Loren shook her head in disbelief as the three slowly stood from their positions.

"How is this possible?"

Aeris's voice sounded confused.

"Don't ask. I don't know how I pulled it off myself."

Cloud grasped his head.

"Aeris…how…why? I'm so glad to hear your voice."

Her voice grew warm and it made all three---Sephiroth, Loren and Cloud---feel comfortable and happy.

"I'm glad, too."

Sephiroth chose to be the person not shocked and asked his question first.

"Why are you communicating with us now?"

Aeris laughed.

"Ever the one to get to the point. I just had to warn you all. The planet told me what you're going to do, and you have to be really careful. Jenova will more than likely take your power away from you and put it into herself. When that happens, she will become her true self and be more powerful than you can imagine."

The three looked at each other. Loren's brows furrowed.

"True self?"

"Yes. You all are going to really have to work together to get her down. You're probably going to have to make some sort of combined attack between all of you."

Loren smirked.

"Yes, let's all combine our powers in some sort of super jumbo attack with perfect timing."

"Well you come up with the way to kill her then!"

"Now, now, I was just saying that's going to be harder than it seems. Does the attack have to be physical or magical?"

"I would advise magical, because her defenses against your weapons will be high."

Loren nodded.

"Alright, that works."

"Just don't use Demi, okay? She'll have a very good defense against that."

"We'll keep that in mind."

"Sephiroth."

He looked up from the ground as if she were there.

"Yes?"

"You most of all have to be careful. She'll steal your strength and she'll more than likely come after you due to your 'treachery'."

"Hmm…as much as I dislike the idea of being weak, I'll remember that."

Cloud scratched the back of his head.

"This is so weird."

"You're weird, too, Cloud."

He chuckled softly and scratched his head again. The rest of the group stared on in shocked confusion. Loren walked over to the railing, sighing.

"I wish you could be here with us, Aeris."

"But I am here. I've always been here, watching over and protecting you all. I'd never leave you guys."

Loren nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's right. Sorry."

"Don't apologize."

Something shining below caught Loren's attention. She smiled.

"Cloud, come over here."

The blonde strode easily to her.

"Yeah?"

"Look down there."

He peered over the edge cautiously and scanned the ground until the shiny thing caught his eye, too. He looked at Loren. Somehow, she could hear his thoughts.

'Is that really…?'

"Yes, sir."

'How did you…?'

"Magic."

He gave a shadow of a grin, gave Loren a sound kiss on the cheek, and without a word, leaped off the airship. The group shouted their surprise and fear and ran to the edge of the ship. Sephiroth in particular looked ready to leap after the blonde and shake him up a bit. Aeris was laughing still.

"He's as crazy as ever."

Loren leaned against the railing, holding the cheek Cloud kissed her on. She was smiling softly.

"He wouldn't be Cloud otherwise."

She noticed Sephiroth staring at her with a scrutinizing gaze. She laughed.

"Don't get jealous, you moron."

"Why are you all red?"

"Well, excuse my embarrassment. It's not every day I get a random kiss for doing something to help someone."

He gave a resigned 'hmph' and she smiled at his attitude, grabbing his hand. She was slightly peeved that his gloves were in the way. She gently peeled the glove off, feeling him watching her and when it was off she proceeded to lock her hand with his. His hands were pale, paler than hers, due to lack of sun, but they were smooth and flawless. His fingers flexed.

"Come on, why don't we go down there like pros?"

Asking for Death's power, she leaped off, still holding Sephiroth's hand. The two plummeted down. While they made their descent, she felt eyes on her, Vincent's. She projected her thoughts to him.

"Vincent, why are you looking down after me?"

'What? Loren…'

"Why are you looking down after me?"

'I'm making sure you're safe.'

"Oh."

'Take care of my son.'

"Have no doubt of that."

She activated Death's power and they glided the last ten feet, their boots touching the ground lightly. She knew he was lying, but didn't want to press the issue further. The last part she knew was no lie and indeed she would take care of him. She looked to Cloud and saw him holding up his Ultima Blade.

"So how does it feel?"

"What?"

"How does it feel? The blade."

"Oh, it's great!"

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

"Thanks for having us go after WEAPON! I really needed this."

The nearly transparent blade shone brightly in the daylight, almost seeming white. Loren thought of the interesting effect the health level of the wielder had on the blade.

"If only I could show you what else it does…"

"Why can't you show me?"

"Well…you'd have to get seriously injured for that."

"Okay, I'd rather not know."

"I thought so."

She felt the airship land behind her, as she nearly flew into Cloud. She noticed that Yuffie was now awake and was being supported by Vincent. The group jumped out of the airship and joined Cloud. A worried Tifa quickly smacked said man over the head.

