Of a Pure Heart,a Knight and the OneWinged Angels

by Flipperclaws

After the tumultuous events of Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth is revived, and his new purpose in life is to atone for his many sins. However, he will not be alone – Aeris has returned as well, to become… his guardian angel!

15. Chapter 15: Novus Actus Interveniens

OF A PURE HEART, A FALLEN KNIGHT AND THE ONE – WINGED ANGELS

----------------------------------------- Disclaimer: ------------------------------------------

To the Reader and the Lawyers:

Final Fantasy VII, and all the characters, including Aeris and Sephiroth, Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Vincent, Yuffie, Red, Cid, Cait Sith (Reeve), Ifalna, Professor Gast, Lucrecia, Professor Hojo Frankenstein, Jenova the Mad, Rufus Schizoprenoid, Don Corneo the Horny, Reno, the Rude gentleman and Elena the Teller of Secrets (any anyone I may have inadvertently missed out, knowingly, willfully or otherwise) are property of Square Enix Co, formerly Squaresoft LLC.

Tell me if my disclaimer ain't good enough. I will reward you with a few thousand Chibi - Vincents depressed to the nadir with Tranqulisers, and they shall cause a wet blanket to hang over your house and generally expose you to the… darker side of your nature (You know how angsty Vincent can be from the fanfics here, so I'm taking this concept one step further… a Chibi - Vincent would probably behave in the same fashion). Otherwise, wait until I complete my 3rd or 4th year, okay???

To other Fanfic Writers (This is more important!) Plagiarism Note:

There are a lot of Aeriseph fanfics around here. I've tried my best to stay as original as possible, but it's a bit hard to write this type of story without treading on someone's toes by accident along the line. Please, if you feel that I may have 'borrowed' some of your concepts or ideas by mistake, notify me immediately. Email a "cease and desist" message to me, point out where I have gone wrong, and I will act immediately to remove or modify the offending section(s).

Thank you very, very much for your understanding and tolerance.

Yuffie: Hey, isn't that a Tonberry coming up over there? No? It's not? Erm, I could have sworn it was there just now! Oh well, maybe you'll see him again! Hey, I'll help you look for him! Don't worry, it's free! (Skips away, making merry jingling noises. You feel as if a heavy weight has been literally taken off you.)

NOVUS ACTUS INTERVENIENS

Climbing gingerly out of the deep November night, all Reno wished to do now was to get to someplace warmer as soon as he got his revenge. Even though his suit was an example of exceptional tailoring, thick enough to withstand the chilling cruelties of Mount Gaia, even though he had tanked up with enough booze to set himself sweating, it was all he could do to keep from rubbing his freezing hands together and giving the game away like his blond colleague. He turned to inspect the grappling hook embedded in the wood of the windowsill before setting down his rope coil, leaving the triangular metal grip at the end in plain sight. Confident that his escape route was secure, and that his unsuspecting quarry remained motionless, he scanned the room briefly.

His shoulders rippled up and down like the demented old Professor everyone hated. The wallpaper, a cheery pink by day, was now an impenetrable inky purple, giving him the impression that he wasn't looking at a wall, but into the void of deep space itself. The little light that drifted in from the distant street lamps had cut out strange patterns on the floor, using the frilly lace curtains as some sort of stencil… and to Reno, they appeared as several lithe, thin - limbed, feelered creatures he had never seen before. The curtains were moving with the wind, the shapes began to move, and those strange forms began to circle around him, executing acrobatic moves no natural person could ever hope to perform… And the sleeper… she had become a black, nebulous mass hiding in a corner, ready to spring upon him once he lowered his nightstick…

He spat out a curse under his breath. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all to have finished the brandy. This was ridiculous! He was literally jumping at shadows! Even Elena wasn't afraid of such little things (except for the occasional oglop ambushing her in the shower). But still, he could feel the hairs on his back beginning to stand, and an experienced spy always trusted his sixth sense. He would take no chances, no matter how remote they were.

Holding out his nightstick like a sword, he crept towards his mission objective, and was pleasantly relieved to see the shadows dissipate even as the passing minutes sharpened his night vision. Thank goodness it wasn't the alcohol that was making him act like a fool. Now he could see the girl, sleeping like a baby, curled up around her pillow in a foetal position, the eiderdown drawn up to her shoulders. Still she slumbered, unaware of the big bad wolf that was preparing for the kill. Now this was really too easy. Soon she would be in his grasp.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open, and he could hear the sharp wheeze of hastily drawn breath as the flower girl was suddenly startled into wakefulness. Now that was surprising… she wasn't really supposed to wake up that soon! But it didn't matter now. He was in the dominant position.

"Rise and shine, my precious," The assassin fitted his nightstick below her chin, raising up her head with his weapon, pinching her cheek with his free hand even as she turned to face him.

"What are you doing here, Reno?" Aeris gave him only the slightest frown, and her lips remained parted as her attention was now fully fixed upon him. Whether dead, alive, or undead, she was certainly the same as ever. No screaming, no flinching, no crying. However, the young florist was still as naïve as ever. She hadn't read the Midgar Shimbun lately, otherwise she would have known that Shinra hadn't exactly been liquidated yet. She didn't even know how serious her situation was. The girl had absolutely no idea why he was here, and was just waiting patiently for an explanation. Well, he would fill her in, if only to tease her a little bit.

"Why, we're taking a chick like you out of this dump, to a better place where a real hunk like me will keep you company! Isn't that good enough for you?" To reassure her, he gave her one of his crooked smiles, always guaranteed to make a girl melt in his arms. Tragically, his magnanimous gesture was totally ignored as her frown deepened further, her eyes looking downwards as she began to rack her little brains.

"… You're trying to kidnap me again, Reno, but why? Unless you're still working for Shinra…" She stiffened, and he could feel his nightstick shifting up and down as the Ancient swallowed a sudden lump. It could have been a trick of the half - light, but he thought he saw her large eyes darting here and there.

"When you were dead, the world changed. But then we're still around, only a little leaner and meaner. Don't cry, Dr Deathjester is still dead, so he won't be able to outrage your precious little modesty this time. But since you were nice enough to sell me that flower, I'll personally make sure nothing will happen to you like the last time round… just come quietly with me."

From beyond the closed door he could now hear the sounds of clashing steel and muffled curses. His men were in the right position now. But he obviously didn't have all the time in the world to "persuade" her to join him.

"I'm afraid your precious bodyguard isn't available to help you right now… why not come with me instead, my pretty Ancient… Anyway, I'm more faithful than he is… C'mon, why don't you elope with me!" He grabbed her arm, yanking her none too gently towards himself.

"Eaygh!" She couldn't maintain her composure any longer. All his airs vanished instantly as he found himself suddenly stumbling backward from a little foot that had fortuitously caught him right in the breadbasket.

"Hey, that's no way to treat a gentleman!" the redhead protested, rubbing his tender abdomen (how much of the damage was caused by his drinking bouts?). Aeris had not wasted any time in flinging off the covers, and now she was rushing to get to her rod, which lay gleaming in one corner of her bedroom. The girl simply didn't want to play. Oh well, so much for even trying to be a nice guy.

His nightstick, his sweet and ever submissive lady of pain, cackled with glee as it spewed forth a burst of man - made lightning. He was rewarded with the shrillest of shrieks from the Cetra as the bolt struck her square in the back. Just in time too, as she'd just closed one hand over the Princess Guard. He heard a dull thud as she collapsed, and her limbs spasmed uncontrollably as the electric charge wreaked havoc with her nervous system. The Turk was with her in a second, calmly taking the staff from her jerking hand, tossing it away like a useless wooden pole.

"Tsk, tsk, a sweet little lass like you really shouldn't be using such a dangerous toy, you know," he advised her, lifting up the light flower merchant, "You should leave the fighting to the professionals… unless you like that kind of fun."

The effects of the stun blast were starting to wear off, and Aeris was beginning to struggle weakly against his dominance, and now she was kicking as effectively as a unborn baby, trying to dislodge his grip, and her hands came tearing at his face. Too bad she wasn't terribly successful. Her nails were short and neatly trimmed, and they didn't do a thing except making him want to chuckle a bit, not at all like Elena's claws, longer and sharper than a katal. He simply ignored all her pitiful attempts to break free, slinging her over his shoulder as if she was but one of his prized possessions. Heck, she hadn't done any damage at all, but at least she wasn't a dead fish.

"Temper, temper, dear, you're actually behaving like a spoilt little brat! Now don't make me angry!"

But there were more threatening things out there than some attempted rough play by a well - kept girl barely out of adolescence. There was someone behind him - his bump of trouble had saved him once again. He jerked sharply to the side, right in the nick of time to see a large luminescent sword sweeping at him. His nightstick came up by reflex to ward off the blow, and with the clang of contact still ringing in his ears, he found his hand twisted inwards, his weapon pointed towards himself, his legs struggling to find a foothold in the empty air. He had parried the blow, but the sheer force of Cloud's attack had still managed to throw him off balance. By some dint of good fortune, he was able to hold onto both his ladies as he fell heavily to one knee. He wouldn't mock that Ultima Weapon as merely being something girlish again! It was a good thing that the flower seller was still in his hands, otherwise the mercenary would have struck him with the edge of the blade. That sword swing had enough power in it to slice through his rod and chop him into half at the same time.

"You haven't changed a single bit, Reno… you're still trying to be the big bully after all. I should have known you wouldn't keep your promise! You snake!" the Avalanche leader growled, his eyes flashing in the dark.

