I don't own anything from Bayonetta or the name Sephiroth.
"The storm is getting worse…" Sephiroth tried to break the staring between the two. "Don't you two want to take this elsewhere?"
Cereza whimpered in his arms, obviously uncomfortable with both the tension and the weather.
"He's right, Cheshire." Bayonetta snapped out of her trance. "This isn't the weather for anything."
"I would be tempted to believe you, but this storm appeared out of nowhere, witch." He smirked. "Not even forecasted. So, which of you summoned it to get me indoors and out of the public eye?"
"Neither of us have powers over the weather, silly." She replied, waving his concern away. "You're overthinking it."
However, Sephiroth was. "Bayonetta, he kind of isn't."
"What is it, darling?" She replied, turning to face him.
"This storm isn't natural." He stated, a grim look in his eyes. Bayonetta understood his meaning and beckoned for him to come over.
"The angel from before?" She whispered, careful to not let Luka hear her.
"It must be." He grimaced. Looking down to Cereza, he addressed her. "You can't stay with us anymore, young lady. It's about to get really dangerous."
Wide-eyed, she nodded mutely. "Where will I go Mummy and Bubby?"
Both frowned at their respective titles but didn't mention it. Both looked at each other when they found their idea; both could see the unwillingness in each other's eyes.
"Cheshire?" Bayonetta called out.
"It's Luka, dammit! How many times do I have to-" Cereza was then dumped into his arms unceremoniously by her. "Hey-ey! What the-"
"We have business to attend to, Cheshire. Please try not to lose her." She winked and turned around, opening a portal to Purgatorio as she did.
Sephiroth shook his head at her antics. "I'm sorry. We will talk properly." He turned and tore his way into Purgatorio, stopping before he entered. "I'm Sephiroth, Luka."
Luka watched with confusion as he walked into the hole and disappeared.
"Holy sweet mother…" He cursed under his breathe.
…
Sephiroth met Bayonetta as she stared up at a massive tornado whirling through the airbase. Massive objects were being flung around like toys, and the pair paid no real heed to them. They flew past them, sometimes a hairs-breadth away or metres away.
"I do recognise this storm…" Bayonetta said. "Didn't it appear on Jormungandr's Staff?"
Sephiroth stiffened. "I think it did…"
A huge Angel emerged from the tornado, laughing. It was floating down towards them, its four finger-like cannons waving in the wind. Both recognised it as the angel from before and began to approach it; Bayonetta strode confidently whilst Sephiroth turned away with hidden fear.
"Ah, the lovely Bayonetta." The calm voice of the Auditio addressed her. "The Father has told me much about you, and so has the impressionable Jeanne. It seems you still hold the pride of an overseer in your eyes."
"I just feel like a fucking celebrity around here." Bayonetta spread her arms wide as she walked without fear. "Everybody wants to meet me, yet no one understands that I don't hand out free autographs!"
The Auditio merely smiled at her antics. "Your pride is exactly as they described. I see you have found a new friend."
"Are you talking about Sephiroth here?" She gestured back to her friend. "He's not very talkative around strangers. You might want to be a little nicer then."
"The experiment named itself now?" The angel laughed.
"You know him?" Bayonetta looked back briefly at the one-winged man behind her. "From where? He rarely gets out."
"It oversaw the experiments, and sometimes undertook with them." Sephiroth said quietly. "It was the main driver behind them."
Bayonetta's eyes widened with the statement. "You're fucking joking…"
"Experiment 10978. The Father has been missing you." The Audito boomed. "And I see you've made a friend as well."
"He can suck on my balls for all I care." His wing flexed, spreading out to behind Bayonetta. "He turned me into this. He doesn't miss me."
"You should be giving him your thanks." It retorted. "The Father has created a weapon worthy of his Right Eye." It gestured around to the destruction. "And I, Temperentia, will be the one to return his weapon to his hand."
