Search for the Void

Chapter of Discovery

Ep. 2:

"The Fight?"

Damin arrives at Sephiroth's location and begins firing at her. The bullets hit but do absolutely NO damage! (Think DBZ.) The girl smiles and blasts at them again, the beam explodes but Damin stops it by shooting at the beam, causing it to explode before hitting them. Sephiroth rises (Like the scene in Nibleheim when Sephiroth first burnt it down...) his eyes showing an inner rage of fury and bloodlust. He smirks evilly, allowing the flames to dance about him, Damin takes a few steps back never seeing the face of a... a... killer before...

???: (The girl smiles.) My name is Iral- I've been sent to kill you... and so (skips toward them) I will! (She jumps into the air and begins blasting Sephiroth, he dodges most of the attacks. Annoyed, Iral let's out an erratic fury of blasts, several beams hit him but he just shrugs them off.) You will loose! (Sephiroth jumps into the air, and disappears, Iral begins looking for him, stopping to look down at Damin.) Hmmmm... (Suddenly Sephiroth is seen flying towards Iral at an incredible speed. (Sephiroth: Ahhhhh!) He punches her sending her crashing down to the ground.)

Sephiroth: (Still in the air.) SUPERNOVA!!!! (The supernova speeds toward Iral, Damin takes cover, Sephiroth then lands with his arms crossed... The dust and debris cleared, the sight shocked both Damin and Sephiroth-Iral stood up, only scratches and a tattered dress was left.)

Iral: *Cough* That... *Cough* wasn't... *Cough* Fair!!! (A mocking chuckle from Sephiroth sends Iral into a rampage.) I'll destroy you!!!

Damin: (Wipes the debris from his hair.) Why do I get the feeling Sephiroth isn't good with the ladies! (He begins shuffling around with some materia.) Hey! Chick, eat this! (Damin holds up a red materia and summons Kotr.

Sephiroth: (Rises) Ugh- I'm tired of your games Iral! (He jumps up in the air.) Blade of Blood! (He slightly cuts himself, puts the blood on his masamune, his masamune glows blood red. While in the air Sephiroth slashes down and sideways several times sending red beams shooting toward Iral. Lands.)

Iral: (She had only dodged a few, and the ones that did hit her cut her quite badly.) No fair!!! You used inner magic, not materia!!! (Iral begins to spin; shards of tiny lights shoot from her but Sephiroth blocks them w/his masamune.)

Damin: Sephiroth! Move!!

Sephiroth: (Looks at Damin, his eyes showing an inner rage and lust for blood.) Hmph. (He jumps to his right, allowing Damin a clear shot. Iral continues her attack.)

Damin: I summon the mighty 13! Kotr, I summon thee!!! (His materia glows brightly and the chocobo and moggle come charging toward Iral. Anime sweatdrops.) Uhh... wrong one! Uh... Sorry Seph, hold her off a wee bit longer! (The chocobo and moggle continue their attack, but Iral simply blasts them to oblivion while laughing mockingly.)

Sephiroth: My... (Holding back the urge to kill Damin too.) Name... is... SEPHIROTH!!! (Grips his sword tightly.)

Iral: Hee hee hee... You two are hopeless- I'll kill you!!!

Sephiroth: (Powering up slightly.) Yeaaarggg!!!! I summon Jenova- let your power surge through me!!! (Holds his arms out and begins to glow... Sephiroth's eyes go white for a quick moment then return to normal as his wing appears and he takes to the air. Meeting Iral head on, he forces her into a close melee.) I'll kill you!!! (They both deal even blows, doing equal damage...) {Think Joke Vs. Meridian Vegeta}

Damin: (looking at another materia) Knights??? (The materia glows brightly) Alright! Let's go, I summon the mighty 13! Kotr, I summon thee!!! Attack Iral!!! (13 warriors jumps out and attack Iral.)

Iral: Huh? (Iral watches the knights as they charge toward her, scratching her head sheepishly, she grabs Sephiroth and holds him infront of her using him as a shield.)

