Her broken arm hung at her side as they rushed at one another, but she didn't let it hinder her--her leg swung out at his head. Caleb ducked and caught her ankle, holding her body at an awkward angle. She tried to fling him down but he adjusted his grip, pivoted, and hurled her back against the same tree trunk she had pinned Angel to. She screamed and he whirled around to look down at the blond man who hadn't moved since his arrival. He knelt, the sword's point digging into the dirt as he leaned against it, his orange eyes wide. The man turned his head up and locked once-bright blue eyes with the other. Caleb reached down and touched one side of his angular, pale face, leaning in closer until he felt the man's slight breath on his own.
"Dad...?" he whispered. The naked blond reached up as well and lay a trembling hand on the young mercenary's face. His wrinkled thumb weakly traced his cheekbone and he opened his mouth to respond. Her boot came down between their faces and she kicked hard, catching Caleb in the jaw and sending him flying back, away from the edge of the dark blue water. He landed on his hands and knees and clenched his teeth, getting his feet under him and running forward. His sword still stood where he had planted it, but his father's body had been moved. Ayden was dragging his body toward the water, her back to him. He took the opening and rammed into her, making sure to pull hard on her broken arm. The woman screamed and dropped Cloud by the water's edge and Caleb got up first, kicking at her. She rolled away and got to one knee as he ran back and clenched a fist around the purple handle of the huge broadsword. He yanked it up out of the ground and turned to face her but she had recovered and effectively hidden herself. Holding the clear blade with both hands, his eyes scanned the area as best they could, slowly backing around until he was facing the trees, his back to the water so he could get a full look.
She walked out of the white tree forest, and for a moment, Caleb lowered his sword: his mother... that was his mother over there. He was fighting against his own mother, who had given her life for him once. And he was meaning to take her life again, with his own hands. Her eyes, even from this distance, glared a harsh, rabid green. He shook his head. This wasn't the Tifa Lockheart his friends and guardians had told him about. This wasn't his mother, with her gentle, loving nature and proud strength that everyone she had known admired her for. She was a mere shell--the soul had long-departed the forsaken body. Hojo would pay dearly for this.
"You are your father's son, Caleb Strife," she said softly, standing a distance back. "Extraordinary. But, your fight against me is pointless. I have both your mother and father's strengths, skills, and abilities. I can do everything they could, I can surpass them. My creator made me perfect, and he can do the same for you." She extended a hand to him and took a few steps forward. "Come. He is eager to meet you"
Caleb gripped the handle of his father's sword tighter and ran forward, swinging downward. The yellow materia in one of its eight slots glowed and the crystal leaves of the forest shone yellow with it. His strike found her chest, and three more came after it: one sideways across her stomach, one upward from navel to neck, and the last back down, knocking her to the ground. He looked at the blade, now coated in slick green liquid--mako. Through the green tinge, he saw the yellow materia fade back to its original dull glass-like appearance. She moaned from his feet and he took a step back from her, lowering the sword. Her hand shot out and grabbed his ankle. He jumped and was hurled backward. Landing hard on his back, he saw Ayden lunge at him. His hand convulsed on his sword and he noticed the forest take on a faded crystal green hue. He flung a hand up to fend her off and a hot, purple ball of energy formed in his palm and flared outward, red flames leaping out of the energy and spiraling out into a sphere, with scalding blue flames making up its center. He heard the experiment scream and he sat up, looking at his hand in awe. His eyes rose to her as she writhed and twisted on the ground, then skipped over to his father, moaning incoherently by the lakeside. He got shakily to his feet and dragged the sword over, once again sticking the point into the ground and leaning over the other man's too-skinny body.
"I hope this works..." he muttered and closed his eyes. The green glow of the tree leaves intensified as he focused his lifeforce into the Restore orb and cast the magic outward, feeling its power drain him. He gasped for breath and he heard his father do the same on the ground and his eyes shot open, looking down at him. Cloud Strife looked back up, not the lifeless, empty shell, but the actual man. His eyes filled with life and strength as color returned to his drained flesh. Cuts closed up, skin regrew, hair spilled vibrantly over his shocking blue eyes. His lips twitched into the ghost of a smile from years ago. Caleb, speechless, could only focus again, pouring more life energy into the cure spell, watching this transformation with wide, unbelieving eyes. He watched his father sit up, cross his legs and lock his elbows so he could support his upper body. The older man gave him a full smile this time.
"That's my boy," Cloud reached out and clapped a hand gently on Caleb's fist. He fell to his knees, pulling in ragged breaths, letting his hair fall over his eyes. His own lips turned up in a tired smile. Cloud's eyes suddenly darted behind him and before either could react, he tumbled back into the shallows of the lake.
