Rufus Shinra sat blithely in his chair, face looking directly forward, tapping one finger against the glass surface of the table in front of him. His executive members, seated at the far end of the table, were shifting in their chairs restlessly. "Shinra corporation is the single largest organization on the planet. Our influence reaches into the government of every city, our hands are in the shaping of every technological advance, and our military is the strongest force these people have ever known." He paused for a few moments, letting the words sink in, "So why, pray tell, is it that we cannot seem to find - much less defeat - a band of malcontents that number less than a dozen?" Scarlet and Heidegger shuffled in their seats, but little else. The tone in their leader's voice suggested that he wasn't really looking for an answer. Tseng, leader of the Turks, stood stone-faced beside them. Rufus got up from his chair, turning to observe the view from his window. "My father built this city, through deals and backstabbing. He turned Shinra from a simple weapons manufacturer into a world power. Over the last few weeks, it has become apparent to me that this was not on account of the solidity and talent of it's internal command." Slowly, Rufus turned to face his increasingly paling executive members. "Don't worry. I don't intend to kill you - yet. But I. Want. Results. NOW." Scarlet, though amazing silent up until this point, decided to speak up. "Master Rufus, my darling weapon is indeed going ahead as scheduled; it is simply a matter of finding the proper supplies; and in the necessary amounts." Rufus smiled coldly. "I'm aware Scarlet. I hope for your sake that you can actually find your precious supplies in time. You are competent, but not irreplaceable. Remember that." Heidegger visibly relaxed in his chair, at least until Rufus turned his attention on him. "While others don't seem to be competent in the slightest. Tell me Heidegger, what positive things have come out of your military program in the last while? Security is lax, your military is almost competent - at best. A small band of untrained soldiers seem to be able to keep them at bay. Midgar, Junon, and everywhere in between." Heidegger was sweating now. He adjust his collar nervously. "Gwaha- Master Rufus..." In a swift motion too fast for the eye, Rufus drew his shotgun, and pointed it at Heidegger. He took aim for a few moments, before opening fire. Heidegger screamed in agony as he fell, clutching his shattered knee. "You may be content to rest on the laurels of the Wutai campaign, Heidegger. I am not. Nor can we afford to. I seriously expect results from you. Soon." Rufus strode past the ashen-faced Scarlet, and the still-screaming Heidegger. Tseng filed in behind him as he stormed out the door. "President Shinra, I understand your frustration, but was that really necessary?" Rufus smirked, putting his shotgun back in his coat. "If only to get their acts together, yes. Both really are good at what they do, but I think my father's reign made them a little... lax. Hopefully this will get them back on track." Tseng nodded. "Though you have to be careful, sir. Both seem like they would be very dangerous when cornered." "I believe that's what I have you for, is it not? I want you to keep extra tags on all senior staff now, Tseng. We can't afford another defection like Reeve. They know too much about our actions to allow them to run free." "You'll be happy to know, Mr. Shinra, that we already have that matter under control." Rufus stopped, and turned to face Tseng. "Really? You've found Reeve?" "Well, he did use Shinra's medical and dental plans, after all." Rufus' face lit up in understanding. "Ah yes. That would help." ----------------------------- FINAL FANTASY : FATED Chapter 17: Resurgence By: Eric Jones Concept by Samantha Rodgers ----------------------------- Inno, Aeris and Gabriel followed Nanaki up to the top peak of Cosmo Canyon, to the home of Bugenhagen. Nanaki walked solemnly to the door, and pushed it open with his nose. He turned to the others. "Grandfather wanted to talk to everyone about matters of great importance. They are all waiting inside." The trio trailed Nanaki inside, where the rest of their party was patiently standing about the entrance room. Cloud nodded to the trio as they walked in, but immediately turned his attention to Nanaki. "Okay, we're all here now. Where is Bugenhagen, and what did he want to talk about?" "Ho ho ho. Bugenhagen is right behind you." Cloud jerked in surprise, leaping away from counter he was leaning on, which Bugenhagen was floating atop of. He was absolutely certain the old man hadn't been there two moments ago... "As for what I want to talk to you about, I think that's best explained where you can see as well as hear. Please, follow me." Bugenhagen floated off the counter, and began floating down a corridor. The party followed close behind, Nanaki leading them. Inno trailed behind at the back, too lost in her own thoughts to have any curiosity about what Bugenhagen had to say. Inno's pace was a mere crawl. She was still haunted by the words of the wise man she'd talked to earlier today. Was there really no other answer than death? But then, was her life more important than everyone else's? If this 'other' were to be born, from the sounds of things, all life on this planet would die. What kind of choice was there, really? When Inno finally decided to look up, she realized that the rest of her party was nowhere to be seen. She sat down in a nearby chair, burying her face into her hands. "I never asked for any of this," she thought, "Is there anything I can do?" Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand resting gently on her shoulder. She looked up to see Aeris, smiling down at her. "You're still thinking about what he said, aren't you?" Inno didn't say anything, she simply nodded, trying to hold back tears. Aeris sat down beside her, and took Inno's hands in her own. "You don't need to worry too much, Inno. Things will work out. Everything's going to work out this time, I just know it will." Inno shook her head. "No, no it's not going to work out. Not for everyone. Don't you understand? The Other wanted me to save you. But if it's an evil force..." "...then perhaps it isn't right to save me?" Aeris finished. Inno nodded, unable to say any more. Aeris smiled. "Inno, there is more to an action than just doing it. There are intentions as well. We know the Other wants to do by saving me. It wants to stop me from doing something.. summoning 'Holy', I think you said?" Inno nodded again. "Well then, we'll just have to find a way of summoning this holy without my dying, won't we?" "I... suppose." Inno said hesitantly, "But what about me? I still have the Other within me... I don't know if I control my powers, or if the Other just uses me to cast it's magic. What if I can't stop it?" "Then we'll just have to find a way to stop it for you." Aeris replied, smiling, "You're part of our group now, and we're not going to let you go that easily." Aeris gently wiped away a tear that was falling down Inno's cheek. "We'll find a way to beat fate, Inno. It's what I've been trying to do for so long..." Inno's expression lightened, "Thanks Aeris. It helps to hear you say that." Aeris squeezed Inno's hand encouragingly. "Just don't forget that we are your friends now. You'll always have support, no matter what needs to be done." Inno broke into a smile. "With that kind of support, how can I lose?" She looked around, suddenly realizing that no one else was around. "Aeris, shouldn't we be with the others and Bugenhagen?" "It's all right Inno, I already know what he's going to talk about." -=- Cloud was amazed. After his first few encounters with Bugenhagen, he'd expected the man to rant on about some unimportant mystical mumbo-jumbo about the earth and how it was being killed. He'd had no idea that he'd be right, too. Bugenhagen had taken them to a small, domed room, filled with a surprising array of technological devices. The flashing lights and computers at the entrance were bizarre enough in Cosmo Canyon, where technology was generally shunned. Once in the heart of the room, though, Cloud truly saw. The display room was circular, and elevated from the normal floor level. Projected in a bubble around them, and on the floor below, was a map of the universe. Or at least, enough of it to make an impact. Most everyone was looking around in surprise; Gabriel was the only person in the group who seemed to have been expecting something like this. Bugenhagen was clearly pleased at the reaction he was getting. "Ho ho. Don't be too impressed yet. This is only the start of my lesson." The stars visible became a blur, moving forward and upwards, until one single planet was visible on the ceiling above them. It was a blue-green planet, with a heavy cloud cover around it. "Is that..." Cloud began. "That, is our own planet, yes. Terra herself, in all her glory. Or I should say, her former glory." Bugenhagen finished. "'Former' glory?" Yuffie asked. "Yes." Bugenhagen said, his expression becoming grave, "The way she was long ago, before man came into the land. Then, the planet was whole, a complete, continual ecosystem. Mako was the natural magic inherent in the planet itself, the energy from which all other things sprung. It manifested itself in various ways, most commonly as the materia you are all so familiar with. However..." Bugenhagen made a motion with his hands, and the vision of the blue-green planet shifted, changed. It steadily became less green, and more brown and black. A circular structure - Midgar - became visible from space. "...mankind harnessed the energy of the planet, using it for their own ends, with no thought of how to replace it. Mako in crystalline form contributes to the energy of the planet, but when separated, the planet loses that energy, forever." Bugenhagen hung his head, and floated up towards the display, touching the screen forlornly. "The planet is slowly being bled dry ; it is dying." "That's what I wuz saying all 'long!" Barret shouted, "You shrugged me off Spikey, but I wuz right!" Reeve cut in, ignoring Barret's ranting, "Are you suggesting that the materia we use is also detrimental to planet's health?" "Anything that is of the planet, belongs with the planet. I simply ask you to keep it in mind. And to remember, that Sephiroth is not your only enemy." "He's still our main objective though." Cloud stated firmly. Bugenhagen simply nodded. "All I ask is that you remember what I have told you." Suddenly, the projector turned off, and the lift began moving down to ground level. "That is all I have to say for now. You may go at your leisure." Slowly, the group filed out of the room, Yuffie filed out slowly, a ponderous look on her face. Soon, it was just Nanaki and Bugenhagen left in the room. "We are grateful for your wisdom, grandfather." Nanaki said reverently. "Hopefully they will act upon what you spoke of." "So long as they do as little damage possible themselves, I wish them luck. I have heard stories of Sephiroth. He needs to be stopped, and soon." Nanaki nodded. "Worry not, grandfather, I shall teach them as best I can during our journeys." -=- Cloud wandered out of Bugenhagen's house, and waited for the others to arrive. They really were at a stand still now. No one had any rumors about Sephiroth in Cosmo Canyon, and he was unsure if they were headed in the right direction. More to the point, he knew what lied ahead, and for some reason, he was unsure about whether he wanted to face it... "Hey Cloud! Whatcha thinking about?" Cait Sith cried, his moogle bouncing up beside him. "Planning our next move, oh fearless leader?" Fearless leader. This was the other part - they somehow expected -him- to lead them. He'd had his training in SOLDIER, sure, but for some reason, the idea of leading a troop of people scared him; he wasn't sure he could handle the responsibility. At this point, Aeris and Inno walked out of the house. Now, the team was complete once again. And more so than ever before. God, he really didn't want to be in charge of this many people... "Uh, I was thinking we need to actually have a plan for once, instead