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Chapter Text

The meteor was no planet buster. It was about the size and weight of a small pick up truck, roughly sperical in shape. Nothing but a small speck on the planetary scale. Not likely to draw any notice at all except for supplying a harmless light show for anyone gazing up from the surface of the earth that night.

The meteor dropped through the upper atmostphere, caught in the unyielding grip of gravity, pulled like a moth to a flame. And toward the same inevitable end.

As it fell the surface of the meteor began to warm, and slowly the heat was conducted deeper inside. Eventually the inner core heated to a certain critical limit and suddenly a conciousness that had lain dormant throughout the cold dark journey through space awoke.

The first thing it felt was pain. At first it didn’t understand the cause, but as it became more aware it's mind cleard and became sharp. The heat was intense now, but it knew what to do.

The meteor changed. It flattened out, became more aereodynamic. The front narrowed and and the back thickened, until it took on a roughtly triangular shape.

At first it sped up, with the narrow front offering less of a target for wind resistance, diving down toward the earth. But then it turned upward, and the wind provided lift beneath the splayed out wings, and it slowed. And with that, the heat dissipated.

The earth slowly grew beneath it as it glided down. Other changes took place, sensory apparatus began to form. It detected the surface of the planet below, and realized immediately that the unstable nature of it would be unsuitable for a landing. It flew on, sinking slowly down closer to the ocean. Then it detected a change ahead of it. The planet became darker, more coherent. This would be suitable, it thought with satisfaction.

It glided slowly across the beach, dropping down quickly now, and came softly to a landing just short of the trees. It lay still for a while, the journey down had been tiresome, and it was still weak from it's long journey prior to that. But eventually it stirred again. For the second time, it's form changed, the entire body seemed to shrink, the wings narrowed and new limbs grew from underneath it. The sensory organs shifted and changed, grouping at the top of the creature, centering themselves on a newly formed head.

The man looked down at himself, nodding slowly. He took a few experimental steps, then, gaining confidence, started walking rapidly across the beach toward the lights of the town of Gongaga.

Chapter Text

SIX MONTHS & THREE WEEKS AFTER AVALANCHE HAS RETURNED FROM THE SOUTHERN CONTINENT

"Are you sure you want to come?" Vincent asked.

Elena nodded slowly.

"I'm not Yuffie," she replied. "I'm not going to lose my lunch, or dinner, as the case may be, which was excellent by the way, Shera."

"Thanks," Shear replied with a smile. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"I didn't do anything," Elena replied. "Cooking is not one of my strong suits, just ask Vincent."

Shera looked at Vincent, but he remianed silent. He wasn't the most talkitive person to begin with, but even if he had been, he wouldn't have been foolish enough to touch that one.

"Well, let's get going then," Cid said.

He walked up to the Slipstream and pulled open the door. Vincent and Elena stepped in. Cid turned to look at Shera.

"Sure you don't want to come along?"

"The way you drive?" she said quickly. "No way. Not unless you want our blessed event to happen right now."

Cid grinned.

"Hey, it might be a good idea. Didn't you tell me you wished the whole thing was over?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather have it happen naturally, and in a hospital, not thirty thousand feet up."

"Hey, I can't think of a better way to come into the world," Cid replied. He leaned forward and kissed her. "Be back in a little while."

He pointed to her stomach.

"And you make sure you behave yourself while I'm gone. No kicking your mother, and don't you dare show your face until I come back."

Shera smiled and Cid turned and stepped into the plane. In a few moments he reappeared in the pilot's seat next to Vincent. Shera stepped back as the engines whined and then ignited. The sound quickly increased to an ear splitting roar, and she had to step back even further. She saw Cid wave to her from the cockpit, and the black jet slowly rose up into the air as she waved back.

"She looks ready to go," Vincent observed. looking down at Shera as she slowly faded away below them.

"Yeah," Cid replied with a grin. "She's due next week, but I think she's gonna drop any minute. Any day now I'm gonna have my own little copilot."

Elena noticed the smug look on Cid's face and couldn't help but smile. This was a side of Cid none of them had ever seen before. The guy was just bursting with pride, and it wasn't over anything that had an engine in it!

"So, how's your rocket doing?" she couldn't help but ask.

"It's getting there," Cid replied, lighting up a cigarette. "A little behind schedule, I have to admit. There's so much going on right now. I never thought the rocket would take a back seat to anything, but, there it is. Hey I can wait. Space isn't going anywhere."

Elena looked over to see Vincent staring at Cid. She could tell he was just as surprised by Cid's newfound perspective as she was.

"So where are we headed?" Vincent asked.

"Just a little shakedown cruise," Cid replied. "Spent the last two weeks putting in a more powereful engine that the boys were working on while I was gone. I was doing some aerobatics yesterday, but I didn't really have much time."

Vincent nodded slowly.

"So where are we headed?" he repeated.

Cid gave him a look.

"I just told ya," he replied.

Vincent glanced back at Elena, who just shrugged. He shook his head and looked at Cid again, but said nothing more.

They flew on in silence. After a while Cid looked ahead.

"Hey," he said. "We're coming up on Cosmo Canyon. Let's give Red a little wake up call."

The Slipstream dropped down until it was skimming just a couple of hundred feet above ground. They could see the red streaked hills surrounding the canyon rapidly approaching. As they came closer Elena could make out the tall hill that backed the canyon, the hill on which Bugenhagen's observatory was perched.

They were right over the canyon now. The ground was very close, and she could see the inhabitants of the town looking up at them and pointing as the aircraft streaked above.

She looked up to see the observatory approaching with breathtaking speed. Cid appeared to be headed right for it.

Elena resisted the urge to say something, although she felt her hands tighten on the arms of her chair. The observatory was only seconds away now, and Cid still hadn't pulled up. Elena gritted her teeth and refused to scream. She could see someone standing by the door in front of the observatory. She couldn't make out his features, but the person just seemed to be staring at the plane, then he suddenly threw himself to the ground.

Cid pulled the stick back. The plane lifted up at the last second. For a moment Elena was sure they wouldn't make it, but then they were past, the observatory already quickly dimishing behind them. She let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Didn't see Red," Cid said with a grin, "But we sure scared the shit out of someone."

"I suppose," Vincent replied.

Cid looked at him with a frown.

"C'mon Mr. serious, lighten up a little. You didn't enjoy that?"

Vincent just shrugged.

Cid looked at Elena.

"Hey, what does Vincent do for fun anyway?" he asked.

Elena thought for a moment.

"Kills people," she replied.

Cid shook his head.

"Great," he muttered. "And they think I'm strange."

The Slipstream banked to the left, heading out over the plain south of Cosmo Canyon. Cid had gained altitude, but now he began to drop back down again as Gongaga appeared ahead of them.

"Planning on terrorizing more innocents?" Elena asked.

Cid grinned.

"If the opportunity presents itself."

The plane banked again, heading straight for Gongaga. It was not far away now. The could see the roofs of some of the homes peeking through the surrounding forest, and the area around the destroyed reactor.

Cid frowned and stared ahead at the reactor. Something was diffrent. A puzzled expression appeared on his face, and then slowly turned to one of shocked surprise as the plane flew closer and he saw that what had suspected from a distance was a reality.

He could tell Vincent and Elena had seen it too, for they were both staring as well, looking ahead at the Mako reactor.

Vincent finally broke the silence.

"They rebuilt it," he said in disbelief.

The Slipstream was right over the reactor now. Below them they could see smoke billowing from a stack on the apparently fully funtional reactor below them.

"I don't believe it," Cid muttered.

He dropped down and circled around, all of them looking at the reator. They just stared at it for a long time.

"They've broken the treaty," Elena said.

Cid nodded. After the fall of Shinra the truth about the dangers of Mako reactors had finally been revealed, and all the cities had signed a treaty forgoing the use of Mako as a power source. It had been one of the few things all the cities had actually agreed upon. None of them had ever thought anyone would break that treaty.

Cid finally recovered from his shock.

"Damn fools," he muttered. "Well, we better get back and report this. I've got a bad feeling about it."

Suddenly the Slipstream rocked underneath them.

"What was that?" Elena cried out.

"Hell if I know!" Cid exclaimed. "Felt like somthing hit us."

He pulled back on the stick and the Slipstream shot up into the air. Suddenly the plane shuddered once again.

"Damn!" Cid yelled.

He sent the Slipstream into a series of violent manuvers.

"What's happening?" Elena said, hands tightly gripping the arms of her chair.

"I don't know," Cid replied angrily. "There's nothing on radar, but there's something back there, behind us."

"Another plane?" Elena asked.

The Slipstream dived down suddenly, and Elena felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

"No," he replied. "At least, I don't think so." He twisted round and looked out the side window.

"It's following us too closely. No pilot could stay on my tail like that. No, it's got to be something else."

"Like what?" Elena said.

"I don't know."

The plane shuddered again, and then dropped like a stone. Cid wrestled with the stick until the jet leveled off again. Elena could see he was having trouble controlling the aircraft.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed. "Something's beating the hell out of us. We've got to get out of here."

He went to turn on the afterburners, but before he could do so he was nearly thrown from his seat as the Slipstream was hit once again. The plane went into a dive once more. Cid immediately recovered and started fighting to pull the plane back up again, but he didn't seem to be having much luck. Elena saw the ground approaching rapidly.

"Cid!" she yelled.

He glanced at her for just a moment, then turned back, the cigarette falling unconcerned from his lips.

"Hang on," he yelled. "We're going down!" 

Red looked up as the Slipstream buzzed the observatory. Cid would have been disappointed to know that he was not in the canyon, but stood in a wooded area not far to the south. He watched the plane unitl it disappeared from view, shaking his head. Undoubtably he would be hearing a stream of complaints about the wayward pilot when he returned to the canyon.

Red stood on a dirt road winding through the trees, a small house protruding through the forest just ahead. Lately a lot of people from Cosmo Canyon had been settling in this area. The desert lands around the canyon were not well suited for agriculture. As the population of the canyon grew they were becoming more and more dependent on farmers in the more fertile southern regions to provide food. So it was only natural that Red had agreed to investigate immediately when he heard that strange creatures were attacking the people of the region.

There were always reports of attacks out in the forests and wilder regions around the canyon. Though they were far fewer now, many of the monsters that had been created by the Mako reactors still inhabitited the less populated areas. These was just dangerous places, normally far away from human habitation, but lately the attacks seemed to be coming with greater and greater frequency in this area. It seemed a disturbing enough trend for Red to look into it.

He walked toward the house. The family had abandoned it after three successive nights of attacks and had fled back to the canyon. He could see another house a little down the road, back the way he had come, but he had seen no sign that that one was inhabited either.

He walked around the back of the house. The family had started to clear the land behind it, but they had not gotten very far in their efforts. The forest nearly surrounded him now.

Red looked around, sniffing the air. He could detect an unpleasent odor. It was not something he had ever smelled before. Something had been here, and fairly recently.

He looked over at the house. It appeared deserted but undamaged. He bent his head and sniffed the ground. He slowly padded out into the cleared field. He looked carefully at the ground. He could see tracks. Large feet, bigger than his own. Four toes, three pointing forward, a fourth one facing back. They covered the entire area. Either the animal had gone back and forth here many times, or there were a lot of them.

His head came up suddenly, his ears perking up. He stared into the forest off to his right. He was sure he had heard something.

Slowly he started in that direction, not taking his eyes off the trees in front of him. Then he felt a light breeze on his face, and the odor suddenly became much stronger.

He hesitated. He could still see no danger, but a sudden feeling over forboding came over him.

He took a slow step back.

And then the attack came. They burst out of the woods in front of him. Four bird like creatures, but larger than any bird he had ever seen. Wings too short to fly, but ending instead with rapier sharp claws. They came at him issuing a screeching cry.

He dodged out of the way of the first beast, slashing with his own claws. He felt them slice into it's side, and it gave a squawk of pain and turned away. But then the other three were upon him. He lashed out, scrambling madly to avoid their claws and the raking blows from their feet. He struck again, and got another one, but only with a glancing blow, and he knew he had not done much damage.

He twisted out of the way again as another slashed at him. So far his reflexes had kept him out of danger, but they could not save him forever at these odds, and suddenly he felt the claws of one of the beasts rake across his back.

He jerked around and tore at the birds head. It quickly retreated. Red turned as two others came at him again. He knew he had been injured pretty badly, but in the heat of battle he hardly even noticed the pain.

He dodged forward and under the claws of one of the birds, slashing up fron underneath at it's soft underbelly. Blood spurted around him and the animal screamed and fell back, collapsing to the ground.

He felt his back leg knocked out from under him, and he nearly fell to the ground, but somehow managed to keep his balance. He had taken one out, but the other three were clawing at him from all sides now.

Suddenly he spotted a flash of crimson and Nipala flew into the fray. She leaped into the air and landed squarely on the back of one of the beasts. It screamed in protest and jerked back and forth in a desperate attmept to dislodge her, but her claws were embedded deeply in it's back. She let go with one paw and tore at the back of it's head. With one last gasping cry in fell to the ground.

Nipala lept off and ran over to Red, who was holding his own against the last two. When one turned to face her, Red charged in and attacked it quickly from the side. With a scream that one went down too. The last one caught Red in the hindquarters with a raking claw as he turning to face it. Then he and Nipala both fell upon it. It stood no chance alone against the two of them. In moments it had joined it's comrades in the great beyond.

Red stood there panting over the body, looking at Nipala, covered with dozens of scrapes and brusies, as well as a long line of claw marks down his back.

"You got here just in time," he said.

They had come together, but had seperated to look around shortly before Cid's plane had passed over.

"I can see that," she replied. "Are you all right?"

Red nodded slowly.

"I think so," he replied. "Nothing a couple of days rest won't cure. I think we..."

He stopped and looked up again, staring into the forest. She heard it too. The screeching cry echoed once more around them. And suddenly more of the birds came charging out of the woods. She didn't stop to count how many, she only knew that there were a lot of them.

Red paused for a spit second.

"There's too many of them," he cried.

Even before he finished the statement he was runnning, with Nipala right behind him. Things were obviously much worse here than he had suspected. Whatever the hell these things were there were way too many of them for just the two of them to handle. They had to get back to Cosmo Canyon. 

"With the shell house out of the way, we can widen the entrance and the staircase," Reeve said. "It still won't be large enough to get adequate supplies down here in the long run, but it will do until we finish the tunnel for the second entrance."

Aeris noddded. She, Reeve, Zack and Elmyra stood at the foot of a wide stairway leading to the entrance of a church, looking around them at the streets of Infalnia, the newly renamed city of the Ancients. A city no longer deserted and silent, a city that was now alive with movement and sound, a city come back to life, back from the dead.

Aeris could not help but feel a deep satisfaction when she looked around and saw this. True, the families that had agreed to come here to repopulate the city were humans, not Cetra, but that really didn't make any difference. The ancient home of her people was alive once more, and that was all that mattered. Ever since she was resssurected she had been restless, had felt an unfulfilled need, a need to somehow make a concection with her past, but all this time what had happened here had kept her away. Because she had been scared, had been afraid to return to the place where she died, but now that burden was gone, and she felt a great sense of peace. She felt that now she had finally found her rightful place.

"Whatever you think is best," she said, looking at Reeve. He held a large map in his hands, a map of the city with proposed changes scribbled all over it. She smiled, looking at him. He had been the first to volunteer to come with her when she suggested returning to the city. He proposed that his city management skills learned while with Shinra would prove useful in recruiting citizens and developing the city, not that she needed any convincing. So far, as the new Mayor of Infalnia, his skills had indeed proven invaluable.

She herself had taken no title. Nor did she wish one. She was content just to be here, in the city of her people with her new church.

They walked up the steps and into the church. It was larger than the one she had frequented in Midgar, though other than that quite similair. The modest furnishing were simple and functional. The walls unadorned, but lining them, on each side of the pews, from one end to the other, were rows of flowers.

Elmyra stopped and looked around.

"So this is what you were doing all this time," she said. "Aeris, it's beautiful."

Aeris smiled modestly but did not reply. Zack came up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked around, obviously impressed as well.

"Great job," he said.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

She walked down the center isle, the others following slowly. No, she didn't need a title. She didn't need anything but what was in front of her. For the first time in a long time, she was at peace.

"You are in danger."

Her head jerked up, startled. She looked at the others, but they appeared not to have heard. The voice had been so clear, as if the speaker had been standing right next to her. She would have sworn that was true. She looked around, but there no one else nearby.

The others stopped, seeing the surprised look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Reeve asked.

Aeris did not reply. She had heard voices before, but never with such clarity. Even her mother's voice when she heard it sounded far away.

And there was something else. It had not been her mother's voice, but she recognized it. It was the same voice she had heard in her dream in Mysteele, the one that warned her of the soldiers outside of her and Reeve's room that night.

"Somethings wrong," she said.

Zack looked at her and drew his sword.

They were standing near the front of the church now, not far from the alter. Behind the alter was an alcove leading into another room. And from out of that alcove three figures suddenly sprang.

They ran towards the group. They were clothed in black, their faces hooded, and they each held a long sword in their hand.

Zack stepped forward to meet them. One came straight at him, and their swords struck one another with a clang. The other two ran past Zack towards the others. He slashed at one as he went by, but it narrowly missed, and he barely had time to bring his sword back in front of him to parry a blow from the man attacking him.

Reeve dropped the map he was holding and fumbled for his shotgun. He nearly dropped it, but then brought it up. He let loose a blast at the two coming at him and Aeris. It hit one of them full in the chest. The man stumbled back for a moment, but then ran forward again, sword raised.

Reeve didn't have time to think about it. He fired again and this time the man fell to the ground. The other one turned toward him and slashed visciouly, but Reeve dived to the ground and the sword whistled harmlessly above his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out more shells, scattering some on the floor. He opened up the gun and hasitly tried to reload it, but he knew he didn't have time. He looked up as the sword once more slashed at him, this time coming straight down at his head.

His stumbled back and lifted his arms in a useless attempt to ward off the blow, but then sparks flew as the sword was intercepted by the Princess Guard. Aeris turned her rod and struck the man in the leg. He stumbled and Reeve scrambled out of the way.

Zack was forcing his man back, but he couldn't seem to get in a killing blow. The man was good, he had to be to stand agaisnt a trained SOLDIEER, but then Zack looked up and noticed the man's face. It was partially hidden in the folds of his hood, but his eyes stood out, and Zack almost cried out in surprise.

He felt the man's sword strike his leg. He stumbled for a moment, then lashed out himself with renewed vigor. He knew his leg was injured, but he didn't have time to even look at it, much less tend to it. All he knew was that is was still functional, and he had to kill this man quickly.

Summoning all his strength and calling on all his training, he attacked visciously. The man continued to retreat, but still Zack's sword could not penetrate his defenses. But then the man reached the front wall. He could retreat no further. He lunged to the side to try to get out of Zack's range and away from the wall, but Zack had anticipated this. He drove his sword in, and blood flew as it slashed across the man's chest.

The man dropped his sword and stood for a moment, clutching at his chest, but then he fell to the ground. Zack was already turning toward the others.

Reeve had reloaded his gun, but the last man was now attacking Aeris, and he couldn't fire for fear of hitting her. Aeris was slowly retreating towards the wall, her rod expertly blocking the swordsmans attack, but she could not get in any blows of her own.

The man lept aside as he saw Zack coming, trying to get both of them in front of him. When he did so he became seperated from Aeris, and Reeve fired.

The blast struck the man and knocked him back, but, just like the first one, he did not fall. However, he was stunned enough so that he didn't have time to recover before Zack's sword drove into him. With a gurgling cry the man fell to the ground an lay still.

They all stood there for a moment in silence, looking down at the bodies and trying to catch their breath.

Elmyra ran up to Aeris and looked at her. Realizing she was okay she looked down as well.

"Who were they?" she asked.

"I don't know," Aeris replied, still not completely recovered. These men had obviously been here to kill one or more of them. Someone wanted them dead, but who, and why?

She looked at Zack, who was just standing there, a strange expression on his face.

"Why did they try to kill us?"

Zack shook his head slowly.

"I don't know," he replied. "This just dosen't make any sense. But I did notice something, something that disturbs me greatly. These men were Mako infused. I saw the glow in their eyes."

Reeve eyebrows shot up in surprise. So that was why his shotgun blasts had not killed them immediately.

"They were members of SOLDIER?" he said.

Zack shook his head.

"No, they were never in SOLDIER," he replied. He walked over to the first man he had killed and looked down at him.

"I recognize this man," he said. "But not from when I was in SOLDIER. From before that. He used to be a farmer in my hometown. A farmer in Gongaga."

They all looked at him for a long time. Each of them understood what this meant, but were so shocked by the thought of it that they could not bring themselves to say it out loud. It was Elmyra who finally broke the silence.

"Someone is infusing poeple with Mako again," she said slowly. "Which means they must be using a Mako reactor."

"That's right," Zack agreed, nodding his head slowly. "And this man is fron Gongaga..."

Aeris looked at them.

"I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it," she said. "I think we better get in touch with the others."

But even as she spoke the PHS rang. She hastily pulled it out.

"Hello," she started. She listened for a minute, a puzzled exprssion forming on her face.

"Barret, calm down," she said, her puzzled expression being replaced by a look of concern. "What happened?"

She listened again for a few moments, and then her eyes grew wide and her face went deathly pale.

"Oh God," she said softly. She glanced at the others, and they could tell just by her look that something was very wrong.

She stood there for a moment more, then her hand slowly dropped to her side. Reeve was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

"We've got to go to Kalm," she said. "Immediately." 

"Two gin an tonic and a scotch and water, Miss Lockheart" Mikko said.

Tifa nodded and pulled out the bottles, shaking her head. She had long ago given up trying to tell Mikko that it was just Tifa. She mixed the drinks and then slid them onto Mikko's tray, then leaned against the counter as Mikko brought the drinks over to the patrons. Three men dressed in suits and ties. Not that common to see in Kalm, a pretty laid back town, where most people who came in were casually dressed.

Still, business was business. Things had been pretty busy lately, although tonight was a little slow. Still, she didn't mind. It was only thursday, and things had really started to pick up on friday and the weekends. She was even thinking about hiring some extra help for those days, if she could find someone.

The door opened and a man walked in. He came over to the bar and sat down. Tifa had never seen him before. Most of her customers were regulars, but there were always a few who she did not recognize. The man was dressed in a white shirt and darks pants. He had a briefcase, which he put down beside his barstool. Another businessman, Tifa guessed, although he did not have a tie on.

"What'll you have?" she asked.

The man hesitated for a moment. He seemed nervous.

"Scotch on the rocks," he said slowly.

Tifa nodded and poured the drink. He took it and gulped some down, then coughed. He didn't look like the type who was into heavy drinking.

She was about to say something when she was interrupted.

"Hey, how 'bout some service over here!"

Tifa frowned and looked over at another table. Two men sat there, one looking at Mikko expectantly. They had come in almost two hours ago, and had been drinking heavily, their conversation becoming more and more boisterous as time went on. She had never seen them before either. It was obvious that they were both quite drunk.

Mikko looked over at Tifa, who gave just the slightest shake of her head. Tifa looked at the men.

"Don't you think you boys have had enough?"

The man turned to look at her.

"Well, hell, no I don't think so," he said. He turned to look at the other man.

"Have you had enough?"

The other looked up at him.

"Most definitely...not," he replied slowly.

The first looked back at Tifa.

She walked around from behind the bar.

"Sorry gentlemen," she said. "But I think it's time for you to go home."

The first man looked at her, not seeming to comprehend.

"I said I want another drink," he said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Tifa replied calmly.

"Why not?" the man exclaimed. "You're the freaking bartender, aren't you. That's what you're paid to do, serve drinks, so do it!"

Tifa shook her head.

"I think it would be better for all of us if you left now," she said.

"I'll go whenever the hell I please," he said angrily. "Right now I want a drink."

"You heard the lady!"

Tifa turned to see one of her regular customers had stood up and was looking at the man darkly.

"Yeah," a second man said, getting up as well. "Why don't you just take the hint and get the hell out of here."

There was a murmer of approval, and then almost eveyone else in the bar stood up as well, even the businessmen who she didn't even know.

The drunken man stood in front of her, hesitating and looking around slowly. Finally he turned toward his friend.

"C'mon," he muttered. "Let's get out this dump. I'm sure there's plenty of other places in town that won't be so picky about what a man drinks."

He grabbed his friend by the shoulder. The second man stood, stumbling a little, and they both exited the bar.

Tifa looked around and smiled as everyone sat down again.

"Thank you all," she said. "The next round's on me."

"Well, we didn't want you to hurt him," one man called out.

Tifa smiled and walked back behind the bar to a chorus of approval. The man who was sitting there was gone. She hadn't even noticed him leave. Ten gil lay on the counter by his empty glass. She shrugged and picked up the money. Not a bad tip, the drink had only been two.

She never noticed the briefcase the man had left at the foot of his stool.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Cloud asked again.

"Of course she'll like it," Barret answered for what seemed like the millionth time. "She'd like it if you got it out of a box of cracker jacks."

Cloud opened the small box and looked at the ring that gleamed inside.

"Can I see it?" Marlene asked.

"Sure," Cloud responded.

He held the box out in front of her. She looked at the ring closely, but did not touch it.

"It's pretty," she said.

"Uh huh," Cloud said.

He closed the box and they continued down the street back toward the bar. Marlene continued to look at Cloud.

"Are you really going to marry Aunt Tifa?" she asked.

Cloud looked down at her and smiled.

"You bet," he replied.

"But you can't say anything to her," Barret admonished. "Not yet. Not until Cloud tells her tonight. Until then it's our little secret, okay?"

She looked at Barret and nodded.

"Yes Daddy," she replied.

Cloud looked down at the ring again. He had wanted Aeris to come help him pick it out, but she was busy right now with other things. She had told him to wait until she could get to Kalm but for some reason he hadn't wanted to, he hadn't wanted to wait. It seemed funny after all the time it had taken them to say they loved one another, now he could hardly wait to ask her to marry him.

He looked at Barret, who seemed immensely pleased with the whole situation. He hadn't thought Barret would be much help picking out a ring, and had in fact thought he would not even be interested, but Barret had agreed immediately when Cloud asked him to come along, and in fact had been surprisingly helpful. Cloud had forgotten that Barret had done this once before.

"Do you think I'm rushing things?" he asked.

Barret looked at him and frowned.

"Rushing things?" he snorted. "No, I don't think you're rushing things, I think it's about time. I've been waiting a long time for you two to get together. For a while there I thought it was never gonna happen, even though it was obvious you were both crazy about each other. Long time overdue, I say."

Cloud just looked at him skeptically. He didn't think it had been that obvious. Then he shrugged.

The bar was not far ahead of them now. He clasped the ring firmly in his hand and smiled. He couldn't wait unitl she saw it. 

Tifa walked into the kitchen. Things were quiet at the moment, she might as well get some of the dishes done. She took a tray of dirty mugs and placed them in the dishwaher. She stood up and glanced out the window. Dusk was fast approaching, and the houses along the street cast long shadows. She reached over and opened the window, and was rewarded with the feel of a cool breeze on her face. She looked down the road again and saw Cloud, Barret and Marlene walking toward the bar. She saw Cloud look up and she waved.

Mikko had just cleaned off another table when she happened to glance over at the bar and noticed the briefcase on the floor by the barstool. She walked over and was about to pick it up when she heard someone call for a waitress. She looked over to see one of the three buisnessmen motioning for her to come over. She hestitated a moment, looking down at the briefcase again. Then she looked back at the table.

"Just a moment," she said, reaching down and lifting the briefcase. 

Cloud looked up and saw Tifa waving to him from the window of the bar. He lifted his arm to wave back.

There are certain times in ones life that are forever etched in memory. Certain events that are so profound or earthshattering that they are burnt into one's brain, never to be removed or forgotten. For Cloud, one of those moments was when Aeris had been killed. He would never forget when Sephiroth's sword had pierced her, or the look in her eyes as the life had faded from them. Nor would he ever forget the image of Tifa waving from the window of the bar, a moment before it exploded in a ball of flame.

For a split second they all just stood there, uncomprehending. Then Cloud found himself running forward.

"No," he found himself saying, over and over. He could see what had happned but he refused to acknowledge it. He refused to believe it was true. It couldn't be happening. It had to be a dream. Please let it be a dream.

He reached the smoldering ruins and scrambled desperatly among the broken timbers, searching for some sign of her. Barret ran up beside him, with Marlene not far behind, crying hysterically.

Cloud's hands were shaking uncomtrollably as he pushed his way through the wreckage. He could hear shouts as others gathered, but he paid no attention to them. He pushed aside a crumpled piece of the wall, and then he saw her, lying near the twisted ruins of the sink.

He scrambled over and lifted up her head. It fell limply to the side, a jagged wound across her forehead. She was covered with dirt and debris, but he could see other wounds as well. Blood covered the ground beneath her.

"Tifa," he whispered, cradling her head in his arms. He felt for a pulse but his hand shook so violently that he gave up after a moment. He turned toward Barret.

"She's over here!" he called out. "Get some help. We need restore materia, we need a doctor!"

Barret turned and shouted something to the others who had gathered nearby, but Cloud did not hear him. He looked down again at Tifa, and wiped the blood and dirt off of her face. She did not respond. The box that held her ring slipped out of his hand and fell amid the debris, unnoticed.

"Don't die on me," he said softly as tears welled in his eyes. "Please don't die on me."

Chapter Text

Aeris walked into the waiting room, followed closely by Reeve, Elmyra and Zack. Reno and Rude were already there. For once Reno had a serious look on his face instead of his usual sardonic smirk. Aeris couldn't see Rude's eyes behind his shades, but his face was grey. Barret sat nearby with Marlene, his arms wrapped around her and her face buried in his chest. Cloud sat off to the side by himself. He barely acknowlegded their entrance.

Barret gently pried Marelene off of him, then stood up and came over to them.

"I'm sorry we're so late," Aeris said apologeticaly. "We got here as fast was we could. How is she?"

Barret waved his hand, dismissing her apology as unecessary. He looked grave.

"She's hurt real bad," he said slowly. "They don't know whether..." he stopped and hesitated for a moment, struggling for the words. "...whether she's gonna make it."

Aeris felt tears starting to form in her eyes once again.

"Where is she?"

Barret paused and took a deep breath. He wiped his hand across his eyes.

"In surgury," he replied. "Been in there for three hours now. Don't know how much longer it'll be."

Aeris nodded.

"How is he taking it?" he asked, nodding toward Cloud.

Barret shook his head slowly.

"About as well as can be expected," he replied. "In other words, terribly. He hasn't said a word to anyone since we been here. He was gonna ask her to marry him, for Chrissake!"

Aeris nodded. She gave Barret's hand a reassuring squeeze then walked over to Cloud. He did not even look up as she came over. She slowly sat down beside him, her heart feeling like it was being torn in two. She knew the burt he felt, she felt it too. She wanted so badly to have words of comfort, to be able to say something to him that would ease the pain, but she knew there were no words that could lessen the hurt he was feeling now.

She silently took hold of his hand. He did not look at her, just sat there staring at the floor, but his grip tightened on her hand until it almost hurt. His eyes were red, but he was not crying.

She looked up at the others. Elmyra had gone over and was now holding Marlene. Reeve was just standing there looking forlorn. Zack was talking softly with Barret. She couldn't hear what they were saying.

The door to the room opened and Yuffie walked in, a look of concern on her face. She looked around for a moment, until her gaze fell on Aeris and Cloud. Aeris motioned toward Barret. Yuffie nodded slowly and walked over to Barret and Zack. Barret turned to her and quickly filled her in.

Almost an hour later a man dressed in surgical scrubs walked into the room. They all stood up and gathered around him, Cloud pressing to the front. The doctor looked at him grimly.

"We've done what we can to stabilize her," the doctor said. "She's out of surgury, but the injuries are very severe. She's suffered damage to her liver and both kidneys, but it's the head injury that I'm most concerned about. She's amazingly strong. If she hadn't been she wouldn't have made it this far, but I'm not going to kid you, her situation is very grave. We're doing everything we can, but I don't know whether it will be enough."

No one spoke for a moment. A few of them looked like they wanted to ask a question, but no one said anything, they all just stood there looking at Cloud.

"Do you think she'll make it?" Cloud asked slowly.

The doctor hesitated for a moment.

"We're doing everything we can," he repeated. "I've called in a specialist from Mideel. Right now it's touch and go."

Cloud just shook his head and looked down at the floor. The doctor looked at him sympathetically but said nothing more.

"Can we see her?" Barret asked.

The doctor looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I suppose," he replied. "She's in a coma and heavily sedated, but I don't think it would hurt. But just two or three of you, okay? She needs all the rest she can get right now."

The doctor looked at Cloud, then reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't give up hope," he said. Then he turned and walked out of the room.

Cloud looked up at the others.

"I'm going with you," Aeris said immediately.

"And me too," Barret spoke up.

Rude looked as if he were going to speak, but then he looked down at the ground and remained silent.

"Okay, we'll be back shortly," Cloud said to the others.

He walked out of the room, Aeris and Barret following. A nurse by the reception desk came up to them and led them down a busy corrider and into a small room.

Cloud slowly walked over to the bed and looked down at Tifa. She had an oxygen tube in her nose and an IV in her right arm. Bandages covered her head and her left arm. Both arms hung limply at her sides and her eyes were closed. The faint rise and fall of her chest the only sign of life.

Aeris stepped over to the bed. Cloud looked at her.

"Can you help her?" he asked, a pleading look in his eyes.

Aeris slowly reached out and took hold of Tifa's hand. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. For a long time she stood there in silence, unmoving. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Cloud, shaking her head slowly.

"She's far away," Aeris said softly. "I can't reach her."

Tears started to run down Aeris cheeks. She turned toward Cloud. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her as she buried her head in his chest.

"I can't help her," she sobbed. "I'm sorry, Cloud."

Cloud just held her without saying anything. His eyes were moist, but no tears fell.

Barret stepped over to Tifa's bed and looked down at her. He reached out and patted her hand gently. He tried to speak but the words caught in his throat. He took a deep breath.

"You hang in their girl," he said softly.

He turned away and looked at Cloud, who gently turned Aeris toward him. Barret took her arm and led her out of the room.

Cloud turned back to Tifa. He slowly reached down and caressed her cheek with his hand. It felt cold to the touch. He turned away.

He had failed again. He had not been there when she needed him. Just like he hadn't been there for Aeris. For all his strength and skill he could never protect the one's he cared about, the one's he loved.

He turned back toward her, then knelt down beside the bed and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

There was so much he had never told her. So much he had kept locked away from her all these years. He had ignored her for so long, and now, now when he had finally opened his eyes and realized just what he had...

He couldn't lose her now.

"I love you, Tifa," he said. "Please come back to me."

His head sank slowly onto the bed beside her, and the tears finally came.

Cloud returned to the waiting room a short time later. Elmyra had taken Marlene down to the cafeteria to get some ice cream, but all the others were there. As soon as he walked in Zack came up to him.

"I know this isn't a good time, but there's some other things that are happening that you might want to know about," he said. "If you don't want to be bothered with it right now, we'll all understand, just say the word."

Cloud looked at Zack a moment. It looked like he had been crying, but his eyes were dry now.

"No, go ahead, it's okay," he said.

"We just got a call from Red," Zack continued. "He says he's sorry, but he can't leave Cosmom Canyon right now. Seems there's all kinds of strange creatures running around south of the canyon terrorizing the citizens. He's got his hands full there, and he is the protector of the canyon."

"I understand," Cloud said.

"In fact, he asked if we could help him out. We filled him in about Tifa, so he realizes this is a bad time. But apparently he really needs the help. He seems to think the whole canyon might be in danger."

"And that's not all," Zack continued. "Cid is missing."

"What?" Cloud said in surprise.

"Shera called us to tell us Cid, Vincent and Elena went for a little cruise in the Slipstream earlier today. They never returned. She thinks somethings happened to them."

Cloud just stood there with a puzzled expression on his face.

"There's more," Zack continued. He told Cloud about the attack upon them in Infalnia.

"Damn," Cloud muttered when he was done. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Don't know," Barret said. "But it sure don't seem like no coincidence."

"What are you saying?" Reeve asked.

"Cid, Vincent and Elena missing," Zack replied. "Monsters attacking Cosmo Canyon. Attacks on us in Infalnia and here in Kalm. It seems like someone is out to get Avalanche."

"So you think this was all a coordinated plan?" Rude said.

"Yes," Zack replied slowly. "I don't see how else to explain it. It looks like someone was trying to wipe out Avalanche in one fell swoop. They took out Cid, Vincent and Elena in the Slipstream. They attacked Red in Cosmo Canyon. They sent assassins after Aeris, Reeve and me in Infalnia, and they planted a bomb here to kill Cloud, Barret and Tifa."

"Hey, what about me?" Yuffie pointed out.

Zack turned to look at her.

"I don't know," he replied. "Perhaps they missed you somehow, or maybe they thought you were too young to be a threat."

Yuffie looked unhappy with that reply.

"Monsters attacking Cosmo Canyon, that might not have anything to do with this," Reeve said. "And we don't know what happened to Cid. For all we know they might have stopped at a bar somewhere to have a drink."

"So you think it's all just a coincidence?" Zack asked.

Reeve shook his head.

"No, but I don't think we should rule out the possibility."

"Still, the attacks here and in Infalnia cannot be dismissed. Someone it out to get us."

"But who?" Barret said.

No one had an answer to that.

"You said one of the assasins was from Gongaga," Cloud pointed out.

"Yes," Zack said softly. His hometown. He had been so busy, he hadn't gone back there. He hadn't seen his parents. For all he knew, they still thought he was dead. Why had he waited so long?

"Well, that's someplace to start," Reeve suggested.

Zack nodded.

"I agree," he said. "It's the only thing we have to go on at the moment."

"But what about the others?" Barret said. "What about Red and Cid?"

"We've got to do what we can for them as well," Aeris said.

"So you think we should split up?" Yuffie asked.

No one replied. They were all looking at Zack and Cloud.

"Maybe," Zack said finally. "But not right away. I think we should all go to Cosmo Canyon. Gongaga is not far from there, and Shera said Cid headed south when he left. We can coordinate things from there and decide what we're going to do."

He turned and looked at Reno and Rude.

"Are you two in on this?"

"Elena might be a pain in the ass," Reno spoke up, "but she's still a Turk, and we look after our own." He glanced over at Rude.

"Not to mention what they did to Tifa. We're in."

Zack looked at Yuffie.

"What about you?"

"Of course," she said indignantly. "I'm a member of Avalanche too. And they're got a lot of nerve ignoring me!"

Zack nodded in satisfaction. He knew there was no need to ask any of the others.

He turned and looked at Cloud.

"I can't leave her," Cloud said.

"I know," Zack replied. "Even if you could, I think it would be better if someone stayed with her. Remember, someone tried to kill you both. When they find out they haven't succeeded, they may try again."

Cloud nodded.

"All right, let's get going then," Zack said.

Aeris ran up to Cloud.

"Be careful," she said. "And let us know immediately if there's any change in Tifa's condition."

"I will," Cloud replied.

As they filed out the door Barret turned back.

"We'll find the bastard that did this," he said grimly.

Cloud did not respond. Barret looked at him for a moment, then turned and followed the others out. The door closed behind them, and suddenly Cloud felt more alone than he ever had in his life. 

"Dammit!" Cid exclaimed.

"What?" Vincent questioned.

Cid crawled out from underneath the Slipstream and stood up. He flung the wrench he was holding down into the dirt with a curse.

"Some of the bolts have been torn in two," he growled. "I can't repair them. They'll have to be replaced. We're going to have to haul our sorry asses into town to get some parts or we won't be going anywhere."

Vincent just shrugged. Cid cursed again and looked over at Elena.

"Any luck?"

Elena shook her head and handed the PHS back to Vincent.

"No," she replied. "Nothing but static. Do you think it was damaged in the crash?"

Vincent shook his head. The landing had been hard, but the Slipstream herself had taken the brunt of the damage.

"I don't think so," he replied.

"So how do you explain it then?" she questioned.

"I don't know," Vincent replied. "Maybe someone is blocking communication."

Elena looked skeptical.

"Why would they do that?" she asked.

Vincent just shrugged and said nothing more.

"Maybe it's got something to do with that damn reactor," Cid suggested. "Maybe they don't want word spreading that they've rebuilt the thing. Maybe that's why they took us down in the first place. I'll tell ya, I got a real bad feeling about this one."

Cid feel silent. When he had looked out the window right before the last attack, he thought he had gotten a glimpse of something. He couldn't be sure. He had only seen it for a second, but even so it had given him the shivers.

"I wasn't going to mention this, but with all this other craziness going on maybe you better know," he said. "I think I saw what was following us. I only saw it for a second, so I can't really say for sure, but it looked like one of those Jenova things Sephiroth was always leaving behind when we were chasing him."

Elena looked at him in surprise.

"But Jenova is dead," she said. "You guys killed her in the north crater, right?"

"Right," Vincent replied.

"So..." Elena prompted.

"I don't know," Cid said. "I'm just telling you what it looked like. That's all. For all I know it could be some other freaking monster created by this new reactor."

"In either case," Elena said. "Do you think it's a good idea for us to go into town?"

"No I don't," Cid repiied immediately. "But I don't know what other choice we have, unless you want to walk all the way to Cosmo Canyon."

Elena did not reply, but her face said 'not really'.

"All right then," Cid said. "Let's get going. But I suggest we all keep our weapons handy."

The other two nodded and followed Cid as he trudged off.

The Slipstream had come down in a narrow valley west of Gongaga, on a grass covered plain just past the forest that surrounded the town. In a few minutes they were in the trees themselves.

Cid looked around warily as they walked, his weapon ready in his hands. They eventually came to a trail that cut across their path. As they stepped out onto it they all suddenly looked down it to the left, their attention attracted by movement. A man was riding slowly down the trail on a chocobo, with two large insectlike creatures beside him.

The man saw them at almost the same time. Without a word he pulled out a long sword, then spurred the chocobo forward, the two creatures hot on his tail.

"What the hell?" Cid exclaimed, but he was cut off by a blast from the death penalty. Vincent saw the man jerk back, but he did not fall from the saddle.

Vincent fired again. He could hear Elena's gun as well. He was sure he hit the man, but the swordsman raced toward them still. Vincent lowered his aim and fired a third time.

The chocobo stumbled and collapsed, throwing the man to the ground. Vincent saw him scramble up, but then paid him no more heed as the insect creatures fell upon them.

One of the creatures lunged at Cid. He dodged out of the way and thrust at it with the Venus Gospel. The weapon tore into it's side just below the wing, and green gore splashed the ground. The creature gave a high pitched screech and slashed at him with a huge claw. He tried to twist out of the way, but was not entirely successful. The claw tore into his shirt sleeve, wrenching his arm and nearly making him lose his grip on his weapon. He brought the spear around again and sliced the claw off with a quick slash. The creature shreiked again and rose up onto it's hind legs, preparing to spring forward and use it's bulk to crush it's smaller opponent. Cid ducked down, knowing he could not get out of the way in time, then braced the spear against the ground as the beast lunged foward.

The creatures own momentum drove it down onto Cid's weapon. It slid into the beast, piercing it's tough hide and driving deep into it's vital organs. The monster shuddered and collapsed to the ground, and Cid pulled the spear free.

Vincent and Elena were both blasting away at the second insect while Cid was occupied. By the time it reached them it was staggering from the effects of half a dozen shots. It made one feeble attempt to strike at Vincent, which he easily dodged, before it fell to the ground.

With that they all turned their attention to the swordsman, who was now running toward them on foot. Vincent and Elena starting pumping shells into him, much as they had the insect before him, but Cid could not help but notice that it was not having much effect.

The swordsman was very close now and Cid stepped forward and thrust at him with his spear. The man twisted aside like lightening and his sword flashed, intercepting the Venus Gospel and knocking it to one side. The sword flicked out again and Cid felt a burning pain in his leg. He stumbled and fell to the ground as the swordsman raised his weapon over his head, but then he too staggered back as he was hit by a blast from the death penalty.

"Shit," Cid muttered, clutching his leg. He hadn't been expecting the guy to move that fast, but as the sword had come up Cid had looked in the man's eyes, and had seen the glow.

"Be careful," Cid called to the others. "He's Mako enhanced."

Vincent, who seemed to have been unlucky enough to have now drawn the swordsman's attention, did not seem to hear, as he was too busy twisting out of the way as the man slashed at him with the sword.

Cid lept to his feet, but then nearly fell again as his left leg collapsed under him. He looked down to see blood discoloring his pant leg from a wound just above his knee.

He gritted his teeth and, using his spear as a crutch, moved towards Vincent. But he hadn't taken more than a step of two when he felt a tingling in his leg. He looked down again to see the wound glow with a faint green light, and then the pain was gone.

He looked up to see the green glow fading from the restore materia in Elena's hand. He raised the Venus Gospel and charged toward the swordsman, who had just drawn blood with a slash across Vincent's arm.

The spear drove into the man's back. Instantly the swordsman turned, knocking the spear aside with his sword arm. The man was bleeding from a dozen wounds now, and Cid could hardly believe he was still standing. His other hand came up and struck Cid in the side of the head, sending him reeling.

Cid shook his head to clear it. He felt fury suddenly welling up inside him. He was dimly aware of a huge form looming up where Vincent had stood, but he wasn't really paying that much attention. He'd taken about as much of this shit as he could stand!

He felt a sudden rush of power, and then he sprang forward, slashing light lightening, over and over again, he wasn't sure how many times. The beast Vincent had become was attacking the man from the other side. In spite of his skills the swordsman could not defend against both of these onslaughts. Cid felt his spear tear throught the man's flesh, over and over again, until Cid suddenly realized that the man was no longer fighting, but lay unmoving on the ground between them.

Cid lowered his spear and stood there panting as Vincent slowly returned to his normal form. Elena came up to stand beside him, her eyes wide.

