Calamity's Reign: Chapter 5 - Descent

Tifa Lockheart clung to her Father's fleshy body, watching the planet pass them by as they flew. She glanced back, sighting the corpses Father had injected his cells into flying after them under his direct power. She still didn't know what he wanted with them, but didn't want to question him.

Though, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the corpses and disappointment with herself. Not that they were dead and she was alive. But that they were flying and she could not. Father could fly as well, with his giant magnificent wings...

"What troubles you my daughter?"

Tifa winced. "That obvious?"

"We are connected, you and I, you are a constant awareness in my mind."

She felt a little bashful. "Well... its just... you can fly, but I can't."

"Cant you?"

She gave a startled cry when he let go of her, she panicked, grabbing for his tentacle arm and latching on before she could fall. "Are you crazy?!"

"Do you not trust me? I said I would make you strong, and if the strength of flight is what you desire, I shall give it to you, for am I not a caring, loving father?"

Tifa hesitated briefly. "Y-yes..."

"It will hurt for but a moment."

Tifa gave a sharp cry as her Father racked behind her left shoulder with his claw and then pushed her off him. She screamed as she fell through the air towards the ocean below. She grew desperate and fearful, stretching out her arms as far as she could trying to grasp for something, anything.

RIP

She gave a scream of pain as something burst out of her left shoulder where Father had cut her. Suddenly, her descent slowed, she heard a sort of flapping sound behind her and turned her head. Her eyes went wide with surprise and disbelief, sighting a black and blood red feathery wing extending out of her shoulder.

"The water approaches fast my daughter."

Tifa heard Father's warning and refocused. She took an educated guess, tensed her shoulder muscle, and thrust it forward. The wing flapped forward. She pulled it back, and the wing flapped back. She continued, stopping her descent not far from the ocean's surface and started flying after her father along the water's surface, feeling giddy beyond belief.

A wing. Father had given her a wing! She could fly! She gazed down, looking at her reflection on the water's surface, seeing herself fly. She studied herself curiously, she had changed without even noticing it. Her long brown hair had gone gray, almost silvery. Her eyes, a red catlike slits. With her wing, she almost looked like Sephiroth.

Like Sephiroth...

Tifa recoiled, horrified at the thought and nearly lost control of herself mid-flight. "I look like Sephiroth! WHY? Why do I look like him?!"

Father flew down close to her. "Because, as the Firstborn, Jenova as you call her, was his Mother, I am your Father."

Tifa frowned uneasily, she hadn't paid attention to it thus far, he was simply her Father, but..., "Your the same kind as Jenova?"

Tifa gave a startled cry as she felt anger radiate from him, seeming to connect into her own mind and pour into her. "You dare to compared me to her? The Firstborn, the great devourer, cannibal, the beast of endless hunger? Foolish child, you know naught what you say. 'Jenova' as you call her was a feared pariah of our kind. It is an unspoken rule amongst our kind to leave well enough alone. We do not interact nor interfere intentionally with one another. If we accidentally come to the same world, then there is little choice but to consume or be consumed, however, we do not willingly seek eachother out. Jenova did. She of endless hunger thirsted to consume everything, even her kin. Looking through your memories, her heir, Sephiroth as you call him, was fortunate that she was so weakened by her prison and that he was born strong. She would have consumed him before she cared to look at him if she did not require his aid and did not fear his reprisal."

Tifa listened intently to her Father's words, disturbed even more at the thought of what little she actually had known of Jenova. "I don't know which disturbs me more, Jenova herself, or that I'm capable of feeling pity for Sephiroth."

"I would have accepted him into my family if he would have but cherished me as you did, but alas, he chose to remain alone, abandoned by his mother. He chose his fate, when this world is but an empty husk, he shall die alone and forgotten."

Tifa hesitated. "Father... are you going to destroy this world?"

"Why would you care my daughter? What has this world ever given you but pain, loneliness, and despair? Should such a world be allowed to exist?"