Sephiroth: (Holds his hands out to the knights.) Dispel!! (The knights are dispelled and Sephiroth's Jenova access fades out. Iral summons fire and burns Sephiroth then throws him to the ground.)

Iral: I destroy you now!! (Powering up, Iral points to Sephiroth.) I summon all those from purgatory!! (A massive rift forms before Sephiroth, groans and cries of pain cam be heard, faces of the dead are seen along w/hands that each out for Sephiroth. Sephiroth rises.)

Damin: (running over to Sephiroth he pulls out some materia.) Shield!!! (A shield forms around the two... but the rift continues to pull them in... Sephiroth holds his hands out and summons the last bit of strength he has.)

Sephiroth: SUPERNOVA!!! (The blast blew both him and Damin back. Semi-unconscious Damin rose up.)

Damin: O... K... bitch... I... have... had... it! I can't die... Zack... I will find Zack... (Damin grabs a green and purple materia.) Cure3, all!! (He heals himself then Sephiroth.) Ok, Seph, I've got an idea. (Hands Sephiroth a yellow materia.) I summon Kotr, you mimic. Hopefully if we can get both out, we can distract her long enough to use your supernova.

Sephiroth: Tsk. Good strategy... but it's useless. That was no ordinary spell, she didn't use materia and all of your summons have done nothing but annoy her. Only physical blows are what get her!

Iral: (Lands before the two.) No fair! You used shield, and blew up my purgatory!! (Holds out her hands.) Oh well, I'll destroy you w/this for sure!! Heart, of, OBLIVION!!! (A sphere of black w/purple lightning writhing around it manifests infront of her.)

Sephiroth: (Sighs) No shield can stop THAT spell... he, we're doomed- maybe I'll stay dead this time... (Grins at the thought. Iral throws the ball.)

Damin: (Looking at Sephiroth.) Stay Dead?!?!? What the fuck!?!?!

The ball comes hurling at them, Damin looks down and frowns... the thought of never finding his brother made him regret every part of his search. Sephiroth looked on; w/an ever-present smile he couldn't help but wonder what miracle it would take to save him. (Sephiroth: (Thinks) Maybe Gia will come and save me... yeah, right!) The sphere was only a few feet from their faces when is suddenly stopped, then disappeared. Sephiroth and Damin looked about then glanced over at Iral who seemed equally confused.

Iral: Wha? Who-who did that!?!?!?!?

Turning around Iral is met by a woman w/long blue hair that came down to her ankles, black-feathered wings that made her seem like a dark angel of sorts... Her eyes were blood-red w/yellow pupils. Iral looked down to see a katana in her gut. The woman grinned evilly, and slowly removed the blade.

Iral: (coughs blood) ... no... fair... (Steps back looking down at her wound.)

???: Pathetic... (The woman suddenly disappears and re-appears behind Iral, and infront of Sephiroth and Damin who look upon her stunned.)

Iral: Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! (She runs toward the woman, who flies up, Iral follows.)

They get into a rough battle, moving at speeds only the trained eye could detect. Then the fighting stops and Iral is seen falling to the ground only a few feet away from Damin and Sephiroth. Iral hit the ground hard, unable to move she let out a giant scream... the woman only smiled menacingly then blasted her w/a powerful blow that almost blew Sephiroth and Damin back several feet!! Sephiroth and Damin run to the large crater where Iral once was and see nothing... not even remains of her being!! The woman lands beside them, stretching out her wings then relaxing them.

Damin: (trying to keep the drool in his mouth, he runs to her.) Whoa!! Cool!! Hey, I'm Damin- That's Seph (Seph: Grrr!!!) and you are???

???: My name? (Looking down, she shakes her head.) ... (Her eyes become pained by the thought and she takes off.)

Sephiroth: (walking up to Damin.) I have enemies, and now allies? (Looks down mumbling.) I felt something... an energy...

Damin: (rubs his head) I felt something too... but I don't think it was energy. (He looks around.) Hmmm... I wonder if people here know of Zack?

