Zas: (has his bag packed) Saria, I'm moving back to the States!
Tori: (also has her bag packed) Yeah!
Saria: I found an Oriental Bakery! They had cream bread AND steam buns!
Zas and Tori: (exchange looks then grab the treats) We can stay a while.
SA: (glares at the three with one eye twitching)
zzzzzzzzzz
"AIDEN!" My son's name ripped its way from my lips as the world continued to move at a snails' pace. My feet moved automatically and I barely caught the surprised look on Yazoo's face as I shoved past him and dove after Aiden's slowly sinking form.
I called the power to direct my fall then and push myself through the air while pulling my son's tiny body to me. At first he tried to fight the current that surrounded him but then he seemed to recognize me as his eyes locked on to mine.
Tiny hands reached for me as the space between us rapidly closed and as my own arms encircled him I felt those tiny fingers dig into my jacket as I rotated us around in the air so that we were descending feet first.
Using the power to slow myself slow down after having used it to speed up my fall was like spinning a bucket of water one way and then trying to make the water spin in the opposite direction using your hand. The flow around me was utterly disrupted for a moment and I clutched Aiden to me, terrified that I was about to lose control when an idea hit me. Rather than trying to change directions all together, maybe I should adjust my course slowly.
Focusing again, I directed the power to continue a forward course and began a slow upturn to slow our descent. Thankfully it worked as the power smoothed out after just a second and our descent eased.
Our new path brought us into the Slums and I glanced down at the passing ground that rapidly approached for a moment before recognizing where we were. Sector 5 slums near the old church. Probably the best place I could ask for to stash Aiden while I tore Yazoo limb from limb.
My feet hit the ground moments later and I stumbled a bit, careful to hold Aiden close so that in case I fell I could turn and not crush him.
A cry came from Aiden as I regained my balance and I shifted him in my arms to better support him and got a good feel of his body. His limbs were freezing but his head was burning up.
"Oh, baby you're sick," I murmured quietly as I walked quickly to the church and pushed the doors open. A faint sob was the response I received as I settled my son on one of the benches and yanked off my pack and jacket. A shiver ran up my spine as my bare arms were exposed to the cold air but I ignored it in favor of wrapping Aiden in the jacket then rifled through my pack, finding a diaper and wipes quickly.
Shelke
The Turks had taken the helicopter over the city and within moments had already determined where the six people they were looking for had gotten too. It didn't surprise any on board that the fight was continuing despite all six being on high speed motorcycles.
Shelke watched all three fights with something akin to awe as each controlled their bike and still managed to exchange blows. It was actually disappointing when the six had disappeared into a tunnel.
"Hand me those pliers," one of the Turks called from up front and Shelke absently tossed the tool to him as she turned her attention to what the man was doing.
At the moment the red head was flying the helicopter while the bald one was building something that involved a timer and pyrotechnics.
"If you're building a bomb, considering the circumstances a remote is more appropriate," Shelke stated as her eyes took in the crisscrossing wires.
"Why do you say that?" The man's voice was deep and almost gentlemanly but he didn't seem to think her as any sort of expert.
"Because if it was just one person then you could assume a time of several seconds for them to get clear but having multiple people changes that. Rachas Kaze seemed to be going a bit faster as was her opponent whereas Zachary Fair and Cloud Strife were oscillating their speeds a bit more."
"Thus a bomb is no good." The man set his device down on the seat next to, gently since it was already finished.
"Unless you can plant it at a point where you can insure it hits the intended targets."
"So, gotta plan yet yo?" The red head who Shelke remembered was called Reno called out.
"Possibly," the bald one called back as he gave Shelke a long considering look.
"Well we just missed Kaze," Reno called back and Shelke was again glued to her window.
Her teacher had traded off her bike with one that belonged to the enemies and was continuing pursuit of her opponent, her green jacket and blond ponytail whipping violently in the wind.
"And there goes Cloud with that Kadaj one," Reno called from the front but Shelke watched as Rachas and her opponent stopped, Kaze using her bike to get rid of both so her opponent couldn't flee.
Several moments passed as Shelke held her breath, wondering if the two were actually going to fight, if she would truly see what Rachas could do but instead she felt her mouth open in horror as her foe instead tossed something over the end of the road they were on and Rachas jumped after it.
"He's tossed Aiden!" Shelke finally realized aloud which drew the attention of both Turks again who missed the sight of Rachas jumping off the road after her son. None of them missed the strange sight of the woman catching the child or starting a glide into the Slums. Or of the turbulent looking green haze that trailed her.
