Chapter Six



They were all on the Highwind. Cloud had called another meeting at the infirmary and they had all just gotten there for further instructions on the mission.

"So... Aeris can be ressuructed?" Cloud asked Zack, who was sitting across the table from him. Zack nodded in confirmation. "Are you absolutely sure?" Cloud asked.

"I am. Unless the white materia is destroyed, there is a chance." Zack said.

"Yeah, because Sephiroth revived himself." Tifa suggested.

"No. He didn't." Zack said.

"What? Then who did?" Barret questioned.

"I don't know. Only a loved one could revive an ancient." Zack said.

"But who does SEPHIROTH have a crush on???" Cid asked. "His damn face is enough to make people run away, screaming."

"A lot of people love their own mothers." Red suggested.

They all thought about that.

"Red has a point." Cloud stated. "It was most likely JENOVA..."

"That's why you had a psycho fit before Sephiroth was revived? Because JENOVA was around?" Reeve asked.

Cloud nodded. "Makes the most sense thus far." he said grimly.

"So, where the hell do we go first?" Cid asked.

"Oh, I got an idea." Zack said. They all turned their attention to him. "Might as well start with Icicle Inn."

"Good idea. He's probably trying to get back to the crater, even as we speak." Cloud said.

"But HE doesn't have a fucking airship!" Cid noted with a grin. Everyone else laughed.

"Um... You guys?" Tifa asked. They all looked to her. Then Tifa turned to Zack. "Exactly how can we revive Aeris?" she asked him.

Zack snapped his fingers. "Ya know what? I'll tell you! Okay, so, Aeris has a loved one, which of course, is her boyfriend, which is, of course, me, Zack!" he paused and scratched the back of his head nervously. Then he continued. "Okay, so I get the white materia, with your help, of course, and then we go to her burial place. Her body should still be in the same condition, since she was a. buried in water b. it wasn't much more then a month ago when she died and c. that just doesn't happen to Cetra." he paused a while to make sure everyone was getting what he was saying. "Okay, as I continue, we find her body, and then I use the materia and chant out the command, 'Holy Yell!!' which will bring down the summon, Ange, and he will revive Aeris Gainsbrough!!!" he concluded, standing up and twirling his sword Cloud-style.

"So, that's it?" Red observed. "Seems pretty simple. This should be easy enough to get done in less then a week's time."

"Yeah, all we gotta do is find Sephiroth." Reeve stated.

"At least we're getting somewhere." Vincent said.

"ARRIVING ICICLE INN!" a crew member shouted over the intercom.

"Come on, whimps!" Cid said and ran out to the deck. Everyone followed.



Why should I trust you?

Because.

Why?

Because you can.

I can never trust a Midgarian street punk like you!

You've trustded me thus far.

Only because I value my life. Now I have a chance to escape!

Do you really want to?

...

Well?

No...

Why? Why can't you trust me?

One:Because you're nothing but a street punk who only cares about money!

...(Not true...)

Two:I've only stayed with you so far because I had no other choice!

...(You did too...)

Three:Because... I like...you...

You do not.

I do, too. I admit it.

If you like me, then why would you not trust me?

Because... I have my reasons.

Didn't you just name them?

You're apart of the same company that ruined my life!!!

It wasn't supposed to turn out that way, though!

I don't want you to get any closer to me!

Why not?! Can't you see! We're in this together...

Why don't you just go along with your comrades? I'm certain they'd be better company than a stingy little brat, like me.

You're all equal to me as comrades, damnit, why can you even see that?!

Because I don't want you to get any closer to me! That's why!

Why don't you want me to get close to you?! Damnit, I love you...

No... It wasn't supposed to turn out this way...

...?

No... I promised to not love anyone else or get close to anyone ever since...

Since what?

...

Yuff...

Leave me alone! By the time you wake up, I'll be gone!

YUFFIE!! DON'T GO OUT ALONE!!

...............

Yuffie! Get back here!

Why do you care?



