Author's Notes

--------------------

This is an alternate universe story, so expect a lot of changes.

This version of AR has been censored for language. An uncensored version is available on my website which you can find in my profile.

My homepage has been updated with the thirdpiece of AR artwork, be sure to check it out if you enjoy the story!

Check back next weekend for chapter VII.

The designation "XGP" for the Highwind in Chapter V is homage to Outlaw Star, a fantastic anime that everyone should check out. Thanks to Regina Raptorum for noticing the reference!

If you have any questions, ask them in your review or send them directly to me. I'll either respond directly, or address them as best I can in the next chapter's Author's Notes.

Luminus

Chapter VI

Last Beautiful Girl

Long ago, barbaric tribes were scattered across the land now called the Frozen North. They warred with one another, destroying and conquering until one reigned supreme; the Warriors of Bone, named for the fossilized remains of ancient creatures that they wore as armor and used to make buildings. Along the southern coast of the continent this tribe had made its home, built and maintained by thousands of slaves. There it stood until the days of war ended with the birth of the Holy Shinra Empire. Hearing of the power of Rufus and the hope his ideas represented, the slaves rebelled and overthrew the tribe. Now, many decades later, stands the city of Roram, an ancient word that translates into modern tongue as "bone". Rebuilt with a new vision of peace and prosperity by the slaves of that time, Roram remains the only major city in the Frozen North. The many small villages and towns throughout the continent have come to rely on Roram for protection against the elements and native creatures, and in turn, Roram relies on the teachings of Rufus and the Holy Shinra Empire for guidance.

Given the history of this city, it seemed very fitting that this was to be where the HSIN Gloriosa docked for the final leg of Rufus' journey across his Empire. It was mid afternoon when they arrived at the port, and Rufus took comfort in knowing that the next time he boarded his grand ship, he would do so with his prize. Leaving his pet, Kuro, behind for the final stops, Rufus stepped off of the ship alongside of Rude to a roaring crowd of adoring subjects, all eager to get but a glimpse of the Divine Emperor. Despite the recent troubles that had reared up, he felt at peace as he began walking down the red carpeting laid out for him, guarded on both sides by rows of Shinra soldiers to keep the people from rushing in.

"Sir!" Came a voice from behind him, and Rufus turned, frowning as he watched a sailor running down the boarding ramp from his ship.

"Yes?" Rufus asked as the man came to a halt and snapped to attention before him. "What is it?"

"Priority message addressed to you, sir." The sailor explained.

"From who?" Rufus' frown increased.

"It's coming from General Heidegger, sir." The sailor said. "From the Rocket Base. The message is waiting for you in your quarters."

"That's unusual." Rufus mumbled, looking to Rude who remained expressionless. "I'll read it when I return; it will only be a few days."

"Aye-aye, sir." The sailor saluted, turned on his heels, and headed back to the ship.

"Any idea what that was about?" Rude asked loudly enough to be heard above the crowd as they began walking again.

"No." Rufus said, a bit taken back by his own ignorance of what the message may state. "Maybe one of the projects there has been completed."

"That's a good possibility." Rude agreed.

"Yes." Rufus chuckled, looking smug. "Gya-ha-ha, and Nyeh-heh-heh love to brag."

"That is true." Rude acknowledged, seemingly unaffected by Rufus' cheap stab at the way Heidegger and Scarlet laughed.

"In any case, what we are about to accomplish is far more important, and I will not be delayed any longer. Their message can wait."

Directly ahead of them was Roram's branch of the Church of the Divine Emperor, a towering cathedral that had been built at the edge of the city, facing the docks so that it would be the first thing that visitors saw here. Many stone steps led up to a grand garden of cold weather plants laid out before the cathedral's doors. Just at the top of these steps was a stone pulpit that had been placed there for when Roram's bishop wished to address the people outside during one of the more pleasant days. Standing there now, however, were two other strangers to this city.

Reno had arrived here only a few hours prior to the HSIN Gloriosa, glad to be reunited with his long time companions after his side trip back to Midgar. As Rufus and Rude stepped up to them, he nodded his head at the pair, not bothering to discuss his little "chat" with Hojo. The smug expression on his face told the Emperor that the business was done.

Standing next to Reno, and looking much more impressive in her light blue robes, was the High Priestess of the Church of the Divine Emperor.

"Emperor," Elena said as she bowed her head before him. "Welcome to the city of Roram."

Elena's presence was something of a ceremony. Today marked a special occasion; this was the first time in all the years of the Empire that Rufus had personally visited the Frozen North. At request of Roram's bishop, Elena had made the trip here as well to help welcome the Emperor.

"Thank you Elena." Rufus smiled. "It's good to see a familiar face after all this time."

"Shall we begin, Emperor?" Elena asked as she motioned towards the pulpit. "We have much on the agenda for today."

"Yes, I'm sure we do." Rufus said as he stepped up to the stone podium and placed his hands on the edges causing another roar from the crowd. "And I am most anxious to get them done so I can visit the smaller villages here."

With unreal speed and power of the Highwind, the distance between Rocket and the tiny village of Icicle in the Frozen North had passed in only three days, less than half of what any other airship would have been capable of. After the time it had taken to journey to Rocket, liberate the Highwind, and fly to their destination, they would be ahead of Rufus by almost two full days if Jeran's estimate was correct. Worried that a large group would draw too much attention to them in a village that was barely two hundred people large, the party had decided to separate.