"Damn she's gonna be pissed yo," Reno muttered.
"Take me there," Shelke ordered.
"What?"
"Take me there."
Reno glanced at his partner who nodded slightly before shrugging and guiding the helicopter toward the ruins. As they passed Rachas's foe though, in a momentary display of belligerence, Shelke seized the bomb the Turk had made, set the timer for five seconds, and hurled the device at the man.
The bomb landed near the man who only had a second to jump back before it went off in a bright and flashy display which although it didn't look very effective, was still pleasing to Shelke. She must have not been alone in that regard since the red head let out a very loud whoop when he caught sight of the explosives as they descended.
Normal
Cleaning Aiden up proved to be a task the Remnants hadn't even attempted and I tossed the soiled garment they had used as an impromptu diaper out angrily before securing the fresh diaper in place. All the while I wished I had some sort of lotion for my son since he had a bad rash beginning to form.
Pulling my jacket securely over his form, I gently zipped it shut in an effort to help keep him as warm as possible before gathering him in my arms.
Aiden sniffled slightly and snuggled firmly against my chest, his need for warmth and comfort both warming my heart and feeding my rage towards the Remnants. That he was sick now made it all the more difficult to leave him but a very real threat needed to be dealt with.
The sound of a helicopter barely reached my ears due to how consumed I was with checking on my son but I recognized Shelke's presence before she entered the church.
"Hey Shelke," I called to her as she gazed in from the door. "How did you get here?"
Shelke was silent for a moment before entering the church herself and moving to stand before me.
"Rachas Kaze, you should leave now that you have your son. Your foe jumped from the road also and looked to be on his way here."
"I can't leave yet," I informed Shelke even as I signaled her to come towards me. "But I can't fight him with Aiden here."
"Then I shall distract him."
"No you won't." My voice was firm, the voice of a person taking authority who offered no room for argument. "You are a child still and my student. This man stole my son. I'm the one who will fight him since my job is to protect you both."
"You are no soldier."
"No, I'm a mother and that's a far more dangerous creature." Finally I stepped closer to Shelke and held Aiden out to her. "And I trust you to take my son somewhere safe."
Shelke's eyes widened drastically as she stared at me then Aiden and back. "You're… trusting me?"
"You need to get yourself and Aiden either to the Seventh Heaven or to where the others can help you. I'm counting on you for this, and Aiden needs you also now."
Shelke finally nodded before reaching out and allowing me to settle Aiden into her arms. She stared at him for a long second before nodding to me.
"Well then get-" I cut off as a rush went through me and I turned as ripples broke out over the corrupted pool that still was filled to the brim with Black water.
Alex POV
Angelus and I were discussing more of the history of the Cetra and the Planet when screams began to reach our ears and we turned to see a black mass that seemed to be expanding through the currents of life.
"What the hell is that?" I asked.
"Watch your mouth," my father ordered as he slapped me upside the head before answering the question. "That is the Calamity coming our way."
"Wait what do you mean the Calamity?" I felt the sudden need to run as my eye started to bleed.
"As in that Calamity," he replied as he grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "You may know her as Jenova, she who fell from the sky. Her only intention is to destroy all life and absorb its energy. She can shape shift and absorb memories to help further her goals. She nearly destroyed our race by killing them or turning into them into mindless beasts."
I tried to call my shadows but that something was off.
"I can't call my shadows?"
"Of course you can, you're too scared right now and we need you to get you out of here," he shouted before grabbing me kidnapper style and running down an alley that appeared.
The pain was getting intense and I could almost sense her coming in our direction.
"She's coming dad, I think we need to fight her off," I shouted.
"No, I will fight it off. I think Minerva is ready."
"How do you know that?" I demanded but received no answer as a pool appeared at the end of the alley that my father was running down.
Minerva was already there, a concerned expression on her face as she glanced down the alley were the blotch of Jenova continued to suck at the Planet's energy. My father's friend Kuro was also with her, his face lined in worry.
"Are you ready?" Minerva asked me once my father had set me back on my feet.
"Not yet," I admitted before turning back to my dad. "Sorry about the punch… And I guess I understand now why you left."
Angelus laughed slightly as he ruffled my hair. "It's alright son, but work on that jab."