"You idiot, what were you thinking jumping out of an airship more than 500 feet off the ground?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

She looked about to pounce him, but refrained when Barret put a hand on her shoulder. Cloud twirled his sword in the air.

"To show how able I am to jump off airships and be strong, here, take the sword."

Tifa looked confused.

"Go on. Hold it. Pick it up."

She grabbed the hilt of the sword and nearly had her arm yanked out of its socket as her arm plummeted to the ground. She yelped in surprise.

"Good god, this thing is heavy!"

Barret rolled his eyes.

"It can't be that heavy!"

As he took it from her hands, his eyes widened.

"Damn, spikey, you on 'roids?"

Cloud laughed. The attention of his comrades was full now.

"Is it really that heavy?"

"Come on, let me see!"

"Outta my way, &$# !"

"Oh, gawd, I can't even lift it!"

"Yer tiny, it's natural fer you not to be able to pick it up."

"Hey, you wanna say that again? Bring it on, old man!"

"I am not old!"

"Better hitch up your trousers, cuz I'm comin' at you with all I got!"

"Ahh, son of a &$#!!!"

Everyone was laughing and pushing each other around, so none except Loren and Sephiroth noticed the soft voice that tinkled at the corner of their mind.

"Please don't die…"

With that, they knew she was gone, gone until the time came. Loren noticed the group had quieted and were looking expectantly at the three of them.

"What?"

"Come on, out with it. What did she tell you?"

Loren sighed.

"She said that we have to be careful because Jenova will absorb Sephiroth's power and put it in herself, making her become her true self. With that having happened, we'll have to create a combination attack between the lot of us because she'll have unfathomable power."

More than a few exchanged worried glances.

"What's recommended is a magic attack, though you should use anything but Demi. She seems to be near immune to it. Our weapons won't be effective, but I'm sure the damage we can inflict on her will be cumulative. I say we hit her with all we've got using our weapons and Limit Breaks, then at the end use magic to blow her to kingdom-come."

Sephiroth shook his head slightly.

"I'm afraid that would take too long. She will have had a chance to use a strong attack of her own and probably annihilate us. I say we use magic to create barriers and assault her with spells individually, while one person uses restorative magicks and hands out Ethers and such when they are required. The Limit Breaks can be used simultaneously and almost immediately after we can cast the combination spell. Ethers, elixirs or otherwise will have to be handed out before the large attacks and if you have Summons you want to use, use them before the large attacks as well. As an important precaution, if you notice the healer or anyone else for that matter a particular subject of attack, rush to defend them. It will force her back and you can work your spells together to get a stronger effect."

The group nodded appreciatively at his strategy. Cloud actually smiled at Sephiroth.

"That's pretty good. I couldn't have come up with a better strategy myself."

"I wouldn't imagine so. It's the longest thought over strategy I've ever done."

"Thought-over strategy? You don't think long on your strategies or what?"

"I usually take thirty seconds."

"And this one was your longest?! How long did you take?"

"Almost two minutes."

"Oh wow, that's sooo long. You know some of the greatest generals in the world take hours to make their strategy?"

"But I'm not some of the greatest generals. I'm the greatest general."

Loren laughed.

"Well, someone thinks highly of themselves."

"I've reason to."

Everyone conceded to Sephiroth's strategy and they boarded the airship to head to the battleground. Once on, Loren grabbed Sephiroth and led him inside the airship, a grin with an air of fear to it plastered on her face. Vincent watched the two of them go, feeling curiosity and a slight pang of something like sadness or even jealousy deep in his gut. He thought to himself. 'Do I still love her? Do I still love her after all of this? Of course I do; love never ends. It's because I love her that I'm letting her go. But it still hurts.' He heard Chaos making a mock sniff of sadness and disappointment.

"Aww, I was getting all psyched for the battle and here you are making me sober. What a cruel game you play, Vince."

'Oh, shut up, Chaos. We'll be ready enough when the time comes. I have confidence in you.'

"What is this? Am I receiving a compliment from you?"

'Shut up, Chaos. You know what it is; don't question me about it.'

"So cold. I like it."

'Ugh, I must find a way to become happy.'

"Humph, fine Vincent, be that way."

A couple minutes passed by and Loren came back out, a carefree smile on her face. She looked over her shoulder at Sephiroth, and said something that made the man blink a few times. He nodded and she turned back around, her black hair flying over her shoulders like a silken cloth. She started for Vincent now.

"Vincent, can you come with me? I want to talk to you in private."

He nodded dumbly and she started walking away to the inside of the ship again. He was led to the chocobo stable and Loren ushered the man inside out.

"What did you need to talk to me about?"

"I'm worried. I'm worried that something bad will happen during the battle. I'm worried about your son getting hurt. I'm worried about everything."