"I will not return to his tyranny!" The katana glimmered into existence as he took a stance. "I will never be a weapon for him to use!"
Temperentia seemed disappointed. "So disobedient. The Father does not approve of your behaviour, as you might expect. When you return there will be consequences."
"What's he going to do? Punish me? Tear out my other wing? Make me fight Jeanne?" Sephiroth shook his head and glared defiantly. "There's nothing he could do that is worse than what he has already done to me."
"Your family is dead." Temperentia announced, it's mouth forming a gleeful smile.
"My what?" Sephiroth froze. Bayonetta turned to him in shock, then faced the Auditio nearly as quick. Those words would've crushed her, but she had no family she could remember.
"As punishment for your latest disobedience, The Father ordered a swift blow to all members of your family, from every cousin to every blood relative that shared any DNA with you." It explained, a cruel smile etched upon its face. "They were sentenced to death, all four thousand, five hundred and twenty one of them. Their screams were exquisite."
"You killed them all, because of me?" He whispered. Shadows were beginning to build around his feet, and Bayonetta began to back off. Something explosive was about to happen, and she had her money on Sephiroth winning after it was all said and done. The Audito either did not notice or simply didn't think of him as a threat, as it continued talking.
"Yes, and many more deaths will come if you continue to disobey." Temperentia was becoming impatient. "Just come with me now so I don't have to explain to the Father why you are dust."
Sephiroth didn't answer. The darkness enveloped him and moulded to him, forming hardened armour. Two smaller wings sneaked out of his cloak and sat by his legs. His eyes glowed brighter than the sun, and Bayonetta couldn't look at them for long. Screaming in pure fury, spurred by his confusion, guilt and anger, he launched himself at the Auditio, faster than any mortal, witch or angel Bayonetta had ever seen. Temperentia had obviously not accounted for a full-frontal assault from something he considered lesser to him and cried out in surprise as the human-size bullet smashed into its torso and pushed the pair back into the tempest behind.
Realising the angel was distracted from her and its original purpose, Bayonetta turned away. Running towards the airbase, she stayed in Purgatorio and began to search the area for a way out.
…
Sephiroth had never felt more alive.
Power was coursing through his body, and he could feel all the potential stored within in his veins. He was flying, the two lower wings flapping to keep him afloat. He was slamming the katana with the force to shatter mountains into the Audito, trying to pulverise it.
Temperentia had not landed a hit, nor had it gone on the offensive ever since the battle had begun. All it could do was release elementals and other wind-born creations to buy itself some time to regroup, or to let Sephiroth tire himself out.
Neither of those seemed like it was going to happen anytime soon. He was a whirlwind of rage, sometimes a literal whirlwind of fire as pillars of flame would erupt and twist around, scorching the outer shell of the Auditio.
However, Temperentia could take the hits as he dished them. The armour and flesh of the Auditio was thick, except for seven well-protected nodes, as to where it could focus its power. It had the foresight to realise its slow moving swings and shots were not going to hit, so it instead focused on making the arena smaller and more choked, filling the air with tornadoes and debris.
"You will pay for your treachery!" The Auditio roared, prepping a hand cannon.
"I never betrayed anyone; all I did was free myself!" He screamed back, sending beams of energy off the sword at the hand.
"You betrayed your family!" It answered, firing the cannon at him. Fury built in him as he weaved passed the bullets, building momentum and speed as he tried to slam himself into the head of the Auditio. Temperentia seemed to anticipate this, and swung his other fist in an almighty punch, catching the winged man unawares. Flung by the force, he rocketed through several pieces of rock before landing on one. Gritting his teeth, he made to jump forward before a voice from his past stopped him.
Rule number 3: Don't fight emotionally compromised…
He could almost sense her disappointment as he forced himself to calm down.
Alright, think! He began to plan frantically. What is its weak point?
He eyed the colossal Angel, trying to find anything that might give him an edge. Leaping from his rock, he started circling it as it fired massive human-sized bullets at him.
