AN: Wow, over three hundred reviews? I just realized this and I must say I am quite shocked. Who'da thunk it? And happy birthday TCO! You're so old! --I finally got it this time. (rolls eyes) Haha.
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The Complete Opposite
Chapter XXI
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Rufus coughed, choking on the fluid caught in his throat. He brought his hand to his mouth to cover up the noise, a habit he guessed. He wasn't surprised when, as he pulled his hand back, red smeared his palm. His gaze traveled up to the woman standing before him, elegant in figure, innocent in features, a seemingly beautiful and pure young woman. ...That is, until one looked closely at her face. Behind that sincere looking smile was a wicked grin, a dark tint to ethereal looking eyes that glowed with power.
Rufus sneered at her, cursing her beauty and her grace. She was the greatest sin known to man. She was the harbinger of darkness and the reason why all the world went to heck in just a few years. Humanity was hardly back on its feet now, and already she was making her encore.
But he wasn't going to let her. He'd already made a mistake once; he wasn't going to make another. "JENOVA," he spat, glaring up at her.
JENOVA smiled down at him. "Rufus Shinra," she returned, her greeting much milder and coated sweet.
"What do you want?" It was a rhetorical question, something given automatically, but Rufus said it anyway.
"That's simple. Humans must be put in their place."
"And you're going to use Cloud Strife to do it? Again?"
JENOVA's smile widened. "That would be the basic idea."
"He's not even your son this time. He doesn't follow your orders. He's not even from here!"
"True. But regardless of where that child came from initially, he will always be mine. Like a slave, he is owned by all of the 'family.' He is useful enough, if not more so."
Rufus frowned at her, confusion bleeding into his expression. He didn't fully understand what she meant. But despite this, he did not let it disrupt his thoughts, firing back at her. "Where he came from, you-- the other you bid Sephiroth as her servant. Why not just take him instead?"
JENOVA have a snort, a sneer upon her lips. "My sister was foolish. She chose the weaker of the two to be her tool." She looked down at Rufus and stepped forward, reaching out with her slender claws to grab his face. She tilted it up toward her, the tips of her nails pressing into the man's cheeks. "I know you are aware of his journey. He seemed weak, did he not? It made sense to use the other child, didn't it? But who won in the end? Him. My darling Cloud Strife."
She paused, then let him go roughly, slicing his skin as she jerked him away from her. Rufus flinched at the pain, feeling blood rise to the cuts upon his cheeks, but he did not move to wipe the trails away. He merely stared with narrow eyes at the demoness that was so graciously explaining things to him.
"It is... regrettable," she muttered, half to herself, half to Rufus. "In this world, young Sephiroth came out the victor. But... only due to certain circumstances. My child would have won had certain factors not taken place."
She shook her head, turning away to look out the shattered window, now a gaping hole in the wall with flimsy frames holding it together. She approached it, sauntering as though she meant to attract the eye of a lover with the seductive sway of her hips. With her many forms, she could seem just as lascivious as a hooker from Midgar's slums, or as innocent as a newborn.
JENOVA stood before the hole she'd made in the wall and waved her hand in the air, elongated nails slicing the air. "Common sense would bid me take Sephiroth next, my other child whom I've adopted from those 'scientists' who thought it fit to steal a piece of my essence and implant it in a human. But Cloud Strife was and will always be my one true son. I marked him as my own, willingly gave him a piece of myself, and so I will continue to use him."
There was a crash behind her, the door being torn from its hinges and tossed aside. An agonizing, bestial scream echoed in the room, as did the sound of metal ripping through flesh and bone, a pitiful creature being shredded. JENOVA smiled wickedly, glancing over her shoulder to look at the mess that had become the office just behind her.
As expected, her two children stumbled forth, both at the ready, both surveying the situation and inching toward the "President" whom she had struck up a conversation with. Rufus was glad to see them and allowed for Sephiroth to help him to his feet.
"Are you..."
