Sora was thinking quietly about the people transforming into monsters. He once read something about it from an old science book discussing things about planetary fuel and energy. "From what I can remember, if a person is exposed to that kind of energy and he cannot take it, he mutates into a monster-like creature…" he thought silently. He turned to the desk clock and saw that it was already 3 in the morning. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes, ready to drift off to sleep.
Silence filled the whole room…
Until he felt something invisible pierce through his brain… coming from a very high-pitched sound that made him open his eyes and clutched his head in pain. "Ow… what's that?" he said out loud.
The sound faded away.
He calmed down a little, but he was sweating. "Gee… that really hurt…" he thought silently as he slowly sat up and scratched his head. The pain was gone too. "I wonder what happened…" he thought. He sighed heavily before he switched on the lamplight and gazed around the room. He saw a telephone. Pleased and excited, he got out of bed and rushed to the telephone on the study desk. He placed the receiver against his ear and dialed some numbers, but after dialing, a computerized voice spoke up, "Sorry. That number is not found in this area. If you have the area code, please dial it before the number of your destination. Thank you." And the dial tone returned.
He replaced the receiver and began to think of the area code for Midgar but could not remember. "Geez… this is what I get for not being raised there… Oh well… better just check out the operator again." He thought before he got the receiver again and dialed the operator's number. After a few moments, the operator answered, "Balamb Telecommunications Company here. How may I help you?"
"Uhm… hello. I'd like to ask for the area code of Midgar." Sora began.
Silence.
"Which sector?" the operator asked.
He smiled excitedly, "Sector 2, please." He replied.
The operator was silent for a while before answering, "002. But before you dial that area code plus the landline number, you have to press asterisk twice, alright?"
Sora nodded. "Okay, thank you… uhm… wait, ma'am?" he asked.
"Yes, sir?" the operator responded.
"I'd like to know if the timezone of this place is different from Midgar. You see… I think it's in a different continent and area…" Sora began.
"It's already 8 am in that place. The timezones are different." The operator explained.
Sora was happy. "Okay… thank you." He said. "And that Nida guy told me that he hasn't heard of Midgar before…" he thought silently.
"Alright." The operator said before hanging up.
Sora waited for the dial tone again before dialing.
After a few rings, a sleepy voice answered. "Strife Residence, good morning."
Sora gasped happily and greeted, "Daddy!"
Silence.
"Sora?" Cloud responded.
Sora smiled happily. "Yes, dad!" he said.
"Where are you?" Cloud asked, suddenly sounding awake.
"In Balamb." Sora replied.
Silence.
"Balamb?" Cloud repeated with an unsure tone.
"The place where Squall's from." Sora replied.
Silence.
"Leon." Sora specified.
"Oh yeah… now I remember. But… what are you doing there? Did you find the box already?" Cloud asked.
"No but the contents of the box is with Riku's friend. But don't worry dad, it's in good hands. But anyway… I have a question." Sora began.
"What is it?" Cloud asked.
"What's with the eeeek eeeek sound that I'm hearing?" Sora asked.
Cloud was silent for a while before saying, "What kind of eeek eek sound?" he asked.
"Some… high pitched noise? It's like feedback from a microphone when placed near the karaoke." Sora explained.
Cloud's eyes widened upon hearing that. "You… can hear those sounds?" he asked.
"Yes, dad… and then my head began to ache. But it's gone now. It's the first time I was able to hear that kind of sound." Sora explained.
Cloud turned to Aerith who was still asleep on their bed before speaking up again, "Sora, come home now." Was all he said.
Sora blinked. "Dad, it's like, 3 in the morning here," he began.
"Just come back here. And hurry with Riku and that box. It's very important." Cloud told him.
Sora nodded. "Oh… okay, dad… but… what's that sound anyway?" he asked.
"I'll explain to you once you get home. And be careful where you pass by. Heard there's trouble all over us again." Cloud pointed out.
Sora's eyes widened. "Trouble?" he asked.
"Ever heard of Mako?" Cloud asked.
Sora was silent for a while before lightening up, "Oh yeah! I've heard about it! You said that you were exposed to it, right?" he asked with a smile on his face.
"Just a warning. If you see this very bright light, don't come near it no matter what happens." Cloud told him.
