Chapter 6 Suprises

"Danielle," said Sephiroth gently, "I need you to hold on to me. This is just another form of my body. I won't hurt you. I'm still the same Sephiroth." I nodded and he hugged me with his left arm and I put my arms around his neck. "Hold on tight," he said as he spread his white wings. It immediately slowed our descent and we stopped after the intial jolt of the slowing speed. He began to float higher. "When were you planning to tell me?" I asked quietly. "I wasn't planning on using this form ever again." I nodded. "I can understand that." We hovered over the deck of the Highwind. I dropped down and landed on my feet as he changed back to his normal form and fell as well. Then we drew our swords and ran off toward the sound of Cid cursing. ******** "Listen you bi^%$ ! No one rams the Highwind and lives to tell about it! I'm going to ram my spear so far up your ass it won't be funny!" cursed Cid. "Ohh... I'm so scared," taunted Eve. We came around the corner but she had her back to us and didn't notice. 'Should we?' asked Sephiroth smiling. I nodded and we ran forward as Cid used his Dragon Jump limit. Then we stabbed her in the back as Cid's spear went through her. I ducked. "Cid! Watch where you aim that thing!" I shouted. "What the Hell!?" screamed Eve as we withdrew our weapons. Sephiroth and I jumped and flipped over Eve and landed next to Cloud. "All present and accounted for," said Cloud, "Let's rock!" Everyone spread out around the deck and the battle began. Yuffie, Red, Aeris, Marle, and Lucca used their magic and materia to cast defensive spells on everyone and occasionally managed to get in an attack spell. Crono and Frog used their 'X- strike' tech. They ran forward and slashed an illuminated X across Eve's chest. She screamed and used a healing spell to re- coup the damage. I called upon a Fire 3 spell and made it strike the blade of Sephiroth's sword. He looked suprised as it absorbed the energy, then got the idea. "Fire Blade!" he shouted. He jumped up into the air and slashed Eve down the middle as he fell. Eve screamed agan and used Combustion on everyone. "Healing Wind!" shouted Aeris. A gentle breeze wound it's way around the party, healing them. "Light Side!" I shouted. I raised my sword to the sky and it was filled with energy. I ran forward and slashed Eve, nearly servering an arm. The energy transferred from my sword into her and she flew off screaming that she'd get revenge. Everyone with guns stood on the deck and fired until she was out of sight. Aya even had a MM1 grenade launcher and Brandy borrowed a grenade pistol and they kept firing. Eventually, they quit and everyone fell to the deck exhausted. After a while, Sephiroth and I went to my cabin to talk. ******* "I hope I don't end up like Vincent someday... I did a lot of horrible things while in service of the Turks... I'm glad I met Danni and Marisol..." said Brandy. "Who's Marisol?" asked Tifa. "A friend. Oh, it must have been 5 years ago..." (flashback) A 15 year old Brandy was walking through the streets of Midgar. She had been having a horrible night...the rumors of Elena becoming a Turk fresh on her mind. She wasn't paying attention when... WHAM!!! She ran right into her older sister. "Elena!?" she asked. "Brandy!?" "Well, what do ya know, you actually made it to Turk! I'm proud of ya." Elena smiled, "Thanks." Another guy came up to them. "Who's the girl, Elena?" he asked. "Tseng, this is my little sister, Brandy. Her specialty is the whip. I think she'll make a good turk. You should try her out." Tseng shook her hand. "Hmm..." he said, "Maybe, you need a job, girl?" Brandy nodded. 'Anything to be near Elena again...' she thought. ******* (2 yrs later flashback time) "Welcome to the Turks, Brandy," congradulated Reno. "Thanks Reno. What's my first assignment?" "You must find and retrieve the youngest Ancient and the 1st class Soldier who escaped with her. They are Danielle Gast and Marisol Valenzuela. They are not to be harmed." "Sure thing!" ******* (3 days after that) "Alright, hands up!" said Brandy. "Uh-oh, Danielle! We've been found!" said Marisol. "It's ok.... she's not like those other Turks. She just needs to find a path in life..." I replied. "What would you care!?" said Brandy, gun drawn and whip unslung. "Because.... I want to be your friend.." I said gently. "Danielle..." "Hush, May." Marisol closed her mouth. "I'm so sick of Reno!" complained Brandy," But, I'll deal with it to be near my sister. She's my only family..." "That's