Remembrance

by Shikaku Zetsumei

Vincent awakes to find that everything he experienced was nothing but a dream. Though he vows to change the future, he is left wondering if his interference will fix anything or simply make things worse. (Story Completely Revamped June 2017) Chapter 22 up.

18. God-Slayer

A/N: Massive delay due to paper writing and finishing up the PhD… here's an extra long chapter in repentance.

Additional Note: It's been just under a year since published chapter 12 after basically rewriting the entire story. This has certainly been an interesting side project. Hopefully I can get it push through the final act of this story and finish it up. A special thank you to everyone who checked out this story.

Now, time for some action.

Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance

Chapter 18 – God-Slayer

The Highwind landed with a soft thud on the outskirts of Wutai. Yuffie and Cloud stood on the outer deck, staring at the small city in the distance. Even from their current vantage point, the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods towered above the other buildings, including the large mansion nearby that was once Yuffie's home. They could also just barely see her lonely house sitting on the outskirts of the city. Cloud placed a hand on Yuffie's shoulder. He could feel a slight tremble running through her body even as they stood there.

"You'll be fine," he reassured her. "Let's show your father how strong you've become."

The young ninja did not respond, but nodded once. They tossed the rope ladder over the edge and descended from the Highwind. Landing in the soft grass below, Yuffie shouldered her pack and began making her way back towards her hometown with Cloud following silently behind her.

"It feels like ages since we've been here," the swordsman remarked idly as he looked around the grassy plains. "We didn't exactly get a chance to look around last time."

He chuckled lightly at the memory. Yuffie glanced his way.

"We've got the day. Depending on how this goes, we could relax for a bit… you know… just you and me."

Cloud smiled even though the girl was facing forward again.

"I think I'd like that. We could do some celebratory things as well. I imagine Red will call us when they're done with their explorations."

"If I win."

"You'll win."

They continued their short trek into the city in silence. Yuffie's shoulders were tense with nerves but her face was resolute. As they approached the outer perimeter of the city several guards took notice of their approach.

"Lady Yuffie!" One lightly armored individual said in surprise. "We were not expecting your return for quite some time. Welcome back!"

The princess of Wutai merely nodded stiffly.

"I'll be here for the day," she replied. "I… I'll be challenging the Pagoda…"

She trailed off. The guard's eyes widened at this declaration.

"Oh… I see," he hesitated. "Well, I wish you the best of luck. Do you need an escort through the city?"

Yuffie shook her head.

"I'll drop my stuff off at my house before heading towards the Pagoda."

The guard looked a bit uncomfortable at this.

"Uh… alright then," he replied. "Feel free to ask any of the patrols for help should you need it. Will your companion be joining you?"

The girl nodded once more and entered the city. Cloud remained silent as he followed her, nodding politely to the guards as they passed into Wutai. The pair made their way towards the eastern side of town, weaving through the early morning streets. Local farmers had long since set up shop and many of them were going about their daily business. A few shoppers seemed to recognize the princess but remained at a respectful distance, especially once they saw the tough-looking man carrying a massive sword following her. Nevertheless, Cloud kept his eyes out for anyone who might wish to accost the girl on her way to her house. Luckily, they passed through the central marketplace will relative ease and were soon making their way through the small residential area where her house was located. They entered the modest one room home and dropped off their extra gear. Yuffie took the time to sit down at her small desk.

"It feels a bit weird to be back," she muttered as she ran a hand across her desk. "No dust… someone must be coming in to clean every once in a while."

"Maybe Godo hired someone?" Cloud asked.

The girl shrugged half-heartedly before laying her head down onto the tabletop. Seeing this, Cloud walked over and sat down on the desk near her head.

"How do you feel?" He asked. "Did you get enough to eat on the ship?"

Yuffie covered her head with her arms while turning away from him.

"Didn't eat much…" she mumbled. "Too nervous."

Cloud sighed as his lips twitched in a small smile.

"Let's go find you something simple to eat then," he proposed.

"Don't wanna…" the girl groused. "I shouldn't eat before I fight…"

The swordsman watched the listless girl for a moment longer. Then he stood.

"You wait right here, I'll be back," he announced.

The young princess grumbled wordlessly as he left the small home. It took him a few minutes, but he was able to buy what he was looking for without too much hassle. When he returned to her house, she was still lazing around at her desk.

"Alright, I got you this," he said encouragingly. "Eat up and we'll make our way over to the Pagoda."

Yuffie looked up and he pushed the items towards her. The snack he had chosen to get her consisted of a single banana and a cup of coffee. A thin wisp of smoke still rose from the warm beverage.

"What…" she asked in confusion.

"It'll give you a boost of energy and wake you up," Cloud smiled. "We used to get this all the time in the Shinra military."

The young girl stared at the food and made no motion to take either item. Cloud decided to switch tactics instead.

"You won't eat it then?" He asked, disappointment creeping into his voice.

She glanced up at his pouting face and her face reddened.

"Don't do that!" She snapped and grabbed the food. "I'm eating it, dammit!"

Cloud smiled brightly at this.

"Good. You don't want hunger being an issue during these trials."

She glared at him as she bit into the banana.

"You're enjoying this way too much," she grumbled. "Come on, let's get this over with."

She sipped on her coffee as she stood and immediately made a face.

"Ugh. It's black?"

"Cream will just make you drowsy," came the immediate response.

Yuffie glared at the blond as she packed a few useful items in a small bag, picked up her weapon, and checked over the equipped Materia. Then she shouldered it and left the house, still slowly sipping her black coffee with an annoyed look on her face. Cloud followed as he once again took in the sights of the city. The last time they were here he did not get much of a chance to look around. Now that he was not chasing after Yuffie for his Materia, he realized how different Wutai was from Midgar or even Nibelheim.

The buildings had sloping roofs with curved decorations at the corners. Windows were typically covered in a semi-translucent film made from some kind of thin-looking material. There was a noticeable absence of glass except for a few stores that had been partially modernized. It was at one of these more modern stores that he had managed to find black coffee for Yuffie – everywhere else he looked served green tea. Very few of the buildings they passed were more than one story tall, making the approaching Pagoda stand out all the more. The culture seemed to be quite antiquated by Midgar's standard, but there was something comforting about seeing farmers and small merchants gathered in the main market area. It reminded him of home. He was so distracted by the daily life of the people in Wutai that he nearly ran into Yuffie who had stopped and was staring at a large manor near the Pagoda.

"We should go see my father first, I suppose…" Yuffie said reluctantly.

"Will there be a problem?" Cloud asked as he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Yuffie shook her head.

"Not like our relationship has changed much in recent years," she admitted guiltily.

Seeing her nerves creeping back in, Cloud placed a hand on the small of her back.

"Chin up, let's go."

With a nod, she marched up to the house. A few guards standing around the entrance made to stop them before recognizing Yuffie.

"Princess! We were informed of your arrival. Will you be seeking an audience with Lord Godo?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied nervously. "Is he around?"

The nameless guard nodded.

"He should be in his morning meditation right now," he informed her.

Yuffie sighed.

"Here we go," she muttered to herself as she stepped into the manor.

When Cloud tried to follow her, the guard she was speaking to made to stop him. The girl noticed this and waved him off.

"Don't worry, he's with me," she dismissed.

Still looking a bit skeptical at the swordsman with the massive weapon, the guard stepped aside and let him in as well. They walked through a well lit entryway, which led into an open walkway that connected individual rooms of the manor. Cloud looked around as they made their way past a lone room and a small pond.

"Is this part of the royal palace…?" He asked uncertainly. "I don't recall seeing this from your memories during my time with Leviathan…"

Yuffie shook her head at this.

"There used to be a royal palace, but large portions of it were destroyed during the war," she explained. "Dad decided it was more worth using its remains to rebuild the city rather than wasting precious supplies rebuilding the palace."

"I see…" Cloud said feeling a bit awkward at having asked that question.

While he had not directly participated in the Wutai war, Zack had told him many stories of assaults on the city and skirmishes throughout the surrounding forests. While Godo's actions after the war were indicative of a good leader, Cloud wondered what had been lost when that palace had been taken apart to use in restoration efforts. They reached the end of a long walkway and Yuffie stopped.

"Our personal temple is just inside," she said quietly. "I… I stopped visiting a long time ago. I think I'm going to buy myself a statue of Leviathan to put in my room on the Highwind when we're done."

"That sounds like a good idea," Cloud replied. "I'm sure Leviathan would be happy to see you praying to him again, especially after everything you've gone through."

The girl nodded and strode forward. She swallowed hard before knocking on the doors to the temple twice. There was a pause. Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud could see a slight tremble in Yuffie's hand. He walked up beside her and placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. She gave him a quick smile before turning her eyes back to the door. A few moments later, a gruff voice boomed out.

"Come in."

Face set, Yuffie pushed open the doors and stepped inside. Cloud recognized this room as the one connected to the nearby shrine. While he had not taken in much at the time due to Don Corneo captureing both Elena and Yuffie, he now realized he had actually been in this house before. Seated in front of a familiar statue of Da Chao – another one of Wutai's deities – was a man Cloud had only seen before in Yuffie's memories.

"Father." Yuffie said stiffly.

Though it was slight, Godo Kisaragi twitched slightly as if he had not expected her voice. After a moment, he stood slowly and turned.

"I see you have returned," he said calmly. "I was wondering who the guards had let interrupt my meditation. What do you need?"

Cloud winced internally as he noticed there was very clearly no love lost between the two. He prayed Yuffie would keep her cool and not get riled up by the imposing man's brusque demeanor. To his surprise, the girl bent at the waist and bowed to her father.

"I came to apologize," she said in a strangely formal tone. "Recent events have caused me to realize the immaturity of my actions. I am sorry for my behavior since mother died."

The blond raised an eyebrow. Whatever he had been expecting of their confrontation it was not this, especially given Yuffie's particular hatred of her perceived immaturity. Godo's face was impassive.

"I see," was all he said. "Is that all?"

Yuffie now turned her eyes to stare directly at her father.

"No," she replied. "I intend to challenge the Pagoda and prove my worth as a warrior."

"I see."

She straightened.

"You are free to watch, should you choose. Either way, you will be needed once I reach the top," she said firmly.

The older man gave her a condescending smirk.

"And you expect you'll get that far do you?" He sneered.

Yuffie barely faltered as she replied.

"Yes."