Vincent grabbed her hand.

"This isn't like you. You have no reason to be worried so don't be."

"No, you don't get it. I have this weird feeling in my gut like something bad is going to happen. It's making me worried about Sephiroth."

"Look, if something happens, I'm sure we'd be able to fix it. Don't be worried. You'll make fighting Jenova harder than it really is."

She looked at the ground. She licked her lip nervously.

"Yes, I know. It's just hard when you've got a gut instinct of fear in you and you can't shake it off."

Vincent nodded his agreement. He'd had feelings like that before. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be alright. Just don't think about it."

With that, he gave her a quick peck and the cheek and left. Now alone, Loren sat on the floor, her knees to her chest, and looked up at the ceiling.

"I hope you're right…"

Within hours, they reached their destination: North Crater. Meteor darkened the skies even more here and created an ominous air. Yuffie shivered.

"This place gives me the creeps!"

Loren agreed.

"Yeah, even I'm a little chilled."

Sephiroth had a determined frown on his face.

"This place is the center of the world's current crisis. It would be natural for the place to be a little foreboding."

Cloud stood by Tifa, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Tifa showed no signs of backing down. Yuffie stood by Vincent, putting her game face on, while Vincent stood impassively, his gun in his hand. He blinked once.

"Darkness and untold evil lurks within the crevices of this place. But we all know that dissolution is at hand for the Calamity. With this in mind, the darkness should remain but a mere spectator and not a combatant."

Loren smiled. 'He sounds all philosophical-like, like he especially was near the end of the game. Heh, cool.' Red shook his mane. Cait twittered nervously. Cid seemed perfectly at ease, smoking a cigarette, spear looking positively deadly. Barret looked ready to rip Jenova to shreds. Red nodded.

"So it all ends here. We shall end the evil plaguing this world. Seto, are you proud of me?"

"I'm sure he would be. You'll be a grand parent yourself someday and a great leader."

Red looked to Loren, almost seeming to smile.

"You are too kind."

"No, I just like you. Besides, it's the truth."

He swished his tail lazily to show his gratitude. A soft rumble startled the group. All now had their weapons drawn. Sephiroth looked around warily. He held his hand out in front of him and everyone turned to him. Realization dawned as purple-glowing black specks started coalescing to form the Black Materia.

"It wasn't Jenova holding me back from summoning the Black Materia. It was the Crater itself. I can destroy it now."

The small orb hovered as if in water and seemed so perfect and beautiful. Who knew that it would be so deadly? Loren suddenly felt compelled to grab it and hide it somewhere where only she could find it. She resisted, but it was hard. Sephiroth poised his sword over the stone and prepared to cleave it in half. As he began its descent, Loren's will broke and she ran at him.

"NO!"

She grabbed the blade with the hand she didn't use her sword with and grabbed the stone. Blood ran like a thick river down her arm. Shocked, Sephiroth pulled back.

"What has come over you?"

He grabbed her hand and healed it before she could resist, but she quickly pulled back and clutched the materia to her chest.

"You can't destroy it."

"Why not?"

"It's too valuable."

After a few seconds' hesitation, Sephiroth raised his hand in a flash and slapped her with the force of a punch to the face. She stumbled back and fell to the ground. The materia flew out of her hands and landed a few feet away from them. Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"What was that for?"

"Don't let Jenova control you."

"What are you talking about?"

"What were you doing before I slapped you?"

"I saw the Black Materia hovering in the air and then…"

"You don't remember, do you?"

Loren muttered a long string of oaths under breath.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. But be careful."

Sephiroth turned to see Yuffie picking up the Materia. He pointed his sword at her.

"Drop it."

Paling, she placed it on the ground, where it started rising to chest level again. As he raised his sword once more, a great rumbling shook them to the ground and everything flashed white. When they could see again, they were near Corel. It was nearing dusk and dust flew in their eyes from the rugged land across the water. Sephiroth audibly cursed.

"She knew all along! She's taken us from the only place we can destroy Black Materia!"

As he finished his sentence, he seemed to lose all color in his face and he fell to the floor, quickly gasping for breath. He seemed near unconsciousness seeing as that he was shaking weakly. Loren quickly consulted with Death.

'Help me! His power has been taken from him!'

"What would you have of me?"

'The power of his that's in me. Can you help me try to put that power in him?'

"That will be difficult, but we can give it our best effort."

'Thank you, Death.'

"No need to thank me just yet."

Loren placed her hands on Sephiroth's arms, concentrating for all she was worth. Her eyes flashed sea green as his power left her and returned to its true owner. It was only a fraction of his power but he needed it. Some color returned to him, but he seemed far from well. He looked tired and beat down. He stood on unsure legs, but seemed totally calm. She handed him an Elixir but he refused it. Nevertheless, she made him down the concoction. As much as he revolted using the potion, he seemed better. He picked up his sword, frowning as he held it.