understandable." "I'll let you go this time," said Brandy, "But, get out of Midgar and wait for me in Cosmo Canyon. I'll come if and when I'm sure of what I want. If I don't show up in 2 months, I'm not coming." We nodded and left. ******* "Well, I quit the Turks and lived with Marisol and Danielle in Cosmo for a while. Then, during the Meteor accident, Marisol went to help her mom out of Midgar. We haven't seen her since. I've wasted so much of my life..." Brandy soon left Tifa and went to her own room. ******* Magus stood on the outer decks of the airship, mainly doing what he did best: ignoring everyone. Lucca walked up to him. "What do you want, Ashtear?" he asked coldly. "Magus, what's with you? I know you're not the social type, but you need to at least get to know our allies." "I know their names and their strengths. That is enough for me. They have proven their strength to me and I respect them. That is the best you'll get out of me." Lucca sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if there's anything of Janus still inside you at all..." "If there was, I wouldn't look like this. I'm not Janus anymore. I'm Magus. Leave me alone." Lucca shook her head and walked away. "If Janus is truly dead," Lucca called out, "Then why search for his sister, Schala?" Magus thought about that. 'There are no remains of Janus Zeal inside me.... are there? ...Schala...' ******* (2:30 PM) I ran a brush through my tangled hair and pulled it back into a high ponytail. "Danielle, we have that meeting in a few minutes," said Sephiroth as he pulled on his boots. "I know, Seph. I hope we find them soon. I want to get back at Jenova for what she's done." "Danni, don't focus on revenge or it will consume you. Besides, if you keep this up, you'll turn into Vincent or Magus or me! I wouldn't like that. You have way too much spirit to have it contained like that." I laughed and tossed my hairbrush at him. "Vincent's problem is that he hasn't moved on, after what happened with your mother. He needs to learn to let go of the past...but not forget. Magus, he either needs to learn the fact that Schala may be dead or needs to learn his emotions all over again. And you, you're just plain stubborn all around. There's no cure for that." I said laughing as I finished. Sephiroth mocked indignance and tossed my hairbrush back. I caught it and returned it to my pack and kissed him gently. "Come on, let's go," he said, holding my hand and pulling me along after him. ******* "Now we need to figure out where those three would go," commented Aeris as she sat at the table. "Somewhere where there are a lot of monsters to mutate," said Aya. "An easy energy outlet from the Lifestream," added Crono. "Someplace Jenova could defend without killing any of her allies," added Brandy. Cloud, Sephiroth, and Vincent looked up suddenly. "The Crater..." they said quietly.

Suddenly, out of the ground, came a large beam of bright light. "Oh no..." I moaned. "What is it?" asked Barret. Cid pulled up a visual on the monitor and the group saw 4 towering figures rise from the ground. "Weapon has been recreated," I said. "Aquamarine, Garnet, Topaz, and Omega Weapon..." said Aeris. "Oh Shit!" cursed Cid. Sephiroth glared at him but the pilot pretended not to notice. Aquamarine dove into the waters near Mideel, Garnet flew off toward Cosmo Canyon, Topaz dissappeared into the ground near Wutai, and Omega began to take to the skies.

"Oh crap!" said Nanaki. Everyone looked at the fire-red beast in amazement. "You're a bad influence, Cid." The pilot just smirked as Cloud began to lay out teams for the fight against the Weapons. "Nanaki, take Aeris, Brandy, Rufus, and Robo to Cosmo and defend it. Magus, Lucca, Vincent, Danielle and Ayla will go to Mideel with the sub. Go talk to Reeve in Junon. He was just elected Mayor so you should be able to get it. Barret, Yuffie, Marle, Crono, and Frog go back to Wutai and help Godo defend there. Cid, Aya, Tifa, Sephiroth, and I will go after Omega in the Highwind." Everyone nodded. "Good. Cid, head over to Junon and then the Chocobo ranch. That should cover transportation for everyone." Cid nodded and left to change course. ******* "Protect her with your life," said Sephiroth to Vincent after the meeting. "Trust me, Sephiroth. I will. I have no intention of letting her be hurt. Keep an eye on everyone. I'm not sure how strong the WEAPONS are, but we don't need to lose anyone before the final battle." "Understood. Thanks for everything, Vincent."