'I don't really know...' Reno thought. He then instantly snapped awake. What was that? Was that all just a dream? "Oh, shit..." he sat up and looked around. He was still in his tent. They had decided to camp out overnight and then continue in the morning...

He quickly got up out of his sleeping bag and then unzipped his tent. Frantically, he ran to Yuffie's and peered inside. She was gone, along with all of her stuff. The tent was empty except for her sleeping bag and a small pillow.

"Yuffie..." Reno said wordlessly and then ran for the only direction she could of gone. She couldn't of gone south, there was a river there. To the east there was a giant cliff. To the west there was ocean, right after the forest's end. But north...

'She's going to Nibelheim...' Reno thought, and then he sprinted in that direction, not even thinking twice about his actions.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Reno's head spun in the direction of the scream. He was indeed going the right way. That was Yuffie! But how far away was she from him?

'Damn, I hope I'm not too late...' he pleaded. As he ran, he heard her scream again and winced, imagining all the terrible things that could be going on. Then he heard a huge crash from the direction of Yuffie's cries, and then he sped up considerably.

He ran through Nibelheim has quick as possible and was up the moutains in no time. There was a large monster that could barely be visible from behind the moutains.

'Holy shit!' Reno thought. 'That thing's fucking HUGE...!!'

Then he turned the last corner and came face to face with the situation he had been dreading. Yuffie was on her knees, shielding herself from any oncoming blows. In front of her was a huge monster. Almost as tall as Mount Nibel itself. It was like a big, red, mechanical like dragon and it had claws that were half the size of its whole body. Then Reno remembered that he had heard of this monster before. It was one of the WEAPONs! But which one? Since it was red, he guessed there was only option. It was Ruby WEAPON.

"Yuffie!" Reno said and ran to her side, kneeling down to her. The WEAPON watched as if waiting for them to make the first attack. But Reno was too interested in Yuffie's health to give a damn about the WEAPON.

"Yuffie, are you okay??" he asked.

"Yes..." Yuffie gasped. Then she looked up at the WEAPON. Reno followed her gaze. "It just came out of nowhere... I didn't know what to do so I ran... It just attacked me for no reason!"

That was when Ruby had enough of being ignored. It reared up, roaring and then dug its huge claws into the ground. The claws looped into the ground and back up inside the moutain. Then the tips came out right behind Yuffie and Reno, resulting in braking the ledge that they were on. Yuffie screamed and immediantly clung to Reno as he grabbed another nearby ledge. Yuffie started sobbing pitifully.

"We're gunna die we're gunna die we're gunna die..." she whimpered. "We're gunna die all because of some big, ugly, demon red monster that attacks innocent bystander... We're gunna die without a purpose... We're gunna die we're gunna die we're gunna- -"

"Yuff! Don't say that!" Reno said through gritted teeth as he tried to pull them back up. It was no use. The ledge was way too small for even just one of them to fi t. Then he noticed it cracked.

Yuffie let out another cry and whimpered, gripped a better hold around Reno's waist, sobbing into his navy blue jacket.

'Huh?' Reno thought. Then he caught something moving out of the corner of his eye. All the sudden a blast hit Ruby WEAPON and out of nowhere Rude and Elena appeared and started hitting it with their strongest summons. Reno looked down at Yuffie. She was way too traumatized to even realize what was going on. 'Damn, she's having a nervous breakdown! I would of thought she'd get some sense like she did back at Da Chou... Wait... We're at least a thousand more feet up then we were back there! Damn!' Then his free hand slipped down to her shorts. Yuffie immediantly looked up at him, puzzled. Then she looked as though she was ready slap him, but thought the better of it and just clung to him tighter.

"What are you doing...???" she wined.

He reached into one of her pockets and began feeling around. Until his hand clenched around a single orb, and in his mind he knew it was the right one. Yuffie's eyes went wide. Reno pulled out Yuffie's Knights Of The Round materia from her pocket and then threw it up into the air.