Cloud, Vincent, and Sephiroth had opted to venture to the village; they had quite a hike ahead of them as the Highwind had landed several miles away to avoid being easily spotted. The others would wait for them aboard the airship, and for the most part they had been happy to do so. Jessie was anxious to stick around as she was very interested in inspecting the Highwind. Despite its remote location and small size, Tseng decided to sit the trip out for fear that the villagers may recognize him from his work in the Empire. Cid and Sherra had been happy to avoid any further action so that they could spend time with one another and work on completing the Highwind's remaining systems. In fact, the only person who hadn't been happy about being left behind was Tifa; she didn't want Cloud going anywhere without her. Unfortunately for her, her talents were for fighting, not for locating the power that Rufus was searching for, and they had all agreed that only those who were best suited to find this thing quickly should go.

The three men were now dressed in thick black overcoats, heavy pants, and gray scarves that covered the lower half of their faces and helped ease the sub-fifty degree temperature. The cold weather clothing did make them look odd, though; if it weren't for their hair and heights, they would basically look identical. After nearly an hour of trudging through a thin layer of snow they had come to a hill that overlooked a forest; the same snow-coated forest that both Cloud and Sephiroth had seen in their visions. Near the center of the forest they could see a large clearing where the tops of buildings marked the tiny village of Icicle.

Without a word, the trio started down the hillside, their breath forming tendrils of steam about their heads. Beneath their feet, the snow compacted down with an audible crunch. Then, as Cloud was busy staring at the back of Sephiroth's head as if he could melt the man's brain with his thoughts, the brave and strong soldier slipped when his boots touched a spot of ice that he hadn't noticed. As his feet flew out from under him, throwing him off balance and sending his rear end to the ground, a single word flew from his lips. "----!" And then he was rolling down the hillside.

Sephiroth and Vincent both tried to grab the seemingly cursed young man, but missed as his tumble gained speed and sent him flying down into the forest. The world rushed by in cycles of white snow, brown trees, and blue sky until his little trip came to an unceremonious conclusion at the base of a large trunk. With a heavy thud, the back of Cloud's skull smacked into the thick bark, sending a light dust of snow falling from the limbs and over him as he sprawled out. As he stared up into the canopy of frosted limbs above him, he had a vague feeling of pain, but that was vastly overwhelmed by the dizziness. Oddly enough, as the light of the sun filtered down a silhouette appeared above him. Though his vision was blurry, he could tell that it was a feminine figure, and the way the light bathed her shadowed, brunette hair made her seem almost heavenly. Perhaps it was just the hit to the head, but he felt as though this woman's mere presence was making him feel at ease, as if all his troubles were melting away.

"What are you?" Cloud mumbled, squinting his eyes as he blinked away the blurriness to behold a vision of absolute beauty. A young girl clothed in a thick, but form hugging violet coat lined with fluffy white fur that accentuated a petite body and modest curves. The most striking, though, was her face; the soft curves of her cheeks, gently angled chin, small rounded nose, and gorgeous green eyes, framed beautifully by curly brown bangs in the front, and a long braid in the back tied with a violet bow. "Are you an angel?"

A flush of red crossed the girl's cheeks as her pink lips spread into an adorable smile, and she knelt down next to him and placed a hand to the back of his head. With a whisper of words, a healing spell grew from her mittens and soothed the pain that the tree had caused.

"No sir," the beautiful girl said, her voice melodic and filled with an innocent kindness. "But I'll help you just the same."

Just as she always was, Aerith Gainsborough had been gathering the beautiful Icicle Petals on this fine morning. Even after her near death encounter with the creature in the forest several weeks prior, she hadn't let up in her routine. To surrender to fear and abandon the natural beauty of the world as a result was a horrible way to live, and she wasn't about to head down such a colorless and dreadful path. Strangely enough, her activities were about to be interrupted once more. She heard the sound before she actually saw what was happening, an odd thumping noise that was repeating in rapid succession. Though she couldn't place the sound, she knew it wasn't normal, and so she'd began looking around, but nothing could have prepared her for seeing a black clad man come crashing into a tree not more than ten feet away from her.

Instantly worried for his health, and paying no mind to the fact that she'd never seen him before, she ran to his side, placing her basket of flowers down as she knelt next to him. His words made her blush, but from the dreamlike state of his voice she was fairly positive that he had merely hit his head a bit too hard. Casting a light healing spell and a few kind words seemed to work wonders, because his bright blue eyes came to focus quickly, and his attention centered completely on her as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Thank you." Cloud said, his voice slightly off as he stared at the beautiful girl with mixed emotions. It was her, he was absolutely sure of it. The sensation he had felt when he'd had his vision of this snowy place had returned the moment her healing spell had cleared his mind. The power that he felt this time wasn't as strong, perhaps it wasn't being used, but just being in her presence seemed enough to trigger the tracking abilities that Hojo had implanted into him.

"You're welcome, sir." Aerith said, offering her hands to him and helping him stand. "That looked like a nasty fall."

"Yeah." Cloud said, though he wasn't fully paying attention to her words. "Slipped on the hill."

"You came from there?" Aerith asked, looking in the direction of the hill and seeing the trail in the snow that signaled where he'd fallen. That direction was facing south, away from the village, and as she watched two other men wearing the same clothing came into view, though they didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to check on their friend. "Are you travelers? I haven't seen your faces before."

"Uh, yeah." Cloud said, shaking his head a little to try and clear the sensation and concentrate on talking to her just as Vincent and Sephiroth arrived. "My name is Cloud. This is Vincent."