The salaryman merely grinned. "Sad, is it? But the pleasant truth is that I'm not doing anything treacherous this time! I've checked with my lawyers, and they say that I can safely go back on my word now, since the circumstances under which I gave my promise are no longer in force. I only have to give you… reasonable notice, or some crap like that… I know all this is very hard going on a buffoon like you, but I'm sure you've got enough brains left over from your salad days at Mideel to understand that our truce is over." No sooner had he spoken did he trigger off a full - powered blast at Cloud, only to see the electrical charge fizzle out pathetically like a children's sparkler, stopped by the magical material of the sword.

The pink and purple weapon coloured the air in front of Reno as the mercenary pushed him back step by step with broad and heavy sweeps of the blade. He dodged and ducked as best as he could, but having to carry this feisty young lady was making him as graceful as a lame chocobo. The wall was coming closer to his back, and then the swordsman would easily pin him down. Cloud was giving him a rather hard choice. He could either try to waddle away and get poleaxed the moment his back was turned, or he could give up the girl and run.

He came to a decision instantly. Discretion always came before valour; one of the most important unwritten rules of his secret service was that it was no point sacrificing yourself to get the job done. When the company ordered you to complete a mission, you would finish it, but you would never go above and beyond the call of duty unless you had a finger in the pie yourself. The Turks were the ones who would always live to brag about their exploits in the bar, not those dead fools who turned into money - spinners for someone trying to get supper. Besides, it wasn't as if this was his only chance to net the girl.

"Hey, don't sweat it! Since you're so crazy about her, you can take her back… for now! Look after her till I return, OK?" Without further ado, he pitched the girl forward with whatever remaining finesse he could muster. And once again Aeris found herself cradled in the arms of her former lover. It was another close call for the flower lady - Cloud had but a split second to lower his sword before she fell upon it. The leader of the Turks chuckled at the touching scene in front of him, before grabbing his line and making good his escape, vaulting right back into the blackness.

Cloud did not immediately pursue the fleeing Shinra spy, but instead kept his eyes on the girl, looking her over for any injuries. When he was at last convinced that Reno had done her no harm, he sat her down gently, letting go only when she had regained her footing.

"Thanks, Cloud…" The words simply tumbled out of her, and she was smiling before she knew what she was doing. This was just like old times. He was her bodyguard, sworn to keep her safe. She had longed to be held by his strong and certain hands. This used to feel so nice… she used to feel so good. But now she felt numb and hollow, like a dead thing trying with phantom hands to hold onto what had disappeared long ago, that which had once driven its passions.

The ex - SOLDIER paused, closing his eyes, scratching his head, his hands moving up and down his sword hilt. "… It's all right." Without another word, he turned to the door, raising his blade. Through the open door, the flash and crack of man - made thunder broke the brief stillness, and the scream of a man could be heard. "We have to go now... No telling how long the others can hold out!"

Aeris nodded, retrieving her rod, grabbing her bracelets from the dressing table, hitching up the skirts of her nightgown as she scurried after him. As she ran, several thick chestnut locks were blown forward, spilling all over her hands, getting stuck in her armlets, blocking out her vision. The Cetra girl blinked, shaking her head. There was no way she could fight with her hair in the way, but she had obviously no time to find her ribbon and tie her usual braid. She reached for the curtains, pulling away the long thin strip of cloth used for binding the thick material together, quickly tying her hair back into a rough ponytail. That would have to do for the moment.

No sooner had she caught up with Cloud did he push her to the floor. They were greeted by a glittering starburst of glass fragments as the hall windows shattered open with tremendous force. Several Shinra troopers flew in, smashing open the parquet floor with a loud crack. These men were armed, armoured and dressed like Cloud, but their uniforms were a vivid red, and they wore heavy visored helmets that completely concealed their faces. A bald man was the last to step in. Casually brushing away the assorted dust and wood debris from his blue suit, he pulled off his dark glasses, keeping it carefully in his jacket. His fists tightened, and from his gloved hands several spikes emerged, each seeming to vibrate slowly with hidden energy. He did not move, but regarded the two former lovers with narrowed, beady eyes, still invisible in the dark even without his shades.

"Rude…" Cloud identified the heavy - set leader of the band of SOLDIERS, "Still with Shinra I see… that's really too bad for you."

"………." He was never one to waste words before a fight. He nodded, and the members of the enemy party fanned out quickly, trapping their targets within a large semicircular formation. Now they stepped forward, drawing the net tighter each step they came closer towards commencing the combat.

Cloud didn't want to wait for the pleasantries, so he just ran up to the first available SOLDIER, the Ultima Weapon trained for the head. The masked man parried quickly, but he could not be prepared for the speed at which the spiky - haired fighter disengaged, spinning around to deal a quick slash to the midsection. That blow too was stopped with the greatest haste, but before the red - clad trooper could raise his weapon back into a guarding position, the rebel leader had sprung off his feet, and the last thing the man saw was the iridescent sword slicing through his neck, going straight down, cutting his life into two…

Two more Shinra SOLDIERS stepped in quickly, undaunted by their comrade's death. Unlike their dead friend, they were more prepared to face Cloud's hard and fast moves, and while one charged towards the mercenary, the other right behind him, blade held high, prepared to cut in once battle was joined between the two. This particular attack strategy had been drilled into him during his training at Shinra, and he shuffled aside instantly. The first warrior shot past him, and he took the chance to attempt a quick slash to his adversary's unprotected back, but found the cold air as the SOLDIER was already on the floor, rolling out of harm's way. The opportunity missed, he spun around on the balls of his feet, his sword meeting the second attacker's quick strike that was aimed at his back. These were no simple blue - shirt, faceless guards. From the cut and colour of their uniforms, those men could only be 1st Class SOLDIERS, the crème de la crème of the Shinra forces. They were excellent fighters on their own, but as a team they were formidable, for the Shinra regimen focused almost exclusively on training their men to fight in groups rather than as individual fighters.

Again Cloud found himself in the air, heels meeting his hips, this time to avoid the low - level swipe which would have taken away his legs at the knee, and immediately he held his blade horizontally at arm's length, warding off two stabbing sword points that skittered harmlessly off the translucent sword, not leaving a single scratch on the unearthly white metal. A third SOLDIER had joined the combat. He uttered an oath under his breath, cursing his stupidity for letting his mind sleep during the battle. This was no more than a petty diversion. Wasn't his unlucky friend the real target of this attack? Risking a moment of inattention to look over his shoulder, he was Rude and the remaining SOLDIER coming after her one at a time, and each time their blows were quickly blocked by the butterfly - headed weapon she wielded, but he was close enough to see her face gleaming slightly already, even though the combat had only just begun. The Turk and his underling weren't performing any fancy moves, but their attacks were swift and their strategy was clear. They were simply biding their time. She could not hold her own against them forever. He had to aid her quickly.

Her rod lay still in the air and she clasped her small hands over her chest, summoning her magic with the telltale bright green circle brightening her features. Everything around him once again flickered white, a sliver of silver - blue radiance miraculously shooting down from the rafters, coming straight for him…

His hands reached to cover his ears, for it sounded as if a bomb had just gone off where he stood. The ground shivered and the tiles buckled, causing a small cloud of powdered wood to rise up around him. From behind him came the dull impact of a body hitting the floor, and he wheeled around by instinct to look at what had happened, shuddering at the sight before him. One of the SOLDIERS lay groaning, steam pouring out of his armour, the exposed parts of his body reddened by the heat. The sword gripped in his twitching hands still scraped the ground, still vainly attempting to kill the person he should have stabbed in the back. He turned away from the man who had almost killed him, raising his blade to thank his alert companion. The ponytailed girl smiled back, but this was only so fleeting, as Rude was now making another lunge at her. Ignoring the heady mixture of ozone and the moans of the downed SOLDIER, he returned to face his remaining assailants, eager to finish the fight quickly.

He hadn't seen all that was wonderful in this battle however, and now what could only be described as a ring of golden clocks began to revolve around him, each timepiece changing shape with every pass, the hands on the timepieces spinning faster and faster. Soon they had resolved themselves into large yellow octagons, and the hands on the clocks were spinning as fast as propeller blades. Now he was hurtling towards the enemy, clouds of heated smoke marking the ground he had just covered. The crash of colliding bodies brought both to the floor, but if one were only to blink, he would have missed seeing the warrior the power company rejected return to his feet, coming on top of the 1st Class. What little light there was in the hall was kept in constant motion, trailing the sweeps of his sword, seemingly too slow to keep up with his movements. However, the SOLDIER still managed to block those maddeningly fast attacks, his steel coming up at just the right place at the right time so many times. He only had to wait for the Haste spell to wear off. The Ultima sword now began to descend slowly, at so much less speed than before. He immediately took the advantage to knock aside the sword swipe springing to his feet. But no sooner had he gotten to his feet did Cloud outrun the light again, and he had no time to even see the outsized blade outrun the light, shooting through his chest, flying out of his back with the force of a two - handed thrust.

He had to return to the flower lady now. She had helped him greatly in dispatching those who were attacking him, but was she protecting herself? The floor where she was standing was splattered with little round droplets, some salty, some sour, falling from her chin, dripping slowly from a torn and wet green sleeve. His jaw stiffened as he was reminded of why he had fought so hard against his former employers. The Shinra attackers had been ordered to capture her alive, and they would achieve that objective by any means possible, even if it involved beating their victim into complete submission. To destroy a group of six individuals, the electric power company had no qualms about bringing the roof down on millions of innocent people who were merely going about their daily lives, not even knowing what they done to anger the giant firm. Their ruthless, single - minded work ethics disgusted him.

