So sorry about the delay! The past week I didn't have a computer. Hope I didn't lose any of you! thanks to all of you who continue reading and reviewing! Im gonna just go ahead and start this new chapter! This story just keeps going and going, doesn't it?

Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy VII, Squaresoft does.

Chapter 26

There were soldiers lining the stairs and railings leading to the top of the platform. None were moving, they were all limp and silent covered in their own blood. Loud growling and screeching noises filled the battlefield. The deadly beats created by Hojo were leaping, clawing, biting and tearing the final remaining soldiers apart. Their death cries were a pierce in Aeris' heart. She could not bear the sight of all the innocent men dieing mercilessly.

"Stop it…Stop it!" She yelled to no one in particular.

There was too much noise from the crying, screaming, barking and gunshots. To her, she just walked through the gates of hell. She watched in horror as the final fleet of SOLDIER, First-Class fell from the top of the platform to the ground a few feet away. They were marred and some were still struggling to get up and run, even though they're bodies would no longer work. The sight of these strong men from SOLDIER now as frail as a child brought tears to her eyes. She imagined the time Zack was in SOLDIER. She saw Zack in every single SOLDIER on the ground and it scared her.

"This is bad. This…is unbelievable." Zack stared in horror at the scene. "Damn it, Hojo!" Zack drew his blade and darted up the stairs. Cloud followed close after.

'These…people…some of them Zack and I had worked with in the past.' Cloud lifted his sword, screaming in rage.

"Those two are insane!" Reno stared in disbelief.

"Shouldn't we follow?" Elena asked groggily.

"No…Elena, you stay here. You try to call for back up or something." Reno grabbed her shoulders and then reached into his coat pocket. "I mean it, you cannot fight!" He handed her his radio.

"But…I can fight." Elena yawned.

"No." Tseng turned to her. "You are in no condition to fight. You've done your job, now follow orders and get to a safe place and call for backup."

"Yes sir." Elena turned quickly and ran away from the battle.

"Hojo has gone too far." Tseng pulled out his handgun and signaled for the other Turks to get ready.

"Well, what are we waitin' for!?" Cid lit up a new cigarette and spun his spear. "We gotta stop the psycho!"

"Right. But where should we start?" Tifa stared at the bodies all around.

"I have no idea. Just find one of them monsters and start kicking some ass!" Cid waved at her and ran under the platform towards the sound of screaming soldiers.

"I'm going up." Vincent pulled out his rifle.

"Up? With Hojo?" Tifa tightened her gloves.

"I owe him a visit." Vincent lifted his head, glaring at the platform above.

"…You be careful." She whispered. Vincent started up the stairs quickly.

"Tifa…" Aeris tightened her grip on her staff.

"Come with me. You and I will make a great team." Tifa pulled on the woman's arm.

"I, I can heal people." Aeris looked down at the dead bodies on the ground.

"Don't waste too much energy." Tifa turned to Aeris quickly. "I know you want to help them, Aeris but it's not possible. You can't heal everyone. I suggest you only try to keep our group going."

"But…I…" Aeris took a deep breath. "You're right. It's just that they didn't deserve this."

"No one deserved this. Hojo is a monster and that's why we're gonna kick his ass!" Tifa clenched her fists and pulled on Aeris. "Let's go!"

"Will you hurry it up!?" Scarlet folded her arms.

"Patience, kitten." Reeve sighed. "Heidegger, is it ready yet?"

"Almost, almost! These damn machines take forever to charge and load data." Heidegger wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Well if we take too long, Hojo will blow this entire continent up!" Scarlet fiddled with the decorated sticks in her hair.

"I never liked him…not at all." Reeve sat on the ground.

"You okay?" Scarlet kneeled down beside him.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy from the blood loss." Reeve took off his navy dress jacket.

"Are you sure? Maybe he poisoned you." Scarlet brushed a long blonde bang from her eyes.

"He may have. I'm not sure. All I know is, I'm tired and it stings like hell." Reeve leaned against the nearby wall of the warehouse.

"Damn it." Scarlet hissed. "I bet it is infected or something." The woman unbuttoned his shirt.

"What are you doing?" He looked down at her manicured nails as she poked and prodded the wound. "Ow!"

"I don't have any medicine or materia with me. The only thing we can do right now is keep it covered so you won't loose anymore blood." She sighed and stood up. "But what the hell do we use to cover a wound that large?"

