I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THE CHAPTER AND I HOPE TO RECIEVE SOME HELPFUL INSIGHTS TOO ANYWAYS ENJOY CHAPTER 7.
As Lexa sat up she shook her head in amazement and disbelief. She knew she had been impaled by Seriphron's masamune through her chest so being alive was something she had not expected. Zack still clung to her tightly as she finally took notice and squeezed him back.
"What happened?" She asked him as he leaned back from her a moment and smiled.
"Do you remember how I told you that a voice used to guide me?" Zack asked as Lexa looked at him, shocked he would say that aloud. She was the only one in their group he had told about the voice because he thought the others would think he was insane. Lexa looked to the others who were in shock not only from her resurrection but Zack's words as well.
"I remember Zack but what does that have to do with anything?" She questioned as Zack smiled and continued.
"She gave you back to me." He smiled lightly as Lexa thought on his words. He seemed to be so much happier at the moment than ever before, despite being in the middle of their enemies. Lexa smiled back to him and allowed him to help her to her feet. She turned back to Avalanche and then to Zack with a questioning stare.
"Lexa, I think there has been a great misunderstanding of the situation. It seems that they want nothing to do with Jenova…"Avius trailed off as he took that moment to go to his brother. "Yeah… I think that everything is truly this, 'Jenova's' fault." He said as Vincent stepped forth.
"It seems that in your future we were all taken over by this essence of Jenova and have lost our free will. How this could have happened is the part that concerns me. I don't understand how each on of us could have been infected at the same time or at different times while the others never caught on. Not to mention I thought Kadaj and his gang had used the last of Jenova." Vincent thought aloud as Red XIII came forward.
"I don't think that we all came willingly… one of us may have been infected first and then forced it upon the next and so on and so forth." Red XIII theorized. The Exiled looked amongst themselves and remained quiet. "To answer you second thought… I am puzzled still."
They began to see that the mythical stories they were told about Avalanche in their time about them being hero's had been true. Avius and Zack were relieved to now this but the question of why the two of them would abandon their own children was still a puzzle.
"Trying to figure out how you were infected would be useless," Neo said as he looked to Vincent and then Red XIII, "what makes less sense is the fact both Cloud and Tifa discarded their children. When we faced those two in our world, they both were shocked that Avius and Zack were still alive." Neo stated as the members of Avalanche thought on this for a moment.
"Neo it doesn't matter, why they abandoned us…" Zack began but Tifa interrupted him.
"It does matter… I don't care how powerful Jenova's influence on my mind was, I would have never have abandoned you two!" Tifa exclaimed before she apologized for her outburst. Avius and Zack both avoided her eyes and looked down to the floor.
"Maybe, that's why" Vincent spoke, "Tifa you and Cloud could possibly have given the two of them away in hopes that they would one day stop the two of you."
The room fell silent as Avius spoke up again.
"So, you're saying she wanted us to destroy them?" Avius stated as he began to feel disgusted with himself. Tifa approached him and placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Tell us everything please, we must know, not from Seriphron's perspective but from yours." She said calmly as Avius looked to his brother and nodded.
"Avalanche had taken over the planet years before my brother and I were born. You two were the leaders of the group and declared yourselves as rulers over the planet. You oppressed any that opposed you and demanded that everyone followed your harsh way of life and gave any children to the military so that they could be trained to follow the two of you and die for you." Avius said as he looked to each of the members of Avalanche and then to Rufus and the two Turks.
"Shinra was one of your advisors of sorts and he would routinely send those two and several other Turks out to enforce your laws upon any that were thought to be against you… million were slaughtered ruthlessly during the first few years of the so called Utopia. Our adoptive parents were all we knew of until we came of age and our adopting father told us how you two used to be so great… they cried every time they tried to explain that you all had changed." Avius stated in a hush tone as he closed his eyes.