"It seems heavier."

Cloud raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Sephiroth looked at Cloud.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

Cloud shrugged. The group heard a sickly sweet laughter ring behind them. Weapons ready, they turned to see whom they had come to kill. They didn't get what they expected. It was Jenova, all right, but she was human in appearance. Her eyes threw it off due to the fact that they were white with just little black dots for pupils. Her skin also had a sickly purplish tinge to it and her hands were vein-y. Sephiroth looked feral.

"Jenova."

"You speak so coldly, my so--"

"I AM NOT YOUR SON!!! DO NOT DARE LIE TO ME!!!"

With a sinister smile, she waved her hand to the side and Sephiroth flew into the mountain nearby. He grunted in pain, not allowing his sword to fly from his grip. Baring his teeth, he shouted to the group.

"Don't forget the strategy!"

Everyone nodded and began casting their spells. Changing to her demon form, Loren imbued her scythe with fire properties. Choosing to be decoy, she flew at Jenova, no other thought at mind than that of hurting her enemy severely. As she blinked, Jenova suddenly disappeared just to reappear behind her. She heard a late shout of 'Look out!' and she landed face down in the grass, her head exploding with pain. She recovered quickly and charged Jenova again whom lightning, fire, ice, comets, and earth were promptly slamming into. She ended up face down in the ground again, blood seeping from her mouth. How was Jenova so fast? Even though the planet itself had advised it, Jenova seemed unfazed by the magic attacks that were being quad-cast, mimed, and powered up by supportive materia. Loren rose again, keeping herself steady and checking if Regen and Wall were still in effect and quickly cast Cure 3/All with the materia she had equipped. She almost cringed when she heard Jenova's voice again.

"You bore me. Make my play with you amusing. Let me watch you break."

Loren felt a quick flash of worry.

"Absolute Darkness!"

"Oh, no…"

As she finished her sentence, she was swept into utter blackness and she assumed everyone else had, too. She could see no one else and wanted to run around, but something seemed to be holding her in place. The time that transpired next seemed to take forever. Though Loren couldn't see, Cloud too was rooted in place. He seemed almost desperate to be free as his eyes widened and then his face twisted in rage.

"JENOVA!!!"

Loren pondered why he would be so angry, but soon saw as something akin to mist flattened out in front of them. Images began forming in the mist and then developed into what she recognized as a memory. Cloud was in a truck with a spiky haired man with bright blue eyes. 'Zack,' she noted. She immediately knew the memory and prayed Cloud wouldn't go berserk. A thought occurred to her. If she could hear everyone else, could they hear her?

"Cloud!"

The blond turned to her voice.

"Loren?"

"Yes! Don't let the memory affect you!"

Cloud in the memory remained oblivious to Zack's words. The present Cloud, also remembering this buried memory, shouted to Zack.

"Get out of there! You idiot! Duck, jump, do something!"

Zack suddenly switched attitude.

"Cloud!"

He buried Cloud under his body as bullets rained down from above. Cloud yelled his protest.

"No, save yourself you idiot!"

Zack in the memory paid no heed, of course, and it faded out to where they were nearing Midgar. Zack cursed. Bullets flew past him.

"Damn! Cloud, just run! We're almost there!"

He put Cloud on the ground, who simply lay there, unmoving. Zack braced himself and was abruptly shot. As he struggled to get off the ground, Shinra soldiers ran up to him and repeatedly shot him. When he no longer rose, they looked to Cloud. They disregarded him quickly.

"He's half-dead anyway. Just leave him here."

Cloud's voice was hoarse.

"Damn it…Zack…why didn't you just run?"

The Cloud in the mist grabbed Zack's sword and crawled to the edge of the cliff. At the same time, Cloud fell to his knees. Once memory Cloud raised his sword, both shouted at the top of their lungs. As he wept, he faded into the darkness. Loren struggled against her paralysis.

"Cloud!"

Tifa could now be heard.

"Cloud! Cloud! Where are you?"

Loren answered.

"I can't hear him either! He may have disappeared!"

"Loren?"

Again, the mist began forming images. It was Tifa in her little cowgirl outfit. Loren knew where this was going. Nibelheim was on fire and Tifa was running to the mountains. Zangan called after her.

"Tifa! Don't go; you'll be killed!"

The girl ignored her teacher's words and kept running. Eventually, she saw her father in the reactor.

"Papa!"

"…Tifa…"

"Who did this? Sephiroth did this, didn't he?"

