Chapter 8

"Unbelievable" Vincent muttered as he watched the helicopter sink into the sky. He turned and limped back into the mansion. Forcing himself up the stairs, Vincent glanced to the left at where the chandelier had been. His eyes fell onto the floor and say the shattered remains of the chandelier. The same one that his body and the blast had slammed. Vincent turned forward again and forced himself up the final stairs. Breathe came to him in huge gasps as he marched towards the basement stairs.

"Must be stopped..." He muttered as he began his descent down the stairs to the basement. Once he reached the bottom he stopped. He looked all around the newly cracked walls. He then looked at the uneven and fairly dangerous cavern.

"Must be stopped" He repeated as he began to climb over the rocks and dirt that now lay in his way.


"It's a shame Yuffie is still recovering" Cloud said as he pushed the glass door open. Barret slammed the other side of the doors open, strolling out into the sun-light.

"Yeah right. That's the only break we've caught so far" Barret snarled, rubbing his gun-arm. Cloud slightly turned his head and looked at him.

"You're lucky they didn't take that from you" Cloud mentioned. Barret shrugged as he rubbed a smug off.

"Between Reeve being a big-shot here and shit, they wouldn't dare touch it" Barret claimed. He smirked slightly when the smug disappeared. Cloud bobbed his head as he walked along.

"Well, we got you at least. That makes it at least five on two" Cloud remarked. Barret just nodded as they began to walk along in silence. Soon they reached the Highwind. Red stood at the bottom on the ladder. A small smile appeared on his face when he saw Barret.

"Well, the odds got a little better. How do you feel?" Red asked. Barret nodded.

"Feel good; ready to make that punk's face swiss-cheese" Barret stated. Cloud looked down at Red.

"Any possible locations yet?" Cloud asked. Red smile grew more.

"Actually, we think we have precise location" Red said as he wagged his tail in the air. Cloud's went wide for a moment as his jaw hung open.

"That quick?" Cloud demanded to know. Red nodded his head.

"We found out that a group of children reported seeing a helicopter fly over Rocket Town. It was heading towards the mountains. And nothing has been spotted near Cosmo Canyon" Red remarked. Cloud nodded his head.

"Leaves one town...where all kinds of records are kept" Cloud said as he rubbed his hands together. Barret looked at Cloud.

"You know, Vincent still lingers there" Barret mentioned. Cloud suddenly jumped onto the ladder and raced upwards. Red blinked as he turned around.

"Cloud, where's the fire?" Red asked quickly. Cloud looked down at them with wild eyes.

"Sephiroth is going to go directly to the basement in the mansion there. If he went there, it's to look at all those old books. And who hangs out down in that basement?" Cloud remarked as he scrambled up the ladder. Barret shrugged and looked at Red.

"Vincent's not that stupid. He'd never fight those two alone. Spikey just don't seem to want to miss the fight" Barret groaned as he rubbed his free arm against the gun. Red began to climb the ladder.

"I think so too. Regardless, we don't need to waste time down here. Ship is ready to take off and everything is on board" Red stated. Barret got on the ladder and began to climb as well.

"True. And I owe that punk...I'll teach him" Barret claimed.


"Why do I need to wait here?" Phoenix asked. Sephiroth pushed him back into the helicopter.

"You screw up too much. We need to use stealth here. I do not wish to waste more time due to your incompetence" Sephiroth added with disdain. Phoenix climbed into his chair and leaned back. After a few moments, he heard a stirring in the back seat. He got up on his knees and turned around, looking down. Aeris laid there, her bright eyes open and looking at him.

"Is he gone?" Aeris whispered to which the boy replied with a nod. Aeris leaned up and looked out the side of the craft.

"Why do you take that from him?" Aeris asked as she looked at the boy. Phoenix blinked slowly before he turned away from her.

"He takes it from me. I'm a failure of a son" Phoenix claimed. Bowing his head down, he just looked at the ground below him. Aeris leaned on the chair next to his. She looked at him and tilted her head.

"I never knew Sephiroth had a son" Aeris stated calmly. Phoenix nodded his head.

"Must be why I was left in Midgar...I mean, I'm such a bad son" Phoenix leaned back against the chair. His face was covered in shades of confusion.

"Left you in Midgar?" Aeris asked. Phoenix nodded again then let out a deep sigh.

"I woke up a few days ago in Midgar. I found out my goal was to bring Father back to life...now he doesn't want me. I've done something wrong" Phoenix replied as he looked down at the ground again. Aeris sighed softly.

"That's such a shame" Aeris said. She looked forward into the night sky. Phoenix glanced over at her. After a few moments, Aeris looked over at him as well. They began to examine each other. Aeris looked puzzled as she looked at him. Phoenix blinked a few times.

"What? Why do you look like..." Phoenix began but Aeris shook her head.

"Nothing-nothing. You just remind me of someone. I can't place it for the life of me though" Aeris stated. A few moments passed in silence as they kept gazing at each other.

"I thought Father put to sleep...to keep you from running. Why would you run from Father?" Phoenix demanded. Aeris blinked her green eyes.

