WARNING!! 1) Remember, it's Jenova. Not Sephiroth, JENOVA. 2) Violence and Swearing. 3) I swear, my English has gotten worse!
Don't own anyone or anything. Thank you SO very much for the reviews for the last chapter! And sorry this one's taken so long.
Chapter Eighteen: Truth hurts, doesn't it?
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Professor Hojo had dismissed his assistants a few hours ago, but was still working himself even though it was close to midnight. For the last few days, ever since getting shot by the clone, he had been working frantically for Her goals, somehow feeling that there wasn't much time left. Not much time before She would set her plans in motion. And he needed to be ready.
He hadn't even noticed how dark it was in the laboratory as he tested his latest batch of specimens. The creatures still resembled humans more than anything, but with enough Mako and mutated cells from old specimens they'd grow quickly. She'd be pleased with his work. He felt like he had to make up for how hard Sephiroth had been to handle. It had taken Her long to finally break and use him.
When he heard footsteps Hojo paid them no heed. Other people besides his assistants very rarely came in. For some reason they seemed to find his beloved laboratory unsettling. He briefly wondered who'd come in so late, but didn't really care as long as he wasn't disturbed.
But the strong hand that suddenly appeared on his shoulder did disturb the professor. Especially when it didn't stop there; it snaked down towards the center of his chest where it stopped. The fingers made slow, gentle circles over his laboratory coat, giving him goosebumps.
"Working late?" a low, husky voice asked right beside his ear. Professor Hojo recognized it immediately. Of course he did. It belonged to what he still liked to call his masterpiece, even though it was sometimes more trouble than it was worth. When he made no move to turn, the hand pulled him around. In a moment Hojo was face to throat with his own creation.
"Sephiroth."
The ex-General, almost a head taller than him, was looking down at him with his strange, almost feline mako-green eyes. Even without the long sword he made a figure that inspired as much fear as awe. Hojo had to swallow before he could get out another word. "What brings you here?"
"Oh. I thought it was time to check in on you, my dear friend. And congratulate you. You really did a marvelous job with the little clone."
Hojo blinked. It was Sephiroth's voice, but then again... it wasn't. A wicked grin crept onto his pale face as the professor realized what was going on. "Jenova."
Sephiroth's face smiled at him, and his hand rose to stroke the professor's cheek. "Oh yes. Finally."
The professor cackled as he felt excitement rush through his body. "Have you experienced any problems with the body? Any disturbances from Sephiroth? How--"
"Shush..." a finger quickly rose to his lips. All Hojo could see was that smile, and how the lips parted as the mouth formed words. "The body is perfect. He's given me no trouble at all. Not anymore. Living amongst humans had made him too willful, but he gave up soon when he realized he could not beat me."
"Marvelous!" Hojo grinned and rubbed his hands together eagerly. He turned to watch as Sephiroth walked past him to the glass chambers holding the new specimens. The previously unmoving creatures responded immediately when a gloved hand touched the glass. Jenova-in-Sephiroth turned to give him a wide smile, the green eyes glowing with excitement and passion.
"These are the ones you promised me?"
Hojo nodded eagerly and came to stand next to his masterpiece. There was nothing he hadn't at one point known about Sephiroth. He could recognize the ex-General by his voice, his footsteps, his smell even! But now he hadn't. The younger man was different, and not at all in a bad way. He was finally finished! No more would humanity interrupt with Her plans, Sephiroth was all Hers! Hojo had succeeded in the longest, most tasking work he'd ever done, succeeded beyond his wildest dreams! He had hoped that Sephiroth would become a willing servant to Jenova, but this was so much better.
"They are still unfinished, and have weaknesses, but it won't take long now. Malaka was light-years behind from these ones, when I attempted the same on him. These ones will be perfect. They will serve you, and only you."
"They will show the remains of humanity its proper place." Jenova purred through Sephiroth's mouth, staring lovingly at the creatures from underneath silver brows. Hojo felt his mouth turn dry at the sight of it. When he swallowed hard the green eyes immediately turned to stare at him. The thin lips curled into a smile. "Oh, Hojo... you've really outdone yourself. I don't know how to repay you..."
"I am your servant. Your wish is my law. I don't need anything else than to see you succeed, and to know that I may have helped a bit on the way."
"A bit?! Hojo, my friend, you've helped more than just a bit. And I am grateful. You shall not go unrewarded..."
The professor found it hard to breathe when a strong arm wrapped around his bony shoulders, and hot breath tickled his cheek as Sephiroth's lips almost touched his ear. "Do you remember all those long evenings... Valentine and Lucretia minding themselves, Gast fussing over the Cetra... it was just you and me at the laboratory..." Hojo's knees turned into jelly when a hot, moist tongue licked his cheek. "I knew then already that you were the only one there I could trust."