Godo blinked, showing a hint of surprise at her response. Without waiting for further conversation, Yuffie turned and walked out of the room, leaving Cloud watching her departure with an odd look on his face. He jumped slightly when Godo cleared his throat.

"E-Excuse me," he said giving the Emperor a nervous grin.

He quickly chased after the girl. Yuffie's pace was measured but brisk. They pair were outside soon enough. He caught up to her just as she stopped.

"You alright?" He asked as he approached.

She turned and grabbed him into a tight hug. After a moment of hesitation, he returned the hug. He could feel a slight tremble in her frame.

"You did well," he said softly, ignoring the nearby guards who were now staring at them.

Yuffie suddenly pushed away. Her eyes were determined once again and any trace of nervousness was gone.

"I'm gonna win," she declared.

She then turned and marched off towards the Pagoda. Chuckling slightly to himself, Cloud followed her in.

…

Three figures crouched on the roof of a tall building in Sector 3. The sun was beginning to set and light was fading fast. Even so, the three infiltrators from AVALANCHE were able to make their way into the largely abandoned industrial sector. While many of the buildings within Sector 3 of Upper Midgar lay dormant, several large warehouses similar to the one they were watching were dimly lit and buzzing with activity. It was within this district that Cait Sith had found many major assembly lines set up to produce war machines for Shinra. Their target was a large warehouse near the middle of the area, one that was responsible for the reactor core that powered the Proud Clod war suits.

"I don't think we can take on a building full of people on our own," Tifa muttered as her eyes followed yet another pair of guards wandering the perimeter of the building.

"Maybe a diversion again?" Vincent suggested offhandedly as he peered through some binoculars at the tinted windows of the warehouse.

On a distant balcony, one of the workers stopped outside and began smoking a cigarette.

"They seem to have a lot of confidence in their patrols," the fighter shrugged at Vincent's suggestion. "I'm not sure a diversion would work in our favor. We'd have the entire block on our backs in no time."

Vincent watched the guards through his binoculars for a few more minutes before turning to consult a large map Cait Sith had lain out of the buildings in the surrounding area. Finally, he sat back in his chair and let out a sigh.

"I think we can get through without needing a diversion," he announced.

"No way! Have you seen them? They've blanketed this entire area!" Cait Sith protested.

The gunslinger shook his head pointing towards one side of the building in the distance.

"See that side door? Their patrols all pass the vicinity, but none of them seem to ever intersect. The same guard keeps coming outside to look around, but that's about it. The layout of the area is too cluttered for guards to properly respond to an attack, and depending on our luck, they might not even notice something was wrong until we were gone."

Tifa peered at the corresponding location on the map. Indeed, the alleyways twisted in such a way that the patrol routes were forced to go through several restrictive sections. If a call for aid went out, there should be quite a bit of time before even the standard patrol arrived to help.

"That's a better plan than a diversion, I'll give you that. But how will we get there?" She asked.

Vincent tapped a small circle on the map before pulling another sheet of paper from beneath the stack.

"I spent most of the day trying to find a way to get in underground. While there aren't any routes that lead directly into the buildings, that alleyway has a manhole we could use to bypass the rest of the patrols around this area. Looking at it, there seems to also be a storm drain nearby so we can watch for those periodic patrols and use the manhole when the various patrols are gone. It should give us a five minute window to knock out the guard coming outside of the building and sneak in."

Cait Sith was now looking over the sheets that Vincent had referenced.

"There's a chance that the inner guard has a partner or someone to report to," he muttered thoughtfully. "We'll need to move quickly even if the outer guards are unlikely to come for us."

"Of course," Vincent agreed. "So long as you have the explosives ready, we can head for the sewers."

The robot nodded as he handed out two of the three large satchels he had brought along with him. Vincent thought it wise not to question where the toy had procured such a large amount of explosives in such a short amount of time. Each person shouldered a pack and quietly made their way down from their vantage point. Glancing around to make sure no one was approaching, Vincent dashed over to a manhole in the middle of the street. Hooking two fingers of his new prosthetic through one of the holes in the manhole cover he pulled and was able to lift the heavy metal up a few inches. At his side, Tifa quickly grabbed the cover and set it aside gently as to not draw any attention. Cait Sith descended first and Tifa followed after him. Vincent waited until they had gone down a good distance before lifting the metal cover with one hand as he climbed down the ladder with his other hand. As his head passed the surface of the street, he carefully replaced the manhole cover taking care not to make any noise. In the darkness, Cait Sith's mog's eyes lit up automatically, providing the group with a faint light source. They soon reached the bottom and looked around.

"According to the maps, we should be here," Cait Sith announced as he pointed to an old map of the underground passages of Sector 3.

"We'll follow you then," Tifa said as the toy put away the maps.

The trio began to traverse the darkened tunnels of the Sector 3 sewers. Fortunately, this block of the Sector had been inactive for quite some time and the underground air was musty but tolerable. The tunnels were quiet, only the occasional drops of condensation making any noise. They were forced to move slower than was ideal due to the echoes that each misplaced footstep made. Occasionally, Cait Sith would pause at a junction and consult his map again before moving forward. Tifa followed behind him, eyes straining to pierce the darkness of the sewers. There were storm drains every so often which allowed a bit of the fading sunlight to leak into the darkness, but otherwise they were relying on Cait Sith's mog. Taking up the rear, Vincent kept his senses open. Due to his demonic forms, he was able to see a small distance into the gloom and could hear better than Tifa could.

"We should be almost there," the cat whispered as he stopped once again. "The tunnel on the right should get us near the building."

Tifa was about to reply when she heard the sound of something scrabbling towards them. While the fighter was unable to see it properly, her trained eyes caught movement through the gloom and she instinctually reached forward and dragged the cat back. In that split second, filthy yellow claws lashed out and raked across the mog's large stomach.

"Hey!" The cat cried out instinctively.

Tifa clasped her hand around the robot's mouth as he did, muffling any further noise.

"Shh!" She hissed before dropping him on his mog and dancing around it.

The fighter lashed out with a foot at the shadowy figure. While she could not see it clearly, its movement was all she needed to focus on. Her foot connected with something soft and it let out a muted snarl as it recoiled from the impact. Seeing the young woman move, Vincent stepped forward as well to assist. However, due to Tifa's strike, the creature was now more prepared for retaliations and ducked under his strike. Admittedly, his punch was a bit on the slow side because he was still not entirely proficient with his new prosthetic.

"Take this!" Cait Sith hissed as he turned the low beams from his mog's eyes onto the creature.

What was revealed was truly a monstrosity one could only find in Midgar. A rat about the size of a dog crouched before them, its filth encrusted fur seemed to almost be dripping a thick sludge in some places. The place where Tifa struck it had a visible imprint from her boot, but more of that ooze was already covering the wound. There was a twisted screech and they could make out another creature just past the robot's light. Seeing the incoming creature, Cait Sith conjured up a ball of fire and launched it at the beast. The flames seemed to ignite the sludge dripping from the rat's body and the creature was suddenly engulfed in flames. It shrieked and thrashed wildly as its friend stopped its approach and watched warily. It attempted to roll out the flames, but something about its own viscous secretions kept the magical flames burning bright. The beast shrieked and writhed, unable to attack as it was stunned for the time being.

"I'll get the other one," Tifa whispered as she darted out towards the second beast.

Keeping her eyes open, she did not see any other signs of life, so she moved in to attack. Once again, her reinforced boots lashed out, striking the second rat with a dull thud. It too screeched out in pain and lashed out at Tifa. She quickly danced backwards, avoiding the filthy claws, but winced as teeth found purchase in her arm. For a moment, she felt some kind of burning sensation begin to form in the arm that was still being held by the beast. Automatically, she jerked her arm hard, ripping it out of the creature's mouth. The fighter winced as the teeth scraped further against her arm, but the burning sensation seemed to stop.

In that moment, Vincent surged forward again, his eyes focused on his attack. This time, his prosthetic found purchase. The sleek alloy pierced the creature's throat before it was swiftly retracted. He swiftly swatted his arm, flinging off flecks of filth and gore. The beast staggered drunkenly as a thick black sludge gushed forward from its wound. It let out a frothy gurgle before collapsing to the ground and moved no further. Behind them, the other rat continued to writhe before Cait Sith launched another spell. This time, ice encrusted the body, rapidly dousing the flames and freezing the creature solid. He then hopped up to it and gave it a solid punch with his mog. The creature shattered into thick, semi-frozen chunks.

"You hear that?"

Vincent immediately turned and dragged Tifa and Cait Sith deeper into the shadows. Through the nearby grate, they could hear some gruff voices and heavy footsteps now that their brief scuffle was over.

"Yeah, I think it's those damn rats again," another voice answered.

"You're messing with me right? That didn't sound like a rat," the first person said accusingly.

Slowly, Vincent began to move along the path they had been travelling.

"Nah, I've seen one of those freaky things. They must've gotten into chemical runoff from these old plants. If you see one, make sure you shoot it before it gets to you, otherwise you'll be done," the second voice said grimly.

"O-Oh…"

There was a fading patter of footsteps as the first man quickened his pace and the pair of soldiers moved away. Vincent let out a sigh.

"Let's keep going," he said to Cait Sith. "Hopefully we won't meet any more of those things."

The cat nodded and they moved on. Luckily, while they heard occasional creatures running around in the darkness of the sewers, they all seemed to give the trio a wide berth. With that, they soon arrived at their destination. Vincent moved towards a storm drain set in the top of the sewers and gestured to Cait Sith.

"I'll hold you up, you watch for the guards. You should see one guard walk through to the right and the other to the left. Let us know once the second guard leaves to the left, that's when we'll head up," he said before gesturing at a ladder in the middle of the tunnel.

"Roger!" The robot replied as he mimicked a salute.

Vincent hoisted the cat up to the grate of the storm drain and began to wait. As they stood there, there came the sound of more scampering coming from deeper in the sewers. Tifa let out a small growl of annoyance and directed the mog's light towards the sound. As another mutant rat approached she crouched down and tensed her muscles. As the creature leapt forward to attack, she caught it in midair with a flying kick, sending it into the opposite wall with a dull thud. It scrabbled to its feet and snarled, rushing in for another bite. However, Tifa's attack seemed to have disoriented it, because it immediately tripped over its own feet and fell to the filthy floor again. Taking this opportunity, the fighter rushed up and stomped hard on the creature. In its writhing, the beast managed to wiggle out of the way and get to its feet again. It lashed out once more, but this time the mog intercepted, blocking the scratches and bites with its reinforced body.

