To Uncover a Plot
By: Jenosavel
Jenova was waiting deep within the northern crater, in a room that had an intensely bright fountain of Mako at the center of its circular design. The leafy, vibrant vegetation around the rim of the bowl-like floor only added to the sense of cold serenity that the place radiated.
It was the perfect place for what would happen, Sephiroth mused as he stepped through the tunnel opening and into the light from the Mako. He hadn't expected the girl to learn so quickly, but he was pleased with the way things were turning out. He could go farther back in time now that she had proven herself able to defeat the Planet's chosen warriors.
At the heels of her brother, Jenosavel caught her breath again. She had never seen such beauty as she was seeing in this crater. Every room was more beautiful than the last. Here, before her now, was the most lovely sight she could have imagined. Nestled about a Mako fountain, one of the rarest wonders of nature, was Jenova. Everything in the room appeared to be centered around her, as it rightly should be.
Stepping to the side and putting a hand on Jenosavel's shoulder, Sephiroth nodded to her, "Go on, speak with Mother. I'll be waiting here.
Eyes wide with wonder, Jenosavel did as she was told and walked up to stand before the twisted form of Jenova. Falling on her knees before it, she could feel Jenova in every fiber of her being. Her blood called out to the greatness before her, the only one for which she existed.
Yes, this was why she existed. The knowledge bubbled up from the same place deep inside her as everything else she had been discovering. She existed to be the eternal life of Jenova. She would grow strong, and then reunite with Jenova, restoring her queen's youth and allowing her more room to grow. It was the way of their people, their life cycle.
Seeing Jenosavel so reverently bowed before Jenova was a victory to Sephiroth. He knew what was coming, and it would work in his favor.
Silently, he laughed wondering what great power his mother could attain if she allowed her life cycle to continue. As it was now, she was at level 99, and had reached her maximum strength, but the next turn of her life cycle would open up to her the ability to reach far higher levels. Each successive pass through the cycle would build up her power in the same way.
Why did you hesitate to obey me, child?
"I... I'm sorry Mother... the boy saved my life."
Jenosavel quivered at the anger that laced the intoxicating voice of Jenova. Her mother's wrath was something she could not fathom, and the hints of it put her off balance.
You disappointed me child.
Sephiroth tensed, feeling the failure and their newest puppet approach. He couldn't let the two of them interfere with what was happening. So long as they stayed quietly out of sight he would let them be. Now was not the time for a confrontation.
"I will do better next time," Jenosavel promised. She felt completely at peace here in her mother's presence, even with the discouraging air that radiated from Jenova.
There will be no next time.
"What?"
I see you are not fit to be my heir.
"But!" Jenosavel's voice was filled with desperation now. "You will die without me! Without adding my strength to your own, your days are numbered!"
You could not rejoin me anyway. You are no longer pure, not one of us. Your blood is tainted with the Cetra, our ancient foe.
Shock numbed Jenosavel's body and mind.
Sephiroth smirked to himself. That's my cue, he thought, and those meddlers haven't ruined a thing.
"Come sister, let's be away from here," He murmured as he calmly walked up and knelt down to give her a hug. There was no real emotion in the action, but the girl wouldn't know that. She would be completely his very soon. Standing up, he helped the shaking girl to her feet.
"Everything will be all right, I'll see to it," He assured her as he held out his hand with the multicolored materia in it.
The swirling vortex again opened, and Sephiroth walked through guiding his sister's dazed form behind him.
-*~**~*-
Gohan's eyes filled with tears as his father's eyes slowly drifted open. Since fleeing the Kame House, they'd eventually all trickled into Trunks's home. It had been akward with so many people who could not fly. They'd been carried as far as the shore, and so it had taken varying times for them to all find their way here. Thankfully, his directions had been good enough and no one had gotten lost.
"Please be okay, Daddy," Gohan whispered, kneeling by his father's side. Goku's fits had died down since leaving the Kame House, but when the crazed look had gone out of his eyes he'd fell unconscious. No one, not even Piccolo, had been able to pry Gohan from his side.