Sephiroth: Zack? ... (Flashback: Sephiroth remembers going to the reactor located on Mt. Nibleheim, he remember the events of that day as if they were happening all over again. He stood in the reactor... Zack came after him and cut him at full force, sending him flying back.) Damin... (Sephiroth turns walking into the city.)

Damin: Ya, go ahead I need to ask people here about Zack, he sent a letter to my parents saying he would be here w/his partner... he never told us who though. I'll catch ya later! Meet me at the Byore Inn! It's dirt-cheap.

Sephiroth: ... Very well. (They part.)

Damin wanders the city for several minutes, stopping at an old building.

Damin: Hello? (Despite the on lights, no one answers.) Dammit! (Walks into a small house, a boy turns around and greets him.)

Boy: Hello... may I help you sir?

Damin: (Holds out a picture of Zack.) Have you seen this man?

Boy: (The boy, being an employee of Shinra, casually lies.) Nope, haven't seen em.

Damin: (Brow raised.) ... Ok ...

An hour has past; Sephiroth had gone straight to the Inn after clearing a safe passage to their destination... It was early in the evening, he had secured two separate rooms for he and Damin. Entering the tavern Sephiroth secluded himself from the crowed and sat at the very far end of the tavern.

Sephiroth: (Looking around he didn't see Damin anywhere.) Hmm... Guess he's still on his worthless search. (Shrugs.) I'll just stay here then. (Returning his gaze to the many on lookers that instantly noticed his masamune, Sephiroth noticed a stage he had not seen before...) A stage? I don't remember a stage... well, it has been five years...

Waitress: Hello sir (smiles.) what can I get you?

Sephiroth: I'd like a bottle of morning-

Waitress: (looking down at his masamune, then him. Gasp.) Y-you're Sephiro-

Sephiroth: (grabs the waitress by her collar and pulls her down to his eyes level. His eyes bore into her like sharp knives.) Tell no one of my presence, or... (Eyes his masamune.) I'll kill everyone you know and love, (smiles evilly.) then you. Understand?

Waitress: (Nods.)

Sephiroth: (Letting her go he leans back, arms crossed.) Now then, get me one bottle of morning glory.

Waitress: Yes sir. (Nervously she hurries off, returning w/his bottle and not even asking for tip.)

As Sephiroth began to drink his morning glory, the lights of the tavern dimmed and a spotlight appeared on the stage. The people of the tavern instantly grew quiet as a beautiful young woman walked to its center. She stood almost as tall as Sephiroth, with short black hair that she kept up allowing her bangs to fall forward. Sephiroth looked at every inch of her, stopping at her dark blue eyes... She wore a black trench coat which hung on her loosely, a tight blue shirt that exposed her stomach was enough for any man to go 'ga ga' over... but something unique caught Sephiroth's eye... she had two metallic straps hanging criss crossed on her waist... they seemed like sword straps, but two? As she grabbed the microphone Sephiroth returned his eyes to her, they seemed grim w/a sadness that spanned countless years...

???: (Sighs) Hoto no nai mahiru... Kaze wa tada akarui. Sukoshi nematasou ni... hanabira ga yureta... (Continues singing end song to Outlaw Star- 1st season.)

Sephiroth leaned forward, mesmerized by her voice and beauty. He'd never seen such grace, such an essence. He listened to her song his eyes never leaving her, then he noticed, her eyes never left him either!

Sephiroth: (Thinks) Does she know me? Maybe she knows who I- or maybe... (A smile not trailing evil or bad intentions crossed his face; she did the same... He had never looked at a beautiful woman w/a calm and peaceful thought. Usually it was 'She's hot... and she's easy...' or nothing at all. Thinks.) Who IS she? I must know.

???: Ni Kikasete ne, sotto..... (She smiled, then bowed as the audience cheered, asking for an encore. But as the lights came back on and the crowds' attitude switched, it was apparent she would not sing another song. The woman bowed again then left the stage.)