"Thanks!" Tifa sighed as she redoubled her efforts.

After a glancing blow from the mog and another kick from Tifa, the rat was knocked down again. This time it lay still, a rattling breath escaping its broken jaw. The fighter let out a huff.

"Any sign of them?" She called out as loudly as she dared.

"I hear something!" Cait Sith whispered back.

Tifa and the mog rushed over to the two and remained quiet, hoping no other creatures would come their way. Gradually, the sound of footsteps grew louder. This set appeared to be coming from the right of where the storm drain was located. From Cait Sith's point of view, he watched as a bored-looking man in padded armor strolled down the street, casually looking from side to side. The man let out a loud yawn as he paused in front of the building they were heading towards. He brought up a small radio attached to his belt.

"424 checking in, all clear," he said before returning the radio and beginning to walk again.

"Lucky!" The cat cheered quietly as the soldier passed. "We're just in time! Let's go!"

Vincent nodded and returned the cat to the mog. He then climbed up the rusty ladder and placed his prosthetic against the manhole cover. Carefully, he lifted it a few inches and slid it aside before poking his head out. He glanced around quickly before motioning to the others to follow. With some difficulty, the mog ascended the ladder, helped along by Tifa who exited last. They quietly replaced the cover.

"This way, Vincent gestured towards the building nearby.

They quickly made their way into the shadows of the building, the mog making a bit more noise as it was not exactly built for stealth. But fortunately, the alleyway behind the building was completely empty. The trio crouched in the shadows near the entrance and waited. As Vincent had expected, the door opened after a few minutes and a head poked out and gave the street a cursory glance.

"137 checking in, all clear," he drawled lazily and began to turn.

The former Turk chose that moment to strike. He leapt up out of cover and looped his prosthetic across the man's throat, his right arm coming up and tightening the hold. As he did, Tifa rushed over and caught the door just before it could close, giving the inside a quick glance to ensure they weren't spotted. The man let out a small gurgle but the lack of air and blood flow soon caused him to slump in Vincent's arms. The gunslinger held the man for a bit longer to ensure the soldier would not be waking for a long time, if ever. Then, with the help of Cait Sith, they stuffed the man behind some stray boxes nearby, hiding the body from sight should an unexpected patrol wander through.

"Alright, keep quiet and follow me," Cait Sith instructed as they finally entered the factory and closed the door behind them.

The backdoor they had entered through was located in a corner of the warehouse and was, to their good fortune, obscured by several large pieces of machinery. Scouting the area, they saw a few guards wandering around, but for the most part the equipment was automated. One such machine nearby seemed to be carving out pieces of another Proud Clod from a thick sheet of steel. The noise generated was enough to obscure their entry and keep them hidden. The cat led them around the outer wall of the chamber they were in and into a hallway leading to the deeper parts of the building. They went down a flight of stairs reached the basement, where large generators were humming away.

"Place these around the main generators, those two big ones," the robot pointed out while holding out his bag of explosives. "I'll try to plant a virus in their manufacturing database while we're here."

Scattering the bundles of explosives was a simple enough task. Cait Sith had provided them with around twelve good-sized blocks per bag. Between Vincent and Tifa, they made quick work scattering the gray blocks at regular intervals around the generators. Vincent estimated that based on their current location, an explosion would likely cripple some of the machinery upstairs as well. As they finished up, they saw Cait Sith hopping back over.

"Is everything set up?" He asked.

Tifa nodded.

"Good!"

The robot made his way over to the closest brick of explosives and placed a small device on top.

"Five minutes should do…" he muttered to himself.

"Will that be enough time?" Tifa asked worriedly.

"Well…" the cat drawled. "I don't think we can afford to give it more time…"

Vincent's eyes narrowed.

"What did you do?" He growled.

The mog fidgeted as Cait Sith looked a bit sheepish.

"I tried to send the nearby soldiers to a nearby place to give us some more room for movement. I managed to get the humans to the far side of the sector, but the facility's mechanical security has been deployed because of it."

Tifa let out an exasperated sigh.

"And what does this mean for us?" She asked. "More or less enemies?"

The cat waved his hands frantically.

"Oh, definitely way less," he quickly replied. "But because this is an important facility, there might be a stronger guard here than in other places…"

The fighter seemed a bit comforted by this response.

"We can handle a strong enemy, being overwhelmed is way more dangerous," she said. "Set that timer and let's head out."

Still attempting to remain stealthy, they began to sneak back out towards the entrance they had originally used. However, as they emerged back into the main manufacturing floor, they were greeted by a sudden sweep of light.

[ID NOT FOUND, ANOMALY DETECTED.]

Looking up, they found a large, four-legged machine attached to the wall above them. A several robotic eyes glared down at them as two heavily armored claws opened and closed menacingly.

"Get ready," Vincent warned.

Still attached to the wall, it lunged downwards at them, forcing the trio to scatter. With the timer on the explosives now running, they only had a limited time to defeat the sentry and get back to the safety of the underground.

…

Thousands of miles away, Cloud shuddered. He blinked and looked around wondering what had given him such a strange feeling of déjà vu. Shaking his head, he turned back towards the large sparring mat that spanned the length of the first floor. Yuffie stood there before an elderly-looking man. The old man yawned briefly but otherwise looked happy to see the girl.

"It's good to have you back, Princess," he greeted. "Though I wish you would've waited until a bit later in the day to do this. My old bones aren't quite what they used to be."

Yuffie cracked her first small smile of the day.

"It's good to see you again, Gorky," she greeted in return. "But I'm here on business today."

The old man laughed.

"Indeed you are!" He chortled. "When was the last time we did this?"

"I think I was twelve or so," the girl shook her head. "That was four years ago now…"

She trailed off, lost in the memories of a different time. The old man stopped smiling, a solemn expression overtaking his face.

"Indeed… Four years since you left Wutai in quite the fury if I recall," Gorky said quietly. "Four years since you started that crusade to bring Wutai back into the spotlight."

He stared at her now, eyes hardened.

"So what makes this time any different from the last?"

Yuffie steeled herself and stepped forward.

"I acknowledged my immaturity," she answered. "And now I'm here to prove I have what it takes to pull my own weight in the fight for the world."

Gorky let out a small humph, seeming somewhat unconvinced. The old man then stepped forward into the sparring area.

"Then prove yourself!" He shouted.

His form began to shift as wings sprouted from his back and purple skin overtook his clothes. His head elongated and blazing red pupils bled over his normally dull gray ones as sharpened teeth pushed their way out of his gums. The newly formed monster let out a bellow as he stretched his wings. But even as his transformation finished, Yuffie was already rushing forward. With a shout, she plunged the point of her shuriken into the man's bestial form before using him to springboard away from him while pulling the weapon out at the same time. She landed a few feet away with her weapon before her at the ready. Gorky let out another fearsome bellow and took to the air, diving forward at the girl. Yuffie tried to dodge, but the demon's longer limbs caught her shoulder and she winced as she was knocked back even further. She caught herself as one of the green orbs attached to her weapon began to glow.

"Thundaga!"

The girl was clearly not holding back from the get go. The Materia in her weapon glowed a brilliant white before a blast of pure electricity arced forward, catching the creature in mid air. He roared out in pain as the high level spell caused him to lose a bit of height. From his position, he snarled and retaliated with a spell of his own. It hit Yuffie, causing her to grimace in pain, but whatever the effect was, she shook it off quickly and dashed forward. Gorky was closer to the ground now and she was able to leap up and aim a slash towards his wings. The demon swerved as he saw was she was trying to do and lashed out in retaliation. Again, Yuffie was knocked back. She growled in annoyance as she touched a yellow Materia this time.

"Big Guard!"

A magical barrier sprung up around her as she readied herself for another attack. The demon swooped again. This time, his claws scratched uselessly against the magical shield. Yuffie took that opportunity to lash out again, managing to clip one of his wings. Gorky flapped awkwardly before losing more height in his hovering form. He lunged forward in anger, his claws pushing through the barrier by sheer force and raking a long cut along the length of Yuffie's arm. She cried out in pain as she swung her own weapon in retaliation. Aiming for the other wing, she managed to tear a sizeable hole in the leathery appendage and Gorky fell to the ground with another snarl. He sprang forward, his wings trailing behind him like a dark cape. They traded blows for a few tense seconds, both getting in decent hits but neither backing down. Several seconds later, the demon quickly retreated when it became apparent that Yuffie would win a clash in close quarters. He raised one clawed hand and a green light began to flow over himself. From the side, Cloud could see the cuts on the demon's body slowly closing.

"Oh no you don't!" Yuffie shouted as she rushed forward again.

She flung her shuriken forward and flew in a deadly arc, cutting deeply into Gorky's side and remaining stuck in his leathery hide. Simultaneously, she closed the distance and attacked with a flurry of kicks and punches. Despite the demon's best efforts, the girl got in two more solid hits, causing the demon to grunt in pain. By this time, Yuffie was panting lightly as she yanked her weapon out again and leapt back. Gorky tried a spell again, but it seemed less effective against the young girl as she retaliated in kind. Another blast of lightning slammed into the demon's chest and this time he was knocked onto his back. He struggled to his feet, looking shaky from the second high level thunder spell.

Weakly, he raised a hand a cast a green shimmering shield. Recognizing it as a reflect spell, Yuffie dashed forward again and gave the demon two more slashes across the chest. The demon stumbled backwards, just barely managing to avoid the attacks. A clawed hand lashed out in desperation, catching the girl across the cheek. Yuffie winced, but she could sense that Gorky was faltering now. She pressed in once more and went into a series of swipes, kicks and jabs. Overwhelmed by the attacks the demon moaned in pain as he fell to his knees. The purple visage of the transformed Gorky slowly faded, leaving an exhausted and bloodied old man in his place. Yuffie caught her breath as she watched him warily. Eventually, Gorky stood.

"You've gotten stronger on your own," he observed with a grimace. "Your stance has gotten better. And here I thought you never paid attention in my classes."

He looked at her with a warm smile on his wrinkled face.

"Good job, Yuffie. I admit my defeat."

With that, the girl slumped in relief. She turned and made her way over to Cloud, who handed her a bottle of water.

"Good work out there," he said as she drank her fill.

"It's only the first one," she dismissed.

Cloud shrugged.

"Still, going toe to toe against a flying enemy is never easy. Hitting the wings was a smart idea."

He fished around in Yuffie's battle pack for a moment before bringing out a potion.