Rufus nodded, wincing at the protest of his body. JENOVA did not play nice with him when she came crashing through his window.
Sephiroth's gaze turned to the "woman" who slowly turned to greet them, smiling as though she were a mother welcoming back her family at home.
"Ahh, you've finally arrived," she crooned, beckoning. "I've been waiting. But I can only wait for so long. Come, child, what's taking you so long? Don't you want to come home to me?"
Cloud snarled quietly, angling his sword just so to tell her just how much he wanted to "come home." She had tried before, but he wasn't going to let her win. Not this time, not ever. Even if she gave him that look, so genuine looking it could make a man falter, he would not.
"Never."
JENOVA gave a displeased sigh, seemingly disappointed at his answer. "My child, you will never learn, will you? You may rebel against me now, but I will have you return with me. Soon enough, your recess will be over. You may play now, but do not think you can keep running away forever."
There was the sound of roaring outside. Even from where they were, they could hear the screams of dying men as they were attacked. The heavy pounding of clawed feet shook the floor, steadily, quickly heading in this direction. The mad flutter of wings could be heard, pushing something higher into the air toward the window.
"Prepare yourself, Cloud Strife. You want to continue this game? Then I shall give you playmates."
There were more screams as something crashed into the call, bulldozing through. It zoomed right through, skidding to a halt just before the busted doorway of the office. Cloud sharply turned, bringing his sword up to block the kicking hooves of a Doorbull, a fusion of two creatures both humanistic and bestial. The force of the kicks almost threw him off balance, forcing him to dive to the side and out of the way as the man-like creature atop swung his mighty arms in hopes to strike him across the head.
Just outside, the swirl of emerald green and pale gold came into view. One of JENOVA's fabled Dragon Riders knocked an arrow to a bow and aimed it through the window as the dragon flapped its wings to remain steady. It hardly gave Cloud enough time to push up to his knees before it let loose the steel weapon, the arrowhead sharp and serrated, with twines at the end to make it difficult to pull out.
Cloud brought his sword up in time to deflect the shot, but only just barely. Near him, he could feel the crackle of electricity, powered by a materia. Sephiroth shot the bolt at the Dragon Rider, only to miss when the beast suddenly dived, flying out of the way.
JENOVA smiled at them, laughing in amusement. "Come now, is that all? We've only just begun, my child. I have more friends for you to play with."
Just where the Dragon Rider had disappeared, a Thunderbird and Tonadu, both avian-like creatures, came to take it's place. As if the Thunderbird knew it's dragon cousin had been attacked with lightning, so did it retaliate by gathering electricity in its mouth. Like shooting a stream of water, it shot the lightning into the room, hot as fire and burning a line in the carpet as it headed straight for the men.
Sephiroth dove, taking Rufus with him as they dodged to the side, the blond man eliciting a painful gasp as they tumbled to the floor. Sephiroth was aware, just by touching him, that internal damage had taken place, probably during the short time he was facing off JENOVA.
Rufus winced and trembled on all fours, his hand to his side. He hurt. Sephiroth pushed his hand away to feel the injured spot, frowning when he felt something wrong. Rufus had cracked his rib, maybe even broken it.
"Let me h--"
"No! Just-- ugh-- get rid of them first. Then worry about me."
He was reluctant, but Sephiroth nodded, quickly standing up. He stepped before the President, shielding him as he shifted, pulling his sword back over his shoulder. With a swift swing of his arm, the air was sliced, compressed so tightly it was like an extension of his blade. The attack was aimed at JENOVA, who stood before the avian monsters, but she dodged it, letting the two birds take the hit and crumple in the air.
To his side he heard the simultaneous roar of man and beast, Cloud fending off the Doorbull. The blond rolled to the side, jumping to his feet and twisting around as the monster dove at him again, claws and fists both poised to strike him down and tear him apart. Cloud pulled back the sword and swung it quickly, imitating Sephiroth's attack by slicing the air.
