AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own anything from Bayonetta or Final Fantasy 7
"Shit!" Sephiroth had nothing but horror running through his mind as the bridge exploded from something crashing into it. Tearing his way into Purgatorio, he watched in terror as a massive angel walked into a portal to Paradiso, Bayonetta falling through it as it closed.
"Fuck it all to hell!" She was as good as gone. Pulling himself back into the mortal realm, he moved the last of the cars onto the remains of the bridge and slipped back into the van.
"What's the situation?" Luka asked, his eyes never straying from the road.
"The angels have retreated." He said grimly, his voice hoarse.
"Where is Mummy?" Cereza had turned to face the back, looking at the man with worry. "Where is Mummy?!"
"She's gone…" He said quietly. Cereza instantly teared up and began sobbing.
"What!?" Luka turned to face him. "She is gone? What do you mean?"
"She fell into Paradiso after an angel attacked." He whispered to himself, repeating his sentiment from earlier. "She is as good as gone…"
He held his hand out and telekinetically grabbed Cereza. Pulling her to him, he held her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.
"Fuck!" The driver echoed his sentiment as well. "What do we do now?"
"Get off the highway." Sephiroth looked ahead. "Take the next exit."
"We aren't going to Isla Del Sol?" Luka looked at him in the mirror. "We are almost there!"
The winged man saw the towering Ithavoll building in the distance, and the rest of the spiral island spread around it. He trembled at the sight and held onto the girl a little tighter. "We can't. We wouldn't survive."
"If you say so…" Luka grimaced as he took the exit.
…
"So, big shot. What's the plan?" Luka crossed his arms and stared at the winged man. Sephiroth adjusted the sleeping Cereza and looked away uncomfortably. The child had cried herself into a deep slumber, and neither adult was comfortable with waking her yet.
"I don't know." They were off the highway and were currently in a small hamlet. The locals had not bothered with the van and weren't the slightest bit curious about it and its contents. Sephiroth was thinking hard, and thinking fast. He didn't know what to do.
"Great! This is just great!" Luka threw his hands up, visibly frustrated. "You dragged me into this mess, and now we are stuck in the middle of nowhere with a child of all fucking things! Isn't this just perfect!"
"You aren't." He whispered.
"What? I'm stuck here with you! What part of that do you not understand?"
"You were dragged here by Bayonetta. You can leave now." Sephiroth said quietly. "You certainly don't have to stay with us anymore; go back and re-join the rest of humanity and forget about this mess."
"Like hell I am." Luka shook his head. "I'm involved in this now, and it will find me the answer to my Father's death."
"You're staying?" He squinted at the man, suspicious.
"Yes. I was this close," He held up a finger and a thumb to emphasise his point. "To figuring out proof as to whether Bayonetta killed my father. Now, I think there is something a lot bigger going on, and it's all at the centre of Isla Del Sol."
"Why the change of heart?" Sephiroth could hardly believe his luck.
"My father's last case was to look into the Ithavoll IT company, and the elusive CEO of it." Luka began to pace. "And once he made a breakthrough in a previous case and found Bayonetta's coffin, he died not long after. I always thought it was just a coincidence; but now it might be not, ever since I found you."
His questioning look was enough for Luka to continue. "My father had apparently caught wind of unethical practices taking place inside of the company and was sent to investigate. What he found was human experimentation, and a whole load of missing people from around the globe. He was going to report it, but he was hired by the CEO of Ithavoll to investigate the Umbra Witches and found the coffin whilst trying to gather more evidence. You are the evidence that my father would have most desperately wanted."
"I was taken in for… the process twenty years ago." He frowned. "His death must have been around the same time."
Luka nodded. "I figured you were a part of that experiment ever since you slammed me into the wall back at the Vigrid Hotel. And since my father mysteriously dies after discovering that there was something worse than unethical shit going down at Ithavoll, I'm beginning to believe the theory you have with his death."
"You think it was inadvertent?"
"Yep, and one hundred percent preventable." Luka stopped pacing and faced him. "Boy, do I feel horrible now about Bayonetta."
Both men went quiet at the mention of their missing, fourth member. Turning his attention back to the problem at hand, he began to ponder. What would Bayonetta do?
She would continue onwards to Isla Del Sol. Khepri answered. Obviously, you can't do that. However, you do know where an active gate to Paradiso is.
His eyes widened at the implication. We can get her back that way?
