Next chapter!!!!! Sorry it took so long. This may sound like the end...but no.
Chapter 21 - Are There Two?
Song (1): Entering The House from the X-Men The Last Stand Original Soundtrack
Song (2): With Great Power by Immediate Music
Song (3): It's Time from the X-Men 2 Original Soundtrack
Song (4): Protect Life from the Fifth Element Original Soundtrack
...The Sierra...
"What was that noise?" a very disoriented Yuffie asked after making her way into Tifa's room from hers down the hallway.
"Something happened with Damian." Tifa answered.
"The Phoenix fed him some bullshit and he's buyin' into it!" Cid claimed.
"He blasted through there and left." Vincent said as he pointed to the cavity in the Recovery Room's metal wall. Yuffie gasped. The room was trashed.
"We should tell Cloud right away!" she quickly explained.
"Cloud's a heavy sleeper." Tifa said. "If what just happened didn't wake him, nothing will." Then, the four turned to see Aeris standing in the doorway of the demolished room across from Tifa's.
"Damian." she said.
"Aeris, The Phoenix is fuckin' with him!" Cid said. "He's out there scared and confused. And with The Phoenix close enough to kill, he's probably a bigger threat than Sephiroth was!"
"Yes. I agree." the cinnamon haired woman said. "We have to find him and bring him back to us."
"What happened here?" Cloud asked. He had been broken from his slumber by the noise despite Tifa's comment on his sleep habits and walked downstairs from his room to see what woke him. He was also wide awake as if he hadn't gone to sleep.
"Cloud." Aeris said calmly. "Something is wrong with my brother. The Phoenix has confused him. He broke through this wall and left."
"We gotta find him! I'll get everyone right on it."
"No, Cloud. They're all presumably asleep and have been for some time. They won't be fully aware of the situation. I will leave a note on Barret's door telling him what happened. It's best we do this ourselves."
...Parts Unknown...
"Hmmm...That power." a fully healed Sephiroth spoke. "I must have it for myself."
"With all do respect, dear brother." Kadaj started. "How do you plan to do that? Damian's alliance lies solely with his sister and her friends."
"True. However, he isn't exactly pleased with his sister at the moment."
"What do you mean?" Yazoo asked his older brother.
"It is true that The Phoenix lives within him, and its existence makes it difficult for him to know when it is The Phoenix talking...or someone else." The tall man grinned.
"Was that why it was so easy for me to study and communicate with him, Sephiroth?" Kadaj asked.
"Yes. And now that Damian is confused, he will be that much easier to convince." Sephiroth turned to face his younger counterpart. "Have you found him yet?"
"Yes, I have." Kadaj responded. "He is in Old Midgar. In a run down old building where I think an orphanage used to be."
"Then we will go to him. Be alert as I'm sure Cloud and Aeris won't be too far behind." The two young men nodded in agreement.
...The Orphanage For The Gifted, Old Midgar...
The group of Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Yuffie, Cid, and Vincent had found their way to Old Midgar without waking the other members of the team. The single-story building Aeris led them to was indeed an old orphanage, perhaps one of Damian's homes in the past. It looked as if it had not been inhabited for years. Most of the windows had wood over them, and the royal blue paint that covered the brick walls on the outside had almost completely weathered away. The only thing that remained intact was a brass swing set near the entrance, hinting that there may have been a small playground where it stood. The metal chain connecting the seat of the swing to the brass bars creeked as they swung lightly with a strange and somewhat depressing wind. They all knew that no wind could make its way here. Aeris knew what, or who, was causing it. She looked around at her teammates to see that everyone except for Cid wore a face of uncertainty. Then, the cinnamon haired woman came to a decision.
"Cid and I should do this alone." she said.
"Why, Aeris?" Cloud asked. "What if you need us?"
"I'm not asking you to leave. If this energetic wind bothers you, then you won't be any help inside. This wind is Damian's energy and you feel confused because the wind is filled with his emotions. If they overpower you, you may not be able to act quickly or at all on your own as Damian will have complete control over you." The group then heard what sounded like a person clapping.
"Bravo, Aeris." It was Sephiroth approaching with Kadaj and Yazoo. "You've done your homework, I see." Avalanche readied themselves for battle.
"Calm down." Sephiroth calmly pleaded. "We are not here to fight you."
"Then what do you want?" Vincent asked. "A rematch?"
"Oh, Touche, Vincent." Sephiroth grinned. "Why not join me?" Vincent clenched his teeth.
"We have other things to deal with!" Yuffie snapped. "And though I never thought in a million years that I'd be saying this, but you're just not important right now! We've got to help Damian!"