Sephiroth: (He had never had an attraction such as this before... he watched as she went up to the bar and collected her Gil... she was a warrior- he knew. Rising.) I've gotta-

Damin: (entering the tavern) Seph?

Sephiroth: (Shoots a glare at Damin.) Tsk! It's Sephir- (Stopping himself short knowing the consequences of him yelling out his real name.) Ugh!! (Throws the room key to Damin, who catches it.) I'm going to bed, your room is next to mine... disturb my sleep, and you'll never wake from yours!

Damin: Seph? What's wrong? You seem tense, you okay? (Looks around the bar.)

Sephiroth: DON'T call me that!!! (Damin follows Sephiroth upstairs. He opens the door and slams it on Damin's face, making it clear he wanted no part of him.)

Damin: (blinks.) Jeez! Male PMS must be a real bitch! (Goes back downstairs, sitting near the bar.)

Waitress: Do you... need anything? What about Seph- uh... I mean, your friend, is he... sane?

Damin: (Raises a brow.) Ya, last time I checked. Oh, hey! Have you (pulls out a pic of Zack.) seen this guy around?

Waitress: No. I'm sorry.

Damin: (sighs) Ok, thanks anyway. (He walks out of the tavern and looks up at the moon.) Dammit Zack, why haven't you written mom and dad in 7 years! You bastard.

Flashback: Damin, only 16, returns home on summons. Walking into his house he is greeted by his parents.

Mom: Dear! We are so glad to see you came!! (Hugs Damin.)

Damin: Uh, hi mom what's up.

Father: (Slapping Damin upside the head.) Stop using that slang!!! Speak like a gentleman!!!

Damin: (rubs his head. Sarcastically.) Sorry sir.

Mother: (Sits at the dinner table w/Father.) Sit down dear. (Damin sits.)

Father: We've been worried about Zack

Damin: (Narrows his eyes at him.) You called me here just to say THAT?

Father: (Glaring.) Watch your mouth!

Damin: (Sighs.) Uh... yes sir.

Mother: (reaches over across the table and takes Damin's hand.) Damin, it's been two years since your brother has sent us a letter... (Smiles.) You know Zack would never take so long writing to us... unless something was wrong.

Damin: (Looking hesitantly at his mother.) Well... maybe he was-

Father: (Slams his hands on the table and stands up glaring at him.) Don't say that!! He was in SOLDIER!!! There is NOTHING he can not do!!!

Damin: (looking up at him.) Dad... true, he was in SOLDIER, but he is also STILL human... You gotta face facts. If it's been two years and he hasn't written to you, OR come home, then he just might be-

Father: MIGHT BE?!?!?

Damin: (looks down.)

Mother: Damin, please, we want you to go find him for us.

Damin: (Angrily.) Mom?! I can't! I'm studying!!

Mother: What's more important? School, or your brother?!

Damin: (Sighs) But... I don't know where to begin!

Father: (Turns and goes into cabinet he pulls out a letter and hands it to Damin.) Zack's last letter.

Damin: (Reading it.) Nibleheim?

Mother: (Rising and puts a hand on his shoulder.) Please, go there dear and see if people know what happened to Zack!

Father: (walks back to the cabinet and pulls put a small wooden box.) He wanted us to give you this.

Damin: (Blinks.) Eh? (Opening the box, Damin pulls out a red materia.) A summon materia! Cool! (He also pulls out a small note and begins to read it.)

"Hey Damin! What's up bro! I'm haven' so much fun traveling!! You have no idea what the world is like! But anyway, I know you and me have never really gotten along well, but I just wanna give you this. It's called Knights of the Round, it's the ultimate summon materia. You'll love it... well gotta go! Love ya bro, and take care."

Zack

P.S. Happy 15th birthday!!!

Damin: (Blinks. Rises from the table and looks at both his mother and father w/a serious face.) Ok, I'll find him. I promise...

As the flashback ends Damin finds that he has wandered to the far end of town and has stopped at an old mansion. He looks up at the moon, and then down to his feet angrily cursing the day he agreed to quit school and search for Zack.

