Redeeming Grace
Chapter 3
Author: Fianna
Rating: R for violence
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and accompanying characters are the property of Square Enix and I use them with discretion and respect and without reward.
The wheelchair creaked over the warped wooden floor as Rufus rolled it across the room impatiently. Anath stood behind him but turned toward the door as it was thrown open violently, bouncing off the wall behind it with a crash.
"So, it's true."
The young man entering the room stopped in front of Rufus, blue eyes glittering. Anath struggled to regain her composure, startled by the sense of familiarity as Rufus grunted faintly.
"What is true?"
The young man laughed and turned around to pace in front of Rufus. "You, that you're nearly incapacitated. The great president of Shinra reduced to a cripple in a wheelchair."
"What do you want, Kadaj?"
The young man turned abruptly to face Rufus. He flipped back a strand of silver hair to peer at the president. "I want lots of things, Director."
Anath stepped behind Rufus as he made a tiny gesture, pushing the cart to the window. Kadaj squinted as he faced them in the bright light. "I have heard you've been causing some commotion," Rufus said softly. "You and your brothers have been terrorizing Midgar."
Kadaj grinned mockingly. "You know what we want. We will find it. My brothers and I are very powerful. You cannot stop us. Besides, why would you?"
Rufus shrugged beneath the cloaking blanket. "Why don't you tell me?"
Kadaj glanced at Anath and then spun to stride across the room. He threw open the door to reveal both Reno and Rude sprawled unconscious in the next room. "I'll tell you this,
Director. Get in our way and someone might get hurt."
Anath gripped the handles of the wheelchair as Rufus laughed softly. "I don't have what you want."
Kadaj smiled grimly, strongly reminding Anath suddenly of Sephiroth. "But I know someone who might. Where is Cloud, Director? I heard he's working for you now."
Rufus's hand twitched on the arm of the chair. "I don't know. He rarely comes in."
Kadaj laughed. "I am sure we'll find him. He can't avoid us forever. We may have what he wants as well."
The young man strode out the door, kicking Rude as he went past.
Rufus sighed as the two outside groaned. "We will have to be careful, Anath. They are very dangerous."
Anath hurried down the street, pushing past the gawking onlookers as they crowded around the large truck. Children were crowding the sidewalk in front of her, excited and yet silent as they stared at the men standing there.
Anath slipped behind a light post.
One of the men stepped around to the back of the truck, grinning at the children watching him. Kadaj, blue eyes gleaming in satisfaction, waved the children forward. Anath was too far away to hear what he told them, but the children moved toward him as if mesmerized.
What did he want with children?
The two others with him could only be the brothers Rufus had mentioned. Both were tall, with the same silver hair. One turned toward her and she turned to press her back against the post. The resemblance was too striking. But it was impossible, or was it? How many people had Gast and Hojo experimented on?
Rufus had been uncomfortable with Kadaj. The young man, hardly more than eighteen or nineteen had been arrogant and cocky. Powerful enough to disarm both the Turks, he'd been surprisingly respectful toward the Shinra president. Was he working for Rufus, or not?
She couldn't decide. It was unusual for Rufus to be so wary. There was something more, but she couldn't quite figure it out.
Staring at the men ahead of her didn't help either, rather only added to her confusion.
The tallest of the three wore his hair short. Armed with some kind of weapon on his arm he loomed over the children but they did not seem afraid. The other brother looked older than Kadaj. He moved past the children, walking between them with a faint sneer curving his lips, blue eyes scanning the street ahead of him. Anath stepped away from the post and walked away from him.
Rufus would not be pleased if he thought she was spying on the men. Or maybe he would. She could never tell with him. She glanced over her shoulder to find the young man watching her intently. He turned around finally, his long leather coat flaring out to reveal the holster strapped to his thigh. Armed, and dangerous, yet they were herding the children into the truck. Anath hurried away, heading to Tifa's bar. Perhaps she might know more.
"She's not here." The bar was closed, the door locked. Anath turned to see Barrett stop beside her.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know, and Marlene's missing too. I don't like it." The large man inhaled loudly. "If anything happens to her I'll…" he grunted sourly and then glared at her.
"Rufus is not involved. I can swear to that."
