Chapter 52

By the time we returned, darkness was peeping over the horizon. We had enjoyed ourselves for quite some time, ridding the Nibel area of many monsters. Still, it didn't bring satisfaction, nothing would. Nothing, but Sephiroth coming out of that basement and acknowledge me again. I had hoped he had given up by now, but when we walked back into town, the lights in the Shinra mansion were still on.

Zack and I ate at the inn, joined by Cloud, who seemed to be on edge.

"Have you visited your family yet, Cloud?" I asked.

He nodded his head in reply, while staring at his food.

"Aren't you hungry?" Zack asked him.

"Not really." he said. "I'm going to bed, I'm still pretty tired."

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah" With that, he left upstairs.

"He's worried about Tifa." Zack said to me.

"Why? Do they know each other?"

"They we neighbours, when he grew up here."

"I see...Maybe he should check on her."

"I don't think he wants to. I think he's ashamed to face her. Didn't you notice how he hid his face behind his mask?"

"I did, actually."

"There you have it."

We finished our meal in silence and went upstairs.

"Would you like me to check on him again?" Zack asked me.

I smiled at him. "If you want to, I'd be glad."

"Sure thing. You get to bed, I'll be right back."

I crawled underneath the blankets, thinking I was blessed with a friend like Zack.

Without wanting to, I dozed off into a slumber.

I don't know exactly when it was, but I woke up to screams and yelling, and when I opened my eyes, I saw an orange glow lighting up the room.

Zack hadn't returned yet, and panic took over my mind. I bolted upright and ran to the window. The sight my eyes were seeing was that of a horror-movie.

The town was alight. burning with a fierce, all consuming fire that could only be caused by materia.

"No, you didn't..." I whispered.

"EDEN!" I heard Zack shouting.

And when I dropped my eyes I saw him outside, calling to me.

"Get the hell out of there! It's burning!"

I turned around and saw thick, black smoke seeping through from under the door.

I quickly grabbed my things, opened the window and jumped down.

Zack hugged me, whispering a thanks to the Gods for my safety.

"Please tell me he didn't!" I yelled at him, grabbing his shoulders.

The look in his eyes said it all, he needn't say more.

"Help the villagers!" he said and ran off, into a burning house.

I turned and saw Cloud unconcious on the ground near the fire. I ran over to him and dragged him away as far as I could, to safety.

I saw Tifa sprint past me, into the passageway, and I was too late to stop her.

"Zack!" I called, moving for the house he had dissappeared into.

A few seconds later, he reëmerged, carrying a woman and a child over his shoulders.

"Zack! Tifa just made for the mountains!"

"She's going after Sephiroth!."

"We need to go after her! He'll kill her!"

Zack ran to the square, placing the woman and child against the well.

"Where's Cloud!?"

"He's over there." I pointed.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me along into the passage. We had walked the route to the reactor before, but we were sure Tifa would get there way before we did.

Like I had predicted, it was a challenge finding our way to the reactor. But our anger and determination pushed us through.

We found slain monsters all over, and it chilled me. It wasn't the fact they were dead, it was the way they had been killed.

The best discription would be they had been chopped up. Guts and bodyparts lay all over and some were even left alive. If only just.

Sephiroth had wasted no time. This wasn't his style, this wasn't respect for all living things, monster or not, they deserved better.

I wanted to help them, to ease their passing.

"We don't have time!" Zack yelled, pulling me along.

I knew he was right, but I wanted to do something, or maybe I was just scared to reach our destination, to face the inevitable.

When we finally came up to the reactor, the outside gave away no hint of what was going inside. In fact, it was eerily silent. Zack and I shared a worried look and bolted up the stairs and over the catwalk.

At the bottom, right at the entrance of the pod-room, lay a man on the floor.

I ran over to him and checked for any sign of life. I closed my eyes when I found none.

"It's...Tifa's dad..." Zack said.

"She's inside." I replied, getting to my feet.

Between the pods, in the centre of the stairs, was another lifeless form on the floor. We rushed over to find Tifa, her front was badly cut and bleeding. When I knelt by her side, she was barely concious.

"Go!" I yelled to Zack, while I looked for something to stop the bleeding.

I didn't even have to tell him, he was already gone. The door reading 'Jenova' was open, and there was no doubt Sephiroth was inside, I heard him speak. "Mother, let's take the planet back together. I...I had an epiphany. Let's go to the promised land...mother..."

There was nothing else around, so I tore off my bolero and pressed it to the wound as I heard Zack's shout.

"Sephiroth! Why did you kill the townspeople? Why did you hurt Tifa and Eden? Answer me, Sephiroth!"

I looked up at the door, and I felt lost. I was trying hard to keep Tifa alive, but all I wanted was to join Zack and beg Sephiroth to stop this. I was torn, but I had to help this girl. I growled and tore my eyes away.

But I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing for long when I heard Sephiroth's cold laugh resonate through the reactor. "Mother, they're here again. You should have ruled this planet. You were stronger, smarter. But then, they came. Those inferior dullards. They came and took this planet away from you. But don't be sad, mother, I am with you now."

My entire body shook from fear and anger, and I feared for Zack's life when a sudden loud noise echoed through the room. I was about to run to his aid, but then Sephiroth spoke again.

"We meet at last, mother."

"Sephiroth, have you completely lost your mind!?" I heard Zack say while I kept pressure on the soaked cloth in my hands.

Tifa whimpered. "...Cloud?"

"Shh..." I soothed, snapping my head back up at the door.

Tension ran through my muscles, and I was on alert for any act of violence yet to come. The silence was deafening and a sense of anticipation hung in the air.

Then came the sound of steel on steel, followed by Zack's voice. "Sephiroth...I trusted you!"

