Chapter 13: The Black Materia
The red dragon stalked its way around the top of the hole. Its small red eyes gazed fiercely down at the companions. Naruto and the others stood mesmerised as the beast walked in a large circle, its head twisting on its long neck so that its gaze never left them. Once it completed its predatory loop it reached out a long, clawed arm and began to crawl down from the hole.
The dragon truly was a magnificent beast. It could almost be described as beautiful. The beast had a large, wide body covered in finely pressed scales that made glorious patterns across its back and neck. Muscles swelled underneath firm red skin, particularly around the powerful thigh muscles on which the beast walked. The sleek head was slightly pointed, with red horns rising up from the side of the skull. Sharp teeth filled the mouth. Its red eyes glared sharply at the group. They were intelligent eyes—a predator's eyes.
The rest of the dragon's body slid out of the hole and the creature dropped to the ground and faced the group. The sharp, curled claws of its four-fingered hands dug deep into the stone as it landed and the ground shook beneath its bulk. Its spiked tail thudded onto the floor. In the wider chamber the dragon stretched its treasured wings. They unfolded from its back and spread out until they almost filled the chamber from wall to wall. It was so majestic; Naruto and his friends could not help but feel awed by its ancient magnificence.
They were not in awe for long. The dragon, seeing its prey, lifted its head and roared. The sound of its roar shook the chamber and the group to the very core of their beings. Fear such as they had never felt before shot down their spines. Yuffie dropped her weapon in fright; Cid almost dropped his.
Naruto took out his phone and selected a good battle song. (Battle with the Demonic Beast by Nobuo Uematsu from Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack) Heavy orchestral music boomed out of the speaker as Naruto summoned his sword to his side. He ran forward and leaped into the air. The dragon snapped its jaws, trying to bite him in half in a single strike. Naruto, prepared for such an assault, twisted his body away from the lunging jaws and swiped his sword. The blade struck the top of the dragon's lip but did not piece the hard skin, instead scraping across the finely pressed scales as though it were diamond.
Realizing his attack had failed; Naruto pressed his feet against the dragon's muzzle and jumped away as the dragon lunged again.
A bullet from below zipped through the air and caught the dragon on the underside of its jaw. Shrinking back, the dragon looked down in annoyance at the group below. They had overcome their dragon-fear now and were ready to fight. The dragon's sideward eyelids blinked, and its slithery tongue flickered inside its mouth. Very well, it would take them all on.
Turning its great girth to one side, the red dragon swung its tail with all its might across the floor. A great whoosh was heard as the thick tail swung across the chamber floor, heading straight toward the group.
Seeing the tail coming, the group of eleven, including Naruto, who had just landed after his assault, jumped up into the air. Landing on the tail for an instant, the eleven used it as a platform to propel them higher up toward the dragon's most vulnerable area—its head.
Yuffie, with her lighter and more agile body, soared ahead of the others. She hurled her shuriken away from her, and it swept through the air. So fast it could barely be seen, it sliced across the front of the dragon's face, narrowly missing its unprotected eyes. The blades cut into the softer skin that surrounded the face, before flying away in a loop around the chamber.
Bullets shot through the air as Vincent, Gaara and Barret teamed up to fire upon the dragon's head, also trying to aim for those exposed eyes. The dragon snaked back its head and recoiled. Bullets from Vincent's and Gaara's shotgun and Barret's gun-arm tore into the side of the dragon's face as it turned its head away. Dark red blood sprayed into the air, landing on their faces.
Tifa reached out and grabbed onto the dragon's horn with her glove. The hardened diamond knuckles from her new gloves provided an excellent way of breaking through the scales protecting the dragon's body. One well-aimed punch from her right arm broke the horn clean in half—the rough diamond slicing through the bone with almost perfect ease.
This new pain caused the dragon to screech and fall back, lifting the front of its body off the floor and stand on its hind legs. This provided the perfect opening for Cid and Cloud who, after leaping from the dragon's shoulders and using its thrashing tail as a propeller once more, drove their weapons into the dragon's abdomen.
Spear and sword cut deep into the dragon's fleshy underside, spurting out blood that covered the two as they delved their weapons further in. The Slash Lance, made in Wutai by weapon-smiths who knew the strength of their weapons, had built the tip of the spear just so that when it dug into a creature's body, the slightly jagged edges, normally invisible to the eyes, tore the victim's insides apart.
This is what happened with the dragon as Cid delved his spear deeper, and then with another sharp tug pulled it out. As Cid and Cloud jumped away from the attack site, more red blood and ooze spilled out of the thin slash marks. The two landed back on the ground and dashed apart, trying to avoid the deadly swinging tail.
Despite its growing pain and loss of blood, the dragon could not stop to tend to its wounds. Nanaki was leaping across its muzzle, his swift form a red blur in front of its eyes. Nanaki did not stop except to land a lethal scratch across the soft tissue around the dragon's eyes. He had already slashed one eye open—jelly and blood was pouring from the bloody mound that was already swelling shut. Now the dragon had only one good eye with which to see—and that was focused on striking Nanaki down. Flames filled the dragon's mouth: it was preparing a fire attack.