"I am Seth." Sephiroth said, realizing that Cloud had no interest in introducing him. He decided to go with a false name; General Sephiroth Kagemusha, the Butcher of Nibelheim, was widely known, perhaps even here in this village. He looked to Cloud and nodded lightly, letting the other know that he felt it too, but the blond didn't seem to care what he thought. This girl either was, or owned what they were here for.

"Greetings to you all." Aerith smiled, her angelic features lighting up. "And welcome to the village of Icicle. My name is Aerith Gainsborough."

"That is an interesting jewel you have in your hair." Vincent said from behind her, prompting her to turn enough for Sephiroth and Cloud to spot it as well; a semi-transparent white orb that very much resembled materia was tied into the ribbon in her braid. Apparently Vincent had recognized the way the other two were acting and had pieced it together. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be trying all that hard to remain inconspicuous.

"Oh, this?" Aerith said, touching the orb at the back of her head when she realized what he was referring to. Despite his forwardness, the girl didn't seem to be concerned with his interest in her 'jewel', perhaps life in such a small village brought with it a sense of trust and honesty that the rest of the world no longer could afford to have. "My mother gave it to me when I was very young."

"It's quite lovely." Vincent continued, not seeming to care if he came off as strange to her. "What is it for?"

"My mother told me that it was a holy relic that would protect me." Aerith said, then gave a quiet laugh. "I suppose it has done that much."

"Holy, you say?" Sephiroth asked, the tone in his voice making Cloud and Vincent look to him immediately. The way he asked the question indicated that the word had meant something to him, but he hadn't mentioned anything of the sort to them. Could he know more than he was letting on?

"Mhmm." Aerith nodded, her smile never fading. As she looked around at the three of them, she suddenly clapped her hands together, the mittens she wore allowing for only a dull sound. "Oh, you must be tired if you've journeyed through the plains of snow. Would you like to rest? I own a small inn at the village for travelers, I'd be happy to let you stay there if you'd like."

"That sounds great." Cloud said, giving the girl a friendly smile before Sephiroth or Vincent could argue the point. Sephiroth probably wanted to just kill her and take it because he was a bastard like that. There was something about the girl, though, that made Cloud want to protect her. There was an innocence and kindness about her that he had never experienced before. Perhaps if they went to her village he could talk to her and convince her to come with them instead. Besides that, she didn't even seem to understand that she was holding some great power, and he'd like to try and understand more about it before just running away with it.

"Wonderful!" She said, a giddy sound. Bending her knees, she picked up her flower basket from the ground and stepped past them, smiling at Cloud as she did so. "Please follow me, it's not that far. I'll fix you a warm meal when we arrive. I'm sure you're all very cold."

Fulfilling her promise, Aerith had served them each a delicious bowl of some sort of stew when they arrived at her "inn". The building was actually one of the larger ones in the tiny village, which was rather sad. It was made in a sort of odd, dome shape, but most of the structure was actually underground. A fairly genius idea, it seemed, as its subterranean layout helped keep it warmer than the outdoors. There were two levels in the small building, the one closest to the surface containing a small kitchen and living area, while the lower had four small rooms with one bed each. Though none of them had asked, it was fairly obvious that this 'inn' was also her home, meaning that one of those little bed rooms was where she slept.

As night neared, and Aerith left them alone for a moment to do some chores, Cloud had convinced Vincent to let him talk to her alone for a while to see if he could coax some information out of her. Though Sephiroth hadn't been thrilled about the idea, Vincent agreed that the girl had done nothing to warrant an outright kidnapping and so Sephiroth went along with it. With the head start they had on Rufus, they could afford to try and convince her to join them of her own accord before resorting to such barbaric measures. The two of them had just retired to their respective bed rooms for some rest when the girl returned from her chores.

"Oh," She said, noticing that Cloud was now the only one here. "Did your friends go to bed early?"

"Yeah." Cloud nodded from his seat at small table they had eaten at that had a chair at each of its four sides. "I hope you don't mind if I stay up here for a while, I'm not really tired yet."

"Of course not." She said with a smile. Walking to the table, she sat down in the chair to his left.

"So," Cloud said, trying to find a way to get a useful conversation started. At least he was more comfortable talking now that Sephiroth wasn't near him. "Have you lived here your whole life?"

"Yes. This is where I was born."

"You've never thought of moving?"

"No," Aerith said, sounding a little surprised that he even mentioned such a thing. "I've never really considered it."

"Really?" Cloud asked with genuine interest. "I left my hometown when I was sixteen. I wanted to get out and experience the world, you know?"

"No, I don't know. I'm sorry." Aerith said, her voice apologetic. "I've never been very curious about the outside world. Besides, the people of this village depend on me, I could never leave them."

"Why's that?"

"I am able to use magic." She explained. "I'm not very good at it, but no one else here can. I believe I was blessed with this gift so that I could help the people here."

"Really? What kind of magic can you use?"

"Well, all kinds." Aerith said with confusion in her voice. "Why do you ask?"

"All kinds?" Cloud repeated, becoming more intrigued. "Most mages specialize in one form of magic, and use little outside of that field. To be able to use all magic is a rare gift. You should really consider going to a larger city to develop your talent."

"Oh." Aerith said, clearly surprised. Knowledge of such things was probably limited in this region. Then, with a brighter tone she added. "But I'm happy here. I can help my neighbors, and that's all that really matters to me."