Barrett didn't seem to believe her. "I don't like it," he said again with a snort. "Maybe you should get back to Rufus. Maybe he'll let something slip." Barrett marched off, leaving Anath gaping.
"Let something slip?" she scowled at the retreating figure. "Not likely, Barrett, I can only hope they're both okay."
The three brothers, all of silver hair reminiscent of Sephiroth, were far more dangerous than Rufus might have realized as they stormed the city, looking for their 'mother', the small box that held Jenova's final cells, her head.
"We are incomplete," Kadaj was saying, jerking Anath from her thoughts. "We are driven by Mother toward reunion." He paced in front of Rufus impatiently with a laugh. "You know of what I speak."
Rufus's hand twitched on the arm of the wheelchair as Kadaj crossed to stand in front of him. Kadaj smiled, mocking the Shinra president.
"I know that history can repeat itself," Rufus declared softly. "Whatever happens, even if Sephiroth were to return, we would do the same as we have done. The cycle will repeat."
Kadaj threw back his head and laughed. "Oh indeed. He will return." The young man frowned suddenly. "I just don't understand who she wants. But no matter. We will do as she wishes. Do you want to see what we can do?" Silver hair fluttered over Kadaj's cheek as he strode across the room to the open wall, still incomplete. Other buildings, skeletal almost, outlined the sky behind him.
Anath could hear the muted screams of people below. What was happening out there? Kadaj lifted a hand toward the sky and Anath gasped as a band of colored light flared from his wrist. A second later the light burst outward from the young man's fingers, flooding into the sky which began to darken instantly. Black clouds appeared a whirlwind of shadows just behind Kadaj's outstretched hand.
The screams grew louder as the creature Kadaj had summoned appeared, sweeping down out of the sky. Anath shuddered and stepped back at the slight flicker of Rufus's fingers. The President rolled the wheelchair to the edge of the building, perhaps to observe the terror below. Kadaj flashed him a sardonic smile.
"We will find her. And when we do, you will see our true power, Director." He laughed, swinging around to face the open air, hands outstretched. "She will have control once more." The young man turned to flash Rufus another mocking smile. "It will only be a matter of time."
Anath stared at Kadaj in horror. "What will you do? Those people are innocent down there. They have no idea what you want."
Kadaj shrugged, dismissing her as he stood in front of Rufus.
"How many will die before you reveal her? I want it, he wants it!" Kadaj was trembling, fists clenched as if he struggled with someone in his mind. He shuddered and then glared at Rufus. "I feel him inside my head. Sephiroth. But who does she want?" He wiped a hand over his brow irritably and then whirled to stare at the screaming mass below.
Anath slid back into the corner of the room warily. Kadaj seemed on the edge. She didn't trust him. Outside suddenly the monster reared back with a roar and flew rapidly into the sky. Kadaj gasped, staring at the sky above him. Anath could see the monster fading and then suddenly flashes of light, high amid the clouds. She smiled with a relieved sigh. It had to be …
"Cloud," Kadaj muttered fiercely as the monster plummeted back to the earth, crashing into the ground.
"Your magic is defeated, Kadaj," Rufus declared softly. He pushed the wheelchair closer to Kadaj as the young man turned to face him angrily. Rufus glanced below and then stood up as Kadaj gaped at him, throwing off the blanket. "But isn't this what you wanted anyways?"
A bandaged temple did not hide Rufus's amused gaze. Kadaj gasped at the object Rufus was holding.
"Mother!"
Rufus grinned. "Indeed," and promptly tossed the steel box over the side of the building.
Anath screamed as Kadaj howled in fury and drew back his arm. She ducked down as balls of materia-driven magic shot at Rufus. Kadaj dove after the box at the same time Rufus leaped off the edge of the building to avoid the destructive magic spell.
Anath rushed forward, watching in horror as the President fell rapidly, calmly pulling a pistol to shoot at the box. Kadaj flew past him, rolling to catch Jenova just before it crashed into the pavement below, landing on his feet with a gleeful laugh.
Anath drew back away from the edge with a shudder. They were going to be in major trouble.
A whirring engine made her turn as the airship descended next to the building. Anath stepped back raising her arms to shield herself from the grit.
