Chapter 20: The Summoning

Jessie sat huddled next to the fireplace in the house that she and the others had been fortunate enough to stumble upon.

The house belonged to a mountain climber named Holzoff. He'd graciously allowed the team to spend the night at his place, and had offered them advice for continuing up north. They would, unfortunately, have to leave their snowmobiles behind, but Holzoff had been kind enough to allow them to leave their vehicles with him.

The others were still asleep. They would be waiting for word from Sephiroth. Once he and Aeris were ready to go on, so would they.

Jessie sighed, discouraged. She was an okay fighter, but endurance was not her strong point. If they hadn't been riding snowmobiles, she would not have lasted as long as she had. For her, this was the end of the line. Vincent had already decided to have Cid come and pick up Jessie, Rufus, Tifa, and Cloud.

"You're up early,"

Jessie turned her head to see Rufus sitting up in his sleeping bag, yawning as he pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah," said Jessie.

"What time is Highwind going to pick us up again?" he asked.

Jessie looked at her watch. "Around noon. So that gives us another five-and-a-half hours,"

Rufus nodded as he got out of the sleeping bag and stood up.

"You really do start your day early, don't you?" Jessie said, "I'd always pictured you as the type to sleep in,"

"I never had time," Rufus told her, "I've always had a busy schedule. Despite what people may think, I do actually work,"

Jessie got up, grabbed her coat, and walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Rufus asked.

"Just for a little walk," Jessie replied, "Cold air wakes me up. I figure, it's cheaper than coffee,"

Rufus looked around for his snow boots. Finding them, he began to put them on.

"That's not a bad idea," he said, "I think I'll come with you,"

"What for?" Jessie asked.

Rufus reached for his coat. "Well, you're the only member of Avalanche that doesn't seem to want to slit my throat. Do you want me to come or don't you?"

Jessie shrugged. "I guess it's cool,"

She opened the door, and the two went outside.

"So what's your deal?" Jessie asked as they began to walk up the hill.

Rufus looked at her. "Deal?"

"Yesterday, you could have easily stabbed us in the back," Jessie said, "Why didn't you?"

Rufus looked at her. "What good would that do? I know that Avalanche stands a better chance against Jenova. My father doesn't need to use an entire army against Jenova, which I know he will. War seems to be his reaction to everything,"

"And it's not yours?"

"I'm not sure anymore," Rufus admitted, "I figured that fear was the only real way to keep a person motivated. Even greed doesn't work all the time. When wealth is achieved, people become lazy. But fear always works no matter what. Still…I don't know what it is about you people that's so different. Yes, fear is part of your motivation, but you don't move about in a blind panic like the rest of the world seems to do,"

"That's because people blindly put their faith in their leaders," Jessie said, "And they have the wrong kind of leader. The kind who tries to control and then mollify the people. A leader should inspire- not intimidate,"

They finally approached the bottom of Gaea's Cliff. The two stood there for a while, admiring the mountains ahead of them.

"Does Valentine inspire you?" Rufus asked after a minute.

"Every day," Jessie answered, "Sephiroth too. They may not seem that way, but they're two of the best role models I've ever had. They've inspired me to give it my all. Why settle for less?"

"Because it's what I've seen everyone do all my life," Rufus told her, "They don't put in the effort, but demand the payment nonetheless,"

"But you know now that not everyone is like that," Jessie reminded him, "People like us exist. You just have to look hard to find them. How could you have expected to when you spent your entire life closed off from the rest of the world?"

Rufus stared at the mountain for a moment. "I'm glad I found my chance to escape, then," he said softly.

"So the cold-hearted prince has a whole other side to him," Jessie mused, "I guess we learn something new every day,"

She then peered at him. "Is it my imagination, or are you actually smiling?"

Rufus looked away. "Don't tell anyone," he joked half-heartedly, "Can't blow my cover just yet,"

Jessie smiled, and then looked behind her. "We should head back. The others will probably be waking up soon,"

"All right,"

They turned around and began walking down the hill.