"Run…Tifa…"

The man now lay lifeless in her arms.

"Papa…PAPA!!"

After she cried for a while, she stood. The live Tifa was shaking in rage.

"Sephiroth…SOLDIER…Mako Reactors…Shinra…Everything! I HATE THEM ALL!!!"

"How dare you…? JENOVA!!!"

Tifa, also, faded into the darkness. One by one, everyone's worst memories played out in front of everyone, some breaking into sobs, others screaming for Jenova's blood. Loren knew that it was down to her and Sephiroth. Figures began reshaping themselves and she recognized Hojo on the spot. He was skimming through some files when he saw a teenage Sephiroth enter the room. He put the files away, agitation lining his features.

"What do you want, boy?"

"I only came to retrieve my sword, Professor. I didn't come to disturb you."

"You'd best not be. You already take enough of my time during the day."

"You never had to take time from your day for me. Why complain about it if you do it of your own free will?"

"Don't give me lip, boy."

"Why not? You always give me things that I don't want. Why don't I give you some Mako injections and see how it feels? Why do I always seem to be the center of your disappointment? If you just paid attention, maybe you'd see just how much I'm doing for you! I'm not your damn lab rat!"

Hojo stood and slapped Sephiroth.

"You are my lab rat! You are my specimen, my experiment, subject to my whims and expectations! I do not need to give you praise or attention. You are a thing, something meant only to give me results, not opinions!"

"Well I don't want to be your experiment! I want to be a normal kid with a normal life with normal strength. I don't want to be a freak! I'm a human just like you! Why don't you just take a minute to treat me like one?"

He flashed his arm to the side and suddenly, the files on his right, the files Hojo had been previously looking at, caught fire. Hojo widened his eyes in rage. Sephiroth quickly extinguished the flames with some nearby water and barely had enough time to look at Hojo when he was pushed and quickly strapped to a vertical experiment table. His shirt was torn off and he became almost afraid. He felt sharp lashes on his back and gave a cry of pain before he could restrain himself.

"You failed experiment! You worthless specimen! You pathetic excuse for a wannabe human being! You moronic creature! I should have killed you when I saw how worthless you were ten years ago!"

"I hate you! What kind of twisted parent are you, to experiment on and torture your own child? You are the worthless one!"

"Shut up, you failure! You are not to speak out of turn to me again! You are to join SOLDIER and not come back until you have gained superior status!"

He increased the intensity of the lashes.

"Ahh! I will never do anything you say! You are a monster, Hojo!"

"You are the monster, specimen, not I."

He gave a few more lashes then went over to his desk, and returned with a pair of scissors. Sephiroth, who had slumped in his bonds, went rigid again as Hojo cut his hair right under his ears. He struggled as Hojo lightly caressed the bleeding wounds on his back and his voice turned sickly sweet.

"My precious experiment…"

"Get away from me you homosexual bastard!"

He felt Hojo's lips on his ear and shuddered in disgust.

"I'm afraid you've spoken out of turn, Sephiroth."

"At least you didn't deny it."

"You hopeless boy…"

He bit Sephiroth's ear hard, then disappeared. When he came back, Sephiroth didn't know until a long needle punctured his arm. He gritted his teeth in pain, but didn't voice it this time. He felt the Mako working its way through his system. He felt another needle enter his other arm and another hit his back. Hojo was at his ear again.

"This is going to hurt."

"Wha---"

He felt a final needle, that of Jenova cells enter his neck. He screamed in pain this time as the cells made their burning way inside of him. Against the steel table, he saw his own eyes flare. He felt the Mako meet the Jenova cells as a new pain erupted in him. His screams grew as they changed to sheer agony. Hojo, sneering, stood in the doorway.

"Scream in your solitude. No one will hear you. No one will save you. Endure this pain for the next week in solitude. You are an experiment. No one will care."

As he turned his back to the screaming teen, he chose to add one last cutting statement.

"Oh. And no one will ever love you. I, for one, never did."

With that he left, leaving Sephiroth, as he had said, to his screaming solitude.

Loren heard Sephiroth curse for all he was worth and heard his sword being vehemently swung through the air.

"Sephiroth!"

"Argh!"

"Calm down! Hojo's dead now! You got your revenge! Let go! It was only a memory!"

Her words met an abrupt silence.

"…you're right…Thank you."

"Look, if you see everyone again once you fade into the darkness, tell them what I told you, okay?"

"…I'll try."

His voice was heard no longer and she knew she was the only one left. She stood firm and awaited her memory, a tinge of something akin to fear plaguing her. The mist began its now usual reformation. The figure she saw was of the man she knew was her true father. He was rather handsome, his shoulder-length wavy black hair greatly contrasting from his fair skin and blue eyes. Her mother stood in front of him, her hands balled into fists at his side, her gray eyes on fire. She couldn't remember this. She heard Jenova's voice in her head.