Certainly. His patron answered. Now, head back to the hotel. You will all need the rest.
"Tell that to her when she is back." Sephiroth said, gesturing to the van. "Shall we continue onwards?"
"Where are we going to go?" Luka asked as he retook the driver's seat.
"Back to Vigrid Airport. With any luck the portal to Paradiso there is still open, and I might be able to find her." He climbed into the back. "And we can get better transport while we are at it too. But first, we will touch base with the Hotel for the nights."
…
They returned to the Vigrid hotel, this time asking for a smaller room. The managers frowned in annoyance at Luka and Cereza, but gave them the keys to the 3rd room of the second floor. Thanking them, the duo left. The management was amazed, but unsurprised, when one newly replaced vase fell to the ground and shattered, as if an invisible wind pushed it.
…
"Bubby, can I play with you?" Cereza shyly asked him as he stepped out of Purgatorio. Sephiroth looked at her with a mixture of amusement and surprise.
"What do you want to do, Cereza?" He asked as he observed the timid girl.
"Mummy and Daddy never played with me often." Cereza looked sad. "Especially once they took Mummy away."
"That never answered my question." He answered, dropping down to one knee. "It doesn't matter how Mummy or Daddy played with you; what do you want to do?"
"I don't know…" Cereza looked down. "I don't know what is fun."
"Don't you have friends back home?" He lifted her chin. "What do you do with them?"
"I don't have any friends…" Her voice was cracking. "They all hate me, and they all hurt me, and no one ever plays with me!"
"What do you do then? When you're on your own, and have time for yourself?" He felt fury growing in him at her words. What force could drive people against this sweet girl?
"I go to my room and sleep." She answered, the tears pooling in her eyes. "So I can dream of Mummy and Daddy and being happy."
Sephiroth closed his eyes, trying not to lash out at something. He opened his eyes to see Luka standing there with a horrified look on his face.
"Cerezita, come here." Luka squatted as the girl walked over to him. "Is that really what you do?"
"Yes, Uncle Luka." She nodded. "Cheshire helps me." She held the doll out, and then cuddled it.
"Cereza." Sephiroth stood up. "We both promise you, that no matter what, you will never fall asleep unhappy again."
Luka nodded. "As long as we are around, you will be happy."
"You… mean that?" Cereza's eyes began to flow with tears. "I won't be sad again?"
"We promise." They both smiled at the girl. Running to Luka, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you Uncle Luka and Bubby!"
"It's no problem." Luka smiled and hugged her back. "Now, do you want to watch some TV?"
"What's tee vee?" The word sounded foreign to her.
"You don't know what television is?" Luka asked, surprised. "You are in for a real treat, then."
Scooping her up, he walked over to the couch, Sephiroth opting to stand by the table. Sitting down, he grabbed the remote and switched on the screen.
"Whoa!" Cereza's eyes went wide. "This is so cool! Are those real people?"
"Just an image of them." Luka noticed that the local news report was about to start. "It's amazing technology, isn't it?"
He glanced in confusion at the winged man. Sephiroth shook his head, clearly sending a message to talk about it later. Returning his attention to the screen, Luka stared in shock at the headline.
"Welcome to the seven o'clock Vigrid news. Our top headline tonight is the destruction of the Route 666 highway bridge." The female presenter started. "The bridge collapsed a little after midday today. Engineers are stumped that the state-of-art bridge fell apart the way it did; many have commented that it was not natural causes that caused it to fall. Witnesses say they saw a man dressed in black with a single black wing on the bridge at this time; however both sides are split on whether he was destroying the bridge or rescuing those who were trapped."
"Well, shit." Luka heard Sephiroth say with sarcasm. Cereza was staring, listening intently.
"Is the lady talking about you, Bubby?" She asked, turning to the winged man. He nodded and put a finger to his lips.
"We here at Vigrid new believe that something occurred on this bridge, but not to the extent of what the witnesses describe. This man probably was a terrorist, not a supernatural being that is currently being described-"
Sephiroth let out the breath he had been holding. Luka turned to him in confusion.
"Why are you relieved? You've been branded a terrorist here!"
"They don't see me for what I truly am." He smiled slightly. "Which means it probably won't attract the attention of the Father, and by extension the forces of Paradiso."
"I suppose that is a positive…" Luka said as the reporter changed the subject and onto the next headline.
…
The two men at across at the small table from each other. Cereza had been put to bed not more than five minutes ago, and now they were both thinking in the silence between the two.
