Chapter 9
Farewell Part 1
"Kali," a voice whispered.
"Hmm…" She moaned in her sleep, signaling that the speaker should shut up.
"Kali, get up," he said again. She finally opened her eyes to find…
"It's you," she whispered, gazing up at her angel. He smiled at her, his green eyes shining with tears. "You haven't come for years."
"Because I died in your dream and you stopped believing in me," he whispered. Kali sat up to find herself lying on the ground in a small field of flowers in a forest. There was a building a short distance away with a small pond in front. It all seemed so familiar…
"I'm sorry I stopped believing. I know who you are now," she said quietly. "You really are my father, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. I wish you had believed me sooner," he said sadly, the wings on his bare back drooping to emphasize the sadness. He laid a hand on her face. "I see your mother in you."
"Strange. Most people see you in me."
"I can understand that. But to me, you're just as beautiful as she was. You have her type of hair; straight, soft, and just the right thickness. You have her body, her lovely eye color. When you're asleep, you look so much more like her. That's why I sat there every night, watching you and making sure you had all of the comfort you needed."
"Where am I? Is this the Lifestream?"
"We're in an image of a field near the City of the Ancients. The illusion was created by the Lifestream. Kali, I have come to you again because there are some things you need to know."
"What?"
"First of all," he began, sitting in front of her with his legs folded under him, "stay away from the shadowy figure that's been following you."
"Why? Who is he?"
"I don't know his name or what attraction he has to you that would make him want to have sex with you, but I do know this: he is working for somebody who wants to see you dead. I'm not sure exactly why she wishes you to die, but I know that's what she wants more than anything."
"What else do you want me to know?" she whispered, the words sinking in slowly.
"You feel that when Vincent dies, you will be utterly alone. No matter what he, Yuffie, Reno, Cid, or even Rude say, you feel that you will be alone in this world when Vincent is gone. Kali, you mustn't feel that way," he whispered as he laid a hand on her bare shoulder. "I will always be watching over you, protecting you through everything as I did when you were a child. You will also have Kadaj with you. He really wants to know who you are."
"I want to speak with him and get to know him," Kali explained with a hint of impatience in her voice, "but Vincent has warned me not to until he's…" she trailed off, unable to say the word.
"Vincent's right."
"Huh?"
"I had to leave Kadaj when he was ten years old, but I remember him when he was trying to bring me back seventeen years ago," he whispered sadly. He turned his head away from her a little, a faraway look in his eyes. His voice shuddered slightly as he continued. "He was just… so angry with everyone and everything. He hated everything from Cloud to Jenova, even to the clones he was working with and himself. The only thing he cared about was me. Sometimes I wish that Vincent had left him to die. Nobody with that much anger in his heart should be allowed to live. But Kadaj learned again what love and caring are when Vincent bound his wounds and gave him the potions. I have seen that he has love for you, although he does not even suspect that you are related in any way except a clone."
"A clone? He thinks I'm a clone?"
"Yes. That means that you must be cautious when you finally have an introduction. I happen to know that he will save your life just before you tell him your name. You will be unconscious for a short time. During your hibernation, he will examine you and conclude that you're a clone. He hates the clones, for he feels that any part of the Jenova Project, save myself, played a part in my deaths in Nibelheim, the Meteor Crisis, and on the world where I finally remained dead. If he tries to turn you away, be persistent in demanding that you stay with him. If nothing works, show him my sword and that necklace," Sephiroth demanded as he pointed at the jewel resting just above her breasts. They sat in silence for a moment.
"It's cold," she said quietly, rubbing her hands over her bare arms. Sephiroth hugged his daughter to warm her.
"Kali," he said soothingly. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"The fight you dreamed I died in. If I had won, I don't think you'd be here right now. You see, that monster is the one who hired the shadow. Had I beaten her, you would not have to worry. You and Vincent would probably still be on your world."
"I need to leave this place."
"No, Kali. If you do go, the entire P-" he was cut off by a rumbling noise in the distance. The two of them stood and watched as the ground was torn apart a few miles away. Sephiroth whispered, "It has begun."
"What has?" Kali gasped, her hand clutching her father's tightly. He remained silent.
