Part Ten: Beauty, Terror, and Closing the Door

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        The Turk paced the streets. They were lined with hell's fires but the destruction, as haughty as it attempted to make itself, was not interesting. To hell with the fires of hell, they didn't belong here. He didn't care for whatever dark dark power thought it could take over the world this time. Let it come, let it steal it all, a billion lives, he didn't care. He had more pressing matters. And a new mark to kill. There it was, ten feet tall, black and grinning and coming at him at a full charge.
        Chaos.
        Let it come. To hell with demons, to hell with the past.
        The Turk raised his gun.
        That other mark, the one from before, that flitting figure of white. He could feel it watching, see that pleading face in the farthest corner of his peripheral vision. The hurt of the years had made the face into something he feared.
        "Vincent. . . "
        He turned around at the sound of his name, forgetting the charging demon, that scrap of night coming to take his head off simply because the Turk was too human, too decent, too damned bloody naive. Not the Turk though, that other man that'd always been there behind it. That Vincent Valentine man with the cheesy last name that demeaned his own love, that mocked him; named after a saint who'd loved too much. He had loved too much, loved with a desperate, impossible intensity. The Turk had killed, had stolen, had gotten his love killed and stolen and locked in a box, the tab for a lifetime of unthinking murders.
        Chaos was charging.
        Chaos. His new box after he'd abandoned the other. After he'd abandoned his velvet-lined sanctuary. After he'd abandoned and burned that shack in the snow.
        Fuck Chaos.
        "Vincent. . . "
        The other mark, the white one that he always blew away and let die in his arms. Where was Hojo, wasn't this his cue to come in and say something, pick his emotions apart grind them beneath his patent leather shoes?
        Oh yeah, that was right. He'd already killed Hojo.
        Shut the book on the past. The letter had demanded he shut the door on the past.
        That demon was charging. Black, roaring, bloody claws and fangs and horns. Before the Turk could do anything, those claws were boring through his stomach and coming out the other side in showers of red and gore. So he raised his gun and shoved it in the demon's black head.
        Its red eyes. Turned up to look at him as the Turk's twitching finger moved over the trigger. His own red eyes. Not the brown ones of the Turk who'd been locked in the box, but the sorrowful red eyes of the man that'd come out thirty years later. But the demon was the Turk, right? Hadn't Hojo made the Turk into the monster? Shouldn't those eyes be brown and murderous?
        Not sad and red and weeping.
        Fuck it.
        He pulled the trigger and the demon flew back without a head.
        Maybe it all needed to die.

        The light was screaming.
        A piercing sound that thundered and whispered and moaned all at once and it pounded her brain and the rocks raining from above threatened to press her into the ground and Tifa pushed her back against the oozing, freezing, slime-inundated stone wall as though to burst through its solidity and come out the other side to somewhere else. Somewhere there was no Jenova and there was no death. But there wasn't such a place. Tifa knew all she had to work with was the Planet she'd been born on. Anything she wanted it to be for herself or those she loved, she had to force upon it with her own two hands.
        Her heart roaring in her chest, she flinched with each immense slab of rock that plummeted from the ceiling as Jenova's light-enshrouded form ascended upwards in a blaze of divine power, boring through the layers of the Northern Crater, seeking the surface.
        "Cloud!!"
        She couldn't see him in the light, or see that thing that held him captive. The glow blinded her and she looked away, pressing further back against the wall as more of the Crater clattered and shattered all about, filling her ears with thunder and the screech of grinding rock. She added her own voice to the cacophony, glad to hear her shout, as hoarse as it was. At least it was making noise in the name of something that mattered. Not blind destruction. Just blind frigging love.
        Vincent snapped awake with a cry on his lips that never came. He lay there, half-buried in rubble and stared upwards at Death's ascent, confused at first, then completely enraged. So enraged, he was literally seeing red and he had to give half a bitter chuckle at that one. In a flurry of movements that surprised him, he thought he'd still be weak and injured by Hojo's lying chemicals, he was suddenly on his feet, shedding rocks off the lower half of his body as though they were nothing at all. The noise was deafening and he darted his eyes around for Tifa, fearful of the dangerous and deadly plummeting of stones and ceiling from above. The whole god damned world was falling down around his ears, the rocks were like pieces of the sky raining down, that light pouring from above, it bathed it all and washed it all away, leaving only the white glaring blankness of perfect illumination. A vacuum. That's what it'd all be soon. There'd be no stopping it. It was inevitable now.
        But impossible odds had never stopped them before.
        Dodging the pieces of fallen sky, Vincent leapt catlike from one patch of clear cave floor to the next, feeling physically better, probably mentally better too, than he had in years. With a sudden start, he realized something was wrong. A few observations confirmed it.
        The world before his eyes came to his brain filtered in red.
        He was ten feet tall.
        He had wings.
        And as hard as he tried, all he could get to come out of his mouth were growls.
        He was Chaos.
        But he was still Vincent.
        Professor Hojo had truly had a flair for the dramatic.
        "You evil bastard!!" a voice screamed at his back and Vincent whipped around, almost tripping, the unconscious instincts that had kept him as agile as he ever was a human, fading away as his brain realized how utterly screwed up his body now was. He didn't know how to move with wings and horns and four extra feet of height. He almost fell flat on his face.
        "Are you here to finish me off? Are you? I don't care, there's nothing more you can do to me. . . nothing matters anymore, does it?!"
        Tifa's voice was a furious sob that ripped from her throat with sharper claws than he could ever hope to possess. Pulling himself together, he slowly turned to face her, blinking rapidly, swallowing hard, wincing as pieces of the Crater slammed into him. Tifa stood pressed against the cave's rear-most wall, his rifle poised in her shaking hands, aiming for his heart.
        "I'm sorry, Vincent!" she sobbed, "I couldn't protect Cloud and I couldn't help you! Jenova's won! She's won and it's all over! Because of him!" The rifle barrel dropped a bit as she broke down, sobbing into the folds of her oversized sweatshirt. "Maybe if I'd been more. . . more understanding or something, or-- or just doing something different-- he might never have gone up to the sixty-eighth floor by himself, maybe he would have called me to help him. . ! Oh, god, it isn't fair. . . I thought we could stop him before it got this far, before it ended on such a sour fucking note--! But no, everything's against us, everything!"
        Everything was against them. But everything always had been. Jenova and Sephiroth and Shinra, all of it. Even the Planet was dubious and not to be trusted, an ally that you could never turn your back on, who only helped on a whim. It had always been that way with them. A lone small group up against the worst things in the world.
        "Vincent--! What do I do? What? Please, tell me. . . what do you do when someone you love is dead and it hurts so bad you can't breathe or think or bear to live another minute?"
        Her broken sobs struck at him and Vincent stepped forward, clenching and unclenching his fists in rage and helplessness. That light from above was getting further away. The fact whispered foulness in the back of his mind. Frowning, he took another cautious step towards his friend, but Tifa's head shot up and the rifle renewed its deadly aim, the muzzle shoved nearly into his chest. The woman behind it glared at the demon before her with hatred snapping through the tears, ignoring the chips of rock slicing into her face and bare arms from the debris flying around. Not even noticing the thunder of rocks anymore. What the hell did it matter anyway?
        "Vincent. . . "she breathed, a throaty whisper, "No one blames you for any of what this monster does." With a small panicked sound, she let the rifle fall out her hands and then straightened, standing erect and tall and shivering. Frowning, tear after tear falling from her bright eyes, she stuck two fingers into the collar of her sweatshirt and pulled it away from her throat, arcing her head back to reveal pale flesh there in the harsh light of the freezing cavern. Tifa trembled with the cold and then with fear, shutting her eyes and clenching her fists. "Do it, Chaos, you animal. I know you're going to anyway, that's all you can do so get it over with. Just do it. . . "
        She stared at the blackness behind her eyelids and wept bitterly, waiting. She'd never get to be there when Cloud awoke from this nightmare. She'd never get to hold CJ or Ifalna again. Nothing. But maybe some day. Maybe in that mess of green where they always said you went after you died. Maybe there she'd find her family and her love again. Maybe. Maybe. She clung to that one word.
        Vincent didn't know what else to do as she stood there, looking fragile and so small and sad in the horrible light, with the world going all to hell around her. So, denied his own voice, he swept her up in his arms and held her close, engulfing the back of her small brown head with one massive claw as he pressed the side of her face into his chest. She was shocked at first, but then was content to break down all over him, crying until there was nothing left but hiccups.
        "That little boy. . . "she choked, "That boy, Jeek, he said all the little vicious monsters would die. He meant Cloud, he meant you. . . but none of you are monsters. How can Jenova say that? We have to keep it from happening, right? We can stop it. We'll save him, we'll save all of us yet. . . "
        He nodded his head as Tifa strained to convince herself of her own words. She was right, they'd stop Jenova. If they had drop Mt. Nibel on her head, they'd stop her. As the Northern Crater showered down around the both of them, as the world began its long descent into oblivion, Vincent let Tifa cry the words into his shoulder, her tears wet on his skin. They would have been a bizarre sight to anyone happening upon them. A despairing woman wrapped in the understanding arms of a winged black devil. But Tifa didn't even consider it. She was just glad someone was there. And Vincent was glad he could be there for her, to let her know that they would stop Jenova and free themselves from her control. He couldn't say the words, but he told her firmly. They'd halt her advance. They had to.

        He'd seen her again. Her face burned in his mind like a soft after image and Cloud grabbed for it amidst the swirls of dark and unconsciousness. Tifa. . . she'd been there, an end had been there and then flown out from under his fingertips. What had stolen it away this time? Hadn't it been Jenova?
        She'd been there. . . the memory of her touch, the touch of someone who loved him, tickled and stabbed him at the same time. But he didn't deserve love, people he loved got hurt. Better for Tifa that she was snatched away before he could kill her.
        But still. . . he cried to think she'd been there, in his hands. And then snatched away.
        He wanted her back. He wanted some love back.
        But it was too late. Oblivion was here, grabbing at his mind and everything that made any sense began to fall away. He'd gotten what he'd wanted. He'd brought Jenova back, he'd killed them all. So why couldn't he rest, let the darkness come and say to hell with all the struggles? He wanted to forget it and let the torture end, it was eating away at his mind, the long, long days of grief and questions and destruction.
        Time for the murderer's name to be jotted amidst the list of his own casualties, right?
        But no, he couldn't. Something burned beyond his reach and he wanted to grab for it. Was that Tifa? Or was it something else? Hadn't he destroyed or allowed to be destroyed any semblence of anything worth living for, or protecting? Maybe not. Because something was still out there. The dark veil of Jenova's power couldn't hide it from him anymore. His human heart sensed it, something he wanted, something he'd been missing, something whose absence had been the cause of his insanity.
        Just the thought that maybe he'd been wrong sent bullets into his brain, so he shoved it away. If he'd been wrong. . . . that meant he was a murderer. If he'd been wrong, that meant he was evil. No, no, no, no, he wouldn't even think about it. He hadn't been wrong, he'd seen them fall. . . he remembered it so clearly. They fell away from him, screaming, and the Planet had watched it happen with apathetic eyes.
        He remembered it so clearly.
        Didn't he?
        Yes. Yes, he did.
        So let it end. Cloud welcomed it, even as darkness stole over his mind.

        Reeve walked with his head craned back, watching the sky exploding above him in detached interest. The frozen Northern air beat down through his jacket and jabbed him in the chest, wrapping chilly fingers around his neck as though to strangle him. He pulled the flaps of his coat closer and jogged a bit to keep up with Sephiroth, who was making his way over the strewn stones and broken boulders littering the lip of the Northern Crater nimbley. The Shinra President glanced once behind him to make sure Nanaki, Cid, and Berk weren't lagging, then surveyed their surroundings, the bleakness of them not helping the unease sitting heavy in his heart. He just wished the damn day would end, the whole damned week actually. Then he realized it was a Monday and kicked the ground really hard with his scuffed-beyond-repair loafers, the wind blowing his dark, mussed hair into his vision.
        Hmph. It unnerved Reeve to realize that he couldn't quite get the looming, imposing abyss of the Crater laying just ahead totally out of his vision without closing his eyes. His feet moved forward, seemingly on a kamikaze mission to throw their owner into the depths of that bloody black hole. Like gunshots in the air, different footsteps sounded off suddenly, Cid's soft boots crunching gravel as he ran forward to catch him. Reeve didn't look up as his friend began walking in step with him.
        "Damn quiet, dontcha think?" Cid asked lowly, nudging him in the shoulder.
        "Better quiet than some of the shit we've been hearing, eh? Explosions, screams and the like."
        "I dunno, "he answered skeptically, treading beside his friend with light steps, using Venus Gospel as a walking staff, "Almost prefer those, then ya know just what's going on. . . but hearing nothing but our footsteps, this blasted wind whistling over the Crater, and your heart beatin' a mile a minute. . . just makes me jittery. If Jenova's here, Chaos and all them jerks, shouldn't they be making their presence known?"