"Come on, Anath. Cloud's following Kadaj on his bike. Rufus is fine; they caught him before he landed." The young woman jumping up and down held a large box of materia globes. "I have Cloud's materia. He's going to need them I think." Yuffie, a tiny ninja sprite of a girl waved to her madly. "We haven't got much time, hurry up."
Anath ran forward, closing her eyes to the drop below as Vincent caught her hand to pull her into the Sierra.
"Where are they going?"
"Does it matter? Kadaj has the box," Vincent said calmly as the other members of Avalanche stared at him. The vampire smiled faintly as the Sierra lifted into the air. "If Cloud cannot defeat him and retrieve it then we shall truly find out how powerful Kadaj can be." The engine roared as the craft lifted swiftly, following the course of the men below. Cloud wasn't the only one following Kadaj.
The outcome, seen from above was terrifying. Anath watched in horror as Cloud, after fending off the two brothers, roared after Kadaj into the ruined remains of Midgar's downtown. Ripped apart skyscrapers surrounded the two men, hiding them occasionally as they raced through the dirt filled streets on their powerful motorcycles.
Flashes of light told of their struggle, swords glancing off in metallic flares of light and materia. Anath pressed close to the railing, forcing aside her fear of heights to watch the young men fight below with a rising sense of panic.
The three men wanted reunion and had insinuated that it would include Sephiroth. Using perhaps the most viable part of Jenova's remains, they would absorb what was left of her, joining the cells already inside them to reform into Sephiroth. Vincent's dry announcement had sent her rushing to the rail. Vincent followed to stand beside her.
It was not possible.
"They are but shadows of Sephiroth. We thought Cloud killed him, but instead he threw himself and what he had of Jenova into the Lifestream at the Mako reactor and was carried to the North Crater where we met with him again, frozen inside a pod of lifestream. Alive, yet not, his will had grown even stronger than his mother's, manipulating all of us through Cloud." Vincent sighed quietly. "We thought it ended that last fight at the crater, but it was only the beginning."
Above them Cloud was fighting the young man furiously. Kadaj's skills were masterful, even hampered by the box held at his side the young man's sword fighting was impressive and deadly. Aided by their materia, the two leaped about in gravity defying leaps that left her breathless. The two swordsmen swept together with a blinding flash of light from their materia enhanced swords. Anath watched as Kadaj flew backwards, propelled by a limit driven slash by Cloud; the young man flew head over heels away from the ex-soldier only to fall and then finally catch himself on the edge of one of the buildings, still holding the box next to his hip.
Cloud landed gently above him, sword held loosely as the group above watched nervously. Anath drew back with a gasp as Kadaj threw the box at Cloud, shoving off from the building as Cloud slashed Jenova in two. The silver haired spirit clasped one half of the box to his chest as he plummeted away from Cloud.
He disappeared as Cid maneuvered the Sierra and they could only watch as Cloud leaped after him.
The sudden crash below them made Anath grip the railing tightly and then suddenly Cloud was flying head over heels over the edge of the building, landing and dropping with a gasp to his knees below them.
Anath gasped in shock as Sephiroth appeared, flying gracefully past Cloud to drop lightly on his feet onto a overhang of metal above Cloud.
The Avalanche crew watched in dread as Cloud rose unsteadily to his feet.
"Let me off, I have to get off." Anath turned to Cid, panic stricken as the pilot glared at her.
"Are you crazy?"
"Anath, you can do nothing," Vincent said quietly as he shook his head.
She whirled back to the railing. Cid struggled to control the craft as Sephiroth raised a hand above his head and the sky began to darken swiftly.
"He still has his powers!" Tifa moaned as lightening flickered rapidly around them.
"I can't hold her here, the wind's too strong. We're gonna have to land!" Cid shouted above the rising tempest outside.
Anath could only stare desperately as the city grew smaller, two figures bounding in a deadly dance amid the ruins of a city. The Sierra landed, the rain streaking the dust around them black. Shadows of clouds gathered, spinning above them in a terrifying reflection of Sephiroth's powers as above them the two men continued to fight.
"Cloud will come through," Tifa insisted shoving a strand of dark hair out of her face. "He's stronger than he was. He can defeat him again."