"Remind me never to get you guys mad," she said slowly.

Cid grinned for a moment, but it quickly faded. He looked down at the body in front of them.

"The reactors rebuilt, some kind of weird creature knocks down the Slipstream, some guy from SOLDIER attacks us in league with some insect creatures. Things are just getting weirder and weirder. Can anybody tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Elena just looked at him and shrugged. Vincent said nothing at all.

Cid shook his head.

"Well, let's get on with it," he said. "I just hope there's no more of these jokers nearby. I'm in serious need of a breather. The old Cid man ain't as young as he used to be."

They followed him as he started down the trail once more. As it turned out, they weren't through being surprised. When they reached the outskirts of the town they all stopped, looking around them in shock.

Gongaga had never been a prosperous town. It was not as poor as Corel had been in it's worst years, but had never been much better off. The region around the town had few resources, and most of the economy was supported by farm products. The reactor had been supposed to change that, but in this instance Shinra had not chosen well. Something in the ground had contaminated the Mako ore they had extracted, and when they tried to process it the contamination had caused an explosion, destroying the reactor, and with it Gongaga's one chance to make a name for itself. The last time they had been here dirt roads and ragged grass had surrounded the simple wooden houses of the town. But now cobblestone streets bisected neatly manicured lawns. The homes on the block all appeared to be freshly painted. Flowers bloomed along the side of the road, and they could see a fountain in the middle of the road at the next intersection.

Vincent was the first one to get over the shock.

"Things have changed," was all he said.

"I'll say," Cid commented.

Elena looked around slowly.

"It's beautiful," she observed.

"It's also damn eerie," Cid said. "I feel like I've stepped into the middle of the twilight zone."

They walked slowly down the street, looking around them in disbelief with each step. Elena was right, the town was beautiful, Cid thought. But it was an unnatural beauty. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something just didn't feel right about the whole thing. It left him with a strong impression of fakeness.

They reached the inn, but the door was closed. Cid walked up and pulled on it but it did not budge. He looked at the others, but they just shrugged. He hesitated a moment, then banged on the door. They waited a while, but there was no answer.

"Let's try the item shop," Cid said.

They walked down to the item shop, but the door was closed there as well, and banging on it again produced no response.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Cid exclaimed.

Neither Vincent nor Elena answered him, but instead just stood there looking around. A sound caught Vincnent's attention. He looked down the road and saw some kids playing on a lawn.

He motioned in their direction and the others turned to look.

"Maybe they can tell us something," Cid muttered.

They walked down the road.

"Hey," Cid said when they reached the kids. "Can you tell us where everyone is?"

One of the children looked up.

"They're mostly all at the reactor, Mister," he replied. "Almost everybody in town is working on it."

"Thanks," Cid replied.

They walked a little further until they were out of earshot of the kids.

"So what do you think we should do?" Elena questioned. "Should we go check out the reactor?"

Cid hesitated before answering.

"Yes, but not right now. We're all exhausted and God knows what kind of trouble we're going to find. We need somplace to hole up and rest for a while."

"But the Inn was closed," Elena pointed out.

"I know," Cid replied. "Say, don't Zack's parent's live here?"

"Yeah, off that way," Elena replied, pointing to the south.

"Maybe we should pay them a visit," Cid said thoughtfully. "We may be able to rest there, and perhaps they can tell us something about what's been going on here lately."

The other two agreed and they were off once again. Soon they were walking up to another house on the south side of town. This one looked more worn down than the others they had seen.

When they walked up to the door they found it partially open.

Cid pushed it open all the way and stuck his head in.

"Hello?" he called out.

They walked slowly into the room, and it was obvious immediately that the place had been deserted for quite some time.

"Wonder what happened here?" Elena said.

Cid shook his head.

"Too many damn questions and not enough answers."

He walked over to the couch and flopped down on it.

"Well, it looks like they ain't gonna be back for a while. I don't think they'll mind if we crash here. Just hope there's some beer in the fridge."

"If not, I'm sure you'll manage to find some somewhere," Elena commented.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing, man?" Rios questioned.

The men pulling him roughly up the metal steps did not reply. He stumbled on the steps. His hands were tied behind his back, but the two men beside him grabbed him to steady him.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked again, anger and just a hint of fear in his voice.

The stairs were surrounded on both sides by long lines of grey metal pods. He looked up and saw another man standing two rows further up. He had long white hair and piercing black eyes. He was staring at Rios.

"Healer," Rios cried out. "What's happening? What are you doing to me?"

The men dragged him up until they stood right in front of the other man. They stopped and the Healer looked at Rios and smiled slowly.

"Do not fear, my son," he said calmly.

He nodded his head and the two men pulled Rios down the isle. They stopped in front of one of the metal pods. One that was open.

Rios looked back at the white haired man.

"I don't understand," he said, a fearful look in his eyes. "What are you going to do to me?"

The Healer said nothing, just continued to look at him with those unreadable eyes. One of the men stepped behind him and cut his bonds, then he was thrust into the pod. Before he could turn the door was slammed shut behind him.

One of the men secured the latches on the door while the other turned a valve beside the pod. The sound of running water was heard. There was a small window in the pod, and they suddenly saw Rios through it, looking out at them in fear.

"What the hell is that?" Rios cried out, looking down. Although he was yelling at the top of his lungs, those outside barely heard him.

"What is this shit!" he cried. "What are you doing. Help me!"

Suddenly they could see liquid through the window. The level rapidly rose until it was just below Rio's face. They could see his hands pounding pointlessly on the door. The water rose higher. They heard "Help me!" once more, his voice rising to a scream, and then there was silence.

The Healer turned and walked calmly down the steps.

Zack awoke and looked around him. He was sitting in a chair, the lamp beside him giving off a warm glow. There was a bed on the other side of him, and some papers on the table next to the lamp. Another paper lay on the floor.

He sat there for a moment without moving. It was silent in the room, almost unnaturally so. The natural stone of the structures built into the walls of Cosmo Canyon did not easily lend themselves to the passage of sound. All he could hear was his own soft breathing.

What was he supposed to make of this?

He had known the man. Rios. He worked in the weapons store in Gongaga. He was sure of that.

He reached down and picked up the letter on the floor. It must have fallen from his hand as he dropped off to sleep. He glanced at the other letters on the table.

His letters.

Aeris had given them to him to help him try to remember. They had talked quite a bit about his past since they had returned from the Southern Continent. She had told him about his parents, and Gongaga, and his decision to join SOLDIER and his friendship with Cloud.

But she had not mentioned anyone named Rios.

Just like she hadn't mentioned Turner, the assassin he had somehow recognized in Infalnia.

Could it be that his memory was finally begining to return to him? Could it be that the dream had been an actual memory? After all these years, he had given up hope that that would ever happen. But how else could he explain how he knew these people?

But something was nagging at him.

He turned his gaze to the letter he held in his hand.

Dear Aeris;

I know it has been quite some time since I last wrote to you, and I am sorry. I wish I had a good excuse, but I can only hope that you forgive me and trust me when I tell you that I will be more diligent in the future. In my own defense I can only say that it has been very busy these last few weeks.

Now that that's out of the way I can give you the good news. My leave has been approved! It starts on the eight and I won't be leaving for Gongaga until the tenth, so we will have two days together! I can hardly wait. It seems like ages since I last saw you. I hope everything is well with you and your mother.

I got a letter from my parents a couple of days ago. They say that Shinra is about to start construction of a new reactor near the town. Finally we'll have some modern technology! Maybe Gongaga won't be a backwater town much longer.

More news. I have been assigned to a mission out to a small town to investigate some disturbances at a reactor there. I'm not at liberty to tell you where, but I can say that the mission is being led by Sephiroth, so it's quite an honor for me to be selected to go. I should get back right before I go on leave, and by then I will be able to tell you all about it.

That's about it from here. Hopefully, I'll be seeing you soon. I miss you a lot.

Love

Zack

He lowered the letter and slowly placed it down with the others. It was the last letter he ever sent her.

The town of course had been Nibelheim. Aeris had told him about that. About what had happened at the reactor...and after.

He shook his head and picked up the letter again. He reread it slowly, a puzzled expression forming on his brow. Then he stood up and walked slowly out of the room.

The corridor outside was empty. He didn't know how long he had been asleep, and there were no windows here, but he was sure it was pretty late.

Down at the end of the corrider he stopped in front of another door. He hesitated for a moment. Then he brought his hand up and knocked gently.

"Come in," he heard immediately.

He opened the door. Aeris was lying on her bed with a book in her hands. She put it down and smiled.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Zack said.

"Not at all," Aeris replied. She sat up and Zack came over and sat beside her.

"Something troubling you?" she asked.

He saw her looking at him, and expectant look in her green eyes. He hesitated, gazing into her eyes. They were the same ones he remembered, the only thing he was sure he remembered.

He realized he was staring at her.

"Yes," he said, lowering his gaze to the floor. He told her about the dream he had.

"So that's good," she said slowly when he had finished. "You've remembered something from Gongaga."

He shook his head.

"No," he said. He held up the letter. "This letter was written just a few days before I left for Nibelheim. You know what happened after that. You told me I never went back to Gongaga. But the letter says that the reactor wasn't even built yet. It that were true, then this couldn't be a memory from my past."

Aeris looked at him for a moment, then took the letter and read it again, a thoughtful look on her face. Finally she looked up.

"You're right," she said. "So what, do you think it was just a dream and nothing more?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't think it was just a dream, but it wasn't a memory either. It was somthing else..."

She looked at him, but he didn't say anything more.

"What?" she questioned.

He shook his head.

"I don't know," he repeated. "There's something strange going on, but I don't know what."

They sat there in silence for a long time. Aeris reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.

"The Jenova cells inside you have a way of scrambling things in your head sometimes," she suggested. "At least, they did for Cloud. Maybe the dream was just bits and pieces of things, things that you remember but don't really belong together."

Zack shrugged.

"I suppose that's possible," he replied, not sounding convinced. He looked at her and smiled ruefully.

"I'm sorry, it's late. I shouldn't have bothered you with this now."

"I don't mind," she replied.

His eyes drifted upward. Somehow he found it difficult to keep his gaze from returning to her face.

"Aeris..."

She returned his gaze patiently.

"How...how well did we know each other?" he asked.

Aeris paused for a moment.

"We were just children Zack. I was barely sixteen when you went away. You were the first boy I ever..." she smiled at the memory, "...had a crush on."

Zack felt his face reddening. For a moment he had thought she was going to says something else.

"So it was nothing more than that?"

Aeris slowly reached down and took his hand.

"At the time, yes," she replied.

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"And now...?" he said slowly.

She looked down for a moment, then lifted her head once more and looked right at him.

"You're very important to me, Zack," she said.

He waited, but she said nothing more, and lowered her gaze once again. Zack nodded and stood up slowly.

"Well, I think I've bothered you long enough," he said. "I better let you get some rest."

She looked up at him again.

"You're not bothering me, Zack."

He nodded and smiled at her, then slowly walked over to the door. He opened it and looked back at her.

"Goodnight Aeris."

"Goodnight."

He slowly closed the door, watching her until it shut. She did not take her eyes off him. He turned and leaned against the door for a moment, then sighed and walked slowly back to his room.

Chapter Text

"Mr. Strife."

Cloud looked up to see two men approaching. One was the doctor he had spoken to after Tifa's surgery. The second man he did not recognize.

Cloud stood up.

"This is Dr. Nathan," the doctor said, indicating the second man. "He's the specialist from Mideel I told you about."

They shook hands.

Dr. Nathan motioned to the chairs.

"Come, sit down," he said.

They all sat down. Cloud looked at the man nervously.

"As I'm sure my colleague has already told you, Miss. Lockheart's condition is quite serious. We'd done everything we can using conventional means, but I'm afraid it is not going to be enough. It is my opinion that without drastic intervention she will not survive more than twenty four to forty eight hours."

Cloud's face went pale.

"What do you mean by drastic intervention?" he questioned slowly. "Using materia?"

Dr. Nathan shook his head.

"We've tried using cure spells, but the damage is too severe. I'm afraid that normal use of materia is not going to help us."

Cloud said nothing and bit his lower lip. He could feel his heart constricting in his chest, but he couldn't give up hope yet. These men obviously had something in mind.

"So what are you suggesting?" he asked.

Dr. Nathan hesitated for a moment, looking at his colleague, but then he spoke.

"It's my opinion that the only chance we have of saving her is with a Mako infusion."

Cloud's eyes widened in surprise.

"A Mako infusion?" he repeated.

Dr. Nathan nodded and looked at the other man again.

"Dr. Samuels does not agree," he said. "But it is my belief that it's the only way."

They were all silent for a moment.

"But don't you need a Mako reactor to do that?" Cloud asked.

Dr. Nathan shook his head.

"If we were trying to create an army, yes, but for one person, we can use the energy stored in materia."

Cloud looked from one to the other.

"But it's dangerous," Dr. Samuels spoke up. "The infusion process is stressful to the body. In Tifa's weakened condition, she might not survive the infusion. We could end up killing her."

"I've been working on this process for quite some time," Dr. Nathan replied. "The technique I use is a lot less stressful than it was when the procedure was first attempted. I think there's a fair chance she will survive."

"A fair chance?" Cloud repeated. Somehow that statement did not inspire much confidence in him.

Dr. Nathan looked at him grimly.

"It's a risk, yes, but I believe it is her best chance at survival. If we don't do anything at all, she will almost assuridly die."

"Almost?" Cloud said. "Is there a chance she could pull through, even without the infusion?"

Dr. Nathan hesitated and glanced over at Dr. Samuels again.

"Dr. Samuels believes so," he said. "But I do not."

Cloud looked at the other man.

"She's been badly hurt," Dr. Samuels said. "I admit she is not doing well, but I believe that we have a slim chance of saving her using normal intervention."

"A slim chance, a fair chance?" Cloud said, looking from one to the other angrily. "Is that all you can tell me? I need something better than that. You're Doctors, tell me what I have to do to save her!"

The two men looked at him for a moment, but neither one spoke. Dr. Nathan took a deep breath.

"We're Doctors, we're not God," he said. "In spite of all our knowledge and technology there are just some things that we do not know. Every person is different. We don't know how any particular individual is going to react to injury. Some people have recovered from injuries when all their Doctors said there was no hope. We can only try our best."

Cloud did not reply, but his anger faded away. Dr. Nathan was right. It was not their fault, what had happened. They were only doing what they could. But that still didn't help Cloud.

He looked at Dr. Nathan.

"Has this ever been tried before?"

"Yes," the doctor replied. "There were a few cases of Mako infusion from materia tried by Shinra."

"And they were successful?"

"Most of them, yes," Dr. Nathan answered. "But this is a unique situation. Most of the others it was tried on were male, and all of them were healthy. I know of only one instance where the infusion was attempted with a female."

Dr. Nathan looked at him once again. He could see the next question forming on Cloud's lips.

"She did not survive," he said.

"Even if we are successful," Dr. Samuals cut in. "We don't know what long term a effects this may have on her. As Dr. Nathan just pointed out, no woman has ever survived the process. We just don't know what it will do to her."

Cloud looked down at the floor. They were asking him to make a decision that could end up killing her. How could he choose? He had failed his friends so many times before, how could he possibly make a decision like this?

"Can we just wait and see?" he questioned slowly. "Can we just use normal intervention and if she starts to go downhill, then can we infuse her?"

"She's already weak as it is," Dr. Nathan replied sympathetically. "The longer we wait the weaker she will get, and we need her as strong as possible. If we're going to infuse her, we should be doing it now."

Cloud stood up and looked away from them, out a nearby window. How could he make a decision like this? What they were asking was impossible! He stood there looking out the window for a long time, then he slowly turned back toward the doctors.

"I need to see her."

Dr. Samuels nodded.

"Of course," he said.

Cloud walked back to the room. He sat down on the bed and looked down at Tifa. She hadn't moved since the last time he had seen her. Her face was grey. She looked worse.

Cloud took a deep breath. He couldn't face the possibility that he could lose her. Even more so now that it could be by his decision. He fervently wished that this burden could be passed to someone else.

"How can I do this Tifa?" he asked. "How can I make a decision like this when all of my others have gone so wrong?"

He reached out and took hold of her hand.

"I don't know what to do," he said softly.

He sat there in silence, looking at her. The only sound around them the faint hum of the machinery. Cloud lowered his head. For a fleeting moment he had hoped somehow to have received some indication, some sign from her what he should do, but she remained motionless, almost as if she were already dead.

He felt tears forming in his eyes again, and then a rush of anger as he held them back. He would not cry again! Not now, not until it was over, one way or another. He would be strong, just as he knew she was. In their battles with Sephiroth, in the lifestream, she had always been there, encouraging them on, always fighting, never giving up. She had been so strong for all of them for so long. Perhaps now it was his turn.

He looked at her again.

"I know you can hear me," he said. "I know you're still there, still hanging on. I need you to hear what I'm telling you now. We're going to help you, but I need you to be strong. I know it's hard, but it's just for a little while longer. Just hang on for a little while longer, and it'll all be okay. I'll be right by your side if you need me. I'll be right here, and I swear to you, I won't let you die!"

He looked at her face, hoping for some indication that she had heard, but she did not move. He released her hand and slowly stood up.

It didn't matter. Even if she could not reply, he knew she heard him. He knew he had gotten through, and that she would fight. He couldn't bear seeing her like this any longer. He knew what he had to do.

He walked back out of the room. Both doctors were standing in the hall waiting for him. They looked at him expectantly.

"Do it." 

"I'm going to Gongaga and see what I can find out," Zack said.

"I'm going with you," Aeris said immediately.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Zack replied.

"Why not?" Aeris said.

Zack hesitated a moment, looking at her thoughtfully.

"I have a feeling it's going to be dangerous."

Aeris shrugged.

"So?"

"I'd just feel better if you stayed here," he reiterated.

"But I want to come," she replied stubbornly.

Zack looked annoyed.

"Just do as I say," he replied sharply.

He turned away from her and walked over to the others.

Reno and Rude stepped forward.

"Well, we're coming with you," Reno said. "Shera said Cid's plane had been headed south. Someone in Gongaga might have seen it.'

Zack nodded and looked at the others.

"The rest of you stay here and help Red."

He fixed his gaze on the red beast.

"What's the situation like?"

Red padded over. They could see the scrape marks along his back from yesterday's battle. The skin had been healed with the help of a cure spell, but the hair had not yet grown back.

"Alls quiet right now," Red replied. "But I am troubled nevertheless. There were more attacks last night, worse than ever. I'm afraid we're going to have to start evacuating all the homesteads and farms in the south. I haven't seen this much monster activity since before the fall of Shinra."

Zack nodded. Something was going on. He had a feeling they had only seen the tip of the iceberg.

"Are you sure you can spare us?" Zack asked.

Red nodded.

"We'll be fine," he replied. "But you be careful. Whatever is happening, it seems to be centered in the south. You may be walking right into something."

"We will," Zack assured him.

Red nodded.

"Just in case, I think I can give you something that will help you on your way," he stated. "We've got some chocobo's that I think we can spare. It'll make the trip a lot quicker, and just might help you avoid some danger."

Zack looked at him gratefully.

"That would be a big help," he said. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Red replied. "I'll have someone meet you with them at the entrance to the canyon."

Zack nodded and Red trotted away. Zack looked around, but Aeris was no where to be seen. He was kind of surprised. Was she so angry that the had told her not to come that she wasn't even going to say goodbye?

He stood there for a moment, then shrugged and turned toward the others.

"Let's get going."

"Good luck," Barret said. "And take care."

"We'll see you soon," Zack replied. He took one last look around, then led Reno and Rude down the steps that led out of the canyon. When they reached the bottem they saw four chocobos standing nearby. Three were riderless, but there was someone mounted on the fourth. Zack frowned and walked over.

"I thought I told you I didn't want you to come," he exclaimed.

Aeris sat there looking at him impassively.

"I'm coming along and I don't think there's much you can do about it, so you might as well just get used to the idea," she said calmly.

Zack stepped forward and grabbed hold of her reins.

"Aeris!"

He looked up at her angrily, but she sat there, just looking at him without saying anything. He stood there for a moment, first looking at her, then back at the canyon. His mouth opened, and then it shut again. Finally he let go of the reins and turned to Reno and Rude.

"Is she always like this?" he asked.

"Fraid so," Reno said.

Zack stood there for a few moments longer, then shook his head.

"Mount up."

They quickly slipped into the saddles, then spurred the Chocobo's down the rocky slope that led out of the canyon. In a few minutes the canyon wall faded away on their left and they could see the green grassland and rolling hills stretching away from them to the south.

Zack brought his chcocbo to a stop and stood there looking out across the grassland. Aeris rode up next to him.

"Something wrong?" she asked. He had a strange look on his face.

He didn't answer for a moment, just sat there unmoving, as if listening to a voice only he could hear. Then he turned toward her.

"Something is calling me," he said slowly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

He shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Something is tugging at me, telling me to go to Gongaga. I can feel it."

"You mean, like when Hojo's program was trying to control you?" she asked. The last thing they needed was for something like that to happen again.

"No," he said, shaking his head slowly. "It's not trying to force me to do anything. It's just a feeling that something there wants me to be there. It's not like it's commanding me to do it. It's more like..."

He hesitated for a moment, looking out to the south once again. She remained silent, waiting.

"...an invitation," he finished. 

"C'mon, let's go," Cid said. He walked past Vincent and Elena and started down the street, walking rapidly away from the item shop. The other two followed, Elena struggling to keep up.

"Did you get what you needed?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah," Cid replied, but did not elaborate further.

Elena glanced back and saw a man standing in front of the item shop, looking at them suspiciously.

"Hey, can you slow down a little?" she asked. "What happened back there?"

Cid turned to glance back. He slowed down a little until they both caught up with him.

"Well, I went in to get the parts," Cid replied. "So the owner comes up to me and starts talking. Seems he hasn't gotten much business lately. Everybody seems to have everything they want since the Healer came bringing word of Jenova."

"What?" Elena said.

"That's what he said," Cid replied waving his arm at the town around them. "Apparently the Healer is some sort of servant for Jenova. He's the one who cleaned this place up, but he claims all his power comes from Jenova."

"But you killed Jenova," Elena said.

Cid turned toward her.

"Hey, I don't got no explanation. I'm just telling you what he told me. He says Jenova is the best thing that ever happened to this town."

"We killed Jenova," Vincent said, "but we know parts of it still survive. Both Zack and Cloud have Jenova cells inside them. And who knows where else it may have scattered? It is quite possible other parts of it still exist."

"Even if that's true," Elena said. "Why would it be helping the people of Gongaga?"

Vincent shrugged.

Cid looked back behind them once again, but the store owner was no longer in sight.

"Whatever it's up to, I'm sure it doesn't have the best interests of the people of Gongaga in mind. I don't know what's going on here, but I don't like it. I think the sooner we get out of here the better. This whole place is giving me the willies."

"So you think we should go straight back to the Slipstream?" Elena questioned.

"I'd like nothing more," Cid replied. "But I think it might be important for us to take a look at that reactor. I think we need to know what's going on, and I have a feeling we may not get another opportunity. But we better hurry. I'm afraid I wasn't very generous with my praise of Jenova to the store owner. I think he got a little suspicious."

They felt silent and followed Cid as he led them back out of town. There was a wide trail through the forest in this direction, and Cid followed it, looking around warily, but they saw no one.

It didn't take them long to reach the reactor. It towered over their heads as they approached, gleaming in the sunlight.

"It's huge," Elena commented. They could see it was larger than the old one had been. Much larger. A good portion of the forest to the east had been cleared to make room.

"Yeah, it sure is," Cid agreed.

The walked up to the entrance. The doors were open, and there was no guard. They could see many people busily going about their business inside.

Cid looked in for a moment, then shrugged and walked in, the others close behind him. They looked around in awe. The room was cavernous, the ceiling hundreds of feet above them. Huge metal grids supported by wide pillars filled the air above them, all conected by a maze of stairways and catwalks. The hum of machinery was almost deafening, and the place was literally swarming with people.

"They sure do look busy," Vincent observed.

Cid nodded, looking around. The place was huge. Much too huge.

"This doesn't make sense," he said. "With a reactor this size, they have to be producing enough power to run ten Gongagas. They don't need anything this big. What the hell are they doing with all the extra power?"

Vincent and Elena, far from being experts on Mako reactors, had no response.

They walked slowly through the room. There were people all around them now, but no one paid any attention to them. They were all wrapped up in their own work.

Cid turned to the left and noticed a metal stariway leading up to a closed door. There were two guards standing by the door and red lettering on it that said; 'Authorized Personel Only'.

He brought the door to the attention of his two companions.

"That looks like the only place in the enitire reactor that's guarded," he commented. "Do you think there's something back there that might be of interest to us?"

"Why do you keep asking us questions we can't answer?" Elena questioned.

"Maybe," Vincent replied, ignoring her. "But how do we get to take a look?"

Cid shrugged.

"Not sure. Let's look around. Maybe there's another way."

They spent the next half hour walking around in the reactor. Still, no one questioned them, but they discovered nothing else of significance. Eventually they made their way back to the stairway.

As they were approaching it there was a sudden commotion ahead of them. The heard the grinding of metal above their heads. They looked up to see that one of the supports holding up one of the metal grids above them had broken off under the weight of all the people on it.

"Watch out!" Cid cried.

There was a loud snap, and they lunged out of the way just as the metal grid came plunging down. One worker was not as lucky as them, he looked up but did not have time to move before the huge piece of metal slammed down on top of him.

Cid looked at the others. Elena looked frightened but unhurt. Vincent was looking over at the fallen grid impassively. They could hear shouts and cries of horror over the sound of the machinery now as people converged on the spot.

There were perhaps a dozen people who had fallen along with the grid, some of them injured, but none too severly. A couple of people had noticed the man who the grid had fallen on, and were calling people over to help them try to get him out.

The two guards who had stood by the doors rushed over to lend a hand.

Vincent looked at Cid and motioned toward the door.

"Now's our chance," he said.

Cid hesitated, looking over at the man trapped under the grid. He didn't see how the man could possibly have survived.

"C'mon," Vincent said, glancing over at the grid. "There's nothing we can do for him."

Cid nodded and they walked quickly up the steps. He looked around once at the top, but no one seemed to have noticed them. Then he opened the door and the three of them slipped inside.

The door closed behind them, and instantly the shouting voices and sounds of machinery were replaced by a quiet hum. They stood on a metal platform in a circular room, similair to a huge auditorium. A stariway led down from where they were to the center of the room. Surrounding this, and filling up the entire floor of the room around them, were row after row of metal pods.

They stood there looking around.

"Shit," Cid muttered.

"What are they?" Elena questioned, looking at the pods curiously.

Cid walked over to one of them, Elena following. There was a small window in the front of it. Cid looked inside, then stepped back and motioned for Elena to take a look.

She walked over to the front of the pod. The window was above her head, and she had to pull herself up to see inside. She looked for a moment, then stepped back, her face pale.

"What the hell is that?"

"A mako created monster," Cid replied. "Cloud told us about something like this at the Nibelheim reactor. These pods can be used to infuse mako into a human, but if it's taken too far, you end up with monsters."

"So that was a human in there?" Elena said, obviously horrified with the idea.

"Or it could have been some type of animal," Cid replied. "You can create monsters that way too. If someone were doing that and releasing them, it would go a long way in explaining why there's been such an increase of trouble around Cosmo canyon. That would explain what they're doing with all that power, too. Looks like Jenova, or whoever is behind this, is using the reactor as a giant monster incubator."

Elena looked around once more.

"So what does this all mean?" she questioned.

Cid just shook his head.

"It means that we're sitting right in the middle of monster central. And I think that the sooner we get out of here, the better."

They retreated quickly back through the door. Cid was relieved to see that the guards still hadn't returned. There was a large crowd around the fallen grid now. Quickly they walked down the steps and blended in.

They could hear dozens of people shouting orders as they wended their way through the crowd, but then suddenly they all fell silent. Cid looked up and saw all heads turning toward the entrance to the reactor. His own couldn't help but follow.

A man stood there. Cid just stared at him. He was not large, not small, looked neither young nor old. He had long white hair that fell about his shoulders, and his eyes were like black pits.

"Healer," someone cried out. "Thank Jenova! Mendal is trapped."

The man walked slowly over to the crowd. It parted as he approached, and he stepped toward the metal grid and looked down at it.

A man stepped up beside him.

"Can you help him?" he asked.

The Healer turned toward him. Cid could see no expression in the man's eyes.

"Of course," he said simply.

A dozen man had been struggling to lift the grid, but now they all stepped out of the way as the Healer stooped down and took hold of it.

He stood there for just a moment, as if concentrating on something, then he stood up, lifting the grid off the ground as if it were no heavier than a child's toy.

Two men scambled underneath and pulled Menda's body out. When they were clear the Healer eased the grid back down again. At no time had it seemed to have been an effort for him.

One of the men who had pulled Mendal free stood up slowly, wiping sweat from his forhead. He looked at the Healer and shook his head.

"He's dead."

The Healer walked over and looked down at the man. Slowly he stooped down again and laid a hand on the man's forehead. Cid saw a kind of shimmering around Mendal's body, and then there was a gasp from the crowd as Mendal opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What happened?" he said.

A cheer ran through the crowd, and the gathered round Mendal, hiding him from view. Cid had been slowly leading the others back toward the main entrance while all this was happening. As they walked up the steps that led out the door he looked back once more. He could see the Healer still, standing amid the crowd. He was looking around slowly, and suddenly Cid saw another man he recognized standing beside him. The man from the item store. His eyes were roving around the room, looking over everyone in the crowd. Before Cid could turn away the man looked up the stairs and spotted them. He said something to the Healer, who turned to look at them as well.

"Oh uh," Cid muttered.

Elena looked at him with a puzzled expression, but before she could say anything the Healer suddenly pointed at them.

The crowd went silent once again as all eyes turned to look at them.

"Bring those people to me," the Healer commanded.

"Shit!" Cid exclaimed. "Looks like we've worn out our welcome."

Beside him Vincent suddenly pulled out his weapon.

"No time for that," Cid exclaimed. "You can't kill all of them. Let's get out of here."

He turned and raced through the entrance, the others right behind him. They heard a shout from inside the reactor, but they didn't pay any attention.

They ran down the pathway, back toward Gongaga, but when they came around a bend Cid turned sharply and led them off the trail, plunging into the woods. He tried to glance back a few times but he could not tell whether they were still being followed. A blast from Vincents' gun, however, convinced him that they were.

They broke out into the open. Cid could see the Slipstream ahead, apparently untouched just where they had left it. Cid looked back at the line of trees behind them, but saw no one.

Vincent came up beside him.

"How long will it take you to fix the Slipstream?" he asked.

"Too long," Cid replied. "With a little luck we could be out of here in about an hour. I don't think that Healer fella is gonna wait that long."

Vincent glanced back as well, nodding slowly in agreement.

"Suggestions?" he said.

They reached the Slipstream and stopped. Elena bent down and put her hands on her knees, panting.

Cid looked around. The Slipstream had landed on an open plain surrounded by low rolling hills. There was no place to hide.

"I don't have any," he said grimly. He dropped down and pulled himself under the plane.

"I'll see what I can do about getting this fixed. Maybe by some miracle they won't look for us here."

"Don't count on it," Elena blurted out, looking back at the forest.

Cid pulled himself out from under the plane and looked as well. He could see figures coming out from under the trees, dozens of them. No, more, much more. They slowly walked out onto the plain. Not only the people from Gongaga, but also dozens of other things as well, all sorts of strange twisted creatures. All together, monster and man, slowly forming a long line, slowly spreading out across the plain. And in the center of them, they could see the Healer.

"Shit!" Cid yelled. He looked around again, but there was no where to go. He couldn't possibly fix the plane in time. He stood up beside the others and readied the venus gospel.

Vincent already had the death penalty in his head. Elena pulled out her gun as well. Cid looked at them.

"If anybody has any brillant ideas, now would be a good time."

Neither of the others responded. The horde was closer now. Suddenly Vincent lifted his gun and fired. One of the creatures near the head of the line coming toward them fell to the ground. With a cry the others surged forward, rushing toward Cid and his friends as inexorably as an incoming tide, and just as likely to sweep them away.

Cid looked around more, feeling more than a little desperate. They could not escape. There was open terrain all around them. They could run, but he knew they wouldn't get very far.

He was about to turn back to face the horde when something caught his eye. Over a ridge off to the east he saw movement, and suddenly figures came into view, four people, mounted on chocobos.

"C'mon," he yelled. "This way!"

The others looked at him in surprise, but followed him as he ran off toward the newcomers. For all he knew, these could be more men from Gongaga, coming back to town from some trip, and they were just running right into more trouble, but maybe not, and there didn't seem to be much else in the way of alternatives.

The figures on the chocobos had seen them, and obviously the mass of ceratures behind them, for suddenly they spurred the chocobos to a gallop. As they came closer Cid felt a rush of relief as he recognized the figures.

"It's Zack and Aeris!" he exclaimed.

He looked back. Their opponents had also seen the chocobos, and, suddenly realizing that their prey might get away, was now charging at them as fast as it could go. Cid looked forward again. Zack and the others were much closer now, but he didn't know whether they could reach them in time.

Suddenly a shadow blocked out the sun. Cid turned and swung his spear just as something dived out of the sky. He felt the spear bite into the huge bird, whose claws, diverted by the blow, merely scrapped harmlessly across his back before it turned away with a sharp cry.

"Damn, I'm too old for this!" he exclaimed. The chocobos were not far away now. He put on a burst of speed, and then they came together. Zack reached down and pulled him up, while Vincent jumped up behind Aeris and Elena behind Reno. Half a dozen of the creatures that were following them, the fastest of the bunch, were almost upon them, but a blast of gunfire from Vincent, Elena, Reno and Rude, dropped most of them to the ground, or sent them scurrying desperately out of the way. The chocobos turned around and galloped away. In moments the horde fell quickly behind.

They reached the ridge Cid had first spotted them from and Zack suddenly pulled up short and looked back. He stood there, just staring back toward Gongaga, while Cid sat behind him wearing a puzzled expression.

Aeris rode up beside him.

"Zack, are you all right?" she asked.

He did not answer for a moment, then nodded slowly, still looking back toward Gongaga. The horde had stopped chasing them, realizing it was hopeless, but far away, on a small hill not far from the forest, they could make out the small figure of the Healer.

"He's the one. He's calling me," Zack said softly.

"What?" Aeris said, looking at him with concern.

"He's the one," Zack repeated. "He wants me to come to him. He doesn't understand."

Aeris leaned forward and looked at Zack closely.

"What doesn't he understand?" she said.

Zack just shook his head and did not reply.

"You're not gonna like flip out on us or anything, are you?" Cid said slowly.

Zack shook his head.

"No," he replied. "It's not trying to control me. I don't know whether it can. It's just calling. It's not a command."

Cid nodded slowly.

"So if you can resist it, then why are we still standing here?"

Zack hesitated a moment more, then shrugged.

"I guess there is no reason," he said. He turned the chocobo away.

"C'mon," he said. "I guess we better get back to Cosmo Canyon. I don't think we're going to be welcome in Gongaga." 

The Jenova entity that was the Healer stood looking at the chocobos as they disappeared over the ridge. He had recognized the men that had been in the reactor. He had learned about them. The weak creatures on this planet were amazingly willing to share just about any information they had, even without being asked. They were the one's who had killed the main body of the predessesor. The one's he considered a threat and had tried himself to kill. But somehow his attempt had failed. It appeared he had severly underestimated these creatures. They were obviously not as weak as he had thought.

But it was the two that had come on the chocobos who really interersted him. The one had obviously been part of the predessesor. He could feel it. It was very weak, yes, but it had been there. Yet when he had called to it he had felt nothing. It was as if the cells were dormant. He felt a spark of life there, but nothing else. There had been no response.

And the other one. The other one he had recognized at once. One of them. One of the destroyers. He had not realized that any of their ancient foes were left here. That one was dangerous. If he was to succeed here that one would have to be stopped at all costs.

The predessesor, or some portion of it, and the destroyer, together. How could that be? They were mortal enemies, sworn to seek each other out and destroy one another across all space and time. The thought of standing beside a destroyer filled him with revulsion. It was vile, an abomination. What could have caused such a thing to occur?

The Healer pondered this for some time, but could not find an answer, which troubled him greatly. But eventually he decided it was unimportant at the moment. The destroyer had fled, and he felt he could handle it when the time came. The important thing now was to send his forces north to find the key.

He slowly lifted his head and looked out over the hills to the northwest.

Yes, finding the key was his first priority. They had thought it lost for all these thousands of years. They had thought it destroyed, gone forever. What a shock it had been to feel the reverberations of it's use through the lifestream. He had been sent out immediately, for the existance of the key was a threat that could not be ignored. He must find the key, and he must destroy it, for it threatened the very existance of his species.

Chapter Text

Cloud leaned back and rubbed his eyes. He glanced over at Tifa, lying on the bed beside him. Dr. Nathan had performed the infusion last night. It had taken two hours, and the whole time Cloud had sat barely able to breathe, the tension like a vise tightening slowly around his head. He had wanted to be with her, to stand by her side throughout the procedure, but of course that had been impossible. He had been relegated to sitting helpessly in the waiting room, powerless to help her, hoping that she would not forget his words, praying that she would be strong enough.

And she had survived. To say he had felt a rush of relief when Dr. Nathan had told him she was still alive would have been an understatement. He had been absolutely euphoric. Dr. Nathan had tried to calm him down, telling him she was not out of the woods yet. The next twenty four hours would be crucial. Her body needed time to stabilize from the process, they could still lose her.

So he had waited some more. At first he had been excited, but as time went by that had gradually diminished. It had been sixteen hours now, and Tifa still lay there, unreponsive. He thought there was a little more color in her cheeks, and they had removed the breathing tube from her nose, but other than that things didn't seem to have changed.

As time passed Cloud had slowly felt his nervousness returning. The doctors had told him that the infusion was the most dangerous part of the process, that if she survived that she had a good chance of recovering. And she had survived it. But had that sapped the very last of her strength? He knew she was strong, but did she have anything left to fight with? She couldn't die now, not now when they were so close.

He looked back down at the magazine perched on his lap. He started to read a paragraph, one he had already tried to read half a dozen times, but he just couldn't concentrate. He looked up again and shook his head. He just couldn't stand this waiting!

He glanced over at Tifa once more, and then suddenly sprang up, the magazine falling forgotten from his lap.

Tifa was lying in bed looking at the ceiling.

"Tifa!" he exclaimed

She turned toward him, a smile forming on her lips the moment she saw him.

"Cloud," she said softly.

He rushed over to her and grabbed hold of her hand. He looked down at her, the rush of euphoria he had felt when Dr. Nathan had told him she survived the infusion coming back to him, only stronger now. He had to resist the urge to sweep her up into his arms, to hold her as tightly as he could.

"Thank God," he said. "I was so worried."

She looked around, and a puzzled expression formed on her face.

"Where are we?"

"In the hospital," he replied.

She looked down at herself slowly, then turned to look at him once more.

"What happened?"

Cloud hesitated for a moment.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked.

Tifa did not reply. She sat there in thought for a while, then frowned.

"I remember...waving to you," she said finally.

"And that's the last thing you recall?" he asked.

Her frown deepened. Then she nodded slowly and looked at him questioningly.

"There was a bomb," he said gently. "It...it blew up the bar. You were caught in the blast. You nearly died."

Tifa sat for a few moments digesting this information. Then she suddenly turned toward him again, concern on her face.

"Mikko?"

Cloud shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "She and six others were killed."

Tifa lowered her head. Cloud put his arm around her as she started to cry softly. He sat there holding her for a long time.

"It should have been me," she said faintly.

Cloud held her tighter.

"Don't say such things."

"No, it's true," she continued. "It would have been fitting. After what we did in Midgar."

Cloud took hold of her shoulders and turned her toward him, forcing her to look at him.

"Tifa, please stop. When are you going to stop beating yourself up over that? I don't know what I would do if I had lost you."

She looked at him for a moment, then slowly nodded and leaned forward, resting her head against his chest.

"If anything, I should have been there for you," he said. "I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry,"

She shook her head, then wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him again.

"It's not your fault," she said.

"But I wasn't there," he said. "Maybe I could have done something..."

She shook her head.

"There was nothing you could have done," she said. "And if you had been there maybe you would have..."

She fell silent.

Cloud gently stroked her hair.

"The bar's destroyed, of course," he said.

She shook her head.

"We can build a new one," she replied. Then she turned to look at him.

"Who did this?"

Cloud shook his head.

"We don't know yet," he said grimly. "But we're going to find out."

He told her what had transpired since the bomb had gone off.

"So the others are in Cosmo Canyon?" she said when he had finished.

"Yeah," he replied. "Or that was where they were headed. Who knows what they found out, or where they could be headed now. I have to get in touch with them. I promised Aeris I would let them know of any change in your condition. Everyone was terribly worried."

Tifa smiled and nodded.

Cloud looked at her for a moment, then released her hand and slowly stood up.

"There's something else you should know."

She looked at him curiously.

"You were hurt badly. Very badly. The doctors didn't think you were going to make it. They tried everything they could, but nothing seemed to be helping. They had to resort to..."

He hesitated.

"To what?" she said, and he saw that his hesitation was frightening her.

"To a mako infusion," he said.

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

Cloud walked over to the small dresser by her bed. He picked up a mirror that was on it and brought it over to her without saying a word. She looked at him for a moment, then slowly took the mirror and hesitantlty brought it up to her face. She gasped in shock and put her hand over her mouth.

"My eyes..."

Cloud slowly sat down beside her. He had seen the Mako glow from them the moment she had opened her eyes. He took the mirror from her and placed it on the bed. Then he took her hand again and leaned forward, looking into her eyes.

"They're just as beautiful as ever," he said.

Tifa smiled again. She looked at him carefully.

"I guess we match now," she said slowly.

Cloud nodded.

"A small price to pay to have you back," he said. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I won't," she said. "I don't want to leave your side again, ever."

Cloud looked at her for a moment, then smiled mischeviously.

"Why, Tifa Lockheart, are you asking me to marry you?"

Tifa blushed and looked away. That was not what she had meant at all!

"Well...I..." she stammered.

Cloud slowly leaned closer to her.

"Because if you are," he continued. "The answer is yes."

Tifa head snapped around, and she looked at him, her eyes widening. For a moment she sat there, groping for words but unable to get any of them out.

"Really?" she finally blurted out.

"Yes, really," Cloud replied. "I had a ring. I was going to give it to you, right before...it happened. I guess I must have lost it. I'm sorry."

She flung her arms around him and pulled him to her, down on top of her on the bed.

"Oh, I don't care about that!" she exclaimed. "When you told me you loved me I thought I couldn't get any happier, but I was wrong. I just can't believe this is happening."

"Easy, easy," Cloud admonished, gasping for breath. "You're going to put yourself back in a coma if you keep this up. You have to rest, so try to relax."

She let go of him and nodded. He stood back up slowly.

"Well, I guess I better go let the others know what's going on."

Tifa nodded. He turned to walk away.

"I love you," she said.

He turned to look back at her and smiled.

"I knew you'd come back to me." 

An hour later the room was overflowing with people. Cloud sat on Tifa's bed. Barret stood next to them. On the other side of the bed were Red and Nipala, and Reeve and Yuffie were seated nearby.

Elmyra and Marlene entered the room. Marlene ran up to the bed and Cloud pulled her up to sit beside him. Marlene looked at Tifa

"I'm glad you're feeling better," she said. "I was so scared."

Tifa reached down and patted Marlene's hand. Marlene looked up at her.

"Hey, your eyes look like Uncle Cloud's" she observed.

Tifa nodded.

"Yeah, they had to do that to help me get better," she replied with a smile.

"Are they going to stay that way?" Marlene asked.

"Yes," Tifa replied.

Marlene paused for a moment and looked at Tifa carefully.

"Good, I like them that way," she decided. She turned to Cloud.

"Hey, Uncle Cloud, have you asked her..." her eyes suddenly widened and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"It's okay," Cloud said with a laugh. "I already asked her. You don't have to keep it a secret anymore."

Marlene dropped her hand and smiled. Barret stepped torwards Cloud.

"I forgot to tell you," he said. "You dropped this."

He held out a small brown box.

Cloud looked up at him in surprise. Then took the box and opened it up. He smiled again and showed it to Tifa.

"Oh Cloud, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

Cloud took the ring out, glinting in the light. He took hold of Tifa's hand and very deliberately slipped it on her finger. He closed his hand over hers, leaned forward, and kissed her.

Tifa smiled and turned away, blushing again.

Cloud looked at Barret.

"Thank you."

Barret just nodded and turned away, embarrassed as well.

Cloud looked at Red.

"I'm glad you came," he said. "But aren't you worried about the Canyon?"

"A little," Red admitted. "But things were calm before we left. I didn't think they would miss us if we were gone for a little while. Besides, I felt bad not coming to see Tifa, after all that had happened to her."

Tifa turned toward him.

"You shouldn't have," she said.

Red just shrugged.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Nipala cut in. "With the use of the helicopter Barret called from Corel, it only took us a half hour to get here. We shouldn't be gone more than two hours. I don't think anything earthshattering is going to occur in that time."

"I guess being a mayor does have some advantages," Cloud commented.

Barret did not reply.

"So how long do you think it will be before you can get out of here?" Reeve asked.

Tifa shrugged.

"She's still got a long way to go," Cloud replied. "I was talking to the doctors and they said at least a week, maybe two. That traumatic an experience takes a lot out of a person, and they still want to keep an eye on her and make sure everything's all right."

"A week or two," Tifa muttered. "I'll be climbing the walls by then."

"Well, don't rush it," Cloud admonished seriously. "We don't want you to have a relapse."

"Yes sir," she said, looking contrite.

Cloud looked at her suspiciously.

"I don't know whether I can trust you," he said. "Maybe I should take all your clothes so you don't try to sneak out of here. I don't think even you would attempt to escape in that hospital gown."