Seeing the danger approaching, Nanaki quickly leapt away. He landed on the nearby wall and dug his claws into the rock to find a handhold. He scraped down a good few inches before coming to a stop halfway down the wall.
Craning his neck back so that he could see, Nanaki saw the dragon facing him. The jaws were parted and Nanaki could see the flames that were burning in the back of its throat. Already he could feel the heat; in his mind's eye he could feel the flames licking at his defenceless flesh, toasting him into a charred lump. A tingle of fear crept through Nanaki. Thoughts of his grandpa flashed through his mind. He couldn't die here. Not now.
A cold draft of air swept across his nostrils, and Nanaki opened his good eye wide and glanced sharply to his right. The dragon too, sensed the cold wave and stopped its attack, also turning. Flames still burned deep in its throat, smoke snaking out of its nostrils and mouth like tendrils.
To their right, a slender figure with ice-white skin and surrounded in an arctic vapour hovered in the air. Shiva had been summoned into the fray. Knowing that the ice goddess's cold magic would be effective against the flames, Naruto had summoned the goddess in the hopes that he could save his brother from a burning inferno.
Her cold blue eyes open, Shiva gazed upon the dragon as it stood inches away from Nanaki, who was scrabbling quickly down the wall. Shiva nodded in understanding and raised her hand, drawing the cold vapour around her into her palm to create a devastating attack.
Sensing its danger, the red dragon drew back its head, taking in a deep breath. Then it breathed out with great valour, forcing all the flames it had gathered out of its stomach and throat.
The tunnel of flames swept through the air, making the temperature of the chamber rise to almost unbearable levels. The metal of the companions' weapons heated up and glowed red—most of them had to drop them to the floor or else be burned by the heat. Aeris, standing to one side to guard the altar from attack, shielded her eyes with her arm, protecting herself from the heat.
Only Shiva seemed unconcerned as she slowly drew in the icy energy. With a great explosion of fire and heat, the flames absorbed the ice goddess into a fiery red cloud. All traces of Shiva vanished—all that could be seen was fire. The dragon raised its head and roared—revelling in its victory over the goddess.
Then a speck of white light burst through the flames. First one, then another, and then another could be seen amidst the dark red of the fire. More beams of white light pierced through the flames, until eventually the ball of fire burst apart in a sea of cold white light. In the centre of the light… was Shiva.
"Whoo yeah! Go Shiva!" yelled Naruto.
Shiva looked at Naruto and nodded her head at him. The ice goddess had finished gathering the energy she needed, and now the dragon, with its bleeding wounds in its chest and face, and one deep slash mark on its hide by Barret's chainsaw attachment, was open and vulnerable. The goddess lowered her arm and held out her palm. With a small, icy smile, she unleashed her attack.
The dragon could not escape. Its immense size meant that it could not turn very far in any direction. Its only escape was up, and its wings did not have the space needed to fly out of the way. Besides, attacks from Cid's spear had shredded one of its wings, leaving it completely useless.
The ice blast from Shiva's Diamond Dust struck the dragon like a thousand icy daggers. The dragon shrunk back as arctic-cold icy specks stabbed it all over, melting into its flesh and freezing it to the bone. The dragon tried to roar, but no sound escaped its frozen mouth. Its remaining good eye became hard as it turned into ice. Soon the entire dragon became encased in a thick blanket of ice.
Just seconds after the dragon was frozen, the ice casing surrounding it began to break. Cracks began to appear all over the icy monument. Fearing the dragon was breaking loose; the companions raised their cooling weapons and stood ready. But there was no need, for as the ice shattered and broke apart, the body of the dragon broke with it. Frozen to the core of its being, to the point of becoming ice itself, the dragon melted into the floor, becoming a large puddle of icy water on the chamber floor.
All that remained of the magnificent but deadly creature was a single ball of red materia, lying in the middle of the puddle.
"Oh yeah! That was cool Shiva, pardon the pun," said Naruto as he thanked the ice maiden. Shiva smiled and nodded her head at him before an ice blue light encased her and the light shrunk back into the red sphere. The battle over, the group gave a huge sigh of relief. Everyone was silent for a minute, until a resounding click and a hiss made them jump. It was only Cid, acting nonchalant as he lit a cigarette. Taking in the tobacco deeply, he exhaled and sighed in content. Barret shook his fist at the man angrily, while Naruto stepped into the water to retrieve the new piece of materia.
He looked closely at it. It looked like there was a dragon inside but this one was different from the one that they just fought. This one stood on two feet and was heavily muscled.
"That's Bahamut, one of the summons of the western style dragon clan. The fox clan, the phoenix clan and both the western and eastern styles of the dragon clan are all good friends and allies," said Kyuubi.
'Oh cool. I'm keeping this one,' thought Naruto as he brought round his sword to see what he had equipped so far. He had a lightning, a fire, Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh and now Bahamut. He called over Vincent and gave him Ramuh. Then he gave Ifrit to Cloud. Naruto looked around the group. They all seemed okay. Everyone was spattered with blood from the dragon, with the exception of Aeris, who was running around with a damp cloth cleaning up the blood from everyone's faces. No one seemed hurt. That was good.
"Any sign of Sephy?" asked Naruto, making everyone wince at the nickname.