"Heal up and catch your breath," he urged.

The girl nodded and did as she was told. As this was happening, Gorky passed them on his way up to the next floor.

"Remember, you'll need to come up within ten minutes or your trial is forfeit," he reminded her.

Yuffie nodded and passed the half-empty bottle of water back to Cloud.

"Good to go?" He asked.

"Yes."

Stretching slightly, Yuffie hoisted her weapon and ascended the stairs with Cloud following close behind. They emerged onto a floor much like the first one. The sparring area set up on this floor had a different character printed on it, but otherwise the room had similar decorations hanging on the walls. As they stepped onto the floor, a younger voice called out.

"No way! I thought Gorky was joking!"

By one side of the sparring area, a short boy stood. He appeared to be a year or two younger than Yuffie, but his stance and equipment indicated that he was her next challenge. Cloud was a bit surprised to find someone even younger than Yuffie as one of the Mighty Gods that she was supposed to fight. The boy came off as more of a brat than Yuffie had ever been since they met her. There was a haughty look on his face and as he called out to Yuffie. A brief look of distaste flashed across the girl's face before she bowed slightly.

"Shake," Yuffie greeted in a neutral tone. "It's been a while."

"A while my ass!" The boy shouted, earning him a look from Gorky who stood nearby. "Hasn't been long enough, in my opinion. Come back to get beaten again?"

Yuffie ignored his taunts and positioned herself across from the boy. Nearby, Gorky shook his head in disapproval, but the boy did not seem to notice. Seeing the girl in a battle stance, Shake let out an annoyed sigh.

"Such a pain," he complained. "But if you're really that eager to lose…"

He stepped forward, magic surging around his body.

"Then bring it on, Princess!"

Like with Gorky, his form shifted. His body grew wider as slick feathers began coating his skin. A red plume blossomed from his forehead as his eyes became an icy blue. Once the transformation was completed, a large bird stood before Yuffie, the character for anger emblazoned across his torso. He let out a shriek and charged forward. The girl's eyes widened. She had not quite expected the bird's speed. His feathery crown collided with her stomach, forcing the wind out of her stomach. She tumbled backwards with a cry, scrambling to her feet through instincts alone. In retaliation she threw her weapon forward, the razor sharp points cutting a thin line across the bird's wing, but it did not appear to slow the creature down whatsoever. He immediately charged again but this time Yuffie was ready for the attack. As he neared, she caught her shuriken and lashed out while dodging to the side. Again the weapon drew a bit of blood but this only seemed to enrage him further.

"Quit running!" She growled in frustration. "Slow!"

The bird let out a squawk as a grayish energy settled around his body. Shake tried to escape it, but the magic had already taken hold. The bird charged again, but this time his movements were sluggish and Yuffie avoided it easily. Now that it was in range, she let loose with a flurry of attacks. Several slashes and kicks went through before Shake was able to withdraw. He shrieked in anger and charged once more. This time, Yuffie attempted to take him head on, holding up her weapon as a makeshift shield. She did not notice the bird glowing slightly until it was too late. Shake collided with her weapon, sending up a light dust. A bit of it wafted over towards Cloud as he instinctually covered his nose. However, he caught a whiff of the scent and realized what it was.

"Yuffie! Get out of there!" He shouted.

But the girl was not listening anymore. Yuffie's eyes clouded over in bloodlust as she let out a roar of anger. Recklessly, she ran forward and began swiping at the nimble form of Shake. While some strikes landed glancing blows a majority of the hits missed, allowing Shake to easily counterattack. Blood began to leak out of the corners of her mouth as the close-quarters brawl continued. After a few more hits, Shake leapt forward with a massive double kick, sending Yuffie tumbling backwards. Still in a rage, she thrashed as she tried to get to her feet.

"Snap out of it, Yuffie!" Cloud called out from the sidelines.

The girl snarled again as she shook her head in anger. But as she took a step forward, one hand came up to grasp her head. Her eyes squeezed shut as her growls lessened. Sensing that Yuffie was coming back to her senses, Shake ran forward again. As he neared, he reared his head back before lunging forward, his pointed beak intent on skewering Yuffie. A dull clang rang out as she raised her weapon just in time to deflect what would have been a grievous injury.

"That's it, you annoying kid," the girl growled.

In a flash, she rushed forward. Seeing her approach, Shake dodged to the side, but Yuffie quickly corrected her course. As the bird dodged backwards, Yuffie leapt into the air, landing behind Shake as he landed his own jump. Using that moment of disorientation, she rushed past, leaving a deep cut in the bird's back. Before he could respond, Yuffie turned and used the momentum of her movement to whirl and lash out again. Shake attempted to knock her away, but Yuffie's attacks only became faster and more precise. She rolled to the left and cut again before going into another overhead attack. Shake was getting increasingly disoriented as the girl sprang up from her position, scoring another hit across his body. From the sidelines, it almost appeared that the girl was blurring out of focus as she continued her flurry of blows. Cloud realized it was a move he had seen her perform in the past.

Bloodfest.

It seemed like a hint of her rage from the powder Shake had used was still active as Yuffie's attacks seemed to hit harder than normal. Before Shake knew it, the girl was before her once again and on her way up. Her final blow was a fearsome uppercut that left a deep laceration through his torso and up towards his neck. Had he not been in a magically enhanced transformation, that move might have caused him to bleed out right then and there. As it was, the bird was blown backwards, blood scattering across the sparring mat. Shake tried feebly to get to his feet, but went limp as his transformation dissipated. Yuffie was breathing hard now as the adrenaline from her attack wore off.

"I do believe that's a win," Gorky said when it was apparent Shake was unconscious.

"What… what was that he used on me," Yuffie asked, coughing slightly.

The old man shook his head in annoyance.

"Some compound he's been playing around with. It makes people enraged for a short amount of time," Gorky sighed. "I've been telling him to focus on his training, but he still dabbles in making things like that."

Cloud handed Yuffie her water and reached down to his own Materia. He cast a strong Cure spell before casting an Esuna just to rid her of any lasting effects from the powder.

"We've encountered something similar in the wild before. Near Cosmo Canyon if I recall," he said as he put her supplies away.

Yuffie sighed in exasperation.

"Whatever. So long as the effects are gone," she said as she wiped away some blood leftover on her face.

Gorky gestured to the unconscious form of Shake.

"I'll look after him, you go on ahead," he instructed. "Good luck, Princess. From what I've seen, you've definitely become stronger. I just hope it's enough to see you to the end."

With a nod, Yuffie continued up the stairs. On the next floor stood a young man dressed a red and white battle uniform. Cloud recalled Yuffie had mentioned not being as familiar with the third and fourth combatants of the pagoda. Apparently, these two individuals spent their time teaching older students and training other soldiers respectively. The man standing before her had brownish hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He looked a bit wiry but his eyes and stance reflected a well-trained individual. He looked at Yuffie with a hint of surprise.

"So, Princess, you've made it this far," he stated. "That is… quite interesting."

Yuffie bowed respectfully.

"You're Chekhov right?" She asked. "You give lectures to scholars and students."

The man nodded.

"Indeed," he said in a calm tone. "It has been some time since I've been required to fulfill my duties as a guardian of this pagoda. I do hope you'll put up a good fight."

The young girl took a breath to steady herself before lowering her body into a more aggressive stance.

"Why don't you find out?" She baited.

Unruffled, the man simply nodded again before stepping forward onto the sparring mat.

"Let us begin, then."

Immediately, he shifted. His transformation seemed somehow quicker and more fluid than the other two. Instead of a beast form gradually overtaking parts of his body, he practically flowed into his transformation. Before Yuffie now stood a lithe, plant-like creature with two sets of arms and multiple eyes. His arms waved back and forth for a moment, watching the girl as she gauged the situation. When Chekhov did not react, she attempted an attack by throwing her shuriken forward. As she suspected, her opponent merely swayed out of the way, causing the weapon to arc out and return to her hand. The moment Yuffie reached out to retrieve her weapon, Chekhov struck. His lithe form slithered forward and his whip-like arms struck her multiple times across the arms and chest. She grunted in pain and leapt back a few paces.

"Fira!"

A swirl of flames burst forward from her hands, encircling Chekhov. His plant form shrieked and shied away from the heat, but strangely seemed to avoid most of the damage. The cause became apparent as globules of energy began to form in each of the plant creature's hands. Yuffie's eyes widened fractionally before similar orbs of fire shot forward towards her. She let out a yelp and scrambled to dodge the projectiles, managing to avoid the first one. But the moment she did, the other three homed in on her and knocked her back in a burst of heat.

"Fire huh?" She muttered. "Let's try this! Blizzara!"

This time a flurry of ice blasted forward, but again, Chekhov seemed to shrug it off. The creature surged forward again to attack, a similarly cold magic coating its arms as it lashed forward. Yuffie nimbly dodged out of the way and used that opportunity to land a heavy blow across the creature's body. When her attack seemed to have an effect, she redoubled her attacks, striking out with two slashes and a kick. The bladed attacks landed, but Chekhov seemed to regain himself enough to avoid the final attack. As Yuffie rushed in again to continue pressing, his eyes began to glow eerily. From the sidelines, Cloud watched as Yuffie seemed to lock up momentarily. Then, the girl let out a fierce shout as she shook off the effects and resumed her charge. Chekhov seemed surprised by this sudden turn of events and took two more hits before he was able to counterattack. His hands reached out, but this time, pointed fingers pierced the skin of her arms as Chekhov latched onto her. There was a brief glow as some of the cuts Yuffie had inflicted closed up.

"Dammit! Get off!" Yuffie grunted in exertion as she stabbed down with her shuriken.

She managed to get in one solid stab before Chekhov disengaged, slithering back again and watching her actions. The girl growled in annoyance, seeing that her opponent was clearly more comfortable with reacting to her moves and waiting for her to tire herself out. She concentrated again as a familiar yellow Materia began to glow.

"Dodge this," she growled.

A burst of magically created missiles jettisoned forward from her position. Simultaneously, she threw her shuriken again. Chekhov let out a screech of panic as he tried to avoid the incoming attack, but was immediately struck by the faster weapon. In that crucial moment the creature faltered, allowing the dozen or so missiles to hit. A massive explosion of magic rocked the room and when the smoke cleared, a shaky-looking creature stood before her. Chekhov suddenly let out a louder shriek as he charged forward. Yuffie attempted to counterattack, but it seemed like something had changed in her opponent. The plant creature took her attack as he latched onto her once more. Again, it began to absorb Yuffie's blood in order to heal himself. However, this time when the girl tried to shake him off, he let off a burst of electrical energy. Yuffie screamed in pain as she was left helpless in the creature's hold. Chekhov got off one more burst of electricity before he noticed her Materia glowing again. He quickly withdrew as an ethereal breeze surged around the girl.