Sephiroth wiped the sweat off his brow as he sheathed his sword. He'd spent the past half hour practicing his katas, like he used to do back in Fort Condor.

There hadn't been many good places to practice at the B&B in Midgar. There was the one dojo where Sephiroth would train the others, but nothing compared to practicing outdoors. He'd missed it.

He'd given up years ago on getting Aeris to practice early in the morning. That girl could never be bothered to do anything strenuous in the morning unless absolutely necessary.

He'd been restless since arriving at the empty city with Aeris. The voices had stopped suddenly, according to her. For now, all they could do was wait for more guidance from her ancestors.

Sephiroth looked up at the sky. The sun had just about risen. Aeris would be up soon. So would Reidmar.

He was about to head back to the house when something caught his eye. Looking closer, he could see Aeris walking down the road toward the path leading to the lake.

"Aeris!" he called out.

She continued walking, not having given any indication of having heard him.

Frowning, Sephiroth began to run after her.

"Aeris," he said as he finally caught up to her.

The girl continued to walk, as if he weren't there.

"Aeris!" He stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

Taking a good look at her, he noticed the faraway look in her eyes that she always had whenever he caught her talking to the Planet.

They must have finally spoken again…

Knowing that there wasn't anything he could do, he let her continue, and followed her into the shell-like building that stood to the left of the lake.

He took her arm as she walked down the long, spiral staircase leading down into the inner city. Aeris still didn't notice him, but Sephiroth was only concerned that she might fall in her semi-conscious state.

They finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Aeris then led Sephiroth to a set of pillars that led to what looked like a large topless gazebo. She then made a move to jump to the first pillar.

"No, you don't," Still not trusting her reflexes, Sephiroth scooped the girl up into his arms as he leapt over each pillar effortlessly, until he stood on the large platform. Looking around, he put her down.

Aeris slowly sank to her knees and clasped her hands together, closing her eyes.

Sephiroth watched her for a moment, and then began to pace restlessly. Was she praying for guidance? Was she calling for power? He remembered that Ifalna's materia was supposed to have a large role in stopping Meteor. Had Jenova summoned it already? Did Jenova know about the white materia?

That last thought jarred Sephiroth. If she did, there was no way she would let Aeris stop her. He'd felt as if they were being watched when they first arrived. At first, he thought it had simply been Reidmar, but even after they became acquainted with Medea's happy-go-lucky Cetra husband, he still hadn't been able to shake the feeling. Nothing had happened, of course, but now that this seemed to be the moment he, Aeris, and Reidmar had been waiting for, anything seemed possible.

So long as I watch her, things should be fine.

With renewed confidence at that last thought, Sephiroth unsheathed his sword, looking around for anything suspicious. After a while, his eyes came back to rest on Aeris. She had not moved at all, and the calm expression on her face hadn't changed.

If only I had the words of the Cetra to calm me…Sephiroth thought as he stared at her face. He continued to look at her. By the Planet, she's so beautiful…

He soon found himself kneeling in front of her, not two feet away. Before he knew it, he'd lifted his hand to her face, softly caressing it.

Just one taste…he thought as he leaned closer. Why shouldn't I? She doesn't have to know…she'll never know…it's only fair…she…belongs to me…mine…no one else's…

He snapped back to his senses, finding his face only an inch away from Aeris' face. Growling, he sprang to his feet and looked around, furious.

She was back.

"JENOVA!!!!" he screamed.

The sound of her mad laughter reached his ears.

"What are you doing to me…?" he hissed as he stumbled backwards.

"Sephiroth…?"

He looked down to see Aeris staring confusedly at him.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"…What am I doing here?" she asked as she looked around.

"Nevermind that!" he pulled the girl to her feet, "Get out of here. Jenova is back. Run- just like I told you!"

I think not…

A large red and black creature with dark blue tentacles appeared on the platform, blocking their way off. Raising the wing-like appendages it had on its back, it emitted a loud, grating noise.

