Morning came quick and Lloyd and the others left for the gorge where they could get the mana leaf. Hiro and I decided it would be better to stay at the Ragnorok since I was pregnant and Hiro didn't want to leave me alone. The blonde seemed nervous though as we waited for the Symphonians to return. I noticed that he looked at me with questioning eyes, seeming to have a conflict with himself.
"Hiro, is something wrong?" I finally had to asked. Hiro shook his head and looked down sadly. "Your lying Hiro. Tell me what's on your mind."
"It's nothing, just..."
"What?"
"Tia, will I still be your brother after all this?" Hiro asked, looking at me with sad eyes. "I know your trying to start a family now and will be busy with Kratos and the kids but, will you still be there to help me if I need it?"
"What?! Hiro of course I'll be there! Your my little brother, you'll always be part of my life. I could never forget you." I cried and saw Hiro smile.
"Do you really mean that?"
"I promise on Holy that I will never forget you. How could I after all we've been through together Hiro? From Hojo's lab, to Nibelheim, the battle with Void, you were even there during the Prophecy Wars." I said, laughing. "I even dreamt of the first time we met back in the lab. You were such a brat but I'm glad you didn't leave me alone. If you had, I would have become like all the other people Hojo used, broken."
"Thanks Tia." Hiro smiled, sighing in relief. "That means a lot to me."
"Its true but I have to wonder what would cause such doubt to appear in your mind. Is it Void?" I asked. Hiro nodded. "Void is just trying to get you to doubt yourself. He's just trying to play mind games like Jenova did with me. Try to ignore it and remember that I'll always be there to help you."
"Alright. I'll try. But you should know thats not so easy sometimes." The blonde man laughed.
I nodded and sighed as the Symphonians all filed back into the cockpit, Raine examining a strange plant that I guessed was the mana herb. "So are we good to go?"
"Yeah. Now we just need to get the mana fragment." Lloyd nodded, sitting beside a more relieved looking Colette.
"Hmm...a mana fragment. I bet I can handle that since all materia is is crystalized Lifestream. I'm sure I can find a broken one that no longer holds any power. If not, we can always contact Kratos." I said, starting the engines again. "What else do we need?"
"I think thats it. Then we can just go to Altessa's and cure Colette." Raine answered, still examining the mana herb.
I nodded and flew the Ragnorok back by the dwarf's house. The Symphonians went ahead and went inside as I searched for a certain item. I looked at the dull red orb, remember the spirit that had once resided in it but was comforted as Bahamut's consciousness made itself known. Smiling, I clenched the orb tightly as I left the ship and rejoined the others inside.
"Here, use this for the mana fragment." I said, placing the dead materia in Colette's hand. She recognized it instantly and looked at me in shock. "It ok. Use it. Bahamut resides as a GF in my mind now. The materia is no longer needed."
"Thank you Tiamatt." Colette nodded, before turning to Altessa who took the orb. "Can you use this?"
"Hmm...I've never seen anything like this before but I should be able to make the rune crest for your Cruxis Crystal." Altessa answered, looking the orb over before nodding.
Mithos looked at it curiously before turning to me. "What is that?"
"It's called materia. It's how some of the people of my world cast magic since its a form of crystalized mana. There are several kinds of materia. Red materia are for summons. Green for basic spells, and yellow is command." I explained.
"But there are also two special materia that are stonger than any of the others. One is the white materia which summons Holy. The other is the black materia that summons Meteor." Hiro added. Mithos nodded.
"If you guys are hungry then go ahead and eat. The crest will take a while to complete but should be done tonight." Altessa said.
Everyone nodded but I didn't really feel hungry for some reason so I went outside. I sat down and looked at the sky once again tracing the strangely similair constellations before sighing and pulling out the GS. I closed my eyes, leaning back on my hands as I listened to "Stand" play on the miniture computer.
"You feel like a candle in a hurricane, Just like a picture with a broken frame, Alone and helpless, Like you've lost your fight, But you'll be alright. Cause when push comes to shove You taste what you're made of, You might bend, till you break, Cause its all you can take, On your knees you look up, Decide you've had enough, You get mad you get strong, Wipe your hands shake it off, Then you Stand, Then you stand!"