"You... you helped me get rid of Gast..." Hojo whispered, trying to fight the shivers of ecstasy running down his spine. He couldn't remember ever being as aroused as he was now. Well, maybe back in Nibelheim, when they'd just brought Her into the mansion. He'd loved Her from the first moment he'd laid eyes on Her. He'd served Her with everything he had ever since. And he'd gladly give up his life for Her.
"I am yours, Jenova..."
Zax dreamed. In his dream he was reliving one of the most painful situations of his life. A memory he'd hoped to have forgotten a long time ago.
It was a cold spring morning in Wutai, during the last phases of the Shin-Ra - Wutai war. It had been a long, costly war, all the soldiers still alive were at the end of their strings. But they had finally taken the town of Wutai, and the country would have to give in.
The fight had been a long and hard one. It would be closer to the truth to say that they had cold-bloodedly murdered everyone in their path and left nothing standing once they'd breached the town's defenses. The Wutaians had been starved already, weak and tired, but they'd still fought hard. And lost.
The sun was rising onto a cloudless sky when Zax came to his senses. He'd all but lost control during the fight, not realizing who he was killing or if he was hurt himself. But when the sun came up he could clearly see the mutilated corpses on the streets, the blood on the cobblestones, the smoking buildings. He knew he must have slaughtered the woman near his feet, her head somewhere out of sight. She didn't have any kind of a weapon on her. Probably she'd just tried to escape with her life. And he'd killed her. Zax could feel tired, horrified tears running down his face and angrily wiped them away. They'd won the war, hadn't they? There was no reason for him to cry.
He waved his hand to a few Soldiers walking by, pale as ghosts. They seemed to be in a similar state of mind, not sure if this was any kind of a victory. They greeted him back but didn't look into his eyes. He didn't look at them either, only turned away and left to search for Sephiroth.
The town was in a similar state no matter where he walked. A few Wutaians still alive were walking down the streets, followed and watched by the Soldiers. They checked the dead and dragged them away from the main streets. Zax stopped a few of the Soldiers on the way, asking if they'd seen the General. They pointed him the right way but wouldn't look at him.
Stepping over or around the dead, avoiding severed limbs and puddles of blood, he walked almost across the whole town before he found his friend. And he'd never forget the sight of him, not even if he tried.
Sephiroth was in one of the houses, just a normal home. He stood in a dark corner, staring passively out of a window close by. Zax knew the General had heard him come in, must have sensed him, but Sephiroth made no move to acknowledge him. The Soldier stepped further into the room and leaned against a wall. He was tired. So tired of it all.
Then he noticed the cradle. It was rocking slowly near Sephiroth's feet. The long Masamune's tip rested near it, covered with blood. The cradle's pale blue blanket and pillow were dark with blood, and the baby in it rested too quietly. Zax swallowed hard and looked up to his friend, twitching when he saw that Sephiroth was staring at him. With tears flowing down his cheeks. The Soldier felt he was in a different, horrible world altogether when pale lips opened and quiet words flowed across the air which was heavy with the scent of death.
"Would you hate me, if I spilled the blood of the innocents?"
Zax started awake, sitting straight up on the narrow bed. He was gasping for air and sweating, the memory of the taste of blood strong in his mouth. It took a moment before he could reassure himself that it was only a dream, only a memory.
Beside him on the bed, Cloud stirred slightly but continued to sleep. The Soldier looked down on the younger man, and couldn't help but grin when he remembered the evening before. The blond must have gotten up at some point, for he was wearing the Soldier's sweater, too big on his thin frame. When Zax had fallen asleep they'd both been naked. That thought made him grin again.
It was really remarkable, how much Cloud had opened up and changed in just a few days. It was a change for the good. It was like having the old Cloud back.
He'd fallen for the blond over five years ago. For most of that time he'd thought he'd lost the chance to see what kind of feelings they'd have for each other. Now, with the end of the world as they knew it a very plausible image of the very near future, they still might not get to really figure out their feelings. But at least he knew that the sex would've been good. And it was very nice to curl up next to someone again, forget everything that was bad in the world for a moment, feel warm arms wrap around him, soft lips on his throat...
"Morning. Did I wake you?" Zax asked quietly when Cloud yawned and pressed his forehead against the Soldier's naked chest. Blond hairs tickled his skin as Cloud shook his head. "Did you sleep well?"
"No, not really... I dreamed of Hojo, and he was happy." The blond muttered, his eyes closed again.
"Damn. That's always a bad sign, Hojo being happy. You should have shot him in the head when you got the chance."
"You could have chopped his head off when he was down."
"True." Zax smiled and wrapped his arms around Cloud, holding him tight for a moment. "So. I think we should get up soon. If we're going to decide what to do next."