Gohan stared hopefully into the blue eyes that looked upward blankly. Their aqua depths, vibrant and stark, still held signs of an inner struggle, but nonetheless they finally focused on Gohan.
"Son," The word was rasped out and followed by a fit of coughing.
"DADDY!" Gohan squealed through the tears streaming down his face as he threw his arms around his father's still form.
"Gohan," Goku's voice wavered, his eyes slipping in and out of focus. "I... I don't think I will be of any help this time." His eyes fought to stay focused on Gohan, "Promise me you'll not let me hold you back. You have to fight in my place, son.
"No Daddy!" Gohan cried. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take losing his father yet again. His voice dwindled to a choked sob, "No Daddy, you can't leave me again.
"I don't think I have much choice, Gohan," Goku whispered. For a moment his voice was strong and steady again, but it soon deteriorated to the strained croak again. "I can barely win the battles in my mind. I can't fight both fights at once.
"But Daddy," Gohan blubbered, "You can beat her, she can't control you if you're not confused. Don't let her confuse you...
Chichi hugged Gohan, gently pulling him into her lap and cooing in an effort to comfort her son. She did her best to hide her own damp cheeks from him, but seeing her love slowly wrenched from her hands again was too much. She had seen him suffer time and time again, but those times there had been hope. Now there was nothing. Alone in the room with her family, she finally gave in and let the the tears come in full force.
A flash and a strangled sound suddenly jolted Gohan upright and his eyes grew wide at what he saw.
Cloud was standing with his new, black version of the sword Ultima pressed to Goku's throat.
"What are you doing?" Chichi shrieked, leaping at him. She was held back by something, though, and Gohan couldn't see what. Her kicking and screaming as she tried to tear the man away from her husband cut Gohan deep. This was all the family he had, what was Cloud doing?
Casting a look at Chichi that seemed to pass right through her, Cloud returned his attention to Goku.
"Struggling will do no good, ma'am," He stated flaty.
"What are you doing, Cloud?" Gohan pleaded.
"He is holding us back from defeating Jenova," He responded. No emotion touched his voice, and for the first time, Gohan feared his friend. "If he will not help us, I will not allow him to hinder us either. I'll give him one minute to break Jenova's hold of him." He shifted the thick blade slightly, as though they might forget it was there and needed to be reminded. "Otherwise, he dies."
"No Cloud!" Gohan shouted. He was torn. He didn't want to hurt Cloud, but he wouldn't lose his father again. "You can't!"
"I can, and I will," Cloud responded.
Gohan didn't know what he could do. He tried to get up, to stop Cloud, but his limbs would not respond. Paniced, he struggled more, but beyond twitching, he got no results. He was as helpless as his mother.
"I told you," Cloud repeated. "Struggling is useless."
Tears streamed silently down Gohan's face as the long moments dragged on. Was this how he would have to watch his father die a final time?
It seemed like hours that Gohan sat there utterly still. Each second slowed to an eternity as the image before him faded from focus with tears only to be blinked back into painful clarity.
"Time's up," Cloud snarled, lifting his sword for the blow that would destroy Goku.
"Wait."
Though he could barely hear the words, Gohan's heart seemed to freeze, afraid that if it beat, if he breathed, that precious life-saving word from his father would be lost.
Straining, Goku managed to pull himself into a sitting position. His breath still came in irregular pants, but his eyes were clear.
"I've got a lot of catching up to do," He laughed, breaking into coughs almost immediately.
"Daddy!" Gohan flew at his father and gripped him in a bear hug before he even realized he could move agian. "Daddy, you're alright."
It didn't take long for Chichi to join him.
Unnoticed, Cloud sheathed his weapon and disappeared through the door.
-*~**~*-
"What do we do now?" Yuffie asked, when Cloud had joined the main group downstairs. Vegeta had arrived a while ago, and she hadn't even known Cloud was here until she saw him coming down the stairs.
