Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters.
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We flew like the wind to the Condor Fort and made it just in time before the Shinra troops invaded the reactor.
"Thank goodness, you're here. Our fate lies with you now as we are powerless right now. The attack is much greater than before and we're lacking funds and men." The headman cried desperately.
"We've got it covered; we'll supply the funds and lead the battle. Don't worry; they won't get their filthy hands on the reactor, not now, not ever." I grinned at him and the others followed.
He was forever grateful and got ready the troops. We got as many, catapults, rock sliders, defenders, attackers, repairmen, soldiers and fire catapults to fill the area with extra Gil to spare. As promised, we led the troops to battle. Siew Mei created shields and cast barriers on us to protect us from the attacks. The vermin came by the dozen and we managed to hold them off long enough till the big cheese arrived. The commander that led the enemy troops was all muscle and less brain. It managed to get through us but couldn't escape the ambush the awaited him nearer to the fort. He tried to escape but was unlucky, as when we joined the ambush we closed every available path there was. It took less than an hour to defeat them and when it was over, the ground rocked and danced beneath our feet.
"It's not an earth...quake. The phoenix egg is hatching!" the headman barely could say the words as he was trying to steady himself through the rumbles.
It stopped as suddenly as it started. We went to investigate the roof and saw the Condor being thrown off and a bright light blanketed the reactor. There in the middle of the egg was a baby bird, which was as big as the buggy.
"How cute..." I whispered to myself.
There glowing next to the shell. It was the phoenix summoning materia. The little guy wanted to fly, I signaled Siew Mei to give it a boost. She summoned a whirlwind and the little bird floated in the air flapping its wings till it flew without the help of the whirlwind.
"Humph... this wasn't the huge materia we were looking for, we wasted our time here kak..." Naz grumbled when we gathered at the main level.
"No, it wasn't, but this is what you kids are after." The old man handed to us a huge red materia.
"How did... then what was that we helped to protect?" Siew Mei asked with her mouth and eyes wide open.
"You were defending the condor, and the egg. When the Shinra first built the reactor on this mountain, they said we could live here and later they came back for the materia which was being grown. I knew of their plan and kept the materia with me so they couldn't find it." He laughed, and had all the right to do so.
"So you kept it all along, huh gramps." I asked, feeling the urge to laugh with him.
He nodded and said he'd give it to us as a thank you reward for saving the fort. We couldn't thank him enough and said good bye to them. "You're always welcome here!" the headman waved to us as we left.
"Let's go help Cid." Naz called out. We flew in the speed of light, Naz carried Yuffie, and I carried Red XIII.
"Oh no... the train is about to crash into the town!" Siew Mei screamed.
Cid was already on board the Shinra train and was fighting the goons on board.
"Cid, go to the controls. We'll take care of things here!" Sam shouted.
"Easy for you to say, where are Enima and her pals when you need them." He grumbled.
"We're right here," caught him by surprise.
"Naz, follow Cid, we'll deal with the enemies!" I commanded him.
He did as he was told and we rumbled with the enemies. As soon as we finished with the enemies we followed Naz/Grey Fox and Cid. We were approaching the town and Cid panicked as he tried to slow the train down. Creaks... creak... Naz managed to pull the breaks and stop the train in time before it hit the town. The villagers were overjoyed and called us heroes. They even apologized to Barret for being rough on him. They let us stay at the inn for free and presented us with Barret's final limit break Catastrophe, the Ultima materia and the huge materia.
"Thank you so much for saving our town." The old woman said before we left.
"It was a pleasure especially for my hometown." Barret answered bashfully.
Back at Mideel, Aerith was by Cloud's side and once in a while, Jacques and the other lovebirds came to check on them. Nothing new, He was out of this world.
"Jacques, we're on our way back. How are they?" I asked anxiously.
"So far nothing, he's still the same, but Aerith is as loyal as can be. She can be qualified as a loyal wife, but they aren't married." He replied.
He was as worried as we were.
"I have a bad feeling about returning to Mideel." Red XIII suddenly let out off his chest.
"I feel it, too," Siew Mei/Lynn added. Truth is I felt it as well. Naz and Yuffie did, too.
Ultimate Weapon was on its way. Made sure we were in top condition before we landed the Highwind. Our first priority was to Cloud, he was our leader, and he needed to recover. While Cid and I went to check on our poor leader, the others went shopping. They updated the stock and weaponry. Yuffie even found an old key and tried it out at the mystery door at the materia store. The door turned out to be a picture on the wall and for being honest with the shopkeeper; she was given a cursed ring, a powerful but dangerous accessory. Red XIII even attracted the baby chocobo that was following the extra hyper lady around everywhere, with the Mimett grass he had carried. When he stroked it behind its ears, it gave him a materia. Back at the hospital, like Jacques said, nothing changed he was still the same but he kept saying, he's coming.
