She used her agility to scale a tree next to her and crouched on a branch, trying to figure a strategy.

"Take out the ranged fighters, first."

'That hurts.'

"Make him last."

'Fine.'

She leaped off the branch, letting the flat of her scythe lead the way. She struck Cait Sith like a baseball and sent him flying into a tree, quickly rendering him out of the fight. She moved on to Yuffie and tried to strike her with the wooden part of her scythe. Yuffie deftly evaded the swipe that would have infinitely knocked her out, but screamed nonetheless.

"Bolt 3!"

A large streak of lightning came searing down to Loren, and though she barely got hit, the bolt sent her flying backwards. She flipped in the air, quickly regaining her composure (Aerial Recovery, anyone?). Yuffie sent her giant shuriken flying Loren's way, but she easily dodged it. She knew the shuriken was returning so she jumped high and landed on a branch softly, nodding knowingly as the shuriken flew beneath her to be caught by Yuffie's quick hands.

"Loren, why are you doing this? I thought you were our friend!"

Yuffie's comment stung Loren hard.

"I am your friend. But I have to protect him!"

Yuffie jumped back to get out of reach of the scythe coming in fast.

"Protect who? Sephiroth? He's our enemy! He's your enemy! We love you!"

Loren had disappeared, but Yuffie felt her presence keenly when she felt the back of Loren's scythe whack her hard on the head, knocking her out.

"He cannot die…not now. I am sorry, Yuffie."

She quickly moved on to Barret, but had to quickly set up her barrier when a rain of bullets fell upon her. Feeling such a torrent hurt her, though the bullets never even came near. She charged forth, leaping behind him and intending to knock him out just as she had done Yuffie. It was not so successful, as Barret turned around, shrugging the blow off as if it were a mere tap.

"You're one sneaky lady, betrayin' us like that. I don't know why I ever trusted you."

"I am not betraying you. He needs me. I need to help him see the truth. I think I can stop him from destroying the planet."

He sent another rain of bullets her way. She flipped around and she surely would have been hit, seeing that her barrier was still shaking. She went to his backside again and kicked out his legs. As he struggled to get back up, she held her scythe over him.

"I still don't trust you, girl."

"You do not have to. You gave me your trust willingly, and it is my burden that I misused that trust. And honestly…I need him as well. Our pasts are alike and he can bring me out of my past. I am sorry, Barret."

She whacked his head hard, like one would when hitting a golf ball. He rolled his eyes up in his head and he too was out cold. She looked around her. Tifa, Red, and Cid were down, some with minor cuts, but mostly unscathed, though she knew everyone would have some pretty painful bruises. Cloud and Vincent were ganging up on Sephiroth, and because of her plea, he was enduring quite an amount of damage. She quickly rushed to his aid and tackled Vincent. He quickly kicked her off of him and pinned her to the ground, gun aimed at her head. He was trembling with pain, rage, and despair. His eyes were glassy. She met his gaze, but simply looking at him was enough to make her weak.

"Why? WHY! WHY HELP HIM? I LOVE YOU!"

She shook her head.

"If you did, you would understand. You are blinded by rage and despair. If you took the time to think, you might have understood my intentions. I want to save your world. I want to save him. And I want to save you all from your endless fighting."

"You are not saving us by being with him!"

"You have no idea. He is clouded from the truth by the despair he felt when he discovered his creation. If he knew, he may change his mind about his mother and I could end Meteor's progression. But…you have no idea."

He still trembled and she kicked him off her. She held her scythe in front of her.

"Or actually…you do, don't you? You know all about Sephiroth's 'creation'. You know who he really is. You know all about…'her'."

Vincent froze.

"Yes…you do. I can see it in your eyes. But then again, you saw it all first hand. You are---"

"ENOUGH!"

He shot at her several times but she strengthened her barrier and let the bullets fly away from her. She smiled.

"Such adamant denial. Are you disgusted that I love both you and him? Well…you no longer have to worry about that. I have to protect him. That is all there is to it. I am going to help him see the truth."

"NO!"

He transformed into Chaos and roared at her. Shaking her head, she let herself go and let Death take over. The scythe fell from her hands and both she and Chaos charged at each other. Clawed hands locked in a grapple that strained both.

"So, Chaos, I see that you are well."

"Well, is that not a statement of the obvious? You are looking striking as usual. It would look so much better if I added a scar or two to that body of yours."

