Woot! Woot! O.L.S. is back! YAY! We're still in the flashback and it's gonna be insane! Time for some teamwork in a wild and kickass fight scene! And Laleyena shows some of her unique moves that we'll probably see more of in the near future of this fic, but not much now though. And midnight, your chapter will come soon. just have to finish a random battle thing.
Disclaimer: Geez, it's like a broken record player.
Translations
Ike- Go
Gomenasai- I'm sorry
Nani- what
The Broken Angel
She was breathing heavily; it was either from her injury or the fear that they won't make it in time to stop the transmutation. Emilaine thought she would pass out but Cloud's voice kept her awake.
"Nocturne, you okay back there?"
"Yes. Don't worry about me, Strife."
"…You said Lenux was going to fuse with Kadaj… What did you mean by that?"
She had hoped he wouldn't ask her that. The very process itself was enough to make even the sanest and strongest people go crazy or weak. But she's used to it. She has seen Lenux so it before, many times in fact.
She was there when he absorbed his very first victim.
"Listen Strife… Cloud. The way he absorbs people… he does it with such force and brutality. Not a single sign of remorse for their suffering."
"Suffering?"
She sighed heavily and began the explanation.
"The Arcanum, the ancient science that Lenux uses has three steps. Determine the Make-up, break it down and create something new. In this case… the victim is broken down. Every part of their body is fused to every part of Lenux's. Their blood, organs, heart, souls… everything."
Emilaine could sense that Cloud was beginning to fell squeamish and she smirked. It was his fault. He wanted to know. But that smirk disappeared, knowing that this is not the time to be Cloud bashing, as so many other people like to do.
"Do you want me to continue or do you want to stop and---"
Cloud shook his head. He wanted to know the process no matter how sick and twisted it sounded. He had a gut feeling that he would witness it sooner or later so he had to know now.
"Very well… the reason it is painful for the victim is because they are being broken down, or torn apart and becoming one with Lenux. They experience pure agony while Lenux feels a pure euphoria."
It was a quiet for a moment until Cloud spoke again.
"What does Lenux gain from the fusion?" he asked, a little bit hesitantly thought.
"…The victims knowledge, abilities, strengths and possibly, weaknesses. But we were never able to use that against him."
"…Everything?"
She nodded. "Yes… Everything."
The rest of the trip to the old Midgar ruins was silent. Throughout the ride, Emilaine thought about many things that happened before Kadaj and them showed up. She remembered when they first met Cloud and his friends at the Golden Saucer just before they were to set out to the Temple of the Ancients. She remembered how the Flower Girl, Aeris and her friend would talk for hours as if they had known each other for a very long time, especially Laleyena, before they were to leave. It kind of makes sense though. When she first met Aeris, she sensed a pure aura from her. The same kind of aura Laleyena and her friend had.
But Laleyena was different. And so was her friend, who the rest of the crew called him Sonata.
Those were good times… until they got caught up in Avalanche's situation concerning Sephiroth, the Black Materia, Shin-Ra, Jenova, Reunion, all of that. And that's when… tragedy striked for Cloud and his friends.
She still remembered seeing the pained look on Cloud's face as he carried the lifeless Aeris in his arms.
It was her, Laleyena and Sonata that went to the Forgotten Capital to catch up with Cloud, as they had just come across some valuable information on Jenova. And strangely, the Sleeping Forest had awakened when Laleyena set foot on its ground, totally making the Lunar Harp they got, after TWO HOURS of digging, useless. They shook it off and continued. By the time they got there, they could already feel that something was terribly wrong.
Sonata went into the sea-shelled building first and when he didn't come out, Laleyena went after him and after a long while, Emilaine went in. As she descended the stairs, she could see Sonata and Laleyena staring at something and Laleyena was crying. She arrived to join them mid-way down the stairs just in time as Sephiroth flew away and dropped something.
It was then that they got their first look of Jenova.
The battle was tough. Cloud, Tifa and Sonata were fighting Jenova with regular attacks and limit breaks, Vincent and Emilaine casts some support and attacking spells while Laleyena healed, since Aeris was nowhere to be found. Maybe because the big, ugly as sin, alien was taking up the whole space of the altar.
They won the fight but the victory was short lived. Behind the disappearing piece of Jenova was Aeris, lying against the wall of the Prayer Altar. This is what Laleyena and her friend were staring at. Emilaine didn't dare look at Cloud's face, a little bit worried of what she might see.