Aeris shook her head. "He disappeared," she said.
Cloud crossed his arms and frowned in thought. So Sephiroth was gone again. Where had he gone this time? Perhaps he was still in the Temple somewhere, waiting for them to find him. Or had he gone somewhere else? What was he really up to? A throbbing pain in the back of his head made Cloud wince. He rubbed his temples hard, and the pain subsided. When he looked up he saw that the others had all moved away and were gathered around the altar. Cloud jogged over toward them.
"What is this?" said Cloud, indicating the statue of the Temple on the altar. The others looked from one to another and shrugged. They had no idea.
It was a statue of the most intricate design Cloud had ever seen. It resembled the exterior of the Temple of the Ancients in every way, except for the rope bridge that was built outside. Cloud was almost certain that the statue even had the weather damage that was on the actual Temple carved onto its surface. But that's just silly, he mused to himself. It's just a statue.
Aeris leaned over to examine the statue more closely. "…There's something written on it," she said, squinting. Running her finger over a small plaque at the statue's base, she read, "…B.l.a.c.k…M.a.t.e.r.i.a." She paused to contemplate the letters for a second. When the words finally came together, she jumped back in alarm. The expressions on the faces of the others told her that they understood as well.
This statue was the Black Materia.
"Black Materia!" Cloud exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Thank you Captain Obvious!" said Naruto causing Cloud to glare at the offender.
"Hey!" the Ancient exclaimed suddenly, catching everyone's attention. Everyone turned to look at her expectantly. She was an Ancient, after all. But Aeris didn't know what to do. Instead she looked at Cloud eagerly. "…Black Materia. What should we do, Cloud?"
Now Cloud felt all eyes turn to him as everyone waited for his decision. Cloud looked at the floor. Sephiroth was planning to injure, and perhaps destroy, the Planet. Cloud had no doubt that he was planning to use the Black Materia to do it. If that was the case, then there was no way they could leave the Black Materia here where Sephiroth could get it.
Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Take it."
He stepped up to the statue. There was nothing holding the statue in place—and it did not look like there were any traps or anything. He found this rather odd, but thought nothing serious about it until he took hold of the statue and tried to lift it.
The statue itself did not move. However, as Cloud tugged on it, an immense tremor shook the Temple. The walls shook and trembled, sending clouds of dust and sand falling from the ceiling. A terrible groaning sound echoed against the walls as though something was screaming in pain. A ripping sound from the hidden depths below them roared up to them—it sounded as though the very Temple was being ripped apart by its roots. Alarmed, Cloud released the statue, and the tremors stopped.
"Ahh crap!" complained Naruto as he realised what was going on.
"What's up?" asked Gaara.
"I think this whole temple is the Black Materia,"
"Wha?" exclaimed Barret. "How the hell can that be?"
"Think about it. When Cloud tried to pull it away the whole temple shock. Together with the fact that that's a perfect model of the temple and there you have it,"
"This huge temple?" said Cloud, shocked. He looked at the ancient walls around him. "This is the Black Materia? Then no one could take it."
"Yes, but there seems to be a puzzle on the floor here. If you solve it then the Temple would get smaller and smaller until it could fit into the palm of your hand." Naruto looked very pleased with himself.
"So, if we solve the puzzles, the Black Materia will get smaller and smaller and we can take it out?" asked Cloud.
"Yes but that seems too easy." Naruto thought for a couple of seconds before he opened his eyes. "I bet, as a safety mechanism, you have to solve the puzzle inside. So, anyone who solves the puzzle will be crushed by the Temple."
"I see…" Cloud came over to stand next to Naruto and looked down at the intricate model, which seemed so small compared to him. "The Ancients didn't want dangerous magic to be taken out of the Temple so easily…" He folded his arms.
"Guess stuff this dangerous is best left alone," said Cid, throwing his used cigarette on the floor and stamping it out. He was about to pull out another cigarette, but a glare from Yuffie made him put the packet back beneath his goggles and pay attention to the matter at hand.
"Aeris, can you ask the spirits if I'm correct?" asked Naruto. Aeris nodded closed her eyes for a moment, her heart calling out to the many spirits that were drifting throughout the Temple. Upon asking her question, she received a sudden flurry of answers—most of them inaudible. Frowning, she tried to ask the spirits to calm down and explain their answers. With some effort she was able to hear one particular spirit, although her words were still drowned out by the noise surrounding her. Aeris ran a little ways away from her friends, trying to hear the spirit's words better.
"I don't understand…" said Aeris. She moved to another spot, aware all the while that the others were watching her closely. Now she could hear the spirit and she didn't like what she said. Aeris opened her eyes and nodded.
"You're right on the money," she said sadly.
Tifa, knotting her fingers together anxiously, took a step back away from the altar. "Let's just leave it, okay?" she asked quietly. No one could see her hands trembling.
Now that she knew that she was standing inside the Black Materia, she did not feel the peace and comfortableness she had felt before. That was all gone now. Instead she felt the deadly power of the Black Materia, wrapping around her heart like tendrils searching for prey. It made her uncomfortable, and she wanted nothing more than to run away from the Temple and never come back.