"I cannot let that happen, and though we are friendly rivals, I will obey my host and simply knock you unconscious. I have no desire for bloodshed today."

"You have softened, Death. You used to be so eager to spread your name among many people. Have you lost the taste for your name?"

"No, I am still quite desirous of it, but not today; you really are not worth my time."

Growling in amusement as if he was used to those words, he pushed back from her. He shot his wings forward and a rush of cutting wind was sent her way. She blocked but got some cuts on her arms. He then summoned a skull from the Abyss, which engulfed her and caused her much pain in its dark depths. Being as quick as he could, he was by her instantly, slamming her head to the ground repeatedly. He picked her up and attempted to squish her with his arms, but she used a violet ray from her finger to singe his flesh. She leaped far from his reach and prepared for her attacks. She wouldn't let this one defeat her, so she mustered all the strength in her body, due to the fact that the world was swaying dangerously around her. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt it running down the side of her head. 'So much for bloodshed.' Smiling, she shoved her hand forward and twisted her hand at the same time. A dark swirling mist spewed forth and encircled Chaos. She muttered 'Dark Wind' and it began to spin faster than the eye could see, giving Chaos many tiny cuts. While the wind cut him, she rushed forward and sent an uppercut into his jaw. Following almost immediately, she kicked him in the stomach and dug her nails into his arms, attaching herself to him as he flew back, which caused him to roar out. She pivoted her weight down, causing his head to smack hard against the forest floor. As his body began to scrape across the ground she unlatched her nails and jumped back from him. He must have surely been knocked out. But as the dirt settled, she saw that he had risen. Giving a low snarl, he took a step forward. She tensed, but relaxed as she saw him collapse back to the ground.

She turned to find Sephiroth and Cloud still fighting but saw it end when Sephiroth hit Cloud on a pressure point. The young blonde collapsed to the ground. Sephiroth raised his sword, but stopped when he saw Loren staring at him, a tight grimace on her face. Her eyes were almost pure black, but were returning to their demonic feline yellow. He grudgingly sheathed his sword. Still retaining her demon form, she began setting the unconscious bodies against trees, hoping they would be remotely comfortable when they woke up, save for the pain, more than likely being a headache. Saving Vincent for last, she picked him up and set him against a tree next to Yuffie, smiling. Indeed, though there was a great age distance, the two seemed well suited for each other, an almost perfect ying-yang. It was no wonder Yuffie was so attracted to him. She shook off the underlying thoughts in her head.

'I have made my decision. I cannot go back now. Heh, Sephiroth is closer to my age, anyhow.'

She grasped Vincent's claw hand. She muttered low, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"I shall miss your comforting smiles, Vincent. Thank you, for such wonderful companionship. You shall not be soon forgotten."

She stood and strode over to Sephiroth. He looked at her, passive, and was scrupulous in not letting what he truly felt show—guilt. He did not know why he felt so, but it was there. Mayhap he was sorry that he didn't kill everyone. Or maybe…he was oddly guilty because he saw her pain in harming her friends. No, he couldn't let his softness for her control the rest of his emotions.

Loren looked up at him, realizing that he wasn't so much taller than her, only a few inches at most. She was as tall as Cid, a towering 5'8". She felt tall and probably was tall for a female. Most were usually around 5'4"-5'6", so maybe that helped her feel out of place.

"You are strong for a woman."

"What does that mean?"

"You are physically stronger than most women and you laid low your friends and the one you care for."

She shook her head.

"No, I did not."

"What?"

"The one I care for. I did not lay him low."

"He is still conscious?"

"No…I mean that the one I care for is not unconscious. He is standing beside me."

Sephiroth slightly raised his eyebrows.

"Do you not care for Vincent?"

"I care for him…but…I cannot love him. Not in that way. I…love you."

Sephiroth closed his eyes.

"Hmph. We need to leave before they gain consciousness, because there is no guarantee that I will not kill them this time."

She nodded and grabbed the scythe. It disappeared into nothingness as she reverted to her human form. The robes turned into her clothes, which had somehow switched with her new outfit so that she had it on. She began to walk from the scene but noticed that he was not following her. When she turned, she saw that Sephiroth was staring at Vincent with a strange expression on his face. It seemed to be a mix of hatred, sadness, and uneasiness. Either he was having second thoughts about killing him, or…

"Sephiroth?"

