Eclipse: Redux

by qwertykid

A rewrite/expansion of my first fic, Eclipse. The brightest light will always cast the darkest shadow. Join Bayonetta, Cereza and Luka through a retelling of the events of Bayonetta as they seek to uncover the prophecy behind the two Eyes of the World and the secrets behind their new ally. Contains OC, new lore and a whole lot of Bayonetta goodness.

14. Prudence

Author's note: Bayonetta does not belong to me and belongs to the fancy people of Platinum.

Chapter 13: Prudence

...

The doors slowly creaked open, barely moving from the efforts Luka was expending. Grunting with exertion, he turned back to a disinterested Bayonetta.

"Hey…" He leaned back against the door, trying a different method this time. The door barely moved in response. "A little help here?"

Bayonetta scoffed and stepped forward, resting one hand against the metal. "Come on, Cheshire! Put your back into it!"

He gestured to the doors with an incredulous expression. "These things aren't supposed to be opened by just one man, you know? Please, at least pretend to help me or something."

She sighed and placed her other hand next to her first. Giving the door a light push, she too was surprised to see it barely move.

'Maybe he isn't such a weakling.'

Bayonetta gritted her teeth slightly and gave the door a mighty shove. A small sigh escaped her lips as it creaked slightly ajar. Clicking her finger, she sent a wicked punch at the small opening revealed, and the door finally blasted open. Inside were half a dozen ancient planes, each one looking older than the next.

And mostly unflyable. But Bayonetta didn't really know the specifics of aviation and she also didn't know how to fly, so even she was taking her own opinion with a grain of salt.

"That one," Luka pointed to the central one. He walked over to the sides of the doors and hit a button, and a mechanism groaned into action. The doors began to open, a single slit of light slowly revealing more details of the hangar as it widened. "We'll use that one."

Bayonetta walked up to the plane he pointed out and stared at it. Turning back to him, she gestured to it. "This… thing… is going to take us to Isla del Sol?"

"Well, there is no one else here to stop us, and we really don't have much of a choice." Luka answered, pulling a ladder over to the plane. Propping it up, he gave her a shrug. "You can swim if you want to."

"I am not swimming. But do we have to take this thing?" She turned back and placed a hand on the lower fuselage. "This plane is older than you, Cheshire."

"It's Luka." He corrected her as he began to connect the ladder to the lone entrance. "Vigridian technology is very durable, so it should work without a problem. Hopefully."

She looked at him and tilted her head. A sly smile formed on her lips as she replied, "If I'm being honest I'd rather take my chances swimming."

"You would look like a drowned cat afterwards," Sephiroth dryly spoke up for the first time since they reunited. He folded his arms and shook his head as they both turned to him. "If you didn't drown like a rat."

She blinked at that. "How did you know I can't swim?"

"Jeanne had a memory," He said, gesturing with one hand. "She mentioned it briefly."

Now Sephiroth was under her scrutiny as she placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward, squinting. "When did you go diving into Jeanne's memory? More importantly, why?"

"Why does it matter?" He met her stare evenly. "As far as I know, I do not answer to you."

A cold wind seemed to pass into the hangar. "I thought I told you never to do that? Not to ever cultivate those powers?"

He glared and turned away. "I haven't cultivated them. I just used them."

Oh no, you don't-

"Hey," Luka's hand gripped her shoulder. "Leave him be."

"Get your hand off me, Cheshire." She turned back to him. "Playing with memories, consciousness; there's a very good reason it's basically considered a forbidden art."

He looked away, frowning slightly. "I think I want to talk to him first, not you."

Oh. That made more sense. "Why? Am I not good enough?"

"No offense, but maybe you need to work through the problem before issuing a solution." His gaze returned to her. "I'm not saying you shouldn't talk to him; I personally think you both really need to sit down and have a heart to heart. I'm saying that you should get a better perspective before doing so."

Why was he so right?

'Because he's human. He still has that mortal kindness around him.' Butterfly felt like she was shuddering. 'It sickens me, but it's nice.'

What do you mean?

'Humans are cruel and fickle creatures at heart. Those who break the stereotype I have approval for.'

That put a smirk on her inner face. You approve of Luka, don't you?

There was a sigh from her patron. 'Forget I said anything.'

That was a win in her books. But, the fact that Butterfly mentioned that he was being kind to her was eating at her brain no. What reason did he have to be kind? Did he have some sort of epiphany while she was gone? Was she correct that abstinence did make the heart grow fonder?

Now she was curious about the cat.

"But I do want to get into the air before we start discussing morality or whatever happened to the other hangars. " Luka climbed up the ladder and opened the door to the plane. Dust blew out, covering and coating him with brown powder. Cereza giggled as he shook himself, ridding himself of some of the dirt. "Phew! Looks like we need to have a little clean of this thing while we fly."

He turned back and smirked at her. "It's a good thing we have you around- woah!"

Bayonetta kicked the ladder out, catching Luka by his knee as he tumbled down. Slowly raising him up, she stared him down with a smile that was far too wide. It hurt, but his expression was worth it.

"Go on. Why is it a good thing you have me around?" She asked, placing her other hand on her hip. "Explain yourself, Cheshire."

"Hey! Come on! Don't you understand jokes-"

"A joke about me in one of those frilly aprons is not appropriate in front of children." She winked. "Perhaps later, in private."

"That's not what I mean!" He protested, pointing at her. His face was beginning to turn red, presumably from his blood movement. She hoped it was an emotional response. "I was wrong in making it, yes, I'm so-

"But here's the thing, Cheshire," She pointed at him. "You said you hated my existence, and I cannot for the life of me figure out when that changed to being able to be all chummy. Pray tell, my dear Cheshire puss, why did this change?"

"Can you start by putting me down?" He gestured to his head, which was now bright red.

"Mummy?" Cereza wandered into view, her eyes looking at hers and back at Luka's in confusion. "Why are you holding Uncle Luka like that?"

She barely managed to hold in the bark of laughter. "What?!" She looked at the dangling man with amusement. "Now I'm your sister? Since when were we all related?"

"I can explain!" Luka was now redder than a tomato. "Just put me the right way up!"

She dropped him, letting him land unceremoniously in a heap. He quickly sat up and sighed as the blood drained from his head.

"Now, I simply asked Cerezita if she could pose as my niece to get through the checkpoint." He stood up, fixing his scarf. "She took the idea a bit further than I intended."

"Mister Luka said he could be my uncle," Cereza added, smiling. "And so he is!"

"I see…" It made an amount of sense. But judging by the uncomfortable glances Luka was sending her, she had maybe gone a little too far. "But what about you, Cheshire? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I think there's a lot more to the situation than we both thought," He turned to her fully, a grave look on his face. "So, I decided to forgive you."

Her eyes went wide before she could stop them. "You… forgave me?"

"Yeah. Even if you killed my father, which I personally still think you did, I don't think you ever intended to or had any idea that his death was going to happen." He looked away, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "As soon as he stepped into that lake, his fate was sealed and he wasn't coming back out alive. No matter what."

He reached up and wiped them away. "My father was possibly within days of discovering and exposing Project Eclipse to the world, according to his notes. Then he was told about you by the person in charge, and he just happened to die."

"That is too convenient." She agreed, tapping a finger against her chin. "Project Eclipse?"

"The experiments that made him," He jerked a thumb towards Sephiroth. "I thought it was all bullshit until I met him."

So, we can thank Seph for his change of heart? Isn't that a surprise…

'It's almost like it was fate.' Butterfly piped in smugly.

"His existence makes everything my Father found about it true, and gives the Father an excuse to get rid of him." Luka continued. "So, I can 't blame you if he died; he was sent to his death."

A thought occurred to her and she smiled deviously. "Does this mean I'm winning our little wager now?"

"Wha- no!" He held his hands up and took a step back. "Just because I don't want to ruin your life doesn't mean I want to- no! Just no."

"Aww, Cheshire…"

"Look, I'm sorry for everything I've said and done." Luka put his hands down and sighed. "Same goes for you, Sephiroth. I was stupid and there's really no excuse for what I did. But what I do want to do is be friends."

"Be friends?" A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. "That's an awfully childish way to put it."

"Well, I am dealing with one." He raised his eyebrow. "I think the most mature of us all is Cerezita."

"I agree." Sephiroth smiled slightly as he glanced at the girl in question.

"Come on, Cheshire. I have matured in different ways to her." Bayonetta placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Just because you think she's more mat-"

"I don't just think it," Luka cut in. "It's the truth."

Bayonetta made a face and turned to Cereza. "Well, little one, do you think you are the most mature one here?"

"Umm…" The girl looked at her shoes, clutching at her Umbran watch. "Mummy, what is mature?"

