Chapter 7
"Hold it!" Cid screamed as they neared the exit to the city. Cloud halted quickly as Red ran past him, slowly stopping on the hill. Tifa spun around quickly, facing Cid.
"What's going on?" Tifa spoke out. Cid pulled his cigarette out and let out a dark cloud of smoke.
"It's a huge area from here to the North Crater. Even if we split into two groups, we'd never be able to cover it well..." Cid trailed off as he put the cigarette back into his mouth. Cloud nodded his head.
"Good point Cid. You go back and use the Highwind to fly recon over the area...how will you contact us though?" Cloud questioned. Without hesitation, Cid pulled out a small hand-held device. He tossed it to Cloud.
"PHS. I found it on the ship" Cid remarked. Cloud nodded and put it into his pocket.
"Roger that. We'll contact you if we find anything" Cloud replied. Cid waved his hand quickly then turned and sprinted away. Cloud looked over at Tifa then back at Red. Red shook his head as his tail flapped around.
"I never thought his nerves would give" Red mumbled sadly, looking down at the ground. Tifa sighed softly and looked at Red.
"He fought the kid outside of Wutai. I don't think he's as much afraid of them as he is of...well, getting old" Tifa remarked. Cloud started walking again, passing Red up. Red and Tifa watched him go then began to walk after him.
"He's got a point, regardless of his reasons..we could use someone in the sky" Cloud remarked as he made his way up the hill.
Sephiroth landed on the ground hard, snow flying up into the air. He smirked as he lifted the sword back up.
"Cetra, you can run but I will find you" he said as he watched Aeris running off into the blizzard. Sephiroth stalked after her as he walked towards the edge of the city.
"Where you going to run to?" He called out. Ahead of him, he saw Aeris' arms fly into the air as she fell down face-first into the snow. He smirked as he marched onward. The moment Aeris turned over, Sephiroth put the sword on her chest. Aeris gasped as her eyes went wide.
"Any last words?" Sephiroth muttered as he pressed the sword into her chest. Aeris' spit at him suddenly.
"You'll lose. Just like last time" Aeris spat out. Sephiroth glared at her.
"And just like last time, I will end your life" Sephiroth hissed. Then suddenly, Sephiroth went backwards into the air. Aeris blinked as the Sephiroth's shoulders and head slammed into the ground. Aeris scrambled to her feet and looked over to see the boy, standing up Sephiroth up from behind. His arms were locked around Sephiroth's waist. As soon as Sephiroth was on his feet, the boy lunged him over his head again, still holding onto his waist. Phoenix picked them both back up and flipped Sephiroth over his head one more time, but let go as Sephiroth was over the top, sending him onto his head again. Phoenix got to his feet, looking over at Sephiroth.
"Useless, am I Father?" Phoenix spat as his body swayed. Aeris gulped as she watched.
"Father...? Did you call him father?" Aeris gasped, looking with wide eyes. Phoenix turned around and looked at her.
"You sound surprised" Phoenix questioned. Aeris blinked, but then pointed behind him.
"Watch out!" she screamed. Phoenix spun around as Sephiroth ran at him, slicing the sword downward. Phoenix rolled to the side as the sword hit the snow. Phoenix looked up as Sephiroth glared at him.
"Boys should never attack their fathers" Sephiroth hissed. Phoenix's eyes focused on Sephiroth's.
"But...but..." Phoenix began. Sephiroth smirked then kicked snow into the air. It settled on Phoenix's eyes which forced him to shut his eyes. Sephiroth sneered as his foot meet Phoenix's face, knocking the boy skidding across the snow. Phoenix rolled onto his feet as Sephiroth turned towards him. Sephiroth slashed his sword downward towards Phoenix who countered by back-flipping, the sword narrowly missing him. Sephiroth stopped his swung when he realized he missed and spun around, swinging the sword horizonalty towards Phoenix. Phoenix's eyes went wide but then he cart-wheeled the opposite way of the sword swing. Sephiroth glared as he looked at the boy from the corner of his eye.
"You're agile" Sephiroth hissed out of the corner of his mouth. Phoenix took a few deep breathes.
"What have I done...to disrespect you father?" Phoenix asked, gazing at Sephiroth. Sephiroth turned and faced him.
"Your existence shames me" Sephiroth spat out. Phoenix crouched down and put his hands up in a fighting stance while his father got into his own fighting stance.
"I am your father, boy. You shall not defeat me" Sephiroth remarked calmly, his eyes glaring into his sons.
"I will not die without a fight" Phoenix replied coldly. The snow fell around them, casting a haze of whiteness.
"Cloud....Tifa...I've noticed a few things" Red spoke, craning his neck to look at them. Cloud nodded.
"Go ahead Red, what do you got?" Cloud asked. Red nodded and walked over under a cliff . Tifa shivered a bit as she followed behind.
"Why we leaving the trail...?" Tifa asked as she pulled her hands up to her mouth and breathed hot breathe onto them.
"This may take a moment, so let us not freeze in that wind out there" Red replied, shaking his head a bit to knock the snow out. Cloud crossed his arms and held them tightly to his chest as Tifa kept breathing on her hands. Red sat down onto the soft snow.