"We could use my jacket." Reeve tugged on the sleeves.

"Not long enough to tie all around you, besides it's too thick to tear." Scarlet tapped her nails on her hips and then looked down at her dress. "Well shit." She laughed lightly.

"What?" Reeve began to sweat. He felt sick.

"My dress is a light material, may be long enough to wrap around your chest, and can stretch and be tied tightly." She leaned forward and tore near the slit in her dress. Before Reeve could say a word the dress ripped upwards in one quick movement towards her thigh. Scarlet's red dress now exposed her entire right leg and a portion of her hips and silky panties. Reeve swallowed hard.

"Was that a good idea?" He looked away from her.

"Reeve, I don't give a shit how much of my body people can see!" Scarlet took the ruby strip of soft cloth and kneeled beside the man.

"You know…people used to joke that you worked at a strip club to pay for you college." Reeve chuckled.

"Huh? Who said it was a joke?" Scarlet raised an eyebrow. Reeve's eyes widened. She cackled and pulled him forward and wrapped the strip around his chest. "Is it tight enough?" She asked him. He had never seen her like this before, caring and gentle. Usually she was a down right rude, annoying bitch with a chip on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Thank you, Scarlet." Reeve rubbed a hand over the soft material. He knew that dress was not cheap and was shocked to see her rip it without hesitation.

"When all of this is over, we'll get you to the nearest hospital to check it out. If it's just a cut, then you'll be perfectly fine. You'll have a scar though." She stood up and headed for the giant robotic machine Heidegger was trying to run.

"Hey, moron! Is it ready yet!?" Scarlet put her hands on her hips.

"Yes ma'am!" The machine whirred loudly. "Shall we head out?"

"Yes, immediately!" Scarlet turned towards Reeve. "Well, give me a second." Her heels clicked as she trotted towards Reeve.

"You're heading out?" Reeve looked up at the tall, slender woman.

"Will you be okay by yourself while we're gone?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine! You sound concerned." He smirked.

"Well, maybe I am." She leaned forward. "You take care of yourself. I'll be back for you as soon as we finish off Hojo."

"You be careful. He'll have his hands all over you in a second if he could." Reeve frowned. Scarlet cackled loudly.

"All men would!" She laughed again and then leaned forward and pecked a kiss on Reeve's cheek. "Thanks for helping me back there. That was probably the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me. I bet even Rufus would have let him tear me apart." She stood up straight and backed away slowly. Reeve thought he may have seen her eyes began to water.

"Hurry back." Reeve nodded and waved her away. She turned quickly and trotted towards the giant machine Heidegger was operating. The hatch to the door opened quickly and she climbed the ladder to sit next to the man. She looked back once, her hair blowing in the wind. In a flash, the machine was gone, heading towards the platform.

"Heh…what a gal." Reeve laughed to himself. He could not believe how fast his opinion of Scarlet could change. He never imagined he would have a friendly conversation with her in his entire life.

'You better come back safe.' Reeve smiled and closed his eyes to rest.

"Hojo! What the hell do you think your doing!?" Cloud aimed his sword at the scientist. Hojo, however, did not even turn to look back. He continued pressing buttons.

"Hmph…the failure." Hojo grumbled.

"I have a name, asshole!" Cloud took a step further. He could hear Zack in the background slicing away at the giant beasts. Hojo stopped working and looked into the sky.

"Every time I see you, hear your voice…I…it is painful to think I had lacked so much scientific sense." Hojo scoffed. "I thought of you as a failed project and then witnessed you as being a successful Sephiroth clone. Now…after everything, you can't even compare!" Hojo laughed.

"Compare?" Cloud tilted his head.

"Him." Hojo turned and looked behind Cloud. "The greatest experiment of all time!"

"Huh?" Zack sliced diagonally across a death ninja. It fell quickly to the floor as Zack turned his attention to Hojo.

"That's right, boy. You are my greatest experiment yet!" Hojo twiddled his fingers.

"What about Sephiroth?" Cloud asked. Zack turned and placed a boot in another monster's face. He was struggling to hear the entire conversation between Cloud and Hojo while keeping the monsters at bay.

"Sephiroth!? I…have no control over him. He's gone completely berserk!" Hojo looked down at the machine. "Eighty-three percent! Too damn slow!"

"Then…what are you doing with the machine!?" Cloud yelled.