A smile graced her lips. "I guess… I can see why."

"It's when you treat things seriously at the right time," Luka leaned over and picked up the ladder again. "Basically."

"Okay. So is Bubby the most mature then?" She pointed at the winged man. "He never really smiles or laughs that much. Not as much as Uncle or Mummy."

Sephiroth looked away when she tried to meet his eyes.

"Little one," Bayonetta changed the subject slightly. "Why do you call Cheshire here your Uncle?"

"Because he promised that he would be." The innocent and straight-forward answer nearly took her off-guard. "He said that he would be my Uncle because I don't have one."

Luka shrugged when she sent a quizzical look his way. "I honestly don't mind. I remember having a lot of fake Uncles and Aunts when I was child, so being one is nothing necessarily new."

"And he and bubby promised me that I won't be unhappy anymore." The child added. She looked up at her with wide eyes and a trembling lip. "Do you promise me that too, Mummy?"

"Me?"

Why on Earth had they done that? More importantly, why did Sephiroth do that? He didn't care, right?

Right?

The girl had to go back to wherever she came from, so getting attached was logically illogical. It made no sense-

She was just making excuses. The Joy's words echoed through her, and she knew that she was trying to put up a wall between herself and this child because of her past. And it really wasn't fair to Cereza that she wasn't even going to try.

"Now, little one." Bayonetta knelt to look at her, face to face. "I'm… not happy with myself with the way things were between us recently. But yes, I will try my best to make sure you are happy. I know you have problems where you come from, but as long as you are with us we will make those problems go away as best as we can. I promise."

Cereza smiled widely and burst forward, wrapping her arms around her tightly. She flinched at the sudden contact, but quickly calmed herself and awkwardly hugged the girl back.

"I love you Mummy." Cereza whispered. "You're the best."

"Now, now. Let's not get sappy." She released her and stood up. Turning to Luka, she noticed that he had reset the ladder. "You can fly this thing, right?"

"You'd be surprised at what I can't do, if I'm being honest." He climbed back up and disappeared inside of the plane for a few minutes. He came back with a smile.

"It's flyable and not too dusty." He held his hands out in a welcoming gesture. "All aboard Air Cheshire, flight number one. Next stop will be the Isla Del Sol Ithavoll airstrip."

"There's an airstrip there?" Sephiroth frowned. "I don't remember seeing one."

"The only flights that go there are a bunch of interconnected ones that all end here." Luka explained, dropping his arms. "And you have to have all the permissions in the universe to get on the flight that leaves here. Chances are you just never saw it, correct?"

"I was never looking for an airfield when I escaped." Sephiroth tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"Luka is right. A friend of mine tried to get a direct flight to Isla Del Sol and was kicked back for not being able to fabricate enough evidence," Bayonetta folded her arms with a nod. "And he normally can fabricate enough evidence to get me into Fort Knox."

Sephiroth nodded. "I see."

"Well?" Luka turned back to Cereza and her. "Are we going or what?"

…

It turned out that Luka was a very good pilot.

Bayonetta had flown on several flights that had been abject horror-shows and almost resulted in her just ditching the plane in its entirety and trying to swim the rest of her journey. She had also flown on flights that were smooth except for the odd patch of turbulence.

Luka either was lucky enough to not hit those patches or simply adjusted the plane accordingly to make everything smooth. And that was impressive in her books.

All four of them were gathered in the cockpit, watching with anticipation as the city in the distance began to grow in size. The Ithavoll tower dominated the landscape, catching her eye instantly. It rose above the rest of the buildings, almost like it was trying to reach the heavens.

From what she had gathered about the Father, it was definitely intentional.

Leaning back, she checked her lollipop stash and was disappointed to find there was only one left. Shrugging slightly, she wrapped the candy and began to suck on it, savouring the taste. She had no idea when she was going to be able to restock, so she was going to take as long as she wanted with this candy.

Cereza was standing between her and Luka, staring at the controls with wide eyes. She was absorbing all the information she could, and everything about her was only reinforcing that Cereza was definitely not from around here.

Luka was piloting the plane, keeping calm and relaxed. His motions and movements were well practised and smooth, like he had already flown hundreds of times in this kind of plane.

Maybe he had, maybe he hadn't. Bayonetta was slightly curious about just how he knew how to fly, but she wasn't about to take away his concentration if he actually was a novice. She didn't want to learn to swim the hard way.

Sephiroth had already disappeared into the interior of the plane, exploring what else was around. She didn't doubt his curiosity; once she had a few words with Luka she wanted to do the same as well. But it just felt that he was using it as an excuse to put some distance between them.

Honestly? She found it both annoying and a relief. She needed the time to gather her thoughts, but at the same time she knew if she kept putting it off with excuses she would never get it done.

'And now you've finally realised you are a procrastinator.' Butterfly smirked. 'And a terrible one at that.'

He's procrastinating as well, to be completely fair.

'He's less obvious about it. Luka knows you are.'

She subtly sent a glance towards the pilot. He was concentrating on flying and not looking in her direction.

Are you sure?

'He's actively trying not to look at you.'

Huh. And so he was. Internally, she sighed and decided it was time to get this over with.

"Cheshire?"

Luka stiffened, then glanced at her. She let her eyes trace over Cereza, then back at him.

He nodded. "Cerezita, do you want to try and find Bubby?"

"Okay!" The girl brightened up and stepped outside of the cockpit. "I'll find him, Uncle!"

As soon as the door closed behind her, the tense silence returned. Bayonetta looked away, still savouring what was left of her lollipop.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Luka asked, looking at her. She returned it from the corner of her eye, then stiffened up.

Here goes nothing, I guess.

"Why did you forgive me, even if you think I killed your Father?"

"I already said," He adjusted a few knobs, then took his hands off and turned to her. "The Father sent him to his death. What on Earth could you have done to change that? Nothing. I don't blame you."

"You were hellbent on exposing me to the world," Bayonetta pointed at him with her lollipop. "What was your plan anyway?"

"I don't know." He shrugged, uncomfortable. "I guess I just wanted closure. You don't actually exist on any official records, so pinning any kind of crime on you is essentially impossible, especially ones that are supernatural."

"But, just finding you and being able to definitely say my father was killed by something and/or someone just…" Luka sighed. "Again, I don't know. I was blinded by the fact I needed, and not whether I could actually do anything."

She stared at him with hidden astonishment. Feeling that he wasn't actually finished, Bayonetta stayed quiet.

"And even if I managed to do anything, what could I have done? I can't stop you from doing anything." He chuckled. "Besides, once I got to know you, I finally learned the truth."

"The truth about me?" She raised an eyebrow. "Pray tell, Cheshire."

"You're just a woman who has no sense of decency. Not a murderer."

That was offensive. She pulled herself back, scoffing. "If you had a body like mine-"

"I would be transgender." He quipped.

"-then you would flaunt it at every opportunity." Bayonetta folded her arms and frowned at him. "Is there anything wrong with being proactive?"

Luka scratched the back of his head. "It's not that I have a huge problem with it. It's more that… I don't know…"

He sighed. "I guess it feels like you are putting up a mask or something. I don't think you are what you present yourself to be."

Bayonetta stopped in her potential rebuttal. She slowly closed her mouth, waiting to see if he would elaborate.

"I get it! You're beautiful and very attractive and I understand why you could use it as a way to get things done, but it doesn't feel like the real you." He held his hands up defensively. "Don't get the wrong idea, but-"

"What makes you think you know who the real me is?" Bayonetta interrupted quietly.

"Well, I don't. But I do honestly think there is more to you than flirting and confidence." He shrugged. "If you were who you thought you were, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

'Honesty.'

What?

'Be honest. You want his trust, don't you?'

Why are you so perceptive?

Butterfly merely let out a satisfied huff. Bayonetta internally rolled her eyes.

'Just tell him what the Joy said.'

"You're…" She swallowed. "You're right."

Luka stopped, then put his hands down. "Bayonetta?"

"I've been slowly regaining my memories. I don't have all of them, but I have enough to paint the full picture." Her hands began to play with themselves, wringing and rolling. "I was… As a child… I…"

"If you don't want to say anything, you don't have to." Luka reached out and touched her shoulder.

"I should! I need to, with someone I… I trust."

His eyes widened. "Bayonetta…"

"I don't know why, but in my youth I was bullied and abused." She admitted. Her hands were moving faster now. "I spent my days trying to get through them to see my Mummy and when they took her away, I had nothing left."

Luka's other fist curled into a tight ball. "The other Umbra?"

"For a clan about unity and family, they sure do treat their own with love and compassion." She bitterly spat out. "And when I woke up twenty years ago, all I got was compliments from all kinds of people on my looks and beauty. What did they see that the Umbra didn't? Why was I this loathed child?"