Anath stared at the sky. Flashes amid the buildings told her the two still fought. But for how long? She climbed up a jagged bracing of metal with disregard to her clothing only to have Vincent land beside her in a flutter of his red tattered cape. He could fly, she only wished she could.
"Take me higher, Vincent. Please, I have to see what is happening."
"It's no use. I dare not draw closer and distract Cloud. Or is it Sephiroth that you fear for?"
She bit her lip as she banged a shin on the metal brace. "Vincent…"
A cry from below made her look up to see what was left of Shinra's office building shudder and then burst into flames as one half of it slid apart to fall slowly toward them.
Vincent cursed and dragged her down off the bracing, kicking and screaming as the building split apart again above them, spitting molten rocks and flames around them as Vincent ran for cover.
"It's Sephiroth. His blade can cut near anything," Cid stated calmly, staring up at the falling pieces of concrete. They stood just inside another building, watching the flashes of light that danced between the falling rocks.
"They can't survive that," Anath whispered only to hear Yuffie laugh.
"Cloud can. I think he's indestructible."
Tifa's worried glance said otherwise.
Vincent suddenly stepped outside as the last of the burning embers landed around them, pointing up at the sky. "Cloud has reached his limit."
Tifa hurried to Vincent's side as Anath hugged the wall, willing her eyes to close but unable to stop watching the scene above them.
Cloud's limit break. Pushed by rage and pain, the soldier's power had increased to a point where he had access to an inner strength that was called a limit break, materia-enhanced and with a weapon that was deadly as one blade but had now split into six. All glowing with energy and at which Anath could only watch with horror. In the center of those glowing blades flew Sephiroth in obvious stunned amazement.
The next few seconds would be forever etched on her memory.
Sephiroth had had no opportunity for defense against the younger soldier's limit break. Cloud's Omnislash decimated the powerful soldier as he became a brilliant slash of light that streaked from one blade to the next, passing brutally through a shocked Sephiroth and then landing below him to catch the final falling steel blade in an upraised hand.
Everything after that was dark for Anath.
Anath glanced back out of the train window, watching the rain fall, unaware of the tears that coursed down her cheeks. Could Sephiroth in his fury have been redeemed? She liked to think perhaps he might have had a chance. She dreamed of it some days, rewriting her memories to see him alive, vibrant as he once was. But then she would awaken from her daydreams and find the same monotonous duty facing her again.
Only it was not the same.
She had a new position and a larger office. Friends who she imagined were more curious than kind, with half hearted attempts to remind her of how cruel Sephiroth had been, how cold. But memory is not a tangible thing and fades quickly. She clung to the memory of the one night she had truly known him. He'd not been cold then, far from it.
Cloud walked into the office, blond hair spiked in different directions, a faint smile curving his lips. "I came as soon as I could, Anath."
She smiled at the young girl tagging along oddly with the soldier, the pink ribbon in her hair peeking from behind her head. "And how are you, Marlene?"
"Well thank you," the young girl said primly, with a brisk nod. Cloud patted her head and gently shoved her out the door with instructions on finding a vending machine.
"What do you have?" he asked as soon as the girl left.
Anath drew open the drawer of her desk, pulling out the small memo crumpled inside. "This. I think it was mixed in accidentally with some other things."
Cloud took the sheet and carefully pushed aside a stack of her papers before sitting on the corner of her desk. He read it quickly, his eyes scanning the sheet rapidly. "It could mean nothing."
She shrugged, rubbing her arms as sudden goose-bumps rose on her skin. "Probably, but the first time I read it I felt like it was important. It's just odd to have word that the mansion is being used again. It was abandoned after the last time the village burned."
Cloud folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his belt. "Well, it won't hurt to check it out." He rose off the desk and ducked his head outside the door. "I'll contact Vincent and we'll head out tonight."
She sighed, rising to follow him as he stepped into the hall to smile at Marlene as she ran back with several bags of candy. "I want to go with you."
Cloud's gaze was startled. "It's too dangerous, Anath. You have no… skills… I mean, I…"
"I know what you mean, Cloud. But we're only checking out Professor Gast's property. I wouldn't mind getting out of Midgar for awhile. The Sierra can get us there quickly. Please, I need to get away."