        Reeve laughed a bit to himself, dark eyes darting up to glance towards Sephiroth about thirty feet ahead. "Be grateful for the peace while it's here, Cid. We're heading down to all that crap right now, you'll get your fill of noise."
        "Hey, I wasn't complaining. . . quiet's fine with me. S'making that Berk kid back there shake in his shoes though. All this lightening dancing around and then the sky. . . "Cid shot two worried blue eyes back towards his airship, half a grin playing over his lips to see it hovering so majestically there in they heavens, a massing of silver like a piece of jewelry, an earring hanging from the clouds. The sky behind it was still that horrible blood color like old wet clay, and it bled flakes of freezing white that fell in Cid's face and made him swear. It was a strange sight but he was getting used to crap like that.
        Eyeing the snow, he lapsed into a contemplative silence and Reeve watched his friend's boots kicking up dirt as they both made their way towards the Crater. He absently wondered what was coming. They were about to plunge right into that hole ahead of them on the heels of a sword-wielding dead maniac to fight the greatest evil the Planet had ever known, then try to lure that unspeakable evil out into the open so they could blast it with a weapon that had been designed to blow up dragons, not. . . er, blow up whatever the heck Jenova was. . . it was a lame, crazy plan but it was their only hope.
        Ugh, he decided he had to stop thinking about it, the simple facts of the situation were giving him a migraine.
        His cellphone rang out of the blue and Reeve jumped a foot in the air.
        "Dammit, Reeve!" Cid hollared, flinching, the sudden sound sending his heart roaring in his ears and his fist tightening around his pike's shaft, "Doesn't that thing have a vibrate mode? Stupid phone 'bout gave me a heart attack!"
        "Gimme a break, I always miss the vibrate thing, don't like t'use it, "Reeve sniffed, almost laughing. He unfolded his phone and stuck it to his ear, taking his tie off with his other hand and stuffing it away in his pocket, sick of the thing smacking him in the chin. "Reeve here."
        "President, sir, Dragon Weapon's ready and in position."
        He thought Marlene sounded inappropriately cheery. He turned back to the HighWind and saw the gleam of silver from behind a massing of upright granite slabs situated below it, concealed in the airship's shadow. Marlene waved to him in the distance, perched on the weapon's control panel and giving a victory sign.
        "Good job, "he said absently, waving back, "Alright now, from what Nanaki's told me, that weapon has a range of only a thousand feet since it's been manipulated and the projectiles weighed down, but that shouldn't be a problem, you're no more'n a thousand feet from the Crater no matter which side the little bitch decides to pop out of. Um. . . gotta ask you this, and don't take it as pessimism on my part but uh, Marlene, as a scientist, do you really think. . . this'll work?"
        "As a scientist, not a chance in hell, "Marlene replied cheerily, "But so what, sir? Any better ideas?"
        "She's spunky, that kid, "Cid remarked, lighting a cigarette. Reeve frowned, noticing how frigging near they were to the Crater now. His hands were going cold and it was from more than just the weather.
        "Keep your eyes open, m'dear, "he told her absently, eyes pasted on their destination, "Far as I know, we're going underground to lure Jenova into the open so you can fire. Do not wait on word from me to do so. God only knows if any of us'll make it back to the top to tell ya. So fire when you see her, bang, boom, to the moon. You just do your stuff, okay? No matter what you see going on."
        "Yes, sir. Umm. . . one thing though. If this doesn't work, I just want to say right now that it won't be my fault. Oh! Elder Bugah says it won't be his fault either. Just er, so ya know and we don't get blamed."
        "You're not helping me feel very confident about this, Marlene, "Reeve sighed. He rubbed at his tired eyes with a cold thumb and forefinger, "But let's do this right and not give yer dad anything to bitch about when he comes back, eh? Heh. Good luck, Miss Wallace."
        "Yeah, we need it. Good luck, sir."
        Reeve slammed the phone shut and dropped it in his pocket, looking around to his friends. "It's up to us now, gents, "he said with forced cheer, "The Weapon's ready and Marlene and Bugah are on stand-by."
        "They know what they're doin', right?" Cid asked suspiciously, zipping his flight jacket to keep it from slapping at his sides. Nanaki glared up at him, claws unsheathed and digging into the dirt to keep him anchored against the beating winds threatening to pick him right up from the ground.
        "Of course, "he snapped to the pilot, a growl rolling off his tongue, "The question is, do we know what we're doing?"
        "Let's friggin hope so, eh?" Cid smiled easily, puffing away and looking forward, "Captain Planet there seems pretty confident. Well, confident enough for. . . for. . . now what the hell is he doin'?"
        Grimacing impatiently, he stared off towards their dubious silver-haired guide, decidedly irritated. Reeve and the others followed his gaze, the air filling with the rumbling thunder of the electrical storm raging above them in the reddened sky. Sephiroth had stopped at the very edge of the Crater, balanced precariously on a cliff overlooking the abyss, his cloak and hair streaming behind him like pennants, his narrowed green gaze focased into the void of space before him. He seemed threatening and ambiguous looming against the dying sky and Reeve feared to approach him, or even attempt another question.
        "What is it?" he finally asked, stepping forward and gulping. Sephiroth either ignored his question or didn't hear it, half-shutting his eyes and listening intently to something that had snagged his attention with invisible teeth. Watching his comrades, Berk strained his own hearing but nothing came to his ears save wind and thunder. He stuck one hand in his pocket and swung his sword idly in the other, slicing the air to ribbons.
        "I don't hear anythin'. Maybe he just got some sand up his nose, "Berk suggested and the others shot him looks, "Nah, I mean, with the wind and all, that's all I been doing, the inside of my head feels like a beach."
        "Don't try to help, "Reeve commanded wearily, patting clueless Berk on his shoulder. Steeling his courage and desiring answers, the Shinra President paced slowly towards Sephiroth, eyes darting up to watch the crackles of lightening running curling white fingers over the heavens, ears picking up on the distant thunder's threats.
        "There's no time. . . "
        Sephiroth spoke before Reeve could even get another question out. He snapped about suddenly, features pale. "Do you hear it? No, I don't suppose you can. But it's already started and the song is wretched. . . The Planet, it knows Jenova moves again. She's awake, alive. . . writhing. . . "
        "Cut the melodrama, "Cid mumbled, "What're you talking about?"
        Sephiroth glared at him and said evenly, "That bloody, blackening sky is a beginning. Your friend has achieved his aims."
        "So are we too late?!" Reeve demanded over the roar of the quickening winds, swallowing down his fear and looking around, wary of an attack, searching for something to tell him for certain that they were all royally screwed. He stumbled back a step, the gale fierce and hitting him with the force of a swinging fist. Angry, he stuck a trembling hand up to block the assault of flying snow, ice, and sand. "Sephiroth!!" he hollared, "What are you saying? What do we do? Are we still going down there?!"
        Reeve didn't get an answer and ground his molars together in fury as Sephiroth wordlessly knelt and bowed his head, both hands spread wide and laid on the frozen ground delicately. He could feel it. Personified by the storm, the Planet's rage swirled about him but he was a calm island amidst the blasts, it could do nothing to distract him from his thoughts. He could hear the evil's approach. Redemption, condemnation, heaven or hell, it was all about to rain down upon him and the rest of the world. Sephiroth feared it, he honestly did. He could feel that power rumbling towards him like a plowing bull. Green eyes sad and tired, he looked towards Reeve and the others, staring at them a moment, features garrishly lit by the stray strands of violet lightening. He only had one thing to say.
        "She's coming."
        "What d'ya mean?!"
        Berk fell backwards, darting his eyes to the right and left so fast it gave him a headache, fingers wrapped around the hilt of his blade, alternately loosening and tightening in anxiety and eagerness. But there was nothing to see, nothing to hear. Just the thunder, the rage of the elements, the desolate field of stone with the depthless Crater plummeting to hell only a few feet off.
        "I don't see anything. . . "
        "Shuttup, "Reeve hissed, jerking a forefinger to his lips. He could hear it; a barely audible rumbling. Actually, after a moment, he realized he didn't hear it so much as feel it in the heels of his feet. The earth was shaking. Something far below was struggling to be free, pushing dirt and stone from its path as though digging upwards from a grave, fingers scrabbling to feel the sun above. Thunder crackled on the heels of violent lightening, causing Reeve to gasp and cringe, looking to Cid and the rest to see if they felt the vibrations too.
        "What the fuck is that. . ?" the pilot whispered, pacing backwards in a circle, "What is it?! What's coming?"
        Berk hefted his sword, fighting down panic as the earth began to really buck, shifting beneath his feet with impossible force. He looked up towards the sky for reassurance but found none there; only that reddish-black mess of death. The winds bit into his cheeks until he though they'd tear his skin off and the air was too cold to breathe, every attempt at a breath had him gasping and coughing up blood. He doubled over, falling to his knees as the earth knocked him down, hacking into a clenched fist. Cid darted towards him and offered a shoulder that was soon useless as he too lost his balance and sprawled in the dirt besides the others.
        "Leave it up to Jenova to make a helluva entrance, "he muttered.
        Reeve looked to Sephiroth, demanding his attention, sick of it all. "Is this an earthquake?" he hollared, scrabbling to get to his feet, "Answer me, god dammit!" The summoned General drew masamune in one swift movement, glaring at the man and amazingly keeping his balance. Reeve's breath caught in his throat at seeing the fiery fury in his expression, but he didn't have long to ponder it. With little warning, there came a series of immense cracks like the very foundations of the world splitting apart and the twenty foot stretch of frozen tundra seperating the group of four from the glaring swordsman suddenly burst apart in jagged chunks of ice and rock, exploding outwards; vicious shrapnel of hardened ground striking at them mercilessly. Cid and Berk flew backwards, Nanaki and Reeve landing atop them in a heap, fighting off flying rock in desperation, the entire world turning upside down and doing sadistic cartwheels, earth shifting and exploding and beating them as it split apart. Berk landed, coughing, plowing up a stretch of snow with one arm raised above his forehead to fend off the plummeting chunks of debris from the sky. The sky. . . when Berk opened his eyes, fighting for air, he saw past the sharpened stone and rock and saw the sky again. And it was black. Not the black of night or the black of a storm, but the black of nothingness. It sucked at his dark eyes, made it impossible to look away.
        Was that Jenova? he wondered absently, lungs on fire, Was it their enemy doing that to the blameless skies?
        A blinding glow of white grabbed his attention and Berk renewed his hold on his weapon, taking a shallow breath and flipping over onto his stomach, a twinge in his shoulder letting him know it hadn't been a consequence-free landing. He saw Cid and the others out of the corner of his eye, the pilot leaning up on two elbows, rubbing snow out of his hair. His features were dyed white by some harsh illumination and Berk turned his face up to see what it was; what Cid and the others were looking upon; what had burst from the earth in that violent but glorious explosion of ice.
        But before he could make it out, Cid smacked a hand over his eyes.
        "What the hell?! "Berk protested, scrabbling at the pilot's fingers, "Get yer hand offa me, Mr. Highwind!"
        "Kid like you shouldn't be seein' this. . . "he muttered, staring forward, the pilot's rough voice a whisper carried away by the fierce winds. Berk growled a curse and pried his hand off anyway, flinging it back to him petulantly. What was it? Was it Jenova standing there? Was she some slimy monster with five heads, a lotta arms, dripping ooze and nasty things? Didn't this guy know that Berk didn't let that stuff phase him? Ha. . .
        He crawled forward on his elbows, ignoring Reeve and Nanaki's protesting whispers from behind as they struggled to free themselves of the debris they were half-buried beneath. Cid moved with him at his left side, the both of them shoving rolling rocks from their path as the wild winds plastered them to the ground. Berk pulled himself up, leaning hard on a huge slab of stone jutting up to bar his way. As Cid cursed him for not listening, he peered forward and finally got a good look at the thing that had made such a grand entrance.
        "Oh. . . "he breathed, clueing in, "Er. . . oh. Okay then."
        Jenova had blasted what was almost a second Crater in the stretch of barren field before Berk's eyes; a hole prickled with upright shards of broken stone and ice at its edges, flurries of snow settling so delicately on the debris. But the Planet's beauty was nothing. Berk didn't even pay attention fo the pristine white flakes. Silent and solemn, Jenova herself hovered in the center of the new Crater, her body embedded in a nest of writhing white light; flickering, tangible strands of energy that licked about her bare flesh and sizzled in the air, lighting their mistress and the new surroundings harshly, blasting away all shadows and bleaching the world to a colorless white.
        "Fuck me, but she's beautiful. . . "Berk breathed, straightening, an arm wrapping around his throbbing chest, gazing and gazing at Jenova's final form. Cid yanked him down again, cuffing him upside the head, but then the pilot shot his wide eyes back to their enemy, unable to look away.