"No," said Cloud, shaking his head firmly. "We've got to think of a way to get it out. Because Sephiroth has got lots of different flunkies. It's nothing to him to throw their lives away to get the Black Materia. This place isn't safe." He reached out again and gently tugged on the statue, just to be sure it couldn't be moved. Like before the Temple shook violently, and more dust fell from the ceiling.
"So what are we going to do?" said Aeris.
While all this was going on no one had been paying very much attention to Cait Sith. The cat had moved his Mog away from the rest of the group, and was murmuring seemingly to himself. No one could hear him talking, nor could they hear the small replies coming from a small chip on his wrist. Now the cat nodded, murmured something else, and then bounded back toward the group.
"I heard your situation!" the cat piped up readily. He moved past Vincent and a glaring Barret to stand in the centre of the group. Ignoring Barret's glower and shaking fist, he turned to Naruto. "Don't forget about me. Everything you said makes perfect sense." He patted his furry chest. "You can use my stuffed body for the future of the Planet."
While normally this would have been a good idea and solved the problem easily, knowing the cat's past history of treachery made Naruto instantly suspicious.
"I'm still distrustful of your recent actions," Naruto growled.
Cait sagged heavily on top of the Mog, his furry face crunching in a mixture of hurt and anger. Cait swallowed heavily, shaking his head. "But Naruto. There's really nothing else you can do." Sitting up on his Mog, he looked around pleadingly at the group. "Everyone, please trust me."
Cait looked from one person to the other, desperately trying to win their support. At first they all looked back at him with looks of suspicion and distrust. No one wanted to put their trust in this treacherous cat, whom they now knew worked for Shinra. But they couldn't just leave the Black Materia in here where Sephiroth would eventually get it. Cait was right…
"I guess we have no choice," Naruto admitted finally.
Cait jumped up happily on his Mog. He seemed genuinely pleased that Naruto had decided to trust him with this very important and very dangerous task. The cat's face was lit up with excitement—as much as it could, considering it was nothing more than a remote stuffed animal. Eventually the cat settled down and grinned at the group.
"All righty then!" Cait exclaimed, his voice almost trembling in his delight. He patted his furry chest again with his megaphone. "Leave it all to me! Everyone, hurry up and get outside." As an afterthought, he added, "I'll go with you to a safe place."
With that Cait turned and bounded across the chamber toward the large doors at the other end, which had mysteriously opened again now that the red dragon was gone. Reluctantly the others followed him, still not happy about placing their faith in the robotic cat. Yet, as Cait had said, what other choice did they have?
They followed the cat out of the chamber and back towards the clock in silence. The same thoughts were running through their minds. They could all guess what was going to happen. The Shinra were more than likely waiting for them somewhere outside the Temple. Once Cait completed his 'sacrifice' and obtained the Black Materia for them, the Shinra would rush in and take it for themselves. And it was no safer in Shinra's hands than it was in Sephiroth's. At that point everyone determined that they would fight to the death before letting the Shinra take the Black Materia.
Cait led them to the clock, which was set at exactly six o' clock, leading a direct path to the door opposite the one where they were now. The Time Guardian no longer appeared to ask for their time, so they took this as a sign that this was the way out of the Temple. Either way, Cait bounded across the hands without hesitation, leaping through the open doorway before the second hand could knock him off. The others followed more slowly, taking their time.
The doorway led them to a short corridor. At the end of the corridor was a large set of double doors set into the stone. Cait had come to a stop near the doors and was looking up at them thoughtfully. He seemed a little confused, as though he had not expected the wall and doors to be there.
Not aware of the cat's confusion, Naruto walked past him and stepped up to the doors. There was no handle or bell that he could see. Curious, he knocked on the door. Strange, he thought. The door was warm, almost red hot. He received no answer to his knock, however, so he turned back to his friends. He shrugged.
"It's warm…" he muttered.
As he spoke, the entire corridor began to shake and tremble. The ground beneath their feet shook a little, not quite violently enough to knock them over, but enough to make them all wobble and shake from side to side. After a few moments the trembling stopped and they were able to stand again.
"This isn't good," Naruto said, looking around.
Since Naruto was standing with his back to the door, he was unable to see the monster that was beginning to emerge from the wall behind him. Appearing head first, the monster began to push itself out of the doors themselves, apparently a living part of the wall and door.
A small, grotesque head with small eyes and bony features, attached to an elongated neck where the ribs of the spine could be seen on the neck, pushed out of the wall. On either side of the head, two sets of arms emerged, slinking out of the wall. The arms were surprisingly thin, about the same width as Naruto, with three long, bony fingers tipped with ribbed claws. The monster came out no further than that, but the wall that it was attached to shuddered and broke free of its restraints, sending dust falling to the floor.
Ahead of Naruto, the others all looked up in trepidation as the monster emerged behind Naruto. Aeris, eyes widened and pupils contracted, raised a shaky arm and pointed behind Naruto.
"Naruto … …Behind you."