"Why, that's what we're here for. We want to help him, too." Aeris walked directly into the silver haired men's path and stopped to face Sephiroth, which slightly shocked both Cloud and Tifa.
"Damian is not well." she said. "We don't want any trouble here."
"Niether do I, my courageous young friend." Sephiroth said as he grinned at the young woman. "Shall we go inside?" Without arguing, Aeris followed Sephiroth into the building, Cid following close behind. Sephiroth then sent Kadaj a telepathic message.
(Let niether of those people through.) he said. Kadaj smiled.
"I don't like this." Cloud said. "They're in there with him! Who knows what Sephiroth might do."
"We have to trust Aeris, Cloud." Vincent said as he turned to the spiky blonde. "She won't let neither Cid or Damian be harmed." Cloud blinked then nodded.
As the Sephiroth, Aeris, and Cid neared the abandoned building, an eerie and unknown feeling surged through them. Cid stopped for a moment before continuing on. Sephiroth opened the wooden door. The orphanage still had furniture within it, appearing as if someone had just moved in. The floor was lined with a beautiful velvet carpeting, untouched by time or weathering. Nothing seemed to be out of place or mysterious. the trio pressed on deeper into the moonlit building. The further all moved on inside, the more things felt wrong or misplaced. What was more was there were many pieces of furniture that shook slightly and levitated a small distance from their base. Aeris knew they all drew close to Damian.
The three found themselves staring down a long hallway of rooms, the doors all open and shaking and flapping wildly as if they were leaves in a windstorm. The only room that hadn't been opened was the room at the very end of the hall. Sephiroth, Aeris, and Cid slowly made their way to the unopened door. Cid slowly opened the door to reveal a sitting room. And sure enough, in the center of the room, a disdained Damian gainsborough sat in a rather small chair. Although he was now wearing a black tank top and matching jean pants, he still wore his keepsake coat. The room's entire furnishing, ranging from bookshelves to a leather sofa and love seat, levitated in place around him and, with a loud crash, fell back down to the floor. Damian's body seemed to glow while the moonlight shining through a large unboarded window bounced off of his figure. The three intruders walked in and slowly towards the troubled young man. Aeris moved a seat like the one Damian sat in and took a seat. She looked her brother directly in the face with bold determination. (1.)
"I knew you'd come here." Damian said to her in a deep and darkened voice.
"Of course, Damian." Aeris told him sweetly. "I want you to come back home with me." Damian's face filled with anger.
"I have no home."
"Yes, you do. You live with me. With Avalanche." Cid began thinking to himself.
He's not gonna listen to her after what The Phoenix told him. he thought. She might as well be talking to a brick wall. The pilot then walked over to Aeris sitting in the chair.
"Get up, Aeris." Cid said to her. "He ain't listening to you." She politely stood and Cid sat down in the chair. He looked his friend in the eyes. He couldn't see Damian. The only person, or thing, he saw was The Phoenix, though its signature features did not show.
"Hey, Damian." Cid said with an empty laugh, only to recieve a deadly stare from Damian. Cid became uneasy. "Look, Damian. I don't know what's wrong, but what do ya say we work it out together. Huh?" Sephiroth stepped to the side of the chair Cid was now sitting in.
"You know, Damian." he said. "He thinks your power is far too great for you control also." Damian slowly turned his head to face Sephiroth, then faced back to Cid.
"So you want to control me, too?" Damian asked.
"No." Cid asked. "I don't feel that way!" Sephiroth chuckled.
"He does, Damian." he said. Cid then turned back to his friend.
"No I don't, Damian." he said. "I want to help you." Aeris could see tears begin to form in her brother's forest green eyes.
"Help me?" Damian asked Cid. "What's wrong with me, Cid?" Sephiroth huffed.
"Absolutely nothing." Sephiroth told Damian. "I like you just the way you should be."
"Sephiroth!" Aeris shouted. "Stop it!" The silver haired man turned to her.
"No, Aeris." Sephiroth shouted to her. "You will chain him no longer! You've always held him back." Damian's eyes began to show vigorous anger as he looked to his sister. She looked back to him.
"I did it for you, Damian." Aeris pleaded. Then, one of the books on a nearby bookshelf slammed into a lamp on the same fixture, crushing it into pieces with a shattering sound. Aeris and Sephiroth blinked, whereas Cid turned to see what happened. Damian had used his power to throw the book into the lamp in an attempt to block his sister's comment. Enraged by her, he flared his eyebrows.
"Liar!" He said.
Outside, everyone heard a faint sound that hinted at a roar of some type. Then, the open door of the entrance slammed shut and trees began to flutter. Kadaj and Yazoo looked back.