"You latched onto it." Luka nodded his head. "Assuming you didn't have your memories at that point, you gravitated subconsciously to those who treated you with positivity."

Bayonetta just stared at him. "How are you so perceptive?"

'Perhaps you aren't the perceptive one?'

Shut up.

"I was taught to be. You can't be a journalist and just accept things at face value." He explained, holding up a hand. "Before you even say it, I was emotionally involved with my Father's death. I had bias from the start, and I will admit that now. I'm sorry, Bayonetta."

"Why are you apologising? You don't need to."

Luka's face flooded with guilt. "I acted like an asshole and treated you like shit for no reason other than I could. That's just… wrong, and I'm sorry for it."

Guilt was clawing at her throat as she processed his words. Bayonetta knew that for most people an apology was one of the hardest things to do; she couldn't profess to know Luka well, but it seemed he was not necessarily someone who apologised readily.

Like herself. She needed to do this.

"I-" Her voice caught itself. The words were right there, on the tip of her tongue! "Che- I-"

Her hands balled into tight fists in frustration. He merely stared at her in confusion.

"I-" A squeak of annoyance erupted from her throat. "Why is this so hard?"

His face curled into a frown. "What are you trying to do? Look, if you are trying to apologise, you don't need to. You're not really at fault here; I instigated all of this."

The door behind them creaked open, and Cereza popped her head slowly out. "I can't find Bubby…"

The two shared a glance, and they both agreed to drop the subject. Bayonetta turned to her and smiled awkwardly. "I'll go off and find him eventually."

Cereza didn't notice anything and walked back in, nonplussed. "Why does Bubby have to be so sad? Ever since yesterday he has been sad and angry."

Luka frowned. "What happened between now and yesterday then? He was acting his normal self right up until-"

The man's eyes widened. "Oh, the other Witch!"

"He fought Jeanne." Bayonetta commented. "How he isn't dead is surprising."

"Maybe he won?" Luka floated the idea across.

"I've defeated him handily." Now she was frowning. "Jeanne… at least she was stronger than me. I just don't see a way he could have defeated her."

"Bubby is strong!" Cereza piped up. The pair of adults looked over to her and waited for her to elaborate. "He can defeat anyone!"

"Power is meaningless unless you know how to use it." She shook her head. "He has power, but he hasn't had the training to use it to its full potential."

"Maybe he's had training? He wasn't in last night until much later." Luka placed a hand on his chin.

"That's not enough time."

"Maybe this Jeanne isn't as strong as you think she is." He turned to her. "You can defeat him, maybe she can't."

That, she had considered. But Jeanne had soundly trumped her in their last meeting.

'Consider that you were nowhere near full power.' Butterfly droned. 'And Jeanne has not changed.'

"Well, something did happen last night that I know happened." Luka continued. "That's because I was there when it happened. Somewhat."

"What do you mean?" Bayonetta looked at him curiously.

"He summoned his Infernal patron, or whatever you call it last night-" He began.

"He summoned Madama Khepri?" She crossed her arms. "What did she have to say?"

"She told me to wait for my future, and that she couldn't disclose anything." He rolled his eyes. "However, it must have told him something he didn't want to hear, or whatever happened back at the airport freaked him out."

Both were options that made sense. She needed to talk to him if she really wanted to figure out the answer.

"Wait! She didn't want to disclose anything!" Luka burst out. "So how did she disclose anything to him?"

It was the airport then. Whatever had happened with Jeanne was the cause of his newish attitude.

"Well, that makes sense, since she can see into the future." She shrugged. "Don't want to change it if it benefits her."

"Wait, she did tell us something." Luka leaned forward, gesturing for her to do so as well. "Cerezita is apparently very important to this timeline." He whispered, making sure the girl couldn't hear him.

"Is she?" Bayonetta glanced at the oblivious girl, who was now looking out the window in awe.

"Whoever Cerezita is, she must be important to the outcome of the Witch Hunts." Luka leaned back. "You should talk to him."

"Me?" She put her hands up in surprise. "He isn't my biggest fan right now, I'd wager. Ever since we came out of Paradiso from our first trip he has been giving me a relatively cold shoulder."

"What hap-" He turned away when she gave him a sour look. "Sorry. Won't ask."

"I suppose we are due for a talk." She said after a tense moment. "How long until we arrive?"

"Give me- Should be about ten minutes." Luka glanced at something on the dashboard. "I'll probably need to fly around the island until I secure an airstrip landing, but that shouldn't take that long."

"Realistically… half an hour?"

"Probably longer. I'll start communicating with them now." He grabbed a headset and placed it over his ears. "If you want to talk to Sephiroth, now's your chance."

"I'll have to find him first." She stood up and placed her hand on her hips. "Now, where would I hide, if I were Sephiroth?"

Hearing no answer from either person, or even the one she was going to look for, Bayonetta walked out and closed the door behind her. Pausing before she could continue into the depths of the plane, she turned and placed an ear onto the door.

"Uncle, do you think Bubby is okay?"

"I'm more worried about Bayonetta."

A small gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it. Fortunately, neither Luka or Cereza heard her.

"Don't get me wrong, Cerezita, I am worried about your brother too. I just want to tackle one problem at a time, and I think your mother is the best to start with."

She rolled her eyes at that. She very clearly wasn't the girl's mother, but she didn't think anyone would try to correct anyone on her behalf. Besides herself, obviously.

"Why are you worried about Mummy?"

"…Cerezita?" There was a shuffling sound. "When you grow up, please don't be afraid of your own emotions."

"Why would I be scared of my feelings? And why is Mummy scared of her feelings?"

Luka gave off a small grunt. More shuffling sounds were heard, and she assumed he had put the girl on his lap. "You see, the reason why Mummy didn't recognise you at first is because she lost her memories."

"Mummy doesn't remember anything?" Cereza asked. "Why doesn't she?"

"I don't know. I have a feeling that in the past something happened to her to push people away subconsciously, either through being really scary or using them." He explained. "She acts like she was really hurt, like some people I know. People who can't help but feed the same cycle they are trapped in. I want to break that cycle with her, I think."

"Mummy…was hurt?" Her voice was cracking, and it was obvious to her that she was trying to not cry. "They told me she was sick."

"Who?"

"The other witches. The ones that care for me." Cereza's voice was getting more riled up. "They told me she was sick, and they were taking care of her!"

"Woah! Cerezita!" Luka's voice was soothing and calm. "It's just a theory. Right now, the only person who would know is whoever took her memories away and potentially Sephiroth."

Jeanne had all the answers. Sephiroth had been inside Jeanne's mind to the point where he knew some of her own secrets, so he knew them too. Bayonetta frowned at this revelation.

'You know enough.' Butterfly reminded her. She had to concede the point there; but why was it that she didn't recall a Cereza from her time in the Umbra? The way she was making things out gave her the idea that whatever happened to Cereza, and her mother by extension, was a big deal in Umbran history.

And that wasn't in her memories. At all. She was missing parts yes, but not that much.

Either way, she had a conversation to keep listening to.

"Bubby can look into people's minds?" Cereza sounded confident. "Bubby will know. Bubby knows everything."

Sephiroth had to know the answers she wanted. She really needed to find him.

"That's a big statement. Sephiroth doesn't even know his own name. Come, do you want to know what all this does?"

"But Uncle Luka…"

"Huh?"

"Do you like Mummy?"

Bayonetta felt herself blush and then started giggling at the sheer amount of spluttering that came from Luka's mouth.

"Let's not talk about that…"

And that was finally her cue to leave. Not noticing the small smile on her face, she pushed herself up from the door and walked into the depths of the plane.

…

Sephiroth had an excuse to leave initially. He actually did want to explore the plane for a little while.

But that took all of five minutes. Aside from the mostly empty containers in the hold, the entire thing was empty. A few open doors, a couple of obvious living quarters; nothing really of interest or out of the ordinary for a plane. Stowing himself away on a small platform above the cargo hold, he folded his legs and closed his eyes.

Khepri? He reached out, his voice small.

'I'm here.'

What do I do? How do I free her?

He knew one thing, and that was that he had to help Jeanne. There was no immediate solution to the predicament; Jeanne herself had said he was no match against the Father, so just brute-forcing the… invader out wasn't an option.

'And that lies the problem.' Khepri's tone was sad. 'You can't undo possession without removing the possessor. The Father will not give up his grip so easily, and you are not on the level of being able to remove him yourself.'

Can you?

'If I was at full strength… I don't know. The Father has a lot of ancient knowledge and power within him; I am not sure you understand just how much. I am not fully sure of the extent of his abilities.'

He paled slightly. What do you mean?