"First off, he has been using the Sleep Materia on me. I just keep faking sleeping. That way, he will not do it as much" Aeris stated. Phoenix made a face.

"Why would he even need to put you to sleep?" Phoenix asked while his eyes got bigger. It was now Aeris' turn to make a face.

"Why wouldn't he...? I mean, don't you know what he's done?" Aeris looked like someone told her that dogs could fly. Phoenix shook his head.

"Father is the greatest fighter alive" Phoenix claimed. Aeris leaned on the chair with her hands under her chin.

"He may be, sure. He also tried to destroy the world! I mean, literally tried to blow the whole thing up so he could become some kind of god. If my friends hadn't stopped him, he would have too" Aeris stated. She looked closely at the boy, still trying to figure out who he reminded her off. Phoenix's eyes glossed over. They both sat there for a few moments in silence. The boy turned his head to face her. His eyes locked onto her hers.

"Everyone would have died?" Phoenix asked. Aeris nodded.

"Yeah...your dad wanted to be a god" Aeris said. Phoenix blinked which caused Aeris to blink.

"My father?" Phoenix asked. Aeris nodded and smiled ever-so-slightly.

"Yes, your father...I assume you weren't told about who he was" Aeris leaned a little more onto her arms. Phoenix shook his head and turned away. He looked up into the night sky.

"I have no memory beyond waking up a few days ago...all I know is what I know from these past days. Well, that's not all true...I know how to open doors, for example. But I do not have any memories" Phoenix claimed. Aeris blinked a few times. She watched the boy in fascination.

"He does not care that your his son" Aeris coldly stated. He turned around and glared at her. She closed her eyes the moment his mismatched eyes tore into hers.

"He is my father. He must care!" Phoenix screamed. Aeris pushed off the chair and slammed into the back seat.

"Please, I don't want to hurt your feelings but..." Aeris began, but the boy turned away from her.

"I'm his son. Why wouldn't he care about me?" Phoenix asked out-loud. Aeris gulped.

"A lot of reasons...think of how he treats you. He just yells at you and calls you names. I mean...he wanted to kill every person alive so he could become a god. He's not a normal person" Aeris said as she opened her eyes finally. The boy slammed his head off the dashboard suddenly, prompting Aeris to lung over the chair and grab his shoulders.

"Don't do that!" Aeris called out while holding him back. Phoenix leaned back, causing her to let go.

"I'm worthless!" Phoenix cried out. Aeris leaned over the chair and looked at him.

"That's not true! He would have killed me again in Icicle Inn if you hadn't been there! A "worthless" person doesn't stand up to the greatest fighter alive to help someone! If anything, you've done that" Aeris replied. Phoenix looked into her eyes but soon lost that battle and turned away.

"You always try to run from him...why are you not running now?" Phoenix spat out as he put his arm on the window ledge. He rested his face on his hand. Looking into the glass of the window, he saw her behind him. She looked downward as she held her hands to her heart.

"If I leave, you'll chase me and we'll be right here again. If you don't chase me, he'll blame you. He'd probably hurt you...maybe kill you. He'd then hunt me down for sure. We're in Wutai if I remember him correctly. That means I can either run to town or into the nothing-ness that's out here...it's just better if I stay for now" Aeris explained. Phoenix looked into the mirror, staring at her reflection in it.

"I'm just a failure..." Phoenix muttered under his breathe. Aeris shook her head.

"Don't say that. We all get down, but don't get down now! What if he is trying to destroy the world again? We're all dead if he does destroy it...I can't stop him...not in a fight..." Aeris stated. She looked over her shoulder out into the distance. Phoenix remained motionless, just staring at her. Aeris quickly lay back down. She clenched her eyes shut.

"Don't be afraid of him. You're a good person, I can tell...you're just worried about him. There is more to life than what your parents think" Aeris rushed out of her mouth. Phoenix finally moved again as he climbed onto the seat and looked down at her. Aeris gently opened her eyes a touch and saw him looking down at her. A couple of minutes passed until Phoenix heard footsteps approaching. Phoenix looked out the pilot's side of the helicopter. Sephiroth approached with a huge sack over his shoulder. He dropped it to the ground. He glared at the boy as he climbed into the helicopter.

"Go out there and load that into here boy! I should have taken you; I never realized how heavy that would be dragging back here" Sephiroth commanded. Phoenix slowly climbed out the passenger side of the helicopter and walked over the bag. He struggled but finally picked it up. He lunged it over to the helicopter. He opened the hatch in the back and loaded it up. Just as he closed the back hatch the helicopter blades began to spin. Phoenix rushed up to the side of the helicopter and jumped in. Two seconds later the helicopter took off. Phoenix looked over at his father with confusion. Once there was no answer, he just looked forward again. Thoughts raced through his head but unlike before he did not question these thoughts to the man sitting next to him.


"Nibelheim, the fakest town around!" Cloud declared as he walked through the main entrance to the city. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"I still can't believe they just re-built this place like no one would notice" Tifa remarked. She rubbed her bare arms to warm them against the chill the city gave. Red walked beside her while his tail gently slapped into her leg now and then.

"Shinra was not what one would call sympathetic" Red stated. Barret grounded his teeth together as he trudged behind all of them.

