Reno: And we're back to another exciting chapter of 'Search For the Promised One'! This just in, Vincent is back! Yes, that's right folks. After only lame ass bit appearances and two actual chapters (Out of thirty three! That's kind of sad!), he's back! Live on the scene is Rude!
Rude: ...
Vincent: ...
Rude: ...
Vincent: ...
Reeve: Oh yeah, there's an intelligent conversation.
Reno: It's like they're on some different wave length than us. Their conversation is going completely over our heads. Not only is the content superior to ours, but the form of communication, too.
Reeve: Or they could just not be saying anything.
Reno: That, too.
Reeve: Right, I think we've wasted enough time here. Tyramir doesn't own FF. Now, back to the story!
Reunion
Shin Bahamut was clearly the more powerful of the two. Obsidian fought with intelligence and speed, a deadly grace and cunning that bespoke of great skill as a warrior, but Shin Bahamut carried with it a reckless power and rage that could not be quelled. Shin Bahamut was unstoppable. Weapons could be beaten.
Obsidian held Shin Bahamut by the throat and was mercilessly beating the King of Dragons with what was left of a smoke stack. But the summoned monster didn't even notice the damage.
This primal force was unstoppable.
Lucrecia smiled.
It faded away as a shape shadowed her from overhead and flew onwards, directly toward the confrontation. She frowned. They could ruin everything. Everything! She needed Obsidian destroyed so that she could get to Vincent!
Use it.
A voice. From somewhere in her own mind. A familiar stranger that had always been there, always urging her towards decisions. Those decisions had given her both great happiness and loss.
"Use what?" she asked.
Me. I can save your son. I alone can bring him back. I can stop them.
She wasn't sure she trusted the voice. It rarely spoke, and when it did, it always did to serve its own needs. But those needs usually coincided with hers...
"What do you get out of it?"
You must use my power. I am the one that can save him.
She shuddered away at the thought. She had never dared follow that suggestion before. That way led to possible enslavement. But how else was she going to resurrect her son, her dear Sephiroth?
Yes. I can save him. I can bring our son back. Let me loose. Let me help.
"I can control you. Give me your power. I'll do the rest. I'll save my son."
Done.
Lucrecia jolted and arched fully upright as fire and electricity shot through her nerves and veins. And icy chill followed after, then a dead calm. A sense of detachment as ultimate power coursed through her took over.
Green lightning and black fire began to fizzle around her hand. She lifted it, and pointed it at the airship. Fire blossomed from the right side of the ship, propellors and engine being instantly consumed. The ship staggered, but continued on, but not as confident as before. She let loose another blast of power, but the airship dodged it expertly, despite the crippling blow. Explosion after explosion rippled in the air, and still the ship weaved and ducked, managing to evade her, keeping her from the killing blow. Small white shapes flew off the deck, parachuting to safety, but the Highwind flew away, towards Obsidian and Shin Bahamut. Indecision filled her. The ones escaping, or the immediate threat?
Lightning and fire arced at the ship, but still it dodged. The pilot eluded her every blast, despite the trail of smoke coming from the right engine. She had to destroy it, before...
"Nooo!!" she screamed as the ship weaved between Obsidian Weapon and Shin Bahamut, crashing right into the dragon's face. The summoned monster stiffened, and collapsed. As it fell, Obsidian was immediately on top of it, smashing any remaining possibility of life out of it.
Lucrecia fell to her knees, stunned, as her last hope of defeating the Weapon was smashed to a bloody smear.
She wasn't sure how much time passed as she sat there, but her eyes widened as a large, red robot came into view. Hope rekindled in her as it began to deal vicious blows to Obsidian Weapon, exploiting wounds already inflicted on it by Shin Bahamut. And there, on its arm... her weapon! The one she had given the plans of to Rufus! So, the President of Shinra was playing his hand. That explained where Shin Bahamut had come from. If only he used that weapon... but the controller of the robot seemed reluctant to employ lethal means. It still, however, dealt out crippling blows.
But the Weapon still had that deadly cunning, an obvious knowledge of battle, that amazing grace and speed, and was able to duck and weave around the robot's blows, even going so far as to grip one of its arms and wrench at it terribly, ripping it right out of its socket. The machine didn't notice, but lifted its other arm and pointed it directly at Obsidian. Lucrecia's eyes widened and a child-like grin crossed her face.
Green and red liquid spewed from the robot's arm, completely engulfing Obsidian's face and chest. The Weapon screamed in agony, an ear-piercing shriek that spoke of murder and pain. Lucrecia laughed maniacally.
Waves of black melted away, and Lucrecia's laughter increased as her enemy's pain continued. And then, a hole opened up in the chest, and her laughter turned into a scream.
Inside the chest was that Cetra bitch, and cradled in her arms was her son. No. This wasn't right. Her son was dead. Vincent had told her so. Vincent had...
