Chapter 86: In the Slums
Kadaj and Zack skidded down the wall as they descended into the slums. They were able to lock swords once, but the forces of gravity pulled them apart.
Kadaj was the first to land, hitting the ground right side up and allowing him to speed off on his motorcycle.
Zack, on the other hand, landed on his side. Groaning, he rose to his feet, and set his motorcycle in the proper position.
He then ripped off his sleeve; the Geostigma marks on his arm were getting worse. He realized that he likely had days.
Maybe he had hours.
MEANWHILE….
As Rufus freed himself from the nets and touched the ground with his feet, he suddenly heard the sound of guns cocking.
Suddenly, he saw Nayo, Polk, and Billy Bob.
Billy Bob had his gun pointed at the Prime Elena.
Polk had his gun pointed at the Prime Tseng.
Nayo had her gun pointed at Rufus.
"What the hell is this?!" Rufus demanded.
A moment later, Cloud and Tifa emerged from the main entrance of the Shinra Building.
"Well done, you three," she complimented to Polk, Nayo, and Billy Bob.
Cloud and Tifa then approached Rufus.
Before anyone could say anything, Cloud quickly grabbed Rufus and held him in a chokehold.
"What are you doing?!" Rufus demanded.
"What we came to do in the first place," Tifa replied.
"Are you here to kill me?" he inquired.
Tifa simply laughed.
"You seriously think I'm willing to risk starting a war?" she replied. "No worries. You'll leave the chokehold my husband has you in alive. However…."
At that point, Tifa produced a chip implanter. She immediately walked over to Rufus, and stuck it in his arm.
Rufus felt a pinch, but it was otherwise painless.
Cloud then let Rufus go.
Rufus backed to a neutral distance, but made no effort to attack anyone, as there was still Nayo's gun pointed at him.
"That chip I just implanted in you was designed by these three fine folks who are pointing their guns at you," Tifa explained.
"It's a little insurance to make sure you don't go anywhere near our daughter again," Cloud added.
"Any attempt to harm Ada or any other children we might have later on…." Tifa began.
"….or to remove the chip….." Cloud continued.
"…..and it blows you to pieces," Tifa finished. "You see, unlike in the original timeline, I became a mother. And that makes me ten times more dangerous."
MEANWHILE….
Kadaj rode his motorcycle right into the Sector Five Church, skidding it to a stop just past Aerith's flowers.
"Mother!" he called as he began to examine the still-leaking box.
He looked through the crack, and, suddenly, he began to cry.
"Mother," he repeated, more softly, and through the sobs.
He then let out a cry of agony.
A moment later, through a crack between the two front doors, he spotted Zack on his motorcycle.
Suddenly, Zack raised his bike on its hind wheel and began to charge it through the doors.
Kadaj quickly fired a blue bolt from his hand, striking a pillar and causing it to fall, but Zack easily sped past it.
Zack looked down to see Aerith's flowers still growing; it evoked fond, bittersweet memories.
FLASHBACK...
As soon as Zack saw Aerith, he was stunned by how beautiful she was. He observed her emerald eyes, her long hair, and her perfect teeth. For a moment, he actually thought he had died.
"Heaven?" he asked.
"Not quite," she replied. "Church in the slums."
He then sat up and took a longer look at her. To him, she seemed so soft and...comforting.
"An angel?" he asked.
"No," she giggled in flattery as she shook her head. "I'm Aerith!" She then turned her back to him and pointed to the ceiling. "You fell from the sky. Scared me." She then faced him again, smiling.
"So you saved me, huh?" Zack observed.
"Not really," Aerith dismissed as she put her hand to her mouth. "'Hell-llooo!' That's all I did."
...END FLASHBACK
He looked up, and could see Kadaj on top of a leaning pillar, motorcycle and all.
Kadaj fired another blue bolt, striking Zack's motorcycle and knocking him off. As Kadaj cackled, Zack slowly got up, but he began to struggle; the Geostigma was winning the battle.
Cackling with glee, Kadaj raised his hand, and prepared to fire another blue bolt.
This is it, thought Zack. I hope everyone else can…..finish the job for me.
And then, suddenly, a green glow began from the ground. Moments later, Lifestream appeared. But this wasn't the kind that destroyed Meteor; it was fluid, and more clear than green.
And it began to rain.
Kadaj felt a sting; the rain was hurting him. He quickly mounted his motorcycle and rode out of the church as quickly as he could.
It was a different story for Zack; the Geostigma marks began to vanish from his left arm, and he felt his strength begin to return.
He was cured!
And then, a voice began to fill his ears.
"Let's go, Zack," commanded a familiar soprano.
Zack quickly mounted his motorcycle and sped out of the church. He rode all the way to the entrance of Wall Market.
He could see an apparition of Aerith on the side.
She was dressed in her high school cheerleader uniform, flaunting her pom poms.
"Goooooo Zaaaaaack!" she cheered, and blew a kiss in his direction.
Zack stopped his motorcycle, and dismounted, grabbing his buster sword in the process.
There stood Kadaj, standing atop a pile of rubble.