"EAT THIS, RUBY!!" he shouted at the monster. It turned around, its tail slashing all the moutains in its path, utterly destrooying them, and then it prepared to slice its claws at him again. Reno's eyes flared like they did back in Kalm...

"ULTIMATE END!!!!"

With that, the WEAPON was sucked into the deepness and darkness of Hell as it was given the most fatal blows by the thirteen knights of the round table and, in the end, even King Arthur himself. It appeared and crashed to the ground, shaking the whole world. Then their ledge broke, and Reno and Yuffie went sprawling down towards the ground at least two thousand feet below.

Then the red materia zoomed by Yuffie. She reached out her hand and caught it, stuffing it back into her pocket.

"YUFFIE HOW COULD YOU THINK OF MATERIA IN A TIME LIKE THIS?!!!" Reno exclaimed, not to far behind her in the fall.

Then Yuffie looked down. They were going to hit ground in at least two minutes. It was a slow fall, but they were going pretty damn fast.

"There has to be a way I can get us out of this!" Yuffie gasped to herself, looking around. "I got us into this... If I hadn't of ran off like that then we wouldn't of ran into Ruby!"

That's when Yuffie's eyes changed color. They turned from brown to green.

'Yesss....' Yuffie thought. 'It's happening... This has to work! If dad can do it, then so can I!'

Reno then felt the wind around him starting to slow down. Up above them, Rude and Elena were falling also, and they could feel the same thing.

"What's going on?!" Elena shouted.

Then everything went black.



"Have you seen anyone in a black trench coat?" Tifa asked the inn keeper.

"Yes... As far as I can recall..." he answered.

Cloud nodded in victory.

Tifa grinned. "Really?! You have! Did he have silver hair?" she asked. The man nodded. "And a long, lethal looking sword?" The man nodded.

"Sephiroth... that's who he said he was." The inn keeper told them. He scratched his chin and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "'Reckon he said something about this nonsense god being and all. Said he was our new god. A lotta rubbish, I say. Prolly another one of them street hicks from the destroyed Midgar area." then the inn keeper, having given all the information he could, went back to filing through papers.

"So... he has passed through here..." Cloud observed.

Tifa nodded. "We have to go find him!" she said.

"Okay." Cloud said. "We have to find the others first." then he started to leave the inn, but turned back to Tifa once he reached the door. "Teef, find a snowboard rental."

"Huh?" Tifa asked, puzzled. Cloud grinned back at her and left. "Snowboards...?" she mumbled to herself.

"Yeah, you might need those to pass the Great Glacier." the inn keeper added.

"Hmm... Okay." Tifa said. She walked out of the inn and went off in search of snowboards.

As she looked around at the few stores in the Christmas-style town, Tifa wondered why Cloud had never mentioned his trip to the Great Glacier. They had met in the cabin, and Tifa only remembered going there by sled. She stiffled a laugh. 'Perhaps a snowboard would be easier, and yet, faster!' she thought, smiling to herself.

Then she found a store with a big sign "RENTALS" and lit up. She walked over to the rental shop and walked into the door as the bell jingled in the wake of the door. There she found Vincent, Reeve, and Cid standing and looking a few of the snowboards with pictures imprinted on the bottom of them.

Cid was looking at one with a picture of Satan and Death arguing over a game of poker and snickered, taking a deep, long drag of his cig. "Heh, there's your board, Vince." he said with a smirk.

Vincent didn't reply. He was more interested in looking at something else.

Reeve went on about a board with a picture of Scarlett on it and complained. "She doesn't look anything LIKE that up close!" he exclaimed. "She's nothing but an ugly, bitchy slut! No offence if ya like her, though." he said, then shyly went off to about how pogs got popular again all of the sudden.

Cid snickered, interrupting Reeve. Reeve looked at him questionably. "Never thought that you'd have a mouth." Cid said. "I guess it can't be held back if it's about Scarlett."

Reeve laughed. "Yeah, guess not."