The man half of the beast lost a portion of its body, a howl of pain coming from its mouth. Blood splattered from the gorey wound, the "man" now one-armed and missing a part of its skeleton. it almost lost its neck, but the beastial part of it had pushed to the side just in time. Sephiroth made a move to finish the job for the blond when steel flashed past his gaze, turning his attention back to the hole in the wall.
The Dragon Rider was back. It knocked two arrows and let them fly, zipping through the air towards their target. Sephiroth swung his blade, cutting down the arrows. He started up another spell, but cut himself off as more arrows zipped through the air, one after another. He twirled the Masamune again and again, deflecting the arrows. From the corner of the broken wall, two Scissors creatures dug their claws into the edge of the wall, looking in on the fight. Without hesitation, they came for him, charging with their sharp, scissor-like appendages slashing at him.
Sephiroth did not budge as they came at him, merely twisting to angle his sword and slice them in half. But just as expected of these creatures, they split up their bodies, never once being a single creature in the first place but two stacked together to seem larger and more formidable than it was. Now four Scissors -- or rather, two halves -- moved to surround him and go behind to attack Rufus.
He could not move from his spot as the arrows from the Dragon Rider continued to assault him, hoping to peg him at least once and bring him down a notch. He could hear Rufus behind him struggle to stand, hands searching his coat for his emergency pistol. in his state, abused by JENOVA already, he would not be able to defend himself against more than one of the Scissors.
Sephiroth's jaw clenched, his feline eyes narrowing as he kept the monsters at bay, looking past them to the mistress who had summoned them here. JENOVA looked on with a childish glee, her mouth stretched wide into a grin of superior knowing as she surveyed the room. Her bottomless eyes met his gaze, her elongated nails stretching longer until they were the length of her forearm.
"You will not stop me this time."
He tensed, ready for an attack, but instead of coming to assault him, she turned toward Cloud, her "child" instead. Cloud's sword struck through flesh, fur, muscle and bone, cutting the creature in half as the heavy blade was pushed down, the force so great it cut into the floor.
In moments the Doorbull died, but Cloud was not given a moment of peace. Just as he pulled his sword out of the ruined, stained carpet, two needle-like blades sliced the air just by his head, mere centimeters away. As the blades separated, forming what he immediately recognized as two long, razor-sharp nails, Cloud ducked, twisting out of the way to avoid getting his head cut off. He brought his sword up during the tug of momentum and made to dismember that dangerous hand, but JENOVA quickly retreated, daring not to block the blade with her bare hand, the poison of Gaea's essence too strong for her to handle after just a few seconds' contact.
A sarcastic laugh left her lips as they curled even further into a black grin, her hand coming up and out of the way. She wiggled her fingers slowly, her long, sharp nails waving in the air, taunting him, blatantly telling him just how dangerous she was with them.
"I will save you..." she murmured, her voice sweet and alluring.
Cloud faltered for a second, startled by her words. He shifted back, holding his weapon at the ready. A deep frown creased his brow, that one sentence reminding him of that awful dream he had. He didn't understand it all that well, but he remembered the fright that had clenched his heart when he heard those words, and the calling that bid he answer.
Though the voice was sweet and endearing, there was something about the tone, a subtle, second meaning that was sinister and dangerous. Even though he should've been more startled, more wary of the image of Sephiroth embracing him, it was that single voice that seized him.
And for whatever reason, he was almost weak to it. As if the vision of Sephiroth, endearing, loving, holding him close, was so great a distraction that he couldn't put up his defenses quick enough. As if Sephiroth had been his drug, he couldn't make sense of anything else, left wide open for attack.
That sort of feeling made Cloud shudder. He didn't like feeling so weak, especially in the presence of a man like Sephiroth. Even if this man was not the same alien son that aimed to bring about his destruction, his name and face was enough to rekindle those time-old emotions in him.