of just blindly running about. Marlene's going to be safe here, and that was the main reason we came here, right?" Barret nodded emphatically. The others responded similarly. "So far so good." Cloud thought, "Well, as I said then, I think we need to consult for another night, compare stories, try and figure out where Sephiroth might be." "He could have only gone in one direction, right?" Interjected Tifa, "We did hear news about Sephiroth passing through Gold Saucer, and Gonaga village. He must have passed by here as well. Where else could he have gone?" "I don't know." Replied Cloud, "But I feel like we're being led, and I don't like it." "Perhaps Gabriel, you could tell us something?" queried Nanaki, "Surely you can recall what your intentions were, and where your other self intends to do?" Gabriel mused for a few moments. "I know I passed through these mountains, and then went on past Nibelheim across the mountains to Rocket Town. Aside from that, I can't really say." Cloud narrowed his eyes. "You can't say, or you don't want to?" "My mere existence changes things immensely. Who can say whether or not Jenova will simply change her plans? Besides, when I was the other Sephiroth, Jenova... kept things from me. She did not tell me all." Cloud snorted. "Right. Well everybody, the plan still stays. We're here for another night to rest up and get ready. Buy any supplies you think we'll need now, and we'll meet up again tonight to figure out our plans." Everyone dispersed, Inno off looking for Sven, Barret, Jesse and Wedge went to purchase supplies, the rest wandered off in various directions. Cloud remained behind, lost in thought. The next stop was Nibelheim, his home town. The town that Sephiroth destroyed. He felt unease at going back to the scene of such terrible memories, but there was something else about his return that agitated him, some spark of a memory that was just out of reach, but he knew it was important. Whatever it was, it told him that after going back to Nibelheim, things would change forever... -=- As the party dispersed, Yuffie tailed behind Gabriel at a distance. The more she studied him, the more she believed that he was indeed Abel. Abel, the leader of the Wutai forces during their most dramatic and crushing loss, who disappeared without a trace afterwards. He had been presumed dead, and that alone had crushed the spirit of the Wutai people. The battle had been humiliating enough, but losing one of their greatest commanders in the process... It wasn't long afterwards that Wutai had surrendered to Shinra. Maybe, just maybe... if such a figure were to return from the dead, her father would finally realize the error of his ways. Nothing had humiliated Yuffie more in her life than seeing her father bow down to that horrible President Shinra. She would do anything to undo that image, and redeem her city's honor. Anything at all. -=- Reno shuffled nervously. The outcropping of rock he was standing on was solid enough, but he didn't like being so out in the open. Especially with the winds that were blowing through these hills. But, all in the line of duty. It'd pay off soon enough. Rude was crouching beside him, looking through a pair of binoculars. "You see much?" Asked Reno, toying absently with is staff. "...they're all there." "Who all of them? We're only looking for Reeve." Rude didn't say anything, he simply handed the binoculars to Reno, and pointed at one of the adjoining peaks. "Yeah yeah, Rude. I can read the radar too, I can tell which direction the tracer's coming fro..." Reno paused, his mouth agape. He increased the magnitude of the binoculars, until they focused in on a familiar, blonde spikey- haired nuisance. "I'll be damned." Reno whistled, "That's a convenient find." "Look in the city below." Reno scanned around, a vicious grin coming across his face. Life was good right now. Life was really, really good. "I'll be damned if the whole of Avalanche isn't just wandering around in that place." "Reeve too." "It's obviously not coincidence. Guess this confirms our suspicions that Reeve was defecting to them. But we certainly can't let the man who was responsible for the maintenance of Midgar fall into the hands of a group of terrorists. That's just asking for a disaster." "Should we call Tseng?" Reno smirked. "Might as well contact Elena too. She'd be mad if she missed the party." -=- In the local bar, Reeve and Cait Sith were seated at a table. Cait Sith of course wasn't drinking anything, but was looking in concern at the amount Reeve was consuming. "Hey boss, are you sure you should be doing that? I estimate at the amount of alcohol you've consumed is enough to -" "Spare me the figures, Cait." Reeve interrupted, "I want to forget about the situation I've gotten myself into." "Boss?" "I'm a civil engineer, Cait. I wasn't made for back room dealings. That was the cause of my fall at Shinra - I was too moral for their tastes. But I'm not made for heroics either. Sephiroth, the great Shinra warrior? Half their campaigns were won on account of his power alone; and we want to try and stop him?" "But what else can we do, boss? Let him destroy the planet?" "To hear Bugenhagen, that's going to happen anyway. But what can I do? I build things, I don't destroy them..." "You built me, boss! And I know I'm going help Cloud and the others on their quest. Maybe that in itself was your part." Reeve smiled. "Thank you, Cait. I just hope that it's enough... because I'm not sure what else I can give." -=- Barret secretly hated what he was doing. He was a warrior, a man who fought for the life of the planet, for honor and velour. But it was so hard to say no to Marlene when she asked nicely. "Wai wai! Horsey ride, dad, horsey ride!" Barret grumbled quietly to himself as he crawled along the walkway, trying his best to ignore the stares of curiosity, not to mention the thinly veiled chuckles of Jessie and Biggs. He kept on going though. This would probably be the last time he could do it for a while. -=- Sephiroth-half stirred restlessly in Jenova's consciousness. The place they were was not Nibelheim; it was an