I think he meant Ultimate Weapon as he had arrived and caused a series of earthquakes.
"He's here, Vincent, Tifa stay with them we'll take care of him." Barret instructed firmly.
Man... was he huge; Ultimate Weapon was bigger than Godzilla and he flies. His power and strength matched his size.
"Pour it on; we need a lot of our strength to defeat him. Siew Mei, Serena follow me, we'll attack from the air!" I called as I flew upwards.
To weaken him, I sent out Venom arrows and Serena used her "Omega charge" on him. "Omega charge" is a combination attack where she is charged up with lightning, whirlwind and blue flames; together a tornado is created and will shock and burn the enemy. Lynn cast darkness rays on him which weakened her greatly. Ultimate Weapon surrendered and retreated when we were just getting warmed up, but the earthquakes never ceased and bit by bit the village sank into the Lifestream. Vincent, Tifa and Aerith barely made it across pushing Cloud's wheelchair and all four fell into the Lifestream.
"Let me go, we need to save them..." I struggled to break free from Jacques's and Barret's grasp.
"No... Vincent, Tifa, Cloud, AEERITH...!" I called out trying to reach out to them.
All the others could do was watch my antics and wait for a miracle to occur. In the Lifestream, Aerith, Vincent and Tifa found themselves stranded in darkness. It wasn't until Aerith called Cloud's name before they found themselves in Cloud's shattered mind.
"Cloud..." Aerith felt his pain and sorrow, in front of her lies the true Cloud but shattered and scattered.
She wanted to help him, all three did. First was Nibelheim when he first returned in five to seven years. It was Zack who was in SOLDIER First Class, not Cloud. Even so, Zack took care of him and it was he who became close friends with Cloud, not Sephiroth. Next was, when he asked to meet Tifa at the well and the promise. Cloud admired Tifa, and was surprised she came as she was from the popular crowd. The second last, was the window to Tifa's room. He had never been there before and it showed the real Cloud. Cloud was considered a weakling and had always wanted to fit in but couldn't. He'd hang around them, hoping to be noticed but never was.
When Tifa's mom passed away, she decided to look for her spirit and Cloud followed. But when they were on the canopy bridge, Cloud was with her and the bridge collapsed. Cloud was injured lightly, but Tifa was in a coma for days. Everyone blamed Cloud, even though it wasn't his fault. He had always looked through her window from the outside hoping that she'll notice him or forgive him. It was then he asked her to meet him at the well. This shows that they were never close, during their childhood days. This made Tifa feel really awful and angry at herself for not recalling sooner. She had wronged him and kept the truth from him. But... not all was a lie. In Nibelheim, the soldier who fainted during the fire, near her house, was Cloud.
At the reactor where Jenova was kept, it was Zack who was with her and he was slain by Sephiroth. Tifa tried to stop him but he slashed her. Sensing there was danger afoot, from guarding outside he rushed in to find his first best friend slain.
Zack's last words to Cloud were, "Get rid of Sephiroth, Cloud. It's all up to you now." And he fainted.
Cloud was devastated, took off his mask and took Zack's sword. He went up to Sephiroth and slashed him from behind.
"My hometown, my friends, my family, what have you done?! Why did you take them away from me?!" he screamed.
Sephiroth fell holding his murasame in his hand. Astonished, he limped out the door and tried to get away. Before pursuing him, Cloud tended to Tifa and she said he'd kept his promise to save her.
At the edge of the platform, Sephiroth tried to run and saw Cloud zoom after him. He stabbed Cloud with his murasame but was shocked he didn't die. Cloud, with the blade sliced through his body, he grabbed hold of the blade and threw Sephiroth into the core of the old reactor. This shows that Cloud was even more powerful than Sephiroth, though he never realized. It didn't end there, later Cloud himself fainted and Zangan, Tifa's master, arrived to get rid off Sephiroth but, in a quick change of heart, he rescued Tifa instead leaving Cloud and Zack to perish. After he left, Hojo appeared and 'saved' Cloud and Zack. He brought them back to Midgar and used them as guinea pigs in his experiments.