JEVONA smirked, her gaze upon his face, catching his gaze and reading him like a book. "Ah, you're remembering, aren't you?" she teased, giving a laugh that was suspiciously like a giggle. She tilted her head to the side just so, tapping her cheek with the finger of her other hand, those nails not as long or menacing as the other hand.
"Well, actually, remembering wouldn't quite be the right word, would it? Those weren't your memories. It felt like a dream, didn't it? But that's not entirely the truth."
He didn't like her word games, her vague answers, leading him on and then holding back the most important part. Like a hook with bait, she was egging him on, reeling back just when he was about to bite. Cloud hated that. He made a hasty, angered dash toward her, his blade cutting air as he attacked.
She dodged, dancing back a few steps out of range before immediately feinting to one side and twisting around to slash at him with her claws. He spun out of the way, swinging his sword to catch her in the side. The edge of the blade struck at her side and bled her. JENOVA hissed and jumped back, her hand coming to her side where her body burned and oozed unnatural blood. Her wound bubbled and foamed, her body healing it in a violent fashion.
Cloud stepped back, sliding into a ready stance as he narrowed his eyes at her, so blatantly expressing his hate for her.
JENOVA have a sarcastic laugh. "Do you not want to know the truth, my child? There is reason behind your weakness towards that man. If he lives, you should ask him. Though I am displeased to say it, there is authenticity in those emotions you shared, despite the twisting of the memory you saw."
Her mouth turned downward into a sneer, disgust written in her expression. She didn't like the fact that her son had crafted himself an Achilles heel. It sickened her that he would willingly do such a thing. Such was that horrible, repulsive emotion called love, the conqueror of all. Bah, what ridiculousness.
"Well... at least that is not the case here," she said with a sudden smirk, pleased with this fact in the very least. But then her gaze trailed down to his hands, clenched tightly around the hilt of the Ultima Sword. "Once he is dead, there will only be one thing left to sever that bond between you, my child. And I will have it."
She launched herself at him, claws slashing at him. The nails of her other hand grew rapidly to match the first, extending to an alarming size as they jabbed forward, missing him by mere millimeters, cutting through his shirt.
Cloud jumped back, dancing on nimble feet as she chased him, dodging and parrying his blows to get a piece of him. She aimed for his arms, cutting and slicing his sleeves and shoulders, hoping to catch a tendon and make useless that appendage. He managed to miss more damaging blows, twisting his body and bringing up his blade to deflect her claws from piercing him somewhere lethal.
Over her shoulder he could see a flood of beasts and monsters creeping in through the broken window. He was wary of them, certain they would come to attack him, but they paid him little attention, going instead to Sephiroth to distract him. They were doing a good job, forcing him to back up so that Rufus could not be attacked from behind. Though he was just one man, he was an important figure, the only ShinRa living and the only powerful enough and trusting political figure that could lead the people of Gaea on the mainland. With him dead, there wouldn't be anyone to step up to take his place. Sephiroth had to protect him, and so he did, cutting down his enemies one after another, increasing the litter of bodies in the office.
But soon, it would become too difficult to move around in such a small, enclosed space. Both Cloud and Sephiroth knew that as they just briefly caught each other's eye across the wreckage.
Cloud hissed as his shoulder was pierced, JENOVA's claw sinking into his flesh, twisting, and pulling out again. He dodged to the side, rolling back to his feet. She was fiendish, chasing after him as she did. With so little space in the office, and that remaining quickly becoming less and less with the littered bodies, too many for the earth to absorb quickly enough and take back into its womb, he was having trouble fighting.
He dared to look off and glance around him, searching for a quick exit. There was very little to choose from. And the more he dawdled, the harder it would become to escape to somewhere where there was more room. Cloud's gaze snapped back to JENOVA, twisting out of the way as she stabbed, aiming for his gut. She would be the end of him if he allowed himself to get more distracted as is.
"Give up, my child. I will have my way."
He sneered at her and jumped back. "Over my dead body."
JENOVA sighed. "If that's how you want it..."