"Dad!" Caleb cried and was grabbed fiercely by the back of the neck. He felt her fingers digging bruises into his skin as she lifted him up off the ground, shaking the sword loose from his hand and tossing him over her shoulder. He let out a harsh cry as he felt his own arm give a dull snap and go numb as he landed on his left side. He stayed on the ground for a moment, shutting his eyes tightly as if trying to shut out the pain. His entire left side felt abused, and he was pretty certian a few of his ribs were nicely bruised. Struggling to get his uninjured arm beneath him to help him lift himself up, he felt the oncoming of a headache. Was his limit break activating again? He heard a rush of footsteps coming toward him and he snapped his head up just as a woman screamed. His eyes widened.
Angel's eyes fluttered open slowly. The soft green glow was soothing, rejuvinating. She sat up, a slight ache in her chest making one hand come up to press against it. Her head turned slowly as she surveyed the area--she saw Caleb and his father, Cloud, kneeling together by the water's edge. The clone-experiment shot out from nowhere, knocking the older man into the lake and picking up Caleb and flinging him hard. He landed near her, screaming in pain and she heard an audible snap. She got off the motorcycle seat and ran over to him.
"Cale!" she gasped. The woman, Ayden, was coming at him again, and this time she had his sword clenched in one hand, the other hanging limply by her side. Caleb wouldn't recover in time; he was too dazed to react. He was going to die. She didn't realize she had strated forward until she was standing before him, arms out to either side. "I won't let you hurt him!" She shrieked. Ayden screamed back and thrust the sword deeply into her chest.
"Angel, NO!" Caleb screamed. But she was already dead. Her hair, thankfully, covered the exit point of the blade, and all he could see was a few slight trickles of blood running down her legs. Ayden yanked the sword out of her and threw it down to the dirt. She spilled back to the ground and Caleb caught her, feeling her blood pouring out of the sword wounds on both sides of her torso. He began gasping, softly at first, one arm tight around her, his other hand stroking her face and hair. His breathing escallated, heaving in and out in quick, ragged pants. His eyes widened until they dwarfed his usually-calm face, tears gathering at the corners slowly. "Angel... Angel...!" Ayden gripped his jaw with her good hand, and the back of his head with the broken one. He closed his eyes, letting the tears spill down his cheeks. He felt the subtle change from water to blood as they cascaded down his face, and he dropped his hand from her hair and grip the handle of his father's sword. "I'm coming, Angel..." he sobbed, pulling her forehead up to press against his. "Wait for me."
Cloud Strife rose from the water as he heard a thick, murmured snap and he saw his son's body crumple to the ground with the young woman from before in his arms. Caleb's hand was still on the wrapped handle of his Ultima Weapon. The thing that was once his wife turned slowly from their bodies, her green eyes zeroing in on him. He shivered. Her gaze had never been so cold and unfeeling, even for her enemies. This was not the woman he had married all those years ago. It was just her body. Tears came to his eyes as she approached and he recalled a time where the mere sway of her hips sent him into pangs of want, just looking at the curve of her face made him feel like everything in the world was alright. He lowered his gaze to the cold blue water he sat in, remembering the last time he had been here: Aeris. He briefly wondered, if Sephiroth hadn't killed her, would things have gone the way they did? He flinched when her boots came into his vision. Her fingers curled into his hair and yanked his head up to face her.
"Now, it's your turn," she growled at him.
He smirked back at her: "Actually, no. It's yours."
A gentle song drifted up from the bodies of the two lovers. The trees came alight with a mixture of blue and red hues. The colors blazed brilliantly. Slowly, like a tendril of red smoke, a figure rose from the Ultima blade and spread out over the fallen bodies, congealing into a tangible shape. The bird-like creature rose into the air, its wings unfolding, spreading outward and glimmering gold and red. Feathers stretched out and a long rainbow tail spread out behind it, and the Phoenix lifted to the treetops, crooning its melody. Wisps of red and gold energy wrapped around their bodies and they rose from the ground, their bodies staying intertwined. Magic caressed his neck and her torso, mending bones and flesh, rejuvinating blood. The spirals lowered them to the ground, standing them up on their feet and wrapping tightly around their bodies. Then, with another screeching note of its song, the huge firebird dove toward Ayden and rammed into her fully, knocking her back into the wall of the shell-spiral palace and disappearing as she crashed down into the water. Cloud turned his gaze back from the fading sparkles of energy to see Caleb and Angel slowly open their eyes. Their arms instantly tightened around one another.
"I thought I lost you," Caleb whimpered.
"You kept your promise," Angel beamed at him. "You came to rescue me when I was in trouble"
He kissed her fiercely. Cloud smiled, blushed slightly, and turned his eyes down to give his son and this young woman their moment of relief.