"We were wrong. There are three pairs of footprints, not two" Red stated as his tail wagged in the snow, cleaning it away. Cloud blinked.
"But...I mean, ok, go ahead" Cloud said, looking confused. Red smirked a bit.
"It appears to be two. Looking closer when we neared the cliffs, however, I noticed that within one set of prints is another...a smaller pair of footprints" Red remarked. Cloud's eyes went wide as he turned to Tifa.
"I told you I was right! I told you she came back!" Cloud shouted with glee. Red took a deep breathe as Tifa dropped her hands from her mouth and crossed them.
"Cloud...please, don't get our hopes up..." Tifa stomped her foot, looking at Cloud. Red looked at them both.
"You two think...?" Red began while Tifa shook her head and Cloud nodded.
"It's possible, but it just does not add up" Tifa responded before Cloud. Cloud turned and looked at her oddly.
"Three steps of footprints with one set smaller? I think that adds up just fine" Cloud said harshly. Red looked at the both of them.
"Well, we have a device which brings people back from the dead. And a person who knows how to use it. It's not entirely impossible for her to be back" Red stated. Tifa threw her arms up in the air.
"Why would Sephiroth's son bring back Aeris?" Tifa lamented. Red looked at Cloud and sighed.
"That does seem odd" Red noted as he looked up at Cloud with questioning eyes. Cloud just huffed and turned away from them both. Red looked at Tifa's back then at Cloud's back, then sighed once more.
"Some days you just cannot win" He said sadly.
"Coward!" Sephiroth called out as Phoenix back-flipped into the city. Phoenix landed and put his hands over his head. Sephiroth walked into the city, standing ten feet away from him. The boy stared at him, his body still. Sephiroth squinted at him.
"What are you doing boy? Do you plan to use some Materia on me? You are far to weak" Sephiroth stated. The boy kept glaring forward, his body un-moving. Sephiroth chuckled a bit then began to march forward. Sephiroth stopped when he saw the silver energy swirling around his hands.
"What are you going..." Sephiroth began, but Phoenix flung his hands forward.
"Masenko!" He screamed, sending the silver beam forward. Sephiroth jumped to the side as the blast went flying past into the blizzard. Sephiroth watched the blast go flying into the winter snow-screen. His eyes bugged out as he watched it.
"Perhaps you are not useless" Sephiroth stated as he stood up. Phoenix took a deep breathe as his tattered clothes flapped in the breeze.
"I'm not...useless?" Phoenix asked as a small smile formed on his face. Sephiroth grinned and nodded.
"No...but to prove yourself even more, go find that Cetra and bring her to me. I lost track of her when we began to fight" Sephiroth began but before he could finish the boy went running from their original area of fighting.
"I'll find her father" he said in passing. Sephiroth sneered as the boy went running into the blizzard.
"A fool...he has uses though...now, to find a way out of this town" Sephiroth stated as he began to walk around. He walked from one end of the small town to the other, looking around. All he saw was empty houses from his appearance and snow.
"They all must be hermits; never going anywhere but this town" Sephiroth hissed as he looked for any way out of the area.
"No cars, no trucks...nothing of use" Sephiroth stated until he turned a corner around the last building to the north. He chuckled softly as he walked over to the Shinra helicopter which sat there.
"This shall do" He remarked as he climbed aboard.
"This was stupid...!" Aeris screamed to herself as she trudged through the snow. She stopped and looked around, her body shaking wildly.
"What was I thinking? There's a blizzard, Sephiroth and his kid are running around, the others are laying in the City...well, that explains why I left...I'm so confused!" Aeris screamed.
"Come with us...you belong with us" Phoenix screamed from behind her. Aeris turned around and faced that direction.
"Who are you? Really?" Aeris shouted at the figure. Phoenix walked up to her, his own arms crossed.
"I'm Phoenix...son of Sephiroth, and..." Phoenix began but Aeris put her hand on his face.
"No, who are you really? I mean, why are you out here? What is going on?" She demanded as she pulled her hand back.
"Father and yourself where dead. I revived you both" Phoenix stated as he gazed into her eyes. Aeris blinked as she saw the eyes for the first time.
"You've got two different colored eyes" Aeris said softly. Then, what he just said hit her. She felt her heart pounding harder. She fell to her knees, looking at the ground. Phoenix walked behind her.
"Father wants us to come back to town..." Phoenix said as he bent down and put his arms around her waist. Aeris jumped to her feet and spun around to face him.
"Why did you bring me back? And for that matter, him?" Aeris demanded once more. Phoenix straightened out.
"This is not the time or the place to answer these questions...please just come with me" He spoke out softly, his eyes locking onto her. Aeris closed her eyes as a soft green glow covered her. She fell onto the snow gently. Phoenix took a step forward, but saw his father behind her. He bent down and lifted her head out of the snow.
