NOTE: Final Fantasy, and any games bearing the name or similar names (Such as Final Fantasy I, II, III, IV, Tactics, etc.) is a registered trademark of Squaresoft co. ltd. (1986) and may not be reproduced for financial gain without permission from the company themselves. As such, this story is Fan-Fiction, and I am making no money whatsoever from having it on this website. All non-Final Fantasy characters may be used for other related or non-related fictional stories, 'cause they're mine *G*

In the Beginning...

Sephiroth looked up in amazement at the giant statue of Jenova, his 'mother', which shone in the artificial light of the room, and said, "I have come, mother! Now we will take the planet back from these foolish mortals!" He moved closer to the statue, then took hold of it in his tough grip, and pulled it away, wires and tubes being ripped away, revealing a life form in a stasis chamber that looked like that of the statue. But just as he threw the statue away and moved towards the chamber, Sephiroth heard someone enter the door behind him. He span around, and saw the member of SOLDIER who had been assigned to work with him when he had been faithful to Shin-Ra, Zack. His sword was drawn, and he was obviously in great pain.
"Sephiroth," called Zack, his voice betraying a tremble, "How could you do this? The townspeople, Tifa, why?"
Sephiroth smirked, "Because I am the only survivor of a race known as the Cetra! You humans left us all to die! I am simply evening out the odds a little!"
"You're insane!" cried Zack, advancing towards Sephiroth.
"Maybe," replied Sephiroth, "maybe."
Sephiroth then drew his sword, but suddenly something strange happened. Sephiroth felt as though he had been shifted about by a more powerful force, and felt as if what was happening now wasn't fated to happen. He turned away from Zack, who also seemed utterly confused, and looked at Jenova. The body inside the stasis chamber was... smirking!
What made it worse, Sephiroth knew why!
He turned back to Zack, then said, "Zack, I think you realize now that you are...as I am?"
Zack looked up at Sephiroth and said, obviously with great difficulty, "No… I'll never join you and… 'it'!"
Sephiroth just smiled, "You have a lot of will power, but it is pointless. Your attempts are futile, and sooner or later you will give in!"
Just then, behind Zack, a guard in a blue uniform entered. His helmet had been taken off, revealing the guards blonde hair and glowing blue eyes.
"Ah, my dear friend, Cloud, how nice to see you!" Cloud ignored this remark and drew out a standard SOLDIER issue machine gun, aimed it at Sephiroth, and said, "You've killed my friends, burnt down the town and dare call me friend?"
Sephiroth made a wide, evil grin, then said, "Oh, I'm sorry, but in case you haven't noticed your 'superior officer' here is having something of an identity crisis!"
Cloud turned to Zack, who was now on his knees, gripping his head in pain. Zack managed to look up at Cloud, and said,
"Go... now! Run... save... yourself and T... Tifa!"
Zack was then lifted off the ground by an unknown force, as he began screaming in pain. Cloud, too shocked to move, simply watched as Zack was carefully placed down next to Sephiroth. Sephiroth then said, "Don't worry, brother, you'll be alright in a minute or two, I'm just going to show Cloud the truth!"
At this point, Cloud noticed that Zack was actually nodding! Somehow, Sephiroth had managed to convince Zack that he was on Jenova's side! Cloud began walking back, just as he felt a jolt of pain smash through his skull. A hundred truths and a million lies
about Jenova passed his eyes, and he began to believe them. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from believing that
he was Cetra, and that Jenova was his mother. Suddenly, Cloud was aware that he was floating. He opened his eyes, and saw that he was floating away from his body. Cloud could do nothing but watch as his spirit disappeared into the Mako below...

"Sephiroth, Zack and Cloud. The most feared warriors ever to walk the planet. Their mother, Jenova, killed by the rebel group AVALANCHE, soon after they had defeated Shin-Ra. 'The Mako warriors', as they are now called, had taken great pleasure in torturing and then killing Barret's group. Barret Wallace, Tifa Lockheart, Nanaki, AKA. Red XIII, Yuffie Kisaragi and Cait Sith, are now all dead. However, there was, supposedly, another member that they never killed, Captain Cid Highwind, an old pilot who used to work for Shin-Ra in the hope that they would one day build a rocket so that he could fly out into space.
He's the one we are looking for!"
Aeris Gainsborough looked up at Vincent Valentine, the man she had recently befriended. He was dark, brooding and, truth be told, scared the hell out of Aeris. But he was the most trustworthy person she knew - She had read about him in the library in the Shin-Ra mansion, and knew, therefore, that he was not evil.
Vincent rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then said, "Would it be an idea to look for Mr. Reeve, the man who controlled Cait Sith, as-well?"
"Hmmm..." Aeris sat down on the floor of the church in the now abandoned Midgar city. All the Mako processed from its reactors had been diverted to the one just outside Nibelheim, giving 'The Mako warriors' an infinite supply.
"The thing is, just before their last battle with Shin-Ra, it was revealed that Cait Sith was actually a spy robot controlled by Reeve at Shin-Ra HQ to inform President Rufus of AVALANCHES' exact whereabouts, although admittedly he refused to update Rufus prior to the attack on Shin-Ra HQ which ultimately destroyed the conglomerate. The fact of the matter is that, even if he did survive either he wouldn't cooperate or he'd probably betray us..."
"To whom?" asked Vincent calmly. Aeris started to say something, but thought better of it.
"Alright, but we still need to find him first!" she argued.
"That's easier than searching for the Captain," replied Vincent "First, we check Shin-Ra HQ..."

*****

Aeris looked up at the Shin-Ra HQ and pulled her jacket further around her. The thought of what had happened in there chilled her to the bone. She also remembered when the Turks used to chase her because she was Cetra. One time, they had almost caught her. She had been in the church in the Sector 5 slums when the Turk known as Reno and four guards had entered and chased her into the church attic. She had been forced to retreat over the rooftops, and, at one point actually fell into someone's garden. If they hadn't offered to let her stay there for the time being then she would have been caught.
Vincent inspected the dead body of a monster that was lying just outside the door to Shin-Ra HQ, and Aeris said, "What is it?"
"This thing has been has been electrocuted, and recently," Vincent replied without looking up "It seems we may have found our man!"
"Mmm, Maybe," Aeris agreed, "but don't rule out other possibilities. It could be something else!"
Vincent turned to Aeris, stood up, then said "Is there anything you're not cynical about!?"
Aeris shook her head, "Not when three evil killers rule the world, there isn't. Anything is possible!"
"OK," said Vincent, his voice betraying nothing, "It isn't another person from the outside world, no-one dares come into Midgar. It isn't raw electricity, like from a thunderstorm, otherwise this thing would have been completely fried, and besides, you can't get thunder here, there're metal plates in the way. It isn't electrical power, since all the power from Midgar has been diverted. And there are no lightning based monsters in Midgar or the surrounding areas. Therefore, it's someone who knows their way around here, and who has had plenty of time to learn how to stay out of trouble!"
Aeris' face suddenly went pale, "Unless a powerful warrior has been here, someone like Sephiroth! Or Cloud Strife, or Zack...!"
Vincent shook his head, then said "None of them use lightning based weapons, and a bolt based magic attack would have the same effect as lightning! The fact that I can recognize what race this thing is proves that it was killed using a weak electrical weapon!"
"You're enjoying proving me wrong, aren't you!?" Aeris asked, smiling.
"No, not really." Came the reply.
"Well you should," continued Aeris, "because I'm glad you proved that it's probably Reeve! Let's just hope he'll cooperate!"

*****

Reeve looked once again at the damaged but, miraculously, still operating monitor he was working on. He was trying to get the Shin-Ra computer system back online in the hope that he might divert power away from the Nibelheim reactor and back into the Midgar reactors. However, the amount of materia needed was incredible, and Reeve wasn't sure whether or not he could keep going long enough.
He typed another command into the computer, and got the same message again.
'BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME'
"Shi...!" Reeve began, but he then heard quiet talking. Someone was coming down the corridor towards the room he was in. Quickly, he pulled out his nightstick. It was a crude electric prod device he had made ages ago. It wasn't very powerful, but it was good enough to fend off any would-be attacker. He then turned off the monitor of the computer, hoping the intruders wouldn't notice the LED on the main computer, then hid at the side of the door.
As the intruders came closer, he could hear them checking each room they passed. And as they checked each one, he could hear them talking...
"Even if we find him," said a female voice, "What if he doesn't co-operate!?"
Then, a deep, sinister, yet strangely familiar male voice, said "Will you stop that? We'll figure that out when we get to it!"

"Ooh, moody," mocked the female voice, "Why don't you just relax a little, Vincent!?"
Vincent. The name rang in Reeves ears. Reeve had read about a Vincent Valentine in the Shin-Ra logs the scientist Hojo had written.
He had been genetically altered and locked in the basement in Shin-Ra mansion. Reeves heart sank.
"I'll check this one!" said the female voice, right outside the room Reeve was currently in. Reeve raised his nightstick. He'd have to take a hostage, it seemed.
The door began to open, as Vincent said "Aeris,"
The door stopped, and 'Aeris' said "Yeah?"
"Be careful!"
Reeve lowered his nightstick slightly in doubt, as Aeris said "Jeez, you say that every time I enter a room! I can look after myself!"
"I know," said Vincent, "but after what happened to Lucrecia, then Sephiroth, can you blame me for being protective?"
"Oh," said Aeris, slightly ashamed, "sorry, and… thanks!"
The door then burst open, catching Reeve off guard. Aeris turned to look at him and barely had time to speak before he recovered and grabbed her. He pointed the stick at her head and moved her away from the door. Vincent then ran into the room, stopping when he saw Aeris in danger.
"Mr. Reeve, I presume!?" said Vincent calmly.
"'Excuse me," said Aeris, "but could you not point that thing at me in that manner!?"
"I'm sorry," replied Reeve, "but I can't until I figure out why you're after me!"
"We're not after you, well, not in that way, anyway!" said Vincent, his tone of voice not changing at all.
"We were hoping you'd join us in our fight against The Mako warriors!" said Aeris, her voice trembling slightly as the night stick wandered dangerously close to her face, "Do you mind!?"
Reeve, looked at her, then said, "Oh, I'm sorry!"
"Did you know that that computer is on?" Vincent asked.
"Of course, I was the one who got it to work!" he then let go of Aeris and apologized.
"How'd you do that?" Vincent continued, "The power has all been rerouted to Nibel!"
"Yes, but Hojo, before being killed, discovered a way to use materia as batteries. The only problem is that I'm almost out of materia!"
"The only problem is that you're destroying the knowledge of the Cetra by draining materia!" Aeris retorted sharply.
"What other choice do I have?" asked Reeve, "It's the only way I can try to divert the power away from Sephiroth! That was what me
and AVALANCHE were trying to do when AVALANCHE were killed by the Mako warriors!"
"Except you were nice and cozy in here, so you didn't get hurt!" said Aeris, coldly.
"Hey, if I weren’t alive now you wouldn’t have anyone to try to boot up the Shin-Ra computer system!"
"True," said Vincent, "Aeris, just let it go! Your vendetta is with Shin-Ra, not Reeve!"
"Reeve is a Shin-Ra employee! Even if Shin-Ra no longer exists! He’ll always be Shin-Ra!" Aeris’ face was now red with anger.
"Aeris," said Vincent, no emotion showing, "You do want him to help, don’t you!?"
Aeris turned to Vincent, in a furious temper, and said "No, I didn’t decide to look for him, you did! I think it was a stupid idea!"
"Fine, I don’t care!" said Reeve, who seemed a little upset.
Reeve then walked over to his computer and turned the monitor back on. At the exact moment that he did, however, the computer and monitor both shut down.
"Oh, s**t! the power’s gone! I almost had it aswell!" said Reeve, banging the desk.
Vincent looked at Aeris. There was the look of guilt on her face as she watched him. Vincent then looked at Reeve, then said, "What were you attempting, anyway?"
"The basic program initialization!" said Reeve, "The thing won’t do anything else until I do that!"
"Have you checked any of Hojo's logs?" asked Aeris, wanting to do all she could now to help Reeve.
"Yes," said Reeve, still a little agitated, "Well, all those he had written down. I think he logged the important ones on the computer,
but God only knows why anyone could do that when there's a risk that it could be deleted so easily!"
"It's safer than using books," said Vincent, wandering around the room, "At least no-one could get in without his password!"
"Well, I know what I need to get this thing up and running now... well, almost, but I need another materia orb; I only need the one to
carry on for the rest of today," Reeve then began tapping at the letters on the keyboard, as if making sure he could remember the code,
"could either of you two, let me use one?"
"Hang on, you want to use Materia, containers of the knowledge of the Cetra, to reboot your lousy computer?" Aeris asked, her anger
renewed, "Forget it!"
"Aeris," Vincent said, walking back to her, "it makes sense to do all we can to keep the Mako energy away from those three, otherwise
each second we spend getting there makes them more powerful!"
Aeris thought about this, then said "See you later, I'm going to do some soul searching!" She then left the room, and walked down the
corridor, until her footsteps could no longer be heard. At this point, Reeve turned to look at Vincent, and said, "You're just gonna' let
her wander off? She'll get killed!"
"She's not stupid," was the reply, "she can look after herself! She's defied the Warriors, the Shin-Ra Turks and the advanced strength
of the monsters around the Nibel reactor!"
Yeah, whatever," replied Reeve, who didn't know now what to do or say...