"I'd call them assholes...they can still piss me off and they don't even exist!" Barret roared. They others all glanced back at him to quiet him up as they approached the mansion. Cloud stopped once they got inside the metal fence.

"Barret, you check the area outside here. Look for that helicopter. Any landing marks, anything. Do not take them on alone if you spot them" Cloud commanded. Barret nodded and jogged off to the side of the house. Cloud looked at Tifa and Red.

"Ok, I want you two to go up there and each open a door. I'll be standing right there so we can get the jump on them if they happen to be here" Cloud commanded. Red and Tifa silently moved up to the door. Cloud pulled out his sword and approached the front of the door. Each yanked a door open which set Cloud into action. He lunged into the room, but saw nothing there but dust.

"Coast is clear...looks like someone fought a war in here" Cloud walked up the broken chandelier. Red trotted up behind him.

"This house is old Cloud. Perhaps it just fell" Red replied. Cloud shrugged then looked up at where it had been hanging. He looked down the ceiling further and noticed that dust and debris was falling from a certain spot. Cloud moved forward and stared straight up at the ceiling.

"And this stuff here?" Cloud asked. Red walked forward and sat back on his hind legs.

"It could be water damage from the roof. I'm not saying there was not a fight here. I am telling you to be real-" Red began. He stopped when he heard the sound of running above him. They both looked up at the balcony where Tifa stood.

"Guys, get up here! It's trashed!" Tifa screamed before disappearing back into the room. Both of them ran upstairs to the room.

"I think you are correct Cloud" Red stated once he took in the room. Cloud smirked and crossed his arms.

"Told you...damn, what about Vincent?" Cloud suddenly thought. Tifa rushed to the basement stair-case. She began to walk down the steps but halted.

"Look in here guys!" She screamed. Within moments both Red and Cloud were in the staircase.

"Looks like someone fought a battle in here" Cloud remarked. Red shook his head as he careful walked down, hopping over cracked boards.

"More like a war" Red mentioned as he carefully made his way down the stairs. Tifa followed behind Red, making sure to take every step he took. Cloud followed behind them, glancing at the walls. Suddenly his foot went through a step. Cloud quickly pushed his foot out.

"Paying attention I see" Tifa huffed as she glanced back at him for a moment. Cloud shrugged as they all began to walk down the stairs again. Red stopped the moment he saw the cavern. Tifa bumped into him.

"What's going-?" Tifa began as Cloud bumped into her back.

"Hey, what's up?" Cloud said as they looked down the cavern. Red turned around and looked up at Cloud.

"I believe you were correct about there being a fight here" Red remarked.


"Anything new?" Cid said quietly as he inhaled some fresh cigarette. Reeve leaned back and shook his head.

"I'm getting a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo but nothing that will help. I mean, I unlocked a security file. I thought that would be helpful. It is just a record of what scientists worked what days...I mean, there are so many unnamed files in this" Reeve stated as he went back to pounding on the keys. Cid nodded his head, then let out a puff of smoke.

"Meaning they really don't want people in that stuff" Cid said. Reeve nodded.

"This stuff is super-high secret. I'm not sure if even the President knew exactly what was going on in that lab" Reeve mentioned. Cid leaned off the wall and walked away a moment.

"Damn punk..I'm not that old..." Cid whispered to himself.

"What was that Cid?" Reeve asked. Cid turned around and faced Reeve.

"Nothing. Anyways, do you think they did more experiments like this?" Cid asked. Reeve stopped typing and looked over at Cid.

"I highly doubt it; this project doesn't seem to be a high-flying success. The only reason they kept working at it is cause Hojo found it fascinating. It's incredible and some-what insane the lengths he went to keep it running and keep it secret" Reeve mentioned. Cid walked back over and looked down at the screen again.

"Ok, you got my interest" Cid said. Reeve smiled a little.

"Ok. Hojo was such a nut about security with it. So far, I've found out that 75% of the scientists who worked on it didn't even know what it was. They just thought it was standard research. I mean, stuff like blood types matching and that. When you got into the genetics they were told it was all "hypothetical" and such" Reeve said as he kept typing. Cid laughed a bit.

"I thought scientists were suppose to be super smart or some shit like that" Cid said with a chuckle. Reeve added his own chuckle then stopped.

"Well, to be honest, some did wise up to it. I mean, if you're studying about genetics and how to change them for ten months I think you'll wise up after a point. And before you ask, those who did find out all died. I mean, if they even asked Hojo what was really going on and they didn't buy the standard line, he'd kill them" Reeve stated. Cid rubbed his chin and let out a small puff of smoke.

"So the Turks were busy then?" Cid asked. Reeve shook his head.

"No. Trust me, I have access to the Turks files. I checked them already. They never any killing for Hojo during this time frame. Hojo didn't exactly like the Turks. And considering how top secret this project was, he never had them anywhere near it. He didn't want them scooping into his stuff" Reeve stopped typing for a moment and stretched upward. Cid made a face.

"Oh yeah, typing is hard labor. Ranks up there with working in a coal mine" Cid blew out some smoke. Reeve spun around and glared at him.