"I think she has been brought here from the past." Luka's head snapped up as Sephiroth spoke. "Too much evidence points to that."
"Can you even do that?" Luka asked. "Pull someone out of time?"
"Theoretically, yes." He answered. "Khepri says it is, but I think accounting for the butterfly effect would be hard to achieve without fucking up the present too much."
"Khepri?"
"Ah, sorry. I have a demon inside my head." He tapped his temple.
"You what?!" Luka stared at him in horror. "Like the Exorcist?" He leaned forward, suddenly curious. "What's it like?"
"Kind of, and I don't know what that is." He pondered for a second. "In order to truly understand what I am talking about, you'd have to experience her, and I don't know if I can do that."
Yes you can. Khepri interrupted. And you could summon me into mortal realm as well.
I can do that? He asked. I'd rather not do that, if I can help it.
What, you are afraid of me running amok and doing horrible things? She snorted. Why, I'm only really interested in seeing who you are, and who this Luka fellow is.
You don't know me? He was perplexed. You are in my head, right?
It's easy to know your contract in person. Khepri sounded amused. Normally, witches are bound to the infernal contract during a ceremony where we meet in person, in order for the Infernal to figure out whether the binding will be worth it. We haven't met, since you aren't a witch by any conventional means, yet I'm bound to you.
Makes sense. His gaze hardened. You better not cause any trouble.
He noticed Luka staring at him with confusion. Are you alright? You kinda spaced out "
"PDEE BARMA!" His eyes starting glowing as he waved his palm at the nearby wall, opening a portal to Inferno. Luka jumped from his seat, cursing at the sight. "What the fuck are you doing?"
From the portal stepped out a tall, slender woman. She was dressed in a revealing green dress; her skin was a greyish green and a strange scarab-based headdress adorned her. On the back of her palms were more scarab beetles, and her eyes glinted red with amusement. Four insectile wings spread out from her back, and they fluttered around, getting used to the new realm. Waving, Sephiroth dismissed the portal and the fragment of Madama Khepri stood in front of them.
"Well…" The Infernal looked around, her hands on her hips. "The world has changed a lot since the last time I was here."
Luka stared in utter fascination at the demon. "What are you?"
"I am Madama Khepri, the Protector of Time." She answered, drawing herself to her full height. "I am also the Infernal contracted with Sephiroth here." She turned to the man in question. "And my, my… you are a looker."
Sephiroth's eyes bulged out and he blushed. "What?"
"You're a witch?" Luka looked at him in surprise. "I thought only women could be witches?"
"You are correct, young mortal." Khepri answered. "He is not a witch, not in the usual sense."
"Khepri's last contracted witch's soul was bound into her body by the Father, with promises of a greater vessel to be forcefully contracted with." Sephiroth continued for her, still blushing. "I was spliced with her cells and took her contract on."
"It just took the bloody Sage five hundred years to do so." Khepri pulled a chair up and sat down. "I do have the gift of foresight and knew that I would get a new vessel eventually, but the waiting time was ridiculous!"
"So, you are a witch? In a weird way?" Luka seemed to be getting used to the fact there was a demon at the table.
"Not at all." Sephiroth smiled. "I can't do any witch powers."
"He is right." She confirmed. "His contract with me is limited due to most of it still laying with Rosa."
"I can't believe it…" Luka finally cracked. "I'm chatting with a demon at a table! What has become of my life?"
Khepri laughed. "I still can't believe I'm in the mortal realm again. It was an event that was yet to come to pass, but it happened sooner than I expected. Now, why did you summon me here? You wanted to ask me questions." She smiled and leaned back. "Go ahead."
"You're inside his head?" Luka started. "Like all the time?"
"Mhmm." She answered. "As part of the contract, we can have conversations with each other, he can learn from my nearly infinite knowledge, as well as storage of items in my realm."
"All of that for free?" He squinted. "There has to be a catch, right?"
"His soul is mine once he dies." She answered simply. "I was promised a soul from the Father, and now I'm going to get the best I have available to me."
"You're ok with going to hell?" Luka turned to Sephiroth, his eyes full of worry.
"It's not like I have much of a choice." He replied with an eyeroll.
"You worry too much." Khepri's eyes shined with amusement. "I treat my contracted well, especially if they treat me well."
"You protect time." Sephiroth stated, returning her look of amusement with seriousness. "Can you see into the future and past?"
