Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy 7: Darkness Falls ❯ Chapters 8-19 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8: Darkness Falls:

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

The Turks were patrolling the streets of Kalm, simply checking how things were going. They were supposed to be on vacation, but it soon turned boring. So they had decided to just walk around instead.

"I can't believe this is all we are doing!" exclaimed Elena, "We're the Turks for crying out loud! We should be doing something!"

Rude, as always, remained relatively quiet.

Reno answered Elena, "Oh come on Elena! We all decided to come here just to take in the sights and relax. And now you're getting restless?"

"Come on Reno," returned Elena, "Even you know we can be doing something better than this."

"Elena," snapped Reno, "shut-"

Elena slapped Reno on his head. He turned to face her, but stopped short when he saw the look in her eyes.

"Don't even think about it," said Elena, "I've had enough bossing around from you to last a lifetime."

Rude remained silent, but Reno could see his mouth twitch in a smile.

Reno turned around and grumbled under his breath, "...Women..."

Elena's eyes flared in anger. Reno was saved further agony when an odd shape came out of the sky. It screamed down at the town of Kalm, then it pulled itself horizontally and hovered just outside the town. The Turks could make it out as a transport craft of some kind, but it was unlike anything they had ever seen. It looked almost dragon like, but very sleek. Its streamlined curves seemed engineered to cut through the air with minimum of resistance.

"Well," said Rude, "if you guys wanted action, I'd say we've found it."

The Turks walked passed confused townspeople, and headed towards the craft. When they neared, the Turks could see a door open, as a gangplank came down.

A dark figure walked up to them, but remained silent.

The four remained quiet before Elena broke the stillness.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"He's a friend," came a voice from inside the ship. A figure in white armor revealed itself as...

"President Reeve!" said Reno.

"What's going on?" asked Elena.

"I'll explain on the way," said Reeve, "come on, let's go."

"One thing," said Reno, "will it be exciting?"

Reeve laughed, "I think you'll see more action than you can handle. Isn't that right Kaede?"

The dark figure smiled, "Indeed."

"Great," said Reno.

The Turks walked into the wondrous ship. Their reaction was much the same as Cloud and the others, as the Turks allowed themselves to be led to the bridge.

Upon arrival, Elena saw the members of Avalanche. The Turks glared at the group, before finally nodding their greetings to Avalanche. They then took their seats and prepared for take off.

Kaede took the flight controls in his hands. "Okay everyone, ready?"

"Excuse me," Aeris spoke, "could you go somewhere first?"

"Sure," said Kaede, "where would you like to go?"

"I...would like to see my mom, Elmyra Gainsborough. She lives in Midgar."

The others became silent. Barret cursed himself for not remembering about Elmyra and Marlene earlier.

"I don't see a problem," answered Kaede, "could you get us air clearance Reeve?"

"Of course," answered the President of Midgar.

In mere moments, the Kitana gained entrance to Midgar air space, and hovered above the Sector 5 suburbs. The members of Avalanche looked at the newly reconstructed city with wonder. Cid whistled.

"Great job Reeve," said Cloud.

"Thanks," said Reeve, "I've been trying to fix this place up, make it the best Midgar ever."

"It is truly spectacular," said Red.

"Kitana," said Kaede, "silent running mode, hover over Aeris's house."

"Affirmative," answered the ship's computer.

Kaede pressed a button, and a hallway opened up.

"Go through that hallway, and you'll get to an elevator that will take you to ground level."

"Thanks Kaede," said Aeris.

"Think nothing of it," answered the warrior.

Aeris, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret left the room.

"Mom," whispered Aeris, "I've missed you so much..."

Elmyra worked in the garden alone. Aeris had tended this place with great care while she had been alive. Now that Aeris was dead, she took care of it. It was the least she could do to keep her daughter's memory alive. It pained her, brought back so many memories, but at least it was something to do. Now she filled her barren days by tending the beautiful garden, but for all its beauty, she still felt empty.

Empty...that described her days quite well. She was lost, for she had little to fill her days other than the garden. No longer would she hear her daughter's laughter, no more would her warm hugs bring joy to her life. She had little Marlene, but it only reminded Elmyra more of Aeris. Now she drew what happiness she could from her fleeting moments with Barret's daughter, the only times she ever felt alive. She didn't blame Aeris' friends, for what could they have done to stop a madman? Still, nothing could ever take away the pain. Oh, how she yearned for one more embrace, if only for the memories. One more moment with Aeris, just one moment, would have given here at least another happy memory, a small consolation to her sea of woes.

She heard a cry, and Elmyra glanced up from her work to see a blonde man waving at her. It was Aeris' friend. What had his name been? Oh right, Cloud. And with him were Barret and some others. She smiled when Marlene ran up to hug her father, and she gave the group a short wave. Then, Elmyra saw a familiar pink figure that haunted her dreams, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Silly woman," she murmured, "Will you ever stop..."

"Mom!"

The tools fell to the ground as Elmyra's hand convulsed. Forgetting the garden, she looked up at the group again. The girl, that beloved ghostly hallucination...she was real. Elmyra collapsed to her knees as her daughter broke away from her friends and began running towards her.

The girl ran towards Elmyra, her arms outstretched, and the joyous cries of "Mom!" sang through the air...she was real. As the figure neared, Elmyra reached out her shaky arms to embrace her daughter. When she felt the warmth of her hands around her, Elmyra cried tears she never knew she had left.

"You're real...oh my Aeris, you're real," she whispered.

Aeris shuddered, unable to speak, and held her mother as if she never wanted to let go.

Elmyra touched her hair, caressing the kind face to assure herself this wasn't a dream.

"I never thought I'd see you again. Oh, Aeris..."

As Aeris embraced her mother, she was oblivious to her surroundings. Her friends understood, grateful beyond words that she had returned. Tifa had been inseparable from her newly regained friend, feeling a sense of camaraderie with the girl, the only other one who could truly understand her love for Cloud. After their first heartfelt embrace, they bonded like sisters. Aeris had been surprisingly overjoyed to hear of Cloud's marriage to Tifa.

Having found kindred spirits, the harsh lessons that conflict and strife forced upon the girls receded. Tifa and Aeris had laughed again, rekindling some of the teenage life that they'd been robbed of by chance. And now, Aeris was able to reclaim her old life again. Putting aside all her pains, she simply closed her eyes and let her mother hug her hurts away...

Not long after, Elmyra, Marlene, and the others entered the ship. Deeming it an inappropriate place for a reunion, Kaede decided to lead the small group to a small meeting room, where they could rest. Cid and Shera took charge of flying the ship back to Costa del Sol, using the `scenic route,' so they could get used to the controls. The Turks and several Avalanche members kept them company. Poor Yuffie still hadn't strayed far from the safety of the bathroom. Seeing her discomfort, when Kaede pressed a button. He said it maintained artificial gravity within the ship, so Cid could maneuver however he wanted, and nobody would feel any different than if they were on the ground. Yuffie sighed her relief, thanking Kaede, who merely grinned. The Planeswalker gestured for Elmyra and her entourage to follow him.

He led the group to a smaller, but impressive chamber. Marlene bounced along on her father's shoulder, Aeris and Elmyra walked hand in hand, as did Tifa and Cloud. They all took seats within the spacious room, lavishly adorned with velvet couches, various panels for Kaede only knew what, and a large wooden table in the center.

"This ship is incredible," said Cloud, "how can you pack so much into it and still have fighting capacity?"

"This ship is one of a kind, I built it myself."

"All by yourself?" asked Tifa, astonished.

"Oh no," said Kaede, "I used machines to speed up the process, but the design, the features, it's all my idea. The technology of various cultures allowed me to do much with it. I tried to make a craft large enough to serve as a base, yet still have the functional capabilities of a fighter."

"It's da-" started Barret.

"Barett," interjected Tifa, jerking her head at Marlene and Elmyra.

"Oh, right," said Barret, remembering the company he was in, "it's very impressive."

Cloud chuckled at Barret, who stared back at him icily.

Elmyra spoke to the strange man. "It seems as if I have you to thank for my daughter's life-"

"It is every bit Cloud's deed as mine," answered Kaede.

"I thank you both," said Elmyra.

She broke into tears, Cloud and Tifa put their hands on her shoulder, as Elmyra hugged Aeris once again.

"Daddy," said Marlene, "why is Auntie Elmyra crying?"

"She's happy," said Barret, holding his daughter in his arms.

Marlene didn't understand, but still said, "Okay."

Barret laughed and drew Marlene into one of his bear-hugs.

"You have no idea," said Elmyra, "how happy it feels for me to finally see her again. She was my only family."

Kaede simply gave her a sad smile, the others became silent, knowing well how Kaede must feel about lost family. Although he was introverted by nature, never revealing his feelings, the others could tell he didn't feel happy about it, to say the least.

"Did I say someth-" started Elmyra.

"Don't worry about it," said Kaede. He touched a button near the wall, "Cid, Shera, are we at Villa Cloud yet?"

"Nearly there," answered Shera through an intercom, "just getting used to the controls here."

"I'm coming up to help you." returned Kaede.

"Are we in a hurry or somethin'?" asked Cid.

"Not exactly," said Kaede, "but I would like to get started on your training."

"Okay, no problem." answered Cid.

Kaede turned to Elmyra, "I'm sorry to cut your reunion short, but I need the help of Aeris and her friends."

"What for?" asked Elmyra.

"A new threat is coming to the planet." said Kaede.

Elmyra's eyes widened. "A new threat? And you want Aeris to-"

"Don't worry Ms. Gainsborough," cut in Kaede, understanding Elmyra's fear, "We won't let anything happen to her."

"Count on it," said Cloud.

Kaede could still see worry on the poor woman's face.

"She's safer with us. Believe me, unless we have her, they will hunt her down, and kill her as well as the planet. I will die before I see that happen to any of you."

Marlene spoke up, "Mister Kayd," she asked, "will anything happen to my daddy our Auntie?"

Kaede turned to the young girl, "No child, nothing will happen."

Barret began to speak, "We'll be fine. Now Marlene, you know this is dangerous-"

"No Barret," said Kaede, "you WILL survive, you, Aeris, Cloud, Tifa, all of you. Even if its the last thing I ever do, I'll make sure of that."

He walked out, leaving the group to think on his words.

Elmyra turned to question her daughter, "What-"

"Later mom," said Aeris, "I just want to enjoy this moment."

Author's Note: Okay, more happy plot development (audience groans). Don't worry, I've got an interesting plot twist next chapter. As always, write me if you have any comments.

Chapter 9: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Authors Note: I'm putting a note here so as not to interrupt your reading. Concerning the songs I put in here, one of them is an original poem I wrote myself. The other, is "I Will Be the One," I think it's by Sarah McLaughlin. At that point, I am thinking of most Depeche Mode, U2, or Duran Duran songs, perhaps Seal. Overall, I'm thinking of something sad and lonely but with a feeling of searching for some hidden peace. For the earlier `ethereal music,' I'm thinking mainly techno, Dido, Enya, Keiko Matsui, Enigma, or something peaceful but without words. If you hate this music, sorry, just insert your own favorite types. Heck, rock would probably work too. Please don't make fun of me if this seems sappy. I MIGHT insert one more song later, maybe by Staind or Creed. Yeah, that's the ticket...

Not long afterwards, the Kitana had landed just outside Costa del Sol. Everyone went to Villa Cloud to freshen up. When they were done, the members of Avalanche, and the Turks, gathered outside the beach, just behind the villa. Cloud had managed to buy this extra bit of land just so he could practice in peace whenever he wanted. Kaede deemed this an ideal place for training, saying that it was the best place to practice undisturbed. It was pretty lucky that Villa Cloud was set apart from the rest of the city. Kaede had told the fighters to dress in clothing that would allow freedom of movement, but not to wear armor. Since most of them used such clothing normally anyway, this primarily meant Aeris. So, she dressed herself in her classic jacket and dress, with a body suit underneath. Reeve couldn't wear his white armor, so decided to wear brown khakis and a white shirt. When they arrived on the beach, Kaede began his instruction.

"First," said Kaede, "I told you to wear clothing that allowed movement, since you will be learning hand to hand combat. I do not pretend to insult your fighting prowess, you are great fighters, especially if you managed to destroy the Jenovans. However, you will need to progress further if you hope to beat the Drahk. Before we begin, I want you all to close your eyes and relax."

The others did so closing their eyes and breathing calmly.

Kaede began to summon forth his energies, "do not be alarmed," he said, "you will feel strange at first, but it will pass."

Strands of energy shot from Kaede and into the other fighters. Light throughout the air as it engulfed the group.

Cloud felt a tingling sensation throughout his entire body. He had never felt this much energy flow through him, not even when he fought Sephiroth for the last time in Lifestream.

The energy slowly receded. When it was done, everyone was breathing heavily.

"I...I feel great," said Reno.

"What did you do to us?" asked Red.

"I have just unlocked your inner powers," said Kaede, "I showed you where the true power lies within yourselves. By showing you the path to that energy, you will now know how to call it up should you ever need it."

"No kidding," said Cloud, "I've never felt this powerful before."

"Let us commence with the testing, I have already shown you how to gather energy. I would like to see you all use your powers now."

The warriors gathered energy, and Kaede was pleased to see that they were fast learners. Throughout the course of the day, he taught them how to increase their speed, how to make energy attacks with both their weapons and their bare hands, and also taught them new fighting techniques.

By sunset, the group was tired and sweaty.

"Geez man," breathed Barret, "when you give a workout, you really give one."

Elena was gasping for air, "Where...did you learn that stuff?"

Kaede smiled, "Years and years of practice, you don't need just materia to make yourself stronger. Inner powers can be used to control the elements. Pretty soon, you'll just be using materia to complement your own inner abilities."

"What about summon materia?" asked Tifa.

"Excuse me?" returned Kaede.

"Summon materia," explained Cloud, "it allows us to call upon creatures to attack our enemies."

"Interesting, I did not know that you had such weapons on this planet. I am used to calling them `Gaurdian Forces.' Can I see your most powerful `summon materia?'"

"Sure," said Cloud, handing Kaede four red orbs.

The Planeswalker held the red materia, getting a feel for the beings inside. A strange look crawled into his features.

"I...know these creatures," said Kaede.

Before anyone could ask him what that meant, Kaede activated all four of the summon materia, Bahumet, Neo Bahumet, Bahumet Zero, and Knights of the Round.

Before them all appeared the kings of all Dragons, and the famed Knights of the Round Table. The dragons towered slightly over the group, while the knights were nearly face level.

"Master Cloud," said Bahumet, "I sense no enemies."

"Why were we summoned?" asked Bahumet Zero.

"They didn't summon you," said Kaede, "I did..."

The summoned creatures turned around, then looked in astonishment at who they saw. The Knights fell to their knees, while the dragons lowered their heads.

"My Lord Silver," said King Arthur, "it is truly a great honor..."

"Please," said Kaede, "stand up, I am no lord."

"Only because you gave it up," said Bahumet.

To say that the others were shocked would have been a gross understatement.

"Bahumet," said Cloud, "why do you bow to him? Do you know Kaede?"

Neo Bahumet nodded, "Lord Silver is a great warrior, known to all guardian forces..."

"Lord Silver?" asked Aeris.

"Just one of my various names," said Kaede, "it was my designation within the Planeswalker ranks."

The dragons and the knights laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" asked Tifa.

"My Lord Silver-" began Neo Bahumet.

"Please," said Kaede, "all I ask is that you call me Kaede."

"Very well, sire Kaede," said the dragon.

Kaede winced, "That's not much better."

"Old habits die hard," said Bahumet.

"Old habits?" asked Cloud.

"Yes," answered King Arthur, "Sire Kaede achieved great heights in the Planeswalker order. A hundred years ago, before we came to this planet, we knew him as a great lord and general. His designation, Lord Silver, signifies him as a leader among the high council of elders among the ranks of Planeswalker and Cetra."

Bahumet Zero continued, "He turned down that position, instead choosing to become like the us, the guardian forces, and the Cetra, traveling to other planets and fighting the Drahk, they are-"

"I told them about the Drahk," said Kaede.

"Did you say-" started Neo Bahumet.

"I also told them about my past as well," finished the warrior.

Bahumet narrowed his eyes, taking in this information.

"Why did you come sire?" asked the King of Dragons.

"To finish what your creators started," answered Kaede, "the Cetra brought you here years ago to fight the last of the Jenovans, however, it seems as if the Drahk have their greedy eyes on this planet."

"The Drahk," cursed King Arthur, "what do they want with this planet?"

"I'm not entirely sure," said Kaede, "I was sent here by the council to investigate the strange power of the Planet. I believe they want the secrets of the Cetra."

"Dishonorable curs," spat Bahumet, "what can we do, my lord?"

"Right now, nothing. I am training with Avalanche and the Turks."

"And how are Milady Kyra and Lord Talos?" asked Arthur.

"They are still heads of the Council, but the advances of the Drahk hordes often draw them away to battle. They were well last time I checked."

"When will the others arrive?" asked Neo Bahumet.

"I am all the council could spare, forces are spread thin everywhere."

"What?" exclaimed Bahumet Zero, "they leave you to fight alone?"

"It was my wish," said Kaede, "as you well know, I like to do things myself."

"Indeed you do," laughed Arthur, "Is there anything else?"

"Not right now," said Kaede, "I will call upon you should I need assistance."

The guardian forces smiled, glad to see their old friend.

"I will talk with you later, farewell for now."

Bahumet bowed, "Goodbye sire, your coming is indeed a great boon."

The summoned creatures vanished, leaving the thirteen figures alone on the beach.

"Wow," said Rude.

"Well," whispered Red, "that was...interesting."

"I never knew you could just TALK to summoned creatures before," said Cloud.

"Oh yes," replied Kaede, "the Gaurdian Forces are quite knowledgeable about many things. They can do more than just fight."

"You know those characters?" breathed Elena, "How old are you?"

"Physically?" said Kaede, "I'm in my late twenties, but I've lived for over a hundred years."

"What are you, immortal or something?" asked Reno.

"No, I age normally, by your terms."

The Turks were at a loss for words.

"Don't worry," said Kaede, "I'm sure the others will explain it to you sooner or later. For now, training is over. Go ahead, it's only a few hours until sunset, freshen up."

All of them left, except for Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kaede.

"Nothing," said Cloud.

"We're just trying to make sense of you," continued Tifa.

"Don't try," returned Kaede, "it's an exercise in futility."

"Come on," said Aeris, "you have to have some feelings on this."

Kaede looked at the trio as if looking through glass. The glare sent shivers down their spines. His gaze became normal again, and Kaede looked at the falling sun.

"I was trained to be a weapon," said the warrior, "machines have no feelings."

"Hey," said Aeris, "don't say that."

"It's true," continued Kaede, "my whole life has been devoted to fighting."

"Someone once said that I was no more than a puppet," stated Cloud, "nothing more than a toy to be used and discarded. I proved them wrong, you can too."

"Oh really," said Kaede sardonically.

"Here," said Cloud, "I'll prove it too you."

"How?"

Cloud talked with Aeris and Tifa, telling them his plan. When he was done, the two girls smiled and shrugged.

"Draw your sword," said Cloud

"What?" asked Kaede.

"Draw your sword, I want to duel with you. If I prove to be correct, you will have to do something."

"Do what?"

"You'll find out," grinned Tifa

Kaede sighed, "Very well, go on, prove your point."

Kaede drew his sword as he walked to the end of the beach. Cloud followed with his own sword.