Sora sat down on a chair, "What? Why?" he asked.
"It… looks nice… like it came from goodness. That light might give you an idea that it can give you warmth and freedom and happiness… but it is not what you might think it is. That light is dangerous, you hear?"
"How dangerous is it?" Sora asked.
"It can kill." Cloud told him.
Sora fell silent.
"I'll see you soon." Cloud said before hanging up.
"Dad, wait—…" Sora said, but was cut off when he heard the dial tone. Sighing heavily, he replaced the receiver on the phone and went back to the bed. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the last thought that came into his consciousness was, "Darn it! I forgot to ask dad the directions back home!"
Sephiroth looked up from the newspaper that he was reading when he heard the doorbell ringing. "Somebody, get that!" he snapped impatiently.
Silence.
Sephiroth turned to the girl with short dark brown hair seated next to him. "I said, somebody, get that." He whispered with a warning tone.
She just stared blankly at him before getting up, leaving her food on the table. When Sephiroth saw that she was wearing short shorts with her loose white t-shirt, his mouth dropped open, "What are you wearing?!" he demanded.
"I'm wearing shorts, dad." She replied glumly.
"Change into pants!" Sephiroth told her.
"What for?" she asked in annoyance.
The doorbell sounded again.
"I'll do it later," she told him before rushing out of the dining area.
"Jill!" Sephiroth called out at her but she ignored him. He turned to one of the other people present in the same room when he heard some snickering. It was coming from his eldest son. "Do you mind telling me what's so funny, Dante?" he asked.
Dante just flipped his silver hair and smiled at his father. "I'm… just laughing at myself. I remembered something funny." He said.
The one seated beside him just rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. You're laughing at Jill…" he muttered.
"Shut up, Skurai," Dante muttered back.
Sephiroth eyed them carefully before proceeding to read the newspaper again.
Jill opened the door and stared strangely at the weird-looking man. "What a funny-looking man," she thought silently, reminding her of the zombies she used to battle. "Yeah, what do you want?" she asked.
The man was wearing a white lab coat… but it looked… dirty. "Hahahahaha. Pleasant morning, pretty lady," was his answer.
Well, he's not exactly charming… or decent-looking, for that matter. "Uh… do you want me to give you some alms or anything? All I have is toast…"
"Oh, no, no, no! I…" he began, but was cut off by her, "…Look, man, my dad doesn't like beggars, so if you want money or anything, go to ShinRa. It's in Sector 1. Talk to the Head of Urban Development and tell him what you want, alright? Have a nice day." She said before closing the door with a grumpy look on her face. She headed back to the dining room.
"Who was that?" Sephiroth asked.
"Some disgusting-looking beggar." She said before she sat down.
Dante snickered at her, "Gee… why do you always tend to attract beggars? Are you that… cheap?" he teased.
Skurai stifled his laughter while saying, "You mean Carlos is a beggar?" he asked.
Sephiroth pounded on the table, surprising the three. "Alright, I won't have that name mentioned around here you hear?" he demanded.
Jill just rolled her eyes.
"Yes daddy." Dante said with a fakey-obedient tone before turning to sneer at his sister. Jill made a face at him.
The doorbell sounded again.
"Get it, Jill." Sephiroth instructed.
She stomped her foot as she got up and dragged Dante with her. "You're coming with me! If it's another beggar, you talk to him!" she snapped at him.
"Hey, I can get rid of the guys courting you while they're serenading, but not at any other time you know," Dante said with a grin.
Jill ignored his remark and opened the door with her free hand. Sure enough, it was the same, dirty-coated guy again. "Hello again, ma'am. And he is your…?" the man greeted.
"My older brother. Nothing more, nothing less." Jill said.
The man smiled slyly at them while thinking, "Hmm… such beautiful children. And this guy even has his father's physique. And this girl is simply lovely. I wonder who their mother is…"
"So, old dude, I hear you're bugging my little sister," Dante said, switching to his bully mode.
The man forced a smile at him. "Ah, I am sorry, I did not realize that I was troubling you both. I am simply…" he trailed off when Dante pulled out his Ebony and Ivory, pointing the two against the man's forehead.
Jill was already holding a handgun, twirling it in her hand.
"Look old man, we don't like the way you smell and the way you look at us, so just scram." Dante warned.