The mailed fist, still gleaming with the blood it had drawn, flew once more towards the white mage, her beautiful face its target, backed with enough speed and strength to send her fading into unconsciousness. Even with all his enhanced speed, he stood stuck to the spot, for he could see that the Princess Guard would not be raised in time to protect its wielder, as fatigue and injury conspired to make her arms too heavy to respond to this new attack.

But that knockout blow would never hit her at all. The pink jewel in Cloud's bracelet, long cherished and polished, but fallen into disuse after his days as a bodyguard were over, began to rekindle once more, and instantly he appeared in front of Aeris, sword held out in front of him at arm's length in a classic defensive posture, one hand firmly on the handle, the other hand pressed against the large blade, supporting it against the oncoming impact.

The Ultima Weapon was of course made of sterner stuff than Rude's fighting glove, and the vibrating killer spikes whined piteously as they could find no purchase on the unearthly silver metal forged by none other than the Planet herself. The spiny studs could not last against such an unyielding surface, and now they snapped, torn apart by the force of friction, and the fragments sprang away from the scene, embedding themselves deeply past the wallpaper and into the blue stones that made up the house. The silent Turk merely pulled back his arm, watching the smoke wisps rise from his damaged gauntlet with no change in expression.

"Tifa and the others are waiting for us. We've got to get to them quick!" Strapping the sword to his back, he stretched out his fists to release a quick Fire spell. His enemies fell back, suddenly finding themselves blanketed completely in a roiling, sootless yellow flame as the Mako energy around them spontaneously combusted. The mage fire he had conjured wouldn't hurt them badly, as SOLDIER uniforms were flame resistant, but this would disorient them long enough to allow him and Aeris to run to someplace safer. It might have been possible to stop them with a Firaga spell, but he would risk burning the house down instead, and Barret would probably make him do the chaingun cha - cha once this was over.

"Come on!" With his sword, he pointed to the one safe place in the whole house where everyone had holed up in… the bathroom, from which Barret and Tifa were waving frantically, waiting anxiously for them to arrive. The two of them turned and ran, as fast as they could, towards the water closet. And it was fortunate for them that they made use of the momentary discomfiture of Rude and his men, as the mashing, careless tread of combat boots right behind them signaled all too clearly that enemy reinforcements had arrived.

"Oh, you're kind of you to wait for me. But why play hard to get, darling?" Reno assumed a falsetto voice, mockingly imitating the pathetic pleading of a lovesick man in the soap operas that were still running on TV channels throughout the Planet. "Let's go get them!" Of course, he had to revert to a more authoritative timbre while commanding his men.

By now they had reached the toilet. Several SOLDIERs were stationed around the small room, having driven out Tifa and the others from their bedrooms earlier, but they conveniently dispersed the moment they saw Cloud and Aeris coming. Rather than be caught between the two rebel parties, it would be far more advantageous to let the all the members of Avalanche gather together in one enclosed space, where they could be easily surrounded and apprehended in one fell swoop. Several seconds were wasted as the two newcomers tried to squeeze through the doorway. They could not accomplish this, however, without a muffled "Ow!" from Cloud's spouse as her toes were stepped on, and some grunting and growling and cursing from the big swarthy man as he did some fancy maneuvering to allow them to pass. All that was needed now was for Cait to appear and crack an inappropriate joke over his megaphone.

Now that everyone was inside, Barret returned to his place at the threshold, his body pressed against the open door, presenting as small a target profile as possible, blasting off several rounds to slow down the rampaging SOLDIERs, while Tifa and Cloud stood at his side, ready to cut down anyone who came close. Aeris did not resume the fight at this moment, but rubbed away the sweat from her eyes, trying to forget about the pulses of pain coming from the deep cut on her arm, focusing her efforts on searching that cramped little sanctuary for her loved ones.

"Mom? Are you here? Marlene?" Aeris called out in between large gulps for air, From the bathtub peeked out a little girl's face, still grinning despite the grim situation they were facing. Elmyra also got up, and for the first time in her two lives did the Ancient see her foster mother in a disheveled state. She had somehow managed to tie her usual bun, yet the long pin that kept everything in place was set at an awkward angle, and many stray strands of hair fell here and there. Compared to Marlene, who was beaming with hope now that the flower lady had come, her face was pasty, and she was wringing her hands helplessly.

"Aeris! What in heaven's name is going on?" the old lady shrieked, covering her ears as Barret showered their attackers with more steel, wincing as some spent brass bullet casings fell clattering into the painted metal tub. "Oh, what have they done? They've hurt you!"

"The Turks are back… and they're after me again," her daughter replied, looking away. Once more she was in trouble, and she was making her family, her friends, and everyone sink to the bottom with her yet again. How could she possibly make up to them? No apology, no smiling reassurances could bear enough weight to ease the blows she had dealt to them.

"Those hooligans! Will they never leave a poor old lady alone?" But Elmyra saw that her child was hanging her head loosely, her rod lowered, the headpiece already touching the ground. Aeris suddenly found the dame holding her tight around the waist with a strength not known since her younger days, "Oh, look at you, Aeris. You've always been such a brave girl. Don't you give up now, you have to help us. I'm too afraid, and I'm too old for all this. I can't do a thing, but you're strong. Show those horrible hooligans that we'll never let them walk over us!"

"Aerith… yoo and Dad will chase the bad guys away, won't yoo?" Marlene chipped in, ever so confident, her grin ever so bright.

The young woman now stood up straight, her face now firm and composed, her eyes now clear and free of mist. They knew that it was her fault that all this was happening to them, yet they didn't blame her at all. They were all in this together with her, and they only wanted her to help them end these nightmares terrifying them. And there was only one way to repay such absolute trust and reliance in her.

She swallowed before she spoke again. "Yes, I'll be strong. Mom, Marlene, trust me now, I'll try to put them right for you. Just lie low, and wait for me."

Hugging each of them in turn, she watched as her mother and her little friend returned to the dubious shelter of the tub before she turned to face the battle outside, which had amazingly not intensified during the time she had been beating upon her brow. In fact, (apart from a few random blasts from Reno's nightstick), no one had challenged their position. But the SOLDIERs were regrouping, and an attack would surely come soon.

"Can you get Cid and the others?" Cloud yelled above the din of another salvo of automatic fire.

"No friggin' luck! The @$(!& line's dead!" The big man snarled, tossing the useless PHS to the floor, while his companion could only nod grimly. The rest of their team were sleeping tightly in Reeve's house at the other end of town, and would likely remain so, as the Turks had cut off their communications. When he was still working for Shinra, he had been sent several times to hunt down to the Midgar slums to hunt down and destroy the various resistance groups operating in the great undercity. Every time they assaulted a suspected hideout, his team would use powerful jamming devices to prevent the rebels from calling for help or informing their fellow members that they were under attack. They were effectively on their own.

And with a company battle cry that had not been heard for many months, the SOLDIERs thundered out of the smoke, while Rude and Reno simply stayed in the back row, sauntering towards the tiny bathroom. At last Barret had a clear shot, and from right to left and back he directed his fire. While his chaingun was not as accurate as Vincent's Death Penalty, he was certainly close enough not to worry about the shortcomings of his weapon, and he scored a hit on every last SOLDIER. But none of their enemies went down; each man was surrounded by a glowing white disk of power as he was struck, which absorbed much of the harmful kinetic energy that would have been imparted to his body by the force of the flying bullets, leaving him with nothing save a bad bruise or a graze at worst. Cool blue hailstorm shards began to form in the air as it was suddenly forced below freezing point. Directed by the power of the materia, the ice shards, as beautiful and as sharp as the diamonds they resembled, pelted the Shinra troopers as a deadly solid rain. And when the rain stopped, the air froze again, blanketing the masked men in its chilling touch before the layer of frost covering them snapped away in glittering droplets of heavy water. But this attack was thwarted too, as now an umbrella of rainbow - coloured energy field came up to protect the SOLDIERs, and they emerged with only superficial injuries. That was the reason why the enemy had not attacked; they had wisely spent their time casting Barriers and Mbarriers to protect themselves. Tifa made a sour face as her mana went to waste, consumed by the magical shields, but she did not have long to dwell upon it as the masked men were almost upon them!

It was time for the spills and thrills of melee combat. Cloud, Tifa and Barret stood together now, a warrior threesome who had fought together ever since the days when they were still conducting hit - and - run sabotage missions against the Shinra Mako reactors. Aeris was right behind them, stationed in the back row. Being a survivor of the Cetra, she was naturally gifted in the art of spellcasting, and her unique talents soon made her become the unofficial healer of the party. As Avalanche's quest to save the Planet became more and more dangerous, and with every second or third encounter leaving someone in dire need of healing, even the most highly skilled members of the group felt the loss of her skills most acutely. But now it was just like old times; as the white mage was here to cover them again, the former freedom fighters now fought with more regard to dispatching their enemies, reassured that she'd be there to tend to them if they went down.

With two SOLDIERs for each member of the trio, there was plenty of fighting to be done. There was little space for precise swordplay, but the enemy didn't have to bother about it, as the Ancient was the only one they needed alive, and even then, keeping her "alive" in the most general of terms was sufficient, and the air soon came alive with the whistling of swings and swipes and the sharp clang of steel catching on steel. But Avalanche (at least, those who were still around) held the line, meeting the battering assault head - on. The one - armed miner used his prosthetic gun as a large steel shield, using it to block the incoming swings and swipes, while Cloud's Ultima Weapon, almost as broad as the bole of a tree, was able to block every blow coming his way in such close quarters. For Tifa, being the most lightly armed group member, her primary means of attack also doubled up as her best means of defence. Directing her strength into her extremities, each punch and kick was strong enough to keep the opposing blades at bay, and forceful enough to knock their wielders back.