"For you, I will make sure you suffer. You caused me too much trouble."

Loren crossed her arms.

'Oh, am I going to have the time of my life…'

Her mother was shouting obscenities at her father, who was visibly recoiling from her attack.

"You say you work hard, but where's the money? Does it disappear in a few drinks?"

"No, Virginia, why don't you understand that I just don't get a lot of money? I only get eight fifty an hour!"

"That's not good enough! I get paid sixteen hundred dollars a week!"

"That's because you're probably a prostitute on the side!"

"What good are you, you mangy mutt, if you don't have a six-figure income?"

"Excuse me, I didn't think you were a gluttonous whore when I married you! You seemed nice enough!"

The two were nose to nose and a frightened four-year-old Loren was watching from behind a wall.

"You seemed wealthy enough when I married you!"

"That's all you think about isn't it, Virginia? Money! That's all you think about!"

"You can't get anywhere without money! You can't get the luxuries of the world without money!"

He turned from her.

"You reek of greed!"

"And you reek of filth!"

"Daddy?"

The man froze. He turned and looked at the little girl clinging to her mother's leg. The girl looked up at her mother.

"Mommy? Please don't fight!"

Loren's mother seemed to lose it for a second and she grabbed Loren's hair. She slapped the child and threw her to the wall where she landed in a heap.

"Loren!"

Her father went up to her mother and slapped her so hard that she flew to the wall opposite the one Loren was clinging to as she rose. He grabbed Virginia's throat, his eyes flaring.

"Never…hit…our…daughter! You hit her again and I'll kill you! You hear that? I'll kill you!"

Virginia sneered.

"What happened to your kindness?"

"It deserted me and went to hell the moment you hit Loren."

"The little moron will probably end up just like you, poor, weak, and stupid. She looks like you to begin with."

"At least she won't end up like you---greedy, vain, and corrupt."

He released her and started walking over to Loren when Virginia jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his throat. He quickly grabbed her arms and flipped her over his shoulder. She landed with a dull thud and didn't move from her spot, though her hand flexed repeatedly. He looked coldly down at her.

"And stay down."

Loren was softly crying. He gently wiped a tear from her eye. He looked guilty.

"Please don't cry, Beautiful. I'm sorry Daddy seems so mean right now. I just don't like it when Mommy hurts you or me."

"Why does Mommy hurt us?"

"She's confused, my love. She's very confused."

"Why?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I have to get you out of here. We're going to leave, okay?"

"But I need to take care of Mommy. I'm strong."

He tousled her hair lightly.

"I knew you're strong, Loren, but Mommy needs to help herself before she gets someone else's help."

She took a long look at her mother then took her father's hand. It changed scenes to where she, her mother, and her father were in court. Her mother was crying.

"And then he hit me and threatened to kill me!"

The jury gave sent each other horrified glances. The judge leaned forward.

"He threatened to kill you?"

"Yes, just because I told him to leave Loren alone after he had struck her!"

Her father pounded the table.

"That is a lie! The situation was reversed!"

"I must ask you to remain silent, Mr. Reninfield."

He sat down obediently.

"So what did he do after that?"

"He started to walk back to Loren and I thought he was going to hit her again, so I jumped on him. He flipped me, spoke sweet words to our daughter, and then took off with her!"

"No, I…"

"Reninfield, I ask for the last time your silence."

The image blurred again. The verdict was being read.

"Virginia Reninfield, you are granted custody of the child, Loren Reninfield. Richard Reninfield, you are hereby denied any visitation rights and are not to enter within 100 feet of the premises of Ms. Virginia's home."

Richard hung his head.

"May I have one final request?"

"What may that be?"

"Can I say good-bye to my daughter?"

The judge hesitated.

"You will be monitored."

"Understood."

When everyone was dismissed, Richard knelt to hug his daughter to him. The little girl clung tightly, for she knew this would be the last time she would see him. He stared into her gray eyes and he could see his sorrow reflected in them.

"Be good for me, okay Loren?"

She nodded slowly.

"And…despite how much I regret my choice in marrying her…I never regretted having you. You are beautiful and I know you'll be nothing like your mother. Take care of yourself."

"Daddy…"

"Don't cry, my love. Maybe one day, you'll see me again."

The aged Loren let out a cry as he turned and left, a tear making its way down his cheek.

"FATHER!!!"

She was finally released from her bonds. She promptly fell to her knees.

"I…I didn't know…why…Fatherrr!!!"

Another scene showed up and her mother kicked her forward.