'That's something that ties into much later. But right now all you need to understand is that you cannot hope to defeat him in her mind.' She dismissed him. 'Is it possible to free her? Maybe. You'd have to get back inside and reassess the situation without her killing you physically or the Father killing you mentally.'

So, it's impossible?

'Not impossible.' Khepri refuted instantly. 'Just very unlikely. It's doable, if you can get her to help. Considering that she is trapped in that cage, she's about as useful as Cereza. If that is what I think it is, nothing can get in and nothing can get out.'

Is it some sort of mind cage?

'... let's just go with that. If you wanted to, I could teach you to break that cage.'

She continued before Sephiroth could give any answer. 'The problem is that breaking the cage takes at least half an hour of concentration, and the Father will notice you doing anything within seconds.'

I expected as much…

…

It took some time, but he was fairly easy to spot. Bayonetta found him within a few minutes; the tell-tale sign of his wing hanging over a platform giving away his position far too easily. Cereza may not have had the inclination to look up, but at the same time she did have no way to reach him.

Jumping and pulling herself up, she climbed her way onto the platform. Sephiroth was sitting down, cross-legged, eyes closed in some kind of meditation. That was smart too. She was nearly bent over in half trying to stand on the thing.

Crossing her own legs and taking a seat across from him, she waited for him to both notice her and open his eyes. When he did neither, she gave him a playful shove.

"What the- Bayonetta?" His eyes widened as they opened, before shifting to a defensive glare. His wing furled up slightly and readied itself, as if it was going to interject itself between them.

"Calm down, darling." She placed a small, calming smile on her face. "What has got you so on edge?"

Sephiroth visibly debated his options; his face seemed to scrunch up in almost every emotion across the spectrum. He seemed to favor glaring at her.

She tilted her head at that. What on Earth had she done now?

"Better yet," She held a finger up. "What is going on between us?"

He settled on uncomfortable. Shifting around, he stared at the platform beneath them and mumbled something.

"Sorry?"

"I just…" The wing drooped. "We need to talk. Khepri has been saying it, Luka's been constantly thinking it; I don't know where to start."

'Someone gets it.' Butterfly dryly stated. 'Khepri has been insufferable these last few days.'

"The beginning, then." She glanced at a nearby window. "We don't have much time; we'll be arriving in Isla Del Sol shortly."

That got her a look of trepidation. Sephiroth swallowed, but shook his head. "No, the beginning would take too long."

He stared at her with a strange look on his face. "Please, Bayonetta, tell me the truth; why am I here?"

"You wanted to be, didn't you?" Confusion began to set in again. The smile fell from her face as she tilted her head. "You said that you couldn't let me go into Ithavoll alone and that there was something there you had to do."

"I accused you of wanting to parade me around like a prized animal." He answered, his eyes glowing slightly. They faded away as he continued. "I… When I killed Temperentia, I saw your mind briefly."

Bayonetta felt her eyes widen slightly.

"Not on purpose! When people really feel strongly it's really hard to ignore it. But, you did, didn't you? You wanted me to be your guardian Angel, so to speak. I was going to be your prize, your powerful toy, that just only needed directions and orders." He seemed to rise up slightly, and his fists began to darken. "You can't deny that."

And he was right. She had thought that. She had wanted that.

But now, what did she want? Not that. Everything she had experienced in this strange journey had changed her. Bayonetta let her mask fall briefly, and Sephiroth's eyes widened as her frame slumped and huddled up.

"To be clear, I did think that." Her voice being this soft felt foreign and uncomfortable to her. "I saw your potential, and nothing further."

"What is-"

"I'm not lying, okay?" A bitter smile graced her lips now. "This is who I am, right? Just a lost girl in wonderland."

Sephiroth seemed to fall back down again, and his hands returned to their sickly pale color. Was his hands always sickly pale? A glance at his face confirmed that everything was the same pallor.

"I have quite the tale to tell as well, but the gist of it is that my old self, my old memories," She continued, filing that knowledge away. "It's all coming back. Every single thing I do, my memories tell me why I do it. I'm a psychologist's wet dream, if I'm being honest."

"I wanted power to stand up against the world and I got it. Then, I have one of the strongest beings I have ever seen in the palm of my hand, just waiting to be molded into something greater. Of course, I wanted to guide you into something I could use." She shuddered. "I was-"

Sephiroth reached out with one hand, touching her temple. He drew it back as he caressed her mind briefly. "You don't think that way anymore."

"You've gotten better at that." She commented, feeling him recede. "I thought I told not to-"

"I can't help it." He grimaced. "I'm not sure how I can stop it without any sort of training."

That was a strange way of wording things. "I suppose you practised to make sure you didn't hurt anyone?"

He jolted upright. "No. I've barely practiced at all. I guess mind magic comes easy to me."

That was impossible. The arts of telepathy were considered dangerous and, as she had told him before, only two members of the Umbra were ever able to control it. Being able to naturally have psychic powers on that level was completely unheard of.

'I have some theories about that.'

And so did she. Maybe it had something to do with his experimentation, or something from before that-

'Unlikely. Dante made it very clear that only him and his deceased brother were the only true hybrids in existence.'

Is Nero one?

'I have no idea.'

Bayonetta's words from before the plane's departure came back to her. Straightening back up, she grew serious. "Now, keeping on the same train of thought, what happened between you and Jeanne at the airport?"

The wing immediately readied itself and he seemed to push himself further back. A bad choice, it seemed.

"You don't want to talk about that?"

He shook his head, lips pressed tightly together.

She nodded her head. "Can we talk about Madama Khepri then?"

He frowned. "How on Earth- oh, Luka told you, didn't he?"

"He told me you summoned her into our realm. Cheshire didn't elaborate beyond that." She confirmed with a nod. "Then, he told me you two had a chat."

"She said the same thing to me as she said to him," Sephiroth shrugged and began to calm down again, slowly easing himself forward and away from the side of the plane. "She couldn't tell us anything for fear of affecting the future."

"That's quite understandable. Changing the present based on the future rarely leads to the future you need to shape towards." That brought a small smile out. "The butterfly effect."

'Ironic.'

Quiet, you.

"Strange…" Sephiroth frowned. "She did tell me I have no future. So why am I necessary to form any future?"

"You have no- What does having no future mean?!"

"I don't know exactly, but according to Khepri it means I go outside of time eventually." He looked at her bleakly. "I caused a time paradox or something."

"I don't understand how you could cause a paradox to begin with." She shrugged. "Does Khepri think it is going to be a problem?"

'I personally think it's going to be a problem."

I didn't ask you. You're a Demon of wrath and suffering, not time.

'I have enough experience with divination to understand the significance of having no future. At the very least it means there will be problems in the future.

Let me guess; end of the world ramifications?

'Broadly? Yes. Specifically? Who knows.'

"She says that it should be fine." Sephiroth announced, pulling her out of her head. "In the broad sense that nothing cataclysmic will happen because of it."

"That's… reassuring." Bayonetta replied hesitantly. "But are you fine with this?"

"What choice do I have? Honestly, it's not like I can change anything." He shrugged. "If anything, trying to change my fate might just bring it about sooner."

"That is-"

The conversation had no chance to continue. Something massive rocked the plane, knocking both Sephiroth and herself off. He grabbed her before she had a chance to react, twisting over. Within a second, they landed hard onto the metal floor. She bounced off his body and fell into a pile.

"Oww…" Sephiroth groaned from beneath her. He stayed there as she stood up, checking over him for injuries. If they existed, they weren't necessary for her to heal.

"Thank you for that." She then turned to the door. "Cheshire! What the fuck was that!?"

"That wasn't me!" Luka's voice crackled over a nearby speaker. "It's just a bit of turbulence; should be fine soon."

Another tremor vibrated through the plane. Sephiroth sat up and then looked at the walls of the plane in suspicion.

"That's not turbulence."

"I agree." Bayonetta began to circle around once more. "Whatever is out there, come out and face us!"

A white fist smashed through the plane's wall in response. Everything flew towards the new opening, knocking into and past the pair. Sephiroth summoned out his sword and immediately thrust it into the ground. Bayonetta activated witch walk and let the loose items fly out the breach.

"Jeanne!?" Sephiroth screamed in realisation. "Where did she come from?"

"She must have stowed away." Bayonetta cursed her inattention. She should have known that something would go wrong, that everything seemed too easy. "Did you keep track of her after you had your little fight?"

"I didn't," He snarled, reaching out with one hand. The metal screeched and began to twist back into position. "I thought she would run back off to the Father with her tail between her legs."

"Next time, make sure!" The howling died down as the hole patched itself up. Bayonetta deactivated witch walk as Sephiroth pulled the katana out from the ground. Turning to him, she placed her hands on her hips. "It's not a big deal now, but next-"

"How is it not a big deal now?" He interrupted.