Now that they had weathered the initial enemy attack, it was time for Avalanche to fight back. Just as if he were equipped with a shield, Barret's gun - arm soon drew double duty as a dispenser of blunt trauma as he swung it with a speed totally incongruous with a man of his size and girth, sending Shinra blades awry, knocking stray chips out of their prized polished weapons. Applying the skills diligently learned over many years, the martial artist drew upon her internal strength, using the Mako energy that dwelt within every living being to allow her to overcome her body's limits, launching a furious flurry of blows, faster than sleight of hand, too many for the fastest man with the sword to block. Power was sacrificed for speed, but her relentless attacks would wear down the SOLDIER, and when the shield eventually dissipated, she would be in an excellent position to land a knockout punch. To the untrained eye, Tifa's boxing fists could only be seen as a set of reddish shadows flitting in and out, here and there, her adversary flinching from some unknown and almost invisible threat. And to Aeris fell the task of disabling the magical barriers protecting each SOLDIER, otherwise the process of defeating the Shinra forces would have been nothing short of agonising. They could not be permanently on the offensive.

The Destruct materia powered up, and Barret shook his fist in triumph as the semitransparent shields on all their adversaries shattered. Now he could take a more direct approach instead of making a pendulum out of his arm. With a cry, he sent a heavy stream of fire from the Missing Score at the Shinra trooper, and at point - blank range, the flying lead slugs tore the sword from the man's hand, hewing away large chunks from the SOLDIER's hardened ceramic breastplate. He followed up his rash rampage with a sharp jab to the groin backed up by eighty pounds of gunmetal, leaving the unfortunate 1st Class reflexively clutching his family jewels. That was not enough to kill his enemy, but the big man had learned much about the power company's elite guards from Cloud and Vincent, and now he trained his weapon at the most vulnerable point in the SOLDIER's armour - the perspex face shield - and fired away. Aeris turned away from the dying man before she could see the brains blowing out through his shattered visor. She'd seen her share of blood and gore and gruesome death long before she'd joined Cloud and his team, but she still she could not get used to the horrors of battle.

That was perhaps what saved Barret's life, as she saw the dead SOLDIER's partner sneaking up behind the dark - skinned rebel, his approach masked by the rattling report of small arms fire, his broadsword held high and diagonally in the style of the executioner. "Look out, Barret!" she cried, and the big man abruptly made an about - face at the very last second to see the large blade slicing through the air like an impromptu guillotine blade, seeking to sever the head from his shoulders. His hastily raised gun - arm immediately met the killing stroke, but the force behind that swing was powerful enough to decapitate a man, and he was only able to deflect the deathblow, but not block it altogether. The falling sword, its purpose defeated but not deterred, continued on its path to ruin, cracking the collarbone, scoring the ribs before striking the floor, peppering the two fighters with more sharp wooden splinters.

Barret reeled backwards, bellowing hoarsely from the pain of his broken bones, but the Cetra mage was not going to let him cry out any longer. Letting go of the Princess Guard, closing her eyes, she began to call forth the power of the Curaga spell to close his wounds… but what about the pain she was suffering now? The deep cut she had received had been rather muted in its pleas for aid, and she had shunted her own problems aside, focusing on aiding her friends. But now, she could feel once again the cold, objective, unfeeling steel piercing her side, splitting apart the skin, cutting away the flesh, and in its wake, the fire of white - hot agony erupted as her dying cells cried for the last time. Her bloody arm, its troubles long repressed, took the chance to vent its grievances. Twice a sword had passed through her, and the unhappy memories began to manifest themselves again in physical form, and she could feel with unfailing clarity the merciless torture she had gone through. Her consciousness was consumed by the monster that mercilessly dominated all of her senses, and now she knew nothing but the pain, the pain, and more pain! She lost control of the spell… and she screamed.

"Aeris!" With the cold awareness that occasionally enlightened the mind of a warrior in the middle of a passionate battle, Tifa instantly pieced together what had happened to her friend and former rival. The SOLDIER who had nearly chopped off Barret's head had decided to take his chances, surging in towards his objective, and with a quick slash he had weakened the flower girl, and as she fell in the throes of agony, he would steal her away for the glory of his organisation. Lest he succeed in his intentions, she would prevent it! Leaping away from her opponents, sailing through the air with the qinggong skill (which she had wheedled out of Yuffie at the price of all of her best materia) towards the attacking Shinra trooper, and in mid - air, her leg raised, her foot straightened for a flying kick. With an artist's precision, she struck Aeris' assailant in just the right spot - while Barret had merely chosen a spot where the SOLDIER's armour was thinnest, she had aimed for the base of the neck, at the joint between the helmet and the breastplate, where there was absolutely no protection at all. Like her friend, she was clad only in her pyjamas, not having enough time to get herself outfitted for combat, but she was well trained, and her bare feet would be just as deadly as a hit from the steel - toed, mine - resistant combat boots the Shinra troops wore. Like a dog crushing a bone (except that it was several times louder), the crunch of a splintering spine crackled through the whole hall, and the hunter had become the prey in one split second.

But they had forgotten about the Turks! It was Tifa's turn to cry out as another of Reno's lightning bolts floored her, causing her to fall on top of the 1st Class she'd disposed of. At once the redhead closed in for the kill, but no decisive, full - powered blast from his nightstick came. Instead, his long - itching hand flickered out … and one of the greatest mysteries that had dogged him ever since they'd been assigned to take out Avalanche was definitively solved.

"Ooh, soft! Check it out Rude, they're for real! At least a size G, I think!" he proclaimed to the whole world. Seeing the murderous look in her husband's face, he worked quickly to forestall any retaliatory strike on Cloud's part, clicking a smaller button on his weapon. A transparent, cream - coloured pyramid of electrical energy now encased the ex - SOLDIER, leaving him to vent his rage on the barrier separating him from the man who had just taken liberties with his wife. Rude stood next to the techno - magical prison, fists prepared, ready to cover his partner in case the imprisoned warrior broke out prematurely. Reno left the irate kickboxer behind; she was merely a target of opportunity; but they could not complete their mission unless the Ancient was apprehended. The girl, still paralysed by the pain of her injuries, did not offer any resistance, and his lecherous hand emerged once more, but this time to take her with him.

"Arrgh!" The spy could suddenly feel a wave of heat creeping up behind him, and hear the dying yell of the SOLDIER watching his back. A giant fireball had enveloped the man, hot enough to melt his protective clothing, his ballistic armour turning cherry red like pottery in the kiln. He soon became an indistinct orange, yellowish - white shape with a humanoid black core, dancing around as the flames of anger devoured him with grotesque relish. No more sounds came from him, as he no longer had a mouth or a throat or lungs, and he could not scream again. Right behind the dying fighter lay Barret, resting on one knee, copious amounts of smoke rising from his weapon after having fired his Big Shot. With a final lurch, the immolated warrior fell forward, crashing into the Turk leader… the fire, searching for more organic matter to burn, found the alcohol patches on his coat, and Reno was now at risk of being barbecued himself. He cursed bitterly, setting aside his plans to catch the girl, and threw himself onto the parquet, rolling back towards safety, hoping to quench the flames eating at his suit. Amazingly, when he finally crashed against the hard wall at the far end of the family hall, the fire had been put out, but now he would have nothing to wear for several days (his spare uniforms were still at the dry cleaners), and worse still, he was out of position. It would take precious seconds for him to run back to his men, and his return would come too late to prevent Avalanche from regaining the advantage.

The Ancient had managed to recover some of her composure, and he saw the fateful orange flares that indicated that she had hit her Limit Break as well. Tough luck; now all their hard work would be undone. Her rod began to spin of its own accord, but she steadied it, securing it in the crook of her arm, keeping it close to her chest. Her lips moved without sound as her plea for aid went straight to the Planet she had given her life for. A warm, pleasant breath of air, the lightest touch of welcoming spring blew in from parts unknown, directions untold, dispelling the pre - winter chill that had fallen everywhere, converging upon the summoning Cetra and her companions. Beautiful bright blue, rounded gems floated revolved around hero and heroine alike, using the intense energy they possessed to mend and make anew flesh, bone, blood and sinew, making the wounded whole again, chasing away the pain and the tiredness that had dogged them for the whole of this predawn raid. And when the Healing Wind dissipated at last, Avalanche stood ready once more, refreshed and prepared to meet another onslaught with renewed strength and vigour.

"Pull back, everybody! Time for Plan B," Reno signaled over the PHS. Ah, the wonders of technology. Thanks goodness their own radio sets weren't blocked by the jamming devices provided by the Science Department. To the SOLDIER next to him he ordered, "Keep them busy until I tell you to cease." While Rude and the rest returned to his side, the trooper duly went back into the fray, and presently he observed the rebels falling to the deck as his man sent blazing carpets of spell - fire their way, all thanks to an Enemy Skill materia and a sack full of dead flies in the Mithril Mines.

Satisfied that Cloud and company wouldn't be bothering him for a while, he removed from yet another hidden pocket of his "well - ironed" jacket a small metal canister. Twisting it open, he tossed away the cover, slowly taking out a glass sphere the size of a golf ball, filled with a strange, oily grey liquid. Invented by Scarlet just prior to her happy demise, this was their insurance, their back - up plan in case the enemy proved stronger than expected, which was exactly what Reno had foreseen. It had been a bold gamble attempting this capture with support from only two squads of SOLDIERs, but he'd figured that the element of surprise would balance things in their favour. Well, it hadn't, but they still had a chance. At any rate, he hadn't committed his reserves yet.