"Not yet... please... just a few more minutes." Cloud begged and burrowed deeper between Zax's body and the bed. The Soldier chuckled.
"I'm not thrilled about it either, but the thought that Yuffie or someone will jump in at any moment, looking for us, and finding us like this, well, that doesn't sound too good either."
"You just don't love me anymore..." Cloud complained quietly, half asleep again. When his breath evened out Zax leaned closer and kissed the top of his head.
"Actually, I think I do..."
Vincent had lurked in the hallway before anyone else was up. He'd slept so long in the past years that he preferred being awake. So he had stayed up all night, thinking dark thoughts. He couldn't help it, no matter what he tried to consider, it always turned dark. Death, destruction and despair were everywhere.
He had spent the evening and the night wandering around the large airship, getting to know the place. It even had a chocobo stable. What he thought to be half of the crew had actually slept there. He'd heard a lot of things through closed doors... Aeris crying, Barret talking with someone, probably Nanaki. Highwind celebrating with some of the crew in the cockpit. Zax and Cloud... he tried not to think of what he'd heard behind their door. It brought up strange emotions, but he couldn't determine what those emotions were. Jealousy? Anger? Disbelief? All of them, and then some? Emotions were so complicated, he would gladly give them all up.
He had followed Cloud at a distance last night, when the blond had left the cabin for what turned out to be fresh air and a conversation. Vincent hadn't heard all of the words that had been exchanged between the two Nibelheimers, but enough to figure out what they'd talked about. Nibelheim truly was just a small example of how Shin-Ra twisted everything to be like they wanted it to be. Lifestream to Mako, people to monsters, good to evil... it had made him so angry, but he couldn't help feeling his rage was futile. He was just one man, what could he do? He was old, tired... he envied the people on board this airship, how they refused to give up hope. Aeris had lost her mother, Zax would have to kill his best friend. What he knew of the people, they'd all lost something to Shin-Ra. But they kept on struggling. Maybe he could help them, then he wouldn't be so alone... he wouldn't be so helpless. He could do something. Change the world for the better, or die trying. But would they even trust him?
He'd been standing outside on the deck for a few hours already when Aeris came up there, searching for Yuffie. The young ninja was on the other side of the deck, hanging her head over the railing. Vincent could hear Aeris call out to her, inviting her in to decide what they'd do next. He didn't even turn to look, sure that he wasn't needed there.
"Vincent? Are you coming?" her voice was much closer now, and when he turned he could see her walking towards him. The ex-Turk froze but quickly forced an expressionless mask onto his face. He wished he'd have some sort of a cloth to cover himself from their eyes. He felt almost naked.
He was jerked out of his thoughts when a hand landed on his arm. Turning, he saw her looking up at him. Her green eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, and she looked paler than normal.
"Sorry, Aeris, what did you say?" he blurted out when he realized he'd been staring at her. She smiled slightly.
"I asked if you're coming too. We're going to decide what to do next."
"I don't think you'll need me there."
"Of course we do. You're as entitled to be there as any of us." She was gently tugging his arm now, but Vincent remained at his place by the railing.
"Why? There are demons inside of me..."
Aeris stilled and turned to follow his blood red eyes. She stepped a bit closer, her grip on his arm far gentler now. "Vincent... I know about Sephiroth. That you're his father. You have every right to be there."
"... How do you know?" Vincent swore in his mind when his voice broke slightly on the words. The last thing he wanted was to make her worry even more about him.
"My father told me. I'm sorry that you have to listen to the others calling him a monster and other things."
"He's no longer my son. They are right. Jenova has turned him into a monster."
Aeris fell quiet for a moment, giving Vincent a chance to berate himself again.
"Still. Please, Vincent, come with me." She tugged at his arm again, and this time he followed her. Into the bowels of the large airship, and into the cockpit. The crewmembers had left their usual posts so that only the members of the Avalanche, Zax, Cloud and Professor Gast were present. Aeris let go of his arm at the door, and the ex-Turk stayed outside the loose circle that the others formed. They gave him quick looks to acknowledge that he was there, but didn't seem too accepting of the fact. Zax seemed to blush when Vincent raised his eyebrow slightly at the Soldier. Cloud didn't even look at him.
"All right, no use beatin' around the bush, let's get to business!" Cid announced loudly, looking slightly hung over. Barret and Tifa ended their quiet conversation, and everyone turned to the captain. The blond frowned and scratched his head. "What the hell're you all lookin' at me for? What am I, a fuckin' chairman or somethin'?"
"You look like you could use a wheelchair, old man..." Yuffie muttered, making Zax chuckle. Barret, Nanaki and Cid all glared at them.
"All right then." Cid continued, sighing. "So we're here to decide what the hell to do next. We can either go back to Cosmo Canyon or go after Sephiroth, the murdering son-of-a-Turk..."