"What is that?!" exclaimed Aeris as she unsheathed her sword.

"I don't know," Sephiroth said, "But I can sense Jenova…plus, look at the tentacles. This clearly has her name written all over it,"

He ran over and slashed at the monster, while Aeris raised her sword and chanted a fire spell.

Seeing that Aeris was unguarded, the creature raised its main tentacle. The limb shot out, stabbing the girl directly through the shoulder.

Sephiroth's blood ran cold as he heard Aeris screaming bloody murder. Looking back, he could see her being raised in the air, still impaled on the tentacle. Racing back, he slashed his sword cleanly through the creature's appendage. He held out his arm and caught Aeris before she could hit the floor.

"ULTIMA!!!!" a voice shouted.

It was the last thing Sephiroth heard before darkness overtook him.

"Dyne, you lucky son of a bitch,"

Biggs turned his head to look at Barrett. "Say what?"

"I'd 'a thought you'd be agreeing with me," Barrett grunted as he kept climbing up Gaea's Cliff. "After all, if Eleanor hadn't gotten pregnant, he'd be here instead of you,"

"But I don't mind," Biggs stopped climbing once he stood on another ledge and began rubbing his arms furiously. Despite all the protective clothing the group had on, it still didn't stop the intense, below-zero weather up there from getting to everyone periodically.

"You must be a glutton for punishment," Barrett remarked as he watched Biggs climb up after him.

"We're almost there!" Vincent called from above, "I can see a tunnel up ahead!"

"Excellent," Biggs said.

"You got guts, kid," Barrett said, "Hope this shit ends soon…"

"Sephiroth…? Hey…come on now…wakey-wakey!"

Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes to see Reidmar standing over him. Looking around, he could see he was still on the platform past the pillars.

"…Where's Aeris?" he asked.

"Right here," Aeris stepped into view. She'd changed her shirt, and her wound was gone, but her right arm was in a sling. "Reidmar was able to heal me. My shoulder hurts a little, but I feel fine otherwise,"

Sephiroth sat up."I guess I owe you two an apology," Reidmar said sheepishly, "I got a little careless with that Ultima spell, and it ended up hitting you too. Not directly, thank goodness, but still…I'm really sorry,"

"Ah, Sephiroth can take a little roughness, can't you?" Aeris teased him as he got to his feet. "Hey- got something really neat to show you…"

She reached into her pocket and took out her mother's materia, which had now taken on a green hue, and was glowing brightly.

"What's going on?" Sephiroth asked her.

Aeris' eyes twinkled. "I think it worked. Holy has been summoned. Nothing should go wrong now. Jenova tried to kill me, but it didn't work, thanks to my two knights-in-shining-armor,"

Reidmar smiled. "You flatter me, Aeris,"

"So what are we standing around here for?" Aeris asked, "Let's get something to eat before we figure out our next move,"

"Where are we going anyway?" Tifa asked as she, Cloud, Rufus and Jessie sat in the meeting room of the Highwind.

"There's a place in Corel we can hide out," Jessie answered.

"Guess this means we won't be the ones fighting Jenova," Cloud sighed as he rested his head in his arms.

"You can protect me from the natives of Corel," Rufus told him, "My father's been putting pressure on them for a while to have a mako reactor built there. Everyone's against it. I'm sure they won't be very happy to see me,"

"How much longer until we get there?" Tifa asked.

Rufus checked his watch. "About two more hours,"

"Hey, Cloud- you still have Zack's playing cards?" Jessie asked.

"I do, actually," Cloud reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the deck of cards.

"You gonna play too?" Tifa asked Rufus.

Rufus shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Cloud shuffled the deck and began to deal.

"I still don't understand what that thing was," Aeris said as she and the others ate.