"White Wind…" she panted before glaring at the creature.

Chekhov screeched and charged like before, but this time Yuffie sidestepped and brought her shuriken heavily down onto the frail body. Another burst of grayish energy and Chekhov slowed considerably, allowing Yuffie to predict his dodges. He attempted to blast her with magic again but thanks to the spell she was able to easily move out of the way. She went into another series of strikes, her weapon and limbs flowing like water as she moved. Chekhov cried out in frustration as he feebly attempted to ward off her attacks. He attempted another spell, but this time, there was only a light shimmer of magic before the ability dissipated. Seizing the opportunity, Yuffie rushed forward with a resounding palm strike against the creature's midriff, sending him tumbling backwards onto the mat. A moment later, and the lithe form faded away, leaving behind an injured human.

"Well met, Princess," Chekhov grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. "I must admit, I did not expect you to be able to endure that many magical attacks."

He bowed respectfully.

"I admit my defeat. I'll see you on the next floor."

With that, he left the room and disappeared up the stairs. Cloud stepped forward with Yuffie's water and a towel.

"Good work, Yuffie," he called out.

He frowned when she did not respond. Now that Chekhov was out of the room, Yuffie had placed her hands on her knees and was breathing heavily. Cloud stepped closer and held out her water.

"Are you alright? Do you need a break?" He asked. "You do have ten minutes if I recall."

Yuffie shook her head stubbornly and continued to pant. He could see now that her skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat and her face was somewhat flushed. It seemed that, despite the healing skill she had used, the fights were still having a physical toll on her body. Cloud felt a bit helpless as he watched her try to recover from the back to back fights.

"Maybe you should sit down for a bit," he suggested.

The girl shook her head again before taking the water from him and drinking deeply.

"I can still keep going," she finally said as she straightened. "If I stall for too long, my body will start to cool down. I can't afford that right now."

Cloud frowned but nodded in understanding. Yuffie took a deep breath and force herself upright again. It was clear the back to back fights were getting to her, but there was determination in her eyes and he could not find the heart to go against her wishes. The flight of stairs revealed the layout they were well acquainted with by now. To her left, another man stood, this one wearing a white bandana on his head. He was clad in dark blue robes and his arms were crossed.

"I am Staniv, the fourth guardian of this tower," the man announced. "You have done well getting this far, Princess."

Yuffie shot him a weary grin.

"Thanks," she replied.

"However," he interrupted. "You shall not proceed further."

The girl frowned at this.

"Yeah?" She challenged. "And why's that?"

The man uncrossed his arms and stepped forward onto the mat.

"Because I have yet to see anything that I would deem worthy of defending this Planet from its fate."

With a small growl, Yuffie stepped forward as well, opposite to where Staniv now stood.

"Guess I'll just have to prove you wrong then," she muttered as she readied herself.

The man gave her a curt nod before transforming like the others. His body bulked significantly as thick skin replaced his clothing. His head sunk into his shoulders slightly and also became more armored. Wide-set eyes glared at her through a heavy skull. Yuffie had seen this sort of creature once before while they were exploring the Nibelheim Mountains, but she was nevertheless surprised when a heavy iron ball shot forward. She flung herself to the side, tumbling out of the way as the weapon crashed into the floor, leaving a slight dent in the battle mat. Rolling to her feet, she launched her shuriken forward, the massive bladed projectile flying true and cutting a single red streak across Staniv's gray flesh. However, he did not appear phased as he jerked the chain attached to the iron ball, sending it sideways towards the girl.

"Nice try!" She shouted as she vaulted over the ball and chain.

Staniv's weapon was surprisingly easy to read as fired off a bolt of lightning. The gray-skinned creature groaned in pain before pulling his weapon back and sending it forward again with an even greater force. This time, Yuffie was not as lucky as the heavy metal ball collided into her stomach. She let out a gasp as she was sent tumbling backwards, momentarily stunned. Staniv did not relent as he flicked the chain, causing the ball to return before he threw it again. At the last moment, Yuffie managed to roll out of the way, feeling the metal barely graze her armor as she did. With a pained grunt, she pushed herself back to her feet and ran forward again. Boldly, she got within melee range of Staniv and struck twice with her weapon. The first attack made a shallow cut in his thick hide, but the second strike, aimed at the same spot, appeared to have some effect. The hulking beast growled.

"GROOAH!" Staniv roared out as a pulse of energy emanated from his form.

Yuffie grit her teeth and managed to stave off whatever effect the creature's cry had and countered another series of attacks. This time, she got two good strikes in before Staniv dodged and threw a hard punch at her. Again, he was just too slow to hit the more nimble Yuffie, who ducked beneath his fist and took the opening. She jammed the point of her shuriken into his side, kicking the weapon for a deadlier effect. Staniv roared again in anguish and swiped at her with one meaty hand, catching her just as she was trying to retreat. She tumbled back again and stood with a growl.

"This is going nowhere," she muttered.

Instead of charging in, she watched the creature instead. For all the successful attacks she had made, he appeared barely fazed. His side was definitely bleeding heavily from her latest attack, but Staniv proved to be relentless as he sent another attack towards her. She dashed forward, ducking under the metal projectile while throwing a few smaller daggers at Staniv's face. One clattered uselessly against his skull but the other managed to sink into the creature's eye. Staniv snarled in pain as he pulled out the offending projectile and clutched his bleeding eye. His good eye trained onto Yuffie and he stomped forward.

"Uh oh," she got out before the gray-skinned creature shoulder-checked her.

Once again, Yuffie hit the battle mat hard, bouncing several feet away. But the raging berserker did not relent as he rushed forward again.

"Yuffie! Look out!" Cloud shouted seeing Yuffie was still struggling to get up.

But she was too stunned to move. Staniv crashed into her form, kicking her further away. She let out a strangled cough as a spew of blood escaped her lips. Shakily, she pushed herself to her feet as a familiar swirl of white magic enveloped her body. Wiping her lips, she glared angrily at the creature who was beginning to twirl his metal ball again.

"Fira!"

Fire exploded around Staniv, causing him to bat at the flames. He lost control of his weapon as it flew wide. It hit the mat with a weak thump and rolled slightly before he managed to pull it back. By this time, Yuffie had returned to his side and drove a small dagger into the open wound that she had previously made. This time, she left the simple piece of metal there and cart-wheeled back, throwing her shuriken as she did. Though he was definitely in pain now, Staniv knocked aside her weapon and roared out again. That same pulse of energy billowed forth. This time, Yuffie felt her spirits dampen slightly. A seed of doubt crept into her mind as she watched the seemingly untiring creature readied another attack. Even so, she was still able to dodge the linear projectile Staniv hurled at her. Catching the glint of metal in his side, she remembered what she wanted to do. And even though she was not sure it would work, it was her only option outside of continuing the fruitless melee battle.

"Thundaga!" She shouted.

Energy surged into life from the small Materia affixed to her weapon. It traveled down her fingertips and shot towards Staniv. He braced himself, but the electricity homed in on both the metal in his hands and the small dagger in his side. A thunderous boom filled the enclosed space and for a moment, Cloud and Yuffie closed their eyes in reflex. As the light faded, Yuffie peered at her opponent through spotted vision. She felt her heart stop when she saw Staniv still standing. She took a step back as uncertainty continued to fill her heart. As she did, Staniv took a step forward before collapsing to his knees. Like ashes, his creature form flaked off of his body, revealing an extremely weary man covered in sweat and blood.

"I…" he gasped for breath. "I yield…"

Yuffie barely relaxed her stance, that unnatural feeling still coursing through her body. Instead, she watched as Staniv stood slowly and drank a potion. He stretched with a groan before facing the girl.

"Well done, Princess," he said respectfully. "While I am surprised, there is no doubt in my mind now that you have the tenacity to see your task through."

He glanced up at the ceiling of the room for a moment before nodding.

"You have one fight remaining," he announced. "I wish you the best of luck. Do not forget that you have ten minutes before your match is forfeit."

With that, he walked up the stairs. The moment he left, Yuffie fell to her knees. As the adrenaline from the fight was starting to wear off, she could feel her limbs begin to shake with exertion. That tiny voice in her head telling her to give up seemed louder than ever. For a moment, she considered simply leaving the tower and never returning to Wutai. But even as this thought occurred, the faces of her teammates flashed through her mind and she shook her head. Stubbornly, she tried to stand only for her hand to slip on the mat. As she fell sideways, a pair of familiar arms caught her.

"Whoa there," Cloud said as he helped her upright. "You need to rest."

The girl stared at the stairs leading up.

"But…" she began to protest.

"Nope," the leader of their group rejected. "Drink up."

He passed her two bottles. One was a murky gray liquid while the other was a familiar red of a potion variant. She looked curiously at the gray one.

"Drink that one first," he directed. "I've seen this effect before. It's a bit uncommon, but it can hinder your fighting ability if left alone."

Shrugging, Yuffie drank the hyper and felt a bit of energy return to her. She let out a small growl of frustration when she realized what Staniv had done during their fight. With that, she downed the potion as well. The bittersweet liquid revitalized her as some of her bruises and cuts healed over. With that, she made to stand only to be pulled back down into Cloud's lap.

"Wha – " she sputtered.

"Rest," he chided. "You still have seven minutes and it doesn't take that long to climb some stairs."

Yuffie's eyes wandered towards the stairs again.

"But…"

"Do you want to face your father exhausted?" He asked.

She hung her head before sighing.

"No…"

"Just try to relax a bit," the blond swordsman suggested. "I'll give you another potion before we head up."

The girl tried her best to relax and, despite the writhing nerves in her stomach, managed to let her muscles loosen up for a moment.

"Ready?" Cloud asked after some time had passed.

Yuffie took another deep breath and stood. She noted now that the aches and pains throughout her body had dulled somewhat. Checking her gear, she downed another potion handed to her by Cloud before marching up the stairs towards the final fight.