I nodded before walking towards the pool that Minerva indicated and stepping into the water. The pool proved to be deeper than I had thought it would be and sucked me down into the depths of it where I felt a current catch me, the LifeStream.
The current pulsed and danced as it pulled me along through the depths and into darkness before a light appeared at the end of what seemed to be a tunnel. Instincts hit as I drew one last gulp of air before swimming towards the light, kicking hard as my breath became shorter and shorter until finally I broke the surface where I gasped in cool breaths of air.
I was alive.
"Alex," a voice called and I finally noticed the two women before me, one of them I recognized as Rachas. "Welcome back."
Normal
As Alex broke the surface of the tainted pool the water began to clear, becoming crystal clear again as the boy paddled his way to the edge of the pool where he pulled himself out.
Shelke watched the newcomer uncertainly before glancing at the door, a clear sign that now was not the time for introductions.
"Shelke, take Alex and Aiden with you and get clear of this place," I ordered as a disturbance in the LifeStream came to my attention.
"Is he trustworthy?"
Shelke's question was perfectly natural since she had never met Alex before but I quickly nodded even as I drew my tantō then realized that neither Alex nor Shelke had any weapons or means to defend themselves.
"I'll explain everything later; now both of you go out the back. And take this with you." I could cast without having materia slotted into an armlet so I removed my armor and cuffed it onto Shelke's wrist. "Equipped on that are Hell Blizzaga, Cure, and a mastered Fire. Use them only to ensure your safety."
Shelke stared at the armlet before nodding and walked towards the back of the church, past the now clear pool. Alex stared at me for a second but seemed to accept my authority at the moment and followed Shelke. I knew though that they didn't leave, I could feel the fact that both crouched just past the door, determined to see what was about to happen.
Taking a long deep breath, I centered my thoughts and self as I waited for the Remnant to come.
Cloud
The double bladed katana that Cloud's opponent wielded was a decidedly weird weapon and more than once as they exchanged blows he had had to twist his weapon out of a lock by them.
It was soon after they had exited the tunnel that Cloud had noticed that Rachas and her opponent were standing in the center of the road and he had smashed into his opponent's bike to try to move them over so they wouldn't hit.
His foe had grinned like a loon though and with surprising strength managed to force his bike into a wheelie before jumping the guard rail to the lower traffic lane. Angrily, Cloud had followed but his opponent had used the few precious seconds Cloud had needed to speed up.
Pushing his new Fenrir hard, Cloud managed to close the gap between them enough to attack again and the katana wielder had countered with his own sword, locking their blades again.
Both men pushed hard, unwilling to lose this battle as their bikes began to go out of control and then a hard drop off broke their stalemate as the road ended.
The katana wielder managed to recover enough to stay on his bike but Cloud was thrown from his and rolled down the slope.
Shaking off the jostling that he had just received, Cloud narrowed his eyes after his opponent before grabbing his bike and once again giving chase, following the man towards the tracks that would lead to the Plate.
Zack
When Rachas stole the motorcycle from his opponent, Zack had done the obvious thing of taking advantage of the situation. The big guy was not going any further so Zack was determined to finish him off.
That's what he thought at least until the guy had managed to bound over and latch onto Zack's motorcycle.
Growling at the invasion, Zack threw a hard kick at the man since there was no room for the Buster sword at the moment. The kick connected hard with the man's forearm and for a moment he looked like he was about to fall off of the bike if not for Zack's timely interference by grabbing hold of the guy's fitted leather top.
The man seemed surprised by Zack's catch and actually offered a grin before cocking his own fist and attempting to hit the ravenette's shoulder.
Rolling back slightly, Zack avoided the punch then had to use his free hand to control the motorcycle again as Cloud and his opponent zipped past them. The distraction led to a new problem for Zack as his opponent chose to pull a gun.
Guns had never scared Zack, he could use one if need be but preferred swords by a long shot. Having one appear in the hand of his enemy when they were both riding on his motorcycle was too close for comfort though and as they finally departed the tunnel, Zack delivered a hard kick to the man's arm, forcing the gun away from him but the possessor refused to drop the weapon.
"I'm not that easy!" Zack declared as he used his steering arm to punch the other in the midsection and was pleased at the grunt he received even as the guy's non-weapon wielding fist smashed against his forearm.
A grunt was all Zack gave to indicate the pain the blow gave him as he shifted his arm that he still had wrapped in the guy's coat and shifted his weight in an attempt to toss him from the bike but the stranger countered by tossing his own weight forward, greatly unbalancing Zack.