"He's my son. He's relying on the power and energy; I'm just lending him a hand." Hojo leaned to the side, glancing at Zack. "By doing so, he'll gain more power. Then he will be able to battle my new experiment."

"Wait…your son?" Cloud scratched his head.

"Though…he doesn't know." Hojo cackled. "He's my son I have to help him, but then again my research is just as important."

"Zack?" Cloud looked back at the dark haired man.

"Oh yes…him fighting Sephiroth after he is given all of this energy, is the ultimate test." Hojo pushed more buttons on the panel, his fingers shaking.

"You're saying Zack could beat Sephiroth?" Cloud stabbed a nearby creature. It hissed and twitched under his blade. It looked like a cross between a large cat and a bird with a lizard like tongue.

'Weird.' Cloud scrutinized it.

"Beat him? BEAT HIM!?" Hojo slapped the panel and turned his head quickly to Cloud, his eyes were that of a madman's. "He could annihilate him! In a full strength battle, where Zack has no physical limits and no mental limitations, he could immediately annihilate him." Hojo stared at Zack as he expertly swung his sword.

"…" Cloud gawked at Zack not believing what he just heard.

"This man had a strong will against the Jenova cells. At first, I thought he was nothing but a failed experiment. Seeing no reaction at all, but then I realized something. Jenova was forming with him perfectly. The cells were matching up and morphing into him. You see, like many failed experiments…" Hojo pointed at the beasts around him. "Jenova changes the host, but with Zack there were no changes. He was actually changing Jenova's cells!"

"So Jenova was giving into him?" Cloud took a step back.

"Indeed. He has complete control over Jenova's cells. And what's even batter is I mixed with those cells Mako from the Lifestream. Within his body, since he had complete control over the situation, the two different cell types were merging together with the Mako!" Hojo shook his head. "It was so puzzling at first and it seemed so unlikely."

"So now what does that make him?" Cloud looked over the railing to the group below.

"An ANCIENT!" Hojo raised his arms into the air! "One hundred percent, complete, full Ancient!"

"WHAT!?" Cloud's jaw dropped. Everything just made sense.

"I'm…a what?" Zack dropped his sword and turned to Hojo. The scientist looked at him with sadistic eyes.

"You, my boy, are an Ancient!" Hojo scuttled towards Zack quickly. "And you will defeat Sephiroth."

"But…he's your son; don't you care for him at all?" Cloud questioned.

"It's alright. If he proves to be a success, I can make another son! Hell, he can be my son!" Hojo reached for Zack.

"What!?" Zack stumbled backwards. "Are you nuts!? I have parents!"

"You used to. Now you have Jenova and me!" Hojo scooted closer to Zack. "And of course…that woman. Sephiroth's birth mother…" Hojo shivered.

"You ruined that woman. You will never create another monster again and Lucrecia will never be involved." A low voice called from the edge of the stairs. Hojo's eyes widened and spittle flew from his mouth.

"Heh, heh, HEE HEE!" Hojo shook as he turned his attention to the new voice. "Vincent Valentine!" Hojo laughed gleefully.

"I'm here to send you to hell…" Vincent drew his Remington and shot once. Hojo flew back against the grated floor and lay motionless. Blood pooled from his stomach and dripped between the holes in the floor to the ground below. Everything was silenced. There were no longer any monsters on the platform but battle commenced below.

"Damn…" Zack whispered. He looked at Vincent quickly. "What took you so long?"

"Enemies on the stairs." Vincent took a couple of steps towards Hojo's body and stared at the gaping hole in his torso from the shotgun blow.

"You blew him away." Zack whistled. "You made it look so easy." He chuckled.

A soft sound came from the scientist's location. The three men stared at him. His body twitched and convulsed.

"Easy…you…won't…win…that…easily!" Hojo sat up quickly. Vincent narrowed his eyes and stared at the man.

"What the hell's goin' on!" Zack lifted his sword.

"He didn't…" Cloud gasped and stood next Zack. "We're gonna fight!"

"Heh…hee hee! I injected myself with Jenova's cells!" Hojo crawled on all fours.

'Damn it, not good!' Zack grit his teeth and charged the man.

"I've seen this before, you're just going to turn into one of those monsters!" Zack leapt into the air and was whacked away by a tentacle from Hojo's body. He skidded across the floor and stared at his new wound.

"Shit!" Cloud ran to his side. "Are you alright?"