The two nodded to each other before engaging combat. First, they circled around each other, parrying and blocking, getting a feel for their opponent. Aeris and Tifa looked on, cheering the two fighters.

"Don't hold back," said Cloud, "I won't."

"Very well," answered Kaede, "Do your best."

Their swords were a blaze of motion, a blur of light and sound. Sparks flew as their blades clashed. Cloud jumped back, and used his new found powers to energize his body with inhuman speed and strength.

Kaede attacked Cloud with amazing agility and quickness. The two jumped through the air, blocking and attacking in midair. When they landed, their blades were still an invisible blur.

As fast as Cloud attacked, he couldn't break through Kaede's immaculate defense. Kaede was surprised with Cloud's fighting prowess.

"You are a fast learner, but you still have a ways to go," said Kaede.

Kaede lunged in a backward flip, and landed on his feet several feet away. Cloud ran towards him, but Kaede used the time to charge his sword, unleashing a wave of energy at Cloud.

Cloud brought his sword up in a cross slash, barely managing to deflect the attack. The recoil still threw him onto his back.

"That was my move," said Cloud, getting to his feet.

"Yes," said Kaede, "just wanted to show you what you can do if you train more."

Cloud ran at him, releasing a flurry of combination slashes, Kaede managed to avoid most of them. However, Cloud's jumping slash caught him off guard, and the explosion threw back Kaede. He managed to stay on his feet, but the explosion had pushed him back, causing trenches in form where his feet had dragged.

"Very good," said Kaede, pleased with Cloud's performance.

Cloud ran at Kaede, slashing at his head. Kaede merely dodged the maneuver, flipping away while bringing his sword up. Cloud fell backward, Kaede's sword missing his face by an inch.

Kaede landed on his feet again, and grinned. Cloud got to his feet, breathing hard.

"Don't worry," joked the Planeswalker, "I wasn't going to kill you."

Cloud grinned, and raised a hand. He drew energy into a ball in his palms. Kaede knew this attack well, and prepared his defense. That was when Cloud fired the ball at Tifa and Aeris, who were still close by.

Kaede ran after the ball, jumping in its path. He grabbed it just a few feet from the two women, then spun around and threw it into the air, where the ball blew up into a thousand small sparks.

Kaede brought his sword up again, and looked at Cloud.

"What was that Cloud?" he asked.

Cloud and the two spectators immediately broke out into smiles.

Kaede stared at the trio as if they were lunatics.

"I proved my point," said Cloud, "if you had been merely a machine, you would have attacked me, and ignored saving Tifa and Aeris."

"You could have injured them," returned Kaede.

"No he wouldn't have," laughed Tifa, "we knew his plan."

Kaede shook his head, his lips twitched in a slight grin, "Very well, you've given me your opinion. I don't completely believe you, but I will comply with your request anyway. So, what do you want?"

"Something artistic," said Aeris, "I saw some musical instruments in your ship when we went there today..."

Kaede groaned, "Wonderful."

Aeris and Tifa laughed.

"Oh come on," said Tifa, "it will be fun. You can play music can't you?"

"..." Kaede remained silent.

"I'll take that as a `yes.' Come on," said Cloud.

"You go ahead," said Kaede, "I'll catch up."

The others returned to the villa, while Kaede slowly strolled back. He kicked up sand as he walked, and thought about his past life. He stopped to sit upon a stone wall in front of the house, looking at the sunset. Kaede thought about the people he was helping. They were the type of people who would understand what he had gone through, but even they did not know the whole aspect of his life. How could a trained, cold-blooded killer ever have real feelings? All he had ever felt in his life was pain, or the need to protect against that pain. True, perhaps he did care for the lives of others, and he did not fight with hatred as his power. But how could he ever pay penance for what he had done?

"A gil for your thoughts," said a voice, breaking him out of his reverie.

Kaede looked up to see Aeris, but remained silent, turning his head to watch the sunrise again.

Aeris sat next to him, "It's beautiful."

"When I lived at Sensei's dojo," said Kaede, "I used to wait everyday to watch the sunset. And every morning, I would get up early just to see it rise."

"Sounds like a peaceful place."

Kaede nodded, "Sensei taught me, that to be a true warrior, one cannot fight with hatred in their heart."

"Sound advise. Then how do you feel about the Drahk?" asked Aeris.

"I despise them," he conceded, "but I do not allow that hatred to consume me. I do not fight them because I hate them. Rather, I fight them to prevent others from being hurt."

"You're trying to redeem yourself," said Aeris. It was more a statement than a question.

The Planeswalker nodded.

"Well," said Aeris, "are you so sure you're still a machine?"

Kaede turned to Aeris with an intense look in his eyes, "I've killed Aeris, I have murdered good people, men and women. My hands are too stained with blood."

"It's not your fault," said Aeris, matching his glare, "your hands may be stained, but your soul is pure."

The two watched the view in silence. When the sun had set, Kaede could see the others gathering inside. Several figures were coming out.

Kaede turned to leave, but before he went, he said one last thing to Aeris, in a voice so desolate that it shocked the Cetra.

"You and your friends shouldn't care about me Aeris," said he, "it's no use trying to convince a cold and dying spirit that it can feel."

Kaede walked past the Turks, Elmyra, and Red, as they walked to see the first stirrings of night.

"Care to watch the stars with us?" asked Red.

"Perhaps later," Kaede walked into the villa without another word.

Elmyra went to her daughter. She saw that Aeris was worried.

"What's wrong dear?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Aeris, "just thinking about our new `friend.'"

"He acts so withdrawn." said Elena.

"He seems nice though," said Elmyra, "such a nice man."

"Yeah," quipped Reno, "not bad for a man who's over a hundred years old."

"A hundred?" shouted Elmyra.

"Well..." said Rude, "he's actually twenty-something, but he's says he's lived for over a hundred years."

Elmyra remained silent, her mouth hanging open.

"Aeris," said Red, "I believe it's time we told them the truth about him."

Aeris sighed, getting ready to tell them the tale, "It's not a pretty story..."

Kaede went inside the villa and saw that there was a ruckus inside the kitchen. He could hear voices coming from behind the door.

"Fer cryin' out loud," Cid yelled, "what kind of slop is that?"

"I'll have you know," screamed Tifa, "that this is a specialty at the bar!"

"Yeah," snapped the captain, "they probably like it `CAUSE THEY'RE DRUNK WHEN THEY'RE EATIN'!"

"IF YOU HADN'T BURNED THE STUFF IT WOULD STILL TASTE GOOD!!!"

Kaede burst into the room, slamming the door open. The others turned and remained silent.

"Problems with dinner?" asked Kaede, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"To say the least," said Shera.

"We left Cid in charge for a while..." explained Cloud.

"Look guys," said Cid, "I never told you I could cook, don't blame me."

"Okay," said Kaede, "out..."

"What?" asked Tifa.

"I said `out,' I'll do the cooking. I have got some exotic herbs and spices in the ship," said Kaede, "I'll take care of it."

"This doesn't mean that-" started Tifa.

"Don't worry, I'll still play your song," answered Kaede, "I usually do it to pass the time anyway."

The Planeswalker walked out of the kitchen to go to his room. He came back with several sealed duffel bags, which he threw on the floor.

"I'm ready," Kaede said, "okay, the rest of you, out, now."

"Okay, okay," said Tifa.

The others filed out of the room.

"By the way," said Shera, turning to Kaede, "thanks."

The Planeswalker grunted in response. The others left the room as Kaede prepared to create their meal.

`Great, the famous Avalanche,' thought Kaede, `as long as they aren't thinking about food, they should have a fair chance during battles.'

Kaede continued to prepare the meal while the others waited.

When Aeris finished her story, the others grew silent.

Tears rolled down Elmyra's cheeks, "My God..."

"Great Planet," said Elena, "what kind of a man is he?"

"Sounds like another Cloud, or another Sepiroth," said Rude.

"A frighteningly accurate analogy," grimaced Red.

Cloud called out to them, "Come on in guys!"

When the others entered the villa, they smelled a marvelous aroma.

"Mmmm," smiled Aeris, "Is that dinner? Tifa do the cooking?"

"Actually," answered Cloud, "Cid burned it."

"Aw come on Cloud," yelled Cid from behind, "I said sorry to you and Tifa."

"So," asked Elmyra, "who's making dinner?"

"Kaede," answered Cloud.

"Kaede Knight is making dinner!?" exclaimed Elena.

"What the hell?" asked Reno.

"Apparently," answered Shera, "he's picked up various skills in all his travels, including cooking."

Kaede came out of the kitchen, looking like he always did. He folded a towel in his hands before throwing it into a wastebasket in the corner of the room.

"So," said Barret, "what's up?"

"Could someone else serve the stuff?" asked Kaede, "I feel the need to wash up."

"Okay," said Tifa, "no problem."

"I also have a couple of bottles of Serran nectar on the table."

"What's that?" asked Aeris.

"It comes from a fruit that the Cetra cultivated," answered Kaede, "it's well known and famous. I can teach you how to prepare it some day, I have some Serra seeds in my bags."

Kaede walked upstairs to change while the others began their meal.

Whatever he had made, it tasted good. Kaede had turned the food in Cloud's freezer into a masterpiece of cuisine.

"He has got to get me some of those spices," said Tifa between bites.

"Glad you like it," came Kaede's voice from behind.

The others turned to the hallway to see a familiar figure, all dressed in white.

"Wow," said Yuffie, "cool look."

"I like a change once in a while," returned Kaede.

"This stuff is great," said Reeve, "come join us."

"This ale is awesome!" commented Cid.

"Actually," said Kaede, "it isn't alcoholic."

"You've got to be jerkin' around," said Barret, "I've never tasted stuff like this."

"It's true." Kaede walked to the door leading outside.

"Mister Kayd," said Marlene, "aren't you going to eat?"

"No, thank you child," smiled Kaede, "I'm not very hungry. Enjoy yourself."

"You sure?" asked Vincent.

Kaede nodded, "I will be outside if anyone needs me."

Kaede walked outside as the others continued eating.

`What a lonely man,' thought Yuffie, `he reminds me of Vincent.'

She stared at the quiet man. When Vincent looked her way, Yuffie wrinkled her nose and winked at him. He nearly choked on his food from surprise. The others laughed at their display.

Kaede sat on the short stone wall on the beach, gazing at the stars. His thought led him to the Drahk again. What were their true plans for this planet? And what of the strange prophecies in the records of the Cetra? Kaede cursed the cryptic nature of portents.

"So much war," he said to himself, "I hope that we are up to it."

"Don't worry," came a voice from behind, "we will be."

Kaede turned to see Aeris again. She came up and sat on the wall.

"I'm beginning to notice a trend with you," she smiled, "you have a fascination with the beauties of nature."

The quiet man silently brooded on her meaning. She still believed he could have feelings, like normal people.

"You are persistent aren't you?" asked Kaede.

"I never give up, it's my credo," said Aeris.

"Apparently," answered Kaede, "...what do you remember most about your childhood?"

The question threw Aeris off track, and she had to think before she could answer.

"...I...have flashes of my biological parents now and then. Like you, I never really knew my actual mom and dad. But Elmyra adopted me, and became my family," Aeris smiled, "I guess what I remember most is the love, how she would always be there for me. A hug from her could make all my troubles go away. Why do you ask?"

Kaede continued to gaze at the stars, "I often wonder, what it would be like to live like that. No battles...no worries...simply to live for no other reason than to enjoy the day. It seems alien to a person that has been neck deep in war since childhood."

Aeris pursed her lips as she looked at Kaede thoughtfully.

"From someone who has seen both sides of the fence," said she, "believe me, it is a wonderful feeling. Many people say they feel exhilaration when they fight. I suppose that's natural, but nothing is as satisfying as life."

"I guess I never had much time for a normal, caring way life, it was always the fight. Fight to protect your sanity, fight to protect others, always fighting for something. I once heard someone ask, `what do you see beyond your fist,' to which I could only reply `nothing but war, the fight is all.'"

Aeris looked into Kaede's eyes, deeply concerned.

"Kaede, without caring, what is life worth? Without love, what is your soul worth?'

"I don't know..."

Kaede distractedly threw a stone, clearly agitated.

Aeris touched Kaede's hand to get his attention.

She smiled at him, "Believe me, you never feel more alive...than when you love...and feel loved."

Kaede's eyes softened as she said this, and he simply nodded.

Aeris noticed that their faces had drifted close, she began to notice how special this person truly was. She looked into his deep, powerful eyes, and was held captive by what she saw. She felt...drawn by those intense, blazing eyes. Despite his reclusive nature, despite his way of life, Aeris could still see the soul of a caring, sensitive man inside...

Kaede could not understand how this Cetra had unraveled him so easily. It was as if she understood his every pain, his every thought. Then he noticed how close his lips were to hers. He lost all ability to think as he inched closer...

"Hey guys!" shouted Yuffie, "Come inside!"

Kaede pulled away, and Aeris jerked her head back in shocked uncertainty.

`What the hell was that?' Kaede cursed at himself, `What was I thinking?'

"Hey guys! We're going to the bar!" hollered Yuffie.

"Coming!" shouted Aeris.

Aeris was surprised, `Great Planet! What just happened?'

Gathering her wits, she stood up and turned to go inside.

"Aeris," said Kaede.

She turned around.

"Thanks for the talk."

She smiled at him, "Come on, let's go, the gang's at the 7th Heaven."

The 7th Heaven had closed for the night. It had been difficult to get everyone to leave. Especially today, after the news that so many well-known personalities were gracing the bar. Slowly, the patrons departed. Even so, the lights remained on, as old friends and new talked mirthfully. Barret and Cid were currently engaged in a drinking contest. Rude and Reno cheered them on.

Elena merely shook her head at their antics. She saw that Reeve seemed to be working again at his computer. The Turk walked over to the President of New Shinra Inc., with a bottle of ale in her hands.

"Honestly Reeve," chided Elena, "don't you ever take a break from work?"

Reeve looked up at her and smiled sheepishly, "it's just some extra reports that I decided to work through. I really-"

Elena waggled her finger at him, "That's just busy work and you know it. Your office assistants could have it done by tomorrow."

Reeve shrugged, "I guess I really don't know how to relax."

The Turk smiled, "I have the same problem. I keep making these little pet projects for myself just so I don't die of boredom."

Reeve winced, "oh, don't say that. It sounds embarrassingly like my life..."

"Come on, live a little..."

She poured the drink into two glasses.

"I'll drink anything you put in front of me," said Reeve, trying a stab at humor.

The Turk laughed again, "famous last words..."

The two clinked glasses before drinking.

It pleased Red to see his friends relaxing. Reeve, especially, had felt quite depressed. He had taken on all the burdens of blame, reproaching himself for Shinra's atrocities. The man had felt it his personal responsibility to set things right. So far, his plans for rebuilding had worked, and Reeve actually seemed to have calmed down of late.

Red saw the others talking happily. Kaede and Vincent, true to form, sat in their respective corners, remaining silent. However, Yuffie seemed to be engaged in a rather one-sided conversation with the former Turk. Red turned to see the commotion near the front of the bar. Apparently, Barret and Cid had finished their little contest. Now Reno and Rude were trying to get the two upstairs to sleep off their intoxication.

Red turned again to see Vincent and Yuffie walking up to him.

"Hey Red!" said the ninja.

Red nodded as the other two sat down.

"We were just wonderin'," continued Yuffie, "if you knew any more about all this prophecy stuff."

"Oh really?" asked Red, "I thought you were going to ask for my materia."

Yuffie laughed slightly, "Come on, give me a break..."

"We were simply curious," said Vincent, "whether the records said anything else about the Planeswalkers."

"Other than the prophecy," answered Red, "I have heard very little, although..."

Red was interrupted when Kaede stood up to leave. He and Aeris had been talking with Cloud and Tifa, gathering as much knowledge on current events as they could.

Kaede finished the contents of his glass and started to leave.

"Thanks for the drink," he said.

"Don't you want to stick around?" asked Tifa.

"Perhaps later," answered he, "thank you."

"Don't forget our bet," warned Cloud.

Kaede nodded before leaving.

Vincent turned to Red again, "Well Nanaki?"

Red pondered before answering, "It seems to me, from what I have learned about people like him, that Kaede is a wanderer. His only home was undoubtedly destroyed, leaving him with no roots."

"Sound like the rest of us at some point in our lives," commented Vincent.

Red nodded, "I guess he never found anything to hold on to. So his job is perfect, he never has to commit himself to anything, least of all other people. He simply travels from one world to the next, fighting his never-ending battle."

"You know," said Yuffie, "he's kind of creepy sometimes. Doesn't the man have any kind of social life?"

"His whole life has been war Yuffie," replied Vincent, "a life like that doesn't leave room for many...comforts."

"That's what frightens me," answered the young ninja.

Red looked at Yuffie, was she actually concerned about Kaede?

The girl quickly regained her smug grin, "besides, we already have one too many hermits in this group," she elbowed Vincent in the ribs.

The Cian warrior laughed, Yuffie never stayed depressed for long.

Leaving the others in the bar, Kaede chose to walk along the beach again. He thought about his life, about its twists and turns. He'd come so far from what he'd been, but had he really gone anywhere?

The Planeswalker sighed, "It always gets complicated whenever I grow too attached."

A voice deep inside him told Kaede that he was wrong. It was a quiet voice that he hadn't listened to for a long time, a side of him that had been buried years ago. It grew too easy to ignore that voice now. And something deep inside him knew, that if it ever went away, he'd lose a piece of himself forever, and never be whole again.

Kaede decided to try Cloud's idea. A quick trip through the Kitana's hull led him to a vast array of instruments. He decided to play what these people would call a `guitar.' Kaede exited the ship, opting to play on the stone wall overlooking the shores.

It felt peaceful here. It was late, hours before anyone would wake up. The few conscious members of Avalanche would undoubtedly stay in the bar for a few more hours.

Refusing to admit it to anyone, least of all himself, playing music gave him a sense of freedom. Kaede tried to pass it off as a hobby, but it felt like so much more than that. It was a release, a chance to regain a piece of what he had lost so long ago...

Without prelude, he began to play. Ethereal music poured out from his instrument, weaving its spell through the air. Kaede continued with his music. His eyes closed, he let the tune follow its own path, letting the melody flow as it pleased. And once again, he felt a little more at peace. He had been searching for it his entire life, and had managed to get a small bit of it whenever he played...he felt a calm come over him that even meditation could not bring...

Kaede had been playing for a while now, but he suddenly felt the need to voice his travels, to immerse the story of his life into the music. So he sang...

Barret and Cid had finally managed to sleep off some of their stupor. The others laughed at their friends as they slowly made their way down the stairs, arm in arm.

Rude and Reno were still cheering them on.

Shera simply shook her head as she talked to Tifa, "men..."

Yuffie laughed at the display. That was when she heard music. Vaguely, on the edge of her perception, the ninja could hear a peaceful tune, soft and ethereal. Then the music began to swell, becoming strong and passionate, and everyone could hear the serene melody.

Cid looked around the room, trying to find the source of the music, "Is it my hangover, or do I here somethin'?"

Cloud got up, looking out the door, "It seems to be coming from the Villa."

"It sounds beautiful," said Tifa, "let's see if...wait, did you say the Villa?"

Cloud nodded.

Aeris looked up, "do you think Kaede-?"

I don't know," answered Cloud, "let's check it out."

