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Clorith- Are you a mod at ACF?

Chapter 15: This Ends Here

Everyone was silent as Cid set the Highwind down. He starred at them all incredulously. "What's the matter with you all? You fucks want to live forever?"

"Fuck no!" Barrett yelled, "But I got a little girl waiting for me to rescue her."

"I have to fight Loz and Kadaj alone." Aeris said.

"Fuck!" Barrett exclaimed, "When were you going to tell us?"

"Right now," Aeris said, "Do you think you can handle Sephiroth?"

"He doesn't have an armlet too, does he?" Vincent asked.

Aeris shook her head, "No. Only my sons do."

"Sons?" Tifa asked.

"Long ass story," Barrett replied.

Aeris lead the party into the city, Cloud and the others following in her wake. They had only gotten a few feet, when they saw the body of a familiar little girl up ahead…

"MARLENE!" Tifa screeched, and dashed forward.

"Tifa, no!" Cloud yelled, withdrawing his sword and starring all around. It was a trap; it smelled like a trap, looked like a trap…

Click, click.

Definitely a trap. The barrel of Kadaj's weapon was inches from Cloud's temple. Loz had his aimed at Tifa.

"Don't even think about it." Reno said to Kadaj.

"No." Aeris said. "It's me you want. You let them go, and you get me."

"Aeris…" Cloud started.

"Cloud, I have to do this."

Kadaj stared at her, and turned his gun off of Cloud. Loz did the same. "Take her."

Loz walked over and pressed the barrel of his gun into Aeris's back. "Move."

Cloud watched Loz lead Aeris away. Why wasn't she doing anything? Why didn't she stop him?

Kadaj smiled. "You cowards have been reserved for someone you may recall…"

Sephiroth walked forth, a smirk on his face. "The puppet, and his minions. Isn't this a surprise?"

Kadaj bowed to Sephiroth, "Should I leave you then, father?"

Sephiroth nodded, "That is all, Kadaj."

Kadaj walked followed the path Loz had taken with Aeris. Cloud got to his feet. "And to think I wanted to be you when I was little!" Cloud yelled at Sephiroth. "Now I'll have the honor of watching you die!" He lunged at Sephiroth.

Aeris closed her eyes, concentrating… she felt her energy gathering in her chest.

Loz pointed his gun at her when Kadaj walked in. "No, you fool!"

Loz looked at him. "Brother?"

"She is our mother! The Lifestream sent her to kill us! Do you think that weapon could destroy her?"

"Mother?" Loz asked softly.

Aeris opened her eyes, her hands clasped in front of her. Though these men were her sons, she felt no emotional tie with them, though she felt she should. Yet, they were nothing more but clones of Sephiroth to her.

Kadaj raised his arm in the air, the armlet pulsing with a green light. "It is too late, mother. Phase One is near finished. I control the Lifestream now!"

Aeris arched her brow. She watched as long, snakelike tentacles emerged from the armlet, making their way through the air towards her.

Aeris released the energy she was consuming inside of her. How dare he try to manipulate her home?

Her home. Where had that thought come from? She never thought of it like that before, but she couldn't analyze that now.

The blue light from Aeris dove at the tentacles, and shattered them like glass.

"Loz, you incompetent moron, don't just stand there, finish her!" Kadaj bellowed, as he examined his armlet.

Loz raised his gun, and fired at her.

"No! The armlet! Use the armlet!" Kadaj yelled as Aeris dodged his attacks. Aeris concentrated. She'd have to time it exactly perfect…

Just as Loz began to raise his arm, Aeris sent her energy towards him, and knocked him flat on his back. He didn't move.

Kadaj starred at his form. "You and Yazoo were never good enough."

"He's not dead, you know." Aeris told him.