"Where'd that come from!?" Zack hissed in pain and regained his stance. Hojo gurgled and convulsed as his body cracked and groaned. He transformed, his skin turning a pale green and arms into tentacles. The scientist glided with speed around the top platform. His eyes glowed a bright green, like Sephiroth.

"Your demons are just as bad as mine." Vincent growled and lifted his gun.

"PrePARE..To…be…ANiHIllaated…" Hojo's voice gurgled. In another second he sped towards the three men. The new battle had just begun.

Elena scanned the area for any survivors. She found plenty of dead soldiers mauled by the beasts and crushed by the debris from the explosions caused by WEAPON. She shuddered slightly, knowing that WEAPON was still out there. She was not sure if it was dead or alive, but she still feared that more would appear. Her radio crackled. She had called all the final remaining soldiers and ordered them to the platform. She felt lonely in all the debris, like she was the last survivor.

"Is everyone dead? Are there really no survivors?" She asked quietly to herself. Her voice was ghostly against the roaring wind. She was now making her way towards the remains from the top floor of the Shinra building.

"Rufus…" Elena stared at the rubble under her feet. She did not want to find his corpse but she had to. She tripped slightly as the glass broke under her feet.

'What a mess. It'll take years to clean it up.' Elena sighed.

A low moan sounded a few feet away. A second later a pile of wreckage shuffled and slid. Elena picked up her pace, her heart beating hard from the excitement that there was at least one living person in the area besides her.

"Hold on! I'm coming! Wait there! Try not to move too much!" Elena flailed her arms and fell to her knees when she reached the lump under the pile of debris. She dug deep into the dust and shards of glass. Her hands were bleeding and dirty. She removed the large piece of stone from the person's legs and moved to their head to remove the pipes and chunks of what used to be a wall. She felt like crying once she removed the debris from the person, a man. His hair was matted with blood and dirt, his forehead was gashed deeply and his clothes were tattered and torn. His eyes opened slowly, dull blue orbs looked up at her desperately. Elena screamed.

"M, Mr. Pres…President!" She pulled him from underneath the debris and hugged his body. She cried hard and dusted his clothes.

"We, we all thought you were dead for sure!" Elena looked down at his face. He moaned again and closed his eyes.

"Can't move." He whispered. His clothes were soaked with blood and his legs were crushed.

"No…stay with me…" Elena shook him gently. She knew that he would die soon; his entire body was shutting down. Even if he did survive, there'd be a good chance he would not be able to walk again. The president's eyes opened slowly and he opened his mouth.

"E…le…na…" He whispered in a raspy voice. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips and he convulsed violently.

"NO!" Elena sobbed, watching him suffer greatly before his body went completely limp. She squeezed him tightly, crying harder than she ever had in her entire life. Her job was to protect the president and after what just happened she felt like it was the worst failure any one could endure.

"R, Rufus!" She held him tightly. After holding him for a few minutes she grabbed her radio.

"Reno! Reno!!" a desperate voice called from the radio in Rude's jacket. He grabbed it quickly and passed it to Reno. Rude then turned his attention back to the giant armored fiend in front of him. Reno reached for the radio and spoke into it quickly.

"What's wrong, Elena?" Reno smacked a death ninja in the face with the prod and sent a shockwave into another.

"It's the president! I found him." Elena's voice cried over the radio.

"Well that's great honey!" Reno ducked, evading a blade from the enemy.

"He's dead Reno…He just died…in my ar, arms." Elena's voice sounded and then was followed by a sob. Tseng and Rude averted the attention to the radio for a second. All three of the men felt their hearts sink.

"No…" Reno shook his head. "NO!" He turned around and crushed another clone's head into a rock.

"I'm through playing around!" Reno joined Rude's side. "Let's kill these bastards!" Reno never felt angrier in his entire life. This was all Hojo's fault and he wanted to kill him personally. Not only that, he felt bad for Elena.

'She held onto him as he died…' Reno grit his teeth at the thought. 'She didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve what happened to him either.'

"…I have an idea…" Tseng said quietly. He looked upwards and shouted at the platform. "Keep that bastard barely alive when you're through with him!!"

"What!?" Reno wailed.

"…No…It's a great idea." Rude smirked at Tseng.

"You mind telling me what the hell you guys plan on doing!?" Reno cursed.

"He wants us to keep him alive!?" Zack breathed heavily.

"There's no #& way!" Cloud stumbled.