*****

Aeris walked nervously down the Shin-Ra HQ corridor, listening for any sign of marauding monsters looking for a late night snack.
Truth be told, she wished Vincent would have offered to come with her, but he had a bit too much faith in her. She would much prefer
to be living somewhere where she could feel innocent and vulnerable in safety, rather than somewhere where those feelings had to be
blocked out.
But that wasn't the issue she had come out here to think about. Should she let Reeve continue to use Mako as a power source for his
computer? Was it her place to decide? What she needed right now was to be back at the city of the Ancients, where she could think
straight. Where she could call the planet for help.
No sooner had she thought this than a voice, like millions of different people talking at once, entered her head.
*Aeris, do not worry. Do not be afraid to have to drain the knowledge of the Ancients to save the planet from the evil ones. If you do
not stop them, the knowledge will be useless anyway! *
Then Aeris thought 'Yeah, that may be what I think they'd say, but how do I know?'
Aeris decided to look at both sides of the argument. If she let Reeve use the materia, millions of innocent people's lives could be saved, but millions of year's worth of knowledge could be lost at the same time. Knowledge that, however, many people abused, using it for war and destruction. The knowledge had so far, in her eyes, only brought greed and hatred. It was about time someone used it
properly, as it was supposed to.
It made sense to go with Reeves idea, now. This way, at least the materia that had once been used for violence could be used for its
real purpose.
To help the people of the planet. The people the Cetra had sworn to protect.

*****

Athena quickly tapped in the 5-digit code on the panel of the base door, opening it instantly. The rest got in quickly, and the door
closed behind Athena as if it had known how many there were, as if it had known that another 30 people had died, leaving only 20 of
them.
They all rushed through the corridors, and were stopped by a group of soldiers who would show them to their quarters.
Athena went past them, and headed for Central Command, the whole army headquarters thing being a strange idea for the Cetra race, but one they were forced to adopt due to the Jenova occupation.
The door opened immediately to Athena, who said "Another pointless operation! They would've been safer where they were!"
A heavily built man turned to her, not showing any anger, sorrow, or guilt, at least, not physically.
"I am afraid I must disagree, Captain!" He replied, in a brash tone, "There would be a lot less if we'd have left them!"
"We lost 60 innocent people, 30 of whom were in our own damned ditch!"
"Forgive her, Ancient ones, it is stress" Was the Commanders reply.
Athena closed her eyes and made a silent, rushed prayer of forgiveness, then continued.
"We need a more damaging plan! Something that'll set 'em back so much they won't find it worth the bother of continuing!"
"Err, that's what we've been discussing," Interrupted one of the Lieutenants, "We think we know a man who could help."
Athena looked from the Lieutenant to the Commander, and said, "Please, continue."
"Damion Wallace," Said Commander Ch'takin, "Need I go on?"
"No," Was Athena's' reply, "and I have one word for you. Suicide!"
"He's not that bad," Said the Lieutenant, "Okay, he's a few strings short of a full harp, but he isn't dangerous!"
"Not intentionally, no," Said Athena, "But if he decides to make a Molotov cocktail, run!"
"I think you're being a little too quick to judge him! He could have changed dramatically since the last time you met him!" Said
Ch'takin.
"I'm not," Said Athena, "And, believe me, he won't have changed!"
"Athena, don't try to change my mind, he's coming as we speak!"
"He's the most dangerous Human I've ever had the pleasure of meeting!" Said Athena, trying to hide a smile. No matter how much she
pretended to hate him, she couldn't hide the fact that she wanted him to come. Things would finally become more cheerful around
here!

*****

"Ah, hello, Commander!" Said Damion, in his usual happy voice, "Ah, Athena, I was enjoying myself until I saw you! How are you?"
"I'm fine," Was her reply, "And, so that you know, I was against you even coming!"
"Ah, that's good," He said, "I can finally see a love-hate relationship between us!"
Athena and Damion then both laughed, hugged, and walked, with the Commander, to Damion's quarters...

*****

Present day...
"...Alright," Said Aeris, "Let's do it!"
Vincent and Reeve both looked at her as she entered and tossed a Master Fire materia to Reeve. Reeve caught it, and immediately
began connecting it to all kinds of wires.
"Great," He said, seemingly excited, "With materia this powerful I won't need any more!"
"What made you decide?" asked Vincent of Aeris.
"The Planets told me," Aeris lied. It was only a half lie, though. They had sort of told her!
"Here we go!" said Reeve, now ecstatic, "We're gonna' show those guys whose boss!"
"Yeah, we are." Said Aeris, trying to sound even a little bit pleased. She couldn't.
"Hey, Aeris, if you don't wanna' do this..." Reeve began, but Aeris interrupted.
"No, just do it, and quickly!"
"Okay," Said Reeve, finally calming down, "Computer, I'm gonna' go so fast you won't know what's hit you...!"

*****

6 hours later...

"...Okay, I didn't exactly melt the keyboard, but I was fast, and I did finish it! Look, it's loading!"
"Thank the Gods," Said Aeris, getting up, "If they're still awake!"
Vincent, who hadn't felt in the least bit tired, said "Now we need to figure out his password!"
"I already know it," Said Reeve, rather smugly, "I got it from this same computer just before they diverted all the power!"
"Well, what can I say, except hurry up!" replied Aeris.
"Ooh, moody!" Mocked Reeve, tapping the code in.
It took a couple of seconds for the computer to load, but they were on.
"Hmm, it seems there's a massive virus on the hard drive, it's taking up all the memory!"
"Then destroy it!" Said Aeris, impatiently.
"Hmmmmmmmmm.... Solitaire? This used to be a card game!"
"Destroy it!" Said Aeris, sitting down again.
"I can't, if I do it deletes every major file in the hard drive. I'll have to reinstall the entire thing!"
"So, that's another 6 hours?" asked Vincent.
"I can't take that kind of punishment!" Said Aeris, heading for the door, "You comin', Vince'?"
"Hmm, Yes, I will, but first, Reeve, how can you uninstall everything, and still have the info you need when you've finished?"
"Well..." Began Reeve, who then went into a long explanation of how he would do it, seemingly completely confusing Vincent.
Vincent looked at Reeve, blankly, then Aeris. Then Reeve again, "Err, I'll go with Aeris!"
"Good choice!" Said Aeris.
"Buh bye," Said Reeve, as they left the room, "Bring me back some chocolate!"

*****

"I can't believe it hasn't been occupied!" Said Cloud, almost to himself.
"Believe it, brother!" Said Sephiroth, "It's been avoided by all! They're all scared because of the 'unfortunate' circumstances of Miss
Lockhearts' death!
Sephiroth then laughed, but neither Cloud, nor Zack, did. They had both loved, and lost Tifa. Or rather, Cloud had loved but never
actually got Tifa. He may have done, if she hadn't have joined AVALANCHE.
"S**t!" Shouted Cloud, punching the wall so hard he made millions of cracks emerge, and a cloud of powdered brick separate form
the wall.
"What's wrong? Jealous?" asked Zack, smiling
Cloud stared daggers at Zack, "You'd better watch out, Zack. Right now I'm like a racecar in the red. Redline 7000, that's where you
are. You'd better watch yourself from now on, or you might find your stomach meetin' the edge of my sword real soon!"
Zack then drew his sword, but Sephiroth stopped him, "Now, now, children, enough fooling around! It's time to regenerate!"
Zack put his sword back, but kept a steady gaze on Cloud as they all left the late Tifa Lockheart's home...

*****

Back to that time, Jenova HQ...

"...Athena? Athena!"
Athena woke up, every muscle in her body aching. Had they really tried to sabotage the Jenova HQ? Had they really succeeded? And
was Athena...
"...Still here?!" She said in disbelief.
"Athena!" She now noticed the voice to be that of Damion Wallace, the only other survivor, as far as she knew, of the explosion that
knocked her out.
"There you are!" He said, appearing out of nowhere, "I thought you were a goner!"
"It'll take more than one of your toys to finish me off!" Said Athena, who hadn't lost her sense of humour.
"How about Jenova-BIOMECH?" he asked, seriously.
"You are joking?!" Athena asked, her hopes disappearing.
"No, I almost got caught by...it! We need to leave, ASAP!"
"That's an understatement!" replied Athena, "We need to have left when you planted the bomb, instead of checking their computers for
info!"
"Let's just stop bickering and go, already!" said Damion, leading the still weak Athena...

Cloud looked down at the small town of Nibelheim. It was now his, for each brother had different parts of the world. But something
was missing. Love. Care. Peace of mind. All these had vanished when he'd joined Zack and Sephiroth. But now it was becoming
more obvious. Maybe the effect Sephiroth had had on him was wearing off. Cloud then realized what he'd just thought, and wondered
why he had.
He stood up from where he was sitting, drew his sword, which Zack had taught him to use, and took a couple of swings at thin air. He
then dug the blade into the ground, and shouted "Tifa!" at the top of his voice.
He then suddenly became aware of someone behind him. He turned around, to see Sephiroth looking at him, an evil smile on his face.
"Seph', what'chya' doin'?" Cloud asked, showing no nervousness.
"I could ask you the same thing, but I'm not sure I'd get a reply!" Said Sephiroth, turning to look up at the stars.
"Some might call it soul searching," Said Cloud, "I was just wondering why I drew the short straw when it came to Tifa!"
"Well, you can't get all you want!" Said Sephiroth.
"I suppose not," Said Cloud, "It's never really bothered me before, though, I can't understand why now is different!"
"Now isn't different!" said Sephiroth, still looking at the stars, "Don't worry, there're plenty of fish in the sea!"
"Yeah, but Tifa was the prize catch! And Zack got there first!"
"Cloud..." Said Sephiroth, slightly impatiently, "That's beginning to annoy me. Dealing with self piteous brothers isn't my strong
point!"
"Sorry, Seph!" said Cloud, wiping the blade of his sword and sheathing it.
Suddenly, Sephiroth swung around, Masamune drawn, and swung the huge sword straight at Cloud. With lightning reflexes, Cloud
drew his own sword, and brought it up to meet his brothers'. Cloud managed to stop Sephiroths Masamune from continuing its' course,
but only barely.
They stood like that for about a minute, Sephiroths sword pushing down on Clouds, with Cloud trembling under the might of his
brother, who then ceased the battle of wills, sidestepping so that Cloud could fall forwards from the stress of keeping Sephiroths
Masamune at bay. Sephiroth then laughed and walked away, as Cloud got up, cleaned his sword, and sheathed it. Cloud then also left,
his pride damaged, but his physical self still in one piece...

*****

Athena and Damion both ran as fast as they possibly could, the sound of Jenova-BIOMECH chasing them to where they hoped they'd
find a way out. Athena took a quick glance behind her, to see that the Jenova had gained a lot of ground, shortening the gap behind
them. Suddenly, Damion and Athena stopped. Athena turned, to see that they'd reached a dead end. Both then turned to face Jenova
BIOMECH, who had slowed it's pace. There was the faintest hint of a smile showing momentarily, which quickly Disappeared as
Athena and Damion both drew their swords. The Jenova then swung its tentacles into the air, letting out a high-pitched scream, as
various biomechanical devices began to spring onto its body. The end result was a chrome plated Jenova-like figure that could barely
fit in the corridor. It solved this by smashing into the hull, creating a variety of large dents, and giving it enough room to manouver.
Athena looked up at the enourmous Bio-mechanism, slowly taking her materia, a rare orb that contained the knowledge of her people,
from her big pocket, and called upon the most powerful force their time period had ever seen…
"Ifrit…!"