"Hey, what are you three doing?" Tifa asked. Cid and Reeve turned to greet her while Vincent still observed the price tags on the different snow boards.

"Just lookin' around." Reeve replied.

"Yeah, besides, without a snowboard, how the fuck are we supposed to get down the Great Glacier? Ya know how fucking steep that is!" Cid said.

Tifa nodded, laughing.

"We'll all be best fitted if we stick to the simpler ones." Vincent said, not taking his eyes off the boards. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Why?" Reeve asked.

"No matter how good the design on the bottoms are, the simpler ones are made with stronger materials and can withstand more than the expensive, flashy ones." Vincent explained.

"Hmm.. Good point." Tifa answered.

Then Cloud came through the door along with Barret and Red. "Okay, everyone, pick a board and then we can start our little journey." Cloud said. It was apparent he still had the board from the last time he took to the slopes of the Great Glacier, and he was already dressed up in his snow attire to go. Tifa giggled. "Huh?" Cloud asked.

"You look so funny with that on!" Tifa laughed.

"I do not!" Cloud said, faking as if he was actually hurt by her words. "Besides, we all have to dress up like this, unless you want to freeze."

"Go ahead and wear it, Spike." Cid said. "I'm keeping my dignity."

"Shut up foo' and wear the damn jacket at least!" Barret said. Cid took notice that Barret was dressed up too and burst out laughing.

"Ugh, I don't see what's the matter with playing it safe." Cloud said, scratching the back of his head.

"I do!" Zack said, walking into the store behind Cloud. Cloud and Barret and Red turned to face him. Immediantly, as if almost on instinct, Zack burst out laughing.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Cloud!!!" Zack gasped inbetween laughs. "At least loose the hat! Your spikes are going right through it!"

"Huh?"

Cloud looked up and saw what Zack had pointed out. "Eheh...I guess I can't get my reciept for this.." he laughed nervously and took the hat off, or should I say out, of his hair and threw it into a waste despencer.

"Come on, guys." Zack said, gesturing to the Great Glacier and snapping on some goggled and standing up his own snowboard. "Let's get going. Meet ya at the glacier after you buy your equipment!" Before Zack left, he took one last look at Cloud and snickered, then ran out of the door as Cloud chased after him.



"Okay guys." Cloud instructed. They had all gathered at the foot of the giant, steep slope. "We are now going to go down this hill. Try and follow my lead, but if we get lost, we won't be able to use our PHS phones due to the extremely cold weather. And besides, it'd be hard to pull a generaly good signal through a snow storm. But if somone gets lost, or seperated from the others, then just head for the cabin. We will all meet up there and then continue up the moutains to the Crater. Then we will climb down in through the whirlwind maze and---"

"Yeah yeah yeah, we've done it before and we were fine!" Cid said.

"Most correct." Red agreed. "Though I do not know how I could manage with a snowboard so I guess I'll just have to figure it out on my own."

"Okay, so, as I've said sooo many times before--" Cloud started, but was interrupted.

"Move out, foo's!!" Barret interjected and then dove down on the slopes below with his snowboard. Everyone else followed, even a griping Cloud, down the steep slopes...



"Hmm.. That's odd." Cloud said to himself. He had landed in the heart of the forest. But he was alone. He looked around and frantically called out names, but there were no answers. Then everything around him turned into shadows, except for himself.

"What.... What's happening?!!!" Cloud gasped.

Then a figure appeard in front of him. Cloud glared and immediantly drew his Ultima Weapon.

"Sephiroth..." Cloud said through gritted teeth. "Give me the Whie Materia... Now." he demanded.

"Not a chance, puppet!" Sephiroth declared. "And besides, I don't have it."

"Then who does?!" Cloud asked.

"JENOVA, of course." Sephiroth said.

"Where the hell is she?!" Cloud asked Sephiroth, drawing his sword higher. "Tell me where she is now so I can take the White Materia from her to revive Aeris!"