She dove for him. Cloud jumped back again, getting dangerously close to the broken window. The monsters there slashed with their claws, hoping to snatch him and get a piece for themselves, but Cloud twisted around and cut them down. The act allowed JENOVA to catch him in the back, but he surged forward and made a suicide dive out the window.
Sephiroth saw Cloud jump. In that moment, he quickly backed up until he was just before Rufus again, slicing the air with the Masamune. With a fire spell backing him up, he cut a wall of fire into the carpet, temporarily shielding them for just a few moments.
Quickly, he turned around and cut open the wall, kicking it down. Then turning to Rufus, he snatched his arm and pulled him along. Rufus grunted in pain but he forced himself to keep up, knowing that Sephiroth wasn't running as fast as he wanted to with Rufus so fragile at the moment. The barrier would not hold for long once one of the beasts doused it, or else Jenova did, and they had to escape quickly. No matter what, he had to take Rufus somewhere else where he would be safer. Somewhere where Sephiroth didn't have to worry about him as he fought.
"Strife--"
He glanced over at the young President, noticing how pale he was as he held his side and continued to run at that stumbling pace, keeping up with Sephiroth just barely. The ex-General didn't let go of him lest he threaten to collapse, something they couldn't afford.
"Why did... he...?"
Sephiroth shook his head. Though Rufus didn't quite say all that he wanted to, his questions cut off as he wince and gritted his teeth, Sephiroth caught it. "He'll be fine. He will lure JENOVA away."
"He'll survive?"
"I'd be more surprised if he didn't."
---
The blade got stuck in the framing, finally slowing down to a stop. Cloud hung from the hilt, a line in the side of the building tracing his path. From above, he could see the gathering monsters, filtering in from the sky or else other floors. There were some around him as well, close enough to attack.
He spotted a window in which he could jump, but just below was a platform he could land on. Pushing up to plant his feet against the side of the building, he launched off, flipping backwards as he fell. He straightened out as he neared landing, bending down to absorb the impact as he hit, skidding a little across the metal surface.
Looking up, he saw those capable of flying take to the sky, seeking him as their new target as the rest, grounded, shuffled into the building to search for Sephiroth and Rufus. JENOVA stood at the edge of the room, just by the broken window. She stared down at him, her claws gone, nails retracted. She did not pursue him, merely watching from afar as he pushed up to his feet and retaliated against the aerial assault.
As he danced across the rooftop, dodging magical attacks and avoiding lethal hits, he glanced around to see if he could spot any of the other AVALANCHE members. To one side, he spotted Tifa with RedXIII, the woman wrestling down a Vice, tossing it down on its head. On the other, he saw Vincent and Cid, the sound of gunshots carrying in the air. Nearby, he saw Zack, twirling his Buster Sword and cutting down a Valron.
Cloud didn't know where the rest were, probably with the civilians. That was probably where Aeris was. Otherwise, he assumed her to be near Zack, aiding him as his pair.
Zack spotted him as he cut down another foe, glancing in his direction as dozens of insect-like Slaps surrounded him, aiming at all sides. He pushed off from the platform he was on to come to Cloud's aid, a fire spell ready to incinerate the nasty bugs.
Landing near the blond, he popped out his Lightning materia and handed it over. "You don't have any, do you?" he said, brows lifted. "Use it."
Cloud took it gratefully, pushing it into the slot. "Thanks."
Zack grinned and swung his sword up into a vertical slash, cutting the underbelly of one of the monsters. "Don't forget to give it back, alright?"
Cloud gave a hint of a smile, nodding. He powered up a strong lightning attack, targeting all that was in range. In a bright flash, they were electrocuted, some dying instantly from the shock while others were severely damaged, collapsing to the ground and twitching madly. The spell was draining and he had to pause to recover, letting Zack finish off a majority of the flock before he joined in and helped him take out the rest.
"Where's Seph?"