"They've gone to yet another world," Vegeta answered. "We follow them using whatever means of travel you fools used to get here."
"Indeed," Cloud agreed. "We follow. This time we will corner Sephiroth. We know what we're up against."
"I sure as hell don't." Barret scratched his head. Another world? Somehow he remembered Aeris saying something about it being another time, but that just confused him more. In any case, he was leaving the thinking to Cloud.
"I'll have no half-hearted fighters," Cloud continued, ignoring the interruption. "This time we crush Sephiroth. Once and for all."
A few nods were dispersed about the room, but generally everyone was quiet.
"Anyone who will fight, come to my side of the room," Cloud ordered. "Everyone else, over there."
When the commotion of moving bodies died down, Cloud saw Cid still sitting contentedly on an easy chair in the middle of the room. His nose was in a magazine. Glancing about for something to throw, Cloud picked up a pillow from a nearby couch and chucked it as hard as he could at Cid's head.
"What the hell was that for?" Cid demanded, jumping up. Seeing everyone divided into two groups, Cloud's words came back to him. Pretending nothing had happened, he walked over to Cloud's side of the room and tucked his little prize away inside his blue jacket. He'd saved it from the Kame House, so as far as he was concerned, it was rightly his.
"Leaving someone out, aren't you?" Goku asked as he came down the stairs. He looked a lot better than he had a few minutes before, but Cloud doubted anyone would ever thank him for what he'd done. It didn't really matter.
When the three from upstairs chose what they would do, Cloud surveyed the room. He'd expected things to be like this. Their party hadn't changed except to add Goku and Trunks to their ranks. Taking out his multicolored materia, Cloud's mouth set in determination.
"Hold it RIGHT there!
Cloud started as Chichi marched up and grabbed Gohan by the arm. "You're not going anywhere, mister! You've got way to much studying to catch up on!
"Mom!" Gohan pleaded, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
"Aw Chichi, c'mon!" Goku whined along with Gohan. "He studies all the time; just give him a little break okay?
"He's missed MONTHS of studying!" Chichi argued, taking a step forward.
Seeing Goku cower back from his wife, Vincent stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "Ma'am, don't you think this is a good opportunity for him to study? We are traveling into the past, where your son will see the history of his world first hand. It is not often that such opportunities show themselves.
"I..." Chichi was taken aback by the red-eyed stranger, but she regained herself quite quickly. "He's only a boy; it's too dangerous for him.
"That boy's stronger than anyone I've ever seen!" Cid laughed, slapping his leg as though Chichi had made a joke.
"I won't let my son get hurt!" Chichi shouted. Her glare seemed able to wound physically if the way people shied away from it was any indication.
"I'll protect him with my life." Cloud looked the woman in the eyes, and for a brief moment he saw hesitation flicker there.
Chichi wasn't sure what to do. She glanced at Gohan's begging expression, then up to Goku who had the exact same expression. Seeing her husband alive and well again made her face soften a little. Nodding, she knelt down and hugged Gohan, bursting into tears on his shoulder.
"You better come back safe and sound, you hear?
"Don't worry mom," Gohan replied. "I'll be fine.
Squeezing Gohan tightly for a second, Chichi let go and walked back to the other side of the room where Bulma promptly began telling her it would all be fine.
Not bothering with any further words, Cloud concentrated on the same slow spell Sephiroth had used. He watched grimly as the now familiar vortex opened. When all of the fighters had filed through, he followed them and let the portal close.
There, hanging threateningly low in the sky, Meteor greeted him with its sickly red glow.
I know... forever for updates. I'd actually given up on Fanficition.net until now, and the only reason I'm back is because I'm sick, can't sleep, and have no ambition to do anything else. If you want updates on this fic as soon as I write them, you'll need to be checking my website, at ting with Chapter 29: After Every Lesson Comes a Test. I'd suggest re-reading them. There are very few chapters left to this story after what I upload today, we'll see if I can find it in me to spit them out.