*****

Vincent and Aeris both drew their weapons, Vincent his shotgun, and Aeris her 'Nagatina'. (A staff-like weapon with a blade on the
end) Both looked at one another, then the three fire Dragons that had somehow got into Midgar. Vincent began, firing his shotgun
so that the shot would damage all the Dragons, to a degree.
Aeris then drew a materia orb from her materia bag, and called "Bolt 3!"
Then, all three dragons attacked them in unison. Vincent dodged an attack from one of them, and countered with a blow to its head
with his shotgun, killing it outright.
At the same time, Aeris was struggling with the other two. She managed, at one point, to fend off one with a Shiva summons, but was
quickly attacked once again by the other, as the first recovered. The other one began using fire attacks, but was then laid into by
Vincent. Since it was now otherwise engaged, Aeris decided to attack the still dazed dragon she had fended off earlier. This time,
however, she simply used her Nagatina, slashing away repeatedly at it, as Vincent finished off the other with Poison 2.
As Aeris finished off the first one, Vincent said "You done?"
Aeris kicked the now dormant body, and said "Oh yeah! Pity, really, I was gettin' the hang of it."
"Yeah, well don't get too engrossed in it, It's nothing to be proud of!"
"Vince', as a Cetra, let me take this oppurtunity to say I KNOW THAT!"
"Sorry," Said Vincent, "I jes' don't want you windin' up like me, that's all!" Vincent said, putting away his gun and turning to leave.
Aeris, now feeling guilty for being nasty to Vincent, said "Hey, wait, I should be saying that to you. You saved my life an' I just acted
all bitchy, pardon the language."
"Ahhh!" said Vincent, his face betraying a smile.
"What?" asked Aeris.
"Nothing..." was his reply
"No, go on, tell me!" Aeris pleaded
"There's still some of that innocent Cetra element in you!" said Vincent, walking back towards Shin-Ra HQ.
"Thanks!" said Aeris, smiling...

*****

As Athenas' Summons finished, she realized that there had been very little damage done to the Jenova. She turned to look at Damion, and said, "I hope to the Gods that you have some more powerful materia!"
Damion dodged on attack from the Jenova, and said "Oh, yes!"
He then threw a red materia orb at Athena, and said "When my summons is complete, use that! It's called Leviathan!"
He then looked at Jenova-BIOMECH, and shouted, "This is for my parents! Ramuh!"
The god of Lightning then emerged, as Damion and Athena both faded away, and fired a bolt of powerful lightning at Jenova-BIOMECH. Then, when he had faded and Damion and Athena had reappeared, Athena called, "Leviathan!"
This had the enemy worried, and as the attack ended, Jenova-BIOMECH's armour retracted, leaving just another Jenova, alone and vulnerable.
The two immediately attacked the Jenova with good old-fashioned swords, ripping at Jenova-BIOMECH's flesh like a hot knife through butter, and eventually killing it.
As soon as Athena and Damion finished, they both collapsed to their knees, exhausted from the fight.
Athena turned to look at Damion when she had enough energy to speak, and said, "Where'd you get those summons?"
"Bought 'em," was Damions reply, "From a guy in the Gi tribe in the other continent. Nice fella', but I wouldn't like to meet 'im in a dark alley!"
Suddenly, a tinny robotic voice said, "Warning, self destruct imminant. All personnel exit via the emergency doors. Repeat; self destruct..."
As it repeated the warning, Athena turned to look at Damion, and said, "It could just be me, but I have a sudden urge to leave the building, don't you?"
"Absolutely," said Damion, as they both got up slowly.
"Self Destruct in 2 minutes!" informed the computer, at which point Athena and Damion ran back the way they had came. As they ran around the twisting corridors, without knowing where they were, Athena shouted "I thought you had a map, anyway!?"
"I had a map," was his reply, "I lost it in the explosion!"
"Great!" said Athena, as they contined to run down the corridors.
Then, suddenly, Damion turned a corner, and called back "I've found it!"
Athena then turned the corner, and ran through the same door as Damion had. Only when they were outside did they realise that there were loads of Jenovas' waiting.
"Uh oh...!" said Athena.
"I believe this is what humans call 'seriously in the s**t', don't you?" asked one of the Jenovas'.
"I think, at this point, Athena, I should apologize!" said Damion.
"It wasn't your fault, just a stroke of bad luck!"
"I should have checked first," He replied, "I don't usually jump in head first, like that!"
"Don't worry," said Athena, "I've just said, it ain't your fault!"
"Oh, I'm afraid it is," said one of the Jenovas', "You see, your freind is on our side!"
Athena turned to look at Damion, and said, "Is this true?!"
"Hell, no!" was Damions reply, after giving the Jenova a dark look, "I can't believe your so quick to believe the enemy!"
"Sorry, you're right," said Athena, with a sense of doubt in her mind, "I can't doubt you like that because of what one of these things says!"
The Jenova just smiled, and was about to give the order to take them both into custody, when they all heard a loud rumbling.
"It's the allies army!" cried Athena with relief. Damion looked a bit doubtful momentarily, but that disapeared as Athena turned to him.
"On three," she whispered, "One, two, three!"
They then both unsheathed their weapons, and began attacking the Jenovas, as the army also reached the crowd of Jenovas, and began hacking away at them.
Eventually, all the Jenovas were finished off, with a lot of human and Cetra casualties, but few deaths.
As Athena polished her sword, she pondered what the Jenova had said, about Damion being a spy. It had to be impossible. She'd known for a long time before they'd met the race of hostile beings, and he hadn't seemed the type to join the opposition, even then.
As, she continued to think, Damion appeared behind Athena, startling her.
"Jeez', you've gotten jumpy alluva' sudden! You're not still thinking about what that Jenova said, are you?"
"No! Well, a bit, yes. It made me a bit paranoid, and now it's made me wonder if I could trust my own mother without suspecting her of being a spy!"
"Don't worry about it," said Damion, putting an arm around her, "they do that kinda' thing all the time! I wouldn't be suprised if that's how they win their wars!"
"But he sounded so convincing! And I fell for it. For a moment, I believed him!"
Damion was taken aback by this, and said, sarcastically, "I'm glad you have so much faith in me!"
"Damion, I'm sorry..." was Athenas' reply
"Yeah, I know," he said, walking away, "But they were so convincing!"
"Heah, there's no need to be like that!" she said, upset that he could act so coldly
"Yes, there is!" he retorted, as he headed away from the battlefield...

*****

Sephiroth looked out of the window of the truck he and his two 'brothers' were sitting in. He couldn't believe that he was this close to becoming a God. He just needed the key to the temple of the Ancients, which had been lost by Zack a while ago, in order to retrieve the black materia. Then he could trigger meteor, the ancient, long forgotten weapon, to destroy this puny planet, so that he could drain the lifestream of all its power. Sooner or later, however, he would have to get rid of Zack and Cloud. *Not too hard to solve* he thought, *They hate each other so much they'll probably destroy each other*
He smiled at the thought, then turned to look at the two. Both were looking at one another as though they were about to begin killing each other. Both had their weapons drawn, holding them loosely, but ready to fight if the other made a move. Sephiroth knew what this was because of. Now that Jenova had been killed by the late AVALANCE, the power Sephiroth had over them was rapidly diminishing. They were now suspecting each other of betrayal, little realizing that Sephiroth was the real threat. Oh, what strange things mind control did to people! Sephiroth smiled again, then turned to look out of the window, towards their destination;

Midgar city…

*****

Aeris and Vincent both arrived at the Midgar gates, and Vincent put the key card in to open it. However, as he did so, Aeris noticed something far off in the distance.
"Vincent…!" said Aeris, staring at the small cloud of dust in the distance.
"I know," interrupted Vincent, "I noticed it before I started putting the card in. One truck, SOLDIER issue. It can only be Sephiroth and the others. I don’t know why they’re coming here, though," He then opened the door and said, "inside, quickly!"
Once they got back to Shin-Ra HQ, Vincent went straight to Reeve and said, "I hope to the Gods you’re finished!"
"You saw the dust cloud, too?" Reeve asked, "That’s the advantage of being so high up, you see things a mile away! Anyway, due to this alarming development, I began downloading the information to disk. It’s going to take at least three disks to download it all though, and it’s only just started on disk 1!"
"Damn!" said Vincent, "This is going a little pear-shaped!"
"You’re certainly one for understatements!" said Aeris.
"Thank you!" said Vincent, sarcastically.
Reeve then changed disks, then said, "If you can hold ‘em off for long enough I can finish the download, but bear in mind we need a way out other than that door!"
He then looked out the window and saw the truck pull up outside the front gate. Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth then clambered out the back of the truck, and two SOLDIERS, one the driver, followed.
"S**t, they’re here," said Reeve, "Get a move on!"
Vincent began to leave, and Aeris said "I bet you’re glad you have a good excuse for staying! You never like to be in the thick of the action!"
"Far from it, I wish I could join you!" Said Reeve with a grin.
"Yeah right!" retorted Aeris, then left…

*****

Back then, Cetra HQ

Athena sat at a lonely table in a corner of the mess hall at the Cetra HQ. She had got herself some dinner, but hadn’t touched it since she’d sat down. All she could think about was how much she must have hurt Damion by trusting the Jenova in what they had said. Yet, no matter how much she tried to blank it out, she couldn’t help but wonder if the Jenova had been right, if Damion was really a spy.
As she continued to brood over the subject, she suddenly got the sense that there was someone behind her. She turned, to see Commander Ch’takin standing behind her.
"Commander," she said, a little surprised; it wasn’t often that the Commander came into the mess hall, and when he did it was often to search for a soldier who’d gotten on the wrong side of him.
The Commander sat down, then said, "What’s the matter? I thought you were the bubbly social type?"
"It’s about the last mission. Just before the reinforcements appeared one of the Jenovas’ claimed that Damion was acting as an agent for them. I wouldn’t have believed it except for the look on Damion's face, as if he didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet. I questioned him about it later and he stormed off. Now I feel stupid for not trusting him, but at the same time I feel I can’t trust him!"
"Strange," said Ch’takin, "I’d say that it’s coincidence except… Have you read the report lately?"
"No, why?"
"Well, you left early, so you wouldn’t have known. The self-destruct didn’t go off. It turned out someone had simply set off the drill instead. The console you destroyed wasn’t important. If we hadn’t been there to take the others prisoner, it would have been considered mission failed…"
"Are you saying Damion may have purposely blown up a useless console, then one of the Jenova sat off the alarm drill?" Athena saw the idea slowly form. It would have been perfect, but what would the Jenova have gained except one Cetra captain?
"That’s exactly it. However; 1.Why would Damion join the Jenova when we all know they were the ones who killed his parents, and 2.What would they gain from it?"
Athena nodded, then said, "Unless they did it not only so that it seemed Damion was on our side, but also to kidnap me and get information!"
The mess hall door then opened again, and Damion entered. As he got his meal, the Commander said out loud, "Meet me in my office in half an hour, officer, and if you’re a minute late I’ll have you court-marshaled faster than you can say court-marshal!" He then whispered, "Then we can continue this discussion. Oh, by the way, eat your food!"
The Commander then left, as Damion walked towards Athena, "Is he always that bad-tempered?" he asked.
"Not all the time, sometimes he gets worse." Athena smiled; a smile, however, that had been forced onto her lips.
"Athena," said Damion, "I want to apologize for earlier. I was just a bit miffed about you not trusting me, and I flew off the handle."
"No," replied Athena, "You don’t need to apologize. I should’ve trusted you." She then bit hard into a ration, to stop herself from saying anything she might regret.
"Anyway, that wasn’t all I came down here for," he took a small box from his pocket, and said, "I’m leaving soon for Wutai, it’s quieter over there, but I want you to come with me," He opened the box, to reveal an engagement ring, "as my betrothed."
Athena looked down at the ring, shocked, and said, "I… I don’t know! I’ll have to think about it!" She then turned away, to hide the tears streaming from her eyes.
"Look, if I’ve upset you, I’m sorry, I guess I’m too early. I’ll leave now." Damion then got up and left the mess hall, as Athena began crying…

Present day, Shin-Ra HQ

Vincent and Aeris stopped at the entrance to Shin-Ra headquarters, as Sephiroth, Cloud and Zack got there.
"Get out of our way, mortals!" Called Sephiroth.
"We won’t let you through!" replied Vincent, "We can’t let you take over this planet!"
The warriors then all laughed, and Sephiroth said, "Foolish Turk, we don’t intend to take over this planet, we intend to destroy it and drain the lifestreams power to become gods! The power we are getting now is nothing to the power we will get when the planet tries to repair itself!"
Aeris then stepped forward, her face a mask of horror, and said, "You can’t do that! Not after the lengths the Cetra took to defend it!"
"The humans didn’t appreciate it! They hid while the Cetra took care of it! Defended it! By the time the dust settled, most of the Cetra were dead, apart from us!" Sephiroth continued.
"Wake up and smell the coffee," said Aeris, "You’re not Cetra, you’re a Mako enhanced SOLDIER who has been experimented on and lied to most of your life! No wonder you were so easy for Jenova to manipulate!"
Sephiroth then became annoyed, "Enough! Cloud, Zack, kill them!"
Cloud and Zack then grinned, and went in for the kill. Zack then attacked Vincent, whilst Cloud went for Aeris.
As Zack advanced towards Vincent, Vincent looked over at Aeris. If she were to have to fight Cloud, she wouldn’t stand a chance. But then Zack jumped at him, and he didn’t have time to try to help her.
As Cloud moved towards Aeris, she drew her staff and said, "I know who has the brain-cell out of you three most of the time!"
"What are you babbling about?" asked Cloud.
"Are you kidding?" look at him, standing there, letting you two fight while he tidies his hair! He’s manipulated you beyond belief!"
This just made Cloud angrier, "I am not a mug! I am Cetra, and Sephiroth is my brother!"
"Rubbish," said Aeris, a little nervously, "You’re not Cetra, I should know! And he certainly isn’t your brother!"
Cloud, in rage, then lifted his sword, called his battle cry, and began to bring his sword upon Aeris. However, as it descended, he heard a voice behind him shout, "Cloud, no!!!" It sounded exactly like Tifa, but it couldn’t be her, she was dead!
He stopped, nevertheless, and, confused, looked at Aeris. She also seemed bemused.
"Who was that?" she asked, as she saw a bulky man in brown clothes appear behind Cloud. He was transparent, but she noticed him as Barret Wallace.
"Wha’…?" She asked. Cloud turned, and also saw him.
"What the hell’ you doin’?" asked ‘Barret’, walking closer to Cloud, "Get a grip!" and then, as he said the last part, he disappeared, and Sephiroth replaced him, "Cloud, kill the Bitch, now!"
"No." was Clouds reply, as Aeris got to her feet, and then he shook his head and said, "What am I saying?!"
He then turned to kill Aeris, but in her place was Vincent, now transformed into Chaos.