ancient stone temple of some sort. His spirit had manifested itself in the image of his physical body, and he was holding a stone tablet in his hand. "Mother? I thought you said we were going to Nibelheim." "Don't worry, my son." Jenova-half said soothingly, "There was merely a change of plans while you rested." "Where are we?" Sephiroth asked, his manifestation scanning the room. "This is the entrance to the Temple of the Ancients. That which you hold in your hand is the key. Put it in the slot, my son. We shall gain the black materia without the aid of those foolish humans. It is best we ignore them." (It is best if I ignore them, you mean.) One part of his mind said silently and sullenly. Sephiroth was shocked such thoughts came from his own mind. Where did such blaspheme originate? "Relax, dear Sephiroth, that is of no import. The perpetrator shall meet his fate soon enough." (How did she hear my thoughts?) Regardless, Sephiroth did relax, as the soothing warmth of Jenova's being seeped further into his mind. His physical manifestation took the key, and activated the door, unaware of the binds Jenova was s lowly weaving into his mind. The door opened, and Jenova let forth a cry of elation. "Now my son, go into the temple, and retrieve the black materia. This world shall be as nothing once it is ours." Sephiroth thought his 'body' forward, through the portal that opened up. Or at least, he tried. A resisting force met against his own, and he felt this strength fail him. He saw a vision, of a collective conscious, a well of minds, which rose up to block his entry. Sephiroth recoiled in fear, afraid of what the entity might be able to do. "Mother!" He cried, retreating from the site, escaping the confides of the temple. "Sephiroth! Control yourself; we are almost there." "But, the thing that was there, it was going to attack..." Jenova-half bristled. It had hoped it could have bypassed the problematic way of entering the temple. "Yes, I was afraid of that. Forgive me my son, I had underestimated the power the temple possessed." "What was it mother?" "The collective will of the Cetra race. What little remains of their spirits resides to protect it's power from outside forces." "But mother, what of our heritage? We are Cetra too." "Do not concern yourself, Sephiroth." Jenova said consolingly, "We are Cetra, but those who have passed on feel differently than I. They feel some compassion for the feeble ones who usurped them, and disagree with my methods." "We are fighting against the rest of our kind as well? Is no one with us on our glorious mission?" "Sleep, Sephiroth, worry not about such things..." Jenova half smiled to itself as the final ties were made to Sephiroth-half's mind, "Rest, and your mother shall care for you... Rest until I call for you again..." Sephiroth-half drifted into sleep, weakened as he was by the attempt on the Temple of the Ancients. Once she was certain he was resting, Jenova cursed. She did not like to use any others for this mission; it was much more convenient to use her favored son. However, the ancients would hold out the power of anyone they perceived as 'evil'... the clue less fools. Others with more benign intent could pass with ease. Such as those who think they are saving the world. Jenova examined the new ties she had established with Sephiroth-half. She had been content to let him think freely, for she feared no dissent. However, she had sensed the presence of something new and different within her precious son. And it had all started when he had contacted that other Sephiroth. That was another problem that would be dealt with soon enough... -=- Later in the evening, Cloud assembled all the other party members as they had dinner. They chose to circle around a campfire that had been established in the middle of the village. The overall mood was of jovial, as everyone was feeling relaxed from what was essentially a 'day off'. Only Barret looked fatigued, but even he was in a good mood uncharacteristically so, some might have said. Tifa smiled, the day had been lazy for her, but definitely enjoyable. She'd have liked to practice her martial arts, but no one seemed to want to spar against her. One mention of who her teacher was, and they tended to pale and slink away quietly. But still, she had managed to spend some time relaxing, which was something she'd needed more than she expected. After the excitement of the last few days, it was nice to not have to worry about buildings collapsing, or having to depend on Cloud's sense of direction. Tifa's smile faltered as she looked over at Cloud. He was the only one who didn't seem to be enjoying himself. In fact, he never seemed happy at all. Ever since he had come back into her life, he had been so serious. She knew something was wrong with his memory of things, but she didn't want to say anything. Cloud pretended to be made of stone, but there was something almost fragile about his personality now. She'd been confused by his dysfunctional memory of his childhood, but Tifa hadn't wanted to break the shell Cloud seemed to be wrapping himself in. Tifa couldn't put her finger on it, but that was why she had brought him to Avalanche in the first place - she'd wanted to keep an eye on him, and find out what really happened to him. The next city after Cosmo Canyon was Nibelheim, and she was certain that was what was making Cloud so agitated. Cloud finally noticed Tifa's lingering stare, and waved a hand in Tifa's direction. "Tifa? Are you okay?" Tifa blinked. How long had she been sitting there just staring at him? "Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought." "Well, come back to us for just a minute, if you could!" Chirped Cait Sith, "Fearless leader was just about to tell us what the plan was going to be!" "Yeah." Said Cloud blandly, "Or as much of one as it is. I was just going to say, that we probably should push on, is all. We don't really know what Sephiroth's plan is going to be, but there's only one direction we can move in, that isn't just cutting back on our old path." Cloud exhaled heavily, "Tomorrow morning, we'll set off of