"What did you do to her?" Phoenix asked, glaring up at his father. Sephiroth chuckled a bit,
"I used Sleep Materia on her; we need to get going now. The storm is going to clear up but I am not sure how long it will last. Grab the Cetra and follow me" Sephiroth commanded. Phoenix gently picked her up.
"Where are we going Father?" Phoenix asked as he walked behind him, carrying Aeris. Sephiroth smirked.
"We're going to the place where the secrets of our race" Sephiroth walked into the blizzard, laughing maniacally. Phoenix stopped a moment, looking down at Aeris. He then looked back up and followed behind Sephiroth.
"Icicle Inn is just a short distance from here" Red called out as he ran hard. His body was moving fast enough to keep most of the snow off of him. Cloud grinned as he pumped his legs hard.
"Hopefully someone has seen Sephiroth" Cloud remarked as he jogged just behind Red; his spikey hair-cut attaching like a magnet for small snowflakes.. Tifa followed behind with her arms pumping at her sides like pistons.
"What happens if Sephiroth is in the town?" Tifa asked between breathes.. Cloud seemed to run harder when the question echoed into his ears.
"That means we'll get to kill him now then; won't waste our time searching for him!" Cloud screamed out. Tifa smirked as she blew her hair out of her face.
"That's the spirit" Tifa sprang her feet a little harder now, keeping up with them.
"Sir..." Cid heard. He looked up from the steel of the Highwind and glanced over at the captain of the Highwind. He snapped to attention when he looked over.
"Yes Captain?" Cid responded. The Captain grinned.
"We can see now see. We can take off" The Captain answered. Cid leaned up and smacked him on the shoulder.
"That's great news! Get the Highwind in the air now!" Cid smirked as he pulled out a new cigarette. He turned and leaned against the deck of the Highwind. He pulled out his lighter and lit the cigarette, then let out a long drag of smoke.
"Let's rock and roll gentlemen!" Cid called out as the Highwind took flight.
"Throw her in the back" Sephiroth stated as he climbed aboard the helicopter. Phoenix gently climbed in, still carrying Aeris. He laid her gently down along the backseat. Sephiroth looked over at him.
"Throw her" Sephiroth commanded. Phoenix gave Sephiroth a confused look as he sat back down.
"Why do you..." Phoenix began to ask but Sephiroth just held his hand up. Phoenix just sighed and turned forward. Sephiroth's fingers marched over the controls as the helicopter's blades began to spin. Phoenix leaned forward and looked up.
"Hey Father, what are we going to do?" Phoenix asked quickly as he beamed over at Sephiroth. Sephiroth ignored him; his hands still commanding the controls. Phoenix looked over his shoulder at Aeris. Her sleeping body moved slightly when she breathed. Phoenix smiled softly as he turned back around and faced forward. He tapped his fingers on the dashboard.
"Will you cease doing that?" Sephiroth hissed. Phoenix stopped tapping and leaned back. Before long he was tapping his fingers together. He spun towards his father once more.
"Is this what..." Phoenix began, but Sephiroth reached over and grabbed his shirt and flung him back into his seat. Sephiroth held the shirt with one hand, pulling the boy close to his face.
"You are annoying me! How can I fly if you insist on babbling. Quiet up" Sephiroth hissed, pushing him away. Phoenix slammed into the metal structure of the helicopter. He winced as he leaned up from it and sat in his seat quietly.
""Where is everyone?" Tifa asked as she walked into the city. Cloud looked around.
"Gees, it's deserted here..." Cloud remarked as he slowly looked around. Red sat back on the ground. His tail wagged in the snow, clearing it away like a brush.
"Do you hear that? Sounds like a large machine" Red noted. Suddenly, the helicopter flew into the air. It hovered in the air. Cloud quickly pulled his sword out.
"Get down here and fight Sephiroth!" Cloud screamed into the roar of the helicopter. The copter flew right over them and southward. Cloud slammed his sword into the ground as he watched it flying away.
"Get back here!" Cloud screamed. Tifa gulped as she watched it fly away.
"It looks like he's got his son with him" Tifa said through clenched teeth. Cloud pulled out the PHS quickly.
"Cid...Cid, do you copy" Cloud screamed into it. The phone buzzed for a moment.
"Loud and clear Spikey. What's the scope?" Cid replied. Cloud swatted some sweat from his brow with his free hand as he held the phone back up to his mouth.
"Sephiroth just left the continent in a helicopter. Looked like an old Shinra model. Think you can head it off?" Cloud asked as he tapped his foot. The phone buzzed calmly.
"That's a negative Cloud. Their are damn storms brewing up here. Plus the Highwind is going to need refueling soon. We need to come and pick you up. Then we need to head to Rocket Town" Cid replied. Cloud's face filled with even more anger.
"Damnit Cid...fine! We're in Icicle Inn" Cloud screamed, his fist about to crush the phone.
"We'll be there in a few moments" Cid replied. Cloud turned the PHS off and threw it to the ground.
"We're going to lose them!" Cloud screamed. Tifa crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
"Look Cloud, nothing we can do about it now. If a big storm is coming again, we better get out now or we could get stuck here" Tifa remarked. Cloud just threw his arms into the air.