"What the…?" said Cloud in surprise, as he backed off. Behind Vincent Aeris ran into Shin-Ra HQ, and Zack got up from the blow Chaos had dealt him, and followed her…

*****

Reeve shoved the disks into his coat pocket, then proceeded to take out all his possessions from the desk drawer. His watch, a photograph of his now dead wife, and the black materia. It was, as mentioned, black, and shaped like a pyramid. After he had sacrificed one of his robots to solve the puzzle, and Sephiroth had retrieved it, Reeve followed him to Nibelhiem, where Zack was entrusted to look after it while Sephiroth and Cloud went to the North crater to defeat AVALANCHE. When Zack was asleep one night, Reeve had taken it and ran back to Midgar city, where he had stayed until he decided to redirect the flow of Mako. However, he could only keep hold of it, as it didn't work as a power source for the computers. However, now that Sephiroth was coming after it, Reeve knew he was in real trouble. He should have told Vincent he had it, at least then Vincent would have known better than to leave him in such a dangerous place alone.
Suddenly, the door opened and Aeris burst into the room. Reeve quickly hid the materia and drew his Nightstick, thinking it may be Sephiroth.
"Woah, I'm on your side!" explained Aeris, "I hope you're done with downloading all the info, 'cause we have to go; now!"
"Yeah," said Reeve, "It's all on here, how to redirect the flow, but we'll only be able to do it..."
Then, out of nowhere, Zack appeared.
"Ahh, been trying to steal our power source, have you?" asked Zack, his sword still sheathed, "Why don't you just hand those disks over now, then?"
"No," said Aeris, trying to seem brave, "What you three are doing is wrong, can't you see that?"
Zack simply laughed and said, "You're supposed to be a Cetra? You've spent far too much time with the humans!"
"You're human as-well," interrupted Reeve, "You were born in Gongaga in '65, as Zack Alsdorf. Your parents tried to bring you up to be a good natured, peace-loving person, but the reactor explosion that destroyed your hometown angered you greatly. You decided to get your own back on Shin-Ra, by joining SOLDIER and then, when you got to a high enough rank, you'd find a way to murder the president. Looks like you got your revenge; the president is dead."
Despite being incredibly doubtful about every word Reeve was saying, Zack listened. When Reeve finished, however, Zack simply laughed, "This means nothing to me! We will be immortal once meteor is called to destroy this puny planet!"
Reeve narrowed his eyes and said, "Not if I have anything to do with it!" He then drew the black materia, "Is this what you're after!?"
Zack tensed up and said, "You stole it?! Give me that materia, now!"
Reeve then drew his nightstick with his free hand and pointed it at the black materia. At this, both Aeris and Zack stepped back.
"Reeve, not a good idea!" said Aeris with a tremble.
"Why not?" asked Reeve, keeping his eyes fixed on Zack.

"Because destroying that with electricity will put a hole in this planet big enough to fit ten Midgar cities!"
Reeve laughed, "Excellent, we'll get all three of 'em!"
Aeris, a little frightened at Reeve's new death-wish, said, "Yeah, that'd be great, if not for the fact that it would also kill us and most of the people on this continent!"
"It's for the good of the human race!" Reeve exclaimed sarcastically.
"What about the good of the Cetra?" Came a voice at the window. It was Sephiroth, "Give me the materia, Reeve, or I'll kill Aeris where she stands!" Sephiroth then quickly moved behind Aeris, drew his sword and put the blade in front of her throat.
At this, Reeve lowered his nightstick, "Leave her alone!"
Sephiroth simply laughed, "No, I won't, and do you know why? Because I'm Cetra, and you're human, and when you die, I will remain!"
"Hojo really messed you up in that lab, didn't he?" Reeve asked, "All those baby-sitters who treated you like s**t, all those injections, training at the age of five. No wonder you're evil, you never were normal!"
However, this didn't work on Sephiroth, only making him angrier, "Hojo is dead! Shin-Ra is dead! I remain! The Cetra remain! The Cetra will always remain!"
"No, neither Hojo nor Shin-Ra are dead. They're there, in you. You are Hojo's son, Hojo's creation, and you are the reminder of what Hojo was capable of. You're…"At this point, Reeves voice showed more menace than Aeris had ever heard, even from Sephiroth, "…an experiment. A test, to see if Mako could be used safely and to see if cells from that low-life Jenova would help. Hojo's son and guinea pig. I hope you're proud of that birthright, Sephiroth! Not even Cloud or Zack could say that about them-selves!"
At this point, tears almost welling up, Sephiroth screamed at the top of his voice, then let go of Aeris and thrust his Masamune deep into Reeves stomach. He left it there as Reeve looked down at the protruding sword handle in shock, and he took the black materia and the disks that contained the information he had downloaded. He then threw the disks to the ground, and hit Reeve in the face with his metal elbow pad a few times. When he was satisfied he'd pummeled Reeve's face enough, he took the blade out, wiped it on Reeves suit and sheathed it. He then stood on the disks with his metal-heeled boots, shattering them. However, when he turned back to deal with Aeris, she was gone, along with Zack.
"Goddamn!" said Sephiroth, still fuming from what Reeve had said, then he headed out into the hall to try to fix up the rest of this whole mess…

*****

At the same time…

Cloud let out another gasp as he was thrown to the ground by Chaos; for the eighteenth time. He leaned against his Sword, using it to prop himself up. He was exhausted, and couldn't handle much more from this demon. However, just as he thought he was done for, Chaos suddenly transformed back into Vincent, who then drew his shotgun, ready in case Cloud tried to take advantage.
"Cloud, please don't make me kill you. Surely there must be a shred of your real self still hiding in that evil shell. I know you're not evil. I'm sure you would have been a great asset to AVALANCHE were it not for Sephiroth's manipulation!"
"Small talk!" said Cloud. He then got into the fighting pose once again.
"Fine," Said Vincent, "If that's how you want it!"
Vincent then began to raise his Shotgun, but as he did something happened to Cloud. Everything around him became black, and when it faded back, he was in the basement in Shin-Ra mansion.
"What the…?" Cloud exclaimed as he looked around. Tifa and Red XIII were both stood behind him, watching expectantly.
"Well?" asked Tifa.
"Well what?" asked Cloud
Tifa rolled her eyes, "The coffin, aren't you going to open it? You brought us here!"
Cloud looked back, and saw a man-sized coffin on an alter. He knew Tifa and Red XIII were his enemies, but something inside him didn't want to kill them. It wanted to open the coffin.
"Oh," said Cloud, and he stepped over to the side of the coffin. He expected it to be difficult, but the lid came off easily.
When he pushed the lid off, he was taken aback. It was Vincent, lying asleep with his arms crossed over his chest. Somewhat fearful, he shook Vincent to wake him. He jumped back when Vincent's eyes opened.
"Who has awoken me from my slumber?" asked Vincent.
"What are you doing here, Turk?" asked Cloud.
Vincent turned quickly to Cloud, "How do you know I was a Turk?"
"Please! I searched through the databanks in Shin-Ra HQ when we defeated them!"
"We defeated Shin-Ra?" asked Tifa, "Was I asleep during that time?"
"If you were," Red XIII added, "I was also asleep!"
Cloud turned to look at Tifa and Red XIII, then remembered, "Oh yeah, I've not done it yet… But this never happened!"
Tifa looked at Cloud, then moved towards him, "Are you feeling okay?" She then moved to put her hand on his forehead, but he pushed her away.
"Keep away, human!" He exclaimed. Tifa, horrified, said, "Cloud? What's happening!?"
Cloud, about to draw his sword, looked at Tifa. He had always loved her, but she had been part of AVALANCHE, and had to be killed. So now, she should have been dead. So why was she here, as real as the fight with Vincent had been not minutes before. Could it be that what Aeris and Vincent had said were true? Was this event he was living part of the life he had if Sephiroth hadn't manipulated him? Then he thought again. He was talking as if Sephiroth had manipulated him.
At this point, all the thoughts crowding his head became too much. He dropped to his knees, held his head and began to scream due to the immense pain that had appeared. He now knew it for what it really was. He had felt this pain before. He remembered now. The Nibel Reactor. Zack was kneeling before Sephiroth, trying to resist the manipulation technique Sephiroth was using. Cloud was lifted into the air, and the pain appeared. Then, evil thoughts filled his head. Cloud couldn't handle it. He was too weak. Not this time.
"Sephiroth, noo!" He cried. The thoughts continued to fill his head, but whenever that happened he thought of Tifa, then what Aeris and Vincent had said. Suddenly, the pain went away, and Cloud collapsed and fell unconscious…

*****

Back to the past, Cetra HQ

"…Why didn't you tell me you were a double agent?!" asked Ch'takin, enraged.
"It's Turk business, not yours!" replied Damion.
"Turk? This is getting better!" the Commander then gave off a fake laugh, "So now the Turks have decided to join in! I thought they only did that if the price was right?!"
"It is," was Damion's reply, "It's our planet that's at stake, here! Turk officials thought you people were taking too long, decided to get me in to be a double agent. I agreed to join them. You know that this war is almost over thanks to my helping you?!"
"I don't give a damn," said the Commander, his face red, "I have an officer in the other room ready to commit suicide because she not only thinks you're a Jenova spy, but because you asked her to marry you not two days ago!"
"Suicide?" asked Damion, a little worriedly. At this, Ch'takin calmed down.
"We caught her with a rope around her neck in her quarters last night. She was tying it to the pipe that goes through there. The officer that found her was only there because she failed to report for duty…"
"Oh, Gods!" exclaimed Damion, "Suicide?!"
"Yes," said the Commander, "And all thanks to you! Why didn't you tell at least me that you were a double agent, at least then when she told me about her suspicions I would have been able to tell her!"
"I didn't think. Didn't think it mattered, didn't think I'd fall in love with her…!"
"Where was the ring from, then?" asked the Commander.
"I bought it from Gongaga before we went to Jenova HQ. We stayed there for the night since it was so far off. And while we're on the subject, I didn't fail to bomb them on purpose. They said to blow up a dummy console on the opposite wing to the one we went to. I lost the map somewhere in the corridors and hadn't memorized the route to the important console. That was the perfect opportunity to do some damage. I was going to reveal my secret when we got back to base, but we were caught. The Jenova who told Athena I was on their side was probably about to kill me there and then!"
The Commander looked down at his hands when Damion had finished. When he looked up again he was more relaxed.
"You realize I'll be filing a report on this, and sending one to the Turks, along with a letter of my total disapproval."
"I don't care, I sent them a letter of resignation the other day. I'm getting out of the way. Going to live in Wutai for a while."
The Commander nodded, "And you asked Athena to go with you? That seems unlikely at the moment."
"Is that all, Commander, because if it is I'll leave it to you to explain to Athena."
"No, it isn't," At this, Damion looked at the Commander with surprise, "We're not quite finished with the whole Jenova situation. There's a small emergency base on the North crater, it was found a couple of weeks ago but no-one mentioned it in case the Jenova found out we knew…"
"…And you want me to help?" continued Damion.
"We were going to ask you, but after this incident I wouldn't blame you for declining."
"No, I want to go… is Athena fit for another mission?"
The Commander turned suddenly, "How can you have the nerve to ask that? The woman is barely fit for normal life; I wouldn't be surprised if she came back with your blood on her blade!"
"Please, could you just ask her?" asked Damion calmly, "I'll go either way, but please, just do that one thing?"
The Commander thought for a moment, then said, "I'll tell her you requested her assistance on this mission, but don't be surprised if you hear her try to destroy everything!"
Damion then nodded, and left the room. At this, the receptionist said, "Next, please."
Athena then got up, after the body guard besides her did the same, and, with a menacing look at Damion, entered the Commanders office…

*****

Present day, Nibelheim hotel.