He snapped out of his gaze. He returned to a passive state.

"What?"

"What was that about just now?"

"…It was nothing."

"Tell me."

"I shall tell you nothing."

She grabbed his shirt (what little of it there is). She stared hard at him.

"Please. Just tell me. At least remove some of the burden on your shoulders."

"I do not have any burden."

"Do not lie. I can see it in your eyes."

His eyebrow twitched, as if it were his sign of agitation.

"I will make it simple. I feel strange around him."

"Why?"

"Do not ask why. I do not know."

She put a hand to her chin in thought. She muttered so only she could hear.

"He may know, but does not even realize it. If that is true, then the man I saw seven years ago…he must have been my true father. I had that same feeling…I have to find a way back. But…not now. Later."

She turned from him.

"We should go."

He stared at her back. Her shoulders were tense, and even her back muscles were taut. He knew something was wrong, but did he dare ask? Yes, he decided. If she could squeeze answers out of him, he could do it to her.

"Now you answer me. What is on your mind?"

Her shoulders slumped.

"My father…I know who he is."

"I thought he left you before you were born."

"I had seen a man seven years ago…he had given me a strange feeling inside, like I should know him or like I should get to know him. He must have felt it too, because he had looked at me strangely with a fear and warmth radiating off of him, and kept walking."

"Why did you just discover this now if it happened seven years ago?"

The truth would have to come out. 'He is going to hate me for this…' she thought.

"The feeling you have when around Vincent…it is the same as the one I had when I had walked by that man."

"Are you saying that I am related to Vincent?"

"…Yes."

"Ludicrous! He barely looks past the age of 30!"

"He is older than you think. He was 27 years old 30 years ago, and he and Lucrecia were together one night…she had gotten pregnant."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Lucrecia gave the unborn child to the experimentation of Hojo. Vincent tried to stop her and Hojo, but Hojo stopped him instead by blowing off his arm. He experimented on him as well, and locked him in a coffin for 30 years. Almost a week after Vincent had been locked away, you were born, and you were as Hojo put it 'the perfect specimen'."

Anger was pouring from Sephiroth's eyes. He had read something along those lines in Hojo's journal many years ago and remembered when Hojo was so joyful when he said that 'that pesky Turk is out of the way'. He remembered the loud gunshot and related it to the golden claw-arm on Vincent. He seethed.

"YOU LIE!"

He backhanded her hard, sending her flying to the ground. She stood without a word and looked at him square in the eye. He could see that there was nothing but truth in her eyes. He clenched his teeth hard enough to make them shatter.

"You lie…Jenova is my mother."

"I am sorry, but I speak only the cold, brutal truth. Jenova is no Ancient. She is 'the calamity from the skies' as the Ancients called her."

Sephiroth turned his face away from her, oblivious to that last comment.

"Lucrecia is not my mother. Vincent is not my…father. I only have my mother, Jenova."

"You can call her that, but you only have her cells. You are Lucrecia's flesh and blood. You are Vincent's flesh and blood."

He turned his back to her now, digesting all of the new information. His muscles tightened.

"And you love both me and Vincent? And you knew all along that he was my…biological parent? What is wrong with you?"

"I did not think I would end up falling in love with you. I had been set on hating you for all eternity, remember?"

"No, I will not accept this! I will not allow you to love both! Love one or love neither! He is NOT my father! Lucrecia is NOT my mother!"

She shook her head.

"Do you really think you were born from a deformed creature with tentacles for arms? You look more human than that. Be in denial all you want. You know the truth now. It is up to you whether you accept it or not. It does not matter to me."

It actually did, but she wasn't about to let Sephiroth know that.

"Why…did Mother lie to me?"

"She probably knew you had a lot of power. She could have probably just wanted to use you to kill the last Ancient," she grimaced at the thought of Aeris's death, "and to help her destroy the world."

"How…did this happen? This has to be…this has to be a lie."

"No…it is not. I am sorry. It would have come out either way. I had planned to tell you later."

He rounded on her.

"Since when have you known?"

"Well before I even opened the gate to your world."

"You never bothered to tell me!"

"I knew you would be in denial, even more so than you are now. It would not have made a difference."

Kill her, my son. She speaks lies to turn you against me.

'Mother?'

Yes, it is I. Will you choose her over me? Will you believe her petty lies?