Tifa bowed her head. "I... suppose your right. Aside from my life, and the chance to become your daughter... it gave me nothing..."

"Fear not my daughter, as I said, I will give you everything you are missing from your life. What's more, I will let you soon partake in the feast. I will show you the hunger that you will cherish sating."

Tifa tilted her head. "The feast? The hunger?"

"We near the feeding ground. I can smell it, smell the lifeblood of the planet."

Tifa faced forward, noticing a shoreline in the distance, and beyond that, a forest with a green glow emanating from it. This place... it seemed familiar... Wait...

Mideel.

Tifa's face scrounged up in anger. This place. She remembered. This was the place where she had found and taken care of Cloud. She had helped him piece together his true memories, only for him to still spite her and say she had no right invading his mind. He had hit her, hit her for just trying to help. It was where he had finally crushed her heart, and made her give up hope of him ever seeing her as more than a nuisance and aggravation.

The flew over the forest and landed next to a lake of Mako, the corpses however flew into the lake itself, sizzling and dissolving into it slowly, a black taint seeping from their bodies into the rest of the pool. Father skittered to the edge of the pool and leaned his face down, as if to drink...

"Father! Wait! You can't drink Mako it'll kill you!" she exclaimed fearfully.

Father paused briefly to chuckle before dipping his face into the Mako pool and drinking deep. She watched, awed, as his body seemed to pulsate with new energy and life, his fleshy skin rippling, the egg-like sack on his back growing slightly. She could feel his presence, feel his power grow with each gulp.

He pulled his head back, Mako leaking down his face onto his chest. "Feed my daughter. Feed and grow powerful."

Tifa took a few hesitating steps forward and knelt down near the edge of the Mako lake. "But... won't it kill me to just drink it? SOLDIERS have a little bit injected into them, not drink mouthfuls."

"Do you not trust me my daughter? When you became mine, I changed you to be strong. You are capable of feasting. FEED! Know the hunger, sate it, become powerful."

Tifa hesitated one final time before poking the Mako with a finger. She was surprised when it didn't burn her. She cupped a bit into her hand, lifting the green liquid to her mouth, before tipping her head back and pouring it in. She shivered, her back arching as a moan of pleasure escaped her mouth as the Mako rolled down her throat. She felt so invigorated, empowered, and that was just one handful! Was this what it was like to be SOLDIER? To be an Mako enhanced being?

She... she wanted more. She looked down at the Mako with a soft glow illuminating her eyes, eyeing it like a predator would its pray. She felt... she felt...

She felt the hunger.

Tifa gave one last thought of lingering care that she felt towards those she had once called friends and family, for the world itself, before she discarded them with disdain and gave in to the hunger, beginning to feed on the lifeblood of the planet...

Morbunova gorged himself, delighting in the pure power he felt coursing through him. This planet... it was unlike any he had previously devoured, and yet, he knew it had already been weakened from its trials with the Firstborn. What would it have been like to feed upon it when it was ripe and unspoiled? It was a shame, truly, that the Firstborn had been the first one to stumble across this world instead of him. Then again, she had born the brunt of its retaliation and its children. Her loss, his gain.

A soft, wicked chuckle entered his mind. "Oh? Is it my kinsman?"

Morbunova froze. That voice... impossible... the death call had been sent!

The voice, alluring, deceiving, and treacherous, spoke, "I did nearly perish, so little of me remains outside of my son and the Puppet. That's why I called out, to lure you and any others here, a fake cry of death, so easy to draw you in like vultures."

Morbunova hissed in his mind. "Firstborn..."

"I've come to prefer Jenova, it is a name that reeks of power and fear," was her reply.

"So I have come, as you thus intended, to what purpose?" demanded Morbunova.

"A purpose you have already fulfilled," mocked Jenova, "What's left of my cells have already slipped into the lifeblood your child now drinks."