"Most of my clothes were probably blown up in the bar," she said. "I think I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe."

"Shopping spree!" Yuffie exclaimed. "I'll come with you. That's almost as much fun as finding new materia."

"I think you've still got a few things lying around," Cloud said. He stood up and walked over to the closet beside her bed. He opened it up and looked inside.

"Let's see," he said thoughtfully. "Here's something."

He turned to look at her, that mischevious smile back on his face.

"Orthopedic underwear!" he stated.

"Oh stop!" Tifa said with a laugh.

"Let's see, what else?" Cloud went on, ignoring her. "Aha!"

He turned toward them again.

"Thong underwear!" he proudly proclaimed.

"Cloud!"

"It's true!" he defended himself.

"You are such a liar!"

"Well, we'll just have to get you some then," he conceded.

"How about I get some for you?" she suggested.

"Save yourself the trouble," Yuffie stated. "Just let him wear yours."

"Yeah," Barret agreed, looking at Cloud. "You do seem to have a penchant for wearing women's clothes."

Cloud gave him a nasty look.

"Which reminds me," Tifa said, turning toward Cloud as well. "Just what were you wearing underneath when you disguised yourself as Wisteria?"

Cloud looked at her and grinned.

"Same thing she had on," he replied. "Nothing."

Elmyra clamped her hands over Marlene's ears, then stood up quickly.

"I think we'll go get some ice cream," she said, taking Marlene by the hand.

"But I want to stay!" Marlene protested as Elmyra practically dragged here out of the room.

"And what's thong underwear, anyway?" they heard Marlene say as she disappeared down the hallway outside.

"Oops," Cloud said, looking around innocently.

Barret just shook his head. Not much he could say, considering he was as guilty as any of them.

Just then a nurse came by and poked her head in.

"You really can't have this many people in here," she said, looking at them dissaprovingly. "Miss Lockheart needs to get some rest."

Cloud nodded and the nurse disappeared again. He made a sour face.

"We'll all leave, eventually," he said.

Tifa looked at him.

"You better listen to her," she said. "It wouldn't look very good if they threw you all out, now would it? Besides, I do feel kind of tired."

"All right," he relented. They all stood up. Cloud looked at Red once more.

"Still no word from Cid?" he asked.

Red shook his head.

"Zack went to Gongaga with Aeris, Reno and Rude. Maybe they've found out something, but they had not returned when we left, and we could not get through to them on the PHS."

Cloud's brow furrowed.

"I don't like the sound of that," he said slowly.

"Neither do I," Red replied. "A lot of strange things seem to be happening."

Barret looked at Cloud.

"So what are you going to do?"

Cloud turned toward Tifa. She held up her hand.

"Go," she said. "I'll be fine. There's nothing you can do for me here, and I know you'll just drive me crazy if you stay."

He walked over to her, bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you, Tifa."

She just shook her head.

They all said their goodbye's and filed out of the room, Cloud last, turning to mouth 'I love you' before he walked out the door. Barret was right in front of him as they walked down the hall. He slowed to let Cloud catch up, then slapped his arm around his shoulder.

"Congratulations," he said. "You pulled her through."

"I didn't do anything," Cloud answered quickly.

"I think you did," Barret replied. "You were there for her. Sometimes that means more than you could ever realize."

Cloud looked at Barret and slowly nodded in agreement. Then he motioned toward the others.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's get back to Cosmo Canyon."

Twenty minutes later, as the helicopter was flying over Corel, the pilot looked back at them.

"I can't seem to contact Cosmo Canyon," he said.

Red's head came up immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know," the pilot replied. "All I'm getting is static. Either their communications are down, or we're being jammed somehow."

"Can we go any faster?" Red asked.

"I'll see what I can do," the pilot replied.

They fell silent. Red sat staring out the window, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of the canyon ahead. They were not far away now. Already he could see the red hills beyond the forest in front of them. But it was something else that caught his eye. He stiffened. Nipala caught the movement and looked at him.

"What is it?" she said.

He nodded in the direction of the Canyon. The others looked ahead as best they could. Not all of them could see it at first, but the canyon was rapidly approaching, and soon the dark line of smoke that was billowing up into the sky was obvious to all of them.

"What's going on?" Reeve questioned.

No one responded. Red sat looking out the window, his tail twitching furiously and a frantic look on his face. Cloud had never seen him so upset.

"Hurry," Nipala, who seemed almost as aggitated, said to the pilot.

Suddenly a dark shape flew past the window. Cloud got a glimpse of a large birdlike form, then the helicopter shuddered.

"What the hell?" Barret exclaimed.

The pilot seemed to fight with the controls for a moment, then straighted out the helicopter. They could see more of the birds flying toward them.

"We're being attacked," the pilot shouted.

The helicopter shuddered again, and suddenly the air around them seemed to be filled with dozens of black shapes.

"Dammit!" Yuffie exclaimed, reaching into her poach and pulling out a green materia. "I get sick enough when we fly straight. Just leave us alone!"

The materia glowed brightly, and suddenly the birds around them were struck by a burst of lightening. Those closest to the helicopter dropped out of the sky, but more came in to take their place. A lot more.

"Yuffie, start handing out that materia," Cloud shouted. Yuffie reached into her bag and started pulling out the orbs, tossing them quickly to whoever was looking her way. Behind her Barret pulled open a window and starting blasting away with his firearm. Seconds later Reeve opened a window on the other side and he too started firing with his shotgun.

The helicopter jerked suddenly to the side, knocking both Reeve and Yuffie off their feet. The sky was swarming with birds now, all around them. Ahead they could see the walls of Cosmo Canyon almost below them.

"Almost there!" the pilot cried.

None of the others were paying much attention at this point. They were all more concerened with casting their spells while not falling out of their seats. In quick succession the creatures surrounding the helicopter were struck with fire, ice, and lightening, as well as blasts from both Barret and Reeve's weapons. Though dozens fell from the sky, many more quickly came in to replace them. The helicopter shuddered violently again and plunged downward sickeningly until the pilot once more regained control. Barret, who was firing toward the rear of the helicopter, saw thick black smoke billowing from the engine.

There was a bright flash of green light, and the birds around them were toseed back by a blast of power from the ultima materia Cloud held in his hand. And suddenly they were in the clear. The birds no longer pursued them, but they were still dropping rapidly, and the walls of the Canyon were all around them. Cloud looked down to see people scrambling out of the way.

"Hang on!" the pilot exclaimed.

"Oh shit!" Yuffie yelled.

They were all thrown foward as the helicopter hit the ground heavily. The craft shuddered once more, and then was still.

Cloud looked around and saw the others slowly picking themselves up.

"Anyone hurt?" he called.

He paused for a moment, but no one responded. The door was flung open and Red lept outside, followed immediately by Nipala. Cloud scrambled out as fast as he could. He could see the two red beasts disappearing down the stairway. He ran after them, aware that some of the others were following as well.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around. It took him a moment to spot Red and Nipala, for they were high up on the cliff face. For a moment he was at a loss as to how they had gotten up there, but then he spotted a steep trail that wound it's way up the canyon wall. He sprinted over to it an started up.

He took him a few minutes to reach the top. The trail was extremely steep, and he was panting from the effort by time he came out on a narrow ledge running along the top of the canyon wall. Red and Nipala stood nearby, along with Illyanova and some other citizens of Cosmo Canyon that he did not recognize. The were all staring off to the south.

Cloud came up beside them. They stood at the top of the canyon, a vertical wall in front of them that plunged down for hundreds of feet. The rocky terrain continued another hundred feet beyond that, not nearly as steeply, then flattened out into the rolling hills that covered the plains to the south. From this vantage point they could see the homesteads and farms that dotted the landscape south of the canyon. They could also see the billowing smoke that rose from many of them.

"They came out of the forests about an hour ago," Illyanova was saying. "We don't know how many, but more than we had ever seen in the past. Maybe hundreds of them. Not just one kind, but all manner of beast. I've never seen such creatures working together like this before. We sent out the guards and have been evacuating everyone back to the canyon, but I don't know how longer they can hold out. We haven't had an attack like this in hundreds of years, we are no longer prepared."

Red nodded.

"I should never have left," he said.

"Don't blame yourself, Nanaki," Illyanova replied. "It was a surprise to all of us. Your presence here would have made no difference."

"Still, I am the protector," he answered. "Are they burning the farms out there?"

"Yes," Illyanova replied. "They're destroying everything in front of them."

"How much longer before the evacuation is complete?" Red asked.

"It's almost done now," Illyanova replied. "The guards are heading back as we speak. We got the word out as quickly as we could, but there were some who we just could not get to in time."

Red shook his head.

"I've wasted enough time," he said. "I must go help them."

The others had caught up to them and were standing next to Cloud.

"We're coming with you," Cloud said.

Red nodded and they quickly made their way back down the steep path. When they reached the bottom Red and Nipala raced toward the entrance to the canyon, quickly leaving Cloud and his friends far behind. Cloud called for them to slow down, but they paid no heed. Cloud ran after them as best he could, wishing they had some kind of vehicle. He knew he could never keep up with the red beasts without help.

Still, there was nothing else they could do at the moment. But then, just when the thought Red and Nipala would disappear from sight, he suddenly saw them stop. Cloud redoubled his speed, hoping to catch them before they decided to take off once again, but they did not move as he ran up beside them.

They stood at the very entrance to the canyon now. In front of them the land sloped down and grass covered over the red rock of the canyon. Cloud looked up and saw the Cosmo Canyon guards running toward them as fast as they could. But it was what was behind them that made them all stop and stare. The ground sloped down gently behind the guards, and then rose up into a line of low hills just at the edge of vision. Charging up the slope, and covering it like a swarm of ants, were all manner of creature. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of them. All hot on the tail of the guards and the last few stragglers from the farms below. Never before had any of them seen anything like it.

The guards came up to them, and then swept past, some of them turning once in a while to fire a shot wildly behind them. Red stood there for a moment more, just looking at the horde that was approaching them in shock, then he turned and looked at the others.

"Back to the canyon," he shouted. "There are too many of them!"

Red and Nipala raced back the way they had come, once again leaving Cloud and the others in the dust. As Red neared the canyon walls he stopped again and looked up to see sentries high up on the ridgetops.

"Close the gates!" he yelled up to them. "Close the canyon gates!"

The men looked at him for a moment in surprise, then scrambled over to huge wheels on either side of the walls and started twisting them frantically.

As Cloud caught up to Red once more he heard a deep rumbling sound. He looked up and was startled to see the walls of the canyon moving. But then he realized it was not the canyon wall he was seeing, but two huge cleverly concealed stone doors that were built right into the canyon wall. The last of the guards ran through, along with Cloud and his friends. One of the last men through was an older man with greying hair and deep green eyes.

Red was the last of all to step through the doors before they slammed shut. The great gates of Cosmo Canyon had been closed, for the first time in over one hundred and fifty years.

Red looked up. He could see the birds that had attacked the helicopter circling above. He wondered why they weren't atttacking now. He had a feeling they were waiting for something.

Illyanova strode over to him. Red looked at her.

"Communications?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"They're being blocked. We never got a message out."

"What about the helicopter?"

"It was badly damaged in the landing. It will take a while to repair it, if it can be repaired at all."

Red nodded slowly. They were cut off.

"What about the Gi cave?" he asked. "Is it still clear?"

Illyanova nodded.

"There was no enemy activity outside the cave," she replied.

Well, that was better than nothing. At least they could get a message out that way if they needed to.

"Nanaki!"

Red looked up at the call from one of the sentries above the gate. The man pointed to the south.

"Something's happening out there."

Red nodded and ran up the steep path until he stood beside the sentry at the top of the canyon wall once again. He looked out and saw the plain south of the canyon crawling with monsters. But at one point to the southwest, not far from the dark trees of the forest, he could see some kind of activity. The creatures there were running rapidly, seeming to be converging on one spot. Red strained his eyes, staring off into the distance. For a moment he stood there motionless, watching small figures moving rapidly across the plain. There were four of them, moving swiftly toward the canyon. Four chocobos, and as they came closer Red recognized the riders perched on them.

He turned and ran rapidly back down to the others.

"It's Zack," he called. "He's coming back."

He looked at Illyanova again.

"How many chocobos do we have in the stables?"

"Ten," she replied. "Though one is injured and cannot be ridden."

"It'll have to do," he said. "They'll never make it back on their own. We must help them."

He turned to the others.

"Hurry!"

The creatures outside the gates were wandering around at random, seemingly confused by the sudden appearence of the huge stone walls in front of them. Though there were many of them, they did not seem to have any type of order. No one seemed to be in command, and none of them were posted as sentries.

So it was that they were taken complete by surprise when Red and Nipala, followed by nine chocobos ridden by Cloud and his friends, as well as the best of the canyon guards, burst forth from a narrow ravine near the gates and fell upon them. The creatures rapidly fell back and scattered. But Red did not press the attack. He knew their enemies numbers were too great to stand against. Speed was of the essense. They had to get through to Zack before the enemy could become organized and overwhelm them with their superior numbers.

They broke through the creatures that had gathered near the gate, and raced across the plain. Red could see Zack's group clearly now, not too far away. The enemy was swarming around them. Even as he looked, one of the chocobos went down.

Red put on a burst of speed. Cloud spurred his chocobo onward to keep up, but even so barely managed to. He had his sword out, and slashed visciouly at any monster foolish enough to come within reach. Already half a dozen had fallen in front of him.

Ahead of him Red reached the creatures that were gathered around their fiends. With a fearsome howl he lauched himself into their midst, falling upon them from behind. Moments later Cloud and the others had joined him.

Cloud saw a flash of light as lightening from Yuffie's materia blasted some of the creatures to his left. He swored flashed out, and two others fell in front of him. He could see Reno and Elena standing back to back beside their fallen chocobo, blasting away with their guns. Beside them Rude, still mounted but with his ammo spent, stood kicking at any monster that happened within reach. He looked around and spotted Aeris defending herself with her rod, Vincent mounted behind her, just as Reeve came to her assisstance with his shotgun.

Cloud spurred his mount and cut his way through to Reno and Elena. He slashed at a wolf like creature that was snapping at Elena. The creature howled and fell to the ground.

Two other creatures on the other side of them were lashing out at Reno when Zack rode up and cut one down with a flick of his sword, while the other one fell to Cid's spear.

Cloud reached down and pulled Elena up behind him. He saw Reno remount behind Rude. He glanced up and saw more creatures rushing toward them from all directions. He felt something hit his back and was almost knocked from his chocobo. He looked up to see some of the birds diving down towards them.

"Let's get out of here!" he yelled.

They turned and spurred their chocobos forward, racing back toward the canyon. Red and Nipala took the lead once again, with Zack and Cloud on either side of them. They could see a knot of monsters gathering at the gates to the canyon in front of them.

Barret and Yuffie came up beside Cloud, all three of them lifting up their materia. Green light flashed and elemental magic crashed down upon the beasts in front of them, killing most of them outright. The ones that were left offered only token resistance as the riders slashed through them. In moments they had slipped through the line of monsters and disappeared once more into the ravine from whence they had emerged, the concealed door slamming shut behind them. They had made it safely back behind the walls of Cosmo Canyon.

Cloud dismounted and the chocobo's were quickly led away. Barret stood nearby, blood dripping from a wound on his left leg. Yuffie quickly cast cure on him.

Zack strode up to Cloud.

"You came out just in time," he said. "I thought sure we were making our last stand."

Cloud nodded, still breathing heavily from the exertion.

"It was the least we could do."

He turned to look at Cid.

"Where's the Slipstream?"

"Long story," Cid replied. "I'll fill you in when we get a chance." He grinned. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see your spiky little head."

"It's good to see you again too," Cloud said.

Aeris stepped up to him.

"It is good to see you," she said. "But what are you doing here? How's Tifa?"

"She's improved," he replied with a smile. He looked around. He saw Red climbing up toward the gate once more.

"We can discuss it later," he continued, starting after Red. "Right now we've still got work to do. We're safe for now, but who knows how long that is going to last? The canyon is still in danger. It looks like we might have quite a fight in front of us."

Chapter Text

The monsters continued to gather outside of Cosmo Canyon, but they did not attack. By nightfall there were hundreds of them before the gates, and many more could been seen in the light of the fires that still burned in the fields beyond.

Cloud sat at the top of the cliff looking down at the flickering fires. He heard footsteps nearby and looked up to see Aeris come over and sit down beside him.

"So tell me what happened to Tifa," she said.

He told her what had occured earlier that day. When he got to the part where he told her about the proposal she stopped him suddenly.

"You are so bad!" she exclaimed. "You know I wanted to be there for that!"

Cloud nodded.

"Yeah, I know, but it just kind of came out. She sort of fed me that line about not leaving me ever again and I just couldn't hold it in any longer."

Aeris looked at him thoughfully, then nodded.

"Okay, I guess I can forgive you," she said. "So then what happened?"

"Well, then I told her I had gotten her a ring, but that I had lost it. And it turned out Barret had picked it up. So he handed it to me and I gave it to her."

"And that's another thing," Aeris intterupted again. "I thought you were going to wait for me to help you pick it out! You've made me miss out on everything! Are you going to forget to invite me to the wedding too?"

Cloud looked at her and smiled.

"No, Aeris. I don't think I could keep you away from that even if I wanted to, which of course I don't."

"So are you at least going to tell me what the ring looks like?" she asked.

Cloud shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. "It's a diamond. It's round."

"Oh you are so pathetic," she exclaimed. "It's a round diamond? That's the best you can do? You did look at it before you bought it, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Cloud said defensively.

"So, don't you remember anything else?"

"Yeah, it was...well, it had the diamond in it, and then two small rectangular emeralds on either side of it."

"And what was the band made of?" she asked.

"Silver something...platinum, I guess. I'm kinda not sure. Barret just told me to get that kind."

"Maybe I should be talking to him," Aeris said.

Cloud shrugged.

"Well, that was a little helpful anyway," she continued. "So did you set a date yet?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Too much has been happening lately to even think about it," he replied. "Tifa is going to have to recover first. And we still don't even know who was responsible for the attacks. Not to mention that we're sitting in Cosmo Canyon surrounded by monsters."

They both looked down at the fields below them.

"Yeah," Aeris said slowly. She looked back at Cloud, the fires below casting a flickering light upon him.

"Well, I'm just glad she's okay," she said slowly. "For both of you."

Cloud looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks," he replied. He looked at her carefully. "And how are you doing, Aeris? How are things..."

Just then another form loomed out of the darkness beside them. They looked up to see Barret standing over them.

"Come on," he said. "Red has called a little meeting in the great hall. He wants us all to be there."

Cloud nodded.

"Of course."

He and Aeris got up and followed Barret back down the path and along the streets until they reached the Great Hall of Cosmo Canyon. Once inside they found Red along with Illyanova and half a dozen other of the senior elders, as well as the Captain of the Canyon guards. Also there were the other members of Avalanche and the Turks.

"The situation is not good," Red said, not wasting any time. "We were not able to get a message out before we were cut off, so we can't expect anyone to come to our aid."

"We don't know how many monsters are out there," he continued. "Difficult to get an accurate count of them in the dark, and the fact that they move around so much. But it is pretty obvious that we are significantly outnumbered."

"I have never heard of anything like this ever happening before. There are all kinds of creatures out there, some of whom are know to hunt in packs but never on a scale like this. And there are some that we know to be strickly loners that are also here. These creatures are not know to have the intelligence to organize into a fighting force like this. For some reason these creatures have gathered here to attack Cosmo Canyon. It's obvious that this is a planned attack and not just some random gathering. I think it very important that we understand why this is happening and who might be behind it. Does anybody have any ideas?"

He looked around at the others in the room

"I think it's being directed from Gongaga," Cid spoke up.

Red turned toard him.

"What makes you say that?"

Cid told him what had happened to them from the time the Slipstream went down until they were picked up by Zack.

Cloud's face went pale when he mentioned what the people in Gongaga had said about Jenova, but he did not speak. Aeris also looked at Cid in surprise.

When he was finished Red paced back and forth in front of them a few times without speaking.

"Well, that would explain where all these monsters were coming from," he stated. "If Jenmova has somehow returned the whole planet is in danger."

"So you think Jenova is creating all these monsters to destroy humanity and take over the planet?" Reeve asked.

"Another one of those world domination things?" Reno muttered. "I'm really getting tired of this."

Red looked at Aeris.

"I don't know," she said slowly. "Jenova was not known for using such blunt tactics. From what I know of her, she used more subtle, more indirect means. But who knows how she could have changed in the time since we defeated her. And I don't know whether she's out to domninate the world. This attack seems to be directed at Cosmo Canyon."

"Well, someplace had to be first," Vincent said.

"So why not the Gold Saucer?" she asked. "It's closer to Gongaga."

"Okay, if this isn't a world domination thing," Cloud said, "Then why would Jenova be attacking Cosmo Canyon?"

Aeris shrugged.

"What in the canyon could threaten it?" Yuffie asked.

"Well, Cosmo Canyon doesn't have an army, so she wouldn't be worried about that," Zack said.

"It's a storehouse of knowledge," Reeve stated. "Perhaps there is something here that's it's afraid we'll find out. Some knowledge somewhere on how to destroy it, perhaps?"

"That's a possibility," Red agreed. He turned to Illyanova, but she shook her head.

"I know of no such knowledge," she stated. "But it is a reasonable conclusion. I will have the elders look into it."

"Very good," Red replied. "But I don't know how much time we'll have to do that."

"How safe are we?" Elena asked.

Red looked at her for a moment before replying.

"I think we are fairly safe at the moment. The canyon walls provide an excellent defensive position, and we can hold off a force much greater than our own while we are within them. The fact that the monsters have not attacked yet leads me to believe they have reached the same conclusion."

"So you think they won't attack?" Cid asked. "You think they will just try to lay seige to the canyon and attempt to starve us out?"

"I hope that is what they have in mind," Red replied. "For we know that could not possibly succeed. We still have access to the outside world through the Gi cave, which they seem to be unaware of. We could bring in supplies that way and hold out against a seige indefinitely. But somehow I don't think that is what they have in mind. It will be too easy for help to arrive from other cities if they start a seige. If only one person got out he could get us aid. Whatever they are going to do, they are going to have to do it soon. I think they will attack."

"So why haven't they attacked already?" Barret asked.

"I don't know," Red replied. "I think they are waiting for something, but I don't know what."

They were all silent for a moment.

"Going back for a moment to why Jenova might be attacking Cosmo Canyon," Vincent said suddenly. "As you said, the canyon has no army, and it may be true that Jenova is trying to prevent us from finding some knowledge that may be hidden here, but there is something else here that Jenvoa might be interested in."

The others looked at him.

"What's that?" Barret asked.

"Us," he replied.

Reeve looked at him in surprise.

"You think Jenova might be after us because we defeated it the first time?" he asked.

Vincent nodded.

"It is a possibility," he replied. "It knows we can destroy it. It knows we are a threat. Perhaps that entire army out there is here for the express purpose of destroying Avalanche."

Red stood there pondering this for a moment.

"If that's true..." he mused, "then perhaps it was Jenova who was responsible for the original attacks on us."

Cloud's head turned toward him.

"You mean Jenova was responsible for the bomb?" he said.

"It's possible," Red said slowly. "Although we have no proof."

"It would also mean that us being here is a danger to Cosmo Canyon," Aeris pointed out.

"You're right," Zack said. He looked at Red. "So, if we left, would those monsters out there just leave too?"

Red shook his head.

"There's no way to tell for sure," he replied. "Besides, if we walk out the front door we'll be walking right into their hands, and if we snuck out the Gi cave how would they know we were gone? Besides, the possiblity exists that we are wrong about this. If that were true, and we left, all we would be doing is weakening, perhaps fatally, the defenses of the canyon."

"All this talk is fine," Barret intterupted. "But we can do this all day long and not solve a damn thing. My question is, the monsters are out there, now what the hell are we going to do about it?"

"That is the key question," Red agreed.

"Well, they're not attacking," Cloud stated. "We're in a good defensive position. We could just hunker down here and wait them out."

"But more monsters seem to be showing up all the time," Zack said. "We don't know how many of them there are. Perhaps they haven't attacked yet because they're just waiting to build up their strength until they have enough to overwhelm even this position."

Red nodded.

"We can't ignore that possibility," he said.

"So what do we do then?" Reeve said. "Surely you're not suggesting we attack?"

"No," Red replied. "Our defense position is the only thing that has saved us so far. To attack would be suicide. Communications are cut off. But we still have access to the outside world through the Gi cave. As long as they are bringing up reinforcements I think we should do the same. I think we should send out messengers to the other cities asking for aid."

"What other cities?" Cid questioned. "Neibelheim and Rocket Town are the closest towns to the north, and I assume you wouldn't want to go south, but neither of them have even a security force, much less an army, and make no mistake about it, that's what you're going to need here."

"I realize that," Red answered. "The nearest cities with standing armies are Wutai and Junon. The messangers would have to go to those cities."

Cid looked skeptical.

"That might take quite some time," he said doubtfully.

"Well, we still do have the chocobos available," Red replied. "Even so it will take a couple of days, at least."

"By then it might be too late," Barret stated.

"I know," Red replied. "But it couldn't hurt to try."

"Even if you do get messages to Wutai and Junon," Reno said. "What makes you think either of them would send you any aid?"

"Wutai would help!" Yuffie said immediately.

"We don't know for sure," Red said. "But again, there's no harm in trying. Besides, I think all of the cities can see what a threat an organized army of monsters could be to them all. I think it would be in their bests interest to destroy this threat as soon as possible."

"I don't know," Reno stated. "We're a long way from both Wutai and Junon. They're not even on this continent. These days all the cities only seem to be interested in their own problems."

Yuffie looked at him angrily.

"Wutai would help!" she repeated. She looked at Red.

"If you want, I'll go there myself. I know my father will aid you any way he can."

Red smiled. It was rare to see Yuffie get upset about anything that didn't involve materia.

"I think that would be a very good idea," he said.

Yuffie looked at him in surprise.

"Really?" she said.

"Yes," he replied. "Yuffie, I would like you to go to Wutai immediately and ask your father to send whatever aid he can. You can take the fastest Chocobo we have. Remember, speed is of the essense. We don't know how long we can hold out. The help from your father may be our only chance of survival. We are depending on you."

Yuffie just stood there for a moment without saying anything. She hadn't expected him to accept. The offer had just been a spontaneous thing, an automatic response to an alleged affront to the integrity of her hometown. She hadn't really thought about the consequences, or the responsibility. She hadn't really thought about the burden she was putting on herself, but Red was right, getting a message to Wutai might be Cosmo Canyon's only chance of survival. For a moment she hesitated, the sudden fear growing inside her that she might fail, that she was not up to this task. But she quickly pushed it out of her mind. They were depending on her. Red had told her so. No one had ever depended on her before.

She looked at Red, resolve deepening in her eyes.

"I won't fail you," she said. Then she turned and started for the door, but Cloud called out to here before she reached it. She turned toward him.

"Yuffie, be careful," he said.

She just stood there for a moment. They were all looking at her.

"I will," she said. "I'll come back with an army so big it'll scare those monsters away just to look at it."

She turned away, but then reversed herself again.

"And you all be careful too," she said. "You've got my materia, so I expect you to take good care of it until I get back. Understand?"

Cloud nodded.

Yuffie turned once more and disappeared out the door.

Reno stood there shaking his head.

"What a bunch of pathetic fools," he muttered.

Cloud looked at him angrily.

"You got something to say, Reno?"

Reno stood there looking at them for a moment, shaking his head slowly. Then he stepped foward and glanced at each of them in turn.

"Have any of you looked over that wall lately?" he asked. "Have you seen how many monsters are out there? That plain is literally crawling with them. I thought you people had some semblance of intelligence, but I can see I was wrong. This is the best plan you can come up with? Sit here like lambs waiting for slaughter and sending Yuffie, YUFFIE, out to get help?"

"Reno, why don't you just shut up," Barret blurted. "Unless you've got some brilliant plan of your own you'd like to share with us."

Reno just looked at him smugly.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he replied. "You're hoplessly outnumbered. Even if Yuffie doesn't just run off to save her own skin, help from Wutai is never going to get here in time. You've just got one thing in your favor, and that's that you still have a way out through the Gi cave."

"So what are you suggesting?" Cloud said. "That we run?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Reno replied. "You don't stand a chance here. It's either stay here and get wiped out or pull out."

"You want us to abandon Cosmo Canyon?" Nipala said incredulously.

Reno nodded.

"It's either that or die here."

"That's just the kind of wimp ass plan I'd expect from someone like you," Barret cut in.

"Don't be ridiculous," Cloud said. "We're not going to abandon Cosmo Canyon."

Reno shook his head.

"I know you people too well to expect you to have listened to reason. Well, if you all want to stay here and throw your lives away, that's fine. But that's not the way the Turks do things. We've taken on hopeless causes before, if the price was right, but I'm afraid there isn't enough money in Cosmo Canyon to make us hang around here for this one."

"So what are you saying, you're just going to leave?" Reeve said.

"Why not?" Reno said. "It would be stupid to stay here, and the Turks are not stupid."

"I can't believe you're just going to walk out on your friends," Aeris exclaimed.

"My friends?" Reno said, looking at her. "I know we've been hanging around together a lot lately, but that doesn't make us friends. We're Turks, remember? A Turk can't afford the luxury of having friends."

"Oh don't give me that," Aeris replied. "I know you too well to belive that any more."

"Just let them go," Barret said in disgust. "Shoulda known better than to expect Reno to stick around when the heat is on. He's only interested in money and his own precious hide."

"Call it what you will," Reno stated. "To tell you the truth I'm not really interested in your opinon."

He turned to Rude and Elena.

"Let's go."

Reno looked at them expectantly but neither one moved. Elena glanced over at Vincent.

"I'm staying," she said.

Reno rolled his eyes skyward.

"Elena, don't be a fool," he said. "You know very well that what I'm saying is true. Do you really mean to tell me that you're going to throw away your life with this bunch of losers?"

He stepped toward her, staring at her.

"Think about it, Elena. Is that really something a Turk would do?"

He stood right in front of her now, looking at her expectantly, but she did not reply.

"Well, is it?"

Elena looked at Reno, then at the others. Finally she shook her head.

"No," she said softly. "But I don't care. I'm staying anyway."

Reno stared at her for a moment longer, then turned away and sighed.

"I'm disappointed in you," he said. "I know you have had problems seperating your personal feelings from your job, but I thought you could overcome that. Tseng thought you could too, and that's why he chose you to join the Turks in the first place. But now it looks like we were both wrong."

Elena did not reply but looked down at the ground.

"Leave her alone," Vincent spoke up.

Reno turned toward him.

"I don't understand you at all, Vincent," he said. "You should be agreeing with me. You of all people know what can happen when you let your emotions color your judgement."

Reno turned to Rude.

"Let's go," he said again. "Unless you're going to turn on me too?"

Rude said nothing. Nor did he get up. Reno folded his arms across his chest and stared at him. They stood there in silence for a long time.

Slowly Reno's arms dropped to his sides. Rude looked up at him.

"Things have changed," he said.

Reno stared at Rude for a moment longer, and he looked genuinely disappointed. He started to speak, then shut his mouth.

"I don't believe this," he muttered. He looked at the others.

"I guess things have changed," he continued. "It seems you both have forgotten what it means to be a Turk. Maybe it was a bad idea to hang around with these people for as long as we have. It appears they've been a bad influence. And I suppose that's my fault. I can't make you come with me. I can't make you listen to reason. I guess I'll just have to start over from scratch. I don't suppose I'll be seeing any of you again."

"Don't be too sure about that," Cloud stated.

Reno did not reply, just looked at Elena and Rude one more time. Then he walked slowly toward the door.

"Reno," Elena said.

He turned around to look at her. She opened her mouth, seeming to be groping for the right words, but then just shut it when Rude reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.

Reno shook his head again, then turned away and walked out of the room.

They others stood there for a few moments in silence.

"I didn't think he'd really go," Aeris said.

"Goodbye and good riddance," Barret exclaimed.

Red looked at Elena and Rude.

"Thank you for staying," he said. "I know how difficult this must be for you."

The two Turks did not reply. Elena just looked at Rude. She had really been surprised by him. Never for a moment would she have expected him to remain. She knew it must be twice as hard for him as it had been for her. She still had Vincent, and Rude had known Reno for...well, it seemed like forever. She had never thought anything would ever come between them.

Suddenly their musing was interrrupted as a guard walked into the room. He looked at Red.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there's something going on outside."

A few minutes later Red and his friends stood on the ridge above the gates of Cosmo Canyon, looking down once more on the open plains to the south. If anything, there were even more monsters down there than ever.

Cloud suddenly looked up. Staring off over the fires, into the darkness beyond. Zack came up beside him and looked at him.

"You feel it too, don't you," he said softly.

Cloud nodded without turning toward him.

"Yes," he replied. "What is it?"

"I'm not exactly sure myself," Zack answered. "The man in Gongaga called himself the Healer, but I think it's Jenova."

Cloud shook his head slowly, but said nothing more.

Their enemy was crowded most closely together near the gates below them. There hadn't been much activity among them when Cloud had been looking at them earlier. But now he could see some kind of commotion down below. The monsters nearest the gate were moving apart, leaving a clear space for something, or someone, that was approaching.

Cloud stared out into the darkness. The fires still burned, but they did not illuminate the front of the gate very well. But slowly in the clearing below them four dim forms came into view.

The were human. Or at least had humanoid shape. They were mounted on Chocobos. Black ones. Blacker than any Cloud had ever seen before in his life. He could see the eyes of the great birds giving off an eerie red glow. He had never seen Chocobo's quite like them.

Nor had he ever seen riders quite like the men that now approached the gate. They were all dressed the same, wearing black clothing, with capes swirling around them. They all had long swords at their sides, and their eyes glowed with Mako fire.

Zack looked down at the men.

"Rios, Garn, Darron, and Fielder," he said.

"You know them?" Cloud asked.

Zack nodded.

"They are all from Gongaga," he replied. "Thought I do not know how I remember them."

The men rode up until they were almost directly in front of the gate. Then they halted and looked up at those above them.

"We are Jenova's Disciples," Rios said loudly. "We have come with word of Jenova. Open your gates and you will be taken into Jenova's hands. Resist us and feel Jenova's wraith."

Red looked down at them exprressionlessly.

"We have no desire to be taken into Jenova's hands," he replied. "And we do not fear Jenova's wraith. Leave here or you will be utterly destroyed."

Rios stared directly at Red. His Chocobo stirred restlessly and scratched at the ground.

"You are brave but misguided," he said. "No one can stand against Jenova's will. But Jenova does not wish to take life needlessly. So I will ask you once again. Open you gates and surrender the canyon."

Red returned Rios' gaze unflinchingly.

"And again I'm afraid I must decline," he responded. "This is our home, and it has never fallen to an invader. We will not surrender."

Rios sat there for a moment in silence, never taking his eyes off Red. Suddenly Rios sat up in his saddle, seeming to grow tall, the shadows deepening around him.

"Very well," he said. "You have choosen your own fate. You think you are strong, you think your stone walls will protect you. But they are nothing. You do not comprehend the power that you are facing. Look now, and see the folly of your choice."

The four riders drew together and looked at the gates in front of them. Then they simultaniously raised their voices and said in a commanding tone.

"Black Hole!"

Ths shadows around Rios grew, surrounding all four of them, swirling around them as if it were a living thing. A blackness grew above their heads. A blackness darker than the darkest night. Cloud could still see the fires burning in the fields beyond, but their light was dimmed, as if being sucked away by the darkness in front of them now. Cloud almost had to turn away, for to look at the blackness was almost too much to bear. To look at it was to see the end of all things, to forget even the fact that light had ever existed. To look at it was to see despair.

Cloud felt a trembling in the ground around him. And suddenly a huge beam of something, something that could only be described as anti-light, burst forth from the center of the darkness directly into the canyon gates.

There was a clap of thunder. The canyon rocked around them, and Cloud felt himself thrown to the ground. For a moment it seemed that the very mountainside around them would come crashing down, but then it subsided. Cloud looked up to see that everyone else on the ridge was down as well. He sprang to his feet, looking down at the gates below. But there were no more gates. They had been utterly destroyed. Cloud could not even see any sign of rubble. They had vanished as if they had never been, and the road into Cosmo Canyon lay open below him.

Beside him the others got to their feet. Below the people of the canyon were in a panic, fleeing from the suddenly defensless position on the canyon floor. The riders spurred their Chocobo's forward.

Cloud was about to rush down the path to the canyon below when he noticed that one man below them was not fleeing. He stood just behind where the gates had been, in the center of the canyon floor, unmoving.

Cloud hesitated for a moment and stared at the man. He had never seen him before. He did not appear to have any weapon.

Beside him Reeve noticed the man as well. He stared at him for a moment, a look of shock growing on his face. Then he looked at Aeris.

"Hey, that's the guy I saw looking at you on the train to Mysteele."

Aeris said nothing, but just stood there, staring at the man below as well, her eyes slowly widening in surprise.

"What?" Vincent said, looking at Reeve.

"That's the guy who was on the train in Mysteele," he repeated. "The one I followed and who just seemed to vanish into thin air."

"Are you sure?" Vincent questioned.

"Yeah," Reeve said. "For some reason his face stuck in my head."

Zack stepped over to Aeris. She was still staring at the man, a strange expression on her face.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She did not reply. She did not even look at him. It was as if she hadn't even heard him. She did not take her eyes off the man below.

"It can't be," she whispered.

"What is it?" Zack questioned, but she did not answer. And suddenly she was running, racing down the path as fast as she could, leaving Zack just standing there in shock.

"What's up with her?" he heard Barret say, but he did not answer. They both turned to see Reeve running after her. Zack pulled out his sword and followed.

The riders below reached the place where the gate had once stood, and now saw the single man standing in front of them. They halted their Chocobos.

The man slowly glanced at each one of them.

"You cannot pass," he said calmly.

The four riders looked at him for a moment. Then Rios spoke.

"It is Jenova's will," he said simply.

"There are powers greater than Jenova," the man replied. "You cannot pass."

The four riders drew their swords.

"There is no power greater than Jenova," Rios said. "You cannot stop us."

With that the four riders started forward once again.

The man stood his ground and slowly bowed his head. Cloud drew his sword, prepared to rush down to the canyon floor himself, even though he knew he could never get there in time to aid the man below. But suddenly he stopped. Light seemed to be shimmering all around the man. A strange white light flashed all around him, then suddenly grew brighter, illumnating the canyon in stark contrast to the blackness that had engulfed it when the riders had used their summon spell. This light was almost the opposite of that. This light banished darkness from the mind and uplifted the spirit. This was the light of hope.

The riders in front of the man hesitated. The light was all around them now, and their chocobos warked nervously, sensing the unease of the riders mounted on them. Suddenly the man raised his arms, and the light grew with such intensity that all who watched had to shade their eyes and turn away. There was a flash of blinding power, and yet another clap of thunder rolled through the canyon.

Then the light vanished. When Cloud looked up again, the riders were no where to be seen.

The man still stood silently by the ruined gates when Aeris ran up to him. He turned toward her and she stopped in front of him, breahtless from the run. She stood there for a moment staring at him, staring into his dark green eyes.

"You..." she said. She stopped for a moment, barely able to speak from the run down the path and the shock, the shock of seeing this man when she thought all this time that there was no one else, that she was alone.

"You're a Cetra!" she blurted out.

The man looked at her for a moment, then smiled.

"Yes, daughter of my people. It is nice to finally meet you face to face."

And then the man stumbled from weariness, and would have fallen had Aeris not reached out to steady him.

"I'm afraid that the effort..."

He didn't finish, but sank slowly into her arms. Reeve came up beside her and took hold of him as well. Together they supported the man as they led him back up the canyon steps.

Zack watched them walk away, then slowly turned and looked back out of the canyon. The creatures there had fallen back, dismayed at first by the loss of the four riders. But now they started forward once again, first a few, then more and more, until the entire horde was surging toward Cosmo Canyon. The entrance lay before them, no longer protected by it's stone wall.

Zack readied his sword as Cloud came up beside him. The canyon guards gathered around them, forming a line across the canyon floor, ready to fight to save their town. Beside them citizens were hastily dragging forward carts and wagons to try to form an impomptu defensive position.

Then the beasts were upon them. Cloud and Zack did not wait, but lunged forward as soon as the creatures came within striking distance. Their swords slashed and cut faster than the eye could follow. They fought without thinking, letting their instincts and their training take over. In seconds a dozen beasts had fallen around them.

But for every one that fell there were two or three coming forwarrd to take their place. The monsters swirled all around them now, and even their formidable fighting skills could not stand against such numbers. Zack felt something tear into the back of his leg. He turned and slashed out, and the monster fell to the ground, but then another was upon him, tossing him roughly to the ground.

Suddenly the air above them flashed with light. Cloud looked up at the ridge above as materia orbs flared brightly in the night sky. All around him the air was rent with lightening. Fire burned through the creatures nearby. He could see the huge forms of Hades and Neo Bahamut materializing in the darkness around him. Dozens of the creatures fell, but still they came on, surging around them once more as soon as the spells had subsided. Cloud turned and slashed out once again, as Zack got to his feet once more beside him. Cloud looked out into the valley below, but there seeemd to be no end to their enemy. He could see the guards falling back beside them. Slowly he retreated back up into the canyon.

Red turned to Illyanova.

"Gather all the citizens you can and take them up into the caves. They'll be safe there, or as safe as anyone can be. Hurry!"

He didn't wait for an answer, but ran down the trail, followed qucikly be Nipala and Barret. Cid and the others were about to follow when suddenly dark figures flew out of the air around them. He heard Illyanova cry out and fall to the ground in front of him.

"Damn," he muttered, wading forward swinging his spear. Behind him green light flared as Elena cast ice. He heard half a dozen shots from Vincent's gun, and then the birds were gone.

He stooped down by Illyanova. She groaned. There was a large red gash on her forehead. Cid pulled out a restore materia and quickly cast cure. Illyanova shook her head and slowly got back up again.

"Thanks," she said.

"Forget it," Cid replied. "But perhaps we should escort you. Looks like no one is safe."

Illyanova nodded and led them along the ridgetop, heading back into the canyon proper. They looked down at the battle below. The monsters continued to flood into the canyon, and the defenders now seemed to be in full flight. Cid heard Illyanova gasp and looked down to see that the creatues had reached the stariway and were now scrambling into the canyon proper.

She looked back at Cid.

"Hurry, or we'll be cut off!"

They hurried ahead, running as fast as they could. They reached a narrow trail and ran down it at a reckless pace. They came out into the streets of Cosmo Canyon.

Cid looked around. He could see Cloud and Zack near the head of the stairs, retreating slowly toward the rear of the canyon. He saw no sign of Red or Barret.

Illaynova looked back and forth down the road.

"Oh my God," she said. "The flame."

Cid looked behind them. The eternal flame still blazed brightly in the center of town, but the guards were all scattered, pushed back by the wall of approaching enemies. There was no one protecting it from the approaching horde.

Cid turned toward Illyanova.

"Get your poeple up into the caves," he cried out. "Take care of them. I'll worry about the damn flame!"

And with that he ran toward the center of town, Vincent, Elena and Rude right behind him. Illyanova hesitated for a moment, then ran down the street, yelling at the top of her voice to the citizens to flee into the caves above. To save themselves anyway they could.

Cosmo Canyon had been overrun.

Chapter Text

Reeve and Aeris eased the Cetra down into a chair in front of the Tiger Lily Weapons shop. Reeve walked back over to the doorway and looked out. He could see Zack and Cloud retreating up the stairs. He looked back at Aeris and the newcomer.

"The monsters are in the canyon," he said, his voice strangely flat. He never thought he would see such a thing.

The Cetra nodded. He seemed to be recovering his strength.

"There are too many of them," he said slowly. "You cannot win."

Reeve looked at him uneasily.

"Can't you do that...whatever it was you did to the riders? Can't you do that again?"

The man slowly shook his head.

"Banish evil," he gave it a name. He looked at Aeris. "You will learn it someday. But no," he continued, turning to face Reeve again. "I do not have the strength. I'm not as young as I used to be. It took nearly everything I had just to do it that one time."

"Who are you?" Aeris spoke up.

The man turned toward her once again and smiled.

"My name is Ellengio," he replied simply.

"I'm Aeris," she nodded toward Reeve. "And this is Reeve."

The man looked at Reeve again.

"Yes, we've met," he said slowly.

Reeve returned his gaze but did not reply. He had seen the man twice on the southern continent, and chased him through the train once, but suddenly it came to him that that was not what the man was referring to.

"You saved my life," he said with sudden certainty. "When I was shot in the alley. It was you!"

Ellengio nodded.

"I do not like to see needless death," he said. "And I could tell you were important to the...to Aeris."

"Thank you," Reeve said.

Ellengio did not reply.

"And the warnings," Aeris said suddenly. "In Mysteele I thought it was a dream, but it was you. There, and in Inflania. It was your voice I heard warning me of danger."

Again Ellengio nodded.

"You've been watching over me," she stated.

"Yes," he replied.

"But where did you come from?" she questioned. "I mean, I know you were on the southern continent, but how did you get there? I thought I was the last Ancient."

"As did I," he replied. "Perhaps I should start from the begining."

Reeve walked slowly back over and stood beside Aeris

"It was almost forty years ago," Ellengio continued. "Our people were scattered and few. We began to realize that unless we brought what was left of our people together again it could mean the end of our race. We had heard some rumors of some of our kind having been seen on the southern continent. We knew about it of course, but it was wild and largely unexplored land at that time. We settled there, searching for more of our people. There were six of us to begin with. Two gave up the search and returned here. We never heard from them again. The three others died from accidents and illness. I was the last one."

"I continued the search," he said, looking at Aeris. "But I never found any sign of Ancients on the southern continent. I had given up hope that I ever would, until one day in Pangir I ran into you."