Cloud frowned and glanced down at Marlene who was staring at them both. "I don't like it, but you can come with us since Tifa already has plans. We probably could use another pair of eyes to keep watch outside while we check out the mansion."
She nodded, but with no intention of staying near the airship. "Right. See, I can help."
The leather fingers released the intercom gently with a faint click.
"Such a simple thing, trust." The man turned to face his companion with a rueful curve of his lips. Pale silver hair drifted across the desktop as he sat down on it. "So how did you find out about her?"
The dark suited man sniffed audibly, brushing imaginary specks off of his jacket. "We have it on record that Sephiroth had some interest in her."
"Interest? I did not think he had interests like that."
The man shrugged with a frown. "We really don't know. Sephiroth could be very evasive. But we do know he'd been watching her for some time. Rufus had her checked out. What we found was a bit surprising." He folded his arms across his chest with a stuttered laugh. "The president of Shinra was shocked to find out one of his experiments was not the loyal employee they thought they'd created. And I don't think Kadaj listened to me when I showed him my report on her. Not like you have, Ash."
The silver-haired man tapped his fingers on his lips, blue eyes narrowed. "Kadaj was… emotional. A skilled warrior, yet narrow minded at times. I have read your report. Do you believe Sephiroth knew about this?"
"Undoubtedly, I am certain he did, it explained his interest. It seems he was supporting her in some ways."
Ash lifted a brow but said nothing. The man was good at finding details, seeing things most would have overlooked. Finding out Sephiroth had his eye on a woman was somewhat surprising, but after reading Wilson's report he could see why. He smiled faintly, wondering what Sephiroth would have done had he survived.
Wilson coughed and stood up, walking to the window to peer through the blinds. "It was a wise idea to leave you behind, perhaps?" The man laughed scornfully with a grin over his shoulder to Ash. "I don't think Kadaj realized he was not the leader of your gang."
"The choice was not his decision." Ash rose to his feet, brushing aside a strand of silver hair. "So the woman is important, but how much of the report is true. It lists quite a bit that sounds more like conjecture than fact."
Wilson turned from the window and moved to the desk, brushing past the tall warrior who looked so familiar. "I believe most of it is true, at least the parts about her past. What it suspects to be true after that remains to be seen. But at any rate, we've collected the samples from everyone. Kadaj's reunion with Sephiroth might have been short-lived, but we still have samples of his cells, along with Yazoo's and Loz's, and the children."
Ash tightened the leather gloves over his hands, smoothing the fabric over his fingers. "She didn't know about Reunion. I find that odd considering your report."
"I don't. Remember, Gast tried to suppress Jenova's influences in her. She might not have understood the feelings."
"Hmmm, I wonder," Ash murmured softly. "How did she take the news of what happened to Kadaj and Sephiroth?"
Wilson grimaced. "She called in sick for a week. I think she has strong feelings for Sephiroth. She becomes… quiet when his name comes up."
Ash arched a silver brow, blue eyes intent as the man returned to the window. "Her feelings do not matter. She might be useful, but we shall see. I see only a secretary, if one to Rufus now."
Wilson turned from the window. "She is definitely more than that, Ash. As I said we have the samples and…"
…a small remnant of Jenova's cells," Ash agreed with an annoyed sigh. "But there is not enough to repeat the Reunion as we would like."
Wilson smiled. "No, but now we have one other source, remarkably similar to Sephiroth himself. Had Kadaj understood what I tried to explain, the Reunion might have happened before anyone knew."
Ash scowled briefly. "As I said, he is narrow-minded and sometimes blind. He allowed his emotion for – Mother – to get in the way of his ambition. But we shall find out soon if she is what you believe."
"Had he understood, we would be following Sephiroth yet again," Wilson complained. "As it is, I have the woman coming to you like a child to candy."
Ash drew back as Wilson laughed. He stiffened, hiding the rising fury beneath the cold mask he wore so often of late. The woman was important, more than the man knew. He felt the attraction, not his own, but Sephiroth's, to the woman. Kadaj had not understood. But perhaps it was for the best his brother had died. The ex-soldier Cloud would not be underestimated this time.
Their goal was not what it once was.
But the world would still not like it.