"Hey!" Reeve cried out, causing Cid to chuckle.


"Hey guys, Vincent's room-" Tifa began as she stood in the doorway. Cloud turned and put his finger up to his lips.

"Someone's in the lab" Cloud whispered. Tifa closed her mouth and nodded. Red took the lead with Cloud behind. Tifa jogged up behind Cloud. They all nodded to each other, then turned the corner and ran in.

"Who's in here?" Cloud declared a-loud. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Real smart; let them know we're coming!" Tifa yelled at him. Red just sighed. They all turned and looked as someone walked from the stalks. Vincent limped forward from the stalks. He was carrying a book with something sticking out of it.

"You all would have been dead if Sephiroth was still here" Vincent remarked as he walked over to a lab table. He sat down, wincing a bit. They all walked over and gathered around.

"What happened Vincent? Are you ok?" Tifa asked before the others could. Vincent nodded slightly.

"They were both here. Sephiroth and that...son of his. I fought the son. He is incredible fighter; much more agile than I expected. I thought I had the fight won and he did this incredible energy attack. By the time I got up, they were gone" Vincent stated bluntly as he opened the book and pulled the map out. Cloud sighed.

"Yeah, that's him. We've been chasing them all over" Cloud stated. Vincent looked up at him.

"What damned nature allowed Sephiroth to return to this plane of existence?" Vincent asked. Cloud blinked a few times, opening his mouth. Before words could exit, Red bumped into his leg.

"We're not certain how, but we know the boy did it. Reeve is researching it as we speak" Red replied. Vincent leaned back and took a deep breathe.

"I never knew Sephiroth had a son. What a damned boy he is. He lacks Sephiroth's pure rage in battle, but you can tell the boy is his son. He has that same feel when you're battling him" Vincent looked back down at the map. Cloud glanced down at the map.

"I know what you mean...anyways Vincent, what's with the map and book?" Cloud asked. Tifa nodded as she leaned forward.

"Yeah, really. Something Sephiroth was looking at?" Tifa asked. Red hopped up onto the table with his front paws. Vincent looked down at the book.

"Apparently Sephiroth is looking for locations with Lifestream rips" Vincent claimed as he read the book. Red looked closer at the map.

"He seems to have circled a few" Red stated. Vincent looked up from the book and nodded.

"I'm aware. I was hoping the book would give more insight into the matter. He did not mark that or leave notes" Vincent stated as he looked at the map. Leaning back, Cloud let out a sigh.

"There are like twenty circles here. And Sephiroth could be heading to any of them for god-knows-what" Cloud huffed, slamming a fist into the map. Tifa looked up at him.

"He's only got so much fuel in that helicopter. He can't go to them all" Tifa stated. Red looked up at Vincent quickly.

"Do you know which way they are headed?" Red aimed towards Vincent. He nodded.

"They went east-ward, towards Wutai" Vincent stated. Red looked down at the map.

"There are two rips over that way, apparently. One is actually on the same island as Wutai. The other is too the south more, on a small secluded island. It's only noted for the rip, actually" Red pushed away from the map and looked at Vincent.

"The book is about two decades old. Rips can close up or not be as wide as they once were though" Vincent explained. Red nodded and looked back at Tifa and Cloud.

"We have a lead, anyways. We should head towards Wutai. We know he headed that way. He could be going to the rip there or for something else" Red stated. Cloud nodded.

"Alright, we got a lead. A solid one. Hopefully it will work out like this one has" Cloud stated. Tifa looked at Vincent.

"You going to come with us? We could use your help" Tifa said softly. Vincent picked up the map and folded it. He placed it inside the book.

"I do not think I will be much help in a fight; that boy's blast was very strong. I shall remain here." Vincent claimed as he picked up the book. He tossed it to Cloud, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, we brought Reeve with us! We can use you for sure too" Cloud stated. Tifa swatted him on the back of the head.

"Oh hush you. You do as you feel Vincent" Tifa exclaimed. Red chuckled while he got his paws off the table and trotted towards the cavern tunnel. He stopped and turned towards them.

"Let's go then. We have little time to waste" Red then entered into the tunnel. Cloud waved an arm towards the tunnel.

"Yeah, let's mosey people" Cloud said as he walked into the tunnel. Vincent looked at Tifa.

"He still says that?" Vincent asked, causing Tifa to giggle.

"Yeah, he does" Tifa said while Vincent shook his head. Tifa kept giggling as they entered the hallway. Cloud stopped and looked back.

"What's so funny?" He asked. Tifa just shrugged like him.

"Let's mosey along Cloud"


"Whose orders did you follow" Sephiroth asked out of the blue. Phoenix was staring forward when the question was asked. He blinked and looked at the dashboard. He remembered how he had left his back-pack in the city of ancients.

"I asked you a question boy" Sephiroth hissed. Phoenix blinked a few more times then looked over at his father.

"Unsure. No names on my..." Phoenix began, but Sephiroth just shook his head.

"Hojo then" Sephiroth stated. Phoenix looked back out the front of the window of the helicopter.

"I do not recall a Hojo-" Phoenix began, but Sephiroth interrupted once more.