Nibelheim." "Sounds good t'me, Spikey." Grunted Barret, "Don't want to wander our way round the mountains again, that's for sure." Tifa suppressed a grin at that one. She had been a little high-strung at that point... "I agree that it's the wisest course of action." Nanaki added, "Even if we are being led, as you suggested Cloud, we might as well find out what his intentions are." "I don't know if I like the sound of that." Biggs said dubiously, "Do we really want to walk into a trap set by Sephiroth?" Jessie, who was seated beside Biggs, poked at him playfully. "If Sephiroth sets up a trap for us, we'll just kick it's teeth in!" "I can't say for certain, but I don't think he'll have a trap set for us." Gabriel stated, "Not one made to imprison or capture us at least..." "Huh. Guess we can take your word on that." Cloud muttered, "Anyway, eat up and get to bed if you can; we leave early tomorrow morning." Cloud rose to his feet, and wandered off, up the stairs that led further up the mountain hillside Cosmo Canyon was built on. Tifa shot to her feet as well before anyone could respond. "I'll go after him guys, you try to enjoy yourselves." Tifa chased off after Cloud, leaving the others blinking in confusion. The silence was broken by Yuffie, who had been attending to something in the fire during the entire conversation. Beaming, she pulled a pot from the fire. "All right! Food's up, guys!" Yuffie cried, opening the pot to reveal a roasted animal. She produced a knife from one of her pockets, and began cutting up the meat. "Anyone in the mood for a Wutai delicacy? I managed to scrounge up some spices from around the city, so I figured I'd give this a try!" Yuffie cried proudly. Everyone inched a little closer, their eyes alight. It hadn't been an active day, but real food after days of rations was a welcome sight. "Here Gabriel, you can have the first piece." Gabriel took the food greedily, his Abel side remembering well the simple dish simply by it's smell. He'd been away from Wutai for so long, even cooked so far away, the food was a welcome slice of his old life. Abel was very happy. The others joined in soon enough, and despite not being from Wutai, were quite pleased as well. -=- Tifa finally found Cloud back at the top of the mountain, seated by the edge, staring up at the stars above. Tifa walked over silently, and sat down beside him. Cloud acknowledged her with a nod, but continued to stare up at the sky. "It was a night like this... when I made my promise, wasn't it?" He asked. "Yes, yes it was." Tifa replied, a little curious about the question. "I remember meeting you at the well, and making that promise, but it's all vague. Will going to Nibelheim make things clearer for me again?" "We need to go Cloud, whatever the consequence. We need to catch up with Sephiroth." "I know. I just... get this feeling that things are going to change once we get to Nibelheim, that something bad will happen." "Cloud, we're set on going up against Sephiroth. We aren't expecting a walk in the park. We're all fighters; we'll be able to handle it." Cloud sighed wearily. "You haven't worked beside him. I honestly don't know if we can." "But we have to try. What else can we do?" "Not much else, I suppose. The fate of the world is resting on my shoulders." "Our shoulders, Cloud. You're not alone here. You never will be." Cloud managed a smile. "I thought I was supposed to be your knight, Tifa." Tifa squeezed Cloud's shoulder gently. "We're in this together. It's what friends are for - we look after each other..." Cloud stood up. "Uh, for now I think I should be greedy, and think for myself... I need to hit the sack." "You've got a lot of responsibility, I guess." Tifa replied sadly, "But, if you have problems sleeping, I'll be waiting up here for a while." "Thanks. I might take you up on that." Replied Cloud, "See you in the morning." "...See you." Tifa whispered, hugging her knees as she watched Cloud walk back down the hill. -=- Cloud didn't get into his bedroom. Aeris was seated outside, dozing lightly. As Cloud approached, she perked up, and was on her feet in an instant. "Hello Cloud, I came up to see you, but you weren't in your room. I figured you'd be in eventually." "Something up?" Cloud asked. "As a matter of fact, yes." Aeris replied brightly, "I do believe you owe me one date, and since this looks like it'll be our last free night for a while, I thought we should take advantage of it!" Cloud shuffled nervously. "Uhh, actually, I was hoping to get an early night..." "No buts!" Aeris scolded, wagging a finger at Cloud, "A deal is a deal, after all." "Are you sure you wouldn't rather be out with Gabriel?" Aeris paused at that, an almost pained expression on her face. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that we haven't had a chance to talk since this all started, and that I'm worried about how moody you've been lately." Cloud blanched. "You're going to try and force me to have a good time, aren't you?" Aeris giggled. "You bet!" Cloud sighed, not resisting as Aeris grabbed his hand, and ran down towards the entrance to Cosmo Canyon. He wasn't a wise man, or particularly adept at dealing with people, but he did know when he wasn't going to get out of something. He did, however, make some protest. "Uhh, Aeris, why are we leaving the village?" "Because this is a date, silly! And there aren't that many private places in a village like that." "Right. Why do you want privacy?" Asked Cloud, slightly nervously. Aeris smiled. "Because I want to talk, Cloud. We haven't even done that much since you came crashing into my life. Just running around moving from city to city..." But Cloud didn't hear Aeris too well. Someone else was pleased at their location. Aeris was wrong, really; they weren't alone outside Cosmo Canyon. -=- Inno wandered the various staircases leading up and about the mountain side. Some led to houses, others led into shops, while others seemed to lead to simple bluffs which gave spectacular views of the surrounding mountainside. It was at one of these that she found Nanaki, seated in an almost meditative