Anath stopped behind Cloud as he stood at the gate to the Mansion. They'd left the airship on the outskirts of Nimbelheim, walking through the tiny village to the large three story mansion in the back. She waited as Vincent landed beside them in a swirl of tattered red cape, his dark eyes already scanning the large building beside them.
"It looks pretty quiet," she said, staring up at the mansion most thought Professor Gast had used as a vacation home. It was much more than that, as she well knew. The chance to return to her birthplace brought uncomfortable memories, but ones she knew she could share with Sephiroth. Perhaps she might understand his anger better if she felt some of the same emotion. Cloud glanced around with a frown and then withdrew the large sword strapped to his back.
"If all goes well we will be back in a few hours." Cloud checked the sword, separating it and then clicking it back together with a metallic hiss that sounded loud in the silence. "If anything shows up, just run, Anath." Cloud caught her shoulder. "I've got my phone, you know the number."
She nodded as he stepped back, swinging the heavy sword over one shoulder. Vincent gave her a wan smile, his alabaster skin gleaming in the moonlight. The two disappeared into the shadows, the vampire melding into the inky darkness while Cloud remained a darker shadow amid the others.
She leaned against the gate, pulling out her phone to have it near in case something showed up. She pulled her sweater closer, shivering in the cool air but turned as an owl hooted noisily with a start.
Just an owl she told herself. She stared into the trees, trying to find the bird, but only shadows stared back. She sighed and began to turn back to the house when something caught her eye. She tucked her phone into the pocket of her skirt and eased around the gate.
A dim light, barely seen through the branches beckoned her from behind the mansion.
She looked over her shoulder to where Cloud and Vincent had disappeared, and then pulled the phone out of her pocket. She held her fingers over the speed-dial key for a second and then tucked the phone back into her pocket. She knew what was over there. With a last look over her shoulder she hurried into the trees.
The lab was housed beneath a rickety looking shack, only a front for the real building two levels below. Anath opened the door carefully, wincing as the hinges squeaked alarmingly and then slid inside. Junk littered the floor, pieces of machinery, old furniture and moldy clothes. She moved across the room looking intently at the floor. Footprints in the dust told of a recent arrival, ending just in front of the far wall.
How to open a portal she'd once walked through, in an apparent escape attempt that she later learned was planned for her. She'd never been able to get away from Shinra. Anath pushed away the painful memories and ran her fingers lightly over the rough wall. Something had to open the door.
A knot in the wood caught her eye and she bent to look into the hole. The moonlight spilling through cracks in the walls and ceiling gave her a little light, but the button blinking deep inside the knot hole was bright as she smiled. She pushed her finger into the hole, just deep enough to hide the bright glow, and felt a rush of air on her feet as the wall slid open silently.
Some things were still well-tended it seemed. She grimaced and stepped inside the dim hallway and the wall slid closed behind her. A short walk led her down the hallway to a narrow door. She pushed the small button on the wall and the door slid open to reveal an elevator that was all too familiar. She stepped inside and waited as the door slid shut and the elevator began to sink rapidly.
Anath recoiled back against the rear wall when the door slid open again.
"Good evening."
The lips curving in a mocking smile were dreadfully familiar. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet a pair of blue eyes, leaving her frowning with confusion. He looked like…
"Sephiroth?" he drawled, lifting a silver brow as he caught her wrist.
"Who are you?" Anath gasped, fighting the grip the man had on her wrist.
"Does it matter?"
She twisted her arm, dragging her feet as he pulled her out of the elevator. His laugh grated on her nerves, his voice silky but not what she remembered. He was not Sephiroth but they could have been brothers. She wrenched her wrist free as he pushed her into an office.
"You knew I was going to be here!"
He smiled, shoving the door closed. "You fell into our plans smoothly. A trap easily sprung."
"Why do you want me? Sephiroth is gone, you cannot bring him back."
The man sighed tragically, his blue eyes gleaming as he stared at her beneath a fall of silver hair. It hung over his face, hanging down his back but not as long as Sephiroth's had been. Yet his face was the same, except for the blue eyes. She folded her arms over her chest. Yet not the same, his face was colder than Sephiroth's had been.
"I think you know why I want you. I am Ash. Kadaj and my brothers would have been overjoyed to meet you."