"Are you certain about this, Reno?" Rude questioned, looking long and hard at him.

"What do you think, man? It's a direct order from Mr. President, remember?" the assassin reminded his colleague, inspecting the little crystal ball at length.

"That's what you told me before you pressed that switch, " the shaven - headed man replied, folding his arms.

"Chill out, pal… it's not as serious as killing five million people this time. This baby will mess things up just enough to make them blow this joint. From what I've heard, a bad experience is the best teacher… and I'm sure she hasn't forgotten what happened at Junon. Just get everyone in position, all right?" Patting his comrade's shoulder, the spy walked forward until he was a few steps away from the water closet. "That's enough," he told the trooper who had literally provided covering fire. The SOLDIER ran off, and he gave the recovering Avalanche members a sly, predatory grin. "I've got a present for you!" That being said, he lobbed the glass ball into the bathroom, hightailing it back to Rude and the others. Those capsules he and his men had been taking for the past week had better work now.

"Grenade! Take cover!" Cloud yelled as he saw the bomb being thrown at them. There would be no time for anyone to pick up and throw away the explosive device like they always did in the movies, as it was common practice for Shinra soldiers, after pulling the pin, to hold on to the grenade for a few seconds before throwing it. The bomb would simply explode the moment it reached the target. They could only duck and hope for the best, but the results of a grenade exploding in such a small room wouldn't be pretty. But instead of the anticipated dull metallic clank caused by the landing of the grenade, he heard only the crash of breaking glass and a scream from Elmyra. The explosive had landed in the bathtub!

"Mom!" Ignoring what the spiky - haired swordsman had told them, Aeris sprang up, rushing to the tub. Next to her mother and friend was an expanding cloud of gray smoke, rising slowly and insidiously from the remnants of the broken glass globe. She caught a whiff of the strange gas, and its smell reminded her instantly of the fresh fruits she'd gathered while passing through the woods and glades during her travels. But her hands had begun to shake, and her teeth had started chattering. Nevertheless, she quickly helped the two of them out of the smoking tub, trying to hold them steady despite the tremors that were making her limbs defy her commands, even as they too began to fall prey to the strange symptoms she was suffering from.

The smoke had reached Barret and the others, and Tifa quickly covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, motioning to the rest to do so. After Meteor appeared, Rufus had tried and sentenced to death all the members of Avalanche he could find, blaming them for summoning the mammoth comet. She'd been sent to the gas chamber, and had barely escaped it alive. For the rest of her life she would never forget that sickly sweet smell, for this perfume was in reality a deadly nerve gas, chosen deliberately for its slow - acting properties. It would kill a person within thirty minutes, and the victim of the gassing would have plenty of time to know that he was slowly losing control of his bodily functions, that he was dying, and he could not do a single thing to stop his life slipping away. She had nearly succumbed to the poison gas, but by a lucky chance a Weapon had attacked Junon, and one of its powerful magic bolts had blasted a hole in the gas chamber, allowing her to climb out, sparing her from sharing the fate of the luckless people who had died in that execution room.

"It's poison gas! Stay low!" she gave a muffled warning.

"They obviously want to smoke us out," Cloud muttered, pressing his head to the ground, "We run out of here, get surrounded from all sides, and get slaughtered."

"Is this… the end, Aeris?… Hackack! W - what will we do now?"

"We'll think of something… they won't defeat us that easily," the flower girl murmured without hesitation, keeping her two charges safe in her embrace, bowing her head, shutting her eyes, holding her breath, reciting a prayer Ifalna had once taught her, once more asking the Planet for aid.

"If Aerith's not scared, I ain't! C'mon, Aunt!" Barret's daughter smiled, even though death was already covering her with his shroud, with a view to claiming her little life.

"Hmm… I've seen that sword before. He used to carry around something like this all the time too. I never really understood why a SOLDIER would want to use something so big and so heavy."

"You call this heavy? Nah. You get used to it after a while. It's big and broad because it's meant for dirty work, like breaking down doors and cutting through someone's armour. I've heard that some people can chop almost anything in two with it… they were the best swordsmen ever, those guys…" He returned to polishing the already mirror - like blade, and spent the rest of the day in silence, never taking his eyes off the huge weapon.

"Say, Cloud… can't you cut a hole in the wall?" she suggested. She couldn't breathe now. Her breaths had become short and shallow, her lung felt as if it was slowly shrinking, as if its scant vital capacity was diminishing with each passing moment. It would be only a matter of time before she stopped breathing altogether.

Through the smoke, the mercenary gave her a questioning look, before staring at the Ultima Weapon. It was made of harder stuff than anything he'd ever known, but would it be able to cut through a three - foot - thick wall of granite blocks without snapping? The Buster Sword wouldn't stand a chance at all, but…

"Never done that before, but we'll all die if we don't try something." He took a deep breath through the crude filter of his shirt sleeve. Gripping the magical blade, he charged headlong at the wall, and he was pleasantly surprised as he met little resistance on the way in; the sword sank into the tough stone rather easily. With his new stonecutting device he drove the blade several feet upwards until it was at chest level. Drawing the weapon out of the wall was equally easy, and he plunged the Ultima Weapon in again, this time making it go sideways. A downward stroke, and another horizontal cut, and he had created a small and rough square cutout in the wall. But now another problem presented itself. How were they to remove the newly carved stone? He placed one foot on the cut stone, but it remained defiantly attached to the rest of the wall.

He couldn't take the lack of air any longer, and he assumed a prone position again, having little choice but to inhale some of the poisoned air, cursing as the huge sword instantly started to slip from jittery hands. Soon he wouldn't be able to hold his weapon at all. He began to crawl back to the entrance, where the tainted air was thinnest.

"I've made an opening," he announced, "But we're still stuck unless we can push away that block of stone."

Barret went to the side, emptying his magazine at the wall section. The granite square willingly accepted his ammunition, but budged only so slightly. With time he might have been able to blast away the block, but their time was running out.

"Stand back, Barret. Let's hope this works…" the Cetra spoke with some difficulty, trying to concentrate on her magic amidst a fit of coughing that made her bend double, ignoring the saliva dripping from her mouth, which had dropped open on its own accord. A smoky red nimbus surrounded her, and rays of intense orange light streaked away, curling and corkscrewing as they homed in on her target. As each of the laser beams struck the obstinate block, large, deep cracks appeared in the bullet - riddled stone, and by the time the bombardment was over, the granite was starting to crumble like a soft biscuit, nothing now but a large mosaic of igneous rock chips. The former rebel leader fired again to clear away the debris, and after all the pebbles had fallen away from the wall section, they could see through the newly made hole, despite the swirling smoke, a queen - sized bed and what was left of a vanity table after a swift moment of violence. They had won through!

"You did it, Aeris!" The flower lady bowed meekly as Tifa hugged her.

"Yo, peeps! You wanna sit here and play possum?" Barret called out, "C'mere, Marlene!" He guided his ward to the hole, pushing her through the small aperture. Elmyra was next to go, and with a little encouragement from both sides, made it through after several seconds. Everyone else made it through with the greatest haste, for more than twenty minutes had elapsed since the glass grenade had been thrown in. A little while more and the gas would have put her to sleep. The Ancient girl sighed audibly, grateful that she could close her mouth now, relieved that her hands had stopped shaking.

The spiky - haired leader held his hand up for silence, and crawled towards the open door of the master bedroom, exposing his head only long enough for a quick look outside. The Shinra strike force was positioned some distance away from the bathroom, waiting for them to come out, but the two Turks had their eyes elsewhere, watching the other rooms in case someone suddenly emerged. They'd heard the noises coming from the smoky room, but they weren't sure whether Avalanche had escaped. Reno looked at his watch, counting off the few minutes that remained before the poison gas would kill those trapped inside.

He crept back towards the little group, before briefing them of the situation outside. "We'll have to make a run for the stairs. Can't afford to stick around here in case he's got more of those smoke bombs," Cloud whispered, and he turned to the green - eyed girl. "Teef, Barret and I will go out first and distract them. Take Marlene and Elmyra and get out of the house. We'll join you ASAP. But be careful - Reno may have reinforcements waiting nearby."

"Ready?" He received a tense nod from all and sundry. "Let's do it!" The terrible trio stormed out, laying down a barrage of metal and magical fire. Two SOLDIERs, taken unawares by the sudden attack, fell down screaming, while the rest went on their hands and knees, leopard - crawling towards their attackers. Reno responded immediately by crouching and firing back at the advancing freedom fighters, while Rude began to raise the barrier shields anew.

"Now, Aeris!" Cloud commanded. The flower merchant needed no further urging from the blonde fighter, as several SOLDIERs, having closed the short distance between the two parties, now rose up with bared blades to face the three rebels. The youthful Marlene bolted down the stairs without assistance, while she held her mother's hand, helping her negotiate the steps as quickly as possible.

Reno saw the Ancient going down to the ground floor, but he could not move to stop her. He could barely evade the 50 - calibre bullets hacking up the floor tiles next to him, and he could already see the sharpened ice crystals form around him. He'd have to get past Cloud and the others first, and even if he succeeded, Aeris would have long escaped. He curled into a ball, covering his face with his hands, gritting his teeth as the frost shards shredded his clothes, tearing into his flesh. Those wounds were painful enough, but luckily for him, Rude had just cast a Mbarrier on the whole party, otherwise he might have suffered serious injuries instead.