"Danielle, are you alright? You look very pale," commented Nanaki padding over to me. "Yeah... I just had another vision...about the battle with Jenova." "Care to tell me?" he asked, genuinely interested. "Well, Jenova, Lavos, and Eve had combined into a huge, ugly creature. We battled for a little while, but Jenova and Eve decided to get me out of the way. They combined powers and created a poisonous dart. They managed to hit me in the shoulder and told me the dart would suck the energy from my body. While the others battled, Sephiroth began to pull out the dart... fighting the strong electric shock that came with it... That's when I woke up. It's exactly the same as the vision I had in the Ancient City. I don't know what happens. I guess...I'm worried. I know how strong Sephiroth and I are...but we all have our limits." (No pun intended.) "I understand... Have you told Sephiroth any of this?" The red beast asked. I shook my head no. "I can't. I'm not allowed to alter fate. It's one of the rules that comes with this power." "I'll tell him then." "You won't be able to. The Cetra will make sure of it." I began to sense tears in my eyes and Nanaki saw them. "I'll try to make sure nothing happens...ok?" "You can try...but...oh, I don't know. I'm going to lay down for a while. I'll see you later." Red nodded and I walked toward my cabin. 'This is a bizarre turn of events... I'd better warn him...' he thought, padding off. ******* (3:05 PM) I sat in the bathroom losing my breakfast and my lunch. 'I'm airsick...' I thought. "Danielle? Are you alright?" asked Tifa, through the door. "I'm ok," I replied, moaning, "I'm just airsick." I stood up and opened it. "You look pale. Maybe you should sit this one out, Danni." "No way. I know my limits. I'll be fine. You'd better get ready, we're almost to Junon. Then you guys are going after Omega." She nodded hesitantly and left. I lied down on my bed trying to fight my sickness. Soon the nausea went away and I began to gather my things. ******* Cloud waved from the airship deck as the Highwind left us in Junon. I waved back and turned to my companions. "Let's get to Junon and find Reeve. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day," I said. They nodded and we began to hike. Ayla walked beside me. "You ready to fight?" I asked her. "Ayla always ready. Beat Weapon and Lavos." I smiled. "That's good. I'd like to try a new double tech against the Weapon with you. Do you mind?" I asked. "Me no mind. Ayla like! Tell me more." I began to explain the moves as Magus pointed out the town ahead. "Almost there," he called back. I nodded and returned to explaining. "That good move. We do, beat Weapon. Me like!!" I smiled and we entered Junon. ******* "Ok, Yuffie's team will take the Gold Chocobos. Red, we'll airlift you to Cosmo since we're going that way. Good luck you guys!" said Cloud as the Wutai team left the airship. They went inside the barn, talked to Choco Billy, got the gold chocobos, and rode off. ******* We walked into the elevator for upper Junon and Vincent pushed the switch to start it up. "Does anyone know where Reeve's office is?" asked Lucca. "Cloud told me it is near the training center," I replied. "Then that is where we go," said Magus quietly. 'Vincent and Magus have to be related somehow...' I thought as Vincent just stared off into space. The elevator stopped and we began to walk though the streets. Vincent bought a new gun at a weapon shop and gave it to Lucca so she would be armed with her Wondershot and a Supershot ST gun, one of the best guns besides the Death Penalty. We eventually reached Reeve's office and we were ushered in as soon as the receptionest saw us. "Danielle! Vincent! Good to see you," said Reeve shaking our hands, "And who are these people with you?" "I'm Lucca. Pleased to meet you, Sir." "Me Ayla. You fight with rawbot?" Reeve looked confused. "She means robot. She's talking about Cait Sith," I answered. "Ohh... and you are?" He said, looking at Magus. "I'm known as Magus," he replied, looking out the window. "What is it you need?" he asked. "We need the sub, Reeve. We're going after Aquamarine Weapon before something happens to Mideel," I replied. He looked upset. "I can't let you do that. It is outlawed because it runs on mako energy and was used by Shinra." "Cid said he put it on gasolene! It doesn't run off mako anymore!" I answered. "I still can't