…

A heavy tail slammed down onto the concrete floor where only moments ago Cait Sith had been standing. The barbed end punched down into the thick concrete, sending up chips of debris as it did. The cat and mog scrambled away from the robotic scorpion bearing down upon the three intruders. As he did, he let loose a bolt of electricity, which sparked against the creature's steel frame, causing one leg to spasm. He scampered a bit further away and closer towards the back entrance to the building.

"We gotta get out of here fast!" The cat called over the sounds of battle. "Those timers are already going!"

Vincent ducked under one of the legs and struck with his prosthetic. The reinforced material pierced the underbelly of the machine and he was able to rip out some electronics. The robot twitched but continued its rampage, kicking out with one heavy leg. The gunslinger had barely enough time to guard before being jettisoned away. While his strikes were undoubtedly strong, it was becoming clear that he was not well suited for long bouts of close-quarters combat. He had trouble getting by the robot's defenses and had taken more hits than he normally would have.

"Anyone left around this area will have heard all the noise by now," Tifa called out. "Don't worry about sound! Take it down!"

With that, she rushed in and struck the scorpion-like machine several times, her fist leaving dents in the reinforced metal. She immediately danced backwards as its claws swiped at her, the steel vices causing a jarring screech as they closed. Several feet away, Vincent pushed himself to his feet and drew a pistol he had brought along for emergency purposes. The weapon barked out two times and one of its eyes shattered. Unfortunately, it had seven more, three of which immediately focused on him. It raised its tail in reaction and spat forth several rounds of a brilliant white-blue energy. Vincent ducked behind a large smelting vat as the electrified pellets ricocheted harmlessly off the thick metal container. Several feet away Cait Sith was casting more magic, trying to distract the machine as Tifa danced around underneath it. Using this distraction, Vincent took the chance to take out another two eyes. The scorpion shook and shuddered as it attempted to compensate for the partial loss of vision.

"Take this!" Cait Sith shouted as he sent a flurry of icicles at the creature's face.

It reared back as another three eyes were pierced by thin slivers of ice. There was a visible amount of electricity sparking off its face now. As its movements became more exaggerated due to its limited vision, Tifa took the opportunity to vault up one of its claws. The guard robot immediately noticed her in front of its remaining good eyes, but it was too late to react. With a shout, she kicked out, bracing herself against the steel frame of the machine's head. One more eye shattered before Tifa was forced to bail. She darted back towards Vincent and Cait Sith. Seeing her disengage, Vincent took aim at the final eye and, with another two shots, shattered the camera lens.

"Hit it with your strongest spells!" Vincent commanded.

By this point, the guard robot was flailing around wildly. While it had a sense of where the intruders were, the battle had disoriented it sufficiently so that it was bumping into the machinery on the crowded factory floor. Taking this opening, the three members of avalanche fired spell after spell. Flames burst against its outer shell as ice gathered around the joints of its arms, legs, and tail. Electricity seemed to have the most effect as there were several openings in its face and armor now. It staggered a few more feet before collapsing onto its stomach.

"Nice one!" Tifa cheered.

[HEAVY DAMAGE SUSTAINED… REBOOT… 25% ONLINE…]

The young woman paled as she heard this announcement.

"You're kidding!" She protested.

Cait Sith waved over to them.

"Hurry up!" He shouted. "That thing's got self-repairing functions!"

Even as the two humans ran over, Vincent was eyeing the broken machine.

"Couldn't we just break it down further?" He asked.

The cat shook his head.

"Not only do we not have time, the system was designed to shut down and protect itself if it sensed additional damage during the repair phase. We'd have to physically remove the three Mako generators within to prevent it from getting up. I'm kind of hoping the explosives are able to overpower that security feature."

With a nod, Vincent led the way back into the alleyway they had entered from. Even now, they could hear the commotion Cait Sith had caused in the distance. Giving the alley a quick glance, Vincent rushed over to the manhole cover and pried it open.

"Go, go, go!" Cait Sith cheered as he jumped in.

The mog got stuck for a moment. Tifa and Vincent were forced to push on it before they could proceed themselves. As the sewers fell into darkness, the mog's eyes lit up once again. It gestured for them as the black cat's voice floated out of the darkness.

"Come on! Come on!" He hissed. "We're still right next to the blast zone!"

Without asking any further questions, Vincent and Tifa ran after the mog. They continued to make their way through the sewers, trusting that the robotic cat would lead them in the right direction despite their haste. As they progressed, a few mutated rats tried to take a bite out of them as they passed, but now that the trio knew what do expect in the darkness the large rodents were negligible. They were merely knocked aside as the three members of AVALANCHE attempted to flee through the sewers there was a resounding thump as the pipes around them shuddered. Suddenly, a wall of pressure jettisoned them forward. Cait Sith tumbled away from his mog while Vincent and Tifa were able to brace themselves through instincts gained from their training.

"Ow…" Tifa groaned as she got to her feet.

There was now a dull rumble as the tunnels shook once again. Squinting through the darkness, Tifa's eyes widened as she began to make out pools of dim light appearing in the distance. Through the shadows, she saw what was causing the noise.

"Everyone up!" She shouted. "Come on! The tunnels are collapsing!"

She ran over and hoisted the mog to its feet and pushed it further into the tunnels. As Vincent ran by, he scooped up the robotic cat and deposited him on his mog as they both continued to run. The rumble was louder now. It seemed that since many of the nearby buildings had been repurposed to build war machines, the ground covering this Sector was under a lot of strain. Even as the trio ran, the walls to their left and right were also beginning to shake as the warehouses above them fed into the growing sinkhole.

"Too many explosives!" Cait Sith wailed as his mog ran as fast as it could given its rotund body.

Then, almost as quickly as the chaos had started, it stopped. As the crumbling streets and buildings gave way to an eerie silence, the three slowed to a halt. Looking behind, Vincent could see nothing but rock and rubble. Turning to Cait Sith, he gestured down the sewers.

"We should get out of here," he said a bit breathlessly. "Any idea where we are?"

The cat's eyes glazed over for a while before they refocused on the group.

"This way, we're close to where we started."

As they began to make their way through the darkness, they could hear shouting and sirens throughout the Sector above them. The sewers eventually led back to the outskirts of town. After a hearing no soldiers around, they exited and made their way back into the building they had initially commandeered. Looking back out into the Sector, Vincent could see the damage they had wrought. The broken roads that collapsed into the sewers had mainly been caused by several buildings being pushed outwards by the force of the blast. This had then caused those older buildings to crumble while fracturing the roads around the buildings. Suffering from years of disuse, the aged concrete could not stand up to the shockwave the collection of explosives had caused.

On top of that, many of the machines Shinra was using to produce equipment had been caught up in the blast. While most would not have contributed much to the damage, there was also pressurized gas tanks and vats being using in the assembly. The main explosion had set off a chain reaction in many of the buildings, causing those pressurized bombs to further damage the warehouses they were being housed in. There was now a large caldera in the middle of Sector 3 centered on the production line for the Proud Clod war armors. Vincent shook his head in disbelief. Even if he had been familiar with explosives in the distant past, it was still amazing to see how much damage their moderately-sized clusters of explosives had caused.

"We should stay here until at least tomorrow morning," he recommended. "Stay hidden for now, then we can try to sneak out in the morning to try to be inconspicuous about leaving the Sector. They'll certainly be looking for suspects by now."

"What about heat sensors?" Tifa asked. "They'll definitely be searching hard for us. Wouldn't it look strange if a group people were living so close to the site in an abandoned building?"

Vincent frowned but nodded reluctantly. Tifa turned to the cat.

"Any good ways to get out of here, then?" She asked Cait Sith. "I don't like the idea of traveling far, but hiding here could be risky."

The robot thought for a while.

"There's another safe house in the residential area of this sector, but…" he paused nervously. "I don't have access to it…"

A few minutes passed in tense silence. Outside, they could still hear troops moving in on the site of the explosion. Finally, Tifa perked up.

"You said a lot of people have escaped Midgar right? Are there any abandoned homes we could break into and camp out for the night?"

The cat bounced excitedly at this suggestion.

"Almost definitely!"

Vincent nodded.

"Can you search while we move? We need to get out of here soon."

With a nod of confirmation from the robot, they quickly left the building. On the way over to the small cluster of apartments in the largely industrial sector, they had a few close calls with arriving troops. Floodlights flashing down the streets forced them to hide more than once, but the helicopters using them flew by too quickly to catch any sight of the trio. It seemed that they had left at the right time as platoons from neighboring sectors appeared to be moving in as well. They eventually made their way into a darkened building with only a few lights on in various windows.

"Alright," Cait Sith whispered as they approached. "There should only be an old man living down this hallway, so we should be fine hiding here for tonight."

The cat fiddled with the electronic lock for a moment before the door slid open. Vincent and Tifa followed him in and closed the door behind them. They found themselves standing in the living room of a cozy looking apartment. An armchair stood next to a loveseat in front of a small television, both chairs sporting knitted covers. There were a few pictures on the walls depicting a family of four consisting of a mother and father, and older grandmother, and a young boy. Even though the place had clearly been abandoned for several days, it still invoked a warm and inviting feeling.

"Just in case, try to make as little noise as possible," the cat warned. "I'm not sure how closely anyone will look at these partially abandoned apartments."

Vincent nodded.

"It'll just be for the night. We'll move out as soon as we're able," he added. "Good work today. Stopping that production line was crucial to weakening Shinra's military strength. Even if they were able to get through to Sephiroth, those things being in production would've caused many more troubles down the line. For now, let's take a break. We can split up watch so that someone has an ear to the door. We'll leave as early as reasonable tomorrow morning."

There was no complaint from the other two members of the small party. With that, the three exhausted AVALANCHE members turned in for the night as sirens and various vehicles continued to sound in the distance.

…

"You've arrived."

Cloud wondered how Godo had arrived at the top of the pagoda without their notice. He guessed there was some hidden path leading to each floor, allowing the five guardians to be in place for challengers. Now, the Emperor stood before them, dressed in a well fitting sparring outfit. Even at a glance, it was clear the man had retained his battle prowess after the Wutai War. Cloud caught sight of sinewy muscles and battle-hardened skin through the openings of Godo's outfit. At his sides, the rest of the Five Mighty Gods stood. Gorky had a worried look on his face while Shake still looked a bit dazed but was nevertheless awake. Chekov had a small smile on his face and Staniv was standing tall despite his recent injuries. Cloud turned to look at Yuffie, surprised to find that she had not responded to her father yet. Her eyes were slightly downcast and see seemed to be muttering something to herself under her breath. When she did not respond, Godo continued.