As soon as the hailstone barrage stopped, he yanked out the PHS, considering what would happen now. He'd gone over the floor plans of this house several times, promptly discovering that he hadn't enough men to cover all the entry and exit ports without leaving a sufficiently large force to attack the members of Avalanche. He had opted for a total containment of the first floor, while stationing one team below in the event of the rebels managing to escape via the stairs or even through the windows. It was time to commit his reserves.

"Elena, the Ancient's coming your way! Get ready!" This was all he could say before he was on the move again, before some lead or mana got sprayed his way. He could only pray that things would work out properly this time.

Once at the foot of the stairs, Aeris took the lead, keeping her large eyes open for SOLDIERs as they made their way through the living room. It was only a short walk of a few metres to the front door, but the stress of battle made it appear as if they had to run for a whole mile before they could leave the house. The hall was empty, having seen none of the action unfolding upstairs, and the air was considerably cleaner, free of the sour stench of blood and the acrid smell of cordite, and the furniture was still neatly ordered and intact. They made it to the exit without incident, coming to the locked threshold that would lead out into the cobblestone street. She paused, fingers resting on the handle, taking a few deep breaths, allowing her cramped, leaden limbs, still recovering from the effects of exertion and the nerve gas, a few seconds' respite. But she dared not hesitate for too long, and she spun the wheel lock hastily, fearing that each click, sounding as loud as a gunshot in this silent room, would alert Reno and his men. Finally she turned the handle, pulling the old oak door inwards… as she gasped. She could not see the dim welcoming lights of the street at all.

"Well, look who's here." Elena and four SOLDIERs stood between them and safety.

"Stay behind me," the Ancient whispered, and she stepped back slowly, the Princess Guard at the ready. She was under no impressions that she would be able to prevail, being outnumbered five to one, but their safety was her concern. The Shinra forces were after her, after all. Perhaps she could give them a chance.

The Turk and her men quickly ate up the few feet separating them, leaving the doorway and entering the room proper. The SOLDIERs now seized the advantage, and in a moment the flower girl and her relatives were trapped in a loose circle.

"Cloud! Help us!" Aeris cried at the top of her voice, wondering how long she could delay Elena's attack. Once the fighting started, she might get captured, but her mother and Marlene would certainly get killed… and the Turks would only dismiss their deaths as only collateral damage.

The blond snorted. "Don't bother. You can't escape me today. You'd better come clean about everything now, worthless Ancient." She drew a long - barreled handgun from her coat, flicking off the safety in full view of the Cetra girl, pointing it at her face.

What was Elena talking about? But the longer she could delay the blue - suited lady with casual conversation, the more time Cloud would have to come to their aid… and the more time she would have to prepare herself.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Hmph! Stop trying to play innocent, stupid Ancient! You're nothing but a bloody hunting wolf in sheep's clothing!" the junior assassin alleged, "You took him from me! He always said "No" to me because there was someone he wanted to protect, someone he wanted to care for… and you were the one going out with him!" Her voice climbed in pitch with each succeeding word she spoke, and she started gesturing wildly with her pistol.

Aeris leaned forward, curiosity and puzzlement overcoming her fears. "Who are you talking about, Elena? Surely it's not Zack… or Cloud…?"

"Shut up! I've seen everything! Albums full of pictures of the two of you together! Videotapes of every secret lover's rendezvous! And you still deny it?! You deprived me of a chance to be with him, and when he finally changed for the better, it was too late! Aren't you happy to know that Tseng is dead? Tell me!" She was practically screaming now, her eyes almost as wide and large as the flower seller's.

The red - faced Elena was coming in closer and closer, and the SOLDIERs followed her lead. The Cetra had often seen the toughs and the drunks in the slums behave in the same way, and she knew that the Turk was too caught up by her passions for honest explanations to work on her. Her time was running out. She took one last step backwards, close enough to speak under her breath to Elmyra and Marlene.

"When the fighting starts, leave at once. Find a place to hide," she instructed them, "Don't cry now, I'll be safe, and I'll be searching for you. We'll be together again really soon."

Now she stared the blond full in the face, the angel in her eyes stern and steady, leveled against the unseeing, unreasonable gleam that clouded her counterpart's vision, ready to battle the demon within that was driving her to violence. For just a second Elena halted her extravagant movements, as if she was suddenly aware of what she was going up against, considering whether things might not go her way this time, but this moment of lucidity was too brief to change the course of events, and she pressed on, cocking her gun, her jaw locked, her shoulders squared.

And then the staff struck her soundly, sending her shot high and wide, raining down plaster and brick dust upon everyone. Aeris was upon them, spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees, the Princess Guard, like a polearm, giving her impressive reach, forcing the surprised SOLDIERs to backpedal away from her, opening up large gaps of free space around her. The containment circle was breached, and their chance had come. "You must go! Please!" she cried, even as the red - uniformed men recovered, their large blades shielding them and slashing at her, stopping her from making another of her wide round sweeps. The woman and the girl now ran towards the unguarded door, but one SOLDIER had broken off, rushing towards the fleeing duo, about to catch them within seconds. Aeris, blocked by Elena and the remaining troopers, was too far away to reach him, but she absolutely had to do something to save her friend and mother.

"Don't touch them!" She jumped, letting go of her guard stick, sending it flying at the pursuing SOLDIER, a flashing red and gold star shooting through the blackness. Her staff, desperately thrown, aimed without the benefit of calm precision, was guided by the spirits of the Ancients, and it did its mistress' will nonetheless. The 1st Class groaned as the weapon dug into his thigh, causing him to fall on his side, and he couldn't help but announce his anger and agony through the transmitters on his helmet as he yanked the improvised spear from his wounded leg. He stood up, leaning on his good leg, yet his targets had long disappeared from view.

Unarmed, and unable to use her magic in such close proximity to the enemy, Aeris quickly found herself restrained by Elena's men, and once more she found herself staring down the barrel of the lady Turk's handgun.

"On your knees!" she ordered, and the white mage tasted dust and powdered paint in her mouth as a kick to the back sent her sprawling on the floor. The rough hands grabbed both her arms at the joint, and another person pulled her ponytail, jerking up her head, allowing the Cetra to see her accuser.

"You're mistaken, Elena… I never had anything to do with Tseng," she began, but she completed her sentence with a scream, as the butt end of the pistol connected with her jaw.

"Liar!" The girl squeezed shut her eyes, crying out again as the wood and metal handle smashed against the uninjured side of her face. "You liar!" She felt the warm steel pressing on her forehead, ready to take her life at any moment.

"Still don't wanna come clean? It doesn't matter now. I'm too sad. I don't wanna talk with a lousy adulterer like you! I only wish you could suffer the pain I'm going through now!" Her finger slowly began to travel the final half - inch that would cause the trigger to be depressed fully, a split second away from completing the deadly series of movements that would release the restraints of prudence, letting go of the firing pin, sending the striker forward to ignite the explosive charge her hate had gathered up for a long time, propelling the destructive missile that would bring her rival's life to a bloody end like Tseng's.

"Elena! Remember our orders!" Reno barked. Hearing the sounds of fighting down below, he and Cloud had descended the stairs. Each man had sought to assist the woman in his life, and each sought to prevent the other from lending aid. The mercenary had gone down first, yet he had been pinned to the ground as the redhead pounced on him. They had tumbled down the stairs in a dust bunny of flailing arms and legs, but now their battle had ceased, both of them concerned about the safety of the Ancient, but each for a different reason.

"To hell with our orders! I'm not gonna bother about sending that bitch to Nibelheim alive! He can have her rotting carcass for all I care!" She grinned wildly at the Ancient, pulling back the trigger completely, firing the gun, "That's for Tseng!!!"

"AERIS!!"

"ELENA, NO!!"

One shot rang out. Then a second, and a third. A fourth. And a fifth. Five more loud reports speaking of doom. Elena had emptied her entire magazine, expending enough deadly force to kill ten men, but not enough to satisfy her need for vengeance.

The flower girl's bleeding mouth dropped open in surprise, and her eyes bulged with wonderment. She planted her hands on the ground, steadying herself as she beheld the unexpected.

Elena had switched targets at the very last second.

Ever since the death of the one she loved, she had tried to hunt down everyone whom she believed was responsible for his murder. For a time she believed that Avalanche had killed him. But she had discovered that the spiky - haired leader had indeed spoken the truth. Reeve had corroborated Cloud's story, showing her footage and recordings gathered by his proxy. Cait had been part of the party which had entered the Temple of the Ancients. Cloud had not trusted the robot at all, and he had forced the cat to lead the way, while he and Aeris followed behind. Cait had witnessed everything, including the murder, and long would she remember the name and the features of the villain who had killed her boss.

But cruel Fortune had denied her the chance to go after his killer, and she saw in the newly revived Ancient a tangible target for her revenge. If she could not kill the person who had murdered the boss, she would settle for disposing of the person who had caused her to lose her chance to love Tseng. She wanted to grab at every possible straw, to destroy someone, anyone, no matter how remotely connected he or she was to her misfortune, if only it could set her lovelorn spirit at ease.

But now, another chance had fallen into her lap. In her mind, this man was the more culpable by far, and his transgressions immeasurably outweighed whatever crimes Aeris had committed. She had taken away his love, but that monster had killed him! He was the one who truly deserved to die!

That man, the one with the black cloak and the platinum hair, melted out of the cold and the darkness, his large frame casting a long shadow a long shadow in the doorway. His eight - foot blade was drawn and waiting for combat proper to commence, its tip resting gently on the ground. Ten shiny, flattened pieces of metal lay scattered around him.

"Come… If you wish for death, I will give it to you."

