Chapter Sixteen

The Final Battle

Raven woke curled up in Yazoo's large bed—alone. She sat up swiftly, clutching the sheets around her, now cold, bare body. Frowning, she studied the room, searching for her clothes. She smiled when she found them, and her shoes, beside her on the floor, folded and neat. Appreciating her lover's kind thoughts, though still a bit annoyed that she had awoken alone, Raven slipped out from under her warm refuge and hurriedly tugged on her clothes.

Once dressed, the violet haired woman walked to the door and realized her wards were still up, but very weak. Meaning Yazoo probably couldn't have left. She touched the wall and the barrier was still complete, warm and pulsing. She frowned, wondering where the silver-haired man could be. As she walked towards the couch, Raven heard a splash from the door leading to the bathroom. She froze and stared at the door, very confused. Cautiously, she approached the door and placed her palm flat against it. Yes, there it was, her barrier of power guarded the door. 'Then how did someone, probably Yazoo, get in there?' she wondered. Knowing she could simply walk through her own barriers at will, Raven opened the door and walked through, shivering when she passed through and felt the barrier tingle with warmth throughout her body.

"Hullo." Yazoo greeted, a little surprised, from the large tub in the corner. There was a toilet not far from the tub, and against the wall beside Raven was a large marble sink.

"How did you get through my barrier?" she asked with a frown, trying to ignore the fact that Yazoo was very wet and very naked. She wanted to go over to him and play with his silver hair that clung to his head and body.

"Well, I really wanted a bath, and I forgot about the barrier you rose till I got to the door. It felt strange." He shrugged, causing hidden muscles to ripple across his shoulders and what was visible above the bubbles in the bath. "I touched the door and it felt…warm and alive. I tried to open it and I did. When I came in here I got all tingly for a second, and then it was gone." He then gestured to a padded chair near the tub, inviting her to sit.

"Well…" Raven started, trying to ignore his invitation. The chair was –much- too close to him; she'd probably just end up in the tub with him. 'Not that that would be bad…' she thought, then shook her head, "I don't know why that happened. Perhaps because you are so dear to me, my powers recognize you as someone equal to me and let me pass. I'm not sure though." After a few more seconds of shifting uncomfortably, the violet-haired woman gave up fighting the urge made her way to the chair, pausing only when she passed before the mirror. Her purple hair looked like she had stuck her head in a bucket of tornados. Her eyes were bright and almost wild, her cheeks flushed. She didn't like it.

"Ugh. I look awful." She said with a frown. "I guess I understand why you took a bath." She added with a laugh.

"You do not look awful. You look beautiful, as always." Yazoo said with a smile as he moved to the edge of the tub and rested his chin on the marble, "But if you think you need to bathe…you can always join me." Raven studied his face, the lustful look in his eyes telling her exactly what he wanted. She smiled and walked towards him, removing her shirt and kicking of her shoes as she did.

"Well now…if you insist." She grinned and leaned down to kiss him.

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Aelita paced back and forth on the soft ground outside the shell-like structure that now served as her home. 'Where the hell are they??' she wondered with a scowl. Raven and Yazoo were supposed to be out here already, and Kadaj had said he just needed a shower and then he'd be right down. That was twenty minutes ago. "How long does one man need to bathe!" she cried out loud. She stopped her pacing as she caught a brief glimpse of herself in the still water surrounding her home. She smiled.

Yesterday, the young girl had convinced Kadaj to let her pick out new outfits for Raven and her. They were leather, of course, to match their lovers' clothes. Aelita's outfit consisted of a tight, long-sleeved top with a scooped-out neckline that showed a bit of cleavage. Tight leather shorts covered her legs to just above her knee and small leather shoes covered her feet. Her two short katanas were strapped to her waist, one at each hip. The brunette had decided against gloves; she preferred the feel of the hilts of her weapons. She hoped Raven enjoyed the outfit picked out for her. Aelita had left it outside Yazoo's door, assuming that's where her friend was.

"Sorry…" she heard Kadaj mutter as he trudged down the front stairs. With a smile, she turned and walked towards her lover. His eyes widened a bit at her appearance, as this was the first time he had seen her in the leather. She grinned and added a little sway to her hips, causing a slight blush to creep up his neck. Halfway to him, a pain shot through Aelita, as if she had been stabbed in the gut. With a grunt, she fell to one knee, clutching her stomach. She heard Kadaj call out her name as strange emotions washed over her. They definitely weren't from anyone she knew. She allowed Kadaj the take her into his arms.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"I dunno…" she groaned as the pain passed, but the barrage of emotions tore at her mind.