"This is just great!" he screamed. Tifa sighed and looked away. When she did, she saw that Red had a puzzled look on his face. Tifa spun on her heel and looked at him.
"What's the trouble?" Tifa asked him quickly. Red blinked as if in a trance, then shook his head. Snowflakes fell from his fur.
"Nothing much Tifa...it's a shock to see Sephiroth again...and really, that boy for the first time" Red stated. Tifa took a step back in surprise.
"That's right; you hadn't seen him yet" Tifa sighed a bit and rubbed her head. Red chuckled softly.
"It was odd to see him sitting next to Sephiroth. Very much in common" Red scratched behind his head, knocking more snow off. Tifa nodded as she looked over at Cloud.
"It was creepy fighting that kid...but now, it's even worse. How can we stop Sephiroth and his son? I mean, we know the kid can handle himself...and Sephiroth is a legend for a reason" She added with a touch of nervousness. Red chuckled softly.
"Sephiroth has just come back from the dead. And furthermore seems to lack a lot of his Jenova power now. I do not think it will be impossible" Red added as he finally stopped scratching. Tifa made a face as she looked at Cloud.
"You know, he seemed to change as we walked here. He don't even seem afraid now" Tifa rubbed her arms, trying to knock the coldness from them. Red glanced over at Cloud and watched him.
"He truly thinks Aeris is back, that's why...be glad he does not want us to go looking for her" Red said while he laid down on the ground. Tifa shifted her view from Cloud to Red.
"You don't want her back?" Tifa said quickly, the words almost tumbling in her mouth. Red sighed.
"It's not that but now is not the time. We need to stop those two before we worry about someone who may be alive" Red rested his head on his out-stretched legs while still looking at Cloud.
"Good point" Tifa replied as she kept rubbing her arms. Red looked up at her and smirked.
"I bet you wish you had fur now" Red chimed in before laying his head back down. Tifa's eyes went wide and turned to him. She put her foot in some snow and kicked it in his direction.
"You don't need to remind me!" She huffed, turning from him while she crossed her arms.
"Where are we going Father?" Phoenix asked as he looked out the side of the helicopter. Sephiroth glared over at him a moment before returning to piloting. Phoenix did a complete 180 and looked at Sephiroth.
"Well, where are we going?" Phoenix asked again, his eyes shining. Sephiroth clenched the controls a touch harder.
"Nibelheim" Sephiroth forced out through his clenched teeth. Phoenix turned away from Sephiroth with a small smile on his face. He looked forward for a few moments before he turned to Sephiroth once again.
"What's at Nibelheim?" Phoenix asked again, his eyes shining a shade brighter this time. Sephiroth clenched the control even harder; the felt pads on them squeezing through his fingers.
"We need to" Sephiroth hissed, his eyes locked forward. He refused to even give his son a look. Phoenix lined and then turned forward again. He sat still for a moment, then began to tap his fingers on the dashboard. He tapped in rhythm with the sounds of the helicopter's wings. Sephiroth clenched the controls even harder causing the felt to begin to tear in his hands. Phoenix spun his head over to his father once again.
"Why do we need to?" Phoenix asked quickly. Sephiroth turned and grabbed his shirt collar.
"What will you do next, ask me when are going to get there? Shut up and sit there quietly so I can pilot! You pathetic excuse for a Jenova!" Sephiroth screamed at him. He turned forward and began to fly again. The glow in Phoenix's eyes washed away as he leaned back in the chair. He looked over at Sephiroth and went to speak, but stopped. He stared at his father for a few moments, then looked forward again. Minutes passed before Phoenix dared to move. When he did, he looked back out the side. Below he saw that the ocean was quickly becoming land. He turned towards Sephiroth with his mouth open, but closed it before any words dared out. He turned away from Sephiroth again and looked down at the ocean's waves crashing about.
"I keep messing up...must not make mistakes" Phoenix mumbled under his breathe. He watched the ocean become land in silence.
"Let's go, go, go!" Cloud screamed as he ran onto towards the flight deck. Tifa jogged behind him while Red casually strolled on behind them
"Cloud, it's not like we need to pilot the ship!" Tifa called out. She stopped as he ran quickly onto the flight deck. She tapped her foot, looking at the doorway. Red stopped next to her and looked up.
"Why are you waiting here?" Red inquired. Tifa smirked as she kept looking forward.
"Cloud can hide a lot. But he cannot hide his motion sickness. He never has and he never will" She added as she tapped her foot slowly, waiting.
"That's very un-like you Tifa. I've never seen you wish harm onto Cloud" Red remarked. Tifa giggled softly despite trying to hide it.
"That's not true Red. I don't want him to get hurt. I just want him to calm down for a few moments" Tifa stated, her body shaking as she tried to contain her giggles. Red chuckled when he saw her fighting the laughter so hard.
"Tifa, do you think he still gets that sick?" Red asked. Before Tifa could answer, Cloud came running down from the flight deck, right past them. They both watched him running towards the bathroom. As soon as the door slammed, they looked at each other.
