-Chapter Seventeen-
Meet Charis
"Charis! What are you doing?!" the bitter Piper demanded. She was afraid, tired, and weak. Her body was somehow levitating over a giant hole, but she couldn't move at all. It was as if invisible bounds were keeping her from falling. She didn't know where she was, but she guessed by the broken ruins and monkeys, that she was still in Zanarkand.
"I'm righting all wrongs in this world. I will bring true peace to Spira," Charis circled Piper, watching her carefully. Her soft, dark brown eyes had taken a greenish glow. Piper knew it as the glow of a SOLDIER, or a person who had been exposed to pure Mako. "I watched this world and the last. Sephiroth tried to bring the Promised Land but failed. Because he was weak. Thousands of nameless people attempted to do the similar thing. When Yu Yevon summoned Sin, even I thought he had done it. But a thousand years passed and he could not bring Spira peace. Seymour Guado tried to become Sin, to do a better job than Yu Yevon. He fell at hands of Yuna, as did Sin and Yu Yevon. The lost soul, Shuyin, attempted to use Vegnagun, and failed. Again at the hands of the Summoner Yuna. When Seymour and Sephiroth returned to this world, their petty fighting made them fall, this time forever more, at the hands of Yuna and her friends."
"What's your point?" Piper asked, her eyes following her friend. Or the girl who had been her friend.
"I'm going to bring peace to Spira. And with your body, the Promised Land will be ours."
"I don't want the stupid Promised Land!" Piper yelled, "I want to know why you want it, Charis!"
Snickering, Charis crossed her arms, "Your friend died. A thousand years ago. She became a Fayth. And I awoke. Yet she had control over her body. That is, until now."
That's what I thought, Piper said to herself, fearfully. She knew it wasn't the Charis she had grown up with. "Then who are you?"
"The goddess of death, of course. I am Jenova."
"We've searched everywhere!" Nari complained. "Where could they have gone?"
"We haven't looked everywhere yet," Yuna sighed. "The old blitz stadium..."
Tidus nodded. He remembered the place where they had fought Yunalesca easily. But he hadn't been to this Zanarkand in years. It always seemed like a sacred place. "Right then! Charis must have taken Piper there."
"I hope so," Aeris whispered.
Cloud wrapped an arm around his wife, standing silently beside her. His head pounded loudly, and he was surprised no one else heard it. Whatever Charis had done to make his body glow like that, it gave him a sensation he hadn't felt since the time of Meteor. It was something that brought him to his knees every time he experienced it. "Of course!" he said suddenly, looking up.
"Of course what?" Rikku peered at the mercenary.
Shaking his head, he said, "I can't believe I didn't realize it before. She's not Charis."
"We sort of guessed that already," Zalèa rolled her eyes. Piper had told them about Charis, and the way that... person had acted, was nothing like Piper had described.
"It's Jenova," he looked at the horizon.
"Very good, Cloud. You aren't as brainless as I suspected."
The group of ten turned in unison, looking at the speaker. "Neal!" Paine shrieked, an odd noise to escape her mouth.
"Hello, Paine." The Al Bhed man stepped toward the group, a smirk from ear to ear on his face. "Jenova has begun her destruction. The ritual will begin soon."
"Who are you?!" Paine growled.
Neal walked to the warrior, smiling almost innocently. "You don't recognize your own husband?" he chuckled.
"You aren't Neal!" she yelled. With as much agility as she had in her sphere-hunting days, Paine pulled out her one handed sword, holding it ever close to the man's throat. "I'll ask you once more! Who are you?!"
"Resurrection is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" he laughed. He didn't seem to be bothered by the point of the blade near his neck. "Aeris was resurrected, Tidus was resurrected, and even I was resurrected."
"What are you talking about?" the Al Bhed sporting an eye patch questioned.
"The Ancient and the Dream of the Fayth were resurrected in their own bodies because both were a little more than mortal. When I died, of course, I was nothing more than a very powerful mortal. But with that power, I was able to bring myself back to this world, taking over the body of a man who had nothing more than a simple job at a restaurant. And with it, I was able to bring my daughter to this time as well."
"Your daughter?" Paine pressed the blade against his neck, not afraid to spill any blood.
"Charis. Jenova. The small girl I created to bring peace to the world."
"You brought Jenova back to life?!" Cloud yelled.
"Of course," Neal said coolly. "She is the only one who can bring the Promised Land. You see," Neal's body gave off a dark colored aura, and his body was covered for a moment. When the darkness faded, a few gasps were heard in the group. "I will not give up my dream." Dressed in a white lab cloak, the dark haired man smirked. "Good to see you again everyone."
"Jenova..." Piper closed her eyes, every curse word she knew running through her mind. This is the end, isn't it? Inside she promised herself, if she lived, she was never going to speak to any of those adults again. Ever!
"You've heard of me then," Jenova smiled. "Good. Then I don't have to explain who I am. Well, shall we start?"
Piper opened her eyes, seeing a bright silver circle appear around her. Don't look down, she thought. Her fear of falling down the giant hole under her wasn't that big of deal anymore, but it was still enough to make her stomach knot up. Slowly the bright circle faded, and in its place were seven sharp daggers. Shit. Again.
A/N: Well two more chapters. But they will both be MUCH longer than this one... I want to finish this story and start the next one before school starts next Wednesday. If you don't know who Charis' "father" is yet, it's Hojo. I thought it was obvious but I dunno some people... To Red Vixen: Oh Hiya. Well there's only like 2 chapters now :P To Emmy: I am 6 hours BEHIND you. So when it's 8:25 pm there it's 2:25 pm here I usually don't sleep at that time, Hehe.
Always - Letselina
