Disclaimer: I'm not gonna even say it this time...if u really wanna know,
look at one of the other chapters...
They sat in silence for a while. "Actually Cloud.I do feel something." Aeris looked at the bedspread. "He's coming." Cloud looked to Aeris and fear was in his easy. Fear. Something Aeris had never seen etched into his features. It disappeared after a moment, but Aeris knew why it had appeared.
He didn't want to hurt her. He knew that Sephiroth had done it last time. He knew, too, that she was too weak to help Cloud. Cloud stood up and went to leave.
"Don't go, Cloud." Aeris grabbed his arm. She had more strength than before and held onto him. "You won't hurt me. You won't. I believe in you." Cloud stopped and turned to face her.
"I can't control it."
"Yes. Yes you can. You can fight him, Cloud. You can."
Cloud looked into Aeris' eyes. He sat down beside her again. She smiled at him in reassurance and she let go of his arm. The air began to swirl before them.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Sephiroth is really dead.or encased here alive, actually.... the other Sephiroth must be a fake," Red XIII said quietly so that none of the Shinra people could hear them.
"How would a fake have so much power?" Yuffie asked a bit loudly.
"I created him from the real Sephiroth," a new voice said from behind them. Tifa turned before anyone else.
"Hojo!" Red XIII turned and growled deep in his throat and his tail stood straight up. Yuffie placed her hands on his back to silence him and she stroked him lightly. Red XIII took the hint and silenced his violence.
"What are you all doing here?" Red XIII demanded.
~~~~~~~~~~
Sephiroth became materialistic from the air that was before Cloud and Aeris. Cloud tensed waiting for Sephiroth to make his move. But Cloud found that he felt more than capable to keep from killing Aeris. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't lay a finger on her.
Sephiroth tried to make Cloud do what he couldn't do before. He tried in vain, to his surprise, and also Cloud's surprise. Cloud had a bit more power in him than Sephiroth or he himself realized.
"Why aren't you killing her.?" Sephiroth mumbled in a barely audible undertone.
"I'd rather kill you, Sephiroth." Aeris glared at Sephiroth with hatred that she had never and would never again bestow upon a person.
"Why me? We're old friends. Or so you think you remember."
"What do you mean?" Sephiroth laughed.
"You are so pitiful. I will go to the Promised Land with the Black Materia. Whether you like it or not."
"No." Cloud pulled out his sword. "You aren't Sephiroth. You aren't the Sephiroth I knew. So tell me, who the hell are you?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm looking in on Sephiroth. He's been here for so long. He's desired the Black Materia to awaken. Imagine, two Sephiroths.. and then there's the matter of your friend..the failure..." Hojo placed his chin in his hand that was supported by his arm. He was thinking deeply and becoming oblivious to the world. Tifa put a stop to his little thoughts.
"How are there two Sephiroths!?" Tifa yelled at him after hitting him hard. "What did you do!? And what about Cloud; what are you saying about him?" Tifa let rage flow through her. Red XIII wanted to join her in her anger. Hojo had angered him. Red XIII, normally level headed and calm totally lost it in the presence of this man. No..not a man. A beast..no man would do what he does to his 'experiments' and 'precious specimens.'
"Tifa! Wait!" Barret ran up with Cid, CaitSith and Vincent close behind. "Let's here what this #*@%$^$ scum has to say! I wanna know the truth 'ere!"
Tifa took a step away from Hojo and waited for him to talk. Hojo was in the presence of Rufus, Hiedgar, and Scarlet, but he doubted they could take on this angry bunch in hand to hand combat, so he talked.
"There are two Sephiroths because I created one of them. I created him as a clone to the real Sephiroth who hangs above your head. My Sephiroth has no idea he isn't the real Sephiroth, or so I think. I have implanted him with memories and he firmly believes the Jenova is his mother. He wants the Promised Land and he will lead us there.
"All the men in black cloaks aren't clones, but people injected with cells of Sephiroth and Jenova. They follow Sephiroth and he can communicate with them. They have little intelligence and no longer retain any memory.
"Your friend, well he is a very interesting case. He, too, was to become a clone, but he failed, and was dismissed as a failure. But he, however, is now anything but a failure anymore. He's a passed specimen. He has links with Sephiroth and a little of his own strength..interesting...."
"What do you mean interesting!!!!" Tifa yelled at him. Barret grabbed her as she lunged at Hojo. She struggled to get free. "Stop referring to Cloud as a failure!!! He's a person. He's my childhood friend!! He isn't some failure!!!!" Tifa was going to continue but began to shake with sobs and anger. She slowly lowered herself to the ground. She pounded it once angrily, and everything around them began to shake.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cloud stared at Sephiroth and waited for an answer. An answer that Cloud had been seeking.
"I am.." Cloud held his breath "I am I."
"DAMNIT SEPHIROTH!!!!!" Cloud pulled his sword behind his back and went to thrust it down onto Sephiroth's head. But something stopped him. Just like when he was going to strike the delicate head of Aeris, he had no control.
Sephiroth had stopped him again.but how. "This time," Sephiroth began in a whisper, "I wanted the Black Materia, and not her life." Aeris looked at Cloud wide eyed. Cloud had done what he had wanted to..he hadn't killed her.he hadn't even harmed her..But now he was going to give Sephiroth the one thing that gave hope to everyone. The hope remained as long as it was out of Sephiroth's hands.
Sephiroth lifted his hand to control Cloud. Cloud tried to fight it, but he couldn't. Aeris was helpless and could only watch. Sephiroth seized the Black Materia as soon as it came into his view. And with the Black Materia, he had seized also the hope of the planet.