"Aelita!" she heard Raven call, followed by footfalls. Next, she felt a cool hand on her forehead.

"Raven…help…" the brunette opened her eyes managed to gasp out. Raven nodded and Aelita felt a strange warmth enter her, beginning where Raven's hand was placed on her forehead. It spread through her head, but didn't lessen the storm of emotions rattling her brain; only eased the headache they were giving her. Next, it seeped into her chest and through her body. After a moment Raven removed her hand.

"Get control, Aelita." Raven commanded softly. "Block those emotions."

"I can't!" the young girl said through gritted teeth. Tears began to streak down her cheeks, "I don't know where it's coming from!"

"That doesn't matter." The violet-eyed woman said sternly, "Instead of blocking emotions coming from people, you need to block yourself from them. Do it." Aelita squinted her eyes closed and concentrated. After a moment, the emotions stopped and the world was suddenly still and quiet.

"What the hell was that?" Kadaj whispered.

"Ugh…" Aelita sat up and placed a hand on her head as the headache returned.

"Come on." Raven said, grabbing the young brunette's arm, "We need to talk." Puzzled, Aelita stood and allowed Raven to lead her around the back of the building, despite Kadaj's loud protests. When they reached the edge of the water beneath a tree, the violet-haired woman pulled the younger one to the ground.

"Aelita…" Raven said softly and touched the girl's forehead, causing her headache to dissipate.

"Yeah?" Aelita was confused. 'What's going on?' she thought.

"There's really no easy way to tell you this." Raven said with a sigh, dropping her hand. "So I'm just going to come out and say it." She took a deep breath as the younger woman cocked an eyebrow.

"You're pregnant."

Aelita stared at her for a minute and then shook her head, "No. That's not possible. The doctors said I could never get pregnant. I've never even gotten my period. Ever. My--"

Raven held up a hand for silence, "Doctors can be wrong, Aelita. And they were. When I let my power flow through you, I felt the baby. I don't know the gender, but it's developed enough to portray some emotions somehow. I believe that's where they were coming from. You just didn't expect them to be coming from inside you."

Aelita jumped up, "What?! So-so I'm really pregnant?? I'm going to have a –baby-?"

Raven nodded, smiled and rose to hug her friend. "Congratulations." She whispered, "Perhaps you should go inform the father?"

Aelita's eyes grew wide, "I wonder if he'll be happy about this or not. I hope so. I sure am. I love kids!"

"Are you ready to be a mother though?" Raven asked cautiously.

"Yes. This is a dream come true, Raven!" Aelita squealed and led the way back with a skip.

When she told Kadaj the news, he was silent for a long time. Yazoo was pleased, and he waited anxiously along with his lover and Aelita to see what his brother's reaction would be. Eventually he spoke, "But I thought you said it was impossible for you to get pregnant." He made it a statement, not a question. Aelita squirmed a bit under his intense gaze.

"I guess the doctors were wrong." She laughed nervously.

After a few more moments of silence, the younger man nodded slowly, "That's great, Aelita. I'll stay here with you then, when Raven goes to confront Sephiroth."

"What?" Aelita gaped, "No. I'm going with you, Raven, and Yazoo. We're all going together."

"No." Kadaj said sternly. "I will not have you endangering yourself and your child. Our child. And I am going to stay here and make sure nothing happens."

"That's fine." Raven spoke up. "Yazoo should--"

"Not a chance." The older man interjected before she could finish. Raven pouted a bit.

"But--" Aelita started, but was cut off by Raven.

"It's fine, really. Kadaj is right." She smiled. 'Though it's also probably because he doesn't want to help us.' She thought. That didn't matter though. Raven wanted the baby safe. She turned to Yazoo. "You ready?" He nodded, and with a few hugs and goodbyes to Kadaj (who grumbled when Raven and Yazoo hugged him) and Aelita, they left.

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They rode separately; Raven following Yazoo, since he remembered the way back to Sephiroth's 'lair'. It took about an hour and a half to get to the strange building set in the mountain. Just before it came into view, they halted and dismounted. Raven led the way this time, letting her power wash out over the area so nobody could surprise them. Several times she sensed cameras or alarms that she disabled from a distance. The first time she did that, it took a while. She had never really done that, so it was new to her, though a good trick to learn. When they reached the place where Yazoo had sees Sephiroth throw his dead brother from the balcony, he stopped and shivered. Raven knew what had happened, so she didn't comment.