"He's very secretive. Since I do not recall a son, he must have had a hand in it. He was a meddler like that" Sephiroth stated.

"You did not know you had a son?" Phoenix forced out. Sephiroth laughed a few times.

"I never had a son. Did you just wake up in a laboratory?" Sephiroth asked the boy. Phoenix nodded a few times.

"Yes, I woke up a-" Phoenix began before Sephiroth's laughs cut him off.

"I bet you're just one of Hojo's experiments" Sephiroth stated between laughs. Phoenix glared over at him while he laughed. Phoenix looked away and out the side window.


"It's getting cloudy you..." Cloud said as he walked out onto the open deck of the Highwind. Tifa glanced back at him.

"Yeah, I'm aware...what's the hold up? Why aren't we going anywhere yet?" Tifa asked. Cloud shrugged and leaned back against the doorway.

"Well, we got a call from Yuffie over the PHS. Apparently, someone fitting Sephiroth's description was seen in Wutai. Given how long we've been here, it's very possible they already got there" Cloud remarked. Tifa gave him a look.

"Why aren't we leaving now then?" She demanded to know. Cloud shrugged.

"Someone fitting Sephiroth's description was also seen leaving Wutai with a huge sack. He's already gotten what he wanted and moved on" Cloud stated. Tifa sighed and looked back up at the ever-growing cloud population.

"I don't get it. What is he up to? Nothing makes sense...." Tifa trailed off. Cloud nodded.

"Like last time, until it was too late. Regardless, the hold up is now finding the location of that island to the south of Wutai" Cloud claimed as he walked out onto the deck. He strolled over a few feet away from Tifa and rested his arms on the railing. Tifa looked over at him.

"You wanna kill him still, don't you?" Tifa asked. Cloud sighed and looked down at the ground.

"It's not 'I wanna kill him for revenge'. It's more like 'I wanna kill him so no one else gets hurt' way. I'm sure part of it is that, but I don't want another huge war and chance the planet could die..." Cloud said as he rested his forehead on his arms. Tifa turned her head over at him. Her hair whipped around and fell back onto her shoulders.

"You know, you weren't this uptight about it until you thought Aeris was alive" Tifa said as she shook her head ever-so-gently, knocking the hair of her shoulders. Cloud glared over at her.

"You know Tifa, it don't matter if Aeris is alive now. Last time I checked, we knew Sephiroth was alive. Getting rid of Sephiroth is the most important thing" Cloud hissed at her. Tifa blinked then looked back up at the clouds in the sky.

"I'm sorry...I just don't want to see you...well, get your hopes up and then she is still dead" Tifa stated. Cloud sighed into his arms.

"I'd like to see her again Tifa. I would really, really like to see her again. If I can, that's great...but right now is not the time to worry about it" Cloud looked over at her. Tifa looked over at him slowly. She watched his bright eyes blink.

"I just don't...want to be forgotten by you" Tifa forced out. She felt herself blush-up. Cloud blinked once more before he pushed off the railing.

"Tifa...I will never forget you...why would you think that?" Cloud asked. Tifa looked back up at the sky. A few moments passed in utter silence. Finally Tifa walked away from the railing and towards the door back into the Highwind.

"It's taking them an awfully long time" Tifa said as she walked into the ship. Cloud sighed and followed behind her.


"I'm telling you, it's impossible!" Cid hissed out. Barret crossed his massive arms.

"I'm telling ya, its where we gotta go!" Barret replied. Cid put his finger on the map.

"If they got hurricane winds down there, Sephiroth ain't going that way. And if he is, they'll kill him" Cid pointed out. Red looked up at Barret then over at Cid.

"It's possible the computer weather report is wrong. We should go see for ourselves" Red remarked. Barret smirked then nodded his approval. Cid slammed his fist into the map.

"There is no way in hell we're going there" Cid screamed. Reeve spun around in his chair and looked at them all.

"I got the same weather report from three places. We should avoid that area" Reeve spoke up. Barret slammed his arm down into the table, but before he could speak someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Cool it Barret! Why you guys fighting?" Tifa demanded. Cloud strolled into the room.

"Yeah, what's all the fuss about?" Cloud asked. Before any of the others could speak, Reeve pushed their hands off the map in a sweeping gesture then pointed to the island as Cloud approached. Reeve pointed to the area around the island.

"This is the closest place to Sephiroth's last known location which contains a known-Lifestream rip. However, when I looked up the coordinates on his computer, he found out there are storms down that way. Realistically, if the storms are there Sephiroth will not head that way. If he does, he's as good as dead. However, Red and Barret feel its worth looking into" Reeve explained. Cloud looked down at the map.

"Well...that's a tricky situation" Cloud remarked. Tifa walked over and stood next to him, looking down as well.

"What about this spot?" Tifa said as she pointed down at the islands near Mideel. Red blinked and looked at it.

"Well, there are a few spots there, but that is across the entire map-" Red started.

"If you view the world as flat. What about if you went to the west from Wutai" Tifa stated. Red smirked as he looked at the map.

"Very good point Tifa" Red stated. Everyone looked at Tifa. She blushed just a touch as the smile covered her face. She just shrugged and looked at Cloud.