"Yes I do Red. Yes I do" She said as she let the giggled explode from her. Red added his own chuckles. Red rolled onto his back still laughing while Tifa fell to her knees. After a couple of minutes, Cloud re-emerged. He stalked towards them both with a tomato face. He stopped near them as they kept laughing. Both of them forced themselves to stop laughing as they gazed at him.
"It's not that funny" Cloud huffed as he returned to the flight deck. As soon as he was gone they began to laugh again.
"What are you doing to her?" Phoenix called out. He took a step towards the helicopter. Sephiroth turned and jumped from the helicopter.
"She needed a nap" Sephiroth remarked as he walked past Phoenix. Phoenix turned and watched Sephiroth walking towards an old mansion.
"Father, where are you going?" Phoenix called out as he jogged to catch up with Sephiroth. Sephiroth groaned as he walked.
"We need to go into the Shinra Mansion. I need to research something" Sephiroth marched towards the house. Phoenix caught up with Sephiroth, walking a few paces behind him.
"Do you need my help?" Phoenix asked as he looked around the town. Sephiroth rolled his eyes slightly.
"No, but I suppose you can come with me. If I leave you up here you'll just cause trouble" Sephiroth remarked as he flung the door open to the Mansion. Sephiroth walked right up the staircase, remembering the way to the basement like his own name. Phoenix stopped when he entered the house, looking around.
"Wow" Phoenix quipped as he took in the house. He saw the dust-covered furniture, the broken table in the room, the dirty stained glass, and the off-timed clock. Phoenix stopped looking around when he saw the Sephiroth disappear from his view.
"Father, wait!" Phoenix called as he rushed up the wooden stairs.
"I can't believe you guys!" Cloud screamed, slamming his head into the table. Tifa's eyes went wide a moment before returning to normal. She shook her head.
"Cloud, we cannot take chances here! We had a hard enough time with that kid. Sephiroth is no push-over. We need all the help we can get" Tifa replied. Cloud lifted his head up and glared at her.
"We can handle them. We're wasting time!" Cloud screamed. Tifa turned her body away from him.
"On what Cloud?" Tifa crossed her arms tightly. Cloud slammed his fist in the ground.
"Instead of doing nothing, we could be looking for Aeris!" Cloud remarked. Tifa spun away from him completely now, her eyes shutting tightly.
"That's right Cloud. Let's go rushing into battle with our arch-enemies without all the help we can get. That way, someone else can end up in the hospital or worse...but let's go rushing so we can go look for someone who may not be alive!" Tifa screamed. She then stomped out of the room, not looking at him the entire way. She slammed the door shut when she left. Cloud watched her go. He then looked away when the door slammed, wincing. Cloud walked around to the head of the table, slumping down into the chair. He put his head down on the table sighing sadly.
"Cloud, get up" Cid called out. Cloud lifted his head up. Cid stood near him, his cigarette in his mouth as usual.
"I wasn't sleeping" Cloud remarked, looking at him. Cid nodded, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth. He let out a cloud into the air.
"What's your damn malfunction Cloud? I'm all for wanting to fight and those two need killed. But why not get Barret at least, level the odds in our favor more?" Cid asked. Cloud put his head on his hand.
"Cid...remember how we kept chasing Sephiroth before? How I kept passing up chances to fight him? And look what happened...Midgar got flattened, Aeris died...we don't need to repeat it again" Cloud spoke up, rubbing his face with his hand. Cid smashed his cigarette into the table, then threw it into the garbage. He pulled out a new one and offered it to Cloud. Cloud shook his head no causing Cid to push it back into the pack.
"Look spikey, I understand you don't wanna a repeat of last time. But even I noticed you're hanging on Aeris a lot. Let's say she is back. That's great and all, but we still need to deal with Sephiroth and his punk-ass son. Tifa got a point; we don't need any more people in the hospital. It's getting costly" Cid remarked. Cloud's body shook as he looked up at him.
"You're just too cheap for the hospital" Cloud remarked. Cid grinned as he smacked the pack of cigarettes of his chest.
"Between ships and cigarettes, I don't got much free money" Cid stated, shoving the cigarettes into his pocket. Cloud chuckled as he leaned onto the back of the chair.
"Let's go get Barret. It'll be good to hear you two curse at each other again in battle" Cloud put his hands behind his head, leaning back.
"He's a damn soft-tongued bitch now" Cid said. Cloud smiled at Cid.
"Thanks Cid; I needed a laugh" Cloud remarked. Cid rolled his eyes as he turned and walked towards the door.
"Damn spikey! You don't need to say a god-damn thing! Next you're gonna hug me and tell me we better mosey to the flight deck" Cid said as he left the room, leaving it to Cloud and his laughter.
"Someone's here" Vincent leaned up, knocking the lid of the casket off. He climbed out of his casket and grabbed the Death Penalty out from under the casket.Glancing around, Vincent began to stalk towards down the cavern..He crept down, holding the gun up, and stopped when he reached the doorway to the laboratory. His eye entered the site as he looked into the room. The shuffle of feet was there; that much was apparent.