"…" Vincent squint his eyes. "He's transforming again." The three men stared at Hojo. He was badly beaten and his tentacles were severed. The other three however had cuts and gashes all over their bodies.

"We…need Aeris up here." Zack looked over the railing. "Aeris!" He screamed.

"Isn't it dangerous bringing her up here?" Cloud asked.

"Dangerous for us because we'll have to protect her." Vincent grumbled.

"Is she really that helpless?" Zack sighed. "Did I not teach her anything?" He rolled his eyes. As much as he hated the idea of her being on the platform at a time like this, he really wanted the group to be healed since none of them brought any materia with them.

"Here we go." Cloud stood up straight as Hojo went through the second transformation. His limbs stretched and bulked with muscle. Hojo's body grew several feet tall and many animal-like appendages and features appeared. His body cracked and popped with sickening sounds. Zack raised a nostril at the sounds and sight. It was like something from the horror movies he watched when he was younger.

"Outta our way!" A female voice called out over a loudspeaker. A moment later there were low thudding sounds entering the area.

"What the hell was that!?" Cloud ran and looked over the railing. "It's Scarlet and Heidegger!"

"What are they doing here?" Zack kept his eyes on Hojo.

"I'm guessing they plan on fighting." Cloud laughed.

"What are they gonna do? Scarlet has nothing but claws and Heidegger is just a slow fat man." Zack whined.

"They have a giant robot with 'em." Cloud looked back and hurried to join Zack and Vincent.

"They better be helpful." Vincent loaded his rifle. He frowned when he noticed he was low on bullets. There was a grinding noise by the stairs. A second later a giant, red, mechanical brute appeared by the edge of the platform. It was huge, several feet taller than Hojo's new form.

"You boys like some help?" Scarlet purred.

"Sick 'em!" Zack pointed at Hojo.

"Oh my…What the hell has he done now?" Scarlet stared at the monster ahead.

"He looks angry." Heidegger trembled.

"Well! What are you waiting for!? Put it in gear! We don't have much time!" Scarlet slapped the man in the shoulder.

"Yes ma'am!" He shoved the gears forward and the Proud Clod, as Scarlet called it, lurched forward reaching for the Jenova like Hojo.

"I don't think it's going to work." Vincent fired once at Hojo. He screeched loudly and threw an elongated clawed arm towards the robot. It immediately sliced through the cabin and tore the machine apart.

"Aw, no way!" Zack stared in horror as the machine whirred out of control and crashed to the ground.

"Get it up! Get it UP!" Scarlet hissed and grabbed Heidegger. To her horror he too was sliced like the machine. "Oh!" She covered her mouth and set the man back down.

"Now what do I do?" Scarlet felt herself shake. "I'm sorry." She said quickly and rolled the man out of the cabin out onto the ground. She sat in the main chair and piloted the machine. It creaked noisily as it was lifted from the ground.

"It can still move?" Cloud dodged another one of Hojo's claws.

"I…don't see Heidegger." Vincent murmured.

"Oh shit…that's not good." Zack lowered his head. "Scarlet! Get your ass outta here!" Zack waved at her.

"Ha…honey, I'm not going down that easily." Scarlet chuckled. She looked down at her leg and groaned. During the fall she had some how gashed her leg. Blood was pouring from the wound and down to the floor.

"Hojo! Your ass is mine! This is payback for what you did to Reeve!" she called out on the loudspeaker. Off in the distance, she was heard in the warehouse. Reeve stirred slightly at the sound of her voice.

'I…have to get up…' Reeve thought and pulled himself from the ground. He reached into his coat pocket and grabbed his PHS. He wandered the warehouse for the small video screen and adaptor cord. He plugged the PHS into the small box and watched the tiny screen like a video.

Cait Sith was busy at battle below but took a moment to pause and look up at the giant machine.

"Je...nova…" Hojo called and slid towards the machine. This form was a lot slower than the last, but was even deadlier.

"Come on you asshole! I'm taking you down." Scarlet growled and raised the robot's arms. "FIRE!!" She screamed as giant flames and beams of heated energy blasted Hojo's form.

Hojo flailed his arms and growled furiously. He clawed at the machine, taking one of the arms off. Vincent, Cloud, and Zack felt all their hope leave as the machine shuddered and had difficulties continuing.

