Aeris looked up sharply. She could feel them. They were here, in the Promised Land.
Cloud… She thought, and gave a sad smile. He was so handsome. He reminded me so much… of Zack…
"Aeris?" Nefilim asked, looking at Aeris weirdly.
"Hmm?" she murmured, her voice distant and dreamy.
Nefilim and Aeris had been left alone in his room. Gast and Ifalna went off to talk and discuss "important" matters.
She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, and found Nefilim staring at her. "Sorry? Wha?" she looked dazed. Nefilim's gaze lingered, then he turned away and shook his head. "Um… Nefilim… they're here…"
The silver-haired man stared at the ground for a long time. Who were 'they'? He thought hard… ahh yes…
AVALANCHE. He thought. And the failure.
He wasn't aware of the evil smile that crept across his face. He found Aeris staring at him with horror and fright. The smile dissolved. "Nefilim…"
She is still afraid of me. He thought sadly. Why am I doing things that I am unaware of?
He cleared his throat. "So… AVALANCHE is here." He winced at the tone of his voice that came from his mouth. He sounded plain evil.
Aeris wasn't sure why Sephiroth sounded so different. His voice even went lower with evil. "Maybe we can er… go get them?" she asked, hoping that Sephiroth would agree.
"If I could get out of this bed, I would." Nefilim said, and groaned. Then pulled himself out of the bed and gingerly stood up. "I hope we won't have to go through all those tunnels and fly up forty feet into the air. If we do, I think I just might collapse on the ground and die."
Aeris was relieved. Maybe Sephiroth didn't mean to sound evil on purpose. She giggled with both relief and happiness.
"No. Don't worry about that," she said, leading him out of the room. "I'll find you an easier way to get out."
"That doesn't include flying forty feet into the air." Nefilim said.
"Ok. That doesn't include flying into the air. Got it." Aeris nodded. "Come now, Mr. Nefilim."
Nefilim gave her a puzzled look in which she giggled again, and he followed her out of the house.
-----
"Cloud!"
Ughhh…
Where the hell am I?…
Haha… reminds of me when I fell down into the church and onto the flowers… where I met Aeris…
Aeris…
Where are you?…
I want to see you again Aeris… so badly…
I'm sorry that you had to go…
"Cloud! Are you alright?"
Huh? Who is saying that?
"Cloud, if you're ok, move something!"
I'm trying…
"Hey! Spikey-ass moved!"
He got up, giving his spiky head a shake and jumped up. He found the rest of AVALANCHE all watching him, except Cid who was crying over his Highwind. Tifa gave a relieved look and began to fuss over him.
"Honestly, Tifa, I'm fine." He said, as Tifa droned on about how he had been unconscious for a long time and could have sustained a lot of damage and…
He looked around. This was not what he expected to crash on. There were dead plants all over the place and burned places here and there. The sky was dark and smoke rose from many miles away.
Where is the Highwind? His eyes went wide, the sudden thought hitting him. It couldn't have sustained so much damage that it went up in flames.
"My poor Highwind. My poor baby." Cid moaned. "It sustained so much damage… and I can't even find it!" He sniffed loudly.
Tifa looked over at Cid, annoyed. "Cid… you've been whining about it for the past hour and you still haven't gone to look for it. Why don't you just sit back and take a smoke?"
"Don't we already have enough?" A familiar voice said.
The hair on the back of Cloud's neck rose. He knew that voice… and he had cursed the day that he would hear it again.
Sephiroth! That damn bastard!
All of the members of AVALANCHE saw Sephiroth, standing near them, looking quite beaten up, with some cuts on his face and his hand was holding onto his ribs.
"Damn!" Barret yelled, standing up quickly.
"Daddy… is that… him?" Marlene asked frightfully.
Nefilim stared at AVALANCHE, and they stared back at him. He felt so… peculiar being around them… they felt so… so… the same….
Barret's gun-arm was trained on him. Immediately the rest of AVALANCHE snapped out of their momentary trance and drew their weapons also.
"Murderer!" Cloud yelled and swung the Ultima Weapon in a perfect arc, then stopped, the blade barely nicking Sephiroth's neck.
Nefilim could feel blood flow from the cut that came from the Ultima Weapon. He exhaled slowly, not moving, because if he did, he knew he would decapitate himself.
He cautiously took a step near Cloud, who also took a step back. "Yes, Cloud. I would prefer to take that route also. To run myself into your blade and end my life."
"You lying little bastard! All you want to do is take over the Planet! Ha… you can't get out of this one, can you? I'll kill you again… and a million more times if that's what it takes to banish you forever from this world!" Cloud shouted, his entire body trembling with fury.