"I'm going in there." Cloud said as he started for the door, only to be stopped by Vincent.
"Trust her, Cloud." he said to him. "Aeris said she can handle this." Cloud looked to the door and to Kadaj and Yazoo standing in front of it before backing down.
Back inside, all of the lights blew and the doors in the hallway slammed shut with a crash for each one. In the sitting room, the furnishings began to once again levitate from the floor. Damian now had a frightened look on his face as if he were fighting with The Phoenix inside and losing. Cid saw this.
"Damian!" he said. "Look at me, Damian!" (1 off.)
"No..." Damian replied, tears flowing freely like a stream from his bloodshot eyes.
"Damian. Please." Aeris pleaded. "Let me and Cid help you." Both her and Cid attempted to connect with Damian telepathically, but The Phoenix blocked evey attempt made. Damian clenched his teeth together.
"Leave me alone, Aeris!" he shouted. Cid then slid a shout distance across the floor in the chair, creating sparks as he tried to stop himself from moving.
"Maybe you two should listen to him." Sephiroth advised in an ill mannered fashion.
"Damian. The Phoenix is a danger to everyone including yourself! You have to let me help you!"
"Maybe you should put up another barrier, Aeris." Sephiroth chuckled. (2.)
"Damian, think about what could happen to us!" Cid said. Damian squinted his eyes in pain and a loud high pitch roar of energy was heard. "Keep The Phoenix away from you! Control it, Damian!"
"I am The Phoenix!!" Damian shouted, and with his words he let out a thunderous cry. The windows of the room shattered as a large pulse of energy filled the room, pushing Aeris and Sephiroth out of the room and into the hallway. Cid, apparently able to hold tightly onto the chair that almost never moved, was left in the room with Damian.
Everyone outside heard the glass break, and Cloud decided now would be the time to play the hero and barge in to help his friends.
"That's it!" he shouted as he brandished his Buster Sword. Yuffie, Tifa, and Vincent readied themselves for battle as did Kadaj and Yazoo.
The three members of Avalanche charged towards the entrance. Kadaj used a Fire Materia to create a wall of fire, stopping the advance of his enemies. Yazoo jumped over the fire wall and shot bullets at the group. They all rolled out of harm's way, and charged at Yazoo as he landed. Kadaj ran through the fire and engaged in combat with Cloud and Tifa. Yuffie and Vincent battled hand-to-hand with Yazoo.
Inside, Cid psychically battled with Damian alone. The furnishings circled around the room as the wind from the energy picked up speed. Cid began breathing heavily for he knew he would lose this battle, but he wouldn't give up without putting up a fight. He gritted his teeth, squinted his eyes, swallowed as he mentally tried to overpower Damian, the wind blowing through his blonde hair. Through all of the struggling the pilot was going through, Damian sat calmly with a determined look on his face. The telekinetic wind blew through his hair, making it appear like fire burning violently on top of his head. Cid began blinking continuously as the wind picked up speed.
"Damian!" he shouted. "Let me help you!" Damian didn't move, blink, or say anything. He just sat sadistically in the small chair, mentally overpowering his friend, Cid, without sparing him any type of mercy. A low pulse of energy sounded off as Damian used more power to fend Cid off.
In the hallway, Aeris and Sephiroth held on to one of the doors to keep their balance as the wind reached a staggering speed. Aeris could only watch as Cid fought with Damian. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her brother would once again become The Phoenix and destroy Cid where he sat. However, since Damian was blocking her memory, she could not help in any way. It was Cid's battle and Cid's only.
However, little to Aeris's knowledge, Cid had almost complete control of the battle. In his mind, he saw nothing but Damian smiling, and the more he thought of this, the stronger he became. He glared right into the red head's green eyes, and watched as Damian stared into his. It was then when Cid witnessed Damian's face begin to fill with dark veins and his lips slowly lost their color. The pilot's facial expression faded from determination to fright as his opponent's eyes darkened. He felt a sudden pressure in his head and knew that he was overpowered by Damian, who was now The Phoenix. Sweat formed on Cid's forehead and The Phoenix grinned. Then, it slowly stood up from the small chair as a notation of complete dominance. As he stood, the furniture and many of the books began to disentegrate around him and Cid. Aeris watched in horror as her current nightmare slowly came to pass.
Outside, Avalanche, Kadaj, and Yazoo stopped fighting due to the wind being too strong for any of them to keep their balance. They all found something to hold on to.
"What is going on in there?" Yuffie screamed.
"Cid's fighting with Damian!" Kadaj said to her. "They're using Psychic energy!"