"That's a noble thing to say." Cloud noted with respect for the girl's words. "There aren't many people in the world who are that selfless."

"My life is meaningless if I can't bring happiness to others." She said, a smile coming to her lips. "I want to be able to help make the world a better place in my own small way."

"Well, I certainly hope you succeed."

"I do every time I can mend a wound for one of the village children, or start a fire to help keep the elderly here warm at night. I may only be one person, but I believe my actions can make a difference here." Aerith paused, smiling brighter before she continued. "Just look at the difference Rufus Shinra has made. He was just one man, but he has made the world a safer and more peaceful place for everyone."

"Yeah." Cloud grimaced, trying not to let his new found hatred for Rufus show on his face as her words brought him back to the matter at hand. Looking around for a way to continue the conversation, he spotted a photograph hanging on the wall of an older woman who resembled Aerith, and a man with graying hair standing next to her. "Are those your parents?"

Aerith turned, her green eyes searching the room until they landed on the picture he was looking at. "Yes, they are."

"Do they still live here?" He asked, realizing that she hadn't mentioned them being around.

"Oh, no." Aerith said, her voice dropping slightly. "They left the village when I was very young. I have not seen them since then."

"Why?" Cloud asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. It wasn't often that parents just left their children like that.

"I don't really know." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "My mother told me that they had to leave so that I would be safe."

"Is that when she gave you that holy thing?" Cloud asked.

"Yes," Aerith said, reaching up into her hair and untying the bow so that the white orb would drop into her hands. Bringing it in front of her, she turned it over in her palms as she spoke. "It is the only keepsake I really have of her."

"Does it do anything?" He asked, finally getting around to the questions he had wanted to ask from the beginning. "Out in the forest you said it was for protection."

"That's right." She said as she stared into its glassy surface. "Until recently I thought it was just a good luck charm."

"You don't anymore?"

"No." Aerith shook her head, her voice remaining quiet as she spoke. "Several weeks ago I was picking flowers in the forest, just like I was today when I met you. I saw a creature there, it probably wandered down from the mountains. It attacked me. I thought I was going to die."

"What happened?" Cloud asked in an equally quiet voice, very interested to hear the conclusion, especially since it was several weeks ago that he'd had that brief vision of this very forest.

"Well," Aerith said, remembering the event. "I fell down, and just as the creature was about to strike me, I closed my eyes and said a prayer my mother taught me. Then I heard this strange noise, and a bright light. I opened my eyes to see what was happening, and there were strange tendrils of green light moving through the air all around me. They surrounded the creature, and…"

"And the monster died?" Cloud asked, filling in the obvious ending to the story.

"Yes." Aerith nodded. Her face, reflected in the holy orb within her hands, seemed oddly sad, as if she felt sorry for the creature's death. "After it was over, I realized that this had been glowing faintly the entire time. When it stopped, the green lights died away."

"So it really did protect you." Cloud said, studying the orb in her hand with great interest now. Sephiroth had said that he and Cloud were designed to home in on the power Rufus was searching for. Could this orb be that power? "Just like your mother said it would."

"Yes." She nodded as she lifted it back behind her head, tying it into the ribbon once more. "I just wish I understood what it was."

Cloud took a deep breath, preparing him self as he readied to try to explain things to her. Aerith seemed to have a great deal of respect for Rufus and his philosophies. If he could tell her the things he had seen, and about the experiments done to him to allow him to find this holy orb of hers, maybe he could begin to make her understand the truth about the Emperor, and from there, convince her to join them in their fight against him. Then, as he opened his mouth to begin, a heavy banging came from the door and a voice from outside made his blood go cold.

"In the name of the Divine Emperor, open this door!"

"Goodness!" Aerith jumped at the sudden noise and the commanding shout from outside. It took her a moment to gather herself up from the shock, and then she stood up to answer the door. Before she could take a single step she felt something tighten around her wrist and turned to see Cloud standing from his seat, his strong hand holding her. She began to ask what he was doing, but his kind expression had faded to darkness, causing the words to catch in her throat.

The pounding on the door continued.

"Don't." Cloud said with sorrow in his voice. "I'm really sorry Aerith, but I don't have time to be casual anymore."

Worry crossed her pretty features, making Cloud mentally cringe; he hadn't wanted to scare her, but he was out of options now. From behind them, he could hear Sephiroth and Vincent storming up the stairs from the lower level.

"What's going on?" Vincent inquired in his usual unemotional voice.

"I think Jeran's estimate was off." Cloud explained with a twitch of his lips. "It looks like Rufus is here."

"We have to get out of here." Vincent hissed between his teeth.

"I won't argue that." Cloud replied.

"Who are you!" Aerith gasped, her face revealing her confusion. "What do you want with me?"

"Aerith," Cloud sighed. "I'm sorry; I didn't want it to happen like this. Rufus is after you. We need you to come with us so you'll be safe."

"The Emperor? Why would he want me? And why would you want to deny him?" Aerith's eyes went wide as a revelation came to her. "What are you plotting!"

Cloud faltered, not really knowing what to say to her; how could he possibly make her understand in moments what had taken him months of first-hand experiences for him to believe?

"We have no time for this." Sephiroth growled, his eyes narrowing as he stepped up to Aerith. "How do you control Holy?"

"Holy?" Aerith whispered, her voice shaking. "I don't know what you mean."