Morbunova tilted his head, curious. "To what avail? What little of you remains is not even close to enough to try and usurp my daughter's body."

There was more mocking laughter from Jenova. "Usurp her body? Foolish kinsman. You understand nothing. I have fought this world, I have seen its power, seen its will. I have learned from it, I have planned, and I am ready to adapt to it. With your foolish aid, you have given me the first step to my ascension. All I need to do now is but wait."

"Wait for what?" demanded Morbunova.

"Why, my son of course," hissed Jenova, "He is an arrogant, prideful child, foolishly focusing on the Puppet over and over again, but he has his uses, and I have one last use of him. I know him better than he knows himself, he will be drawn in uncontrollably, like a moth to a flame, and all I will need to do is but await my vessel."

Morbunova grew confused. "Your vessel? What do you mean?"

There one last fit of mocking laughter. "You won't live to see what I intend. This world will destroy you utterly. Its power is unimaginable..."

"It's blood is potent I suppose, but to destroy me?" countered Morbunova.

"Foolish kinsman who understands so little, you have no idea what it's true power is. You think it's the lifeblood of the planet, when in truth, it is it's children. I was not defeated by the planet nor its goddess, no, I was beaten by its children, and soon, within a few years at most, I will share in that power," said Jenova hungrily.

Before Morbunova could demand further answers, he picked up on a familiar sound. He looked up, sighting the airship his daughter's former companions used approaching...

Cloud looked over the side of the Highwind, into the blackening pool of Mako below, mortified. "The people of Edge... it's..."

"The pest is using them to infect the lifestream with its cells," stated Sephiroth calmly, "It won't work nearly as well as he hopes, your little ancient in the lifestream will see to that. So long as the pest is dealt with, I imagine his cells will be washed out before long."

Yuffie leaned off the side of the ship, her face a little green. "Ugh... I hate airships... but... hey... what are the space bug and Tifa doing?"

Cloud frowned, narrowing his eyes, and focusing. "They're..."

His eyes went wide with horror. "Tifa... she's actually..."

"Feeding off the lifeblood of the planet like a parasite," mused Sephiroth, "She is her Father's daughter."

Cloud glared at him. "Watch it Sephiroth."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Come now Strife, even I never bothered with that."

"No, you were just going to absorb it all and become a god after meteor hit, right?" scoffed Cloud.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Perhaps."

Sephiroth drew his blade and narrowed his eyes. "Enough words, they longer they feed the stronger they get. Your friends are too weak to interfere. The pest would kill them instantly, and I doubt Lockheart will show them mercy. If they come, I will not step in on their behalf."

Cloud frowned briefly before eyeing the others. "Stay back and don't fight unless you absolutely have to, and if you do join in, just support us with materia, don't get close to them."

With that, Cloud and Sephiroth leaped off the side of the airship and landed a ways away from Morbunova and Tifa, starting forward slowly, weapon's ready.

Morbunova's form had enlarged. It had gorged itself on Mako, it's egg-sack like appendix had grown several inches. It's scythe-like clawed tentacle arms had extended and strengthened. It's spider-like feet were now each larger and blade-like. It's torso was enlarged and more muscular, it's face-mask sleeker and larger, and the crystal out of the top of it's head was larger and more blood-red. It's presence was immense, far larger than it had been before. Fighting it would not be even close to as simple as it was last time. Next to it...

"Tifa!" Cloud called out.

Tifa slowly stood up, wiping a bit of green Mako from her lips. She turned to him and threw her hands up into the air, stretching. To his surprise and mute horror, from her left-shoulder, a black-blood red feathery wing extended out. Her eyes... her red slit cat like eyes were glowing heavily with Mako, on a level he had only ever seen in Sephiroth or himself through a mirror. As close as they were, he could feel her powerful presence scratching at his spine.