Tifa knelt down in front of Aeris and brushed back her hair from her eyes, then stood up and ran to the steps of the Prayer Altar, covering her face with her hands. Vincent walked up to Aeris and nodded, closing his eyes as he walked to the steps also. Laleyena slowly fell to her knees in front of Aeris and gave her a hug; she too left, covering her mouth with her hands, holding back her uncontrollable sobbing. Sonata knelt down in front of Aeris, lightly running a hand over her cheek. He then hugged her, putting his forehead against hers and whispered something to her but Emilaine couldn't hear it.
He then got up, walked up to Cloud and put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him of something but Emilaine didn't pay any mind to them, she was staring over the edge of the Altar, seeing a small green light in the water. It was her turn now so she turned her attention away from the green light to Aeris.
As she stood in front of the Flower Girl, she suddenly felt guilty. If she hadn't made that promise so many years ago then none of this would have happened.
She knelt down, took Aeris' hand in hers and lowered her head, apologizing to her. She didn't know how long she was there but she was snapped back to reality when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look at Cloud but acknowledged him with a nod before standing up and joining the others. When she looked back, that's when she saw the pained expression on his face as he was carrying Aeris.
The rest was a blur to her until Sonata told her and the others that they were joining Cloud on this journey. And the rest… was history.
'…I'm sorry…'
They finally arrived at the ruins. Here was the plan; Cloud would distract Lenux so that Emilaine could get to Kadaj but it wasn't going to be easy… ain't that the truth.
Emilaine stayed hidden in the shadows of the ruins, seeing Cloud walk towards Lenux, who was standing on a piece of concrete.
'Little One… where are you?'
She scanned the area until she gasped.
'He already has the circle set up.'
Behind Lenux, in an area below from where he was standing was Kadaj. He was bound to a giant green crystal, unconscious. The crystal was in the center of a big transmutation circle that seemed to be drawn in blood. The scent of the blood was strong to her, even from a distance. Because Emilaine, not being human, had a nose that had a sense of smell almost five times greater than a normal human or someone with Mako in them, so her nose could pick up scents normally even a dog might have trouble sniffing out.
'That blood… it's…'
It was the blood of a being that she was all too familiar with but before she could try to remember, Lenux had gotten ready to throw an energy beam at Cloud, different from his other energy blasts. This was her chance. She knew that Lenux needed complete and total concentration in summoning his infamous Divine Arrow; unfortunately it gave him a 5 second delay. That's all the time she'll need.
She watched Lenux carefully until he reared his arm back and sliced through the air, sending the beam of pale purple light to Cloud. She dashed as fast as she could to Kadaj when Lenux attacked but she was barely 3 feet in front of him when a chain-blade went through her shoulder and pinned her to the far wall.
"Nice try Nocturne."
Emilaine looked up to see Lenux, still in his current position, though with his right arm out, holding the chain-blade that was pinning her. He was blocking Cloud's sword with another chain-blade that he held in his left hand.
"You were always one step ahead of me but… not this time."
Cloud unlocked another sword from the original and sliced through the chain-blade. Lenux jumped back and summoned another chain-blade that wrapped around Cloud's neck and he threw him against the far wall that Emilaine was pinned to.
He laughed. "Did you two really think that you could get the jump on me and stop me? As if. Sigh…. What a glorious day this has been."
"What difference does it make if you absorb Kadaj, Lenux! Besides getting stronger!"
"Tsk, tsk… has anyone told you, Cloud? Kadaj is special in a way very reminiscent to Sephiroth… who will be here very soon. But let's hope you can stay alive to witness such an event."
Lenux retracted his chain-blade from Emilaine's shoulder then summoned more chain-blades that thrashed about wildly.
"He's summoning them…" she whispered in disbelief.
Cloud looked at her. "What do you mean 'Summoning them'?"
"…Spirits of the people he has absorbed…"
There were around 3 chain-blades that Lenux had summoned up and they all dug into the ground, surrounding the transmutation circle. They then glowed a bright rainbowy light that went into the ground. Lenux took out the chain-blades and they disappeared. All was deathly silent until the entire place shook. Cloud and Emilaine got up and ready to fight whatever was coming.
Lenux smiled evilly.
"…Say hello to some old friends…"
With that said, a black-gloved hand burst through the concrete. Soon, another black-gloved hand and a leather-clad arm broke through concrete, on its arm, a pile bunker. The last that broke through the concrete was a delicate hand. Cloud and Emilaine stood, horrified by who was breaking through. It was Yazoo, Loz and Laleyena.