Cloud, dazed and confused, opened his eyes. He felt hot and wet, and still had a headache. When he managed to focus his eyes, he saw Tifa and Aeris. Tifa sat beside him holding his hand, and Aeris coming in from the bathroom with a wet cloth. Cloud got up quickly, not quite knowing at first what was going on. Then he remembered the fight with Sephiroths manipulation. He had won.
"Aeris, you were right!" said Cloud, still a little dizzy.
"Right about what?" asked Aeris, putting the wet cloth on Clouds forehead.
"Sephiroth; he was manipulating me, and Zack!" At this, both Aeris and Tifa looked confused, "But I broke free, thanks to you and Vincent!"
"Who's Vincent?" asked Aeris.
"The new guy we came back with. Vincent Valentine. Used to be a Turk." Said Tifa.
"I've heard that name before," said Aeris, "But I never suggested that Sephiroth might be manipulating your mind!"
"Oh no," said Cloud, dreamily, "That was before, in the other world!"
"Before? Other world? Cloud…" Tifa was then drowned out be a high-pitched squeal, and Clouds vision began to fade.
"Nooooooo!" He cried, "Tifa, come back!"
And then he was back at Shin-Ra HQ, lying on the floor. Vincent looked down at him, his shotgun not yet fired, as Cloud covered his eyes and sobbed, repeating Tifa's name over and over again.
Just then, from the Shin-Ra HQ entrance, Aeris ran out.
"Vincent, let's go!" She shouted.
"Where's Reeve?" Vincent asked.
"He went nuts and Sephiroth killed him. The Mako redirection plan is no doubt shot to hell as-well…" She then looked at Cloud, "What's wrong with him?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Was Vincent's reply as he put away his gun, "But it might be a good idea to take him with us!"
"Are you insane?" asked Aeris, calmly, "He's a killer, a SOLDIER, as soon as he recovers he'll kill us!"
"I don't think Sephiroth's manipulation is affecting him any longer," said Vincent, lifting Cloud up, "C'mon, we'll figure this out later!"
With that, they both ran. But just as they set off, Zack appeared.
"Gods!" said Aeris. She then drew some Materia, and called "Stop!"
Suddenly, a giant clock appeared before Zack, and ticked down slower and slower, until it stopped. With it, Zack also froze.
"Why didn't you do that earlier?!" asked Vincent.
"Wasn't sure it'd work." Was Aeris reply, as they both left the vicinity of Shin-Ra HQ.

Back to the past.

Damion waited patiently at the boat for his team. He hoped to god Athena had agreed to join him, but he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't turn up.
Then, from the road that led to the dock, came a truck. It stopped close by and out of it came several members of the C.E.T, the Cetra Elite Team, a group of the finest officers ever to join the Cetra army. With them was a familiar face that forced a smile form Damion.
"Athena, I'm glad you came!" He said as she walked towards the boat. She stopped when he said this, however, to say "I'm doing this for the planets benefit, not yours." And with that she continued to board the boat. Damion sighed. This'd be a long boat ride…

*****

Athena, sat at her desk, read the information given by the Commander on what was required of them in this mission. It was fairly straight-forward; infiltrate the base and place explosive charges in a wide formation. But as she was thinking about this, she heard a knock on the cabin door. She had said; no interruptions, but she knew who it was.
"Go away!" She called. The knock came again, "I'm busy!" But the person at the door persisted. At the next knock, she got up and went to the cabin door, slamming it against the wall as she opened it.
"I'm busy, no dist…"
It was Damion. She stopped when she saw him, and said "Go away."
"Is that your catch-phrase of the month or something?" Damion asked, trying to joke, but still being serious.
"Mr. Wallace, I don't want to hear it…"
"Oh, it's Mr. Wallace now, is it?"
"Damion, get the hell out of my cabin doorway!"
"Don't forget to tell the Gods you're sorry!" Was the witty reply, "And while we're on the subject, you still have my Leviathan materia!"
Athena went over to her desk, took out a materia orb, and threw it at Damion, "There, now go away!"
Damion caught the orb easily and said, "We need to talk about this whole double agent thin…"
"There's nothing to talk about!" replied Athena.
"Yes there is! I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, but I had to keep it a secret, that's what being a double agent is about!"
"But when I became suspicious, why didn't you tell me then?!"
"Because I thought since the mission was a failure I thought I'd be needed much longer!"
"And the marriage proposal!?" asked Athena, "Why not tell me then? Or would you have told me on the honeymoon? 'I love you, oh, by the way, in that Jenova war? I was a double agent! Want more wine?' Who're you trying to kid!?"
Damion just shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sorry, what more can I say?! Can't we just try again?"
"I don't know" replied Athena, "We'll see. After this mission."
"Okay, close enough for me." Said Damion, smiling. When he had left, Athena smiled. She was glad to know at least that Damion hadn't actually been up for the Jenova, and that he wanted to give it another try. Her life was slowly piecing itself together again…

*****

Present day, Kalm village.

Aeris walked up to the hotel counter as Vincent and Cloud stumbled in, Cloud leaning heavily on Vincent. As they entered, several customers were startled by Clouds appearance; they knew he was one of the Mako warriors and, therefore, that he was trouble. The receptionist, a little doubtfully, said, "Is this man with you?"
"Yes." Said Vincent, bluntly.
"He won't be any trouble, honest." Assured Aeris.
"The receptionist was still a little apprehensive, but she gave them a room, nevertheless.
Upstairs, Vincent sat Cloud on a chair that stood near the far wall. Aeris sat on one of the beds, then said, "What now?"
"Now we rest!" replied Vincent.
"I meant in our fight against Sephiroth, gonk!" said Aeris.
"Oh…" Vincent thought for a moment, "We go to Nibelheim , destroy the reactor, and/ or find Sephiroth and the black materia."
"Okay" said Aeris, "It's a lame plan, but let's try it!"
"Do you have a better suggestion?" Vincent asked.
"We find Cid Highwind. He has a plane."
Vincent nodded, "And then?"
"Then we fly above Sephiroth, shoot him, and party!?" Aeris asked, doubtfully.
"Lame indeed." Vincent then raised an eyebrow, "I suggest we simply find Sephiroth again and kill him."
"In that case, we should go back to Midgar now, 'cos he'll be on his way here. No doubt he'll stop off at this town to see if we've been here…!"
"You're both wrong!" interrupted Cloud, "I know exactly what we've got to do, and it doesn't much involve Sephiroth!"
"Go on then, Mr. Mako SOLDIER!" mocked Aeris.
"Don't get bitchy with me!" said Cloud, standing up, "If not for me you two'd be getting ready to jump back into Sephiroths arms!"
"No-one asked for your help!" replied Aeris.
"Actually…" Vincent started, but was interrupted by Cloud.
"Good point, and you know what? I don't need either of you!" I'll do this on my own! You go kill yourselves!"
He then started to go, but Vincent stopped him.
"No. Whatever any of us do from now on, we do together. We're all on the same side! Now, Cloud, your idea."
Cloud looked at Aeris, who tutted and turned away, then sat down and began.
"Well, I'm not a wiz-kid with this whole science thing, but when I was like a cabbage back there it was because my brain was processing information. Now I know how Sephiroth manipulated me and Zack. Originally, when we went to the reactor, Zack was injured by Sephiroth, but I somehow defeated him, throwing him into the life-stream. He turned up somewhere else later on, after Zack had died and I had barely escaped with my life I joined a resistance movement called AVALANCHE, Run by Barret Wallace and Tifa Lockheart…"

"…The people you killed first at the North Crater!?" Aeris continued.
"Silence!" ordered Vincent, and Cloud continued.
"At first we just blew up a coupla' reactors, but it became much bigger than that. We met some other people, Red XIII, Cid Highwind, Cait Sith, and so on, on the way to find Sephiroth. Finally, after the death of Aeris and the meteor being called, we defeated Sephiroth. Fortunately, before she'd died, Aeris had called upon Holy, the purest form possible. This, combined with the life-stream, stopped the meteor from doing much damage, although it destroyed Midgar."
"Interesting," said Vincent, "Do you, by any chance, know how Sephiroth manipulated you this time around and not last!?"
"No, but it has to be in Professor Gast's databank."
"Near Icicle inn, in the town on the North crater?" asked Aeris, wondering how she knew.
"Yes," said Cloud, simply, "But we've got to go now. The sooner we find out what went wrong the better." He seemed completely emotionless throughout the conversation, which scared Aeris.
"First, we rest." Said Vincent, sitting on a bed in the far corner.
"No, we go now!" said Cloud, "If we wait Sephiroth and Zack'll stop off here and find us! We won't be able to get to the North crater in body bags!"
Aeris, who had started unpacking some of her important belongings, packed them again, "He's right. We're on Chocobos; they're in a van. We should move now!"
Vincent nodded, "Okay, we'll go now. But first, we need transport. That means we need Mr. Highwind, wherever he is…"

*****

Rocket town, two days later.
Aeris, Vincent and Cloud all stopped their Chocobos at the same time. Cloud had since bought a black Chocobo at the Chocobo farm, for a lot of money. Aeris now wondered why they didn't just catch one, but then, that would have wasted more time.
As the three got off their Chocobos, some people turned to look at them, with gasps and whispers soon following. This definitely wouldn't be easy. Trying to convince Cid to let them use the plane would be hard enough, without Clouds presence at the same time.
Vincent led the group, heading for the town bar. Once at the door, however, the bar tender appeared, his face one of fury.#
"What the hell more could you people possibly want form us?!"
"Pardon?" asked Aeris. She then remembered Cloud, "Oh, you don't understand, he's not…"
"I understand," interrupted the bartender, "I don't know who you other two are, but if you're with him then you can only mean trouble!"
"But…" started Aeris.
"Forget it!" said the bartender, "Get out of our town, now! We're fed up of you always coming here and destroying our will! We're making a stand!"
"Good!" said Cloud, he was stooped slightly. He hadn't quite recovered from the pain of Sephiroths manipulation, but at least now he could walk. The bartender looked at him strangely when he had said this, but didn't get time to say anything, before Vincent interrupted.
"We're looking for Captain Cid Highwind." He said, not noticing that the man was about to say something.
"What for?" asked a woman to their left. She was wearing glasses and a lab coat. Vincent then turned to her.
"We think we know how to stop the Mako SOLDIERS, Sephiroth and Zack, but we need his help."
"You mean you need his plane…?" She corrected, then continued, "…and besides, you're standing next to one of the SOLDIERS!"
Vincent turned to look at Cloud, then turned back to the woman, "He was being manipulated by Sephiroth. Zack is as well, but he's not as easy to undo."
The woman looked at Vincent doubtfully, but said, "I'll ask him if he wants to see you, but if not, you leave immediately!"
"Very well." Was Vincent's reply. The woman then turned and walked into a house, as the townspeople watched the three carefully. Suddenly, from the house, there was a loud bang, a swearword, and some mumbling, after which the woman came out.
"Leave now. He doesn't want to know!"
"Very well." Said Vincent, but he was stopped by Aeris.
"You have no persistence! Mr. Highwind?!" She shouted the second part, "We have come here to ask a favor of you!"
"Tough," came a gruff voice, "I ain't in a favour giving mood!"
"You were part of AVALANCHE a while ago, weren't you!?" Aeris asked.
Silence. Then, from the doorway, came a man in a big brown coat, his face covered underneath the hood.
"So what?" he asked.
"We want to finish what AVALANCHE started. Sephiroth has the black materia. The Meteor will no doubt be headed our way, if not now, very soon, and, other than Clouds theory, we have no counter-measure."
"You're mixin' with the wrong company to save the planet, Cetra girl. Cloud's a SOLDIER and that Vincent guy is a Turk!"
"I know that, but… wait, how did you…" Aeris was now totally confused.
"When AVALANCHE were killed, I was the only survivor, because I had insisted that I watch the Highwind. It's the one thing I regret more than anything else. When I headed back, I realized Shin-Ra were finished. I stopped off at Junon, and found out that there was a whole databank in the offices about Shin-Ra's shifty goings-on. I decided to take a computer back to here, Rocket town, where I've been reading up on Shin-Ra, and the SOLDIERS. They come back so often, I have to fight them off. But they're too powerful for it to carry on. The only way I'll defeat 'em is to find some weakness in them!"
"The Mako reactor in Nibel is there weakness. They need the Mako in it to stay powerful." Said Cloud, "But it's a useless idea now. They've by now called upon meteor. Besides, we've already passed the Nibel reactor."
"We need explosives. Nibelheim is abandoned now, since the SOLDIERS stay there, so we couldn't find anything useful there." Vincent looked from Cloud, to Cid, "Will you help. With you plane we could fly to Nibel in no time, destroy the reactor and then go to the North Crater."
"Better idea," Cloud continued, "We split up. Two of us go to north crater, the other two blow up the reactor. It'll be much quicker."
Aeris nodded, "Right. Well, the Captain'll have to go to North crater anyway, if he's to join us…" She then looked at Cid, and the hood nodded, "I'll help, for AVALANCHE."
Aeris then turned to Vincent, "I'll go with Cid, you know more about explosives than me."
"Right," said Vincent. He then turned to Cloud, "I have no preferences," said Cloud, "If it stops Sephiroth it works for me."
"Right, that's settled," Vincent then turned to Aeris, "We'll meet back here. We should take radios so that we know we're all still alive."
"Got radios," said the woman, "I'll go get 'em!"
She then ran into the house, as Cid said, "That's Shera, by the way."
"I know," replied Aeris, "I've read up on you both."
"Oh," replied Cid, "good…"

*****

Back in time.