"What Planet, Cloud? Does this look like the Planet to you? This is the Promised Land. I'm dead… and maybe you are to." Nefilim said, sending chills down Cloud's back. "I was sent here, because Jenova is destroying this place. Of course, if you were to decapitate me, I wouldn't be able to help the Cetra stop her, and I would die again. I would thank you profusely if you did so… so I can stop asking myself… who the hell was I as a child? Who was my father… and last of all… what is my name?"
All of them exchanged uneasy glances. What did Sephiroth mean by not knowing his own name? "I don't care what the f--- you were as a child, but your father is Hojo and your name is Sephiroth? Got it? Got that in your damn thick skull?"
Nefilim stared at the large man. Thinking about what he just said.
I don't care what the f--- you were as a child, but your father is and your name is . Got it? Got that in your damn thick skull?
That didn't help very much. Nefilim thought bitterly. I still don't know my name and I still don't know who my father is.
He looked at the rest of AVALANCHE. One of them was a pilot. Yes, he knew his name. Cid Highwind, the best pilot on the entire Planet. Next was a red beast… perhaps from Cosmo Canyon? And another, a mysterious man… his skin so pale and his eyes a threatening red. One arm was a claw and the other held a gun. He seemed familiar… somehow. The next one was a girl. She was probably sixteen or seventeen… and was probably from Wutai. Godo's daughter perhaps.
Well everyone seems familiar these days. He would have laughed at this, if he didn't have Cloud's sword in his face.
Then his eyes rested on a girl. She had long chestnut hair and she was in a fighting stance. She was way too familiar for it to be right.
His thoughts strayed back to Nibelheim. She was the one that was their guide to Mt. Nibel! What was her name? … Tifa… Tifa Lockheart.
You burned down Nibelheim!
Murderer!
The smell of smoke and burning flesh came to his nostrils. He sniffed the air, savoring it. The cries of the human weaklings amused him. Such weaklings cannot even stand a little fire. And he laughed… how he enjoyed murder. Watching as they spewed blood as he put his sword into their stomach. And how much they deserved the pain.
They had given the same pain to Mother. And Mother had suffered so much, so now this was payback.
…The pain…
Pain filled his head. He dropped down to his knees, groaning. His hands clenched into fists and he put his head to the ground.
"No! They didn't… deserve it!" he muttered. "They didn't… I shouldn't… no… I hate fire… I hate killing…'
"Damn it! He's going bonkers on us!" Cid yelled, snapping his spear around and pointed it at the silver-haired man.
"… Do we have to fight him again?" Yuffie moaned. "I hate doing this job! After this I quit!"
Cloud frowned and shushed the two. "What do you mean, Sephiroth?"
"Nibelheim… five years ago… you… told… Zack…Zack… gaahhh… that… it was you… your… hometown. I…in the… reactor… Z… Zack… said to me… 'you mean you're different?'… And… I… the anger… and… I went… insane… f…for…. Knowledge… and… when… I read… those… books… I… bu…burned Nibel…" he said, collapsing on the ground, twitching.
"Are you alright!"
Aeris ran in from nowhere and sat next to Sephiroth, who was shaking. AVALANCHE gaped at her in amazement.
"Aeris…" Cloud whispered, reaching out to see if she was real… not an illusion.
"Uh… hi guys." Aeris said, looking at Sephiroth, her brows furrowing with worry.
"Wut… wut… the hell is he doing with you? Where da hell is dis?" Barret asked. "Especially… wit' dat… no good sonuva…"
"Daddy!" Marlene looked at her father.
Cloud snorted and walked toward Sephiroth and Aeris. He held out the Ultima Weapon at Sephiroth's neck.
"What are you doing, Cloud!" Aeris screamed, looking at Cloud with frightened eyes.
The blonde haired man had an evil look in his eyes. "He's got you in some sort of mind control. It's not like you Aeris, to be helping your murderer."
Cloud struck downwards, but found that all he stabbed was the grass. Sephiroth had already rolled away from him. Aeris looked at him with sad eyes. "Can't you open your mind, Cloud? Do you really think it was him who killed me? Do you think it was him that burned down Nibel?"
He clenched his fists. "Yes." Both Sephiroth and Cloud said at once. Cloud stared at the silver haired man, his eyes hard with anger. He tightened his jaws. "It was that no good bastard that burned down Nibelheim! Did you hear him? He even admitted himself!"
Nefilim slowly turned to him untwitching with haunted eyes. "Strife…" he said slowly. "That day… I killed Zack… didn't I?"
He stared at Cloud, waiting for an answer. When he did not receive one, he sighed and slowly got up. "Tell me, I wish to know."
He felt so dizzy… the world was spinning…
"Cloud, you alright? Can you stand?"
"Yeah, Zack… I'm alright. Come on… let's get outta here."
"Yeah—"
"Freeze!"