"Let's mos-I mean let's move out damnit!" Cloud screamed as he slammed his fist into the table. Cid grinned and let out a puff of smoke.

"Getting better Spikey" Cid said. Cid turned and took a few steps towards the pilots, then stopped and looked back.

"You sure we wanna take this risk?" Cid suddenly asked. Cloud blinked a few times.

"What risk...?" Cloud asked. Cid sighed.

"Realize how far Mideel and those islands are from here? That's not a hop to Rocket Town. It'll take awhile to get there" Cid pointed out. Cloud shrugged. Red looked down at the map.

"Your point is that if we go there and Sephiroth went elsewhere, we'd have wasted a huge amount of time" Red said softly. Cid nodded his head. He took his cigarette out of his mouth and coughed a few times. Tifa looked at Cid, then down at the map.

"You got a point...we could totally miss them" Tifa softly said. Cid put the cigarette back in his mouth.

"That's the catch" Cid replied. Cloud looked at the map a moment, then up at Cid. As he spoke, he turned and looked at everyone.

"Guys, remember when we first went after Sephiroth? Remember all the stupid and pointless chances we took? We had to take them chances if we wanted a shot to stop him. Well, this whole time we've been careful when chasing these two. I say we take a chance. It's the only way we're gonna catch them. So I say we make for Mideel!" Cloud screamed. After a few moments of utter silence, Cid turned around and walked towards the pilots.

"Let's roll out boys! We're heading for Mideel area!" Cid bellowed loudly.


"Why are we here?" Phoenix asked softly. Sephiroth lifted the huge bag out of the back of the helicopter and tossed it at the boy. Phoenix fell backwards as he caught it.

"What have I told you? Be seen and not heard" Sephiroth hissed. Phoenix forced himself to his feet and flung the bag over his back. He marched towards the front of the helicopter and watched Sephiroth. Aeris was laying in the back seat of the helicopter sleeping. Sephiroth reached in and grabbed her neck. Aeris' eyes shot open as Sephiroth pulled her out of the helicopter.

"I realized you'd been faking since Nibelheim" Sephiroth muttered as the blade of the Masamune rested on Aeris' neck. Aeris gulped and squirmed on the ground a bit.

"So what, going to kill me again...again?" Aeris spat out. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed as he pressed the sword blade closer. Phoenix watched silently on the side.

"No...last time I made that mistake. Keeping you around is safer than killing you is" Sephiroth hissed at her. He pressed the sword blade on her chin, making her stand up. Aeris glared at him.

"Do it. Come on, strike me down again" Aeris spat out. Sephiroth smirked slightly. Phoenix dropped the bag and watched even more closely.

"You'll be dead in an hour anyways. Why trouble myself now?" Sephiroth remarked coldly. Aeris' eyes went wide as her body began to shake.

"The black materia was destroyed..!" Aeris screamed out. Sephiroth sneered at her. Phoenix just blinked a few times.

"Turn around and walk towards the mountain" Sephiroth commanded. Aeris closed her eyes and held her arms at her sides.

"Kill me! Come on, I'm helpless. Just like last time" Aeris screamed out. Sephiroth held the sword to her throat for an entirety before lowering it. With a quick motion, he grabbed her hair and yanked her close to him. He held her close to his face; the lock on her hair painful.

"I know what you're trying to do. Fortunately for me, he doesn't!" Sephiroth hissed under his breathe. He pushed her down onto the ground. Aeris rolled over onto her stomach and crawled a few steps before stopping when Sephiroth's foot hit her back. In a quick burst of un-expected speed, Aeris spun over, which caused Sephiroth to trip up and fall over. Aeris scrambled to her feet and looked back at Sephiroth. After a few steps her feet stopped meeting the ground. Sephiroth got to his feet and saw that Aeris was on Phoenix's shoulder. She was kicking and squirming around, but Phoenix held her tightly. Sephiroth sneered as he got to his feet.

"You did something right for once. Grab the bag and let's go" Sephiroth ordered. Phoenix walked over to the bag as Aeris' struggles stopped. She just looked at the ground as it passed below her.

"He's going to kill everyone on this planet" Aeris muttered to the boy, who picked up the bag. Phoenix stopped a moment, staring at Sephiroth. Sephiroth stopped and glared back at him.

"Let's go boy. I do not have time for your incompetence" Sephiroth screamed. Phoenix nodded and began to follow his father once more.


"We're nearing the Mideel area" Cid remarked as he walked towards the front of the ship. Tifa was there, holding binocular to her face.

"I'm beginning to see land..." Tifa exclaimed. Cloud looked back at Cid.

"How much longer-" Cloud began.

"I see it! I see it!" Tifa screamed out. She quickly held the binoculars to Cloud's face and directed his eyes. Cloud smiled and turned to Cid.

"Land the Highwind! We've found them!" Cloud screamed. Cid blinked and looked down at the ground.

"We're still a bit away from Mideel..." Cid trailed off as Cloud turned around and looked at Red and Reeve. The both stood their, studying the map.

"Guys, are there more than one rip down this way?" Cloud called out. Red nodded quickly.