Vincent felt the room spin around him a few times before stopping suddenly. But the captain wasn't even looking at him, didn't seem aware of his words or the fact that Aeris was staring at him wide-eyed, glancing over at the ex-Turk. Zax's mouth was half open to say something, but Cloud was squeezing his hand.
"So, what's it gonna be? What's the whole situation here, are we all on the same page?"
Aeris stepped forward a bit and cleared her throat. "Well. Now that we have the Highwind it would be easy to head over to the Northern Crater to check if Sephiroth is truly there. He has the Black Materia, and once he's gathered enough spirit energy he'll be able to summon it. Mother was praying for Holy, which would protect the Planet from the Meteor, but we don't know if she was able to summon it completely."
"So we better kill Sephiroth before he can summon the bastard?" Barret asked, and Aeris nodded.
"I guess it's off to the Crater then?"
"We're already this close, it would seem pointless to go back to the Cosmo Canyon just to think on it." Nanaki answered Cid's question, and the others seemed to agree. Aeris looked over at Vincent, who also nodded minutely.
"Right. I'll just go and drag the crew outta the chocobo stables, and we're off. Won't take long to get there, so don't get too comfortable."
"Y'know, I really hate to do this. They're the good guys, right? But I gotta betray them. I mean, the Prez won't cut me any slack anymore. One more mistake and he's having my ass for dinner. In a bad way. In a very, very bad way."
The little cat babbled on, even though the only one who heard its words was the pinkish Mog upon which it sat on. The Mog hopped on and on, never tiring. The little cat straightened the little crown on top of it's black-and-white head and sighed, the quite human gesture edged with static.
They were almost at Cosmo Canyon already. That was the last place the Avalanche had been spotted, or to be more exact, it was where the cat's predecessor had known they'd go to. The cat and the Mog had been put on a Shin-Ra plane flying to Wutai, and they'd been unceremoniously kicked out at the Canyon area. At least they'd been given a parachute, or a third robot would've been necessary. The little cat didn't know how many more robots there were at the HQ's bowels.
"You know, it feels kinda strange to call myself Cait Sith. I mean, one Cait Sith already died. Well, was destroyed. I'm basically still the same inside, right? But it's still odd. The guys are gonna get suspicious, seeing me again. They know I'm from Shin-Ra, it's not likely they'll talk freely in front of me ever again."
The Mog had reached the high stairs that lead to the town, and started to hop them up, a few at a time. The cat sighed again and held on tighter.
"Is that guy a fuckin' moron or something?" Reno muttered, amused despite the end of the world looming over them. He sat in front of the monitor spying on Reeve spying on the Avalanche, headphones over his ears. They'd placed a bug in the Mog, just to make sure Reeve could be trusted. "I mean, he's controlling both robots, right? And he's talking with one to the other one?"
"Just shut up and listen, Reno." Elena said, going through a pile of files, absent-mindedly sipping at her cold coffee.
"But he's one of the bloody managers of Shin-Ra Inc., right?" Reno argued, waving a frustrated hand at the little screen. On the other side, Reeve had buried his face into his hands while the robots reached the top of the stairs.
"So are Heidegger and Palmer." The blonde commented. Reno stared ahead for a long moment.
"A point. A very scary point." He took the headphones off and turned to her. "Lissen, you and Rude wouldn't come after me if I just took off? Quit, you know? With the world ending and stuff."
"Of course we would, Reno. And the world's not ending. There's an Avalanche on the way." Elena closed the files and winked, slipping down from the desk.
"We're supposed to stop them, remember?"
"Come on, Reno. Do you honestly think we can do anything? That we'd do something that'd mean the end of the world?" she smoothed the wrinkles from her dark blue uniform and ran a hand through her hair.
"We're the Turks. We do what the President wants us to." Reno argued just for the sake of arguing with the blonde. Ever since the adventure at the Temple, she'd been acting very strange.
"The world comes first. The President can go and... and..." Elena frowned and tapped at her lips with a finger, thinking hard, "... and jump in a crater if he doesn't see that."
Reno stared at her.
"Well, you keep an eye on Reeve and let us know if something happens, I'm off to meet the new recruits!"
Reno stared after her even when the door had closed behind her. After a while he sniffed dramatically and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
"I'm so proud of you, kiddo! You'll make a top-Turk yet!"
He turned back to the monitor and put the headphones on again. "Just... learn to swear, damn it."
It didn't take too long for them to reach the Crater area. Cid conferred with the pilot while the others got their weapons ready. The Crater opened not far from them like a giant maw in the ground.
"That... is SO creepy..." Yuffie muttered to Tifa, the two of them standing next to each other at one of the windows. "An' we're really gonna go down there?"
Tifa nodded and smiled when the young girl turned even paler than she had been since getting onboard. "What, I thought ninjas knew no fear?"