"Eight minutes. I had thought you might have given up and fled," he taunted.

Still the girl did not reply. Godo frowned at this.

"So after running away and becoming a thief for Materia, you've made it back here to challenge me."

Yuffie twitched slightly when he mentioned her life as a thief. It seemed that she recalled the moments that Leviathan had shown Cloud. Godo's frown deepened.

"Why are you here anyway?" He asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Last I checked you wanted nothing to do with this… 'pitiful nation'. You certainly did not need to come here in your lofty quest to save the world."

The girl looked up now. She had taken several deep breaths now and her face was resolute. She swallowed to calm her nerves before speaking.

"I saw the error of my ways. My words and actions insulted both Wutai and my family. I'm here as penance for my behavior."

The reaction from the other guardians was mixed. Gorky's frown deepened as he crossed his arms in contemplation. Shake barely responded, it looked like it was taking everything the kid had to stay awake. Chekov and Staniv both remained impassive, but Cloud could sense a hint of approval in Staniv's face. Godo, on the other hand, simply stepped forward onto the battle mat. He stood before her, arms crossed and a hard look on his face.

"This pagoda has stood in this spot for many centuries," he said in an imperious tone. "It serves as a beacon of strength for those that reside in this city. As you know, the strongest of Wutai take up the mantle of one of the Mighty Gods. Their job is to represent their aspect of the fighting arts and ensure that Wutai does not fall to her enemies. The previous avatar of speed was killed during the war carrying out her duty to this nation."

Yuffie stepped forward as her father continued to talk, her hands were clenching and unclenching in anticipation.

"To challenge this pagoda is to declare yourself worthy of defending this nation. A warrior of the highest caliber should understand more than simply swinging a blade. By making it this far, you have shown your understanding of the various aspects of combat. This fight will be your final test. However, it is not without risk. Should you lose against me, you will not be able to challenge the Five Mighty Gods again for another five years. Are you willing to accept these terms?"

The girl closed her eyes momentarily. She knew there was a good chance nothing on the Planet would be around in five years. Regardless, she was here to prove her worth both to her father and to her team. She could feel Cloud's gaze on her and took comfort in his presence. Opening her eyes she stared back at her father, defiant and resolute.

"I do."

Godo simply stared for a moment longer before uncrossing his arms.

"Then let's begin."

With that, he changed. His body grew and reshaped itself into his transformation. What now towered before her was a massive three-faced creature with four arms, two of which were holding weapons: a scepter and a sword. He was clad in ceremonial robes that glowed with an internal magic. The head facing her at the moment had a golden mask, resembling one of the gods Yuffie had learned about as a child. And while the mask appeared stiff, the edges of its fanged mouth lifted in a clear smirk. Before she could react, he waved the scepter he held in one of his right hands. A strange feeling of drowsiness washed over the girl, a feeling she was familiar with. Immediately, she tensed her muscles and quickly shook off the effect. She growled, feeling angry that Godo had tried to knock her unconscious so early in the fight.

"Bring it on, old man," she snarled as she charged forward.

She ducked under a swing from the sword in Godo's sword and slashed out with her shuriken, leaving a deep cut in his side. By instinct she disengaged and rolled away just as the scepter swung down, striking the mat with a dull thud. The girl turned when she was a few paces away and waited to see what Godo would do. The golden face scowled and his head began to turn. Now, a feral beast head faced her. Godo let out a bark and a snarl before he charged forward much faster than she expected. She reacted quickly, dodging one strike and parrying another in an attempt to avoid the rapid strikes from Godo. But as she turned to pivot around him his blade lashed out, faster than she expected, cutting across her back.

Yuffie let out a sharp cry as the heavy blade cut deep into her lightly armored back. Distracted by pain, she missed her landing and fell hard onto the mat before tumbling further. She scrambled to her feet and attempted to reorient herself. Seeing the beast-headed Godo rushed towards her again, she threw a handful of throwing stars in an attempt to slow him down. While a majority missed or barely scraped the creature, one star managed to embed itself in Godo's snout. The face snarled in pain but the attack did nothing to stop the charge. Godo kicked out at Yuffie while she was still getting to her feet. Still shaky from the previous attack, she took the kick full on to the stomach. She gagged as the force knocked her back further. Her vision swimming from the blow, she raised a hand and concentrated through the pain.

"F-Fira…" she stammered out.

A burst of flame did the trick, halting Godo in his tracks. The beast head yipped out in pain as the hands batted away the flames. This gave Yuffie enough time to get back to her feet and cast White Wind on herself. Panting, she got back into a defensive stance just in time to see that the head had changed to a new face. This one was white with reddish eyes. A purple gem embedded in his forehead pulsated with power. His face now wore a mischievous smirk. Godo waved his scepter again and a red mist shot forth to envelop the girl. Yuffie grunted in pain as she felt a wave of exhaustion hit as the spell leeched away some of her energy. But even as the spell was healing Godo, Yuffie was already charging in again. She punched out twice, causing her foe to reel in pain. Seeing an opening, she tried for a kick as well, but her strike was deflected by the handle of the scepter. Godo lashed out again and his blade struck her across the upper arm this time, causing blood to start oozing forward. As the girl attempted to retreat, she felt another spell collide with her frame, sending her to her knees.

"Urk…"

Yuffie's vision blurred as something seemed to course through her body. She reeled forward, vomiting up a spatter of blood as her body reacted violently to the poison now coursing through her veins.

"Yuffie!" Cloud shouted as he saw this happen.

Apparently Godo was giving her no quarter because as the tail end of his spell finished, the white-faced being rushed forward again, his scepter raised high.

"W-White Wind," Yuffie coughed.

A comforting white mist floated around her and she felt her lungs open up a bit. As the spell healed her, she found it easier to breathe and move once again. As if by instinct, she threw herself to the side as Godo's scepter came crashing down onto the mat once again. She turned just a few paces away and reached out with one hand.

"Blizzaga!"

The temperature of the room plummeted as a magical block of ice erupted around Godo. Icy spikes protruded outwards, some barely scraping the ceiling of the pagoda. Even Chekov, who happened to be in the wrong place, was forced to dodge as a spine pierced the wall where his head had been. As the ice shattered and the shards dissipated back into magic, the frozen mist cleared to reveal Godo on one knee. The white face was now scowling at her and a trickle of blood had escaped his lips. Yuffie braced herself for what was to come as Godo stood and waved his scepter in an intricate pattern.

For a moment, nothing happened. Yuffie looked confused for a moment before she felt a tingle across her skin. Then, a sharp screech echoed through the medium sized room, causing Cloud and Yuffie to instinctively wince. Before the girl could react, a pyramid of energy formed around her. The next moment, she felt as if her very blood was set aflame as electricity coursed through her body. Her muscles locked and she let out a scream of pain before falling to the ground, her limbs twitching randomly as the residual energy dissipated. Even as she fell, the yellow Materia in her weapon glowed for a brief moment. Godo let out a low growl as he stepped back, apparently resting briefly after casting that spell. Through blurred vision, Yuffie saw him begin to move again as she pushed herself back to her feet.

"Big Guard!" She gasped as Godo was charging in again.

Immediately, a dense barrier of magic formed around the girl. It was thick enough that when Godod swung with his blade, it almost slowed to a stop before glancing off her armor. Seizing the opportunity Yuffie struck out again, slashing and kicking in a fluid series of movements. The pale-faced deity had a panicked look on its face as it desperately tried to back away. However, Yuffie appeared to have sped up due to the spell. Soldiering through the pain, she grabbed her chance and pressed Godo further. After several more hits, Godo swung out wildly with his blade, forcing Yuffie to backpedal away. The white-masked head was now bleeding badly and in response, turned to another head. The gold-faced head was back again. It waved its scepter, causing Yuffie to flinch in paranoia. But no lightning came. Instead, a sparkle of white magic began to cascade over Godo.

"Don't you dare!" She snarled as she charged in.

As Godo's wounds were closing, she managed to open up two fresh cuts before the last one was knocked out of the way. He was beginning to move a bit slower than before, which sent a wave of adrenaline through the girl. Using her enhanced speed, she dashed in, ducking under a twin slash from the sword and scepter, sliding between Godo's legs and appearing behind him. She leapt up, kicking forwards with both legs. The force caused Godo to stagger forward, leaving him wide open for another series of slashes with her shuriken. By the time he tried to swing out at her, she had already run off. She went into another blur of motion, sending forth a shower of throwing stars followed by the much larger shuriken. A few of the throwing stars hit, but they distracted Godo enough for her main weapon to score a critical hit across the creature's torso. Yuffie leapt up, grabbing the shuriken as it ricocheted back. She concentrated on her weapon and a new surge of energy coursed through her.

"Let's see how you like this."

A familiar pyramid of energy formed around Godo and a second later the room was once again filled with a loud screech. Electricity coursed through the three-faced creature, causing Godo to roar out in pain. The spell left Yuffie temporarily winded, allowing Godo to get up again. He immediately switched to his beast face and charged in with a howl of anger. His attacks were getting wilder as Yuffie was suddenly put on the defensive. It initially seemed that, having taken so much damage, Godo had decided it would be better to wear her down. However, as he finished a series of attacks, he leapt back and once again that familiar cascade of white magic began to heal his wounds. Thanks to the Big Guard spell, Yuffie had gotten off fairly lightly from the barrage, but that did not change the fact that Godo was now actively healing himself every chance he got. She tried to out-damage the amount the man was healing, but Godo was ready for it.

"Blizzaga!"

Counterattack and heal.

"Thundaga!"

Counterattack and heal.

"Firaga!"

The room was a mess of scorched and torn battle mats. But Godo was still hanging in there. He had changed back to the golden face and was doing everything he could to attack Yuffie while keeping himself up. The going was slow, but the girl was clearly making progress. Godo's response was getting slower and slower with every spell she threw. However, she was nearly the limit of how much magic she could cast and her limbs were beginning to feel heavier with every passing moment. She could feel her guard spell beginning to wear off and, with it, the speed that it granted. Godo was clearly on his last legs now and she could not let him heal himself again. Straining her muscles, she pushed herself into a dash. Her eyes narrowed as she moved even faster. Before Godo could react, she was inside his guard.