"Yes Cloud, there are numerous ones" Red replied. Cid let out a puff of smoke then turned to the pilot.

"Land this bird!" Cid called out.


"Damnit!" Sephiroth hissed. Looking up, he watched the Highwind fly over them. Aeris ceased her struggles as both her and Phoenix looked up at the sky. The wind smacked into all of their faces.

"My friends are here now! You're done for Sephiroth!" Aeris called out. Sephiroth marched over and grabbed Aeris' hair, yanking her from Phoenix's grasp. Phoenix took a step back. Sephiroth held her up high in the air by the hair. Aeris' kicked her feet around below her frantically.

"I tend to doubt that Cetra. Boy; you will stop those who will come to stop me" Sephiroth remarked. Phoenix blinked.

"Of course Father, but-" Phoenix began. Sephiroth threw Aeris to the ground hard. Her body bounced off the ground, sending a small wave of dust up with her body.

"Bring me the materia boy" Sephiroth commanded. Phoenix slowly walked over towards Sephiroth. With his body trembling, he handed Sephiroth the huge bag. Then he mumbled something under his breathe. Sephiroth glared at the boy as he hoisted the bag up with one hand easily.

"What are you complaining about now boy?" Sephiroth asked. Phoenix slowly lifted his head up. His mismatched eyes locked onto Sephiroth's as his fists tightened.

"Never do that again" Phoenix hissed between clenched teeth. Sephiroth's head bent upwards. Aeris got to her knees.

"Don't give him that materia! What ever he has planned...it will not be good!" Aeris stammered. Sephiroth dropped the bag and grabbed Phoenix by the neck. He lifted him upwards as he throttled the boy.

"Do not speak to me like that boy!" Sephiroth roared. Phoenix's eyes closed tightly. His hands grasped onto Sephiroth's and pulled with all their might.

"...Father...please..." Phoenix muttered. Sephiroth let go; Phoenix fell to his knees in front of his father. Sephiroth quickly slapped the boy's face, knocking him aside. Sephiroth marched towards Aeris.

"Don't you dare-" Aeris began, but Sephiroth pulling out the Masamune stopped her comment.

"Shut up Cetra. You're coming with me" Sephiroth remarked. Aeris glared at him. She clenched her fists at her sides.

"Kill me already! Come on...kill me!" Aeris screamed at him. Sephiroth sneered at her.

"If you don't come...I'll kill him" Sephiroth replied coldly. Aeris' eyes went wide as she got to her feet. She looked over at the boy, laying on the ground. She put her hands over her heart and gulped.

"Fine..fine, I'll go" Aeris answered. Sephiroth picked up the bag of materia with one hand and held the sword with the other.

"Very good...now, into that cavern. Go on now; no time to waste" Sephiroth remarked. Aeris nodded, stole one last look at the boy, then turned and marched silently towards the cavern. Sephiroth turned and watched the boy get to his feet.

"You will stop them boy" Sephiroth commanded. Phoenix's shoulders were drooping; his arms hanging there without much life in them.

"Father..what is going on? What are going to do?" Phoenix asked slowly. The words slurred off his damaged tongue. Sephiroth marched over to him again and slapped him in the face, knocking him down like a ton of bricks.

"You will not concern yourself with what I plan to do! You will stand here and fight them! You will not let them past; if you do boy, pray they kill you. If they do not, I will do much worse!" Sephiroth screamed. His voice echoed off the hills, bouncing back into the boy's mind numerous times. Phoenix rolled over and looked up at Sephiroth. Phoenix slowly got his feet; his body was shaking from all the mental damage.

"Father...Sephiroth..." Phoenix forced out. Sephiroth turned away from the boy, ignoring every word he said. Phoenix watched his father march towards the cavern, then finally turned away from him. The wind kicked his coat up into the air behind him. The staff popped open in his hand as he leaned back. His eyes narrowed as he glanced up the hill.


"Any ideas where we should go? Cloud asked. He pushed a tree branch out of his way and looked at Red. Red shook his head.

"The rip is in a mountain. However, there are so many mountains in this area..." Red trailed off.

"I think I know which way we should head" Barret called out. Cloud and Red both jogged over to the sound of his voice. Tifa joined the group from the other side. Barret pointed up a hill; on the hill there were a pair of footprints heading up.

"Well, we could follow the footprints. That would seem logical" Red remarked with a smile. Tifa smacked Barret's shoulder.

"Good job" Tifa crossed her arms gently and looked at the hill.

"Alright...we know the boy is fond of sneak attacks. Let's go up as quietly as we can; he may be near the top" Cloud ordered. He drew his sword out and began to walk up the hill. Tifa quickly followed after him. Red crouched low to the ground as Barret glanced around. As they neared the top, Cloud got to his knees. He turned back and nodded; everyone quickly followed suit. He crawled up the hillside until he could see over the top. He blinked and looked back at the others.

"Ok, quiet down...the boy is alone at the bottom of the hill. Sephiroth may be hiding somewhere in an ambush, but I doubt it..." Cloud muttered.

"Or he could be inside the cavern already" Red pointed out. Tifa ground her teeth.

"So what do we do? I mean, logically they saw us coming" Tifa stated. Barret rubbed his gun-arm.