"Hurry up, you worthless idiot! Stephen will be here any minute! Luckily he has black hair like you and I screwed him a week after I was pregnant with you, so he can't really tell that you're not his. This man is made of money, so treat him like a god. He is much better than your father, so treat him so!"

Loren nodded quickly and was quickly yanked by the hair.

"And smile, for God's sakes! You look like a retarded dog just standing there like a stone!"

She opened the door and a portly man with stubble lining his face smiled at her.

"Virginia! Good to see you!"

Virginia gave him a look and gestured down.

"That's her."

He looked down at Loren and his smile grew wider. He extended his hand toward her.

"Well, hello!"

Loren flinched from his hand. He frowned slightly, a little disappointed and withdrew his hand.

"I'm not so sure she likes me, dear."

Virginia turned a sinister smile to Loren.

"Oh, I'm sure she will."

Loren restrained whimpering. The day suddenly changed to night and it focused on a room with only a lamp, a bed, and a blanket. Loren was on the bed, gagged, while her mother whipped her bare bottom with a belt.

"You will like Stephen, understand? You are to revere him and love him and smile at everything he does! You will not ruin my life, you insolent little bitch!"

The image changed to another day, but the same scene. Her mother was smiling.

"Don't make a mess in the kitchen again, or I swear I will hang you by your toes from the ceiling. Or…if you want, you can hang yourself and get it over with."

She threw the belt on the floor and left. It changed to another day. She was growing frustrated at the child's refusal to make a sound.

"Scream! I want to see you cry! Cry damn it!"

Loren gave a muffled whimper. She received several lashes in turn.

"That's what you get for giving in!"

It changed again and again, different days, different years, but it was all the same thing. The same beating repeated itself night after night. Her mother screamed at her.

"SUFFER!!"

The present Loren grabbed her head and screamed back.

"NOOO!!!!"

She grabbed her scythe and sliced the image in two. The mist disappeared and she felt the darkness swallow her. When she opened her eyes, they were in the open field again, but the condition of the party was pathetic. Half were broken, the other half were enraged and a couple were devoid. Loren herself was somewhat enraged but she did not let that rage consume her. Sephiroth was now calm and trying to restore the others to their former conditions. Loren pondered a theory and gave the enraged people tranquilizers and the devoid people Hypers. It worked somewhat, but the enraged people were still a little out of it. Focusing her anger into determination, she stood in front of the group.

"All right, guys. I know you all are angry and depressed, but think of who did this. This is Jenova's doing. She has renewed your suffering and past hatreds. Focus your anger into strength. Focus your depression into determination! With the pain she has caused us, we must put an end to her!"

She had their focus now.

"Make Jenova suffer ten-fold for the pain she caused you! Make her suffer for the pain she caused Aeris, Nibelheim, everyone and everything! We can end this! She unwittingly gave us the motivation to do so! Should we not thank her for it?"

The group nodded and determination conquered all of their faces. She turned to see Jenova seemingly smirking at them. Loren smiled.

"Oh and Jenova? You have helped me. I now know what kind of father I had. I will not just pass him next time. Thank you. Let me pay you back for all the help you've given me."

Cloud stood next to her.

"Let's all pay you back."

Sephiroth took his place on her left.

"We owe you so much."

Vincent nodded, wings sprouted on his back.

"You made us realize that memories are just that---memories. They needn't affect us because they are not what make us who we are. We are what make the memory."

Tifa stood by Cloud. She had a firm smile on.

"Yeah. Now we know that we don't have to lose out to a memory."

Loren returned to her normal body.

"So let's thank you…with all our hearts!"

With speed faster than she had ever accomplished, she whipped out her sword and stuck it in the ground. Holding on to the hilt she balanced herself upside down and spun around, tearing the dirt around the sword. A red aura engulfed her sword and she landed in front of it, still holding on to the sword. With a great cry, she tore the sword out of the ground and shot the red aura at Jenova. It changed as it soared towards her and it became a great pillar of fire.

"Fiend Inferno!"

When Jenova came out of the fire, she wasn't exactly as pretty as she was before. Her skin was a mottled grey and was showing the veins all over her body. She growled as she saw more of the group coming at her, their speeds also miraculously heightened. They all did their Final Limit Breaks and Sephiroth showed a new attack. He copied himself four times (he's basically pulling a very complex Morrigan thing) as his sword began to glow a blinding white (Masamune is a holy or at least, good sword, after all) and he surrounded Jenova. He proceeded to slash at her repeatedly with a speed faster than humanly possible and all four stabbed through her at once. (A/N: Hmm…if I saw that in a game or movie or something, I would say that might probably pwn Omnislash, cuz that just looks friggin cool in my head! S: Shut up, you're ruining the mood! ES: Sorry.)

"Dissolution!"