"Millions… died?" Cloud asked as he felt his heart climb into his throat at the chaos he would possibly cause. Barret shook his head and looked to the young man before speaking as if he was forcing himself to do so.
"Did… Di…Did Marlene survive?" Barret asked in a weakened voice dreading the answer. He had prayed that Jenova hadn't taken them as well and hoped that he wasn't the cause of his little girl's death.
Zack and Avius turned to Barret instantly and looked at him amazed. Archia and Axel looked to the large man and their mouths dropped but skepticism then graced their faces. Zack shook his wonder off and thought of the man's words as coincidence but decided to ask anyway.
"Does this Marlene know a person named Denzel?" This time it was the Avalanche group that stared in shock at Zack. Barret stood to his feet and nodded.
"She got dark red hair and Denzel's blonde like Cloud. You know 'em?" Barret asked as he hoped that the young man in front of them knew them on good terms. Zack looked at Barret and shook his head with a light smile on his lips.
"Yeah we know them," Zack turned to his brother and laughed lightly, "They were the ones who took us in." Barret nearly fainted from the news as he stumbled back to sit down.
"At least their alive and well… right?" Yuffie asked as Zack agreed with a nod of his head. Barret looked relieved and confused at the same time. He quickly turned to the two young men.
"They ain't feely-touchy are they?" Barret asked as his parent instincts kicked in. Avius raised a brow and shrugged.
"They sleep in the same bed… that's all I know." He announced as Barret fainted this time as Cid and Yuffie went to stop him from hitting the ground. "What's his problem, they're adults and they are married." He added as this news amazed everyone even more.
"Well, when they get back no more sleeping in the same room." Cloud smiled a little to Tifa who shook her head and grinned.
"I'd hate to ruin this happy moment but we are far from finished." Cain stated as Zack turned to him and nodded.
"Cain's right, Seriphron not only is still on the loose but he has Jenova's Essence. We can't get comfortable yet." He said as he turned to Avius who continued.
"Seriphron's next move is totally unknown. Cloud you've rejected Jenova… something I doubt Seriphron could have ever expected. He may even try to unite with the essence himself but even he doesn't know what that will do to him." Avius paused and then looked to his brother and Lexa "He'll come after you Zack because he wants revenge on you for killing Cloud and he will attribute Cloud's refusal of Jenova as your fault."
Cloud shook his head and looked at his sons. It was happening all over again… Sephiroth was back but in a different body with a different memory. He too was back but his son, Zack, was in his place fighting instead. Cloud shook his head and spoke aloud.
"Sephiroth was right… he would never become a memory," Cloud stood up and left the room. The others watched him go and Zack spoke before he could leave completely.
"Aeris… was that her name?" Zack asked as Cloud stopped and turned around. "The one he took from you… Aeris, what that her name?" He repeated and Cloud looked away before speaking.
"I guess Marlene and Denzel told you…" Cloud started but stopped.
"Like Avius said, they could never finish the story… can you?" Zack asked as Cloud's eyes widened for a moment before he turned to his son. Cloud looked into his eyes and saw for the first time that his eyes were the exact color and intensity of Tifa's. Cloud gasped before looking away quickly.
"Just as Seriphron attempted to do to you, Sephiroth took away two people who were very important to me: Aeris and Zac." Cloud stopped for a moment and watched as his son looked at him, "Zac taught me everything I knew and Aeris was… she…." Cloud turned and sighed deeply.
"Zack, did those two tell you about the Geostigma?" Cloud asked as waited for Zack's words.
"Just that you were sick and so was Denzel and a lot of others. They also told me you had to fight a man named Kadaj…" Zack trailed off as that was his complete knowledge of the disease.