The group slowly trekked back to the Villa, making their way to the source of the music. It was indeed Kaede, playing what seemed to be a guitar. The Planeswalker didn't seem to notice them, for he continued to play. Cloud was about to walk up to the stone wall when he felt Aeris' hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," said she, "let's see what he plays for a little while..."

The music stopped, and Aeris froze, thinking she had been heard. Then the music started again, spreading its peaceful tune through the night air. Soon after, words came as well.

I have walked down these roads of woe,

I have been down this path of blood,

Yet I keep to my path and never let go,

Your hope fills me more than despair's flood..

I see these ways of pain,

My soul yearns to heal you,

I travel on, I find my bane,

Yet I care not, for I've found you.

I may fall, and I may die,

I may leave all of you behind,

I care not, ask not why,

I take my victories in kind.

I am lost, yet I have won,

For you remain to sing your song,

Gone, yet I am not undone,

For you remain to carry on.

And though I float, and fall away,

My soul still soars, life not in vain,

For you still live to dream each day,

Walk that road, freed from your pain....

Unbidden, the tears began to flow from Aeris', marring the normally joyous face. Cloud hugged Tifa close to him, as she melted into his embrace. They all remained silent, touched by the song. They could tell it was the story of his anguished soul. But it wasn't just his story, it was the story of all of their lives.

Finally sensing someone near, Kaede turned to see the others. His face revealed nothing other than calm composure.

"I am sorry," said he, "I did not know you were here."

"Don't apologize," replied Aeris, "that was beautiful."

Kaede shrugged, "That was a fool's stab at what cannot be expressed in words."

Cloud nodded, for he understood, all too well, the power of emotions...emotions so strong they could not be voiced, just felt. It was a rare look at a side of Kaede that he had not seen before, a side he himself had had to bury, so long ago...

Cloud hugged his wife closer, remembering who had rescued his broken mind, the woman who had filled the void that had been in his heart.

Having bared the inner pains of his soul to these strangers, Kaede was being surprisingly calm. Aeris voiced the group's opinion.

"You should really do that more often."

Kaede shrugged it off, clearly not wishing to continue this line of discussion.

"Can any of you play as well?" asked Kaede.

Cloud answered, "Well, yes but..."

"I think turnabout is fair play, choose your instrument."

Cloud picked up a keyboard synthesizer from inside the house before joining Kaede on the wall. Seeing his friends eagerly awaiting, Cloud gulped.

"Don't worry," said Kaede, "just follow my lead, you'll be fine."

More music issued forth. Cloud began tentatively at first, but grew in confidence as the melody played.

`Just let the music come,' he reminded himself, `the rest will follow...'

What followed was electrifying. Their pain, their passion, it all came out in the music. There was no need for words, for the music touched the heart and the soul. It promised sweet dreams and emanated peace.

When Cloud and Kaede had finished, they opened their eyes to find the others staring.

"That was..." started Elena.

"Awesome! Cool! I want more!!!" stated Yuffie.

"At least two of those," agreed Vincent.

"I'm taking requests," quipped the Planeswalker.

"Try something with words," said Aeris, "something about your travels."

Kaede looked to Cloud, who shrugged.

"Don't ask me," he smiled, "I'm just playing backup."

"Besides," laughed Tifa, "you lost the bet."

"I didn't lose," said Kaede, "I merely acquiesced."

He thought for a while, then began to strum on his guitar. Again, Kaede let the words weave a story. It was the story of his life, and fittingly, a story of all travelers, even Avalanche.

Listen as the wind blows,

From across the Great Divide,

Voices trapped in yearning,

Memories trapped in time,

The night is my companion, and solitude my guide,

Would I spend forever here, and not be satisfied.

And I will be the one,

To hold you down...kiss your soul,

I'll take your breath away,

And after I...wipe away the tears,

Just close your eyes dear...

Through this world I've stumbled,

So many times betrayed,

Trying to find an honest world,

To find...the truth enslaved,

Oh...you speak to me in riddles,

And you speak to me in rhymes,

My body aches to breath your breath,

Your words keep me alive.

And I will be the one,

To hold you down...kiss your soul,

I'll take your breath away,

And after I...wipe away the tears,

Just close your eyes dear...

Into this night I've wandered,

It's morning that I dread,

Another day of knowing of...

The path I fear to tread.

Oh...into the sea of waking dreams,

I follow without pride,

`Cause nothing stands between us here,

And I won't be denied.

And I will be the one,

To hold you down...kiss your soul,

I'll take your breath away,

And after I...wipe away the tears,

Just close your eyes dear.

I'll hold you down...kiss your soul,

I'll take your breath away,

And after I, wipe away the tears,

Just close your eyes...

When Kaede and Cloud finished, the others were still captivated.

"That was beautiful," breathed Aeris.

Kaede simply lowered his head, deep in thought.

"Damn," exclaimed Cid tapping his chest, "that hit me right here, you know?"

Tifa nodded, "That was...exactly how I felt before Meteor. Where did you get that from?"

Kaede simply raised his head and gave her a sad smile, "It's mine."

Vincent nodded, "I'm beginning to see now...it's similar to how you've lived your life, isn't it?"

The Planeswalker remained silent.

"You've been searching for something," continued Rude, "that much is apparent."

Kaede simply shrugged, clearly not interested in answering that question.

"I think that's enough for one night," said Cloud, seeing this conversation was getting nowhere.

The Planeswalker nodded his head in agreement. The group slowly walked back to the Villa.

"Wow," said Yuffie, "that was something else."

"Thank you," said Kaede, "it is very useful when you have nothing else to do."

"I bet," said Cloud.

"And Cloud," said Tifa, "you never told me you could play like that! You were great."

"Aw, it was nothing," demurred Cloud, "I had help-"

Kaede simply shrugged again, "you played well."

Cloud snorted sarcastically.

"Whatever you say man," said Barret, "that was still pretty awesome!"

"Hmph," said Cloud, "Okay, well I'm glad. But I mean, it was a joke. I didn`t really feel very mature-"

"Do that more often," joked Tifa, "and nobody will be able to resist you guys."

She wrapped her arm around Cloud, tickling him.

Cloud jerked away, grabbing her in his arms.

"Don't even try it," he smiled before drawing her into a kiss.

"Aw come on guys," whined Yuffie, "not in public!"

"Let the two love birds have their fun," laughed Reeve.

"Come on," said Yuffie, "I think I may puke!"

"Listen kid," said Cid, his arms wrapped around Shera, "you just have to understand how two hearts work."

"All that mushy stuff is for softies!"

"What about Vampy?" asked Cid, winking at Vincent.

"VINCENT IS NOT A VAMPIRE!" yelled Yuffie.

Red tried to calm the young ninja, "He's just teasing you."

"Okay guys, enough," said Cloud, "let's get to sleep."

"Indeed," agreed Kaede, "we have more training tomorrow."

"Gee Kaede," groaned Barret, "you're the life of the party."

They all left to go to their separate rooms.

"Those Avalanche sure act weird," said Elena.

"Yeah," chimed Reno, "makes you wonder how they ever beat Shinra."

"Unpredictability," said Rude, "is a great asset."

"Too true," laughed Reeve.

The night went rather well for the group, except for two people, who couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier that night on the stone wall...

`What happened out there after dinner?' asked Aeris to herself, `and later, when he sang... Great Planet, my heart felt like it was going to throb out of my chest. Why did I feel so...?'

Elmyra saw the concerned look on her daughter's face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked before turning off the lights.

"No mom," answered Aeris, "everything's fine."

In his room, Kaede thought of Aeris again. What had happened to him? He had completely lost control of his feelings. He couldn't even understand what had come over him. Kaede shrugged it off as a freak accident.

The warrior tried to get some sleep, but he also had strange feelings about what the morning would bring. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, just like they always did whenever a threat was near.

`Dammit, why do I always have this accursed sixth sense for trouble?"

He could almost taste the danger on the horizon.

`Just ignore it Kaede, tomorrow will bring what it will.'

The next day, Kaede got up early to see the sunrise, as he had done nearly everyday of his life. He began to practice before the others came. The sun's rays washed over the sand, while a pleasant wind came from the cool blue shores of the beach. He began slowly, but picked up speed, swiping and parrying, letting the blade dance to its own beat. The sword was no longer a weapon, but an extension of himself. He slashed all about, battling imaginary fighters. When he felt sufficiently warmed up, he ran into the air. Without powering up, he jumped high into the air, spinning and slashing downward before landing. He immediately drew himself back into a defensive position before parrying some more, laughing with exhilaration as he practiced.

Yuffie ran through the halls, waking up the others. Aeris and Tifa were the first to come out. Rubbing their eyes, they asked her what was happening.

"Come on guys, get ready! You gotta see this!"

Aeris and Tifa quickly got ready, while the Turks peeped out of their rooms as if a quaint little sprite had stolen into the house.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP AT THIS UNGODLY HOUR!?" screamed Barret.

"Come on guys! We're missing it!" shouted Yuffie.

When Aeris and Tifa, as well as a half-sleeping Cloud, were ready, she led them to the beach.

"What's going on?" asked Cloud sleepily.

"You'll see," answered the ninja.

"See what...oh," that was when Cloud saw Kaede Knight training on the sand.

"Reminds me of someone else I know," smiled Tifa.

Cloud smiled back, encircling his arms around his wife's waist.

Aeris was astonished. She had seen both Cloud and Kaede fight before with their swords. But it was nothing compared to this. Kaede was training as if dancing to a hidden song. She was entranced with his moves.

When he jumped into the air, performing a combination of moves, and landed ready to fight again, Aeris gasped.

Kaede turned his head to see the others gathering on the beach.

Aeris was speechless. Tifa gazed with wonder at the Planeswalker.

"That was pretty good," said Cloud, the only one who seemed to have found a voice.

"I try," smiled Kaede...

The rest of the day was uneventful. The group progressed in their skills, so much so that even Kaede was impressed. By midday, the group was tired, but still ready to fight.

"You all are doing very well, now we will-"

Then Kaede stopped speaking, his insides went cold.

They could all see a strange look on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Red.

`Damn!' thought Kaede, `I didn't expect them so soon!'

"Kaede," said Aeris.

`They are not ready yet! Not all of them!'

"Kaede," Aeris said to his face.

Kaede snapped out of his thoughts.

"What's happening?" asked Aeris.

"They are here..." answered the warrior.

"Who?" asked Reeve, already fearing the worst.

"The Drahk..." cursed Kaede.

Cloud felt a cold chill run down his spine, "Damn..."

Author's Notes: Great gugamunga! That was one loong chapter! What's going on? Kaede's over a hundred, but is still in his twenties? Oh well, some folks get all the luck. Actually, to tell you the truth, I wanted the guy to be old enough to have known the Bahumets way back before the Cetra came to the planet. But I also needed him to be a young guy, but not an immortal or some weirdo who can live a thousand years like Nanaki. So...I had the Drahk tinker with his biology and then had Kaede revert to normal `human' biology. And what's this with him and Aeris? Anyway, I'm sure some of you will hate what happened in this chapter, others may like it. PLEASE DON'T FLAME ME!!! I read a few Vincent/Yuffie pairings and loved the concept, even though they are nearly ten years apart in age, if not more. You've probably figured out that I used a quote from Street Fighter. I just felt it was appropriate. Anyway, now we're getting close to some action! Next chapter the blood flies and I push the limits of the `PG-13' rating!. You know how to reach me.

Chapter 10: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Kaede immediately sprang into action.

"Cloud," he said, "give me the Knights Bahumet."

Cloud handed the red orbs to Kaede.

He summoned Bahumet first, "What is it Sire?" asked the King of Dragons.

"Bahumet," said Kaede, "the Drahk have begun their attack."

"What?" raged Bahumet, "they dare-"

"Not an entire strike force," said Kaede, "but I feel a strong, presence."

"What do you think it is, my lord?"

"I don't know."

"Excuse me...," said Aeris, "but..."

"What is it Aeris?" asked Red.

"I feel a disturbance in the Planet, in Lifestram as well," answered the Cetra.

"I feel it too," said Cloud, but he failed to mentioned that he had felt this feeling once before...

"Wonderful," cursed Kaede, he summoned the Knights.

"What is it sire?" asked King Arthur.

"I am going to check out a possible threat from the Drahk," said Kaede, "I want you and the brothers Bahumet to protect the others."

"As you wish sire" answered King Arthur, bowing before disappearing once more into the materia.

Kaede turned to the others, "If you follow, don't take any craft, use the brothers Bahumet, there is no telling what may happen out there."

"How are you getting there?" asked Reeve, "will you teleport or take the Kitana?"

"Neither, they may sense me, I'm going to fly there myself. I need all the surprise I can get."

With that, Kaede sheathed his sword, drew a materia stone out of his belt, and gathered his powers. Before the others could speak, he shot into the air, towards the Mideel area.

Soon, Kaede was barely a dot on the horizon.

"Shit," said Cid," that guy can move."

"Come on guys," said Cloud, "if what I think is right, he may need all the help he can get."

"What is it Cloud?" asked Reeve, "What do you feel?"

Cloud shook his head and turned to Vincent.

"I feel it too," answered the former Turk.

"Let's hope we're wrong," returned Cloud.

He soon summoned forth the other two Bahumets. Avalanche and the Turks got on the behemoths, and flew towards Mideel, wondering what they would find there.

Kaede flew at top speed towards the area of the disturbance. The other Bahumets would probably be a few minutes behind, but that much time could make a difference. Kaede had not wanted to alert the others, but he had sensed a powerful force. It was great, powerful enough to be a Horseman of the Apocalypse. But the other...

A powerful blast caught his attention, and Kaede landed. He crept up from the cover of the trees to view what was happening. A familiar figure, dressed in black fighting robes, was leading another black clad figure. By now, they could probably sense his powers as well, but perhaps not. However, if Kaede did not act soon, he would lose whatever surprise he had left. Kaede summoned forth his energies, and let loose a volley of energy at the two figures.

The blast exploded several yards away from the figures. Kaede walked through the rising mists to meet them. The two dark figures stood where they were, waiting for their attacker to appear. When the smoke finally cleared, there stood three figures, all dressed in black.

Kaede knew one of the figures from personal experience. The other he seemed to recognize from the records. The menace had a long, evil looking sword.

"Is he the one?" asked the tall, silver haired man.

"Yes," said the red reptilian figure beside him, "he is the traitor."

"Well," said the first, "this should be interesting."

Kaede merely braced himself for battle as the two grinning figures attacked. He blocked and parried their blows, his sword a speedy blur. They raged and fought around him, jumping about above and behind. Kaede merely jumped backwards, spinning his sword through the air. When he landed, Kaede blocked several passes behind him, then ducked under a swipe from in front, and performed a rising kick. The red reptilian was floored, but the silver haired menace continued to fight, disappearing and reappearing everywhere at once.

"You're pretty fast," said the dark figure.

"So are you," grunted Kaede, matching him blow for blow.

That was when the other one came from behind, blowing Kaede away with a blast of energy.

The three Bahumets carried their passengers towards Mideel.

"Remember," said Bahumet Zero, "you are not to engage these beings until last resort."

"I sense great powers," said Neo Bahumet.

"So do I," said Cloud, "Kaede will need us."

When they saw a great explosion from afar, the Bahumets sped up, jetting towards the source.

"Looks like the party's started," said Yuffie breathlessly.

The three dragons landed not far from the battle field. They lowered their passengers to the ground, and could see that Kaede was fighting with two other dark figures. Kaede temporarily gained the upper hand after kicking away one of them. He held his own against the other, but was caught from behind by an energy blast from the fallen enemy. The other dark figure immediately went to thrust his sword at Kaede.

With lighting quick speed, Cloud broke away from the group, and deflected the attack. He helped Kaede to his feet as the two dark figures backed away. That was when he saw their attackers. Cloud did not recognize the reptile, but he immediately knew the silver haired menace...

"Sephiroth," cursed Cloud.

`Sometimes, I hate it when I'm right.' he thought.

"Greetings puppet," sneered Sephiroth.

A cold chill went down the spine of the Avalanche members, remembering the man who had nearly destroyed the planet. All Cloud felt was firm resolution.

The three Bahumets were quick to recognize Sephiroth's companion.

"Morbius," spat Bahumet, "the vile cur."

"Morbius?" exclaimed Aeris, "you mean..."

"Yes," growled Bahumet Zero, "Kaede's jailor."

"I see you have heard of me," laughed Morbius, "It's been a long time Kaede."

"Not long enough," returned Kaede with a cold voice.

"Now now, is that anyway to treat your old friend?"

Kaede ignored the reptilian, and turned to Bahumet, "Protect them, let us handle this."

Cloud turned to Morbius, "what do you want with Sephiroth?"

Morbius laughed, "meet the new Horseman of Death. I have given him another lease on life."

Sephiroth grinned evilly, "and I intend to use it to kill you all."

"When hell freezes over," said Kaede, "Bahumet, remember your task."

Bahumet nodded, while Elena summoned the Knights of the Round.

When King Arthur and his warriors appeared, their reactions mirrored that of the Bahumets.

"Arthur," said Kaede, "Cover them. Ready Cloud?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Cloud, brandishing his sword.

"Come at us worms," taunted Morbius, "you deal with forces you cannot possibly comprehend."

"I've been looking forward to kill you puppet." sneered Sephiroth.

"Brave words coming from the coward I've killed several times," returned Cloud, "stay dead this time."

"Insolent dog!" raged Sephiroth, "now you die!!!"

"Bring it on," said Kaede.

The four figures ran at each other, hacking and slashing at each other. They moved so fast, they were little more than a blur to the untrained eye. However, Avalanche and the Turks had trained well. They could see the battle, and wanted to join.

King Arthur could sense their unease, "You are not ready yet, if you fought them now, you would only be playing into the enemies' hands."

"Okay," said Aeris reluctantly, "but if they get in trouble, I'm going in to help them."

Cloud dueled with Sephiroth, while Morbius fought with Kaede. The four swordsmen raged like demons. Morbius slashed at Kaede's head, but Kaede dodged the blow, leaping into the reptilian with his shoulder. The force of the attack lifted the menace off his feet, but he landed and returned with a spinning cross slash. Kaede jumped back to one hand and kicked Morbius in the face. The attack hit Morbius, but the reptile followed the motion of the attack, allowing his body to spin backwards, so when Kaede tried to follow up, the Planeswalker was knocked off his feet by the flying kick.

Morbius capitalized on his advantage, swiping his sword into the ground where Kaede lay. Kaede managed to roll away, then stood up and turned as he brought his sword crashing down. The reptile deflected the blow, and parried some more. He brought his sword up hard, and glared at Kaede through crossed swords.

Meanwhile, Cloud was having a handful with his arch rival. Cloud thrust countless blows to Sephiroth's midsection and throat. However, the silver haired demon simply blocked the attack with his sword, slowly backing away in a spinning motion as Cloud attacked.

Sephiroth was setting up Cloud for a counterattack. When Cloud had finally committed himself to another thrust, Sephroth quickly drove his masamune into Cloud's stomach. Cloud's speed was all that saved him, for he managed to turn sideways and dodge the attack. However, the masamune cut through some skin and clothing, drawing blood.

Sephiroth sneered as he punched Cloud hard in the wounded midsection. Cloud flinched as the blow landed, throwing him back several feet, and knocking his sword away several more. Sephiroth rushed at Cloud, swiping from side to side with the masamune. Cloud gathered his wits enough to flip backwards, away from the attack. After several flips, Cloud surprised Sephiroth by jumping into the air and extending his leg. The roundhouse caught Sephiroth in the chin as both men fell to the ground. Cloud rolled away to his sword. He stood up, drawing the Ultima Weapon from the ground, ready to continue the battle.