They began to lose balance as the ground under their feet started trembling. Sephiroth wrapped his arms tightly around Kali again and held her close to his bare, muscular chest. An explosion a great distance away caused a huge fire to come towards them. Sephiroth swung Kali and threw her to the ground. He lie on top of her, his wings protecting what his body didn't. Kali screamed as the fire overcame them and his wings were torn from his back, feathers flying around them in flames. She was speechless as his skin was torn from his body, his muscles and organs turning instantly to dust. She threw the remaining skeleton aside as it disintegrated and the flames disappeared. She stood up to find a figure dressed all in white with black hair hiding her face. She turned suddenly into the monster from Kali's past dream.
Kali immediately found herself outside her body. She watched as she changed shape. Her entire body began glowing with a white light as her entire figure turned smooth and metallic, making her seem to be a black blob, none of her bodily features visible except her tattoos. Her tank top, pants, boots, gloves, and bracers melted with her body, her necklace the only accessory not changing. Her legs, having joined together, now divided to form six wings and, from her shoulder down to her fingers, her right arm formed a seventh. The two tattoos on her back grew to form two real wings, the same ones her father had, and in her left hand, she grasped her father's great sword. As her skin and feathers turned pitch black, Kali noticed that from her belly button down, her body was feathered, but from her stomach up, she had skin and was nude. Her grey eyes glowed at the other monster before she flew at her.
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"Ah," she gasped quietly as she woke up. She sat up, Vincent and Yuffie still asleep next to her. She sighed silently and snuggled back up against Vincent. What an odd dream, she thought. She closed her eyes to try and sleep, but it refused to come back. Kali finally stood, wrapped the coat tighter around her two friends, and stood at the mouth of the cave. She was gazing out at the scenery and cloudy sunrise when a hand on her shoulder made her jump.
"Hey, relax, it's just me," Reno said softly. He stood next to her and followed her gaze. "Something bugging you?"
"Not really," Kali replied. She finally looked at him. "Reno, what would you say if I told you that I'm going to become a monster?"
"I'd say you must have been dipping into our booze and cigarette stash," he laughed as he lit one for himself. "I'd offer you one, but I guess you don't smoke."
"No. It's illegal for anyone under eighteen to smoke on my planet. At least, it was before the original was killed. On the planet I grew up on, it was completely illegal because of the pollution it caused."
"Your old planet was killed?" he said with a hint of shock. Kali nodded and explained briefly about Earth up until the end of the alien wars on Jahan. He whistled lightly. "That's tough. Wish we were smart enough to think of that. Maybe then your dad would still be alive."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if we had thought of evacuating the Planet when your dad summoned Meteor, Cloud might not have had to kill him."
"But then I probably wouldn't be here," Kali said quietly. "The reason I ask about the monster… I had a weird dream just a little while ago. My entire body seemed to be made of black wings."
"Wings," Reno repeated slowly and quietly. He puffed on his cigarette thoughtfully. "Your dad took a shape like that. His wings were white, though. I never saw it outside of his crystal confines, but that's what Cloud said he looked like."
"He did?"
"He called himself the 'Safer Sephiroth.' He had wings for legs and a wing for an arm."
"Since he's my father, maybe…" she hesitated, "maybe I'm going to turn out like him. Maybe I'm going to finish what he started, maybe I'll die like he did, or maybe-"
"Kali, shut the fuck up!" Reno snapped suddenly.
"Reno," Kali said shakily, unaccustomed to hearing an outburst from him.
"I'm sorry to use that language, but don't even think that about yourself. I lost a lot of friends to your father. See those people sleeping in there?" he said, looking in at the snoozing forms. Vincent and Yuffie were fast asleep against the wall, both his arms around her now. Cid was snoring lightly, a burned out cigarette in his hand. Rude was stretched out against the wall, fast asleep and glasses off. "These are the only people I have left. My entire family was in Midgar and died when Meteor hit. I lost all of my friends from the Turks except Rude and Vincent. I love them all and would give my life for them. Kali, if you turn out like Sephiroth, you'll most likely go after them. He barely cared about his own son when he summoned Meteor, much less his clones or old friends. I don't want to have to kill you. You're too sweet of a girl, and way too damn beautiful, you really are. I'm not afraid to say it like the others are," he said quietly, making her blush, "but I'm not losing those people in there the way I lost Elena, Tseng, and Rufus. Until then, don't worry. I'll look after you to the end."
"Thank you, Reno," she whispered. She sat on the ground and let out a sudden gasp as she began to cry. She laid a hand over her mouth gently. "Sorry."
"Hey, I'm sorry," Reno said apologetically. He sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you cry."