"The white orb your mother gave you." Cloud quietly said as he gave Sephiroth a malicious glare at yet another mention of that word. How Sephiroth knew the name of Aerith's keepsake, and why had he hidden the information from the rest of them? "I think the prayer your mother taught you is actually the incantation that activates this 'Holy'. That's why it protected you when you prayed."

"A spell?" Aerith asked, briefly glancing to the photograph of her parents on the wall. "It's a spell?"

Following her gaze, Vincent's eyes widened as he saw the man and woman in the photograph, but he said nothing.

"What of Chaos?" Sephiroth asked in a frightening tone, causing the girl's attention to come back to him. Reaching out, he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stare into his face and prompting Cloud to let go of her wrist. "Do you know where it is?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Aerith shook her head. "You must believe me, I've done nothing."

"Don't touch her, Sephiroth!" Cloud growled as he pushed him back and stepped in front of the girl. His eyes narrowed at the older man, his anger growing stronger at the mention of yet another object that had never been spoken of before. "She doesn't know anything about this stuff, so back off!"

"Fine." Sephiroth mumbled as the pounding on the door intensified. "Is there a back door out of here?"

"Sephiroth?" The fear in Aerith's eyes grew tenfold as she heard his true name. "You are the Butcher?"

"Is there another way out?" Sephiroth bit out, causing the girl to take a step back, but her eyes darted past him to the kitchen. Looking into the small room, he spotted another set of stairs that would lead them out of the house. "Very well. Let's go."

Cloud and Vincent looked to one another, and then to the terrified girl. Despite Cloud's coldness and Vincent's lack of emotion, both of them seemed to feel for her. This was not her fight. She knew nothing of the horrors that existed outside of her tiny village. If they took her now, against her will, it would be nearly impossible to convince her that they were trying to help her, and that Rufus was the one who was evil. If only there was some way to show her the truth.

"Wait!" Cloud said as inspiration struck him. "I have an idea!"

"There must be something wrong." Said the village elder, a tiny old man who was hunched over his cane with his eyes squinted behind thick glasses. "I know Aerith is home. She is hosting three travelers she met in the forest today."

"Travelers?" Rufus asked, his hands folded behind his back as he glanced at the elder from the corner of his eyes. "You made no mention of this."

"I am sorry, Emperor!" The old man feigned back, the fear of god in him. "I did not think it was of consequence!"

"She may be in danger." Rufus said calmly. He nodded to Rude, who had temporarily ceased knocking on the door. "Go in."

Rude didn't question the order, and with one devastating kick he broke the door off of its hinges, sending it tumbling down the steps that led into the tiny home. Reno darted in first, his materia gun in hand, and Rude went in behind him to lay down cover fire if needed. Rufus and the village elder stayed in place, waiting for word from the two Turks until Reno came back up the steps a few moments later, his lips pursed into a small frown.

"What is it?" Rufus asked, prompting the elder to remain quiet.

"I think you'll want to see this." Reno said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Stay here." Rufus said to the elder, who seemed to think about protesting for a moment before Reno shot him a look that could kill. To ensure that the elder wouldn't get nosey, Rufus motioned to two of the soldiers who had accompanied him to the village and they escorted the elder to a safe distance away.

Following Reno, Rufus walked down the steps and into the small house. The quaint décor was thoroughly ignored as his eyes centered on a small table not far from where the three of them now stood. His eyes narrowed and his lips twitched as he stared unblinking at the man looking at him from a seat at the table.

"Cloud Strife." Rufus greeted him for the second time in a matter of weeks. "Again, I have to ask you, what are you doing here?"

"I would ask you the same question, Rufus." Cloud said, emphasizing the other's name without using any sort of title at all. "Except that I already know the answer to that."

"So I gathered." Rufus said, keeping his anger in check as he stepped past the two Turks and pulled up a seat across from the little traitor. "Where is the girl?"

"Can't sense her?" Cloud asked, watching as Reno and Rude stepped up to stand behind and to each side of their boss.

"No."

"Didn't think so." Cloud scoffed. "I figured that you can only sense her when she uses Holy, whereas I can feel her presence at this range without it being summoned at all."

"Really?" Rufus asked quietly, noting that Cloud had learned much since they last spoke; though how much, he couldn't be sure. "I suppose Hojo's experiment was somewhat a success then. Too bad your range is so limited, or I'd have her in my possession long ago."

"Yeah, well, sucks to be you I guess." Cloud said, not bothering to hold back any punches. All the respect he had for Rufus had died by now.

"You're here to protect her, aren't you?" Rufus prodded at him. "Become the knight in shining armor who rescues the princess from the evil king, and all that? You should know that fairy tales are just that; fictional stories. You can't stop me."

"Maybe not." Cloud said, keeping a poker face on and hoping that this 'Holy' was powerful enough to make Rufus fear it. "Or maybe I can. You're not the one who has the girl, remember?"

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Rufus said, ignoring the possible threat the boy had just used on him. "How about this; you give Holy to me, and I'll let you keep the girl as a souvenir. I have no need for her. I'm the Divine Emperor, I can get women any time I feel the need."

"How about you start explaining some things first?"

"Why should I explain my actions," Rufus raised a brow. "When I could just as easily kill you?"

"Because I'm asking nicely." Cloud commented snidely. "And because I have something you want, so how about we just say that it's in the interest of friendly negotiations."

Rufus smirked, but made no effort to respond. Cloud took that as a 'maybe', which was good enough, he supposed. It was time to finally get some answers straight from the devils mouth.

"Why are you working with the demons?" Cloud asked his first question. "And why are you using processed mako to enhance them?"

