Two Weeks Later…
From the day Larissa had met Sephiroth in the church, everything appeared normal for an average Wednesday morning inside 7th Heaven. Marlene, Denzel, and Maddox were all sitting at the counter having their breakfast while Cloud was calculating the sales of both the diner and the delivery service. Larissa sat by him to check his math, which slacked off every now and then. Maverick was of course at the counter flirting with Tifa as she served the customers.
"It's 48.97 Cloud not 48.79. Honestly, I do not know what Tifa's financial records would look like without me helping you along," Larissa says teasingly.
Cloud laughed and continued down the line to total up everything else on the list. "Ok I'm finished. What do you think of my math skills now Larissa?"
He passed the list over to her while placing his arm causally on the back of Larissa's chair. Tifa saw this and still felt a light sting of pain, but pushed it from her mind as she wiped the countertop with Maverick smiling at her the whole time. The front door swung open to allow Vincent inside with Yuffie and her steady boyfriend Kane hand in hand no doubt.
"Good Morning Everyone!" she shouts in greeting to all who would acknowledge her.
"Hey Yuffie, Kane what can I get for you this morning?"
Yuffie rushed to the counter to order their daily breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon with a nice tall class of milk. Vincent took a seat by Larissa's other side to see what they were doing and laughed when he saw all the adjustments Larissa had to make on Cloud's mathematical skills. Larissa laughed along with Vincent and Cloud until she felt this cold chill oozing down her spine.
Instantly she heard inside her mind, "Larissa…Larissa. The time has come for the Reunion to begin. Come to me."
Larissa perked up at the sound of the person's voice, yet could not distinguish the sound to be a man or a woman. Without warning she rose from her seat in a trance like state, her eyes stuck in one hollow expression like a mummy. Cloud and Vincent noticed in alarm and tried to hold her back, but it was no use. All Larissa did was fling their hands aside as if they were dead weight objects holding her down.
"Must go to the Reunion," she said emptily.
"That's right, come to the Reunion. We are all waiting for your arrival."
"What Reunion?" asks Cloud bewildered.
He did not receive any response when Larissa opened the wooden swinging door to be let outside. All of Avalanche called out her name to try and wake her up without success. Maddox was the only bold person to leap out at Larissa's legs, for that was all he could touch since she was so much taller than him. Gripping onto them for dear life he cried out to her, "Miss Larissa! Miss Larissa wake up! Where are you going?!"
The only answer Larissa gave to him was a sweet pat on his cheek and a quick run of her fingers through his light brown hair. When Maddox looked up to see her face he saw a tiny tear leak from her eye as she vanished from his grip. The townspeople gasped at her sudden disappearance and some of them even went to investigate where she stood to see if anything was left.
"She said something about a Reunion," says Cloud. "Cid we need to board your airship as quickly as possible."
"Cloud's right, says Vincent, if it is a Reunion then she is heading for the Forgotten City also known as The City of the Ancients. Let's round everyone up and go."
People scrambled all over to find all the people that would be joining them such as the Turks, Rufus, Reeves and the other members of Avalanche of course. Everyone met on the beach by Cid's magnificent airship, even the children were ready to depart with them.
Tifa saw this and said, "Sorry you three but this journey will be way too dangerous. I think we would all feel better if you stayed at the diner until we get back."
Even though the children protested for the whole world to hear, all the adults agreed to keep them here in Midgar.
"Its ok guys we'll be back before you know it," says Cloud reassuringly while ruffling Denzel's hair.
"Fine we'll stay here, but don't think we like what you're doing by leaving us behind," says Maddox grumpily.
They watched the gang load up everything they might need on the trip until Maddox hatched a perfect idea that could not fail if Marlene and Denzel were willing to try it.
"Marlene, Denzel, I have a great idea that can get us onto Cid's airship, but we have to act fast. Follow me and whatever you do keep quiet."
Maddox took Marlene and Denzel's hands to drag them to the back of the ship where the cargo was being loaded onto a ramp. He searched for an extra crate and found some not too far off from where they stood. Dragging them over to the boxes, Maddox tried to lift every single lid of each box to see if they could climb in for the ride. It was not until he came to the last box that he discovered it was open for them to jump in.