Morbius stared at Kaede icily through crossed swords before bringing his hand up. His hand flashed with light, momentarily blinding Kaede. Morbius slashed his sword upward at the Planeswalker. Kaede, knowing he was in danger, jumped away, but was still grazed by the sword, which cut a diagonal rift through Kaede's chest. Kaede tumbled to the ground, but regained his vision as he rose to his feet. Morbius tried to continue the attack. The reptile ran towards Kaede, slashing downwards. The warrior merely slapped the blade aside, and punched Morbius hard in the stomach. The attack caused the reptile to gasp for breath, and he backed away. Kaede got to his feet, then brought his hand up, beckoning Morbius to continue. This drew another fierce look from the reptilian scourge.

There the four stood, glaring at each other, daring anyone to attack.

"Jeez," said Yuffie, "some guys get all the fun..."

Bahumet nodded at Cloud, "Impressive Master Cloud, you have improved much."

"I see your skills have improved Kaede," spat Morbius, "but you are still no match for us...enough games!"

With that, Morbius summoned his energies. He pressed a button on his belt, and then tore a rift through the air. A blue portal opened up.

"I would love to kill you Cloud," laughed Sephiroth, "but we have more important matters to tend to."

"Like hell," said Kaede, throwing a ball of energy at Morbius. The reptilian blocked the attack, but Cloud used the opportunity to cast a Quake spell, scattering the two dark figures. Smoke rose up into the air from the two attacks.

That was when Sephiroth came from out of the mists, thrusting his masamune towards Cloud, Kaede was there in an instant, and deflected the blow. Morbius came out from the smoke as well, swiping at Kaede, but this time, Cloud saved his friend. So, there stood Cloud and Kaede, back to back, locking swords with their enemies.

That was when a blast of energy came from the portal, hurling Kaede and Cloud through the air. They slowly got back up...but Kaede sensed something.

"Look out!" he cried, shoving Cloud away.

Two flying icicles shot towards them. Cloud was pushed to the side, but fell to his knees, clutching his leg where he had been struck by the ice.

Kaede had been speared through the ribs, and collapsed.

When the mists cleared, everyone could see a huge pair of evil eyes in the horizon, glaring at the two fallen warriors. The two dread circles rested against the dark, stormy skies.

"What the hell is that?" demanded Reno.

"That," cursed Neo Bahumet, "is Veletta, mistress of evil."

"You mean the fourth Horsem- er, Horsewoman?" asked Tifa.

"The same," whispered Arthur.

Sephiroth brought out a green orb. Bolts of lighting sprang from the materia, striking at Cloud and Kaede, who could barely manage to stand up, much less avoid Sephiroth's attack. Smoke billowed from their charred clothing as the two screamed in pain.

"No!" shouted Aeris, "I can't watch while they get killed!"

With that, Aeris jumped into the fray. The dragons tried to stop her, but she was too fast for them. The others began to run towards battle as well, but were held back by the Knights.

"No my friends," said Arthur, "he told us to protect you."

Before Bahumet and his brothers could do anything, Aeris stood near Cloud and Kaede. She began to summon her energies, and gave out a cry as she released her power. Gale force winds shot through the air, preventing the dragons or any of the others from moving.

Sephiroth and Morbius were caught off guard.

"Accursed Cetra!" spat Sephiroth.

"What power is this?" cried the reptilian Horseman.

The eyes in the sky glared in anger, and lightening shot out from the sky towards Aeris. She formed a barrier of protection around herself, Kaede, and Cloud. Aeris's eyes glowed with energy, as she drew her hands together. Bringing them above her head, the Cetra gathered the power into a ball. She then fired the orb at Sephiroth and Morbius.

The eyes of Veletta glowered in hatred, and the ball was intercepted by yet another bolt of lighting.

Morbius and Sephiroth walked up to the blue portal again.

"It's been fun Cloud," laughed Sephiroth, "but I'll kill you another day."

He jumped through the portal.

"Impressive, but not enough. Enjoy your last days on this wretched planet mortals," sneered Morbius, "while you can..."

Then he too disappeared into the rift.

Kaede rose to his full height, struggling against the pain and bleeding in his side. He forced himself to ignore his aching lungs, glaring at the eyes of Veletta, which still tainted the murky skies.

"Veletta, treacherous as always I see. I'll never let you have this planet witch..." he said.

An evil laugh tore through the air, "And what can you do to stop us? You and your friends are worthless!"

"Veletta," returned Kaede, "you and your kind are empty, you are nothing but a void. I see you....your power is self consuming."

"You don't really think you'll win, do you?" asked the voice.

Kaede smiled grimly, "You'd be surprised what I could do. Lest you forget, there is a reason why I was chosen to be the Horsem-"

"YOU ARE NOTHING!" screamed the voice.

"Am I?" laughed Kaede, but stopped as he coughed up blood.

"LOOK AT YOU," spat Veleatta, "YOUR CARING MAKES YOU WEAK! THE SLEEPERS HAVE AWAKENED...SURVIVE THAT IF YOU CAN..."

With that, the portal disappeared in a flash of light. When the clouds and haze cleared, the eyes were gone as well.

Aeris let go of the power, returning to normal again, her eyes no longer glowing.

The three tried to catch their breath as the others came up to them.

Kaede looked at Aeris sternly, "I told you not to enter the fight."

"I'm sorry Kaede I-"

"Thank you," smiled Kaede.

"What?" asked Aeris.

"If not for you and Cloud, we might not have been so fortunate."

"It was nothing," said Cloud.

"No," said Kaede, "you have improved much."

Cloud' legs began to buckle as he struggled to stay on his feet. Tifa ran up to him, helping him stand.

"Thanks Tiff." breathed Cloud.

"Don't you ever do that again," said Tifa, "if you die on me..."

"Don't worry," laughed Cloud, "we can't have that can we?"

Cloud kissed Tifa, assuring her of his vitality. He then turned to Kaede.

"Kaede, how in the world did Sephiroth come back?"

Kaede's face turned grim, "Curse Jenova's blood, her essence must still flow strong through his veins. It kept him strong, if not completely alive, all this time. Morbius undoubtedly brought him back. And now, if Sephiroth is to become a Horseman, he will realize his true power."

"True power?" asked Tifa.

Kaede nodded, "he will become a menace like you have never seen, as bad as the Horsemen, perhaps worse. What just happened here was a skirmish, the Drahk had no time to stay and fight."

"So," said Cloud, "you mean to tell me that wasn't their true power?"

Kaede shook his head negatively.

"Kaede...Jenova's blood flows through my veins as well..." said Cloud.

"No it doesn't." answered Kaede.

"What...do you mean?"

"I read in the histories that you fell into Lifestream, did you not?"

"Yes," Tifa agreed, "we did."

"Somehow," Kaede continued, "you were able to expunge the remnants of Jenova's being out of your body, a result of mako poisoning and your own resistance to the Jenova cells."

"You mean," said Cloud, "Jenova can no longer control me?"

"If what I believe is true Cloud, neither Jenova nor Sephiroth could control you after that incident. Did you ever stop to wonder why?"

"I thought it was because I had resolved my memories in Lifestream."

"And in doing so," reasoned Kaede, "you expunged yourself of Jenova cells."

Cloud shook his head, unable to believe he had been able to do such a thing.

"You constantly sell yourselves short," said Kaede, "as powerful as the Drahk are, you can be more powerful, given time. Especially you Aeris, your power was amazing, I have not seen its like for quite some time."

"Yeah, that was some power Aeris," said Cloud, "how did you summon it?"

"I don't know..." said Aeris, "I just willed it to happen, as if I needed to draw the power to save you."

"I begin to see why you are so special," said Kaede, "you have powers that few have ever possessed, as do you Cloud. Never have I seen such drastic improvement in so short a time. And Aeris, you seem to control the very elements themselves..."

"I just...I don't know." stammered Aeris.

"Don't worry Aeris," said Kaede, "I'm just glad we can count on you. Now, to make sure we have no more surprises."

Aeris looked at Kaede, but he closed his eyes, deep in concentration.

"Kaede?" she asked.

Kaede merely muttered something in a strange language, then wrote strange symbols in the air with energized hands. Everyone could see the alien script glowing in the air like a beacon. When he was done, Kaede opened his eyes, and brought his hands together. A flash of light momentarily blinded everyone, but then it was gone, as well as the strange script.

"What did you just do?" asked Red.

"I placed a seal on this planet." answered Kaede.

"Seal?"

"Yes Nanaki, at least for now, the Drahk won't be able to attack this planet through their portals. However, when they draw their main forces near, I am sure that the seal will not be strong enough to hold them back. Actually, I`d be surprised if it did. The seal will probably break when they arrive, but it will give us a warning."

"Well," said Elena, "at least we won't have any surprises."

"Actually, I'm afraid we still have a problem." said Kaede.

"What's wrong?" asked Reeve

"Veletta said the `Sleepers have awakened.'"

"What does that mean?" asked Vincent.

"The Sleepers are powerful beings," answered Kaede, "they are Drahk contacts on different planets. Before the Drahk attack, they send scouts ahead, in the guise of the existing inhabitants, to see what the planet is like and gather intelligence. In some cases, these scouts even silently recruit new followers. They lie hidden, a dormant menace waiting to be released, thus the name `Sleepers.'"

"So what can we do?" asked Tifa.

"Right now?" asked Kaede, "Nothing. All we can do is wait and prepare. In the meantime, I need Reeve to do me a favor."

"What can I do?" asked Reeve.

"Use your contacts to gather planetary forces together. What resources do you have?"

"Actually," said Cid, "that's a bit sketchy."

"Cid and I have been working to rebuild planetary defense for the past few months," answered the Shinra president, "We used some of the old Shinra technology. Wutai has provided additional knowledge on weaponry..."

"So what kinds of forces are we looking at?" asked Kaede.

"We're still getting on our feet, but we have plenty of ground troops and the beginnings of a planetary defense net."

"What about protection from space-bound attacks?"

Cid answered this time, "We've tried to place several mako/solar-powered cannons at strategic areas around the planet to protect against air threat. They could be used against attacking spaceships. I've also been working on getting a decent sized air-force, but it's been hard...some of the ships can almost make it to space, but costs have been restrictive."

Reeve continued, "the battles with the WEAPONS wiped out most of our military powers in regards to the air-force and tank units. Our navy was virtually decimated. The strongest area is combat soldiers. Most of the remaining artillery went into the solar cannons Cid spoke of."

"How powerful are these cannons?"

"They pack quite a punch," answered Reeve, "but they wouldn't be powerful enough to take down Meteor, however. We put caps on energy output to prevent endangering the planet. But I never thought they would actually be needed."

The Planeswalker nodded and pondered for a while, his face set in a grimace.

"What are you thinking?" asked Vincent.

"Will it be enough?" posed Cid.

`Maybe, maybe not,' thought Kaede, `but we'll have to make do with what we have.'

"I don't know what the Drahk forces may be planning, I can give some general ideas and hope its enough," said Kaede, "I will assist you in some technical advances later on. But for now, we will have to gather what we can."

"No problem," said Reeve.

Kaede turned to Bahumet, "My friend, I believe we are overlooking something crucial."

"What is it sire?" asked Bahumet.

"I have felt strange...sensations concerning this planet, especially whenever Aeris manifested her powers. I want you to search the planet."

"Anything in particular?" asked Bahumet.

"I don't know," mused Kaede, "the Drahk have something big planned for this place. I can feel it in my bones. Normally, they wouldn't waste the time of their precious Horsemen on any simple menial task. Perhaps it has something to do with the planet's Lifestream?"

"We will do what we can Lord Silver." said Neo Bahumet.

"Please, I told you, just Kaede."

"Sorry," grinned the dragon, "just habit."

"We will tell you if we find anything." said Bahumet Zero.

The three Bahumets flew off into the sky. The Knights returned to the red orb from which they came.

Cloud noticed that the sun was setting, "Well," he said, "we had better get back."

"I will summon the Kitana..." said Kaede tersely.

Aeris looked at Kaede. She noticed something was wrong with the Planeswalker, but decided it could wait for later.

An hour later, the group was back in Costa del Sol. Reeve and the Turks had already gone to the Highwind, calling contacts around the world to gather the planetary forces. Shera and Cid went to help them. In her absence, Elmyra was only too happy to take care of the group. She fussed over them like her own children.

The Kitana had landed on the beach, and hovered just above the shore. Kaede was walking towards the villa, slowly and raggedly. Ever since they had boarded the Kitana, he had been completely silent, becoming reticent once again.

As Cloud and Tifa walked along the beach, watching the sunset, Aeris sat on the stone wall. She saw Kaede finally exit from the spacecraft, and suddenly remembered the night before. Aeris had resolved to talk to Kaede about it, when he collapsed a few feet from the wall.

Aeris, Cloud, and Tifa ran to him. They could see the was bleeding profusely. Cold, dark blood tainted the warm sand of the beach.

"What's wrong?" asked Tifa, "I thought we healed you and Cloud on the Kitana!"

Kaede tried to rise to his feet, but fell to his knees. He coughed up blood.

"Ah...I'm...tired," said Kaede.

Cloud immediately knew the problem, "he hasn't had time to properly rest since he got here."

Kaede tried to raise himself, but nearly collapsed again. Aeris grabbed him, slowly easing him back down.

"Just try to relax," said Aeris.

Those were the last words Kaede heard before he fell unconscious.

Author's Note: Okay, don't tell me you didn't expect this. I brought Aeris back, why not Sephiroth? It was only a matter of time. Anyway, I'm trying to get these fights to be as well rounded as I can. There's tons more action left, so write me and I'll see what I can do. Thanks for reviewing, it encourages me to write more! I've got big plans for our heroes and I hope you'll like it.

Chapter 11: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

A week later, Kaede was still lying in bed, where the others had left him. Avalanche had called the doctor to Villa Cloud once more. This time, he used the time to study Kaede's biology.

They were discussing his condition in a meeting room.

"I am slowly beginning to understand some of his processes," said the doctor.

"What happened doc?" asked Cid.

"His body," continued the doctor, "can heal itself, as you well know. However, I believe the recent events have totaled his body's efforts to heal himself. His energy has been depleted, and the constant battles have not helped."

"What can we do in the mean time?" asked Red.

"All I can suggest is bed rest for quite a while yet. Although I am beginning to understand some of his attributes, I still found some...disturbing anomalies."

"Disturbing?" asked Aeris, "What kind?"

"Brace yourself," said the doctor, "it isn't pretty..."

Kaede slowly woke up, groggy and tired. His body felt like stone. He tried to move, but found that he couldn't.

"Don't try to get up," said a voice, "the doctor said that you'll be floored for a while."

"Tell me something I don't know," said Kaede.

The other figure chuckled, and Elmyra came to sit next to Kaede's bed.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" asked she.

"You wouldn't want to know."

"Wouldn't I?" asked Elmyra.

"Do you honestly want to hear about it? About the bloodshed, the fighting? About how they nearly killed us all?"

"I suppose not," said Elmyra, "but at least you could get your feelings out into the open."

"I...never really had time for feelings," said Kaede.

"Oh come now," chided the older woman, "you may be older than me. But I still have more experience in these matters. You are still young in heart."

"Elmyra," muttered Kaede, "I may, biologically, be in my twenties, and to all appearances, medical or otherwise, I may be a normal man. But my life has been sullied by war. I've spilled blood, my own and others', countless times on countless planets. Are you honestly telling me that a life like that can have any time for such luxuries as feelings?"

"Then why do you fight in the first place?" asked Elmyra.

"It is my duty..."

"That's a load of croc and you know it," snapped the woman, "I mean your real reason."

"I fight...because I don't want what befell to me...to happen to others."

"Then, you do have some feelings."

Kaede's face drew into a bitter grimace.

"A weapon cannot feel. Sure, I may care about what happens, but I've never had time for true emotions, such as you speak of. No love, no family, nothing. I nearly killed my best friends in cold blood. Don't tell me about emotions. A machine cannot feel."

Elmyra was shocked by the raw anger she felt. She stood up, brushing imaginary dust from her dress.

"Get some rest," said Elmyra, walking to the door, "you'll need it if you want to recover."

The doctor explained his findings concerning Kaede.

"What did you find doctor?" asked Vincent, "we know he was experimented on, trained to become a weapon, as Shinra did to its soldiers not long ago."

"Yes," conceded the doctor, "but perhaps not the gravity of those experiments. You see, I found massive amounts of mako-esque deposits in his body."

"Mako-esque?" asked Cloud, "What does that mean?"

"I am aware of the kind of tests Shinra used to do on its soldiers, treating them with mako to increase fighting prowess. One of these signs is, say, the strange green glow in his eyes. I found various signs of such tests in Mr. Knight."

"So?"

"So," continued the doctor, "they were like no other mako I have ever seen."

"What do you mean?" asked Aeris.

"They had different aspects about them, as if they had no origins from this planet."

"Seems logical," said Red, "he did, after all, travel to different worlds."

"That not my point. You see, mako conditioning, especially in such drastic amounts as he had, leaves traces within the body, it seems the same for his biology as well as human. What concerns me, however, was that he had over fifty such traces in his body, all from different energy sources."

"FIFTY?" yelled Barret.

Cloud remained silent. He remembered how painful his tests with mako had been. The experience had left him deluded and nearly dead. Only years afterward had he regained his sanity, his life. Only years later had the pain finally stopped. That had been only one test, one exposure. But Kaede had gone through over fifty such experiments. Cloud could not fathom the pain Kaede must have gone through. How could he still be alive after that?

"There's more," said the doctor, "examining his skeleton, I found another strange anomaly. It consisted of the same trace elements."

"What does that mean?" asked Yuffie.

"In itself, it meant nothing," said the doctor, "until I took a closer look. I saw evidence of surgical procedures throughout his entire skeleton. Apparently, this strange energy had been surgically grafted to his bones."

"What?!" shouted Cid, "Surgically...what do you mean?"

"Whoever it was, they cut him open, and fused these minerals to his bones. The drugs and the mako enhanced his strength, and not only did they pump his body full of the energy, but the grafted mineral deposits onto his skeleton. My guess is, whoever tried to make him a weapon, knew what they were doing with horrible precision. They used the mako mineral to strengthen his bones, and massive dosage of raw mako-like elements to not only increase strength, but energy manipulation. He can summon spells with more intensity and volume than I care to imagine."

"We've seen that, but how could he survive such a process?" asked Shera, the only one who was able to speak at the moment.

"It is his healing abilities. He was able to recover from treatments that would have killed others. Not only that, but the ability to absorb power, much like using materia, could have saved him."

"So what happened?" asked Tifa, "Why'd he finally give out?"

"He's not invincible," chided the doctor, "as powerful as the changes sound, they were merely an effort to make him physically stronger. Eventually, all bodies become resistant to whatever drugs are thrown at them. And all the alien mako in the galaxy would have meant nothing if he had no ability to control it."

"So what you're saying," said Red, "was that the `mako' treatments really had no lasting effect on him?"

"Not really," said the doctor, "even Shinra experienced this problem. It could not make the mako treatments permanent, since the mako effects eventually faded. Think of it as an growing immunity to drugs. As you are exposed to more, you become more resistant. Although this would strengthen them, the drugs' effects would eventually wear down. This eventually meant weaker soldiers, or more influx of mako, which usually killed the subjects. I believe you know the results, Jenova cell experiments, and strange demi-humans."