"Let me guess, there's a big ass monster behind me right?" said Naruto in a calm voice. He turned to face the front and grumbled, "Not again,"
Naruto leaped back and activated his SCAN on his watch. It seemed to be known as a 'Demon Gate'—a demonic monster summoned by powerful magic in order to protect the entrances and exits to temples and other buildings. Disguised as a wall or door, the monster lures intruders into a false sense of security, and attacked when they were close enough. The only way to tell it apart from the actual landscape was the betraying warmth of its body.
"I knew something was up with that wall," said Naruto as he summoned his sword. Cloud faced the Demon Gate, his Buster Sword raised above his head. He mustered all the power of his materia into his sword and it crackled with the intense energy. When he thrust the blade down that energy was released, firing in a single curved beam toward the Demon Gate.
The Blade Beam struck the monster in the centre of its head. A deep gash formed in the middle of its brow, though its rocky form allowed no blood to seep from the wound. After striking the head, the beam of energy then split into two more beams, each flying in opposite directions toward the monster's hands. The beams sliced through the thinner arms with ease, leaving them as rocky stubs on the floor.
Recoiling from the pain in its head and the loss of its arms, the Demon Gate shuddered and moved back, the wall part of its body scraping across the floor as it moved. Unable to use its claws, it was a more vulnerable target. Cloud was about to raise his sword in preparation for another powerful Blade Beam attack that would finish off the monster for good, when someone else darted forward.
It was Nanaki. The hound was charging at full speed toward the monster, moving so fast that the air around him began to whoosh and whistle piercingly. The monster did not have time to react or brace itself for the attack. Nanaki leaped forward, using his momentum to boost him forward so that he was nothing more than a blur of red dashing across their vision. Then, with a flash, Nanaki disappeared.
Everyone waited, wondering what had become of Nanaki. The Demon Gate stood frozen, rooted to the spot where it stood. Not a breath escaped from anyone's lips. They stood poised, hands not even on their weapons, waiting.
Then, something began to happen to the Demon Gate. A big crack appeared in the wall-like form above its head. It was a small crack at first, but as they watched it grew larger and larger, spreading downward. The monster did not react as the crack reached its body protruding from the rock and continue to spread. The crack moved down toward the monster's head, creating a deep split all the way down the middle, continuing to move until it finally touched the floor.
More cracks began to spread in all directions from the centre, reaching out to the outer walls, floor and ceiling. Finally, the Demon Gate fell apart, crumbling into rocky debris that scattered across the corridor floor, revealing the path that had been hidden beyond.
Standing on the other side of the broken wall was Nanaki.
"Saaweet!" said Naruto in awe at his brothers speed and power.
"I'll handle the rest!" said Cait once he had gotten everyone's attention. They were all gathered around Nanaki, patting him on the head and back as praise for defeating the Demon Gate. Cait Sith directed his Mog to bounce across the floor toward the door that led to the clock. "Well, everyone…" he said with a hint of sadness. "Take care of yourselves!" He began to walk toward the door.
Seeing Cait about to leave to make his sacrifice for them, Aeris couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. True, the cat was a Shinra employee in disguise, and had betrayed them by giving the Keystone to the Shinra, but she couldn't help but feel sad that this stuffed cat was about to give his life so they could get the Black Materia.
"Cait…" she whispered softly. A tear formed in her eyes. Despite his faults, she could not help but like the jovial, fortune-telling cat. Unable to bear it any longer, Aeris ran over to Naruto and tugged on his arm. "Come on, Naruto…" she pleaded. "Say something."
Naruto nodded. Cait, standing by the door, was looking back at Naruto with a hopeful expression in his eyes.
"Do you know what I said to Tseng after I healed him?" Cait shook his head. "I said 'Sometimes you need to give people second chances. Not all people who do bad things are bad themselves. And as such those people need a chance to redeem themselves.' That's why I didn't make a clone to do the job, and that's why I trust you now." By the end Cait Sith was shaking with happiness.
"Thank you Naruto! Thank you,"
"Why don't you read our fortunes?" suggested Aeris, running over to him.
Cait blinked in confusion, then smiled the memory of his cover came back to him. "Say, that's right…" he said with a laugh. "I haven't done it in a while, huh?" He rocked back and forth rapidly on top of his Mog, holding his feet with his hands. "I'm so excited. Right or wrong, I'm still the same ol' me." Coughing himself to seriousness, the cat sat astride his Mog and grasped at the controls that managed his fortune telling. "Now, what should I predict?"
Aeris frowned in thought for a moment. Then with a click of her fingers, she ran across the floor and stood beside Cloud. "Hmm, let's see how compatible Cloud and I are!" she said with a playful glint in her eye. Cloud stared at her in puzzlement, while to one side Tifa stamped her foot angrily on the ground and turned away stubbornly.
"That'll cost ya!" Cait told her, winking teasingly. "Exactly one date!" Before Cloud could protest, Aeris nodded her agreement. Cloud turned his head to one side to hide the embarrassed flush that was spreading across his cheeks. Cait nodded. "Here I go!" he announced.
Tifa turned back in time to see Cait swinging back and forth across his Mog, moving the controls just so that the Mog moved in opposition to him. She didn't realise it, but her heart was beating fast as she secretly prayed with all her heart on the answer that Cait would come up with. When Cait finished his little act and the result came out, she crossed her fingers.