'Why do I feel so drawn to Vincent, as if I should have known him a long time ago, like I had wanted to befriend him, to try and be like a son to him?'

He is your biological parent.

'Then…'

I am still your mother.

'Lucrecia…was not my mother?'

No. She simply housed my child.

'How is that possible?'

It is hard to explain.

'You are not human, like me. I am among those you call "pathetic humans".'

You have my DNA. You are mine.

'As are thousands of others. They are yours only through injections, as am I. Lucrecia was not mentioned in the experimentation document for nothing. It was mentioned that she and Vincent had spent a night together and she had become pregnant.'

YOU ARE MINE UNDERSTAND! KILL HER!

He felt a strange urgency to send his sword through her skull, but he resisted. Despite his efforts, Jenova was far stronger. He raised his sword to her head, shaking violently. She stared at him and smiled.

"She is controlling you…right?"

"I have…no…power…over…my actions!"

"Now you know what I felt like all that time ago when you took control of me."

"…Move…!"

"You are strong enough to stop her. Do it. Stop her or kill me. Do it."

He used more of his strength, but Jenova upped hers. The shaking continued to grow in violence and the grimace on his face was almost frightening.

"You can win. Do it. DO IT!"

"Aaaarrrggghhh!"

He swung his sword around so quickly that she barely had time to duck and she knew she would have been decapitated when she saw the tree next to her falling to the ground. His breathing was heavy and his sword-hand trembled. He swallowed hard and dropped his sword. Loren narrowed her eyes at his pale complexion. He was perspiring.

"Sephiroth…are you all right?"

He straightened. He tried to calm his breathing.

"Yes…I am fine."

He stooped to pick up his sword when he let out a rush of air and hit the ground hard. He was trembling quite fiercely. Loren dropped to a knee and felt his forehead. He had a fever.

'He is burning. I have to get him some ice. Water, ice, whichever. He needs something to lower his temperature.'

"Just take him to the ocean shore."

'He needs clean water. The towns will not accept him. He is too well known. A lake, perhaps?'

"There are plenty of rivers."

'I need a secure place. I do not want to have to fight monsters while he is ill.'

"You are strong enough to kill monsters on your own."

'I cannot guard him and fight at the same time. What can I say; I am protective.'

"There is always Lucrecia's cave."

'…What?'

"Her cave. Underneath a waterfall and basically in a giant lake. It provides security and provides clean water."

'How do you know it is clean?'

"Why not find out?"

'Lucrecia's cave…'

She hoisted up Sephiroth, but knew she wouldn't get far carrying his weight.

'How am I going to do this? I will lose energy very quickly and I have to treat him as soon as possible. Can you help me?'

"I cannot provide you with limitless stamina. Even if I did, it would still take far longer than you desire."

'What other abilities do you have?'

"I can make a portal for you."

'Yes, that will be perfect. Can you make one for me?'

"That is easier said than done. I cannot make a portal if there is an obstacle in the area of choice, in this case a waterfall. If I made one, I would have to do it in the lake and you would have to swim to the cave."

Loren thought about this for a few moments.

'…Okay. Do it. I should be able to haul his weight for that short distance.'

"…"

She saw a black portal ripping through the air around her and she held him against her shoulder even tighter. She heard a faint voice.

"…L…Loren…?"

She looked to her side. Vincent was stirring.

"Sleep, Vincent. Sleep."

He became unconscious again, as if hearing her every word. She braced herself and stepped through the portal. She knew the water would try her strength more than walking, but she would be closer to Lucrecia's cave than she could ever hope for in a day or two. As soon as she felt the insistent tug of the portal, she sucked in her breath, held it, and before she knew it, she was in the water.

A/N: Hellooo 00'! Yay, I hope I am not boring my readers. Thanks for sticking with me this far and hope you're entertained. If not…well, I can do crazy stuff, or really stupid stuff. I can roll around on the floor like I'm on fire or something.

L: I can make that reality.

ES: Don't push it.

So yeah, thanks. Crazy bean fish monkey radish. Fonkeys (funkies) fish monkeys! My very own species. Moos go cow! Lol, I'm quite amused. "Blah," as the chicken says, "is a tame form of saying everything on your mind at once." Yes, blah. Flooberfish. I'm hyper for some reason and the Squawks go chicken. Yeah…um…ok…ummm…RUN AWAY!