Damin: (Punches a wall.) Dammit! It's been 5years! 5 years since this bullshit began!!! (Dust falls on Damin and he looks up to see a sign over him that reads "Shinra Mansion". Damin smirks.) Maybe they have something about Zack in here...

After his failed attempt at opening the gate, Damin decided to climb over it then jump over and make his way into the mansion... Damin walks up to the mansion door and opens it... The mansion is covered w/darkness, cobwebs hang over every corner, and an eerie sense of insanity and nasty deeds emanates from its creaking walls.

Damin: Woa! This place is creepy! (After looking about, Damin finds his way into a room w/an old safe. He uses a small dose of C-4 to open it, and finds another summon materia.) Lovely... (He then stops at a wall which appears misplaced.) I wonder... (Leaning he manages to open the wall/door, then climbs down a flight of stairs which lead into the cellar... the stairs crack under his weight and he falls. Tumbling down the spiraling staircase he lands flat on his face at the bottom. Rising he spits up some dirt.) Ptwey! Yuck... *gag* Eck! (Spotting a dimly lit corridor Damin walks down its musty path into an immense library.) Shinra, it seems, has MANY secrets. (Damin examines the lab for several minutes, then finds two large tubes w/scratchings on them.) The hell?! (After finding the main room Damin begins to rummage about the desk for any signs of his brother. He finds two documents, and his eyes widen.) ZACK?! (Damin starts to organize the papers, and collects the documents around the desk. He sits himself down and begins reading.) Jenova...S-Sephiroth (flips a page.).... Hojo.... (Flips to anther page.) Cloud? (After several minutes of quiet study Damin hears a muffled noise behind him... Damin freezes as the noise is heard again. Turning toward the noise, Damin spots a two-headed skeleton creature... it slowly makes its way toward Damin, w/skin still hanging limply from it's bones and sockets that glow red...) Whoa! Ugly!!! (The creature cries out and four others come out!) Ahh... shit... (Damin stuffs several of the notebooks and documents into his backpack then pulls out his katana slicing the nearest creature in half.)

The other three lunge at Damin, he kicks one back, but the other two knock him down. They scratch and claw at him wildly, cutting serious gashes into him. He tries to block them w/his katana but it is knocked away by one of the creatures.

Damin: Get... (Punches one square in the face.) The fuck... (Kicking another off.) OFF ME!!!

He rolls over and grabs his katana; he jumps up and slices the one he punched in half. Backing away from the other two creatures... noticing the recently punched creature was now two! It had formed a new body and now stood up glaring at Damin, who's jaw dropped.

Damin: No fucking way... (All 5 monsters charge him Damin front flips toward one of them landing, hard on one.) Thunder3!!! (A massive thunder storm electricutes the one under him. Another creature attacks from behind.) Ugh!!

He stumbles forward and turns around, the creature runs toward him, as does Damin. The creature swipes at his head but Damin ducks and sticks his katana into what seems to be a black beating heart. The other 3 come at him quickly and Damin is thrown back by the impact of all three creatures.

Damin: (lands.) Uhhh... Dammit... (He reaches for a restore materia, but a creature steps on his arm. Two others surround him... the creature standing on his arm wipes at him full force and. Closes eyes.) Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Damin continues screaming until he hears a loud explosion... as he looks up he can see that the monster that stood atop him was blown to bits! Sephiroth jumps down from the rafters stabbing another in the heart then shocking w/thunder... the creature explodes. Upon landing he rids himself of the last monster by punching its head off another w/ease. Damin rises, Sephiroth turns to him glaring then two more creatures come up behind Sephiroth... he grins evilly then holds his masamune above his head.

Sephiroth: Jenova, cast Blizzard!!! (The creatures behind him are instantly frozen; Sephiroth then spins his sword around shattering the two.) So... you know most of my story... (Sighs.) After I stopped him on Mt. Nibleheim the Shinra soldiers took him off... they experimented on him and... Strife for several days. He and Strife soon broke out and headed for Midgar, before reaching the city gates they were attacked. (Turning his back on Damin.) Your brother foolishly went back for Strife after he defeated most of the soldiers... because of this he was caught off guard and shot till dead. A tragic end indeed. (Begins walking away.)