        She was breathtakingly beautiful; beautiful in a way that wasn't natural, so unnatural as a matter of fact, that her perfection made her almost ugly. Nearly seven feet tall, she hung suspended above the black void of the abyss she'd sprang from, ebony hair billowing softly past her feet, a velvety backdrop for the pale skin of the rest of her body to stand against. Gentle yellow eyes blinked slowly, almost lazily, taking in the black and blasted lip of the Crater, at ease and unconcerned with the fact that she was unclothed and seemingly vulnerable to the freezing Northern air. She moved languidly, as though stretching from a long sleep and Berk oggled her body, dark eyes running up and down her legs and across her breasts.
        "Stop that!" Cid commanded lowly, smacking him again, "Don't let the li'l vixen see ya looking at her like that. Don't give the bitch the pleasure!"
        "B- but. . . " Berk blinked hard, remembering to breathe, "But she is friggin' gorgeous, ain't she? It just isn't me that thinks so, right? Tell me ya think so too or I'm gonna be convinced I'm crazy!"
        Cid tore his eyes away and glanced down at the wedding band on his right hand.
        "I plead the fifth, "he murmered.
        "Man, I wish I had a camera. . . "
        "Reeve!" Cid hissed, smacking Berk yet again and jerking around, "Don't you think you should call Marlene and tell her to get her ass in gear! Blow this bitch away before she goes ballistic!"
        Reeve stared forward at his friend blankly for a moment, then shook his head, eyes squinted against the blinding bright illumination dripping from Jenova, and whipped out his cellphone like a gun from a holster. Before he could even switch it on though, it flew from his hand as Nanaki snapped at him, almost taking off a few fingers. Reeve muttered a protest and a question but Nanaki only gestured back to Jenova, his one eye lowered and sad.
        "Look, "he whispered.
        Reeve and the others turned away from him and back towards that wavering light surrounding the. . . the monster? Should they call her a monster? the Shinra President wondered. Whatever. He peered into the blinding white, squinting to see past the curlings of power, wondering what the wicked stuff would do if he happened to touch it. With no small amount of difficulty, he forced his gaze to move past the top of Jenova's head, thinking he saw something strange there, some form obscured by the light, wrapped in the glow as though bound with it, imprisioned by intangible tentacles. There was a face there, washed out, pale and agonized, Reeve could make it out beyond the glow; a familiar faint face that made him want to break down. Cid spoke before he could.
        "That's Cloud up there, "he muttered, "She's got Cloud. Poor kid."
        Reeve scrambled for his fallen cell phone and slapped it to his lips.
        "Sir!" Marlene answered after two rings, voice panicked, "What is it?! Thirty seconds, give us thirty seconds!!"
        "No! Don't fire! Cloud's up there, you can't hit her without hurting Cloud!"
        "Cloud? Cloud?! President Reeve, sir, what do Elder Bugah and I do??"
        He lowered the phone from his mouth, staring blankly ahead at Jenova's stoic figure, her gentle lie of a smile, death swirling over her features. She stared back with yellow eyes, mocking him. He could see the laughs there, the dare, the challenge. She was going to kill them all. But she was going to hurt them first and laugh at their agony.
        "Tell Marlene to fire."
        "What?!"
        Reeve snapped about to Nanaki, shocked at the words, but the creature wouldn't meet his eye. "I said tell her to fire. This is the choice. And. . . I think it's an obvious one."
        "No!" Berk clenched his fists, swiveling towards him with a snarl. His eyes darted to his companions for back-up. "No! We can't and we won't. If we can't save one guy what the hell's the point of alla this, huh? There has to be another way!"
        "But there isn't, "Nanaki insisted passionately, shaking his furry head as his mane slapped in the wind, "Is there?"
        "I won't fire this weapon at Uncle Cloud, "Marlene stated calmly from over the phone. Reeve frowned at the words, torn and terrified. He swallowed hard, looking towards his friend's barely visible form hidden away from them all, hidden away as he'd been all week, seperated from those people he belonged with by demons they couldn't fight.
        "No, Marlene, "he answered, "No, you won't. Fuck this. Cid!"
        "What?"
        "Suggestions?"
        The pilot thought for a moment, sitting there in the dirt and drilling Venus Gospel into the ground distractedly.
        "Nope."
        He sighed at the word, glaring through whipping blonde bangs towards Cloud as the others were silent and fearful behind him. The winds were picking up, blasting dirt and snow into their eyes but Jenova was seemingly above the Planet's pathetic rage. The gale couldn't touch her, it only caused the shining black strands of her hair to seperate and shimmer with the light of the crackling electrical storm, pushing some of the concealing power away from Cloud's pale face. Cid saw that he was held above and behind the monster, unconscious and bleeding a bit from some wound in his chest. The pilot immediately had the urge to dash out there and tear his friend free, save him from the harpy who had him trapped, bat that power away and make him whole again. His fist closed around Venus Gospel's shaft and he fought back the desire, slamming the ground with his other hand in his frustration.
        "Release that man."
        Sephiroth's order was curt and unyielding. All eyes snapped towards him as he emerged from the darkness, masamune extending from his left hand like a single beam of light. He narrowed his gaze at Jenova, the wind's fury tearing at his cloak the only noise filling the air.
        Jenova's phantom smile widened as the familiar form of the human stepped into her line of vision. She half-shut her eyes lazily, stretching her limbs, and Berk wished she'd put some clothes on, he was having a hard time concentrating.
        "Sephiroth. . . "
        Sephiroth noticeably stiffened upon hearing his name spoken so carelessly by that creature before them. It occured to Nanaki how bizarre it must be for him to be facing this evil now after it had played such a prominent part in ruining his life. Forgetting the situation for just a moment, he peered into the man's face, not sure what he was looking for. Whatever it was, all he found was anger.
        "Release him, "he repeated, stepping forward. The rest of the group immediately stepped back.
        Jenova laughed long and loud, golden strains of mirth that meandered to their ears, unbroken by the wind. "Sephiroth, "she laughed, her voice echoing in the air, "How long it's been, my love. Mothers aren't supposed to admit it, but I feel inclined to let you know you probably were my favourite son. It was too bad that you were killed. Unworthy, is all, after everything was said and done. But not like this man. Not like Cloud Strife."
        On cat feet, she approached Sephiroth, a train of white energy trailing at her heels, and took a deep drag off of the freezing wind. She felt more awake now, more prepared. It was time to begin.
        "I see your wide eyes, "she remarked conversationally, walking through the air, swinging her hips, flashing a wide, friendly smile at the group watching her, "I'm beautiful, am I not? Despite what you think of me, I am the one who was wronged, I am the gorgeous, righteous element in this war. Not this, this. . . rock. This Planet. . . it is as pathetic, as ugly, as worthless as you, my dear Sephiroth. Fitting that it chose you to represent it. Ha, what will you do to stop me, regent of the Planet? You haven't any power. I could kill those people behind you with a snap of my fingers and what would you do? Stand there with your sword as I tear them apart. You should have stayed in your hell, you sniveling wretch. It was safer there. Or were you thirsty to destroy more, to watch more killed? Is that why you've come? Are you truly fighting to save your world, or are you fighting to feed that bloodlust you always had? I remember you, Sephiroth. I sculpted you, I know exactly what you are."
        Her words sent shivers through him, he'd spent a lifetime assaulted by those very same ideas she spouted now. But not anymore.
        "Release him and leave or I'll be forced to obliterate you, "he answered simply. Reeve and Nanaki exchanged glances behind his back, the both of them hiding behind boulders.
        "Maybe he's trying to intimidate her, "Reeve suggested hopefully.
        Nanaki shook his head. "Maybe he's suicidal, "he growled.
        "But he's already dead."
        "Well then, maybe he's just crazy."
        "Nail. Head. You hit it."
        "You know how unfair my imprisionment was. . . "Jenova whispered lowly to Sephiroth, her tone changing from a mocking laugh to indignant anger, "And your fighting me makes you nothing more than another human attempting to perpetuate an imbalance that can only end in destruction. Why do you fight? Let me perform my function!"
        "Your function is nothing more than to kill us all. Humans have no choice but to fight in the name of Life, "Sephiroth stated simply, "Whether it's right or not. And so I say again, release Cloud and move on. Or I will fight."
        Jenova roared in rage at the words, dark black brows lowering over eyes that glinted like amber. But then she wiped the anger away and laughed hideously, her power flaring up red as blood and vibrating outwards in waves, immediately melting the rocks about her form; breaking them apart and turning them to red molten stone that drained away, bubbling up and spitting steam into the freezing air. The ground cracked beneath her and more magma oozed upwards from the fissure, sizzling as it hit the chill, choking the air in smoke and pinkish steam. Sephiroth stepped backwards, grimacing, wondering just what was coming but knowing what he had to do. He gave a shout and leapt towards the woman-shaped beast, sword poised and angled to cut her in half but with a raucous shout of unbridled joy, Jenova leapt away, moving in a mess of white light and crackling energy, her hair snapping in the wind like a glistening black cloak. Sephiroth jerked about in time to be knocked backwards painfully, masamune flying from his hand. He pushed himself up quickly and saw Jenova darting away, stark white against the blackened sky.
        "What the hell was that. . ?" Berk pulled himself to his feet in a few quick movements, not even having seen what had knocked him down, it'd moved so fast. Gripping his weapon, he ran a few steps after Jenova's retreating form but almost immediately froze, terrified, suddenly seeing her intentions.
        Sephiroth saw them too and marveled at the evil, amazed by it even as he was disgusted. Darting forward, brushing dirt from his clothes, he distractedly hoped that the Planet had known what it was doing when it had decided to allow him to defend it.
        "She's heading for the HighWind!" Berk hollared in a panic to whoever was listening, "The kids are on there, Marlene's underneath!!"
        Pumping his arms, he threw himself wholeheartedly after the monster, squinting his eyes as he ran straight after the white glow surrounding her. But she was too quick, moving with unimaginable speed that at the same time was completely effortless to her. What the hell was she? Berk demanded, And did they have any chance of doing anything to her? He asked himself the questions fearfully as he ran, nearly getting knocked to the ground as Cid and Reeve pushed past him.
        "What the hell's she gonna do?" Cid asked, half a sob in the back of his voice. He darted ahead of his friends, Venus Gospel poised to strike anything that dared hurt his baby, be it Death Incarnate or what the hell ever.
        Jenova was already at the airship's base, standing in its massive shadow. Her divinely illuminated form bathed the ship in white and she gazed upon it lovingly, mischieviously, playfully. Only a few hundred feet away, cowering behind a few convenient slabs of stone, Marlene, Bugah, CJ and Ifalna looked on as the monster surveyed the airship's magnificient bulk. Well, Marlene and Bugah looked on anyways, both of them were covering the kids eyes, Marlene having decided CJ was too young for such a graphic lesson in female anatomy.
        "Brace yourselves, "Bugah muttered, pressing against the cold stone, pulling his shoulders up around his ears as Ifalna whimpered and CJ grabbed at Marlene's hands around his eyes, insisting she let him see his dad and the stupid lady that had him hostage.
        With barely a flicker of will, barely a second of conscious thought, Jenova blasted the HighWind from the sky. With an amazing noise, it plummeted downwards in flames and plumes of black smoke, bleeding sparks, crashing to the earth with an explosion that sent a curtain of heat radiating outwards and into the horrified faces of everyone watching.
        Reeve froze in his tracks, mouth agape.
        "CJ!"
        "Ifalna!" Berk hollared, feeling sick.
        "My airship!!!" Cid fell forward on his knees, mouth opening and closing, blinking in disbelief. He collapsed onto his stomach, clawing the dirt, tears coming to his eyes. Those new flames danced before him, changing the stark white-lit surroundings to a deep bloody red. It couldn't be. . . and Jenova was just hovering there like some mighty goddess, some fucking diety too strong for any of them to touch. . . he shot to his feet, intent on running forward and drop kicking the silly bitch to the moon, but Reeve held him back with a strong, friendly hand on his shoulder.
        "No!! The kids, my ship, Reeve, I'm gonna fuckin' kill her!!"
        "The kids're okay, they're over there with Marlene and Bugah, I see 'em!! Cid, don't attack her, it's suicide! Remember Chaos?"
        "Fuck Chaos and fuck Jenova!! That was the last straw!!"
        Reeve, Nanaki, and Berk all jumped their friend, pinning his arms down as the HighWind's remains settled, bright fires scorching the steel and random explosions thundering through the air. The heat was intense, they could feel it from where they crouched in the dirt, and Reeve watched it burning with a sick feeling in his stomach, eyes darting to the nearby boulders as CJ and Ifalna jumped up and down, impressed by the explosion and waving to him cheerily, Marlene trying to grab at CJ. He squirmed away from her, eyes pasted on Jenova as she laughed like a little girl at play. His feature's sobered markedly once he saw his dad.