"Don't talk about our mother like that." Sephiroth said, looking at Cloud in disgust.

"SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER!!! I HAVE A MOM! SHE DIED THOUGH!!" Cloud yelled, about ready to strike at Sephiroth. He took notice to Cloud's anger and drew his masamune. Cloud came forward with his sword, but Sephiroth blocked it using his own. Cloud and Sephiroth came face to face then, and Cloud glared at him. "And you know how she died?" he asked Sephiroth through gritted teeth.

"Oh, do tell me. Explain your fantasies of your dream mother, for I know how much you wish to be just a regular human. You have simply made her up with visions of your mind and your own simularity--" Sephiroth began.

"BECAUSE YOU BURNED HER TO DEATH!! THAT'S WHY!!!!" Cloud screamed, bringing his sword at full force and broke the trance. Sephiroth fell to the ground, outraged.

"How could you beat me?!" Sephiroth exclaimed. "You're nothing but a mere puppet!!"

"I AM NOT A GOD DAMN PUPPET!!" Cloud yelled at Sephiroth.

"Yes you are."

Then everything went back to normal.

Cloud slowly got back up and looked around. Where was everyone???

"Cloud! Cloud!"

A voice! Tifa's! Cloud immediantly turned to the direction her voice came from.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed as she came into view and threw herself into his arms. "I heard screaming! Are you okay??" she asked him, worried.

"Yeah, don't worry." Cloud answered.

There was a long silence.

"It was Sephiroth, wasn't it?" Tifa asked, breaking it.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah..." he said.

Tifa gasped. "What about the others?! What if he's gotten to them, too?!" she asked.

"Shit.." Cloud cursed. Then he ran into the direction his eyes were fixed on, and Tifa followed him relentlessly.

"Cloud! Wait up!" Tifa called.

"No time!" Cloud yelled over his shoulder. "Zack's in grave danger! And he's our only hope of reviving Aeris!!!"

Tifa then sped up with a new found vigor. She really wanted to see Aeris again, and did not want to see the person that saved her perish in front of her very eyes.

They ran out of the woods to see a scene they rather had not. Zack was on his knees, clutching his ears and screaming, and Sephiroth was standing over him with his sword rasied.

"If the puppet can't fulfil my mission, then my shadow will have to do!" Sephiroth declared.

Cloud stepped forward and drew his sword. Sephiroth took no notice in Cloud whatsoever. But then he had a reason to...

"HELL FIRE!!" Cloud shouted and sent Ifrit at Sephiroth. A huge, flaming boulder hit Seprhitoh and he fell, breaking his link with Zack.

Zack unclenched his ears and lifted his head. He looked around, then at Cloud and nodded. "Thanks, bud!" Zack approved. "I owe ya one!"

Cloud smiled back and nodded.

But the threat was not over. Sephiroth slid up with the support of his masamune, and glared back at Cloud, Zack, and Tifa.

"You... will pay.. dearly.. for this..." Sephiroth grunted and then he phased out of the line of fire.

"Zack." Cloud said, turning to him. Zack looked at Cloud questionably. "Are you alirght? What did Sephiroth tell you? And most importantly, what was he trying to make you do?" he asked.

Zack scratched the back of his head. "He was instructing me to... Like, destroy the 'other one'..." Zack paused. "I think he was indicating you."

Cloud sighed. "I knew it. Of course he'd be out, after me." Cloud said.

Tifa looked over to Cloud, then at Zack, then at Cloud again. "Cloud... let's just get out of here and fine the others... please?" she said, breaking the silence.

Cloud nodded. Then he started off to the north direction. Tifa and Zack followed him, silently.



They had been walking for hours in the gigantic snow storm. But still, no sign of the others. After she had had enough, Tifa spoke up after Cloud.

"Cloud... are we ever going to find the others?" she asked. Cloud didn't answer. "What if Sephiroth got to them... before we could?"