"The stigma was created in hopes of a reunion with Jenova… Kadaj and his brother sought Jenova's last physical embodiment… her head. We tried to stop them but Kadaj got to the head before us and fused it within himself. In that instant, he transformed into Sephiroth." Cloud turned partially to face Avius and Zack as he continued, "Sephiroth and I fought until I was finally able to destroy him… while he was fading away, he told me that he would never be a memory… now Seriphron is here to take his place… and you have taken mine. My demons not only haunt me but have haunted my own sons…" Cloud stopped and turned to leave again. Tifa stopped him and forced him to face her.
"Cloud don't do this! Stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. Just because some bad things have happened you can't continue to run yourself into the ground… the past is the past and you can't change that, none of it was ever your fault, it was and is Jenova's. Cloud you have to stop beating yourself up and live for today!" Tifa pleaded with him as Cloud looked to her and then to Rufus.
"Wow!" Axel exclaimed aloud as everyone turned to him, "sorry, it just that at that moment you two were acting just like Zack and Lexa." Axel apologized. Tifa blushed a little as Cloud shook his head and turned to Lexa and his son who were shaking their heads in disapproval. Cloud began to leave again but Zack stopped him.
"The voice… I… she told me while I laid on the ground dead, that life was meant to be lived… if not for yourself then for the ones that love you and for those that 'loved' you… it inspired me… so I thought it would help you." Zack said referring to Cloud's glance to Rufus and Tifa.
Cloud looked at him slightly amazed before letting his lips form a small smile. He stood motionless for a moment before finally speaking to his son.
"Maybe… maybe you're right," Cloud started and then turned back to the exit to the bar, "but right now I have to deal with my own demons before I can help anyone." Cloud opened the door and stepped out. Tifa wanted to go after him but stopped.
'He keeps running away…' Tifa thought to herself as her sadness became apparent. Rufus placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she fought her tears. Rufus pulled her into a hug to console her pain.
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"Why has he forsaken our perfect world!" Seriphron asked as he faced the glass container in which the last remains of Jenova are held. He stared sadly into the container and scowled in anger. He had came back to protect the savior only to find that he didn't want to bring peace to the world. Seriphron frowned in anger as he thought back to all of the teachings of his time.
"I must find a way to make him see that Jenova is the answer!" Seriphron stated as he remained confused on what his next actions should be. "I shall return to my world in order to find an answer to this… Seriphron tucked the container into his vest and lifted into the sky and began to glow. "Once I have my answer I shall rid the world of those that are obsolete!" Seriphron grinned as his body began to fade back into his own time.
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Later in the day, after Tifa had seen everyone off she and Rufus were the only ones that remained. Cloud's departure had hurt her but Rufus had did his best to distract her mind with a few jokes and small talk.
"Thank you for staying with me." Tifa began but Rufus shook his head and smiled.
"My pleasure is to be in your company… I should be thanking you for this moment." Rufus said as Tifa shook her head lightly.
"I don't get it, why are you still here? I mean the future says that Cloud and I will be together… why even try?" Tifa asked as Rufus looked down and thought before answering.
"Well Tifa," he said as he came closer, "to be with you now and help you forget the pain he causes is my goal." Rufus kissed Tifa passionately after his words and pulled her close to him.
The two continued on for a moment unaware of Avius's presence in the room. He remained silent and hid in the shadows of the bar. He frowned as the two began to undress one another and continue their actions.
Tifa and Rufus moved to the counter of the bar and soon two shirts were discarded along with two pair of pants. Tifa knew they should stop before they did anything sexual but for the moment she wanted to feel alive… she didn't want to feel the pain. She was tired of crying and she wanted to feel pleasure for once in her life… even if it wasn't with the one she had really wanted.
'I can't let this continue.' Avius thought as he used his supernatural abilities to lift one of the bottles of rum from the shelf behind the two. He then disappeared into the shadows as the hold of his power on the bottle vanished causing it to shatter on the ground.
Tifa pushed Rufus from her quickly and turned around in shock as she looked at the broken glass on the floor. She sighed as she came down from the bar counter. She thought about cleaning the mess up in her underwear but thought against it as she quickly slipped her cloths back on.