Damin: (Blinks.) Eh?

Sephiroth: Foolish boy! Do you not understand?! Zack is dead, discontinue your search- go home.

Damin: (Freezing w/the sound of his words.) you... mean... Zack?

Sephiroth: (Exits and Damin rushes after him.)

Damin: Why?! Why did he die!!! How do you know? I know you were in... So... (Runs infront of Sephiroth.) You! You were his partner on that mission weren't you?!

Sephiroth: Yes... I was.

Damin: ... wait... the files... You became their enemy! You fought against Zack and Cloud... because... because- (Sephiroth brushes Damin off and leaves, entering the hotel, he goes to his room and slams the door shut. Damin pounds on the door.) Hey you fucker! I need to talk to you! Let me in!!

Sephiroth: (Opens the door slightly and sticks his hand out.) FLARE!!! (A wave of fire sends Damin flying back and into a wall. Sephiroth slams the door shut.)

Waitress: (The waitress Sephiroth had threatened before closes in, looking down at Damin.) Are you ok?

Damin: (W/swrily eyes twitching on the floor.) Ohh... ahhh... eeeh...

Waitress: Um... sir? Are you ok? Did Sephi- uh... I mean your friend, did he uh... do you need anything?

Damin: (Rises, then kicks Sephiroth's door repeatedly causing it to knock over.) Ahh! Shit! (He grabs the waitress then runs to his room.)

Waitress: Ahh!

Damin begins to shuffle about trying to open his door. Sephiroth steps out of his room and glares at Damin, Sephiroth takes the keys w/telekinesis then hands him his old room's keys and enters Damin's room- now Sephiroth's room.

Sephiroth: (Yells from inside the room.) Neither of you want to see me when I'm mad! So quit it!!

Damin: (Blinks.) You mother fucker! You don't wanna see ME pissed! (Damin steps back and charges toward the door, the waitress steps infront of him.)

Waitress: Wait! (But it's too late and Damin slam into her, as they fall toward the door Sephiroth opens his door and allows them to crash to the floor.)

Damin: (looking down at her.) Ey! You ok? (Gets up and helps the waitress up too.)

Waitress: (Rubbing her head.) Well... I uh...(Sephiroth grabs her by the hair and pulls her back, he then holds his masamune up to her throat.) ahhh!!!

Sephiroth: (Sounding a bit too psycho!) You don't want to see her die do you? (Brings his blade closer almost shedding blood.) Slowly anyway...

(Scene Fades to black.)

Next time on Search for the Void...

Hello... it is I Sephiroth, your lord... Uh... I mean... (Sighs) Just forget it! (Clears throat.) It would seem Damin has pushed Sephiroth a little too far and is in for some serious trouble... will he find a way to save the waitress? Or will he allow Sephiroth to slit her throat and bathe in her blood?! Ahem... I uh... Sorry... Any way, in next week's episode will we find out who the mysterious woman w/black wings was? Or Sephiroth's attraction to- wait! (Looks down at the script.) What do you mean attraction?! Doesn't a man have a right to look?! And what's this about me- (Damin walks in and casts slow on Sephiroth, then grabs the script.) Ahem... In next week's episode Damin will fight w/the truth of Zack's death (Shows image of Damin falling through the clouds.), we'll get to meet an awesome warrioress (shows image of a woman walking toward Damin on water while holding her katana.), and maybe we can find more on this Void Crystal thingy... (Sephiroth dispels Slow and charges Damin.) Ahh! Gotta go! Sephiroth: I'll kill you!!! (Damin throws the script up and yells.) See ya next time on Search for the Void: Chapter of Discovery Ep.3 Fighting Feelings... With a new Friend?

"What is it that awaits us beyond the Void?"