Lifting the lid to inspect what they would be traveling in, Maddox found them to be a huge pile of blankets.
"What are blankets doing in a crate?" asks Marlene to Maddox.
"I have no clue, but at least we can travel in comfort. Come on you two, in we go."
Marlene, Denzel, and Maddox all crammed into the crate and closed the lid shut so as to not draw too much attention from onlookers. "Alright this is the last crate we need to load!" shouts Cid to Cloud and Barret.
"Wow this crate sure does feel heaver since the last time we touched it," remarks Cloud while pushing it onto the dolly to roll it back into the airship. Once all the cargo was stored, the airship doors made a rattling sound to warn the hidden children that they were off.
Flying high over Mt. Nibel, everyone looked out of the windows to see if they could see anything suspicious. Off to the north of them Cloud was the first one to sense a power surge of some sort coming from within the earth.
"Hey Vincent did you feel that just now?" asks Cloud
"Yeah it is definitely coming from the Ancient City. How could Larissa not have told us this was coming? Had she no idea of it at all?"
"We didn't know about any of the Reunions until we saw people in black cloaks or the children disappearing with Kadja. I wonder how they call on a Reunion anyway; I have never understood it at all."
"I guess we will find out once we get there. Hey Cid how close are we now?"
Budding out his cigarette on his built in ashtray he says, "We should be there in a few minutes, you guys are just gonna have to wait. Now stop pestering me so I can fly my airship."
A deep sigh came from Shelke as she said, "I am really worried about Larissa. When I left the lab her body was acting strangely like it was being drawn out by some unknown force. Do you think it is being called also by the Reunion?"
"That could be the case Shelke," says Nanaki. "It would seem logical for her body to respond in such a way to the Planet. That is why I have unlocked the cables as well as the tank so her body can leave if it wants to."
Shelke hugged Nanaki tightly before settling on the floor next to him to watch the clouds go by.
In the Forbidden Forest…
Larissa appeared on the outskirts of it to find the forest glowing with fireflies, even though night had not fallen yet. Walking forward, the voice continued to beckon her by saying, "Almost there Larissa, just a little bit farther. Sephiroth is waiting for you."
While walking along the path that was lit up for her, she started to see flickers of her true past fly out at her from all sides of the forest. A girl not much younger than 16 ran out in front of Larissa and said, "Look at me now Mother, I have finally completed my training as a warrior for our people. I cannot wait to receive my gunblade, how exciting!"
Before Larissa could reach out to the girl she had dissolved into the white bark that decorated the trees. She then reappeared two years older to reveal a striking woman wearing a silver shirt of crystal armor along with matching gloves and boots that were covering her royal blue pants. A belt with crystal inlays also decorated her slender waist with a sheath to hold her beautifully crafted gunblade. Of course her hair was a glossy light brown color with a mild completion and cool clear gray eyes to make this person complete with beauty and authority.
Off in the distance came a man of broad shoulders with a steel blade by his side looking longingly in the direction of the 18 year old girl. He appeared to be at least 20 and oblivious to his surroundings except the woman standing in front of him. He wore diamond mail instead with leather brown boots over his hunter green pants that hung close to his muscular legs. In a deep crisp voice he says, "Larissa, you look like a goddess straight from the Heavens."
"You flatter me way too much Avian," the woman said back with a little hint of pleasure.
"Still my words ring true for you. Will you come with me on a stroll through the forest?"
"That sounds nice Avian; sure I will walk with you."
Then they both faded away back into the pouring life of the trees again, leaving nothing behind for the present Larissa to see. The rest of her past became a blur as she made her way to the edge of the forest that broke free to reveal the Ancient City that fell so long ago. Outside its crumbling gates stood Sephiroth waiting patiently for Larissa to arrive so they could walk to the Reunion together.
His body trembled uncontrollably by the half collapsed pillar as if he had an intoxicating case of the influenza. Looking through light green eyes now he says shakily, "You have come Larissa. I am so glad and relieved to be in your presence once again."
"I can honestly say that I am thinking the same for you Sephiroth," Larissa says kindly.
Larissa met Sephiroth and beckoned him to take her arm for support as they made their way toward the entrance of the Forgotten City.