"We know fear, we're just not in talking terms." Yuffie muttered and yelped when the ship suddenly lurched and turned back, just as they were nearing the Crater itself. "Hey! What gives?!"
"Sorry guys, we gotta head back a bit to land. There's some nasty weather around here." Cid called out so that everyone heard. "Hold on, there may be some turbulence!"
Tifa and Aeris both followed the young ninja when she stumbled out of the cockpit, just to make sure she wouldn't fall over the railing or something. Vincent leaned against a wall as lightning flashed outside, lighting even the inside of the cockpit. Not far from him, Professor Gast had slumped to the floor, face hidden behind his hands. They'd leave him to the ship when they went to battle Sephiroth. The Professor wouldn't be of help there. But he, Vincent, would get to go. Most of the members of the Avalanche had been against it, but Aeris and Zax both had demanded that he'd get to go. No one had thought to offer him a weapon, though.
The ship was soon far enough from the storm's eye that it could sail smoothly again. Cid ordered everyone to the upper deck; they'd get off while the ship floated near the crater, and then the Highwind would fly a bit farther in case the storm moved.
They left the ship quickly and quietly, and stood on the naked rocks until it flew away. Quiet and determined, they turned towards the Crater. It bathed in white mist which hid most of it from their sight. A pillar of greenish light shot out form the center of the crater high into the air.
"Two millennia ago... a scar was left on the Planet. It's amassed a vast amount of energy to heal itself." Aeris said quietly. Her words cut through the icy air and the heavy silence. "Sephiroth took that energy and is trying to use Meteor. Next time the wound won't be so small."
"So let's do this!" Yuffie shouted enthusiastically, although she was shivering with cold.
"Yeah, for the Planet!" Barret lifted his gun-arm high and turned to point to the center of the Crater. "Let's go!"
Aeris smiled at them as the group started to walk towards the center. They were all so scared of what they'd find, what would happen if they failed. So was she. But they weren't going to give up. "Don't worry, mother, we'll do our best."
As they walked downwards the air started to warm again, and the snow gradually gave way to bare, barren land.
"You know..." Zax said to Cloud, rubbing his upper arms to keep warm, "I remember hearing about these two guys who came climbing here. The Gaia cliffs are somewhere around here, I think."
The blond just nodded, too busy trying to keep warm.
Aeris was walking a bit ahead of them and heard the words. She waited for the two to catch up and joined the conversation.
"You mean Mr. Holzoff? He and his friend left Icicle Inn when I was just a child, trying to climb the cliffs. No one's heard of them since. The cliffs are a bit behind us now, we landed at the top of them."
"What? You're from these parts?" Zax asked, smiling at her. "Damn, I would have guessed you'd be from Mideel or something like that. You don't seem like a cold weather critter."
Aeris laughed. "A what?"
"That's what my dad used to call people living up here in the north. It's pretty warm in Gongaga around the year, and he's got this whole theory about warm weather and cold weather people. That they're complete opposites of each other. Warm weather critters are always happy and a bit lazy, too, and cold weather critters are always busy working to keep warm. He always made up stuff like that when I was a kid."
"Sounds pretty damn stupid to me..."
"Cid! Be nice! I'm sure your dad told you stories as well." Aeris was smiling when she quickly bent down to pick up a bit of snow and tossed it at the Captain. Cid swore when some of the snow went inside his shirt.
"Damn it woman! Don't do that!"
"I'm sure Mr. Grumpy's dad just gave him an engine manual to read by himself." The Soldier said and winked at Aeris, reaching out to rub some warmth to Cloud's back.
"So what if he did! Somethin' wrong with that, huh?!" Cid screamed back and swore loudly when Zax and Aeris started to laugh. "I hate you both!"
"I think the cold's getting to them." Nanaki commented to Barret, the two of them leading the group. Yuffie and Tifa were the last, watching Vincent who walked behind Zax and Cloud.
"Jes' keep tellin' yourself that, an' maybe you'll believe it soon..." the gun-armed man muttered.
Soon they were walking on completely bare ground, and the air was warm enough so that they couldn't see their breath anymore. It was starting to get humid, though and soon a white mist surrounded their feet. Sharp, high teeth of black rock shot out from the ground, leaning towards the center of the Crater. The disturbing silence, previously broken only by their own footsteps and breathing, was now interrupted by low howls and gusts of wind.
Then the mist and rocks gave way to greenish-gray rocks, their edges smoothed by the howling winds that now tore at their clothes. The mist was now thinner, and in stead of swirling around their feet it hid the crater's walls from their eyes.
"Watch where you put yer feet!" Barret called out when he himself almost stepped onto thin air. The rock base of the Crater was turning treacherous now. Ground had broken all around them, here and there only thin, snaking paths lead towards the center. And the wind was blowing even harder, making it more difficult and dangerous to continue.