"I saw we run down the hill and blast that boy before his daddy even knows what happened" Barret grumbled. Cloud shook his head.

"Look, it's not Sephiroth's style to sneak attack. He likes to openly confront people. The only surprise attack he may pull is letting us run down there and walking out from the side to shock us" Cloud leaned his back onto the hill. Tifa sneered.

"He loves to make an entrance...but still, why leave the boy all alone out there?" Tifa asked.

"A diversion. He wants to get near the rip. We're not sure why, but knowing Sephiroth...regardless, he's never let a life stand in his way" Red pushed his body closely to the hill.

"That asshole thinks his kid is going to stop us? I don't care how strong he is; it's four on one!" Barret roared. Cloud glared at Barret and held his finger to his lips.

"Quiet down...don't give away the little edge we have in surprise...but a good point. Sephiroth has to know the boy won't last long..." Cloud began. Red got to his feet.

"But he'll last a few moments. And if that's all Sephiroth needs, we are wasting time!" Red said. Cloud nodded and got to his feet.

"Ok, here is the plan people. We run down this hill; head straight for this kid. Watch for Sephiroth! If Sephiroth does not show up, I'm going into the cavern to find him" Cloud ordered. Tifa lunged to her feet and grabbed his wrist.

"You are not fighting Sephiroth alone!" Tifa screamed. Cloud tried to pull his arm away, but Tifa held on strongly. Cloud bent his head and took a deep breathe.

"Fine...Tifa and me will go into the cavern and see what we can find. Barret and Red, you'll have to distract the boy" Cloud ordered as he pulled his hand free. Barret grinned.

"I'm gonna fill this asshole with lead" Barret claimed. Red looked upward at Cloud.

"What if Sephiroth does appear?" Red asked. Cloud crossed his arms.

"We'll follow the same type of plan; Tifa and me will try to stop Sephiroth while you two go after the boy. It's the best match-ups; I am the only one who has a weapon who can fight Sephiroth. Tifa might be able to out-fight Sephiroth if he loses the sword. Barret, you're gun can keep that kid on his toes and maybe take his long range...well, those blast attacks away. Red, you're probably the fastest one here. You can keep up with Phoenix the best" Cloud explained to them. Everyone nodded.

"And guys...no one dies, ok?" Cloud spoke up. They all nodded again. After a moment, Cloud looked up at the hill top.

"Barret, you cover us until we get to the ground. Red; you take the lead and go after that boy. Tifa and me will watch for Sephiroth. If we don't spot him, we're going in...let's go!" Cloud screamed. Barret went barreling past him, reaching the top of the hill. Barret glared down, aiming his arm at the boy.

"You're going down!" Barret screamed. Phoenix looked up at him; his coat still flapping around in the breeze. He slowly looked up at Barret; his blue eye glaring at Barret while the other one was covered by the flapping coat. The moment Barret say his face, he opened fire. In an instant the boy began to back-flip away. At the sound of gun-fire the others ran up the hill and down the other side. As soon as they reached bottom of the hill, Barret stopped firing and ran down as well. Red pumped his legs hard; his aim set on the boy. Phoenix stopped back-flipping and crouched back into his position as Red neared. Red growled and lunged into the air. The boy spun around; much quicker than Red expected. The metal staff smashed into Red's face, knocking him onto his back. Before Phoenix could follow up, Barret opened fire again. Phoenix held his staff in front of him; the Barrier Materia blocking the bullets.

"You tried this already!" Phoenix called out. Barret smirked as he began to walk clock-wise in a circle pattern. Phoenix put his hands over his heads; the barrier still blocking bullets. Silver energy once again began to accumulate around his hands.

"Barret, he's going to fire...!" Cloud muttered out. Barret clenched his teeth tightly.

"Go spikey! Sephiroth is not out here; go in that damn cave and stop him! Don't worry...I know what I'm doing!" Barret forced out between his teeth.

"Don't be so foolish...!" Tifa began to say. Cloud grabbed her wrist and ran towards the cavern.

"We need to find Sephiroth and end this!" Cloud screamed. Tifa pulled her wrist free and ran. Phoenix watched them.

"Where are they....the cavern!" Phoenix though. He turned towards them. He flung his hands forward.

"Masen-UMPH!" Phoenix screamed out. Red's head pushed hard into his rib-cage. The blast, due to this, went flying upwards into the sky. Before they had hit the ground, Phoenix had grabbed Red's body and flung it into the air. Phoenix rolled along the ground until his feet where under him. He quickly front-rolled to his staff. He picked it up with enough time to watch Cloud and Tifa run into the cavern.

"Damnit...no!" Phoenix screamed. He took a few running steps forward before he heard gun-fire again. He spun around and held his staff up, blocking the few bullets.

"Oh, no you don't...!" Barret remarked; a huge grin on his face. Phoenix glared at him, the coat whipping in the wind. The breeze kept batting the cuff of the jacket upwards; blocking his green eye. The blue one, however, focused on him perfectly. The staff disappeared from his hand. A silver glow replaced it around his hand.

"Let the battle be joined" Phoenix replied calmly.