"What nightmare is this?" Vincent asked when he saw Sephiroth stroll into his site. His back was turned to Vincent; his face buried in a book. Vincent pulled his finger without delay. The gun blast shook the airwaves. Sephiroth spun around in time to watch a metal staff spinning through the air, blocking the bullet. Vincent leaned away from the eye-piece. Phoenix walked into his view.
"We have company Father" Phoenix spoke, his eyes darkly locked onto Vincent. Vincent took a step back into the dark hallway. Sephiroth lifted his chin up as he stared at Vincent.
"I heard rumors you were buried here as if you were a vampire. Boy, take care of this problem" Sephiroth stated, turning away from them both. He walked down the hallway, his nose buried deep in the book.
"Father? You are that monster's son?" Vincent questioned. Phoenix clenched his fists.
"I will not allow you to call my father that. Let the battle be joined" Phoenix hissed. Vincent held his gun up at the boy, but before he could even threaten a shot the boy cart-wheeled to the left, picking his staff in mid-wheel. He landed with the staff in front of him. Vincent narrowed his eyes.
"I do not know the manner of your presence, but I do not need to. You shall never step in sun-light again" Vincent held the gun up and fired at the boy. Phoenix held his staff up thus letting the barrier block it. Vincent re-loaded and fired two more shots. Each shot meet the barrier and bounced harmlessly to the ground. Phoenix sprinted forward the moment the last bullet hit the ground, swing his staff at Vincent's head. Vincent ducked and slammed the butt of his gun into the boy's mid-section. Saliva flew into the ground as Phoenix fell onto his back. Vincent leaned down but before he could even think of an attack the boy mule-kicked him away, sending Vincent into the cavern wall. The boy kipped up to his feet and dropkicked Vincent into the wall once more. Vincent slumped down slightly as dirt fell onto his face. The boy once again kipped up to his feet, but this time Vincent moved aside as the boy tried to dropkick him. Phoenix landed on the ground with a thud. As he bounced up from the impact of the ground, the Death Penalty smacked into his nose and followed him back into the ground.
"Any son of Sephiroth is my enemy" Vincent pulled his finger back in anticipation, but the boy flung his hand up, sending a silver energy ball into Vincent's chest. Vincent screamed out in shock as he was flung down the hallway. Phoenix heard the gun smack off the ground near him as he stood up. Walking forward, he saw the Death Penalty but no one to wield it. He bent down and picked it up, then glanced into the darkness.
"I'll show father what I can do!" Phoenix screamed as he tossed the gun to the side and looked down the hallway. He put his hands out in front of his body. He stood their, his fists clenched tightly. When he opened his fists, they were surrounded by a silver energy.
"Renzoku Energy Dan!" The boy screamed as blast after blast of energy flew from his hands into the darkened halls. They streaked down the hall, giving the cavern its first real taste of light in decades. They started slamming off the sides of the cavern, forming clouds of dust and debris. Phoenix stopped and watched the hallway once again turn to darkness, but now mixed in with dust. Phoenix smirked while walking back towards the lab.
"Why do I even care?" Tifa mumbled as she looked up at the night. She was hoping to find a cluster or sparkling stars and bright planets. Instead she got clouds covering the sky.
"Clouds ruin everything!" She screamed as she slammed her hands onto the railing.
"Did you say clouds or Cloud?" Red asked suddenly. Tifa spun around to face him. Her face had turned s dark shade of red.
"Why did you sneak up on me?" Tifa asked, her chest moving in and out rapidly. Red sat back and wagged his tail along the metal ground. The fire tip burned through the darkness.
"I asked you first Tifa. To play fair I did not intend to sneak up on you" Red remarked. Tifa turned away from him and looked up at the sky again.
"Clouds...plural. They're ruining the night" Tifa grumbled as she folded her arms on the railing. She then laid her head down on her arms and looked up at the sky.
"And the Cloud who is downstairs is not?" Red questioned from behind her. Tifa closed her eyes and sighed.
"He has a death wish, I swear" Tifa opened her eyes and looked up at the depressing sky.
"He just wants to stop them..." Red began.
"He wants to kill them to go look for Aeris!" Tifa screamed as she looked up. She closed her eyes once again, holding them shut as if to block it all out.
"Tifa, we're all looking at this like a living nightmare. Cloud's not though" Red stated. Tifa pushed her head up and turned around weakly. She leaned against the railing and looked at Red.
"He just wants to be a big shot" She forced out, slouching down a bit more. Red shook his head softly.
"You and I both know that is not true. Tifa, Cloud has made a lot of mistakes. We all have. He promised Aeris he would protect her...and he failed. I'm not sure about you, but I have never swore to protect someone then failed. And now Tifa, Cloud can make that up. If Aeris is back, he can keep his promise" Red spoke softly, looking into her eyes. Tifa's chest heaved even more, going in and out.
"I miss Aeris too! I do!" Tifa called out, her voice breaking. Red nodded and once again looked into her eyes.
"You miss Aeris. You do not miss competition for Cloud" Red forced out. Tifa's eyes began to turn into water faucets. She slammed her arms back into the railing.