"Alright, we gotta stop for a sec here!" Barret roared over the howling wind, lifting his human hand up. Everyone stopped, seeing the almost solid wall of wind ahead of them. "We gotta wait for t'wind to calm before we can cross! Hold on to yer hats!"
"This is why we had to get off back there!" Cid screamed to the closest person, Aeris, and pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. "Couldn't get near this safely!"
Aeris nodded and looked around to check that everyone was still with them. Vincent was standing close by, his back to the wind, pale face hidden by black hair. Barret and Nanaki were near the edge of the thin cliff, watching the wind. Cid was using his spear to stay standing in the wind as he made his way to the last four of their group, probably to pass Barret's words to them. There was no way they could have heard him over the wind.
She glanced over at the loud wind blowing between the two cliffs, not showing any sign of calming, and walked over to Vincent, almost losing her footing more than once. The ex-Turk turned to her before she reached him, and stepped towards her, away from the dangerous edge.
Aeris stepped close enough that she didn't have to shout for him to hear her. "We've walked for a few hours already. I don't think it's far now."
Vincent just nodded, but started when she suddenly stepped closer to him. He looked down to find her pressed tight against his left side, pressing her hands to her chest.
"Are you all right?" Vincent moved to catch her if she'd fall. Aeris nodded, and pushed the gun from her hands to his.
"Yes, it's just the wind. We better get ready... Sephiroth is near." With that she turned and walked to Barret and Nanaki.
Vincent, surprised, stared at the gun in his hands before realizing that she hadn't wanted anyone else to see it. He quickly and deftly hid it underneath his shirt and the waistband of his trousers. He would be ready to meet his son.
The wind finally calmed enough so that they could cross a bit more safely. The stone paths almost led them to their deaths more than once, and monsters appeared from behind boulders. Two more strong walls of wind forced them to slow down before Aeris told them to stop.
"He's very near now. I can feel the power he's gathered to summon Meteor."
"I can feel him as well..." Cloud whispered, and Vincent, not far from the blond, thought that he was feeling an odd sense of tingling as well. But he didn't fool himself by thinking that he could somehow, magically, feel the presence of his child. It wasn't Sephiroth they felt, it was Her. Jenova, and the power she'd gathered from the Planet.
"Alright then... this is it. Do your best, and don't anyone go dyin' on me, ok?" Barret said, his eyes quickly meeting everyone's, even Cloud and Vincent's eyes. "After we've stopped him, we'll head off to Midgar and finish our business with Shin-Ra. We're gonna need all your asses whole for that!"
"... I'm not even going to make a stupid joke about that..." Zax muttered to Cloud and nudged the blond along when they started to move on, Barret, Nanaki and Aeris leading them.
"Something's gonna go wrong, I can feel it in my guts. I don't like this at all. We're screwed. We're all so dead."
"Shut up, Reno!" Elena hissed and nudged him in the ribs, her eyes never leaving the horizon ahead of them.
"We're flying halfway across the world because of something a possible, no, a known traitor told us. His words were backed up by a madman! This is not gonna be pretty."
Rude, on the red-head's other side, put his big hand on Reno's shoulder. "Reno, shut up."
"We're the Turks, Reno, it's our job to be present when something like this happens. Maybe we can do something to turn things into a better direction."
Reno glanced over at the blonde, their voices lowered so that none of the troopers, Soldiers, or especially the President could hear. "Yeah? Better for who? The Prez might have ideas of his own."
Determined, Elena smiled and straightened her back. "We'll know what to do."
"... We are so screwed..."
"Shut up, Reno."
After a tunnel of stone, lighted by whatever awaited them at the other end, they stepped into a large, high space. The walls were of stone and ice, and light shining from somewhere above lighted the whole space. The thick ice walls were different shades of blue, purple and green, high and impossible to climb. And on top of one of them, the one straight ahead, sat Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth! Get down here! It's time we settled this!" Barret's voice boomed and echoed in the open space so loudly that Cid and Yuffie actually cowered a bit. Then, whether it was a coincidence or if Barret's shout actually disturbed something, the ground and walls shook. But Sephiroth didn't move at all to acknowledge any of it.
"What the hell was that?!" Cid screamed, looking all around but seeing no enemy.
"You're a little... late."
Everyone turned to Sephiroth when the voice spoke, but the ex-General hadn't moved at all.
"Who is it?!" Barret demanded to know, but fell silent quickly when the ground beneath them shook gently again.
"You have a very commanding voice. You would have made a good commander for Soldier."
"Who the fuck?! Show yerself!" Aeris tried to calm the furious man while Nanaki sniffed the air and started to follow a scent that was disturbingly familiar.
Vincent was startled when Cloud suddenly stood beside him. "It's him, isn't it?"