"But he was able to keep his abilities, just as I after entering the Lifestream," said Cloud, "but he kept it through learning to draw energy from outside sources, much like the old ideas of chi."

"That's right, exactly," said the doctor, "for all the testing, for all the surgery, that is the key to his abilities. The mako seemed...more of a pretext for controlling his powers, maintaining his body, than anything else. It seemed to have been used jointly with other methods as a form of mind control, again similar to the old Shinra experiments."

"That would explain the armor," said Vincent.

The others nodded, remembering Kaede's story about the dark armor he wore when he was with the Drahk. Now they truly knew what it had entailed.

"Armor?" asked the doctor.

"Oh, it doesn't matter anymore," replied Aeris.

"Thank you for enlightening us doctor," said Tifa.

"My pleasure, though I wish I could have given you better news. I hope he feels better soon."

Elmyra walked in from the room where Kaede was sleeping.

"He woke up for a few seconds before falling asleep again. Physically, he seems fine."

"Well," said the doctor, "that's good news. But by my new information, it should still be a week or so at least before he returns to full power."

"Maybe so," said Elmyra, "but that man has some problems, and I don't mean his health."

"Well," said the doctor, "considering what was done to him, I find that understandable. I hope he feels better."

"So do we," said Aeris.

"Well, I am getting slightly tired, so if you don't need my help, I'll show myself out."

Kaede woke up to darkness again. When he heard movement, he opened his eyes.

"So," said Red, "how are we feeling?"

"Like a stone statue," said Kaede.

"That sounds about right," laughed Shera's voice.

"The doctor told us about your condition," said Red.

"And?" asked Kaede.

"You'll be fine in a few weeks," answered Shera.

Kaede weakly shook his head, "too long."

"Even a warrior has to rest," chided Red, "you should know that."

"Sometimes, there just isn't time for rest."

"Which is why you are lying here right now," chimed Shera.

"Perhaps..."

"I've been meaning to ask you Kaede," said Red, "why do you fight so hard?"

"If you mean my abilities, I train-"

"No, no, no," said Red, "I mean what is your motivation? We know of your training, and the treatments. Why do you fight at all? You seem so cold and calculating on the battle field. Does your power come from your hatred for the Drahk?"

"I dislike the Drahk yes," answered Kaede, "a slight understatement, but that is not where I draw my will from. Like I told Aeris, will drawn from hate is self defeating, it eventually consumes the person who tries to wield such power. I draw my will from my need to protect others. The Drahk ruined my life, and I would rather die than stand by and watch others suffer the same fate."

"Watch it," said Shera, "you sound like you care about this planet."

"I do," said Kaede.

"We know that," returned Shera, softening, "we know that you care. So why don't you ever reveal your feelings? You never share your thoughts with others."

"You are all beginning to sound like Elmyra and Aeris," said Kaede gruffly, "as I said before, I do care about you people, but I can't afford the luxury of emotions."

"And why is that?" asked Red, "you know the others, myself included, have formed a sense of comradery with you. You are our friend."

"You shouldn't get close to a machine," said Kaede, "like I told Elmyra. My life has always been one battle or another, no time for lasting friendships, always traveling. Solitude has been my one constant."

"Whatever you say," said Red, shaking his head, "you should know that you can trust us as your friends."

"I appreciate that," said Kaede, "but as I said before-"

"I know," sighed Red, "And a part of me understands, for I am the last of an extinct warrior race. I above all should know what it's like. But you must learn to move past your limitations and regrets. You may draw your strength from honor and duty, but true power comes from love and friendship."

Red walked out the door.

"He's right you know," said Shera.

"The less you grow attached," said Kaede, "the less you have to lose."

Before she went out the door herself, Shera said something to Kaede, "Someone once told me, that a cold heart is a dead heart."

"Then," replied Kaede, "I have been dead for over a hundred years..."

Then, all was darkness for Kaede once more, as the dreams and the nightmares came again.

It had been nearly two weeks since the battle in Mideel. In that time, the governments had been notified of the Drahk threat, and were well on their way to building their defenses. Reeve and the Turks kept up a nearly endless communication with the other countries, coordinating construction of the planet's protection. They also kept contact with the Kitana. Apparently, the ship's computer had been programmed for the events, for it readily provided information on the new technology to be used in improving weaponry and constructing new spacecraft. Reeve had promised to build as many ships as possible before the onslaught, but there could be no guarantees. The technology wasn't like Kitana's however, for Kaede had wisely decided that the planet could only use technology it could understand. So, adapted blueprints were given to Reeve, showing him how to make his ships with a few tweaks here and there. For the Highwind, however, the Kitana had been able to offer schematics for a full hybrid of the two technologies. When completed, the Highwind would be among the best ships on the planet, second only to the Kitana.

However, the blueprints made even the most brilliant of scientists break out into headaches. So, the Kitana had been docked with the Highwind, robotics inside the alien ship making changes to the other. Rather than being put off, Cid was ecstatic. His only regret was that a full copy of the Kitana could not be made, but the computer itself could find no records of how to do that. Kaede had truly created a one-of-a-kind ship, with technology from so many different planets, it was a wonder it could have been built in the first place, much less a copy.

Meanwhile, as the planet gathered its forces, Avalanche continued to practice. If they were to combat the Drahk and their `Sleepers,' or whatever they called themselves, the planet's most powerful warriors would have to be ready.

At this moment, however, it was nearly midnight, too late for anything other than sleep. Aeris sat by Kaede's bed, waiting for any change in the quiet man. She had been unable to stop thinking about what had nearly happened on that stone wall. She couldn't understand her feelings then. Somehow though...she felt safe and secure whenever Kaede was around. Despite his reticence, Aeris felt as if she was beginning to understand him, perhaps because she, like no other, knew what his secret dreams held. And despite his outward coldness sometimes, Aeris felt like she could trust him to watch out for her...for her friends. It made her feel warm.

She looked across at the other three people who stood vigil with her. Or, in their case, Aeris smiled, `slept vigil.' Yuffie Kisaragi had instantly formed a deep respect for this strange man. She felt as if she had found a kindred spirit, a fellow warrior. Kaede, like Cloud, seemed to Yuffie like a brother that she never had.

Vincent Valentine stood in a corner by himself, anyone else would have thought he was awake, but Aeris knew better. Vincent could sleep basically anywhere and in any predicament. His previous repose in a coffin had earned him the title `Vampy' from Cid and Barret. Surprisingly enough, Yuffie was the one who, more often than not, took offense at this. She seemed to genuinely care for Vincent like no one else. The ninja whole-heartedly enjoyed teasing `big brother' Cloud, why not Vincent?

Vincent still mourned Lucrecia, but it was more distant, he was learning to cope. His nature seemed to be softening of late. Aeris smiled, wondering if the two had figured out yet what was already apparent to the others.

Rude had merely slept in another cot, out of respect for a fellow warrior, should he need help. He had said he felt it his duty, seeing as how Kaede had given them so much help in raising the planetary forces.

Aeris looked at Kaede again, wishing that she could figure out her own thoughts so easily. She had loved Zack, but that was a childhood crush, and he had died. Later on, she felt pangs of tender emotions for Cloud, but that was more of her holdover feelings for Zack than anything else. She had gotten over them, and was actually glad that Cloud had married Tifa. So what was it she felt now, was it...loneliness?

Frustrated, Aeris simply bit her lower lip and gazed into Kaede's countenance. He seemed to be in pain. Wasn't it enough that his waking life was a constant battle? The Drahk now tortured his nights as well. It didn't seem fair to Aeris, but then, life was never fair, was it? After all, she had died at the hands of a madman. Of course, she had been brought back as well, only to be thrust into battle again. Of late, life had seemed a strange, sick merry-go-round for Aeris.

She pushed past her uncertainties and simply held Kaede's hand. If she couldn't comfort him in any other way, at least she could give him this small token of reassurance. Aeris simply stayed there, unable to sleep, merely holding his hand. A few minutes later, she was amazed to feel that the grip on her hand tightened, the gaze in his face calmed somewhat.

The nightmares haunted Kaede again, although not as bad as before. Always, it was the same kind of thing, death, destruction, bloodshed, most of it caused by him, by his dark side. Then he finally stepped out of that darkness, only to be consumed by another darkness, one which he fought against, but could not beat.

Strange...to defeat `the darkness, only to be consumed by a greater darkness,' that sounded vaguely familiar, and prophetic. Where had he heard that before?

That was when a calming breeze came into his dreams. It was a rare occurrence for him. In fact, he could never remember having felt such peace in his dreams, and only on rare occasions in his music. It was as if a comforting force held him tight. But he had never been so...calmed, even when meditating. It felt...liberating. He felt as if he could truly fly for the first time, unbound of all shackles.

Then the dream twisted into a nightmare again. This time, he saw the planet and all its inhabitants, engulfed in flames. He saw Cloud, he saw his friends, he saw cities, all destroyed and burned to ashes. He saw darkness descend onto the streets of blood, and then he saw her...

Aeris was lying still on cracked soil, bleeding her life away. As he neared her, she shuddered with fear. Kaede tried to lift her, to look into her eyes. Then he saw it...in her chest, was a sword...Kaede's sword. The Drahk laughed at him as they raped the planet, destroying everything and sucking it dry of life and energy.

He cried out in vain as he held Aeris in his arms, pleading with her not to go.

"Dammit Aeris! Don't leave me here!"

The girl managed to crack open her eyelids, one last time, "I'm so...sorry...Kaede...where were you?"

Aeris closed her eyes once more, and he knew that she would never open them again. This was all his fault. He had vowed to prevent this, and now he had failed. He had failed them all. Then he heard the evil laughter around him, the laughter of the Horsemen, taunting him, telling him how he had spurned his power, the power to prevent this, the power to save Aeris...it was all his fault.

Kaede screamed his pain into the burning skies, and then the darkness took him again...

Author's Note: Alrighty! Got some more delving into the secrets behind Kaede's power and personality. Can anyone say `Wolverine'? I really hope you're all still following along with the story. Thanks to everyone who's trudging through this with me!

Chapter 12: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Yuffie and Vincent opened their eyes in confusion as they heard screams. Rude woke up, not long afterward. Looking at Kaede, they could see that Aeris was trying, unsuccessfully, to calm him down. They quickly went to him, the men pinning down his shoulders, while Yuffie tried to hold down his legs. This further upset Kaede, and he began to thrash wildly against the three peoples' vise. Despite the power of the three, it was all they could do to keep Kaede down. Aeris turned on the lights in the room, and could see that Kaede's eyes were darting back and forth, unsure of where he was. He struggled against his constraints.

Aeris got an idea, "Let him go!"

"Are you crazy!?" screamed Yuffie, "he'll trash the place!"

"I have a plan," returned Aeris.

"That is not wise," said Rude.

"What if you mind link again?" asked Vincent, "If we let go-"

"Just let me try," said Aeris.

Rude, Yuffie, and Vincent let go of the flailing Kaede to allow Aeris to try her plan. They were surprised when she gathered Kaede up in her arms and clutched him to her. She simply held him, not letting go.

Aeris knew the disorientation that must be going through his mind, for she had felt it herself. So, she battled it the only way she knew. Whenever she was frightened as a child, Elmyra would always hold her until the fear went away. Later, in the City of the Ancients, Kaede had held her close when she had been afraid, when she had first surfaced from out of the darkness of death. Now, she tried to comfort him in similar fashion, willing into him a sense of warmth and protection.

Kaede felt confused at first as he woke up. When he had been restrained, he raged even more wildly, images of his days with the Drahk flashing through his mind. But then he felt a warm, soothing embrace. It was unlike anything an enemy would try to do, and it soon calmed him down. It was that same calm, that same pure bliss, that had reached out to him in his dreams. As the shudders stopped, Kaede slowly allowed himself to be eased down onto the cot, and looked up at the one who had helped him.

Aeris smiled back at him with calm and understanding eyes. "Welcome back."

"...Good to be back," said Kaede, at first speechless, "thank you...Aeris."

"`Don't worry,'" smiled Aeris, bringing back an old memory, "`nothing will harm you,' remember that?"

Kaede's lips twitched in a grin as well, "of course, I said those words to you in the City of the Ancients."

Aeris laughed, "I guess that makes us even...almost."

Kaede closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

"Wow," said Yuffie, "if you had told me you were going to try THAT, I would have held you down too."

"You Avalanche always were crazy," said Rude, smiling slightly, "I forget that is the source of so many of your victories..."

"Uh...thanks," said Aeris, "I think."

"How did you know that would work?" asked Vincent.

"Because," answered Aeris, "when he did it for me, it worked wonders."

The others simply stared at her askance as Aeris enjoyed her private joke. They relaxed again, and the rest of the night went uneventfully.

It was morning, just a little after dawn, when they found out that Kaede was missing again. Everyone met in the hall outside the kitchen. Yuffie told the others what had happened during the night. When the others looked at her in astonishment, Aeris blushed a little.

"Well, it was the only thing I thought would work."

The others continued to search for Kaede, and then came across a note at the breakfast table.

It read:

JUST WENT TO THE KITANA FOR REPAIRS. THE HIGHWIND SHOULD BE DONE SOON. GET READY FOR PRACTICE AND MEET ME LATER.

-KAEDE

"Well," said Elena of the Turks, "he sure gets to business fast doesn't he?"

"You can say that again," agreed Tifa, "he wasn't even supposed to be out bed for a week yet."

"He's a tough one to crack," said Cid, smiling, "reminds me a little of myself when I was young."

"Be careful," laughed Shera, "don't give him any ideas."

The others finished breakfast and decided to walk in on Kaede early. When they entered the Kitana, the ship's computer told them that Kaede was practicing in the training room.

The computer directed them to the training room. The group entered a large, glassed- off room, much like a sky-box at a stadium. Inside the room were various computer terminals and monitors.

That's when they saw Kaede.

"WHAT THE HELL-?" yelled Barret.

Kaede seemed to not have heard, but lay still in a matted gym. A chain, tied around his boots, connected Kaede to the ceiling. Weights were tied to his hands as well.

"Doesn't that hurt?" asked Yuffie.

The ship's computer replied, "Sire Kaede trains with such weights quite often, shall I notify him of your arrival?"

"...No," said Aeris, "we'll wait until he's finished, thank you."

Kaede continued to lift his weighted hands to his knees, as if he had heard nothing.

"This room must be sound-proof," said Cloud.

"Yeah," laughed Tifa, "Barret's racket can wake the dead."

"Hey you two-" started Barret.

"Shh," said Yuffie, "come on guys, I want to watch."

They looked on as Kaede continued to train. Once he was done, he raised his chained hands to the hook around his ankles, securing the weights once more to the ceiling. He then jumped down to the floor. Kaede began to don some strange looking bracelets and anklets, as well as a belt.

"What are those?" asked Red.

"Training weights," said Cloud, "I use them all the time, helps you build speed and strength."

Kaede calmed himself, then assumed a horse stance. After stretching for a while, he began to flow into a series of katas, with several combinations of attacks.

"Hmm," said Cloud, "doesn't look like he even feels those weights."

Kaede walked up to a punching bag, and began throwing a series of attacks. Each punch rattled the bag. He then unleashed a furious series of jabs and kicks. The last kick split the bag in half, spilling sand to the floor.

"Kitana!" he said, "bring out the stone slabs!"

Several stone projections rose from the ground.

"Do these have the...what do they call them?...adamantine veins running through them?" he asked.

The computer replied in the affirmative.

"Very well, thank you."

"What's he going to do?" asked Aeris.

Cloud shook his head, "No way, he can't-"

Kaede began to punch at the stone pillar, grinding his gloved fists into the cold, hard rock.

He is, thought Cloud, "He's actually training with adamantine deposits for punching bags!"

"But...aren't those supposed to be the strongest metal on the planet?" asked Elena.

"Looks like he found a new use for them," returned Red.

Kaede continued to pound into the stone behemoth, ignoring the pain. Each punch left an impression on its surface. His gloves, tattered and torn, fell from his hands. Kaede continued to punch.

"How can he...do that?" asked Reno in disbelief.

Kaede continued to punch into the metal. Crimson marred the grey surface, as Kaede continued to punch with his bleeding hands. With a powerful kick, the stone finally cracked, crumbling to the floor.

"Shit!" said Barret, "He can do that to stone and Adamantine?!"

"Apparently," said Cloud.

The others were speechless.

Kaede sat down on the mat, drying the sweat from his brow. He seemed to be deep in thought, not even bothering to look at his bleeding hands. When he was finished, Kaede put some more weights on his arms and legs, and walked up to another stone/adamantine slab.

Again he punched into the cold, hard rock, but this time, his strikes were faster than ever. It was as if the weights had no affect on him at all. Kaede unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches into the rock, jarring the stone projection back and forth. After only a few more punches, the boulder simply crumbled, unable to take the constant strain.

There was one more boulder left. Kaede stood there, breathing hard. He seemed to be deep in thought again, focusing his mind. However, something passed through Kaede's mind, Aeris could see it in his face, a grimace of some painful memory from his past.

Kaede opened his eyes in anger, blazing energies coalesced around the figure. He screamed forth his rage. Never before had anyone seen such raw emotion come forth from the man. He glared at the boulder, and brought forth his energized fist. Upon impact, his hand sank nearly a foot into the stone and metal. The boulder shattered like glass, pieces of stone and metal flying everywhere.

Kaede bowed to where the stone monolith had been, before grabbing his towel again. Kaede wiped the sweat from his face as he began to stretch the tension in his body.

"Great Planet!" said Elena, "the man is horrendously strong!"

Cid leaned back against the wall, accidentally bumping against the light switch.

Kaede saw a light come from the observation room above, and snapped his head around to see who it was.

Aeris timidly waved at Kaede, who did not look pleased. It wasn't that he looked mad, but his whole demeanor screamed it.

"Well," said Cloud, "let's mosey!"

Cid slapped his own head, "Fer' cryin' out loud Cloud," he said, "can't you at least say it with-"

Cloud smiled at him, "Hey, I just do it to annoy you."

Kaede came up from behind them, startling the group.

"Glad to see you're all awake," he said grufly.

They followed him out as Kaede walked back to the beach. Upon reaching the sand, Kaede turned to Cid.

"The Highwind's finished," he said, "I parked it outside the city."

"Thanks a lot!" replied Cid, eagerly rubbing his hands.

Yuffie piped up, "Well Kaede, that was certainly some...interesting training."

"Yeah man!" said Barret, "When you gonna' teach us?"

Kaede glared at Barret, and the group thought they had pushed him too far.

`Perhaps he had not been ready to show us that,' thought Aeris.

Kaede surprised them by clapping Barret's shoulder.

"That's what I wanted to hear," said Kaede, "I wasn't sure how you'd take it..."

"What kind of strength was that?" asked Cloud.

"It goes hand in hand with what I've taught you up till now," answered Kaede, "you must learn to focus your mind, move past your limitations."

"And then we'll be able to crush adamantine in our hands!" exclaimed Yuffie.

Kaede nodded.

"Awesome!" she jumped into the air.

"Indeed," replied Kaede.

"Well," whispered Rude, "this is getting interesting."

"No kidding," said Elena, "looks like we found the excitement we were looking for!"

Throughout the rest of the day, the group continued to train their minds...to focus. Kaede pushed their limits, and when they reached it, he pushed them again. Eventually, the others were able to truly master the concept of `mind over body.'