let you take it. Sorry, Danielle." "I didn't want to do this..." I said gently as I concentrated, "Manipulate..." Vincent's eyes widened as the brightness in Reeve's eyes dulled and he unlocked his desk, reaching for the sub keys. He handed them to me and I motioned for the others to leave. They left. "You will have no memory of this when you awaken and we leave Junon." I used a Sleep spell, and began to walk out the door. "Sorry Reeve," I whispered. I shut the door gently and we left for the submarine docks. ******* Nanaki ran into Cosmo Canyon, his party right behind him. They saw Garnet Weapon trashing the place as the people hid. Nanaki's eyes blazed as he ran forward in his Blood Fang move. Energy swirled around him and he tackled the Weapon stealing some magic power. It noticed him and the others and turned, ready for battle. Aeris quickly used 'Seal Evil' to paralyze Garnet. Nanaki shouted, "Diamond Dust!" Shiva appeared and waved her arms at Garnet, freezing him in ice which shattered. Garnet seemed hurt as it swiped a claw in Aeris's direction. She countered with an Ice 3. Cold air surrounded Garnet and a spike of ice stabbed though it. "Keep with the Ice attacks!" shouted Brandy, using sense. "Alright," replied Rufus, using Ice 3 himself. Robo stayed in the back, near Aeris so he could use his heal beam on everyone. Garnet retaliated with an attack called Everlasting Flames. A raging fire sweeped across the entire party, causing a lot of damage. "I'm sick of this already!" said Aeris, using her Great Gospel, curing them and making them invincible. "Let's hit the big one!" shouted Brandy to Rufus and Robo. They jumped into formation and shouted, "Shocking Revelation!!!" Robo unleashed a major shock attack while Brandy and Rufus used their Ice spells to make the energy even deadlier. It fell upon Garnet and it recieved a 100,000,000 voltage shock to it's nervous system, effectively killing it. Nanaki jumped on his hind legs and howled, Aeris dusted herself off and sighed, Rufus just held his shotgun at his side and fixed his hair while Brandy snapped her whip and jumped into the air. "Let's go check for survivors!" said Nanaki, running off. Brandy pulled out her PHS and pushed a button. "Cloud, This is Brandy. Mission acomplished." ******* We snuck into the underwater reactor where the docks were and hid behind some crates while Magus scouted the area. When he returned, he didn't have a good report. "There are too many guards. Too many to fight off. I count at least 100." I sat in thought for a minute and looked up. I saw a catwalk overhead and got an idea. "Magus, can you get me up there?" I asked. He nodded and picked me up, using his levitation spell to float up. He set me down and floated back down. "What are you going to do?" asked Lucca. "You'll see. Come on!" "Danielle, don't do anything rash," started Vincent as they followed me toward the submarine bay. As they watched, I concentrated on a spell. "Sleep, All!" I whispered, loud enough for them to hear. The soldiers fell asleep at their posts. I motioned to the group to be quiet and told them to get to the sub. I climbed down the ladder, and landed on top of the sub. "Come on! Let's go!" I whispered. "Very clever," commented Vincent. I smiled. "Hold it right there!" said a familiar voice. "Oh no... Vincent, don't tell me that's..." "Yes it is," said Reno, stepping out of the shadows, "How nice to see you again, babe. You know, you're the only one who has ever gotten away from me." "Thank God for that!" I retorted. "Why are you here?" asked Vincent with deadly calm. "We're here because we have to guard this stupid ass sub since Zack never contacted us again," said Elena as she and Rude joined Reno. "Elena, no need to tell them our orders," said a man with long black hair, joining them. "Tseng!?!?!?" I asked in amazement. "How good to see you again, Danielle. Is your sister well?" he replied. "Very well," I replied stiffly, "My sister may have forgiven you for turning us over to the Shinra... but I haven't." I drew my sword. "I didn't plan to fight you... but I guess we still have some problems to work out," he replied. I growled softly. "I'll take the red-headed idiot," commented Magus, pulling out his DoomSickle. "Me take blonde," said Ayla getting into a fighting stance. "Looks like we get Rude, Lucca," said Vincent, staring at their opponent. Lucca nodded and