"Rufus, thank you for your support and I'm sorry that I'm continuously leading you on, but I need to be alone for now." Tifa said with her back to him. She heard a sigh and closed her eyes and broke down crying once she heard the bar door open and close signaling his exit.
"Why can't I just let go?" Tifa asked as she began to clean the spilled rum and broken glass.
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The next day, Zack and Lexa were standing at the top of one of the soon to be skyscrapers in Midgard overlooking the city. He turned to her slowly and watched as she sat with her feet dangling off the edge with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair.
"This is so great." Lexa said with her eyes closed as Zack looked out into the city and huffed.
"I guess." He answered as Lexa turned to look at him.
"Not Midgard… life." She smiled as she leaned back on her hands. Zack looked to her again and continued to watch her. She felt his eyes on her and smiled more. "I think that I may have made this up, but when I was… you know…" Lexa gave him a look before continuing, "I dreamt that everything was okay and you were actually smiling and laughing, that scene made me want to let go," Lexa laughed lightly as she realized how foolish she sounded. Zack's eyes widened for a moment, "I guess what I mean is that I wanted that image of you to be my last… I just want you to be happy." Lexa smiled to him and Zack nodded.
"I am." He said.
"No you're not… you're so used to being worried and confused about everything that you don't notice you aren't happy. I know that having me alive is a plus, but you could be happier… and that's what I want for you… that's why I held Seriphron in that storm… so you could do what would have made you happy…" She turned to him and stared at him for a moment, "Zack I'd give my life to make you happy… I just want you to know that." Lexa stated as she stood to her feet and nodded to him. She turned back to the rising sun and laughed.
"You know, this is the first time that I'm not worried about being out in the open during the day in Midgard… I guess operating in the darkness has affected more than just our powers… I think it's gotten to our personalities." She turned to Zack and sighed sadly, "Zack make me another promise," he looked at her in confusion and nodded slowly as he stared into her eyes, "don't let the darkness and loneliness consume you. Cloud seems to have let that happen to him… he lost someone he cared for and possibly loved. You two are so similar… I guess that saying: 'like father like son', is true after all… Zack just don't be like him and try to fix everything on your own… I don't want to be your Tifa." Lexa sighed as she stepped into her black dome and disappeared.
Zack looked at where she had been moments ago and took all of it in.
"I won't keep hurting you like Cloud does to her… I swear it." Zack spoke aloud to the wind as he continued to look out at the rising sun.
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Avius and the others had searched the planet for several hours for any sign of Seriphron but found nothing. He had vanished without a trace with the essence. Avius ordered the others back to Midgard to regroup and debrief.
Neo, Axel, Archia, Cain and Lexa had appeared on the outskirts of the city and awaited Avius and their leader to arrive. Avius showed up but Zack was nowhere to be found.
"Where is Zack?" Axel asked nonchalantly. Avius shrugged and turned to Lexa for an explanation but she simply shook her head.
"I'll use the elements to find him." She began but Avius stopped her. He told each of them that he understood that his brother was busy and then dismissed them after trading their information. As Avius began to leave Archia stepped into the dark dome after him and came out just before the steps of Seventh Heaven.
"What are we doing here?" She asked as Avius turned to her slightly surprised. He shook his shock away and grinned.
"If I know Zack, then he went to talk to Cloud… so I'm talking to Tifa." He answered but Archia remained puzzled.
"What purpose would that serve? We have yet to find Seriphron and the essence." She reminded him and Avius nodded before turning to Archia and telling her about what he had seen in the bar last night.
"That had to be disturbing… I mean watching your mother get it on?" Archia grinned playfully as Avius frowned and hugged her to him.
"No it's not that silly." He smiled as he looked at the young woman before him and sighed sadly, "after knowing what we know now, I think I kinda want my parents to be together… I want the Avius that may one day be born in this time to have those two for parents… I think Zack feels the same way as well… if Cloud doesn't come around or Tifa gives up on him that means we may never exist here." Avius concluded as Archia gasped as she grabbed his shoulders.