He stared at her, feeling lost. It hit him, seeing her like that, just how badly he had failed to uphold his promise to her, to protect her. He hadn't stopped Sephiroth from harming her. He had left her under Barret's care instead of his own, when the man wasn't even capable of defending himself with his gun arm lost. His mistake had allowed her to be infected and changed. She had been forced to murder Marlene, Denzel, and everyone in Edge. And looking at her now, with her eyes staring at him with hatred and anger, he realized Morbunova had turned her completely into it's own Sephiroth.

Cloud felt hollow and cold. "Tifa..."

"Hello Cloud," she purred, "I was hoping you'd come."

She looked to Morbunova. "May I kill him?"

"You are strong enough, do with him as you will, the Firstborn's Heir is mine," said Morbunova.

"Thank you Father," replied Tifa, her voice growing sickeningly sweet.

Hearing her want to kill him, hearing her call that thing her father, it was too much, it reminded him too much of Sephiroth and Jenova. "Tifa..."

He shook his head and refocused. "Tifa! Whatever it's done to you, fight it!"

She scowled at him. "The only thing Father has done to me is opened my eyes and made me strong."

She smiled. "You know, when you refused to promise to protect me and told me to protect myself all those years ago, I guess I finally took it to heart."

"I'm strong enough now to destroy you and Sephiroth with my own bare hands," she snarled.

"Refused to promise...?" echoed Cloud, "Tifa... I MADE the promise, what are you talking about?!"

She tensed. "LIAR!"

"Memory manipulation," murmured Sephiroth, "Clever."

Cloud shot him an alarmed look before turning back to Tifa. Shit... was he suggesting that Morbunova had altered her memories? This... was going to be even worse than he thought. Even beating Morbunova wouldn't necessarily fix that.

Tifa cracked her knuckles and adopted her fighting stance, fists barred and close to her body. "I hope your ready Cloud."

"I'll deal with Tifa, do you think you can handle Morbunova?" asked Cloud.

When Sephiroth didn't respond, he glanced over at him. "Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth was saying nothing, his eyes firmly on Tifa, a curious look in his eyes, his eyes roaming and studying her raptly. "..."

"Sephiroth!" he shouted.

Sephiroth blinked a few times before refocusing. "Strife, deal with her quickly. Knock her out or kill her, I don't care which, but do not waste time. The pest has gorged himself well, I won't be able to handle him for long."

Cloud winced at that, for Sephiroth to actually acknowledge he wouldn't be able to handle it... this was going to be bad. Sephiroth extended his wing and took off into the air, Morbunova taking off to pursue him.

Tifa and Cloud stood at a face-off, neither taking the first move. "I don't want to hurt you Tifa, please, stand down."

Tifa's lips curled. "Oh, but I do want to hurt you."

She burst forward fast, far to fast. Cloud could barely bring his blade up in time to block a punch toward's his rib cage. Her fist hit his blade and sent him staggering, reverberations ripping through his body. She rushed forward and leaped, swinging her left leg into his shoulder with enough force to send him flying at the impact. He hit the ground and rolled, leaping to his feet.

He gave a startled yelp to realize she was already on him, flying through the air carried by her wing. She smashed a fist into his face and knocked him to the ground, flying past and above into the air, mocking laughter escaping her lips. He ground his teeth and rose to his feet. He didn't know what to do. She was strong enough to actually fight him head on. He'd have to seriously fight her to win, but... he didn't want to risk maiming or killing her.

Tifa flew at him again, Cloud hesitated briefly before swinging at her, trying to aim for a shoulder wound to disable her. She flipped midair over his blade and swung a lag, smashing it into his side and sending him staggering. She landed on the ground next to him, smashing a quick jab into his left shoulder, another into his arm, and another into his side.

Cloud leaped back, arm throbbing painfully. Enough of this. He'd apologize later, but he had to end this. She charged him, and he charged her, releasing a Braver limit break and leaping into the air, bringing his blade down to aim for her arm. She didn't dodge, she suddenly went still, staring up at his oncoming blade with amusement on her face. She braced herself, held up her hands, both glowing with red energy, and caught his blade in her hands.