"You're the one who's gonna die, asshole! You and that brazen hussy!" Spittle spattered from her mouth, every blood vessel in her brown eyes about to burst. Her nerves, weakened by over a year of stress and depression, cracked the moment she saw her lover's murderer, and her hands now failed her. She fumbled as she reached into her pockets for another clip, and when she managed at last to pull the magazine out of her pocket, it evaded her grip, clattering at her feet. Sephiroth did not move, merely sneering at Elena's pathetic attempts to kill him.

"Kill him for me!" she ordered the SOLDIERs, her voice fearful to hear, a shrill, piercing wail. Slowly, painfully, she closed a cramped hand over the clip, only to have it slip through her fingers again. With some doubts, but with no hesitation, the 1st Class troopers sallied forth, wordlessly confronting their former general. And then the one - winged angel was in the air. Into the thicket of steel he flew, and with one foot he landed onto one trooper's upheld blade, bashing in the man's head with the other, causing the SOLDIER to fall backwards. Placing his full weight on the weapon, Sephiroth slid off the lowered blade. He sank the Masamune into the man's heart, and his victim was dead before hitting the floor.

The three remaining SOLDIERs now broke out into a dead run before him, but the white - maned villain stood where he was, plunging his sword into the ground, burying one foot of the shining steel beneath the wooden tiles. Without taking his eyes off the charging attackers, he twisted the handle, letting his enemies see the blade's mirror - like length, letting them behold their impending doom. The earth itself began to stir, awakened by his summons. His plans were instantly revealed as the ground beneath them buckled and cracked, the yawn of the broken crust as loud as thunder, halting his opponents' charge. Without warning, the floor segment which carried the man in the middle began to rise, tearing free of its fellow tiles, taking with it the cement layer which it was still glued to, the concrete foundations and part of the bedrock below. As one symmetrical, oblong block, it rose with the speed of a piledriver at work, taking with it the astonished SOLDIER, and it slammed into the ceiling, going in with such deafening force that the smoothly cut bottom of that curious magical crusher was flush with the ceiling. The errant box of rock and building materials, having served its purpose, fell back into the exact same hole in the ground from whence it came, bearing with it a sticky red and white powdery paste mixed with cement dust and flaked paint, along with a long strip of metal, flattened to the thickness of a cardboard sheet. He drew out the Masamune, and immediately the earth ceased to quake, the cracks miraculously knitting together, the savaged hardwood floor healing itself as quickly as the damage had occurred, and in the space of a few swift seconds, no evidence remained of the carnage that had just occurred except what was left of the luckless SOLDIER.

Now only two men were left to challenge Sephiroth, and they proceeded with weapons prepared to address any sudden moves on the former villain's part, treading lightly in case the earth opened up again to crush them. But the man in black just stepped forward, executing a slow and simple horizontal slash that even the lowest SOLDIER trainee was expected to be able to parry. The two weapons came up to meet his challenge, but now a faint green glow enveloped the holy sword, covering it from point to hilt. And when the swords met… the Masamune cut through the raised weapons, sundering the one - inch thick blades wielded by the SOLDIERs, continuing unstopped on its path to ruin. And the last two men perished with their bodies incomplete, their heads lying besides their broken arms.

He faced Elena again, assuming his ready position once more. The blood of his victims began to flow down the edge of the weapon, forming a small puddle at the spot where the point pressed into the floor.

"Why do you hesitate?"

The lady Turk had by now regained a residual amount of her composure. She now stood with her legs firmly planted on the ground, the muscles on her face taut, her eyes reddened slits, her teeth grinding against each other. Gripping her reloaded pistol with both hands, she had pointed it at him in readiness to fire. And she fired again.

Another storm of steel came at Sephiroth, and the Masamune flickered upwards in his defence. It was a marvel to see each bullet striking the enchanted blade, for it was as if a small orange - coloured firework had exploded upon contact with the longsword. Equally marvelous to behold was the sight of the pointed projectiles flattening themselves against the magical metal, blooming like some exotic lead mushroom, bouncing off the blade as they consumed their vigour, before dropping heavily on the floor, defeated, their driving force spent.

Issuing an unladylike imprecation, the blue - suited woman tossed away her handgun, baring her fists, cracking her knuckles. "I will kill you today, even if I have to do it with my bare hands!" But she could not take a single step towards the ex - megalomaniac, as Reno had reached her, wrapping an arm around her neck, another grabbing her waist.

"Let me go, Reno!" she snarled, "He killed the boss!"

"Shut up, Elena. You aren't thinking rationally." He sighed. This was starting to resemble the cheesy, cliched, plotless action flicks that kept rearing their ugly heads at primetime slots on TV channels throughout the Planet.

Sephiroth snorted, continuing to taunt her. "You're even more pathetic than she is."

"Get out of my way!" The blond did not want to be stopped, and now she turned against her boyfriend, her elbows digging deep into his ribs, several violent horse - kicks causing him to wobble slightly. The redhead took all these in stride - he would probably be black and blue all over after this little scuffle, but he'd experienced far worse injuries in bed with her.

"Do you honesty think you can kill him?" he went on, but as a professional, an intimate friend, and as a leader, there was only one thing he could do now, painful as it was. "You can't avenge his death," he said finally.

"Defeatist scum! And you still dare to wear the blue tux! What happened to the spirit of the Turks? &@#* you!" The curses continued to fly, and the violence continued, marked by red lines and festoons of torn skin on Reno's face. The spy grimly weathered her outburst, and he let go of her waist, pulling out his electric rod, turning the power dial to its lowest setting. He set the silver tip of the nightstick against her neck, and pushed the firing stud. Only then did she give up the struggle, incapacitated by the stun blast. This was quickly getting ridiculous. He was supposed to use his weapon on the Ancient, not against one of his colleagues. Man, how he hated B - grade movies. Life imitated art in its lowest form. And she still didn't understand what the spirit of the Turks really stood for.

He lifted up Elena's paralysed body, slinging her over his back in the same way as he had carried the Ancient almost an hour ago. In one of his pockets he stowed his nightstick, and from another he removed another crystal ball, but this one was not so well protected as the nerve gas grenade he had used earlier. He now addressed the remaining people in the room, smirking at them, hefting the glass sphere in his hand.

"That's all, folks… for now, at least. You'll hear from us again pretty soon, and when that happens, we'll have the upper hand! So there!" The covert agent let go of the round container; it did not break upon contact with the floor, but bounced several times, coming to a stop a few feet away from him. He straightened out his coat, set the flaps back into his pockets, tapping his feet a few times to remove some of the dust that had settled on his patent leather loafers. To his brow his hand went, and he raised his sunshades in a parting gesture. And as he stepped away from them, the glass shell of the bomb he had dropped dissolved, releasing thick white clouds of cold moisture that soon spread everywhere, blanketing the entire ground floor of the house. Even an escape was something to be carried out with precision and finesse. Not only must the enemy be rendered unable to pursue or capture him, his disappearing act would also have to be something impressive, a performance that would be able to convince his adversaries that the Turks were agents who were stayed frosty even if they couldn't achieve their objectives… they were survivors who would come back another day to finish the job.

Silence fell upon the wrecked house as the fog generated by the carbon dioxide smoke ball cleared. Cloud crouched behind the Cetra, helping her to return to her feet, both of them looking up at the silver - haired SOLDIER who had driven off the Shinra troops. In response, he raised his chin at them, his lips stiffened, the glowing Mako gaze firm and hard, his cloak billowing out behind him in the cold breeze that came in from the outside, his drawn sword still gleaming at his side, ready to strike. Nothing but silence passed between them. Cloud had seen that face so many times in the newsreels, the Shinra recruiting flyers and on the posters he once pinned up in his bedroom. Zack had told Aeris many tales about Safer Sephiroth, the genius who had become a general in the Shinra army at the age of seventeen, and looking at him now, she now realised that every single yarn was true, fact and embellishments alike. But these days were over, having vanished long ago in a sea of blood and flames. Time had passed him by… by now he had already crossed the threshold, his back turned upon the young man and woman, and he quickly melted back into the blackness, returning to the present.

"Wow… what a guy. You know, he's not as bad as you think, Cloud," Aeris spoke at last, grinning at him, "At least he gave us a hand."

The mercenary kept his eyes fixed upon the dark, open doorway. Now that Jenova's influence was gone for good, who was this person who wore the black cloak and carried the eight - foot holy sword? What was driving him now? "I knew him once…," he replied at last. "Is this the same man I'm seeing now?"

*****

Reno took his chances, boldly charging out the front door, keying his PHS hotkey to call for the helicopter that would evacuate what was left of his little task force.

"Compromised! Extraction failed, abort mission immediately!" He announced, giving the order to retreat.

The wheels in his head were now working overtime, mulling over the reasons why their second mission to capture the Ancient had failed, and why their latest attempt to defeat Avalanche had resulted in a humiliating defeat. However, it didn't take him very long to figure out that things had gone so badly only because of his lack of foresight and the ill luck they had suffered. Now it was time for him to find a way to explain their lack of success in the most favourable light possible.

It was bad enough when Rufus was still a human being, but now he'd have to face an irate, chaingun - toting, missile - launching kiddie robot upon his return. Then again, at the very least, he had a very good excuse brewing in his mind now. He only had to utter a single magic word, point the finger at the perfect scapegoat to get the Turks off the hook (but of course, he would have to remind Elena not to say anything about her abortive attempt to brain the already brainless Ancient).

But just what would the President say when he told him that Sephiroth too had returned from the dead?