drew her Wondershot. Tseng drew his Shadow Kitanas, Reno, his Shi nightstick. (Shi is Japanese for Death) Elena and Rude pulled out and loaded their handguns. Vincent got out his Death Penalty and took aim. ******* (These fights will be separated but at the same time.) Tseng vs. Danielle Tseng and I charged as the fight began. His swords streaked at me as I raised mine to block and attempted to counter. He blocked, raising his swords in an X- shape. I pulled out my blade and turned, holding my blade horizontally. He blocked again and countered, making a slash on my arm. I grunted in pain and switched my sword to my left hand. "You've gotten better... but you still can't match me." "Oh really?" I used a bolt 3 spell and made it strike my sword. I jumped into the air and used a new move I called Thunder blade. "You have gotten better," he said, "Wait a sec! You don't have any materia! How'd you do that?" "That's my little secret. And since we're on the subject of magic.... here's a parting gift for you. Ultima!!" A nuclear explosion erupted around Tseng and he fell, severely wounded. I held my sword to his throat. I looked in his eyes and saw quiet resignation to his fate. Normally, I would have killed him... but something snapped and I withdrew my sword. "Get out of my sight, Tseng. You'd better thank Brandy and Aeris someday. Brandy's respect and the fact Aeris likes you has saved you. Now leave." He nodded, sheathed his swords, and walked off. I sheathed my sword and jumped into the air. ******* Reno vs. Magus "Turk Light!" shouted Reno, aiming his nightstick and sending a ball of fire at the wizard. It didn't faze him in the least. 'Uh-oh...' Magus just smiled evilly and sent a Dark Matter at him. The black and white triangles appeared, causing a lot of damage. "That was worse than Shadow Flare!" shouted Reno, like a baby. Magus flew forward and slashed with his scythe. Reno blocked with his nightstick, and sent a charge into Magus' body. He flew back and Reno decided he'd had enough. He ran a hand through his hair, put away his nightstick, and ran off. Magus put away his scythe and let the wind blow his cape. ******* Ayla vs. Elena Ayla just jumped over another of Elena fire waves and landed a Triple Kick on her head and back. "You bad fighter. Reptite better than you!" smiled Ayla, jumping again. Elena knows when she's been insulted, even though she has no clue what a Reptite is... She raised her gun, but Ayla used her materia and cast Ice 3 on herself. "Ha! You froze yourself!" taunted Elena. "Me did on purpose!" She then landed an Iced Triple Kick on Elena which made her fall down. She shot a couple of bullets at Ayla, brushed her bangs behind her ear, and walked away. Ayla pumped her fist into the air in victory. ******* Lucca and Vincent vs. Rude Lucca stayed in the back, using her spells on Vincent's bullets. It was effective until Vincent got mad and transformed into Chaos. "Holy Shit!!!" shouted Lucca as she used a Napalm grenade on Rude. Vincent used his Chaos saber on Rude, who cured himself. He then retaliated with an Ice 3 to Lucca. It hurt her a lot but she used Cure 3 on both of them. Multicolored sparkles swirled around their wounds and healed them. Rude shot off a few more shots, looked at his watch, and ran off. Vincent twirled his gun and put it away while Lucca spun around and raised her Wondershot in the air. "Alright!" I said, "Let's get outta here!" We jumped into the sub and dove underwater. ******* Yuffie and her team jumped off their chocobos and ran into Wutai. Godo met them at the door to the pagoda. "Yuffie, that Weapon has destroyed the Da-Chao statues!! You must do something!" "That's why we're here, Dad. We'll take care of it." Here she looked to where the statues used to be. "Man! That was my favorite spot to meditate.... Topaz is in for it now!" They ran to where the statues used to be and there they saw the weapon, charging up one of his attacks. "Hold it right there!" exclaimed Yuffie. The Weapon turned and a giant ball of energy flew at her. Frog leaped up and pushed Yuffie out of the way and dodged the blast himself. "Thanks Frog!" replied Yuffie, summoning Leviathan. The huge water dragon appeared and sent a tidal wave over Topaz. It seemed crippled. Frog took the hint and began letting loose with his Water 2 spell. Crono and Marle teamed up to use Ice Sword 2. Topaz countered with a move called Rock N Roll. Many boulders appeared and landed on the heroes. "Cure 2!" shouted Marle and Yuffie. The two spells combined and everyone was healed. Frog and Crono teamed up and used X- strike. Topaz hit it's knees. Yuffie ran forward and used her 'All Creation'. The explosion hit Topaz and he hit the ground, disappearing in multi-colored lights. Yuffie jumped up and down, Marle and Crono pulled off their finishing moves, and Frog flexed his muscles. Yuffie pulled out her PHS and dialed up Cloud. "Cloud, Mission accomplished. Wutai is ok, but the Da-Chao statues are gone." *******

