The End?

The building shook with an impact from above that Piccolo knew was none other than a ki blast from Gohan. It was unmistakable.

Piccolo didn't want to think about what could be wrong now, but as he felt Gohan's spirit steadily degrading and beginning to leave the area, he knew he had to act. His student, his only friend, needed him. Clenching his fists, Piccolo knew making a mess of this place wouldn't get him anywhere in the long run, so he whirled about and bolted for the exit. Feeling wood splinter around his shoulder, Piccolo realized to late that he needed to open the door. Oh well, a door could easily be replaced, Gohan couldn't.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

The sound of Gohan's scream drew Piccolo on as he flew around the tall, odd building to see his prized student clutching his head, obviously in pain. "Gohan!!! I'm coming!!" Piccolo shouted, hastening to reach the boy's side. "Gohan! It's me!" Piccolo shouted, taking the boy's shoulders and shaking him. "Snap out of it!"

No recognition so much as touched those glazed eyes that they stared through him.

Piccolo was ready to die.

"Yes, Gohan," a soft voice caught him off guard. The sharp motion of Gohan's head as it jerked up towards the sound ripped Piccolo in two.

"Aeris!"

"It's me Gohan. Things will be okay now."

Piccolo didn't see any more when Gohan plastered himself to the girl, tears spilling uncontrolled down his face. What was happening?

*~*~*~*

Soft light gradually brought Cloud back to the world of the living. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he could see that they were in the Shildra Inn, a small place in the center of the canyon. Vague memories tickled his mind, but Cloud couldn't put anything together logically... everything seemed like one big dream...

"You're finally awake," a sweetly familiar voice murmured gratefully. "I was beginning to think I'd never see those pretty eyes of yours open!"

"Tifa!" Cloud bolted upright. "Where you watching me?"

Tifa played with the toe of her boot, skirting the question, "So, what happened last night?"

Cloud shook his head, " I don't remember, actually. I feel like I've been through hell though..."

"Oh," disappointment laced Tifa's voice, but not for long. "Aeris said there was an attack, and that Gohan almost lost his mind again but rid himself of Jenova's control for the last time. But she wouldn't say anything more than that. At least you're okay."

Cloud was thrown off guard as he felt soft warm arms wrap tightly around his neck. Only because her face was embedded in his shoulder did Cloud hear Tifa's softly muttered words, "I thought I was going to lose you."

"There there now," Cloud whispered, awkwardly trying to find the right thing to say. What had gotten into Tifa all of a sudden? "It takes more than that to get rid of me."

Drawing back reluctantly, Tifa wiped a hand across her eyes trying in vain to hide the fact that she had been crying. "Yeah, I guess," she whispered. "I have to go."

Cloud scratched his head in confusion as Tifa ran out of the room. For a moment he wrestled with the urge to chase after her, but held his ground. It wasn't because he wanted to comfort her, even though he really did, but that nagging feeling was back again. He didn't want to let Tifa out of his sight; something was going to happen to her.

"Gohan!"

Cloud jumped, startled half to death to realize that someone else was in the room.

"Gohan you're all right!" The blonde boy, his dearest friend leaning over the bed, occupied the second bed of the inn. "It's good to see you normal again, Gohan," Piccolo stated, brushing some blonde hair from the boy's face. "Aeris said you were pretty bad out there." No more comments escaped Piccolo's mouth; he knew how to hold his tongue. Gohan didn't need to know that he had been Cloud's attacker or that he'd been beyond almost any help at all. No, now the boy would be better. Aeris believed he'd finally managed to break Jenova's control.

"I don't remember anything," Gohan murmured, sitting up slowly and shaking his head.

"Me neither kid," Cloud added for comfort. "Looks like Aeris's the only one that knows what really happened."

"Then we should go see her," Gohan decided, jumping out of the bed. Pride swelled up Piccolo. Hopefully Gohan's quick recover would be a permanent one.

"Good idea," Cloud agreed, getting up a bit more slowly than Gohan. What had happened to him? He really did feel like he'd been to hell and back.

"Any idea where she is?"

"She should be downstairs," Piccolo answered, leading the way to the door. "A few of the others were having breakfast at the bar last I knew."

Cloud nodded. Aeris and Tifa loved to hang out down there.