"Why don't you play with them for a while…"
The three silver-hairs slowly walked toward the two, they're heads hung low, silver hair fallen over their faces, obscuring their eyes from view. Cloud locked his second sword back into the first where the others are, Emilaine summoned her chains from out of nowhere again, and they lay limp on the ground around her, rattling a quiet chime, ready for battle.
"Fight your own battles Lenux! Leave them out of this!" Cloud shouted, taking a step back.
The three were getting closer now. Cloud took another step back, clenching the handle of his sword tightly, not letting down his fighting stance. Emilaine's chains rise and they rattle a louder chime, almost threateningly. They were now backed towards the edge of a platform they were on. Lenux smiled sadistically.
"Oh but they are a part of this as much as you two are…"
Emilaine and Cloud looked at each other. There was no way around this one. They would have to fight not only Loz and Yazoo but also Laleyena as well to stop Lenux. So they nodded in silent agreement but they were not going to like this. (A/N: For those of you who have the soundtrack to Advent Children, I suggest you play Jenova's theme for added effect. Though, it's just a suggestion. XD)
Lenux saw this and waved his hand. "…Ike."
The three charge at them. Emilaine's chains shot up and wrap around a metal beam, pulling her up to another floor of ruins. Loz was the closest at this time so he stopped and knelt down. Yazoo ran up to him, stepped on and leapt off his shoulder after her. He took out Velvet Nightmare and fired a couple shots at her but more chains appeared and they formed a web that blocked the bullets. She landed on the metal beam just as Yazoo slashed at her as he passed her, luckily she sidestepped the attack. Yazoo flipped when he reached the ceiling and kicked off of it back down towards Emilaine. Her chains formed into a web again and blocked the shots he fired at her and the follow-up downward slash. His next move caught Emilaine by surprise, it was too fast, but she handled it. With a quick front kick to the stomach followed immediately by a roundhouse kick to the face, Yazoo smacked Emilaine twice in the blink of an eye. She parried the first kick, and then caught his ankle, her chains wrapping around it also, just inches away from her head.
"With Lenux's power backing you up… You're faster and stronger."
Yazoo's expression was blank then upon further examination; she was shocked to see that his left eye was ruby red, like Lenux. That was a sign that he was a part of him now, as is with Loz and Laleyena. Fueled with anger, she threw Yazoo towards a steel beam. He went flying but flipped in midair again so that he was facing Emilaine and kicked off of the beam as soon as he made contact with it, launching himself straight towards her. Emilaine back flipped to avoid him as he flew over her stomach. He stopped himself by digging his gunblade into the steel beam and turning around quickly to face her. Emilaine summoned her chains again and they shoot forward at Yazoo. He stood there for a moment but disappeared when the chains came at him. He then reappeared, running ON the chains, towards Emilaine.
"So fast…"
Emilaine brought up her hand as Yazoo slashed down at her with the gunblade. She winced as the blade made contact with the back of her hand, cutting straight through the fabric of her glove and first layer of skin. He stepped off of the chains, still pushing the blade down against her hand. She was preparing to cast a Bolt spell with her free hand when he caught her by surprise yet again. With a flick of his wrist, Yazoo produced a small jagged knife from out of nowhere and threw it her. She moved her head to the side but the knife managed to slash her cheek. Emilaine jumped back and cast her spell.
"Bolt2!"
The spell traveled through her chains towards Yazoo but Laleyena appeared in front of him and cast her own spell, Ephemeral Pan of the Koto. The young teen brought her left arm down as sparkling gold light engulfed her hand when the Bolt spell reached her. It bounced back at Emilaine and she quickly leapt away from the spell.
"This will be difficult… I wonder if Cloud is—"
On queue, Cloud went flying past Emilaine, nearly ramming into her. He was on a one-way trip to getting impaled through the stomach on a jagged steel bar but her chains wrapped around him to stop him. He was just 5 inches away from certain death.
He looked down at her and frowned, "we're not getting anywhere with this, are we?"
"No, I'm afraid not." She replied, shaking her head.
By this time, Loz was coming at her from below. She brought her chains down, which in turn, brought Cloud down towards them. He landed in front of her and used his sword to block Dual Hound. Emilaine came around Cloud quickly and delivered a swift kick to Loz's side, sending him back against a pillar.
"They are fighting as one, which is what makes them hard to beat."