"At first I wasn't sure what to make of you. In fact, I wasn't even sure at first that you were an Ancient. When I was with the others, I could always sense them. It was very strong, but with you I hardly felt anything at first. I had to concentrate, more then I ever did with the others. But after a short time observing you I became convinced you were one of my people, though not from the southern continent. Perhaps from some long lost northern branch. That might explain why I don't sense you as strongly."

"My father was human," Aeris explained.

Ellengio's eyebrows went up.

"Indeed?" he said. "That would go a long way toward explaining it. At any rate I followed you back to Infalnia, still watching you cautiously. At that time I decided to reveal myself, but then I sensed the danger and warned you of the assassins, and then you hurried off. I've been trying to catch up with you ever since."

Suddenly they heard the pounding of foosteps outside. Reeve turned, shotgun ready, but then relaxed as Cloud and Zack stepped into the room, along with almost two dozen Canyon guards. Most were so weary that they collapsed to the ground as soon as they entered the room. Almost all of them were wounded. Zack was limping, and blood was dripping down Cloud's neck from a gash above his ear.

"They've taken most of the canyon below," Cloud said. "But they don't seem to be interested in attacking the caves yet. But more keep coming in. It's just a matter of time."

He leaned wearily on his sword and looked at Ellengio curiously. Aeris and Reeve took out restore materia and walked around the room casting cure on the wounded. Aeris told them what Ellengio had said to her as she made her way around the room.

"Looks like you got here just in time to get caught up in this mess," Zack observed when Aeris had finished.

"Good thing he did," Cloud stated. "Things are bad enough now. I don't even want to think what would have happend if you hadn't killed those riders."

Ellengio shook his head.

"Oh, they're not dead," he said. "I don't have the strength to do that. I merely sent them back to Jenova. They'll return once more, stronger than ever."

Cloud just looked at him.

"Great."

"But what of you, Aeris?" Ellengio focused his dark green eyes on her once again. "How is it that you are here, the last of my people?"

"I'm the daughter of Infalna and Proffessor Gast," she replied.

"Infalna?" Ellengio said in surprise.

"Did you know her?" Aeris said quickly.

Ellengio thought for a moment.

"One of my mother's sister's had a daughter named Infalna," he said. "What was your grandmother's name?"

"I don't know," Aeris replied sadly. "My mother died when I was very young. She never told me anything about my relatives."

Ellengio nodded.

"Go on," he said.

Aeris explained about what had happened with Hojo killing Proffessor Gast, her and her mother's imprisonment, and her mother's susequent death. She went on about how Jenova had been found buried in a 2000 year old rock stratum and Proffessor Gast and Hojo's subsequent experiments. How that had led to the birth of Sephiroth and the trouble he had caused.

Ellengio listened with interest, but interrupted suddenly when she mentioned what Sephiroth had done to her.

"Killed?" he exclaimed, looking at her in surprise. "Surely you don't mean that."

"But I do," Aeris replied. "Sephiroth ran me through. I was killed and returned to the lifestream, but my friends brought me back."

"Brought you back?" Ellengio said, and suddenly he seemed very aggitated. "How? How did they accomplish this?"

"A special kind of materia," Aeris replied. slowly. "Crystal materia."

Ellengio looked at her for a moment, his eyes wide and his face going pale.

"What?" Aeris said. "You know something about the crystal materia?"

Ellengio did not reply for a moment. Slowly the surprise on his face melted into an expression of thoughtfullness.

"That would explain a lot," he said slowly. "But go on. I'm sorry to have interrupted. Finish your tale."

Aeris waited for a moment, but he just sat there looking patiently at her.

"There's not much more to tell," she continued. "My friends followed Sephiroth after my death. They confronted both him and Jenova and defeated them. We thought at that time that Jenova was gone for good, but we were wrong. Somehow, she has returned."

"No," Ellengio corrected. "The Jenova you killed is dead. This is a new Jenova. One that has just recently arrived here."

"Another Jenova?" Cloud said in surprise. "I don't understand."

"That's because you are thinking of Jenova as an individual, but that is the name of the species," Ellengio replied. "The Jenova you killed was a seperate individual from the Jenova you are now facing."

"Is that why it can't control us?" Zack said.

"What do you mean?" Ellengio asked.

"Cloud and I both had cells from the original Jenova implanted in us by Hojo. Jenova and Sephiroth both could use those cells to influence us, even to control us. But this one can't seem to do it."

"Yes," Ellengio agreed. "This one would not be able to control the cells from another individual. But it can feel their presense, as you must be able to feel it."

Zack nodded.

"But why is it here?" Aeris asked. "What is it doing?"

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "The last one came what, 2000 years ago. What, can we expect them to show up evey couple of thousand years?

He didn't look too happy with the idea.

Ellengio shook his head.

"No," he said. "It came becaue it was alerted by changes in the lifestream."

"Changes in the lifestream?" Cloud repeated. "What changes?"

Ellengio stared at Aeris once more.

"Changes caused by the use of the crystal materia," he said slowly.

"What?" Cloud exclaimed.

All of them looked at Ellengio in surprise, while he just sat there shaking his head slowly.

"It all started long ago," he said, still looking at Aeris. "Over two thousand years ago humans and Cetra peacefully coexisted on this planet. But one day human miners broke into an ancient chamber deep below the earth and discovered what is now called the crystal materia."

"They quickly realized it was a stone of enormous power. A gift from God, it was called, and those who weilded it became kings. Some humans continued to investigate the cave where it was found, and soon discovered the body of an unknown creature. Human science didn't even exist in those days, but some of them were friends of the Cetra, and asked them to investigate. The Cetra's conclusion was that the body in the cavern was not of this planet and had undoubtedly brought the stone with it when it had arrived here. I do not know what kind of creature this was, but it was not of Jenova's species."

"They discovered nothing more, but it was not long after this when Jenova appeared. At first, she came as a friend, weilding extrodinary power to help both mankind and the Cetra. It was obvious right from the begining that she knew of the existance of the crystal materia, and in fact told us that the materia had been stolen from her people and she had been sent to retrieve it. She asked for it back, but the king who held it balked, knowing that it would seriously diminish his power, and he did not want to give it up even for the friendship of so powerful an ally. It was then that Jenova's true nature became apparent, for she transformed into a hideous beast and killed the king and most of his court. But one man managed to escape and brought the materia to the Cetra, even though he died from his wounds soon after. The Cetra hid it away where Jenova could not find it."

"You all know the results," Ellengio said sadly. "Jenova demanded the Cetra hand over the materia. When we refused Jenova manufactured and released a virus that devestated our population, reducing us in just a few years from a robust society to a race on the edge of extinction. But through it all Jenova never learned where we had hidden the crystal. Eventually, an army of humans and the few Cetra who were left managed to overthrow and defeat Jenova. But they did not kill it completely. It was laid in the ground, and remained there dormant until your Proffessor Gast and Hojo found it 2000 years later."

"With Jenova defeated the crystal materia remained in Cetra hands, and we had time to study it and learn it's true properties. The fact that it could ressurect an Ancient was discovered, along with many other attirbutes that the humans had never even suspected. But we also found out that each use caused a disturbance in the lifestream. A disturbance so great that it could not only be felt on the planet where it is used, but on other worlds as well. Every use upset the balance, and this could be felt on worlds far away. So far away, in fact, that it could be felt on the Jenova homeworld."

Aeris chewed nervously on her lower lip. She did not like the way this discussion was going. She looked over at Cloud, who was just looking at Ellengio with a puzzled expression.

"It was determined that the crystal materia probably originated on the Jenova homeworld," Ellengio continued. "The best theory that we could come up with was that the creature that we found in the cave with the crystal materia was a foe of Jenova and had stolen the crystal and fled, landing on our planet only to die. Apparently the crystal was a danger to the Jenova species, and they were intent on destroying it, but they didn't know how to find it. But when it was discovered and used they were able to pinpoint it through the disturbance in the lifestream and send one of their own to destroy it. She failed, but since the crystal was not used by the Cetra after that they may have assumed she succeeded. They felt no more disturbances until..."

Once again he looked at Aeris.She stood there, her face suddenly gone pale and a look of horror entered her eyes.

"Until it was used to ressurect me," she finished for him, her eyes wide and her hand coming up to her mouth. "Jenova has returned because of my ressurection. The attempts on our lives, what's going on in Gongaga, the destruction here at Cosmo Canyon. It's all happened because of me. It's all my fault!"

"No," Cloud said quickly "It's my fault. I was the one who wouldn't let you go. I was the one who found the crystal materia."

"You can't blame yourselves," Reeve interrupted. "No one knew about this. If anyone, it's the fault of all of us in Avalanche. We all went along, we all wanted to bring back Aeris."

He looked at Aeris. He could tell she was deeply disturbed by what Ellengio had told them, but she just turned away.

Cloud stood there, shaking his head slowly. He didn't doubt Ellengio, but he could hardly believe what he was hearing. They had undertaken the quest to ressurect Aeris with the noblest of intentions. To save her from death, to right the grevious wrong Sephiroth had done to her, had done to them all. When they had succeeded, he had counted it among their greatest triumphs.

Could it be that one of their greatest triumphs would turn out to be one of their greatest mistakes?

But they hadn't known! He couldn't blame himself, he couldn't blame any of them. There was no way they could have been aware of this, aware of the danger they were unleashing.

Could they?

He remembered something Tifa had told him Tarkin had said, when he had stopped the Turks from taking the crystal materia from her.

You are like children playing with a deadly weapon.

Even if they had known, would it have made any difference? Would they have put aside the quest, knowing that Aeris would be gone forever if they had? He knew in his heart the answer to that. He knew that he would never have turned aside, even if it meant putting the entire planet in jeopardy.

He looked at Aeris. She was facing away from them, her head bowed.

The cruel irony was that she would never have wanted it. She would never have wanted to put others in peril for her own sake, yet that was exactly what had happened.

Suddenly they heard shouts from near the doorway. They all turned as Red, Nipala and Barret came in, followed by more of the canyone guards. The room was getting quite crowded now. Barret was carrying Illyanova in his arms.

He eased her down onto the ground as Reeve went over, pulling out a restore materia. Red and Nipala came up beside Cloud. Both were covered with cuts and scrapes,and Nipala was limping.

"The canyon is taken," Red said slowly, barely seeming to be able to get the words out. He did not look at Cloud when he spoke.

Aeris suddenly turned toward him. There were tears in her eyse. She came over and wrapped her arms around the red beast.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly.

Red did not reply. Barret looked at Aeris curiously, then turned to Cloud, a questioning look in his eyes.

Cloud quickly gave them a rundown on what Ellengio had told them.

"So you all blamin yourselves for what another one of those headless freak things is doin?" he exlaimed when Cloud had finished. "We can straighten this out real easy, let's just go out and kick this Jenova freaks ass clear back to the planet it came from."

"But it's our fault it here in the first place," Cloud stated. "We called it when we used the crystal materia."

"What's done is done," Barret replied. "No use cryin over it. You gonna sit in here whining about blaming yourselves or are you gonna do something about it?"

Cloud started to reply, but then shut his mouth, realizing that Barret was right. It didn't matter who, if anyone was to blame for their current situation. What mattered was what they were going to do about it.

"It's all well and good to talk about destroying Jenova," Zack obseved. "But right now we have more pressing problems, such as an army of monsters knocking at our door. What are we going to do?"

There was silence. They all looked around the room at each other, but eventually all heads slowly turned until they were looking at Red.

Red returned their gaze with a haunted look in his eye. He slowly padded over to the doorway and looked out at the canyon below. He stood there for a long time. Then he walked slowly back inside.

"It is over," he said softly. "The canyon is lost. The creatures have overrun it, and we are too few to resist. Go. All of you. Flee while you still can, while the Gi cave is still undiscovered."

"They would have a difficult time assaulting the caves," Zack protested. "We could hold out here for a long time."

Red shook his head.

"No, it is over," he repeated. "We are too few. Staying to fight will only result in more needless death. The canyon...the canyon is destroyed. There is nothing left to fight for. The enternal flame has been extinguished."

"No!"

They all turned toward the door once more at the sound of the voice. Cid stood in the entranceway, Vincent, Elena and Rude behind him. In his hand was a brightly burning torch.

He walked into the room.

"No, the eternal flame still burns," he said. "It's just become a little more mobile."

He looked at Illyanova and grinned.

"I told you I'd take care of it."

Illyanova managed a wan smile.

"It heartens me to see this," Red said. "But it does not change the fact that you must flee. I am just happy to know that after all this is done some small part of the canyon may yet survive."

"We're not going to leave you here, Red," Cloud said.

"You must," Red replied. "I am the protector, defending the canyon is what I was born to do, what all my line have done for thousands of years. I cannot leave."

"Very brave," Ellengio said. "But you would just be throwing your life away."

"I am the protector," Red repeated. "It is what I must do."

"But you'll die," Aeris said in a choked voice.

"We all die," he replied. "What would you have me do? Run away to die somewhere many years from now, in disgrace? Would you have me turn away from my obligation, just to save myself? My father died defending this canyon against nearly insurmountable odds. Could I ever look myself in the face again if I was not willing to do the same?"

"The circumstances are different," Ellengio pointed out. "When the Gi attacked Cosmo Canyon stood alone. They had no allies to come to their aid, they had no where else to go. But you do. You can lead your people to another city, you can call for aid. You can come back with an army and retake the canyon. Standing and fighting now would just be throwing away your life for no reason."

"No, not for no reason," Red countered. "You are a Cetra, but you do not know the relationship my species has had with the people of this canyon. It has been my species obligation and right to protect this place for as long as we have existed. No one has ever failed that obligation. I would rather perish than be the first. I will stay!"

Ellengio looked at Red doubtfully, but he did not reply.

Nipala lifted her head, a fire seeming to burn in her eyes.

"I will not leave you," she stated.

"Nor will I," Cloud said.

"Nor I," said one of the canyon guards. And it was repeated around the room. They all seemed willing to stand by Red, even if it was the last stand they would make.

Red bowed his head.

"I do not wish for you all to die with me," he said.

"It is not your decision to make," Nipala replied. "Although I have never lived in Cosmo Canyon, I am a protector too, so the burden is as much mine as it is yours."

"As for everyone else," she said, looking around slowly. "They are under no obligation to stay. Any who wish to leave may do so, with no shame. But if they wish to stay and die bravely, as you choose to do," and she once again looked at Red. "Can you deny them?"

Red paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"It is a dark day," he said slowly, looking around himself. "But you have made me proud. Perhaps we can make our last stand something that people will remember long after we are gone."

"Nanaki."

Red turned to face Illyanova. She was still lying where Barret had placed her. Reeve had cast cure, but her wounds were serious, though not fatal. It would take her many days to recover.

Red slowly walked over to her.

She smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You are very brave, but still young. There is much you have to learn yet, and I fear that the decision you are making now my be in error."

"Why do you say that, Elder?" he replied, somewhat surprised. "I am the protector. Is this not what I must do?"

"You are the protector," she agreed. "But you seem to have lost view of what you are protecting. It is not the canyon walls around you, it is not the red clay of the mountainside, it is not the Great Hall, or the Hall of Records, or any building. It is not even the eternal flame of which I speak now. It is the people of Cosmo Canyon. That is what you are here to protect. That is what is important. Not the place, but the people dwelling within it. What will happen to those people, Nanaki? What will happen to all the citizens of Cosmo Canyon that survive this when their protector and their finest warriors are gone?"

Red did not reply.

"We will perish," she continued. "We will die, or fade away into other cities. And then Cosmo Canyon will be gone forever."

Red bowed his head.

"I did not think of this, Elder," he said slowly.

Illyanova nodded.

"You are still young," she repeated. "No one has ever become protector at such a young age. There is so much more I wish you would have learned, but do not be ashamed. You have handled yourself well, and I think you would make your ancestors proud. But in this case I think the Cetra might be right. You will not be helping your people by dying here. Sometimes even the brave will turn away from a battle, for a single battle may become meaningless in the long run. I think your greatest obligation now is to lead your people to safety, and preseve what little we have left until we can return to reclaim our beloved canyon."

Red stood there in thought, his tail twitching furiously. Of course he repected Illyanova's opinion, and had leaned heavily on the advice of the Elders in all things since he had become protector of the canyon, preciesly because he was so young. But this advice went against all he believed in. To abandon the canyon! Every lesson he had learned growing up, every skill he had obtained, all the training he had received, it had all been to one purpose, to make him the defender of Cosmo Canyon. To leave now, to walk away from that. It was just inconceivable.

But what Illyanova had said made sense. No matter how he felt about leaving the canyon, it was true, he was the protector of the people, not the canyon itself. The canyon had been here long before any of them, and would undoubtly be there when they were all long gone. It was the spirit that was important, the spirit of the people who lived there. He did not wish to see that perish.

Red looked up once more at the others around him, his eyes falling last on Illyanova.

"Very well," he said. "I will lead the people out, though it will break my heart."

"As it will mine," she replied. "But it is the right thing."

Cloud could not help but give an inward sigh of relief.

"Very wise," Ellengio said, standing up slowly. "But before we leave, you must tell me what has become of the crystal materia."

"It is hidden in the Gi cave," Red replied. "That seemd to be the safest place for it. We can get it as we leave."

Ellengio nodded. They stood there for a moment in silence.

"Shall we go?" Ellengio suggested.

Red nodded, then reluctantly led them out of the room and up the stairs. The others slowly followed, Nipala and Ellengio right behind him. Reeve and Barret helped Illyanova up and joined the exodus. When they reached the entrance to the Gi cave Red turned and looked back for a moment, but he did not say anything. Then, with each step seemingly more reluctant than the one before, he led them into the cave.

Cloud and Zack both drew their swords as they descended down into the cavern, but nothing disturbed the darkness around them. There was no feeling of a presense like they had felt the last time they had been in here. Perhaps the dead had finally found a resting place, or perhaps they knew they could not oppose such a large procession. For whatever reason, the party was not challenged.

They reached the fork that led to the library chamber where they had found the book when looking for a way to ressurect Aeris. which now seemed so long ago. Red monitoned for them to wait, then he and Nipala walked down the dark corridor. They came back a few minutes later with the crystal materia. Red gave it to Ellengio.

"When they find out the crystal materia has escaped them, will the monsters abandon the canyon?" Red asked.

Ellengio looked thoughtful.

"I do not know," he replied.

Red turned away and started off again. Ellengio stood there for a few moments looking down at the stone is his hand, then he too followed as the procession wound it's way through the lower caves. Eventually they came to the exit and looked up to see the stone figure of Seto silloutted above them against the stars.

Here Red stopped and let the others file slowly past. He waited, with Nipala by his side, until the last of his people had passed out of the caves. Cloud stopped just past them and turned back toward his two friends.

"Go on," Red called. "Go down to the valley. Leave us here for a few minutes to say our last goodbye."

Cloud hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. He turned and followed the others down the steep path toward the trees below. He looked back once and saw Red and Nipala standing side by side silently in the darkness. Reluctantly he continued down the trail, but hadn't gone very far when a mournful wail broke the silence behind him. Cloud could not help but stop and pause for a second, for it was a cry of utter despair. A moment later the voice was joined by another, slightly higher one. Both crying out into the darkness. The sounds of lost souls without hope. For a moment Cloud felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he clenched his teeth and held them back. He started down the trail again, his knees trembling, as the wrenching cries of his friends filled the night air around him.

He reached the others, who had stopped at the bottom of the slope. Most were looking back up the hill in silence, their faces pale. Aeris was crying softly and not looking up at all. Cloud walked up to Ellengio and then turned to face the mountains as the others were, taking one last look at Cosmo Canyon, for they could not tell when, if ever, they would return here.

They stood in silence in the darkness for a long time, listening to the mournful howling above them. But eventually the sound faded into silence, and a short time later Red and Nipala appeared out of the darkness coming down the slope. Red walked up to Ellengio and looked at him.

"The canyon is lost, but what of Jenova, and what of the crystal materia?" he asked, his voice strong and filled with resolve. "What can we do defeat Jenova and set things right?"

"Yeah," Barret agreed. "What are we going to do about stopping that freak?"

Ellengio looked around him in the dark.

"It's late and we are weary. We need to rest and regain our strength. We must find a place of refuge. I think it would be best to discuss stratagy after we have all gotten a good night's sleep."

"It will be long before I get a good night's sleep again," Red stated.

Ellengio nodded.

"As best we can then," he corrected. "Where is the nearest town?"

"Nibelheim," Cloud answered. "Just past the river to the north. About and hours march."

"Then let us go there," Ellengio said.

"No," Red said.

Ellengio looked at him.

"The ancestral boundary of Cosmo Canyon ends at the river," Red continued. "I will not cross it. I, and any of my people who wish to continue the fight, will find refuge in the hills to the east. Some of my people dwell there, in the mountains, although the land is wild and inhospitable. We will stay here and harass the enemy that has dared to defile our beloved canyon, until help arrives and we can once more free it. This at least I will do in the name of my ancestors."

Ellengio stood silently in thought, looking at Red. Finally he nodded.

"Very well," he said. "We will go to Nibelheim. It is much too risky for the crystal materia to remain here. Above all else it must be kept safe. We will try to bring you aid and supplies, and come up with a plan to deal with Jenova."

Red nodded.

"Take the Chocobos," he said, motioned toward the remaining birds that some of the guards had rescued. "There are only seven of them left, and I don't think we'll need them up in the mountains."

The beasts were brought forward. Ellengio mounted one. Barret suddenly stepped forward and looked at Red.

"I'll stay with you," he said.

Red looked at him in surprise.

"Until we get help you're going to have to fight a guerilla war, using terrorist tactics. I've had some experience with that sort of thing."

Red smiled ruefully and nodded.

The others mounted up, Elena behind Vincent. Reeve rode slowly up behind Aeris, who had not mounted.

"Would you..." he began, but just then Zack came up on a Chocobo in front of her and extended his hand. She looked up and him and then took it, and he pulled her up behind him.

Cloud turned to Red when they had all mounted.

"Good luck," he said. "Stay safe. And don't worry. We'll find a way to destroy Jenova."

"Farewell, my friends," Red replied. "May we be standing once more on the streets of Cosmo Canyon when we meet again!"

With that Ellengio spurred his Chocobo forward, and the others followed. Cloud looked back once as they rode off into the night. He caught a glimpse of his three friends and waved, but he didn't know whether they saw him or not, for they did not respond. He looked forward again, the wind whipping around him, but his heart heavy. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see any of them again.

Chapter Text

Yuffie glanced quickly back over her shoulder, scanning the darkness behind her, but she saw nothing but the dark outline of the trees in the nearby forest. The moon was a sliver in the eastern sky, casting almost no light. She saw no sign of danger.

Her chocobo warked nervously, and she turned forward once more and patted it reassuringly. Unfortunately, there was no one to reassure her. Though she saw no sign of danger, she felt as nervous as tbe bird below her seemed to feel. She had an uneasy feeling that something was out there. Something was watching her. She had felt it soon after leaving the canyon, and she could not shake it.

She looked ahead. The hills were flattening out in front of her, the land leveling off as it neared the coast. The forest had given way to a wide plain. Even in the dark she could see for some distance all around her, and the land was barren. There was nothing there to threaten them.

Still, the feeling did not leave her, and the chocobo continued to wark, and now it began to run in an erratic pattern, and she had to strain at the reigns to keep it in a straight line. She grumbled and pulled the reigns tighter. Suddenly the chocobo darted to the side, looking up.

Yuffie turned and lifted her eyes upward, just as a dark shadow plummeted down out of the darkness above. She felt something clang against the shield on her arm, then the chocobo screamed and she found herself flung from the saddle. She tumbled along the ground, fortunately falling free of the bird and landing unhurt on the coarse grass that covered the plains around her. Instantly she was on her feet, her sherukin in her hand. The chocobo was lying on the ground not far away. It was not moving.

She looked up and saw the dark figure of a huge dragon swooping down once more, outstretched claws reaching out for her. She threw her sherukin and then flung herself out of the way. The beast flew past, it's claws missing her by inches. It soared up into the air and turned toward her once again.

He hand went to her poach, but all she felt was her hip. She looked down in shock. The poach was gone!

She looked around frantically. It must have fallen when she was tossed from the chocobo. She looked down at the ground around her, but she couldn't see it in the darkness.

"Oh Gawd," she muttered.

She looked up again. The dragon was coming straight for her. She lept out of the way as the claws raked the ground where she had stood just a moment before. The dragon wheeled in the air, turning and hovering just over her. It reared back it's head and let loose with a blast of searing flame. Yuffie scambled madly out of the way, but even so she felt it singeing the back of her legs.

She ran back toward the body of the chocobo. Her poach had to be somewhere near there. The dragon was behind her now. She kept glancing back, until she saw it diving toward her once more. Again she darted to the side, but this time stumbled over a rock she hadn't seen in the darkness. She tumbled to the ground once again.

She looked up to see the dragon filling the sky above her, swooping down with claws extended. She raised her arm to protect herself with her shield.

There was a blast of light, and the dragon cried out and altered course, arrowing back up into the air. She looked up just as a chocobo materialized out of the darkness and came up beside her. The rider looked down at her.

"Hey pest."

Yuffie lept to her feet.

"Reno!" she cried out. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Reno shrugged.

"Not a good time to explain," he replied, looking up into the sky. "Why haven't you toasted that thing with your materia?"

"I can't find my poach," she exclaimed. "I lost it when I fell. It's got to be around here somewhere."

"Well, you better find it in a hurry. I'll try to keep it's attention."

He looked up. The dragon was headed for them once again. Reno spurred his chocobo toward it and raised his nightstick once more. There was another blast of electricity, and the dragon cried out one more time. It turned in the air and launched a long line of flame in Reno's direction.

"Hurry up!" she heard him call.

She ran forward once more, until she stood beside the body of her chocobo. She looked around, searching the ground frantically. Every once in a while she glanced up to see Reno's chocobo running across the plain, the dragon not far behind.

After what seemed like an agonizingly long time she suddenly spotted her poach lying half buried in the grass. She fell to her knees and grabbed hold of it. She heard Reno cry out in distress. She reached in the bag and pulled out the first materia that she felt. She concentrated on it and green light flared up around her.

Reno pulled his chocobo to the side as the dragon swooped by. As it rose up into the sky again fire suddenly erupted all around it. The dragon immediately absorbed the flames and turned toward him once more.

He looked over at Yuffie.

"You're not helping me here!"

"Oops," Yuffie muttered. What were the odds she would pick the one materia that would heal the dragon? She dropped the orb and groped in her bag again. It was hard to tell which was which in the dark and the heat of battle. She pulled out one that glowed a faint red color. That should do.

Reno triggered his nightstick yet again and there was another flash of light, but he knew that the damage he was causing wasn't nearly enough. The dragon dived down at him one more time and he jerked the chocobo to the side once again, this time a little too roughly, for suddenly he found himself slipping out of the saddle. He reached desperately for a handhold and managed to grab hold of one of the straps as he felt, but the bird surged foward, no longer under his control, running directly away from the dragon. He was dragged along the ground beside it. He tried to pull himself up along the strap but gave up after a moment and let go. The chocobo raced off into the darkness.

He stood up and turned around He could see the dragon circling around above him. Suddenly a bright light appeared where Yuffie had been standing. He could see the shape of a huge flame red bird materializing in the air there. There was a blast of flame, which was once more absorbed by the beast above them. Then it dived down at him once more.

This time he didn't even look in Yuffie's direction.

"Would you quit playing around!" he shouted frantically.

"Damn!" Yuffie muttered. She reached into her bag one more time.

Reno turned and ran as he saw the dragon coming straight for him. He dodged erratcally, but he didn't think it would do much good. Suddenly the night behind him was light up and he heard the crackling roar of flames. He put on a burst of speed, not even bothering to look back, but he knew it wasn't going to help. He could feel the heat increasing on his back, and he could not help but mutter.

"I am so dead."

But then suddenly the light went out behind him. The heat vanished, as did the roar of the wind. For a moment he ran on in the darkness, then he stopped suddenly and looked behind him.

The stars shone brightly in the sky over the plain. He could see no sign of the dragon.

Slowly he started walking back toward Yuffie. As he approached he heard the croak of a frog from not far off.

Yuffie sat on the grass, a materia orb in her hands, as he came up to her.

"What the hell were you doing?" Reno exclaimed.

"Hey, it was hard to tell which orb was which in the dark," she replied defensively.

"Hard to tell?" he shouted. "I thought you were supposed to be the materia expert!"

"I am!" she snapped back. "Reno, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was following you," he said. "And a good thing I did. I can't believe I had to rescue you again!"

"You didn't res..."

"I know, I know," he interrupted, throwing up his hands. "I didn't rescue you. This was all part of your plan. You attracted the dragons attention because you were bored. You let it kill your chocobo because it made it too easy to escape. You threw away your materia poach because that would have made it too simple. What were you planning on doing, annoying it to death?"

"I wish I could do that to you," she said sarcastically.

"Ohh, I'm hurt," he replied.

"Why were you following me?" she demanded suddenly.

"Why do you think?" he shot back. "Do you actually believe the others would trust you to get them help? Fat chance. They sent me along after you to make sure you weren't just telling them you would get help so you could get out of there with you own ass intact."

"They did not," she replied angrily, stung by his words.

"Yes they did," he replied smugly. "C'mon Yuffie, do you think they actually trusted you for one minute?"

Yuffie did not reply, truely hurt by his words. Red said they were depending on her. For the first time in her life she thought someone trusted her. Could it have all been a lie?

But then she remembered who she was talking to.

"You're a liar," she said. "Even if they didn't trust me, why would they send you after me? Why Reno? If there was anyone they weren't going to trust, it would be you."

"They needed everyone else there to fight," he replied. "I was the only one they could spare."

"I don't believe you," she responded. "I think you ran off on them. I'll bet you even stole that chocobo you had."

Reno looked shocked.

"It pains me to realize how little you think of me," he said.

"I'll bet," she muttered.

They stood there for a moment in silence.

"Regardless," Reno said at length. "Don't you think we better get a move on? The sooner we get to Wutai, the sooner your father can get his army together and get back here to free Cosmo Canyon and save all your friends. Do you think Wutai can handle the job?"

"Of course," Yuffie replied indignently. "We'll kick those monsters butts!"

"Well, let's hope so," Reno replied thoughtfully. "But just in case, perhaps I should offer my services as a mercenary. I'm sure your father would pay well to have such a valuable personage as myself assisting his army."

Yuffie looked at him for a moment.

"So that's what this is all about," she exclaimed. "You're just angling to make so gil out of all this!"

Reno looked at her and shook his head.

"You really do have a low opinion of me, don't you?"

"I think you would have to work hard just to attain the level of pond scum," Yuffie replied.

Reno raised his hand to his breast.

"Another dagger in my heart."

Yuffie just glared at him.

"Well we better get going then," she said. "It's a long way to Wutai on foot. It would have made things a lot simpler if you had managed to stay in your saddle."

"Hey, I wouldn't have had a problem if you hadn't been so anxious to assist that dragon."

"I told you it was dark!" she exclaimed.

"Whatever," he replied dismissively.

Yuffie looked around.

"Wait a minute. There's your chocobo," she said, pointing. Reno turned and saw the dark shape of the chocobo grazing on the grass not far away.

"Good," Reno said as Yuffie jogged toward it. The chocobo looked up as she approached, then trotted away from her.

"Hey you stupid bird," she exclaimed.

She ran toward it again, and again it trotted away from her.

"Yuffie," Reno called out, walking toward her with an amused look on his face.

She changed tactics, walking up to it slowly, trying not to disturb it, but again, as soon as she came near it ran off to a safe distance.

"C'mere!" she exclaimed.

She bolted straight for it. The bird let out a wark and dashed away. Yuffie stopped and stomped her foot. Reno laughed out loud behind her.

"Shut up, Reno," she yelled. She turned toward the bird once more and pulled out her sherukin.

"Yuffie!" Reno exclaimed.

The sherukin flew through the air and caught the bird a glancing blow to it's hindquarters.

"Take that, you stupid bird." Yuffie yelled. The chocobo warked loudly and then charged right at her, pecking savagely at her head.

"Yaaggghhh!" Yuffie yelled, running away while trying to protect her head with her arms. "Get it away from me!"

Reno ran over and tried to grab hold of the bird, but it immediately turned and pecked at him as well, then suddenly bolted off into the darkness. In moments, it was lost from sight.

Reno turned toward Yuffie.

"You little idiot!" he yelled. "Now we'll never get it to come back. What the hell did you have to go and do that for?"

"It pissed me off," Yuffie replied angrily. "Just like you!"

"Well, excuse me," Reno responded sarcastically.

Yuffie looked around once more, but the bird was long gone.

"Well, no sense standing around here," she said. "Let's go."

She started off into the darkness. Reno shook his head slowly and then followed. The land sloped gradually down in front of them, and they could see the dark outline of the coast not far ahead. It didn't take them long to reach the waters edge.

Reno looked out across the dark exspanse. He could just barely make out a line of low hills in the night.

"How we going to get across?" he asked.

Yuffie pointed north.

"There are some farms along the coast," she replied. "We can 'borrow' one of their boats."

Reno looked in the direction she pointed uncertainly.

"How do you know they have boats?" he asked.

"Because I've done this before," she replied. "C'mon."

She walked along the beach, headed north, with Reno right behind her. They walked for quite some time, but eventually the dark shadows of farmhouses loomed up just off the beach ahead of them. Soon after they came upon a small rowboat pulled up on the beach and tied to a stake in the ground.

"This should do," Yuffie said, untying the boat without hesitation. She grabbed hold of it and looked at Reno.

"Well, you going to help or what?"

Reno hesitated a moment, then stepped forward and helped her push the boat into the water. She lept nimbly in and clambered up to the bow. Reno stepped in much more carefully. He sat down quickly.

Yuffie looked at him expectantly.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Man the oars."

Reno looked at the two oars sitting on the bottom of the boat. Then he looked up at her.

"Why should I do it?" he asked. "You're the one who's done this before."

"Hey, you're the man," she retorted.

"What's that got to do with it?"

"You're much bigger and stronger than me," she replied slyly.

"Oh, give it a rest!" he exclaimed. "You know that's not going to get you anywhere."

"C'mon," she cajoled.

"You're as capable of doing it as I am," he snorted. "In fact, I think I kind of threw out my back fighting that dragon."

"Oh you are so full of it!" she exclaimed.

"It's true," he responded, reaching around behind and rubbing the back of his neck. "I can feel it. It's all tight back there."

"You are such a jerk!" she shouted.

"Moron," he replied.

"Wimp."

"Witch."

"Miscreant."

"Bi...miss-what?"

"Miscreant," Yuffie repeated.

"What the hell is that?"

"Why don't you just look it up in the dictionary Mr. Big Shot Turk," she replied venomously.

Reno glared at her.

"You probably just made it up," he muttered.

"Did not!" she protested.

"Well, where the hell would you learn a word like that?" he questioned.

"I'm the daughter of the Lord of Wutai," she replied haughtily. "I had the finest tutors the city could offer. They taught me a lot, when I bothered to listen."

Reno gave her a dark look.

"Where I come from, we used to break the arms of people who knew the definitions of words like that," he said slowly.

"I'd like to see you try!" she challenged.

Reno shook his head.

"Oh no," he responded. "You'd like that because then you wouldn't have to row."

Yuffie looked out at the ocean around them. They had drifted quite a ways south.

"Would you just take the oars before we drift clear into the southern ocean?" she said.

Reno refused to move.

"No one's stopping you."

"We'll never get to Wutai at this rate," she said. "And the longer it takes the longer before you get any gil."

"And the longer before you get help for your precious friends," he shot back. "Remember, the one's who are depending on you?"

"You told me they sent you to make sure I completed the job," she pointed out. "Doesn't seem like you're doing a very good job yourself."

Reno started to reply but then shut his mouth. They had drifted quite a bit out of the way. He looked down at the oars.

"All right," he said. "I have a compromise. There's two oars. What say we each take one?"

Yuffie looked at him suspiciously. She hesitated for a moment then slowly nodded her head. They each sat down beside one another on the wooden seat in the center of the boat, slipping their oars into the oarlocks. Yuffie looked at Reno again.

"You better not tank it," she said. "Or we'll end up going in circles."

"Don't worry about me," he replied. "I can keep up with a little squirt you even with a bad back."

Yuffie pulled her oar through the water and glanced at him.

"Cretin," she muttered under her breath.

"Oh grow up." 

Aeris stepped into her room and closed the door quickly behind her, too quickly. The door had slammed shut, which she had not intended. She looked at it for a moment, wondering if any of the others had been out in the hall and heard it, but then she decided she didn't care.

There was a window nearby. Through it she could see the streets of Nibelheim in the darkness outside, but she barely noticed. She kicked off her shoes and sat down slowly on the bed, staring at the wall in front of her. A lot had happened that she had not intended.

Cosmo Canyon. Everything Red had ever held dear. All of it, gone. How many had died in the battle there? How many innocent citizens of Cosmo Canyon had been killed? And what of Gongaga? What of Zack's home town? What had happened there? How many of those people had been turned into twisted creatures by a mako reactor gone wild? The bomb at Tifa's bar. It had taken Mikko's life and came within a hair's breath of taking Tifa too. How many people had paid with their lives? How many people were paying even now for what had been done to bring one Ancient back from the dead?

Aeris slowly lay down on the bed, unable to stop the tears that welled in her eyes.

She hadn't wanted it to be like this. The last thing on earth that she wanted was for others to suffer because of her. She was a healer. Her greatest satisfaction in life had always come from comforting others. To help those who were suffering. To fight against the very thing which they had unwittingly released.

She felt sobs wracking her body. It was almost too much to bear.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door, so softly that she almost didn't hear it. She lifted her head and looked at the door. For a moment she was tempted to cry out 'go away', but she didn't. She grabbed the edge of the bedspread and wiped her eyes as best she could. She got up quickly and looked in the mirror. It was pretty obvious she had been crying.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened. Reeve stepped in and saw her standing by the dresser, her back toward him.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

She bowed her head.

"Yes," she lied.

Reeve stood in the doorway, hesitant. He noticed that she did not turn toward him.

"Aeris, I..." he started. He stopped for a moment, not sure what he was going to say. Not sure how much he could say.

"It wasn't your fault," he chose.

She didn't say anything at first. Just stood there, still facing away from him, her head slowly shaking back and forth. Finally she turned around and sat down on the bed. Her eyes were red.

He took a step toward her and stopped abruptly. But then she motioned for him to come closer, and he walked over and slowly sat down beside her.

"Aeris please," he began. "Don't do this to yourself."

She reached over and grabbed hold of his hand. He looked at her in surprise, but she was looking at the ground.

"Oh Reeve, what am I going to do? I never wanted it to end up this way. I wish...I wish I had never been resurrected."

Reeve brought his other hand around and grabbed hers, squeezing it tightly with both of his. Her words cut through him like a knife.

"Please, Aeris, don't say such things," he said urgently. "This is not your fault."

"But that's just it," she replied. "It is my fault. It's all happened because of me."

"No," Reeve protested. "It's not you, it's Jenova. Those people who were killed in Cosmo Canyon, that was Jenova who killed them, not you. Of all of us, you are the least to blame. You didn't force us to bring you back. We chose to do so. You didn't have any say in that. The truth is that none of this is your fault."

She shook her head.

"I could have stopped you. I could have made Cloud turn back. I'm sure of it, if I had chose to. But deep down inside, I wanted to return. I let my own selfishness cloud my judgement, and this is what has come of it."

"Aeris, you're being ridiculous," Reeve countered. "You're tearing yourself apart for no reason. You didn't force Jenova to come here. You didn't make Jenova create those monsters, or do what it did at Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon."

"But it was my return that brought it here," she replied. "All my life I strove to make the world a little better place, but what have I done since I've been back except to cause the return of the crisis from the sky, the creature that nearly wiped out my people?"

He could see tears in her eyes once more.

"Aeris..." he said, his voice choking. He couldn't bear to see her like this!

He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"How can you say that? Don't you see how just having you near lifts the spirits of all your companions? How could you not see what you do for us all. Do you remember when I first decided to put Cait aside and join you? I was a bumbling fool who didn't have a clue what he was doing or what he was getting himself into. I was a major pain in the ass, always slowing you down. But not once did you complain or become irritated by my annoying behavior. The whole time we were searching for Nipala you supported me, helped me get over every hurdle. I admit I'm not Mr. Action Hero even now, but I've come a long way from that stumbling idiot who could only sit on the floor paralyzed in fear when danger reared it's ugly head. And it's all because of you, Aeris. You did that for me, and it's a gift I can never repay. So don't tell me you've done nothing since you've been resurected. I know better."

Aeris sat there in silence for a long time. Finally she looked up at him, and the hint of a smile appeared on her face, but then disappeared a moment later.

"That's very sweet of you Reeve," she said. "I really appreciate that you would say such things to try to cheer me up. Especially after what I did to you."

"You didn't do anything to me," he answered quickly.

"But I did," she responded. "You took a bullet for me. You would have died if it hadn't been for Ellengio. Another life that was almost lost...because of me."

"Stop it!" he exclaimed, a little too vehemently. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't die," he continued, a little more calmly. "But the fact that I was willing to, doesn't that tell you how important you are to us? Aeris, I don't care if what we did brought back Jenova. I don't care if what we did endangers the entire world. We didn't know, but even if we had, it wouldn't have made any difference. We'd have done it anyway. Because you're worth it, Aeris. You're worth it to us. You give us hope. Don't you see that?"

She sat there for a long time staring at him in silence, her green eyes, still moist with tears, looking at him contemplatively. Finally she smiled again, and this time it lingered on her face.

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Reeve," she said. "For caring."

He sat there, immobile, just looking at her face. The deep green emerald eyes. He'd never seen any quite like them, and he knew he never would. The delicate curve of her nose and her soft lips. There was not one feature about her that was not perfect. And quite suddenly he found himself leaning forward, until their lips met.

For a moment Aeris did not react, then she suddely pulled back in surprise.

Reeve stood up, letting go of her hand, his face flushing crimson.

"I...I'm sorry," he stammered. "I don't know what...I. Please forgive me!"

He turned and almost ran for the door. He heard her call out his name as he opened it, but he did not turn back. A moment later he was gone.

Aeris sat on the bed just staring at the open door for a long time. Then she got up and walked over to it. She looked out but the hall was deserted. She walked back inside, closed the door, and slowly eased herself down on the bed once more, staring up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night, and somehow she did not think she was going to get much sleep. 

The next morning the entire party gathered in the lobby of the Nibelheime Inn. Reeve was one of the last to arrive. Aeris looked at him when he got there, but he pointedly avoided meeting her gaze.

"So," Cloud said, looking at Ellengio. "Do you have any suggestions as to a plan of attack?"

"I have given it some thought," Ellengio replied. "The problem is two fold. The first is what to do about Jenova. I'm afraid the only way we are going to solve that problem is to confront and defeat it."

"Which means we have to go back to Gongaga," Cid said with little enthusiasm.

"I'm afraid so," Ellengio replied. "Which brings us to our second problem. What are we going to do with the crystal materia? That's what Jenova is after. It would be the height of folly to go to Gongaga with it in our possession."

"So are you suggesting we split up?" Cloud asked.

"That would seem like the logical thing to do," Ellengio agreed.

Vincent looked thoughtful

"Divide and...be conquered," he mused.

Ellengio glanced at him.

"Let's hope not," he replied.

"So who's going to Gongaga?" Zack asked. "And whoever takes the crystal materia, where do they go?"

"I at least will be going to Gongaga," Ellengio replied. He took out the crystal materia and held it in his hand.

"Which means that someone else must be burdened with this."

He looked straight at Aeris.

"I want to go with you," she protested. "Jenova is here because of me. If anyone should share the danger with you, it should be me."

Ellengio smiled.

"You are very brave," he said. "But this is not a burden I give to you lightly. There is just as much danger in holding on to this materia as there will be for us going to face Jenova. If not more. Tracking down the person who has this in their possession will be the focus of all of Jenova's efforts. Those riders will return, stronger than ever. I don't know if any of us would be able to defeat them the next time we meet. Believe me, I am not doing this to keep you out of danger. If I fail to destroy Jenova, someone else can always try again. If you fail, all is lost."

"Why is that?" Vincent questioned. "Why is the crystal materia so important to Jenova?"

Ellengio turned toward him once again.

"Isn't the fact that it can be used to bring back the Cetra reason enough for Jenova to want to destroy it?" he asked.

Vincent looked at Ellengio thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.

"I suppose," he said slowly.

"If you're right about Jenova," Cloud said with a cold look in his eye. "If it's responsible for the attempts on our lives, for the attack on Tifa, then I've got a score to settle with it. I'm with you."

"I understand how you feel," Ellengio responded. "But I think that would be a very bad idea. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of Jenova's creatures between us and Gongaga. Somehow we're going to have to get past them, and we certainly won't be able to fight our way through against such numbers. Success will depend on stealth. We will have to sneak into the very heart of Jenova's lair undiscovered. But you have Jenova cells within you. Jenova can sense your presense." He glanced over at Zack. "And this goes for you too. Bringing either one of you along would be like sending up a flare."

Cloud looked like he wanted to protest, but shut his mouth, looking at Ellengio unhappily. There was no denying the truth of Ellengio's statements.

"But if we go with Aeris, won't we be endangering her?" Zack questioned.

"Yes, to some extent," Ellengio replied. "We certainly don't want you to draw Jenova's attention to Aeris. That would be worse than your coming with us. But there are other factors involved. Jenova's ability to sense you decreases with distance. If you get far enough away it will not be able to sense you at all. And if by chance Jenova's disciples do find Aeris, you two may be the only one's strong enough to defeat them."

They fell silent, Cloud and Zack mulling things over.

"I'm not anxious to return to Gongaga," Cid spoke up. "Especially seeing as how we barely go out of there by the skin of our teeth the first time. But if it means putting an end to all this crap, then I guess I'm with ya. Besides, the Slipstream is still back there, and if they've done anything to it, they're really going to regret it."