An alarm rang out loud on the ship, and Athena ran out onto the deck. She searched all around, trying to see where the danger was.
"What's happening?" She asked a passing crewmember.
Suddenly, an explosion of water occurred just next to the boat.
"Water mines. The Jenova must have gotten cautious after the HQ was destroyed!"
At this, Athena ran to the side of the boat, and peered over. There, she saw that the water was practically filled with mines. Just as she turned around to see what she could do, however, there was another explosion on the front of the boat. A hole was blown upwards through the ship, as Athena watched in horror. She then ran over to the hole, and saw water start filling the inside of the ship. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, to find Damion. Just behind him, the crew and the soldiers in their command were climbing into lifeboats. She followed Damion, as he climbed into one, and they were lowered down into the water…

Present day, somewhere above the North Sea.

Aeris looked down at the sea through the huge windows at the front of the Highwind. She thought about Cloud. Had he really changed? And if so, why did he always seem so distracted? Just then, she saw the water below them turn into white snow on land; they were almost at their destination.
"How far do you think we are, Captain?" Aeris asked.
"Just call me Cid," said Cid, "and not far."
Aeris nodded, then said, "So, why do you hide your face under that hood?"
Cid was lost for words, and simply bowed his head down.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Aeris, apologetically, "I didn't know…"
"It's all right, I don't mind telling you, you jes' caught me off guard." Cid then raised his head and, with one hand, raised the hood, and pulled it back. What Aeris saw when the hood was removed was horrific.
"H… how…!" She stuttered, barely believing her eyes.
Cid then quickly pulled the hood back over his face, "I knew what your reaction'd be before I removed the hood. You wanna' know how my face became so disfigured?"
"I'm sorry…" She began, but Cid interrupted her.
"It's all right, no apology required. It was after AVALANCHE had been wiped out. I was back at Rocket town, and they came. Sephiroth ordered the other two to burn down every house and kill all who left them. When they burned my home, I was in the kitchen. Shera was in her room. I ran to her room, which was near where they'd started the fire. I covered her up with a blanket and lay on top of her so that she wouldn't burn. I'd gotten very sentimental after the death of AVALANCHE. I stayed there as the house burned around me, and then began to burn me. I kept Shera covered, with only enough space for her to breath. When I heard through the fire the voices of those b******s laughing and joking as they left, I saw red. I got up and left the house, still holding Shera in my arms, my face burning, and screamed abuse at them at the top of my voice. I put Shera down and challenged them to a fight. They just laughed and walked away. By that time I was too weak to run at them, so I collapsed into unconsciousness. When I woke up, I was bandaged up from head to toe, and Shera was soft soaping me 'cause I'd saved her life."
At this, Aeris turned away. She didn't want Cid to see that she was crying. She hated this. Shin-Ra had made a mess of the lives of millions of people, all because of one man. There had to be a way to stop Sephiroth and Zack. The fate of the planet was at stake.

*****

Vincent stopped at the top of the hill, and saw that the reactor wasn't far off. He turned, to see Cloud just behind him, struggling. Vincent had offered to help him, but Cloud could be stubborn at times. He refused to be treated like a charity case. He was, after all, an ex-SOLDIER. Nothing could break him. Nothing…
Suddenly, out of nowhere, came Sephiroth and Zack, their swords drawn. They stood not far away from where Vincent was stood. As Cloud reached the top, Vincent drew his shotgun. Cloud then got up, but the rucksack he was carrying down, and drew his own weapon.
"Cloud, you fool, you are my brother! How can you go against me?!"
"You are not my brother!" said Cloud, "You're just evil. You manipulated me and Zack, and I won't let you get away with destroying this planet!"
"I'll sort you out!" interrupted Zack, stepping forward. At this, Sephiroth moved in on Vincent.
Cloud circled around Zack, who kept turning to watch for his first move. In his weakened state, Cloud was unlikely to defeat Zack, but he was a SOLDIER, and quitting wasn't one of his finest qualities. Finally, he decided to make his move. He moved towards Zack, his sword by his side, and slashed across, just missing Zack's chest as the other man jumped back. Zack then retaliated with a vertical attack, which Cloud quickly blocked. Zack then threw out his right foot, tripping Cloud up and knocking him to the ground. Enraged by this dishonorable attack, Cloud quickly jumped up and shouted "Unholy Revenge!"
At this, Zack swallowed hard. It was Zack's most powerful Limit Break, and Sephiroth had asked Zack to teach it to Cloud, as he had no 'evil' Limit Breaks.
After the fire effect had disappeared, Cloud ran up to Zack and planted the blade of his sword just in front of Zack. Zack, paralyzed by the initial call, (as it was required to finish the Limit Break) could only watch as evil energy pumped through the sword and into the ground. There was one fortunate thing about this attack. It would drain the last of Clouds Mako power, which was required to produce the evil that would complete the attack, and Zack had learned to take powerful attacks. Zack would surely win this fight anyway!
When the evil had finished going through the sword and into the ground, Cloud moved back. Still paralyzed, Zack closed his eyes and awaited the next part. Just as he did, an enormous blast of pure black evil erupted from the ground and enveloped Zack, draining almost every shred of energy he had. When the attack was finished Zack collapsed, as did Cloud.
At the same time, Vincent and Sephiroth had been fighting hand to hand, as both had knocked their weapons from one another. Vincent knew Sephiroth was the son of the woman he had once loved, but he knew there was nothing he could do except to stop Sephiroth from destroying the planet. The boy he had sworn to protect was evil now, and nothing could be done to change that.
Suddenly, as Vincent was distracted by his thoughts, Sephiroth ran toward Vincent, ready to knock him down the mountain behind. However, with his remaining energy, Cloud ran as fast as he could at Sephiroth, and jumped at him. At this, both men collapsed to Sephiroths right, and fell inches away from the edge of a very large drop. As both men got up, Vincent moved away, to be met by Zack, who pushed him down the slope he had been avoiding. All Vincent saw when he landed on a small ledge before he fell unconscious was Cloud drag Sephiroth off the cliff edge with him…

*****

Zack turned to look at Sephiroth, bought just in time to see Cloud grab him by the arms and jump off the cliff, Sephiroth not having the balance to stay where he was. Zack ran over to the edge, and watched as Cloud and Sephiroths' bodies hit the jagged rocks below. He had known all along that Cloud would betray them. But Sephiroth would not want Zack to quit. Zack had to make sure the Cetra girl and the Captain didn't find out some way to stop the meteor that was heading towards the planet. Zack then turned to the reactor. First, though, he would have to recharge!

Back to the past.

Athena looked out into the distance. The others were all asleep, and it was her watch. This was the worst place to be trapped on a lifeboat in. It was freezing cold, the waves got enormous at times, and anyone could get lost without proper equipment. However, as luck would have it, Athena had spotted land.
"Land ho!" She cried. Some of the crew woke up at this, but those who didn't were awoken by the others who were looking at the misty outline of land in wonder.
Damion then got up as well, "This isn't another mirage, is it?"
Athena slapped Damion around the back of the head playfully, "If I recall, you were the one who had that mirage!"
"I know; I was testing you." He said, warily.
"All hands, be ready to fight, just in case they have a welcome party planned!" said Athena, suddenly becoming serious.
The officers then all armed themselves. Some hand hand-to-hand combat weapons, others had handguns or rifles.
"Let's hope to the Gods we won't need to use these!" said Damion, referring to his own gun.
"My sentiments exactly!" replied Athena, drawing her sword…

*****

Vincent woke up with an immense thumping in his head. He remembered what had happened; the fight, Zack pushing him down here, and Cloud and Sephiroth falling off the cliff edge. Vincent quickly got up, then looked up the mountain. It was somewhat steep, but he could make it up there without too much trouble. He then began climbing, still a little dazed, and missed his footing a couple of times. However, he finally got to the top. He then walked slowly over to the cliff edge he had seen the two men fall from, and looked down. At the bottom of the cliff Vincent saw jagged rocks, and noticed pieces of Clouds and Sephiroths' clothing. In the center lay there bodies, both with arms and legs in impossible positions, and both stripped of their weapons and materia. This could only mean one thing. Zack was alive, and had the black materia.
Vincent quickly looked around. There was one rucksack on the floor, and it seemed almost empty. Zack must have salvaged anything useful from all of them. Vincent checked the remaining rucksack. All that was in it was a Potion and the radio he had kept to keep in contact with Aeris and Cid. He quickly pressed the button to get in contact with Aeris.
In professor Ghasts' secret lab, Aeris heard the radio beep. She quickly took it from her rucksack, and said, "Vince'?"
"Aeris," came the reply, "Get out of their, now! You and the Captain are in grave danger! Zack's on his way! Cloud and Sephiroth are dead!"
"What's that?" asked Cid.
"Zack's on his way!" was Aeris' reply, "We've go to go, now!"
"No, you don't!" came Zack's voice. Aeris tensed up.
"Stay here with me a while! I've got plans for you two!" He then appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"God damn you!" said Cid, "You asshole, you think destroying the planet will help you?"
"No," was Zack's reply, "I know it will help me!"
Zack then laughed, as Cid said, "Every time I here that laugh, I wanna' wring your neck! Now I'm gonna' fulfill that dream!"
At this, Zack just laughed even harder, but he stopped when he heard a faint voice.
"Aeris? Are you still there?!"
Zack then grabbed the radio and heard Vincent say "Aeris? What's going on?!"
Zack then laughed, "Don't worry, Mr. Valentine. I'll take good care of your friends!"
He then threw the radio against the wall, and laughed as it smashed to pieces.