"No, it's not you. I just have so many things going on lately. Reno, you've been great. Thanks," she muttered quietly. She leaned against his shoulder and cried quietly. He finally pushed her up.
"Did Vincent tell you why he needed to be there for you to get the sword?"
"No. Why?"
"Then how do you know that he needs to be there? He could be wrong. If you want, we can go out there now and we can meet them as they're coming for us."
"Will it save Vincent?" she asked. Reno hesitated.
"It may. We won't know unless we try."
"Then let's go," she said as she stood.
Reno watched her collect her bag and put on her coat. He packed his own bag silently and secured both to his bike. When Kali was ready, they rolled the bike away from the cave and began the ride to Midgar. Vincent woke up at the faint noise of the engine starting up. He saw Yuffie next to him, but no Kali. When he realized that Reno wasn't there, either, he gently laid Yuffie on the ground and ran to the entrance to see if they were perhaps playing a joke, but he knew in his heart that they had gone to Midgar alone.
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"This is it," Reno said nearly half a day later. The sun was just beginning to set in the distance as they came into the ruins. Kali gazed around at the destroyed buildings.
"Midgar," she whispered.
He drove her through the ruins, pointing out where many of his favorite places had been; The Honeybee Inn, The Seventh Heaven Bar that Tifa used to run, the Turks headquarters, the President's office. Kali felt a sense of awe when he showed her the church that Aeris had lived in and the flowers she had cared for, the only flowers that grew in the slums of Midgar. They were still beautifully yellow. She carefully dug two up, roots and all, and laid them gently in her bag.
"What are those for?" Reno asked.
"I want to plant them by my father's grave," she explained quietly. He smiled at her.
"I think he would like that, Kali."
"Where is his grave, anyway?" she inquired as they continued to ride through the deserted streets.
"Probably on the other side of town. Wait, there it is," he said, pointing up to the top of a hill a short distance outside of town. On top, they could just make out a box with a statue on top and something sticking out of the ground a few yards away from it. Reno began driving up to it. By the time they reached it, the sun had turned the sky blood red. He stopped a few feet from the top. "I'll leave you here. Come down when you have the sword."
"Thanks, Reno," she said, giving him a hug. He returned it and drove back down the hill.
Kali slowly walked up to the top and stared at the objects in front of her. The item that stood a few feet from the tomb was a rusted sword with two holes near the hilt. Taking a closer look, she could see something carved into the handle: Cloud Strife. She glared at the sword, wondering why he would leave it by the grave of a man he hated. She turned away and stared at the beautiful stone in front of her. It was a large cube made of white marble. On top, perched on three legs made of black onyx, was a ruby sphere with crystal pieces thrusting out to Kali's left. She knew immediately that the ruby was Meteor and the crystal was the tail. She knelt slowly in front of it and ran her fingers over the intricately written words carved into the stone:
In Memory of
SOLDIER General
And Jenova Project
Sephiroth
Underneath this beautiful carving was another message, but carved sloppily and in such a way that it looked like it was done with a shaky hand using a sword instead of a chisel. Kali had difficulty reading it, as some letters were easier to read then others, but this is what it said:
Loving father and perfect gentleman.
"Kadaj," she whispered after figuring out the message. Indeed, he had been the one to carve this into the stone. She noticed the rest of the words and read:
Created by man,
To be killed by another.
Before death he comes,
Makes a woman a mother.
A daughter she'll be,
Someday caught in a great bind.
With faith in her heart,
Inner strength she soon will find.
Born on a new world,
Father's friend take home and guard.
Enemies she'll make,
But all efforts will be marred.
Two choices she has,
One to leave dad dead and weak.
Two makes her a bane,
Father's vengeance she will seek.
Kali read the two stanzas over again. She wondered what this could be and why it was one the tomb of her father. Kali read it once more aloud. She finally stood and noticed something around the legs of Meteor. Tied around the two legs was a necklace with a beautiful and elegantly designed cross. It seemed to be similar to hers, gold with pearl in the middle. She laid a hand on it and turned quickly at a voice behind her.
"That's the spell that was cast on him as an infant," Vincent said quietly as he came up from the side of the hill. He pulled a necklace out from under his collar and knelt on one knee in front of the stone, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and said a prayer quietly, head bowed. Kali couldn't hear exactly what he said, but she knew he was using an old language, for she heard words like 'thee' and 'thy' multiple times. He finally stood and Kali saw that his necklace was another cross, but this one was made of crystal decorated with what would have been Celtic knots on her world, but she was sure that they were just designs here. He smiled. "Here's the necklace. I forgot I left it here. This is one that your father made."