By: Jenosavel
Jenova was waiting deep within the northern crater, in a room that had an intensely bright fountain of Mako at the center of its circular design. The leafy, vibrant vegetation around the rim of the bowl-like floor only added to the sense of cold serenity that the place radiated.
It was the perfect place for what would happen, Sephiroth mused as he stepped through the tunnel opening and into the light from the Mako. He hadn't expected the girl to learn so quickly, but he was pleased with the way things were turning out. He could go farther back in time now that she had proven herself able to defeat the Planet's chosen warriors.
At the heels of her brother, Jenosavel caught her breath again. She had never seen such beauty as she was seeing in this crater. Every room was more beautiful than the last. Here, before her now, was the most lovely sight she could have imagined. Nestled about a Mako fountain, one of the rarest wonders of nature, was Jenova. Everything in the room appeared to be centered around her, as it rightly should be.
Stepping to the side and putting a hand on Jenosavel's shoulder, Sephiroth nodded to her, "Go on, speak with Mother. I'll be waiting here.
Eyes wide with wonder, Jenosavel did as she was told and walked up to stand before the twisted form of Jenova. Falling on her knees before it, she could feel Jenova in every fiber of her being. Her blood called out to the greatness before her, the only one for which she existed.
Yes, this was why she existed. The knowledge bubbled up from the same place deep inside her as everything else she had been discovering. She existed to be the eternal life of Jenova. She would grow strong, and then reunite with Jenova, restoring her queen's youth and allowing her more room to grow. It was the way of their people, their life cycle.
Seeing Jenosavel so reverently bowed before Jenova was a victory to Sephiroth. He knew what was coming, and it would work in his favor.
Silently, he laughed wondering what great power his mother could attain if she allowed her life cycle to continue. As it was now, she was at level 99, and had reached her maximum strength, but the next turn of her life cycle would open up to her the ability to reach far higher levels. Each successive pass through the cycle would build up her power in the same way.
Why did you hesitate to obey me, child?
"I... I'm sorry Mother... the boy saved my life."
Jenosavel quivered at the anger that laced the intoxicating voice of Jenova. Her mother's wrath was something she could not fathom, and the hints of it put her off balance.
You disappointed me child.
Sephiroth tensed, feeling the failure and their newest puppet approach. He couldn't let the two of them interfere with what was happening. So long as they stayed quietly out of sight he would let them be. Now was not the time for a confrontation.
"I will do better next time," Jenosavel promised. She felt completely at peace here in her mother's presence, even with the discouraging air that radiated from Jenova.
There will be no next time.
"What?"
I see you are not fit to be my heir.
"But!" Jenosavel's voice was filled with desperation now. "You will die without me! Without adding my strength to your own, your days are numbered!"
You could not rejoin me anyway. You are no longer pure, not one of us. Your blood is tainted with the Cetra, our ancient foe.
Shock numbed Jenosavel's body and mind.
Sephiroth smirked to himself. That's my cue, he thought, and those meddlers haven't ruined a thing.
"Come sister, let's be away from here," He murmured as he calmly walked up and knelt down to give her a hug. There was no real emotion in the action, but the girl wouldn't know that. She would be completely his very soon. Standing up, he helped the shaking girl to her feet.
"Everything will be all right, I'll see to it," He assured her as he held out his hand with the multicolored materia in it.
The swirling vortex again opened, and Sephiroth walked through guiding his sister's dazed form behind him.
-*~**~*-
Gohan's eyes filled with tears as his father's eyes slowly drifted open. Since fleeing the Kame House, they'd eventually all trickled into Trunks's home. It had been akward with so many people who could not fly. They'd been carried as far as the shore, and so it had taken varying times for them to all find their way here. Thankfully, his directions had been good enough and no one had gotten lost.
"Please be okay, Daddy," Gohan whispered, kneeling by his father's side. Goku's fits had died down since leaving the Kame House, but when the crazed look had gone out of his eyes he'd fell unconscious. No one, not even Piccolo, had been able to pry Gohan from his side.