The Ex-SOLDIER yelped as he almost flew from his own bike but barely caught his balance. It proved in vain though as the bike hit a large hole in the road and both men plus the bike were tossed over the guardrail.
Zack let go out of instinct so that he could catch the side of the highway but abandoned the notion when the pole of a street lamp was the most easily reached thing and he grabbed that and swung about to control his path and launched himself at the lower portion of the highway. His bike careened down the road, his foe bounding after it and Zack hit the ground running, leaping at the man right as the bike was righted.
This time as their fight continued Zack found their positions almost reversed completely since his opponent now had the driver's seat and he was the passenger. He almost slipped off in those first few seconds if that guy hadn't grabbed him much the way Zack had helped him previously.
"Mother should keep you around. You're fun to play with," the guy informed him with a grin right as Zack attempted to punch him again.
"I'm always fun!" Zack retorted as he kicked the bars of his bike in an attempt to upset the bike's path.
The stranger laughed loudly before his eyes widened slightly and Zack found that he had to look and could only groan as the end of the highway was revealed to be rapidly approaching.
Both men yelled and shouted as they went flying off the end of the road and rolled down the steep slope into Midgar's slums, the bike bouncing and rolling along behind them.
Normal
It took several minutes to force my mind to calm and my body to relax, precious minutes that I felt Yazoo's approach as an ugly black smudge that disrupted the flow of the LifeStream. My preparation was necessary because there would be no second chances or hope of help or rescue if I didn't defeat him.
Shelke and Alex not leaving immediately was probably a good thing I realized as the seconds ticked by. If they had then Yazoo might have tried to go after them rather than come this way.
He didn't enter the church straight away when he arrived though, instead staring in through the open door for several moments before sauntering in.
I hadn't bothered to hide and instead stood in the center of the walkway and stared at him as he entered.
"So the little Ancient is actually planning to fight now?" he asked in a mocking tone when he saw my drawn tantō. "I was wondering if those were just for show."
"One might also wonder if you consider yourself too pretty to get an actual weapon," I shot back.
Yazoo snorted derisively as he drew his gun which he lightly tapped against his forehead. "Some of us have better things to do than get our hands dirty."
"And some of us don't go crying for Mother for a purpose."
The venomous green eyes that had shown slight amusement were instantly cold as Yazoo pointed his weapon at me and pulled the trigger.
The power of the Planet had already been circulating through me and it proved to be easy to deflect the bullet, forcing it to strike the wall behind me harmlessly. Yazoo's glare would have melted titanium if he had that power but fortunately I was safe.
The Remnant fired four more bullets, each as ineffective as the first before he began his charge, an angry expression painted on his face at having to possibly get his hands dirty.
The green eyes man swung his fist forward, obviously intending to use his pistol to bludgeon me and I moved for the first time in our fight and caught the blow with my tantō before my left hand swept forward, aiming for his midsection.
Yazoo moved back a few inches to avoid the blow but I followed, my tantō flashing before me as continued our first exchange. The gunner proved almost serpentine though, twisting and dodging around my blades before finding a small opening to attempt to take a shot. But my connection with the Planet was strong at that moment and my tantō wielding right hand twisted and deflected the bullet.
Yazoo jumped back then, intent to gather himself and think but I didn't allow him the time and used the power to send a nearby beam barreling at him.
Still as graceful as ever, the Remnant managed to dodge the beam but found he had run out of space with his back now against a wall, so he went on the offensive.
If there was one thing I could admit it was that Yazoo and I both had similar ways of fighting. We preferred to stay back a bit, dodging rather than blocking, and didn't much care for hand-to-hand. We were both also very fast, him by nature and me due to the Planet. Our main differences were that when I would resort to close combat I was properly equipped for it while Yazoo was more aggressive.
These things were obvious as I found myself dodging Yazoo's kicks and punches before one lucky blow struck my hand and my tantō was sent spinning across the floor while Yazoo retracted a leg that now had a fairly deep looking cut. I was not put out though as I threw my second tantō at Yazoo, which he easily dodged, and drew my hilt.
Yazoo didn't know what it was that I had just brought out though, only recognized that I had thrown what seemed to be my only weapon at him.
"Giving up already?" he taunted even as he favored his injured leg.
I snorted myself as I called on the power again and felt the familiar sparks before my verdant blade burst to life.