"He made that?" Kali said quietly. She fingered her own.
"Yes, as well as yours and my ring," he said quietly. He stared at the writing and read the section aloud. "That's the spell that was put on him. When he was a baby, Hojo made a woman angry. He didn't know at the time that she was a magic-user, so he blew her off. The woman came later to punish him. She decided to put the spell on Sephiroth, for she suspected that he was Hojo's son and she wanted to do something that would make him feel bad instead of something he could get over. This is the one she used. It was supposed to make him immortal, but he would still grow old. Eventually, your father was supposed to become nothing more than a skeleton and fungus-covered organs. A living corpse, basically. She never thought that he would arrive at another world.
"Almost everything's come true. He was created by man, Cloud killed him, Sephiroth impregnated your mother, she gave birth to a daughter," he nodded to her, "mother and child were from another world, I brought you here, and you've made enemies of Tifa and Marlene"
"Why is Cloud's sword here?" she inquired.
"Cloud came here before your dad's grave was made and stuck it in the ground. Sephiroth's clones made the tombstone and brought it here so he could oversee the destruction he had caused. Kadaj came every chance he got," Vincent said slowly. He turned back to the grave and closed his eyes. "I remember the day he died and when I finally brought the body here..."
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"Vincent," Sephiroth gasped. Vincent knelt down and laid a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. He brushed his long, black hair out of his eyes before he lifted his friend and laid his head against his leg. "I'm dying."
"No, you're not," Vincent said soothingly. He smiled, but it was difficult, for his eyes were filling with tears as he surveyed the damage Cloud had done.
"Don't lie to me, Vincent. I know better. I've died before, too."
"Sephiroth…"
"Please, take care of Michiko for me. I miss her terribly."
"I will."
"Take care of Kadaj and his family if you go back to the Planet."
"Of course," Vincent said quietly, both his voice and body trembling. He held his friend's hand tightly, nearly cutting off the circulation.
"Tell Michiko that I love her, even in my death. Make sure she knows. If she doesn't know, I'm sending Meteor to smite you," he chuckled softly. Vincent laughed weakly, too. They stared at each other for a moment.
"Sephiroth, if you let me take you out of here now, you can be saved. You can see her again."
"No," he replied quietly, struggling to sit up a little bit. "I need to finish filling the spell. I don't know for sure if Michiko is pregnant or not, but I think she's carrying my daughter right now."
"What makes you say that?"
"Every other time I died, I could see a flash of light beforehand. I don't see one now. I think that light was what gave me each new life. I can't die until I fuck a woman and she is preparing to give birth to a girl as a result. If she does give my child life, take care of my daughter, too. And Vincent?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to be buried near Midgar. There's a hill outside the town with a sword in the ground and a marble stone. The stone is my grave, made by Loz and Yazoo. They put it there before they died. I want to be laid to rest there. Please, don't let Cloud know where my body is."
"I promise."
"Thank you for everything."
"Goodbye, Sephiroth."
"Not goodbye. You only say 'goodbye' to people you won't see again. We'll meet again someday, even if it's when you die. See you later, Vinny."
"That's Vincent."
"Whatever," Sephiroth said quietly with a weak shrug. He closed his eyes and breathed shallowly, his head resting against Vincent's stomach. "See you later."
"See you again soon," Vincent replied. He cried silently as Sephiroth's body fell limp in his arms and his breathing stopped.
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"… and I hope that you're happy, wherever you are," Kadaj said quietly. He knelt by the tombstone as Vincent walked over the hill, a limp figure in his arms. "I miss you terribly, father. I wish I could see you one more time."
"You can," Vincent said softly as he came up. Kadaj turned and shook angrily.
"What is it? If Cloud's with you…"
"No. I came to fill your father's last wish."
"Dad?" Kadaj said sadly when he saw who was in Vincent's arms. He mouth trembled and tears filled his eyes as he laid a hand on his dad's forehead. "Dad… no."
"I'm sorry, Kadaj. I had hoped you wouldn't be here," Vincent apologized as he laid the body on the ground. He placed his hand on Kadaj's shoulder for a second as he knelt next to Sephiroth's body, which was back to his normal self, except for the fact he was dead. Kadaj held him and sobbed while Vincent began digging a hole.