        "I don't care if she kills me, I'm gonna make her pay!! No one disresepects me like that, no one!!" Cid struggled to be free, smacking Berk in the chin and sending him reeling back. The young Turk stood, rubbing his jaw, and glanced to the skies, wondering what was coming next. Once he saw it, he thought for sure he was going to throw up all over the place.
        "P-president? President Reeve, sir?" he stuttered, the cruel winds lashing him with a renewed vehemence, "Sir. . . look. Aw, sonnuvabitch, tell me that ain't who I think it is. . . "
        Reeve turned about, still trying to control Cid, noticing Dragon Weapon's silver bulk peeking out from the nearby rocks, Marlene now perched atop it at the control panel again and Bugah hiding at its base besides the kids. He breathed a quick sigh of relief, glanced quickly to Jenova who now seemed content to just watch the fires she'd created as she planned what to destroy next, then Reeve turned about to see what had Berk looking so suddenly pale. He found himself sharing his sentiments.
        "This is the last thing we need, "he mumbled, unconsciously loosing his grip on Cid and jumping to his feet, "This is like the fifth frigging finger on a knuckle sandwich. . . why, tell me why Chaos feels the need to show up now? Why? Why do the gods hate me, what did I ever do to 'em?"
        "I dunno. . . "Berk whispered, a hand shooting up to rub against his sore chest. He took a step backwards, watching the demon's approach, muttering curses and tightening his grip on his sword. Every inch of his being felt like running as far and as fast from it as he could, but he knew Marlene was watching. He couldn't look like a gibbering coward in front of Marlene, he'd rather die if it came down to it. So he shook off Reeve's hand and stepped towards the creature, jaw set in determination.
        Chaos soared from the Crater in an arc of black, wings slicing through the warring winds effortlessly and carrying him from the inky darkness of the abyss like an ascending devil. Against the dead black of the skies above, all Berk could see as the demon dove was the red of its two eyes and then the shimmer of the lightening glowing from its glistening pebbled skin. As he drew closer, the fires from the burning airship outlined him in orange.
        Vincent landed gracefully, wings folding at his back, and Tifa tightened her grip around his neck, eyes wide in fear. He put a claw out to help her to the ground and she let go hesitantly, sticking close to him when only an hour before she'd been fighting him for dear life. They both stood at the edge of Jenova's abyss, taking in the surroundings soberly, and Tifa gave a gasp upon seeing the HighWind in flames and Jenova's silent form silouhetted black against the fire.
        What was all this? She stepped forward just bit, a fist to her mouth, her knees ready to buckle.
        "Vincent, we have to stop it, "she said determindedly. Shaking all over, still unnerved by the things she'd witnessed underground, Tifa looked about for her friends and for a moment, upon seeing the burning airship, feared the worst. But she breathed easier once she caught sight of Reeve and the others nearby, a relief that only lasted for a second as Cid suddenly rocketed forward out of nowhere, Venus Gospel raised to the heavens, and had her jumping backwards.
        "Cid! What're you doing?!"
        He brushed past her with a enraged roar and leapt at Vincent, bringing his pike down in a vicious sweep that struck him in the throat and knocked him over.
        "I'll take it out on your hide, you ugly fucker!!" he hollared, voice cracking mid-sentence, "I'll cut you into horsemeat and feed you t'my chocobo, you ain't good enough t'burn!!"
        "Cid! Stop it! You don't understand!!" Tifa ran forward but Vincent shoved her back, Cid flailing his weapon in a mad rage. There was something growling in Vincent's head, a fire burning in his chest, and he had a hard time not taking one of his claws and swiping Cid's head off. The urge to fight and kill was nearly unbearable and he couldn't understand where it was coming from. Narrowing crimson eyes, wings spreading vicious at his back, he grabbed at Cid's jacket and flung him hard to the ground, battling the desire to finish him off with a swift swipe to his jugular.
        Was that Chaos' desire? Was it his own? He didn't know and he didn't care to find out, not if he could avoid it. This new twist of fate was unsettling despite its intrigue and he didn't fully understand it. Full circle perhaps. Perhaps Hojo's intention had been to show him he could be whole if he wanted to. He could be what he'd been and what he'd become and make something new of it. Or maybe Hojo had just been fucking insane and delirious as he'd laid dying on the floor of his broken laboratory and penned that letter. Vincent just wasn't too sure how deeply he should bother looking into it all, or how seriously he should consider the words of a madman to be. He was just so tired of struggling to find an identity, struggling to live a life that he was convinced had ended a long time ago. But at least he wouldn't let himself hide anymore. Whatever the world did to him, he face it head on.
        "Cid!" Tifa raced to her fallen friend even as he was struggling to stand and charge again, the beginnings of a smouldering vendetta raging in his eyes, "No, no, something's happened and that's not Chaos, it's really Vincent! Please, get a hold of yourself!"
        "What're you talkin' about, dammit?" Cid leaned on his pike, face contorted in a scowl, inching forward slowly to lunge again, "Did you see what happened to my airship?! Did you see?! I ain't playing anymore, I'll see that ugly bastard dead and that ugly bitch in pieces if I hafta sell my soul t'do it! Chaos!!"
        He raised his weapon again and flew forward, the honed blade sweeping from Vincent's skin and then sliding from Cid's hand into the ground. Vincent again grabbed at his friend, rougher than he meant to, claws cutting into his shoulder. He stoicly held him at arms length, unable to keep from grinning as Cid kicked and swore at the air, red-faced and panting. In all patience, he held him there for a moment until the pilot finally began to wonder why Chaos wasn't just tearing him to pieces. His scowl drained away slowly and he quit struggling, dangling from Vincent's claws, arms lifeless at his sides, the freezing winds beating at him with a mocking fury. Looking him in the eye as though to ask if he was quite finished, Vincent gently set Cid down on the ground and took a step backwards as he straightened his collar, bent over to retrieve Venus Gospel, and swiped a few trembling fingers through his hair, flicking it back from his face composedly. After a moment or two, he stuck one hand in his pocket, tapped his foot in impatience, and asked casually, "Yo, Vince, what's up? Feelin' better?"
        With cautious footsteps, Reeve, Berk, and Nanaki approached and Tifa quickly explained the new circumstances as Cid eyed Vincent skeptically, tapping his pike against the side of his boot. Flames roared nearby and he clenched his teeth against the sound, focasing his thoughts elsewhere.
        "Are you all right, Tifa?" Reeve insisted, sweeping his friend up in a relieved embrace half-way through her lecture. She laughed weakly and gave him a reassuring pat, shoving him away.
        "No, "she answered, "But I'm not the one to worry about. How about you guys? I'm sorry I left you back there, I panicked, I suppose, ran off and worried you all and didn't even manage to do any frigging good to anybody."
        "Don't be so hard on yourself, we're all about useless, "Reeve assured her, cheered just a bit by her return, "But at least Vincent's back with us, thank God. Chaos is one less thing to worry about and I'm sure Berk's glad to hear it, now if we can only-- "
        "Alright! "Cid cut in quickly, shutting his teammate's prattle up with a single sweep of his arm, "We got off to a bad fuckin' start, so let's try this again. We have to get Cloud away from Jenova. Anyone see where Sephy got off to?"
        Tifa's breath caught in her throat and the sound of the name but she kept quiet. Reeve eyed her sympathetically and grabbed a hold of her arm.
        "C'mon, "he commanded, "I'll take you to the kids, we don't have any business being out here, we're about as useless as toes."
        "No, Reeve! I'm not going anywhere unless it's with Cloud, "Tifa insisted, flinging off his arm, "Where is Jenova?"
        "That's an excellent question. . . "Nanaki muttered, glancing towards the Highwind's wreckage and grimly noticing the demon had disappeared, "Let's keep our guards up, I have a feeling she won't move off until she's sure we're dead."
        "We don't want her to move off though, "Berk insisted, looking to the right and left, cold sweat dribbling down his back and sticking his shirt to his skin. He put himself into a loose attack stance, katana wavering before his face, ready to slice anything that threatened he or his friends. "We have to keep that thing here, we have to take it out. Where'd she go?"
        The group was quiet, looking about, that very question on everyone's mind.
        There is something familiar about this scene. . .
        The disembodied voice came at them like a weapon, rolls of thunder punctuating the beginning and end. Reeve pulled his damp collar from his neck, eyeing the blackness of the dead sky, the flames from the HighWind making the world look covered in blood.
        Something familiar. . . but this time, it will be you that die. I shall kill you all first, the "heroes". . . yes. Then I take care of the rest of your race. A Meteor this time? No, no, nothing so quick, you've all lost your chance to end it so easily. Slow and tortuous, as my long imprisionment was, I'll give your race time to ponder its sins before I send you all to hell. A famine, a flood. . . forty days of fire, something excruciating. . . it's a difficult decision but I hardly mind that. . .
        The Crater was darkening, the sun gone, hidden behind the void that was the sky. A bitter storm spewed snow at them, wind so fierce it made their cheeks raw and bloody.
        "Jenova!!" Tifa cried into the blackness, Reeve's hand on her shoulder, "This ends now! Give us back Cloud!"
        Vincent's eyesight was far better than the rest. He turned his blazing red eyes to the darkness, thinking he saw some movement, some distant glow. He was right. With unimaginable speed, a brilliantly illuminated female figure shot at them, arms blazing with a pulsating power, leaving a trail of energy and light behind her. A beautiful sight almost, the way she melted from the dark, but her intentions were deadly and focased on the group of six.
        Berk lashed out with sword that was too slow and too ineffectual, the blade passing through Jenova's form harmlessly. The young Turk darted away to avoid the bursts of raw power drenching the monster as she passed among them, enjoying herself immensely and in no hurry to end her play so soon. He fell back, the very rocks beneath his feet crumbling beneath the intensity of their enemy's glory.
        "We are like ants fighting God, "Tifa murmered, cringing from the monster, grabbing unconsciously at the cuff of Reeve's jacket as he pushed her back.
        "What?" he panicked, "What?!"
        "Reeve, where are my kids?"
        He knocked his friend to the ground and they both rolled away as the very air sizzled about their bodies. "With Marlene and Bugah!" he answered above the roaring of the wind, "They're fine!"
        Berk gave Reeve a glance, skipping over the crumbling ground, dodging the puddles of molten rock, and sliced at Jenova again, a graceful sweep of silver that would've beheaded a normal adversary but it passed through Jenova as though she were air.
        "That's fair as shit!" he protested, darting to the side, "Fight fair, lady!"
        "Ha!" Cid laughed, dark brows lowered over snapping eyes, "Bitch baddies like her don't fight fair, they just take every advantage they can get and stab ya in the back at every turn. Ain't that right, ya ugly little whore? You wanna blast another airship? Eh? C'mon, Red, let's give her a haircut, I'd love to hang her up by that black mane of hers. . . "
        Nanaki shrugged, knowing Cid was too far gone over a mountain of rage to even bother reasoning with. Jenova's words did nothing but fan that fire.
        "Why do you fight so desperately to free your friend? Cloud Strife was going to kill you all. He has killed you all. He didn't give a second thought to the fact that destroying the Planet meant all of you would die along with it. He didn't care, he didn't mind. Everything was immaterial in his lust for revenge. Don't you hate him for that? Don't you enjoy watching him wrapped and choking in the very power he helped bring about?!" Jenova laughed heartily, the harsh sounds breaking apart like glass in the air and she laughed even harder as Berk, Cid, and Nanaki charged her, their weapons as useless as paper fans against her divinity. But when Vincent attacked, she noticed.
        Her laughter cut off sharply as he landed in a crouch, grinning, the strain of fighting off that bloodlust easing up as he allowed himself to lash out. Jenova smiled faintly, one thin hand going up to smear away a line of purple blood from her brow.
        "You're not Chaos. . . "she remarked casually, "Where is Chaos, Vincent?"
        I told you before. He's dead.
        "Hm. Not entirely true. But true enough, I see. How unfortunate. Why don't you join him, you miserable worm?" With a sudden scream of rage that nearly deafened him, Jenova struck out, sending Vincent flying back, body slamming painfully against the unforgiving side of an upturned boulder. He slid down sickeningly, sure that he'd felt his spine snap. He struggled to stand, blinking hard, the dark world going darker, but with a snap of realization, he suddenly swiveled one red eye about, the glimmer of silver in the distance grabbing his attention. Sephiroth approached slowly, his mouth a grim, determined frown. He stood in front of Vincent, shielding him from Jenova's gaze and planted himself there, masamune drawn and quivering in his hand. Jenova seemed almost surprised to see him again, she'd thought he'd surely fled after confronting the old monster again, the sight of the thing that had controlled him years ago too much for his tortured psyche to bear. But here he was again, just as she remembered him. Her Sephiroth. Her murderer. That lone human she'd placed on a pedestal and entwined in lies and false promises, telling him he deserved to be a God and laughing as he'd believed it, desperate to believe, desperate to be anything but an inhuman, unloved experiment, a mass of motherless flesh with nothing to call his own save his skill and the meaningless number one tatooed on his hand. She'd been willing to be his family, if only for long enough to get what she wanted from him. He'd played into her hands so effortlessly. Perhaps that was why Jenova thought of him as her favourite.