*****

Vincent stood paralyzed as he heard the buzzing in the radio. He had to get there as quickly as possible, but that would be impossible without an airship or a Gold Chocobo, and both of which were rare.
When he got to the two Chocobo he found there was a third with them, and couldn't believe his eyes or his luck. A Gold Chocobo was wandering around, mocking the other two. I t must have been Sephiroths', and since he was dead, surely he wouldn't mind it being borrowed for a better cause.
At this, he clambered onto the Chocobo, which seemed a little dubious about carrying Vincent. Nevertheless, it headed off at full speed when Vincent directed it to the north crater…

*****

Aeris watched as Zack drew his sword. They had no chance now. Zack was vicious, and could be very strong and agile at times. It seemed evil would win this fight.
"One last wish before you die, Cetra girl?" asked Zack.
"Yes. Think of what your doing. You're not Cetra, but you could revert, and help us try to stop the meteor before it is too late!"
Zack simply laughed, "How very noble. Fighting to the end, eh, Cetra girl? How about you, Captain? Any last requests?"
"Yeah, I do!" Cid then drew his lance; "Shove this up your ass!"
Zack then laughed again, "Captain, you jest, surely!"
"I do f**k you evil b*****d!" he replied. Zack's face then became serious, "I'll kill Aeris first, so that you know what to look forward to!"
"Yeah," said Cid, "And I'll show you what you look forward to!"
Cid then pulled down the hood of his cloak, to reveal his burnt and scarred face. At this, Aeris cringed, and even Zack looked slightly disgusted.
"It looks worse than when you were on fire," said Zack, "At least then we couldn't see your ugly mug at all!"
Zack then turned to Aeris, "Goodbye, Cetra girl!"
Zack then swung his sword towards Aeris' head, but Cid ran in front of her and, pushing Aeris away, took the blade through his head. Seeing this, Aeris looked down at the Captains halved corpse in horror, but then ran as Zack headed towards her. She turned, and saw that there was a window just behind her. However, when she tried it, it was jammed.
"You can't escape," said Zack, "Vincent Valentine isn't even on the same continent and your Captain is dead!"
Aeris then drew her staff, at which point Zack laughed.
"You can't use a weapon! You barely got away from me last time!" He then continued, but Aeris stood bravely. Then, mustering all the power she had, she swung the Nagatina blade towards Zack. He blocked it easily, but then she countered by swinging the butt end of her weapon towards his stomach. She hit him hard, winding him for only a moment, but it was long enough for her to get away and run up the stairs.
"You can't run, bitch!" called Zack, as he ran up after her.
Outside, Aeris searched around. She had to hide somewhere, but she didn't have a clue what she'd do after that.
Then, suddenly, she heard the door behind her open. She turned, and saw Zack walking towards her. He started to say something, but suddenly Aeris' vision went black. When it came back, she was stood on a bridge inside a complex not unlike the Mako rectors Shin-Ra used to make. As she looked around, she saw nine people creeping towards her. They didn't seem to recognize her, but she noticed the leader. Her name was Athena, and she was one of the bravest Cetra to walk the planet. She was a hero, and Aeris had been brought up hearing stories about her. The other man seemed familiar, but she didn't recognize him, until…
"Barret Wallace?! That man looks almost identical to him!" She exclaimed to herself. When she said this, the man looked around. Then he seemed to notice Aeris.
"Who are you?" He asked, to the surprise of his teammates.
"Damion, are you having mirages again?" asked Athena. At this, the other men stifled laughs.
"Can't you see her?" Damion asked, "She's right in front of us. She just appeared in front us then!"
"Where is this place?" Aeris asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"The Jenova HQ," said Damion, with more confused looks from the rest of the team.
"Oh, that was the most famous one," Aeris replied eagerly, "This was the end of the Jenova-Cetra war!"
"That's reassuring," said Damion, "but why the past tense?"
"Because it's…" She then stopped. Aeris must have gone back in time.
"Maybe this is where it all went wrong!?" She wondered out loud.
"Where what went wrong?" Damion asked.
"Damion," said Athena, "Stop talking to yourself!"
"This is the past," Aeris continued, "I come from the future. There, there is a man called Sephiroth who takes over the world and plans on destroying it to become immortal! This must be the turning point!"
Suddenly, an alarm went off, and Damion said, "Might that be the turning point you're speaking of?!"
Aeris looked around, "Hang on!" She said, then turned and ran the direction the group was heading. She then saw, around the corner, a group of Jenova heading their way.
"There's some Jenova coming this way!" called Aeris. At this, Damion told the rest of the group.
"What if this invisible girl is on their side?" asked Athena.
"Tell her I'm Cetra too!" Aeris said, "My name is Aeris Gainsborough!"
Damion repeated this quickly to Athena, who then said "Gainsborough? I've heard that name before!"
Can we just go, now?" Damion asked, at which point the whole group headed the other way…

*****

Zack watched from above as the defectors headed the opposite way. He knew they were Cetra, and knew they were betraying the Jenova. What he hadn't known until he had heard the name was who this 'Damion' had been talking to. It seemed Aeris spirit had appeared here aswell. Zack headed to where the Jenova were supposed to be. Maybe he could talk to one of them as Aeris had done with Damion…

*****

Vincent stopped the Chocobo in the center of the town. It was abandoned, presumably because both Aeris' and Zack's bodies were lying on the ground. Vincent jumped off the Gold Chocobo, then ran over to Aeris body. However, as he kneeled down, everything around him went black…

*****

Aeris, after discovering she could levitate in this state, floated beside the group who were running towards the exit. However, as they got there, three Jenova's blocked the door. They stopped still, and Damion noticed something strange. One of the Jenova's was talking to thin air.
"Aeris," Damion asked, "Can you see anyone there?" Then, when she didn't respond, "Aeris?" He looked at her, and saw that she was looking at the 'invisible' man in horror.
"It's Zack," She explained, "The only surviving SOLDIER from our time. He must have come back at the same time as I did!"
"Yes," said Zack, "Only I know what happened! I was supposed to be injured by my dearly departed brother, and then die later on. However, as he managed to persuade me that I was a Cetra, I lived. Now that meteor is about to destroy this planet aswell, both universes are about to merge, that is, if you stop the Jenova from being the victor here again!"
"Again?" Aeris asked.
"Yes. The first time your spirit, upon your death by Sephiroths hand, came to a place not unlike this one, and, as I wasn't here to help my people, you succeeded, and the Jenova were defeated. The second time, however, you did not die, only AVALANCHE, and so the Jenova succeeded. This time is the third. Sort of the deciding match. If you win, the universes will merge, and you will live. However, when we win, you will die, and meteor will hit, and then I will become a God!"
"No, Zack!" Interrupted Vincent, "You won't win, you're human, not Cetra!"
"I'm here, aren't I?" he asked.
"So am I," said Vincent, "Explain that!"
Zack shifted his weight, "You're not Cetra! You're an illusion!"
At this, Vincent fired a shot at the ground. The shotgun fire blew several holes in the ground, to the surprise of those who couldn't see him.
"In that case, I'm a pretty bad-ass illusion!" replied Vincent. Despite herself, Aeris had to smirk.
"What's going on?" Damion asked of Aeris.
"Be patient." Was her reply.
"How…" began Zack.
Vincent then interrupted, "It isn't just Cetra that can enter into the past. Anyone with Mako, the life-stream, in them can enter the gate we unwittingly entered. That's the only thing I can deduce from it. The only reason you're here is because you were Mako enhanced, as I was, by Shin-Ra! We are now actually in the essence of the life-stream, and we're here to put things right!"
"Damn right!" said Zack, "The Jenova race must be victorious!"
At this, the Jenova that could see Zack made a small cheer, but was cut short when Vincent shot him. Then the other two Jenova's attacked the group with Athena.
"Zack, if the Jenova's win again, we will not go back to the planet, any of us! The planet will start the cycle again, but slightly differently. This time, Cloud may lose his mind and you may have to stop him, but always it will end the same! Cloud is supposed to join AVALANCHE, and Meteor is never supposed to be called! At all!"
"That's why it failed the first time?" Aeris asked.
"Maybe," said Vincent, "but I don't know what could have happened back then!"
"Shut up!" said Zack, utterly confused. Aeris looked down. The group had killed both Jenova's, but three of their soldiers were dead. Aeris then flew down to them, "Damion, we have to try to destroy this building to save the future!" She whispered.
"Right." Said Damion simply. Then the group quietly headed off, leaving Vincent and Zack alone.
"Zack, please, there must be something left…" Vincent began.
"Is that how you tricked Cloud?" Zack asked, "It won't work on me, I'm much more intelligent than him!"
Vincent then shrugged, "Don't say I didn't try!" He said, drawing his materia. He then called "Ice!" but, when the attack hit Zack, nothing happened.
"Seems magic doesn't work!" said Zack, "What a shame!" He then swung his sword around, dangerously close to Vincent. Knowing his gun would be useless against Zack's sword, Vincent then put it away and floated back. This would be difficult. He just hoped Aeris could stop the Jenova before Zack caught him…

In another Universe…

The Highwind came in for a landing just outside Midgar. AVALANCHE then all clambered out, and looked up at the meteor that was still hanging above it. Thanks to the Holy and the Life-stream combined, both Midgar city and the meteor were slowly disintegrating. Hopefully, the unsightly mess would be gone, but until then it was a reminder of how close they came to being destroyed.
Looking up, however, Yuffie Kisaragi noticed something else, "Guys, I don't think our troubles are quite over…!"
The rest of AVALANCHE then looked up, and Cloud said, "But Sephiroth is dead, the black materia is no more, what could possibly have done this?!"
"Whatever it is, it knows it'll win!" said Cid; "This planet can't stop two meteors in one day!"
"Or at least, it's unlikely!" Tifa added.
"Damn, where's a good missile launcher when you need one?" wondered Barret

*****

Back to the past…

Aeris stayed on the lookout for any Jenova's as Damion planted his explosives around the main control panel. He then set the timer and said, "Let's move!"
They all then ran the opposite direction. Flying ahead, Aeris then directed the group to the exit, and they soon got back to where Zack and Vincent were fighting.
Vincent, dodging another attack by Zack, then said, "Is it done?"
"Yep'," replied Aeris, "Let's go!"
Then, as the group left the building, an explosion could be heard. Zack, Vincent and Aeris then faded away…

*****

Present day.

AVALANCHE were thrown to the ground by the sudden rumbling of the planet. The Meteor that had been heading towards the planet faded, but nobody noticed. When the rumbling had stopped they all got to their feet.
"What now?" asked Cloud, brushing himself off.
"I don't know," said Tifa, "But it doesn't look promising…!"

*****

Aeris got up from the ground after the rumbling had stopped. She noticed Vincent had already got up, but was looking into the distance.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Look," he said, simply, "out there…"
As Aeris got up, she asked, "Where's Zack?"
"He wasn't here when I got up. His body is gone. I think he may still be alive, but…
"But what?" Aeris then looked in the direction Vincent was facing, "Oh Gods!"
There, to the South East, floating above where Midgar might be, a giant glowing meteor floated, glowing green and blue. However, it wasn't exactly a meteor, more pieces of a meteor that were drifting apart and disintegrating.
"What happened?" asked Aeris.
"I don't know…" replied Vincent, "we should ask someone."
Aeris then walked over to Icicle Inn, and entered. She was about to walk over to the main desk, when she saw something very peculiar.
There, straight in front of her, stood the Innkeeper, and the Innkeeper again! Both were circling each other, inspecting each other as though the other had to be an alien. Aeris then watched in horror as they both reached out to touch each other at the same time, purely out of curiosity. As there hands touched, and Vincent entered, their hands suddenly stuck together. Both looking at their hands in horror, the Innkeepers then tried to pull them away, but were drawn toward each other. Their bodies then merged, and mixed together like a soup. Aeris, too shocked to move, then noticed that the merging bodies were growing smaller and smaller, until they were too small for anyone to see. At this point, Aeris, along with most of the other witnesses to the unusual occurrence broke down and began crying. Vincent, as usual showing no feelings, looked around, and noticed that almost every person in the Inn had a doppelganger, albeit slightly different looking. Vincent quickly got Aeris to her feet, then said, "I know why that happened. When Zack said the two worlds would merge, he wasn't lying. I think that, when the two worlds merged, they included people in both worlds, so now we have almost two of everyone. I think, in this case, that AVALANCHE may be alive, and maybe even Sephiroth!"
Aeris then looked up in shock, "We have to find out, now…!"

*****

The Highwind landed, uneasily, outside of Midgar, and Vincent and Aeris clambered out. As they did, Aeris noticed something someway in the distance…
"Is that…?" she began. Vincent nodded.
"The Highwind. Yes, they have to be alive!"
Aeris then got out the Gold Chocobo Vincent had brought with them, and they both headed quickly to where the other Highwind was.

*****

Cid listened carefully. He knew his Highwind anywhere, and he was sure he had heard it come in for a landing not far off. He turned around, as the others began boarding their own Highwind, and called up to them.
"Hey, I see somethin' in the distance!"
Cloud then got out, and looked in the direction Cid was pointing, "What is that?!"
"Haven't a clue, but I think we should wait, there's a Chocobo comin' our way!"
Cloud agreed, and they waited, ready for a fight nevertheless. When, finally, the Chocobo was close enough for Cloud to see the rider, he almost fell backwards with surprise…
"Vincent?!" He asked, as Cid squinted to try to see them.
Vincent then appeared from out of the Highwind, "Yes?"
Cloud then looked at Vincent, then back at the rider, then Vincent again.
"Do you have a twin brother?" Cloud asked.
"Not that I know of." Replied Vincent.
"Oh my God!" Cid cried out.
"What is it?" asked Cloud. At this point all the group had gotten out of the Highwind.
"I just saw the Vincent- look-a-like's passenger. She looks like Aeris…!"