"No, no, no, no, no, please, god, no," Kadaj sobbed over and over, "not again, not again, please not again, god not again, no…"
"Kadaj," Vincent said gently, kneeling in front of the man and brushing a few stray strands out of Sephiroth's face. The two of them stared at the still face silently.
Vincent finally picked up the body and placed it into the coffin. He crossed Sephiroth's arms over his chest and closed the lid. He worked in silence as he filled the hole. Kadaj's sobs echoed in Vincent's ears, and by the time he was done, Vincent's sobs were scarcely quieter, for he knew that with Sephiroth went Lucrecia, the first and, until he began his affair with Yuffie, only woman he ever loved. The two men knelt in front of the grave and prayed silently. Vincent felt something in his pocket as he stood and pulled out a jeweled cross on a chain. He threaded the chain through two of the legs of Meteor and hooked it so it hung down, the bottom just touching the words' in memory of.' Kadaj reached up for his own necklace, grinning weakly as he remembered that his father had just been buried with it. When Vincent moved, Kadaj took his sword in hand, sat in front of the stone, and underneath the name, he carved with difficulty five words: 'loving father and perfect gentleman.' He stood back and admired his handiwork before he and Vincent said their farewells. Vincent never returned to the site until Kali was with him. Kadaj made annual trips to the area on his birthday, the birthday of his father, and the anniversary of his burial.
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"Believe me, Kali, laying your father under the ground you now stand on was the hardest thing I've ever done. Now, I think you need to put the necklace in the stone."
"Where?" she asked as she unclipped the jewel.
"Here," Vincent pointed at an indentation on the back of the tail. She placed the necklace into the space before Vincent pushed her gently onto the ground and made her stay close to the tomb.
"What's wrong?"
"Listen," he said quietly. They could hear a motorcycle coming up the hill on the other side. "It's Tifa."
"No," Kali shook her head when she realized what was going on. "Vincent, no."
"Kali, I'm sorry. Please, don't go after her. You're not strong enough. Wait until you can fight and you have Kadaj to help you," he said quietly. He hugged her and kissed the side of Kali's head. "I love you like my own, Kal. I'm doing this for you. Take care of yourself and your brother. Goodbye, Kal," he said softly as he stood.
"I thought you only say goodbye to people you won't see again," Kali pointed out as a few tears dripped down her face.
"I know. I didn't stutter. You see, although I love you and care about you, I don't want to see you again, for the next time we meet will be when you die. I don't want that to happen for a long, long time. Goodbye, Kali Yori."
"See you later, Vincent Valentine," she said quietly. He began to correct her, but dropped it and only smiled sadly. Kali watched silently as Tifa came over the hill and Vincent turned to face her.
"Hello, Vincent," she said angrily.
"Hello, Tifa," he returned.
Kali watched Tifa fly at Vincent, a whirlwind of fists and feet.
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NM: Well, Vinny's almost gone.
Vincent: ((pouts))
NM: Sorry… Anyway, hope everyone's enjoying! I have no disclaimers or quirks, so here are replies:
Sayahiei: Sure you do! There's reading, and writing, and playing video games, and watching movies, and watching TV, and…
Mediciner: Come to think of it, there are only maybe one or two more love scenes in this story, one of which will be fairly soon I think, and the other will be a bit later. Yeah, I need to get better at subtlety with my mysterious people. But just in case, I'm not saying anything. I'm not far in CoM; still in Traverse Town, just getting to meet Leon, Yuffie, etc. My GBA batteries are going dead and I keep forgetting to replace them.
Merielle: Yeah, I liked it. And it was (you guessed it!) another spur of the moment idea. I'm hoping that they'll actually chit chat in the next one or two chapters. And he really does want her, something that will be very apparent in a future chapter.
Panny Savage: A pleasure to meet you! And thanks for reading the one before this. I'm glad to hear that my writing's improved. I've noticed, too, so thanks. I think it may have to with the fact that this is told inthirdperson, not first.If you want information on AC,I'll put my two favorite sites up in my profile for you. Again, a pleasure meeting you and i'm glad you're enjoying my work!
NM: Happy New Year Everyone!
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P.S. I'm updating at like, eleven at night and I finished the chapter not long before and didn't do very much proofreading, so if the chapter's bad or you see errors, let me know! I won't be insulted.