The man was supposed to say something else but he trailed off when he heard Sephiroth shouting from inside, "Hey! Who's that?!"
The man just ran away, leaving Dante and Jill perplexed.
"That's why nobody comes here for trick or treat or even caroling." Jill muttered.
"What do you expect, 3 gunners, 2 swordsmen, a gay guy and some kid who's obsessed with exotic fruits live here," Dante answered before he realized something. "Speaking of the gay guy and the kid who loves exotic fruits… where are they?" he asked.
Jill froze. "You're right… Kuja's been gone for days… but… Riku's missing and so his friends are looking for him." She said as she closed the door.
"You think dad even noticed that Kuja's gone?" Dante asked curiously.
"I doubt it. Why don't we check anyway?" Jill told him as they entered the dining area again. She sat down and asked, "Hey, dad, wanna eat out for lunch?" she asked cheerfully.
"What for?" Sephiroth asked mindlessly while flipping through the pages of the sports section.
"Oh you know, just a get-together for the whole family." She said.
Sephiroth nodded mindlessly, "Ask for the opinion of your brothers. Dante?" he asked.
"It's alright, dad. Can I take Trish with us?" Dante asked with a sweet tone.
"Yeah, whatever. Skurai?" Sephiroth asked.
"Ahahahahaha! Can I take Sara with me?" Skurai asked.
"No. Riku? Oh wait, Riku's not here… alright, we won't eat out since Riku's not here." Sephiroth finally decided.
Silence.
Skurai, Dante and Jill exchanged confused glances. "Dad," she began.
"Where's your mother, can you tell her to come here. I need to discuss something with her." Sephiroth responded.
The three just kept quiet, not knowing how to bring up the subject. Jill slowly got up and rushed to the kitchen, "Mom," she called out.
"Grr… blasted Sephiroth… how can I get his children if he's in the way?" Hojo was thinking angrily as he walked the streets of Sector 1 heading for the park. "And his kids can really kick some ass…" he muttered miserably. He stopped when he passed by a newspaper stand and saw one the headlines of Midgar Times: Enemy on the Loose.
He frowned slightly before he decided to buy a copy before heading for the park's parking lot. He got inside his car and began to read the description of the enemy… his eyes widened in surprise.
"DAMMIT! Don't tell me Kuja is loose?!" he cried out loud.
Dante was reading the front page of Midgar Times and he had a confused look on his face before turning to his father, "Dad, I think there's… something wrong…" he said.
"What?" Sephiroth put down the sports section and grabbed the newspaper from Dante's grasp. He began to read the headlines and the story. He clenched his teeth as he smiled impatiently. "Damn…" was all he could say.
Jill turned to Dante, "What's in there?" she whispered. He just kept quiet.
Sephiroth put down the newspaper and just stared into empty space while proceeding to eat his breakfast.
"What are you going to do, dad?" Dante asked.
Sephiroth was quiet for a while, chewing his food carefully and then swallowed. "I'm just going to wait for Rufus's call." he told them.
Silence.
Before Skurai could react, the phone began to ring, surprising all of them.
Dante, Skurai and Jill exchanged glances before Sephiroth told them, "I guess that's for me." He got up and went to the phone by the hallway leading to the stairs.
Tifa was patting Dark Nation's head while gazing at Rufus who was just seated on his office chair while staring at the speakerphone.
Finally, the person from the other line answered, "Yes, Sephiroth here."
Rufus closed his eyes for a while and then opened them again, "This is Rufus." He said.
"Hey, Rufus. You called?" Sephiroth responded.
Rufus was silent for a few moments before saying, "I'm sure you've seen the headlines?"
"Yes. Just moments ago. Who verified those facts?" Sephiroth asked.
"Heidegger… don't you think it fits every single detail regarding Kuja?" Rufus asked.
Sephiroth was silent for a while before saying, "I have nothing to do with this,"
"Right. But the name is not yet mentioned. Don't want the people panicking." Rufus explained.
"Good. So, what are you planning to do about it?" Sephiroth asked.
"Other reporters say that it already started in several places far away from here… but I'm not sure where. While the attacks are not yet here in Midgar, I would like to increase the security of the whole place and the other cities and provinces owned by my company. For now, since I left you in charge of First Class Soldier, I want you to drill them. I'll be going to Junon today for an inspection. Tifa is just here in HQ in case you have any questions." Rufus instructed.