Having suffered many wounds, Jenova looked absolutely horrifying now. In an inhuman voice she screeched at the top of her lungs, causing the ground to rumble and crack open. A greenish glow emanated from the fissure and it was then known that Mako flowed there. It didn't really seem appropriate to call it a fissure though. The 'cracks' were larger than anyone could jump and were at a minimum fifty feet deep. Jenova lifted her hand in the air and surprisingly, a ball of Mako rose from the fissure. She launched her hand forward and the ball flew at the group, the condensed energy acting as a cannonball. With a desperate plan in mind, Loren willed her thoughts to Sephiroth. He looked to her, nodded his consent, and the two charged at Jenova. Off guard from her pleasing sport, Jenova yowled as her hands were neatly dismembered. Loren knew it was time.

"The combo attack! Do it now!"

She began casting fire and the group began casting their selected spell. As they focused their energies on a combined attack, Loren noticed that a ball of energy was growing in front of her. She smiled, knowing they trusted her. When she looked up, she saw that Jenova was busy regenerating her hands. The sphere of power began giving off its own wind and her hair began flying back. It was about the size of a lion's head now. She closed her eyes as the raw power began to burn her hands. It was still bright under her eyelids and she saw Aeris touch the air in front of her.

"Let's finish this."

The sphere took an intensely bright glow and when Loren could no longer stand it, she loosed the energy on Jenova. The creature screamed in pain and Loren looked away from the bright explosion. When she looked back Jenova was still standing, but with a limb missing and a great hole in her chest. Her skin was burnt, but you could still see the rage plainly on her face. Loren looked to Sephiroth who wore a grim smile of satisfaction. She smiled at him. When she looked at Jenova again, she saw that Jenova was dissolving, and saw that she wasn't too happy about it. She put her sword in the ground.

"Good-bye…Jenova."

"I…think not…"

Loren furrowed her eyebrows. With half of her leg gone, she screeched again one last time. She raised her arm and a ball of Mako rose. She launched the ball at Loren as soon as the rest of her vanished. The Mako-cannonball hit Loren square in the chest and sent her flying backwards. Sephiroth ran towards her.

"Loren!!"

Right before unconsciousness, she knew what was going to happen as she saw the green glow growing behind her. She closed her eyes and hoped it was quick.

"Sephiroth…"

Death shouted at her.

"Loren! Loren! Snap out of it! Come on! Lore---"

"LOREN!!!"

He couldn't have reached her in time. She was going too fast. Sephiroth yelled for her again, futilely. He punched the ground.

"Loren! Why? WHY!?"

In another plane of existence

The planet already knew her fate, and it wasn't going to let it change. She would not be allowed to enter the Lifestream. Not yet.

Aeris's voice "You still have something you have to do. Confront your past and accept it all. Only then can you be ready for the future."

Where Cloud and co. are

Tifa shouted for the group to come see.

"Look, there she is! She's…oh…Loren…"

Sephiroth held his face in one hand.

"What is it?"

"She's been…she's been crystallized."

Sephiroth went to the edge and looked down at the large crystal floating in the Mako. With Jenova's death, his strength returned to him. He floated down to the crystal and with telekinesis raised it from its pool. He placed his hands on the front of the crystal, gazing at the captive inside. He set the stone down some ways from the Mako fissure.

"Loren…I just remembered something."

He summoned the Black Materia forth. He glared at it hatefully. He then promptly sliced it in two and its remnants faded into nothingness. Just as the stone did, Meteor, to the astonishment and joy of the group, simply disappeared. He went and grabbed her sword, planting it in the ground next to her. He stared at the sky.

"What was it all for if you aren't here?"

Cloud hesitatingly placed a comforting hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

"Hey, she's still here. Even if she can't move or talk, she's still here. She might even be able to hear us now."

"Thank you, Cloud."

"It's as much for me as it is for you."

"We'll each go our own way. Maybe someday when we're needed or something important happens, we'll see each other again."

"Yeah. Here. This PHS was Aeris's. Use it if you ever need it."

"Thank you."

"You were a great help, Sephiroth. Be careful."

"I will."

Cloud smiled at Loren.

"Thanks for everything. We all love you. I hope you remember that always."

Tifa looked up at the silent figure.

"You mean a lot to me. Don't forget us. I'll never forget you."

Everyone said their good-byes and soon left. Sephiroth, sitting on the ground, looked up at the only person he'd ever love.

"I never thought it would end like this. I never thought you'd be gone."

His words met silence.

"I just want you to know, Loren…I love you…"

He buried his head in his knees and sat, unmoving, thinking only of when he'd never been able to tell her to her face how he felt, flat out and resolute. Well, now he'd told her. All he could do was pray that she had heard.