He had implanted Jenova cells into both of them to create the perfect soldiers like he did to his son, Sephiroth. The cells had no affect on Zack but it reacted otherwise on Cloud. Not long after, they both escaped his clutches, but the attempt to escape caused Zack to loose his life and Cloud suffered memory loss. That was when he joined AVALANCHE and told Zack's story like it were his. Before Zack fell, he had given Cloud the same clothes like he wore and his Buster Sword. Then...black out....
Aerith cried, not for herself but for Zack's parents, after the scene. They would be upset to know the fate that befell their only son and her first love. Tifa comforted her, and Vincent faced the floor in sorrow, as this was what happened to the son of the love of his life Lucrecia. The son he could've had with her. Cloud had found his true self at last and the first thing he did was embrace and apologized to Aerith.
She didn't blame him for any of it and was glad to have him hold her again. Tifa comforted Vincent, whose face fell greatly like none has seen before. He was grieved once more for the loss of his love, Lucrecia. Tifa wanted to hold him but was scared he'd turn her away and fell in Aerith's arms seeking shelter. She understood and told her to be patient.
"Let's swim back up to the surface, everyone's waiting for us." Tifa murmured between sighs.
"Yes, let's go together." She glanced at Cloud, who smiled and nodded then at Tifa who held her hand.
The Lifestream was a brilliant light sea green in their eyes as they ascended from the depths.
(Back on the surface)
"Cloud, wake up, man." Barret shook him hard.
"Aerith, Tifa, please get up," I whispered as Siew Mei and gently slapped their faces to wake them.
"Hey, Vince, snap out of it, stop joking, get up." Speed/ Jacques, Sam and struggled to rouse him.
Vincent was the first to wake up, "Speed, Sam, why the long faces?" he grinned as he got up (he calls us (my friends and I) by our code names).
"Good to see you're safe, man," Sam gave him a down low slap on his hand.
Then Cloud came around. Barret helped him to get into sitting position. "Are you back?" he asked eagerly.
Cloud answered sarcastically, "I think so, better give me a knock on the head Barret, just to make sure." Barret just did as he was told, but instead of knocking his head, he ruffled Cloud's blonde sea urchin like head. Yuffie and Red XIII laughed at the way Cloud struggled to release himself from Barret's head ruffles. Didn't he'd be a lot like Lara, my annoying little sister. She hates it when I ruffle her head. In fact she never listens to me anyway, as she's too matured for her age.
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We flew like the wind to the Condor Fort and made it just in time before the Shinra troops invaded the reactor.
"Thank goodness, you're here. Our fate lies with you now as we are powerless right now. The attack is much greater than before and we're lacking funds and men." The headman cried desperately.
"We've got it covered; we'll supply the funds and lead the battle. Don't worry; they won't get their filthy hands on the reactor, not now, not ever." I grinned at him and the others followed.
He was forever grateful and got ready the troops. We got as many, catapults, rock sliders, defenders, attackers, repairmen, soldiers and fire catapults to fill the area with extra Gil to spare. As promised, we led the troops to battle. Siew Mei created shields and cast barriers on us to protect us from the attacks. The vermin came by the dozen and we managed to hold them off long enough till the big cheese arrived. The commander that led the enemy troops was all muscle and less brain. It managed to get through us but couldn't escape the ambush the awaited him nearer to the fort. He tried to escape but was unlucky, as when we joined the ambush we closed every available path there was. It took less than an hour to defeat them and when it was over, the ground rocked and danced beneath our feet.
"It's not an earth...quake. The phoenix egg is hatching!" the headman barely could say the words as he was trying to steady himself through the rumbles.
It stopped as suddenly as it started. We went to investigate the roof and saw the Condor being thrown off and a bright light blanketed the reactor. There in the middle of the egg was a baby bird, which was as big as the buggy.
"How cute..." I whispered to myself.
There glowing next to the shell. It was the phoenix summoning materia. The little guy wanted to fly, I signaled Siew Mei to give it a boost. She summoned a whirlwind and the little bird floated in the air flapping its wings till it flew without the help of the whirlwind.
"Humph... this wasn't the huge materia we were looking for, we wasted our time here kak..." Naz grumbled when we gathered at the main level.
"No, it wasn't, but this is what you kids are after." The old man handed to us a huge red materia.
"How did... then what was that we helped to protect?" Siew Mei asked with her mouth and eyes wide open.
"You were defending the condor, and the egg. When the Shinra first built the reactor on this mountain, they said we could live here and later they came back for the materia which was being grown. I knew of their plan and kept the materia with me so they couldn't find it." He laughed, and had all the right to do so.
"So you kept it all along, huh gramps." I asked, feeling the urge to laugh with him.