"I'll go too," Vincent said simply.

"Well, you're not going to leave me behind," Elena said, looking defiant.

Rude said nothing, but stepped over to stand beside Elena and Vincent.

They all turned to look at Reeve.

He looked around heisitantly. For a second his eyes feel on Aeris, but he turned away immediately and locked his gaze on Ellengio.

"I'll go with Aeris," he said slowly. "Unless anyone objects."

No one spoke. Ellengio nodded slowly.

"Very well then."

"But where do we go?" Cloud asked.

"As far away as we can get," Zack suggested.

"That pretty much sums it up," Ellengio agreed. "All you have to do is protect the crystal materia and avoid Jenova's forces until we can finish it off."

"That's all? Piece of cake," Zack muttered.

"None of this will be easy," Ellengio said seriously. "I know Jenova can sense you two, and it may be that it can sense the crystal materia as well if it gets close to it. But I'm not certain of that. Either way, the farther away you get the better off you will be."

Cloud nodded. Ellengio extended his hand once more to Aeris. She paused for a moment, then reached out and accepted the materia.

"Be careful," Ellengio said. "I just wish we had met under better circumstances. There is much I would like to discuss with you."

Aeris smiled.

"And I with you," she replied. "But we may yet get to do that when this is all over."

"I hope so," he said.

"All right," Cloud said. "I guess we better get going then."

The left the Inn and collected their chocobo's. The passed quickly through town, until they reached the plain beyond at the base of the Nibel mountains. Then with a final wave Cloud, Zack, Aeris and Reeve peeled off and rode away to the west, while Ellengio and the others turned south. Ellengio spurred his chocobo to a gallop.

"We might as well make time while we can," he called back to the others. "South of Cosmo Canyon the plains will be watched by Jenova's creatures. We'll have to make our way through the mountains and forests. We may even have to leave the chocobo's behind."

The others spurred their chocobo's forward. Cid and Rude close behind Ellengio, with Vincent and Elena bringing up the rear. Elena noticed an odd expression on Vincent's face.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

Vincent shrugged and for a moment she thought he would say nothing, but then he spoke.

"When I asked Ellengio about why Jenova was after the crystal materia, his answer was...how shall I put it? Less than satisfying."

Elena looked at him in surprise.

"You think he's lying?"

Vincent shook his head.

"No, but I get the distinct impression he's holding something back on us.Think about it, Elena. Why would the crystal materia be such a threat to Jenova?"

"Ellengio already told us that. It can be used to bring back the Cetra."

"But only at the cost of another Cetra, remember?" Vincent said.

"Or someone infused with Jenova cells," Elena reminded him. "Or maybe even Jenova itself. Perhaps Jenova is afraid we'll use it on him/her, or whatever the hell it is."

"Perhaps," Vincent replied, though he did not sound convinced.

"Well, why don't you just ask him?" she suggested.

Vincent just rode on without replying. Elena rode beside him, thinking over what he had told her. She wasn't sure she shared his suspicions. She felt a strong desire to trust Ellengio, even though they hadn't know him all that long. After all, he had saved Reeve's life and stopped the riders at the gates. But even if he had as great a desire to stop Jenova as they all did, and she thought it quite likely he did, that still didn't mean he wasn't working toward some other purpose, some purpose none of them were aware of.

Even if that were true, that didn't mean it would pose any danger to them. But if that were true, why hadn't he just told them?

They would just have to wait and see, she supposed. They would just have to follow Ellengio's lead, at least for now, while they were all united with the same purpose. If Ellengio had something in mind after they defeated Jenova, then they would just have to deal with that when and if it came up. She decided there wasn't anything she could do about it now except keep her ears and eyes wide open.

Chapter Text

"I've brought you some soup. I know how bland hospital food can be."

Tifa sat up in her bed and took the soup from Elmyra.

"Thank you," she said, placing it on a small table beside her bed.

Elmyra looked at her expectantly, but Tifa just sat in her bed, avoiding eye contact.

"Tifa, you have to eat," Elmyra admonished. "You have to get your strength back."

Tifa nodded, still not looking at her.

"I know," she said. "I just don't have much of an appetite."

Elmyra nodded slowly and sat down on the bed beside her.

"I know you're worried about Cloud," she said, reaching out and patting Tifa on the knee. "But we both know how capable he is of taking care of himself. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Tifa looked up at her with a concerned expression.

"I just..." she began. "I just don't know what to think. Is it true, about Cosmo Canyon? I hear some of the nurses talking. There are rumors that it was overrun by some kind of monsters."

Elmyra frowned. She had hoped Tifa had not heard about that.

"Well, you can't believe everything you hear," she said optimistically.

"That's just it," Tifa replied. "I haven't heard anything. Cloud hasn't contacted me at all, and when I tired to get through to him on the PHS, all I got was static."

"I know," Elmyra replied. "I haven't heard from Aeris either."

Tifa looked up at her once more. She had almost forgotten that Elmyra had someone to worry about as well. She had never really thought about that. She found it hard not being with Cloud, not being there to share the danger with him. Just these few days seemed almost more than she could stand. But Elmyra had been doing this most of her life. Even when Aeris was young Tseng and the Turks had been after her. Elmyra must have constantly been worried. Tifa wondered how she could stand it, all these years, always waiting, always not knowing.

"I'm sorry," Tifa said. "I've been so worried about Cloud, I didn't even think that you would be worried about Aeris as well. And poor Red too, if something has happened to Cosmo Canyon. I hope he's all right."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Elmyra repeated. "They always seem to be getting themselves in trouble, but they always manage to find a way out of it, now don't they?"

Tifa nodded slowly but did not reply. It was just so frustrating! Usually when they were in touble she was with them. She was used to being there, to sharing the danger. She wasn't used to just sitting on the sidelines, knowing she couldn't help, just waiting for some word. She felt so helpless, and she hated that feeling.

The worst part of it was, she felt fine. The doctors had told her not even to get out of bed for at least two more days. She knew she was still weak, but she didn't feel that weak. She wanted to get up, she wanted to get going, and in fact she had gotten out of bed a couple of times when no one was around with no ill effects. She had never been so frustrated in her life.

In spite of Elmyra's presense, she felt lonely and left out.

But there was just nothing she could do about it at the moment. Even if she were well enough to travel, and even she realized that she wasn't, she had no transportation. By the time she got something and reached Cosmon Canyon, or wherever the others were, it would probably all be over. No matter how much she disliked it, she would just have to get used to the idea that she was going to be a spectator for quite some time on this one.

She looked down at her hand, at the ring Cloud had given her. It was beautiful. Perfect really. She hadn't really looked at it that closely when he had given it to her, she had been so caught up in the moment. But she had looked at it a lot since, and the more she inspected it, the more she liked it. She was surprised, to tell the truth, that he had picked out such a beautiful ring. She would never have thought he had it in him.

He damn well better come back to her now.

She looked up at Elmyra again, who returned her gaze with a maternal look and once more glanced over at the soup.

"All right," Tifa conceded, shifting over so she was in front of the table and picking up the spoon. "I guess I can manage to eat some." 

"Nanaki."

Red looked up at the sound of the voice. He and Barret stood near a tent set up in a small valley deep in the mountains northwest of Cosmo Canyon. A narrow trail led down the face of the mountain to the east. A man stood at the head of it.

"Some of your friends have returned," the man called out.

Red nodded and he and Barret walked toward the trail, but they hadn't taken more than a few steps when five chocobos appeared comning up the path. Red immediatlely spotted Ellengio on the lead bird.

Red stopped at the chocobo's trotted forward. They rode up to Red and Barret and the riders quickly dismounted.

"Glad to see you again," Red said, "But I hardly expected you to return so quickly."

"It kinda surprised us too," Cid commented.

Ellengio stepped forward and quickly explained their plan.

"So that's it," Ellengio finished. "But we don't know how we are going to get past all the monsters between here and Gongaga. The plain east of the canyon is open and full of the creatures. Is there another way?"

Red nodded slowly.

"There are trails through the mountians west of Cosmo Canyon," he said. "But they are little known, narrow and dangerous. No one uses them much because of that and the fact that it will take you much longer to go that way than across the plain."

"How much longer?" Vincent asked.

"That will depend on you, of course," Red replied. "But it normally takes four days to get to the plains of Gongaga on foot that way, where you could do it in half the time along the coast."

Cid looked at Ellengio for an opinon.

"A lot could happen in four days," he said.

Ellengio nodded in agreement.

"Still, it appears we have no choice," he replied. "I don't see any way we could make it across the plains without being spotted. It's the only way."

"The trail is rugged and mountainous," Red added. "There's no way you could take the chocobo's."

"Too bad we don't have mountain chocobo's," Elena mused.

Vincent nodded.

"Unfortunately they are rather rare."

Ellengio said nothing.

"But isn't it possible these trails are being watched too?" Cid questioned.

"Yes it is," Red said thoughtfully. "I'm not saying there is no danger involved at all. But the trails lead deep into the mountains, and are little known. It's likely that if they are being watched, they are being watched only at the trail heads, which are not far from Cosmo Canyon. And as it is, Barret and I were planning a little attack that I think will take their attention away from the trials for at least a short while."

"When is this attack supposed to take place?" Ellengio questioned.

"Within the hour," Red replied. "C'mon, I'll fill you in on the details."

Almost an hour later Red lay hugging the mountainside, flanked by Barret and Nipala, and looking down on a large group of men and monsters in a narrow valley below them. Barret inspected them curiously. Almost all of them were digging in the side of the mountain. Even some of the monsters seemed to be participating.

"What the hell are they doing?" Barret questioned.

"Mining," Red replied.

"Mining for what?" Barret questioned.

"Raw materia," Red responded.

Barret looked at him in surprise.

"Materia?" he said. "I didn't know there was any materia in these hills."

"It's a well kept secret," Red replied. "The Elders knew Shinra would place a lot of pressure on us if they found out. We didn't want to have anything to do with that."

"Well, looks like somebody found out," Barret observed.

Red did not reply, just crouched there looking down at those below. When Cosmo Canyon had been attacked many had been killed, but some who had been left behind had survived, and it now seemed they were being pressed into service by their enemy. He could see several people digging down below that he recognized.

There had been a lot to do since the fall of Cosmo Canyon. Gathering the survivors together, finding food and shelter and organizing in the hills. Red had not had a lot of time to spend on personal feelings, on thinking about what had happened. In fact, he had deliberately tried to crowd it out of his mind. He had felt heartbreacking saddness when he and Nipala had walked down that last slope and out of the canyon, but not any anger. But now, seeing those people, his people, down there being forced to work the mines, most of them elderly or very young, some of them with obvious wounds and struggling just to stay on their feet, filled him with sudden fury.

"Are we ready?" he asked.

"You just have to give the word," Barret replied.

"Then let's do it."

Barret turned and waved his arm. A moment later fifty men, all of the canyon guards who still had the ability to fight, burst over the ridge and raced down into the valley below.

Barret and Nipala held back, letting the guards surge ahead. Barret laid down covering fire for them, blasting into the largest pockets of resistance. Nipala did the same, only she hit their enemy with spells from materia. The plan had called for Red to stay back and use his materia as well, but he found himself running forward, right at the head of the guards, straight into the ranks of their enemy. Caught by surprise, their foes fell back at first. Some of them scattered, running off imediately. But one large group held together. Barret hadn't been sure what kind of organization this mixture of men and monsters would have, but it seemed that someone who knew at least the rudiments of battle tactics was in charge. Barret knew they were outnumbered, but what counting on the element of surprise to tip the odds in their favor. But if as large a group as this appeared to be were to hold together, it could cause serious problems.

He looked over and pointed it out to Nipala, but he needn't have bothered. She was watching Red as he battled down below, and now he was running right at the group in question.

"What the hell has gotten into him?" Barret muttered.

He ran down the slope a bit to get a better shot at the enemies ahead of Red. He noticed Nipala come up right beside him.

"Damn cat's gonna get himself killed," he shouted.

Nipala did not reply but sent a blast of lightning into the group of defenders.

Red was nearly on top of them now. They had situated themselves near a large group of boulders next to the area they had been mining. The boulders provided cover and left only limited access to their position. Suddenly Red stopped and reared back. Light seemed to flash around him, and then a huge ball of flame streaked down out of the sky and slammed down on their enemies in front of him.

The earth shook from the shockwave, and Barret nearly lost his balance. When he recovered and looked down again, he saw that their foes position had been destroyed. Most of those in front of Red were now dead or dying, and those that still had the strength to remain on their feet were fleeing rapidly back toward the canyon. With the collapse of that pocket of resistance their foes were routed, almost all of them retreating. In a few minutes the valley floor was clear.

Barret and Nipala ran down the slope and stopped beside Red, who was sitting beside a large boulder panting heavily.

"Nice work," Barret muttered. "For a minute there I thought you had your heart set on dying bravely in battle. I should have known better."

Red did not reply for a moment, still catching his breath. Then he looked up and Barret could see a strange gleam in his eye.

"It had occured to me," Red replied. "I really don't know what came over me. I don't think I've ever been so furious in my life."

He looked over as some of the guards walked by with the now freed workers.

"I just wish we could have done more damage."

"It's the best we could hope for with the force we have," Barret replied. "And anyway, this may hurt them more than you think. Not only have we interrupted their flow of materia, but we've also removed some of the labor force they had working on it. Plus they'll have to commit a larger number of troops to protect this site when they try to mine here again. Which I assume they will do. They were undermanned this time, but they probably won't make that mistake again. We'll have to choose a different target next time. Soemthing they won't expect."

Red nodded.

"I'll leave that decision up to you," he responded.

Barret looked around.

"All right, we better get out of here as fast as possible. We've done all the damage we could, and we know we can't stand against them in a pitched battle. Time to fade back into the hills. They've got to get all the materia they're harvesting back to Gongaga. Maybe we can hit that caravan next time."

Red shook his head.

"I don't think they intend to bring the materia they've mined back to Gongaga," he said.

Barret frowned

"Then what do you think they plan on doing with it?" he asked.

Red said nothing but motioned for them to follow him. He walked back up the slope until they were almost back to their original position. Then he turned and pointed to the east.

"Do you see the observatory?" he asked.

Barret nodded. He could barely make it out in the distance.

"Yeah."

"Do you see anything behind it?"

Barret squinted and stared for a long time.

"I'm not sure," he eventually replied. "Looks like they're building something."

"Indeed they are," Red agreed. "And it's my guess that it is another Mako reactor."

Barret whistled without looking at Red.

"Damn," he muttered.

Red turned and stared at the mountains to the west.

"Do you think what we've done will give Ellengio the cover he needed?"

Barret followed his gaze.

"I hope so," he said. "I think so. We've done what we can. The rest is up to them."

Red nodded, his gaze turning once more back to Cosmo Canyon. The fact that they were mining here told him that their enemy was not going to abandon Cosmo Canyon just because they had failed to find the Crystal materia. It was begining to look like the canyon would not be free until Jenova was destroyed. He would do what he could to harass their enemy, but their battles were a minor part of the war. Their hope was with Ellengio and the others. It was up to them to stop Jenova. They were the ones who were going to fight the real battle. 

"Come in. It's so good to see you again," Shera exclaimed.

Aeris smiled and walked in. She sat down while Shera went over the the sink and opened a cabinet.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked.

"Thank you," Aeris replied. "We found Cid."

Shera paused for a moment to look at her, relief flooding her face.

"Oh thank God," she said. "For some reason I was afraid he'd really gotten himself into some trouble this time..."

She stopped when she saw the look on Aeris face.

"Where is he?"

Aeris explained to her what had happened, and where Cid had gone.

Shera remained silent for a long time after she was done. Then she slowly turned and took down some cups. She placed one in front of Aeris.

"I see," she said slowly as she filled the teapot with water.

Aeris looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," she said.

Shera looked down at her belly.

"He'd better," she replied. "It's just...I don't know. I guess I'm being selfish. He's out there trying to save the world. How can I complain about that? But I need him too. And it's not just me anymore. The baby is going to need him as well. I just don't know what I'd do if something...if something happened to him."

She reached up and adjusted her glasses.

"I mean, I keep thinking, why him? Why does it always have to be Cid who takes risks, who's life seems to constantly be in danger. All of Avalanche, you've given so much already. When is it going to be someone else's turn? When do you get to say, hey, I've done enough. It's time for someone else to take over, it's time for someone else to take the risks. You've all worked so hard so that others could live in peace. When is it your turn?"

Aeris sat there thoughtfully. This was something she had asked herself may times in the past. But she knew life didn't work that way. This wasn't something you took turns at. There would always be some that would take up arms against the evils of the world, and some who wouldn't. That was just the way it was. They were just doing what they had to do. What was the right thing to do.

Shera turned on the burner and placed the pot on it, then came to sit down beside Aeris, easing herself slowly down into the chair.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't mean to sound pessimistic. I know Cid can take care of himself. It's just that it seems there's so much more at stake now. Tell me, where are the others? How is Tifa? And what about Red? He must feel horrible."

"Tifa's doing better," Aeris replied. "And yes, Red is taking what happened at Cosmo Canyon hard. Barret stayed with him to help him lead the resistance. We sent Yuffie to try to get some help from Wutai. Vincent, Elena and Rude went with Cid. Cloud, Zack and Reeve are with me."

"They're here?" Shera said in surprise. "Where are they? Why didn't they come with you?"

"They're in town gathering supplies and making arrangements for transportation. They'll be here soon. " she replied. "I just needed to get away from them for a little while."

Shera looked at her closely.

"Why's that?" she questioned.

Aeris rested her chin on her hand.

"I'm not really sure," she replied. She looked at Shera and saw she was returning her gaze with a thoughtful expression. She thought she could see just a hint of skepticism.

"All right, I guess I do know," she admitted. She told Shera what had happened with Reeve the other night. Shera looked at her in surprise for a moment.

"Have you spoken to him since?" she asked.

"No," Aeris replied. "He's avoided me like the plague ever since. He won't even look at me. I wanted to talk to him about it, but we haven't really been alone since it happened. It certainly isn't something I want to discuss in front of the others, especially Zack."

Shera sat there for a moment nodding her head slowly. Then she smiled.

"What?" Aeris said.

"I just can't picture Reeve doing something like that," Shera responded. "He's always seemed rather shy to me. I had no idea."

"I was kind of shocked myself," Aeris replied.

"But you weren't mad."

"Of course I wasn't mad," Aeris replied. "But he never gave me a chance to say that. He never gave me a chance to say how I felt."

Shera gave her a probing look.

"How did you feel?"

Aeris didn't reply, for suddenly they were interrupted by the whistle of the teapot. Shera got up and poured them both some tea. Then she sat down again and looked at Aeris expectantly.

"I'm not exactly sure," Aeris said. "He's a very special person. He doesn't seem to realize himself how special. He's kind and..."

She was interrupted again, this time by a knock on the door. Shera got up and opened it up to see Reeve standing there. He glanced inside, but looked immediately at Shera when he saw Aeris sitting at the table.

"Well, hello Reeve," Shera said cheerfully. "Aeris told me you were on your way. Come in and sit down. I've just made some tea. Would you like some?"

Reeve shook his head.

"No thanks," he said. "Actually, I've got some supplies that have to be stored away. I really should take care of them before.."

"Nonsense," Shera interrupted. "You must be tired from the trip here. Aeris has told me everything that happened to you. Come, sit down and relax for a little while. The supplies can wait."

She guided Reeve over to a chair and practically forced him down into it.

"If you don't want tea, would you like something else to drink?"

Reeve shook his head. He was directly opposite Aeris now. He could hardly avoid looking at her.

"Well, okay, then just relax for a while. Cloud and Zack are not back yet and Aeris is here all alone. I'm sure she'd like some company. I'm afraid I just have too much to do right now to be much of a hostess. I'll be back in a bit. You two make yourselves at home."

Shera gave Aeris a quick wink, then walked away before Reeve could protest. He turned toward Shera as she vanished from the room, but he didn't have time to say anything. He turned around again slowly and his gaze dropped to the center of the table.

"Reeve," Aeris said slowly.

He did not look up.

"Reeve, please," she said. "I'm not mad at you."

Finally he lifted his head.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she replied. "I told you, I'm not mad."

He sat there pondering that for a moment, then looked at her thoughtfully.

"I really don't know what came over me," he said finally. "I've never done anything like that before. You're really not mad?"

"I'm really not mad."

Reeve sat there looking at her. She gave him a reassureing smile. They fell silent once more, but Aeris still felt uncomfortable. She looked at Reeve and could tell he felt the same way. There was more to it than this, much more.

She was about to speak again when Reeve beat her to it.

"If you weren't mad," he said slowly, "then...how did you feel?"

This time it was Aeris turn to look down at the table. That was just what Shera had asked. In fact, it was something she had asked herself over and over ever since it had happened. She lifted her head again to see Reeve looking at her intently.

"You're a very special person, Reeve," she said very deliberately. "This just is not a good time. After all that's happened, after all the trouble I've caused, I've got enough on my mind right now. There's so much going on that's much more important than our personal feelings. I think it would be best if we concentrate on those things. I just can't handle any more than that right now."

She looked at him, almost a pleading look in her eyes. She wanted him to understand.

"You haven't caused any trouble," he said.

She smiled.

"Thank you, but do you understand how I feel?"

He paused for a moment, then nodded and smiled himself.

"Of course. You're right. After all you've gone through lately this could not have helped. The last thing I want is for my kiss to cause you more of a burden."

"What kiss?"

They both turned to see Zack standing in the doorway.

Reeve stood up.

"Were you listening to us?" he said, rather sharply.

"I walked up to the door, it was slightly ajar. I couldn't help but overhear," Zack replied defensively, looking back and forth from one to the other. "What kiss?"

"The other night I was upset," Aeris said. "I was distraught after finding out why Jenova had returned, that it was my fault. Reeve was just trying to make me feel better."

Zack walked in until he stood by the table looking down at her.

"Make you feel better?" he said. "You make someone feel better with kinds words, with a reassuring pat on the back, not with a kiss."

"Zack, please don't try to make it into something it wasn't," she responded. "It was harmless."

"Was it?" he questioned. "It doesn't sound harmless to me. When did this happen? In your room at Nibelheim? What was he doing in there?"

"I wasn't doing anything," Reeve said quickly.

Zack's head snapped around toward him.

"You weren't doing anything?" he repeated. "It doesn't sound that way to me. If you weren't doing anything how did you end up kissing her?"

"Zack, stop, you're being ridiculous," Aeris said with just a hint of anger. This was exactly what she had not wanted to happen.

Zack turned back toward her once more, anger plain on his face now.

"Am I?" he snapped. "I'm not the one sneaking around putting the moves on you."

"It wasn't like that," Reeve protested.

Aeris grabbed hold of Zack's arm.

"You are being ridiculous," she said sharply. "Reeve's right. It wasn't like that. And even if it was, it's none of your business."

Zack made like he was going to jerk his arm away, but then seemed to think better of it.

"You said I was important to you," he said.

"You are," she replied. "But it's not that simple. Things have changed since I knew you."

"Because of him?" Zack said accusingly.

"No," she replied. "Well, yes. He's part of it. But there's more to it than that. I've changed. I'm not a sixteen year old girl anymore."

"So you're saying you're outgrown me?" Zack replied.

"No, I'm not saying that either," she replied, her eyes suddenly moist with tears. "Please can we just discuss this another time? I'm not ready for this right now. After all that's happened I don't think I can deal with it."

"I think this is a good..." Zack stopped as another person appeared in the doorway. They all turned as Cloud walked through the open door, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing," they all snapped in unison.

Aeris turned and fled from the room. Reeve gave Zack a dark look and slowly walked out the front entrance. Zack just stood in the middle of the room with his arms folded, brooding.

Cloud slowly came up next to him.

"What was that all about?"

Zack just shook his head slowly.

Cloud waited patiently, and for a moment Zack opened his mouth to speak, but then he shut it again. He looked at Cloud sharply.

"Reeve and I have gotten the supplies we need. Have you decided on a destination?"

It was obvious Cloud had missed something, but it was also obvious that his friend did not want to discuss it at the present time. He decided not to push.

"Yeah," he replied. "Let's head east to Junon."

"Any particular reason?" Zack quieried.

"Not really," Cloud replied. "I was thinking maybe we could contact the Mayor there and ask if they could sent help to Cosmo Canyon. They have the manpower and I don't think Red sent anyone there to ask."

"I believe the reason he didn't send anyone was because the thought it unlikely they would agree," Zack commented.

"That's true," Cloud replied. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, and from there we can go on to Fort Condor. They're farther away, but they might be able to help as well."

Zack thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I suppose it's as good a plan as any. I thought we would head north. That'll get us farthest away fastest."

"It's also the most obvious direction to go," Cloud replied.

"You may be right," Zack agreed. "I think Reeve went out to organize the supplies. Can you do me a favor and give him a hand. I have to take care of something."

"Sure," Cloud replied. He had known Zack a long time, and even though his friend had changed, there were still some things about him that were exactly the same. Cloud knew by the look in Zack's eye that he would not be able to pry any information about what had just happened out of his friend. But Reeve, on the other hand, might be an easier nut to crack.

He walked back out the front door. Zack stood there for a moment. He looked at the front door, then towards the back of the house, down the hallway that Aeris had fled. He had not meant to upset her. He didn't even know why he had said the things he said. He hadn't really thought about it at all, it had just come out. And the worst part of it, he realized now, was that she was absolutely right.

He paused for a moment longer, then with sudden resolve walked down the hallway. Halfway down it a door suddenly opened in front of him. Shera came out and nearly ran right into him. She looked at him in surprise, the look quickly turning to one of disapproval.

"Aeris wants to be alone right now," she said.

"I need to talk to her," he replied. "It'll just take a minute."

"I think you're already said your piece," Shera responded, blocking his way.

"Please," Zack said.

"It's all right, Shera," Aeris suddenly stood in the doorway behind the older woman. "You can let him in."

Shera cast one more doubtful glance at Zack, then shrugged and walked past him. Aeris turned back into the room. Zack followed and closed the door softly behind him.

"I'm sorry," he said, turning to face her. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the ground.

He walked over until he was right beside her. She looked up at him.

"May I sit down?" he asked.

She nodded and he took a seat beside her.

"You're right. I had no right to speak to you like that. It's just that..."

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"For the past few years I've lived with a band of outlaws. In a group like that only the strong survive. The only thing that counted all that time was strength. Physical strength and strength of will. If you wanted something you took it, and you better be prepared to fight for it. Aeris, I wasn't shy about taking what I wanted."

"But you're not living like that anymore," she pointed out.

"I know," he replied. "But before that there was nothing. As far as I can remember, that's the only way I've ever lived. I understand it's not like that now, but sometimes it's hard. I get mad and my instincts take over. The Swordsman is still a big part of me. He's not going to go away in a day. It'll take some time. It's not easy to change."

She looked up at him now, and there was no hint of reproach in her eyes.

"I know things are different now," he said, looking at her carefully. "I understand how what we had could seem not to mean much to you anymore. But it means a lot to me."

"Zack, I..." she began, but he interrupted.

"It means a lot to me because I remember it. Aeris, everything I had is lost to me. My past, my hometown, my family. I can't picture any of it. I don't remember the streets of Gongaga. I can't see the faces of my family. My mother and father are strangers to me. You're my only link. You're the only thing that I have left that is real. I'm afraid that if I lost you, there would be nothing left."

Aeris looked at him sympathetically. She reached out and took his hand.

"No matter what happens, I'm not going to disappear," she said.

"I know," he said softly. "I know that. It just seems that...sometimes, I've got just one precious thing left. All those years with the outlaws, it was the thought of you that kept me going. The thought that maybe I would find you again. I don't know how many times I sat in their camp thinking how pointless it all was, what we were doing. I don't know how many times I thought about running away, just chucking it all and heading off into the night. But where would I have gone? What would I have done? I was surviving, but I wasn't alive. And then one night, I saw you in the moonlight, and my world became real again. I had something to live for once more. It's been so long that I had any hope at all. And then when I heard Reeve, I just suddenly felt like it was all going to come crashing down on me. It was stupid, I admit. I have no claim on you. I was just afraid, and I overreacted. I'm sorry."

He looked at her and she smiled.

"It's all right," she said. "Perhaps we all could have handled it a little better. I care about you a great deal, but I just...I just can't think about it right now. With all that's going on with the crystal materia, and my part in the return of Jenova, it's just too much. Can we just put this aside for a little while. At least until this is all over with? It would make me feel a lot better."

Zack continued to gaze into her emerald green eyes, and for a moment she thought he hadn't heard her.

"Yes," he said finally. "I suppose. If it will make you feel better."

"Thank you," she said, looking at him closely. There was no hint of anger in his blue eyes now. He was just sitting there looking at her, his eyes meeting her own, a sort of bemused smile on his face. She had seen that look before, many times. He had often looked at her like that, in the old days.

Was he really that much different?

"So can I trust you?" she asked.

"To do what?"

"To get along with Reeve," she replied. "We're going to have to work togther if we are going to have any success at all. The last thing we need is for you two to be at each other's throats."

He smiled.

"All right," he said. "I promise not to run him though. At least, not until Jenova is disposed of and the crystal materia safe. After that, we'll just have to see."

"I'm afraid you won't score many points with me if you decide to run him through even after this is over," she replied.

"All right, I won't run him through," he said, sounding very disappointed. "How bout if I just beat the living daylights out of him."

"Nope," she said, shaking her head.

"Boy, you're no fun at all."

He stood up, letting go of her hand.

"Well, I better go give the others a hand. I've goofed off long enough. You might want to come out and get your gear together. We've got a long road ahead of us tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Junon," he replied.

She did not respond, but followed him as he got up and opened the door. He turned back toward her once more.

"How about if I just drop something heavy on his head?"

"Sorry," she said.

"Darn."

Chapter Text

"Isn't there any place we can go to get out of this rain?" Reno complained.

Yuffie looked at him and shook her head, a shower of drops scattering from her hair. They had been walking through a steady rain for over an hour now, and they were both very wet.

"This region is nearly uninhabited," she replied. "I'm afraid we won't find any shelter until we get further north."

Reno looked around at the barren landscape surrounding them. The were walking along a ridge of dull grey rock. Sparse tufts of thick bladed grass occasionaly could be seen amid the stone outcroppings, but for the most part there was no vegetation. The entire area was a maze of sloping hills and deep chasms, and if he hadn't had Yuffie with him he would soon have been completely lost. He could understand how no one would live here.

"Well, isn't there a cave of something that we could hole up in for a while?" he tried. "At least until this rain let's up?"

"No there isn't," she replied. "Look, I'm not any happier about this than you are, but there's nothing we can do but go on. We're already soaked. We can't get any wetter. I certainly don't want to spend the night cold and wet in some dark cave."

Reno grumbled under his breath, but said nothing more, following her along the sloping trail. They were approaching the crest of a hill, and he could see another one of those narrow wooden bridges spanning a gap ahead. It was the third one he had seen so far.

He looked around, but there was nothing to see but the dark treeless hills jutting up all around them. The landscape here was so unusual, he could almost believe he was on another planet. Not for the first time he wondered why he had decided to tag along with Yuffie at all. Godo had hired him once, to find Yuffie, but this time he thought the chances of a payoff were slim. Still, it was better than being back at Cosmo Canyon. At least they hadn't run into any more monsters.

They reached the top of the hill and stood before the bridge. Reno looked at it dubiously. Like the others, it looked old and rickety. He could see some of the planks were rotted and cracked, and the rope holding it together looked moldy and ready to snap.

"Are you sure there's no other way?" he asked.

"Nope," Yuffie replied. She didn't seem in the least bit worried about the bridge. "It's the only way."

"Great," he muttered.

He paused for a moment, looking down. The bridge ran over a narrow gully, not all that far below them. It crossed what was usually a dry riverbed, but the rain had partially filled the gully, and was washing the sides of the hills into the bottom, forming a sluggish river of mud below them.

Yuffie stood before the span, looking at him expectantly. With a shrug he suddenly stepped onto the bridge ahead of her. If they had to go across, he might as well get it over with.

He walked slowly, placing his weight carefully on each plank, and holding tightly onto the rain slicked ropes strung along the sides. Yuffie was right behind him, looking at him impatiently, and not taking nearly the same care.

They were almost three quarters of the way across when she finally spoke.

"Do you think you could go any slower?" she questioned sarcastically. "I don't think I'll be able to keep up for much longer."

"Well, couldn't you have made these bridges a little sturdier?" he asked sharply.

"There's nothing wrong with the bridges," she replied immediately. "They're a little old, but they were made by some of the finest craftsmen in Wutai."

"Why don't I find that reassuring?" he muttered.

Yuffie looked at him angrily.

"Hey, say what you want about me, but leave Wutai alone."

"Ohh, that's right," he replied. "I forgot your hometown was such a wonderful place. Tell me, how's the tourist buisness these days? Has Godo started giving guided tours of the pagoda of the five Gods?"

"Shut up, Reno. When I want your opinion, I'll tell it to you," Yuffie said.

"Hmmm, touched a nerve there, have I?" he replied with a sardonic smile. "So how's it feel to be the daughter of the lord of the tourist trap? Funny thing is, with Costa Del Sol around, Wutai isn't even the best tourist attraction. Looks like it'll always be second rate."

"I said shut up!" Yuffie snarled

"Gee, I had no idea you were so sensitive," he continued. "I guess it's tough to fall so far from grace. But I guess that's what happens when you're stupid enough to start a war you can't possibly win. I really think..."

He didn't get to finish, for at that moment Yuffie came up behind him and shoved him.

Caught off guard, he stumbled forward and would have gone right off the edge if it hadn't been for the handrope. But that was just a momentary respite. Besides being old, that rope was not designed to take to full weight of a person. It snapped almost immediately, managing only to slow him down just long enough to turn and grab the edge of one of the planks as he plunged over the side. The bridge pitched wildely, and Yuffie had to scramble to grab the other hand rope to prevent herself from following Reno over the edge.

Reno looked down to see dark muddy water swirling below him.

"You stupid jerk!" he shouted. "Come here and give me a hand before I fall!"

Yuffie just stood there looking at him with a surprised look on her face. She had hardly expected so drastic a result from her little shove. But when she realized the position Reno was in a malovent smile appeared on her face. She made no move to approach him.

"That's hardly a nice way to talk to someone who's help you seem to desperately need," she replied casually.

He glared at her.

"Cut the shit, Yuffie," he snapped. "C'mon, my hand is slipping!"

She walked over to him and croached down, looking at him thoughtfully.

"Say please," she said, her smile broadening.

"You little twerp!"

She just stood there shaking her head slowly.

"All right, please, God damn it!"

"Such language," she muttered.

She reached down and grasped his hand. He lunged upward and grabbed hold of her with his other hand. She hadn't expected the sudden shift of weight, and she lost her balance. She tried to grab hold of the edge of the bridge with her other hand, but it missed. She cried out as they both fell off the side and plunged down into the murky water below.

She hit the water on her side, and for a moment she found herself totally submerged in inky blackness. The bottom was covered with mud, and it clung to her, almost as if trying to suck her down as she struggled to right herself.

After a moment she stood up, breaking the surface, mud dripping from her hair. Even now she felt herself sinking down almost knee deep in it. She looked over to see Reno struggling towards the shore. Her face turned red with rage.

"You moron!" she screamed.

He glanced back at her.

"Me?" he shouted just as angrily. "You were the idiot who started it all. If you hadn't shoved me, neither one of us would be down here."

She struggled over toward him, moving with difficulty through the thick mud.

"We wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't paniked like a frightened little wuss."

He had been walking awkwardly towards shore, but now he turned and stood his ground.

"You mean we wouldn't have fallen if you weren't an eighty pound weakling."

She was almost upon him now.

"I'll show you weakling!" she barked. She charged right at him as best she could in the mud. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and tired to push her aside, but he couldn't keep his footing, and they both went down in a heap, with Yuffie on top. The mud was still almost knee deep, but there was only a few inches of water this close to the base of the cliff.

Yuffie pounded on him with half a dozen blows from her fists. At first he merely tried to fend off her blows, but a few got through, one hitting him hard on the jaw. He grabbed hold of her arm and twisted it around behind her, turning to roll on top of her. She found herself suddenly sinking into the mud, with Reno's weight on top of her.

"Get off me, you fat slob," she cried.

"I will if you just calm down," he shouted, but she didn't seem to be listening, and in fact started to struggle even harder. She slipped out from beneath him, the mud keeping him from getting a decent grip. She tried to kick him, but he rolled out of the way. She lunged and was on top of him again. He tried to pull away, but she got a hold of his shirt. He dragged her along for a moment until he heard a ripping sound.

"God damn it!" he exclaimed. "That's the second time you've ruined one of my shirts!"

He turned and grabbed hold of her. Her hand shot out and hit him on the side of the head. With a sudden burst of anger he grabbed hold of her hair and yanked her down. She slipped into the mud once more, and he deliberately fell on top of her.

"You're pissing me off now!" he exclaimed.

She struggled wildly underneath him. They were both almost completely covered with mud now, and she was as slipperly as an eel. One of her arms was pinned beneath him. She twisted round and tried to hit him again with the other, but he grabbed hold of it and forced it back down into the mud. Now he found himself directly over her, looking down into her mud streaked face.

Without hesitation he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.

For a second she did not react, her eyes suddenly becoming wide with shock. Then she started to stuggle wildely, trying to yank her arm away to get at him, but he still had most of her body pinned under him. One arm was locked on hers, the other underneath her and behind her head, holding her still. She couldn't get free. She tried to twist her head to the side, but he held her still, and just kissed her more forcefully. She fought against him for a little while longer, but gradually her struggling diminished, until eventually she lay still beneath him.

His lips lingered on hers a moment more, then he slowly disengaged and lifted his head. He looked at her carefully. She lay there unmoving in the mud, her eyes closed.

"Have you calmed down now?" he asked.

She did not open her eyes, but just lay there. For a moment he thought she wasn't going to respond, but then she nodded once. He let go of here hand and lifted himself up.

Instantly her eyes shot open. Her hand came up and slapped him across the face so hard it made his head swim. She pulled herself out from underneath him and scrambled away. When she was a few paces away she turned to face him, fire burning in her eyes.

"Don't you EVER do anything like that again!" she shouted.

He stood there for a moment until his head cleared, and for a second he felt anger welling up inside of him again. He opened his mouth to shout back at her but then he shut it. They just stood there looking at one another for a long time. Then he suddenly grinned and started walking again, past her toward solid ground.

She watched him walk past. She stood there for a moment in silence, then started after him.

"What the hell is so funny?" she questioned.

He didn't reply, but he started laughing even harder. He finally reached solid ground, then sat down, the laughter almost uncontrollable now.

Yuffie came up beside him and looked at him.

"I said, what's so funny?" she said again, but this time she couldn't keep from grinning herself.

He couldn't answer even if he had wanted to, he was too busy rolling on the ground in laughter.

She sat down beside him. A moment later she was laughing as hard as he was. They both sat there, oblivious to the rain and mud, and laughed until tears came to their eyes.

Yuffie wiped the tears from her eyes as their laughter died down. She looked over at Reno.

"You are such a jerk," she muttered, still grinning.

Reno slowly stood up. He didn't reply, but reached down to lend her a hand. She looked at it for a moment, them accepted it and he pulled her to her feet.

"Now which the hell way is out of here?" he questioned.

Yuffie pointed to the right.

"This way," she replied. "Actually, the fall has made the trip shorter. We would have had to circle around if we had stayed on the trail. Now we can head straight north."

"Well that makes me feel a lot better," he replied sarcastically.

She didn't reply, but started off, walking along the edge of the water. He followed, walking behind her. They were both still almost completely covered with mud. He didn't even want to think about what it would cost to get his suit cleaned. He glanced down at the tear in his shirt. If it was salvageable at all, that is. He would just have to add it to his expenses when he talked to Godo.

He looked up at Yuffie. She walked nimbly among the rocks, her lithe figure seemingly at ease in the rough terrain around them. He found his eyes lingering on her as she walked in front of him. He wasn't really sure why he had kissed her. Just the principle of the thing, he thought. It's what he would have done to any woman in that position. Still, it had more of an affect on him than he was willing to admit. He had always thought of her as nothing but a pest, but he had to admit she had grown up quite a bit since they had first met her.

He found himself stifling a laugh again, and Yuffie looked back at him for a moment with a puzzled expression. She started forward once more, and he followed, slowly shaking his head, and wondering seriously if he were completely losing his mind. 

Elena wondered when Ellengio was going to call a halt. They had walked all day with almost no rest on steep and twisted trails through the mountains. The whole time it seemed they had spent going either straight up or straight down. They must have gone twenty miles and yet she doubted they covered more than five in a straight line.

But as dusk had fallen they had finally left the mountains behind. Now they were walking through a tall pine forest. She had expected them to stop at dusk, but they had come upon a narrow trail in the forest that led in the direction they desired. After much discussion they had decided to follow it. hoping that they had gotten past all the monsters and the trail would be unguarded. Ellengio wanted to make as much time as possible, seeing as how they had made so little real progress in the mountians, so they had continued on, even after darkness had fallen. Now they were walking slowly down the trail, their only light the glow of a half moon suspended in the western sky. They had been traveling for almost an hour now since night had fallen.

Ellengio was in the lead, walking easily yet alertly along the trail, with Cid right behind him. Rude followed and Elena walked behind him. She glanced back and saw the dark shape of Vincent in the rear. Even though he was the closest to her, he blended in so well she could barely make him out in the moonlight. If she listened carefully she could occasionally hear the snapping of a twig or the rustle of clothing in front of her, but not behind. Behind her Vincent followed, completely silent and nearly invisible, like a creature of the night himself.

It felt better to be out of the heat that had beat down on them all day. There had been little relief from it in the mountians, and Elena had been happy to finally reach the shade of the tall forest. But the temperature had fallen rapidly now that the sun had gone down, and she was starting to get uncomfortably cold. Plus she was tired and sweaty from the exertion of walking the steep paths all day. She wanted nothing more than to get some rest. They still had to set up camp after they stopped before they could relax. She wondered how much further Ellengio planned to go. She knew he was in a hurry, but they couldn't go on much longer, in the dark and tired as they were.

She sped up until she caught up with Rude.

"How much longer do you think we are going to go on?" she asked.

Rude shrugged. She couldn't see him very well in the dark, but he didn't look tired.

"I don't know," he replied. "I'm sure Ellengio wants to get to Gongaga as fast as possible. Still, I don't think we'll be going to much further tonight."

Elena nodded and looked at Rude again. He hadn't said much during the day, but that was hardly surprising. Rude was not much of a talker to begin with, but now he seemed even quieter than usual. She didn't think it would take a genius to figure out what was on his mind. It had been on her mind all day as well. Reno could be a big pain in the ass at times, but he was still a Turk and he was still their leader. Or had been until now.

"I wonder where Reno is," she said.

Rude did not reply, which was pretty much what she expected.

"Rude, I have to ask you something," she said slowly. "I know you've known Reno a lot longer than I have. I always thought of you two as inseperable. Why didn't you go with him?"

"Not that I don't think you did the right thing," she continued quickly. "It just surprised me. I think it surprised everyone. I never thought anything could come between you two."

Rude glanced over at her. She couldn't really make out his face in the dark, but she had a feeling it would be unreadable even if she could see it.

"To tell you the truth," he replied. "I thought if I stayed, he would too."

Elena pondered this for a while. She couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen when they met Reno again. If they met him again. She wondered if everything could be the same as it was. She didn't want to give up being a Turk. It was important to her and she was proud to be a part of it. But would Reno ever accept them back after what they had done? She wondered if he felt betrayed by them and couldn't help but think that he had.

"What do you think is going to happen?" she asked.

Rude shrugged. She looked at him, but he did not return her gaze. She wondered if they put Vincent and Rude in a room together for 24 hours, whether either one of them would say a single word.

"I know it probably shouldn't, but it bothers me a lot," she tried again. "I don't want to stop being a Turk."

Again Rude did not look at her, and she thought once again that he would not respond. But then he lifted his head and looked ahead of them.

"I don't think it'll come to that," he said.

Again, just the simple response, giving away nothing about how he himself felt. She looked at him again, trying to make him return her gaze. She knew he could feel her eyes on him, but he studiously resisted the urge to look at her.

Neither Reno nor Rude had ever talked about any family or home life. As a Turk it had been discouraged. She knew that Reno had been an orphan, but she knew nothing about Rude, just as they knew nothing about her. Suddenly an image of her own parents appeared in her mind. She hadn't seen them much after becoming a Turk. This job came first, before family or friends. She had realized that when she took it. But she never really thought her parents understood. She had gotten a lot of letters from them, especially her father, dropping subtle, (and some not so subtle) hints that her mother missed her a lot and it would make her feel much better if her daughter could drop in every once in a while to say hello. Even though he didn't say so, she had a feeling her father missed her just as much. She had hardly ever taken the hint. They had been in Midgar when meteor struck. She had not heard from them since.

The Turks were the only family both she and Reno had.

"You got any family?" she asked.

This time Rude did look at her, the surprise plain on his face. They were both well aware of the Turks rule never to talk about such things.

For a moment she thought she was going to get the usual response.

"I've got a sister in Junon," he replied eventually. "Haven't seen her in a while, but I get letters every now and then. She's married to a dentist."

Elena was mildly surprised.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

He hesitated for a moment.

"My parents split up when I was a kid," he replied. "I didn't see much of my father after that. Not that he didn't want to see me, but he had a job that made him travel a lot. He just didn't have much time for us."

Elena nodded slowly.

"My mother did have the time, but she wasn't much interested," he continued. "She drank a lot after they broke up, not that they didn't both drink before that, but it got a lot worse. She didn't pay much attention to us after that. My sister and I were pretty much on our own."

Elena did not reply. She was surprised he had even opened up enough to tell her that.

"My life was such a mess when I was younger," Rude continued. "I got into all kinds of trouble. I'm sure I would probably be dead by now if it hadn't been for Tseng."