"Yeah, I kind of noticed." Cloud said smugly, obviously recalling the many fights he's had against the brothers simultaneously. But now it would be much harder and different with their boosted up powers and Laleyena to back them up. She wasn't an ordinary girl.
"…Let's fight them at their own game." Emilaine suggested mischievously.
Cloud looked at her with a raised brow. "This is a new side of you I'm seeing, Nocturne. Did you get hit on the head?"
"Not yet if we continue to waste time, now just follow my lead and maybe we'll get out of this alive and not have to kill the three."
He nodded, unlocked a sword from the first again so that he has two swords now and prepared for whatever Emilaine was about to do as she positioned herself on his left side. Loz charged at them and struck forward with the pile bunker again, Cloud brought up his right sword to block it. The weapons clashed and they remained there, pushing each other back. Yazoo was coming up from behind Loz, raising his gunblade to fire.
Emilaine put her hands on Cloud's shoulders and threw herself around him, catching Loz on the side of his head with a good left kick and just as Yazoo was close and his gunblade was raised high enough, she brought her right leg over and kicked the gunblade to the side as she landed on Cloud's right side, holding onto his wrist. Cloud swung his left sword at Yazoo and caught him on the side of his stomach with the broad side of his sword.
Emilaine then swung Cloud around, showing unusual strength for a woman her size and frame, and threw him at the brothers. When he landed, the three engaged in brawl of weapon clashing. Laleyena dashed towards Emilaine and swiped at her as her hand was engulfed in sparkling blue light. She caught her wrist then spun her around and threw her down at the three men fighting.
"Strife! Heads up!"
Cloud looked up behind him and saw Laleyena falling towards him. Her left hand was glowing with a sparkling green light and created a beam saber. She swung it at him but he blocked it with his sword. Loz and Yazoo were coming up from behind him when two pairs of chains slammed into them, pinning them to the far wall. Emilaine jumped down towards them then commanded her chains to lift them up and over her and slam them on the ground. Two down, one to go.
Emilaine looked back at Cloud to see him in a sword-to-beam saber fight with Laleyena. This is the first time she has ever seen Laleyena fight using her powers without an actual weapon. And somehow, to her… it was frightening to watch. She noticed how when she strikes, Cloud is pushed back while he blocks the attack. Also, green lightning courses around their blades for only a couple seconds after contact then disappears.
Suddenly, Emilaine found herself rushing towards them with great speed. She just came to the realization that Cloud would not be able to beat Laleyena. She may look like an ordinary girl on the outside but inside… she holds a great power that could rival that of Sephiroth.
Now the three waged a battle of speed, strength and magic. Even though they fight as one, Cloud and Emilaine still had trouble fending off the attacking illusions Laleyena created of herself. Her illusion spells; Verity of the Guardian, Inverse Sting of Admonition, Hymn to the Holy Messenger, Offering to Heaven, Hymn to the Earthly Messenger and Offering to the Terrestrial Guardian, always never miss. That's the thing Emilaine and Cloud are having a difficult time with.
"Nocturne, we can't keep this up for long."
Both were now very tired and it seemed that they would lose but Emilaine quickly thought of something and looked at Cloud with a serious expression.
"Do you have a Limit Break ready?"
Cloud nodded without taking his eyes off of Laleyena, "But I haven't been able to do it, what with the many illusions she creates. Plus, I can't tell which one is the real Laleyena."
She thought long and hard about this until she came up with plan that seems plausible and good enough to work. She then looked hesitantly at Cloud.
'If I do it… he'll know what I am… Well… That will be one and ONLY one person to know my true power…'
"Nocturne?"
She sighed. "Listen Strife, this will be harder for me then it will be for you and we only have one shot at it."
"Nocturne you sound so… What's the matter? Don't tell me you're dying or something of that sort."
"I'm not Cloud… It might be hard for you to understand but I trust you with this. I've been hiding it for too long… Can I trust that you'll keep it to yourself? Can I trust that I'll have your complete and total cooperation in this?"
Cloud stared at her as if searching for something that can never be found. He looked deep into her mismatched colored eyes. In her left eye, he sees the familiar glow of Mako and of Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo and Sephiroth. The damage they have done cannot change the effect it has on those around him, including himself. In her right eye, the almost dark crimson glow, like blood. He remembers seeing the blood of Tifa, Zack and Aeris. That's one of the things he can never forget. They believed in him and trusted him and he failed them. And what Emilaine is asking of him… he is unsure if he can do it again.