Soon, most of the group that wanted to had mastered the technique. But there remained one last person...

"You sure you wanted to continue?" asked Kaede, "you won't be the only one who didn't try this."

The piloted merely grunted and nodded to the rock in front of him.

"Remember," said Kaede to a panting Cid, "the warrior stays focused. Clear your mind of distractions. Fill your mind with your will. Use that reason that you are fighting for, envision your need to protect it."

Cid concentrated, bringing to his mind thoughts of Shera, and how he would never let ANYONE take her away from him. He glared at the stone boulder in front of him.

"Think about everything that's important to you, and strike out," said Kaede, "calm yourself, fill your need. And when it is done, your enemies will be gone, and there will only be you, and what you fight for."

Cid opened his eyes, and punched hard into the stone. His hand sunk deep into the rock, and the boulder crumbled down to join the sand.

Cloud and the others cheered.

Cid smiled, then started yelling.

"Are you okay?" asked Kaede.

"@$!@^!"

Cid screamed curses into the air as he grabbed his hand, "#$^& IT! I THINK I BROKE MY %&^*@*% HAND! AARRGHH!"

Kaede examined Cid's hand, then muttered something as he looked at it.

"You'll be fine," he stated, "you just sprained it, nothing broken."

"Are you kidding me?" said the pilot, "My hand feels like mush!"

The others laughed as Cid hopped up and down, cradling his hand.

If Avalanche thought it had been tired before, that had been nothing compared to what they felt now. The others were exhausted, and Kaede allowed them end training early. Cloud and Tifa decided to walk the beach again. Cid and Shera went off to test the new Highwind, and soon the jet could be seen spearing through the air, heading out into space. Most of the others just went back to the villa to collapse in their beds.

Aeris simply stood with Kaede, watching as the seagulls flew about over the ocean.

Kaede turned to Aeris, "You've been unusually quiet, is something wrong?"

There were so many things that she wanted to say.

"Kaede, didn't you say you catch yourself wondering what it would be like, to have a normal life?"

Kaede stared away into the horizon, "All the time..."

"Then why don't you allow yourself to enjoy life?"

"I'm...learning," he tried to say, "please remember Aeris, I haven't really had much of what one would call `normal life.' And if I seem a bit cold, know that its only because I've never been able to afford the luxuries of emotion."

"You...punched into that stone as if it were nothing," said Aeris, "I could see you were in pain, the blood flowing from your hands, but something happened to you."

Kaede looked at Aeris, guessing where this was going.

"You want to know," he said, "what got enraged me enough to fight like that."

It was more of a statement than a question, and Aeris nodded.

Kaede sighed, seeming more melancholy than usual, "I remembered some aspects of my dreams...failures at the hands of the Drahk, your planet, shattered and broken."

He failed to tell her how he had felt, when he had seen her dying, he did not, could not, tell her how it had felt. He saw her friends dying, but so much agony had he felt, when he had looked into her screaming eyes...

"You used that to fuel your will," she concluded, jarring Kaede from his thoughts.

"Yes," Kaede answered.

"Can you teach me?" asked Aeris, "can you teach me to focus like that?"

Kaede shrugged, "I am already teaching you all to-"

"I know what you teach us, it`s to help us increase our own natural potential," said Aeris, "but I...I've always had to be in the back. I always had to wait and see while the others fought, and all I did was back them up."

"And now," said Kaede, understanding, "you want to take a more active role."

Aeris nodded.

"I don't know if I can do that," said Kaede, "you are too important to risk. If the Drahk are truly after you, we need to keep you as safe as possible."

"But that's why I need to be taught," said Aeris, "I need to be able to help you, not just back you guys up. I want to-"

Kaede shrugged the idea off, and turned away. Aeris grabbed his arm, and turned him around.

For an electrifying moment, they were speechless. Kaede stared into Aeris' pleading eyes, while Aeris' heart beat like a drum.

"Please," she managed to say.

Kaede lowered his head and sighed, how could she manipulate his mind so easily? He would normally have never given the matter a second thought.

"Very well," he said.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Kaede trained the others to fine tune their skills. They were already well on their way, it way now simply a matter of controlling their power. Then, at sunset, Kaede would teach Aeris in the secret arts of her ancestors, showing her things that only a Cetra could do. Aeris began to feel a bond with the man, a half-Cetra himself. Something about his reclusive nature drew her closer. Kaede was so calm, so focused...

Kaede began to feel something deep in his being...something had begun to change. This Cetra had actually been able to see into his mind. And now...it seemed as if she knew his every burden. Something inside him held onto Aeris, as if trying to find a missing link he never knew he had. Every moment with Aeris was like getting a piece of himself back. He continued to teach her, finding peace and solace in their time together...

The others had gone for the day. Cloud and Tifa decided to go shopping, while Kaede and Aeris trained some more on the beach. He was teaching her to focus her energies, so that she could multiply the natural powers within her. This would enhance the power of the summoned magic, as well as her special powers and fighting abilities.

Aeris lunged with her staff, going into the motions that she had learned that day. Planting the staff on the ground, she catapulted into the air, twisting and turning before landing her attack.

"Good!" said Kaede encouragingly, "now draw your powers for a final strike!"

Aeris smiled to herself, Tifa and Yuffie aren't the only girls who can fight!

She concentrated her energies around her, then brought her hand up as she released, sending forth a huge rush of energy into the sea.

"That was impressive," applauded Kaede, "however, there were some minor flaws, which would leave you open to a counterattack. Here, it should be like this."

Kaede went through the motions, showing her how the stance should be performed.

"Okay, now you try it."

Aeris tried, but still made a mistake, "Uh...can you show me how that goes again?"

"Sure," he said.

Kaede took her sweating hand into his own warm hand, and guided it right where it was supposed to be.

It had been a long time since Aeris felt Kaede's hand make contact with hers, and she almost forgotten how it felt.

`His hand is so warm...so calming,' she thought, `he can crush stone with his bare fists, yet he's so gentle...'

Aeris closed her eyes, feeling the soothing touch of her hand against his.

Kaede could smell the powerful fragrance she emitted, it was the scent of sweet flowers... This was the first time he had gotten so close to her, not since that night on the stone wall. He was beginning to lose himself in her powerful, charming aura. She was so close...almost in his arms...

Aeris felt his hand lightly squeeze hers when he moved it, and she gently squeezed back in response. Kaede could feel that it was more than just a reflex. Aeris opened her eyes slightly, and stepped forward...

Kaede completely froze. He slightly trembled, realizing that she was drawing closer...

`Does she...is she...?'

She looked up into his eyes...

Kaede turned his head, noticing that Cloud and Tifa were walking their way.

"A-Aeris! You're losing your concentration" he struggled to say as she lightly fell against him.

Kaede fell backwards, with her on top. He hurriedly tried to get back to his feet, but Cloud and Tifa had seen them already.

Aeris realized too that others were around, and immediately apologized. "Oh... I'm... forgive me!" She let go of his hand and stood up. She tried to look normal, but was blushing from embarrassment.

`I hope... I hope they didn't notice...!' she thought, `Why did I do that???

"No problem Aeris! Remember to stay focused next time..." Kaede said, forgiving her.

He too, was shocked from Aeris's sudden movement, `What in all creation was THAT?'

"You guys okay?" asked Cloud to Aeris.

"We're fine!" replied Kaede, "Just helping her improve her fighting that's all."

Cloud and Tifa shared a confused look. Cloud raised his eyebrows and mouthed `Kaede?'

Who would have thought that Kaede, of all people...? Tifa brushed the thought aside and shrugged.

"Well," she said, "Shera probably has dinner ready, she and Elmyra have been going crazy since you brought us those new spices!"

"My pleasure," said Kaede, "you go on ahead and I'll catch up!"

Cloud walked back to the villa, "You coming Tiff?"

"I'll be up in a minute!" she answered.

Tifa turned to Aeris, "so, you coming, or do you have some work left?"

She tried to keep an innocent face on, but Aeris could see the gleam in her eyes.

Aeris turned to Kaede, "are we done for today?"

Kaede finally regained his wits, "I think that's enough for now, I'll be up in a moment."

Kaede began walking towards the shore, looking at the sunset.

The two girls walked back to the villa.

Tifa turned to face Aeris in a conspiratory tone, "What was that about?"

Aeris blushed, "Honestly...I don't know."

Kaede had always seemed so distant, a lone wolf. Aeris knew she had felt a bond with him, but...what had happened just now?

Kaede walked along the shore, trying to sort his feelings. Had she actually...?

And he, Kaede the cold fighting machine, he had responded. He had...liked it, whatever it was. Kaede tried to remember his feelings then, but could only bring to mind the relaxing euphoria. In that moment, all his worries seemed to have vanished.

`I can't,' he thought, I can't allow myself to become involved with these people!'

Once it was over, if he survived, he would move on again, go on to the next fight. His entire existence had been a living hell of war and decay, he couldn't afford emotion or sentiment in his life.

Kaede vowed to himself, that he would see them through, all of them. No matter what happened, this planet would not fall to the Drahk.

And he tried to tell himself that he wouldn't feel anything for these people. They could count on him only so much, and in the end, if he wasn't dead, he would leave them anyway. He would have nothing to show for his troubles, just moving on to the next challenge. It was the right thing to do, wasn't it? He may be dead inside, but at least he was protecting them, it was the honorable thing to do, it was his duty.

`So why don't I feel like I'm doing the right thing?'

Kaede gathered his thoughts and walked back to villa, he would continue his training tomorrow.

`Let the confusion be buried in the night.'

The next day, Kaede was up with the sunset. The others came to the shore to see that he had been practicing for hours. His blade cut beautiful patterns through the sea air. Performing various jumps and somersaults, Kaede flew through the air, fighting with imaginary opponents.

The Turks soon arrived, and Avalanche drew itself ready for training again.

"How's the hand?" smirked Reno

Cid glared at Reno, "Strong enough to snap you in two kid, so back off!"

Reno simply laughed and turned to Kaede.

Kaede looked into their faces, and saw the suspicion in their eyes. Nobody was fooling anybody else, they all knew what had happened last evening. If Kaede knew anything about these people, he could expect them to watch him like hawks when nightfall came and he taught Aeris again.

Kaede decidedly ignored the speculative glances and began the training for that day.

"Firstly," said Kaede, "today we are practicing somewhere else."

"Any particular reason?" asked Red.

"We are going to train on a secluded beach," answered Kaede, "What I have planned for today may get a little...interesting."

"What do you mean?" asked Rude.

"You'll see..."

The others could not get a single other scrap of information from Kaede. They gathered in the Kitana and flew to the shores near Cosmo Canyon. When they landed, Kaede began his instruction.

"Okay people," he said, "I've basically been teaching you all various new techniques, but it's time for more practical exercises."

"About time!" said Yuffie, "I've been waitin' to kick some monster butt!"

"Control yourself Yuff," said Vincent.

The others stared at Vincent.

"What did you just call her?" asked Barret.

Vincent simply shrugged as if nothing had happened. Yuffie smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

Red simply shook his head, "Back to the task at hand people."

"Indeed," said Kaede, "First, I will summon forth the Knights of the Round."

"Why are you going to do that?" asked Elena.

Kaede smiled, "Hand to hand combat..."

"What?" exclaimed Tifa, "you mean you're-"

"Don't worry," said Kaede, "I think you all are ready. Besides, it's going to be one knight to one of you. If you feel up to it, we may even spar with each other later."

"Great, no wonder you wanted to train here today," muttered Cloud under his breath. He remembered how devastating the Knights could be when fighting enemies. He did not relish the idea of finding out first hand what that experience was like.

Kaede brought out the red materia, summoning the Knights.

"Greetings Sire," said King Arthur, "How may we serve you? Have the brothers Bahumet returned?"

"Not yet," said Kaede, "however, I have a more...sporting idea."

Kaede explained his plan to King Arthur, who laughed at the thought.

"Indeed," said the knight, "it has been a long time since we fought worthy opponents in single combat...we would be honored."

Facing them head to head, thought Cloud, They don't seem as tall.

The entire morning had been spent sparring with the knights. Surprising even themselves, the group had been able to match the knights blow for blow, even surpass them. Unfortunately for Cloud, however, King Arthur was no pushover. The guy had actually managed to dodge the Meteorain, one of Cloud's strongest moves. Retaliating with his own sword, King Arthur knocked Cloud back, sending him flying through the air. He waited as Cloud slowly got back up.

"Remember," shouted Kaede, "be calm and focused. No matter what enemy you face, handle them with discipline, and the rest will follow."

`Great,' thought Cloud, `why don't you tell HIM to remain calm while I bash at him!'

"I can guess what you're probably thinking right now," said Kaede, "just concentrate, power is not all you need to defeat your opponent."

Cloud calmed himself down, allowing the energy to surge through his body. When he felt he could control it, he opened his eyes and rushed towards King Arthur.

The knight swiped forward with his sword, and hit nothing but air. He turned around to see Cloud behind him.

Cloud couldn't believe he was moving so fast. He had never been this powerful before. However, he couldn't celebrate yet, Arthur was still swinging.

Cloud blocked the attack, and tried to go on the offensive. However, nothing could lower the Knight's guard. Unless...

Cloud deliberately left an opening. When King Arthur swung his sword to capitalize on the advantage, Cloud disappeared again.

This time, Arthur looked up to see a screaming Cloud rushing at him. The Knight was completely caught unawares, and had to retreat. Cloud attacked Arthur with Omnislash, this time, scoring the knight's armor with powerful blows. The final blow sent the Knight reeling backwards. Arthur backed away further, slowly bringing his sword back up. As Cloud came forth, Arthur brought his sword down hard. Cloud met the blow, and grinned at Arthur through crossed swords.

"Good!" said Kaede, "You've finally mastered the art of speed as well as strength."

"Is that it?" smiled Cloud, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

"We'll try again later," laughed Kaede.

"It's probably just as well sire," commented Arthur, "I have not battled like this in ages."

Kaede brought out the red orb again, thanking the Knight of the Round.

"Nay sire," said Arthur, "it was our pleasure and honor. It is felt good to challenge such noble and capable warriors. Farewell..."

The Knights disappeared back into the orb. Kaede put the orb back inside the ship, then came to the training ground again.

"Well," asked Tifa, "what now? It's only midday."

Kaede turned to the others, "You have all done well. Now, we spar against each other."

"Great!" said Yuffie, "This will be fun! I'll show you all my superior skills!"

"Don't get cocky kid," said Cid.

"I have been wanting to go at it again," said Elena.

"Indeed," agreed Rude, "it will be interesting to fight you Avalanche once more."

"Perfect," said Cloud, "So, who goes first?"

The others were at a loss, they all wanted to see any combination of fighters, but who would start the festivities?

"The first person," said Kaede, "will fight me."

He stepped forward, dropping his black overcoat. The others could see his muscular figure underneath the black tee-shirt.

Yuffie mouthed a silent `wow.'

"I can see you've been training yourself," voiced Red, "you look stronger than before."

Kaede smiled, "can't let myself get weak, besides, training with you all has been good for me. I was able to hone my own skills. So, who's first?"

The group remained silent, they admired Kaede, but they knew he rarely pulled his punches.

"Hey Aeris," whispered Tifa, "why don't you go. It will give you a chance to be close-"

"Don't even think about it," said Aeris vehemently, "besides, yesterday was just an accident."

"Yeah, sure," smiled Tifa.

Aeris looked back at Kaede, studying his features, his powerful arms, his deep, piercing eyes, the kind that could stare into your soul...

Tifa pushed Aeris forward. Caught unawares, Aeris had no choice but to step forward, lest she fall.

The others turned to Aeris.

"Aeris?" asked Barret, "you're goin' against him?"

The others obviously hadn't seen Tifa's move, but she and Cloud smiled at each other.

Aeris glared daggers at her `friend.'

`Gee Tifa, thanks a lot!' She looked back at Kaede's perfect form again. `Of course, I can't say that I have any complaints...'

An explosion went off in Kaede's mind.

`Wait, I can't fight her!' he realized.

He could fight any of the others, one warrior to another. But he had risked hell and high water for this woman, and he couldn't see his way to harming a single strand of hair on her. Yet she was a Cetra, she had learned much, and Kaede had been yearning for a good fight... Kaede shrugged his warring emotions aside. He had fought everything from demons to the elements themselves, he could handle this.

Aeris settled herself into fighting position, remembering what Kaede had taught her. She was glad she had decided to wear the body suit under her normal attire, she would have felt too self-conscious otherwise. Aeris calmed herself, preparing for battle, then she opened her eyes, glaring at her opponent.

The girl smiled at Kaede deviously, this confused the man, throwing him off guard.

Aeris made the first move. While he was still surprised, she lunged at him, bringing her staff forward. Kaede managed to avoid the attack, but was off balance. Aeris jabbed Kaede in the gut with her weapon, then she swept the staff along the ground, knocking Kaede off his feet.

Caught completely unawares, Kaede managed to land on his hands and jump backwards, landing in a ready position. But Aeris had struck the first blow. He nodded to her, acknowledging her skill.

`Damn! I have to be careful, she caught me completely open!'

The others looked on with equal surprise.

"Wow," said Cloud, "I didn't know she could be so..."

"Crafty?" suggested Tifa.

"That sounds about right," answered Cloud.

Kaede simply waited for her to come again. Aeris attacked with her staff at lightning quick speed. Energy blazed through the air as Kaede met her with his blade.

Kaede smiled slightly, `Now this is what I call a fight!'

He went on the offensive, slashing at her with several combinations of attacks. He side stepped a return blow, then rolled behind her, bringing his sword down.

Aeris managed to turn and block the attack with her staff, and they stared at each other through crossed weapons.

The look in Kaede's eyes was intense, his mind warring with itself. He was enjoying the thrill of the challenge, yet it was all he could do to will himself to fight her. `No, I can't...what is this feeling...?'

Kaede swept the ground with his feet, tripping up Aeris. She managed to use her staff, propelling herself off the ground and landing a safe distance away. Then they charged at each other again, trading blow for blow.

The others gasped, the two were fighting perfectly, almost as...equals.

"When did she learn to fight like that?" asked Yuffie, astonished.

"Wow!" said Tifa, "Those extra lessons really seem to have helped her fighting abilities!"

Cid yelled his support, "Yeah kid! That's the way!"

Barret starting rooting, enjoying the turn of the fight.

Kaede smiled, getting ready to attack again. That was when he felt it...something was wrong.

Mistaking the look for distraction, Aeris attacked at the open Kaede again, bringing her staff straight at his chest. Kaede grabbed the end of the staff in his palm and pulled it away. The tip of it cut into his skin, causing blood to flow. Aeris stepped back in surprise and shock, looking at Kaede's wounded hand.

Red saw the look in his eyes, "Kaede, what's wrong?"

Kaede muttered something under his breath that Aeris couldn't hear.

"What?" she asked, "What is i-AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Aeris suddenly felt white hot pain shoot through her body. She screamed in agony, loosing all self control.

Kaede turned to Aeris, grabbing her and easing her down, "Aeris? Aeris speak to me!"

She did not reply, but merely clutched her head in pain.

"Aeris!" shouted Kaede, "what's wrong!"

Aeris tried to stammer something, "Ka-Kaede, th-the pain, make it- s...s...m-make it stop!"

Aeris fell unconscious, the hearing Kaede's cries of her name ringing in her ears.

Cloud and the others ran up to the two, while Kaede cradled Aeris in his arms.

"Kaede!" demanded Vincent, "What is this?"