        Sephiroth swung masamune in a Z-shape before him, the blade singing through the air and then dancing to its own song. He pointed to Cloud with it and his voice rang out, assured.
        "His only crime is his humanity, "he said quietly, "And if that is such a crime, kill us all. And start with me. I fight you in the name of all of us. I fight you in the name of Life."
        With a roar of rage, Sephiroth leapt forward onto a massing of broken stone, his agile feet finding the best holds with almost supernatural precision. Masamune swung around his head, the silver of the blade playing in the silver of its master's snapping hair as he lashed out. Jenova took a swipe across the shoulder before she got a hold of herself enough to swing back, moving through the empty air with a push of her arms, hair swirling about her head like a school of hissing black snakes. Light dripped from her and sizzled into the ground as she rose, eyeing Sephiroth in cold anger as he stood perched on the highest boulder of the formation he'd leapt upon, sword at his side, green eyes snapping pleasureably with the conflict, with this chance to fight the thing that had ruined him and perverted his life.
        Vincent pushed himself painfully to his feet, something within roaring for him to join this battle. He looked around and saw the others cowering nearby, watching Sephiroth and Jenova struggling with awe and fear in their eyes.
        "How can he fight her?" Reeve asked no one imparticular. He knelt in the dirt, an arm around Tifa, brushing snow out of his eyes.
        "She's one side o' coin, he's the other, "Cid explained easily, "Or at least, ole Seph there is fighting for the other. Captain Planet had better watch himself, she isn't playing around."
        "The General seems to be watching himself just fine, "Berk commented with a whistle, wincing as Sephiroth took a jab in the sternum and doubled over for a second gasping for air. Jenova took advantage of her successful attack to beat him savagely with a burst of energy in the back of his head, but he shook it off, leaping away to regain his composure, then immediately charging again, masamune moving like a ray of moonlight through the air.
        "I wonder if Marlene would sell me his summon materia. . . "Cid wondered with half a grin.
        "I doubt it, she probably-- hey!! Now what the hell is he doing?! Vincent!!" Reeve lost his balance and fell backwards, taking Tifa with him as Vincent suddenly appeared before them all, diving on Jenova savagely and tearing at her shoulders with two vicious claws and a swipe of horns. He maneuvered gracefully in the air, swiping the edge of a wing into her back and she screamed in something like pain, whipping about and blasting him to the ground. White exploded in his eyes as he hit the rocks, getting fouled up and tangled in his own wings.
        Ungrateful. . . attacking me with the very power I've granted you. Insolent and ungrateful and treacherous. Why did Hojo grow so human at the end? More weakness, more pathetic righteousness; a final act to ease his suffering heart after a lifetime of torturing his own kind. Do you see why you all need to die? You hurt yourselves, it isn't me. You're all animals who should be disposed of for your own good. I am not evil, I am necessary, I am the one who will end all the suffering in the world. And you know it. And still you fight. . .
        Jenova descended towards him, her feet almost touching the ground, but not entirely, too repugnant of that earth to ever needlessly come in contact with it. Vincent looked up at her through half-closed eyes as she formed a sudden blade-like projection of power in her right hand and jabbed him through the shoulder with it. He cried out in pain, then gasped and grit his teeth as she twisted her sword through his wound, laughing softly. "If you cannot. . . will not be what I want, "she whispered, the air crackling with her power, "Then I do not need you anymore, Vincent."
        Her blade came free in a spray of red and she reared the arm back again, this time aiming for his heart. Vincent watched her desperately, red eyes narrowed, looking for opportunity. He found it, glancing just past her shoulder and through the power emanating from her body, making out the gleam of pure silver behind her. Snarling, he kicked outwards, slamming two powerful legs into her soft stomach and sending her flying backwards, straight into an extended, seven foot blade. Masamune slid cleanly through her stomach and she stared at it impassively, her own sword sizzling away to a few dying sparks.
        "Vincent!"
        Leaping to his feet, shaking off the hole in his shoulder though it kept him from using his right arm, Vincent looked for the source of the shout and saw Tifa in the distance, form lit by Jenova's light and the still-burning fires of the HighWind. She didn't have to say a word he knew exactly why she'd called him.
        Jenova drifted forward, her body sliding soundlessly off of Sephiroth's sword. She darted away, twisting around to face him, the gash in her abdomen immediately healing, leaving nothing but a purplish scar, barely visible. She raised her right hand and wagged a finger in her attacker's stoic face, as though rebuking him as nothing more than a naughty child. Sephiroth darted a roving green eye past her blinding form as she quickly worked a ball of black energy into a solid, lethal spike, rearing back to take his head off with it. He smiled at what he saw there.
        With a determined roar, Vincent darted forward, held aloft by spread, black wings, then dove soundlessly into the massing of curling energy surrounding Jenova's upper half. The white light was thick and tangible, caustic and burning to the touch as Vincent discovered when he plunged his claws into it, searching for Cloud. Snarling and struggling, he felt his friend's shoulders buried in the vile light, skin cold and clammy, covered in a thick sweat that made him hard to get a hold of. Jenova whipped about, a snarl of rage and disbelief curling her thick red lips up into a grimace as she lashed out with both arms, anger making her clumsy.
        "Get your hands off of him!!" she screamed, "He's mine!"
        Sephiroth took advantage of Jenova's carelessness and impaled her again through the back, stabbing for her heart though the wound did nothing but cause her anger to rise, her scream to mount in pitch and fury. Vincent snarled as she raked his face and neck with her dark power, the light he was half engulfed in burning like liquid fires across his skin. He pulled with all the strength he could gather, his claws wrapped around Cloud's waist now, as though struggling to free him from quicksand. He was going to free him! This was going to end!

        Something was cutting into him. A sharp burning pain in his sides, a contrast to the duller burning fire everywhere else. As much as it hurt, this pain was real and he clung to it, white exploding in front of his eyes in flashes of brilliance. But then Cloud gave a gasp as a devil's dark face replaced the white, two bright crimson eyes searching out his own and begging him to crawl free.
        Wasn't this where he belonged? Cloud was tired of struggling; he'd freed Jenova, she could deal with it now, he wasn't going anywhere.
        "Lemme alone. . . "he mumbled, eyes slipping shut, too tired to struggle but honestly meaning his words. Why wouldn't it all go away? Why wouldn't it all leave him alone?

        Sephiroth leapt into the air and brought masamune down into his adversary's bare shoulder, the air whistling around the blade and fresh purple blood exploding from the wound.
        "You think you can harm me? Me?" She whipped about and threw herself on the General, knocking him to the ground as Vincent wrapped his arms around Cloud and the both of them flew backwards, coming free from the monster's power in a splash of blood and white light. Sephiroth watched their escape, glaring past Jenova's flailing arms and the sizzle of her fury, then gave a labored grunt and rolled from under the monster, pushing himself to his feet.
        "You see? "he panted, "You cannot win. You're stronger than the Planet, stronger than me, but you're outnumbered. Fight until the end only to fall again. You'll fall, time after time after time."
        "I'll tear you apart, Sephiroth, you blasphemous, babbling traitor!"
        "Reeve!!"
        The Shinra President looked up from watching the battle, tearing his eyes away as Jenova screamed and blasted their ally with the intensity of her power, the atmosphere crackling as her energy poured through it in waves of alternating silver and violet light. As it blasted upwards, any sky that hadn't already turned black did so, the reds, the blues, the colors burning away as Reeve looked on, sweat pouring off his brow. Cid shook him violently and bellowed, "Call Marlene! They've freed Cloud! Time to take this piece of shit out for good!"
        "Marlene. . ?"
        "Yeah, the girlie with the missle launcher, remember?"
        "Mr. President, sir, hurry!"
        Berk ground his teeth in anxiety, afraid the heavens would come crashing down. The air was so suddenly hot and crackling, full of steam as the snow continued to fall and was immediately blasted to nothing. He had a feeling that something was coming, something big. They had to act before it got there. He swiped at the cruel air as Reeve dialed with trembling fingers, his eyes glued to the battle before him. Life versus Death. He'd never thought such a conflict could be so gripping.

        Burning. He was falling and burning, like a star plummeting from heaven.
        Winds rushed past his face, icy cold, killing the pain and numbing his flesh and darkness came again. So easy to just go to sleep. Exhausion tickled the backs of his eyelids and through the whirlwind of sensations, the fluttering of his eyelashes against his cheeks stood out.
        Cloud hit the cold ground with a jolt, his chin slamming into the rocks and plowing up a mouthful of dirt and ice. He lay there breathing hard, eyes shut and face pressed into the earth, entire body shivering with the chill of the wind.
        Where was he?
        He could've opened his eyes and looked but he was too exhausted. He was probably somewhere wretched anyway, gone off now to another rock-littered island, full of decay, full of prickling things that longed to sink their claws into his throat. Probably. Cloud lay there and pulled his limbs to his body, folding his knees to his face, trying to sleep. Muffled noises raged from far off and he listened to the sounds absently. Fighting. He heard screams and cries and he sighed deeply at the song, a long breath of the cold Northern air. What was that, he wondered weakly, What was battling? A war raging so near, powers struggling to be greater than the other. . . why were they bothering? Why did anyone have to fight? He couldn't understand it. There were so many beautiful things in the world, enough for everyone, yet people fought. Cloud curled in tighter on himself, pressing his closed eyes into his hands, tucking his elbows into the little cubbyhole of warmth between his stomach and pulled-up legs as the winds blew cold over his body.
        There was something soft, ticklish, and cold hitting his bare shoulders. Delicate flakes that struck him softly, like angel's chilly kisses. The water ran down his arms and back and Cloud smiled softly to himself, thinking of other times in the snow. Winter in Midgar was always fun; snowmen in the front yard and pegging CJ with snowballs. Trying to burn the house down with mammoth fires in the hearth and then laughing as Tifa got paranoid and scolded him and then threw another log on when his back was turned.
        He took a deep breath and slowly lowered his cold hands from his face, letting the breeze in to run across his cheeks and brow, dry the sweat and tears snaking down. Opening his eyes softly, he watched the snow meandering down from the void of black sky. The flakes swirled and eddied, dancing little fairies that formed patterns of white, putting on a show just for him. He lay his head back against the hard grey ground, silent spectator to the free performance.
        Why had it come down to something so horrible? He didn't even remember deciding to follow the commands and chase his vengeance to that cave. He'd just felt there were no other options, and hadn't cared enough to search for any. Rage was a dangerous, dangerous thing. Cloud thought he'd learned that lesson a long time ago, but a new teacher had arisen to give an example to accompany the fact. Rage was dangerous, and rage was lethal in his hands, he'd proven that to himself these past few days. Jenova and Hojo had given him tools and he'd used them to destroy, take back a little of the life stolen from him so unfairly. And he had. Cloud realized he'd achieved his aims, he destroyed so much. Whether Jenova succeeded in her freedom or not, he'd obliterated Midgar, that steamy, divided city to the south. He remembered it now, so so clearly, the fog had lifted from his memory and he recalled his every action with startling clarity. It had just hurt so bad.
        He couldn't even cry anymore. But he didn't particularly feel the need. The anguish had burnt itself out in his heart and Cloud only felt unspeakably cold and frozen. He turned slowly onto his back, settling his arms at his side, and stared upwards at the falling snow against the mantle of black. It seemed as though every star in a nightsky were floating down to alight on his skin, comfort their poor fallen comrade. The comforts were cold but so was his gratefulness for their efforts. Not cold from a lack of emotion, but cold from too much emotion; cold because the fire of his heart had burnt out. He was too exhausted to harness that rage anymore. But the rage was gone anyway. He didn't know where it was, but it had fled and all Cloud could do was accept what he'd done, what had happened, and let the facts of the matter echo softly in his mind as he lay, gazing up, unblinking, at the falling snow. He put a hand up to catch a flake, as though to catch one of his own drifting thoughts, melt it, crush it to nothing. But he found he couldn't do it. The fleck of virgin white lay cold against his skin, slowly dissolving, and Cloud found he couldn't harm it. He couldn't harm it any more than he could forget what he'd done. He wouldn't retreat into comfortable forgetfulness as he had in the past. No. . . he neither deserved it, nor was capable of it anyways. Not this time. He'd grown up. He wasn't a beaten down sixteen year old who couldn't handle trauma or pain so he became someone else. No. He was, as often as it hurt him to admit it, no one else but Cloud Strife. He'd keep his name, it was his, no matter how tarnished, blood-stained, or mocking it was. He was Cloud Strife and he'd destroyed a city, resurrected an evil that would destroy his race, and he'd hurt a lot of people. He'd done it all because he'd been unable to control loosened elements in his mind and body, been unable to fight back against warring powers, against mako and Jenova, Life and Death's grapples for control. . . he'd been cohersed in a lot of ways. But to hide amidst that cohersion was the same as hiding behind the identity of a Soldier named Zack. No, Cloud had done what he'd done for revenge's sake, because he'd passionately believed that the lives of his children had been worth so much that they couldn't be allowed to die by themselves, or that the indifferent eyes of the Planet who'd watched them fall and done nothing, done nothing even though Cloud had given his soul in the past for it, even though those two children had never done a single thing to it but be born upon its surface, should be allowed to go on. They'd fallen and the Planet had watched them fall. And Cloud could swear he remembered the sound of it laughing in his ears, a silent mirth reserved solely for the man it betrayed.
