Chapter Sixteen

Jessi's Worst Fear

They parked the Highwind nearby the town, Tenneco, and waited for the Turks and Reeve to arrive. They arrived a few moments later in their helicopter and landed next to the airship.

"Everyone ready?" Reeve asked and Cloud nodded. They headed for the town and Jessi wasn't a bit surprised when they entered. As she had said, the entire town was nothing but black remains of buildings and people.

A woman's intuition never fails…She thought sadly as she looked around.

Only a few houses still stood, smoking and burnt. The town was eerily quiet and from what they had heard, it was a town bustling with action and there were people coming in and out all the time. Apparently this was a great place to trade and do business at. They walked through and searched for any sign of life. There is nothing to look for everything is gone… Jessi thought angrily. She clenched her fists and furrowed her brow as Vincent looked over at her.

"I think we should split up, look for any survivors then report back here in ten." Cloud said. Reeve nodded.

"Give the PHS a ring if anybody finds anything." He said.

They split up and continued their search in the vast ghost town. Jessi realized she knew where she was and so she turned a few corners to the place she was at in her dream. She looked around and sure enough the corpses of the woman and her child were on the ground in front of her. She slowly approached them and kneeled down next to them. Her hand trembled as she brushed away a strand of hair away from the boy's closed eyes and closed the woman's eyelids. She bowed her head sadly as Vincent came up behind her.

"You recognize them?"

She grimaced, "…Of course."

She stood up and looked at him.

"This is the mother and her child from my dream."

She walked away and Vincent turned to follow her. Everyone met later and nobody had found anything.

"Where is Aeris?" Yuffie asked.

"She is praying for all the people who died and asking the planet to help them be able to rest in peace. She is also trying to find who has done this to them." Nanaki said.

"But we already know the answer to that question…" Sephiroth said.

"Its not who you think it is Sephiroth." Jessi said quietly.

He turned to her and Cloud looked at her inquiringly.

"What are you trying to say, this isn't Jenova's doing?"

She shook her head, "Oh it is, but Jenova is not alone behind this mess."

"This sounds all too familiar," Sephiroth said amused.

Aeris joined them and they turned to her expectantly. She smiled tiredly.

"Not to worry, it's nothing we haven't dealt with already. We just have another Sephiroth on our hands, no offense."

Sephiroth just shook his head and she continued.

"It wasn't so difficult to hear the planet since we are somewhere full of sorrow; Jenova is still alive. She managed to survive your final attack somehow and she has been trapped in the Northern Crater all this time, slowly regaining her strength and waiting for someone to help her."

"How did she do this if she is trapped?" Tifa asked.

Cid was very confused.

"Yea, how the hell is she doing all this shit if Sephiroth's soul is cleansed, or whatever and no one has her cells in them?"

"That's the thing, someone else survived your attack as well."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean, 'someone'?"

Aeris sighed heavily and shook her head.

"Hojo is still alive as well."

Everyone gasped and Jessi clenched her fists tightly, she seen Vincent do the same with his claw out the corner of her eye. Sephiroth just snorted and smiled coldly.

"Then we'll just have to send him down into the depths of hell where he belongs then now won't we."

Aeris tapped her foot impatiently.

"You don't seem to understand how great the problem is Sephiroth…think a little more before you start planning anything."

"Aeris is right, if Jenova is back then what does that tell you?" Yuffie said.

Cloud nodded. "Then that means that we might have to deal with another WEAPON."

"Oh that's just $#& great! The Jenova special is once again served with a side of disaster, get er' while she's hot!" Barret kicked a rock on the ground and he got a few feeble smiles from his joke.

Cloud crossed his arms and started to pace back and forth, thinking.

"So now we have Jenova to deal with and knowing Hojo, more creepy creations littered with Jenova cells to fight and destroy."

"Oh, there is more than Jenova and Hojo to deal with Cloud."

Cloud looked at Jessi and she smirked.

"You are absolutely right about Hojo and his little pet monsters, but he is not the last we will see of Jenova carriers."

Aeris looked at her impressed.

"How did you know there were others besides Hojo and Jenova herself?"

"…I had a dream."

Jessi turned and walked back to the airship with everyone looking at her at a complete loss, except Aeris and Vincent.

"What the hell was that all about just now?" Reno asked.

Aeris followed Jessi to the ship and motioned for everyone else to stay where they were when they began to follow.

"I'll be right back, give me a few minutes before coming inside."

She walked inside and found Jessi leaning against the window; her arm stretched across the glass and her forehead resting on it.

"You know, who the other carrier is don't you, Aeris?"

Aeris placed her hand on Jessi's shoulder and smiled.

"I have a pretty good hunch. But you need not worry about it, he still has a chance to be cleansed…"

Jessi shook her head.

"I don't think that's possible. He went insane years ago and he is lost. The man I knew is long gone, he deserves peace."

Aeris sympathized for her and she squeezed her shoulder.

"You are very brave Jessi."

Jessi smirked and stood tall.

"Not really."

When she heard the others coming, she went to her spot and so did Aeris. The crew had the airship running and was waiting for a destination. Cloud cleared his throat.

"Allright everyone, let's start thinking of a plan…"