"Wow, it is a shame that this magnificent city has gone down so much with the Ancient race completely wiped out," says Larissa sadly.
Sephiroth did not say anything to Larissa's sorrowful remark as he led her to the pool where the white shell resided. Taking a seat by the water, he motioned for her to sit too with a dissolving hand. Larissa did not argue with his request and took her place by his side like it was supposed to be before everything changed.
"So where do we go from here?" asks Sephiroth calmly
Thinking about his question thoroughly before answering she says, "We have to sacrifice ourselves to the Planet."
"What, no we do not! There has to be another way."
"We have run out of options and time. This world has given us no other choice, we must obey. Besides I know we will be much happier once it's over."
"I don't see how you can say that nonchalantly. There has to be another way to survive this."
"If there is one I would certainly like to here it. Do you have some plan to do this that I don't know about Sephiroth?"
They sat in a deadly silence until he finally whispered, "No I do not have anything to offer."
"Then it is settled, we die here as dignified people who have caused this world so much pain and sorrow. I think that is sufficient enough."
"But I don't want to die," he whines to see if this would have any impact on Larissa at all.
"I know and to tell you the truth I don't want to die either, but it is a must."
Larissa took his hand in hers as an impulse and support while they gazed at the forest that decorated their backs. He gladly accepted the kind jester with gratitude and leaned against her shoulder for comfort. The fireflies continued to swarm around them, which made the landscape look like a perfect place for worship or love.
"Come, I think we have idled long enough Sephiroth," says Larissa.
Rising from her seat next to him, she pulls up on his rotting hand to lift Sephiroth to his feet. "Wait, he says, can we say our last goodbye to each other before this deed is done? I would hate to end the way we are now."
Releasing a gentle sigh she says, "Sure Sephiroth we can do that."
But before he could even approach her a deep droning sound came from overhead that sounded like an airship.
"Damn, it looks like Cloud and the others have come to stop us," Larissa says angrily.
"Either that or to watch, how do you intend to do to keep them out?"
"That's easy; I will just put up a barrier to block them. They will be able to hear us, but to do anything will be virtually impossible. The barrier will shatter once we are both dead. Shall we begin?"
From the airship Cloud could see through the floor window a shimmering wall that seemed to barricade some of the Forbidden Forest. "What is that? Vincent, can you tell what that transparent wall is?"
Vincent came to stand by Cloud to see what he was looking at and said gravely, "It is a barrier. It seems Larissa knows we are coming to see them. She just refuses to let us interfere with her on this Reunion of theirs. It's starting to piss me off."
Everyone gathered around to gaze at the barrier forming a dome around the pool in the center of the Ancient City. "Cid I'm getting off right here. I don't care if you stop the airship in time or not," says Cloud while heading for the exit.
"Cloud, are you crazy?! You will get hurt if you do such a reckless thing. Just wait, we are almost there," cries Tifa.
"Don't worry about Cloud, Tifa. I will get him down there safely because I am going too. Let's go Cloud," says Vincent as he walks by to join him at the exit in the back of the airship.
Transforming into Chaos in the middle of the room, Vincent picked up Cloud in his arms and together they flew right out of the trap door that led outside. "Cid we need to hurry after them, says Tseng, Cloud and Vincent are right to take off as they did. Something is going to happen that we will not approve of."
Cid immediately landed the airship a few minutes later and everyone on board filed out like a stampede of bulls, trying to catch up with Cloud and Vincent ahead of them.
Cloud spray from Vincent's grip and approached the barrier with his buster sword drawn. Raising it up high over his head he did a downward swipe that did nothing to the barrier whatsoever. The impact of his blow became so great that his sword counteracted and almost sliced his face off. Vincent walked up to the wall with his claws drawn and tested the barrier with them to see if he could do anything to break it. But to no avail, his claws were shocked back from the pure power that the barrier possessed.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to get in there with this huge dome in the way?" says Cloud agitatedly.
"You don't," says Larissa's voice from the other side of the wall.
"Larissa what is the meaning of this?! Why did you lock us out?" asks Cloud in a panic.
"Because it is for your own good," said Sephiroth from behind Larissa.
"Sephiroth you bastard, I don't know what kind of game you are playing but it will not repair what you have lost," says Vincent with venom.