position. In front of him was a small fire into which he gazed unblinkingly. "Hello Inno," Nanaki said, not turning from the fire, "What brings you to this place?" "I couldn't sleep." Inno replied, walking closer to the fire, "What are you doing? I'm not interrupting, am I?" "No, no. Please join me." Nanaki got up on all his legs, stretching out his form, then sitting down again in a more relaxed fashion. "I think I've studied enough for tonight anyway." Inno seated herself on the other end of the fire, looking at the flames curiously. "What were you studying? The fire?" Nanaki smiled. "It is a method of honoring, I suppose you could say. Fire is the element of a warrior's spirit. I wanted to examine it; for it is obvious I was not as wise as I thought." "You're thinking of your father, then?" Inno asked. "I have been a fool. For most of my years, I have been ashamed of my family heritage. And now, I realize that heritage is quite possibly one of the most honorable of my species. I have much to learn about honor, it seems." "You didn't know, Nanaki. How could you have?" "I called my father a coward in my heart, and to the world. He who still uffers today for his sacrifice and courage. I have to prove myself if I am to ever consider myself worthy of being his son." -=- "This is unit one. I have visual confirmation of two of our targets." "This is Reno. Yah, I see them too." "This is unit zero. Proceed with the infiltration. And please, maintain protocol during communications." "We're on our way, Tseng. Don't worry, we'll leave some of the pieces for you." -=- (Wake up.) (You need to get up now, Abel.) (Abel, for god's sake, please open your eyes.) Abel opened his eyes to see his bedroom... Upside down. From a significantly higher vantage point than normal. Looking around wildly, he noticed Yuffie sitting on one of the beds, studying him carefully. "It's about time you got up, Gabriel. Did you like the food I served you?" Abel groaned internally. (I tried to warn you.) Sephiroth chided. (I can't control you while we're in this place; I can only talk to you. Besides, our body was unconscious.) "Not talking, huh?" Piped Yuffie. Well mister, I'm keeping you there until you admit who you really are!" "Huh?" Gabriel asked intelligently. "All I want to know is, are you Abel, or not?" -=- Cloud blinked in confusion. The messages he was getting were odd, and in some ways contradictory to what he'd been thinking just a few minutes ago. His urges were screaming for him to go to Nibelheim, and to ditch Aeris as quickly as possible. Jenova cursed. The boy's mind had been free from influence for so long, that it recognized when she tried to touch him now. She could have used Sephiroth's help, but he was necessary for another of her plans. This was not the way things were supposed to happen. The mere human boy was supposed to go to Nibelheim, yet for some reason he now felt fear about the place. Was the Other influencing him to keep away? No matter, as unsubtle as it might seem, the boy would gain a need to go to Nibelheim. "Cloud? Cloud, are you okay?" Aeris asked, "You spaced out there for a second." Jenova said. "I'm fine, I just had this feeling..." Cloud said, "that I have to go to Nibelheim." "We are going there, Cloud. We leave in the morning, remember?" "No, I mean I need to go right now." Cloud said insistently. "In the dark? Without the others? Cloud, what's gotten into you?" "Aeris, I need to go now. I don't know why, but I just know I do!" Aeris peered at Cloud carefully, and pulled her staff out into a defensive position. "Cloud, this is supposed to be a date, and I really don't appreciate you acting weird on me." In response, Cloud unsheathed his sword, which caused Aeris to gasp in surprise. She took a step back as he lowered the sword into a striking position. "Aeris, I..." Cloud felt the impulse, but fought it with every inch of his will. This was wrong, this was completely and utterly wrong. He felt the idea grow in his mind, but he still fought, refusing to budge. His arms shook violently from the conflicting urges. "Cloud?!" Aeris cried. Finally, the pressure was too much. Cloud let out a sharp cry, and fell to the ground, unconscious. Aeris was at his side in a flash, trying to revive him. "Cloud, answer me, Cloud!" -=- Nanaki stood again, pacing by the fire, "I have trained for so long, wanting to become strong; to do great battles and erase the dishonor in my family. Now I find my own opinions were the only things dishonorable in my family line." "Nanaki..." "Don't worry Inno. I will redeem my family name, not wallow in misery. When I first returned back in CosmoCanyon, I considered staying. Now I know that I cannot. For the good of the planet, and for my own honor, I will help you defeat Sephiroth." Inno smiled, "I'm glad to hear it. We could use all the help we can get, the way things look." Nanaki approached Inno. "Indeed, the more people we have on our side, the better. But also Inno, I promise to help you. Grandfather told me about the Other, and what the wise man had told you. There is always another way, and I promise we will find it." Inno's face lifted, as her entire face lit up. "Why thank you, Nanaki. But why?" "Because..." Nanaki trailed off, his nose sniffing at the air. He had time to let off a loud howl before the gas grenade landed at their feet. The Turks had arrived. -=- Barret wrapped his blankets around himself tightly as he lay down on the floor. "Damn cold weather tonight." He grunted. "'Daddy, language!'" Jesse cried out, in as cute a voice as she could manage. Barret frowned. "I jes gave Marlene away to yet 'nother caretaker - abandoning her again. Thanks for the damn reminder." he snapped. "Oh Barret, I'm so sorry..." Jessie responded, getting up and kneeling beside him, "It just came out, you know? It was so cute when she said it." "Yeah, that's all I am now, a freaking joke. I 'member I use t'be the leader of this group." "Hey, c'mon Barret, don't get so down." Biggs responded, "We all have our part to do. It's not important if you're the leader or not." "Then what is my part? Damn Biggs, I know