"Inspection?" Sephiroth asked curiously.
Rufus was silent for a while before admitting, "It's… my daughter. She's been missing for more than a year now…"
"Morrigan? But I thought she's just in Junon… or is it Lavinia? I just saw her yesterday…" Sephiroth said in awe.
"No… never mind. Just do your job." Rufus said before hanging up. He sighed heavily before turning to Tifa who was just staring curiously at him. "I'm leaving." He told her.
She just nodded with a calm smile on her face. She knew he hasn't changed so much… he still could not admit what he really feels. He was really worried about their daughter's disappearance but he doesn't want to show it and he doesn't want to be bothered about it so he just drowns himself in work. But at that day, he would like to go to Junon to do some investigation and inspection in the area… to see if there are any suspicious activities regarding rebellion against his company. "Don't let it worry you too much, Rufus. I know we'll find her… and she can defend herself, I know it." She told him.
He smiled stiffly at her as he got up from his chair. "I feel she's in good hands… hopefully…" he told her.
Tifa turned to look at Dark Nation. The big cat just purred and nuzzled its head against Tifa's leg. "Meowrrr…"
"We'll find her…" Tifa told him with a resolved look on her face.
Tifa waited until the chopper finally took off, heading for Junon. As soon as the chopper was out of her sight already, she rushed back inside the ShinRa Building and proceeded to the masters' bedroom to change her clothes.
After she was dressed, she stepped out of the room, putting on her fighting gloves. She was on her way to the elevator but she stopped when she saw a little girl with blonde hair and crimson eyes looking up at her from one of the posts. She smiled sweetly at the girl and welcomed her with open arms. "Lavinia, dear…" she said.
The little girl immediately went to her and embraced her tightly, "Mommy why are you dressed that way?"
Tifa smiled gently as she looked into the girl's eyes. "I'm going off for a while to look for Samzy." She said gently but playfully.
"But who will go with you?" Lavinia asked curiously.
"Auntie Aerith and Auntie Yuffie will go with me, don't worry."
"But what about… the danger ahead of you?"
Tifa fell silent. Her youngest daughter obviously read the papers and she must've seen the news on TV too. She just smiled. "We saved the Planet once; why not do it again?" she asked with a wink.
Sora had awoken to the sound of something exploding… and some tremors. He instantly jumped out of bed and rushed to the window. He realized that they were moving… "What's… going on?!" he cried out in shock.
The automatic door suddenly opened and Kairi rushed in. "Sora!" she said with a worried look on her face.
"Kairi, what's going on?" he asked.
Kairi looked outside too. "I don't know… but this place is moving… flying, actually…" she said.
They gazed up at the skies and saw a lot of meteor-like rocks crashing down. "Oh my GAWD!!!" Kairi cried out in shock.
The meteorites hit a few parts of the Garden but it still continued to move faster.
They heard footsteps approaching and they both turned to the door. It was a blonde guy with a weird henna tattoo on the left side of his face. "Zoiks! There ya're! C'mon, let's go upstairs!" he told them with a pleased look on his face.
Without further questions, Kairi and Sora immediately got to their feet and followed after the blonde guy with the tattoo.
"What's going on, mister?" Kairi asked with a worried look on her face.
"Enemies. We're under attack. Squall told me to get you guys and take you upstairs. You'll be safer with us there." The man told them before stopping by the elevator. "Oops… in case of emergency, use the stairs," he reminded himself before going to another area; the two still following him. "Is it alright if we take the stairs?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure… but… who's attacking us?" Sora asked curiously as they continued to run.
They all stopped when two Heartless appeared before them.
"Holy cow!!!" the man exclaimed.
"Oh man!? What are they doing here?!" Sora exclaimed before grabbing his Keyblade. He instantly attacked one of those while the blonde guy attacked the other one, punching it to death.
After beating the two, the blonde guy wiped his own sweat off his forehead. "Whew! If I ever see one of those again, I'll retire!" he snapped impatiently while panting. "By the way, my name is Zell. Cool weapon, kid," he added while eyeing the Keyblade.
Sora just forced a smile despite his confusion regarding the situation, "My name is Sora. This is Kairi." He said.
