcing them jump awkwardly from one to the next. Tifa grew concerned; there was no reaction from the praying girl as they landed on each stone. Aeris was remained still and silent. The martial artist paused for a moment, entranced by the way the pale moonlight played across her partner before noticing that Cloud had made the last jump onto the platform the Cetra knelt on. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the SOLDIER draw the Buster Sword from his back.
"Cloud!" she yelled her voice ringing hollowly in the massive space. There was no response as the blonde SOLDIER clasped the hilt with both hands.
"Cloud!" barked Nanaki. The man lifted the sword up above his head.
"What are you doing?" yelled Tifa. She started forwards as Cloud cried out in pain. His muscles were tensed to swing but instead the sword wavered.
"No..." he gasped. The sword jerked forward a few horrifying millimetres as the martial artist considered her options. She dug frantically in her bag for materia.
"No!" yelled Cloud. His arms jerked backwards and his hands released the sword; it clattered onto the platform as Cloud sank to his knees, his head in his hands. Tifa started forward again as Aeris' eyes opened. She glanced concerned at the anguished Cloud before casting about until she found her girlfriend, and smiled. The martial artist felt relieved once more. Now she just had to get Cloud away from the flower girl before anything like the Temple happened again. There was a pulse of green light from behind Aeris.
A movement caught her eye; something was above her and falling. She barely heard the gasps as her head jerked up and she saw Sephiroth plummeting down towards Aeris, the Masamune clasped in both hands ready to impale his unwary prey below.
Her fingers closed on the materia, reflexes screaming from the years of martial arts practice as she concentrated as fast as she could. He was too close. Just let this be in time... Just this.
The flower fell from her hand.
The sphere in her hand pulsed green mere seconds before the Masamune touched the Cetra. The space around the flower girl warped slightly, and took on a blurred appearance. The Masamune impacted the edge of the barrier, slowing as the shield thickened around the sword point and becoming visible. The blade continued to push inwards towards Aeris who had started to turn in response to her partner's actions. Her eyes widened as she found herself inches from the deadly blade. Tifa gritted her teeth and concentrated. Painfully slowly the Masamune was pushed back out of the barrier. Sephiroth dropped down onto his feet and pulled the sword back. He struck the barrier causing orange octagons to dance in the air as the spell absorbed the blow and the force was dissipated. He struck twice more before glaring at the group; those awful eyes fell on her and that cold smile appeared on his face.
She could only dimly hear the commotion behind her, all her efforts expended on maintaining the shield. There was the boom of a fire-arm, followed by the steady pulse of machine gun fire. A shuriken whirled overhead; Sephiroth knocked it away with his sword and nimbly stepped behind Aeris' shield forcing Barret and Vincent to stop firing. He was using the martial artist's protection of the flower girl against them.
"Puppet." The silver-haired man spoke suddenly, gesturing towards Cloud. The man unfolded slowly, rising to his feet, arms danging limply at his side until they reached down to grasp the sword hilt once more. The man in black gestured again and the former SOLDIER turned to face her. Sephiroth struck the barrier with a few more blows. Aeris looked panicked; there was nothing she could do.
"Cloud! What the hell do ya think you're doing?!" yelled Barret as the ex-SOLDIER took a faltering step forward, his sword raised. Grinning Sephiroth stepped back to smash the barrier again and again.
"Cid!" Yuffie was yelling. "Distract him! I've got a plan."
"Better be a damn good one. I ain't dying here."
Cloud swung his sword down towards the martial artist, Cid hastily blocking and deflecting the blow.
"Hey, hey, hey, Spike-Boy! I'm your opponent!"
Cloud's movements had the same awful mechanised feel as his attack at the Temple; Cid fortunately got his attention, his spear arcing through the air deflecting blows and striking at the SOLDIER. Tifa's hands hurt; her left was aching as it clutched tightly around the sphere and the muscles in her right arm were beginning to burn. Her head pounded as she continued to concentrate fiercely on maintaining the shield.
"Hang on a bit more Tifa!" Yuffie again. What was she planning? There was a clink of materia. "Cid! Knock him out."
He smiled. "Finally!" He knocked a heavy blow away one-handed as he drew a materia sphere with his other. It pulsed green and Cloud collapsed to the floor, his sword bouncing away.
"Now!"
"I hope I do this right," muttered Barret.