I'm not some tactician. I jes know how t'fight. But damn, what has Avalanche done lately? The original members?" Both Biggs and Jesse were about to respond, but they stopped, and thought on the matter for a while. "My point exactly. We're bein' outclassed or somethin. I know this ain't no race, but we ain't even in the game. We all gotta part, like you say. We jes have to look harder until we actually find ours." Barret's words had a sobering effect on the pair, and they fell silent, considering all the possibilities. Barret seemed on the verge of saying something, when Nanaki's cry echoed through the night. "What was that?!" Cried Jesse. Barret leapt up, adjusting his arm gun as he ran for the door. He paused at the door, turning to the others. "Don't know 'bout you, but I think that was for us." Jesse and Biggs were right behind Barret when he started running again. -=- Aeris was trying to tend to Cloud's wounds as best she could, but there were no wounds to find. No infections, no poisons, nothing that should make Cloud act as abnormally as he was. Her research was interrupted by the howl of a creature, which she distinctly recognized as Nanaki. She looked to Cosmo Canyon, then at Cloud, indecision on her face. After a few moments deliberation, she dragged Cloud over to cover, and lay him down as comfortably as possible. She then cast a sleep spell upon him. "Don't go anywhere, okay? I'll be back as quick as I can, I promise..." With that, Aeris, ran as fast as she could for Cosmo Canyon. -=- "Yuffie, please untie me." "No way! At least not until you answer my question. It should be pretty simple anyway!" "Yuffie, this is not the tim-" Both paused as the howl interrupted their argument. Yuffie's expression became more excitable than normal. "Oh my gosh! The others are in trouble!" She cried, running out of the room. "Don't worry, I'm coming guys!" "YUFFIE! Yuffie! ...you forgot something..." Gabriel said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, this is not something I was expecting..." he muttered. {not expecting what?} A voice in his head asked. (Sephiroth? What are you doing here?) Gabriel-Sephiroth asked. {Mother wanted me to come again. I did so freely, because I wanted to talk to you again. About what you've done to me, what you are.} "Guys? What's going on?" (Now is not exactly the time, Sephiroth) {But mot- Jenova, you know what she is like. She's probably listening as we speak.} [I do more than that, my son.] Jenova said, [I see I did not attach myself to you more closely for naught.] (Oh shit.) "Oh shit." Gabriel said, as consciousness slipped from him. -=- Tseng was not a man who was swayed much by emotional responses. He was, however, smiling as he inspected Reno's capture. "Well well, this is a significant find," he said, readjusting their bindings slightly, "Hojo will be most pleased with this pair." Reno was grinning ear-to-ear. "It's just like a birthday, getting them gift-wrapped and unexpected like that." "...Others will come." Rude said, watching the cavern entrance in front of the group expectantly. "Heh. I can't wait myself. I've been wanting to get vengeance on these punks for some time." Reno sneered. "Vengeance can wait." Tseng said coldly, "These two can suffice for now; we can't risk losing them when their friends come to rescue them." "What do you want us to do, then?" Elena asked. "Rude will take the prisoners back to our helicopter. Elena, I want you to accompany him. Reno and I shall hold off any of their friends for as long as necessary. If we don't return within five minutes, leave without us." "...You got it." Rude said, picking up Inno and Nanaki, slinging one over each shoulder. He jumped off the edge of the cliff, a parachute opening moments later. "We'll take them back to Midgar together, Tseng." Elena added, before jumping after Rude. "I guess that just leaves us, then." Reno said, twirling his battle staff. "Just you, and a world of hurt, you bozos!" Yuffie cried, arriving on the scene. Reeve and Cait Sith rushed into view right behind her. With a whooping battle cry, Yuffie flung her boomerang blade at Reno. Reeve, upon seeing the Turks, took no time in pulling out a small pistol. Reno ducked the incoming projectile, grinning widely. "Cute toy kid, let me show you mine..." Yuffie grinned as Reno posed. That's right, pose a little longer... Unfortunately, he didn't. With blinding speed, the Turk ran forward, getting right up to Yuffie before she even had a chance to react. He tagged her with his staff, and suddenly everything froze for her. Reno didn't pause long to admire his staff's handiwork. The barrier his staff erected around her was smashed by her own weapon as it returned to her. Yuffie could do nothing but yelp in surprise as time moved again, and there was no enemy in front of her. Reno ended her confusion with a well-placed hit to the back of the head. Yuffie was down instantly. Reeve fired desperately at Tseng as Cait Sith rushed to assist Yuffie. His shots were ineffectual though; Tseng merely dodged the bullets with inhuman speed. "Mr. Reeve, it's been too long." Tseng smiled coldly as he knocked Reeve's weapon out of his grasp, "President Shinra has been so worried about you.." Cait Sith watched in horror as Reno approached the unconscious Yuffie, and Tseng grabbed the disarmed Reeve by the lapels. "Yikes! Who do I help?" Cait was reduced to looking between the two. While only seconds passed in the normal world, thousands of computations were made, survivor likelihood rates calculated... Which resulted in a minor looping error in Cait's routines. The problem was remedied when Tifa appeared on the scene, knocking Reno away from Yuffie. "Help Reeve!" she cried, "This guy's MINE!" "Will do! Cait Sith chirped, gleefully bounding towards Tseng. Meanwhile, Reno had dropped into a defensive stance, and faced off against Tifa. "All right, this is gonna be good." Reno smirked, "I owe you for my loss." "You're wrong." Tifa replied coldly, "I owe you, for sector five." Reno saw the punch coming at him, he really did. The first one, at least. Tifa unleashed an unstopping