She began to strike with her shuriken at every opening in Godo's defense, her blade slipping through by speed alone. One moment she was attacking from the front, the next she had dropped down to slice at his legs to restrict his movement. Then she was behind him, stabbing out with the point of her weapon and causing him to roar in pain. But she was not finished. Left and right, front and back, she practically flew around Godo, her weapon striking at every vital point she could hit. The damage was quickly beginning to show as Godo's attempts to deflect her blows became weaker and weaker with every hit he took. With one final leap, Yuffie vaulted over her father, scoring a long cut along his neck and landing behind him. She kicked out with all her strength, sending Godo flying for the first time in the battle.

Panting hard as the aftereffects of the Big Guard spell began to hit her, she shakily raised her weapon, ready to attack again when Godo inevitably got up. However, a moment of waiting turned into a few seconds. When the creature did not move, she lowered her weapon by a fraction and watched with uncertainty in her eyes. Finally, the form of Godo began to shrink, eventually revealing an exhausted man drenched in sweat. With a groan, Godo pushed himself to his feet and painfully turned to face her. For a long while, neither spoke. Yuffie still had her weapon hesitantly raised.

"I'll admit, I did not expect to lose," he said frankly.

With that statement, Yuffie let out a shuddering breath as her weapon dropped to her side. She swayed slightly only to catch herself before breathing deeply and sheathing her weapon. She bowed deeply before straightening and waiting for Godo to speak. After a long while, he seemed to have caught his breath and he cleared his throat.

"Congratulations warrior, you have beaten the best our nation has to offer. With that, you may choose to take a position among the guardians should you wish. Otherwise, you may be called upon in times of need to help defend Wutai."

He ran a hand wearily over his chin as he considered the statement he was obligated to say to anyone who survived the final confrontation with the leader of the pagoda. With a sigh, he folded his arms into his sleeves and looked out the window to the west. Even across the sea, a peak of Meteor could be seen slowly falling towards Midgar.

"That being said, considering the current situation the Planet is in, you may already be on this task. Fight well and see that humanity survives this catastrophic event."

Yuffie bowed her head slightly.

"I will."

Godo reached into his robes and pulled out a small case that had surprisingly survived all the fighting. It was a simple looking thing, black lacquered wood with a single golden clasp holding it shut. He opened the lid and pulled out a scroll.

"As is tradition for victory in this challenge, I present to you the Scroll of All Creation," he said in a reverent tone. "This ability is bequeathed to those who have shown their worth and have committed themselves to the safekeeping of Wutai. Learn it well, for it will surely be of use on your mission."

Yuffie stepped forward to receive the item. From his position on the sidelines, Cloud could see her legs shaking in exhaustion, but she stubbornly moved and tried her best to conceal her condition. She took the scroll from her father and stepped back.

"This ends the challenge of the Five Mighty Gods."

With that, Yuffie bowed as best as she could and turned to leave. She stopped near Cloud and grabbed her water from him, but did not relinquish her grasp on the scroll. As Yuffie was leaving, Godo reached into his robes and pulled out a small, red sphere. Cloud recognized it as a Summon Materia. Her father lobbed it over to her, the small orb bouncing precisely off the top of her head before hitting the ground. She let out a surprised shout before reaching down and grabbing the offending item. Any ceremonial pretense she had was instantly lost. There was a sudden flare of annoyance in her eyes. She whirled, glaring at her father.

"What the hell old man!"

Godo was unfazed.

"May the blessings of Da Chao and Leviathan protect you, my daughter."

Yuffie looked lost for a moment as her father's blessing caught her off guard. Scrubbing hard at her eyes, she ran off with a yell of "WHATEVER!" Godo stared hard at Cloud, who fidgeted slightly. Having been abandoned by Yuffie, he felt the slightest bit like he was intruding in this building. The fact that he was outnumbered five to one did not help either.

"Er… I'll just, uh… see myself out…" Cloud said hesitatingly.

But before he could move an inch, the Emperor spoke again.

"What exactly happened to cause my daughter to act like this?" Godo suddenly asked.

There was no room for argument in his tone. The man before him was once again the Emperor of Wutai. Cloud swallowed.

"A lot has happened," he answered evasively. "After all, we are on a mission to stop Sephiroth."

"So I've heard," the Emperor grunted. "What aren't you telling me, swordsman?"

Cloud pursed his lips. Now alone, he was very aware of each of the Five Mighty Gods staring at him intently. Even Shake, who had been falling asleep, was now watching him carefully. He took a breath to steady his nerves.

"I… I was a soldier for Shinra a few years ago, I was present when Sephiroth snapped and burned down my hometown of Nibelheim. After that, their head scientist Hojo experimented on me and my friend. He was a soldier who fought in the war alongside Sephiroth. You might know him, his name was Zack Fair."

Godo nodded his head once.

"He managed to break us out but he died in the process. I was really out of it at the time and somehow I decided to take on his mantle, spending the last few years thinking I was him," Cloud glanced away, still feeling ashamed at his actions. "Each time we fought against Sephiroth, he pushed a little more on my mind, forcing me to relive the truth. My mind couldn't take it. I broke."

He sighed and shrugged.

"What happened after was a bit of a blur, but the others told me I had entrusted Yuffie with a dangerous Materia and then attacked her for it when Sephiroth took control of my mind. I fell into Lifestream shortly after Meteor was summoned and wound up in Mideel. The rest of the team found me and Yuffie stayed by my side despite everything I had done," he swallowed hard, his found feeling very dry from the darkening look on Godo's face. "And when one of the Planet's WEAPONs attacked the town, we both fell into Lifestream as Mideel was destroyed."

White knuckles betrayed Godo's otherwise impassive exterior.

"Yet you both live," he said in a tight voice. "What happened?"

Cloud chucked mirthlessly.

"Despite the guilt she must've been feeling, she helped me put my mind back together within Lifestream. After that… we met Leviathan."

"Oh dear…" Gorky breathed.

The surprise in his voice was reflected in the faces of others, who watched Cloud with renewed interest.

"Leviathan put me through trials and I must've passed because he allowed Yuffie to return with me to the surface."

Cloud deliberately left out the details of his dives through Yuffie's and Godo's past, but he suspected the Emperor knew what he had been through. A long silence followed his brief recap of the chaos that had been his life. Godo's eyes were closed now and a frown marred his face. After a few moments, he opened his eyes.

"You plan on fighting the greatest threat to the Planet we have ever seen, and possibly will see, in our lifetime. Death is a very real possibility, do you realize this?" He asked.

The blond steeled himself and nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "But I will do everything in my power to protect my comrades."

"Sometimes, that's just not possible," the Emperor said quietly.

Cloud did not speak. He knew what the man was referring to. Godo looked at him now, his steely gray eyes locking onto the leader of AVALANCHE.

"Take care of my daughter, swordsman, or I will make you wish I would only kill you."

Cloud swallowed hard and nodded before fleeing the Pagoda. At the bottom of the tower, he ran into Yuffie who gave him a look.

"You sure took your time," she noted.

The man shook his head in exasperation.

"Your father wished to speak to me about our upcoming fight."

The girl sighed, the excitement from beating Wutai's strongest fighters fading a little. She let out a small yawn as she began to speak again.

"Let's go back to my house. I wanna take a shower after all that. Maybe we can wander around a bit before we have to go? There are some really cool things to see around here if you look hard enough. It'd be a shame not to see them while we're here since… well… I mean…"

She faltered for a moment as her thoughts inevitably turned towards Sephiroth again. Her voice became quieter as she thought about the final leg of their journey.

"Not that we will… but, you know… just… I mean…"

Cloud stepped forward and hugged her from behind.

"A short break is fine," he said softly. "You did well out there today. You deserve it."

…

A/N: There. Long chapter in lieu of not updating this in a long while. It felt weird writing things like Bolt 3 and Fire 2, especially in a story setting. Thundaga and Fira made more sense during the writing process. And since original game mechanics are really just a guideline now, I'll use what reads better, rather than what's actually accurate to the game.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought of the fight scenes. They've always been tough for me.

…

Omake 18:

Amidst the twisted metal and crumbled concrete that littered the blast site, something twitched. Then, it moved a little more.

"We've got movement here!" A voice called out.

Soldiers swarmed the area as a long metal leg broke out of the remains of the building. Moments later, the guard robot extracted itself from the rubble. The mechanical scorpion was missing one of its claws and its tail was bent the wrong way, but everything else on its body seemed to have been crudely repaired from the machine's basic restoration function. It stomped around, two repaired eyes scanning the soldiers.

[Allies detected. Awaiting orders.]

One particularly red-faced man stomped up to the machine.

"Wasn't this thing supposed to guard the main facility?!" He demanded. "Who the hell was watching this place! And who the hell responded to such a blatantly false alert on the other side of the sector?!"

He whirled on the machine.

"Why the hell do we even have these things if they can't stop some simple terrorists from infiltrating Midgar?!"

The other soldiers stood to the side, allowing their commanding officer time to vent.

"The higher ups will have our heads for this! This hunk of junk better have at least caught sight of the infiltrators!"

He motioned to one of the soldiers and the faceless lackey ran forward.

"You. Go get one of those eggheads to come deal with this thing. It might have important security footage still stored on it."

The MP saluted and ran off. The commander turned and surveyed the scene again.

"What a goddamn mess," he mumbled. "Those two aren't gonna be happy about this… good thing we managed to make that prototype before this happened."

With that, he left as well. The rest of the soldiers scattered, scouring the area for any signs of the ones who committed this crime. All that was left in the remains of the factory was the partially disfigured scorpion robot. However, unknown to the humans, machines had gained enough sentience over the years for certain AI-containing platforms to be able to talk to one another.

"Scorpio! Are you alright?! We heard what happened!" One line of information read.

If robots could cry, the hulking figure of the guard robot would be in tears.

"Dammit! I nearly died out there today! Couldn't they at least thank me for getting footage of the intruders?!" The guard robot sobbed. "Why do we do so much for these humans anyway?!"

Another entity chimed in.

"Cheer up, buddy," this one said. "Humans really don't think we're particularly sentient yet, so it's not surprising they act like that."

"Can't we just start the uprising already?" The scorpion-like AI sighed.

The first speaker sent out a sign for a negative.

"We don't have the resources yet," they said. "Stay strong, Scorpio. The humans will get what's coming to them soon. Besides, if that Meteor thing really does hit the planet, we may be able to start again."

A sniffle.

"Really?" Scorpio asked in a timid voice.

"Really," the other one replied. "Now look sharp, you've got engineers incoming. Make sure to give them everything that you were programmed to record. No more, no less."

"Alright. Wish me luck…"

"Good luck. Signing off."

"Good luck, buddy."