"Working with them? Enhancing them?" Rufus suddenly began to laugh, a dark and sinister sound. "I seriously misjudged you; I thought you'd learned a few things by now. You're still completely in the dark."

"Then why don't you shine some light on me." Cloud said, trying not to let Rufus' words get to him. "Indulge a stupid kid."

"The demons are artificial." Rufus continued to laugh, but it was now just an unnerving chuckle. "Hojo created them for me years ago. They weren't being enhanced in Midgar when you saw them, they were being forged."

"What?" Cloud couldn't manage to hide his shock at the others words. "But why? They kill your people, and then you have them hunted down!"

"It's all a matter of faith." Rufus lips parted in a sinister grin. "To believe in god, the people must fear the devil."

"Corel," Cloud whispered, his eyes widening as he recalled the story Barret had told them of the fall of his birth place. "You used the demons to attack Corel and completely destroy it to instill fear."

"Very good." Rufus grinned. "Corel was the first city to fall to the 'demons', and it was by far the most horrible disaster to occur in a century. After the people of the world learned of the demons that had decimated Corel, the entire Empire was trembling,"

"And then you swept in." Cloud said, his voice sinking as hatred stirred inside of him.

"Exactly. I pledged that I would make the world safe from the demons, and used the army to destroy them every time they reared their heads. Of course, the army always arrived shortly after the demons appeared anywhere, because I knew where they would attack. There were still a few civilian casualties, but after hearing about what happened to the poor people of Corel, a few dead women or children was an amazing improvement."

"You bastard." Cloud hissed between clenched teeth, his hands balling into fists on the tabletop. "You've caused citizens and soldiers alike to die just to make yourself look better."

"My position as a loving deity was permanently solidified through those actions." Rufus grin widened. "No one doubted my godhood when it was so obvious that I was driving the demons away."

"What about Barret and his friend?" Cloud growled.

"Ah, so you met Mister Wallace, did you?" Rufus chuckled. "That was just another way of expanding the faith, of course. Barret and Dyne were going to be turned into demons as well, but retain much of their human appearance. This way, rumors could begin to spread that the demons had possessed some of the people from Corel."

"Why the hell would you do something like that!"

"Isn't it obvious? The people's faith in me had increased many times since I began fighting back the horrible demons, but that was only because humans fear death. If they were under the impression the demons could not only kill them, but even steal their very soul, my status would grow exponentially."

"I can't believe I had faith in you once." Cloud hissed, slamming his fist down on the table. "You're nothing more than a murderer."

"I have my reasons." Rufus said, his voice suddenly becoming quite serious. "You think I'm evil, but my actions will one day lead this world to peace."

"Stow that ----!" Cloud shouted. "I don't know where you obtained the power you have, but you're no god! You're nothing but a con artist!"

"Maybe I am." Rufus said, the darkness returning to his features. "But I will save humanity from itself nonetheless."

Guarded and held in place by Sephiroth and Vincent, Aerith listened to the terrifying conversation between Cloud and Emperor Rufus from her small kitchen. She had not struggled against them, not for fear of being injured, but because she could sense that they meant her no harm; or, at the very least, Cloud and Vincent did not, the emotions of the Butcher were harder to translate.

Cloud's "idea" was a suicidal one, which hadn't seemed to surprise his two companions. Perhaps the man was often thinking up such ridiculous plans. He had decided to stay and confront Rufus in the attempt to get answers from him. In addition to wanting the answers to those questions himself, he had told his two friends to keep her in the home, near the back door where they could escape easily. This way she could hear the atrocities of the Empire from Rufus' own mouth, he had believed it was the only way she could be convinced of Rufus' evil intentions.

He was certainly correct. Had she not overheard this talk, she would never have believed such outrageous accusations against the Empire, much less the Emperor himself. All the things Rufus was saying completely negated the things she had heard of his grand and benevolent rule. Sephiroth and Vincent apparently recognized her sagging shoulders and defeated expression as proof that she had forced herself to accept the horrible things she was hearing, because they were preparing to move.

Now the only problem was Cloud himself.

"We cannot leave him behind." Vincent whispered as quietly as he could when he saw Sephiroth starting for the door. "He is risking his life, I won't abandon him."

Sephiroth turned and stared at Vincent, seeming almost shocked at the others caring words.

"We don't have the power to defeat Rufus." Sephiroth replied in an equally quiet tone. "Not yet."

"What of her?" Vincent nodded at Aerith. "This 'Holy' she carries, can it be used?"

"Possibly." Sephiroth said, though he didn't sound all that thrilled about the idea. Looking to Aerith, he asked. "Can you summon Holy?"

"I don't know." Aerith said, her lips trembling in fear of all that was happening. "What should I do?"

Sephiroth's expression darkened again, and it seemed as if he was about to get very harsh with her, but Vincent interrupted him.

"Aerith," he said, his voice suddenly as gentle as his feminine face. She had not heard him speak in such a way until now. "Cloud is risking his life so that you can understand the truth. If we don't get him out of there, he will die. If there's anything you can do, I suggest you try."

Aerith stared at him, unresponsive for a long moment, then she reluctantly nodded her head. Without another sound, she knelt on the floor and folded her hands together, bowing her head against them. She took one shaky breath to gather her composure, and then began quietly whispering a prayer. Sephiroth and Vincent listened and watched with intensity as the Holy orb in her hair began to glow.