Kadaj reached out a foot, and kicked at his brother. "He should be!" He detached the armlet from him, but something heavy struck through him. He turned, and found Aeris behind him, her staff run through him. She had concentrated her energy into her staff; the energy that was now killing him. Blood was soaking his black leather outfit. He was dying. Kadaj put his hands to his middle, and stared at the red substance. He had never bled before. "Blood?" He asked. "My… blood? There is so much I do not understand…" He collapsed to the ground. Aeris felt a small tear escape her eye. It wasn't his fault in a way, he hadn't been asked to be created, and the only life he knew was what Sephiroth and Hojo had told him. Aeris grasped his hand. It was beginning to turn cold.

"Mother?" He asked. "You'd take pity on me now?" The last words escaped his lips with a trickle of blood. His eyes glazed over, and his body moved no more.

"Goodbye my son." Aeris whispered, and turned to Loz who was starting to wake. Just do the job, Aeris… She told herself, and pulled her staff from Kadaj.

Yuffie was sure she heard her ribs brake when she landed on top of Cid when Sephiroth threw her. She looked around. They were losing this fight. Tifa still clutched onto Marlene a few feet away, and Cloud like a man possessed, kept running at Sephiroth each time he knocked him down. Barrett kept holding his arm, and Reno began to cough blood. They needed a miracle…

And just as she thought it, they got one.

Sephiroth froze. The warm fuzzy feeling he had, telling him that his sons were in control of the Lifestream was gone. Without them, Geostigma would reverse itself, and he'd lose his power… all of his glorious power… he felt it dwindling. But he wasn't going to die alone… he'd take this freaks with him!

"What's happening?!" Yuffie demanded. "This can only be good, right?"

"Let's hope." Reno told her.

Aeris dashed in, dried blood on the end of her staff.

"AERIS!" Cloud panted, a smile on his face. Thank God… and just like that, he felt something heavy invade his mind. He had gotten to his feet, and was making his way over to Aeris. But it's not what he wanted to do… He tried to stop himself, and couldn't. Tried to dig his heels into the ground, but they wouldn't obey. He wasn't in control of his body. No, this couldn't be happening…

Cloud tried with all his might, but he couldn't stop himself from grabbing Aeris's throat.

"AERIS!" Tifa screamed, "Vincent, we have to do something!"

"After all that fuss… he's nothing more than a puppet." Sephiroth cackled.

Cloud withdrew his Buster Sword, and placed the tip at Aeris's throat.

"Cloud, what are you doing?" Vincent asked, running forward.

But Sephiroth sent up his hand, causing Vincent to tumble into Yuffie. Aeris gazed into Cloud's eyes that used to be so loving; now they were hollow. He's in there somewhere; I know it…The point of the blade dug deeper into her throat. She had the power to stop him, oh yes… but Sephiroth knew she wouldn't hurt him.

He's losing his power, just wait it out…Aeris thought. But the tip went deeper, causing her to give a mew of pain as a small trickle of blood crawled down her neck. And Cloud was Cloud again; she could see it in his eyes. If only for a split second, he was back, and beckoned her with these words: "If you can't stop me, kill me."

And he was gone again, loss to the power of Sephiroth's control.

Sephiroth screamed out in agonizing pain that Aeris was sure one of the others had done something. But he appeared to be clutching his head. Suddenly, Aeris was released from Cloud's grip. She watched in horror as Cloud turned the sword around, and plunged it into his stomach.

"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" Aeris howled. He's not supposed to die this way! Don't let him die this way! She prayed. This was it. Sephiroth would pay. She concentrated her energy until she felt she would burst with it. And then, she released it at Sephiroth, and he crumbled to the ground, motionless.

Aeris ran to Cloud, and collapsed beside him. She was overwhelmed with joy to see he was still breathing. She cradled him in her arms, and with a heavy heave, pulled the sword out of him, and threw it angrily away. He'd be okay, he'd have to…

Elsewhere, a little girl bounded into view. "What happened?" She asked weakly, rubbing her eyes, and then she saw Cloud. "Cloud! Cloud, he's hurt!"

"I know," Aeris whispered, turning her head to look at the rest of the party. Most of them were moaning from their injuries, but didn't look to be too badly hurt. Vincent walked over to help Aeris with Cloud. "He'll be alright, Aeris." He told her.

Aeris nodded, she wanted to believe that with all of her heart.