He stared, wide eye with astonishment. She had just caught his blade mid-limit break...

"What's the matter Cloud? Afraid?" she mocked.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and pulled down on the handle of his sword, splitting one of the fusion swords out and letting go of the main blade. He slashed downward, cutting down across a part of her arm, her stomach area, and a leg. Tifa hissed in pain and staggered back, letting go of his sword. Cloud caught the main blade and reunited it before rushing forward and swinging, slicing a deep wound into the side of her body.

Tifa screamed and staggered back, falling to a knee and clutching her side. "You bastard!"

He pointed his sword inches from her face. "That's enough Tifa!"

Tifa leaped back and flapped her wing at the same time, putting an immense distance between them quickly. She clenched her fists, a green glow of materia emanating from one of her gauntlets. He swore as a cure spell washed over her, mending her wounds a bit. Great, of course she'd have a cure. What else did she have on herself at the moment?

"Big Guard!" Tifa cried out, a green glow of materia coating her body before the ability coated her with Haste, Barrier, and Magic Barrier.

Oh great... she had one of their Enemy Skill materias.

"Bolt 3!" she roared.

Cloud threw himself to the side, dodging a bolt of lightning that rained from the sky. She was already moving as he did, her hasted body closing the distance and planting a foot into his stomach, kicking him back. He swung, trying to catch her after he kick, only for her to dance away. She was like a ghost, moving as fast as lightning, jabbing, punching, and kicking him while easily dodging his own attacks.

Cloud leaped back, separating his fusion swords into two. It was two easy for her to dodge one massive blade, two would be far harder, even while hasted. He sorely wished he had a Destruct materia on him to DeSpell her, the haste and barriers were going to be a pain. He landed on the ground and pushed back off, leaping in the air and spinning in a whirlwind of steel. Tifa rolled forward, dodging an attack as he came down. They both turned and rushed at eachother. Tifa closed the distance first and grabbed his hands as he tried to swing his swords. The struggled, grappling for a moment. Slowly, Cloud began to force his blades closer to her. While she was faster than him, even without the haste, he was still a bit stronger.

He gave a yelp as she suddenly fell backwards, yanking him along then bringing her legs up to kick his stomach and vault him overhead, letting go of his hands as she did. Cloud hit the ground and rolled, spring to his feet and...

WHAM!

He gave another yelp as Sephiroth was thrown into him, the both of them tumbling to the ground. "Get off me!"

Sephiroth's only response was to groan. Cloud looked him over briefly, his wing was mangled, he had smaller cuts all over, several magic burns, and one large and deep gash down his chest. In short, Sephiroth was doing a lot worse than he was.

Tifa gave a laugh and mocked, "Oh Cloud, look at that mess of limbs, I didn't know you swung that way."

Cloud grimaced at the thought, especially since she was implying that with Sephiroth of all people. "Get up."

Sephiroth shakily rose to his feet and cast a cure spell on himself before glaring at Cloud. "Are you incapable of finishing your fight, Puppet? I cannot keep this up forever."

Cloud eyed Morbunova as it slowly descended, the Calamity hardly looked scratched. "She's no pushover."

"Is that so? Or is it because your feelings are clouding your judgement?" shot back Sephiroth.

Cloud didn't respond to that. He was trying, but... he could admit he wasn't going all out...

"My point is made. We're switching, you entertain the pest, I will deal with Lockheart," ordered Sephiroth.

Cloud frowned. "Sephiroth..."

"I'll, try, not to kill her," spat Sephiroth, "But she will be subdued. If she's lacking limbs afterwards then she will have to make due without them."

Without waiting for another word, Sephiroth rushed at Tifa, and she rushed at him...