Kaede heard more explosions, and they weren't in his head this time. He cursed under his breath.

"What did you say?" asked Elena.

"They have finally come," said Kaede, "the Sleepers have awakened..."

Cloud's shocked mind slowly registered the importance of that remark. If the Sleepers had awakened, then the Drahk would not be far away...

"And," continued Kaede, "They have their sights on Aeris."

The others looked all around for signs of trouble.

Kaede simply clutched Aeris closer to him, while the explosions got closer...

Author's Note: I just love cliffhangers, don't you? Sorry if this is getting on your nerves. I just naturally seem to write from plot twist to plot twist. And what's happening to Aeris? Rest assured, your questions will be answered next chapter. You are soo going to hate me after reading the next few chapters (grins evilly)! Give me some feedback. See you later.

Chapter 13: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Explosions could be heard far off in the distance, tainting the peace and quiet.

"Dammit man!" shouted Barret, "What the hell is that?"

Kaede got up, carrying Aeris in his arms, "It is obvious that the Drahk want Aeris. I sense that the Sleepers are near."

"What happened to Aeris?" asked Reeve.

"I...don't know," said Kaede.

"Maybe it has something to do with her connection to the planet," suggested Reno.

The others looked around uncertainly. The explosions came faster now, from the direction of the Ancient Forest.

"Okay people," said Cloud, "it's time we put our training to use."

"Those explosions seem to be coming from the forest," said Yuffie.

"Are there any cities near here?" asked Kaede.

"Yes," answered Red, "my home, Cosmo Canyon."

"Well then," said Kaede, "we had better get to the forest before anything happens."

Kaede put Aeris back inside the ship, hoping that whatever was happening to her would pass. The rest of the group trekked the rest of the way to the Ancient Forest. A few meters out, they could all see figures slowly snaking out of the hills near the forest. Kaede sensed the foul energies of the Sleepers.

The group stopped walking, standing in the valley below the hills. This was as good a place as any to make their stand.

"Okay," said Cloud, "let's get ready."

Everyone drew their weapons and assumed their ready stances as they prepared for battle. That was when shrouded figures began to appear from the mountains. There must have been thousands of them, with more probably still hiding in the mountains.

Barret cursed under his breath.

"Oh man," groaned Cid, "not these shrouds again!"

"Great Planet!" shouted Tifa, "How many of these guys are there?"

"I can't tell," said Kaede, "I`ve never seen so many at once."

"Are they as powerful as the one's we fought before?" asked Vincent.

"Some are," conceded Kaede, "but many are not."

A tall Sleeper towered over his brothers, and come forth to look at those on his path. His face was gaunt, almost skeletal. The emaciated visage was painted red with blood, metalwork protruded from his body, talons grew along his hands and arms. The man could barely even be considered human, if he ever had been. He was a monstrosity.

His voice sounded like a thousand evil voices, "Get out of our way, we seek the Cetra."

"You can't have her!" shouted Cloud.

The monster laughed, "Ah, but we already do..."

"What do you mean?" asked Kaede, eyes narrowing.

"Well, well," sneered the monster, "we did not expect a Planeswalker here...may we have the pleasure of your name...before we kill you?"

"My name," answered the warrior coldly, "is Kaede, remember it, for it is the sound of your doom."

The monster laughed, "I remembers that name, you are the traitor, the weakling. Now I, Xizor, master of the Sleepers, shall put an end to you."

"I've heard of you," Kaede grinned coolly, "you call me a weakling? Funny, I seem to remember being a general, but I found better things to do."

"Enough talk!" snapped Xizor, "Now you die!"

"Let's take `em!" shouted Yuffie.

Masses of Sleepers came at the small group. The small band of warriors unleashed tidal forces as the battled the roiling masses of black.

Cloud cast ultima on the first wave, causing a huge explosion to decimate the terrors. The others backed him up with various other attacks, casting fire and ice spells, meteors and quakes, the very powers of the elements themselves. Mighty elementals raged against the Sleepers, as Shiva, Ifrit, and a multitude of guardians decimated the small army. The spells were increased in strength by the weeks of training, never had the planet seen such a powerful force.

However, no matter how many they destroyed, always more would come to replace the fallen Sleepers. Soon, the group began to run out of room. They pushed their limits as each of them tried to use attacks that would hit multiple targets. Even with their training, the enemies were just too close, and too numerous.

"Curse it all!" spat Vincent, "For every one we kill, two rise to take its place."

Xizor yelled loudly, halting the attack. The army of Sleepers backed off, giving the small group room again.

"Why'd they back off?" asked Cid.

"I trust you can see the futility of the situation," Xizor laughed, "but I am a sporting man, so I offer you a special challenge, a gift from the Drahk. Which of you is brave enough to accept?"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about you sick bastard!?" shouted Barret.

"Why don't we find out?" snickered Xizor.

Cloud stepped forward, "That's it, I've had enough games-"

He felt a restraining hand on his shoulder. Cloud looked around to see Kaede.

"No Cloud," said he, "let me..."

Kaede stepped forward before Cloud could protest, "Very well monster, what is your challenge?"

"You accept?" asked the Sleeper.

"Do I have a choice?" returned Kaede.

Xizor laughed again, maniacally, "Here it comes now."

An intense blast of energy threw Kaede through the air. He slowly managed to get on his feet. The others rushed to help him.

"Get back!" he warned, "stay back!"

Smoke rose from where the blast had landed. Kaede and the others could see a silhouette within that smoke. A great energy tinged the air a bluish hue as the smoke began to clear. The Planeswalker could sense it was a powerful being. Yet, strangely, it also seemed familiar.

"Enjoy your challenge!" said Xizor.

Energy seethed through the air as a torrent of lighting crackled in the skies above.

"Let me handle this!" said Kaede, "its power is enormous."

"Beat his ass!" shouted Yuffie.

Xizor simply smiled complacently.

Kaede drew himself into a battle stance, preparing for whatever enemy he may be facing. The power was awesome, barely contained, straining to be released.. Kaede breathed heavily in anticipation, while his instincts screamed at him to run away. Then the wind finally cleared away the last of the smoke, revealing the hidden figure.

Kaede's eyes grew wide as he saw his opponent. Cloud and the others gasped, disbelieving.

"What the hell?" shouted Barret.

Whatever he had been thinking, Kaede hadn't been prepared for this. Intense, green eyes stared at him, glassy and full of rage. Kaede's heart sank to his feet, and shivers ran up his spine...

...For in front of him, daring him to fight, stood Aeris Gainsborough...

Author's Note: What the heck's going on here?! Aeris fighting against her friends? To protect the Drahk? Didn't I tell you you'd hate me for this chapter? And if you thought this was bad, you'll really despise me later on. I really wanted to see Aeris in Cloud's predicament with the mind games. Always wondered what would come of it if the roles had been reversed. Anyway, you'll see my take on it next chapter. Next chapter, I beat the tar out of Aeris. Oh the humanity! Is nothing sacred?! In addition, I fulfill my need to portray a kick-butt, no-holds-barred, raging-demon side to Aeris. She's not a weakling and now she'll prove it! Mwahahahahah! Thanks for reading, and keep sending me feedback! I'd really like a reply before I post again!

Chapter 14: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Kaede simply stared at Aeris. He was transfixed, unable to move.

Cloud felt a lump in his throat, his insides empty. Tifa felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach.

"What in God's name have you done to her?" demanded Kaede.

"Why, my dear Planeswalker," sneered Xizor, "you, of all people, should be aware of the nuances of hypnotic suggestion."

Kaede could see it now, the glassy eyes, her robotic stature, she was under mind control. The accursed Sleeper had probably sent her down into a spiral of painful emotions, feeding the rage within her. Aeris had not been ready to resist such a force, and been drowned in that sea of despair. Now she looked ready to kill him.

"Aeris!" pleaded Kaede, "snap out of it!"

"Too late Kaede," said Xizor, "she is mine!"

Kaede drew energy into his hands, preparing to fire at the monster known as Xizor.

"You had better not do that," replied the evil being, "if you kill me now, while I control the Cetra, you will kill her as well."

"But only while you control her," reminded Kaede.

Xizor laughed again, content in the knowledge that he now had them where he wanted them, with the Cetra under Drahk control.

"And after she kills you, she will kill the others as well..."

"Dammit!" raged Cid, "What are we going to do?!"

"Let me handle this!" said Kaede.

"And what the hell are you going to do!?" snapped Barret, "kill Aeris?!"

"That," said Xizor, "is the only way you can survive. And if anyone interferes, she dies instantly."

Kaede drew his sword, preparing for battle with Aeris.

Cloud saw the look in Kaede's face. It was determined, as if he was ready to-

"Don't you dare do it," said Cloud, "don't you dare kill her."

"Cloud," replied Kaede, "trust me."

Tifa began to feel shivers crawl up her spine, "You can't kill her! You have no idea how much you mean-" she choked, unable to continue, "you can't do it!"

"I know..."

"If you kill her," said Rude, "you will be nothing but an empty machine..."

"I KNOW..."

"You'll be no better than they are," continued Red.

"I KNOW, GODAMMIT! I KNOW!" shouted Kaede, "I'M JUST ASKING YOU TO TRUST ME!"

The others flinched involuntarily. Never had they seen him lose his composure like this, especially not at them.

Xizor laughed as he studied their emotions, "Come now Kaede, what's a little sacrifice for the good of the whole? After all, it's not like she hasn't done it before..."

Kaede stared daggers at the Sleeper, "Know this worm, your reckoning is coming... soon."

Xizor sneered, "The only way to win...is if you kill her Kaede. Otherwise, she's still mine. And when she dies, you will fall as well..."

It finally hit Kaede. This was about more than just Aeris. If she killed him, they could use Aeris to do whatever it was they intended to do. And if he killed her, he would lose himself to the darkness, lose himself to his dark side. It was the perfect trap, even in victory, Kaede would still fail, it was the Drahk's favorite ploy. However, Kaede knew an alternative. He had vowed he would never let anything like this happen again. He had found a way around the Drahk spell, a spell that no one save himself had ever been able to break. But the price...

Kaede steeled himself, knowing what he must do. He brought his sword back to ready position, preparing to fight Aeris. Aeris ran to meet Kaede, her staff swinging to attack the warrior.

Xizor kept his forces back, savoring the battle he saw before him. The other humans might try to enter the battle, but they would have to get through him to do that; and the weaklings seemed too shocked to do anything but stare.

`They are like insects in my hands. And soon, they will be crushed...'

Kaede and Aeris fought like raging demons. Every attack was parried and countered. Kaede shot Aeris in the stomach with a lighting bolt, flinging her back several feet. He ran to follow up on his attack, but was hit in the face with Aeris's staff. He stepped back several feet, spitting blood. Aeris used the staff as a pole-vault, flying through the air before ramming her feet into Kaede's stomach.

`Why did I have to teach her so well?' he thought sardonically.

Kaede reeled in pain, but continued to fight. Aeris brought her staff down in an overhead strike, but Kaede jumped away. Charging his sword, Kaede unleashed a wave of energy towards Aeris. She managed to block it with her staff, but was still thrown back by the force of the impact.

Every scar on her innocent body was like a stab to his heart, but Kaede continued to fight, it was his only choice. Aeris began to lose a little of the glassy look, her senses sharpening as she felt pain.

`Good' thought Kaede, `Now for step two.'

Kaede ran forward, dodging a kick that Aeris threw at him. He reached out his hand, touching his palm to her forehead. Bracing himself, he forced a mind link with her, reaching out with all his being, hoping she would hear him through all the haze and mind control...

Somewhere from out of the depths of the whirling emotions, Aeris could hear his voice. She had been drowning in an abyss of despair, living her most painful moments, deprived of any hope. In her sea of pain and agony, Aeris could barely think, but she heard Kaede, calling out to her, and she reached past the darkness, hoping he would be there to pull her out...

Kaede felt white hot pain shoot through him as a powerful Flare spell hit him full in the chest. He flew through the air like a rag doll, landing hard onto the ground. Kaede heard Xizor laugh, but his plan had worked. He had managed to contact Aeris, deep down beneath the painful storms that held her mind captive.

Kaede brought his sword up again, blocking Aeris' attacks. She kicked him hard in the stomach, staggering him. He managed to grab her and throw her back. Kaede rushed after her, slicing with his sword. Aeris got up and blocked the attack. Kaede swept her feet from under her, sending Aeris to land to the earth with a bone jarring thud.

Aeris simply rolled away. She raised herself to her feet again, then ran towards Kaede, whirling her staff above her.

`Here comes the tricky part.' thought Kaede.

Kaede blocked the attack, and glared at Aeris through their crossed weapons. He spoke out to her.

"Aeris! I know you can hear me. Please, try and stop yourself! Come on!"

Aeris punched at Kaede, but he grabbed her hands as he shouted out her name.

Xizor laughed as Kaede continued to plead with Aeris.

"Dammit Aeris!" voiced Kaede, "don't make me do this! Don't you understand how much I care for you?"

The words hit Aeris like a speeding bullet. Even from her stupor, she could hear that desperate, pleading voice. She could feel his warmth, his caring. And that warmth alone allowed her to regain some control.

A tear rolled down Aeris's face, and she jabbed Kaede in the stomach with her staff. She was about to step forward, but faltered. Her head felt as if it would explode from the pain. Aeris was fighting the control Xizor had over her, but it was so hard...

"What is this?" raged Xizor, "You dare to disobey my commands?"

He raised his hand towards her, "Finish him you bitch! Finish him now!"

Aeris tried to fight it all she could, but she couldn't stop herself. She stood above the prostrate form of Kaede, who made no motion to get up. He merely looked at Aeris with sad eyes.

"Aeris...please..."

More tears streamed down her face, and Aeris screamed as she felt Ultima being cast. Xizor was forcing her to use one of her most powerful spells.

Kaede simply looked at Aeris as she screamed, hoping his plan would work. He felt the Ultima spell being summoned. In his condition, the spell would be lethal. He didn't care, he only cared about the girl that stood before him...

"Aeris..." he whispered.

Aeris cast the spell, but turned her hand towards her stomach. Kaede's eyes widened as Aeris cast Ultima on herself. Energies seethed through the air, and a powerful explosion wracked both their bodies with pain. Aeris flew through the air, the torrents of the spell taking their toll. Kaede tried to stand, but he was hammered by waves of pain. At such close proximity, both of them had been hit by the spell. But Aeris...

When the dust settled, Kaede looked at the still form of Aeris, lying a few feet away. He staggered over to her as she raised herself to her knees. Kaede looked into her eyes, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Aeris grimaced in pain, blood coursing from her mouth, but managed to speak.

"Kaede...are you...alright?"

Kaede tried to speak, but coughed up blood when he tried. He simply nodded to her.

Xizor was fuming, "dammit you harlot! Kill him now! Do it!"

Aeris winced in pain, as she tried to fight his mind control.

"Kaede," she breathed, "kill me."

Kaede shook his head violently, "No..."

"Do it Kaede," she pleaded, "I can't hold off his control forever...if you don't kill me now, all is lost."

Kaede shut his eyes in pain.

"Please Kaede...if you care about me at all, do it, now..."

Tears streamed down Kaede's face as he raised his sword.

Cloud finally found his voice as he saw this, "No! Damn you Kaede! DON'T YOU DARE KILL HER!!!!"

Avalanche tried to run to Aeris and Kaede, but Xizor cast a spell, causing winds to blow them back. They tried to run against the wind, but found themselves lodged in place.

"DAMMIT MAN!" shouted Barret, "DON'T DO IT!!!"

"Kaede!" yelled Cloud.

"Aeris!" screamed Tifa.

Kaede simply stared into Aeris's eyes, enjoying the serene beauty for one last time. He raised his sword higher, preparing to strike.

Cloud broke into a mad dash, running forward despite the winds, "You cold-hearted bastard! I'll kill you Kaede! Don't you even think about it!!!"

`It's time,' thought Kaede, `to finish this.'

"I'm so sorry Aeris," said Kaede, "please forgive me."

Aeris closed her eyes, as Kaede prepared to strike.

Kaede thrust his sword through the air, closing his eyes...and screamed in pain as he stabbed himself...

"NOOOOOO!!!" yelled Xizor, "What have you done?!!!"

Aeris opened her eyes, and saw a sword through Kaede's chest. His screams rattled and echoed within the valley, as if tearing through the very fabric of the air. She felt her heart stop as the realization hit...

Kaede had stabbed himself through the heart...

Cloud stopped running, overcome with confusion and uncertainty, what the hell was Kaede doing?

Aeris watched in horror as Kaede twisted the blade in his chest. Wrenching the blade free, Kaede screamed his pain again as the sword finally came out. Blood flew from his gaping wound, falling onto Aeris' face, spilling all over her clothes, but she only looked at Kaede`s anguished face.

`I found another way Aeris...,' he thought, `only my blood could break the spell, only the purity of love can set you free...'

Dark blue smoke swirled around them as it rose into the air, and the shrieks of a thousand voices screamed into the heavens. Then it was gone, the spell was broken.

Kaede dropped his sword, and fell forward, into Aeris' grasp. Aeris cradled the fallen Kaede in her arms. She turned him, desperate to look into his eyes again.

His eyes were open, and he grunted harshly in pain.

"Kaede...what have you done?" whispered Aeris, letting the tears come.

"I'm...sorry Aeris," breathed Kaede, "but it was...the only...way."

"Why Kaede," Aeris's tears fell onto Kaede face," why?"

Kaede managed to raise his hand to wipe away her tears. Aeris wrapped her hand around his, holding it close to her cheek. Kaede smiled at her, and Aeris lost her voice, unable to speak.

"It was the only way Aeris," said Kaede, "because...I...love you..."

The realization hit Aeris like a train. All this time, he had protected her, watched over her, and spilled his blood...because he loved her. And she realized...that she loved him as well, ever since she had woken, that fateful day, in his arms. Ever since she had looked into those beautiful eyes, she had been captivated. And now he was dying, because of her...

Aeris hugged Kaede close to her heart.

"Please no...Kaede, don't leave me...not now," cried Aeris.

The blood had soaked itself into Aeris's clothing, but she didn't care, she didn't care if the world ended tomorrow, she only cared about Kaede. And now, now that she had finally found out the truth...

"I'm so sorry. But at least," Kaede's voice began to grow weak, "...at least I got to give you...a second chance."

Kaede whispered the words to that song he had sung, not so long ago.

"I am lost, yet I have won,

...For you remain, to carry on..."

Aeris cried as she brought her face close to his. Their lips brushed as she felt his breath grow ragged.

Kaede had finally found peace. The calm and quiet that he had never found in life, he had found now, now that he was dying. It was ironic, but Kaede still thanked the fates, for having finally given his a taste of that bliss, for the first time after a lifetime of searching. He felt at peace, melting into the passionate kiss. He gave to Aeris all his emotions, his very being, and all he could think was, `I am so...happy...'

"Aeris, please forgive me," Kaede managed to breath.

Aeris looked back through the tears, "for what?"

He stared into those beautiful eyes, one more time, "for everything..."

Then all was silent...as the two lovers shared one last kiss.

Aeris continued to cry. She cried as she felt Kaede slipping away. When his hand finally fell from her cheek, and his breathing stopped, Aeris knew he was gone. He had died, still in her arms, still kissing her.

Aeris cried in pain, and let the flood of emotions overtake her...