The Remnant's eyes widened minutely before his gun appeared again and he began to fire again, the hatred in his eyes intensifying.
The power guided me once again but rather than merely changing the path of the bullets, my hand seemed to move of its own accord, my spirit blade blocking the first bullet. Each round that followed though seemed to go slower than the last and I began to move under my own command, slicing away the bullets while I charged Yazoo.
The surprise on Yazoo's face was a mere flicker that vanished fast even from my accelerated perspective before his aim shifted from me to something past me.
My heart almost stopped as I considered the trajectory and the power screamed that my fear was correct, he was aiming for the kids!
Unfortunately I was close to the point where his gun was almost at my shoulder and though I was fast, this was still a bullet and it was on my left side, away from my blade.
Terror struck my heart as my left hand whipped up and seized at the bullet as my body half turned so I could see where I was going. My fingers brushed the metal and I almost yanked back due to the burning of the metal but my turned position allowed me to catch sight of Shelke and Alex where they crouched and my resolve hardened, forcing me to wrap two fingers around the bullet despite the way it burned my fingers.
The force of the bullet felt like a large excited dog was yanking on my arm but I pulled, fighting the momentum and forcing the bullet to stop right before a kick connected with my unguarded torso and sent me flying back almost to the door itself.
The blow knocked my breath away and time sped back up to normal with me gasping for air, the bullet still hot in my fingers.
"So you knew they were there," Yazoo said after a moment with a smirk. "Care to tell which I hit?"
I had been angry before but had centered myself to establish a good link to the Planet. I was beyond pissed now and still in contact with the Planet. In turn I felt more than saw the clouds that began to form over the ruined city as sparks of electricity began to dance over my form. More in a display of defiance than intimidation, I tossed the now sparking bullet to the ground at Yazoo's feet and almost laughed at his shock.
"Shelke, I told you two to leave." I had no humor in my tone now, for what I was about to do could be dangerous to all three of them back there.
"A-a-alright," Alex's voice replied as I heard two sets of feet scramble up and head out the back.
Yazoo and I were finally alone.
Zack
Somehow or another Zack found that he and his opponent agreed to leave the motorcycle out of their fight for now. Not included in that though was his Buster sword which he kept firmly in hand now that he had the space to use it.
The large man didn't seem at all concerned about the blade though, instead glancing up at the sky as dark clouds began to form.
"Hey, pay attention!" Zack shouted as he charged the man and brought his sword around for a hard, sweeping strike.
The man's reaction was to cock a fist and aim a hard punch at the sword Zack wielded, his fist catching the side of the blade and changing the trajectory just to the point where it would barely miss grazing him.
Grunting, Zack widened his stance and circled the blade around for a second sweep. His opponent in turn aimed a punch that caught Zack on his forearm as he brought the blade around before the follow up sent him flying back almost thirty feet.
The short haired man grinned at Zack as he regained his balance and struck at the ground, sending a large wave underground at the man.
Zack in turn jumped high and ricocheted off a nearby ruin of a building to not only dodge the attack but to get a shot at his foe. Said foe was just starting to straighten up as Zack launched himself at him, the Buster sword connecting hard with his side.
The guy was knocked back further into the ruins of Midgar then and Zack found himself once more running into the streets of the slums. His opponent somehow found a way to disappear into the buildings.
Glancing around, Zack prepared for an attack in any direction, knowing this guy could be just about anywhere due to there being cover all around.
The attack came in the form of a wall caving towards him and Zack barely managed to scramble back enough to avoid being crushed. His enemy jumped through the debris after the ex-SOLDIER and punched at Zack again even as the other brought his sword around.
This time the blow was caught by the punch intended for him and Zack saw that his opponent was using his gun as an improvised knuckle to guard his fist but it wouldn't last more than another blow or two.
Shoving hard, the raven haired man knocked his foe back and shot a fire spell at him. It was low level and not well aimed but the harm it caused the other was apparent.
"Ow!" the other complained loudly with a grimace. "You're not playing fair!"
Cloud
Following Kadaj to the Plate took a few minutes and was honestly a very wild ride at several points. Cloud couldn't go too fast either on the train tracks due to their winding construction.
Finally they were on the plate and Cloud chased the Remnant towards the center of the abandoned city where wreckage on the street caused Kadaj to abandon his motorcycle. The sky now was surprisingly dark and the silver haired man glanced at it with a disgusted expression.