"Hi Cloud," Aeris shouted happily, seeing the spiky headed man coming down the stairs. "Have a seat and get some food. You could use it after last night," she patted the wooden bench she sat on as a welcome.

Making his way to her table, Cloud got straight to the point as usual, "Aeris, what happened?"

"Why don't you get something to eat? Then we can talk all you want," she suggested.

Cloud was ready to argue, but suddenly realized how terribly hungry he was. "I guess so."

"I hope they have good food here! I'm starving!" Gohan said merrily as he plopped down at the same table, Piccolo silently following. It only took a moment for Cloud to remember the boy's appetite. He shook his head; this little bar would definitely rake in a bit of gil today.

"So," Aeris began immediately when Cloud was finished ordering a steak. There was no way she'd let him ask questions; she didn't want Gohan to find our what he'd done. It would be better for her to just tell them what they needed to know, and hopefully get them going on other topics. "We got the Huge materia melded into one."

"We did?" Gohan asked, taking a moment away from his list of items to order. "I don't remember anything, especially not anything with the Huge materia."

"No?" Aeris asked, keeping an innocent face. She quirked an eyebrow as though confused. "That's odd. We finished melding them before the attack." It was far from the truth, but it was a good story. Gohan had, in reality, caught the three Huge materia in his stray ki blast, the one that had also hit Cloud. She needed to keep that part of it secret.

"Really?" Cloud murmured, thinking hard. "I don't remember that at all. I only remember Gohan starting to lose it again."

Piccolo watched Aeris closely out of the corner of his eye. The girl looked like she knew what she was doing; she had better. Piccolo could only imagine the guilt trip Gohan would lay on himself if he knew what had really happened.

"Yeah, after we're done here we should go see the new Huge materia. Cloud we don't have much time; we need to go as soon as we can," Aeris's voice was full of urgency that was only half faked. The threat related to Jenova was still out there.

"Aeris, I have a question."

Even with all of her efforts to remain calm, Aeris stiffened slightly at Gohan's statement. "Yes?"

"About the Cetra and the Saijins, you said we're all the same... how can that be?" Aeris sighed with relief as Gohan's innocent eyes narrowed in contemplation. "I don't know much about your people, but the Saijins are really mean folk. They used to destroy planets and sell them."

"Well, that doesn't sound anything like the Cetra," Cloud offered. "They nourish the Planet and help it to become stronger, not kill it."

"I know," Aeris returned before they could build up too many doubts. "You have to trust me on this one. We are of the same blood... but... something happened. I don't know what. My ancestors, our ancestors, won't say anything more. You just have to believe. The truth always comes out when the time is right."

Gohan had time to nod his agreement before the mounds of food he'd ordered started being brought. Cloud had already dug hungrily into his own. When was the last time he'd eaten? Before they left for Nibelhiem? It didn't really matter...

*~*~*~*

With a stomach once more pleased, Gohan followed Aeris and Cloud up the stairs towards the apparatus again. They would finally get the super-powered materia they needed.

"So what materia do you think we should combine?" Aeris asked Cloud in a very serious tone. Obviously she'd been giving the matter a lot of thought.

Cloud was quiet for a moment before he answered, "One of everything, as many times as we can."

"But wouldn't that limit the number of materia we have? Wouldn't it be better to make a bunch of different ones so that we all can have something?" Aeris argued.

Cloud shook his head. "I thought about that, but what good will all of those materia do if Sephiroth's can still out power them? The way I see it, every materia we combine like this doesn't just add to the power of the first, it multiplies it. You see, normally all of the attacks just get added together. One materia to use any which one you need, but I think these new more powerful Huge materia will go further than that. The attacks themselves should be combined."

"What?" Aeris sounded appalled or astounded, Piccolo couldn't tell which.

"Like, for instance, we combine the Ultima and Barrier. What is likely to happen? The attacks themselves are combined. You get a powerful barrier that not only protects you, but also hurts anyone who attacks you," he said with conviction. There was no mistaking the fact that he believed what he was saying.

"I'm not so sure," Aeris continued to argue. "I don't think that's possible."

"We'll just have to see then won't we?" Cloud said, confidently starting for the ladder that led to the highest level of Cosmo Canyon, the level where the apparatus was.

"Wait!"

Cloud paused.