"Are you ready for this?" she breathed, studying him and loving the leather outfit he wore. He nodded and smiled at her.

"Aelita did a great job picking that out for you." He whispered and scooted closer to her. He leaned his head against her shoulder wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. Raven hugged him back and chuckled. The outfit was…something else, that much she'd admit. Tight, black leather pants clung to her legs and were tucked into knee-high boots. Ovals were cut out of the leg along the side of the pants, showing her pale thighs up to her hips. The top was a halter, cut low in the back. Another oval was cut out at the navel and a larger one at her chest was cut out, showing a bit of breast. Leather gloves with most of the fingers cut off covered her hands and fore-arms.

"Well, it won't protect me too well." She laughed again, "but I guess she assumed I wouldn't need that for protection, what with my powers and all."

"Mmhm." Yazoo nodded and nuzzled against her. He lifted his head and kissed her, then indicated that she should lead the way. Raven knew he did that not out of cowardice, but because that's what she wanted. She slipped out of the bushes and walked with her head held high towards the building, Yazoo right behind her, in plain view. She didn't shut down any cameras or alarms. She –wanted- dear old Sephiroth to know she was here. When she reached the center of the clearing, she halted, sensing someone approaching the upper balcony. Moments later, the devil himself stepped into view.

"Raven, my dear! You have returned…" Sephiroth called down in his creamy voice. Raven fought back the urge to shudder. "But look at this!" He continued, "You were able to remove your restraints! I'm proud of you, though it will do you no good. And I'm sorry that you brought his lovely man along, for you will have to watch him die as well."

Raven said nothing, though she heard Yazoo shift slightly behind her. She just glared up at him and waited for what she knew he would do. As if on cue, Sephiroth raised his left hand and it began to glow a bright greenish-blue. He laughed, "I am more powerful now, Raven. You cannot escape!" With that he threw the mass of power at her.

Right before the power would crash into them, an almost solid black wall shot up between Raven and Yazoo, and the approaching attack. The glowing mass slammed into Raven's barrier and was immediately swallowed up. Proud of herself, the violet-haired woman smiled a bit; she didn't even move. That was a first, since usually she had to throw up a hand in order to create a barrier. At the some-what shocked look on Sephiroth's face, Raven bit back a laugh. She dropped the protective wall and stared up at the older man. He squirmed under her intense gaze, scowled, turned on his heel and marched back into his base. With a sigh, Raven walked forward and placed a hand on the reinforced door leading into the building. With a thought, she broke the hinges and locks and pushed it forward, stepping over it casually, and made her way into the dim hallway with Yazoo trailing behind.

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"You think he'd have more…cronies…or something." Yazoo commented softly as they trekked through the deserted halls.

Raven chuckled softly at his use of words. "There probably will be…somewhere. But they won't be a problem for us." She continued down the halls, letting her power seep out in a 100ft radius from her. A few moments later, she felt several people up ahead and around a few turns. She pressed her back against the wall, indicating Yazoo to do the same, and silently approached the men. That's what they were. Somehow Raven knew they were men. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. 'It seems my powers are continuing to advance…' she thought with a grim smile. When she reached a sharp turn in the corridor, she halted. Using signs, she told Yazoo to basically follow her lead. With a deep breath she whirled around the corner.

Four men blocked their path, forming almost a row across the hallway, even though it wasn't wide enough for them to stand abreast. Instead, they stood two next to each other, one with his right shoulder against the wall and the other to his left with some space between them, and two behind them, one with his left shoulder against the wall and the other to his right. This way they blocked the hall completely and were able to aim their guns at Raven and Yazoo without shooting each other in the head.