Emilaine saw all of this as she stared into his blue Mako eyes. She sees what Cloud sees in her eyes and she knows of the guilt he carries and the many struggles he's been though and at that moment, she was about to finally apologize to him about what she said to him earlier before he left to the Forgotten Capital for the children when Laleyena was preparing to use one of her powerful attacks; Essence of the Infinite Rites.
"There's no time, we have to do this and I don't care if you're having a guilt trip now, just stop being completely emo and do as I say, are we clear Cloud Strife?"
That last part said and the way she said his name, was like a mother scolding and giving a direct order to a child. Cloud blinked at this for a few moments then nodded.
"All right… She will create her illusions again and once they attack, my chains will trap all of them. I will then use a binding sealing spell that will nullify her illusions and they will disappear one by one until only one remains. That will be the true Laleyena. But for someone like her, it will require a lot of concentration and energy. I will do what I can to hold her off. The rest is up to you."
Cloud looked over at Laleyena then down at his sword.
"I… I don't want to hurt her that badly…"
Emilaine smiled at him.
"She's a strong girl. She can handle it now… let's begin."
The two got into position. Emilaine walked towards Laleyena and stopped just a few feet away from her. She put her hand over her right wrist and undid the metal cuff. Now it hangs loosely by the chain from the black choker around her neck. She put both of her hands behind her neck, grabbed at the small buckle and undid it, releasing the bind leather from around her neck, letting it fall with a loud clattering chime from the chain as it hit the ground.
"Here goes…"
Emilaine said with some restraint in her voice, as a mark on the left side of her neck glowed. She closed her eyes sharply as her true nature began to take more control.
'Have to make sure it doesn't totally take over…'
Her chains appeared again though they were glowing with a violet aura and they seem bigger than before as they began to slither around her body, seeming to come from no where yet again, with one link in the form of an Evenstar with wings after every four normal links. They wrapped tighter around her body, as if trying to crush her. The large chains made Emilaine stagger slightly from their weight, but she soon steadied herself as she looked at Laleyena with her glowing crimson and green eyes.
Without seeing him, Emilaine could tell Cloud was staring wide-eyed at her at the power she was radiating. If only he knew that she had so much more but she wouldn't use that much, not on Laleyena. She's saving it for Lenux.
Then it happened.
Emilaine and Laleyena charged towards one another. Laleyena sent out three of her illusions. Two of them ran far out on either side to catch Emilaine in between while the third leapt at her, getting ready to swipe at her with the beam saber. Emilaine summoned her chains to dispatch the two on either side then leapt forward at the one coming down on her. She swung her arm out; the giant chains slithered forward, striking the illusion hard. They seem to shatter to little green glowing lights, like glass. As Emilaine was getting closer to Laleyena, she sent more illusions but they were quickly destroyed by the woman's chains.
This was it. She concentrated all of her energy as she leapt away from Emilaine and created around 50 illusions.
"Cloud, get ready!"
Emilaine crossed her arms over her head, gathering as much energy as she can, swirling violet energy spun around her then disappeared into the ground where a small ring of violet fire formed. She swung her arms down, out of the ring of fire, her chains shot out towards the illusions in all directions, trapping all of them. The illusions were struggling to get free but to no avail.
"It's time… gomenasai… Laleyena…"
The ring of violet fire from which the chains originated disappeared for a moment, then the violet fire engulfed and traveled along the chains. One by one the illusions shattered until one was left. That was the true Laleyena. She turned her head back to look at Cloud.
"Now!"
Cloud nodded and spun his sword around over his head as he ran forward and jumped on the chains and ran up them towards Laleyena. By this time, his sword was surrounded with an aura of blueish flames. It seemed as though Laleyena was trying to create her illusions again but the spell binding chains were sealing her magic.
"Cross-Slash!"
One, two, three and so on slashes. Usually for any other opponent they fall to this or receive serious injuries but Cloud used restraint in his attacks, the slashes not too serious but enough to bring down Laleyena. Her chains retracted and disappeared, Emilaine collapsed to the ground having used up a lot of energy with that stunt. Cloud landed gracefully on the ground, Laleyena in his arms. He set her down gently and looked over at Emilaine who was just putting her collar and cuff again, the chain rattling a quiet peaceful chime.
"What was that?"
Emilaine was just about to answer when two chain blades appeared and went through Cloud and Emilaine's shoulders, pinning them to the far wall again. They felt that whatever strength they had left was being taken away from them as the chain blades disappear and they slumped to the ground. Lenux was standing next to the giant crystal and clapped his hands.