Sephiroth was livid. He had spent minutes alone fighting the Mako bloated pest, taking heavy damage and losing a portion of his strength, and during all that time, it looked as if the Puppet had barely damaged Lockheart. Pathetic, even feeding off the Mako, she couldn't have actually become strong enough to match either of them, in strength or stratagem. He knew the Puppet and his friends, and during his last stay in the lifestream, he had devised many different ways to counter their strategies and tactics, including their annoying frequency of buffing themselves with status increasing or shielding effects.

"DeSpell," spat Sephiroth, destroying Tifa's Haste, Barrier, and Magic Barrier.

Tifa staggered, suddenly losing her additional speed and growing unbalanced. Sephiroth lunged, aiming Masamune to stab through her right shoulder, planning to disable her arm and wing at the same time. Tifa had no chance to dodge, he expected her to try anyway, preparing to adjust his aim to her movement. What she did do however took him completely by surprise. She thrust her right hand forward onto Masamune's tip and shoved the blade through her palm and out the other side, before closing her bloody fist around the blade and wrenching it away from it's intended target. She pulled on the sword as she did, using it to correct her balance, pull her along, and slammed her left fist into Sephiroth's face as hard as she could.

Sephiroth was sent staggering back, ripping Masamune out of Tifa's hand as he did, eliciting a pained scream from her. He massaged his heavily bruised face, blood leaking out of his mouth and nose, annoyed to realize he had been incorrect. The force of that blow she had dealt him, she was strong enough to actually damage him. The Mako she had fed on along with the Pest's genetic alterations of her had put her on a level most SOLDIERs back in the day could have only dreamed of. She might even have become strong enough to go even with Genesis or Angeal back at their primes... impressive. But to defeat him? Not likely, even weakened as he was from fighting the pest, she could not win, for he would show no mercy, unlike the Puppet. If she was weak enough to die from his attacks, well then, so be it.

"Hmph," murmured Sephiroth, readying his blade for another round.

Tifa leaped back, away from him, a green glow of materia coating her body. "White Wind!"

Sephiroth identified it as another Enemy Skill, and watched as the magic knitted some of the flesh around her hand back together. He narrowed his eyes, honing in on her gloves and then the armlet she had equipped, searching for a specific glow. There it was, a slight yellow hue on her armlet. That materia was a nuisance, it gave her to many options on how to fight. He had been on the receiving end of their group far to many times, he knew fully well what else they had in that materia. He was not interested in getting hit by a Shadow Flare, Pandora's Box, or Beta when she eventually would decide to bring out the heavy magic. It would be best to limit her options as quickly as possible.

He rushed at her, Masamune singing through the air. Tifa sidestepped and spun, bringing her leg to try to slam into his side. He freed one hand from Masamune and raised an arm to block, tanking the blow. He then latched onto her leg and swung her around and over head before throwing her to the ground. She rolled as she hit, barely dodging the touch of his blade as it came down. She sprang to her feet and took to the air, wing flapping, feathers dropping in her wake. Sephiroth extended his own wing, still slightly mangled, but had recovered enough to go airborne, and took off after her, Masamune at the ready.

Suddenly, she backflipped and dive bombed right towards him. He swung Masamune in an arc, aiming to slice her open, only for her wing to buffet the air infront of her, bringing her to a stop inches from his blade's slash. She spun, kicking the blade as it passed, forcing it away, and bringing her other foot around as she did to kick his face. He went staggering through the air, but not before grabbing her foot. He dragged her along, and then dove for the ground. She began to kick his hand with her other foot, trying to break free, to no avail.

He landed and then swung her overhead, trying to slam her down and stun her with all his might. Tifa held out her hands and dug them into the ground, stopping and converting her momentum. She freed and aimed a hand at his chest.

"Bolt 3!" she cried out.