"That's not true...!" Tifa spat. She turned away from him, throwing her body onto the railing. She covered her head with her arms.
"Tifa, I don't know how he feels about you two. But whether she is dead or alive, his feelings will not change about you. Think about it" Red pointed out. Tifa weeped into her arms, her body shaking with emotion.
"Go away! Leave me alone!" Tifa screamed as she cried into her arms. But no answer came.
"Father...I have defeated that...person" Phoenix stated, standing in the doorway to the lab. Sephiroth paced through the lab, reading his book. Phoenix stood there, watching his father.
"Father, I have..." Phoenix began again, but Sephiroth just dropped the book from in front of his face and glared at him.
"I heard explosions. Go bring me proof" Sephiroth casually said as he turned around and went back to reading his book. Phoenix watched him walk back down the stack before he turned and walked down the dim hallway. The boy held his hand out as silver energy collected in his hand. The light acted like a a flashlight as he made his way down the dusty cavern. Large slabs of rock had fallen from his attack, making it seem like a demolition crew had come through. As he reached the staircase he heard groaning. Vincent was leaning against a wall, his body shaking.
"Still alive?" Phoenix questioned as he slightly sneered. Vincent pushed off the wall and walked to the center of the cavern. Phoenix tilted his head a bit.
"You're in over your head" Phoenix remarked as he noticed the lack of weapons in his hands. Vincent bent down a bit.
"Boy, you are naive. It is you who is in over his head" Vincent replied. Phoenix's eyes narrowed a bit.
"Who are you? Some common village folk?" Phoenix asked. Vincent coughed a few times, spitting out dust and debris.
"I am Vincent Valentine. I am the farthest thing from common you'll meet" His body began to trumble. His eyes rolled back as he body shook like a kite in the wind.
"I'm Phoenix, the son of Sephiroth.You look like you're having a seizure" Phoenix crossed his arms as the silver energy disappeared from his hand. He watched as Vincent bent over. Just as Phoenix was about to laugh, Vincent looked up and let out a deathly roar. Phoenix took a step back, then gulped hard as Vincent's body began to change. Phoenix dropped into his fighting stance as his staff appeared in his hands.
"What are you doing? What are you?" Phoenix screamed as the beast that once was Vincent eyed him up.
"Chaos!" The monster roared as it flew in at the boy.
"He must not have finished that gothic brute off yet" Sephiroth remarked as he flipped to the next page. He glossed over the page, not finding anything useful. He threw the book onto the floor then grabbed the next one off the shelf. He paced through the stack, glossing over page after page.
"This is so mundane..." Sephiroth noted as he threw that book down onto the ground. He snatched another book off the shelf and began to read. After a few moments, he threw the book over his shoulder. Sephiroth paced through the stack, then suddenly pulled out his sword and slice. He turned and watched an entire shelf of books falls to pieces. He walked to the desk down there. He fell into the chair.
"If I want to accomplish my goal, I need to destroy the planet. Even as strong as I am, I cannot do it without the Black Materia. No other materia is able to cause that much destructive energy. Most normal materia can only cause a small faction of the damage Meteor could do..." Sephiroth pondered. He leaned back in the chair. He looked up at all the books in the stack.
"All those books. Not a damn one has been useful to me. The few I've glossed over have given me little information" Sephiroth remarked. He stared at the books.
"So many books together though...one piece of materia could barely dent the planet, but what if I had hundreds?" Sephiroth pondered.
Phoenix dove under the flying Chaos, rolling to his feet as the beast flew over him. He ran towards the staircase. Chaos halted in the air and let out a beastly roar. Phoenix pointed his finger at the beast.
"Take this!" He screamed as he began bullet-sized energy blast of his finger type at the beast. Chaos got his as he began to face Phoenix, knocking him back down the hallway a little more with each blast. Phoenix stopped when Chaos disappeared into the darkness. He dropped into a defensive position as he heard the familiar roar. Chaos tore through the air. It caught the boy off guard with its speed, grabbing him by the shoulders and ramming him right into the back wall, near the staircase. The demon-beast let him go then floated back a few paces. Phoenix watched as the beast flew at him again with its head down. Phoenix ran forward and swung as hard as he could with the staff, stopping Chaos dead it its tracks. The blow caused the staff to shake violently. Phoenix dropped the staff as he got behind the stunned Chaos and grabbed it around the waist. He ran forward, running it into the very spot it had run him into. The beast cried out in pain as Phoenix let it go and ran back to his staff. He bent down and snatched it up but as he went to straighten out the beast was on him again, slashing down at him with a claw. Phoenix jumped back out of the way and swung the staff at the beast's head, but Chaos easily ducked it. Phoenix back-flipped over and dropped into his position again. The demon flapped it's wings as it floated up. Once it stopped moving upward, it continued to flap its wings hard, causing dust to begin to swirl in the air.
"What is this, clean up time?" Phoenix demanded to know, but no answer came. The beast kept flapping its wings. Phoenix turned and kicked off the wall, using it as a springboard to grab the stairs. He pulled himself up onto the stairs, which where the same height as the beast. Chaos stopped flapping its wings and looked over at him.