"What a splendid display of power. I'm almost impressed with you Cloud but you Nocturne… ohh you… You actually used your full potential."
She glared at him. "And what of it?"
"Though, you did succeed in defeating Laleyena and the brothers… it was foolish. Look at you, you can barely stand." He said, nodding his head at her and Cloud.
"I may not have the strength now but just you wait Lenux, your turn will come."
He chuckled. "Ooh, I'm shaking in my chain blades. You are in no position to make threats."
"You don't have room to talk Lenux. You're outnumbered and I still have some fight left in me."
"So, the hero finally steps out of the closet?" Lenux shakes his head then. "If only you knew…"
"I knew what? …wait… the fight."
'Of course!' Emilaine thought. 'Even though Lenux boosted their power, they clearly had an advantage over us in strength and numbers and we won easily but…'
Cloud voiced what she was thinking next.
"They were beaten too easily."
Lenux applauded them again.
"Well, well. Finally putting two and two together, are we? I must say, you're a little slow for a man revered to as the esteemed Hero of the Planet. Heheheh."
"I get it, it all makes perfect sense." Cloud used his sword for balance as he managed to get up in a kneeling position. "You were the mediator between the brothers and Shin-Ra. But then you had no more use for Shin-Ra and focused on the brothers… what are you after, Lenux?"
He raised a brow. "What am I after?" he turned his back to them and looked up as if deep in thought.
"Insipid question. You seem quite upset, but I have a bone to pick as well." He whirled around to face them again, his silver hair flying with his movement, as he glared not at Cloud or Emilaine but something that wasn't there as his eyes were glowing.
"How dare Shin-Ra lie to me about the original Cetra!"
'Cetra? Is he referring to Ifalna? Or Aeris? …Surely he's not talking about Sephiroth, he's not a Cetra.' Emilaine thought again.
Cloud narrowed his eyes.
"So that's it after all… And that's why you took Kadaj…"
Emilaine gasped. He wasn't serious… was he? Lenux wouldn't do it even if his life depended on it. He really is crazy. She managed to stand up shakily and stagger towards Lenux and the crystal that Kadaj was bound to.
"Don't you dare hurt him!"
Lenux raised a hand. "Hold it right there."
Emilaine stopped, dumbfounded at the sudden action.
"One step closer and the boy dies."
"Nani!"
He lowered his hand and proceeded to pace back and forth in front of Kadaj as he continued speaking.
"I am only interested in the Renaissance's Catalyst. You know that his life is of no concern to me. But if you two truly value his life, Cloud, Emilaine, I suggest you simply stay where you are."
"L-Lenux…"
He chuckled again at seeing the distressed look on Emilaine's face.
"Hehehe. But still… beating back three silver-haired brats at once? Very nice." He smirked. "You didn't let me down."
"You're full of it!" Cloud yelled. "Don't change the subject! And wipe that stupid smirk off your face—it's about time you gave up"
"hehehehehe, such words!" Lenux said in mock surprise and stopped pacing altogether.
Cloud then looked at him, bewildered at his behavior.
"You're out of your mind, bolero! Sure we beat them and you think it's funny?"
That's when Emilaine heard his voice again.
"Nocturne…"
"Sonata?"
"You two don't understand… it may not have been a good idea… to have beaten the kids…"
"W-what do you mean?"
Lenux closed his eyes and went from sarcastic to serious mode.
"In the labs… these brats served as Catalysts and to one day refine the Renaissance's Catalyst."
"What… did you… say?"
"You heard me Strife. That's what was missing from the Professor's original Cetra. So I told him that we would need… a mass sacrifice of those with Mako, Jenova's cells and or Geostigma to complete the perfect Renaissance's Catalyst! Ahahahaha!"
It couldn't be. Emilaine shook her head. He couldn't be talking about Hojo. He's dead and Geostigma didn't exist back then but then she remembered Lenux had the ability to raise the dead so there's a slim or big chance that Hojo could be alive… somewhere…
"What! You can't be serious!" Cloud then looked at Emilaine. "Nocturne, what is he--?"
"All those children, all those soldiers—" he then said as he walked around the crystal. "They were all for the Renaissance's Catalyst. MY Renaissance's Catalyst! MY plan! ME dammit! It wasn't for the Jenova Project or any other project they had going on because they simply used those as a cover up for my desire! It was all ME! I don't give a damn about Reunion! I mean, it took me so long to find a scientist who could make the Renaissance's Catalyst. His secondary prototype was of such quality like the first… but then he hid it away for his own selfish needs! He even had the nerve to hide the other two!"