*****

Vincent stopped once they had gotten to the other Highwind. The entire group of AVALANCHE were there, all looking up at them in shock.
"Err, hi," said Aeris, "I'm Aeris Gainsborough and this is Vincent Valentine…"
"Aeris, but I thought Sephiroth had killed you!" said Tifa, a look of shock no her face.
Aeris shook her head, "No, he killed all of you!" She then noticed the other Vincent, "Oh, Gods! Vincent, we're gonna' have trouble!"
Her Vincent then looked at the other Vincent, "That is the impression I am also getting!"
"Why?" asked Cloud, completely puzzled by the whole turn of events.
"Me and your Vincent can not come in contact with one another under any circumstances!" said Aeris' Vincent.
"Why not?" asked the second Vincent.
"The innkeeper of your Icicle Inn met our Innkeeper of Icicle Inn earlier. They both came in contact with one another, and now neither of them are with us anymore!" said Aeris, a tear appearing when she remembered how he'd died.
The second Vincent looked from Vincent to Aeris, and then back again, then said "So, what exactly has happened?!"
Vincent then told AVALANCHE about what had happened since Aeris and Vincent met up, then told them about their traveling back in time and having to stop the Jenova race from winning the war against the Cetra. He also told them about what Zack had said; about the two worlds merging together.
"So that means that the meteor that is about to hit us'll destroy both worlds?" asked Barret.
"No, it means it'll destroy this one planet with us all… meteor?!" said Aeris.
Cloud pointed at where it had been, then said "There's another…" He then stopped, and said "It's gone!?"
The rest of AVALANCHE looked up; the meteor was nowhere to be seen.
"That was probably the meteor from our world, before we helped the Cetra in the war!" said Aeris.
The rest of AVALANCHE then began talking amongst themselves, until Cloud thought of something.
"What about Zack? Is he alive now?"
"Possibly," said Vincent, "We couldn't find his body when we awoke."
"Everybody into the Highwind!" shouted Cid, seemingly reading Clouds mind, "We've got another evil psycho to defeat!"
At this, AVALANCHE all got back into the Highwind, but before she did, Aeris had to look at Cid's face more closely.
"What' you doin'?" He asked when he noticed she was staring at his face. She jumped when he said this, then smiled.
"Sorry, it's just that in my world your face was deformed after Sephiroth burned down Rocket town. By the way, thanks."
"For what?" asked Cid.
"Saving my life." Said Aeris, matter-of-factly…

Kalm.

Zack lay in a bed in the Inn, tossing and turning. This new, merged world was like a nightmare, people looking exactly alike to others, people dying from touching their doppelgangers, and, to be honest, he wished Sephiroth would come back. But he knew it was impossible. Sephiroth had died in both universes, so his revival was impossible. Cloud, however, was alive in this universe, but how to persuade him to join Zack's cause would be a problem. Even then, Zack wasn't sure he would want Cloud's help. After all, the less people there were to share the power with, the more there would be for him. First of all, however, Zack needed find out how he would force the planet to try to heal itself. Zack then got up and looked out the window at the glowing green and blue light in the distance. If he wasn't too mistaken that green glow was Mako. Zack smiled. The work had been done for him…

*****

On the Highwind, both Vincent's looked at one another, and, at the same time, said "Fascinating!"
"How are we gonna' distinguish between you two, anyway?" asked Cid as the group headed to Nibelheim.
"Call me Vincent and him Valentine?" suggested Clouds Vincent.
"That would work," said 'Valentine'.
"How do you know Zack will be at the Nibel reactor?" asked Cloud of Aeris.
"Because they redirected the flow of Mako there, and he'll need to recharge." Was Aeris' reply.
"I don't think that will work!" said Cait Sith.
"Reeve!" Aeris smiled, "I almost forgot that you controlled that robot!"
"I didn't!" said Barret, giving Cait Sith a dark look.
"Your daughters safe, Mr. Wallace!" said Cait Sith, "But, as I was saying…"
"Wallace?" interrupted Aeris, "I've heard that name before, other than of you, of course!" She nodded to Barret.
"As I was saying," said Cait Sith, "So far this world has gone by everything that happened on our world, the meteor was stopped, and the one that was going to destroy your world disappeared, so I don't think the flow of Mako will have been redirected!"
"Zack doesn't know that!" said Valentine.
"It doesn't matter either way, there's more Mako stopping the meteor than there is anywhere else!"
"Turn around!" shouted Cid, "Midgar, here we come!"
"That's it!" said Aeris, as Cid made the necessary corrections, "Damion Wallace!"
At this, Barret tensed up, "How do you know that!?"
"He was the only person that could see me when we were stopping the Jenova in the war! Was he…?"
Barret lowered his head, "…My father? Yes!"
"Why, what's wrong with that!?" asked Aeris, "Your father was a hero!"
"He was a Turk!" shouted Barret, looking up at her, "A spy, and he pretended to be working for the Jenova!"
Everyone was silent at this, but Aeris continued, "It was for the good of the war, and besides, back then the Turks weren't as bad…"
"Yes they were," interrupted Barret, " The only reason they helped in the war was because they knew that if the Jenova won we'd all be killed. Even then they were all for themselves!"
Cloud was shocked at this. He'd never known that Barrets father was a Turk. It seemed weird.
"Who was your mother?" asked Aeris, calmly.
"Athena." Said Barret, also calming down.
"Athena? She was the… Barret, you're half Cetra!" Aeris seemed excited at this. She had finally found another person of Cetra blood.
"Wha'?" asked Barret, "I didn't even know what the Cetra were up until the time we had to stop Sephiroth! My parents never told me about it!"
"The humans were somewhat ungrateful to the Cetra after the war, since an unbelievable amount of people died due to the Cetras poor planning and fighting abilities. Some believed that it was them trying to take over the planet and not the Jenovas. After that, anyone who admitted to being Cetra were killed by the Turks. Your parents must have agreed not to mention it to you!"
Barrets world had suddenly been turned upside-down because of this, "What about my 'father'? If he was a Turk, why didn't he turn her in?"
"He knew what they were doing. The Turks had twisted the truth so that they could destroy the Cetra, who they'd had a long-standing feud with, So that they could rule the planet. They later formed Shin-Ra, but kept a small elite with the original name who would do their dirty work for them. In actual fact, the Cetra were trying to help, as the planet had told them what would happen, but they weren't very good at fighting, so the Turks could make it look like they were trying to take over the planet easily. If it weren't for Damion Barret, though, we'd have all been destroyed by the Jenova!"
"So, how come the planet never spoke to me, like it did to you? You're only half Cetra too, aren't you?!"
"I assume you're talking about your me, because the planets never spoke to me. And yes, I am only half Cetra. But I think the planet only speaks to Cetra if it needs to, to tell them there is danger or something. Since I did everything myself anyway, they didn't need to tell me to do anything. Same with you. You set up AVALANCHE anyway, and…"
"Actually," interrupted Barret, "I've never told anyone this, but one night before I set up AVALANCHE, I dreamt that the planet was being torn apart by President Shin-Ra, but literally. In this dream, I was watching the planet from space, and suddenly I noticed him, growing out of Midgar. He grew until the planet was the size of a football to him, then he grabbed it with both hands and pulled it apart. Then an enormous Avalanche of snow collapsed upon him. Then I woke up. That was the reason I created AVALANCHE!"
The rest of the group were astonished, "That's incredible!" remarked Aeris, "That means you were contacted by the planets directly! If you hadn't created AVALANCHE, none of us would have stood a chance!"
Barret was visibly proud of this, and said, "I always knew I had to have contributed more than a few piddly bullets!"
Some of the members of the group snickered at this, but it was short lived.
"Midgar dead ahead!" said Cid, turning to look at them, "And there's someone already there!"
"How do you know?" asked Vincent.
Cid turned to look at the meteor ahead, and, at this point everyone else also noticed it. It was covered with Mako, and, standing atop the meteor, was Zack, the Mako flowing into him.
"Oh, just a hunch…" said Cid…

*****

Zack opened his eyes when he heard the Highwind. He laughed, then pointed his sword at it. At this, the Mako from his body erupted out towards the Highwind, and enveloped it.
Zack laughed harder now, watching the 'puny mortals' look on in fear as they were dragged towards Zack. All but Aeris and another man, that was. The other man was Barret Wallace, Zack remembered him, because he'd killed him. Now, however, he and Aeris seemed to be going against the pull Zack had forced onto the ship.
"Concentrate hard!" called Aeris.
"I can't!" replied Barret, "I was never one for patience!"
At this, Barret ran out to the exit, which would lead to the deck. On the deck, he quickly closed the door so that the others wouldn't be poisoned by the Mako, and confronted Zack. Aeris quickly followed, doing the same.
"Come to die?!" asked Zack.
"Shut the f**k up with the smart assed remarks!" replied Barret.
"So, you're Cetra?!" asked Zack of Barret, seemingly unsurprised.
"You' damn right!" was Barrets reply, "Come down here an' fight like a man!"
Zack simply shook his head, "No, I won't!" He replied.
"Fine!" Barret then pointed his gun arm at Zack, "Then let's get straight to the point!"
Barret then fired countless rounds at Zack, hitting him each time, but they had no effect.
"I'm immortal now!" said Zack, as Barret stopped firing, "You can't hurt me!"
"Yeah right!" said Barret, then had a brainstorm. He suddenly closed his eyes and imagined the Mako flowing into him and, as he did, he noticed that it was working. He opened his eyes as it continued, and noticed Zack was looking at him in horror. Even Aeris was surprised. The Mako was flowing into Barret faster than it was into Zack. Barret smirked. Now who was immortal?
Then Barret flew up, not knowing how, pointed his gun at Zack, and fired again. However, still nothing happened.
"Idiot!" remarked Zack.
Enraged by this, Barret then flew directly at Zack, and crashed into him. Both of them fell off the meteor and landed on the ground, got up and continued fighting.
In the meantime, Zacks hold on the Highwind was lost, and Cid was trying to land it safely.
Yuffie was watching through the window as Barret fought Zack, and said, "Wow, I never thought he'd do something clever!"
"Yuffie, shut up!" said Cid, enraged and under pressure.
Aeris then quickly entered, and said "We won't be able to do much down there, anyway! Zack's immortal, we won't stand a chance. Only Barret can beat him, now!"

*****

Barret hit Zack in the face with his gun arm. He knew the bullets were useless, now, but the gun was part of him. It knocked Zack away, a big mark remaining on his face, as Barret continued to beat him to a pulp. Then Zack got up and, using his Limit Break, slashed at Barret repeatedly. After this barrage of sword attacks, Barret was badly injured, but still powerful enough for one more Limit Break move…
"Mako pellets!" he shouted, pointing his gun. Zack smirked thinking these would just be normal bullets. But this only forced an evil smile from Barret. He knew better.
Suddenly, the gun turned glowing green, and a barrage of never-ending bullets hit Zack. They weren't ordinary bullets, however. They had the power of Mako.
As the first bullet hit, Zack realized his fatal mistake. The bullets were of Mako, and they shredded through him like hot knives. Each one created another hole in Zack, who was dead long before the attack ended.
When he had finished, Barret collapsed. The attack had not only drained all the Mako he had taken from the planet, but it had also drained most of his health. Aeris was there as soon as he collapsed, ready to cure him.
As the rest of AVALANCHE got there, Barret sat up. He smiled when he saw Cloud.
"That was brilliant!" said Cloud, "You are easily more powerful then any of us!"
"I knew that anyway!" said Barret, grinning. The others laughed, then Aeris said, "But how did you absorb all that Mako?"
"I knew that I must be able to, if I'm a Cetra, 'cause he could, so I tried. It was easier than I thought it'd be. Unfortunately, the power's gone now. But at least I managed to succeed with my life long dream. I saved the planet.
Barret then got up, and the others headed towards the Highwind to try to piece together what was left of this planet…

AVALANCHE were all grouped up in Junon harbor. Everyone else was bidding farewell to Valentine and Aeris.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay on the other continent with us?" asked Cloud, "It'd be great with all of us there!"
"No, thanks." Said Aeris and Valentine at the same time, then Aeris said "We want to stay here, fix up Midgar as a better place, now that meteor is gone, and look after our people."
"I must admit," agreed Valentine, "That the prospect of living near a double seems… interesting, but it is also dangerous. Besides, our people, what few are left, need us. Maybe we could have a reunion sometime soon."
"Yeah," said Barret, "That'd be cool!"
Cloud and Tifa were both holding hands, Aeris noticed. She was glad they'd both found happiness together.
"'Kay, so we'll be going!?" said Yuffie, about to cry.
Aeris moved nearer to Valentine as the others boarded the ship, and leaned on his shoulder. Valentine looked down at her, but said nothing.
"Bye!" Everyone said in unison, followed by Aeris' and Valentines' replies.
"Vince'," said Aeris as the ship set off, "You wanna' go for dinner somewhere?"
"Why not?" was his reply, "We have plenty of time, now…!"