She understood now. Another soul manipulated by Gast, using the spirit of Jenova. "I thought they'd killed all of you."
Ash's face went blank, all emotion hidden beneath a bland expression. "Not all. I will have revenge for that."
She shivered, furtively trying to move closer to the door. A flash of light and she turned to find him leaning against the door, moving so quickly she'd not seen him. "Going somewhere?"
"So what do you want with me? Cloud is outside; he's the one who killed Kadaj and your brothers."
Ash's lips curled into a sneer and then he smiled. "Some things must wait. We have a party to attend, my dear."
She flinched when his fingers wrapped around her arm, leather clad they brought only a chill of fear. "What kind of party?"
The man grinned sardonically. "Did I say a party, perhaps it's more a funeral."
A crash overhead made Ash curse under his breath and he tightened his grip on her arm. "Time grows short, Wilson."
The door opened as Wilson rushed into the room, followed by two of his henchman. "The helicopter is ready."
Ash nodded and shoved Anath forward. "Let's go then."
They hurried along a narrow corridor, with Wilson looking over his shoulder with a worried frown. "They shouldn't be able to access the elevator. I've destroyed the electrical feed."
Ash laughed coldly. "They do not need the elevator. Vincent can fly as well as Sephiroth could. Cloud would drop that far without blinking."
Anath stumbled as they ran through a large sliding door. The helicopter sat ready, blades churning slowly as they entered the hanger. Ash drew up, dragging Anath back to her feet. "Wasting our precious time, my dear, is not wise."
She flinched as he threw her several feet forward, stumbling but not quite falling to her knees. A hand on her back shoved her the last few feet to the helicopter, another on her head pushed into the seat in front of her. Wilson slid into the co-pilot's seat and the helicopter vibrated furiously as Ash spun around as shots slammed into the metal frame beside his head.
Cloud stiffened, drawing back a step as the man turned to face them with a grin. Silver hair rippled around his shoulders as he bent his head to draw a thin sword from his back. "I've no time to fight this time, Cloud, perhaps another time."
"There can't be another one," Vincent snarled, aiming his pistol at the helicopter again. The shots whined off the man's sword blade as the helicopter lifted off quickly.
"It seems there is," Cloud disagreed as he rushed forward only to watch the helicopter veer away into the night. The man, so like Sephiroth, had laughed before sliding inside with Anath. Only the lingering salute, sword to his brow had Cloud's teeth gritted furiously. Not again.
"We can catch them yet," Vincent growled but Cloud caught his arm as he turned to follow, dragging him back a step.
"We don't have to. I think I know where they are going."
Vincent watched the helicopter disappear and then stared at Cloud's back as he ran out of the hanger. "It can't happen again, there is nothing left!"
Cloud turned on his heel, skidding in the slick grass to a stop. "But there is, Vincent, in Anath."
The vampire stiffened, his eyes widening as he glared at Cloud. "She can't be."
Cloud shrugged helplessly. "Why else would they want her, Vincent. Her hair, it's bothered me for a long time. And I know it caught Sephiroth's eye a long time ago. We met her once at Shinra's offices. He couldn't keep his eyes off her." He sighed and took off back toward the mansion in a sprint. "If I am right we don't have much time."
Anath drew as far from Ash as she could in the seat, silent for quite a while, avoiding any contact with the silver-haired man at her side. Ash finally sighed, turning his face slightly but only enough to see one corner of his mouth curve in a twisted smile. "Come my dear, we are closer than this."
She folded her arms over her chest with a shudder. "In your dreams, perhaps."
The smile faded swiftly from the man's lips as he turned to stare at her. "You are in my dreams, too often of late for comfort. I wonder that you are an enigma, friend or foe?"
"They will stop you. I don't know what you think you can do, Sephiroth is dead. His lifeforce was blown to the winds when Cloud killed him."
Ash grimaced faintly, marring the slim planes of his face. "So everyone believed." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you miss him much?"
She turned to stare out the window, thankful for the wind blowing her hair across her cheek. Shielding her expression was difficult; Ash would be able to read her emotions far too easily. "No, how could I? I really only met him once."
"Ah, only once? I think it might have been more than that."
She glared at him. "How would you know?"