Gohan stared hopefully into the blue eyes that looked upward blankly. Their aqua depths, vibrant and stark, still held signs of an inner struggle, but nonetheless they finally focused on Gohan.
"Son," The word was rasped out and followed by a fit of coughing.
"DADDY!" Gohan squealed through the tears streaming down his face as he threw his arms around his father's still form.
"Gohan," Goku's voice wavered, his eyes slipping in and out of focus. "I... I don't think I will be of any help this time." His eyes fought to stay focused on Gohan, "Promise me you'll not let me hold you back. You have to fight in my place, son.
"No Daddy!" Gohan cried. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take losing his father yet again. His voice dwindled to a choked sob, "No Daddy, you can't leave me again.
"I don't think I have much choice, Gohan," Goku whispered. For a moment his voice was strong and steady again, but it soon deteriorated to the strained croak again. "I can barely win the battles in my mind. I can't fight both fights at once.
"But Daddy," Gohan blubbered, "You can beat her, she can't control you if you're not confused. Don't let her confuse you...
Chichi hugged Gohan, gently pulling him into her lap and cooing in an effort to comfort her son. She did her best to hide her own damp cheeks from him, but seeing her love slowly wrenched from her hands again was too much. She had seen him suffer time and time again, but those times there had been hope. Now there was nothing. Alone in the room with her family, she finally gave in and let the the tears come in full force.
A flash and a strangled sound suddenly jolted Gohan upright and his eyes grew wide at what he saw.
Cloud was standing with his new, black version of the sword Ultima pressed to Goku's throat.
"What are you doing?" Chichi shrieked, leaping at him. She was held back by something, though, and Gohan couldn't see what. Her kicking and screaming as she tried to tear the man away from her husband cut Gohan deep. This was all the family he had, what was Cloud doing?
Casting a look at Chichi that seemed to pass right through her, Cloud returned his attention to Goku.
"Struggling will do no good, ma'am," He stated flaty.
"What are you doing, Cloud?" Gohan pleaded.
"He is holding us back from defeating Jenova," He responded. No emotion touched his voice, and for the first time, Gohan feared his friend. "If he will not help us, I will not allow him to hinder us either. I'll give him one minute to break Jenova's hold of him." He shifted the thick blade slightly, as though they might forget it was there and needed to be reminded. "Otherwise, he dies."
"No Cloud!" Gohan shouted. He was torn. He didn't want to hurt Cloud, but he wouldn't lose his father again. "You can't!"
"I can, and I will," Cloud responded.
Gohan didn't know what he could do. He tried to get up, to stop Cloud, but his limbs would not respond. Paniced, he struggled more, but beyond twitching, he got no results. He was as helpless as his mother.
"I told you," Cloud repeated. "Struggling is useless."
Tears streamed silently down Gohan's face as the long moments dragged on. Was this how he would have to watch his father die a final time?
It seemed like hours that Gohan sat there utterly still. Each second slowed to an eternity as the image before him faded from focus with tears only to be blinked back into painful clarity.
"Time's up," Cloud snarled, lifting his sword for the blow that would destroy Goku.
"Wait."
Though he could barely hear the words, Gohan's heart seemed to freeze, afraid that if it beat, if he breathed, that precious life-saving word from his father would be lost.
Straining, Goku managed to pull himself into a sitting position. His breath still came in irregular pants, but his eyes were clear.
"I've got a lot of catching up to do," He laughed, breaking into coughs almost immediately.
"Daddy!" Gohan flew at his father and gripped him in a bear hug before he even realized he could move agian. "Daddy, you're alright."
It didn't take long for Chichi to join him.
Unnoticed, Cloud sheathed his weapon and disappeared through the door.
-*~**~*-
"What do we do now?" Yuffie asked, when Cloud had joined the main group downstairs. Vegeta had arrived a while ago, and she hadn't even known Cloud was here until she saw him coming down the stairs.