Cloud still didn't answer. Tifa was about to ask him to answer, to at least say yes and make her happy, but Zack put a hand on her shoulder. Tifa looked back at Zack, puzzled.

"Don't." Zack said. "He's had a rough day as it is."

Tifa nodded. "Yeah, I guess it's better that we not think about it. They're probably waiting for us back at the cabin." she agreed.

Cloud smiled at Tifa's idea. Hell, she could be right. At least that cheered him up a little bit.

"I'm... about...to...collapse..." Tifa groaned a few minutes later.

"Tifa, we're close. I can tell." Cloud reassured her. "Just hold on a little longer."

Tifa nodded, trying to ignore the fact that the bangs of her hair were starting to grow frost. Her teeth were chattering, and the coat she was wearing wasn't nearly enough to keep out the cold that kept trying to get in.

Then her ankle weakened as she took her next step and she fell down to the ground. Cloud knelt down before her and picked her up in his arms and they continued their tred, this time Zack in the lead. He was the only one who seemed that the cold didn't bother.

They kept tredding for another half hour. Tifa had fallen asleep in Cloud's arms, and Zack was just about showing his first sign of weakening. But then they reached the top of a hill and they looked down. Below was a small cabin, with a smoking chimney at the top. Cloud and Zack took notice in the several snowboards placed at the outside of the cabin.

"Well, Teef, you were right." Cloud said, and they tredded downhill to the cabin.

As Zack knocked on the door, Mr. Holzoff came into view. He looked at them and nodded. "Why sure, come in, come in! It's been a while since I've had company. You're friends are waiting!" Zack nodded, and he walked inside, followed by Cloud and Tifa.

Cloud turned to Mr. Holzoff as he closed the door behind him. He smiled at him. "Thanks for you hospitality. If it weren't for you..."

"I know, I know." Mr. Holzoff said, shaking the matter away with his hand. "Now go to the parlor by the fire place! That girl you're holding will catch a cold if you don't!"

Cloud smiled and nodded. He carried Tifa over to the fire place and set her down. Everyone else was there, excluding Yuffie and the Turks, sitting on couches and arm chairs. Mr. Holzoff sat himself in his own chair, and looked at all them with a grin. "So, how goes your travels?" he asked. "Would you mind telling me?"

"Not at all." Cloud answered. "But it's quite a long story."

"I'm all ears." Mr. Holzoff replied.

"Well, since we left your place a couple months ago..." Cloud began, and so he began to tell Mr. Holzoff about his and his friend's travels ever since...



The next day, they had all woken up bright and early, and had bid Mr. Holzoff 'goodbye' and they started to head up the Gaea Cliffs. It had been a rough climb, but when they reached the top side of the crater, they all looked down at the whilrwind maze below.

"Well... This is where it starts." Cloud said. "All we have to do is find Sephiroth." he looked over at Cid. "Still got your PHS?" he asked.

Cid nodded. "I wouldn't fucking leave it behind, spike!" he said. "Why?" he asked.

"Because, we need to contact your crew as soon as we get the materia so we can get out of here." Cloud explained.

Cid twitched irritated. "If we could of flied over here how come we fucking went this far on FOOT?!" he outraged.

"No, no no, we couldn't fly over here because there's no place to land. And no place for the rope ladder. But... When we take the materia, then Sephiroth's seal will be broken and we can fly out of here." Cloud tried to explain.

"Damnit, Spike, you're fucking confusing me, but oh well." Cid said, scratching the back of his head.

"Come on. We need to go." Red said. They nodded and then they started to do a run down the edge of the cliff and into the crater.

When they got to the bottom, Cloud noticed something immediantly. The whole place was different than from before. The whirlwind maze had complely stopped once they had stepped down to level with it. 'Almost as if it doesn't want to be around us...' Cloud thought.

"Damn..." Barret cursed. "I don't think somone wants us here..." he said. He loaded his gun-arm with some fresh bullets and prepared for battle.

Then the ground under them began to glow and shake.

"What's going on?!" Tifa exclaimed.