"Well, you can just fight her again." Bayonetta gestured. "You defeated her before, you can just do it again."

"I don't want to fight her!" He burst out. "I… Can't. Not again."

She stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean by that? You were the one who wanted to kill her, correct?"

His eyes were haggard as he looked at her. "Bayonetta, she's-"

"MUMMY!"

Cereza's panicked cry full of fear ripped through the air. Immediately, both turned to run to the cockpit. The floor then decided to explode up and a pink and red Gommorah popped through. It roared in a challenge, staring down at the pair with eager eyes.

"You go!" Sephiroth shouted. "I'll take this one!"

Bayonetta needed no further invitation. The winged man surged forward with fire, meeting the Demon with ferocity. Slipping past the melee, she sprinted towards the cockpit.

…

"Little one! Cheshire!" Bayonetta burst into an empty cockpit, dread filling her. "Cereza? Luka?"

The howling wind from a destroyed window was her only answer. A quick glance at the console confirmed that the controls were destroyed and that the autopilot was enabled. Returning her gaze to the city in the distance, Bayonetta swore.

There was only ten minutes until they crashed into a building. She could survive a fall, and so could Sephiroth. Luka and Cereza would definitely not.

Activating witchwalk, she slipped out the window and climbed up and onto the roof of the plane. She saw Cereza and Luka floating in the air by the tail of the plane.

Purgatorio, then. Bayonetta traced the sigil out in front of her, then stepped through. The reason the pair were floating was made clear instantly; a pair of Applauds were holding them up by their wrists. Pulling out the Scarborough Fair, she began to take aim.

"I would not do that, if I were you." A disembodied voice smugly called out from the mortal realm. Bayonetta stiffened, then slipped back out of Purgatorio. Tapping her glasses to keep an eye on the Angels, she turned back to see a smirking Jeanne.

"There you are." Bayonetta huffed, lowering her stance into a half crouch. "I was wondering where you had scurried off to."

"Scurried? You make it sound like I ran away." Jeanne began to circle her, walking towards the mortals. "Please, why would I leave the excitement?"

"You lost to my latest Darling," She smirked, and Jeanne's face creased into a frown. "We both thought you did run away-"

"I did not lose!" Jeanne's demeanor fell rapidly. "I merely regrouped. And besides, you do not have the power here to be making any sort of moves."

She gestured behind her to the two mortals. "One wrong move, my dearest Bayonetta, and I give the order to make your friends join your Infernals."

"You've wanted the girl since the beginning." Bayonetta retorted, noticing the bluff. "Go on, kill her if you want to."

Jeanne shook his head. "I hate it when you are correct, but he can take enough pain to satisfy two deaths."

"Mummy!" Cereza called out, grabbing Luka's attention. The girl had noticed her, and was pointing in her direction.

"Bayonetta? There! Bayonetta!" He began to struggle and got a fist in the stomach from the Applaud for his efforts.

"Cheshire!" She called out, fear slightly lacing her tone.

Jeanne scoffed. "Pet names? You, of all people, are getting attached to mortals? You are really going to make me laugh."

"Let the girl and the man go." Bayonetta answered, pointing both guns at the Witch. "This is between us, not them."

"Really? You still have no idea about anything, don't you?" She placed her hands on her hips and stared at her with disgust. "The only person here who isn't needed for anything is that poor puppy that follows you around."

Bayonetta decided to glare for her answer.

"Besides, now it's just you and me," Jeanne drew her guns and assumed her stance. "I've been itching for a rematch ever since that day…"

Her eyes glanced between Jeanne and the pair behind her. If she could just get past, she could-

"Oh… You aren't interested in a fight," She had noticed with a smirk. "Please, you can't help them."

Jeanne cartwheeled, then launched herself backwards with a jump. Landing next to Luka, she gave him a look of disgust. "Seriously, Bayonetta? And here I thought you were back to your old self."

"As he will continuously tell you, we aren't a couple. And besides, do you take me for the settling down type?" Bayonetta began to slowly edge her way towards her.

"That doesn't matter." Jeanne placed a gun under Luka's chin. "Stop, or he dies."

Bayonetta froze.

"That's better. Enough of this chit-chat, enough of this dancing; you will be coming with us to Ithavoll." Jeanne's lips curled up. "Do not try anything funny."

"Let them go, Jeanne!" She pleaded, trying to appeal to any humanity Jeanne had left. "If he's not necessary, then let him go at least!"

"Let him go?" Jeanne smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "As you wish."

She clicked her fingers and Luka zipped off into the distance. Ignoring Cereza's screams for her uncle, Bayonetta let witchwalk fade as she jumped off the plane after him. Jeanne's confused yelp faded away as she straightened her body into a dart, flying towards the flailing mortal.

'Do you have a plan for when you catch him?'

Sort of.

Reaching out, she felt his hand brush hers, then grab onto it with a tight grip. Pulling him close in a tight embrace, she felt him do the same.

"A GRA ORS!" She shouted, and then two wings bloomed from her back. They flapped once, then arched to swoop them up and slow their descent into a slow glide.

"Jesus fucking Christ…" Luka buried his head into her shoulder. "I thought I was going to die…"

"You're not dying on my watch." She smiled as her wings began to flap and started their ascent. "You are way too much fun to have around."

"Why save me? I'm expendable, Cerezita is not." He asked, his voice muffled. "I know you goaded her into releasing me, so don't try to deny it."

"I wasn't going to. Cereza is irreplaceable; they'll be wanting to protect her for as long as possible." She explained, getting alongside the plane. Jeanne was staring at the pair with daggers in her eyes and Cereza was nowhere to be seen. "She's safer with them than us."

"That's if she was there." Luka hissed.

She gave a grunt in agreement, then soared over the roof of the plane. Lowering them down, she activated witch walk once more and landed first, securing Luka along with her own footing.

"What a relief! You saved his life, just so you could outlive him!" Jeanne clapped slowly. "What a hero, Bayonetta, what a hero!"

"Can you- thanks." Luka asked as he began to twist around. She loosened her grip, allowing him to prepare his grappling hook.

"Where's the girl?" Bayonetta looked up at the Witch.

"Oh, the Father wanted to meet her. He's just dying to know what's been going on, so I decided to give him a present." Her face twisted into mock sadness. "Why? Do you miss her calling you Mummy?"

"You're absolutely delusional." She gritted her teeth.

"Delusional? Of course you think I'm the deluded one." Jeanne shook her head. "You haven't even realised your true potential yet, nor your role in this."

"The only thing that is troubling me is your almost constant butting into my affairs." Luka fired his grappling hook into the roof and she slowly let go of him. Glaring up at the Witch, Bayonetta continued to talk. "You just never learn to stop."

"Why stop at just one, my Umbran sister? You understand that I am this close," She held a finger and thumb one inch apart. "This close to getting that sister back."

"From what I've heard of you, I'd rather stay with the little one." Bayonetta retorted, letting go of Luka. She kept her arms close to him, just in case.

"My, aren't you attached to your precious little one." Jeanne mockingly said, waving her arms around. "And to your mortal toy as well."

She took aim with one of her guns and fired, severing the zipline attached to the plane. Luka went flying briefly before her arms wrapped around him again. He latched onto her wrists and tried to bury himself against her. She didn't blame him.

"Can you just leave him alone for more than one second? You've already had a play-date with my other friend, go and have another one with him." Bayonetta angrily retorted.

"He's busy with a friend of mine." Jeanne smirked. "But you've still got quite the tongue for curling around the truth."

"Shut up, you bitch!" Luka called out, pointing at her. "Why won't you just leave us alone!"

"Ooh, big words from the big man." Jeanne leaned forward with mock concern. "You do realise that she will outlive you. Bayonetta has no reason to ever talk to you, you know?"

"That doesn't matter." Bayonetta shook her head, pulling Luka back. She decided to try a different approach. "Jeanne, we used to be friends. You used to be a better person. Why are you doing this?"

"The Father promised me something you never did, Bayonetta." Jeanne answered, her tone becoming softer as she stood back up. "Something that you co-"

A golden light spilled onto the plane, interrupting the Witch. A portal began to open up, and a booming voice called out from within it: "Why must you needlessly stumble and delay?"

"Oh for the love of all fucking things…" Jeanne growled, then turned to the portal. "Why must you cretins ruin everything!"

Two armoured legs stepped through, then a plated head pulled itself out. It regarded Bayonetta and Luka first, then turned its attention to the Witch in red.

"Have you forgotten your task, Mademoiselle? Or must we remind you of what you need to achieve?" Its legs stepped onto the plane, the fuselage whining and crumpled from the weight. "You have delivered the child, yes, but you have not delivered the Left Eye of the world."