"I know that," he says calmly by Larissa's side as if it were natural to see them both together like this. Tseng came up next and looked her in the eye and knew what she was about to do.
"Larissa, it can't come down to this," says Tseng with despair. "Please let me help you again."
Larissa took out her hand to touch Tseng's who was leaning against the barrier. Blankly she replies, "There is nothing left that Shrina has to offer me Tseng. We as in Sephiroth and I are at our limits. It is time for us to go."
Tseng tried to cling onto her hand as a tear escaped his dark brown eyes, he did nothing to stop it from dripping down his porcelain face. Everyone witnessed Tseng's sensitive side with wonder because of its simple grace and performance. The action left such an imprint on the gang that it actually left Reno speechless, which shocked the crowd most of all.
In the Spirit World all was present to see what the final decision would be. Even Genesis and Angeal were there with Zack and Aeris. Lucrecia also took a place among the gathering spirits to see the last show.
In the cargo hold of the airship Maddox sprung free of the crate they were storied away in and helped Marlene along with Denzel to escape. Maddox pulled on the release hatch that allowed the door to spring open without a struggle. Running out of the basement of the airship they raced for the barrier where everyone was positioned.
"Miss Larissa, wait!"
The whole group turned around to see Maddox with Marlene and Denzel shortly behind him coming to the barrier with pure confidence.
"How did you kids get here, I thought we left you at the diner," cries Tifa.
"Well Tifa I am not going to miss out on saying goodbye to Miss Larissa and giving her something that I should have given to her a long time ago. It came from a white bird of some sort with a necklace tied to its leg. The villagers did not know what to do with it, so I kept it for save keeping since they wanted to throw it away. Miss Larissa I think it is for you," says Maddox while revealing the necklace to be a tear drop shaped crystal hanging from a silver chain.
He extended his tiny hand out to the barrier with the necklace clasped in his fist. With a wave of Larissa's hand she allowed his to come through. When their hands touched Maddox grabbed hers forward and said through the hole, "Miss Larissa I know this must not be easy on you or anyone else present here, but I just wanted to say thank you for all that you have done for us and for Lycia. And that I love you with all of my heart."
Tears began to stream down Maddox's face as he released her hand, but the barrier remained open to him. She said from her side, "I love you too Maddox and everyone on the other side. This stabbing pain inside my heart is becoming unbearable, yet I know it will be worth it. Please take care of yourselves."
Cloud was about to grab for her, but was too late. The barrier closed itself from any other intruder who wanted to break it. Larissa blew a kiss to each of them and stepped away from the wall to join Sephiroth at the pool.
"Are you ready to begin the Reunion now Sephiroth?"
He turned his melancholy expression toward Larissa and said, "Yes I think I am ready to begin now. But before we do remember we have to say goodbye first."
"I believe that can wait until we are finished. Let's position ourselves for this."
Sephiroth let out a small whine as he came forward to face Larissa by the pool with his hands down by his sides. From where the gang was observing them, Sephiroth looked like a transparent figure from a projector. As for Larissa she appeared well developed, but still lacked the qualities of a human.
Both facing each other Larissa drew out her sword and commanded Sephiroth to do the same. He did reluctantly with a few complaints here and there. The swords were raised to their ears with only one hand. Vincent realized the stance and before they could do anything else he yelled into his mind to reach her, "Larissa!! I did not know it had come to this extent. Please promise me you will come back!"
Hearing Vincent's cry she stopped and turned to him and said across the barrier, "That is a promise I cannot keep nor make. I would suggest you block your mind out from me now. This next step will be painful, something you should not have to endure."
Cloud turned to Vincent also to see his reaction and found a true expression of sadness and anguish. Everyone faced back to the scene before them and saw that Larissa, along with Sephiroth, had drawn their swords back as if they were about to throw them at each other. Their eyes locked on target with a full meaning of their intention to set themselves free. Larissa tapped the hilt of her blade once and motioned Sephiroth to mimic the same movements as her. She tapped it a second time like an inevitable countdown while she drew the blade back further behind her ear since it was so long. Sephiroth was the one who tapped his blade the third time to release their attack to pierce the heart.
The swords flew true from their hands and before they hit their mark Cloud cried out, "Larissa!! NO!!"