        And that was why he'd turned to Jenova.
        "Are you sure?"
        The voice was so soft, a whisper amidst the falling snow. Cloud recognized it as that accusing little boy and he sighed quietly, blinking softly, turning his head against the cutting rocks and raising a weary hand to sweep blonde from his eyes. Jeek stood there casually, catching snowflakes on his tongue. He closed his mouth suddenly and smiled down at Cloud, repeating his question.
        "Are you sure, Mister? It's a selfish reason, I think."
        Cloud smiled weakly, looking at the little boy through half-lowered lashes. "You're right, "he murmered sadly, "But there's nothing for it now."
        Jeek watched as the man slowly pushed himself to a standing position, pulling his knees up under his chin and wrapping cold arms around his legs. He sat there for a moment, staring off at the sweeping wall of rock before him, cliffs reaching up hundreds of feet and disappearing into gloom. The noises of war echoed behind him, accompanied by the harsh red glow of something burning. Firelight flickered off the grey of the rock. What was burning? Nibelheim? Midgar? Icicle Inn? He could remember it all so clearly as he sat there, Jeek eyeing him; a string of fires, some his, some not. Destruction and death. Besides his family, his life had been nothing but destruction and death. Training to do both more efficiently all his life. Going to Shinra to build better weapons, fight in the name of something else, after fighting in the name of Planet was no longer needed. He wanted his family back, destruction and death were cold and empty. It had been Tifa and his children that had kept his heart full for thirteen years. He wanted his love back.
        "But they're dead."
        "I know. I'm not delusional. I just miss them, is all."
        "Don't you want to fight for them anymore?"
        Jeek looked to the man in wide-eyed curiosity, wondering where his spunk had gone. Something to do with that gash in his chest no doubt. But something else too, because. . .
        "Cohersion is an excuse, "Cloud explained, pushing himself to his feet, but refusing to turn and face that battle raging behind. The snow against the firelight was gorgeous and filled his deprived eyes with a beauty they'd been missing for weeks. He could've stood and gazed upon that snowfall for hours. Too bad the snow was so cold, that it couldn't love him back. Only one thing could do that. And Jenova had taken her away.
        "I'm tired of fighting, I want this struggle to be over. It's cold here. I only wish I could go home, find a place to lay down and go to sleep."
        "Your friends are here."
        "Are they?"
        Cloud looked at the ground, swaying a bit on unsteady feet. "They here to kill me?"
        "Probably."
        "Hmph. 'Bout time."
        He crossed arms over his bare chest, eyeing the healed wound snaking down his torso. Jenova had taken her cells back, he remembered it now. Was that why the events of the past week echoed so clearly in his mind? Was that why he couldn't feel her presence anymore, or hear that coaxing, sweet voice echoing in his mind? It made sense, he supposed. But the mako was still there, he could feel the power inside his heart, humming and buzzing in his brain. He rubbed a cold, weary hand over his nose and mouth, distractedly thinking he needed a shave, when he noticed the absence of something else.
        "The J's gone. . . "he murmered, "The scar. . . kid, is it gone?"
        Jeek peered up in disinterest, his real attention on the battle raging in the distance. He shrugged.
        "Looks like it. A shame, it was pretty cool looking."
        Jeek smiled with his words, a chilled wicked grin that pulled the corners of his mouth up almost to his glinting black eyes as Cloud ran both hands over his face, laughing in unhinged disbelief.
        "What in the hell. . ? "he whispered, feeling dirty, grimy flesh covered in three days worth of stubble, but whole and perfect flesh nonetheless. That mocking scar had healed, the mark of that monster. That morning in the alley where Sephiroth had appeared to prove to him, to show him once and for all that he couldn't fight Jenova or Hojo or their intentions for him, to "brand" him and leave him with a reminder he could never forget or wash away. . . the memory of that morning made him cringe. He'd nearly killed Barret, he'd stormed from his home and left Tifa to deal with everything by herself. That had been the start of so much of this madness. Jenova's mark, Jenova's intrusion into his life. . .
        "But it was the Planet that watched 'em fall, Mr. Cloud, "Jeek insisted, staring at the man's back as the man stared at the ground, trembling with the thoughts raining on his mind, "Right? It's the Planet and the people who turned on ya, who made you have to be a murderer just to get justice, right? You can't trust yer own head right now, you know that. Yer a freakin' nutball, you can't trust yer own judgement."
        "Shut up!" Cloud growled, watching the firelight on the walls, watching the snow, hungry for something pure and beautiful. He didn't want to turn and face what was making those fires, face what was screaming, what was yelling, face the blasts of power or the clashing of a sword against stone. But the J was gone. . . why was it gone? Had he been nothing but a possession? No! His pain and his agony had been real!! Those days of death had been real and he'd acted on his own. He'd face up to them, the thought that perhaps his children had been killed to get to him hurt too much to contemplate, it was worse, a thousand times worse than what he was convinced was the truth, that they'd died in an accident that the Planet had allowed.
        "You can't trust yer own reason, "Jeek needled in his tiny, little boy mumble, "That Jenvoa stuff is gone but now the mako's yellin' at ya! It'll use ya too, if that's what Jenova was doing! You said you were tired of fighting, you gonna go back to fighting for Life?! You gonna be a pawn again?!"
        "I wasn't a pawn!" Cloud yelled, grabbing at his head and squeezing his eyes shut, "I was hurting the world because I wanted to! Because it hurt me! Jenova was just something I wanted to use to help me!!" But what about the scar? What about that mark? What about her insisting voice always there, always pushing him on?! "No!! I wasn't a pawn! It was cowardly fucking revenge and nothing noble but it was honest if nothing else! It was my own, my own actions because I wanted to!! It couldn't have been anything else! God no! NO! The vengence was for CJ and Ifalna, not for Jenova!! Never for her!!"
        "Keep the vengence goin', "Jeek said calmly, stepping forward, white snowflakes in his black hair, "Don't quit now when yer so near to bein' done. Don't let yer kids've died for nothin'."
        "Shut up! Shut up, ya little bastard! Who are you?!" Cloud flung his arms away, breathing hard, sweat glistening on his forehead and matting his hair to his head. That fire on the wall, it flickered higher, red and imperial, beckoning him to turn and see what caused it, what was fighting, what was dying there on the lip of the Northern Crater. It wanted him to forget the peace and beauty of the snow and be immersed in more pain and ugliness, more suffering, more torture. He whipped around to Jeek and stared the little boy down, his bright green mako eyes begging to be left alone. "Something's gonna pay, you're right, "he whispered, "I won't be anyone's pawn. The Planet's or Jenova's. Neither will Tifa or anyone else. We're humans, we don't take sides. We fight for life out of necessity but we don't serve this Planet, we won't be its little lapdogs because it doesn't care for us. I can't fight the Planet and tell it that, it wouldn't have ears to hear it anyway, but Jenova. . . Death. . . it played a part in all of this. . . I'll tell her that my actions weren't done to satisfy her desires. I'll tell her right now. I fight for people, for the ones I love and care about. Elements, counters, and every other sick, fuckin', magical nuance in this world are our enemies. They interfere. But no more. Not any more. . . "
        Cloud whipped about, taking a deep, steadying breath to clear his head, then screwed his courage into a hard knot and finally gazed upon the battle at his back, at the flames licking to the sky as the HighWind burned, at his friends, his enemies, the blasted barren grotequeness of the Northern Crater. Friends and enemies. . . he saw the people there and couldn't tell them apart, faces blended, blurred, and made no sense. He saw Sephiroth there, a vision from his nightmares. . . he saw Jenova, saw that demon he'd battled back in Icicle Inn. He saw Reeve and Berk, Cid and Nanaki, friendly faces that brought tears to his eyes. . . and then he saw Tifa, and guilt tore him to pieces. He didn't deserve her, she shouldn't be touched by such tainted hands. By God, he had to find absolution.
        Jeek snapped at his heels, darting sharp words and accusations into his ears as Cloud made his way forward, eyes narrowed against the bloody raging inferno, but none of it could slow his advance into the frey. He was ready for it to end, just sad to leave the drifting snow behind, the beauty, the perfection of a white that should never have to melt away, or be caught in the feverish hands of evil such as he. Something else to avenge? Sure. He'd fight for beauty. It should never have to be defiled by the wretchedness of humanity and the warring elements.

        "Now ya see, Mr. President, sir? that's why Sephiroth kicks ass!"
        Berk clutched at the edge of a slab of rock, scrabbling at his own sword with one eager hand as he watched masamune weaving through the air impossibly fast, scattering purple blood like rain over the surrounding stone. The master warrior skipped effortlessly from rock to rock, fighting in the uneven terrain without the slightest indication that it was a hassle, keeping up with Jenova despite her numerous advantages and the fact that she fought in the air, twirling her lithe form in her own energy as though it were as easy as breathing. She dodged most of Sephiroth's thrusts with unnatural ease, countering with bursts of power that nearly always hit their mark. The general's summon-form was bleeding badly but he kept up his speed, something in his eyes betraying his desires. Berk knew he was fighting in the name of the Planet, but something there, some twitch at the corner of his mouth as Jenova mocked him unfeelingly, told the Turk that he had other reasons behind his remorseless assault. Honor, a revenge of his own, something. Berk wasn't sure but whatever it was was damned effective. Jenova was hurt too, oozing deeply purple blood from deep wounds that didn't last long. With so many of her cells returned, she was hard to hurt, possessing an unrivaled ability to heal herself that her adversaries had a hard time dealing with.
        "We may not need Dragon Weapon afterall, "Berk said cheerily and Cid glared at him, "Look at that. Our Planet's coming through, Sephiroth can take her down no problem. Ant fightin' God my ass. Ha!"
        "We're using that weapon if I have to go fire it myself, "Cid snapped, taking a few eager steps towards the battle before Nanaki leapt at him and pushed him back, "I didn't go all the way to Wutai and deal with Yuffie'n Elena for nothin'. We're going to use Dragon Weapon for something whether we weaken that monster with it, or use it t'grill up some hot dogs for lunch. Reeve, what's Marlene's friggin' hold up on firing, is she waiting for Christmas?"
        "I can't get a clear shot, asshole!! I'm a scientist, not frigging Roy Rogers!!"
        "Ooh, harsh. . . "
        Reeve moved his phone from his ear, wincing, about to tell Cid her answer but the pilot held up a hand and shook his head. He'd heard her.
        "I wanna go out there. . . "he growled, fingers wrapped tight around Venus Gospel's shaft, "She ain't gonna get away with burning my ship. Bitch don't look that tough, lemme at her. . ."
        "Sephiroth's protected by the Planet, "Nanaki muttered irritably, "And Vincent is er, well, he's Chaos, I don't feel the need to say more. You go out there, Cid, and you'll lose your head. This is no battle for we mere mortals to go sticking our noses in."
        "Why doesn't she just ignore him and us and go about her destruction?" Tifa wondered faintly, features strained with self-control as she watched the scene playing out before her eyes. She wasn't entirely believing any of it was really happening and that helped just a bit in keeping her from breaking down completely.
        "I'm not sure, "Reeve answered softly, "I don't suppose she can if the Planet's warrior hasn't been defeated yet. Or maybe she's just enjoying herself too much, or maybe this is part of her grand revenge. . . I dunno. Probably a bit of all three."
        "I'd like to tear her to pieces, "Tifa whispered, clenching her fists, her dark eyes shooting hatred towards the creature as she screamed. Reeve patted his friend comfortingly.
        "Me too. We'd all like to, Tifa. But none of us ever seem to get what we want."