~~~~~~~~~~ TBC
They sat in silence for a while. "Actually Cloud.I do feel something." Aeris looked at the bedspread. "He's coming." Cloud looked to Aeris and fear was in his easy. Fear. Something Aeris had never seen etched into his features. It disappeared after a moment, but Aeris knew why it had appeared.
He didn't want to hurt her. He knew that Sephiroth had done it last time. He knew, too, that she was too weak to help Cloud. Cloud stood up and went to leave.
"Don't go, Cloud." Aeris grabbed his arm. She had more strength than before and held onto him. "You won't hurt me. You won't. I believe in you." Cloud stopped and turned to face her.
"I can't control it."
"Yes. Yes you can. You can fight him, Cloud. You can."
Cloud looked into Aeris' eyes. He sat down beside her again. She smiled at him in reassurance and she let go of his arm. The air began to swirl before them.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Sephiroth is really dead.or encased here alive, actually.... the other Sephiroth must be a fake," Red XIII said quietly so that none of the Shinra people could hear them.
"How would a fake have so much power?" Yuffie asked a bit loudly.
"I created him from the real Sephiroth," a new voice said from behind them. Tifa turned before anyone else.
"Hojo!" Red XIII turned and growled deep in his throat and his tail stood straight up. Yuffie placed her hands on his back to silence him and she stroked him lightly. Red XIII took the hint and silenced his violence.
"What are you all doing here?" Red XIII demanded.
~~~~~~~~~~
Sephiroth became materialistic from the air that was before Cloud and Aeris. Cloud tensed waiting for Sephiroth to make his move. But Cloud found that he felt more than capable to keep from killing Aeris. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't lay a finger on her.
Sephiroth tried to make Cloud do what he couldn't do before. He tried in vain, to his surprise, and also Cloud's surprise. Cloud had a bit more power in him than Sephiroth or he himself realized.
"Why aren't you killing her.?" Sephiroth mumbled in a barely audible undertone.
"I'd rather kill you, Sephiroth." Aeris glared at Sephiroth with hatred that she had never and would never again bestow upon a person.
"Why me? We're old friends. Or so you think you remember."
"What do you mean?" Sephiroth laughed.
"You are so pitiful. I will go to the Promised Land with the Black Materia. Whether you like it or not."
"No." Cloud pulled out his sword. "You aren't Sephiroth. You aren't the Sephiroth I knew. So tell me, who the hell are you?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm looking in on Sephiroth. He's been here for so long. He's desired the Black Materia to awaken. Imagine, two Sephiroths.. and then there's the matter of your friend..the failure..." Hojo placed his chin in his hand that was supported by his arm. He was thinking deeply and becoming oblivious to the world. Tifa put a stop to his little thoughts.
"How are there two Sephiroths!?" Tifa yelled at him after hitting him hard. "What did you do!? And what about Cloud; what are you saying about him?" Tifa let rage flow through her. Red XIII wanted to join her in her anger. Hojo had angered him. Red XIII, normally level headed and calm totally lost it in the presence of this man. No..not a man. A beast..no man would do what he does to his 'experiments' and 'precious specimens.'
"Tifa! Wait!" Barret ran up with Cid, CaitSith and Vincent close behind. "Let's here what this #*@%$^$ scum has to say! I wanna know the truth 'ere!"
Tifa took a step away from Hojo and waited for him to talk. Hojo was in the presence of Rufus, Hiedgar, and Scarlet, but he doubted they could take on this angry bunch in hand to hand combat, so he talked.
"There are two Sephiroths because I created one of them. I created him as a clone to the real Sephiroth who hangs above your head. My Sephiroth has no idea he isn't the real Sephiroth, or so I think. I have implanted him with memories and he firmly believes the Jenova is his mother. He wants the Promised Land and he will lead us there.
"All the men in black cloaks aren't clones, but people injected with cells of Sephiroth and Jenova. They follow Sephiroth and he can communicate with them. They have little intelligence and no longer retain any memory.
"Your friend, well he is a very interesting case. He, too, was to become a clone, but he failed, and was dismissed as a failure. But he, however, is now anything but a failure anymore. He's a passed specimen. He has links with Sephiroth and a little of his own strength..interesting...."
"What do you mean interesting!!!!" Tifa yelled at him. Barret grabbed her as she lunged at Hojo. She struggled to get free. "Stop referring to Cloud as a failure!!! He's a person. He's my childhood friend!! He isn't some failure!!!!" Tifa was going to continue but began to shake with sobs and anger. She slowly lowered herself to the ground. She pounded it once angrily, and everything around them began to shake.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cloud stared at Sephiroth and waited for an answer. An answer that Cloud had been seeking.
"I am.." Cloud held his breath "I am I."
"DAMNIT SEPHIROTH!!!!!" Cloud pulled his sword behind his back and went to thrust it down onto Sephiroth's head. But something stopped him. Just like when he was going to strike the delicate head of Aeris, he had no control.
Sephiroth had stopped him again.but how. "This time," Sephiroth began in a whisper, "I wanted the Black Materia, and not her life." Aeris looked at Cloud wide eyed. Cloud had done what he had wanted to..he hadn't killed her.he hadn't even harmed her..But now he was going to give Sephiroth the one thing that gave hope to everyone. The hope remained as long as it was out of Sephiroth's hands.
Sephiroth lifted his hand to control Cloud. Cloud tried to fight it, but he couldn't. Aeris was helpless and could only watch. Sephiroth seized the Black Materia as soon as it came into his view. And with the Black Materia, he had seized also the hope of the planet.
~~~~~~~~~~ TBC