Leaning over as far as he could go, Cait took the result from the Mog's hand and had a good look over it. After reading the result, he gave Tifa a sideward glance, noting the hopeful expression hidden in her eyes. Turning away, he said with an apologetic tone, "This isn't good. I can't say it. Poor Tifa."
Once again Tifa stamped her foot and turned away.
Aeris was unperturbed by Tifa's obvious discomfort. "No! Tell me! I promise I won't get mad!"
It's not you he's worried about making mad, Tifa thought bitterly to herself.
Cait raised an eyebrow. Then he smiled. "Is that so? Then I'll tell you." He coughed to clear his throat, and then made his prediction. "Looks good. You are perfect for each other! Aeris's star and Cloud's star! They show a great future!" Ignoring the increasing flush on Cloud's face and sniggers from Barret, Naruto and Cid, the cat continued, "Cloud, I'll be your matchmaker, preacher… I'll do whatever you want me to! You just call me when it all happens!" Barret guffawed loudly, Naruto joining in.
Feeling that enough time had been wasted now, Cait turned to leave. Before he could step through the door, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He sagged heavily on his Mog. "Thank you for believing in me, knowing that I was a spy," he said, looking at Naruto. "This is the final, final farewell!"
Then the cat hopped through the door and disappeared into the shadows. Just as the cat disappeared from sight, Aeris ran forward and shouted into the darkness:
"Be strong, Cait!"
"She told me to 'Be strong'," Cait whispered softly to himself as he bounded steadily across the floor of the chamber. Even as he hopped, a smile spread on his furry face. "I feel so happy."
At the end of the chamber was the altar, just as they had left it. No sign of Sephiroth, no sign of any red dragons. Good. That meant the only thing left to do was solve the puzzles and retrieve the Black Materia from the Temple.
To his surprise, Cait did not feel the least bit scared about what was going to happen. He knew that this task would crush this Mog-and-cat form to death—that it would end up as a tiny, microscopic speck inside the Black Materia. Yet the thought of the Temple crushing him did not frighten him. That possibly had something to do with the fact that he was not really dying—just going offline and connecting to another form. He felt no pain, no hunger, and therefore would feel nothing upon being crushed. But… more than that… Cait felt that it was because of those three words Aeris had said upon his departure.
'Be strong, Cait!'
Lost in his thoughts Cait did not notice that his hands were going awry on the controls. Before he knew it his Mog body had tripped up over its own feet and he was tumbling to the floor. He landed face first on the stone floor. His megaphone fell from his hands and skittered across the floor.
"Owwww…" Cait complained.
Slowly, Cait began to push himself back up, first of all using his own hands and then those of the Mog's until he was standing up again. Normally it was an awkward task, but this time it seemed easier. For no real reason Cait lifted his arms and those of the Mog into the air, revelling in the freedom of movement that came from it. What was this? He could still move easily, despite the fall. And even more, it felt easier to move now than it had ever done. Did the fall do this, or was it something else? He felt as though he had changed somewhat. But he couldn't have changed…
…Could he…?
"I can still move more," he commented aloud, meaning his freedom of movement. After a few energetic jumps into the air that even the agile Yuffie would have been proud of, Cait blushed in embarrassment, scratched his head and began to walk across the floor toward the altar.
"This must be it," he said to himself as he stopped in front of the altar. He leaned over to inspect it. It really did seem so small. "The Ancients sure did a great job making this. I can protect the Planet too!" Sitting back on his Mog, he scratched his head again. "I'm kinda embarrassed… There's plenty of stuffed toys like my body around, but there's only one me!" He stood up and shouted to the sky. "Don't forget me even if another Cait comes along." Nodding confidently to himself, he turned to the altar. "Goodbye, then! I guess I'm off to save the Planet… and thank you…. Naruto…."
On the other side of the bridge, Naruto and the others watched in silence as the ground beneath them began to shake. The great roaring, ripping sound could be heard again, this time so deep beneath the ground it came out as more of a low rumble than a horrifying screech. Aeris clasped her hands together firmly, thinking of the spirits whose home was being disturbed and praying for their safe passage into the Lifestream.
As they watched, a black-green glow began to radiate from the Temple. The glow spread until it covered the entirety of the Temple, leaving it as nothing more than a shadow among the forest. The ground began to shake more violently and the roaring sound grew louder. Eventually some of the group had to hold onto trees and each other to save from falling over. A wind picked up, blowing around the Temple furiously.
"What's happening!" Yuffie cried fearfully, her arms wrapped around a tree.
No one heard her, for her words were drowned out by the growing wind. The trees were whipped from side to side, leaves were ripped off their branches and blown away in the wind. Twigs and rocks filled the air, scratching their faces and hands as they struggled to hold their ground. The bridge was being thrown up and down, barely able to hold onto its posts.
The darkness shrouding the Temple intensified, and lightning began to flash around the top of the Temple from dark clouds that had formed around it. Within the depths of the shadows they were just able to see the Temple begin to shrink, quaking as though the ground were being pulled from beneath it. The lightning intensified as the wind grew stronger, until all they could hear was the wind and crack of lightning. The flying debris became so constant that they were forced to close their eyes.