"Yeah. Squall told me all about you guys. Anyway, let's hurry up. We're flying the Garden someplace else." Zell replied before proceeding to run but motioning the two to follow him.
While running upstairs, Sora asked, "This place could fly?!"
"Yep." Zell replied.
Finally, they reached the Headmaster's Office. "Everyone's in the cockpit. Just go up there." Zell told them.
"What about you?" Sora asked.
"I'll stay here. Hey, Selphie!" Zell turned to the girl who was seated on the Headmaster's desk while talking through a headset's speaker connected to a two-way radio.
Thinking that the name sounded familiar, Sora and Kairi immediately turned to the brown-haired girl wearing the same uniform that Quistis was wearing.
Selphie smiled sweetly at them. "Hi there!" she greeted before proceeding to talk to the person on the other line, "You sure it's fine? Alright we're heading there! Which field? Oh yeah, we can float on water. Okay." She hang up and ran to the two. "Sora! Kairi!" she greeted happily.
The two were stunned when she embraced them tightly. She looked… very different.
"Oh so you know them too?" Zell asked.
"Of course I do! Heehee!" Selphie replied cheerfully before leading the way to the cockpit.
"Hey, where's Riku?" Sora asked, stopping in his tracks.
"And Samara!" Kairi remembered with a worried look on her face.
Silence.
"I'm getting them just now. I couldn't find them earlier so I just got the two of you first." Zell admitted.
"What?!" Sora and Kairi both exclaimed in unison before Zell finally ran off. Frowning, Sora ran after him.
"Sora!" Selphie and Kairi called out, running after him.
"I'm coming with you!" Sora told Zell.
"Hey! This is dangerous!" Zell told him.
"I know! That's why I'm coming along!" Sora replied with a proud look on his face.
"I see… trained to face danger, huh?" Selphie asked, joining the boys with Kairi.
"Just starting to get used to it." He said with a wink.
Samara was walking alone inside the Training Center (of all the places), gazing up at the big plants. She could sense strong beings inside, but she was not sure what they are…
She could feel the ground shaking a little whenever she could hear explosions. She knew that it was caused by those meteorites hitting the Garden. But she did not mind.
She looked straight ahead when she saw a T-Rexaur heading her way. Her eyes widened upon seeing it, but she instantly turned around when she heard a familiar voice calling her name, "Samara! Look out!!!"
She stared unbelievably at Riku, wondering why he was so frantic. Then, she saw the T-Rexaur's shadow looming over her.
Riku stopped in his tracks, but before he could decide to attack the big creature, it stopped behind her and stooped down, making a soft whimpering noise. It gently nuzzled its face against Samara's side.
She slightly jerked in surprise before turning back to the T-Rexaur with a pleased smile on her face. She chuckled lightly as she embraced its jaw.
Riku's mouth dropped open upon what he was seeing. "What the hell?!" he thought in awe.
She continued to pet the T-Rexaur, but she stopped when it just opened its mouth, growling in pain. Some of its blood splattered against Samara's face and on her white dress. She instantly let go of the T-Rexaur with a look of awe on her face as she took a few steps backward away from it and watched it fall down to the ground, dead.
Riku slowly approached her. She shook her head with a look of confusion in her eyes, "I… I didn't do it…" she said softly. Riku was about to ask if she's okay, but he froze when he heard some familiar chuckling from somewhere. "So very interesting…" the voice added. Riku's eyes widened as he looked up at the T-Rexaur's corpse and standing on top of it is a silver-haired being with a cape. Samara slowly looked up at the person and frowned angrily at him/her, she could not determine.
Riku instantly pushed Samara behind himself as he continued to stare inquiringly at the person smiling slyly at them.
"Ah… such power coming from her. I haven't seen anything like it before. Such strength; so powerful that it can even tame the wildest of all creatures." The person said before descending from the T-Rexaur's corpse, his feet landing gracefully on the ground before he flipped his own hair. He carefully gazed at Samara from head to toe before returning his gaze to her eyes that were gazing curiously at him. "Just what I need for controlling the energy from the Planet." He declared.
She gasped slightly upon hearing that.
Riku sneered at him, "What are you doing here, Kuja?"
Kuja just smiled sweetly at him, "Aww… is that the way to greet an older sibling, brother dear?" he asked.