"Cid can't use Psychic energy!" Vincent explained. "He loathes the whole concept!"
"Apparently something in him knows how use it!" Tifa squinted her eyes to keep the wind from blowing any foreign objects into them.
"Aeris!"
The building was literally being torn from inside out. The walls began to crack and the boards placed on the windows peeled away and disentegrated. Sephiroth and Aeris struggled to keep their hold on the lockers as the violent wind increased in speed. The Phoenix stood as stiff as a oak tree. Cid held on tightly to his chair, fighting a losing battle with his opponent.
"Damian!" he screamed. "Don't do this! Please!!" The Phoenix maintained his psychic hold on Cid. (2 fade into 3.) Just then, felt a sudden rush of strange energy course through his body like a current. Cid's face slowly filled with dark veins, and the pilot's muscles tensed to their maximum. His sky blue eyes filled with flames and his body was surrounded by an aura of fire. A look of strength and determination fell upon Cid's face, and he stood from his seat and faced The Phoenix head on as the familiar aura of fire around him grew. Cid's hair began to glow a shimmering gold, and the aura surrounding him slowly morphed into wings. Neither Aeris nor Sephiroth could believe what they were seeing. There were two Phoenixes in the room...one good...one evil.
"Quit fighting me, Damian!" Cid said to The Phoenix. "I want to help you!" The veins in The Phoenix's face thickened, and its eyes became a deep red. However, Cid stood his ground, the look of strength still in his eyes. It was then the entire building rose from it foundation and everything and everyone, aside from The Phoenix and Cid, levitated to the roof. Even the group outside flew into the air. Cid then saw a flash of light before his eyes. (3 off.) He found himself in a bright white area that seemed endless. His features had returned to normal and his clothes unworn. He looked around to find any sign of life that may be here.
"Hello?" He shouted. No one answered. "Hello?" He heard footsteps off into the distance. He scanned the area and found the source. It was Damian standing off in the distance wearing a white robe of the eastern fashion. Cid ran to him. Damian did not move, and when Cid reached him he had a lost look on his face.
"Damian." Cid said. "It's me. Cid. I'm here."
"Why?" Damian asked. "You don't care for me."
"I do care about you, Damian. I'm your friend." Damian's face changed to an empty feature that didn't seem to fit him.
"I'll kill you in the end, Cid." he said. "The Phoenix said so."
"Dammit, Damian! Fuck The Phoenix!! He ain't here obviously! I don't see him! I see you! You have control here. You have control everywhere! Not him! He needs you! You don't need him!!" (4.)
"...Cid. Why did you come for me?"
"Because..I..." Cid looked down at his feet, then looked back to Damian. "I need you." Damian's eyes widened. "You may not understand, but when you talked to me when we first met, I felt a strange connection. Like...I met you before...and I shouldn't let you go. I've always trusted my instincts, and if they're tellin' me to hold on to you then dammit that's what I'm doin! You're...like a son to me, Damian. A son I've always dreamed of but felt I'd never have. That's why I came for you, Damian. I love you. I love you for making me happy when I couldn't do it myself. for making me stand when I didn't want to. For everything."
Damian's green eyes filled with tears. This was all Damian wanted from his friend. This was all he needed. Just to know Cid cared for him in such a way that a father would care for his child. Then, Cid found himself in the orphanage, facing The Phoenix. Then, The Phoenix's facial features faded from Damian's face and his body became encased in a white aura. (4 off.) Suddenly, a large pulse of energy exploded from him, destroying the room completely and sending Cid, Sephiroth, and Aeris flying through the building. Every window of the orphanage shattered into tiny shards and the boards that held some of them broke away and tore into fragments. Avalanche, Kadaj, and Yazoo were also sent flying a ways away from the orphanage. The area was demolished. The swing had been smashed by several bricks that fell from the building, and the few trees that were left standing had been knocked over by the ferocious wind. Then, a mentally worn Damian Gainsborough walked outside. He looked around in horror at the destruction he had caused. He turned to his friends. All of them were unconscious. Mysteriously, Sephiroth and his brothers had already left without being noticed. Damian then turned to Cid, who was lying on his back spread out beside him. He almost cried when he saw him. He knew that Cid had saved him. He could not feel The Phoenix's presence within himself any longer, and he somehow had the pilot to thank for it. He knelt down and hugged the unconscious man as tightly as he could. Damian then found a spot closest to being the center of where all of his friends lay and gathered the little energy he had left to use a Cure Materia to cast a massive cure spell.
"Thanks...Dad." the red haired man said before collapsing from exhaustion.