He glared at the unconscious forms of Yazoo and Loz but then went back to walking around the crystal again.
"So I had him make clones for me based on the notes for the first prototype, but they were all duds. Not one as good as the original or secondary prototype and a far cry from the legendary Renaissance's Catalyst."
He stopped behind the crystal and grabbed at his hair for emphasis as he continued.
"The frustration was driving me mad!" again for emphasis, he crossed his arms and put a hand under his chin in contemplation. "I kept thinking, if only we had the secondary prototype…! But…"
He walked all the around, "I finally found where it was." And stopped in front of Kadaj.
"Who would have thought it was inside the boy's body? Hehehe…"
Emilaine shook her head again. It wouldn't work. To be frank, he's fucking psycho. His theories were scrambled up, his perspective is out to lunch, his ideals barely existent and his purpose was just plain sadistic and ludicrous. She slammed her fist on the ground, her chain rattling a dangerous chime.
"That's ridiculous Bolero!"
Lenux turned his head to look at her. "How so?"
"You know full well that Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz are not Cetra or Renaissance! So what makes you think that you'll get the Renaissance's Catalyst by fusing…" she trailed off and a look of sheer horror appeared on her face as it finally dawned on her what he was planning to do.
"… Oh no…"
He turned around to face her as he nodded. "Oh yes… Laleyena. She is more than enough to make it complete."
Now, she was begging him not to do it.
"Don't do this Lenux… stop this."
"Yes, you're right, Emilaine. We've talked far too long." He turned back around to face Kadaj. "Now that I have the secondary, all I need is to ready the other two and Laleyena, bring back Sephiroth and… everything is all gravy."
They watched in disbelief and helplessness as Lenux's chain blades appeared and positioned the three unconscious siblings in the circle.
"No… way… I can't believe this."
"Believe it Cloud. These brats were getting out of hand; anyway, so it's a good thing you two knocked them out for me. I am sure they will serve me well as Catalysts… Even Laleyena."
Another voice was heard, this time, it was Zack.
"No… This is gonna be REALLY bad… He must be stopped…"
Once he was done, he reached in his coat and brought out a rectangular black box. It was the Jenova box that Kadaj and his brothers had strived for. The Jenova box that Emilaine set aside away from Kadaj. The Jenova box that contained whatever was left of the evil that ruined so many lives. He opened the lid and stuck his left hand in, fishing around in it; he gathered the evil substance and threw the box away.
"And now for the finishing touch!" He turned to face Kadaj again for the last time. "After this, the Renaissance's Catalyst is MINE! Ahahahahahaha!"
Emilaine pleaded again. "No! Don't do it!"
And another voice sounded, it was Aeris.
"His transmutation must be stopped!"
Cloud tried to get up but he collapsed again. He just didn't have the strength to move.
"But I can barely move… Grr! Move! Dammit, move!" He tried again but failed. "Get up! Gotta get up!"
Lenux put his right hand against Kadaj's cheek.
"Little One!"
Lenux looked at Kadaj with a placid smile on his face.
"The time has come… Finally."
He took his hand away as Kadaj let out a small groan and his eyes fluttered open. The once cat-like green orbs that shone with a child-like innocence were glazed over and unfocused but Emilaine knew he could see her and Cloud, even if they were just blurs to him.
'What did Lenux do to you?'
"…ugh… Emilaine… and Niisan… agh!"
Lenux fisted a hand in his hair and yanked his head back against the crystal. He lifted up his left hand, containing the Jenova substance and held it in front of Kadaj.
"Now, give me the Renaissance's Catalyst…"
Slowly, he brought it towards his chest, black mist trailing behind as he pressed it against his chest. Kadaj screamed. The crystal and the circle of blood surrounding them glowed. Emilaine and Cloud looked on in horror, mostly Emilaine and the scary thing is… his plan is working. She then noticed, that out of the bright light, she saw something black forming out of Kadaj's back as tears formed in his eyes from the immense pain. She couldn't quite make out the thing and turned her attention to Lenux. He too must have seen the black thing for he was smiling very sadistically, mouth open and all. His plan was coming to life and they couldn't do anything to stop him.
Not everything though.
Quickly, she fumbled with her chain, unhooking the Evenstar pendant. The minute she did, she felt that same overwhelming feeling when she took off the collar and cuff. This was it. The thing that binds her true power. She looked at Lenux one more time and then got up and ran with whatever strength she had.