Again Elena did not speak. She couldn't help but feel a pang of loss at the mention of Tseng. She had admired him so much, and he had done so much for all of them.

She looked back at Vincent, following them silently, and smiled faintly. The pain of the loss of Tseng had lessened with time, especially since she had met Vincent. Still, she would never forget him, and she couldn't help but wonder what he would have done in their situation.

"Rude, what do you think Tseng would have done?"

Rude thought about it for a moment.

"Probably the same thing as Reno," he replied.

"So you think what Reno said was true? Do you think Tseng would have been disappointed with me?"

Rude didn't answer that one for a long time. Was he really unsure, or was he just trying to phrase it in a way that wouldn't hurt her? Vincent had already told her he didn't think she'd make a good Turk, now Reno had said so as well. Is that what they all thought about her?

"It's like you said," Rude replied. "Things have changed. I can't tell you what Tseng would have thought. It was a different world then. We can't go on being what we were under Tseng. The world changes, and we have to change with it. It's the only way we'll survive. Even if Tseng would be disappointed, I think under the circumstances we did the right thing."

Elena tried to see the look in Rude's eye as he said that, but the darkness foiled her. It seemed strange for a Turk to use the words 'we did the right thing'. But she had to agree with him. Things really had changed.

She slowed down and looked back at Vincent. He had been a Turk once. She wondered how he felt about this situation. Rude saw her and slowed down as well.

Vincent seemed to have dropped further behind them, and it took her a moment to spot his dark form coming up the trail.

"Vincent..." she began.

"Be quiet," he said, cutting her off. She could see him outlined clearly in the darkness now. He was looking off the trail to the left, and she could see he had his gun in his hand.

The others stopped as well. They had heard Vincent's admonishment, and could tell from the tone of his voice that something had disturbed him.

For a long time they all just stood there in silence. Cid came up beside Elena, looking at Vincent carefully.

"What is it?" he said softly.

Vincent did not reply, just continued to stare off into the forest. Elena saw Cid slowly lift his spear off his back. She reached into her suit and felt her hand wrap around the cold steel of her gun, and even as she did so the forest erupted around them.

She couldn't really see who, or what for that matter, was attacking them. All she could tell was that there were a lot of them, and they were all around. Apparently they had walked into some kind of ambush, and had only failed to be taken completely by surprise because of Vincent's instincts.

She fired her gun and heard a yell. She spun around, looking for more targets, but it was difficult to tell who was friend and who was foe in the darkness around them. The fact that their oppenents seemed to be human, or at least humanoid, made it even more difficult.

Someone lunged toward her. She thought for a moment it might be Rude, but then realized her mistake when she saw the glint of a blade in the moonlight. She dodged out of the way, firing blindly. She felt red hot pain explode in her shoulder. She cried out and dropped her gun. The man brought his blade up again, but then his head snapped forward as Rude hit him from behind. He stumbled forward. Elena felt something hard against her leg. She reached down and picked up her gun in her left hand. She turned to fire.

"Stop it!" shouted a commanding voice.

Elena felt her finger on the trigger, but she did not fire. The man in front of her hesitated as well, his sword balanced in the air.

"We are not your enemies," Ellengio shouted again. "Everyone stay your weapons."

Elena heard a few more moments of scuffling in the vegetation nearby, then all went silent.

"Who is in command here?" Ellengio asked loudly.

"It is we who should be asking the questions," a voice called out. Elena looked around as another man materialized out of the darkness of the trees.

"Who are you and what brings you here?" the man questioned.

She could not make out his features in the darkness, but she could see he was a young man as he walked past her to stand in front of Ellengio. He had an axe balanced in his hands, and the way he held it made it appear he was anxious to put it to some use. Ellengio stood in front of him, apparently unconcerned about the weapon, his own hands empty.

"A fair question," he replied calmly. "I am Ellengio, one of the last remaining Cetra. My companions and I are on our way to Gongaga to confront the evil that dwells there."

"You lie!" the man said, holding his axe up menactingly. "There are no more Cetra."

Elena felt her grip tighten on her gun. She could see that a dozen other dark figures had appeared on the trial around them, and she could hear others that she could not see. If the fight continued, they were sorely outnumbered. But Ellengio seemed to have no concern about the man's weapon at all.

"It is the truth," he said simply.

"I don't believe you," the man said. "I think you're spies. How did you get into this forest in the first place? There are monsters scattered across the plains from the desert surrounding the Gold Saucer to the hills of Cosmo Canyon. You could not have got here without being seen by them. They must have let you through."

"They did not," Ellengio replied. "We came over the hills east of Cosmo Canyon."

"You lie again," he man said angrily. "There are no trails through those hills."

"There are," Ellengio replied firmly. "Though they are not well known. We were in Cosmo Canyon when it was attacked and taken by the monsters. Nanaki himself showed us the trails."

"Cosmo Canyon has been taken?" one of the others said in disbelief. There was a murmer through the men surrounding them

"Shut up!" the leader said sharply. "You all know we cannot believe the word of these spies. They are probably just trying to confuse us."

"Eveything he's told you is the truth," Cid interjected. "I'm not too quick in the uptake myself, but it seems pretty obvious to me that we're all on the same side here."

"Just what a spy would say," the man retorted.

"We are wasting time," Ellengio spoke up again. "We are not your enemy. Some of you were wounded just now. We have materia, we can cure them. Would that prove to you that we are not spies?"

The man looked at him doubtfully, but for the first time his weapon dropped to his side.

"Cure them first, then we'll talk," he said.

Ellengio nodded. Rude and Cid pulled out restore materia and cured all the wounds that had been caused in the battle, including the deep cut to Elena's shoulder. When they were done Ellnegio looked at the leader again.

"My name is Ellengio," he repeated, "But you haven't told me yours."

The man hestitated, looking at him suspisciouly. But eventually he spoke.

"I am called Talon," he said slowly.

"You are from Gongaga?" Ellengio asked, though he was already sure of the answer.

The man hesitated again.

"I have orders to kill anyone, or anything, I meet in these woods," he said. "But even if I don't do so, that doesn't mean I trust you."

"Killing us would be a great diservice to your city," Ellengio replied.

"So you say," he answered. He paused and looked at them all carefully, his eyes lingering on Vincent.

"Who is this one that looks more monster than man?" he questioned.

"His name is Vincent," Ellengio replied. "And I assure you he is no monster. He has been a trusted companion and has proven his worth many times."

Talon continued to look at Vincent suspiciously for a moment, while Vincent tried to look innocent, something he was not very good at.

"This is all very strange," Talon mused. "I did not expect to run into anything like this. My orders are clear, but I don't think anyone anticipated running into you. I don't know what to do with you, but I do not wish to kill you outright. Not when the possiblity remains that you are telling the truth."

"So then what are we going to do?" Cid asked.

Talon paused, looking at them all intently in the dark. They could not read his face.

"I will take you back to our camp," he said finally. "And let them decide for themselves what you are, and what to do with you. It is not far, but well hidden. Our enemies far outnumber us, and our lives depend on remaining concealed from them."

Ellengio nodded.

"Very well," he said.

A few minutes later Elena found herself once more walking through the woods, back in line between Rude and Vincent, but the line had grown much longer.

They left the narrow trail Ellengio had been following shortly thereafter and struck out into the deep forest. Talon led them a convoluted journey, twisting and turning, sometimes doubling back on themselves, until Elena was completely lost. About a half hour later they came to a narrow brook. They followed it up a steep slope until it disappeared beneath some thick hanging vegetation. Talon turned to the left and walked a few steps, then pulled the vegetation aside. They all walked through into a small clearing. Elena could see some tents set up in the darkness, and there were more people here, but in the dark she had no idea how many. There was no chance of escape now, and she couldn't help but think what Talon had said about the need for concealment. Now that they knew the location of the camp, they would never be allowed to leave if it was decided they were untrustworthy.

A couple of other men had come over as soon as Talon led them into camp. Now they stood talking quickly with Talon in the darkness. One of the men suddenly ran off ahead of them, and Talon followed at a slower pace, motioning for them to follow him as well.

The moon was concealed behind the hill in front of them, and there was no light in the camp, so Elena could see little as they walked behind Talon. She could see the dark outlines of tents as they passed by, and she heard the murmur of voices. But there was little else to see. Eventually a large tent loomed up directly in front of them. Talon pulled aside the flap and disappeared inside. The others followed.

Elena stepped into the tent and stopped. It was pitch dark. All she could see was a small triangle of light through the open tent flap as the rest of the party came in behind her. She saw what she took to be Vincent step inside, then one other man. Then the tent flap closed and she could see nothing at all.

But that only lasted a moment. For suddenly a hood designed to conceal it's light was removed from a lamp nearby. The tent was flooded with light, and Elena found herself blinking, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the new found brightness. After that she looked around to see that there were a half dozen men and women standing beside Talon, looking at them, and not with a particularly friendly expression.

"Why have you brought these people here?" one of the men said. looking at Talon sternly.

"We met in the woods north of here," he said, sounding a bit nervous. "They claim to be friends on their way to Gongaga to fight the evil there."

"What do you know of the evil in Gongaga?" the man said, turning to look at the others. Elena stood there staring at the man. He looked vaguely familar. He had a beard and long hair, and she hadn't remembered him looking like that. But the eyes and the facial features were definitely familar. If the hair was just shorter, and the beard gone. Yes, she did remember.

"Gagnon," she exclaimed.

The man looked at her in surprise.

"Who are you?" he questioned immediately.

"My name is Elena," she replied. "I used to work for Shinra. You might not remember me, but I came to your house a couple of times to talk to your son after he became a member of SOLDIER."

The man remained still, staring at her intently. But suddenly a woman stepped forward, looking at Elena, her eyes wide.

"Yes, I remember you," she said. "That little blonde girl. The one who asked all the questions. Do you know what happened to our son?"

"He's alive," she said. "He was with us just a short time ago."

She turned and looked at Ellengio.

"These are Zack's parents," she exclaimed.

For a short time everyone seemed to be talking at once. Zack's mother almost ran over to Elena, firing questions off as she came. Gagnon followed more slowly, but his face no longer held it's stern look. Ellengio looked over at Talon and saw him give a sigh of relief. Half a dozen of the others were shouting out questions as well. Gagnon turned around suddenly and called in a loud voice for order, and immediately everyone quieted down. He turned toward Elena and asked her to tell them everything, right from the begining. Elena immediately launched into the story, relishing the chance and filling him in with many more details than Vincent suspected he wanted to know. Still, Gagnon did not interrupt, and waited patiently until Elena was done. When she actually had finished he smiled warmly.

"You have brought us better tidings than we had ever hoped to hear," he said. "I had given up hope. Now what has happened in Gongaga does not weigh quite as heavily on my heart."

"What has happened?" Cid asked. "We were in Gongaga a few days ago. The place looked beautiful, actually. But we could tell something was wrong. You could almost feel it. How did it all get like that?"

Gsgnon scratched his beard and looked at Cid sadly.

"It all started about two months ago," he said. "That was when the Healer appeared. At first no one knew him, but he soon was the talk of the town. He seemed to have almost God like power. Everthing he touched was revived, made into something beautiful. He healed the sick, he made the the crops grow, with a touch of his hand he created beautiful gardens. He seemed to be able to do anything. And all that he asked in return was the worship of Jenova."

"Yes, we had all heard about Jenova. We may be a small town, but we do keep up with the news. We knew Jenova had been evil, but he told us that we were wrong, that Jenova had just been misunderstood. That it had all been just a sad mistake, and now Jenova wanted to make up for it, wanted to heal the wounds and make right what had been wrong. A lot of people believed it."

"But some of us didn't. To some of us, there just seemed something wrong about the whole situation. It just didn't feel right. But there was nothing concrete, the Healer did nothing to give any indication that what he was saying was anything but the truth. Most people dismissed the warnings as just the rantings of a paranoid few."

"When the Healer asked for volunteers to rebuild the reactor some of us paranoid people really started to get nervous, but again the Healer soothed their concerns, telling them that the reactor was safe as long as it was operated properly. The reactors were only dangerous if mishandled. And again, most people believed. After all the Healer had done for us, they volunteered in droves."

"But for those who were observant, it was becoming obvious that something was wrong. There were a few who openly spoke out against both the Healer and the reactor, and most of them seemed to mysteriously disappear. Also, there seemed to be a sudden increase in the monsters that roamed the plains around Gongaga. They had nearly disappeared since the fall of Shinra and the shut down of the reactors, but now they reappeared in force. Eventually a few of us got inside the off limits areas of the reactor and figured out what was really going on. But by then the Healer was running the entire town. We counldn't fight him. We had no choice but to flee. So that's what we did, into the forest as you now see us. We've staged some raids against the Healer and his forces, but we are too few to do any real damage. And to tell you the truth, I don't see how you four would stand much of a chance against the sort of power the Healer commands."

"There may be more to us than meets the eye," Ellengio stated.

Gagnon looked at him closely.

"Perhaps," he replied.

"But our biggest problem is still getting there," Ellengio continued. "As you already know, there are monsters scattered all across the plain. The forest ends well short of Gongaga, and there is no other way to cover the last few miles excpet over open plain. The four of us cannot fight Jenova and all of his forces in a pitched battle. Our mission relies on stealth. We must find a way to reach Gongaga unobserved."

Gagnon nodded slowly. He scratched his head and then sat there for a moment in thought.

"True," he replied. "But on that score we may be able to assist you. What would you say if I told you we knew a way to get you right into the city unnoticed?"

Ellengio looked at him and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"If that were true, then I would say that what we have here is the makings of a beautiful friendship."

Chapter Text

"We'd like to see the mayor."

The woman looked at them curiously. Cloud noticed it was not the same secretary they had seen the last time they had been in the office of the mayor of Junon, but he recognized her nonetheless. It was in fact the women they had caught on the mayor's lap.

"Do you have an apointment?" she asked. If she recognized him, she gave no outward sign.

"No," Cloud replied.

The woman's look instantly became more distant.

"But it's very important," Cloud continued. "Tell him we're from Avalanche."

The woman did not react to the name. She stood up.

"I'll go see if he's available," she stated frostily.

She walked through a large door behind her. Cloud looked around. Except for them, the office was empty. He got a sudden feelling of deja vu.

"Might as well sit down," he said to the others. "This could take a while."

Aeris looked at him curiously, but took his advice and sat down. Reeve eased himself into a chair nearby as well, giving Cloud a knowing look. He hadn't forgotten the last time they had been here either.

"You might as well relax," Cloud said, looking at Aeris. "We've done this before. The last time we were here we had to barge into the office to get Mayor Hart's attention."

Reeve looked at him thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should do that now," he suggested.

"We may," Cloud replied. "But let's give him a chance, at least. Maybe he'll be quicker this time."

The tone of his voice made it clear he wasn't too hopeful that would be true.

"I'll be right back," Cloud said. "I'm going to get a drink of water."

No one responded.

He walked back out into the hall. There was a water fountain at the end of the corrider. He had noticed it when they had come in. He turned it on and drank his fill. When he finished he started back toward the office, but looked back behind him when he heard a door open. He saw the mayor step out into the hall and look around quickly. A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw Cloud standing there.

"Mayor Hart," Cloud said, striding over immediately. "Just the person I wanted to see."

Cloud caught a glimpse of the secretary through the door, and for a moment he thought the mayor was going to bolt back through it, but then it closed quickly in front of him. He stood there for a moment groping for words.

"I'm sorry young man," he said eventually. "But I'm late for a very important appointment. I don't have time to talk now."

And with that he started walking swiftly down the hall.

Cloud was right on his heels.

"This won't take long," he said. "Cosmo Canyon has been attacked and overrun by monsters from Gongaga. They need your help to retake the canyon and destroy the monsters."

"I'm aware of the situation," the mayor replied, not looking at Cloud, and walking even faster. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."

Cloud frowned, though not really surprised. Somehow he had expected that.

"But don't you see that these monsters pose a danger not just to Cosmo Canyon, but to all of us. They've never organized like this before. If they all ban together they will be a formidable fighting force, one that no single city could beat. They could sweep across the entire continent. Who knows, maybe Junon will be next."

The mayor stopped and looked at him skeptically.

"I think you're exagerrating the situtation," he said. "They are no threat to Junon. They're not even on this continent. Cosmo Canyon does not even have an army, it would be easy for a few monsters to band together to wreak havoc there, but Junon is a large city, with it's own army. Even if they could get here, those monsters are no threat to us."

"But Cosmo Canyon needs your help," Cloud tried.

The mayor shook his head and started walking again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I fell bad for them, but it's their own fault. They should have been more vigilant. I have enough of my own concerns to take care of right here in Junon. I don't have the resources to spare. Money is tight. Do you know how much it would cost to send an army to Cosmo Canyon?"

"What difference does it make?" Cloud protested. "They need your help. If it was Junon that had been overrun, don't you think they would send help?"

"As I already pointed out, Cosmo Canyon does not have an army. If the situation were reversed they couldn't help us even if they wanted to."

"So you're just going to do nothing," Cloud said, anger creeping into his voice. He hadn't even worded it as a question.

The reached the entrance to the building, and the mayor stopped once again right in front of the door.

"Look young man, I'd like nothing more than to help the people of Cosmo Canyon. But it's not as simple as that. It's easy for you and Avalanche. You have no responsibilities. You go where you wish, do what you want, help whereever and whenever you see fit. You run all over the place stirring up things and tell everyone you're doing it all for the good of the planet. And that's fine. You have done some good in the past, but that doesn't give you the right to lecture me. It's easy for you, you don't have to answer to anyone, but my responsibility is to the people of Junon. Sure the people of Junon care about Cosmo Canyon, but not enough to see their sons marching off to war and dying for it. We've got our own problems here, and that's what I'm concerned about. Now I really must be going."

The mayor walked out the door. Cloud stood in the doorway looking at him, anger etched on his features. He had know all along they were probably wasting their time, but he still couldn't help but feel frustrated that the mayor could be so shortsighted.

"This isn't a problem that is going to go away on it's own," Cloud called after him. "You're not talking about a random group of monsters gathering together. This is a coordinated attack by Jenova."

The mayor waved his hand dismissively without looking back. A car pulled up to the curb in front of him and he opened the door to step in.

"Just to let you know, you're not gonna get my vote in the next election," Cloud shouted, ignoring the fact that, since he was not a citizen of Junon, he would not get to vote in that election. The mayor disappeared into the car. A moment later it pulled away from the curb and merged into the traffic in the street. Cloud stood there for and watched it until it disappeared around the corner.

"Moron," he muttered.

He went inside and walked back to the office. The others were standing in the hallway outside the door. Reeve came over to him when they saw him approaching.

"Where'd you go?" he asked. "There's a water fountain right there."

Cloud recounted his run in with the mayor. Reeve snorted when he was done.

"Figures," he said disgustedly. "The man has no spine at all. When the secretary told us he was gone, we suspected it was something like this."

Aeris came up beside him.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Continue on to Fort Condor just like we had planned," Cloud replied. "It ins't like this came as any big shock. I didn't think we'd get much help here."

He led them back outside once more. They had come into Junon earlier in the day by ship. Now they started walking down the road.

"Let's find out if Zack has gotten us some decent transportation," Cloud said.

The ship that had brought them over had not had accomodations for their chocobos, so they had been forced to sell them before they left. They had sent Zack off to find them whatever he could to get them on their way. Cloud had no desire to continue on foot, he knew they wouldn't stand a chance that way against mounted foes.

They took the elevator down to the lower level of Junon. They had told Zack they would meet him near the beach. They reached the stairway leading down to the sea, but there was no sign of him. Aeris sat down on the steps, hugging her knees and looking out at the ocean. Reeve sat down nearby, while Cloud stood there, his arms folded across his chest.

There were quite a few people on the beach. Cloud surveyed them casually. None of them caught his eye until he spotted one young girl near the base of the steps, looking up at him. They recognized one another almost simultaniously.

"Priscilla," Cloud exclaimed, breaking into a grin.

"Cloud!" she said, hurrying up the steps and stopping right in front of him, a broad smile on her face. "You've come back to Junon. It's about time. I've been waiting for you. Have you come back to marry me?"

Aeris turned and looked at Cloud, a bemused smile on her face, while he stammered for an answer.

"Uhh, I...um...don't you think you're still a little young yet?" he finally managed to say.

"I'm nearly fifteen," she responded. "I have a cousin out in the country who got married at sixteen, and I act much more mature than she does."

Cloud seemed to think this over for a while, trying to buy some time.

"Still," he said, "there's no rush is there? I don't know whether I'm ready for that kind of commitment just yet."

She thought about that for a moment.

"Well, all right," she said finally. "But you better make up your mind soon. A lot of the other boys have said they like me, but I told them I was waiting for you."

She turned and looked at Aeris suddenly.

"And don't you try to steal him from me," she exclaimed.

Aeris eyebrows went up. She kept a straight face with some difficulty. Finally she mananged an innocent look.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she replied.

Priscilla turned back toward Cloud, somewhat mollified. But then she looked up as Zack suddenly appeared and walked up to them.

"There you are," Cloud said. "We were starting to think you had gotten lost."

Zack started to reply but was cut off by Priscilla.

"Who are you?" she said.

He looked at her curiously.

"My name is Zack," he replied.

She looked back and forth between him and Cloud for a few moments.

"Hey, you're cute too. Are you two brothers?"

"No," Cloud answered. He glanced over at Aeris for a moment. "But you're not the first person to notice the resemblence."

Cloud explained to Zack how they had met Priscilla.

"So if you didn't come to see me, what are you doing here?" Priscilla asked when he was done. "Are you going to be in town long?"

"Actually we're just passing through," Cloud replied. "We had to talk to the mayor, and now we're headed for Fort Condor."

"You're going to leave already?" she said in surprise. "You can stay for a little while, can't you? At least come over to my house for a bit. I bet my Dad would be glad to see you."

"Well, we don't want to impose," Cloud began.

"Oh, don't be silly," she replied, getting excited about the idea. "He won't mind. C'mon."

She started off. Cloud looked at the others, but no one said anything. Finally he shrugged and followed after her. Her home was right across the street, just up a long wooden stairway. She ushered them in quickly and called out to her parents. Her father came in and recognized Cloud immediately. His look of surprise was replaced by a wide grin. He came over and shook all their hands and invited them to sit down and relax. Her mother came in and asked them if they wanted to stay for dinner. Cloud could see a stew simmering on the stove and the smell of baking bread wafted through the air, reminding him that he hadn't had a good home cooked meal since he had left Kalm. He looked at the others again, and they all seemed to have the same idea. Soon they were all sitting at the table eating the stew and freshly baked bread and reminiscing about the first adventure together.

After the meal was completed Priscilla's Mom cleared off the table while Cloud told her husband what had been happening lately.

He told him about their latest adventures, and the start of it all with the attacks and the bombing of the bar in Kalm. He continued the story and when he got to the part about the attack on Cosmo Canyon the man nodded thoughtfully.

"I've been hearing rumors about that for a few days now," he said. "Just when we all thought things were starting to get better. It's a bad omen."

"We came here to try to get Mayor Hart to send some help, but he wouldn't listen."

"He's just a good for nothing butt kisser, if you'll excuse the expression," the man replied, glancing at Priscilla. "Doesn't surprise me one bit that he won't help. So what are you going to do now?"

"Head on to Fort Condor," Cloud replied. "They've got an army there too, and they might be more willing to listen to reason. Especially after we helped them in the battle against Shinra."

"I see," Priscilla's father responded thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, I know there's no way to talk any sense into our wonderful mayor. You've been on the road a couple of days now. You're welcome to stay the night and get a decent rest if you wish."

"That's very kind of you, but we really need to get going. I'd like to get to Fort Condor as soon as possible," Cloud replied.

"Can't you stay a little longer?" Priscilla exclaimed, looking disappointed.

Her father gave her a look and she shut her mouth.

"Of course," he said, "but at least stay to have some dessert. If my nose hasn't failed me that is a peach pie I smell in the oven. You wouldn't want to miss out on that, they're the best in the city."

"Why Conrad," they heard floating in from the kitchen. "I hadn't thought you'd noticed."

"Why do you think I married you?" he replied.

He glanced back at Cloud, who nodded. Priscilla looked terribly pleased.

Cloud stood up and walked over to the window, looking out. The sun was dropping toward the horizen, long shadows growing from the houses along the street. He felt the urge to move on. He didn't really know why, but he felt uneasy. It seemed to him it wasn't a good idea to stay in any one place for too long.

He pulled out the PHS and dialed a number. He stood there for a minute with the instrument to his ear, then put it away and looked at the others.

"I still can't get through to Kalm," he said.

"The phones have been down since yesterday," Conrad filled him in. "Another wonderful job by our mayor, I suppose."

"Maybe," Cloud said dubiously. He hadn't thought that the jamming would reach this far. It made him even more uneasy.

Priscilla's Mom came in and set the pie down on the table. Like everything else she had made, it smelled wonderful. Cloud sat down again as she passed out slices. He accepted his and took a bite. It was delicious. Tifa would be jealous.

He finished off the piece quickly, all the while not being able to shake off the uneasy feeling. If anything, it increased. He looked around nervously and noticed that Zack had not eaten at all, but was just sitting in his chair, a far away look on his face.

Aeris seemed to notice as well.

"You really should try the pie, Zack," she suggested. "It's delicious."

Zack sat there as if he hadn't heard. The others were all looking at him now.

"Zack?" Aeris said slowly.

He suddenly stood up, his face pale.

"We have to go," he stated.

Everyone except Cloud looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"What are you talking about?" Aeris asked, a look of concern on her face.

"They're here," he said. "We have to go."

"Who's here?" Reeve asked.

"The riders," Cloud stated with sudden certainty. "Jenova's disciples."

Zack looked at him and nodded his head.

They all got up and there was a flurry of motion as they gathered their belongings together. Conrad stood up as well.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he questioned.

"You've done more than enough," Cloud replied. "We must leave. We're endangering all of you."

"How the hell did they find us?" Reeve muttered.

"I don't know," Cloud replied thoughtfully. It seemed more than a coincdence that the riders would find them so quickly. Either they were followed or someone had betrayed their location.

"You think Hart sold us out?" Zack questioned, putting into words what they were all thinking.

"I don't know," Cloud repeated. "But it wouldn't surprise me. Looks like the whole idea of coming here was just one big mistake."

The others looked at him. They were ready to go.

"Zack, did you find us some transportation?" he asked. With all that had happened with meeting Priscilla and her family again, he had forgotten to ask.

"Yeah," Zack replied. "It's parked down the block."

"Let's go then." Cloud turned to Conrad. "Thank you for everything."

"I just wish I could do more," the man replied.

Cloud nodded but said nothing more, instead hurrying out the door, the others right behind. They reached the bottom of the stairs and headed off in the direction Zack indicated. None of them noticed Priscilla slip out of the house and cautiously follow them down the street.

They walked quickly down the street, all of them looking around warily. Zack had sensed the disciples, and Cloud had felt...somthing. He had felt Jenova as far away as Gongaga when he had been in Cosmo Canyon. The disciples had obviously been injected with cells from this new Jenova. They could undoubtly detect his and Zack's presense, just as he could feel theirs, at least as well, perhaps better. They had to know they were close.

They were half way down the block when he saw a dark figure back behind them, past Priscilla's house, near the elevator to the upper levels. Cloud knew, he knew right away.

"Run," he exclaimed.

They all took off down the street as fast as they could run. Cloud looked back and saw the figure fast approaching. He could make it out clearly now. It was one of the men all right, still mounted on one of those peculiar black chocobos. He was gaining rapidly.

"How much further?" Cloud said sharply, looking at Zack.

"Around the corner," he replied, pointing ahead.

Cloud looked behind them again. The rider was in full gallop, approaching rapidly. Suddenly he saw another appear coming up the stairs from the beach. Cloud glance over at Aeris, who was having trouble keeping up with them. It was obvious they would be caught before they reached the corner.

Cloud suddenly slowed down.

"We can't outrun them," he said. "Zack, go ahead and get the vehicle. We'll try to hold them off."

The others slowed down with him. Zack had started to slow down as well, but then nodded and raced off. Cloud stopped and pulled out his sword. He stepped forward until he was between the riders and Aeris. He saw Reeve come up beside him, shotgun ready.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered.

Cloud did not reply. The first rider was almost upon them now. He held a long sword in his hand. Almost as long as Cloud's but not nearly as wide.

With a yell Cloud leaped forward, swinging his own sword in a murderous arc. The rider twisted out of the way, in the process nearly falling from the saddle. Apparently he had not expected Cloud to be so dextrous with the huge blade. But the rider recovered quickly. He came at Cloud again, his sword flashing like lightening, and Cloud quickly found himself on the defensive, slowly being forced back. The man was good, better than anyone he had faced in a long time.

The second rider was almost upon them now. He raised his sword and aimed a blow at Cloud as well, but suddenly reeled back, stunned by the blast from Reeve's shotgun. He too recovered quickly, and came on again, seeming no worse for the wear.

Reeve fired again, hitting his mark and sending the rider spinning backwards one more time. Immediately Reeve dropped his weapon nnd pulled out a materia orb. A moment later fire shot up around both the riders.

The first rider contnued to slowly force Cloud backwards, but Cloud was now starting to go into a fighting frenzy, letting his instincts take over. He redoubled his efforts, and almost matched the rider strike for strike, until he was no longer retreating. But neither one seemed to be able to get in a killing blow.

The other rider changed tactics suddenly and rode straight at Aeris. Reeve concentrated on that one, blasting it again and again with the fire materia, but it didn't seem to be having much effect, and he didn't want to waste time picking out another one.

The second riders sword swung, only to clang loudly against the Princess Guard. Aeris stumbled, the blow blocked but the strength of it nearly knocking her off her feet.

Cloud saw that Aeris was in trouble, but there was nothing he could do. He was fully occupied fighting the rider in front of him.

He happened to glance down the road and saw yet another rider approaching them.

"Shit," he muttered.

Aeris blocked three more blows, each one seeming to stike with greater force than the last. The final one knocked her off her feet. The rider swung again, and she managed to dodge out of the way, partially blocking it with her rod once again.

Reeve cast fire one more time, but by know he realized it wasn't going to do the trick. Aeris appeared to be in desperate trouble. With sudden resolve he ran forward and slammed into the hindquarters of the rider's chocobo.

The chocobo stumbled and the rider had to fight to hold it up for a moment, allowing Aeris to scramble out of the way. The rider turned and swung his sword at Reeve, who dodged but still felt white hot pain shoot through his arm. He fell to the ground.

The rider ignored him, turning to Aeris again.

Aeris heard the roar of an engine. She turned to see a hum vee racing down the street towards them. The rider in front of her paused and looked at it for a second. It screeched to a halt nearby. Aeris could see Zack at the wheel. Suddenly green light flared in his hands.

The two riders were thrown back as the blast from Ultima struck them

"Hurry up!" Zack shouted.

Aeris ran to the vehicle and jumped in beside Zack. Cloud reached down and grabbed hold of Reeve, practically dragging him to the vehicle and tossing him roughly in the back before leaping in himself. Even as he did so he glanced back to see that yet a forth rider had appeared.

"We're in," he shouted.

Instantly the hum vee swung around and raced off down the road. The riders gave chase, and at first gained rapidly on them, until one was just a single chocobo length behind, but then the hum vee started to pull ahead. Slowly at first, but then picking up speed. A moment later Cloud saw the riders stop, all four of them together,watching the hum vee race away.

"We did it!" Cloud exclaimed.

Reeve sat up beside him, looking back, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He could hardly believe they had gotten away. But then he noticed a dark shadow forming above the riders heads. It swirled about them, finally coalescing to form an inky black hole above them.

"They're using that summon thing," he shouted. He looked up into the front. "Go, go go!"

Zack had slowed down at Cloud's exclaimation, but now he floored it. The hum vee leaped ahead once more, racing up a low hill toward the outskirts of town.

Reeve looked back again. The figures were small now, but the blackness above them had grown large. Once more he felt the despair they had all felt when they had looked into that lightless hole back at Cosmo Canyon. He turned away and gritted his teeth, praying that the hum vee would go faster.

They reached the crest of the hill and plunged down beyond it just as, in a flash of blackness, the world exploded behind them.

For a moment the whole car shook, and Reeve thought for sure that Zack would lose control and they would go flying off the road into a deep gully that ran beside it. But he managed to retain control. For a moment longer the roar of the blast echoed in their ears, then it faded away. When Reeve looked back the road behind them was empty, the riders could no longer be seen.

He turned and looked at Cloud.

"Damn that was close."

Cloud nodded but said nothing. Reeve shifted his weight and groaned suddenly as pain shot through his shoulder.

"Better have Aeris take a look at that," Cloud stated. He sat back and stared into the darkness behind them, unhappy with himself. They had gotten away, but it had been too close for comfort. It had been a stupid mistake to go to Junon, to talk to the mayor. He had almost gotten them all killed. If they expected to survive, he couldn't make any more stupid mistakes. 

Rios sat on his chocobo in the middle of the street, surrounded by the other disciples. He remained there unmoving for a long time, and none of the others dared disturb him. They had come so close, and had let the crystal materia slip through their fingers. The Healer would not be happy to hear this. He would not be happy at all.

"Should we follow?" Fielder eventually asked.

Rios shook his head slowly. There was no way they were going to catch that vehicle on chocobos, no matter how fast their's were. They had been lucky enough to get the tip that they were here. They might never get that type of chance again.

"No," he replied slowly, controlling the anger that was trying to well up inside him. "We would never catch them."

"So what do we do?" Garn questioned.

Rios did not reply, just bowed his head, deep in thought. Perhaps they were going about this the wrong way. Their quarry could go anywhere from here, leading them all over the planet. They could chase them forever and not catch up. But maybe there was another way. Maybe there was a way to bring their quarry to them.

"Our spies have reported that Avalanche has scattered far and wide," he said thoughtfully. "But there is one member who has not moved since this all began. Perhaps if we captured that one, we could convince our prey to come to us."

He lifted his head and looked at the others, suddenly pleased with his plan.

"No, we're not going to follow them. We're going to go in another direction entirely. From here we head north, to Kalm."

With that he spurred his chocobo forward, and they all galloped away down the road. A moment after they had disappeared a small figure came out from behind a large barrel that stood in front of one of the buildings not far from where the riders had been. Priscilla looked around for a moment, to be sure that the riders were really gone, then she ran down the road as fast as she could, back toward her home.

She wasn't sure what was going on, but it was obvious Cloud and his friends were in trouble. From what Cloud had told her father and what she had overheard, the riders were after that other girl. What was her name... Tifa. That was it. Cloud had said she had been hurt, and was at the hospital, probably helpless, and Cloud didn't know what the riders intended. She had to warn him somehow.

She ran up the stairs in front of her house and burst in the door. Her father was sitting in his favorite chair, beside the fireplace which now was burning brightly. It had started to get chilly at night, and he had been lighting it the last few days.

He looked up at her sharply.

"What's your rush?" he asked.

She hesitated for just a moment.

"I need to use our chocobo," she said.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Whatever for?"

"I need to go to Fort Condor," she replied. "I need to warn Cloud."

"You'll do no such thing," he replied. "You're only fourteen. I'm not going to let you ride all the way to Fort Condor by yourself, with darkness about to fall. It's out of the question."

"But I need to help Cloud," she protested.

"He can take care of himself," Conrad replied. "He's proven that already. I know you're worried about him, but I'm sure he'll be fine."

"But..." she began, but he held up his hand.

"No buts, young lady. No daughter of mine is going to go running around in the wild at night. I think you might be taking this crush a little too seriously."

"It has nothing to do with that..." she began, but then shut her mouth. It was obvious her father was not going to listen. She stood there for a moment in silence, then turned and stomped off to her room.

She flung herself down on her bed and lay there, her head propped up on her hands. It was obvious her father was not going to listen to reason, but it was also obvious that she couldn't just ignore what she had heard. She had to do something, no matter what the consequences.

It didn't take her long to make up her mind. She rarely disobeyed her father, but in this case it seemed she had no choice. She sat there for a few minutes longer, her mind made up but still hesistant. Then with sudden resolve she pulled herself up. She walked over to the window and opened it slowly, so no one would hear. She slipped out onto the roof, then rapidly made her way over to a tree that grew by the side of the house. She had exited this way before a few times, only when it was really important, of cousre. She figured this qualified. She scampered down the tree and made her way to the small stable that stood behind the house. Ten minutes later, as light started to fade from the sky around her, a chocobo trotted out of the stable with her mounted on it. She glanced one last time at her house. She could see the fire flickering in the window above her.

"I'm really going to get it this time," she muttered.

She turned and spurred the chocobo forward, and in a few minutes the houses of Junon were fading away behind her.

Chapter Text

"Relax," Nipala said.

They stood in a small camp hidden in a deep valley in the mountains east of Cosmo Canyon, the third one they had moved to since they had been forced to leave the canyon.Red looked at her but did not stop his pacing.

"I should have gone with them," he said.

It was the third time he had told her that.

"You've been taking enough risks as it is," she explained to him once again. "You can't be at the forefront of every battle, no matter how you may feel about it. You're a good warrior, Nanaki, but you've been taking too many chances."

Red growled low in his throat. They had gone over this already, at a meeting earlier in the day. The others had all agreed he was being reckless, and had convinced him to remain behind for the latest attack. Actually it was more like they had bullied him. With Illyanova, Nipala and Barret all ganging up against him, even the legendary protector of Cosmo Canyon had had to bow to their will.

But that didn't mean he had to like it.

"What if something goes wrong?" he muttered.

"They'll be able to handle it," Nipala replied. "Barret knows what he's doing, and so does Brogan."

Red nodded slowly. They had gone over that too. They had launched almost a dozen attacks since the fall of the canyon. Never at the same time or place. Their success depending on them doing the unexpected, on taking their foes by surprise. They had been fairly successful, but Red knew they were too few to do any real damage. Still, it was the best they could do. To further confuse their enemy, they had decided to launch a two pronged attack today, something they had never done before. Barret had taken a force just north of the entrance of the Canyon, almost onto the plain itself. Even though their enemy was not shipping materia to Gongaga, they still had to send supplies back and forth between the two cities. The shipments had been fairly regular and Barret had been sent to intercept one of them.

Brogan, the highest ranking member of the Cosmo Canyon guards who still retained the ability to fight, had been sent west to attack a small force that Red thought was surveying the mountains for a new source of materia. Their scouts had told them that both groups were lightly defended. Brogan was a competent man but still young at 22. Even though he had lived his whole life with them, Red still sometimes could not get used to the fact that these humans matured so quickly. One of his own species at 22 would barely be out of infancy.

Nipala looked at Nanaki sympathetically. She knew this must be incredibly difficult for him. She had barely gotten to see Cosmo Canyon before they had been driven away, but even in that short time she had grown to care for the red clay hills and peaceful people who lived there. Nanaki had lived there all his life and had a tradition of safeguarding it that went back generations. She looked at him, still pacing, and wondered if there were anything she could do.

She uncurled from the spot on the floor where she had been resting and trotted over to him, stopping as he paced by. He looked at her for a moment but she said nothing, and he continued past. When he came by a second time she suddenly cuffed him in the side of the head with her paw.

He looked at her in surprise.

"What was the purpose of that?" he questioned.

Nipala shrugged.

"I just felt like annoying you," she replied.

He gave her and odd look and walked away. She immediately followed and smacked him again on the flank, knocking him off balance.

"Would you stop that!" he exclaimed, turning to face her.

"Hey lighten up," she replied. "When was the last time you had any fun?"

He looked at her darkly.

"This is no time for fun," he said seriously.

"Why not?" she responded. "I know how you feel, but we're doing everything we can, and life goes on. There's nothing for you to do right now, so why can't you just relax. C'mon, I'll race you to the top of the ridge."

She motioned toward the top of the hill behind him.

"Don't be ridiculous," he replied.

"C'mon," she said. "Why not?"

He looked around slowly. Already they had caught the attention of some of the others in camp. He could see Illyanova sitting beside a tent, looking at him thoughtfully.

"It would be...undignified," he responded.

"Oh, please," she said, "You're taking yourself way too seriously. Are you trying to tell me the humans with think less of their great leader if he enjoys himself every once in a while?"

She lunged forward once again, smacking at his left hindleg, and nearly knocking him over once more.

"If you persist in continuing I will be forced to retaliate," he stated.

"Ohhh, I'm so scared," she replied.

She lunged at him again. This time he twisted round and slapped at her, but his paw met nothing but air as she spun back safely out of the way.

"You're going to have to be a lot quicker than that," she taunted.

"Would you please stop," he said, glaring at her. "You're making me look foolish."

"You can say that again," she retorted. "And I'm not done yet."

She ran forward again, feinting toward his head. As he turned to protect himself she suddenly sprang once more toward his back legs, this time slamming full into him, and he really was knocked off his feet, with her on top of him.

She leaped off even as he lunged for her again. With a growl he jumped up and chased after her. She ran through the camp, passing right in front of Illyanova, and scrambled up the ridge beyond, Red right behind her and closing fast. Several men who were nearby looked at them in surprise, and a few of them started for their weapons, but with a shake of the head and smile from Illyanova, their hands dropped to their sides.

Nipala raced up the ridge. She made it to the top still ahead, and then plunged down the other side. But when Red reached the top he hurled himself into the air, clearing nearly twenty vertical feet downward and landing right on top of her. They both tumbled to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. For a few minutes they buffetted each other with smacks from their paws as they wrestled for position, but eventually Red's superior weight was too much for Nipala, and she found herself pinned down, struggling helplessly beneath him.

"All right," she said, stopping her struggling. "I give up. Now get off me, you big lug."

Red lifted himself up and let Nipala slip out from beneath him, then lay back down. Nipla laid down at his side, both of them catching their breath in the shade of a large upjutting finger of rock.

"I don't think your presitage has suffered any," Nipala commented.

Red looked at her and smiled. No matter how much he tried to hide it, no matter what his responsibilities, he was still really only a teenager in his own species years. He had lived his whole life with humans. There had been no other children of his own kind for him to interact with. He had forgotten what was like to play.

"Thank you," he said, looking at her gratefully.

She did not reply but rested her head on his foreleg.

Red lifted his head and gazed out across the the mountains surrounding them. He could see Cosmo Canyon in the dsitance. He could see the rounded outline of the observatory. He didn't know what the monsters had done to the canyon, and he was sure they would find many unpleasent things when they returned there, but he was relived that at least the observatory still stood. Of course he could also see the Mako reactor heside it, now apparently completed and much larger than the observatory it stood next to. And beside that....

He stood up suddenly, staring off into the distance. Nipala looked at him and then stood up as well.

"What is it?" she asked.

He nodded his head in the direction of the canyon.

"Look there," he said. "Beside the new reactor. What is that?"

She looked toward the canyon as well. His eyesight was good, better than any man in the canyon, but her's was better.

"It looks like..." she said slowly. "...a cannon."

He stood beside her, not reacting to her statement. He could see it too, and had known the answer even before she had confirmed it. It was a cannon, but he knew it was not just any cannon.

It was a Mako cannon.

Suddenly he seemed very aggitated.

"No wonder our targets are so lightly defended," he went on. He had seen the power of a Mako cannon, when Diamond weapon and Sephiroths shield had been destroyed by Sister Ray. Even though this cannon was only powered by a single reactor, it was still a formidable weapon.

"We've got to call off the attacks," he said with sudden urgency. "If they fire that thing, a direct hit could wipe out our entiire force."

She stood there for a moment assimilating this information.

"I'll go warn Barret," she said suddenly. Then she sprang off down the steep slope before he could say a word.

He looked after her for a moment. He should be the one to warn Barret. He was faster than her, and Barret was furhter away. But she was already at the bottom of the hill, racing away quickly. By the time he ran after her, they would have wasted too much time. With a soft growl he turned and ran up the slope, heading east toward Brogan.

Again heads turned toward him as he ran past the camp, but he paid them no mind, and in moments he had disappeared from view into the almost trackless hills and gullies that surrounded their hidden camp.

He ran as fast as he could. The way was steep and trecherous, but he was sure footed, and knew these hills as well as anyone. Less than ten minutes later he had located Brogan, who had his men spread out behind the creast of a small hill, poised to attack the group of men and monsters walking through a narrow valley below.

Red quickly explained the situation, then immediately took off once again, leaving Brogan to gather his men together and head back to the camp. Red, meanwhile, ran east, back towards the canyon itself. He knew he could do nothing for Barret, he could not possibly beat Nipala to him now. Whatever happened to them, it was out of his hands.

He quickly climbed up a rocky precipice and looked once more towards Cosmo Canyon. He was closer now, and could see the cannon easily. There seemed to be a number of figures moving around beneath it. Even as he watched he saw the gun moving, rotating slowly on it's base as the barrel lifted into the air, and he knew with sudden certainty that they were taking aim.

A moment later the cannon stopped. He stood there, rooted to the spot as he saw a white light begining to take form in front of the barrel. It shimmered and swirled, and then suddenly came into sharp focus. Red stared helplessly as an enormous ball of glowing energy shot out of the cannon, arching up gracefully into the air. He saw it rise, up higher, fading away into the distance. Then, inevitably, falling back down. even as it faded far into the distance in the west, dropping until he could no longer see it. There was a flash of light along the horizen, and a few moments later he felt a tremor run through the ground beneath him. Even this far away, he could feel the effects.

With a sudden ache burning in his heart, he scrambled down the hill and ran off towards the west where the weapon had struck. 

Barret ran out from a line of trees, firing rapidly at the monsters among the supply wagons in front of him. The thirty men with him had already reached the line of wagons in front of them and were fighting hand to hand. There were opposed by a nearly equal number of their foes, but had used the advantage of surprise to cut down that numner almost immediately. The defenders seemed to be even more disorganized than Barret was used to from their enemy, and almost half of those left scattered and ran as soon as his force had revealed itself. In minutes their foe had been routed.