"What?" Vincent asked. He'd been staring at Sephiroth so intensely that he hadn't really paid attention to anything else. He'd met his son once, five years ago. The person on the high pedestal of ice looked like him, but wasn't. He'd said his goodbyes and was ready to fight just when Cloud had suddenly spoken.
"The voice, Vincent. It's him. Hojo."
Zax heard his words and squared his teeth, pulling his sword out. "Hojo?!"
"Yes, it's him." Nanaki's nose confirmed it.
"I think I should be flattered that you all remember me. Considering that lower life forms as yourselves don't have much of a memory to brag about." The professor stepped out from behind a wall in the ice, previously hidden by the illusions the light and ice created, making the walls look solid and smooth. In his arms, cradling it like a baby, was an object Zax, Cloud and Cid had no trouble recognizing.
"Oh shit! That thing is still ...alive?!" Cid shouted with disgust at the alien head which was now more greenish than the blue it had previously been.
Hojo laughed and nodded, lifting the head up to eye level. "It still exists, but my dear Jenova now lives on elsewhere."
"Not for long, it won't!" Barret shouted and aimed his gun-arm at Sephiroth. Hojo didn't even object, he just laughed when a barrier shielded the man from the bullets.
"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" the professor laughed. But he went serious quite quickly as the Buster-sword sank into the thick ice beside his head, and its owner, still holding the hilt, came face to face with him.
"You sick fuck, there's a world of pain waiting with your name on it. You've hurt so many people so badly... and we're still pissed. And everyone's gonna get their turn with you." Zax was just about boiling with rage, his muscles straining the sleeves of his shirt. The others, seeing that they couldn't get close to Sephiroth or to hurt him, started to come closer to the professor.
Hojo laughed in his face.
"Don't count your chickens yet, Zackery. They've not hatched, you don't know if one of them is a monster." The sly grin rising on the professor's face made the Soldier feel sick. "Isn't that right, Cloud?"
"You leave Cloud out of this! You've hurt him enough!" Zax roared to Hojo's face, leaving his sword embedded in the ice wall to grab a hold of the man's laboratory coat.
"Maybe, but not as badly as he hurt the sweet Cetra woman..."
"... You... you're lying." Zax whispered when the sudden silence had grown so deep that the sounds of his own heartbeats were turning the Soldier deaf. He knew that everyone else was staring at Cloud. They'd never really trusted the blond, and Hojo's lies wouldn't help at all. "Stop." He'd feared that Cloud had hurt Ifalna, but the shock and terror on the blond's face when they'd gotten there, it had been real. "You're lying."
"Am I? Cloud?"
Zax didn't turn around when Cloud stuttered a bit and shook his head. "You're lying, Hojo. You're just trying to confuse me."
On the contrary." Hojo smirked but Zax's fist to his face wiped it off of his face. But when the professor looked up at the Soldier with pure malice in his eyes, the Soldier knew he'd made a mistake.
"Tell me, Cloud, did it feel good when you pushed the blade into her unprotected back, when she trusted you to keep her safe?"
Horrified, even the Soldier turned to look at Cloud. The clone's eyes were wide with horror and he was shaking his head. "No! I didn't hurt her!"
"Are you sure?" Hojo asked, cocking his head. The blood from his cut lip reached his immaculate laboratory coat. "You know, Jenova could make you relive the memory, just to be positive..."
"Stop it! Don't lie!" Cloud screamed, lifting his fists to cover his ears.
/"You'll watch my back, won't you, Cloud?"
"... Yeah, sure."/
"I tried to protect her but Sephiroth came and..."
/The underground haven was cold, abandoned and quiet. Cloud sighed and sat on the cold stone, his legs crossed. He lifted his elbows to his knees and leaned his chin on his palms, looking at Ifalna.
In a place like this, who would attack them?/
"... He came and... his sword..."
/If his inner clock could be trusted, they'd already been there for a few hours. Cloud was starting to get bored, and sleepy. Ifalna just kneeled there, her hands clasped together to her chest, her head bowed in silent prayer. Nothing moved, not even the shadows and light. Only the water made the occasional, quiet noise. He was sure he could hear and see anyone approaching a mile away. But he hadn't expected someone to just drop in on them from above, without a sound or a warning. Just a sudden shadow which grew quickly, and before he could even stand up, there was Sephiroth, his long sword in his hand, poised for the kill. Ifalna was too deep in her trance to even notice when Cloud jumped up, screaming.
"NO!"
Sephiroth had been ready to sink the sword into her back, but suddenly he stopped and, in one fluid movement, lowered his sword and turned to Cloud, a cat-like smile on his face. He took a few steps towards the shivering clone.
"All right then, Cloud. I won't kill her."/
"..." the blond fell quiet, gasping for breath as he could feel everyone staring at him.