Vincent had lied to her. Sephiroth had been alive all along, somehow merged with that Ancient hag in the form of Obsidian Weapon, the ultimate force of destruction, and she had participated in his maiming. Her heart sank. She had to get to him, get him away from that Cetra woman, make him hers again.
With the power coursing inside of her, she leapt from the building through the window and flew out. All along a voice whispered in her head, Yes, yes, yes. Take us to our son.
The inky blackness of Obsidian melted away, leaving on Sephiroth and the Cetra floating in the air, surrounded in a sphere of white and gold. This would not be. That Cetra would not steal her son from her!
Fire and lightning struck the sphere, exploding on impact, forcing the two figures away from each other, sending each other flying through the air in opposite directions. A black and maroon figure flew into the air, grasping the hurtling figure of the Cetra woman, the pink of her dress oddly clashing with his dark clothes. Lucrecia's eyes narrowed at Vincent. She would deal with him later.
She dove in her flight and grabbed onto Sephiroth's black cape, then shifted to get a better hold. She lifted him into her arms, and slowly descended to the ground.
"Sephiroth, my son! You're alive! Wake up!"
Sephiroth! My son! Wake up!
The figure groaned, and reached out to her. His hand touched her cheek softly, and she smiled. He opened his eyes and looked directly at her. And flinched away from her hand.
"Sephiroth, my son, I'm here. Mother's here to make it all better. I'm here to take you away from this."
"Where? Where's Aeris? She--"
Lucrecia's hand stung after the slap she delivered across her son's face. How dare he? She was her mother, and his first words of concern were for that Cetra bitch? Fury blazed in her.
"I am your mother! Don't ever say her name again! I am the one you should care for!
But her anger was only a candle to the star of rage that flared in Sephiroth's eyes. He lifted one hand contemptously at her and punched her solidly in the face.
She reeled back, falling away. Stumbling and rolling, Lucrecia couldn't seem to get her bearings. Everything spun. She looked up, and saw a confused face looking down on her.
"I'm sorry," her son said. "I don't know where that came from. I don't know where I am... I... can't seem to remember. You said you were my mother, but Aeris said ... something about my mother. I can't ..."
"She was trying to warn you away from your mother," a male voice said.
Lucrecia's head darted towards the new-comer, and she inhaled deeply. No. No, this couldn't be happening. No. She wouldn't let it happen. No!
Fire and lightning blasted from her hand directly at Cloud Strife. A multi-coloured wall of energy appeared between him and the energy discharge, but still the impact erupted through his puny shell magic.
She slowly stood up, fury blazing from her finger tips.
"What's going on?" Sephiroth's bewildered voice brought Lucrecia up short. The power dissipated, but not the feeling of it. She wanted to wield it. Wanted to hurl it against something. Strife seemed the best target, or maybe Vincent, or maybe even that Cetra bitch, but Sephiroth's confusion made her stop.
"I'm sorry, my son. I... I didn't mean to. Listen to me. I am your mother, and I'm all that's important to you in this world. Forget this Aeris girl. She'll only hurt you. You have to stay away from her."
The sound of two hammers clicking back on two separate guns made her stop advancing towards her son. She turned around, fury filling her anew. Would these interferences never end?
Standing at different angles from her, but both holding similar weapons pointed at her were Vincent and Rufus.
"Sephiroth," Vincent said, his voice like iced over steel, "you will stay away from Aeris. But not because she may hurt you. Because you may hurt her again. Just like last time."
Rufus sneered. "He won't go anywhere near the Ancient. She's mine. And so is Sephiroth, but in a different way. I don't know how the Jenova in you keeps growing and shrinking, but I know what you are. And I know what you were. Obsidian Weapon, prepare to--"
Lucrecia began to build up her power for one great strike, but Sephiroth beat her to it. A brilliant nimbus surrounded him, expanding quickly. It struck both Vincent and Rufus, sending them hurtling away. Lucrecia barked a small laugh. Her eyes widened in surprised at the sphere of light continued to expand and struck her as well.
She didn't remember her flight through the air, but she slammed against hardened pavement, head first. Her neck made a large crack as it impacted, and she let out a small scream in agony. Her own son had...
Release me. I can make him love us. I can make him come to us again. He resists. I can stop that. Let me go.
Feeling drained both physically and emotionally, Lucrecia made a mental choice.
Something clicked inside of her.
Instantly healing, she stood up, and turned to face her son, her beautiful son.
"Sephiroth. It's me. Your mother. Jenova."
Author's Note:
Wheee, that was a long one. I know I did a basic recap for the beginning of the chapter, but I did stray a bit there with the Vincent chapter, and I wanted to get it across that Lucrecia was responsible for the blast that took out the Highwind.
Get her, guys!