"There's nowhere else to run," Cloud said loudly to insure he was heard. "So what's going to happen now?"
Kadaj's grin was strange and spontaneous it seemed, and the way his hand caressed the bag on his hip disturbed Cloud.
"Mother will say when she's ready," the Remnant replied before laughing loudly.
The response disturbed Cloud in more ways than he was willing to admit and for a moment he wished that Zack were here, or Tifa, or even Rachas or Vincent. But there was no turning back at that moment and if Cloud were to guess right then Jenova's final piece was in that bag. Kadaj had to be dealt with.
"I guess a puppet wouldn't need to know."
Kadaj's grin instantly fell. "So what if I'm a puppet? Once upon a time… YOU WERE TOO!"
Cloud had already prepared for this first strike and caught the blow with his sword, easily blocking the blow from the Remnant. Kadaj kicked back then, jumping over debris as the blond swordsman gave chase.
The fight began again the moment their feet hit the ground, Kadaj slashing at Cloud in his strange, sleek fashion while the Buster-type wielder parried with powerful strikes that continuously caused the other to retreat.
Kadaj leapt away from Cloud in a vain attempt to put some distance between them but found the other could easily follow him. It was enraging to see the reject of a puppet that had managed to cut its strings was able to keep up with him! And not just keep up as Kadaj found himself having to admit. If he didn't do something fast then he was going to be beaten!
His next jump caused him to land on the roof of yet another destroyed building and he barely caught the blow from Cloud, but the Remnant was determined as he strove to buy more time. Mother was counting on him.
The call came moments later as he jumped to another wall to avoid yet another powerful swipe from Strife and Kadaj couldn't stop his faintly vicious grin as his hand dove into the bag on his hip and fished out what he needed.
Cloud landed mere feet from him and began to stride towards him but Kadaj no longer was running. Seeing the grin on the other was enough to give the other swordsman pause for a moment.
"My Reunion," Kadaj informed him. "Bet you're dying to see!"
Cloud's eyes widened phenomenally as the other took a large step back over the ledge as his hands pushed something firmly into his chest.
Normal
Everything in the church trembled as my rage continued to grow, benches bounced on the floor, leaves and petals and various debris were already being lifted by a windless gale. It was the water in the pool beside me though that reacted most violently, cascading upwards in an angry fountain.
Yazoo officially looked nervous and took a half step back only for me to direct one of the benches behind him to slam into his knees as the doors to the church shut with a loud BANG. The only exit now unless Yazoo could fly was right behind me.
Yazoo's attack was fast as his gun whipped up but it still looked as though the Remnant and the bullets he fired were mired in thick mud. I did nothing about them though as I stepped to the side and circled to the front of the pool of now purified water. It hummed with the life of the Planet once more.
My own renewed attack began then as I rushed down the aisle towards Yazoo, benches now actually going airborne in my wake. The Remnant attempted to dodge backwards but realized almost immediately he was too slow and instead chose to sacrifice his gun, shoving it in the way of my first savage slash. Unsurprisingly my blade of energy cut straight through the metal and he barely had time to blink before hitting the floor to avoid my next cut.
Yazoo attempted to use the cut gun as a shiv then and aimed to slice one of my legs but I stepped back just enough to avoid the blow. Seeing it as a retreat, Yazoo managed to get himself back to his feet, his eyes and mind obviously whirling to find some form of escape but I had had enough already.
The water answered my call without hesitation and the fountain at the pool became a cascading geyser that fed into a river through the air that rushed towards a very surprised Remnant.
Yazoo crashed to one side in an attempt to avoid the cleansing water but wasn't fast enough the avoid all of it. One of his arms got caught in the stream and his efforts to pull it free resulted in his face getting splashed as well.
I watched as the Remnant howled in anger and pain as he collapsed to his knees on the floor. Nausea attacked as I watched the leather that usually protected his body seemed to melt away and revealed an arm that looked like it had just been dipped in acid but I pushed away the feeling with the knowledge that this had to happen. Yazoo couldn't be allowed to live.
The Remnant tried to get up but I fired a bolt of Planet fueled lightning at him, knocking him back to the ground as I circled the course of the water around.
The stream answered my call again and made another charge at Yazoo who rolled in an effort to stay alive for just a few seconds longer. Once again though he didn't escape unscathed and this time his leg was splashed, the leather once again melting away to reveal angry, blistering flesh.