barrage of attacks on the Turk, who could only madly dodge out of the way of her frenzied attack. He got in a hit or two, but it didn't matter in comparison to the number of hits she was tagging him with. With a clean roundhouse kick to the chin, Reno was knocked off his feet. He concerned himself with the sky for a while, oblivious to Tifa, who was getting ready for another attack. Tseng meanwhile, had dodged out of the way of Cait Sith's clumsy attack, but it had separated him from Reeve. Noticing his teammate's potion, he rushed in with a sweeping attack that knocked Tifa off her feet, before she could finish the heel stamp she was about to apply to his throat. Positioning himself between Tifa and Reno, Tseng bowed as Tifa got back to her feet. "I've studied your files, Ms. Lockhart. I do believe you shall make a worthy opponent." he said, falling into an open-palmed stance. As Tifa dropped into a stance of her own, Tseng motioned with his fingers for Tifa to come at him. -=- Cloud woke with a massive headache, and a massive urge to sleep. But something was pushing him on. The same voice that told him he had to go to Nibelheim was giving him the energy to do so. Groggily, he trudged his way down the hills, until he found one of the buggies they'd used to get here. [Come my son, your fate awaits...] -=- Reno opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see an extraordinarily angry martial artist looming over him. She wasn't - the shadow was much too big for that. "Hello! I don't like what you guys were trying to do to my boss!" Reno groaned, barely dodging as a gigantic walking marshmallow nearly jumped on top of him. He managed to get to his feet, and got a better look at his opponent. "I'm fighting a giant moogle." He said, bewildered. "And his cat accomplice!" Cait cried cheerfully, pulling out his megaphone, "AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!!" "Oog." Replied Reno. Tseng was faring much better than his teammate. In fact, he was proving to be almost wholly superior to Tifa. Nearly every punch she threw, he countered. Most of her kicks ineffectively sliced through empty air. Not that Tseng hit much either. Tifa was an even match at worst for speed, so she was capable of at least blocking most everything Tseng tried on her. Most, but not all. The two sparred a standstill for minutes, blocking and counter- attacking, and countering of those attacks. Finally, the two locked arms in mutual blocking attempts. Tseng was calm and collected, Tifa was gritting her teeth from exertion. "You have talent." Tseng commented, breaking Tifa's block, leaving her wide open. He followed with a hand clap to her temples, which sent her sprawling to the ground. Tseng bowed again, "I look forward to fighting you again, Ms. Lockhart. But for now..." Tseng trailed off as Barret, Biggs and Jesse rounded the corner, bringing their guns to bear, "it is definitely time for us to depart." Tseng leapt over to Reno, who was dazed but holding his own against Cait Sith. He grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him along as he jumped over the ledge, narrowly avoiding the spray of machine gun fire that followed. Barret ran to the edge, randomly spraying fire into the night, hoping something would hit it's mark. No sounds suggested he had, so he kept on firing, until his ammunition was completely depleted. Aeris rounded the corner at this point, and she was stunned at the vision before her. Yuffie was on the ground not moving, as was Tifa. Cait Sith was tending to Reeve, while Barret was at the edge of the cliff, screaming ineffectually to the wind. Biggs and Jesse were trying hard to calm him down, but to no avail. Aeris rushed to Yuffie first, healing her as well as she could. She then moved on to Tifa, and finally Reeve. There was little else to do but pick up the pieces and head back for home. To the place they had thought was safe. -=- Author's notes: I guess one could call this my Hideko Anno moment. I'm sorry if people thought too much bad stuff went down, but I really had the feeling that there was nowhere near enough opposition for the good guys so far. I also felt the story needed to take a drastically different turn; things have changed too much for events to flow in the same manner they did in the game... To elaborate insofar as my own thinking went: first off, Gabriel is merely conveniently knocked out, not dead. Jenova wanted him out of the way so he couldn't interfere at Nibelheim, and so she can get some more quality time with her son.. as a loyal servant. I know there's a lot of Sephiroth sympathizers writing for the story, but he _is_ the central villain. It's too convenient to simply make him a good guy... at least not until the last minute. :) The Turks able to find Reeve. I never said it outright, but Reeve basically has an implant in him that is a homing device. Rather convenient he was left with the remaining members of Avalanche, don't you think...? As far as Cloud goes, I think he's just got urges to go to Nibelheim. Jenova needs a relatively innocent soul to enter the Temple of the Ancients, without their powers being blocked (my own theory on why Sephy was only a glowing, translucent shade during his speech there; he didn't have enough power to project a physical body). If people want to turn this into a 'Cloud becomes a servant of Jenova' thing, however, it might be an interesting divergence. An idea I had, though I didn't really want to define too much of things, given Elena's habit of shooting her mouth off, wouldn't it be an ideal thing for Tseng to not tell her where the prisoners would _really_ be taken..? Oh yes, and I presume people noticed that Sephy left the door to the temple of the ancients opened? :):):) I'll shut up about things I want to see happen though, because I'm not writing the next chapter. I apologize for the lateness, _and_ the rushed quality of the writing. Doing this while working in a foreign country was a little harder than I thought. I really need to get all my paperwork/housing/tax/Christmas affairs in order... o.O Happy holidays! Eric, raving Turk fan