"If you're so damn interested in saving humanity, then why do you want Holy so badly?" Cloud asked. "Planning to use it upgrade your godhood? Or maybe you're going to use it to destroy Wutai since they've never bought into your lies?"

"I can destroy Wutai any time I feel the need to." Rufus smirked. "But if I ordered a full scale invasion, that would tarnish my reputation as a peace-bringer, wouldn't it?"

"So then, what's the catch?"

"Let's just say," Rufus smiled faintly. "That I want to protect Holy from falling into the wrong hands."

Cloud readied a response, but was cut off as the three men across from him all looked towards the kitchen. Inwardly he cursed, he couldn't hear a thing, but apparently all of them had.

"Voices." Rude said quietly. "Coming from that room."

"Two men." Reno joined in. "And one woman."

"Well then, it seems as if we've found our little girl." Rufus said, looking back to Cloud he added. "I'm afraid our negotiations have come to a conclusion."

"Orders?" Rude asked.

"Kill them and bring Holy back to me." Rufus said, and then looked over his shoulder at Reno. "Please thank Mister Strife for this rousing conversation."

"Pleasure." Reno sneered as he reached into his pocket and pulled his materia gun out once more, aiming it at Cloud's forehead as Rude began to walk towards the kitchen.

Cloud prepared to throw the table over and duck behind it for protection from the shot, but he knew that wouldn't save him. Mentally he prepared himself for the inevitable; there was no real way he could escape here with his life now. Then a strange sensation erupted in his mind, causing him to grasp at his head for an instance. It felt as if something deep within his body was trying to tear itself out of him. Reno hesitated just for a second after seeing this, but then it was too late.

With amazing speed, wisps of green energy erupted from the floor boards of the small house and ensnared the two Turks and their Emperor. The three men groaned in pain. Reno and Rude fell to their knees, holding their heads and chests. Rufus, sitting in his chair, seemed to be worse off than his companions. Slouching down, he clutched at his face with shaky hands, his eyes growing lazy and his forehead throbbing as if he was about to be sick. Then as suddenly as it had begun, the wisps died away and the unreal pain Cloud had felt subsided. Using the moment to his advantage, he lunged forward, pulling a knife from his belt and plunged it into Rufus' chest as hard as he could.

"God's don't bleed." He hissed as Rufus cried out in pain. Then he jumped backwards and threw the table over between him and the Turks who were already getting to their feet again. Turning, he darted into the kitchen and spotted Vincent and Aerith at the top of the stairs, holding the door open for him. Sephiroth was still at the bottom of the stairs, beads of sweat all over his skin, he must have experienced the same thing Cloud had. Not asking questions, Cloud darted past him and up the steps. Sephiroth waited a moment to get his bearings and then followed him up as well. Together the four of them ran out of Aerith's home and into the coldness of Icicle Village.

Rufus Shinra stared down at his chest after Cloud escaped; watching in shock as crimson slowly spread out over his white and black clothing. Rude and Reno both rushed over to him, ignoring the fleeing soldier in favor of tending to Rufus' wound. It was unnecessary, really, his strength was slowly returning to him now that the wisps had vanished. As the weakness the spell caused him faded, he lifted his right hand and gingerly pulled the knife from his chest. Blood briefly sputtered from the wound, and the knife blade dripped thick drops over the legs of his pants.

"Holy." Rufus hissed, as he wiped sweat from his brow, his voice breaking with ragged breath. "They have it."

"Are you alright?" Reno asked, though such a question really wasn't needed. The deep wound in Rufus' chest had already healed without even a scar, leaving only the hole in his clothing and blood.

"I'm fine." Rufus said, his voice coated with anger as he threw the knife across the room with enough force to send it deep into a thick wooden wall twenty feet away. Without a word he quickly walked into the kitchen, heading for the door his prey had escaped from. His steps were shaky at first, but grew steadier as he kept moving. Reno and Rude swiftly followed behind him.

The three of them emerged from the home and quickly spotted Cloud running through the center of the village with a trio of other people. As they watched, the escapees ran straight into a wall of Shinra soldiers who had been waiting in ambush behind a pair of homes. Rufus smiled darkly as he began walking towards the group who had come to a solid halt and were most likely thinking through what limited options they had left.

"You didn't really think you'd get very far, did you?" Rufus yelled as he crossed the distance between them. The four turned around to look at him, and Rufus stopped in mid-step, his teeth grinding together as he saw who Cloud's companions were. Growling beneath his breath, he looked to Rude as if for confirmation of what he was seeing. "How are they here!"

"Sephiroth and Vincent." Rude identified them, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd see them again."

"We didn't know." Reno added, looking utterly pissed. "The Turks are dragging their asses if they didn't catch wind of this."

"This is unacceptable." Rufus hissed.

"Emperor!" A voice from behind them called, causing Rufus to groan in frustration as he turned to see the village elder hobbling towards them, followed by a large group of villagers, young and old alike. The old man stopped in his tracks, his squinted eyes widening as he saw the blood on Rufus' clothes. "You-you are bleeding!"

"God's don't bleed." Rufus snarled the words that Cloud had used earlier; he was sick of the complications to what was supposed to be a simple retrieval. With what seemed like a single movement, Rufus crossed the fifteen feet that separated him from the village elder and struck the man with his fist. From the impact point on the old mans chest, a wave of red light coursed over his body, eroding his flesh as it went until the man was gone completely.