"I was getting to that!" Jeanne threw her arms out, exasperated. "I just need to get Bayonetta to comply, and you know she won't do that willingly!"

"Is there an Angel here?" Luka whispered. She nodded in response, keeping her attention on the situation.

"You failed to deliver the experiment back to us. Why should we trust you to be competent here?" The Audito shook its head. "Perhaps you have forgotten your task."

"I have not forgotten my task." Jeanne addressed it with an icy tone. "And it got lucky, that's all. I do not need help to get Bayonetta to him!"

"Then make haste, if you are that confident in yourself." It growled, fully stepping onto the plane. It buckled, but held firm. "We are losing patience in your ability to do so."

"I am fine!" The witch in red screamed. "Go tell the Father you are not required!"

"Hmph." It glared at the trio. "Ever since we've come to rely on them, we have always been reminded of the fragility and the arrogance of humans. If only we were the first choice, and not some spoiled brat who lost to barely a child in this world."

"Shut up!" Jeanne sprang up, her hair forming a wicked stomp behind her. "I can do this; I need no help!"

Thrusting her foot down, the weave slammed into the Angel's head. Twisting around, the weave then spun and smashed into the side of the head, and the Auditio began to fall. Its mouth roared in anger as missiles began to launch from its armoured body, all aimed at the plane.

"Oh God!" Luka grabbed onto her as the projectiles began to fly past them, impacting around Jeanne. "Please, don't let them hit."

"Your arrogance is astounding!" It's voice was getting fainter as it fell. "May a curse take you, Coronzon!"

"Shut up!" Jeanne fell and pushed off each missile as it arrived, dodging them all with ease. "Just fucking shut up! If you think you can take them, then you can fucking do it yourself!"

Her katana appeared in her hand, and she sliced it down. A shockwave burst from the edge, slicing through the left wing and parts of the tail. The effects were immediate; the plane began to fall into a tailspin and began to descend towards the water.

"Fuck! Now what?" Luka was beginning to panic. His hands were trying to keep his grip on her body tight, which was starting to become more irritating than anything. "We're going to fucking die!"

"We've got a better chance to survive inside." Closing her eyes to keep her orientation steady, she summoned Butterfly from underneath. Fingers from a wicked fist burst through the metal and pulled them into the plane. Keeping witchwalk active, she knelt down and formed a barrier around them.

She had no confidence in it surviving the impact. Her magic was limited, and she cursed herself for not learning anything beyond the basics.

"I swear to you, Cheshire," She whispered as they waited for the landing. Her arms wrapped around his body, trying to give him comfort and protect his body when the shield inevitably failed. "We will survive this."

"If I don't make it-"

"Shut up. You are going to-"

The plane hit the ocean.

The shield broke instantly and the pair went flying. Bayonetta reached out with one hand, trying to reach Luka and keep him close to her, but flying debris separated them both. She slammed into the wall of the plane, then a section of another wall slammed into her.

And the darkness instantly claimed her.

…

Bayonetta opened her eyes.

She wasn't breathing.

She was underwater.

Panic and flight immediately set it. She began to thrash around, trying to move in the water. Instantly, she began to sink further in.

Oh. Witches sunk in water. And she couldn't swim. And she was going to drown and what way was up? Was she even sinking down? Bayonetta inhaled on reflex, swallowing the salty water. Her eyes bugged in fear and she began to scream internally.

A hand reached out of the water and wrapped around her wrist. She almost dragged them towards her in an effort to reach the surface, but a small, logical part of her brain remembered that this hand would probably get her out of this mess. Closing her eyes, she stilled her body.

She was correct. Another arm wrapped around her body and she began to rise up, breaking the surface with a huge exhalation. Luka did the same behind her, giving her upper body a squeeze as well. Coughing up some sea water, she gave him an appreciative glance.

"My knight in shining armour," A thought came to her as he continued to hold her up. "You aren't doing that to 'cop a feel', as the young ones put it?"

Luka, to his credit, only blushed. "I'm pretty sure if I let you go, you're just going to sink again."

"...right." She glanced around. The remnants of the plane's interior was a mess. Girders and support beams lay still, angling out of the water from their snapped positions on the fuselage. The platform she and Sephiroth had sat on was nearby, and was out of the water. "Cheshire? You see that platform?"

"I do." He began to move them towards it, and eventually Bayonetta reached out and grabbed the edge. Luka helped her up and onto it and she sat on the edge with a small smirk. It was wiped as soon as she realised how cold she was becoming. Shivering, she hugged herself in an attempt to regain some warmth.

"Where's Sephiroth?" Luka stared up at her, a concerned look in his eyes. "He wasn't with you before, so-"

"Shit." Her face went pale. "He should be beneath us somewhere."

And he didn't know that witches sank.

And he probably didn't know how to swim. She immediately moved to dive in and was stopped by a hand from Luka.

"Woah! I'm not going to rescue you again." He held a hand out, then pointed down. "He's down there, right?"

"Yes…" She didn't bother trying to hide her own worry. "Please…"

He didn't bother to respond; he dove down and out of sight. Clutching at the edge of the platform, she stared at the water. Agonising seconds turned into a minute.

She had no idea what she would do if they both died.

The surface broke and two heads popped out. Sephiroth was gasping for breath, just like her, whereas Luka was calming treading water. Well, as calm as an exhausted mortal could be.

"Jesus, you're heavier than she is…" The mortal complained, but began to swim the pair towards her.

Sephiroth coughed, then shrugged as best as he could. "Probably because I have an extra limb."

They reached the platform and Luka repeated the process. Sephiroth pulled himself up, albeit with great difficulty, and lay down. His clothes were soaked, clinging to his body and shaping itself to it. Luka joined them with a huff, his clothes doing the same.

"Where's Cereza?" Sephiroth spoke up, shifting to allow his wing to spread out. It, too, was completely soaked.

"They have her. It's not as bad as you think." Luka breathlessly shook his head. His shirt was pressed tightly against his body, revealing a defined chest and lean stomach. "If she was still here…"

The implication was enough. Sephiroth let out a deflating breath, then stared up at the ceiling. "Then I have another reason to go to Ithavoll."

"If we ever needed one, that is. At least we have had a bath and cleaned up for presentation." He chattered, wrapping his arms around himself. "Too bad it's really fucking cold as well."

She felt herself staring at his body for too long. Tearing her gaze away, she snorted. "That is an acute observation, Cheshire."

"Can I just lie here for a minute?" Sephiroth said, still on his back. "I just… Well, we survived a plane crash. I need to process that."

"Well, darling," She shook her head. "You gave me a death scare. I gave myself a death scare."

"Does that mean-"

"Yes." She smiled. "You owe me one."

Luka spluttered, gesturing to her. "Hold on, it's your damn fault that the plane crashed to begin with."

"Me? I don't recall…" Her voice died down as a particularly violent shiver wracked her body. "J-jesus…"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes on this. He sat up, holding his hand out, fire beginning to form in it.

"No, don't." She reached over and wrapped his fingers into a fist, extinguishing the flame.

"Why can't I use warmth? Look at you both," He gestured to the pair. "You're literally starting to turn blue."

"You are one of us, and that spell also drains your own body heat to use it." Bayonetta shook her head. "You are not dying on us after Cheshire here braved the waters to rescue you."

She glanced through a hole in the wall to see the city in the distance, foreboding and dominating over the landscape. "We do need to get moving, though. Someone would have seen this plane go down, and I do not want to be here when they get here to investigate."

"You just flew before." Luka pointed out.

"I couldn't get you there." Bayonetta shook her head. "Someone would notice the man floating in the sky."

The plane creaked, then rumbled. The three fell silent, staring at the fuselage with worry.

"And that Angel is still here." She shook her head.

"I…" Sephiroth looked pensive. He glanced between the two. "I can get us to Isla Del Sol."

"I'm not going to question how." Bayonetta shrugged and leaned back onto her arms. Her legs began to kick in the water, trying to get some circulation flowing. "If you say you can, then I'm not going to look the gift horse in its mouth."

"What about the Angel?" Luka interjected. "If that's still here, won't it attack any investigators? Or at the very least follow us into the city?"

"Shit." She stared off into space. There was no real way to tell if the Auditio would leave them alone or simply rampage through the city in an effort to either draw her out or take out its frustrations. "We'll have to fight the Angel, kill it and then get to Isla Del sol before we all freeze."

"The freezing part isn't that big of a priority." Sephiroth stood up. His wing flared out, fling excess water out. "I can solve that without killing myself. Sort of."

"Okay, but that still leaves getting out here without the Angel being alive any more." Bayonetta looked up at him. "What, are you going to fight it yourself?"