"Give up, 10978!" It said as it circled around, trying to catch him. "You will not defeat me!"
He summoned a small barrier and deflected a bullet back into it, causing it to briefly stagger. Grabbing a nearby tram car, which was somehow defying gravity due to the storm, he spun around and flung it into Temperentia's head.
The Audito howled in pain, and then screamed as the tram exploded. Flinching in pain, it raised its arms around its head, trying to form a barrier. Noticing the rings and beams of energy connecting them to its torso again, he realised what he could try. Using a nearby rock, he launched himself towards one of the arms, landing near the base. Sticking the katana in as a handhold, he held on for dear life as it tried to throw him off. Concentrating, he began to feel the power of Paradiso fill his veins as he began to weave together a spell.
"AOIVEAE DE CALZ MAELPEREJI!" He splayed his other hand open and a portal opened, a meteor flying out, aimed at the rings. Its aim was true, and it smashed the rings out of alignment, causing the whole arm to disconnect and fall. Leaping from the falling appendage, he landed on another tram.
"You will pay for your resistance!" Temperentia howled in pain, staring down the winged man in pure hatred.
Mortal! Use this! Khepri pushed a spell into his mind. His eyes widened at the incantation, and the image of the spell in his mind. It will defeat it for me!
Both the Lagunan and Infernal were quick to agree. Jumping back, he let the katana fall back into Inferno. Hovering in the air, he felt the power of demons fill him as he chanted the spell, throwing his arms out as he began to channel forces outside of the planet.
"A ACOCASAHE ODBRINT NIIS!" He implored, and Temperentia visibly faltered at the words. "A ACOCASAHE ADAGITA TORZV A UIV ROR!"
…
"Cheshire!" Bayonetta jumped down to the pair, dodging and weaving her way past the flying debris. "Why the hell are you still here?"
"You!?" He turned around, Cereza crying out in recognition in his arms. "I knew this storm was your fault!"
"Still wrong." She looked around, trying to find a clear path through the storm. "We need to get out of here."
"Oh, you've just finally fucking realised that now?" Luka sarcastically answered. "Well, unless you've got a hotwiring kit down that shirt of yours, we are stuck here!"
"Mummy! Mister Luka! Look!" Cereza pointed up, and the two adults turned to face the direction she was pointing.
Several massive meteors were flying through the sky, impacting on an invisible object. Tapping her glasses to allow her to view Purgatorio, she saw Sephiroth and her she caught her breathe.
"What's going on Mummy?" Cereza asked, her voice full of wonder.
"Uhh, it's a lot of shooting stars!" Luka covered for her, and seemingly himself. "Make a wish, Cerezita!"
The girl, to his credit, closed her eyes tightly and faced down. He looked at her and glared, silently accusing her. She shrugged as she continued to watch in amazement. "It's not me doing this, Cheshire."
She turned to Cereza and tapped her glasses, letting her power flow into them. "Look and see for yourself, little one."
Cereza opened her eyes and looked back at the quasi-fireworks show, seeing him and the sight as well. Her amazement somehow increased, and her eyes widened in a cartoon-like fashion.
"It's so pretty!" She then looked at her. "You never told me Bubby could do that!"
"I didn't know." She smiled briefly, then found the exit she was hoping for. "Cheshire! This way!"
"Wha- No, I'm not travelling with you!" Luka held his ground. Groaning, she grabbed him by his collar and picked him up like a feather and simply carried the struggling man through the storm.
…
Jeanne stared at the destruction of the Auditio in a stunned silence.
Such power wasn't possible for him before. She thought. What changed?
…
Closing his eyes, he felt the power drain from his body as the meteor storm finished. Sensing a rock beneath him, he landed on it, gracefully and slowly. Opening his eyes, he viewed the wreck of the Auditio with complete and utter hatred.