"Yes, I can." Khepri nodded. "The future is shown as events with no context, whereas the past is clear to me."
"Who is Cereza?" Luka asked, understanding his line of questioning. "Why does the Father want her?"
Khepri hesitated. "I can't tell you."
"Why not?" Luka threw his arms back in frustration.
She folded her arms. "If I tell you, in all the futures I've seen, you lose the inevitable clash with the Father. If the identity of that girl remains hidden, you win in about a third of the futures I have viewed."
"All you've seen?" Luka leaned forward. "There is a chance that we won't lose, then-"
"That chance sounds miniscule and not worth satisfying our curiosity." Sephiroth interrupted. "What if we just killed the girl?"
"What!?" The mortal turned to him in shock and fury. "You wouldn't dare!"
"You really shouldn't" Khepri's eyes narrowed at her contracted human. "Ending her will only end you and destroy this timeline as you know it."
Sephiroth looked to the side. "Will I still be this… thing?"
"Yes. If anything, there will be more people exposed to the Father's run of experiments." The Infernal understood why he was asking, and leaned back, her eyes not hiding her impressed look. "You just got me to admit that she is crucial to this present; clever, very clever…"
"That's all I needed to know." Sephiroth leaned back and laced his fingers together.
"You weren't going to kill her?" Luka let out a huge sigh. "I'm travelling with a bunch of wannabe or actual murderers…"
Neither of the two replied, opting to stare at him blankly.
"Madama." Luka spoke, addressing the Infernal with a small tone. "Did Bayonetta kill my father?"
"She was the catalyst that saw to his death." Khepri answered. "It was inevitable, regardless of when or who threw the killing blow."
"That didn't answer my question…" Luka muttered.
"You will find the answer in due time." Khepri smiled. "And it will come with a few bonuses if you do."
"Let me guess; you're not going to tell me what they are." Luka stood up. "I'm retiring for the night, and you should as well. It's going to be a big day tomorrow."
"I don't need sleep." Sephiroth lied, holding a hand up to stop Khepri's questioning look. "I'll be up for a while."
"Alrighty then." Luka nodded. "I guess you'll be seeing us both in the morning."
He walked off, leaving the pair alone.
"Why did you lie?" She asked once the bedroom door closed. "You are still a human; sleep is one of your basic functions."
"I can't sleep knowing she is out there." He answered, lying yet again. "And she is coming for me."
"Ah, Jeanne." She nodded, ignoring his second lie. "She tried to make a contract with me once; I did not accept, for I foresaw a greater contract in the future."
"She is a curious case, that witch." She continued, noting his silence. "Her future is murky, but overall, it mostly turns out well for her."
"Her future turns out well for her?" His eyes flashed with anger and worry. "That's reassuring for me!"
"Many of them involve you." She giggled, her eyes glinting. "It's a perfectly content and acceptable future of my contract."
"The only future I can see her being happy in is one where I am in chains at his feet again, ready to be her plaything." He retorted.
"Didn't you tell Luka something important?" Khepri placed a hand onto her chin. "Don't assume until you have all the facts?"
"Twenty years of pain from her will teach me a lot about her." He answered flatly. "If she can be happy without someone's head sitting on a pike, or some poor soul being dragged into their experiment, I will marry her!"
Khepri laughed. He frowned at the Infernal. "What's so funny?"
"Don't you worry your little head about it." She stopped laughing and smiled. "I am surprised you haven't asked for your future, or asked about your past?"
"What is my future?" He asked, realising he could ask. "I don't feel comfortable about my past until I can remember it myself."
Khepri's eyes glazed over as she starting to withdraw into herself. She started frowning, her features etching themselves into a scowl.
"Huh…" Her face cleared, and she grinned. "You are interesting."
"Interesting in what way?" He asked, immediately suspicious.
"I can see you in other people's futures, but when I look for yours, you don't have one." She telekinetically pulled two cups towards them, filling one with water. "Imagine this cup being someone else." Summoning a teabag, she placed it into the water, darkening it instantly. "They have a future, but it is dark, murky and somewhat difficult to discern properly. Now you, on the other hand." She placed the empty cup on the table and put the full cup into it. "You exist in this person's future but have nothing of your own."
"How is that possible?" He asked, trying to comprehend her words.
"There is two ways: One, you exist outside of time at some point. Two, you are a rare futureless person, and I've only found a handful of those people" She put up two fingers, and then removed one. "You aren't futureless, as you exist in futures of other people. Which leaves just the one option."