"That's the plan now." He gathered green fire in his palm and tossed it at the nearest protruding girder. It stuck and ignited, burning brightly and hotly. "I'll get you two to Isla Del Sol."

Wind began to blow, circulating the hot air through the room. "Go, save Cereza and wait for me."

Luka and Bayonetta both stood up as their clothing began to dry and their body temperature began to rise. "Then, we finish this."

"More or less what I was going to say." Bayonetta folded her arms and grinned. "A simple plan, but a good one."

"So, how are you getting us there?" Luka asked, looking at the winged man.

"Close your eyes." He held a hand out. "Grab on."

…

"You can open them now."

Bayonetta opened her eyes to see a white light fading to darkness. As her eyes adjusted, details began to fly at her.

Tall, dark buildings surrounded her. Beneath her was dusty and dirty tubing and needles, and she instantly took a few steps backwards. Leaning over slightly, she took a moment to take a closer look.

"Holy shit… Where are we? Did you teleport us?" Luka's voice was equal parts amazement and awe. "Wait, why does this look like a drug ring?"

"No." She answered, recoiling at the ground. "This is Isla Del Sol, I'm sure of it."

"Then why does this look like the remains of a goddamn meth lab?" Luka stood up, holding Cereza as far away from the ground as he could. "Isla Del Sol is where the elites of Vigrid live, not a cesspool of humanity."

"This is Isla Del Sol." Sephiroth was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. "This is where I rid myself of the last connections to that place."

The colour from Luka's face drained as he realised what the discarded medical items were. "Oh my God..."

"Some of these look- What did they do to you!?" Bayonetta felt fury rising up in herself. Needles weren't supposed to be literally tubes shoved inside a person.

"Anything they wanted." He flatly answered. Standing up straight, he looked above and behind her. "The building itself should be easy to find. I'll meet you there when the Angel is dead."

"Don't take too long then!" She reached out and grabbed his forearm. Lowering her voice, she whispered; "Please, be safe."

His golden eyes bored into her own, searching. Seemingly satisfied, he pulled back and gave her a smile. "Tell that to the Angel."

He disappeared into a cloud of feathers, several falling to the ground to join the needles. Rolling her eyes, she turned around.

He can teleport. That's a Lagunan power.

'Is that a big deal?'

What Laguna can teleport?

Her eyes widened at the realization. Sephiroth was part Joy.

…

Sephiroth fell to his knees as he returned to the ruined plane. Coughing heavily, he beat his chest in an attempt to free his lungs.

'It looks like you need to work on your endurance.' Khepri commented. 'That's two teleports in a row, and you look half dead.'

That was quite the distance. He commented, pulling himself up to an upright position. Maybe I should stop going further than a few metres.

'Agreed.'

He turned to the wall of the plane, reaching out with his left hand. A thin line of fire ignited out from it and travelled across parallel to the fuselage.

"Where is she!?" The Angel screamed outside. "Where is the Coronzon!?"

The fire hardened into the Sharuba. Directing it to his side, he stared at the wall.

"You wanted to deliver her yourself, you imbecile!" Jeanne screamed back. "I delivered them to you, and you lost them!"

"Do not play trifle with me, Coronzon. Where is the Left Eye of Darkness?"

Mentally grabbing the already opened hole in the wall, Sephiroth began to pull the metal apart. Light and water began to spill into the remnants of the plane.

"Well, I haven't fucking got it. And if you really want it, then you can fucking find it yourself. I'll be returning to Ithavoll to wait until Cereza turns up there." Jeanne scoffed. "Because I'm fairly certain you lost her."

Sephiroth's concentration broke as he stared at the outside with complete and utter confusion. Didn't they just take Cereza?

Who the actual fuck were they talking about?

"Hmph. Pathetic humans could not solve anything. If she had never dropped the transport then this would have never happened." It grumbled, and the sounds of waves crashing against the fuselage began to echo through the plane. Snapping him out of his reverie, he jumped out and grabbed onto the opening, flipping himself up and onto the roof of the plane.

"Hey! Lugnuts!" He yelled out, watching a red bird fly off towards Isla Del Sol. Sephiroth paid it no attention and kept it on the Audito. "I'm still here!"

"Hmmm…" It turned and lowered its gaze at him, eyes glowing red behind an armoured face. "You survived. Congratulations."

"What, did you expect me to die?" He actually felt offended at this assumption. "You really believed a plane crash would kill me?"

"On a second thought, you are correct." It tilted its head. "The Father would not appreciate his experiment dying of blunt force trauma."

"But that is neither here nor there. There is no reason to delay your ascension to the Father's right side, alongside the Witch." The Audito drew itself back slightly, seemingly waiting for an answer.

He stared up at it, gesturing at it with his sword. "You know I would never join him."

"Ha! You are just as arrogant as the Umbran Elder were with their abilities." Sapientia laughed, the mechanical sound booming from within it. "Each one had the potential to be so much greater; yet they stood blinded by their beliefs, their 'faith' in the Demonic masters who would drop them in a heartbeat."

"You fail to understand that too. You have potential that only the Father can shape into something greater. What you have achieved so far is nothing compared to-"

"Every being, be it Angel or human, seems to fucking forget I do not want these powers at all! Why would I want more!?" Now he was the one getting angry. Swallowing, he pulled his feelings back into a semblance of control and shook his head. "All I want to do is return an ally to her full power so she can fix me!"

'Hey! I thought I at least warranted the title of friend.'

Are we? I don't really know, actually.

'I'd say we are. Hey, if you tell him you and I are best friends, I'll teach you a new trick.'

What kind of trick?

'You'll see?'

"Let me amend that; for my friend to fix me." He tilted his head with a grin. "And she will."

"We wish that we had never come to rely on mortals…" The Angel seemed to roll its eyes. It began to stalk around the plane, keeping its gaze on him. "Every time we need to complete tasks, why does the Father favor her? We are far more proficient and reliable!"

"Because he has complete control over her." He answered evenly, keeping his emotions even.

"And in her extremely limited freedoms she still fails." The Audito lamented. "Once we are finished with you, we will travel to the Island of Light and find the Coronzon you have stowed away and do what Madamoiselle could not."

"Then what? You'll kill everyone in your path like Fortitudo did?" Sephiroth followed it by turning in a circle. "I thought you were supposed to be the Audito closest to the mortals."

"Impudent creation!" It roared. "Do you think we care for mortal life? Anything that can be a sacrifice for the greater good is meaningless until they need to fulfil their role! If they are required to die for that, then they shall die."

"A sacrifice I cannot allow you to make." He rested the sword on his shoulder, then pulled it across and into his stance. "My friends taught me the importance of having empathy; it seems you could use the same lesson!"

"You dare challenge me, Sapientia, the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence?" It sounded offended and enraged. "Your arrogance is insulting!"

It finally had enough of their debate. It roared, reared back and charged forward, lowering its head down. Sephiroth jumped up and glided away as it tore through the remnants of the plane. Splaying his hand out, a freezing gust expelled from it and solidified the water beneath him. Landing heavily on the ice, he nearly slipped off from his momentum.

The Audito turned around and noticed his struggling. Chuckling, it roared and braced itself. Missiles launched up from its hind legs, arcing above and over towards him. They impacted into the small iceberg and the water around him, breaking apart the ice and sending him back into the water. Sephiroth began to sink almost instantly.

'Ice is buoyant.' Khepri offhandedly mentioned as he struggled to get any form of movement inside the water. 'You could use that.'

What is the thing you wanted to teach me? Sephiroth asked back, forming a fist in front of him. The water solidified against it and started to pull him towards the surface.

'You do not have access to wicked weaves. However, if you summon me into the world, I can be the 'wicked weave' so to speak.'

Forming more ice onto the mass, he passed it beneath him and took a stance. Is that safe for you?

'Awww, you care. I'll be fine, as long as I don't get hit.'

Sephiroth broke the surface to see Sapientia walking towards Isla Del Sol. He stared at the retreating form, trying to think up a plan. How do I summon you?

'Same as before. However, maintaining my presence and a mental link will be extremely taxing.' Her voice had an eager tone.

I'll only be able to focus on you and you only?

'No sword or magic for you.'

Letting Sharuba fall into Inferno, he concentrated on what he wanted to do; get its attention, then send Khepri into the face. Whatever happened from there he could figure out himself and improvise.

'Decent plan. Let's do it.'

"Hey!" He called out, waving his arms around. "Didn't you forget someone?"

"Impudent mortal…" It huffed, then turned around. "Your tenacity is annoying."

"I'd like to think of it as persistence, in my humble opinion," Sephiroth replied. He formed more ice around him, expanding his little platform into a sizable circle. "But you should have known that I am a bit more durable than that."