"They've gone to yet another world," Vegeta answered. "We follow them using whatever means of travel you fools used to get here."
"Indeed," Cloud agreed. "We follow. This time we will corner Sephiroth. We know what we're up against."
"I sure as hell don't." Barret scratched his head. Another world? Somehow he remembered Aeris saying something about it being another time, but that just confused him more. In any case, he was leaving the thinking to Cloud.
"I'll have no half-hearted fighters," Cloud continued, ignoring the interruption. "This time we crush Sephiroth. Once and for all."
A few nods were dispersed about the room, but generally everyone was quiet.
"Anyone who will fight, come to my side of the room," Cloud ordered. "Everyone else, over there."
When the commotion of moving bodies died down, Cloud saw Cid still sitting contentedly on an easy chair in the middle of the room. His nose was in a magazine. Glancing about for something to throw, Cloud picked up a pillow from a nearby couch and chucked it as hard as he could at Cid's head.
"What the hell was that for?" Cid demanded, jumping up. Seeing everyone divided into two groups, Cloud's words came back to him. Pretending nothing had happened, he walked over to Cloud's side of the room and tucked his little prize away inside his blue jacket. He'd saved it from the Kame House, so as far as he was concerned, it was rightly his.
"Leaving someone out, aren't you?" Goku asked as he came down the stairs. He looked a lot better than he had a few minutes before, but Cloud doubted anyone would ever thank him for what he'd done. It didn't really matter.
When the three from upstairs chose what they would do, Cloud surveyed the room. He'd expected things to be like this. Their party hadn't changed except to add Goku and Trunks to their ranks. Taking out his multicolored materia, Cloud's mouth set in determination.
"Hold it RIGHT there!
Cloud started as Chichi marched up and grabbed Gohan by the arm. "You're not going anywhere, mister! You've got way to much studying to catch up on!
"Mom!" Gohan pleaded, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
"Aw Chichi, c'mon!" Goku whined along with Gohan. "He studies all the time; just give him a little break okay?
"He's missed MONTHS of studying!" Chichi argued, taking a step forward.
Seeing Goku cower back from his wife, Vincent stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "Ma'am, don't you think this is a good opportunity for him to study? We are traveling into the past, where your son will see the history of his world first hand. It is not often that such opportunities show themselves.
"I..." Chichi was taken aback by the red-eyed stranger, but she regained herself quite quickly. "He's only a boy; it's too dangerous for him.
"That boy's stronger than anyone I've ever seen!" Cid laughed, slapping his leg as though Chichi had made a joke.
"I won't let my son get hurt!" Chichi shouted. Her glare seemed able to wound physically if the way people shied away from it was any indication.
"I'll protect him with my life." Cloud looked the woman in the eyes, and for a brief moment he saw hesitation flicker there.
Chichi wasn't sure what to do. She glanced at Gohan's begging expression, then up to Goku who had the exact same expression. Seeing her husband alive and well again made her face soften a little. Nodding, she knelt down and hugged Gohan, bursting into tears on his shoulder.
"You better come back safe and sound, you hear?
"Don't worry mom," Gohan replied. "I'll be fine.
Squeezing Gohan tightly for a second, Chichi let go and walked back to the other side of the room where Bulma promptly began telling her it would all be fine.
Not bothering with any further words, Cloud concentrated on the same slow spell Sephiroth had used. He watched grimly as the now familiar vortex opened. When all of the fighters had filed through, he followed them and let the portal close.
There, hanging threateningly low in the sky, Meteor greeted him with its sickly red glow.
I know... forever for updates. I'd actually given up on Fanficition.net until now, and the only reason I'm back is because I'm sick, can't sleep, and have no ambition to do anything else. If you want updates on this fic as soon as I write them, you'll need to be checking my website, at ting with Chapter 29: After Every Lesson Comes a Test. I'd suggest re-reading them. There are very few chapters left to this story after what I upload today, we'll see if I can find it in me to spit them out.