"How does one exist outside of time?" He asked, perplexed.
"You cause a paradox or something." She shrugged. "No one has ever caused one yet, so it's only a theory on my half."
She glanced at the small window. "Now, unless you have more questions, I'd best be off before the Lagunan sense me and you."
"I have two; what is the name of my weapon, and why are you so nice?" He gestured at her. "From my teachings of Infernals, most of them you don't want to cross, and a contract with them is as good as death."
"Your katana's name is Shuraba." His demonic side howled with recognition of the name. "And as for me, I'm nice because I don't see the point in being a stereotypical demon. Why be a bitch to those I've made contracts with when I know whether they will end up in my grasp anyway?"
He nodded in understanding. Eyes glowing, he reopened the portal to Inferno. "Thank you."
"For what?" Her eyes narrowed at him as she stood up. "Talking?"
"Yes." He smiled. "We all need a dose of reality once in a while."
She laughed. "Aren't you easy to please…"
Walking towards the portal, she stopped and turned around. "You might want to give up your pacifist ways. Just saying…"
He nodded. He had planned to anyway; simply being defensive now would end up with the trio getting swarmed. She stepped through, and he closed the portal after her.
And he was alone again. His anxiety began to flare, and he began to worry about the coming day.
Boy, he wished she was still here so they didn't have to be the leader.
Hey, I'm still here! Her voice cried indignantly. Just because I left physically doesn't mean I left mentally!
He laughed, forgetting his issues. If you say so.
Go to the roof. She remembered that he didn't particularly want to sleep. You can practice up there.
Opening the window, he climbed out and up to the roof of the hotel. Summoning the blade, he looked at it with reverence.
"Shuraba…" He whispered, and the blade glowed slightly in recognition. Giving it a few swings, he dismissed it and turned his focus onto his own power. Practicing spells seemed like they would do far too much damage to the roof to be worth practicing. What could he try?
Teleportation. Khepri supplied. You being able to successfully open portals to other realms should mean you can move yourself small distances. Theoretically. It's the same concept.
"I can try that?" He said aloud. There wasn't really any harm in trying, right?
Focussing, he imagined himself on the other side of the rooftop. Feeding the thought energy, he felt the world shift and his vision immediately changed to the other side of the roof.
And he promptly threw up over the side of the building.
Well done! She sounded sarcastic, yet proud.
He closed his eyes as he tried to stop his stomach from churning. He had done it! He could teleport and vomit over his enemies. What a joke.
Maybe you should've been named the Vulture. She said, laughing at her own joke.
"Shut up." He gritted his teeth together and focussed on teleporting again.
It took him 3 hours of constant dry heaving, but eventually he could teleport without upsetting his own stomach. Taking a seat on the roof, he stared at the stars, placing a hand onto his sore and upset stomach.
"I hope you are doing well, Bayonetta." He said. "And I hope Paradiso is treating you well."
He was unaware of the presence watching him.
…
Jeanne hid in the shadows of the neighbouring building and stared at the winged man sitting on the roof in plain sight, furious with his stupidity. She could pull out a gun and shoot him and he wouldn't know. He wouldn't even think to know that someone was watching him. She had sensed an Infernal presence on the roof about 5 minutes ago, and a lingering one inside the hotel. Climbing the walls of the opposite building using witchwalk, she observed Sephiroth, of all people, to be out in the open.
"I want to be normal again." His voice carried to her. "I don't like these powers, and I don't trust myself with them."
She frowned and squinted at him. What was he on about?
"I wish I could just let them go." He said. "My feelings. I feel too strongly about things, and you know it."
"Who on earth are you speaking to?" She whispered to herself, leaning closer.
"I know what you said." He argued. "I just want to crush her skull and tear her apart for what she has done to me!"
That was most definitely aimed at her. Jeanne smiled at his temper; he could still be persuaded to be blinded with anger.
"She will suffer for what she has done to me." His face hardened. "But first, to Vigrid airport and potentially the recovery of Bayonetta."
He blushed. "No, I don't like her in that way. She isn't someone I can see me having a future with."
His face twisted into confusion. "What do you mean, good?"
He shook his head, and then disappeared. Jeanne blinked in surprise. He could teleport? That made things a lot more interesting. And he was stupid enough to tell her his plans, so she could get a head start on returning to that god forsaken place again.
"If he can do that…" She spoke to herself. "What can't he do?"