Ash bent forward, twisting to face her as the helicopter banked hard to the left. "I know many things when it comes to my soul brother, too much sometimes."
She drew back when he touched her hair. "What are you planning to do?"
Ash leaned against the seat with a scowl, shoving aside the strands of silver hair blowing into his face. "I will finish what Sephiroth planned, with minor changes I think."
"Why do you need me then? I cannot help you."
Ash stared out the side of the helicopter for a long moment. They were banking again, sinking lower to where she could see the land below. A forest of pale trees told her where they had gone. Ash reached up to touch the pilot and said something inaudible and then sat back next to Anath. "I can't finish Sephiroth's work as I am." He leaned out the side of the helicopter as it flew just above the trees and then slid out the door onto the steel leg support. "I can't finish his work unless we are one once more," he shouted against the wind and then leaned back inside to grasp her wrist. He dragged her roughly across the seat and then outside beside him, arm wrapped like a steel band around her waist. "And to be one, my dear," Ash breathed into her ear, "we need you." He jumped away from the helicopter as Anath screamed, tumbling in the empty air as the helicopter veered away.
"It's not possible!" she cried, clutching the leather bound man holding her. The wind screamed past her ears as they fell swiftly.
"All things are possible, one must only find the key," Ash replied calmly and then twisted his body as they neared the ground, lifting Anath in his arms as he landed and dropped to one knee. "But we have little time I am afraid."
Anath staggered as Ash set her on her feet, the sound of the helicopter fading into the distance. The eerie glow of the trees around Ajit made her nervous, but only briefly before Ash gripped her elbow to rush her forward through the forest.
Ahead a pool of water shimmered amid the gleaming trees. It had entranced children once, but could not possibly again…
"What have you done to it?" Anath gasped when they reached the water. The spring was dark and murky, shadowed with something she could not name.
Ash's blue eyes glittered in the dim light. "Kadaj is not the only one with powerful magic. We can all summon the darkness, even you." He pushed her to her knees before the water. He flung out his hand, his dark coat flapping around his knees as he lifted it high over his head, palm open then closed into a fist. Above him the sky darkened ominously and then dark tendrils of shadow roiled down from the clouds, tendrils of darkness that turned the water at her knees black. Anath watched it in horror and then slid her hand into her skirt to draw out her phone. There could be only one way to stop him! Ash laughed and turned toward her. She hid the phone behind her, tucking it next to a rock as he stalked up to her and jerked her to her feet.
"We've only a slight problem."
She stared at the long blade in Ash's hand suddenly. "And that is?"
"I don't want you alive, but I can't kill you until I have what I need." He slid the blade against her throat and shoved her into the pool. He pushed her under the water holding her down until she could no longer breathe and then pulled her up as she gasped for air, coughing from swallowing the water. Ash drew her close, lifting her off her feet in the pool. "The lifestream resides in all of us, yet Jenova's cells cry to be reunited. I have him in my head, as I have her. Who does she want? Kadaj complained of that far too often. But I will show her, my dear. I will show him he is not stronger than I. I will be the one in this reunion, I will have control!"
He laughed, flinging her away from him. He swept up a handful of the water, pouring it into his mouth with another laugh. And then began to wade toward her. Anath scrambled to get out of the water, her only hope to be able to flee, but Ash caught her hair, dragging her back into the shallow water. She rolled over, fighting the hands holding her. Ash pinned her to the ground ignoring the silver hair hanging over one eye.
"He wants you but I don't. You are no longer necessary…" Ash gasped suddenly with a groan. "I will be… stronger!" He snarled, bringing his blade up to her throat as he grimaced in pain. Anath struggled in his grasp, eyes wide as she was pushed under the water. Ash's face twisted with fury and then he let go of her as he dropped to his knees. Anath struggled to the surface only to fall backwards awkwardly as Ash rose to his feet with a scream. He whirled around, hunching over his knees as Anath dragged herself onto the bank, staring fearfully at Ash as he turned toward her. He pushed his way through the water and Anath crawled onto her knees as he loomed over her, knocking her back onto the ground.
"He will not have you!" he snarled, doubling over as he fell to his knees, but one hand gripped his sword and the other had her hair tightly in his fist.
She could only watch the blade descend toward her with a sudden calm and close her eyes.