"Intelligence, yes. We were expecting you to drown." Sapientia pawed the water, then began to run towards him. "Maybe we need to do it ourself."

He took a defensive stance, waiting for the right moment.

'Are you sure you don't want me right now?'

Wait for it…

Sapientia was barely thirty meters away. Now twenty. Now ten…

Now!

"P'DEE BARMA!" Sephiroth jumped back as Khepri burst from the ground, slamming into the chin of Sapientia with a thunderous uppercut. The Audito roared in pain, lifting up on its hind legs. Gesturing, Sephiroth ordered the follow-up and Khepri obliged. She reached up and grabbed the head, twisting it one way and then snapping it back the other. The Audito's body followed suit, twisting and falling over and into the ocean.

"Wait, it was floating on the water?" He exclaimed, riding the wave on his iceberg.

"It's a magical being, what do you expect?" Khepri floated down next to him, a smile on her face. "That was fun."

"It's not over yet," He peered over the edge and into the water. "It's not dead."

"Then we'll need to finish it off." Khepri disappeared. 'Be prepared for anything.'

And she was right. Sapientia crashed through the iceberg, its mouth wide open. Sephiroth stared at the jaws in surprise, then saw nothing as they shut around him. Something whirled from beneath him as he fell down and into the stomach area of the Angel.

The walls were fleshy to the touch. An idea came to mind, and he focussed his powers. Lightning surged out of his fingertips and arced up the flesh, illuminating the sickly green pallor. Sapientia shook in pain, the flesh bubbling and burning. Heaving at the smell, Sephiroth summoned the Sharuba and stabbed it into the wall. Channeling more lightning, he released it directly into the body of the Angel.

The stomach exploded outwards, letting light into the stomach and, more importantly, an opening for him to escape. Jumping out, he turned and teleported up and onto the back of the Angel. Dismissing the Sharuba, he summoned out Khepri again.

Do you have any abilities other than physical attacks? He asked as she manifested behind him.

"Are you seriously asking an Infernal that?" Khepri vaulted over him, slamming her palm down onto the back of the Auditto. Darkness spiked from the impact, shoving the Auditio down. Dismissing her, he ran forward and jumped up with the Sharuba back in his grip. Wind began to gather in it as he raised it above his head, forming a cylinder around the blade.

He brought it down on the left wing, then swiped it over to the right. Both wings went flying into the ocean as Sapientia roared in pain. Dismissing the Sharuba, Khepri flew out and grabbed onto the head once more. She pulled back, trying to pull the armour plating off to expose anything weak.

"Foolishness!" The Audito roared, lowering its body slightly. "You dare challenge Paradiso with the power of Inferno?"

"I thought all the Witch's did." He answered, running towards the front. Khepri hadn't seen anything resembling a weakness yet, so he was assuming more plating needed to come off. The Demoness obliged, pulling back harder.

"Not like this blasphemy! To work alongside an Infernal? Your soul is doomed!" Sapientia fired more missiles, this time aimed at the Infernal.

'I can take it!' She immediately sent before he could think to resummon her back. "Get here and help get this armour off!'

The first missile impacted against her. Sephiroth stumbled and fell as a sharp pain lanced through his skull. Gripping his head tightly, he screamed as it increased ten-fold as each projectile impacted.

'Recall me! Now!'

Khepri flickered out as the rest of the missiles flew harmlessly into the water. Sephiroth stayed on the back of the Auditio, still clutching his head.

'It seems that the connection is too strong. Pains that wouldn't affect me will affect you.' Khepri announced, concern in her tone. 'Don't summon me until it goes away.'

Got it.

Dragging himself to his feet, Sephiroth pulled the Sharuba out and stabbed it through the back of the Angel. Pulling himself back, he launched himself forward and charged up a fire spell this time. He reached the head and unleashed a torrent of fire at the armour, trying to find any weaknesses.

"That will not work." Sapientia laughed. "We are a creature of the sea. Fire is nothing but-"

He changed tactics and returned to lightning. It blasted out and into the armour, melting and warping it beyond recognition. The pain was but a dull throb now, and he deemed it time to resummon.

Khepri appeared as the lightning ceased, grabbing onto the armour and ripping it off. Falling with it, he gestured for her to strike. The Infernal stopped her descent and slammed a fist into the exposed face of the Auditio, then struck once more with an uppercut. Sapientia roared in pain, violently shaking to try to knock him off. Allowing it, Sephiroth jumped down and refreezed the water again to give him another platform.

"The power of a tia ds noan ca el…" The Audito pulled back, its porcelain face shattered. Khepri floated back over, then disappeared from a wave of his hand. "You are a worthy successor…"

"I am no successor, nor do I hope to be!" He snarled angrily, forming a fist. Shards of ice broke off from his platform and began to twirl in levitation around him. "Just forget about that, slink yourself back to Paradiso and accept that you have lost! The Father has lost!"

"The Father has great plans for you." It replied, chuckling. "If you do not accept your place, you will simply be destroyed and replaced!"

And with that it leaped into the air and dove back underneath the ocean, creating a massive whirlpool as it did. Balancing on his iceberg, letting the now-useless shards fall back down to Earth, he watched as it drew itself closer to the whirlpool and then tipped over the edge.

Sapientia was at the bottom of the vortex, its face split open and four eye tentacles were waving about. Sephiroth blinked at the sight, but paid it no heed. Jumping from the iceberg, he began to fall towards it.

The eyes opened fire, sending up beams of golden light at him. They burned his flesh and blasted him back up the vortex, almost out and onto the surface. Angling the Sharuba, he diverted and directed the beams around him and into the walls. Wind gathered around the blade and shot out as a shockwave at the Audito's exposed face. It struck true and rocked the Angel, shutting off the beams temporarily.

Letting the katana dissipate, he felt Khepri grab onto him to prevent him from falling any further. Power began to gather in his palms as he splayed them out.

'I can't be out if you want to do that.' Khepri's voice was faltering.

That's alright. Let me fall.

She dissipated as the fire began to burn out of his arms. Landing onto the porcelain face, he focussed the heat into a singular beam and shot it down. It burned and melted through, causing an inhuman scream of pain to erupt from beneath him. The Sharuba popped back in and he swung wildly, cutting through each tentacle eye with ease.

Sapientia began to thrash about wildly, trying to throw the man from its head. Leaping up from it, he froze the tip of the vortex and landed onto it, looking down at the flailing Angel with a look of disdain.

'Well, now is a good time for you to start fulfilling parts of your contract, if any.' Khepri spoke up. 'Summon me, and I will do the rest.'

"If you say so." He shrugged and let Sharuba fall back into Inferno. Splaying his palms out, he spread his arms and wing wide as he drew his power.

"PDEE BARMA!" Sephiroth threw his arms forward as he released the spell. A portal to Inferno opened behind the angel, and out came a massive Madama Khepri. The Demon winked at him, and then delivered a massive punch to the back of the Audito. Sapientia roared in pain, then in fear as it realised what was behind it. A second fist rocked the angel, and it began to fall, knocked from its perch.

Sephiroth watched with apathy as Sapientia fell into Khepri's awaiting arms.

"And so falls the last of the Audito." He murmured to himself. The Audito roared with pain, trying to break free of the Infernal's grasp, but then was silenced as Khepri pulled and the two disappeared into portal closed behind it with a resounding pop, and then there was only silence.

Post Chapter notes:

And so we are onto the final leg of this long and arduous rewrite. For a small factoid, this story is now almost longer than the original combined with Solar Flare. Will I go to the same lengths with Solar Flare? Probably? I don't know. I might end up scrapping the whole thing and rewriting it from scratch to fit all the new lore and the direction I want to take the story.

Alright, there are eight chapters left (including the epilogue), and I cannot guarantee them being out before Bayonetta 3 releases. There is a high chance that I won't bother with the side stories and will just include a small note in the finale to this Kingdom Hearts style trilogy for each section to make sure everyone is caught up with what is happening and going on. I am inspired for Bayonetta 3, and I might just put my energies in making sure that story gets going and not anything super irrelevent.

As for this chapter itself, I decided the best course of action was to combine it with the next chapter, since both were quite small and had no real reason to exist by themselves? Of course, this means there's three boss level fights one, after the other. To make up for that, I decided to triple the length of the Ithavoll chapter, so we'll get a much more in-depth look at the trios ascent of the tower and the descent of one.

Also I wrote Cereza out now, because she's hard to write and I figured that a smarter Bayonetta/Luka would realise that these life and/or death situations were not exactly beneficial to her overall wellbeing. Also for more narative reasons, as you will probably all see soon enough.

As always, thank you for reading! Any comments or feedback would be appreciated and loved by me!

See you next time! (Have Blood and Darkness playing throughout the next chapter for maximum epicness.)