There were six wagons in all, and now Barret stood beside the last in line as his men rummaged through them. They would take the most useful items, but they were too few to carry away more than a fraction of what was here. The rest would be burned, and he could see one man in front of him already with torch in hand. Nothing would be left for their enemy to put to use.

Barret wheeled around, gun raised, having caught a sudden motion out of the corner of his eye, but then he let his arm fall as he saw a red beast running out of the forest toward him. For a moment he thought it was Red, but then he saw the shock of blond hair and realized it was Nipala.

He looked at her expentanly and slightly puzzled as she scrambled to a halt beside him. This had not been part of the plan, and she seemed upset.

"We must go!" she blurted out between gulps of air from the long run.

She quickly explained the situation. Barret graaped it immediately. He looked towards Cosmo Canyon, but the observatory blocked his view from this direction. Still, he had seen once before what one of those cannons could do. He no desire to feels it's effects.

He turned toward the others.

"Retreat!" he shouted, his deep voice immediately commanding everyone's attention. "Back to the woods. It's a trap!"

Most of the men ran towards the forest immediately. Three of the wagons were ablaze now. The man with the torch hesitated and looked at Barret.

"What about these?" he questioned, indicating the remaining wagons.

"Forget about them," Barret replied. He knew if the cannon fired at them the explosion would destroy the wagons even more efficienlty than burning them. He was sure their enemy would gladly sacrifice the goods, as well as their own people, if need be, to destroy Barret and his men.

The man dropped the torch and followed the others towards the forest, running as fast as he could. Barret followed behind, with Nipala pacing along side, even though he knew she could easily outdistance him.

Nipala kept glancing back at Cosmo Canyon. She had never seen what kind of damage a Mako cannon could do, but she had a feeling she didn't want to find out. Still, she couldn't help but think that perhaps Red had overreacted. No one had seen the gun the day before, and for all they knew it might not even be completed yet. Even if it was done, Cosmo Canyon was a long way off, and they were an awfully small target. It would be difficult to hit them from such a distance.

She glanced back yet again, and this time she saw a bright ball of light shooting up into the sky above the canyon.

Barret noticed it as well. He immediately put on a burst of speed.

"Here she comes," he yelled. "Better all get your asses under cover!"

They had reached the edge of the trees now. Barret plunged into the wood and threw himself down behind a low mound covered with young elm trees. Nipala hesitated a moment, looking back once more. She could see the ball of light growing fast, hurtling down toward them.

She leaped over the mound and landed beside Barret just as the blast hit. The ground rocked beneath them, and a blinding white light flashed from the plain they had just vacated. Nipala looked up to see the trees in front of them being torn from the ground and thrown like matchsticks above them. Then she cowered down, covering he head with her paws.

Slowly the trembling of the ground faded. She waited for it to stop completely, but it did not. Then she realized it was she who was trembling.

Slowly she lifted her head. The plain beyond, where they had stood just a few minutes ago, was utterly destroyed. Fires burned though what vegiation remained, although there was not much. The wagons had been completely annihilated.

She sat there looking around for a few moments, hardly able to believe the damage that had been caused. Only two tress remained of the grove of elms that had covered the mound in front of them, and both were leaning precariously. She realized here earlier assessment had been wrong. Red had been absolutely right to be worried.

"Everyone all right?" she heard Barret call out beside her.

They quickly assessed the damage to their party and found out it had been surprisingly light. Just five wounded, and only one seriously. It could have been a lot worse, Barret thought. If not for Nipala'a warning...

"Thanks," he said, looking at her.

"It is Nanaki you should be thanking," she replied. "It was he who spotted the cannon in the first place."

Barret nodded.

"I'll do that," he replied. He stood beside Nipala and looked out over the damage. He had seen what the cannon could do before, but even so, he was still impressed.

He turned to face back toward the canyon. Whatever else happened now, he knew they could no longer continue the raids they were staging on their enemies at Cosmo Canyon. The cannon changed that. If they were to continue, they would have to come up with some other strategy.

"Well, we better get out of here," he said, "Before they decide that one shot might not be enough to do the job.

Nipala needed no urging, and followed quickly as Barret led them back through the woods, back once more toward the safety of their hideout in the hills.

"We're almost there," Yuffie said.

"Obviously," Reno replied. They could both clearly see the tops of the houses on the outskirts of Wutai peeking above the trees ahead of them.

Yuffie gave him a dark look but did not reply. Reno looked down at himself. They had stopped at a farmers house late last night after their little excursion through the mud and had gotten cleaned up. Reno had replaced his torn shirt with another one the farmer had given him. It was old and not his style, and even worse, it was yellow, a color he hated, but beggers can't be choosey, and it would do until he could get into Wutai and find a replacement.

They had been following a wide dirt trail that lead toward the town, but now Yuffie suddenly veered off to the side.

"Where are you going?" Reno questioned.

"It's quicker this way," she replied, nodding toward a grove of trees in the distance.

Reno hesitated a moment, then followed. They passed through a wide field covered with wildflowers. The grove of trees ahead seemed to be some kind of fruit tree. They were spaced out in even rows, obviously planted by some farmer, though the grove did not appear to be very large. As they approached Reno saw a stone wall surrounding it. He could see no gate in it.

They reached the wall. It was made of a grey slatelike stone, and ran about six feet high. Yuffie quickly leaped up and hauled herself to the top. She turned and looked at him expentantly.

He stood there looking at her without moving. He wasn't really in the mood to be climbing any walls.

"I think I'll just go around," he said.

"What's the matter, you'd rather go all the way around than climb over the wall? I knew you were lazy, but I didn't you were that lazy. But fine, suit yourself. I'll just explain the whole situation to Godo before you get there."

Reno folded his arms across his chest. The wall wasn't any big deal, and he didn't want Yuffie to talk to Godo without him being there. God knows what she would tell him.

He hesitated a moment more, then walked to the wall and pulled himself up as well.

They both dropped down to the other side. Yuffie immediately walked off under the trees, and Reno followed. He had never seen trees like this before. They were covered with deep green wide bladed leaves. He could see a small red fruit hanging below the leaves on many of the trees, almost like a group of small plums growing together. He stopped for a moment to examine one group. The skin was soft and slightly fuzzy. He wondered what the fruit was called. He turned to ask Yuffie.

"Halt!"

Reno spun around to see a man standing a short distance away. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He was dressed in traditional samauri garb, and held a long katana in his hand. Now he stepped toward Reno, weapon poised menacingly in front of him.

"Who are you who dares enter Lord Godo's sacred grove?" the man asked sharply.

Reno looked at them man casually, obviously not impressed.

"Relax, samauri boy," he stated. "I'm with Lord Godo's daughter."

The man did not relax his guard, but came up closer, until the sword was dangerous close to Reno's neck.

"I see no one else," the man said.

Reno turned around, looking back and forth through the trees around him. Yuffie had vanished.

"Yuffie," he called out.

There was no response.

"Yuffie!" he called again, more urgently.

His only response was the wind through the trees.

"Come with me," he man said sternly. Reno looked at him. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his face quickly lost it's casual air and became red with rage.

The man motioned with his weapon, and Reno turned and walked in the indicated direction.

"I'm gonna kill her," he muttered.

He felt the point of the blade against his back.

"Be careful," the man said sharply. "To enter the sacred grove without permisiion is twenty lashes in the town square, to threaten the life of Lord Godo's daughter would mean your death."

Reno walked on, biting his lip in silence. His hand slowly slipped down to his nightstick. But he did not use it. So far, what he had done could be explained away once Yuffie decided she had had enough fun, but if he attacked the man, that could get him in real trouble. If he was going to have any chance of a payday here in Wutai, he would just have to play along with Yuffie's little joke. He just hoped she wouldn't string him along for too long.

Three hours later he was cooling his heels in a small windowless cell when Yuffie finally made an appearence. She walked in and looked around casually. Reno glanced at the guard and resisted the urge to jump up and issue a string of profanities. Instead he slowly stood up and walked over to the barred door.

Yuffie barely glanced at him but turned to face the guard instead.

"I understand you found someone treapassing in the sacred grove," she said.

"Yes, Miss Yuffie," the man said deferentially.

He pointed to Reno.

"This vagabond had the audacity to claim he had your permission to enter the grove." he said, looking at Reno darkly, obviously of an opinion that such a claim could not possibly be anything more than an outragous lie.

Yuffie turned and looked him over. Her back was to the guard now, and Reno could see she was having difficultly keeping a straight face. He felt his grip tighten visciously on the bars in front of him, all the time wishing it was Yuffie's neck he was holding.

"Ridiculous," Yuffie said, shaking her head slowly.

"True, Miss Yuffie," the guard quickly agreed. "He must be completely addled to have thought I would believe something like that for even a moment."

Yuffie nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I would say so," she said. "I think we'll have to make it thirty lashes for telling such a ridiculous falsehood."

"That would be most appropriate," the guard stated.

Yuffie looked at the guard once more.

"Well, let him out. I'll take him over to Godo for his judgement. Which I am sure will be swift and painful."

The guard hesitated a moment.

"Are you sure that's wise, Miss Yuffie," he said slowly. "Even though he doesn't look like much, he could still be dangerous. Are you sure you don't want an escort?"

Yuffie brushed aside his fears with the wave of her hand.

"Nonsense," she stated. "You know I'm trained to take care of myself. I'm sure he'll be no trouble."

"Very well, Miss Yuffie," the guard said, bowing to her will.

He walked over to the cell and fumbled with the keys for a moment, then the door swung open. Reno stepped out and Yuffie motioned for him to follow as she led him out of the room.

"Don't give her any trouble," the guard admonished as he walked out the door. "Or thirty lashes will be the least of your worries,"

Reno did not respond, just followed after Yuffie, his jaw set.

A moment later they had left the building and stood in the streets of Wutai.

"I hope your estate is in order and you've left all your materia to a good cause because when we leave this town you are dead, dead, dead!" Reno said, showing remarkable restraint.

"Awww, whatsamatter, can't take a joke?" Yuffie questioned.

Reno pulled out his nightstick and started fiddling with the controls.

"Maybe I won't even wait till we leave," he said. "Might be worth it to just fry your little ass right now."

"Ohhh, you say the sweetest things," she retorted. "But you might want to hear me out before you do that."

Reno turned toward her, satisfied that he had found the right setting.

"I've set in on stir-fry. Now come here you little witch."

"I got Godo to agree to hire you," she said.

His expression did not change.

"Nice try, but you're not going to get out of this that easily."

"No really," she responded. "I'm not kidding. You can ask him yourself. And I even got you a new shirt too."

He hesitated and looked at her doubtfully.

"What color?" he asked finally.

"White, of course," she replied.

He stood there looking at her, rubbing his chin in thought. Finally he nodded.

"I'm not sure I believe you. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'd believe you even if you had a signed sworn statement. But I guess I can wait and see. But I'm not going to let you out of my sight, and if you're lying this time..."

He tapped the nightstick against the palm of his hand.

"I told you, I'm not lying," she replied innocently. "Now c'mon, we've got a lot to do. You've goofed off long enough."

"Goofed off?" he exclaimed. "Who's fault was that?"

She did not reply, but hurried off down the road. He trotted after her.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

She did not look back.

"To help Godo gather the troops," she replied. "How you forgotten we've got an army to raise?" 

The two trucks drove slowly across the plain northeast of Gongaga. Cid sat at the wheel of the first one, with Ellengio and Talon beside him. Vincent followed closely behind, with Elena next to him. Rude was in the back of their truck. Elena had offered to let him sit beside her up front, but he had declined.

Elena stared out the window, watching the monotonous scenery go by, but she was anything but bored. She couldn't help but think of what lie ahead. She hadn't been with Avalanche in the north crater, she hadn't faced Jenova. But she knew it hadn't been a pleasent experience. And she had a feeling this one would be even worse. She couldn't help but think back to when they had been here before and how the Healer had lifted that metal grid as if it were nothing.

Both the trucks contained machine parts from Corel. No matter what the Healer's power, he couldn't make parts for his reactor from nothing, nor did they have the factories in Gongaga alone necessary to create all the parts needed for the ever expanding reactor. Some had to be shipped in from somewhere else. Gagnon had been aware of this, and the rebels had comandeered the trucks for them.

She looked at Vincent, driving silently beside her. As usual, his face betrayed nothing.

"Are you worried?" she asked.

Vincent did not turn toward her.

"About what?"

"About fighting Jenova?" she replied. What did he think she was talking about?

Vincent sat in thought for a moment.

"No," he replied. "We'll either defeat him, or we won't. Either way they'll be nothing left for us to worry about."

Elena frowned.

"That's not very reassuring," she replied.

This time he did glance over at her. Why did she seem to have this incessant need to be reassured? Him saying everything would turn out all right would not make it so.

"We'll do the best we can," he said noncommitingly.

She looked at him again, but he did not meet her gaze. For a moment she felt angry, but then it passed. He didn't know what was going to happen any more than she did, it shouldn't make her feel better if he said everything would be all right.

Still, for some reason it would have. She felt anger once more, but this time directed at herself. She was a grown woman who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. On top of that, she was a Turk, and had been trained to think on her feet and handle any situation. She didn't need someone to take care of her. She didn't need the protection of a man.

But she couldn't help it. She wanted the protection of this one.

She turned away and looked out the window again. They could see the houses of Gongaga across the plain ahead of them now. It wouldn't be much longer before they arrived, and then whatever happened would happen. She found her eyes slowly straying back to Vincent. Even though he kept his feelings to himself she had found a closeness with him that she had never before experienced. She didn't want to end. She had been in battles before. She remembered being nervous before some of them, even a little scared. But her fear seemed to be greater this time. Perhaps it was because this time she felt she had more to lose.

"I love you," she found herself saying.

Vincent's expression betrayed nothing, but he reached over and took her hand in his own. She accepted his hand but continued to look at him. She knew he could feel her gaze on him, but he did not look at her.

She felt her anger start to return.

It wouldn't kill him to say it.

She leaned back in her seat and deliberately forced herself to relax. There was no point in getting angry. She knew how he felt about her, he didn't have to say it. She had told herself that many times in the past, and she believed it, but it would be nice to hear it, just once. They didn't know what was going to happen. They didn't know if they were going to survive this confrontation with Jenova. Did he really want it all to end without saying it? Without telling her how he felt?

She wondered if that had even entered his mind.

The truck suddenly slowed. She looked ahead to see some people standing in the road ahead of them, blocking their way. She glanced at Vincent yet again, then sighed. She had vowed to wait, no matter how long it took. She wouldn't forget that, no matter how hard it was.

They stopped. She could see three men standing beside the truck in front of them, one of them talking to Cid. The man glanced back in their direction and she could see the glow in his eyes.

Her hand went beneath her jacket and wrapped around her gun. But she did not take it out. She didn't anticipate them having any problem. Their papers couldn't be more legitimate. They had taken them from the men who had originally been driving the trucks. Still, she wasn't about to be caught off guard. They had been here less than a week ago, all except Ellengio and Talon. It was always possible that one of these men would recognize them.

A few moments later the men stepped back and waved them ahead. Vincent started forward once more and soon they found themselves traveling down the streets of Gongaga.

They stopped in front of Gagnons' house. They all got out and gathered next to Cid's vehicle.

"All right," Ellengio said. "Does anyone have any questions about the plan?"

No one spoke. He hadn't really expected them to. They had gone over it so many times already, if they didn't know it by now, they never would.

"Then let's get going," he stated.

They started down the road on foot, heading for the reactor. The underground had been keeping tabs on the Healer, and he was almost always at the reactor this time of day.

They hadn't gone very far when Talon turned and hurried off in another direction. He was going to contact some of the others in the underground who still remained in Gongaga. They were going to stage a little diversion that they hoped would pull any guards out of the reactor. They would have enough to deal with fighting Jenova, they didn't need his guards around to make it that much more difficult.

Elena watched him walk off, more nervous than ever. They weren't the only one's who were endangering themselves. If they failed, Talon and all the others staging the diversion would be revealed. She didn't think they'd stand much of a chance once that happened.

They came around a corner and she could see the reactor now, looming up ahead of them in the distance. She slowed down, looking at it. It seemed even larger now than it had been when they had been here previously. How many more monsters had it churned out in that time? How many of the people of Gongaga had been turned into twisted shadows of their former selves since then? How many in Cosmo Canyon? And how many more cities after that if nothing was done, if Jenova wasn't stopped?

She vision dropped and she saw that the others had gotten ahead of her. She hurried to catch up, a look of grim determination stealing over her. It didn't matter that she was scared, someone had to do something about this. Whatever price had to be paid, she was willing to pay it. This had to come to an end.

Chapter Text

Fort Condor didn't seem to have changed much from the last time Cloud had seen it. They still had to climb the rope to get inside, which was inconvienent, but Cloud didn't really mind. In fact, he thought it was a good thing. Of all the places they could go this would probably be the hardest one for Jenova's Disciples to penetrate.

Cloud looked around, but he didn't see the old man they had talked to the last time they were here. Instead he saw a young man in a bomber jacket coming over to them.

"Welcome," the man said. "I'm Captain Tananka. It's always a pleasure to see memebers of Avalanche. Is Captian Highwind with you?"

Cloud shook his head.

"No, he had something else he had to do."

Cloud wondered if the others had reached Gongaga yet. The fact that he could not be with them still did not sit well with him. He didn't like this running away. It was not his style. He was not used to sitting on the sidelines while his friends confronted danger. But he knew he could not have gone along with them.

Captain Tanaka looked disappointed.

"So what can we do for you?" he questioend.

Cloud explained what had happened to them and their purpose in coming here.

Captain Tananka nodded when he finished.

"Well, let's go talk to Otus. I'm sure we'll help you any way we can. He'll be glad to see you."

"Thanks," Cloud said.

The Captain led them across the room and up a ladder. Now they stood in the observation room high atop Fort Condor. The old man they had met the first time they had been here stood near the window. He smiled warmly when he saw them.

"Greetings, my friends," he said, walking over to them. "It is good to see you again. It seems you went on to even greater things after you helped us in our battle against Shinra. In fact, it is you we have to thank for their downfall. We are in your debt."

Cloud nodded, looking a little embarrassed. He had never gotten used to the fame they had attained for destroying Shinra and stopping meteor.

"I'm afraid Shinra wasn't the last of our problems," Captain Tananka said.

"That's right," Cloud agreed. Once more he explained what had happened to them and their reason for being here.

Otus nodded slowly when he had finished.

"I see," he said. "Well, of course we'll help as much as we can."

He rubbed his chin thoghtfully.

"We have a well trained force, but I'm afraid it is not very large. Still, I'm sure every little bit helps. I will start to gather our people together immediately. But we are far from Cosmo Canyon. I'm afraid it will take several days for us to muster our forces and get them there."

Cloud nodded, looking at the others. None of them looked particularly happy with that news. He suspected they were of like mind with him and believed that by then the battle would already have been decided, one way or another.

"Very well," he said. "But I would appreciate it if you could speed it up as much as possible. The people of Cosmo Canyon are suffering greatly."

"Of course," Otus replied. "Unfortunately, will still have not replaced the aircraft we lost in the battle with WEAPON at Rocket Town, so our air force is depleted as well. But if it will help I will put Captain Tananka and his aircraft at your disposal immediately."

He looked at the Captain.

"How soon can you fly?"

Captain Tanaka snapped to attention.

"The Vengful Wind is always ready," he replied with more than a hint of pride.

"Thank you, that would be very helpful," Cloud replied. With the Slipsteam's sister ship at their disposal, they could get anywhere in the world within hours. The riders would never be able to catch them now.

"But come," Otus said. "You must be tired from your long journey. I'll have someone take you someplace where you can relax. You are safe from the riders here, at least."

Cloud looked at the others. They were all tired and a bit worn from their earlier encounter with the riders.

"Thanks," he replied. "That would be very kind of you."

Otus and the Captain left the room. Cloud walked over to the window and looked out. He could see the Vengful Wind parked nearby. The condor, of course, was gone. He wondered what had ever happened to it's offspring.

A few minutes later a woman came in and beckoned for them to follow. She led them downstairs once more, then through a long hallway with several doors off it.

"You may rest in these rooms," she said, indicating the doors. "Take whichever one's you wish, they are all available for guests. At the end of the hall is a large room for gathering together or eating. Are you hungry?"

There were several affirmative replies.

"I'll see that something is brought to you," she said, then turned and disappeared down the hall.

They went down to the room at the end. There was a large table in the middle of it.

"Well, at least someone is going to help us," Zack stated.

"Do you think they can get there in time to do any good?" Aeris questioned.

"I don't know," Cloud replied. It didn't look promising.

The woman came back, along with two other people bringing in soup and sandwiches. They all immediately dug in, and Cloud finished off two sandwiches before he even realized it. He must have been hungier than he thought.

He was about to start in on a third when Captain Tananka suddenly entered the room.

"There's a young girl here who says she has an urgent message for you," he said.

Cloud looked at him in surprise, but was even more surprised when Priscilla stepped into the room a moment later.

"Priscilla!" Cloud exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Priscilla ran over to Cloud and quickly told him what she had overheard.

"My father told me not to come," she finished. "But I knew I just had to warn you. He's gonna whup my butt when I get home."

Cloud put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We'll talk to him for you," he said. "I'm sure he'll understand."

A look of relief passed over her face.

"Thanks," she said.

Cloud turned to the others. Aeris could see the look of concern on his face.

"They're after Tifa," he stated the obvious. "I should have stayed with her."

"Even with you there, do you seriously think the both of you would be able to stand against all four riders?" Zack stated.

Cloud did not respond.

"Well, we've got to do something," Aeris said.

Cloud suddenly turned to Captain Tananka.

"I need to get to Kalm immediately."

The Captain nodded.

"I'll prepare the Vengful Wind," he stated. "She'll be ready to fly in fifteen minutes."

The Captain walked out the door.

"I'm going with you," Aeris stated.

"I'll go with him, you stay here," Zack said.

"I want to go," she said firmly.

"I understand your concern for you friend, and I don't want to sound like the bad guy," Zack said. "But don't you think keeping the crystal materia safe is more important than any of us?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to split up," Reeve submitted.

"It's too dangerous for you to go," Zack said, still looking at Aeris. "C'mon, you know it as well as I do."

"I'm going with you," she repeated stubbornly.

Zack looked at Cloud in exasperation.

"Can you talk some sense into her?"

Cloud stood there without answering, deep in thought. At first glance it seemed Zack was right, of course, it was much too dangerous for Aeris to go with them to confront the riders. That's probably just what the riders had in mind. The logical thing to do would be to leave Aeris here. But Aeris had a mind of her own, and he knew what she was like. If she had her mind set on going with them he didn't think even he could do much about it.

On the other hand, he agreed with Reeve, he didn't want to split them up. He was sure Priscilla was telling the truth, as far as she knew, but suppose the riders had known she was there? Suppose they had invented that story because they knew she was listening and what she would do as a result. Suppose they knew all along that Aeris was goint to Fort Condor and had let Priscilla overhear them just to get the others out of the way? Not likely, he had to admit, but he couldn't rule it out entirely.

He glanced at the others. They were all looking at him, waiting for a response. In spite of all the stupid mistakes he had made, they still trusted him.

"I think we should all go," he said finally.

"I know it's a risk," he continued, seeing Zack about to protest. "But I think it's safer for Aeris to come with us, even if it is to confront the riders, than to leave her here unprotected. Even if I know we're walking into danger, I'd feel better if we kept her with us. But hopefully it won't even come to that. I'm hoping we can get to Tifa before the riders reach her."

Aeris looked at him with a satisfied expression. Zack did not look happy at all. He turned to Aeris.

"I'm just worried about you," he said.

"I know," she replied with a smile. "And I appreciate it."

There was a moment of silence while they all stood there looking at one another. Finally Reeve broke the silence.

"Well, if we're going to go, then let's do it." 

Marlene had gotten to know the layout of the hospital quite well in the last few days. She had an uncommonly good sense of direction, and liked to explore. Elmyra and Tifa often had long discussions and sometimes Marelene would get bored, and after much cajoling Elmyra had agreed to let her wander around some. At first Elmyra had not let her go far, but after she had shown she was responsible about returning on time, the rules had slackened, and it wasn't long before Marlene had the run of the hospital.

Marlene liked it here. She was intensely curious, and there always seemed to be something interesting going on at the hospital. So when Elmyra stated she had to go out and run some errands earlier, Marelene had elected to stay.

She was walking near the main entrance now, having just exited from the gift shop, a diet cola for Tifa in one hand and a candy bar in the other. She saw four men standing by the front desk. They were tall and wore dark black cloaks. She stopped and stared at them. There was something about them that disturbed her, though she couldn't say what it was. It seemed like there was almost something wrong with them. They didn't look quite...human.

Suddenly one of them turned around and his eyes locked on her. For a moment she felt sudden panic, and she had an almost overwhelming urge to turn and run away from these men as fast as her feet could carry her.

But then the man turned away, showing no interest in her whatsoever, and the panic faded away.

She stood there for a moment longer, almost turning to go back the way she came. But then she proceeded forward, making sure to give the men a wide berth as she passed by them. Even as she did so she heard the receptionist they were talking to.

"She's in room 312," she said, her voice oddly flat. "The elevator is down the hall on the left."

Marlene stopped again. Almost against her will her eyes drifted toward the men once more, but they were not looking at her. Instead with a silent nod the man who had been talking to the receptionist led the others swiftly down the hall to their right.

Marlene hesitated a moment more, looking at the receptionist, who's face was oddly pale.

Tifa's room was 312.

Marlene spun about and hurried down the hall to the left, then took a sharp turn down a hallway behind the cafeteria. The receptionist had sent the men to the main elevators to the floors. They were near the center of the building, not that close to the main entrance. But Marlene knew there was a service elevator down this hallway which was much closer. It was supposed to be for employees only, but she used it all the time and no one had ever said anything to her.

She reached it a moment later, pressing the button and waiting inpatiently. She didn't like the look of those men. Whoever they were, she was pretty sure they were not Tifa's friends.

The door slid open and she practically lept inside. Fortunaetly there was no one coming out or she would have run right into them. Less than a minute later she was on the third floor. As she stepped into the hallway leading to Tifa's room she looked around quickly, but there was no sign of the men. She quickly made her way down to Tifa's room.

Tifa was sitting up in bed, reading a book when Marlene rushed in.

"You didn't have to rush," she said with a smile. "I'm not that thirsty."

"Aunt Tifa," Marlene said quickly, the sound of her voice instantly bringing a look of seriousness to Tifa's face. "There's some men coming up looking for you. I never saw them before and there was something about them I didn't like."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Tifa said. "What are you talking about? Start at the begining."

"There's no time!" Marelene replied, grabbing hold of Tifa's hand. "They're coming up here now. I think they're bad men."

Tifa looked at her for a moment, but the look on her face convinced Tifa that whatever was going on, it had Marlene genuinely upset. She got up out of bed, wrapping the robe Elmyra had brought for her around herself, and followed Marelene out of the room.

Tifa paused and looked down the corridor. She could see no one except two women at the nurses station. One of them looked up as she came out. Marlene was practically dragging her down the hall.

"Slow down," Tifa said.

"But we've got to hurry," Marlene replied.

"And where do you think you're going?" the nurse questioned, starting over toward her.

"Just want to get a little air," Tifa replied with a weak smile.

"Now you know the Doctor's orders," the nurse admonished. "You're not supposed to be walking until at least tomorrow."

"I know," Tifa said contritely. "But I'm just soooo bored in that room. Can't I just go for a little walk? I promise it won't be far, just down to the end of the corridor, and I'll come right back. C'mon, how much could that hurt?"

Marlene was still tugging at her arm.

The nurse looked at her dubiously.

"If Doctor Samuels finds out I could get in deep trouble," she said.

"We promise not to say a word about it," Tifa responded.

The nurse looked back at the second woman, who just shrugged.

"I guess it's all right," she said, turning back towards them.

Even as she did so four men stepped around the corner at the far end of the corridor. Tifa's head jerked up, staring at the figures, as they hesitated, looking at her. Even from this far away, she could see the Mako glow in their eyes.

A smile curled on the lips of the man in front.

Tifa grabbed hold of Marlene's hand.

"Run."

She sped down the corridor, away from the men, now dragging Marlene behind her. She heard the nurse shout in protest, but then the nurse spun around in confusion as the men ran past her. A moment later Tifa had turned the corner and the others vanished from view. She raced down the hallway, running as fast as Marlene could go. They reached another intersection and Tifa turned to the right.

"No," Marlene exclaimed, "That's a dead end. This way!" she said, pointing to the left.

They ran the way Marlene indicated. Tifa glanced back the way they had come for a moment. She caught a glimpse of the men coming around the far corner, then she was running down the corridor again, this time with Marlene in front.

They came to a door and Marlene flung it open. Tifa could see a stairwell beyond.

"In here," Marlene said.

Tifa followed Marlene in and they ran down the stairs. They had only gone down one flight when they heard the door slam open above them. Marlene pulled the door to the second floor open and ran through. Tifa slipped through as well. They stood in an empty hallway.

"Which way?" Tifa questioned. She had never been out of her room since she had arrived here. She had no idea where they were.

"This way," Marlene said, running down the corridor again. Turning seemingly at random, she led them quickly through a maze of hallways. Tifa kept glancing back, but she could no longer see any sign of pursuit. They came around another turn and Tifa pulled up short, leaning forward and breathing heavily. She hadn't been out of bed for more than a few minutes in days. She felt light headed and she almost stumbled.

Marlene grabbed hold of her.

"Are you all right?" she said.

Tifa nodded, bringing her hand up to her head. She hadn't realized just how weak she was. She shook her head to clear it and looked up again.

"Yeah," she replied. "But I can't keep this up for long. We're going to have to find a place to hide."

Marlene nodded and led her further down the corridor at a cautious walk. Tifa followed, still glancing behind her every few seconds. She wondered just who these men were who were pursuing her. It seemed likely that this was related to the first attacks upon them, and the bombing. They were probably here to finish the job. She should have known, had she thought about it. Actually it was kind of surprising they had taken this long. After all, she had remained here like a sitting duck all this time.

But maybe they had gone after the others first. Maybe they were all already dead and they had saved her for last because she was such an easy target. After all she hadn't heard from any of the others in days.

She shook her head. She couldn't let herself believe that. They had tried to kill the members of Avalanche in a surprise attack and had failed, surely they couldn't have defeated them now that they were prepared.

That didn't change the fact that her situation was dire. She couldn't expect help from any of the others. She didn't know where they were, but she was sure wherever it was, it was far from here. She had no way to contact them or any reason to believe that they knew she was in the slightest danger. Whatever might happen, she was on her own.

They entered another stairway and made their way down to the first floor. Marlene opened the door at the bottom a crack and looked out, then pulled it wide when she saw the way was clear.

Tifa lowered her head and clenched her fists. Even completely healthy, she doubted she could defeat four mako enhanced warriors by herself, and in her present condition she probably wouldn't last five minutes against them.

She looked at Marlene, walking silently in front of her. If it hadn't been for her the men would have taken Tifa completely by surprise. Marlene had probably saved her life, yet she still felt a pang of guilt. The men had seen them together, and that put Marlene in danger as well. The last thing she wanted was for Barret's little girl to get hurt.

"Where's the main entrance from here?" Tifa asked.

"Down the hall and left, then left again," Marlene said.

"Let's go," Tifa said with sudden determination.

Marlene gave her a puzzled look.

"Don't you think they'll be watching there?" she asked.

Tifa shrugged. She had to get Marlene out of here safely. She was tempted to tell Marlene to go on by herself, but the men would never let her go now that they knew she was with Tifa. But if the men saw them both and they split up, she was sure the men would follow her.

"If we see any of them, I want you to run for the front entrance," she said. "No matter what happens to me. Do you understand?"

Marlene looked at her with a worried expression.

"No I don't," she said. "I thought you wanted to hide. I know a lot of good places."

For a moment Tifa didn't answer. She had to admit the idea was tempting. But she had a feeling the men would not give up, even if they had to search every inch of the place. The last thing she wanted to do was get trapped somewhere with Marlene. They were after her, but she didn't know what they would do to Marlene if they caught them both. They might just ignore her, or they might kill her too. She couldn't take the chance.

"It's too risky," she replied. "We've got to make a run for it."

The worried look on Marlene's face did not change, but she nodded and led them onward.

As they neared the front entrance they slowed, looked around carefully. The entrance fronted a large lobby leading up to the reception desk. Tifa scanned the area. There were a number of people in the room, but she could see no sign of the men who were chasing them.

She came up beside Marlene.

"Okay, let's go," she said. "Remember, if any of those men come after us, I want you to run out the door. Head back to Elmyra's house. I'll meet you there later."

"Aunt Tifa..." Marlene began.

"Just do as I say!" Tifa said sharply.

Malene bit her lip and fell silent.

Tifa took her hand and led her out into the lobby, walking at a steady pace. She kept glancing around, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Miss Lockheart!"

She spun around to see Dr. Samuels striding over toward her.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he exclaimed sternly. "You know you're too weak yet to be wandering around. How did the nurse let you out of the room?"

"It's not her fault," Tifa replied. "I left on my own."

"Whatever for?" he said in exasperation. "I'm afraid you're taking this whole thing much too lightly. Don't you realize you could do yourself serious damage by getting up this soon. If you tear the sutures you could cause serious internal injuries. You may have to be operated on again, you could even die."

Tifa glanced up suddenly and saw one of the men standing in the hallway behind Dr. Samuals.

She let go of Marlene's hand and looked at her, motioning with her head toward the door.

"Go," she said.

She turned back to Dr. Samuels.

"I really don't have time for this," she said. She turned away but Dr. Samuels suddenly grapped hold of her arm.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist," he said. He looked over toward the reception desk.

"Call an orderly to get Miss Lockheart a wheelchair," he ordered.

Tifa turned and looked at Marlene, who was halfway to the door. Suddenly she spotted another one of the men. He appeared coming out of another corrider near the entrance. He was heading straight for Marelene.

Tifa pulled her arm back, jerking it out of Dr. Samuel's hand. She charged toward the man going after Marlene, who had not seen her yet.

"Hey!" she yelled.

Fielder turned to look at her and caught a foot in his face. He stumbled back, not expecting the blow. Tifa followed up her attack with half a dozen punches to his head and torso, striking as hard as she could. For a moment the man just defended hiself, but he recovered quickly. Suddenly his arm shot out, strking Tifa just below her left shoulder. She flew backwards and ended up sprawled on the floor. She lifted her head and shook it to clear it. He left shoulder felt like it had been run into a brick wall. It was the hardest she had ever felt anyone hit her in her life.

Ignoring the pain she sprang to her feet again. Her opponent was attacking now, and she dodged out of the way as he swung at her head. She kicked sharply and hit him in the leg, but it didn't seem to have much effect. She twisted back and forth as the man struck at her, missing with half a dozen blows. She didn't want to get hit again, but she didn't think she could keep dodging forever.

Even as she thought this another blow struck home, hitting her in the side of the head. And even though it was just a glancing blow, it was still strong enough to leave her head spinning. She stumbled and the man grabbed hold of her arm, his grip so tight she thought her arm was caught in a vice.

She kicked at the man again, hitting him solidly just below the knee, but he hauled her closer and grinned at her evilly. She could see the other one, the one she had seen first, was nearly upon them as well.

Suddenly the man was knocked aside, and his grip on Tifa loosened. She pulled away, and was startled to see that Dr. Samuel's had thrown himself into Fielder, knocking him off balance.

Fielder's arm shot out, and Dr. Samuels was tossed across the room like a rag doll.

Tifa turned and ran. She bolted out the door, half running, half staggering, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She shaded her eyes in the bright sunlight. She hadn't been outside in days, and the sun beat down almost directly above her. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she felt light headed again. The exertion of the battle had almost been too much for her. There was a strange buzzing in her ears.

"Tifa!"

She looked up, blinking in the light, to see Marlene standing at the bottom of the stairs, beckoning to her. What was she still doing here?

The doors to the hospital were suddenly flung wide. The riders came out, all four of them together now. They saw Tifa immediately, standing half way down the stairs trying to catch her breath. It was obvious to all that she could not possibly outrun them. She saw a smile form on Rios face once more, and then the riders advanced.

Tifa ran down to the bottom of the stairs, stumbling slightly, barely able to remain erect. Marlene ran off and disappeared around a corner. Tifa reached the bottom and leaned heavily against the stone handrail. She couldn't run anymore.

She turned to face her pursuers.

"Hardly seems fair the four of you against one injured girl," she heard from behind her.

She turned around with a gasp, her heart leaping. Standing not ten feet from here were Cloud, Zack, and Reeve.

"Cloud," she said, hardly believing her own eyes.

She ran over to him, feeling renewed vigor. He reached out to her and she slipped into his arms. He looked down at her tenderly.

"Are you hurt?" he asked gently.

"I'll live," she replied, her shoulder still aching. "I feel much better now that you're here."

"I was afraid we wouldn't make it in time," he replied. He glanced at the riders, who had stopped in their tracks at the appearence of the newcomers. But Rios quickly adjusted to the new situation. He drew his sword, which had remained in it's sheath during their pursuit of Tifa. His plan had worked better and faster than he had thought.

Cloud released Tifa, who turned to stand beside her friends, looking at the riders defiantly. Cloud and Zack pulled out their weapons simultaniously, while Reeve drew out his shotgun. They all assumed battle stance.

"Well, you've proven adept at hounding one young woman," Cloud said, looking at the riders with grim determination. "Now let's see how you fare in a real fight!" 

The silence was broken by a seris of far off explosions.

"Looks like Talon has started his attack," Ellengio observed.

They all turned and looked toward the reactor, just down the block from them now. They expected to see people coming out to look around, to see what was going on. But no one did. The street in front of them was empty.

They waited. There was the sound of more explosions. It when on for serveral minutes before it faded into silence, but still nothing stirred on the road in front of them. It was as if this part of town was completely deserted.

Ellengio frowned.

"Somethings wrong," he said slowly. Their little diversion was supposed to have drawn the guards out of the reactor.

No one responded. They stood there in silence for a few more minutes, until the others began to look at Ellengio expectantly.

"Well, let's go take a look," he said slowly. "It's too late to turn back now."

He started down the road, the others right behind him. They covered the half block in a few minutes and walked up the stairs to the entrance of the reactor. The doors were open, but they saw no one, and the reactor was strangely silent. It appeared as if the whole operation was shut down.

"What's going on?" Elena questioned.

No one replied, but Ellengio's frown deepened. He didn't like this at all.

They stood at the top of the stairs now, the inside of the reactor in plain view. There was no one inside.

Reluctantly, Ellengio led them in.

"This place is quieter than a tomb," Vincent said.

"I wish you hadn't phrased it quite like that," Elena responded, looking around nervously. She already had her gun in her hand.

"Suppose he's not here?" Rude questioned.

"I've got a feeling we'll run into him," Ellengio replied slowly. "This way."

He started up a metal stairway that snaked toward the cavernous upper reaches of the reactor. They passed through a maze of catwalks and hanging platforms, Ellengio choosing the path slowly, always leading them upward. Eventually they reached a long straight catwalk that led to a dark corrider in the wall near the top of the structure.

It was dark in the corrider, for it was unlit, and there were no windows. The only light was what filtered in from the reactor room behind them. The walls were close and the ceiling low, so that Rude almost had to stoop to get through. Elena felt claustrophobic after the wide open space in the other room.

The corridor turned and led up a flight of stairs. Again they climbed. Elena was starting to get tired, but she knew it couldn't go on much longer. They had to be near the top.

Even as she thought this the light grew in front of them and they saw the stairway end, opening up into a room above them. As they stepped into it they saw it was a wide circular room, the walls built of glass. They must have been very high up, for they had a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside through the windows.

"I've been expecting you."

In the center of the room the Healer sat behind a desk, leaning back in a lounge chair, gazing at them with a piercing eye.

"You knew we were here," Ellengio stated.

The Healer slowly stood up.

"Of course," he replied matter-of-factly. "I dectected you as soon as you set foot in Gongaga."

He looked at Ellengio

"Do you think a Destroyer could approach me without my feeling your presence?"

Ellengio did not reply. The others came up and stood beside him. Vincent and Rude both unholstered their weapons.

"Although I have to admit I'm surprised," the Healer continued. "I never thought you could even get to Gongaga without being detected. If nothing else, you've impressed my with you ingenuity."

"I didn't know their were any Destroyers left on this planet. And now you're the second one I've run into. An unpleasent surprise, but one I can deal with. Actually you've done me a favor. I would have had to eliminate you eventually, and having you come to me is much easier than chasing you down. If only you had brought the crystal materia with you, I could kill you all and call it a day. Ah well, things don't always work out the way you planned, but at least I'll have the pleasure of getting rid of you now."

"That might not be as easy as you think," Elena interjected.

The Healer turned his eyes to her.

"Ah yes, the puny humans. Always full of bravado, if nothing else. But easily manipulated. What did you do to them to get them to come along with you?"

"They came of their own free will," Ellnegio replied.

"Really?" the Healer said, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting. I had no idea these humans would face death so willingly. Maybe there's more to them than meets the eye."

"Count on it," Elena replied angrily. "And you'll find out soon enough that we're not puny!"

"Is that so?" the Healer questioned, a smile forming on his face.

Suddenly his fist shot out, and though he was almost twenty feet away from her, his arm seemed to lengthen, and the fist grew as it approached, until it seemed half the size of Elena by the time it reached her. Before anyone could move the fist had slammed into her, sending her spinnng backwards, her gun flying from her hand. She hit the ground hard, and lay still.

Both Vincent and Rude opened up with their weapons, and just like that, the battle was joined.

The Healer turned toward Ellengio, ignoring the gunfire. He brought his hands forward and a blast of fire shot out, totally enveloping his opponent, but when it cleared, Ellengio was unhurt, and Vincent and Rude found they were both protected by wall.

Elena stumbled to her feet. She had been momentarily stunned, and her right knee felt like it was on fire, but she ignored the pain. She reached down and pulled out a green materia orb. She concentrated on it and the Healer was hit with a blast of lightening.

Rude emptied another clip firing at the Healer, then dropped his gun, pulling out materia as well. The bullets didn't seem to be doing much damage. Vincent, however, was still blasting away with the death penalty.

The Healer unleashed a series of elemental attacks. All aimed at Ellengio. He totally ingored the others, as if they didn't matter, as if they weren't there. Ellengio slowly retreated. Wall protected him, but he had to recast once, and then again. The attacks were slowly sappping his strength, and the Healer seemed to be as strong as ever.

Vincent suddenly ran forward, blasting away at point blank range with the death penalty. For the first time since he had hit Elena, the Healer turned his attention to one of the humans. As if swatting an annoying fly, his arm swept out, hitting Vincent and sending him staggering backwards. But instead of falling to the ground as Elena had, with an animal roar he suddenly transformed into the Chaos beast.

He immmediately lunged foward once again, slashing at the Healer with his huge claws. The Healer, caught by surprise by this sudden transformation, was thrown back.

Ellengio, the pressure off him for a moment, pulled out a materia orb Cloud had given him before they parted. Red light flared about him.

"Utimate end!"

In quick succession the thirteen knights materialized and struck at the Healer, then faded quickly away. When the last had done it's damage the Healer was on his knees, but still alive. He staggered to his feet, obviously severly wounded, and cast Ellengio a look of hatred.

"I see I have understimated you all," he said. "But you have done your worst and I still stand. You have wounded me, but not to the death, and this battle is far from over."

He looked over at the monster Vincent had transformed into.

"I didn't know humans possessed such a capabiltiy. But you're not the only one who can perform that little trick."

The Healer raised his hands above his head, and when he spoke, his voice thundered through the room.

"Jenova Cosmos!" 

Captain Tanaka sat with his feet propped up on the control panel in front of him. He could see the hospital in the distance, the upper floors protruding above a low hill to the north. The Vengful Wind was parked on a baseball field at a park half a block from the hospital. It was the closest place he could find to land.

He glanced back and looked at the young woman pacing back and forth behind him, absently tossing her rod from one hand to the other. She had been doing that from the moment her friends had left the aircraft. But he had noticed that her pacing had slowly brought her closer to the front of the plane, and the exit.

She was walking right behind his chair now, concern etched on her face. It was driving him crazy, but he held his tongue. He thought he knew how worried she was about her friends.

Suddenly she stopped and looked at him.

"I've got to go after them."

He sighed.

"Cloud told you to stay here," he said.

She gave him a sharp look.

"He can't tell me what to do," she replied.

Tanaka lifted his feet off the control panel and planted them firmly on the floor, swiveling around to face her.

"Look, I don't pretend to know what's going on here, but from what I understand these men you're chasing are after something you have. As long as you're in this aircraft you're safe, cause if they show up we can just take off. But if you go there there's no telling what will happen. I won't be able to protect you."

"I realize that," she stated.

"And if those guys get whatever you have, it'll be a real bad thing, won't it?" he continued. "Not just for you, but for everyone. Am I right?"

Aeris nodded slowly.

"I believe so."

"So, given all that, do you really think it's a good idea for you to go out there?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"Yes, I understand all that. But I also understand something else that's even more important. And that's that my friends need me. Now let me out."

This time it was his turn to hesitate. He had a feeling letting her go would be a very bad thing, but he really didn't have any way to keep her. She wasn't in the military, he couldn't order her to do anything. She was a grown adult who could make up her own mind.

His hand reached out and pressed a button. The door slid open.

"I've got a real bad feeling about this," he said. "Be careful, okay?"

She smiled.

"Thank you, I will."

And then she ran out the door. 

Cloud and Zack sprang forward, taking their attack to their enemy, as was their style.