I heard the door to Altessa's open and then Mithos' light footsteps as he came out and sat beside me. The young half-elf was silent as the song played.
"Life's like a novel, With the end ripped out, The edge of a canyon, With only one way down, Take what you're given before its gone, Start holding on, keep holding on. Cause when push comes to shove,You taste what you're made of, You might bend, till you break, Cause its all you can take, On your knees you look up, Decide you've had enough, You get mad you get strong, Wipe your hands shake it off, Then you Stand, Then you stand! Everytime you get up And get back in the race, one more small piece of you, Starts to fall into place! Cause when push comes to shove,You taste what you're made of, You might bend, till you break, Cause its all you can take, On your knees you look up, Decide you've had enough, You get mad you get strong, Wipe your hands shake it off, Then you Stand, Then you stand!"
"Mithos," I said as the song ended and looked at the child form the Cruxis leader had taken. "Why did you make Kratos the seal?"
"What? How do you know that?" Mithos stammered in surprise.
I sighed. "Kratos told me. And I talked to Origin too."
"Why do you always have to interfer?" Mithos asked, glaring at me. "Because of you, Kratos is more relucant to follow orders. I should kill you now and maybe he'll be more loyal."
"Do you really think that is smart to do Mithos?" I asked back, looking back at him with a smirk. "How do you think Kratos would react if he found out his pregnant fiancee was dead? How was he when he returned to Cruxis fifteen years ago?"
"..." Mithos didn't say anything but continued to glare at me.
"After Anna's death, I bet he was pretty torn up. I know I was when Sephiroth died and we weren't even married nor did we have children. I can't imagine the pain Kratos went through when he was forced to kill Anna to stop her from devouring Lloyd." I said sadly. "I would imagine that after that and then being able to find Lloyd after that, that he gave up hope. Tell me Mithos, did he try to end his own life after that?"
"...yes he did. Yuan and I were barely able to stop him." Mithos answered quietly. "Kratos can't die. He is the Origin seal. If he were to die, I would lose the Eternal Sword."
"Funny how things work out isn't?" I grinned before turning back to look at the sky. Mithos growled and stood up to go back inside. "I win."
"Foolish woman..." Mithos mumbled as he walked back inside.
I laughed and closed my eyes only feel another familiar presence. My eyes snapped open and I sat up, listening closely as a strange feeling of dread come over me. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but I knew they were close by, probably watching me from the trees or the dark sky. At least the Remnants were smart enough to hide downwind but if that was the case, then where exactly were they?
"Hello Sister." I turned to see Comi, Jenova's second in command since Dsanios was killed. "What is this? You with child? Who would have guessed after all these years?"
"Comi, what do you want?" I asked, backing away to bumb into another Remnant.
"Now Sister, surely you wouldn't think we would give up just because Mother is gone. We've come to complete her wishes and though Hojo may have been killed in this time and dimension, he is very much alive in ours. Once he hears of this news he shall be pleased so dear Sister, if you would accompany us." Comi said with a grin, grabbing my arm with his clawed hand and placing some strange braclet like device on my wrist. I tried to teleport from his grasp but the braclet grew warm and nothing happened. "Do you like our little device? Hojo created after studying Odine's files on Sorceress magic. It is built to absorb the energy used by a Sorceress so that they're powers are nullified."
"What? But all of Odine's inventions eventually failed from overload. Do you honestly think this will restrain me for long?" I growled, another mind contacting my own for only a moment.
Hold on, I'm coming.
"Hojo has corrected those mistakes Sister so you will not be teleporting any where soon." Comi smirked. "We got what we came for. Let's go."
"Tiamatt!" Hiro yelled as he came outside to check on me only to find a dozen elite Remnants surrounding me. "Let her go!"
"Humph, get rid of him." Comi said calmly, before muttering an imbolizing spell and picking me up. "I'll take Sister back to Hojo."
"Get your hands off of her!" Kratos yelled as he swooped down and tried to slash at the Remnant with the Flamberge but the blow was blocked by Wall.
Comi grinned as he stread his wings and leapt into the air, four Remnants following him as the others stayed to hold off Hiro and Kratos. I couldn't move, couldn't yell as I watched the Remnants attack them and couldn't reach help Hiro as I noticed that his eyes changed color.