"It's an old skill that some Seraphim possess," Reidmar explained, "You're aware of your regenerative powers, right?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"If a limb is torn off, a new one grows," Reidmar went on, "But what happens to the original limb? Usually, it simply decays as a corpse would. But sometimes, the limb may take on a life of its own. Your friend Jenova is one of the few Seraphim who can create crude offshoots of herself from her own body,"

"Do you think she's created more then?" Aeris asked worriedly, "What if she creates like a whole army?"

"An entire army is unlikely," Reidmar said, "Though she may have a few other offshoots running around. We can't really know for now,"

Sephiroth took out his phone and stepped out of the room.

Reidmar smiled at Aeris. "You've gone through a lot, haven't you? I wish there was more I can do for your arm,"

"You said it would be better by tomorrow anyway," Aeris said, "It's no big deal. I just keep reminding myself that it'll only be a matter of days before I get to see my parents again,"

Reidmar nodded. "That's a good way to see things,"

Aeris shrugged. "What else is there?"

"Not many people would share that sentiment with you," Reidmar pointed out.

"I'll admit- these past couple of weeks haven't made it easy," Aeris told him, "But…if this other world my parents are in…if I can live my life, never having to keep my heritage a secret…that's what I keep holding out for,"

"Oh, your being a Cetra, and even your human blood won't faze anyone there," said Reidmar, "You're a rational being with your own feelings, your own personality. Over there, an individual's rights are respected, so long as they're law-abiding citizens. No one has the right to study another person against their will for the sake of 'progress',"

"Those are words I've been dying to hear from someone else for years now," Aeris sighed. "It's the reason why I can't stay with my parents for long. I still have to keep fighting against President Shinra. Even if Rufus is on our side, there's still that war going on,"

She paused for a moment and closed her eyes before she continued to speak:

"Just one little break. From all the running, the hiding…one moment where I don't have to be scared. That's what I'm thinking about now. Then, later, I can go back to bringing down Shinra Inc,"

Sephiroth returned, sliding his PHS back in his pocket.

"Vincent predicts that they'll reach the crater in a couple hours," he informed the others, "When he calls again, we'll be leaving as well,"

"Will you be coming with us?" Aeris asked Reidmar.

The older Cetra looked thoughtful for a moment. "All right," he said, "I suppose you could use an extra healer. Poor Aeris probably has to do it all,"

Aeris looked relieved. "Thanks,"

Reidmar stood up. "In that case, I should probably do a little packing,"

Aeris stood up as well. Just as she was about to excuse herself to gather her own belongings, the room began to shake violently.

"Get out!!" Reidmar yelled as he shoved both Aeris and Sephiroth toward the door.

They could hear dishes and other objects crashing to the floor from inside as they fled the house.

"What is this?" Sephiroth asked loudly.

Aeris and Reidmar began clutching at their foreheads.

"…This…isn't good…!!" Aeris yelled as she winced in pain.

Sephiroth immediately knelt down beside Aeris, glancing back at Reidmar.

"Meteor…!" Aeris managed to cry out, "Jenova's summoned Meteor! Wait…don't do it, please!! We can handle it on our own!"

"What's going on?!" Reidmar gasped as he tried to bear the searing pain in his head.

Then, just as suddenly as the commotion had started, the shaking immediately stopped.

Sephiroth sat on the floor, his arm around Aeris' shoulder as her own trembling slowly ceased.

"Are you all right?" he asked the two Cetra.

"What the hell was that?" Reidmar asked shakily as he got to his feet.

Aeris looked grave.

"Meteor has been summoned," she announced solemnly, "That was the Planet releasing WEAPON,"

Sephiroth cursed as he helped Aeris to her feet. He then took out his PHS and began to dial. After several seconds, he hung up.

"No answer," he said, "I'm going to try calling Jessie. She was supposed to go to North Corel along with some of the others,"

Aeris watched him as he dialed Jessie's phone, and exhaled a sigh of relief as she could faintly hear Jessie's voice on the other end.

Why did I even summon Holy in the first place if this ended up happening anyway…?

This time, her ancestors didn't give her an answer.

Please insert Disc 2. Estimated loading time: 5-14 days. ;)