"Come on you piece of SHIT!" Scarlet pulled on the levers. "There!" She shouted triumphantly as the machine shoved a fist into Hojo's chest. The Jenova creation screeched and grabbed the arm impaling its body. Green fluid rippled and spewed from his body. He took one great swipe and took off the top of the machine, exposing Scarlet completely. She screamed and stared at the monster in front of her.

"JUMP! Get outta there!" Zack waved his arms at her but it was too late. Hojo snatched the woman from the machine and swiped the Proud Clod away. It exploded instantly; flaming debris flooded the streets below.

"No! HELP!!" Scarlet cried out to the men below as Hojo tossed her across the platform like a rag doll.

"You bastard!" Zack leapt forward and sliced at Hojo's arm. It was severed completely at the elbow. Hojo cried and fell backwards, his body rippling and tearing.

"Now what!?" Cloud watched as Hojo went through a third transformation.

"We have to kill it. We have to keep him from changing anymore!" Zack drug his sword over the metal grated floor and stabbed Hojo in the middle of his transformation. The scientist batted at Zack quickly, sending him to the opposite side of the platform.

"You…are supposed to …be stronger…Am…I…even too much…for you?" Hojo snarled. "I…I am a GOD!"

The scientist got smaller in size, but turned into a completely different being. He grew more tentacles and a tail. He now floated from the ground, levitating. He seemed so much simpler and frail, but there was something about this third transformation that seemed more dangerous.

"He's now a completely intelligent, indestructible beast." Vincent glared at the monster. "He's like a higher species…" Vincent felt the rage inside of him building up. He could not contain himself.

Hojo teleported; leaving the men and appeared next to Scarlet. He seemed to stare at the woman's body with disgust. He raised one tentacle and it stiffened. Hojo flexed the appendage and a large claw shot from the end of the arm and hung above Scarlet's body.

"NO!" Zack stood up quickly. There was the sound of something small coming up the stairs. Zack reached out but Hojo was on the opposite side of the platform, it was too late. Cloud turned his head quickly, his eyes wide. Vincent did not look. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. The look on Scarlet's face would haunt any man's dreams. Hojo brought the claw down quickly, impaling her body. Her pupils instantly disappeared and her mouth gaped open. It was a nightmare.

"Hojo…" Zack stammered and fell to his knees. He did not want to see anymore die. Zack leaned forward and turned his attention to the small animal at the top of the stairs. It was Cait Sith. The cat ran quickly to Scarlet's side, staring at her with fear.

"You…MONSTER! YOU BEAST!!" Vincent surprised everyone. Hojo's demonic face smirked. He loved it when Vincent got angry.

Vincent dropped his gun and collapsed to the floor. Zack and Cloud stood off to the side. The caped man hunched over, crying out in pain as his body cracked and spawned wings. Heat emitted from his body. Vincent whispered to himself. He could not take it anymore. The devil was knocking at his door and he was ready to let him in.

"I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!!" The devil screamed.

"What's happening!?" Yuffie looked upwards at the platform.

"Vincent's doin' his thing." Barret pointed. Flames burst through the small holes in the grated metal.

"He's letting it loose again!" Red XIII yelled over the battle field. "We hafta get up there!"

"What's happening?" Tifa asked.

"Vincent." The animal panted and headed up the stairs.

"Aeris! We have to hurry!" Tifa called to the other girl.

"Are they alright!?" Aeris asked worried. She had heard Zack's cry earlier, but never got the chance to make her way upstairs. "Is Zack alright?" She mumbled.

"Up the stairs! Up the stairs!" Yuffie called out for everyone to hear. Cid and the Turks turned and followed. They were all going to team up on Hojo.

'Vincent…' Tifa thought. She wanted to make sure he was okay.

Chaos broke loose and flames engulfed the upper platform. Zack and Cloud darted for the corner to avoid being hit. The two demons fought eagerly. Claws cut flesh and flames incinerated Hojo slowly. He was being cooked alive.

"No! Keep him alive. We need him!" Tseng shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Are you nuts!?" Cloud asked.

"Trust us." Tseng turned towards the beast fighting Hojo. "You can barely kill him. Keep him alive long enough so we can talk to him. When we're through I'll let you have every last piece of him." Tseng stared into the devil's eyes.

"Very well." The demon growled. "You have five minutes

"That's all we need." Tseng smiled. The demon turned back to Hojo and crushed his tentacles. He smiled as he clawed Hojo's chest and flung him to the floor. Hojo slumped and quickly lost his power. Jenova was beaten. The devil stared at Tseng and waited for him to finish whatever it was he planned to do.