He glanced at the man. "I don't know." He twisted his sword, angling the cut deeper into the beast. It shrieked and fell, dying. "He's with Rufus."
Zack made an odd sound at that, drawing back his arm only to swing it forward, creating an electric fissure along the platform, taking out all that in its path, dead and alive alike. "Well, everyone evacuated except for those fighting. We need to leave. There are too many to take out all at once."
"You want us to run?"
"We might have to."
They both caught a Diablo in the side, sliding through it in a single stroke. Dead, spilling blood everywhere, as did the rest of the monsters, Cloud and Zack looked about themselves quickly to see if there were any more to fight. For the moment, it seemed like there were none, the last of them taken care of.
But neither man relaxed. Cloud's gaze went up to the building from which he jumped down from, wondering if he could see JENOVA still there. He didn't see her; she was gone. But that still didn't allow him the luxury of relaxing. Not knowing where she was meant she could be anywhere, attacking anyone as she pleased.
Cloud wiped his face, pushing back his hair from his eyes as he looked around them. Zack was just as messy as him, the stench and taste of blood filling their senses. No doubt their clothes were in an unhappy condition too.
They looked at each other, panting from the exertion of their fight. Around them, they saw that the numbers of monsters was slowly dwindling, the raid drawing to a close.
Zack gave a half grin. "Well! I guess I was wrong. Looks like everything's A-ok now."
It seemed true. But then the building, where JENOVA was last standing, where Sephiroth and Rufus were last seen, exploded, two floors bursting open.
"Shit."
---
Sephiroth didn't move, covering the fragile, wounded body beneath him from the rubble and debris that threatened to crush them. He waited a moment, his ears ringing from the blast, before he finally moved and pushed a piece of the wall off him. Looking down, he saw that Rufus was struggling with consciousness, his hand to his mouth as he coughed and blinked several times against the dust that fell around them.
"Are you alright?"
Rufus looked at him and gave a small nod. "I think so," he answered roughly, coughing again. His hand went to his abdomen, wincing as a spark of pain raced through him.
Sephiroth shifted up to his knees and knocked away the chunks, clouds of dust swirling around him with every movement. He heard nothing -- no mark of the enemy, no scent, no sound -- but that did not put him at east. He was actually wary instead, his senses reaching out to catch a whiff or subtle movement or sound.
Without warning, a beast knocked into him, dashing him to the ground next to Rufus. As the man crawled away, Sephiroth growled under his breath and blocked two rows of sharp fangs from sinking into him with his sword. He summoned power from his materia, a fire spell gathering in the crystal orb. He let it loose, flames hot enough to sear engulfing the Chimera and causing it to roar and rear back off him.
Sephiroth rolled out of the way before the flames caught hold of his clothes or his hair, picking up Rufus along the way to get him out of harm's way. Rufus coughed and tightly gripped his sleeve as he stumbled up and into a run. They weren't safe just yet. Just behind them came the sounds of pursuing demons and monsters, JENOVA most likely amongst them.
They both knew they could be caught if they didn't do anything quick. They had to get out -- Rufus had to leave before something happened and he was killed in the madness of a fight. Sephiroth glanced around and found little they could use to their advantage to slow down those beasts. These damned halls were clean of any obstruction, not even a vending machine in sights.
"Tear down the walls," Rufus coughed, nearly choking on his words as something wet and sticky got stuck in his throat.
Sephiroth didn't question the order. He stopped and held Rufus up on one side while the other swung the Masamune, carving open the walls and ceiling, letting the structure collapse around them. They didn't wait for hte dust and rubble to settle, moving on and repeating the process two more times until it seemed like the whole upper floor was bound to fall atop them.
They reached the end of the hall and the ex-General kicked open the door. Before them wound the staircase that led down the various levels below. Sephiroth made Rufus go first, making sure he had hold of the railing before he let go and turned back to the hall behind them.
"Go first."