"Emilaine, wait!"
She ignored Cloud and was mindful of the circle so she stopped just a few inches from it and threw the Evenstar pendant at Lenux. He turned his head around and his eyes widened at the oncoming pendant. It began to glow brighter and brighter the closer it got. When it hit his back, he too screamed louder than Kadaj had. Violet electricity coursed around him, Kadaj and the crystal. The black thing that was growing out of Kadaj's back was an angel wing as it stretched to its full wingspan and disappeared, black feathers scattering about.
Emilaine collapsed where she was and looked at Lenux with a grin on her face.
"It hurts, doesn't it Bolero! But you should already know of that Evenstar's catalytic energy!"
The Evenstar pendant burned through and Lenux screamed louder, blood was shedding out of his right eye and his screams were sounding more gurgled as more blood dripped from his mouth and chest. He finally let go of Kadaj who fell unconscious again. The crystal and the circle ceased to glow. Lenux fell to his knees, holding his chest as if to stop the bleeding. He swallowed the blood back down and breathed heavily.
His plan was foiled.
"M-my… power… my s-sweet… power!"
He slowly got up; an almost frightening demon white aura surrounded his figure as he turned around to face Emilaine. He looked like a complete wreck. So much blood everywhere, even his right eye was covered in it but the green glow showed through. She hadn't counted on the Evenstar to do that much damage in the fusion but she wasn't feeling the least bit sorry for him. He deserved it.
"…How… DARE YOU!"
He slammed his left hand on the ground; the crystal and the circle glowed once more. An almost black sort of goo streamed from Lenux and washed over the entire area. There were faint hues of purple and green in the stuff and small flickers of violet and red electricity. Emilaine gasped. He's going to do a different transmutation. He wasn't going to get the Renaissance's Catalyst but something far worse.
"Nocturne, look!"
Emilaine looked at what Cloud was talking about. Yazoo, Loz and Laleyena's bodies where sinking into the goo, she then looked at where Lenux was and saw behind him that the crystal was sinking too, taking Kadaj with it.
"What is he doing?" Cloud asked.
She couldn't hear him over the loud roars of a beast that was slowly rising up from the goo behind Lenux. If anything, Emilaine was betting that it was a manifestation of Jenova. And she was right. It towered over them with a deformed face. Four pairs of eyeballs scattered around and a giant mouth with jagged teeth. Six arms, three on each side with jagged claws. Several tentacles lashed about wildly from its back. Its skin was purple and was dripping with dark green blood from various parts.
She was so disgusted by the sight of this beast that she failed to notice the faint humming of propellers and engines in the distance. She then heard Cloud say something even thought she wasn't looking at him; there was a smile on his face.
"…The Highwind."
She gladly turned her attention away from the hideous-beyond-belief-and-all-reason monster to the Highwind that was hovering overhead.
"So… it has come down to this, hasn't it?"
She nodded to herself and looked at Cloud. He looked at her and smiled.
"… Together we stand…"
He nodded and looked back up at the Highwind again.
"…Together we fight…"
Then a creepy voice was heard from simply out of nowhere as the sky darkened and turned almost completely black.
"…Together you die…"
The two looked around for the source of the voice. Lenux was missing and the two panicked. Where could he be? It was then that when they looked at each other, Emilaine saw Cloud's look of confusion replaced with a look of shock.
SPLURCH!
She blinked a couple times and looked down at the sword through her chest.
Her blood covered… A Masamune.
(-----------)
It's obvious who the hell that was that shanked Emi! HOLY CRAP! That must have been the most MESSED up looking Jenova but I'm sure other fics have done better in making Jenova ugly as sin. And I'm talking about FFX's Sin. XD and we can see that Emilaine is a little like Vincent in that transformation category. XP
Plus this chapter was really long and next chapter promises more of Laleyena and the brothers and December too!
On another note: Oh gawd…
I just heard the most horrific thing but it was almost good… why in the hell does Yazoo sound like Kakashi from Naruto? And he and Aeris both sound… sedated. I saw short clips of the English dub of Advent Children… and to say the least… I'm confusticated. Oh well, I just have to see the whole movie again (the English dub) before I can render my judgement. One more thing… Yazoo's English voice actor… he sounds hot. XD both Japanese and English… and Kadaj… oh boy… well, you'll just have to watch it to believe it.
Sin the Dark Priestess.