"We took the Huge materia to this room instead, so it would be in a safer place," Aeris lied. She had really taken it there to avoid anyone else seeing the destroyed side of the apparatus. That would have raised a few questions she wasn't ready to answer.

Cloud nodded and jumped down, following her and Gohan in to the room across from the ladder.

"Where is it? I really, really, REALLY want to see it!"

Cloud groaned. He didn't even need to see what was happening to know that Yuffie was searching for the Huge materia. Upon entering the room, his suspicions were confirmed.

"For the last time, no!" Cloud was glad to see that Aeris had left someone competent to keep a guard on the materia. Vincent would not be tricked by Yuffie like some of the others would... not to mention Barret of course.

"It's okay, Vincent, we're here for it now," Aeris reassured Vincent as she shot a cutting glare at Yuffie. "I expect you kept it away from sticky fingers."

"Indeed."

Piccolo watched Vincent retrieve the giant rock for Aeris while the ninja girl jumped up and down excitedly. Yuffie had to be Gohan's age. Piccolo took a moment to thank Kami that Gohan was better behaved than the girl.

"So this is it," Cloud murmured, staring into the crystalline depths of the stone. Each great facet was like the surface of lake, with a beautiful liquid translucence below its reflection. Cloud couldn't continue without taking a moment to admire the color as well. The slight burgundy tint of the deep azure was breath taking. "We should start with the master materia."

Aeris nodded, even though she didn't really agree, and handed three materia to Cloud. She guessed she would just have to trust him since there was no way she would be able to convince him otherwise.

Holding the three materia together in his hand, Cloud slowly moved them toward the large one that sat fully up to his waist. He'd never have guessed there could be a materia so large or beautiful.

Pain.

Brilliant light burst inside Cloud's head and forced him to rip his eyes away, stumbling to the ground in his haste. It was only moments though and things were back to normal.

Twisting to his feet again, Cloud didn't know what to expect.

What he saw no one could have expected.

There, on the floor, no bigger than the size of his fist, was a piece of materia, swirling with constantly changing colors.

"We've got one more set of Master materia to meld, but something tells me we won't have the chance to use it," Cloud commented, snatching the perfectly shaped sphere before Yuffie got her hands on it. "It looks like this is all we'll have to work with."

Gohan nodded, "But that's okay. Piccolo and I don't need materia."

"Nor do I," Aeris whispered, adding, "anymore," as an afterthought.

Cloud scratched his head in though for a moment. "I guess we'll have two parties then. Piccolo and Gohan can go together. I'll take Aeris and..." Cloud paused pondering who else should go with him.

"Me," Tifa finished for him as she came into the room. If he told anyone she had been crying they wouldn't believed him now.

"But," Cloud disagreed, the need to hider her somewhere safe still clinging to his mind.

"No, Cloud! I'm not a little girl, you can't tell me to stay here. I'm coming," Tifa commanded. How could Cloud argue? He most certainly couldn't tell her the truth. That would only make matters worse. After all, she was just as strong as any of the other people where.

"Fine," he muttered reluctantly. He hoped the feeling was nothing more than that. It had to be. He wasn't the one who always knew what was going to happen. That was Aeris.

"If I may intrude," Nanaki started, entering the room as well, "wouldn't it be wise to take as many people as you can? Perhaps all of the people who are not using materia should go together and then you could take one more person to use materia with you."

Cloud decided the suggestion made sense, "Alright."

"Would you mind if that person were me?" Nanaki questioned politely. Cloud had no idea why Red XII wanted to come along, but it was most likely for revenge on Jenova who had hurt the Planet his people fought for so dearly. In any case, that was Red XIII's business, not Cloud's.

"Not at all," Cloud answered, turning towards the door. "Aeris, you said we don't have much time. If no one sees any reason to wait, we could leave now. We all had a good night's sleep last night I hope." In reality, Cloud wasn't exactly feeling 100%, but he was improving fast. He should be fine.

"Then let's go," Piccolo offered. The sooner they got this out of the way, the better.

"Cid can take us to Midgar. Assuming we are still going to Midgar," Cloud said, directing it more as a question to Aeris that a statement.

"Yes, Jenova's still there."

They still had time. Whatever was going to be born "of the spirit" hadn't been yet, Aeris was sure of it. Her ancestors would have told her so.

They still had time, if they hurried.