"I won't be caught in a dust storm" Phoenix remarked as the staff disappeared from his hand. Chaos bent back and let out a roar but got kicked in the gut in mid-roar as Phoenix came barreling off the stairs with a kick. Chaos slammed into the wall at the same moment Phoenix's feet cracked the wooden steps he landed on. Phoenix went running up the stairs until he reached the same height as the beast. Chaos flew at him with reckless speed. Phoenix jumped up at the last moment, landing on the beast's shoulder's. Phoenix leaned back, trying to flip the monster over, but Chaos put his hands on Phoenix's back and held him up. Phoenix's eyes went wide as Chaos flew directly up, smashing Phoenix's head into wooden stairs.Phoenix groaned as the beast floated down, then let Phoenix drop off. But instead of letting him hit the ground or the lower stairs, Chaos grabbed his ankles and flung him upwards, sending Phoenix right through a section of the stairs. Pieces of shattered wood fell like raindrops as Phoenix bounced off a section of stairs. Chaos flew upwards then dive-bombed towards Phoenix. As the beast neared, Phoenix jumped up and off the fall, spinning in mid-air and landing on Chaos's shoulders once more. But this time Phoenix spun himself around and flung Chaos across the way and into the wall. Phoenix grabbed the stair's as he fell downward. As soon as he pulled himself up onto the stairs he lunged off again, barreling towards the demon. He slammed into the beast, causing both to slumped down onto the stairs. Chaos got up first and took to the air, flapping its wings as hard it could. Phoenix pushed himself up.
"You're not going anywhere!" Phoenix screamed as he ran up the steps after the beast. Chaos hovered near the top. As soon as Phoenix neared the top the demon-beast attacked like a hawk, flying at the boy with great speed. This time, just before it reached the boy, the beast stopped. Phoenix jumped up to block an attack, but none came when expected. As Phoenix's feet were about to hit the ground, the beast grabbed his shirt and flung him towards the door to the house, knocking it down. Chaos roared and followed his hunt into the mansion.
"None of this information is current enough" Sephiroth said as he slammed the huge book shut. He tossed the book aside with one hand, then marched down the stack one last time. He stopped when he reached the doorway to the cavern. The sounds of battle were echoing down to him.
"That boy is wasting time up there. He should be done already. Worthless waste of genes" Sephiroth remarked as he marched slowly down the cavern. The ceiling above him shook now and then, dirt falling down to the ground like snow. Sephiroth stopped once he reached the stairway. He glanced around at the broken steps. At places three or four pieces were broken.
"My son would never have let someone live this long" Sephiroth muttered as he began to climb up the stairs.
"Eat this!" Phoenix screamed as he flung a small energy blast at Chaos. The beast dodged to the left but ran into the wall. Before Chaos could react Phoenix ran at him and clotheslined him into the wall. The wall cracked behind Chaos as both of them fell through it, with Phoenix slamming on top of Chaos. Phoenix grabbed Chaos' head and slammed it into the ground a few times before the beast got his legs under the boy's belly and pushed him off. Chaos roared as he floated back up. Phoenix kipped up to his feet.
"I am so sick of...!" Phoenix began but suddenly Chaos launched an attack of a dozen skulls. Phoenix blinked as the skulls slammed into him. Phoenix cried out as he fell back onto the ground. Chaos roared, which sounded like a laugh, then floated over to the boy. The beast glared down at him. Chaos picked him up with both hands and flew into the main room of the mansion. He held the boy up over his head and tried to throw him downward. Phoenix grabbed onto Chaos' right hand as well as the banister as he fell, throwing Chaos off instead. Chaos skidded through the air, halting to a stop in mid-air. Just as the beast began to fly upwards, Phoenix lunged at him, somersaulting in the air. Chaos flapped its wings upwards so that Phoenix went right underneath him, crashing into the ground. Phoenix slammed into the hardwood floor and slide into the front door.Chaos flapped its wings as it landed on the ground and stalked forward towards the boy. Sephiroth walked through doorway near the top of the stairs.
"I cannot believe he's going to lose to that freak. That monster is just toying with him now" Sephiroth hissed while watching from the top of the steps. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. Phoenix got to his shaky feet and leaned against the door to keep himself up. Chaos let out a beastly roar, causing Phoenix to mumble something before falling to his knees. Chaos jumped into the air and roared again. Suddenly Phoenix got to his feet, pulling his hands around in a cup shape.
"Kamehameha!" He screamed as a huge silver wave of energy came from his hands. Chaos was engulfed in a bright silver light as it cried out in pain. The energy wave sent the beast right through the old chandelier and into the ceiling. Chaos hung on the ceiling for a moment before free-falling back to the ground. As it fell, it turned back into Vincent. He let out a groan as he slammed into the ground. Phoenix fell to his knees as he gasped for breathe. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed on the boy as he began to walk down the stairs.
"You are wasting time" Sephiroth said as he passed the boy by. Phoenix barely had the strength to turn around to watch Sephiroth walk past the old metal gate.