        A gut-wrenching roar shattered the air and the group darted about in time to see Chaos plunge a wickedly pointed sabre through Jenova's collarbone, the point coming out her back at a sickening angle. Vincent grinned to himself in satisfaction, twisting the blade as he pulled it out, revelling in that monster's screams of agony and indignation. What was wrong with him? Why did this feel so good? Gods, it was disgusting and he hated himself for it but at the same time, he couldn't stop. He'd never been a sadist, even as a murdering, cold-hearted Turk, he'd never enjoyed to inflict pain. This primal joy bubbling inside at the feel and sight and smell of blood was Chaos', he recognized it immediately. But it wasn't a hinderance strangely enough, it was more like a tool, an advantage, Hojo had known what he was doing. It was too late for him to ever feel grateful or even begin to respect that insane professor who'd ruined his and so many peoples' lives but he was starting to understand him a bit more. As cliche as it was to say, there certainly had been a method to his madness.
        As Jenova pulled free from Chaos' sword, she stumbled backwards in the air, blood dripping down her pale body, over her stomach and down her legs before the gash could heal. Sephiroth leapt forward and gave her another one, a vicious swipe across the back of her neck, almost taking her head off. As it was, he cut off her huge massing of billowing black hair and it fell to the ground, writhing like snakes, wriggling about like living things. Vincent swooped low and cast a quick spell, setting the ebony strands on fire.
        The smoke it made was disgusting, putrid and black and both Sephiroth and Vincent had to step away from it, giving Jenova a quick moment to regain herself, whip around and immediately blast the both of them. The air solidified into white curlings of energy, electrical hands grabbing for both of their lungs and threatening to squeeze the very life from their hearts. Vincent fell forward gasping, fighting for breath but Sephiroth didn't let the evil magic phase him. He shook it off, breathing deep, then gripped masamune in both gloved hands and charged, anticipating Jenova's attempts to dart from his path, and swinging around, slashing her across the abdomen. The Planet's Counter fell backwards and purple blood pooled on the ground.
        "Do you yield?!" Sephiroth roared through pants, his blade quivering at his side.
        "Yield?!" the woman-shaped monster screamed, her voice a laugh and a snarl, a self-righteous twirl of disbelief, "I'll not yield till you all are reduced to piles of bones and blood that I'll burn in my own fires! I've not come this far to be stopped right on the verge of my destruction. Stopped by you, my own puppet, and that demon there, my own creation. Do you think I'm weak, Sephiroth? I have not begun to show you my power! It's been amusing to watch you struggle, to see the hope building up in those cowering insects, to watch the lot of you believing you'll get to go home, you'll get to be safe, be warm, be free. . . There is not a tomorrow to look forward to, I will devour all days, all nights, the very sun and moon this Planet rely upon. Then this rock shall rot and all you miserable, piteous fools with die. Give me my turn! My own stolen two thousand years, Planet! Yes, give me my two thousand years to make up for what you took from me, and I'll consider us settled. A fair deal, Sephiroth?"
        Sephiroth didn't take the time to consider it. He gave a battle cry and struck out, masamune flashing silver, then dulling over purple.
        "Chieko!!" Jenova bellowed, fighting back with renewed energy, "Chieko, you're needed! You're needed, come to me!!"
        "Aw man, don't call that thing. . . "Berk mumbled to himself, peering at the raging battle from behind the biggest boulder he could find. He'd had to move a good bit away from the rest to get the best view, but he didn't care, it was obvious that Jenova wasn't interested in him, she had her hands full with Marlene's summon and that Valentine guy. He dearly wished he could go out there and help but he was fully aware of how stupid that would be, whether it would impress Marlene or not. Aw, hell, he'd probably impressed her enough for a lifetime after saving her ass twice. Not that it was particularly difficult to let a demon run its horns through ya, but still, he was sure she'd gotten the point of what a badass he was. She was a damned smart girl afterall.
        The thoughts flew from his mind as the air pulsated faster, Jenova drawing energy into her form and flailing out with it. Berk saw that Chaos seemed down for the count, he was sprawled and bleeding at the base of a few rocks, and Sephiroth didn't look so hot himself though he wasn't allowing his injuries to hinder his attacks. Berk flinched as Jenova cut into him again, laughing as he cried out, bearing down on him like a swooping bird of prey. The Turk swallowed hard, itching to dart out there, but he restrained himself, looking about the battlefield for some opportunity to lend a hand; a rock or something he could push on the monster, like they did in movies.
        Sweeping the barren rocky field before him, squinting past the smoke, steam and glaring tangibility of Jenova's light, Berk saw something that made him pause.
        Cloud.
        He was leaning against a wall of stone, his hands in his pockets, his mussed hair in his eyes as he took in the scene before him stoicly. Sephiroth and Chaos fighting Jenova. He blinked slowly, trying to make sense of it, grinning intermittently at his own thoughts, and Berk found he couldn't tear his eyes away from him. What was he going to do? Berk wanted to see him join their ranks again, see him fight for what was just and be able to cheer him on. He was his boss and he respected him, aspired to be just like him, seeing him acting so wrong the past couple of days had torn his faith apart. But if Cloud only came around now. . . if he'd only help to correct his mistakes. . . Berk thought maybe he could respect him again.
        "Cloud!!"
        Berk snapped around and saw that Tifa'd caught sight of him too but Reeve wouldn't let her leave the safety of their hiding place. After a moment, she decided her friend was right. Heart fluttering with a desperate hope, she watched Cloud out there, form obscured by flying dust and steam, and tears came to her eyes, blurring him further. He seemed a spectre, not wholly formed, and Tifa thought she felt him teetering on the brink of some abyss. What would he do? She hoped he'd realize the truth, but then she was suddenly terrified of what would happen when he did.
        "What's he going to do?" Reeve whispered, arm wrapped around Tifa's shoulders as they both gazed off towards him. She noticed that little boy at his back, babbling things in his ear and tried to dart out there and shove the kid off him but Reeve wouldn't allow it.
        "Mr. Strife!!"
        Tifa jerked about and saw Berk running from his cover, waving his katana towards his boss in greeting. "Where's yer sword?"
        Cloud looked up and frowned, Berk halting a good bit away from him cautiously. He really looked like shit, as sane as a screw, his eyes blinking back so much uncertainty and confusion it was painful to watch. But that J had healed, that grasping scar and Berk wondered what was going through his head with Jenova's influence gone.
        "I don't know, kid, "Cloud finally answered, shaking his head slowly, at a loss. Berk ran a hand through his hair, pulling bangs from his face and cursing the winds. He tossed his sword to Cloud who looked surprise but caught it deftly, taking a step backwards and pressing against the rocks, his face contorted with the things raging in his mind. Berk saluted his boss cheerily, bowing low in respect, then skipped back behind the rocks, battle noises raging in his ears. A battle. . . another one. For a few solemn moments, Cloud stood and gazed down at Berk's short sword, looking at his reflection in the blade. It wasn't the reflection he usually saw in Ultima Weapon, but this wasn't Ultima Weapon, was it? And he was hardly the man who usually wielded that sword.
        "Yeah, you're evil now, "Jeek snapped from behind him, his voice full of spite, "Why don't you stick that sword through your throat, ya murderer? It's startin' t'hit ya now, ain't it? How stupid you were and mean and evil. Dead kids or not, you hurt people. Jerk. Murderin' jerk!"
        "Leave me alone. . . "Cloud whispered, knuckles popping sharp as he tightened his grip around the sword's hilt. He looked up as Jeek spat insults and saw Jenova there in the distance, her face a twisted, glaring mask of blood and fury. He hadn't been her murderer. He hadn't, he wouldn't believe it, but he had to fight her. He had to fight her now, because. . . because. . . maybe because the Planet was screaming for him to help, maybe because he saw Tifa crouching in the distance and the sudden thought of anything happening to her drove him insane when before, it hadn't even occured to him. Maybe he was beginning to realize what a manipulated asshole he'd been. Maybe he now knew how truly and thoroughly he'd damned himself. Maybe. . . maybe if he fought he could shut his conscience up, shut up that babbling bastard child snapping his own thoughts and rebukes at his back. Maybe if he went out there, Sephiroth, Chaos, and Jenova would kill him and he wouldn't have to think about any of it anymore. Maybe. . . maybe.
        Cloud gave a desperate cry as he stretched his legs in a blinding run towards the fight, sword raised above his head and tears in his eyes. Time to end it once and for all.

        "Chieko!! Come to me!!"
        Pressure everywhere, innumberable crushing points of pressure.
        And then a searing line of pain in her shoulder, warm red soaking her fur.
        "Chieko!!"
        Chieko's brown mako eyes snapped open in a panic, straining to focas, seeing nothing but dark. Where was she? In a rush of disjointed, cruel memories, events flooded back to her. She'd taken that red-eyed man down here and they'd found Jenova. Mother. . . a chance to be needed and find a place in the world. She'd been so happy, so so eager to please her and earn her love. So desirous to fight in the name of her father and make sure he hadn't died in vain. She was going to prove her worth, and it was going to be wonderful.
        What had happened?
        Betrayal.
        Again.
        A final act of treason.
        Jenova had taken her power back and left Chieko alone, bleeding, here at the bottom of the Northern Crater. And she'd been so horrible, so twisted and ugly, not like she'd always imagined her mother would look. No, she'd been a creature of nightmares, a demon she feared, sharp claws, those conscienceless yellow eyes that defied the love she dyed her voice with. Lies. . . it had all been lies, that sweet and lilting invitation had only been to use her, to steal from her. Chieko meant nothing to Jenova.
        "You knew. . . "Chieko whispered, shedding the jagged rocks crushing her body and struggling to stand on four legs, "Hojo. . . you knew all along that she could have no loyalty or love and you never told me. You let me go on believing. . . but I love you for that. Why'd you have to die?" Chieko sobbed bitterly into her own furry red shoulder, a gaping hole eating at her heart and threatening to choke her. She did choke, choking on tears that left her gasping for air.
        Was it too late now? Couldn't mother love her yet? There had to be some capacity for emotion in that being, Chieko insisted upon it. She'd followed her out here, all the way to the end of the earth, seeking her out of pure devotion and desire. Jenova had just needed more power, Chieko could understand that, it was a sacrifice she would've made gratefully if only asked. And she'd give more, she'd give Jenova her life if that was what it would take to gain her respect and her love. There was nothing else for her, father was dead, the world was coming to a close, all she wanted now was for someone to miss her when she went. Jenova would mourn her, Chieko would make her. She'd fight for her, she'd die for her, and Jenova would be grateful.
        "Chieko!!"
        That voice was so beautiful, how could something so beautiful be evil or cruel? It wasn't. Jenova was just and right and Chieko believed it whole-heartedly, she'd been conditioned to believe it, her mother's beliefs had been her creed all of her life. Time to fight for that creed.
        Chieko shook off the pain of injuries sprinkled over her massive body, the sting of the wound Jenova'd inflicted with her own claw, and spread her wings into the emptiness of the perfectly black air. It was cold and breezy, made her shiver through her fur, but she ignored it all, desperate for action. Roaring a cry of despondent grief into the world, she soared upwards on broken wings and made for the pinprick of white light far above, sure that her own joy was waiting just beyond.

        "Elder Bugah!!" Marlene wailed, both hands wrapped around Dragon Weapon's trembling controls, "I'm getting nauseous. . !"
        Bugah scuttled up to the Dragon Weapon's base, jumping back as the monstrosity spewed green sparks and snapped at him like a rabid dog. He gulped, smearing sweat off his wrinkled brow, and half-heartedly kicked the thing like he might a misbehaving television set.
        "It's going to backfire if we don't launch that missile soon!" Bugah shouted above the roar of circuity and the snap of crackling mako covering the machine in pulsating green, "Can't you get a clear shot?!"
        "I can't aim for beans, you know that!" Marlene retorted, swearing as the crackles of power burnt at her fingers, "I couldn't hit Chaos before with Reno's shotgun and he was ten feet in front of me and hurting dad! Marlene Wallace cannot shoot! I'll build you a gun but I can't shoot it for you! So sue me!" Marlene bent her head down and swiped a trickling bead of sweat off her cheek and into the shoulder of her sweater, then shivered as a blast of icy air assaulted her. She was close enough to hit Jenova, Dragon Weapon was equipped with sensors that would aim for her, but with Chaos and Sephiroth leaping about her form like a couple of insects, she didn't dare fire without hurting one of them. "Are you sure I can't just fire anyways?" she asked the old man, "Sephiroth's already dead afterall. Are you sure Chaos isn't still our enemy?!"
        "Have you been watching this battle with closed eyes, girl?" Bugah snapped, turning down a few of Dragon Weapon's pressure valves, wrapping his hand up in his robe to keep from getting burnt. The Weapon's reactions to their tinkering were infinitely more violent than he'd imagined they'd be. It was being affected by something else. Something out of their control. "You cannot hurt our comrades! You sure you can't get a clean aim at that monster?"