"Yes, Cloud? We're all waiting..." Hojo said with a soft chuckle. Zax roared then and punched the man again, but his hand was shaking now and there wasn't much power behind the punch.
/Cloud swallowed hard as Sephiroth came to stand right in front of him. A black-gloved hand came up and gently took his chin, lifting it up. He shivered as their eyes met, seeing in the green eyes nothing of the Sephiroth who had rescued him from Hojo's hands with Zax. He really wished the Soldier was here right now. All he had was his gun, tucked under the waist of his pants. He was quite sure mere bullets wouldn't be enough to stop Sephiroth.
"I'll let her live, as I'm sure you two have so much to talk about..." Sephiroth whispered and stepped to the left, allowing Cloud to see Ifalna again.
But it wasn't Ifalna who kneeled there. This woman was blonde, her hair slightly spiky and her clothes plain but warm, fit for the cool climate of the Nibel-mountains. His breath hitched when Cloud stepped forward, wanting nothing more than to be hugged by his mother. To be called her 'little chocobo' again.
"... Mother..."
Then he remembered all the things she'd said. And worse yet, he could hear them all again even as he watched the still woman.
'"... You are a monster... you aren't my son, you are a monster..."'
'"My sweet little child, he could never, ever do a thing like that..."'
'"I am not your mother, you aren't my Cloud! My sweet little boy is dead, how dare you pose as him? HOW DARE YOU?! You MURDERER!"'
"... Shut up, mother..." Cloud hissed and covered his ears with shaky hands, old wounds torn open again. Sephiroth stood next to him, watching them with a small smile on his face.
The blond blinked furiously to clear his eyes of unwanted tears. His mother had abandoned him. He'd done something horrible, he couldn't blame her too much for it, but when he'd next seen her she'd broken his heart.
'"I am sorry, but I don't know you... any on you. Could you please leave now, I'm afraid I am very busy."'
The blond man, her new son, her better, kinder son had walked in soon after that. Cloud would have understood he no longer had any kind of family even if she hadn't given her child such a loving gaze. His heart had bled and turned harder, the pain too much to bear at the moment. Now it all came back, strong as ever.
'"Mom? Everything all right?"'
'"Yes, dear, everything's fine. These men were just leaving, weren't you?"'
And so he'd been dismissed from her life. A monster. A murdered. A stranger. Breathing heavily, Cloud took a hold of Masamune's handle when Sephiroth offered it to him with a hungry smile. He walked behind his mother, determined and so angry he didn't even stop to think when he lifted the blade high, aimed between her shoulder blades and struck.
She didn't make a sound when the blade sunk into her, in high at her back and out through her stomach. The metal scraped against bone and sliced clean through inner organs. She turned limp and slowly, so slowly, held partly upright by the blade still in his hands she started to fall forward. Her hands fell from her chest and opened. A white materia dropped to the stone from her hands. Sephiroth casually kicked it into the pool while Cloud stood still, breathing heavily and keeping the woman up with the blade.
"Thank you, Cloud. You did very well." The silver-haired man said sweetly, lifting a hand to the blond's shoulder. Cloud shivered and let go of the blade, stepping back so fast he almost tripped over his own feet.
"N-no... mother!" Cloud dropped to his knees next to the dead woman and started to shake her. "Mother! I'm sorry I didn't mean it! Please wake up! Please!"
Sephiroth shook his head, throwing his long hair over his shoulder. "Hojo overdid himself with you... I do believe it's time I paid him a little visit... do miss me while I'm away, little Cloud..."/
Cloud sobbed and covered his face with his hands. "... I didn't mean it... I tried to wake her up but she wouldn't... she wouldn't wake up again..."
Zax fist came up again, but this time it hit only the ice wall besides Hojo's head. The professor, now free of his clutch, stepped away from the Soldier and picked up the head he'd dropped at some point. Aeris was crying quietly. The ground shook gently.
"And, thanks to that little confession, Cloud, you've done your duty and bought Jenova just enough time to finish summoning the Meteor." Hojo patted Cloud's shoulder and turned to walk towards Sephiroth. The ground was still shaking, harder now, and the walls and the roof were starting to come apart.
"Now, this place is starting to come apart... if you wish to live to see Jenova rise to a god of this little Planet, I suggest you get out while you still can. But it really doesn't matter to me, even if you don't. It was interesting to meet you again."
With that, the professor bowed and teleported away. The room was shaking even harder, large rocks fell from the roof and the walls were cracking. Sephiroth still remained seated, even though the wall and pedestal beneath him were breaking apart.
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A.N: Sorry this chapter has taken so incredibly long to get out! I got a job a few months ago and have been working on other things besides that. Phew. Will try to get next chapter out sooner. Thank you very much for reading, and for reviewing! ;)