Yazoo finally seemed to get some semblance of a plan then and charged me, his gun-shiv poised to stab me but another strike from my lightning brought him to a grinding stop as I called the water once more.
The water broke around Yazoo then, forming a bubble-like cage that caused the Remnant to scream in anger as he ineffectively beat a fist against the weak looking barrier and instead came back with a wounded and blistering fist as the water began to fill the entrapment bubble.
Yazoo's screams were highly muffled but they still touched my ears and I bristled, part of me pleased that justice had been served and a Remnant of Jenova destroyed while a quieter part of me still insisted that I was killing someone and nausea struck again.
Thankfully the death didn't take more than several seconds and then Yazoo's form broke into purified green energy as he returned to the Planet and I found that I could breathe. So, Jenova had taken energy from the Planet to form the three Remnants and the water washed away and destroyed the taint.
The church settled fast as my anger finally was depleted, the benches and debris settling as the water returned to the pool and I tucked my once again deactivated hilt into my waistband then called my tantō back. If I hurried then I should be able to catch Shelke, Alex, and Aiden…
"Rachas."
I recognized the voice of the goddess immediately and turned towards the pool where it had echoed from.
"Minerva?" I asked as the beautiful form took shape in the hazy air, her hand held out towards me.
"Someone needs to bring the rain."
Understanding immediately hit. Aeris had brought the rain originally but with her out of commission someone needed to bring the Gospel rain that would wash away the taint of Jenova from the Remnants that were still loss.
I stepped towards the water, uncertain of how I was supposed to do this then found myself reaching for Minerva's offered hand. She grasped my fingers and a flood that I had experienced before hit me.
"Bring the rain." The order was whispered as the Goddess's form dispelled.
Once more the power of the Lifestream screamed through my body and pounded in my head, a rush that would not be contained for long. I stepped onto the water before raising my eyes and hand towards the sky.
The power flowed through my form as lightning danced across my fingertips before erupting towards the sky, taking with it droplets of the healing water and once more I was hyperaware of all that lived. There were still mice and rats and humans in the ruins of Midgar and I felt them. I felt the shock of Shelke and Alex distantly as they saw the lightning. But I also felt the clouds above as I forced them to change, using the water and lightning to add energy and change the water in the clouds into holy water.
Through it though I felt a single dark smudge and in an attempt to protect my mind from being crushed by the overwhelming power of the Planet, I focused on the spot, tried to force it into the open.
The spot was strange in that it seemed perfectly fine with being pulled forward and moments later I was staring into the sickening face of Jenova as it grinned evilly at me, hair cascading down its form before suddenly pulling away and I could no longer find the spot.
A drop of rain brought me back to my body with a surprised jolt and I was surprised to find that my task was finished and the power of the Planet was quickly vanishing from my body. Unfortunately I was still standing in the water when it vanished completely and once again found that just like when I froze the pillar my body was beyond exhausted and couldn't move!
I didn't even get the second I needed to call out for help before I crashed into the water, my slender form sinking too fast. It was only by instinct that I was able to draw in the breath of air needed to fill my lungs.
The water was peaceful but I couldn't enjoy it as I stared at the surface, unable to kick my legs or thrash my arms so that I could reach it. The water wasn't even deep enough to reach my shoulders for crying out loud!
A minute passed in the quiet water as I tried to call to Minerva to give me the strength needed to get back to the surface, as I prayed that Shelke or Alex would disobey me and come back, as I wondered how Reeve would take this or how Aiden would be without me.
The second minute was even more painful. My lungs began to ache for fresh air but now my thoughts were entirely on Reeve and Aiden. I was going to miss Aiden's first words and walking and first day of school. I was going to miss sitting with Reeve, talking to him, growing old together.
The third minute brought darkness to my vision but it seemed as though Minerva finally heard my silent pleas because she was above me, her hand cutting through the surface of the water and grabbing hold of my unresponsive one before yanking with a tremendous force.
Relief was all I felt as my head cleared the water and I was able to suck in a breath of air as a set of hands hauled me from the water and attempted to help me stand but my strength was past spent and I collapsed on the floor, still coughing and gulping at the sweet air.
My eyes briefly cleared and I looked up to thank my savior only to feel my blood freeze at who I saw. This person before me was not Minerva by any stretch of the imagination and her dark hair firmly cemented that fact in my mind.
Though I'd only seen her once before, our meeting would always be firmly burned into my mind.
"Ar-gen-to," I managed to force out before my vision turned black.