Third Person POV
"Bring her back!" Hiro growled, glaring at the Remnants, his sword drawn. Kratos looked at the blonde in shock as the man's mana expoded and his eyes turned red.
"Or what? Void is dead!" One of the Remnants laughed, paying no heed to the change in Hiro.
"Yeah, you're just a normal human without the demon." Another laughed.
"Hiro, don't listen to them!" Kratos yelled to his ally as he began to charge energy around him. His wings flared out as he pointed his sword at the Remnants. "Cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls. Rest in peace sinners! Judgement!"
The angelic spell rained down from the night sky, hitting several of the Remnants who hissed in pain before retaliating. A strange dragon/ lion mix snapped at Hiro with iron like jaws but man merely flung his arm out, sending the creature flying.
"Bring Tiamatt back!" Hiro yelled again, his anger rising as the Remnants laughed and launched themselves at the pair again.
Kratos dodged an attack and prepared to cast another spell but as he landed back on the ground, he was hit by the twisting gravity of Ultima and fell to the ground as the other Remnants focused their spells on the angel till he was unconscious and bleeding. The lion dragon laughed but was silenced suddenly, falling to the ground in an explosion of blood.
"What?!" the Remnants turned to face Hiro whose hands were now clawed and had large black wings fanned out behind him. "It can't be?"
"Void is dead!" Another cried before it to seemed to die in the explosion of blood as the possessed Hiro moved at inhuman speed through the Remnants, killing them swiftly till only one remained.
"Where is Tiamatt?" Hiro snarled, his clawed hand tight around the remaining Remnant's neck. The creature shook its head, gasping, choking slowy. "Tell me!" Hiro tightened his hold, his claws begining to dig into the skin of the Remnant's neck. "Tell me now!"
"...you'll never find her...just as you'll never...find your other...friends..." The Remnant laughed.
"What?!"
"...Garden is doomed...the lords of Mars, Neptune, and Mercury,...are no...more..."
"You lie!" Hiro screamed, ignoring the fact that battle had awaken the Symphonians and they all now watched the situation. Lloyd had run to his fathers side and brought him closer to the house where Raine then tried to heal the angel's wound. "Where is Tiamatt?!"
"...abandoned research center...Hojo has had...much fun...studying Eden..." The Remnant smirked.
"Where is it?!"
"...south...west...ocean...small...you'll...never find ...it..."
"You wanna bet!" Hiro growled before throwing the Remnant into the air and launching a strange black ball of energy at the creature who died in shrieks of pain before the body hit the ground.
"Hiro?" Colette said cautiously. The man staggered slightly, his eyes returning to normal as the wings and claws disappeared before falling to the ground unconscious.
Tiamatt POV/ Ocean Research Center
"Ah, my precious specimen. You have returned! And what is this? You come baring a gift?"
"Stay away from me!" I growled, having finally regained the ability to speak as the spell wore off. The Hojo that stood before me looked no different then the one that was killed just recently but from what I understood, this Hojo was not from this timeline. Still, his intentions were the same and my only concern was to protect myself and my swollen stomach. "I will not let you drag my children into your twisted experiments!" I snarled, curling into a ball to protect my stomach.
"Hm? Children? Why, what luck?" Hojo jeered, motioning for a mostly human Remnant to come. "Sedate her and bring her for scanning." The Remnant nodded, revealing a needle as he stepped towards me. I growled and tried to move away but I wasn't quick enough and felt the sharp pinch of the needle entering my skin. "It seems you're abilities are slowing Tiamatt. It is because you are pregnant or some other reason. Hm...I guess we'll find out soon enough. Bring her now."
As I was drug through the halls, I noticed an odd sealed room along with a strangly familiar gate. I was pretty sure that was the exact machine I had designed during my four months back at Garden but before I could get a better look I was drug into another room. I was given another sedative as I was strapped to a metal table and soon fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in my own cell, on a small cot. I searched for evidence of any other injections other than the sedatives but found none. Sighing in relief at my apparently unharmed state, I laid back down and looked at the ceiling.
"I can't believe I'm in Hojo's hands again..." I whispered. "Just when I thought I was free of all this shit too..."