Shinra Soldiers lined up in front of them, their guns pointed. They both ran for it.
Bullets flew at them. "Damn!" Zack shouted and drew the Buster Blade and ran at them. The soldiers began to shoot again.
He watched in amazement as Zack ducked and dodged the bullets. But something went wrong, horribly wrong. A stray bullet hit his best friend right in the chest and Zack's body turned in a perfect arc and fell to the ground.
"NOOO!" He screamed, running towards his best friend, ducking all the bullets that came at him.
Everything seemed in slow motion as he took up Zack's Buster Blade and jumped up and slaughtered each of them in anger…
"Cloud…" Zack spluttered. "You… alright…"
He kneeled down. "Zack… you can't just… leave me here!" He cried, hot tears spilling down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry man… I'm sorry…" Zack sighed. "I just… can't… hold on…"
He watched hopelessly as his best friend gave his last breath.
That memory would be engraved in his head forever. He stopped and stared at Sephiroth. "No," he forced out, even though he wanted to shout 'Yes! You killed him!' "You didn't kill him. We were both trespassing and we got the treatment. And Shinra Soldiers came and they shot Zack down…"
Aeris stared at the two. She was disappointed that they weren't all buddy-buddy, but she was happy enough that they weren't killing each other.
Cloud's eyes suddenly flashed with anger and he slashed at Sephiroth. "But you still killed Aeris!" he yelled, his voice trembling with emotion. "You almost killed Tifa! You killed everyone in Nibelheim and almost everyone on the Planet!"
Nefilim dodged the blade. Pain shot through his body but he manage to smile. "I never thought you'd treat your 'hero' this way, Cloud."
Cloud yelled in anger. "My hero was an imaginary one! One that was a real hero! One who saved people, not killed them! You're just a shadow of him. One that has the same face!" And unleashed Omnislash.
Omnislash. Nefilim thought remembering this move. This was the one that Cloud had used last time to stop him. He braced himself to be slashed about a hundred times.
"Mr. Strife, I ask you not to raise your blade at my son."
Nefilim's head snapped up. "Mother?"
Lucrecia walked towards them, smiling. She looked at Nefilim. "Do not fight, please."
"Sorry." Nefilim said, lowering his head in shame.
Vincent stared in amazement at Lucrecia. Had the Cetra heard his call? It was her! The woman that was in his dreams. The one he had always loved.
"Lucrecia…" He said.
Lucrecia smiled. "Hello, Vincent. It's been a long time."
"How is it possible…" he whispered, then added dumbly. "Are you… real?"
The woman gave an amused laugh. "How silly of you, Vincent. Of course I'm real."
"Woo… looks like Vincent's dizzy with love." Barret muttered, so only Yuffie and Cid could hear.
Cid guffawed at this and Yuffie gave a tiny giggle. "You got that right, Barret." Yuffie smiled. "He acts so dumb when he's nervous."
"Ya know… this is the first time I've actually seen him nervous." Cid said, puffing on a cigarette.
The two others agreed. They watched as Vincent grew flustered, talking to Lucrecia and saying stupid things.
"Aww… just look at 'im… he's getting red…" Barret teased, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Tifa and Cloud exchanged glances. Red XIII, Cid, Barret, and Yuffie all laughed and Aeris smiled. Sephiroth gave a blank look and Vincent's face burned with embarrassment.
Suddenly, the area began to shake. Aeris looked around in alarm. "What's happening here?" Red XIII asked, looking around. "Is she here?"
Nefilim bent over, feeling the overwhelming pull in his blood. His blood began to race. He looked up and saw Cloud, clutching his head and falling to his knees.
"No shit, Red. Look at Cloud and you-know-who. The only ones that can get them in a position like that is Jenova," Cid said, blowing a smoke cloud. "And ya know what? I wouldn't care if that b---- came. I'd like to kick her annoying little ass again. See how she likes it."
"We need to get out of here!" Aeris shouted, looking extremely panicky. "Jenova is more powerful then before. This time we don't stand a chance against her!"
Aeris ran next to Cloud and Sephiroth, helping them both up. Cloud looked appreciatively at her.
Tifa watched in jealousy. Cloud was her best friend. She was the one that was always there beside him, the one steering him out of harm's way and helping him find his true self. It should have been her, helping him up, not Aeris.
Get a hold of yourself. She thought, clenching her fists, her blood racing with jealousy. We're here to help Aeris… not to kill her. Anyways… she was just helping him up… right?
Then why does he always look at her that way and not me? Another side of her said.
You're his best friend. You're supposed to be happy for him.
"Come on, guys, this way." Aeris said, running towards the opposite direction that she had come from. "I know a shortcut!"
And so they ran.
Yes! Two chappie updates in a day! Woohoo!