        Marlene put her eye to the sights, swearing blue fire, glad that the kids couldn't hear her stream of curses over the noise of the machine. She usually wasn't so foul-mouthed, but she guessed extreme situations called for extreme language. "Yes! "she spat after only a second, "If Berk were here he could hit her no problem. Why in the hell didn't he come with me?!"
        "'Cause ya didn't ask him!" CJ piped up, looking away from the battle briefly, "Ya were too cocky and thought ya could do it yerself, Marlene! S'what ya get!"
        "You're not helping. . . "she mumbled.
        "You're not either, "CJ griped, jumping to his feet and pulling one of Ifalna's pigtails to get her to stand too. "Look!" he shouted suddenly, "It's dad!"
        "What?"
        "It's my dad! Look, he's gonna help 'em! All right! Eef, Eef! Look!" CJ jumped up and down and started scrabbling up the face of the rock he was hidden behind in excitement, grinning ear to ear. "Beat up on that naked lady, dad!" he shouted, "Give her hell!"
        "CJ, get down!" Ifalna insisted, pulling at her brother's teeshirt with balled little fists.
        "Yeah, get down!" Marlene ordered, wrestling with her Weapon's controls. She shot an eye towards Elder Bugah who saw her point and ran over to grab CJ up in his arms and keep him from running out into the middle of the hazardous battle.
        "No! I want 'im to see me and know I'm okay!" CJ hollared, smacking Bugah in the chin as he struggled to worm out of his grasp, "Let go of me or I'll sock you, Mr. Bugah, I ain't kidding!" Ifalna grabbed at one of CJ's legs with both hands, pulling and squinching her face up with her efforts.
        "Let go of my brother!" she demanded, "He can't help he's so dumb!"
        Bugah gave a grunt as the little girl thwacked him a good one in the stomach, then pushed her down and hollared, "Behave yourself, young lady! Sit yourself down and hush up or I'll tell your mother!"
        That did it. Ifalna relinquished her hold on CJ's leg and plopped back down at the base of the rocks, twirling her hair inbetween two fingers. Bugah quickly gave her brother a similar lecture and he stopped kicking, falling onto the cold ground when the old man finally dropped him. Scowling murderously, he wiped an arm across his eyes and stood, brushing dirt from his clothes, shooting evil glances to Elder Bugah.
        "Geez, if looks could kill, "Marlene mumbled, turning from the scene and looking back through Dragon Weapon's scope, "I see your dad, CJ!" she hollared, and he looked up at her, frowning, "I wish I knew what was going on in that head of his. Elder Bugah, why's he doing this? Trying to kill us all one minute and now. . . oh my god, he almost took Jenova's head off!"
        Marlene fell back a bit, got zapped by a random spark of the power licking over Dragon Weapon's frame, and darted back up, the deep rumbling and violent shakings of the thing doing a number on her stomach. Bugah peered up at her then out towards the battle, features grim in the flickering green light. The blaze of the still raging fires from the HighWind's wreckage dyed his right side in red and the mix of colors playing over his body was unsettling to the eye.
        "He's confused and reacting like any man would, I'd imagine, "Bugah whispered, "Gods above, I could cry for him. No man should have to discover what he has. No man should have to suffer like this. Marlene. . . please, can't you kill her? Can't you get her in your sights and keep her from hurting him more?"
        The young woman frowned, blowing aggravating auburn strands from her eyes as she balled her concentration up and squinted through the scope, agile fingers running over the firing mechanisms, itching to launch, but her own reasoning keeping them at bay. If there was only some way to tell them, only some way to isolate Jenova and get the others away. . .
        "The minute I get a clear shot, Elder, "she breathed, "Here's the PHS, call Reeve and tell them to evacuate back to here, judging from the power this thing is building up, when I fire it's going to be huge. Tell them to haul ass away from there on the double, they should have already, Berk should have made them. Cid should've too. Stupid macho men don't know when it's wise to run."
        CJ glanced her way for a moment, still scowling, sick of standing by idly as the real action all went down just before his eyes. Snow blew in his hair, the heat off of Dragon Weapon immediately melting it so that his blonde locks were plastered to his scalp, soaked and aggravating. He pulled his jacket tighter around him as the raging gale still assaulting the plains turned to assault him, taking advantage of the trickling water running down his shirt and freezing the bejeezus out of him. He wanted to go home, he wanted them to be finished with all of this. He looked out at the battle, gave a gasp as Jenova lashed at the three now fighting against her cruel tyranny, and got to his feet, pressing his shoulder against the rocks as far as he dared to see as best as he could.
        "Hey. . . "he breathed softly, moving a bit further from the concealing space he, the others, and Dragon Weapon were secreted away in, "Hey, who's that kid out there?"
        He turned to Bugah and Marlene for an answer but they were too busy trying to control that big ole missile launcher to pay him any attention. He whipped his gaze back around, watching that little black-haired kid through sharply narrowed violet eyes. What was he doing to his dad? He was yelling at him, he couldn't hear what he was saying, but he was making his dad sad, CJ could see it, sense it, feel it. "Hey. . . "he whispered again, tugging on Ifalna's sleeve and gesturing towards Jeek, "Look at that jerk, Eef, you know him?"
        "No."
        "Yeah, me neither. I don't like the looks of him though. I don't like 'em at all."
        CJ began running his left hand over his gloved right one, stroking the leather with a wicked grin on his face. He glanced quickly to Bugah and Marlene, the both of them beating Dragon Weapon down as best they could, asking eachother and themselves why the machine wasn't listening, why it was building so much more power than the meager eight materias' worth they'd been able to give it, why it seemed to roar like a vengeful animal everytime Marlene attempted to lower the power output. It was rattling and shaking so badly she feared it would burst apart.
        "I don't give it long!" she cried, on the verge of panic as the air around them crackled in rage, as the mako in their weapon screamed to be released even as more built up. Bugah shook his head, desperately trying to tame the circuitry.
        "Keep your eyes on the battle, Marlene! Keep looking for an opening and don't hold back, I'll call President Reeve!"
        Marlene only heard his words distantly, her eyes turned down to the ground, features pale and mouth hanging open, dread playing over the back of her throat with cold fingers. Bugah turned her way and frowned.
        "What's wrong?" he demanded, the PHS opened and poised in his frail hand. Marlene shook her head and blinked slowly.
        "Where did the kids go?"

        Dammit. . . Chaos or not, Jenova had him beat.
        Vincent opened his eyes. Or tried to anyways. He could feel blood running from a gash in his head, burnmarks, scorchmarks, gushing places in his torso where he'd been impaled. It was nice to just lay on the rocks with his eyes closed and let himself heal a bit. But he had to be careful, unconsciousness crouched not far off, threatening to jump him like a mugger in the park if he turned his back. He shuddered as a wave of fiery pain tore at him, a gift from Jenova, beating upon him while he was down. Rather dishonorable of her but then why bother with such a thought? He knew what they were fighting, she had no reason to respect them as opponents, they were all meaningless to her. Hardly worth her effort.
        You know it's true. . . you know how evil your race is, you declared yourself a misanthropist long ago. You live away from them, you hate them, you fear them and you scare them. Even living as a demon for days couldn't manage to make you recant your beliefs. Shake off your false emotions and fight beside me again, Chaos. Help me kill your oppressors. I won't judge you.
        Ha. . . not bloody likely, Jenova. You're worse than any human I've ever known. And that's not true what you say. They're not all bad, they just become those things I hate. For a while. . . for a while humans can be the most perfect creatures in the world. S'go take a walk.
        Vincent gasped a deep breath and forced his eyes open, taking in the fighting though a haze of red. Sephiroth darted around before him and Vincent distractedly realized he was protecting him from Jenova's assaults. Masamune seemed everywhere, cutting and rending, fighting to end it, a relentless barrage as their enemy screamed. There was another figure there too though, a barechested man holding a short katana, almost more of a wakizashi, that shimmered in Jenova's own glow. Vincent thought he was dreaming, that he'd hit his head too hard and this was some sort of feverish vision. Was it really him?
        The new figure stepped forward and Vincent could see Sephiroth halt his attacks to watch him, wary.
        "What's going on?" Cloud asked in a quiet voice.
        "She has used you. . . "Sephiroth answered simply, as Jenova turned around to eye the both of them, grinning in sickened pleasure. She'd thought Cloud had been killed as he and Vincent had been thrown backwards. Apparently not. Good.
        "Has she?" he asked softly. He stared at her for a moment, then slowly nodded his head, his mouth a trembling line as he fought for self control. "I thought as much. You though. . . you. . . Seph-sephiroth. . . why're you here? Come back to finish what you started in that alley? Your mark left me. Will you give me another? Or do you just want me dead?"
        "That was not me that day. But I recommend you stop asking questions, "Sephiroth answered coldly, "And start following your instincts. There will be time for revelations and regret later. Wallow in them now and you'll quickly find yourself dead."
        "Too late. . . "
        Jenova flew at Cloud with a screech and tore an arm through his chest, sending him sailing through the air and to the ground, blood splattering in a crimson shower. The attack caused Vincent to leap to his feet and fly forward in defense of his friend, too glad to see him coming to his senses now to lose him again. He darted about in the steamy, snowy air and let Chaos' instincts take control.
        "You see? It's all comin' together now. . . "
        Cloud grunted in pain and lay there in the cold as Sephiroth and Vincent battled their enemy. He reached out for his fallen sword, trying to ignore that little boy mumble in his ear. Jeek squatted at his side, babbling horrible truths. Cloud thought he'd scream if they didn't stop soon.
        "Did you think you could kill your conscience like ya killed everythin' else?" the boy snapped, face turned down in a frown as tears rolled over his dark cheeks, "If you did hurt it, it's better now because there's an ache in your heart different than what's been there. Jenova hid it away from you where you couldn't find it but now it's burning more than any real wound you've gotten. You're a murderer, Mr. Cloud, and you're damned for it. You're worse'n Sephiroth, worse'n Hojo, worse'n anyone and selfish, selfish, selfish!! There's only one thing you can do now and have it even start t'make up for yer crimes!"
        "What?!" Cloud snapped, a hand to the rapidly healing gash across his chest. He pushed himself to his feet, sword clutched in his hand so hard his knuckles split, "Ya wanna tell me? Tell me what it is and I'll do it!"
        "So ya know you were wrong. . . "Jeek breathed slyly, "Ya admit it. . . don't you think anymore that yer kids were worth all that you did?"
        "They were worth more. . . "Cloud gasped, fighting back tears, "But it wasn't my place to take it. I don't know what possessed me to do all those things, but I know they were wrong. There's nothing I can do to fix 'em."
        "No, I said there was one thing. . . "Jeek corrected, drawing himself up haughtily. He narrowed his little black eyes as Cloud hung on his words, desperate to repent. Jeek spoke slowly, "You can kill yerself and keep ya from taking anymore."
        End himself. . . he'd kept wishing someone else would do the deed, make him halt the actions he couldn't halt himself, but maybe all along, the power to free his soul and stop his own agony had lain within his own grasp. He looked to Jeek, every blink of his eyes making a cold tear roll down his cheek. The little boy nodded soberly to confirm his questions. But Cloud wasn't convinced. With a cry of rage and despair, he whipped about and joined the fight against that monster, weaving Berk's sword in and out of the lithe, long, white shape twisting through the air. He didn't deserve it. Not yet. Not just yet. He had to know the truth first. And he had to say goodbye to Tifa. It was a selfish thing that a man as wretched as he had no right to, but he couldn't deny his heart. He had to tell her it was okay. He couldn't leave her guilty or thinking that any of what had happened had been her fault. He had to make sure she knew how blameless she was for it all before he died. She deserved it after losing so much. He'd give it to her.
        Jeek watched the desperate intensity in Cloud as he fought with his head bowed, looking up through half-closed, disappointed eyes. He leaned back, stuck one hand in his pocket and a pinky finger in his mouth, chewing on his fingernail thoughtfully, wondering why Cloud had to be so damn stubborn.
        "Yo!"
        The cry came from a few feet off but Jeek ignored it, black eyes on the fighting as it moved slowly away, Jenova's cries sweeping like banshee song through the wind.
        "Yo, retard! You deaf?"
        CJ stepped from the shadow of a looming, precariously balanced tower of rolling rocks, Ifalna clutching at the hem of his teeshirt, one long bunch of blonde sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she anxiously chewed on the end of a pigtail. CJ looked to Jeek, the black-haired kid not even acknowledging him with a glance.
        "What were you saying to my dad?" he demanded, stalking forward with crossed arms and an inch-thick scowl on his face, "What were you saying to him, eh? Hey! Try gettin' yer finger outta yer mouth and answering me, jerk-off!"
        Jeek looked up finally, a flicker of moving light as his black eyes refocased. A small smile played over his lips.
        "You gotta be CJ, "he said, "Yer dead, kid."
        CJ's jaw almost dropped at that one. In a one swift movement, he ripped Ifalna's hand off his shirt, set her down a