He nodded and said he'd give it to us as a thank you reward for saving the fort. We couldn't thank him enough and said good bye to them. "You're always welcome here!" the headman waved to us as we left.
"Let's go help Cid." Naz called out. We flew in the speed of light, Naz carried Yuffie, and I carried Red XIII.
"Oh no... the train is about to crash into the town!" Siew Mei screamed.
Cid was already on board the Shinra train and was fighting the goons on board.
"Cid, go to the controls. We'll take care of things here!" Sam shouted.
"Easy for you to say, where are Enima and her pals when you need them." He grumbled.
"We're right here," caught him by surprise.
"Naz, follow Cid, we'll deal with the enemies!" I commanded him.
He did as he was told and we rumbled with the enemies. As soon as we finished with the enemies we followed Naz/Grey Fox and Cid. We were approaching the town and Cid panicked as he tried to slow the train down. Creaks... creak... Naz managed to pull the breaks and stop the train in time before it hit the town. The villagers were overjoyed and called us heroes. They even apologized to Barret for being rough on him. They let us stay at the inn for free and presented us with Barret's final limit break Catastrophe, the Ultima materia and the huge materia.
"Thank you so much for saving our town." The old woman said before we left.
"It was a pleasure especially for my hometown." Barret answered bashfully.
Back at Mideel, Aerith was by Cloud's side and once in a while, Jacques and the other lovebirds came to check on them. Nothing new, He was out of this world.
"Jacques, we're on our way back. How are they?" I asked anxiously.
"So far nothing, he's still the same, but Aerith is as loyal as can be. She can be qualified as a loyal wife, but they aren't married." He replied.
He was as worried as we were.
"I have a bad feeling about returning to Mideel." Red XIII suddenly let out off his chest.
"I feel it, too," Siew Mei/Lynn added. Truth is I felt it as well. Naz and Yuffie did, too.
Ultimate Weapon was on its way. Made sure we were in top condition before we landed the Highwind. Our first priority was to Cloud, he was our leader, and he needed to recover. While Cid and I went to check on our poor leader, the others went shopping. They updated the stock and weaponry. Yuffie even found an old key and tried it out at the mystery door at the materia store. The door turned out to be a picture on the wall and for being honest with the shopkeeper; she was given a cursed ring, a powerful but dangerous accessory. Red XIII even attracted the baby chocobo that was following the extra hyper lady around everywhere, with the Mimett grass he had carried. When he stroked it behind its ears, it gave him a materia. Back at the hospital, like Jacques said, nothing changed he was still the same but he kept saying, he's coming.
I think he meant Ultimate Weapon as he had arrived and caused a series of earthquakes.
"He's here, Vincent, Tifa stay with them we'll take care of him." Barret instructed firmly.
Man... was he huge; Ultimate Weapon was bigger than Godzilla and he flies. His power and strength matched his size.
"Pour it on; we need a lot of our strength to defeat him. Siew Mei, Serena follow me, we'll attack from the air!" I called as I flew upwards.
To weaken him, I sent out Venom arrows and Serena used her "Omega charge" on him. "Omega charge" is a combination attack where she is charged up with lightning, whirlwind and blue flames; together a tornado is created and will shock and burn the enemy. Lynn cast darkness rays on him which weakened her greatly. Ultimate Weapon surrendered and retreated when we were just getting warmed up, but the earthquakes never ceased and bit by bit the village sank into the Lifestream. Vincent, Tifa and Aerith barely made it across pushing Cloud's wheelchair and all four fell into the Lifestream.
"Let me go, we need to save them..." I struggled to break free from Jacques's and Barret's grasp.
"No... Vincent, Tifa, Cloud, AEERITH...!" I called out trying to reach out to them.
All the others could do was watch my antics and wait for a miracle to occur. In the Lifestream, Aerith, Vincent and Tifa found themselves stranded in darkness. It wasn't until Aerith called Cloud's name before they found themselves in Cloud's shattered mind.
"Cloud..." Aerith felt his pain and sorrow, in front of her lies the true Cloud but shattered and scattered.
She wanted to help him, all three did. First was Nibelheim when he first returned in five to seven years. It was Zack who was in SOLDIER First Class, not Cloud. Even so, Zack took care of him and it was he who became close friends with Cloud, not Sephiroth. Next was, when he asked to meet Tifa at the well and the promise. Cloud admired Tifa, and was surprised she came as she was from the popular crowd. The second last, was the window to Tifa's room. He had never been there before and it showed the real Cloud. Cloud was considered a weakling and had always wanted to fit in but couldn't. He'd hang around them, hoping to be noticed but never was.