"Goody." Raven said softly with a smile. Yazoo moved up beside her and placed a hand on Velvet Revolver. For a few breathes, six pairs of eyes studied their opponents and an almost sickening silence fell over them. Raven heard a quiet click from one of the men's guns and was about to throw up a barrier when Yazoo whipped out Velvet Revolver and fired. One of the men in the back collapsed, the wound in his forehead bleeding profusely. The other three men jumped and immediately began to fire. Their bullets bounced uselessly against the black shield that Raven had formed with a simple thought. Slowly, she walked towards them, the barrier moving with them. The three remaining men edged backwards, one stumbling over the body of their fallen comrade. Raven laughed and concentrated. The guns ripped from their hands and crumpled before their eyes. The violet-haired woman sent out tendrils of her power when the men turned and run, catching their ankles with it and slamming them against the metal walls. With a small bit of concentration, Raven bent the metal away from the wall to trap them suspended above the floor. Quickly, she signaled Yazoo to follow her lead yet again and tore up the cloth of the dead man's uniform and gagged the three remaining so-called guards. With a sly grin, she saluted them, turned on her heel, and continued down the hall, only glancing over her shoulder to be sure that Yazoo was behind her and following.

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Ten minutes later Raven placed a hand against the large door at the end of the hall. Yazoo touched her arm gently when the silence stretched almost awkwardly between them. "He's in there…" she whispered.

"Are you…alright with this?" the silver-haired man whispered back, his lips brushing against her ear as he slipped his right arm around her waist, leaving his shooting hand free. Raven closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace.

"Yes. It just seems…unreal. I'm so enraged I'm…calm." She opened her eyes and pulled away from him. "Alright, then. Let's get this over with. And Yazoo…"

"Yes?"

"If I say duck or run, please do it." With a glance back at him she met his eyes and gave him a level look, making sure he knew how serious she was. After several heartbeats, Yazoo blinked first and looked down with a nod. A tightness in Raven's shoulders and stomach that she hadn't known was there. "Good." She sighed, and opened the door.

The large room seemed to be a conference or dinning room. Dark soft carpeting covered the floor, though the walls were bare. A large mahogany table that looked out of place among all the silver and metal occupied the center of the room, with seven leather chairs on each side and one on each end. The table and chairs were the only furniture in the entire room, and Sephiroth sat at the far end at the head of the table, his elbows propped on the smooth surfaced with hands laced beneath his chin. His waist-long silver hair spilled forward around his face and bodies, forming a curtain around most of his face.

"Welcome back. Raven." He said softly, sending cold chills down the violet-eyed woman's spine when he spoke her name in his rich voice. She felt Yazoo stiffen beside her when the older man addressed her.

"I'm going to be honest, -Sephiroth-." Raven said heatedly. "I'm here to kill you."

"No…my dear." He said with a chuckle and stood. He trailed his fingers over designs in the wood that they couldn't see, studying what he did intently. "You are here to –try- to kill me."

Raven pretended to think about it and then shook her head, "No. No I'm pretty sure I'm here to kill you."

Sephiroth laughed loudly, once again sending chills from head to toe of the young woman. Yazoo placed a supportive hand on her shoulder when the other man unsheathed his long katana-like sword. Raven reached up and squeezed her lover's hand in response before stepping away from him, letting her power spill out of her in small waves. She was hoping to frighten the older man a bit. It didn't seem to be working too well. In fact, he seemed more impressed than frightened.

"Oh, my dear, beautiful Raven. You have grown stronger. Now our children will definitely be unstoppable." That comment earned a harsh laugh from the violet-haired woman.

"I will never carry your children, ass-hole." She said through the laugh.

"Tsk, tsk, Raven. Such language." He murmured when he stopped just a few feet away from her. Raven didn't move out of his range, just glared at him. "But don't be afraid, love. I won't kill you. Just hurt you for punishment and then make you watch me kill your lover."

"Doubt it." She replied through clenched teeth. Sephiroth laughed and without warning spun around, slashing his sword at the young woman. With just a thought, Raven put up a barrier and easily halted his attack. While Sephiroth blinked for a few seconds in surprise, she let her power seep out and coat her forearms and hands. She kept it there, boiling around her arms, and dropped her shield. She threw out her arm, firing her power at him. He spun away, avoiding her attack, eyes growing wide when the black disc embedded itself five feet into the wall that had been behind him. She felt, more than heard Yazoo draw Velvet Revolver and get into position. He began to fire at the older man, who deflected the bullets with inhuman speed and agility. While he was distracted with that, Raven used her power to pick up a chair and throw it at him. It slammed into Sephiroth and knocked him backwards over the table. He knew how to land, however, and rolled as he hit the floor, coming to his feet in a defensive position. Raven threw her hands out with a scowl and sent the large table flying towards Sephiroth. The table crashed into him, sending him slamming into the wall with an 'omph'. Yazoo continued to fire upon him, his bullets slicing through the older man's shoulder temporarily while he couldn't defend himself. With a loud roar Sephiroth flung his free hand at Yazoo, blinding green orbs flying from his extended fingers1.