Then, suddenly, the wind ceased. An eerie stillness fell upon the forest, and for a few moments none of the group dared move in case it started again and they were blown from their feet. The lightning had stopped flashing, and not even its static energy could be felt on the air. The ground had stopped shaking. Everyone was deathly still.
Aeris was the first to open her eyes and look ahead. She released Barret, whom she had clung to for support, and very cautiously climbed to her feet. The ground was still level, which was a good thing, though it was shaky to walk upon, but that was just her fear taking over. She walked forward and looked upon the Temple. Or where there was once a Temple.
There was no Temple anymore. The spot where the Temple of the Ancients had stood was now empty. It had completely vanished. In the Temple's place was a deep, hollow pit, although how far down it went Aeris could not tell. She could not even tell if Cait had succeeded before the Temple inevitably crushed his body. That thought saddened her. She hoped her words had reached him before he left.
The others had all stood now, although it took some effort from Barret to get Yuffie to release her death grip on the tree she was clinging to. Quietly and solemnly the group moved forward across the bridge, which had miraculously remained intact during the sudden storm, and ran to the edge of the pit.
The pit was not as deep as it first appeared. It went down only about fifty feet or so, and the pit was covered in rocky ledges that made it easy to climb down. Lying at the bottom of the pit was their prize: the Black Materia. The materia shone in the afternoon light—an iridescent black ball amidst the rock. There was no sign of Cait.
"So that's the Black Materia…" said Naruto, his voice barely above a whisper. He was too in awe of the sight of the Black Materia. He felt Aeris stand beside him, equally in awe at the sight of the powerful Materia.
"Hey!" came Barret's gruff voice from behind them. "I'll keep watch up here!"
Looking at the others, they all nodded in agreement. As an Ancient, they felt it was Aeris's duty and right to go down and retrieve the Materia that her spiritual ancestors and kin had protected for so long. And as Aeris' bodyguard, it was only right that Cloud should accompany her down into the pit, despite Tifa's glare.
The rest of the companions stood guard around the pit's entrance as Cloud and Aeris began their descent. They kept a close eye on the forest, watching for any signs of Shinra thugs heading their way. So far there was no sign of anyone, and so they all relaxed a little and turned to look into the pit. Cloud and Aeris had reached the bottom and were stood around the Black Materia.
"As long as we have this, Sephiroth won't be able to use Meteor," Cloud said, smiling in relief. He bent over and picked the materia up. It was lighter than he expected—very smooth and very cool. He looked inside but could see no image; there was only blackness. As he was turning it over in his hands, he was struck with a sudden thought. "Mmm? Can you guys use it?" he asked Aeris.
"Nope," replied Aeris. "We can't use it right now. You need great spiritual power to use it."
"You mean lots of spiritual energy?"
"That's right. One person's power alone won't do it. Somewhere special. Where there's plenty of the Planet's energy…" Aeris folded her arms in thought as she sought to find a good example of where she meant. The most obvious choice popped into her head. "Oh yeah! The Promised Land!"
"The Promised Land!" exclaimed Cloud. Of course! The Promised Land would be filled with the Planet's life energy. With all that energy in the Promised Land it would be easy to summon Meteor. He looked down at the Black Materia, resting perfectly in his gloved hands. "No, but…"
Sensing his fear, Aeris laid a comforting hand on his arm and shook her head. "Sephiroth is different," she told him. "He's not an Ancient." She knew that now.
"He shouldn't be able to find the Promised Land," said Cloud.
"Ah, but I have."
A familiar flash of white light from high above made Aeris and Cloud jump up in fright. Instinctively Cloud grasped the Black Materia close to him as he looked up to the top of the pit, unaware of the pulsing pain in the back of his head. Around the edge of the pit, Barret and the others had also jumped up and were now rushing to draw their weapons. Even with their weapons drawn, none could reach the leather-clad figure that was hovering at a safe distance above the pit.
"I'm far superior to the Ancients," said Sephiroth as he drifted steadily above the pit. "I became a traveller of the Lifestream and gained the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients. I also gained the knowledge and wisdom of those after the extinction of the Ancients. And soon, I will create the future."
"I won't let you do it!" Aeris yelled. "The future is not only yours!"
Sephiroth's green-tinged eyes wandered slowly over the group of fighters gathered around the edge of the pit. Each one was staring at him in awe, anger… and fear. He smiled to himself, relishing in their fear. Then he saw Naruto and saw something he didn't think he would see. Sadness. Discarding that his eyes fell upon Aeris… The last survivor of the ancient race known as the Cetra… She held her head high, and though she was covered in dirt and scratches from the battles she had fought in the Temple, she showed no fear when she looked at him. Standing beside her was Cloud… the Black Materia resting in his hands.
"Ha ha ha… I wonder?" he mused. He looked down and stared at Cloud. "Wake up!"
A second bright flash of light zipped through the air. A searing pain shot through Cloud's mind, blinding his vision and making red dots of light dance before his eyes. He lost all sense of what was around him, although he had the vague sensation of falling—a sharp pain in his knees. His fingers grasped onto something smooth and round in his palm…
The Black Materia!