A/N: Ah, at last. Thank God. Thanks everyone, for waiting for me. I had to take a month off to revise for the exams (miraculously, I survived!). On top of that, it's taken nearly a month to complete this chapter. It's horribly hard to start writing again after even such a short hiatus, and I would spend whole days writing only sentences or paragraphs, and it was only a few days ago that I started churning out one or two pages per day. I look back at the first few chapters and I say "wow, how the heck could I generate so much crap?" Maybe I'll answer that someday, right now I'm more concerned with putting this up on the site to reward my patient readers. Unfortunately, school is reopening next week, and this means less time for me to write, but you can be sure I won't be giving this fic up in a hurry, but if you actually like it, add it to your favourites, or else be prepared to search page no. 50 something or so in the fic list after filtering things out (that's how I managed to trace a KH story I forgot to bookmark last time, though I'm exaggerating about the number of pages I had to go through).

Can you recognise the shadows Reno is so afraid of when he enters Aeris' room? Is Ansem trying to take over the Planet too? (of course not, but a small KH reference seemed all right here). I'm not sure what Rude's weapon would look like, but a spiked glove with painful mini - drills this seemed devious and heavy - handed enough. Here, Reno's nightstick is able to carry out ranged as well as the melee attacks shown in the game.

A problem I faced in making this chapter was finding words to describe all the sword fights here. How many words can you find to replace "blade" or "floor"? (A similar problem would be attempting to describe the range of facial features available on a human being. Should look up a web site on emotes or something). I don't know very much about fencing or other styles of swordplay, so I just try to think of something, or worst come to worst, just write down a simple "hack and slash" routine. Too bad Cloud isn't carrying a lightsabre, otherwise the wall - cutting scene would be something cool like the Phantom Menace.

Which makes me wonder why SOLDIERs don't use ranged weapons like the blue shirt guards. Surely they would be at a disadvantage? Here, I have them wear bulletproof armour made of ceramics (yes, it's true, but I can't believe ("military grade") pottery can withstand bullets, but apparently the best bulletproof vests have pouches where you can insert ceramic shields that can stop even high velocity missiles). Immune to conventional ranged weapons, and armed with materia, they will be able to come in close enough to use their outsized blades on their opponents.

Some spell effects, like Haste or Healing Wind, have to be seen rather than having someone else describe it to you. For the purposes of making things harder for our heroes, I decided to make the Barrier and Mbarrier spells a little more effective for the villains too.

I'm sorry if I couldn't include more of the Avalanche members, but it would be technically difficult to write a dialogue for 9+ guys and draft scenes where each of them get a kill (that's probably another reason why squaresoft allows only 3 people per party).

Despite the fact that this is a pretty graphic chapter, with bloodshed, killing and passions gone wild, I've still tried to put a bit of humour here and there. One commonly discussed (and overused) subject in FF7 humour fics is whether Tifa's boobs are real, for example. Here, Reno finds it out for himself, and gets away with it!

Another mystery of FF7 world is why Tifa can survive so long in the gas chamber. Leave your PS1 on for 24 hours, come back and Teef is still waiting for you to free her. The only plausible explanation would be that Scarlet probably used a slow - acting agent, and here I describe it as a nerve agent. Nerve gas poisoning is a terrible thing, and what I've written here should be considered mild compared to the true horrors which one can suffer from if exposed to it (otherwise I'd bump up the rating to R). If you've watched The Rock, you'll find those deadly little crystal balls very familiar indeed… But the Turks don't just have deadly weapons up their sleeve. They'll use anything they can find… even dry ice.

If you watched the Kingdom Hearts 2 TGS Trailer, you'll also see that I based Sephiroth's grand entrance loosely on the last segment where Mickey arrives to save Sora's party. That was the coolest part, with the big eared mouse jumping in and slashing away, and you see Sora's mouth actually dropping open in amazement. Why is Mickey dressed like the bad guys? Who's the red haired guy in the black cloak wielding the red pinwheels? Looks a lot like Reno, especially with that haughty expression and the scars under the eyes. Pretty cool scene, though. "I can't let you meet Sora!" the blonde says to the redhead. If you get the official wallpaper, you don't see Riku anywhere. How much more will we see of him? Talking about Chain of Memories, in the opening cutscene, the black cloaked Unknown tells Sora that he will gain what he's looking for, but he'll lose something dear (or words to that effect). I get a chill when I read that, for this was what Cait Sith told Cloud at the Gold Saucer. He succeeded in killing Sephy, but Aerith had to die first. At any rate, I don't really care, as long as KH2 or COM features more of Aerith… Mandy Moore is OK I guess, but give Hayden Panettiere a few more years, and she'd be the perfect voice actress for the flower lady.

Finally, I hope that Elena's reasons for trying to shoot Aeris are convincing. I love indulging in cheap, high drama scenes. She's high strung, hot - tempered and quick to jump to conclusions. She is driven by her emotions. The death of a love interest, as in Cloud's case, spurs one to perform acts of heroism… but it can make a person lose his mind too. Elena should be pitied, not hated… What exactly does the spirit of the Turks embody?

Here are the replies to my Reviewers! Once more, thanks for keeping your fingers crossed! Let this be my New Year's present to you!

Just this once, I'll start from the last, before going down to the first, to keep things interesting=)

To Divine Star:

It'll take a long time for him to learn, but she'll keep on trying. It'll take quite a bit to draw him out after 30 lonely years. Make no mistake, he is tough… Wonder how you managed to find my story… did you actually plough through all the search pages to find it?

To Cultist 007:

Nope, I've not given up yet! Leave the worrying to me, just enjoy the story as it comes… thanks for encouraging me, great to know that people out there are actually waiting for me to update!

To lunachan579():

I used to really hate Sephy for killing Aerith, but after writing about him, putting myself in his shoes, I can't help but feel that he might actually be a real human being… probably because we use our own feelings, our perceptions, and our experiences to flesh out the character in accordance with what you see in the game. I'm not afraid to say that it's possible to be actually sympathetic to him… because… I am him. Mwahahahaha! Who's the puppet now?

For me, I worship Aerith (she's so sweet, and so pretty!). Unfortunately, my sis is an Aerith hater, and she thinks she's nothing but a giggly brainless girl. We've had countless quarrels over that issue.

To kevinFanReader:

Thanks for the review, I like my pairings slow and easy.

To Starfall4790:

Well, there's more Sephy, and more Reno, enough of them to keep a fangirl alive I hope. What else do you need? More Yuffie? Maybe next time. She looked cool in KH, her eyes were in fact bigger than Aerith's, which made me rather unhappy. Nobody beats Aerith when it comes to puppy - dog eyes! Yuffie's KH costume was originally designed for Rikku in FFX (according to what little I can decipher from the Ultimania guide; what a shame I don't understand Japanese, it's far better than the bradygames crap, and that's going by the pictures alone. Believe it or not, I bought it just to see more pictures of Aerith).

Yeah, let me extend my condolences… Sephy and Cloud don't look that good in AC. Aerith does make an appearance (in Cloud's memories, perhaps?). There is one scene where Cloud is shown burying her in the lake, though you don't see much of her except her head. We can only pray she gets reborn or something like that, then the Aeris Resurrection Fetish supporters will have their most hoped for dreams come true. Though I'm not terribly optimistic. Tetsuya Nomura said that AC is not about something soft, like healing. It is about survival. Which implies that Cloud will probably have to learn to cope with his loss, rather than have her come back and have a grand celebration all over the Planet.

Now… be patient… and enjoy this update… take your time to read it.

To derrangedkitten():

My story has a few less errors than most, probably because I take my time to write it. Unfortunately, my grammar has gone downhill ever since I was 12 years old, and I'm not good enough to compress a whole story into 1 fic (cool idea!).

Nope, I live in Singapore… if Reno were to do what he did to Tifa where I live, he'd be getting the Michael Fay treatment already.

To Falling rain:

Sephy looks girly in AC. Period. What can a poor boy like him do when the family he has known for so long suddenly gets taken away from him? What happens when he is subject to torture, deprivation and loneliness? He goes mad. He forgets about what makes him human in the first place. He forgets about love and affection.

From: Dark Ha Des:

You got everything right, well done! You could start writing synopses for my chapters, I couldn't summarise everything in point form even if I tried.

To Phantom Kensai:

I am as paranoid as Sephiroth, and that drives my parents up the wall all the time, so don't worry. Some sites have Japanese mag scans of articles pertaining to AC, so if you can read the language, you're in luck. But the pictures are cool. Have fun!

To Crow T R0bot:

Hey, hope your HTML woes are over… Started on FF13 yet? Will it star Aeris? Saw Silent Hill 3 selling in the shops, but eyes popped out when I looked at requirements… if memory serves me correctly, 1Ghz or something (probably lower)… no way my antiquated system (450Mhz) can play the game. Hope yours can run it.

To Homunculus:

Your prudence and foresight is rewarded handsomely with the author alert message telling you of the update! Hope to see more KH or FF7 art… especially more about the flowergirl! Sephiroth is a soldier, unaccustomed to things of beauty and purity… but it's up to someone to teach him how to appreciate them…

To the Constructicons:

Devastator eats wheat??? Thought it was Froot Loops, enough variety for all 6 bots.

To Quincy007:

One gem of wisdom: don't go around beating up the weak sick kid, lest he get jabbed with Jenova cells and Mako infusions and get turned into a Planet - killing, sword - slashing supervillain! He doesn't want to lose, and he doesn't want to be ruled. He is the man. The myth. The megalomaniac.

And as for Aeris… consider this question. There are 3 "only child(ren)" in this story, Aeris, Sephiroth, and ???? (can you guess?). But why have they grown up so differently? How have the circumstances in which they have spent their formative years made them so fundamentally different? Nurture is key.