Sephiroth braced himself and took the magic on directly, taking the damage but using the time to position and stab his blade forward, skewering her arm still connected to the ground. He pushed his blade all the way through up to the handle, stabbing his blade into the ground and pinning her down. She clenched her teeth, her face twisted in agony. He reached his hand forward and tore her armlet off, taking a quick look at it. He smirked, there went her Enemy Skill, Restore, and what looked to be MP Plus and a summon materia, he didn't know nor care which one. He took the armlet, let go of his sword, stood, turned and flung it into the Mako lake, a smirk on his face. She wouldn't be quickly healing off anymore damage she was dealt. While he knew the Mako and the Pest's cells inside of her gave her increased natural healing, it would not matter much in this fight.

SHING

Sephiroth knew the sound of his own sword slicing through the air. He lurched forward, feeling a rush of air behind him. He turned, sighting Tifa having withdrawn his sword from her arm and trying to slash him with it.

He took a few steps back, eyeing her handle the blade with amusement, favoring her injured arm. "If I recall Lockheart, the last time you tried to use my blade against me, I took it back and cut you down with it. Shall I do so again?"

She narrowed her eyes, but rather than take the bait, she half turned and threw the sword as far as she could behind her before readying her fists. "You took my Materia, I took your sword. Let's see how well you do without it. Pretty sure I have the advantage when it comes to martial arts. I've been training my entire life since I was little!"

Sephiroth chuckled softly. "So have I."

Tifa glowered at him, red energy starting to rise off her body. They rushed at eachother, exchanging punches, jabs, and kicks rapidly. While he kept pace, he could admit, he hadn't fought against anyone at this power or skill in hand-to-hand in over a decade. Angeal had been the only one who had even come close. He found his heart starting to beat faster, his blood starting to churn and bubble hungrily at the appearance of a challenge. Up so close and personal, the way her body moved, each strike with deadly and beautiful precision. Shifting between aiming for pressure points or just trying to inflict as much pain as she possibly could, it was... invigorating to find someone besides the Puppet who could actually challenge him in any way. They lost themselves a whirlwind of limbs, silver hair, and wings, a deadly dance.

Unfortunately, Sephiroth's newfound bliss ended before he could enjoy it for long. The Puppet's pained cries were heard. Sephiroth leaped out of the battle and turned his head, sighting the Puppet plummeting towards the ground, a spray of blood following him down along with the pest. He scowled with irritation, useless puppet. He turned back, sighting Tifa rush at him. He flapped his wing and leaped over her, landing next to his blade and scooping it up. His blood was still pumping, his body roiling under the pressure and damage, he could feel his own carefully kept emotions desiring to be free. It had been a long time since he had last used a limit break of his own, it was time.

The high pitched whine and orange aura of a limit break coated him. He rushed forward at Tifa, his blade illuminated with a ghostly hue. The last time he had used this was against Zack back at the Nibelheim reactor. In a flurry of swordplay, he unleashed Octaslash. Slicing into Tifa's flesh over and over again. Tifa screamed and fell back at each cut, eight bloody red lines down her chest, along her arms, and on her legs. With his last slice, she flew into the air and then fell, landing on her back, blood seeping out of her body. He approached her and drove his blade into her chest, making her scream.

He lifted her up into the air on his blade. "Last word's Lockheart?"

She glared at him, her entire body trembling in pain. She ground her teeth and grabbed his blade. The moment she did, an ominous feeling entered his body. She pulled her body down along the blade and planted her feet on the ground. The moment she did, he saw double. He was back in Nibelheim's reactor, watching a seemingly unknown Shinra trooper calling on an unknown strength the best him...

Distracted by the vision, he gave a cry of surprise as she lifted him into the air, withdrawing his blade from her chest. She slammed him down into the ground with his blade, stunning him. She wrenched and ripped the blade from his hand, tossing it aside. A high pitched whine filled the air, a orange aura of a limit break en-coating Tifa. Sephiroth rose to his feet and grimly watched, knowing full well what was about to happen.