Rufus nodded and tried to go as quickly as he could, gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain that made him sweat and wish he could just fall unconscious right now. He was pale, blood drained from his face as he continued down the steps. Behind him he heard an explosion, but he didn't stop.
He kept going and going as quickly as he could, until he just had to stop. He gasped and wheezed, glancing above him to the place where Sephiroth once stood. The man was gone. He probably when back to confront JENOVA.
Rufus wanted to go back and see just what was happening, but he knew he couldn't. Grimacing at his own pathetic state, he turned back around and continued on down. Step by step he descended lower. Luckily, he didn't have to go too far before someone found him. In fact, two people did. It was Zack and Cloud, racing up the stairs.
"Pres! Holy moley what happened to you?"
Rufus shook his head. "Later. Sephiroth..."
Cloud gave a nod. "I'll go."
"Collapse the building."
Zack glanced at Cloud, pausing as if he wanted to say something, but then nodded back. He didn't stop the blond as he raced up the stairs. Instead, he gave his attention to the other blond before him and carefully went to his side, supporting him under his arm. "Time to go. We'll get you to Aeris and have you all fixed up. She's with all the other evacuees. The others have the rest of the Force out as well. All that's left is us. And you, of course."
Rufus let the man support most of his weight, leaning against him heavily. "Get me out of here, Fair."
"Roger."
---
Cloud rounded the corner and immediately put his arm up to shield his face when a sudden wave of dust and dirt flew his way. He waited until the cloud settled before he dared to move forward a step or two in search of Sephiroth. It didn't take long to see the telltale glint of silver-white hair fluttering in the air, contrasted with the black leather of the man's coat. "Sephiroth!"
The man glanced behind him to see Cloud, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He couldn't keep eye contact for long, turning around to fend off one of the monsters that had made it past the rubble. Cloud quickly came to his side, cutting down another enemy that tried to flank Sephiroth. They stood together for a moment, accepting the other's presence. Cloud glanced up at the taller man. "Collapse the building," he said.
Sephiroth glanced back at him. He seemed to understand that Cloud was not giving an order, but rather relaying it. And only one person could have given such a command. Rufus. Without questioning, he nodded and darted forward into the fray of monsters, cutting them down as he worked his way deeper. Cloud was at his heels, following his movements and slicing down what the other man didn't. It was slow going but they didn't stop, taking out what they could as they moved to the heart.
When they came to another flight of stairs, they took it up to the floor above them, the very top floor. They didn't stop until they came to a room that was bolted shut. Sephiroth punched in the security code to get in. Glancing behind them, Cloud could hear the beasts coming closer, clamoring up the stairs. Some bypassed that small hallway and burst through the windows. He fired up a lightning spell before they could even attack, quickly shuffling back into the room when the doors opened for them.
Sephiroth immediately closed the doors after him, blocking their pursuers for the time being. It wouldn't hold them forever, but just enough for Sephiroth to do what he had to.
The man went to a dashboard in the middle of the room, walking up to one of the panels. Cloud was behind him, his eyes on the door in case the monsters busted through.
"What are you doing?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Collapsing the building," was the other man's reply. "The attack on Midgar gave Rufus a reason to add safety precautions. If ever he was attacked again, they would risk the collateral damage and destroy the building."
"All of it?" Cloud asked, half turning to look at Sephiroth.
"No. Just the top fifteen floors. There's another mechanism down below for the bottom middle. If we truly wanted to cause the building to collapse, we would take those out. This will take care of our pursuers." He finished entering the code and turned to face Cloud.
At the same time, the doors were blown of their hinges, busted open from the other side. Cloud and Sephiroth turned to face the doors. There was no obvious escape route for them aside from that door, and on the other side of it stood JENOVA, her monstrous pets at either side, waiting for orders to attack.
"My children, you're going about this all wrong."
JENOVA stepped forward, her beasts at her heels, filtering into the room. Cloud and Sephiroth backed up, keeping distance between them. Overhead, a computerized voice initiated the countdown for the bombs to go off.