I piloted the sub underwater toward Mideel. "Who brought the Underwater Materia?" I asked. "I've got it, Danielle," answered Vincent. "Ok, I really don't know how much further it is from here, but I'm guessing about a half-hour. Tell the others to get prepared, will ya?" I said. Vincent nodded and left the cockpit as Magus walked in. "Hi Magus, something bothering you?" I asked, immediately sensing his mood. "You could say that. Lately I have been sensing great energy from you, and I don't think it's because of your operation. You don't seem...entirely..." he answered. "Human?" I asked. "Yes. When you fight, you embody great power. How is this?" "Well, you're right. I'm not entirely human. I'm one of the people called the Cetra. We're a great race with extreme magical powers and the ability to speak with planets. We're normally healers by nature, but there are a few who are true warriors with great power and skills. I am one of these." "That is amazing... and intriguing. Is there any way to learn more?" He asked. "Yeah! When we get back to the Highwind, you can talk to Red, or Aeris. Red is a researcher from Cosmo Canyon, the best in info about my people or the Planet, and Aeris is my sister. She is more in tune with the Planet than I am, considering she's a healer. She can tell you many things." "Very well, I will leave you to prepare." "Ok! Hope I was able to answer your question!" I said as he left. *******

Vincent and I used Underwater Materia magic to create a huge air bubble around the battlefield and also taking Aquamarine out of it's element, which made it harder for it to fight. "Go with the Lightning, Magus!" I shouted, starting to cast Bolt 3 over and over. Magus stated teaming up with Ayla using Volt Bite. (A/N: Hey, If Crono and Ayla can do that move, Magus can too!) Aquamarine was taking severe punishment, but it wasn't down for the count yet. It summoned a tidal wave and filled up the bubble with water! 'Crap! Our air supply won't last long! Maybe I can pull off that move with Ayla....' I thought in a panic. I motioned to Ayla who nodded. We used our new attack called Ultimate Energy. I used the power from my Light Side spell and sent it into Ayla who launched into her Triple Kick technique. She attacked the WEAPON and it fell to its knees. My lungs were screaming for air. I looked around for the others. Vincent was holding onto Lucca and breathing into her mouth, giving her some air. Ayla was flung away as she finished her kicks and she was swimming toward Magus. He was unconsious. 'Shit!' I thought, 'What to do....?' I summoned Knights of the Round and swam toward Magus. Lucca and Vincent swam over too. They made a motion showing that they were running out of air. The Knights continued to attack as we swam for the Sub. Ayla swam with Magus in her arms and Vincent carried Lucca. I opened the hatch and we swam into the airlock. I activated the drainage sequence. Soon we were standing in a huddle around Magus. "He's not breathing," I said. "CPR, Danielle! Quick!" said Lucca. "Me?" I demanded, "Why not you!?" "Just do it!" answered Vincent. I sighed and began breathing into Magus' mouth. "Breathe, Magus!" I shouted at him a moment later, "Damn it! Breathe!!!" I had an idea and I sent a charge of electricity through my fingers and into his chest. He gasped in pain and began coughing. I turned him over and let him cough up the seawater. "You alright?" I asked. He coughed some more. "I'm fine," he muttered. Lucca smiled. "Is the WEAPON dead?" I asked. Ayla walked in. "WEAPON gone. Strong magic. No see. Only pieces of armor." I smiled and dialed up Cloud on my PHS. "Mission Accomplished. Hey, Cloud? Never send me on an underwater mission again, ok?" Lucca and Ayla laughed as I hung up and went to the control room to take us back to Junon.