She burst forward, unleashing Beat Rush, pummeling him back and back one blow at a time. She somersaulted, grabbing his face, planting a foot on it, and bringing her other foot up to kick his chin back as she flipped. She landed and swept his legs out from under him with Waterkick. She grabbed him as he fell, pitching him over her shoulder and slamming him into the ground with a Meteodrive. She yanked him back up, and drove a fist into his chest as she jumped with a Dolphin Blow. She grabbed him as they rose, spun him overhead, and threw him to the ground, fire erupting from the impact of her Meteor Strike. But the worst was yet to come. She flew down at him, her fist glowing with immense blood red light and slammed her fist deep into his chest, unleashing an explosion of light, her Final Heaven part of her limit break. But it wasn't over, something new had been added...

As he staggered back from the Final Heaven, she rush forward and drove her fingers into his chest, each digit piercing through his skin as she whispered two words to let him know just where this new addition to her limit break repertoire had come from, "Father's Touch."

She pulled slowly and forcefully out, as if fighting against some great force. He felt a part of his life-force drain away, flowing through her fingertips, being absorbed into her body. Consuming the stolen vitality, her wounds partially mended. Sephiroth fell back and to a knee, stunned and momentarily incapacitated by the sudden loss of strength and energy. Tifa walked up to him and backhanded him as hard as she could, knocking him to the ground. She kicked his blade up into the air, grabbed it, held it two handed, and made to bring it down to plunge through his heart...

BOOM!

Before she could deliver the fatal blow, a barrage fireballs rushed across the battlefield. Tifa screamed and dropped his sword, raising her arms to block the barrage. Sephiroth's head turned, watching them also slam into the pest and drive him from the Puppet's prone form. Each piece of magic was laced with extreme power, power that outclassed his own magic. But who was left alive who could possibly have that kind of power?

There was a rain of black feathers causing Sephiroth to look up as a figure descended from the sky and landed infront of him. "It is as I told you my old friend, nothing shall forestall my return."

Sephiroth stared, dumbfounded at the ghost from his past standing before him. "Genesis..."

Author's Notes:

So yeah, Jenova isn't dead, not by a longshot, and she has plans... she has devious plans, and if some of you are creative, you might have an idea as to what, but her part to play in this story is still a ways off. Consider this a forewarning of something yet to come...

Tifa and Morbunova both got a power boost. Tifa consumed enough Mako to roughly enhance her as much as a 1st class SOLDIER enhancement would. I imagine I'll get some hate for how well she did against both Cloud and Sephiroth, but...

1) She's been freshly gorging on Mako.

2) Cloud was holding back, a lot, and their fight was interrupted.

3) Sephiroth was already drained from his fight with Morbunova, yet still dominated most of the fight.

4) Limit break shenanigans

5) Plot device as bad as Cloud in the reactor, learn to love it. :P

I couldn't find any listed limit breaks for Sephiroth, so I chose to make Octaslash from Crisis Core one.

Anyway, Genesis is here, and the others are soon to follow.

Review Responses:

MEL

Cry deeply, because its only going to get worse for Tifa, especially if/when she awakens to realize just what she's done. (obvious spoilers are obvious).

Eveleech:

To our knowledge Sephiroth didn't know about her. We know he didn't during his normal life, but, when he fell into the lifestream, its stated he absorbed some of its knowledge. He's been returned to it many times as of this story, I'm taking the creative liberty that he's found of that truth, not that he really cares about Lucrecia being his human mother. IDK about the talking, he did a decent chunk of it during the AC fight with Cloud, though, I suppose not as much as I had it. Consider it my own flair for him in this story I guess, I can try to cut it down a bit in further fights he's involved in.

Gura Kruor

Escalation's galore. This story starts at a high action point with Cloud VS Sephiroth, and its going to continue until Morbunova is dealt with. It falls down to a steady calm afterwords until the next major conflict.

Guest

Thanks, I tried, though, I might have made Sephiroth ramble a bit according to Eveleech ^_^.