"Now…remember that procedure you did on me?" Tseng walked towards Hojo's disgusting body. Everyone stared in awe at the Turk, everyone except Cait Sith.

Cait Sith stood over the blonde woman. He watched as her blood flooded through her wound and spilled through the grated metal in the floor. Her eyes were soft and lifeless. Her mouth was trickling the red fluid. Cait Sith stared at her, as if hypnotized.

"Reeve?" A soft whisper came out earlier. That was the last thing she said. Cait Sith had ran to the woman and purred her name. Her response was Reeve's name. That was a long time ago. She had not moved since and was not going to.

Cait Sith mewed quietly and curled up next to the woman. He never took his gaze off of her. He stared at her face, her dull eyes and messy hair. He felt something inside of him hurting.

'Nonsense…I'm nothing but a robot.' Cait Sith thought to himself.

"S, Scarlet…" Reeve held onto the small screen tightly. He stared at the lifeless expression on her face. Cait Sith had appeared at the top of the stairs just in time to show Reeve what had happened. He saw the claw in her body, the blood gushing from the wound and the shocked look on her face. He could not do a thing, nothing at all. Reeve ran a hand over the screen, hypnotized. His mind was numb, not wanting to register what had occurred.

"You're…dead…." He looked down at the red cloth around his chest. He felt the soft silk and immediately burst into tears.

"NOooo!!" Reeve pulled the screen to his chest. He hunched forward, crying harder. She may have seemed like an awful person but after those last moments with her, he got to see the real Scarlet, the woman no one ever saw. He felt her gaze tearing at his heart. She did not deserve that, not at all.

"She called…for me…"

"He's all yours…" Tseng led the other two Turks down the stairs. They were gone in a flash, on a new mission.

"Death…to…you all…" Hojo cursed and crawled across the floor. He looked up at the demon and cursed. "You're nothing but a monster. You'll be the death of her…and the death of yourself. She never loved you. She wished you to die!" Hojo cackled. The demon clenched his fists and lifted Hojo from the ground.

"This isn't going to be pretty…" Cid turned away from the sight. "I suggest you ladies do the same."

Everyone in the group turned away from the sight, not wanting to witness what was about to happen. They heard an awful scream come from Hojo and felt the intense heat of flames. A moment later there was a loud sound, like ice being crushed and then nothing. Tifa covered her ears. She could not believe it. Vincent was doing that. He was inside that monster. She felt a vibration on the ground and then a tap on her shoulder.

"Tifa?" Aeris whispered. Tifa opened her eyes slowly and found Aeris pointing to the floor at Vincent. He was back in his normal form. He was battered and bruised, blood covered him. He was curled into a ball on the floor crying uncontrollably.

"V, Vincent?" Tifa looked around the platform. Hojo was nowhere in sight. The rest of AVALANCHE was heading down the stairs. Tifa took a couple of steps towards Vincent.

"Cait Sith?" Yuffie stared at the cat. She lifted him from the ground. Cait Sith did not move at all. Yuffie wanted to cry, even though the cat was a robot, he had the saddest expression she'd ever seen. "Come on kitty…we have to go." She planted a kiss on the cat's head and carried him down the stairs.

"Vincent? Are you alright?" Tifa placed a hand gently on him.

"Lu…Lucrecia…" Vincent sobbed. He looked up at Tifa slowly; she had never seen him like this before.

"No…it's me. Tifa." She ran a hand through his hair.

"Tifa…" Vincent thought for a moment and then hugged her softly. Tifa too wanted to cry. Seeing him loose his resolve was crushing. She pulled on him and they both stood up.

"We have to go. Let's get some rest for now." Tifa said to him soothingly.

A low whine sounded from the platform's controls. Tifa turned to it quickly. She could hear the power building up.

"The cannon!" She shouted. The sound of footsteps on the stairs alerted her.

"WEAPON's here!" Cloud shouted. His bright blue eyes looked fearful.

"The cannon is getting ready to fire again!" Tifa pointed. Cloud looked at her, the panel, and then turned his head to look at WEAPON.

"We're gonna kick its ass too!" He grinned.

Alright, gotta end here for tonight. Once again thanks for reading and please review I'd love to hear from you all! I promise I'll get the next one posted without delays. If not you can yell at me! -annubis