"Avius, I want to come with you to help convince her." She replied as he smiled back
"Archia I have to speak to her on my own… besides I think I can handle this on my own. I'll see you later understand?" Avius asked with a small smile. Archia sighed in resignation and nodded. She leaned up and kissed him softly and smiled.
"Yeah, I understand. Avius, I hope one day all of this ends so maybe we can live in peace…" Archia opened a dark portal and before she stepped in she added, "together." Archia disappeared and left Avius alone. He nodded in acceptance of her request as he went to enter the Seventh Heaven.
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Zack knew the others wouldn't go after him because his brother would have known what he was going to do. He had to get Cloud to come to terms with his past if not to for Tifa's sake then for the smaller version of him that needed two loving parents.
Zack knew instantly where Cloud would go… Denzel had told him about the place constantly when he was a child. It was where he had met Lexa, the church.
He calmly stepped onto the steps to the doors of the church and sighed to himself. He could see Cloud sitting in a field of flowers in the center of the building. Zack thought for a moment but shook his head and turned to leave.
'Giving up again" The voice reprimanded him as he stopped in his tracks. He looked around and then shook his head.
"It's you… the voice…" Zack trailed off as he whispered his acknowledgement. A small laugh and then a sigh fell into his mind.
'yes, its me, the 'voice'.' Zack thought for a moment before looking to the sky.
"You're Aeris aren't you… the one who gave Lexa back to me… the one my father won't forget." Zack whispered as he closed his eyes. The area around him vanished as he stood, now, in a field of flowers with a woman in a pink dress in front of him her back facing him. Zack took a step forward and touched her shoulder.
"Zack," Aeris turned around and met his crimson eyes with her own green ones, "Cloud needs you to be strong… if you are strong then he'll stand strong too." Aeris stated as Zack looked at her for a moment before sighing.
"How can I possibly do anything?" He asked as Aeris leaned forward to look at him.
"You are the son of Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife… you can do anything you put you're mind to. Cloud needs you to show him how special you, your brother and Tifa are… you have to show Cloud what he's missing out on." Aeris interjected and turned away from him, "Zack, would you still give up trying now that Lexa's back… or will you live to help others live?" Aeris turned her head back to him with a smile before fading away.
Zack was instantly pulled back into reality as stared out at the scenery in front of the church. He turned to face the church doors and look in them to see Cloud had not moved.
"No more giving up…" Zack whispered in a voice of finality. He marched up to the church doors and threw them open.
Cloud jumped to his feet and pulled his weapon from his back and faced the entrance. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light pouring into the church but eventually his vision returned.
"Zack? Why are you here?" Cloud asked as he put his weapon down to his side. Zack closed his eyes and then summoned his two Buster Swords.
"Cloud… Seriphron has learned of nearly all of your moves. If I want to be successful against him, I need you to teach me how to fight like you." Zack said as he combined his two Buster Swords into a much longer, thicker and wider weapon. It was nearly three feet longer and a few inches thicker and wider than the previous Buster Swords. He turned to Cloud and gripped the enormous blade with both hands and took a stance Cloud normally took.
"So will you teach me?" Zack asked as he leaned his head to the side from behind his sword and looked to his father. Cloud was caught off guard from the question for a moment and looked confused.
"You want me to teach you how to fight?" Cloud asked as Zack shook his head.
"I know how to fight I just need to know how to fight like you… old man." Zack taunted as Cloud raised his brow and lifted his sword out in front of him to mimic Zack's stance.
"Oh… if you put it that way then, sure… kid." Cloud grinned as he ran forward, "I just hope you keep up." Cloud called as their blades met.
"Don't worry… old man, I'll keep up… just make sure you hip doesn't fall out of place." Zack grinned back as Cloud smiled and continued their sparring lesson.