A cry of panic went through the crowd as they watched the Divine Emperor kill their leader, but Rufus didn't stop there. Taking another impossible step, he snatched a young boy from his parents and then seemed to almost shift through time and space back to where Rude and Reno stood.

"Rufus!" Vincent shouted, taking a step towards him but stopping as two dozen weapons were immediately brandished in his direction. "Unhand that child!"

"Who are you to give orders to me, Abomination!" Rufus yelled back, shaking the terrified boy who couldn't be more than eight years old. "I am tired of these ridiculous games! I came for Holy, and I will have it now!"

"So much for your goal to save humanity, huh?" Cloud bit out. "Everything you say is a lie!"

"I am a god!" Rufus shouted, the rage in his voice so great that it almost seemed to shake the ground. "If god himself decides to sacrifice a single life in order to save thousands, who are humans to judge!"

"You're a lie and nothing more!" Sephiroth chimed in.

"What makes a god!" Rufus screamed, his grip on the child tightening, making the boy cry. "Statues and trees are made into gods every day simply because people choose to believe in them! I am flesh and bone and have shown that I have the power to truly claim godhood, and so the people of the world believe in me! This makes me the god to the people of the Holy Shinra Empire, and as such I command the authority to do whatever I deem necessary for the sake of world order! Whether you understand my vision or not, it makes no difference! Mortals are not to question god's design!"

"Stop it!" Aerith suddenly yelled, breaking her silence. "You are said to be a great man who protects and keeps peace, why then do you kill and threaten us now!"
"To keep peace some must be sacrificed!" Rufus retaliated. "This is the way of the world! The lives of a few are nothing compared to the lives of the many!"

Rufus straightened himself and lifted the crying boy into the air with a single hand. The crowd behind him tensed, many of them mumbling in fear and confusion, but none of them made a move to stop him as Reno and Rude both turned and aimed their materia guns to silence them.

"I understand this; that is what makes me a god." He said, his lips curling. "And my godhood is what allows me to choose who lives and who dies for a greater purpose."

"Rufus, don't!" Cloud shouted, knowing what was about to happen, but it was too late. With a casual flick of his wrist, Rufus sent the child flying faster than a magic-charged bullet could be fired from a materia gun. With a heavy thud and a loud crack, the child slammed into the stone wall of the village church and slid down to the ground where he remained motionless. The blood smeared on the wall and the silence coming from the body evidence that he was dead.

From the crowd, the child's parents screamed in horror and ran towards their fallen son, only to be shot dead by Reno and Rude for daring to ignore their unspoken order to remain still.

"You bastards!" Vincent shouted, emotion suddenly surging through him as he leapt forward, fully intending to kill them all or die trying. Before he had run two feet Reno had turned and fired his gun twice, both rounds hitting Vincent square in the chest and sending him tumbling to the ground where his blood darkened the snow.

"Now do you understand?" Rufus said with hatred as he stared at Cloud. "In the face of god, you are powerless. Give Holy to me, or I will kill everyone here."

"No!" Aerith shouted with tears in her eyes as she began to run forward, clearly intent on sacrificing herself if it would save the people of her village.

"Stop!" Sephiroth ordered, stepping forward and grabbing her arm to prevent her from running.

"But I can't let this happen!"

"He's lying, Aerith!" Cloud told her, coming up and forcing her to look at him. "He's going to kill them all no matter what you do. The people here have seen too much for him to let them live."

"Then what does it matter what I do!" Aerith cried out, trying to wrestle away from the two men.

"It matters because we can't die here." Vincent hissed as he stood, his wounds healing as the magical rounds popped out of his flesh. "If we do, Rufus will never be stopped, and I will never exact my revenge on Hojo."

Aerith was about to scream something else, but her voice was drowned out by an intensely loud humming and thumping sound that suddenly came over them. The ground became dark with an enormous shadow as the Highwind hovered overhead. Two rope ladders were dropped down this time as Tifa manned one of the ships cannons and began firing magical blasts at the soldiers surrounding the rest of their party. Jessie manned one of the Highwind's materia cannons and opened fire at Rufus, Reno, and Rude to buy some time. Cloud and Sephiroth forced Aerith to grab the ladder, and then Cloud began climbing up behind her. Vincent and Sephiroth leapt onto the other and the ship ascended into the sky as quickly as Cid could pilot it, flying away with all of them aboard before anything could be done about it.

"No!" Rufus roared, the sound guttural and monstrous. "They have the Highwind too!"

This was completely intolerable. How could Cloud, a naïve soldier have gathered such a force against him in a matter of weeks without anyone catching wind of it? Then, through his rage, Rufus recalled the message that had been sent to him by Heidegger when he had first arrived in the Frozen North. Though it still lay in his cabin aboard the Gloriosa, he now knew what it pertained to; the theft of the Highwind.

Turning to Reno and Rude with undying fury in his eyes, he reached out and grabbed Reno by the collar, jerking him forward until their faces were nearly touching.

"Follow them!" He howled into the red-heads ears. "Kill them all and bring Holy and the Highwind back to me unharmed!"

"Right. I'll get 'em." Reno said stiffly, apparently not too shocked at the way Rufus was lashing out. Turning away from his companions, he darted past the crowd and was soon out of sight.

"What now?" Rude asked, his gun still trained on the horrified villagers.

"Kill them all!" Rufus roared as he pointed his fingertips at a middle-aged villager. Rays of blue-white energy lurched from his palm and slammed into the man, causing his body to shatter into a thousand pieces that flew over the rest of the crowd. "Burn this village to the ground!"