"I don't know...!" Cloud said, trying to keep his footing.

Then the ground completely gave away and they all fell towards the bottom of the crater...



PUPPET! RISE!

Cloud's eyes snapped open. "Where am I...?" he groaned.

He looked around. The others were there too, and they were just awakening from their fall.

Then Sephiroth appeared in front of all of them. They all tensed up, ready to fight. But Sephiroth didn't move a muscle.

"Puppets..." Sephiroth began, informing Cloud and Zack. "It is now time! Rise and obey my every command, for I shall become your GOD!" he said, slowly rising his arms him into the air in power.

Cloud and Zack looked at Sephiroth with a disgusted look. But then, slowly, they both started getting up at the same time.

"Cloud!" Reeve exclaimed.

"I can't... move..." Cloud strained, trying to get away from Sephiroth's grasp. "Zack!" he called. "Keep resisting! Don't let Sephiroth get to you!"

"He's too strong.." Zack strained back, and then started walking over to Sephiroth, involuntarily, as if he were a zombie.

"That's it, my shadow..." Sephiroth said, smirking. "Come to me... Fill out my plan for world domination..." he held out a hand to Zack, and Zack mimiced.

"ZACK SNAP OUT OF IT!!" Cloud yelled. "DON'T TAKE HIS HAND!!!!"

Zack blinked, and then he shook his head. He looked at Sephiroth, horror in his eyes, and began to step back, away from him.

"Damn you, puppet..." Sephiroth snarled at Cloud. "I shall kill you first. You are of no use to me, now..." he then full-forced Cloud forward, and Cloud was pulled to his knees by Sephiroth's force, and Sephiroth walked up to Cloud slowly, and began raising his large masamune up and over his back. The sword began to grow to the length of four feet, and then it stopped.

Tifa began to run forward, but Barret caught her by the shoulder. "Cloud!" Tifa cried.

"There's nothing you can do about it..." Barret said, trying to comfort her.

Then something flashed behind Sephiroth. Sephiroth stopped and looked forward, his eyes wide. He dropped his sword onto the floor next to Cloud, and by his distraction, Cloud was able to break free, and he scrambled back to the others. Tifa cried and hugged Cloud like there was no tomarrow. Cloud kept his gaze fixed on Sephiroth the whole time.

Sephiroth checked his pockets, everywhere, but he couldn't seem to find what he was looking for. "DAMNIT!" he cursed. He looked up at the ceiling of the cavern they were in, slowly. He picked up his sword and it went its full length of six feet long, and he then began to draw it back to four feet long, threatenly. "Whoever just STOLE that white materia from is going to DIE right NOW!" he yelled, and then he pulled out a yellow manipulate materia out of his pocket.

Then an electricity bolt caugh Sephiroth. Sephiroth winced, but then he looked back up. He then pulled back his sword, and then he thrust it out again, casting fire on the party that had just attacked him. Four figured fell to the ground before him. Three in navy blue suits and one in a green tank top and kacki shorts.

Sephiroth laughed evily. "Why if it isn't ShinRa's pawns..." he paused, looking at Yuffie, "...and one of my war rival's daughter?" chuckled. "Hey, Yuffie, how's your brother? Oh whoops, I almost forgot, he's dead." he snickered evily.

Yuffie glared back at Sephritoh. "You bastard..." she snarled.

Reno, Rude, and Elena slowly stood up, glaring back at Sephiroth.

Elena was glaring back at Sephiroth with murder in her eyes. "You killed Tseng..." she said menacingly. "Didn't you? It wasn't Cloud, was it?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, I killed your pathetic boss! It was funny, really, he had lasted that long but all in all, like all of you other saps futures, he was killed by ME, your new GOD!" and then he laughed evily, bringing up his sword to Elena. Elena stepped back immediantly.

Cloud then stood up, making Tifa scared, and he started to walk over to Sephiroth with a fixed gaze at him. No emotion whatsoever in his eyes. Only one glint of murder was all that showed. Sehiroth turned his sword to Cloud, and prepared to strike.