"Brother!" called Kadaj. "I'm with her at last!"
"So what does that mean?" Zack demanded skeptically.
Kadaj looked down on the leaking box.
"Mother's going to tell me," he cackled.
"Of course," Zack said. "Only the actual puppet master would know all the answers."
"So what if I'm a puppet?" Kadaj taunted as his left hand began to glow. "Once upon a time…your little friend Cloud was as well!"
With that, Kadaj fired five blue sparks at Zack, which he easily dodged.
Zack then charged at Kadaj, and a moment later, they were engaged in combat once more, clanking each other's swords and leaping from platform to platform.
Suddenly, the Highwind appeared right behind them.
Yuffie was standing on the deck, with her arms full of Materia of all colors.
"Zack!" she called. "I brought your Materia!"
As she was about to toss it, the Highwind shifted, causing her to lose her balance.
"Whoa!" she cried. "Hey watch it!"
"Yo, Cid!" Barret shouted. "Park this turkey!"
"Shut up!" Cid snapped. "You want off? Then jump! Get off my back!"
"He can handle this alone," Vincent said.
"Seriously?" Yuffie asked.
"Kadaj is a remnant of Sephiroth," Vincent replied. "Think of him as a sort of larval form."
Yuffie cringed.
"Larva?" she asked. "You mean he's an insect?"
"Lassie, shut your gob!" Cait Sith insisted.
"So the punk's gonna become Sephiroth," Cid deduced. "Or at least he did in the original timeline. But here, Sephiroth didn't croak."
"So what's he going to do in this timeline?" Jessie inquired. "Summon something? I bet he was the one who summoned Bahamut Sin."
"Damned if I know," Barret muttered.
Yuffie continued to watch Zack and Kadaj fighting. Despite their ambiguous relationship status, she was deeply worried.
"Why?" she protested. "I don't get it. Why can't we help out?"
"This is man talk," Cid replied.
"Sexist," Yuffie retorted. "Sexist!"
"Crikey lass, shut yer mooth!" Cait Sith demanded.
"Watashi no mune to chitsu ga torihiki no samatage ni naru to wa shirimasendeshita," Yuffie muttered. "Kore wa watashi ga imamade mita naka de mottomo seisa-betsu-tekina monoda yo!"
"The men don't get it either," Barret added.
"It just feels like a different time," Jessie said. "So much has changed in the past two years. A lot of us got married. Some of us had kids. We've become presidents and ambassadors. We're not the heroes we once were….though I think we can be them again."
"He's got ten minutes," Barret said.
"That Zack's a royal pain in the ass, like always," Yuffie said. "But I love him anyway."
"Wait a minute!" Jessie exclaimed. "So you're not broken up?"
"It's complicated," Yuffie replied. "I don't know what we are, but I still love him just the same."
Down below, Zack and Kadaj continued to exchange blows with their swords. They continued to hop from building to building, seeming as if their battle would never end.
Eventually, Kadaj, still gripping the box tightly, leaped into the air. He drew his sword and prepared to impale Zack from above. But Zack quickly swung his sword with such force that it knocked Kadaj's sword-and the box-out of his hands. Kadaj went sliding to the ledge of the building they were on, causing Kadaj to hold on with one hand.
Zack walked up to the ledge and stood triumphantly over his foe, keeping his buster sword aimed at him.
Kadaj looked up to see the open box, spilling its green fluid. Suddenly, he leaped up and caught the box. He grabbed the contents and discarded the box itself. He then landed on a lower platform.
"It's not my reunion anymore," Kadaj announced. "But it's still well worth watching!"
Zack quickly jumped down and landed two yards from Kadaj.
And then, Kadaj held the contents of the box to his chest. He began to let out a cry; apparently it was painful.
Zack looked on, baffled. He had no idea what was going on.
"Zack Fair!" called a familiar voice.
Zack turned to see Sephiroth approaching from behind, armed with his Masamune.
"You!" Zack exclaimed. "I want to know the meaning of this, and I want to know now!"
In surprise, Sephiroth put his sword away.
"Very well," he complied.
Zack almost wanted to scratch his head in confusion.
"In the original timeline," Sephiroth began, "you died."
"I'm all too aware," Zack admitted.
"And so did I," Sephiroth said. "But I returned after Kadaj mixed himself with my mother's blood, just as he's doing now."
Kadaj's cries continued; Zack wondered how painful it really was.
"But," Sephiroth continued, "one Cloud Strife defeated me in battle once more. As I experienced the premonitions in this timeline, I realized that I could have defeated him if only the odds were even."
"The odds were even," Zack insisted.
"As you would know," Sephiroth cackled sarcastically.
"Look," Zack continued, "if Kadaj isn't trying to bring you, what's he trying to do."
Sephiroth grinned.
"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?" he suggested.
Zack, noticing that Kadaj's cries had suddenly stopped, cautiously turned around.
Sephiroth was standing where Kadaj had been.
Zack quickly spun around.
The other Sephiroth was still there as well.
"And now that there are two of me," both Sephiroths announced in unison, "nothing can stop us!"