Yuffie, Barret and Vincent each held a red sphere. A glow built to almost painful brightness in each as white fire enveloped their left hands and spread across their body to their right. Arcane symbols hung in the air for a moment as energy collected and then with a pulse the energy dispersed, shooting away from them, the spheres still glowing brilliantly. The pulse from Yuffie splashed into the water beside them suddenly churning up the liquid. The Avalanche leader's arced up overhead, and in the darkness above, there was the impossible suggestion of storm-clouds. Vincent's arced back over his head and onto a crystal step which seemed to become coated with frost.
Still Tifa concentrated, ignoring everything, even the roars that now reached her ears. The churning water burst apart revealing a long snake like creature. It locked its gaze on Sephiroth and struck. He left the protected Cetra, now floating to meet the summon as it twisted and coiled, head darting forward to injure the silver-haired man. A blast of cold air accompanied a hail of ice shards as they arced down onto the silver-haired man; the ice goddess was already forming another set. The SOLDIER's grin began to diminish as the two summons attacked. They were joined by one more. With a roar and rush of air, the dragon set itself carefully down between the floating man and Aeris. He scowled as fire erupted from the summon and washed over him; he dispersed it with a wave of his sword, but then ice shards stabbed down at him again and the serpent tried to knock him down and into its twisting coils in the water below.
He glanced down to Cloud and registering him unconscious, dropped his hand. With a snarl he suddenly shot upward and out of sight, the dragon rising to follow, a burst of energy escaping its jaws that shot up and after the retreating man in black. It's form became unclear and indistinct, fading to blue coiling energy that slowly dissipated, the other two summoned creatures following suit a moment later. There were relieved sighs from the trio of summoners as the glows diminished and faded from the red materia spheres. Tifa scarcely noticed; her eyes were still on Aeris who had watched astonished as Sephiroth was driven off. Her muscles screamed with pain and she felt a hand gently laid on her back.
"Tifa. Tifa! It's okay. He's gone. You can stop now," Yuffie's arms were around her, one hand gently tugging her right hand down, the other trying to prise her grip from the materia. With a gasp, Tifa let go. The shield around Aeris wavered for a moment and faded. Her aching arm hung limply and the materia slid from her loosened grip. Her girlfriend scrambled to her feet and rushed to her. The impact almost knocked her backwards, but she didn't mind, agonisingly bringing her arms up to embrace her.
"Thank you." Aeris clung to her. Neither said anything more or moved for some time. She could faintly hear some murmuring as the others moved around, the quiet clink of materia as it was stowed away again and then some grimacing as someone pushed Cloud's sword further from him. They kissed frantically and repeatedly, both thankful to be alive. Tifa's hands and arms were still in agony, her head still pounded, but she didn't care. Her girlfriend was safe. She held her in her arms just relishing the feel of her against her once more, never entirely realising how much she'd longed for her while she had been away. A thought struck her, and she cast around, finding the flower she picked remarkably undamaged. With a smile she raised it and slid it gently behind Aeris' ear, earning herself a surprised but grateful smile.
Tifa pulled her back into her embrace once more. "I just wanted to... once," she murmured into the flower girl's ear. Aeris' lips found her cheek and trailed back to her lips. And then with a sigh she slid back onto her haunches and rose, never letting go of her hand.
"Can you stand?"
The martial artist nodded, and Aeris gently helped her to her feet. They crossed to the platform where the others stood in a ring around Cloud.
"Twice now," said Vincent. Yuffie crouched down as if to view Cloud better.
"It never looks like he's in control though."
"No," Nanaki was musing. "Did you hear Sephiroth? He called Cloud a puppet."
"Ya mean he can control him?" exclaimed Barret.
"It seemed like it. To some degree. He fought it off at first when he tried..." he trailed off. "The question remains what do we do about this?"
"It would be unwise to leave someone as strong as Cloud behind if Sephiroth can take control of him." Vincent regarded the prostrate form.
"Agreed," Yuffie put in rising to her feet again.
"We can't kill him." Aeris sounded stronger then Tifa felt. And as painful as it was, she concurred.
"If we do that, we're no better then Sephiroth, and what he tried to do. Cut down someone in the way," she squeezed Aeris slightly as she said it.
"I guess we have to restrain him then," mused Cid. "And this time, we find out exactly what is wrong with our ex-SOLDIER."
Tifa felt a chill run through her. She needed to tell them. Now more then ever.
"There's... there's something I need to tell you. About Cloud's past, about Nibelheim."
"Tifa..." Aeris looked concerned.
"It's okay. I've kept it hidden long enough and after today, there is no one I trust more then all of you. You deserve to know what I know." She took a deep breath. "Cloud never returned to Nibelheim."