"I guess this is our last battle, puppet." Sephiroth said. "It ends here. I might as well bring you out of your misery and put you back in Hojo's scrap pile where you belong."

"Hojo is your dad." Cloud said simply.

"You're insane." Sephiroth snarled back.

"It's true." Cloud replied.

"Then.. according to your records, who is my mother?" Sephiroth asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Lucrecia." Cloud stated.

"LIES!!!" Sephiroth yelled, bringing up his sword at Cloud. Cloud dived to the side. He quickly got up on his feet and dived at Sephiroth himself, but Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's bulky sword and flung him across the tavern they were in. Cloud got up just as Sephiroth was going at him again, and he responded by rolling to the left. When Sephiroth was down, Cloud took the opportunity to slice him in the shoulder. Sephiroth got back up, raged, and slice at him again. Then they began a sword fight, clashing each others swords but never getting their exact target.

All the while Red was observing the area. He looked up at Cid. "I think we should call your Highwind here." he suggested.

Cid looked at him. "Fuck, where are they gunna go? You can't even see no damn sky." he said.

Red looked up at the ceiling. "That's the top of the crater." he explained. "It's a pretty thin layer, and the Highwind will be able to go through it no problem. Besides, you have those missles."

Cid nodded, taking in a drag of his cig. "Good point. I hope you're fucking right about this, though, because if you aren't, then yer paying for the repairs." he said.

Red chuckled. "Trust me, I know."

Cid then got out his PHS, while watching the fight between Sephiroth and Cloud.

Zack kept the urge from diving in there and giving Sephiroth a piece of his mind. Because, if he did, he'd cause some major trouble. But it didn't look like Cloud would be able to last that much longer...

Just then a barrage of explosions were heard from up above. Sephiroth and Cloud stopped and looked up at the ceiling. It was starting to cave in!!

But in the mist of all the smoke and rock, the Highwin slowly merged downward and into the crater. Cid cursed about a dent in it but then a rope decended from the deck. One by one, they all climbed up, but Sephiroth and Cloud had continued their battle. Zack got onto the airship, taking a glance at Cloud.

"CLOUD!!" he yelled back at him. "GET UP HERE!!!"

Cloud glared back at Sephiroth. They stopped.

"Till we meet again." he said coldly. Sephiroth snickered, and then, without warning, he took a step forward...

It had happened so quickly that nobody was sure what had happened until it was done. Tifa watched in horror, and Zack had to be restrained by Barret and Reeve from jumping back off the deck.

"CLOUD!!!!!" Tifa screamed, trying to reach down to him. But she knew she couldn't.

"Tifa..." Red began. Tifa looked back at him. "Be strong." Red said. Tifa smiled back at him with tears in her eyes. "Cloud escaped his blow once... he can do it again." he reassured her.

Tifa nodded, and looked back at the scen with a new attitude. She glared down at Sephiroth and she got out her cure materia. She silently casted Regen on Cloud and he started glowing a dull color of red.

Sephiroth slipped his sword out of Cloud's gut, and Cloud fell to his knees, clutching his stomache with a pained look.

"Take that, puppet." Sephiroth said.

"You... can't... kill... me..." Cloud groaned, getting up with the support of his Ultima Weapon. Sephiroth gasped.

"Not again!!" he cursed. "HOW CAN YOU WITHSTAND MY BLOWS?!"

"I don't know." Cloud said, and he jumped onto the rope just as the Highwind started to take off. Cloud made his way up to the deck, and was quickly rushed to the infirmary to get his sword wound healed...



Help... The planet... It needs me...

Aeris!

Please go to the Ancient City... I know you got the materia...

Don't worry, we're on our way, just stay where you are!

Zack... I want to see you again...

....Aeris....

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A lil short compared to what I wanted it to be...Chapter 7 will be out shortly! Please read and review! ~Chuu

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