The pain was becoming unbearable. Cloud grasped at his head, his nails digging into the skin of his scalp as though he could stop the pain by clawing it out of his mind. All the while the red dots danced and flickered before his vision. The voice that spoke to him through the waves of pain offered him release and rest… if he would just give him the Black Materia.
"Sh… shut up!" Cloud shouted at the voice. The pain increased. Cloud cried out.
With a malevolent smile on his soft lips, Sephiroth floated gently down into the pit. The others, standing around the edge, found they did not have the strength to use their weapons as he floated past them. Sephiroth landed gracefully on the floor of the pit, slowly sinking to his knees as he knelt before Cloud, who still knelt with his hands pressed against his head. The malevolent smile softened into a sympathetic smile—like that of an older brother reaching out to his younger brother after he has fallen off his bike and grazed his knee.
"There, Cloud…" Sephiroth said with surprising tenderness. "Good boy."
The pain heightened, and now a piercing whistle was added to the mixture of noise that was zapping through Cloud's brain. By now Cloud could barely feel his body or the Black Materia that was still in his hand. Blood seeped underneath his nails as he tried in vain to blot out the sounds screaming in his head. Through all the noise and the pain was Sephiroth's calm, gentle voice offering escape.
"The… Noise…" Cloud managed to gasp.
He tried to open his eyes. Amid the dancing lights and blotches of blackness, he could just about see the ground at his feet. It was closer than he remembered. A couple of feet away he saw a leather-gloved hand reaching out to him, palm up. All remembrance of who he was, where he was, and what he held vanished from his mind. The only thing in his mind was the voice… Reunion… Black Materia…
Shakily Cloud lowered his hands, unaware of the blood that ran between his fingertips. He climbed to his feet, dizzy and staggering. Then he began to move slowly forward, his empty eyes searching for the hand that was reaching out to him. He mumbled something incoherently. "Wa…aaa…aaa…"
"No…!"
Cloud stopped. Had he heard a voice calling out to him? It sounded hazily familiar. Almost like his own voice. Where had he heard that voice before? He tried to remember. As he thought, the other voice spoke again, more harshly. Pushing his thoughts aside, Cloud continued forward. The hand was visible now, just inches away from him. The pain would be gone soon.
"Don't be afraid-!" the second voice screamed again.
This time Cloud didn't hear the voice. The hand was in reach now. Unconsciously, Cloud reached out his right hand. He felt something slip from his grasp and drop into the outstretched hand. The leather-bound hand closed around the Black Materia and pulled away from him.
Sephiroth stood up, looking down at the Black Materia that he finally held in his hand. Cloud knelt at his feet, weak, trembling, and shaking. "…Well done," he said, slipping the Black Materia safely into his pocket.
Without so much as a warning, Sephiroth suddenly flew up into the air, disappearing from view even before the group had realised he had gone. Cloud remained on the floor, his blue eyes wide in an expression of pure horror. What had he done! His fingers dug into the dirt-covered floor as though he could bury himself away from this horrible dream. All the while, he was aware of a young voice—his young voice—crying bitterly beside him.
"Cloud, are you all right?"
Cloud barely recognised Aeris's voice. He barely recognised anything. He was just becoming aware of the enormity of what he had just done. He had just willingly given the Black Materia to the one person most in the world they were trying to keep it away from. Why! Why did he do that!
"…I gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth…?" he asked, although he was barely aware that he was speaking. Nor was he aware of Aeris's presence behind him, kneeling next to him, her hand on his shoulder.
He tried to move, but a sudden wave of pain and wooziness overwhelmed him and he toppled backward. Quickly Aeris caught him and held him up, her arms wrapped gently around him like a mother cradling a child. She ran a hand through his spiky blond hair, wishing she could do something ease his pain. A hand grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. Looking down, she could see that Cloud's eyes were glistening with tears as he looked up at her, frantically seeking some solace.
"Wha… what did I do… tell me, Aeris," he pleaded.
"Cloud… be strong, okay?" she said to him softly, continuing to stroke his hair.
Pushing her hand away, Cloud struggled to stand up. He did not even manage a few steps before he toppled forward again, falling to his knees. His bloody, scratched fists punched the dirt hard.
"Urrrrrrgh… What have I done!" he yelled. He thumped the dirt again.
"Cloud…" Aeris stood up and ran to Cloud's side. "You haven't done anything wrong. It's not your fault!"
The pain was returning, along with the irritatingly soft voice that spoke so smoothly and yet whose words were poison in his veins. Cloud shook his head fiercely. No… He would not do that! The pain increased again, and the voice spoke more firmly. Cloud found himself beginning to stand up, even though he tried with all his willpower to stay firmly on the ground.
"I…! I'm-!" Cloud stammered.
Suddenly Cloud spun around to face Aeris, who was standing beside him. With an angry snarl he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and flung her against the rocky wall of the pit, making her cry out in pain. Her jacket was torn by the rock. Fear filled the Ancient's eyes as she saw the hate-filled look in Cloud's face and the strength with which he gripped her. Glaring at her angrily, Cloud raised his hand and struck her harshly across the face. The slap left red marks across Aeris's left cheek. Cloud did not seem to notice, and he struck her again… and again… and again. Then a shadow appeared behind him and everything went black.