When Tifa's mom passed away, she decided to look for her spirit and Cloud followed. But when they were on the canopy bridge, Cloud was with her and the bridge collapsed. Cloud was injured lightly, but Tifa was in a coma for days. Everyone blamed Cloud, even though it wasn't his fault. He had always looked through her window from the outside hoping that she'll notice him or forgive him. It was then he asked her to meet him at the well. This shows that they were never close, during their childhood days. This made Tifa feel really awful and angry at herself for not recalling sooner. She had wronged him and kept the truth from him. But... not all was a lie. In Nibelheim, the soldier who fainted during the fire, near her house, was Cloud.
At the reactor where Jenova was kept, it was Zack who was with her and he was slain by Sephiroth. Tifa tried to stop him but he slashed her. Sensing there was danger afoot, from guarding outside he rushed in to find his first best friend slain.
Zack's last words to Cloud were, "Get rid of Sephiroth, Cloud. It's all up to you now." And he fainted.
Cloud was devastated, took off his mask and took Zack's sword. He went up to Sephiroth and slashed him from behind.
"My hometown, my friends, my family, what have you done?! Why did you take them away from me?!" he screamed.
Sephiroth fell holding his murasame in his hand. Astonished, he limped out the door and tried to get away. Before pursuing him, Cloud tended to Tifa and she said he'd kept his promise to save her.
At the edge of the platform, Sephiroth tried to run and saw Cloud zoom after him. He stabbed Cloud with his murasame but was shocked he didn't die. Cloud, with the blade sliced through his body, he grabbed hold of the blade and threw Sephiroth into the core of the old reactor. This shows that Cloud was even more powerful than Sephiroth, though he never realized. It didn't end there, later Cloud himself fainted and Zangan, Tifa's master, arrived to get rid off Sephiroth but, in a quick change of heart, he rescued Tifa instead leaving Cloud and Zack to perish. After he left, Hojo appeared and 'saved' Cloud and Zack. He brought them back to Midgar and used them as guinea pigs in his experiments.
He had implanted Jenova cells into both of them to create the perfect soldiers like he did to his son, Sephiroth. The cells had no affect on Zack but it reacted otherwise on Cloud. Not long after, they both escaped his clutches, but the attempt to escape caused Zack to loose his life and Cloud suffered memory loss. That was when he joined AVALANCHE and told Zack's story like it were his. Before Zack fell, he had given Cloud the same clothes like he wore and his Buster Sword. Then...black out....
Aerith cried, not for herself but for Zack's parents, after the scene. They would be upset to know the fate that befell their only son and her first love. Tifa comforted her, and Vincent faced the floor in sorrow, as this was what happened to the son of the love of his life Lucrecia. The son he could've had with her. Cloud had found his true self at last and the first thing he did was embrace and apologized to Aerith.
She didn't blame him for any of it and was glad to have him hold her again. Tifa comforted Vincent, whose face fell greatly like none has seen before. He was grieved once more for the loss of his love, Lucrecia. Tifa wanted to hold him but was scared he'd turn her away and fell in Aerith's arms seeking shelter. She understood and told her to be patient.
"Let's swim back up to the surface, everyone's waiting for us." Tifa murmured between sighs.
"Yes, let's go together." She glanced at Cloud, who smiled and nodded then at Tifa who held her hand.
The Lifestream was a brilliant light sea green in their eyes as they ascended from the depths.
(Back on the surface)
"Cloud, wake up, man." Barret shook him hard.
"Aerith, Tifa, please get up," I whispered as Siew Mei and gently slapped their faces to wake them.
"Hey, Vince, snap out of it, stop joking, get up." Speed/ Jacques, Sam and struggled to rouse him.
Vincent was the first to wake up, "Speed, Sam, why the long faces?" he grinned as he got up (he calls us (my friends and I) by our code names).
"Good to see you're safe, man," Sam gave him a down low slap on his hand.
Then Cloud came around. Barret helped him to get into sitting position. "Are you back?" he asked eagerly.
Cloud answered sarcastically, "I think so, better give me a knock on the head Barret, just to make sure." Barret just did as he was told, but instead of knocking his head, he ruffled Cloud's blonde sea urchin like head. Yuffie and Red XIII laughed at the way Cloud struggled to release himself from Barret's head ruffles. Didn't he'd be a lot like Lara, my annoying little sister. She hates it when I ruffle her head. In fact she never listens to me anyway, as she's too matured for her age.
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