"Self destruct will commence in ten seconds. Ten."
"How ridiculous. All you have to do is come home and we can avoid this needless fighting. Cloud, my son, just say yes. Let me save you."
"Nine."
Cloud ignored her calls. The two men knew they couldn't stay for long. They would have to leave and immediately.
"Eight."
"Straight?"
"Seven."
"Straight."
"Six."
Without further prompt, the two men charged.
"Five."
Cloud did exactly what JENOVA wanted. He went to her. But instead of giving her the warm, loving welcome she probably expected with hugs and kisses and all that fake endearment, he brought up his sword.
"Four."
Swinging it down, electricity in the form of a static wave shot from the tip of the Ultima, racing across the ground. JENOVA dodged to the side, hissing angrily at him, but he ignored her threats as he kept going forward, following after the path the attack had made. "GET THEM!!"
"Three."
Just beside him, a step or two behind, Sephiroth held out his hand let loose a large fire spell that pushed back any monsters that tried to recover and launch at them.
"Two."
Together they carved through the masses, cutting down whatever got in their way. When they burst through the hallway, they kept going -- not down the hall, but out the windows beyond. Straight.
"One."
They dived straight through the open gap, throwing themselves out into open air. They'd only dropped a floor down before they heard a deafening boom, windows shattering as the explosives in the building went off. The impact was so great, it pushed Cloud and Sephiroth out, making them tumbled farther out than they'd first intended. Cloud twisted in midair, trying to orient himself. Next to him, he saw Sephiroth do the same, their gazes catching.
Without really thinking about it, almost as if it were natural, their hands reached out and caught each other's. Cloud couldn't explain why he took Sephiroth's hand, or why he held it so tightly for that matter. But he did. And he didn't let go as they plummeted hundreds of feet below, until they suddenly crashed on the nose of the cannon below. Just beyond, Cid's Shera came into view, a rope ladder being tossed down for them. Without pause, Sephiroth broke into a run, leading them across with Cloud in tow.
Behind them they could hear the sounds of the new Headquarters being blown to bits, chunks of debris flying everywhere. Sephiroth sheathed his sword and jerked Cloud forward as they came to the end of the cannon's nose. Cloud didn't argue, grabbing onto the rope ladder as he reached it, his sword already strapped to his back. Sephiroth was hot on his heels, jumping hardly a second later, his foot catching one of the rungs, his hands catching the rope on either side of the blond.
They held on tightly as the Shera suddenly ascended, orders being shouted overhead by some of the members of AVALANCHE. Glancing up, Cloud saw Vincent at the railing, looking down at them. The man didn't shout anything down at them, not even something common sense like, "Hold on!" He just stayed there by the railing and pointed over to the direction they were heading, a safe plot of land where Cid could land and they could get off.
Cloud glanced over where the man pointed and gave a nod, his grip tightening around the rope as they flew, the wind threatening to take them away. Behind him he could feel Sephiroth's body pressed against his back, holding on just as dearly to the rope as he was. It was almost stifling, being this close to the man, but Cloud held strong, feeling... strangely comforted by the man's presence. Though it still felt incredibly awkward to be so near each other -- and he certainly did not understand why he had held the man's hand -- but he was glad that Sephiroth was around.
It felt right.
Looking down below them, Cloud watched as the tower of Junon's headquarters crumbled, the sight slowly becoming smaller as they flew farther and farther away.
---
AN: There! One more chapter finished! (dies) I'm working on another little "intermission" that I'll add one of these days. Maybe next update. I was going to double update with it today, but I didn't get it finished in time. It makes me sad. Alas, it'll have to wait. In the meantime, just this will have to suffice.
I'd like to thank everyone one more time for sticking with me. It's been a bumpy ride and many of you have been patient and sending me your little messages of good luck and get well. They always make me feel good. You're my bucket of sunshine. (hugs) Please look forward to the next update! I'll do my best to get it out to you guys as soon as I can.