Samara's eyes widened upon hearing that. She began to feel paranoid: what if Kuja is just using Riku so that he could get her? She slowly stepped away from Riku, eyeing him suspiciously.
Riku noticed her departure from him, so he turned around to look at her, "Samara, where are you going?" he asked.
She just stared at him with a disgusted look on her face before she completely turned away from him and ran away.
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, "Samara!" he called out as he moved to go after her, but he stopped when Kuja reappeared before him, blocking his way. He clenched his fists as he sneered at his older brother, "Get out of my way, I'm warning you!" he snapped.
Kuja just smiled at him. "Oh, so that's her name. It's so beautiful… Samara… I wonder what her surname is?" he asked with a look of wonder on his face.
"Get out of my way or I'll…" Riku began, but Kuja cut him off, "And what will you do?" he asked challengingly.
Riku just narrowed his eyes on him, "What are you planning to do?" he asked softly.
"Nothing that would interest you." Kuja answered simply before snapping his fingers. Ten Heartless appeared all around them. Riku's frown deepened.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. No one to save you now, brother dear. And what are you going to do? Tell daddy about it? Go ahead. I don't care." Kuja sneered at him before laughing out loud and then levitated off the ground and disappeared.
"KUJA!!! Come back here!!!" Riku shouted in annoyance as the Heartless began to attack him…
Samara stopped in her tracks when she reached the lobby when she saw a lot of Heartless all over the whole area, fighting with SeeDs.
Frowning, she continued her way going to the exit. "I'm getting out of here! I can't trust anyone anymore!!!" she was thinking with a bitter look on her face. She wanted to cry but she was stopping herself. She knows that the Garden is floating on the air, but she did not care. She will just jump off… and maybe kill herself in the process.
The thought of death made her feel so numb. When she finally reached the edge, she just stood still for a moment, looking down at the forest and the seas below the flying Garden. The wind was so strong against her, but she did not mind. She was about to jump off but Kuja appeared before her and grabbed her shoulders. She gasped. He smiled wickedly at her, "Hello little girl. You're coming with me!" he told her.
She screeched at his face, stunning him and then kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. "OW!!!!! Of all the places, why there?!?!?" Kuja cried out in pain as he crouched slightly, letting go of her. Samara ran away from him, going to the other side, but she stopped when she saw Riku coming her way. Two Heartless were still after him, but he still ran to her. "Samara!" he called out.
Her eyes widened upon seeing him. She turned away from him but froze when she realized that she was surrounded. Kuja. More Heartless. Riku. She clenched her fists but she did not say anything. She just stood in one place, eyeing each of them one by one.
And then came Zell, Selphie, Sora and Kairi.
"What's going on?!" Sora exclaimed in confusion, especially when he saw Kuja.
Samara was already having a hard time breathing and her blue eyes were horror-stricken as she slowly clutched her head with trembling hands.
"Samara!" Riku was already coming closer to her, but she let out a shrill scream. He froze in his tracks when he felt excruciating pain in his chest. He slowly fell to the ground, crouching down in pain. "O…ow… Samara… what are you doing?!" he demanded.
The Heartless began to disappear one by one. Kuja was in awe upon such display of power… until he also felt pain in his chest.
Sora, Kairi, Zell and Selphie felt it too… and soon, they were all crouched on the ground, trying to fight the pain. "N…no… this is… not good…" Sora tried to say.
Samara stopped screaming and she instantly rushed to the edge and immediately jumped off.
Their eyes widened in shock. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Riku cried out as he immediately got up, trying not to mind the pain as he rushed to her, jumping off too.
"Riku!!!" Sora and Kairi shouted.
Kuja slowly got up, panting heavily. "Foolish… ugh…" he went to the edge and peered down. He could not see anyone. He fell onto his knees. "They're alive…" he thought silently before he teleported himself away from that place.
Selphie collapsed to the ground, unable to take it anymore.
"Hey! Hang on!" Sora said, shaking her frantically. But she could not breathe well.
Kairi struggled to get up, but she couldn't; so she just crawled going to the edge, looking down. She could not see any trace of Riku or Samara anymore. She sniffed as tears fell from her eyes. She suddenly felt so afraid. "No… please… tell me they're alright…" she was thinking silently.