The sound rang through the air again, but was this time followed by the sound of my own voice.

"Zack!" I screamed as I heard him being flunged away.

I couldn't wait anymore and I had to leave Tifa behind. I moved up the stairs, but the Jenova-room was empty, apart from a huge glass cilinder, containing what I assumed was Jenova. One look at it was enough to tell me it wasn't human. Í was panting from adrenaline and I panicked. Then I noticed there was an open space around the container. I dropped to my knee at the edge, seeing Zack standing one floor below.

I was truly relieved to see he was still alive.

"Zack!" I yelled again.

"Stay there, Eden!" he answered.

Sephiroth was facing him, his Masamune at the ready.

"No..." Zack breathed and pointed his Buster sword in a threatning fashion "You're not the Sephiroth I used to know!"

Sephiroth spread his arms. "I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to rule this planet."

He lifted his sword infront of him, the tip touching the ground. In a flash, it turned blue and the energie shot straight at Zack, who barely managed to block the impact. He fell down, but quickly jumped to his feet again.

Thet shared a look, before Sephiroth flew at him, swinging his blade menacingly. My breath caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat.

Zack evaded, jumping high up in the air. He flew past me and I heard him gracefully land somewhere behind me. But, he wasn't alone. Sephiroth was soon on his tail and I was now caught in the middle of an epic fight. They moved, back and forth and I believed this was the first time I would ever come close to witnessing Sephiroth's true potention. It was frightning, intimidating, breathtaking.

I didn't know what to do, I didn't want either of them to die. My mind told me to think logically, to realise what Sephiroth had done, but my heart would have none of it. So, I froze and did nothing.

But I wished I had.

Not a moment later, the Masamune moved with such force, Zack's Buster sword was flung from his grip and he himself was thrown right out of the room. I heard him crash on the stairs in the pod-room with a sickening sound.

"Please get up...get up, get up..." I whispered.

Sephiroth slowly turned to me, as if he only just realised I was in the room. Then, slow step by slow step, he started moving towards me. "What of you, Eden? Would you defy me?"

I backed away from him, crawling. I shook my head, I didn't want this.

"I will grant you one chance, and one only. Choose wisely." he held out his hand for me to take, but his eyes were danger.

I felt like a deer, I didn't know what to do, my mind was blank. He advanced on me slowly, until I felt my hand slip over the edge behind me. I looked over my shoulder, realising I had nowhere to go.

"I am waiting." he said. "But not for long."

"Don't do this, Sephiroth, don't force me."

He laughed coldly. "I forgot how stubborn you are...I also recall telling you it will be the death of you one day. Is that day today, Eden?"

I was afraid, I was truly afraid, more than I had ever been. I rolled out of his reach and bolted through the door, trying to get away from him. "Zack! GET UP!"

I knew I had to stand and fight, I knew it was my job to protect, but I couldn't. I'm still not sure whether it was fear of Sephiroth, or fear of losing him, but I it made no difference.

To my surprise, he didn't come after me. And as I tried to pull Zack to his feet and looked back, I noticed he had simply returned to Jenova.

Zack's lost sword stood lost in the entrance, upright.

"Come on, get up." I groaned, lifting his heavy form off the stairs. He was too heavy for me and he pulled me down with him.

I saw sudden movement to my right.

A Cadet was by Tifa's side, and he was carrying her out of harms way.

By his stance it was obvious to me who it was.

"Cloud!" I whispered, but he didn't respond.

There was only anger on his face and determination, as he ran up the stairs.

"Cloud, don't!" I yelled after him, but he had already grabbed the Buster sword. He sprinted up to a preoccupied Sephiroth and plunged the sword through his middle with such force, it cracked the glass cilinder.

I wanted to disappear, to just vanish from the scene, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Sephiroth as he went down, his hand sliding down the glass.

Zack grabbed onto me as Cloud came down the stairs, the oversized sword, alien in his hands. He walked past us without saying anything and sat down by Tifa.

He removed his helmet and lifted her into his lap. I watched him caress her face, and I felt sad. Sad, that she might die any second and angry, that this kind of love was taken from me. Taken by the very same person who had provided it.

I was so taken by the sudden feeling that I failed to notice Sephiroth getting back to his feet. Cloud's head suddenly snapped up and I followed his eyes to see it. Slowly, Sephiroth came limping out of the doorway and down the stairs. He was carrying Jenova's head in his hand, and it dangled back and forth as he moved.

"How dare you!" he growled at Cloud.

"Cloud..." Zack groaned, still unable to get up. "Finish...Sephiroth...off."

Cloud nodded and slowly placed Tifa back on the floor. He calmly rose to his feet, grabbing the sword by his feet. He looked up at Sephiroth, who stood at the top of the stairs.

I acted on impuls, something I would live to regret dearly. Just as Cloud was about to charge at him with a great roar, I moved in between them.

"Eden! What...are you...doing!?" Zack managed to shout at me.

Cloud halted halfway up the stairway, confusion on his face.

"Stop this." I said.

"Eden, did you forget... what he did!?" Zack yelled, completely outraged.

"I..." I never managed to finish my sentence. A sudden sharp pain in my lower back made my breath hitch. I heard Zack yell something, but I couldn't make out what it was. I felt strange, as if something was happening without my knowing. A pleasant warm feeling was spreading through my abdomen and I looked down to see what was causing it.

A long, thin blade was protruding from somewhere to the left of my bellybutton. Still it was as if my mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. I felt no pain at that moment, only confusion. The pain came when the Masamune was slowly withdrawn and I gasped.

"It seems today is that day..." Sephiroth's cold voice whispered in my ear before everything went black.


So, this is it, the moment we've all been dreading...horrible...