"No!" Raven screamed and changed her position. She tried to throw out a defense in front of Yazoo, flinging her power towards him, but she wasn't fast enough. At the last second, Yazoo turned, taking the mystical attack on his right side. It knocked him back into the wall by the door with a sickening thud, where she slid, unmoving, to the floor. For a heartbeat all Raven could do was stare in disbelief and horror. A flicker of movement to her left snapped her sickening thoughts back to reality and she remembered what had to be done.

Instinctively, she raised her left arm, keeping her forearm parallel to the ground. Sephiroth's sword came down in one graceful swoop and halted when it hit her arm.

"Wha…?" Sephiroth blinked in confusion and seemed to study the blackness that swarmed over Raven's arm. The young woman watched him carefully, wanting to see what he did next. Her rage that had spread through her blood like ice when she first saw him began to boil. Letting her anger show in her violet eyes, Raven braced herself and twisted her arm around to grab the blade of the silver-haired man's sword. She had thought Sephiroth couldn't look more confused or surprised. She was wrong.

"How are you doing that?" he asked softly, trying to tug the weapon out of her hand.

"None of your business, ass-hole." Raven growled and placed her right hand against his chest. Without hesitation, the young woman concentrated and Sephiroth flew back from her, slamming so hard into the wall almost thirty feet away so hard that his body left a dent. When she had pushed him back, her power had gripped onto the sword, ripping it out of his grasp. She let her dark power cover the long blade and with a thought, shattered it into hundreds of pieces. Sephiroth stared at her, a look of utter terror haunting his eyes.

She walked towards him slowly, unaware of the fact that her eyes slowly bled to black as her power took over. The chairs trembled as she walked by them, some flying away from her, almost as if they fled in fear.

Raven stopped barely six inches from the cowering man, "You aren't supposed to be this strong." He hissed in frustration.

Raven knelt down before him and leaned forward until their noses were centimeters apart. She smiled evilly and whispered, "Oh well. I guess that means you fail." And then she let go, just as she did years ago, but this time she was ready for it. She rode the dark, writhing power that leapt from her body and directed at Sephiroth. It enveloped him and she lifted him up into the air, throwing him into the far corner, as far from Yazoo's still body as possible. Her power pinned Sephiroth to the floor and with but a thought, her power crept over the walls and ceiling around him. She felt no remorse with what she was about to do. In fact, she felt almost relieved. She smiled and pulled half of the building down around and on top of Sephiroth as he squirmed uselessly against her will. She withdrew her power from him and everything else and took a few steps back, exhausted.

Raven watched in satisfaction as the debris settled and reached out with her power once all was still. She couldn't feel him. 'Good.' She thought, 'He's only good dead.'

"R-raven?" Yazoo called weakly. She gasped and turned on her heal, sprinting to his side. She cradled his head in his lap and studied his wound. His right shoulder and arm was torn up, only so much meat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was very weak from her previous attack, but she was determined. Digging down into her core, Raven found her power, almost dormant. She tugged at it and brought it to the surface and slowly began to heal Yazoo.

Ten minutes later she collapsed over him, gasping for breath and fighting off the vertigo that threatened to make her sick. Yazoo helped her sit up and hugged her to his chest, murmuring her name. Seconds later, they both jumped when the rubble the violet-haired woman had created began to shift. Raven struggled to get to her feet, only achieving her goal with the help of the newly restored arms of Yazoo. They watched cautiously as, somehow, Sephiroth dragged himself from the debris.

Raven gaped in amazement, and a bit of fear, as the older man stumbled up-right and glared at them. As they watched, his body began to fade and flicker to a blue-ish pink.

"You…have not won, my dear Raven." He choked out. "I will return…" he gasped and collapsed on what remained of the floor as his body dissolved into thousands of teal orbs and streamed up and out of the hole in the roof.

"Oh…God…" Raven whispered as a cold fear washed over her. Yazoo hugged her to him and kissed her hair,

"Don't worry, love. You killed him. He went back to the Lifestream, we both saw it. We're safe." Raven nodded and turned into his embrace, willing herself to believe him.

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A/N: Sorry this took so long! I've been suffering from writer's block. XD

Kitsune

[1 Okay, I so don't think Sephy did this in any of the movies or games, but by God he can do it in this. Heh. Hope you don't have a problem with that.