Reeve slowly retreated. Knowing from previous experience that his shotgun would not be of much use, they had loaded him down with materia. Now he pulled out the summon orbs and cast Bahamut ZERO, Odin and Typhoon in quick succession. The riders easily survived the attacks, which was not surprising. They had all know this would not be an easy fight. But the attacks did draw the riders attention to him, and one of them sprang forward, right at him, forcing him to abandon his materia attack and defend himself.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much defense against the riders attack except to dodge out of the way. He knew he didn't even have the skill of his companions, much less the ability to go toe to toe with the riders. He leapt to the side as Garn's sword swung, Reeve pulliing out his shotgun at the same. The rider pivoted toward him and swung again, but even as he did so Reeve caught him with a blast from his gun and the man stumbled back momentarily. Reeve fired again, this time knocking Garn to his knees, but then the rider shook his head, slowly got back to his feet, and came at Reeve again.

Reeve looked around desperately, but the others were all engaged with an enemy of their own. They could not help him.

The sword flashed again, and in desperation Reeve tried to block the blow with his own weapon. The blade embedded itself in the shotgun with a crack, nearly cleaving it in half. The rider pulled the sword back, wrenching the gun out of Reeve's hands. The rider shook the sword angrily, but the gun remained stuck on the end of it. With a snort of disgust he tossed both weapons aside and came at Reeve bare handed.

Reeve brought his fists up and dropped into a boxing stance. He had taken a few boxing lessons when he had been younger, but that had been a long time ago. He knew the intelligent thing to do would be to turn around and run like hell, and not long ago that would be exactly what he would have done. But he wasn't going to do that now. He wasn't going to abandon his friends.

The rider came within range and Reeve struck, jabbing quickly with his right hand. His opponent made no attempt to evade or block the blow. It hit Garn solidly on the jaw.

Reeve pulled his hand back, crying out in pain. He felt like he had hit a brick wall. Garn, on the other hand, shrugged the blow off at if it had been nothing. Suddenly his fist shot out, striking Reeve on the left side of his face. Reeve went flying backwards and landed on the ground in a heap. In agony, he brought his hands up and wrapped them around his head. Through a fog of pain he was aware that the rider was coming toward him again. He struggled feebly to get up, but then another wave of pain swept over him. Slowly he sank back to the grounnd.

Zack wove a wall of solid steel in front of himself. His style was similar to Cloud's, though a tad less aggressive. Cloud went after his opponent immediately, trying to finish him off as quickly as possible, supremely confident. Zack was a bit more cautious. He could go after someone just as aggresively, but he prefered to try to learn his opponents strengths and weaknesses first. At some point a weakness always showed up, and then he would attack the weakness without mercy.

Except that this time he couldn't seem to find any weakness. His opponent was matching him stroke for stroke, parrying all of Zack's probing attacks and countering swiftly and efficiently.

Zack had started out forcing Darron back, but slowly his retreat slackened, until neither one of them was getting nor giving much ground. Zack couldn't find any weakness in his opponents attack, but his enemy couldn't seem to get at him either.

For long minutes they battled back and forth, the swords flying faster and faster. The situation appeared to be static, but Zack knew it was not that simple. He was well aware that he could not keep up this furious pace for more than a few minutes. He could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead already, while his opponent looked as fresh as when he had started.

Slowly Zack started to retreat. Darron came forward, pressing his attack even more furiously, though Zack had not thought that possible. He realized if he did not do something soon, he would not win this battle.

Summoning what was left of his strength he attacked visciously. He knew he had to end this soon if he expected to win at all, so he put all his effort into one last all out attack.

By necessity, however, the attack had to be reckless. His own attack left his vunerable to a counter. His opponents sword suddenly slipped by his, tearing into his arm. With a cry of pain his own sword flew from his hand and he collapsed to the ground, clutching his arm.

Tifa started off in retreat. The odds had improved with the apperance of her friends, but it wasn't over yet. She had already taken on the riders, and she knew how dangerous they were. If she were at full strength, she believed herself a match for one of them, but in her weakened condition she knew she was in for a difficult fight.

Fielder came straight at her, not bothering to draw his sword. She suddenly lunged forward and struck at him, then twisted quickly out of the way before he could retailiate. She repeated this pattern several times. The man was quick, and a couple of times his fist almost struck her, but she managed to avoid it. Still, she knew it was just a matter of time before her luck ran out, and in the meantime she was trying to do as much damage as she could.

Unfortuantely that seemed to be precious little. She wasn't wasting any chances. She knew she couldn't fool around with this guy. Every blow she struck was designed to be crippling, aimed at the most vunerable parts of a human body. She wasn't pulling any punches, but even so she didn't seem to be hurting the man at all. Even blows that would have killed an ordianry man seemed to be having little effect on her enemy.

She dashed in once more, kicking sharply into Fielder's groin. The man brought his hand slashing down across her knee. She cried out and fell backwards to the ground. The man lunged for her, but she twisted out of the way, swinging her leg around and kicking him on the side of the head. He kept after her, kicking her in the small of the back and forcing another cry out of her.

She rolled out of the way and suddenly leapt up. Faster than he thought possible she dashed toward him, pummuling him with a quick combination of blows. She flipped in the air, kicking him in the face, then swept another kick into his side. She dashed to the side, then was suddenly behind him. She grabbed hold of him and lifted.

And suddenly she felt a white hot pain stabbing through her side. She collapsed to the ground, her whole left side where they had performed the surgery burning in pain. She found herself rolling on the ground, no longer concerned with her opponent, her mind totally taken over by the pain that wracked her body. She twisted on the ground, curling up into a ball, her arms clenched around her abdomen, and just tried to remain concious.

Cloud slowly forced his opponent back. He went all out, as usual, attacking visciously with little thought of defense. Two or three times his opponents blade slipped through his defenses, but each time his cat like reflexes saved him from anything worse than a harmless small cut on his left arm. Meanwhile, he pressed the attack forward, their blades striking furiously against one another. In spite of the savagery of his attack, his opponent continued to hold him off. Although he thought he had him several times, Cloud's sword failed to get past Rios' guard.

Rios was still retreating, but more slowly now. He could do little moer than defend himself at the moment, but he knew no one could keep up an attack like that forever. Eventually Cloud would have to tire, and then he would have his chance.

Yet even after some minutes had passed, Cloud still struck at him with the same vigor he had at the begining of the fight. The truth was Cloud was beginging to tire, but he figured his opponent had to be at least as tired as he was, and he wasn't about to let up now. He would fight as hard as he could until he either killed his opponent or fell to the floor in exhaustion.

Suddenly Rios, who was still slowly retreating, caught his foot on a tuft of grass. He stumbled slightly, righting himself immediately, but it was enough. Cloud's sword slashed in across the man's leg and came back red.

Rios jumped backwards, regaining his balance almost immediately. The wound was not fatal, but it was farily deep and painful. Cloud knew it would hinder the man, and with that he attacked with renewed vigor, trying to finish Rios off.

His opponent continued to parry. Although he seemed to have recovered, his injury was hampeing his movement. He was defenging himself, but he no longer was lauching any counterattacks. He had been put soley on the defensive.

Cloud slashed back and forth, pounding on the man's blade. Riso stumbled again and Cloud came forward, his own blade knocking his enemies sword away. But even as he was poised to strike another blow he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned just in time to parry a blow from another of the riders who had been coming up behind him.

Rios leaped up, suddenly on the offensive again as Cloud tried to hold off the two of them. Cloud looked around and saw all his friends on the ground. One rider was standing over Zack, and the fourth was running toward Cloud as well.

A blade slashed at him again, drawing blood from a cut across his forehead. He parried furiously, trying to keep the two men in front of him. He jabbed at one and felt the sting of a blade once more. He leapt back, slashing furiously in front of him. Now the third one has joined his friends. Cloud slashed back and forth, trying to keep them away from him, but they presed the attack. Cloud twisted out of the way of one blade, then caught another sword awkwardly with his own, causing him to fall to his knees. The riders closed in around him.

"Stop it!"

They all turned to see Aeris standing not far away. In her hands she was clutching a large clear jewel.

"Here it is!" she shouted, holding the jewel in front of her. "Here's the crystal materia. This is what you want, isn't it? They don't have it, I do. So leave my friends alone!"

The four riders stood there for a moment looking at her. Then, without a word or a glance back, they all started toward her.

Cloud struggled to his feet. What the hell was Aeris doing? Why hadn't she stayed in the plane like he told her. It didn't matter what happened to them. It was the crystal materia that they had to keep safe.

He scrambled forward, but he was fatigued from his attack and the numurous wounds upon him. He could see the riders converging on Aeris, who had not moved. He could not reach them before they were upon her.

He felt his heart suddenly start to beat wildly. Again Aeris was in danger, and again he could not help her. Suddenly he felt the same horrible feeling he had when he had seen Sephiroth dropping down upon her, sword poised for the kill. It couldn't happen again. It just couldn't. He wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Aeris, run!" he cried out.

Tifa had also managed to regain her feet, even though the pain nearly caused her to double over. She was looking at Aeris as well, and shared Cloud's feeling of dread. But she noticed something else as well. The expression on Aeris face was different from anything she had ever seen. It was easy to identify, but it surprised her nonetheless, for she had never seen that expression on the young Cetra's face before.

Aeris was furious.

The riders were only a few paces away from her now. She drew her hands back, clasping them in front of her body, covering up the crystal materia. Suddenly light seemed to shimmer around her. A bright incandesent point of light appeared in front of her. It started out as a mere pinpoint, but even then it was so bright it was hard to look at. The riders saw it and hesitated.

The light suddenly grew, becoming larger and brighter still. It illuminated the riders starkly, and they cowered back from it, seeming to diminish in it's presense. But Cloud and his friends suddenly felt renewed hope, just from the sight of it. They had seen that light before, when Ellengio had confronted the riders at Cosmo Canyon.

Aeris looked up at each of the riders, apparently unaffected by the blinding light that now blazed right in front of her. Her eyes were filled with a burning fire.

"Banish...."

She thrust her hands forward.

"EVIL!" she shouted.

Though Cloud had thought the light blinding before, it now increased a thousandfold. He had to shade his eyes and turn away as huge streams of incandescent light flashed outward. The beams washed over him, but caused no harm. In fact, he felt his heart lighten, even as he had in Cosmo Canyon. But this time even more so. This was stronger than when Ellengio had done it.

Tifa had turned away too. But eventually her eyes adjusted enough to look toward Aeris again. She had not moved. She was staring straight ahead, as the waves of light continued to stream out from in front of her. Tifa tried to catch a glimpse of the riders, but there was no sign of them.

She staggered over to Aeris, the pain in her side still severe. Aeris did not acknowledge her approach in any way, but just stood there, her arms out in front of her clasping the crystal materia, a look of grim concentration on her face. The light continued to shine in front of her. She seemed to be almost in a trance.

"Aeris," Tifa said.

The Ancient did not respond. Tifa could see sweat on her brow and her face was pale.

"Aeris, stop," Tifa tried again. "They're gone. You've done it. It's over."

Aeris still did not respond.

"Aeris, stop!" Tifa repeated, more sharply. "You'll kill yourself."

She grabbed hold of Aeris shoulder.

The light suddenly faded away, even more quickly then it appeared. At the same time the fire went out in Aeris eyes. She stood there blinking for a moment, then turned to Tifa and smiled.

"It's good to see you again," she said. "We were worried."

Aeris swayed unsteadily. Tifa reached out and a moment later Aeris collapsed into her friend's arms. 

The room seemed to darken. The Jenova entity that had been the Healer rose up in front of them, rapidly growing until it towered over their heads. The skin turned black and huge scales appeared covering it. The arms enlongated and mouths formed on the end of each one, filled with six inch long teeth. Huge claws sprung from the four feet that now supported it's tremendous bulk, and a series of spikes formed running down the creatures back and long tail, which ended in a thick club.

Vincent was the first to recover. The Chaos beast lauched itself forward, tearing into the flank of his opponent with it's claws. The Jenova entitly flicked it's tail, slamming into the side of the Chaos beast and sending it tumbling across the room.

Jenova jumped foward, both mouths lunging at Ellengio, who once more became the focus of the monster's attack. Ellengio dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding the snapping teeth.

Elena, who was too weak to cast anymore spells, pulled out her gun and started blasting away, slowly stepping back in spite of herself. She had not been in the northern crater. She had not fought Jenova the first time, not seen any of it's transformations, save that of Tarkin, but he had been just a pale shadow of what stood before them now.

Rude stood nearby. He still was blasting away with ice materia, trying to draw Jenova's attention away from Ellengio. The arms and mouths of the Jenova entitiy continued to snap at Ellengio, but the tail swung around and both Rude and Elena had to dive to the ground to avoid being struck.

Ellengio dodged yet again, but fell to the ground in the process. One of the mouths sprang toward him, but then the Chaos beast lunged forward again, grabbing hold of the arm and ripping at it, sending a spray of blood scattering across the room. The Jenova entity roared loudly and the arm shook savagely, trying to dislodge Vincent, but he held on until the tail swung around and knocked him to the floor.

Suddenly bright pinpoints of light surrounded Ellengio. The lights swept outward toward the others, surrounding them in a strange yellow aura. One of Jenova's feet lashed out, cutting across Rude, who had ventured too close, but it had no effect.

The others charged forward, realizing they were protected by Ellengios spell of invulnerability. But even as they attacked Jenova suddenly reared back, it's arms lifting to the sky. And suddenly a wind whipped down from above them. In seconds it had grown to a whistling gale. A huge votex of wind appeared in front of them, with the Jenova entitiy in the center and blowing outward.

Elena felt heself slowing as she fought the wind, leaning into it as it blew stronger and stronger, until, in spite of all her efforts, she found herself being pushed slowly back. She struggled a few moments more, firing her gun until the clip was empty. Then she dropped the gun as she found her feet being lifted off the ground. She fell to the ground, flattening herself to the ground in an effort to stay in place, but even so she found herself sliding backwards still.

The wind continued to increase, until it was a raging hurricane around them, forcing them all back. There was a tremedous crash as the windows suddenly blew out on all sides of the room. Elena felt sudden terrror. She was still sliding backwards, being pushed towards the far wall, only with the glass gone there was no wall. The only thing holding up the ceiling was the metal supports that had stood between the glass frames, and none of them were close enough for her to reach. There was nothing to stop her from being thrown right out of the building into the void beyond.

She turned away, clawing desperately on the floor, trying to dig her fingernails into the polished wood. But to no avail. She looked back once again, the floor ended just a few feet away, and she was sliding even faster across the floor now. She lunged desperately toward one of the supports that had held the glass, but she knew she could not reach it.Then she shut her eyes and screamed as she felt herself going over the edge.

But even as she did she suddenly felt a strong hand grab hold of her, and her movement was arrested. She opened her eyes to find herself dangling in the air, the ground far below, held firmly in place by the clawed hand of the Chaos beast.

Elena shut her eyes again and took a deep breath, realizing that she had forgotten to do that the last few moments. She opened her eyes again, being careful not to look down this time. The Chaos beast stood unmoving right on the edge of the building, grasping her firmly with one hand. She could not see his other hand, but she supposed he had the claws of that hand firmly dug into the floor.

A few moments later the wind above them dimished, the spell finally spent. The Chaos beast lifted her up as if she were a child and dropped her down on the floor once again. She looked over to see both Ellengio and Rude standing not far away. Apparently they had found something to hold on to as well.

She didn't have time to chat with them, however, for the Jenova beast charged at them yet again, and Elena realized that the yellow aura Ellengio had cast on them had faded. Their invunerability had worn off.

Yet again, Jenova concentrated his attacks on Ellengio, who continued to dodge out of the way, but launched no more attacks of his own. The fight had worn them all out, and Elena guessed that none of them had the strength to cast anymore spells.

Still, that gave Jenova a huge advantage. None of them, not even Vincent transformed as the Chaos beast, had the physical strength to stand up to Jenova in it's present form.

Elena looked around for her gun, but she could see no sign of it. It had probably been blow to the ground below. Without either her gun or the ability to use materia, she was pretty much relegated to being a bystander.

Rude fired a few more shots out of his gun, then dropped the empty clip. He felt around for another one, but he had used his last.

Ellengio seemed in desperate trouble now. He was scrambling madly to stay out of reach of the snapping mouths at the end of both arms of the Jenova entitiy, but he could not keep up that kind of acrobatics forever, and his strength was rapidly dimishing. He couldn't possibly last much longer.

The Chaos beast continued to attack. The only one left who appeared to be able to do any damage to Jenova at all, but it seemed too little too late. Vincent kept springing forward to tear at Jenova, but each time he was quickly tossed away, and he was taking as much of a beating as he was giving. Elena could see numorous wounds crisscrossing his body.

Suddenly Jenova's tail swung around. Ellengio tried to dodge, but he stopped as one of the snapping mouths blocked his path. The club at the end of the tail smashed directly into him. He was flung across the room to land in a heap not far from Elena.

"No," she cried out, hurrying over to him.

She knelt down beside him, Rude coming over as well. Ellengio did not move, but a quick inspection showed he was still breathing, if barely.

Elena stood up as Jenova approached. Both she and Rude took a step forward, until they stood betwen Jenova and the unconcious body of Ellengio. She noticed Vincent come up beside her as well.

The Jenova entity reared it's arms up, knowing that it stood on the brink of victory, but the three compainions did not flinch. Elena looked up into the cold yellow eyes of the creature in front of them, and even as she did so they all heard a low rumbling sound from outside.

"We may only be puny humans," Elena said. "But there's one thing that we can do that you can't."

The Jenova entity did not respond, but it hesitated. She could see a change in it's eyes, but she could not tell what it meant. She had a feeling, however, that it was a flicker of doubt.

"We can make really big weapons," Elena finished.

Even as she did so, directly behind her a huge black jet hovered up into view. Elena and her companions threw themselves to the ground. For a moment time seemed suspended. The Jenova entity stood in front of them, unmoving, with the Slipstream suspended in the air in front of it. The yellow eyes of their opponent focused on the jet, and for a second he could see the pilot, a blonde haired man with a cigarette in his mouth. For a moment their eyes met, locking on to each other. The expression the man wore was of a cat about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse.

"Chew on these, you Goddam space freak," Cid muttered and pressed the firing mechanism.

Before Jenova could react, a barrage of missles steaked out of the Slipsteam, slamming into the creature at point blank range. Elena lay on the floor, her hands covering her head as the roar of explosions sounded all around her, praying to God that the ceiling wouldn't come down on all of them. She lay there for what seemed like forever, the explosions deafening her and the floor shaking beneath her. But eventually the echoes of the explosions died away, until all that was left was the roar of the Slipstream's engines.

Slowly she lifted her head. She saw Vincent, now returned to his normal self, and Rude looking around as well. There was very little left of Jenova.

She heard a groan and turned to see Ellengio stirring. She went over to him and knelt beside him. He lifted himself up and looked around slowly.

"Did it work?" he asked groggily.

"Like a charm," she replied with a smile. "We did it. Jenova has been defeated."

Chapter Text

Tammik stood by a window in the observatory looking out thoughfully over Cosmo Canyon. He had just received word of Jenova's destruction. He had been shocked to hear it, of course, though he had shown no outward sign. He had thought the Healer invincible. What would they do without him? He looked down at the troops below, this odd combination of men and monsters, and pondered his next step.

The loss of their leader was a tremdous blow, but it did not have to be a fatal one. Without the Healer, there was no one in charge in Gongaga. He could expect no help nor hinderance from them any longer. He was free to pursue his own plans now.

Slowly a smile formed on his lips. He had always been an ambitous man. He had been placed in charge of the assault on Cosmo Canyon because he had shown intelligence and initiative. Whatever sitution he faced, he always managed to make the best of it. He had hoped to be a key figure in the empire the Healer had been creating, but now that the Healer was gone, what was to stop him from creating an empire of his own?

It wouldn't be easy, he realized. The Healer had been the one who held them all together. Now that he was gone, Tammik wasn't sure whether the odd coalition he had created would not fracture. Man and monster did not usually fight together side by side. It would take all his skills to keep his force intact.

Still, he thought himself up to the task.

A knock at the door interrupted his musing.

"Enter."

The door opened and the Captain of the Watch poked his head in.

"Sir, the enemy is approaching the gates under a flag of truce."

Tammik did not reply for a moment. They must have heard about the destruction of Jenova as well, and were proabably expecting the forces in Cosmo Canyon to break down completely at the loss of their leader. Little did they know how wrong they were.

"I'll go talk to them," he said. "In the meantime you muster the troops. After we hear what they have to say lead an attack and crush them."

The Captain hesitated a moemnt.

"They're under a flag of truce," he reminded Tammik.

"I'm well aware of that," Tammik replied, looking at the man evenly. "You have your orders."

"Yes sir," the man said. He saluted smartly and retreated out the door.

Tammik followed more slowly. A few minutes later he stood on a ridge of land looking out over the plain beyond the canyon, not far from where Red had stood when he spoke to Jenova's Disciples. Below him he could see a small force approaching the entrance to the canyon. He looked them over quickly and nodded in satisfaction. No more than fifty men. He had nearly eight hundred troops, though the majority of them were monsters with little intelligence or capability to act as a unified force. Nonetheless, it was more than enough to deal with those approaching.

As they came closer he saw that they were led by two large red lion like creatures. He found a smile forming on his face again. He had hoped it would be the rabble that had escaped from Cosmo Canyon. They had been a thorn in his side from the moment he taken command here, although once the Mako cannon had been completed their attacks had diminished. Still, they were the most dangerous opponent in the region. Once they were destroyed there would be no more opposition for him to deal with in this territory, and he could think less about defense and more about expanding into new regions.

Red called his party to a halt and looked around slowly. Nipala and Barret stood beside him. There was a wooden gate in front of them, blocking their way. Though it was a pale shadow of the huge stone gates the riders had destroyed, it was still useful enough for defense. He could see both men and monsters looking down at him from a deck behind the gate and the ridges of land on either side of it.

"You have taken Cosmo Canyon by force from it's rightful owners. We are here to take it back. Jenova has been destroyed. Surrender the canyon and leave here and you will not be harmed."

He looked up and saw one man step forward on the ridge above.

"I am Tammik, commander of Cosmo Canyon," he said, looking at them with scorn. "We are already aware of the destruction of Jenova. Did you think we would run like rabbits upon hearing that news? I am in charge of Cosmo Canyon, not Jenova. What happened in Gongaga is no concern of ours. As for surrendering the canyon, don't make me laugh. I could defend the canyon with ten people against your force. I have almost a hundred times that. You should have stayed in your little hidey-holes. You have been annoying me for some time now, and I have waiting for you to make a mistake. Apparently the destruction of Jenova has made you overconfident, because here you are in front of me. Now I will crush you like the insects you are!

"We are here under a flag of truce," Red exclaimed.

"Tell it to someone who cares," Tammik replied. He lifted his arm and signaled his men below.

Slowly the gates started to swing open.

"Treachery," Red shouted, turning to the others in his party. "Retreat."

"Bastards," Barret yelled, opening up with his gun on the ridge above their heads. Tammik dodge quickly back out of the way. A few of the men above them returned fire. Barret turned and ran, following the others, who were headed north across the plain. There was a forest to the east, but they did not head for it. Behind them their enemy poured out of the gates in hot pursuit.

The canyon guards were well trained, and did not flee in panic, but kept together as a coherent group. Red and Nipala ran on either flank, with Barret in the middle, the three of them acting as rearguard. Their pursuers were not far behind, and gaining. Many of the monsters were fleet of foot, much faster than a human. It was just a matter of time before they were overtaken.

Suddenly, as if by some unspoken command, Red's force came to a halt. They turned to face their pursuers, moving quickly into place to form a battle line.

Their enemy slowed, taken by surprise by this unexpected turn of events. A few of the men shouted and cursed, trying to organize their own forces into a battle line as well. It took them some minutes to do so.

The forest was not far away to the east, and suddenly a figure appeared coming out from under the shadow of the trees. It was a single man mounted on a chocobo. It took a moment for him to be noticed, but when he was a cry went up, and some of the monsters started in his direction.

The man rode out a little ways onto the plain, then stopped. He wore a rather disheveled blue suit and he held what looked like a nightstick in his hand. As the monsters approached, he lifted the nightstick.

A blast of electricity shot into the air.

And with that, the forest came alive as a thousand warriors from Wutai poured out of it.

At the same time Red's forces charged forward. For many long seconds their enemy did not react, just remained where it was, looking back and forth between the two forces that were now charging at them, as if unable the grasp the significance of what had just happened. Then suddenly they broke and ran. A few at first, but then more and more, as if opening a sluice gate in a dam, and suddenly the entire force was running back toward the canyon as fast as it could go.

Tammik stood on the ridge above the canyon, staring in shock. He had expected to see his forces totally destroy the last of his enemies, but now the tables had turned, so quickly it nearly made his head spin, and he realized his own forces were now in danger of being routed. But he still had a chance.

He looked down at those below him in the canyon once more.

"Close the gates," he shouted. "Prepare the Mako cannon!"

Two hundred cavalry accompanied Godo's warriors, and now they sped forward across the plain, their war trained chocobo's faster than nearly any monster. They divided in half, circling around their enemy, racing to get in front of them and cut them off. Yuffie rode with them, with Reno not far behind her. As they neared the gates of the canyon she signaled the warriors with her to attack, and as one they wheeled around, and formed up beside her. Yuffie loosened the conformer and slipped it into her hand, then with a piercing battle cry, led the charge directly into the enemy.

They drove into their enemies like a thunderclap, cutting down all who stood in their way. Yuffie rode forward with wild abandon, slicing any who came near with her conformer, while holding a materia orb in her other hand, casting fire on any enemies not within her reach. For the most part their enemies scattered before her, but there was one group near the center, mostly of men, that was holding together. Yuffie was ahead of the others now, and she drove her chocobo right at them, not waiting for her allies to catch up. The conformer flew out, striking down those in front of her, while she twisted to dodge blows coming from all sides. But then a spear flew through the air, embedding itself in her chocobo just beside her leg. The bird collasped and Yuffie went sprawling to the ground.

Suddenly her enemies were all around her. She scrambled to her feet, realizing for the first time how far she had gotten in front of the others, and just how much trouble she was in. She lashed out with her sherukin. She had dropped her matieria orb and she didn't have time to pull out another one.

She felt a blow to her side, and found herself on the ground again. She threw the confromer once more, cutting down another enemy, but then she turned and saw another man coming at her with sword raised.

There was a flash of lightining and he cried out and fell to the ground. A chocobo appeared before her and Reno reached down his hand.

She grasped hold of it and he pulled her up onto the chocobo behind him. He turned the chocobo around and spurred it on. Some odd lookng creatures appeared in front of him, but another blast from his nightstick sent them scurrying away. Yuffie could see more cavelrymen not far away, and moments later Reno had joined them.

The cavalry had cut off their enemy, forcing them to stand and fight. Now the footsoldiers suddenly caught up, the main force tearing into their enemy, striking them down like wheat before the scythe. Yuffie looked around to see that their enemy was no longer a coherent force. The battle had disintegrated into a rout.

Tammik still stood on the ridge watching the battle, thought battle it could no longer be called. His forces were in full retreat, being cut down at will by his enemies. He turned away to look up at the top of the hill. The Mako cannon was slowly pivoting toward the field of battle. If he fired now there was no doubt he would wipe out whatever was left of his own force on the field. Nevertheless, he did not hesitate. The blow would destroy what was left of his army, but it would also wipe out his enemy. The small garrison that remained inside Cosmo Canyon just might be able to defend it against any of his enemy that was left after the cannon fired. He could still snatch victory from this.

A low rumbling sound caught his attention, making him turn back toward the field of battle.

At first he could not identify it. But it quickly grew until it was unmistakable. It was the roar of a jet engine.

With a sinking feeling he lifted his eyes to the skies, to see not one, but two black aircraft streaking toward Cosmo Canyon just above the hills to the east.

He twisted round toward the cannon once more.

"Hurry up, you fools!" he shouted. "Fire!"

The men working the cannon scambled furiously to comply. Tammik looked from the cannon to the jets and back again, and realized that the cannon was going to lose the race. And even as the thought that, he could see a line of smoke trails streak out across the sky from the jets, and a moment later the cannon erupted in a thunderous explosion.

Tammik stood there looking at the remains of the cannon on the hill above him. Slowly he turned and looked out onto the plain once more. The battle was nearly over out there now, his forces totally destroyed. He could see the black jets circling around above him, and one of them fired another barrage of rockets at the wooden gate at the entrance below him. Tammik bowed his head. His plans of building an empire were shattered, after having lasted not even a single day. Jenova was dead, and all his forces had been routed. Tammik had never believed for a moment things could turn out this way.

His hand reached down and slowly he drew the sword he kept by his side. He had failed, and he knew the price of failure.

He lifted his head again, a grim but calm look upon it. Then he lifted up his sword, reversed it, and drove it into his own chest.

Red led the canyon guard through the destroyed gates and into Cosmo Canyon, Nipala and Barret still by his side. There were still men and monsters here, but the resistance was light,and they drove their enemy back easily. There seemed to be no more orgainized resistance.

He turned around as a squadron of cavalrymen rode in. He looked up in surprise to see Reno at the head of it, with Yuffie perched behind him.

"I am surprised to see you back again," Red stated, looking at Reno. "It appears your friends mean more to you than you let on."

"Let's just say that this time I had the proper incentive," Reno replied with his usual sardonic smile.

The roar of jet engines interrupted them. They looked to see the Slipstream and the Vengful Wind touch down lightly near the entrance to the canyon. The doors on both jets opened up, and those on board disembarked. The crowd around Red parted and he saw Cloud and Ellengio stride up to them, followed closely by the others. They all stood there for a minute looking at one another.

"It appears we have been successful," Red understated. He looked at Ellengio. "It seems your words have proven prophetic. We meet again on the streets of Cosmo Canyon, just as you had wished."

Ellengio smiled.

"Indeed we do," he replied.

Cid stepped forward.

"God damn it," he exclaimed. "Could you guys be any less emotional? In case you didn't notice, we won! Jenova is dead and the canyon is ours again. We kicked ass! So now let's celebrate!" 

Later that night the people of Cosmo Canyon gathered in the streets to see the relighting of the eternal flame. Cloud sat right in front, between Aeris and Barret as Red addressed his people.

"Today we have won a great victory. One that will be talked about by our children and our children's children. We have all suffered greatly. Many of you have lost loved one's and all that you possessed. And though I share your sorrow, I know that tommorrow will be a better day. A great evil has been removed from the world, and we have taken back our rightful home."

He turned and beckoned Yuffie to step forward.

"But we did not do this alone," he continued as Yuffie came up beside him. "This victory could never have been acheived without the help of the people of Wutai. Yuffie Kisaragi, as a representative of your people, I wish to offer you our sincerest thanks. We are all in your debt. And may what happened today form a bond of friendship between our two cities that lasts long after we are all gone."

A cheer went up through the crowd, while Yuffie just stood there looking embarrassed. Never in her life had she ever seen such admiration. And it was all for her! She decided she could get used to this hero idea.

"Thanks, Re..Nanaki," she said, fumbling for words. "I hope so too."

She sat down again quickly, still embarressed but nevertheless loving the attention.

Red's head swiveled around until his gaze fell on the Captain of his guard, who was standing at the end of a cleared pathway in the crowd of people, a torch held proudly in his hands.

"Brogan, bring forth the flame," Red commanded.

The man walked forward until he stood beside Red, who looked at the people surrounding him.

"This torch holds the light of the eternal flame, passed in direct line from another torch that was used to preserve the flame when the canyon was taken from us. This light is a sign from our ancestors that the canyon is under their protection, and signifies their favor. To have lost it would have been to lose a part of our heritage."

He suddenly turned and looked at Cid.

"Cid Highwind, as the man responible for preseving this flame for our people, I think it would be only fitting if the fire was relit by your hand."

Cid sat there for a moment, cursing under his breath as all eyes turned toward him. If anything, he looked even more embarrassed than Yuffie had.

He didn't move until Shera, who he had gone to get earlier, nudged him. Then he stood up slowly.

"Shit," he muttered.

He stepped forward and stood next to Red. There were more cheers and Cid thought he was going to die of embarrassment.

Brogan handed him the torch. Cid took it and looked at Red, who nodded. Cid shoved the end of the torch into the wood piled up on the platform that held the eternal flame. Almost immediately the kindling mixed in with the wood caught, and moments later the eternal flame once again filled the night air with light.

With the ceremony finished the crowd started to break up, though not many people left the streets. The Inn had brought out some tables and placed them in the street, setting up an open air bar. A band started playing and the people of Cosmo Canyon began their celebration.

Reno made a beeline for the bar, but was interrupted when he suddenly came face to face with Elena and Rude.

He stopped and they looked at each other. Elena seemd slightly embarrassed.

"Reno.." she said, then stopped. He stared at her, but she did not speak, just stood there for a moment.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Reno just looked at them both. Rude said nothing, but nodded his head slowly.

Reno gazed at them for a long time, letting the silence drag out until Elena thought she couldn't stand it anymore.

Finally he broke into a grin and waved his hand dismissively.

"What are you talking about?" he said. "It was all part of my plan. I was just making sure Yuffie did her job, and I needed you two to stay behind and keep the others from killing themselves until I got back with help. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."

Relief flooded Elena's face.

"So we're still a team? We're still Turks?"

"Of course," Reno looked at her as if the very thought of their not being so was preposterous.

"Once a Turk always a Turk," he continued, casting a baleful eye at Vincent, who stood not far away. "Now come on. I hear a drink callling me and I can't wait any longer. This fighting is thirsty work, and if we've ever earned some time to relax, it's today."

With that he put his arm around both of his friends shoulders and led them off to the bar.

Aeris stood watching the eternal flame flicker in front of her, with Cloud still seated beside her. Ellengio, Barret and Shera sat not far away.

"What a beautiful ceremony," Aeris said.

"Uh huh," Cloud replied. He looked at the flame, then up at the stars above them. So much had happened, he could hardly believe it was over. He wished Tifa was with him, but she was back in the hospital at Kalm. She would recover from the damage she sustained in the fight, but it had bought her yet more time in the hospital. Their success was tempered for him by the fact that she could not be with them.

"That was a pretty nifty trick you pulled earlier," he commented. "For a moment there, I thought you might..."

His voice faded.

She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I kind of surprised myself," she stated.

He gave her a rueful smile. She had recovered fairly quickly after collapsing into Tifa's arms. They had brought Tifa back into the hospital where Dr. Samuels, a black bruise on his forehead, had taken a look at her. When he had assured Cloud she would recover they had left in the Vengeful Wind, heading back to Fort Condor, where they had picked up Priscilla and brought her back to Junon. Cloud had explained to her father what had happened, and why she had run off without permission, and though Conrad had given his daughter a stern look, Cloud suspected the man was actually rather proud of her. Cloud had given her a kiss as a reward and she had nearly swooned. Perhaps wisely, he never made any mention of Tifa.

"So everything turned out all right," Cloud said, looking at Aeris caerfully. "Do you still feel bad about what happened with the crystal materia, about your part in Jenova's return?"

Aeris looked around for a moment before answering, the light of the eternal flame flickering in her eyes.

"So much damage has been done," she replied slowly. "So many have lost their lives. I cannot help but feel some responsiblity for that. But there's nothing that can be done about it now, and it could have ended up a lot worse. I suppose it's just a burden I will have to learn to live with, and move on."

Cloud nodded but did not respond.

Aeris head cocked to one side, looking over Cloud's shoulder. He turned but saw only his friends sitting by the fire.

"What?" he asked, but Aeris had already gotten up and was walking over to Shera, who was staring at the fire, her hands holding her swollen stomach. Cloud got up and followed Aeris over.

"Are you all right?" Aeris asked.

Shera turned toward her, a look of half concern and half embarrassement on her face. She started to get up. Aeris and Cloud both gave her a hand.

"Thank you," Shera replied, still clutching her stomach. "I think..."

She looked down at herself.

Aeris eyes widened.

"No," she said.

Shera looked up at her again.

"I think it's time."

Cloud looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Time for what?" he questioned.

Aeris turned toward him.

"For the baby, you idiot."

"No," it was Cloud's turn.

"What?" Barret called out, coming over to them, followed by Ellengio.

"It's time," Aeris said excitedly. "She going to have the baby. Where's Cid?"

"I don't know," Barret replied. "I saw him head off down the street a while ago."

"Well, go find him!" Aeris exclaimed.

Barret immediately took off down the block. Aeris turned to look at Cloud.

"You to!"

Cloud didn't argue, but ran off the other way, seaching through the crowd for a sign of the blonde haired pilot. The streets were crowded with people, and he found it difficult to get through them. With all these people in the street, he could pass right by Cid without even seeing him. Where could he have gone?

The bar.

Cloud pushed his way through the crowd, heading toward the Inn, but the bar was a very popular place this night, and by the time he neared it he could barely move as the crowd pressed around him.

It took him a long time to finally make it to the bar itself. He looked around and spotted the three Turks sitting at the counter, with Vincent standing behind them. He should have known Reno would have staked out prime territory. He made his way over to them.

"Have you seen Cid?" he said when he reached them, shouting to be heard over the sound of the band, which was playing right beside them.

The three Turks shook their heads, but Vincent leaned forward and tugged on Cloud's sleeve.

"He's over there," Vincent said, pointing to the left.

Cloud saw Cid standing in the crowd not far away.

"Cid!" Cloud shouted at the top of his lungs. He had to do it again before Cid turned and aknowledged him. Cid pushed his way through the crowd until he reached them.

"Great party, huh?" he shouted, a drink in one hand and his cigarette in the other.

"Never mind that," Cloud yelled in return. "We've got to go. Shera's in labor!"

"What?" Cid said. "Do me a favor?"

"What?" Elena exclaimed in surprise.

Cloud leaned forward until Cid's ear was right beside him.

"SHERA'S IN LABOR!"

Cid's eyebrows shot up.

"Shit!" he exclaimed.

"C'mon," Cloud said. He started to force his way through the crowd once more. Cid came up beside him, along with Elena and Vincent. Together they formed a wedge that pushed through the throng fairly quickly.

When the crowd thinned they broke into a run. Not long after they were back at the flame. Shera was sitting beside it, Aeris next to her, with Ellengio standing nearby. Cloud saw that Barret had returned as well, and that Red was with him.

Shera stood up when she saw Cid approaching.

"About time," she admonished jokingly.

"So what's going on?" Cid said, looking around as if he were lost.

"I'm having labor pains," Shera replied.

"For how long?" Cid questioned.

"Since right before we arrived here," she replied.

"What?" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought it might be false labor," she replied. "Besides, I didn't want you to miss the ceremony."

"Who gives a shit about the ceremony," he shouted. "Shera you dumba.."

He stopped and shut his mouth.

"So what do we do?" he said.

"We'll have to get to the hospital," Shera stated.

"I'm afaid that isn't going to be so easy," Red spoke for the first time. "The hospital was torn apart by our unwanted guests. There's no telling whether any of the doctors have survived, and if they have, who knows how long it'll take to find them."

"Well, that's just great," Cid said in disgust.

"Cid, calm down," Shera said. "We'll just have to go back to Rocket Town."

"Shera, are you out of your mind?" Cid exclaimed. "Who says we're going to have enough time?"

"If we don't then we don't," Shera snapped. "You got a better idea?"

Cid looked at her and let out a groan of exasperation.

"Well, let's get a move on, then," he said.

He ran down the street, back toward the entrance to the canyon and the Slipstream beyond. The others followed more slowly, Aeris staying with Shera to offer support. By the time the reached the aircraft the engines were roaring.

Cid sat at the controls, muttering a string of curses. Damn woman still hadn't learned to move her ass. His hands moved nervously over the controls, accidently activating a switch. He shut it off immediately with a curse. He looked at his hands. They were shaking with excitement.

"Why don't you let me fly it?"

He jerked around to see Vincent standing behind him, looking down at him thoughtfully.

"I know what I'm doing," Cid replied curtly.

He felt a metal hand come down on his shoulder.

"Go in the back and have a cigarette, your nerves are shot."

Cid gave him a baleful look, but he got up out of the seat. Vincent sat down as Cid walked toward the back, still muttering curses.

The Slipstream lifted off and headed north to Rocket Town. Aeris reclined one of the chairs and had Shera lay down in it. She looked toward Vincent in the front.

"Take it nice and easy," she commanded.

A slight nod was her only reply.

Shera lay beside her. The labor pains were coming much more quickly now. A bead of sweat appeared on her brow.

"They're coming pretty fast," she said slowly. "I don't know whether we're going to get there in time.

"Shit," Barret exclaimed. "What are we going to do if she has it here?"

He looked at Aeris, who just shrugged. This was something that even she had no experience with.

"Get out of the way," Elena said, stepping forward. She knelt down beside Shera.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Aeris asked.

Elena nodded.

"The Turks are trained to handle any emergency," she replied. "Part of my training was to assist in two births. Now step back and give the lady some room."

The others obeyed. Cloud walked into the back of the plane, knowing full well that he would only get in the way if he stayed. This was something he had no intention of becoming involved with.

Cid was pacing back and forth, puffing furiously on a cigarette.

"Calm down, Cid," Cloud said reassuringly, even though he doubted it would do much good. "I'm sure we'll make it in time."

Cid did not reply. He tossed away his cigarette, even though it was only half consumed. He paced across the floor, then absently pulled out another one and lit it up.

Cloud just shook his head and took a seat.

In the other room they heard Elena saying something about pushing.

"I can't belive this is happening," Cid remarked, raising his eyes heavenward.

Cloud did not reply. It seemed that whatever they did, it always somehow turned into an adventure.

Cid nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard Shera cry out. They heard Elena yell 'whoa'.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Cid shouted.

"It's almost here!" he heard Aeris cry.

"Oh God," Cid muttered.

He continued his pacing. They heard Elena talking some more, but Cloud could not make out what she was saying. She sounded excited.

Suddenly they heard Vincent's voice.

"We're almost there," he called out.

There was a shout from the others, and suddenly Cid heard a high pitched crying from the next room.

"Cid, get in here!" he heard Barret shout.

He ran forward, with Cloud right behind him. Cid stopped when he saw Shera, lying on the chair with a small bundle in her arms wrapped in one of Cid's spare bomber jackets.

"It's a girl," Shera said softly, a smile hiding the exhaustion on her face.

Sydney Highwind had come into the world at fifteen thousand feet. 

Aeris sat on a chair in the kitchen of Cid and Shera's house. It had been a long and exhausting day. One she thought they wouldn't forget for a long time. They had dropped Shera and the baby off at the hospital. The doctors had been surprised, but they had examined the child and it appeared to be perfectly healthy. Elena had done a good job.

Cid had invited them all over to his house afterward, where most of them had immediately collapsed in exhaustion, Cid being the first to go.

She finished the tea she had made herself and walked over to the doorway, looking in the living room. Barret was sleeping soundly on the floor. Cloud had claimed the couch. She thought him asleep as well, but then he opened one eye for a moment and smiled at her. She returned the smile and retreated back into the kitchen. She didn't want to disturb them.

The others had all sacked out wherever they had been able to find room. She thought about going to sleep herself, but even after their busy day for some reason she did not feel tired. She walked over to the front door and stepped out into the night air. A small sound caught her attention, and she turned to see Ellengio sitting on a chair by the side of the house, looking up at the stars.

She walked over to him. He tilted his head slightly to acknowledge her presense, but continued to look at the sky.

Her gaze lifted as well. There was no moon tonight, and the lights of Rocket Town were muted this late in the evening. The sky was a huge painted canopy of stars above their head. They shown above her, brighter and more abundant than she had ever seen. And for every one that she saw, she knew there were thousands others, even farther away and fainter still. In a cosmos that huge anything could happen. She looked at Ellengio and though he must be thinking the same thing. And suddenly she felt a chill, even though the night was warm and there was no wind. The stars above their head went on far beyond their comprehension. They held more beauty than she could imagine, and more terrors, as well.

"It's not over yet, is it?" she said softly.

Ellengio stirred and looked at her. Then he slowly shook his head.

"No it's not." 

Reno stepped out of the bathroom unsteadily. He walked out of the Inn and looked around for Rude. The crowds in the streets of Cosmo Canyon had dwindled as the night wore on, and now there were no more than five or six people still outside. Most had long since given up reveling and retired for the night.

He didn't see Rude, but that was not surprising since he could barely see at all. Still, as far as he was concerned the night was young. He had a long way to go before he fell into the drunken stupor he was attempting to so hard to achieve.

"Reno."

He jumped at the sound of his name. He looked around and his eyes slowly focused on a young woman standing in front of him.

"Yuffie!" he exclaimed, his face breaking into a broad grin. "You come to join us? C'mon, we're just gettin started, and since Elena left all I've had to look at is Rude's ugly mug."

He grabbed hold of her. She did not protest.

"Actually, I came here to tell you something," she said.

"An wha might that be?" he questioned.

She hesitated for a moment, then sidled up next to him, a smile forming on her face.

"I came to thank you for rescuing me in the battle today," she said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Rescoo...rescue you?" he stammered. "You mean you're actually going to admit that? No more, 'hey, I knew exactly what I was doin'?"

Yuffie shook her head.

"No more, you rescued me, fair and square."

She was right beside him, looking at him carefully, a strange expression on her face. He just stood there, as if unable to comprehend this sudden admission on her part.

Suddenly she leaned forward and kissed him.

Reno eyes shot up. Yuffie wrapped her arms around him, forcing her lips against his, and he stumbled backward and almost fell on his ass.

As quickly as she had come forward, she disengaged. She smiled at him once more, then, before he even knew what had hit him, she scampered off.

"Hey, ain'tcha gonna join us?" he questioned. He stood there waiting for a response, not realizing at first that she was gone. Then he shrugged and the grin returned to his face. Things had really started to look up for him. He was back with Rude and Elena, their enemies had been destroyed, and now Yuffie appeared to have a thing for him. And on top of it all, he had been well paid to boot.

He reached down to pat the wad of gil in his pocket, but then stopped. He felt a sudden chill. The pocket was empty. His hands ran across his body, frantically checking his other pockets, but they were empty too. He stood there for a moment and his face suddenly contorted in rage.

"YUFFIE!!!!!!"