It lay on the ground, its armour shattered and the red, fleshy interior bleeding and bruised. Its other arm had been crushed and was almost flattened into a 2D object. Its face plates had been blasted off, and the horrifying, inhuman face was revealed to the world. It was wheezing in pain, yet laughing.
"He was right!" It coughed, then continued to chortle. "So wonderfully right!"
He frowned at it. "The Father?"
The storm began to disappear as the Auditio's power and life force began to fade. Jumping onto the torso, he stood in front of its head.
"He has made a weapon worthy of the Creator." It gurgled. "And for his Right Eye. He was right, and he will continue to be…"
He simply stared in hatred at the Lagunan. "You took everything from me…"
"He made you perfectly…" Its voice was beginning to fade. "He gave everything to you..."
"Then I will make you dust!" He screamed at it. "QUASABA!"
A massive lightning bolt struck the head, slaying and vaporising it. And thus two of the four were gone, and the Lagunan inside of him mourned whilst the Infernal celebrated.
Hold on. He had just vaporised one of the most powerful beings in the world.
He collapsed to the ground, looking at his hands in fear. What had he just done?
You have done well, mortal. Khepri sounded ecstatic. Your soul will be worth it.
What had he become?
…
"Well, the storm is gone now, Cheshire." Bayonetta smiled at him. "Which car were you fancying?"
The man merely grumbled in her grip. Ignoring him, she found a blue van relatively untouched from the chaos of the previous 10 minutes. Sticking out her middle finger, she licked it, then stuck it into the keyhole and twisted, unlocking the car.
"What!?" Luka stared in surprise and shock. "You can just do that? We are going to steal a car?"
"You are going to steal this car." She grabbed Cereza out of his arms and pushed him into the driver's seat. "Because I'm feeling generous."
"Fuck off!" He tried to get out, but a glint from her eye made him hastily retreat into the seat. "Ok, Ok! Get in while I try to hotwire this thing."
"Mummy, aren't we going to wait for Bubby?" Cereza asked, looking back at where they had last seen the man. Bayonetta turned and tried to find him, looking back into Purgatorio. She found him kneeling in what looked like sand, head down.
"He'll probably catch up." She grabbed one of her guns, stuck her hand into Purgatorio and fired it in front of him, grabbing his attention. She gestured to him, and he nodded. Standing, he walked over to the trio, tearing his way back into the mortal realm.
"Bubby!" Cereza smiled in joy as he reappeared to her. "You were so awesome!"
He smiled thinly at her, patting her on the head. Looking up to her, the smile dropped.
I don't want to talk. Please, leave me be. She heard him mentally say. Frowning slightly, she sent a questioning look back at him. He shook his head. I don't want to talk about it.
"It's good to see you." She smiled and gestured behind her to the cursing Luka. "Cheshire here has volunteered to take us to a place where we can rest, like that super fancy hotel that is nearby, right?"
"No I never!" Luka objected, taking a break from hotwiring. "Why are you using me anyway? You killed my father!"
"Oh, shut up." She turned to him. "Now, Cheshire, you are in no place to bargain. You can't say no to a lady, especially this one. And, what of poor Cereza?"
"I don't see what she has to do with this…" Luka grumbled, but understood the threat. Achieving a spark, the van's engine roared. Piling in, the strange quartet left the ruins of the Vigrid Airport.
…
Jeanne was not happy.
"Well, that is fucking brilliant, isn't it?" She said to herself. "We just lost our largest backer from Paradiso, and the most level-headed of the Auditio."
She paused, and then screamed in frustration. "That's not what we had planned! They have him, the girl and the Eye still! And she still hasn't retained her memories, or unlocked its potential!"
Silence, then a hiss cut through the air. "Separate them? That could work. Try to get her out of the picture; he won't be able to fight his way through everything forever."
Nodding, she began to pace around on her rooftop. "If the stupid minions of Paradiso can't do it, then perhaps the other one here can…"