Author's Note: Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...it does! Wow, this was a really fast chapter for me. I think I'm really beginning to push this `PG-13' rating, but I don't think future chapters will be any more, graphic than this one was. That doesn't mean they won't be...intense though. Oh, and true to the classic Final Fantasy format, yes I did name Xizor after a character in Star Wars, don't you just hate him? Anyway, hope you like it, and keep the feedback coming! What do you think about this chapter in particular?

Chapter 15: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Aeris' screams tore through the air as she cradled the dead Kaede in her arms.

"What the hell did he just do?" demanded Barret.

"A foolish gesture!" said Xizor.

"He just killed himself!" shouted Tifa, "killed himself to save her from you."

Xizor simply laughed, "You think that will save you? Now my task is made easy, you will all perish!"

Cloud raised his sword.

"Listen to my words monster!" yelled Cloud fiercely, "You will die today!"

"Nothing but empty threats," taunted Xizor, "he may have saved her, but you will all die anyway! Sleepers attack!"

Horde upon horde of Sleeper forces fell upon Avalanche and the Turks. The small group surrounded the still forms of Kaede and Aeris.

Tifa went to Kaede, to see if she could help, but it was already too late. She tried to comfort Aeris, putting her hand on the Cetra's shoulder, but Aeris could not feel anything at all.

"Dammit!" said Cid, fighting off several Sleepers, "we can't hold them off forever!"

"Tifa!" shouted Cloud, "is he...?"

Tifa nodded, "he's gone."

"Planet save us..." muttered Vincent.

Cloud and the others tried to hold the hordes at bay, but it was only a matter of time before they were overrun, there were just too many Sleepers. The mass of dark bodies was slowly engulfing them. It looked like it was too late for them all...

Aeris ignored all of it, simply looking into the staring eyes of Kaede Knight. She cried unashamedly. He was dead, no longer would he be there to protect them. No more music, no more hope, no more...

And now, now that she had finally realized what he had felt for her, he was dead. Dead...because it was the only way to save her.

"Kaede...Kaede...," she whispered, "I love you too, BUT WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DIE!!!!!!!"

Aeris screamed in agony, letting her powers, her very emotions, run wild, sending energy shooting through the air.

Xizor sneered at Aeris, "what will you do, foolish girl?"

Aeris tenderly lowered Kaede's head to the ground, closing his eyes. She stood up, gathering her will. It was almost without thought that she did so, as if she was acting out of pure reaction.

Xizor mocked Aeris, "what can you do, worthless insect? You will all fall, just as he did!"

Aeris's eyes glowed with raging green energy, the air crackled as lighting and thunder raged through the air.

"Monster," said Aeris in a chilling voice, "your terror ends now!"

A strange energy passed through the air, as if it would rip through the very atmosphere. The Sleepers fell back at the sight of the enraged Cetra.

"Minions!" yelled Xizor, "What are you waiting for? Attack!"

The hordes fell back further as a maelstrom of energy and light danced around Aeris and her friends. The Sleepers cowered at the sight of the enraged Cetra, as tendrils of green energy shot from her hands into the ground.

"Heartless butchers!" cried Aeris, "You are not fit to live!"

Cloud and the others looked at Aeris in awe and wonder. Never had they seen her like this. She emanated pure energy, the tempestuous fury of the planet itself.

Xizor felt a twinge of fear as he looked into her blazing eyes, eyes that signaled his doom...

`Great Planet, pleaded Aeris, `by all that is holy, please help us now, our need is at hand...'

The planet answered, and giant cracks formed along the ground, as raw mako came spurting up from the depths of the planet, swallowing many of the Sleepers. The hordes retreated, returning to higher ground.

Aeris slumped, exhausted, as the last bits of glowing energy faded from her body. Tifa held her as she collapsed to the ground. The surge of mako began to fade into the forest.

The others looked around in awe, amazed at the power they had just witnessed.

"A-Aeris?" stammered Cloud.

Aeris couldn't reply, breathing hard, a grimace of weariness on her face.

Xizor cried out, "impressive witch! But you still cannot defeat us-"

That was when a great howl cut through the air, like a knife. The sound reverberated all throughout the valley. Millions of cries could be heard, and they did not belong to the Sleepers.

Elena cried out as the ground shook all around, "Aeris! What did you do?!"

Vincent tried to gain his footing, "She must have released something when the called to the planet!"

"Then what the hell is going on?" demanded Barret.

Red shivered as he felt a great mass of pure energy being summoned, he had never felt such pure, unadulterated power before, "whatever she did, it is causing major shifts within the Lifestream!"

The sleepers were shaken from their position in the hills, as powerful tremors shook the ground. Light could be seen emanating from the Ancient Forest.

Figures began to emerge from the trees, hundreds upon hundreds of them.

"Oh great!" said Reno, "what now?"

Red, having sharper vision than the rest of them, could just barely make out the shapes. When he finally saw what they were, he felt his stomach lurch.

Yuffie saw the look in her companion's face, "Red? Red!"

Red remained silent, muttering something under his breath.

"Nanaki!" shouted Vincent, "What is it?"

Cloud could barely make out the words `they are here' escape the Cian's lips.

Cloud was still trying to decipher Red's words when Tifa called out.

"Cloud! Look!"

Cloud turned to the direction Tifa was pointing in. He immediately lost all ability to reason. What he saw was unbelievable.

Cid managed to spit out, "What in the planet's name....?"

The small group of warriors glared at the spectacle, unable to believe what they saw. For there, emerging from the depths of the Ancient Forest, came hundreds upon hundreds of crimson Cian warriors.

"R-Red?" stammered Elena, "weren't you the last of your kind?"

Aeris managed to get up, shakily leaning on Tifa for support.

"I asked the planet for help," said Aeris, "it seems like this is its answer. Nanaki...you aren't the last of your kind...not anymore..."

"What the hell?" demanded Reno.

"Remember the scrolls?" asked Vincent, "they said that `the ancient warriors shall rise again...'"

Red couldn't answer, merely staring in awe, as multitudes of his race began to pour forth onto the land. The ancient race of warriors was back, Nanaki was no longer alone...

The hordes of red beings fell upon the Sleepers, tearing them to pieces. The air was heavy with the reek of burned flesh and blood, as each Sleeper disintegrated as it expired. It seemed like a war of ghosts, raging crimson demons annihilating the black hordes.

Xizor stood aghast, not believing his eyes. How could his victory have been taken from him? He had won, the Planeswalker had died, with barely any losses to his forces. How in the Emperor's name had he lost?

Xizor glared at the trembling form of Aeris, he wasn't done yet.

"Cetra!" he cursed, "You will pay for what you have done!"

Xizor loosed a powerful bolt of energy towards Aeris. Cloud leapt in front of her, deflecting the blast with his sword. Xizor shot another blast, only to have it punched away by Tifa. Before the monster could attack again, Elena threw a grenade at his feet. The explosion sent him flying through the air.

`The curs will pay for this, the game is not over yet,' thought Xizor.

As Xizor shakily got back to his feet, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. The monster barely had time to turn before a red cat-like figure silenced him...

Cloud and the others stood their ground, simply looking at the dead Xizor, a red figure hovering above the monster.

"Dammit," said Barret, "I wanted to kill that bastard!"

The Cian warrior turned around, and looked at the group of warriors. One of his kind was among them, but there was more to him. He noticed something vaguely familiar about the Cian among them.

Red ran up to the figure, struggling to find his voice, "Seto...F...Father...?"

Seto looked at the figure before him, and noticed a familiar pin in the young cub's mane. It had belonged to him. But that meant...

"Son?" asked Seto.

"FATHER!" yelled Red, embracing Seto.

For the first time in his life, Red cried, cried into his father's mane as he tried to forget the pain of having been the last of his kind, of having grown up without his parents.

"Nanaki," whispered Seto, "worry not, I am here."

"And so am I," said another voice.

Red turned around, not daring to believe, "mother..."

But the joys of Red's reunion with his family were lost on Aeris. She held Kaede close to her, crying her heart out. Her tears mixed with the blood on her face.

Cloud looked at the fallen warrior, feeling anguish and regret.

Tifa turned, "Cloud?"

Cloud simply stared at Kaede's body in shock, "He gave his life Tifa, he gave it to save Aeris, to save us all. And the last thing I said to him...was that I would kill him...for hurting Aeris."

Cloud's body shuddered, and Tifa hugged him, giving Cloud her support.

"We've all made sacrifices," said Vincent, "I only wish there was another way..."

Seto and Red came to the fallen warrior's side.

"This is him?" asked the older Cian.

"Yes father," Red answered, "this is the Planeswalker, Kaede Knight."

Seto examined him, gazing at the man's features, "I am sorry my son, it is beyond my ability to heal him."

Elena looked at the large Warrior, "What is your name?"

"You may call me Seto," answered he.

"And where did you come from?" asked Rude, "Your kind have been dead for years, other than Red here."

Seto blinked at the others, "No, we weren't dead..."

"What?" asked Barret, "Come on man, no one has seen you guys for a long time."

"That may be," said Seto, "but we weren't dead."

Red turned to his father, "Then...where were you...all this time?"

Seto took a deep breathe before beginning, "It was prophesied by the Ancients, that a great calamity would plague our planet."

Red nodded, remembering the scrolls.

"However," continued Seto, "it was also said that a great darkness would befall us, just after the defeat of this danger."

"That was written in the scrolls also," said Vincent, "what of it?"

"Well," said Seto, "it is said that great war and bloodshed would follow. You may not know this, but the Ancients formed a deep bond with our race."

"We have heard of it," said Cloud.

Seto nodded, "And years before Meteor struck, we knew it was time to take precautions against the coming turmoil. It was clear that the world was searching for our kind, and the Cetra."

"Unfortunately," said Reeve, "the Shinra stopped at no lengths to achieve power."

"Just so," agreed Seto, "as such, it was necessary for us to disappear, so that we might be alive to protect the planet when the need arose. Thus, we went into hiding, not letting even our most trusted friends know where we went. We locked ourselves away, deep into the Ancient Forest, there to be dead to the world, dream the Deep Sleep, until such time as we would be needed yet again."

"You say `the Deep Sleep,' what do you mean?" asked Reno.

"Our bodies were held in stasis," replied Seto, "until such time that the Guardians of the Planet would need us yet again."

"Why," asked Red, "was I left behind?"

Seto smiled at his son, "I am sorry Nanaki, it couldn't have been easy for you, but one of our kind had to be left behind, to watch over the planet and protect against Meteor. It was your destined role, although you had no inkling of it."

Red simply nodded, remembering how Avalanche had relied on each other to achieve final victory against Meteor. They had needed all the help they could get, and he played no small role in Sephiroth's fall.

But now, Sephiroth was back, and their planet would still be destroyed, unless they could do something.

And their only hope of beating the Drahk had died with Kaede...

Author's Note: (Cue Twilight Zone music) I'm back!!! I've been out of town for a while, so pardon the really late update. Anyway, I've finished the story, more or less, and now it's mainly a question of revising and posting. Thanks to everyone for sticking with this, and Happy New Year!!!

You know, I always wondered about the last scene in FF7. I mean, if Red is the last of his kind, then how can he have little kids of his race running with him? If he wasn't the last of his kind, then why was there no other that looked like him? A friend gave me some strange explanations for this...some of which still send shivers up my spine sometimes... thanks a lot Arachnia! Anyway, I decided to resolve it like this. Please keep reading and write back.

Chapter 16: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

Red looked at Aeris, trying to comfort her, "He died protecting us, Kaede's efforts were not in vain..."

"Our victory is ashes," said Aeris, still sobbing.

"It's true," said Rude, "without him, we have no idea of what to expect."

The group looked to Seto, silently asking him for answers.

"I am sorry, young warriors," replied Seto, "but I have no answers, it was thought that everything would fall into place once we awoke."

Cloud clenched his fist, "There may still be a way."

Aeris looked up at Cloud.

"What do you have planned?" she asked.

Cloud led the others back to the Kitana. Red's mother took the rest of the Cian to gather in Cosmo Canyon, as Seto and the others followed Cloud.

"Wait here," said Cloud, leaving them outside the ship. When he returned, Cloud had with him four red summon materia.

"I see," said Reno, "the Knights or the brothers Bahumet may know what he was planning."

Cloud nodded, then set the four orbs in a row. Taking each one in his hand in turns, Cloud summoned the guardian forces.

The Knights appeared instantly.

"Greetings my friends," said King Arthur, "how may I-"

He stopped at he saw Kaede's unmoving form lying in Aeris' hands.

"What happened?" asked the Knight.

Three large figures appeared in the sky, answering the call of the glowing materia.

Bahumet landed, "I am sorry I did not come sooner, but I-"

The dragon stopped speaking when he saw the fallen Kaede.

Bahumet Zero snarled, "Who did this?"

Aeris tried to tell them, but was choked with sobs. Cloud explained what had transpired...

King Arthur bowed his head in grief, as did the dragons.

"It is good news that the Cian return," said King Arthur to Seto, "but Kaede's fall does not bode well. Without him, we are lost..."

"This is why we called you," said Cloud, "you knew him the best, perhaps you could tell us what to do."

"This is dire news indeed," said Neo Bahumet, "but there may still be a way."

"How?" asked Aeris.

Bahumet turned to Seto, "did not the Cian race fall into the `Deep Sleep,' to be awakened at a later time?"

"Indeed," answered Seto, "we did."

Bahumet pondered for a moment, looking at each of his brothers. The other dragons simply shrugged.

King Arthur looked at Bahumet, "are you suggesting what I think you are?"

Bahumet nodded, "If the Cetra and their allies knew of the technique, I can see no reason why the Planeswalkers would not..."

"What are you implying Bahumet?" asked Cloud, "that he may not be dead?"

Aeris looked to the king of dragons, "I felt his life essence fade, how could he be alive?"

Bahumet shook his head, "I am not saying one or the other, however if he knew of the process..."

"I see your point," said King Arthur, "his soul could still be trapped between states, waiting to die..."

Bahumet nodded.

"What is this?" asked Reeve, "You mean he-"

"Sire Kaede may have explained to you," said Bahumet Zero, "that all souls lie temporarily in stasis..."

Aeris could not remember if Kaede had said so, but remembered well her own experiences within the Lifestream, "go on."

"If we could heal his body," continued Zero, "his soul may be able to find its way back."

"How do we do that?" asked Cloud.

"That is the difficult part," said Bahumet Zero, "we do not know. Few ever attained the knowledge of such things."

"Sire Kaede himself only learned through attaining high rank within the circles of the Planeswalkers, as well as the Drahk," continued Neo Bahumet, "even then, it took years of training."

"Then," said Nanaki, "he is still lost."

Aeris raised herself to her feet, "No!"

Tifa went to calm Aeris, "Please Aeris, you're tired-"

"No!" screamed Aeris, "I refuse to give up on him! He gave his life for me! The least I can do is try to return the favor! I am one of the Guardians of this planet, and I'll be cursed if..."

She began to choke on her sobs, "...what good are my healing powers...if I can't even save him?"

The others looked at the determined Cetra, thinking on her words.

"What do you propose?" asked Rude.

Aeris thought hard about her after-death experiences. Then, something clicked in her mind. Kaede had said it was made easier under certain conditions, such as...

"Take me to the City of Ancients," said Aeris.

"What?" asked Cloud.

"Hurry, we're running out of time," she pleaded.

"I will take you there," said Bahumet.

Aeris raised Kaede onto the dragon's back, then climbed aboard herself.

"Brothers," said Bahumet to his kin, "bring the rest of them, those who will follow."

The other dragons nodded, and Bahumet took off.

Once airborne, Bahumet spoke with Aeris, "I think I know what you are planning. Will it work?"

"I hope so Bahumet," said Aeris, "but I don't know. I just don't know..."

Bahumet had taken Aeris to the City of the Ancients, in the hopes that Aeris' plan might succeed. She had spent the last half power preparing Kaede's body, and preparing herself, for what was to come. The others would be coming soon.

"I hope this works," said Aeris to herself.

She planned to use the healing powers of the Lake of the Ancients to revive Kaede. He had said that its unique properties had saved her, perhaps it could do so for him as well.

"Oh Planet," she pleaded, "please let it work."

With surprising strength, Aeris managed to carry Kaede all the way to the lake. She could still remember the cold embrace of those placid, glowing waters. Aeris shuddered involuntarily as she looked upon it again. It was like walking to her own grave.

Aeris lowered Kaede into the peaceful water, washing away the blood from their battle ravaged bodies. The blood tainted the water, before disappearing to the glow of the lake. Tearfully, Aeris guided her hand to his heart.

"Kaede..." she whispered.

He had given her his heart, literally, given his body and soul for her. And Aeris would be damned before she allowed him to slip so easily through her fingers.

Aeris heard rustling coming from behind, turning to see her friends just arriving.

"Is this...where he-" started Red.

"Yes," said Aeris, "this is where he saved me."

"Will it work for him?" asked Cloud.

"We'll find out," returned Aeris.

Aeris rested her hands on the dead man's heart, and closed her eyes. She concentrated, hard, calling forth to the planet.

`If nothing else, just grant me this last wish, please let me see him once more,' more tears rolled down Aeris' face, `please return to us our selfless guardian.'

Aeris reached deep down into her inner depths, the place where hidden powers and dreams reside, as well as nightmares...

Aeris felt a cold chill overtake her body, as she tried to reach out to Kaede's lost soul. She couldn't find him anywhere. Not in Lifestream, not anywhere on the planet.

`I beg of you planet,' she cried out in her mind, `please help me find him...'

Cloud noticed the pallor in Aeris' features.

"I don't like this," he said, "what happens if she fails?"

Bahumet pondered, "I have never studied the implications, but she has entered into the abyss beyond life. If she fails, she may die..."

Cloud snapped his head to look at the dragon, "you mean, we could lose both of them?!"

Bahumet remained silent.

"Dammit Aeris," whispered Cloud, "I hope you know what you're doing."

Aeris swam through the depths of darkness, her body calm to the world. However, her mind was in turmoil, for each second in these cold depths was like a year of sheer agony. She searched and searched, trying to find Kaede through the darkness.

Then she finally found something. She came upon the still form of a man. It was too dark to see anything, but Aeris had a feeling this was him. She went to the unmoving figure, but could see nothing of his face. Then he opened his eyes, and Aeris saw deep into his soul. All his pains, all his emotions, she saw everything. She became lost in that penetrating gaze, and she knew at last that she had found him. Aeris grabbed his hand in hers, and began to lead him from the darkness...and she knew this was it. She was with him now, and she would never let him go, whatever the cost. The coldness gripped her tighter, as the screams of thousands of the dead rang throughout her mind, pulling her down to join them.

"No! I'm not giving up! I've come this far, and I won't leave without him!'

Ignoring the pain and the noise, Aeris pulled Kaede away from the cold darkness of the lifeless vacuum. Then, she was blinded by a flash of white light...

Aeris opened her eyes to find herself back in the City of Ancients, still in the icy cold lake. It took her a moment to gather her wits, then she realized...

`Kaede!'

The Cetra looked down upon the lying form of the Planeswalker, hoping for some sign of life. She was relieved to see him grimace.

`If he can feel pain, at least he's alive...'

Aeris was caught off guard when Kaede opened his eyes suddenly.

Kaede had felt himself sinking into the depths of the cold black void, then inexplicably, had felt himself pulled out by a strangely comforting presence...

He awoke, feeling that presence near him yet. But Kaede could still hear the bone-chilling voices of the dead, calling out for him to join them. When he opened his eyes and saw nothing, that was the last straw. A cold vise clutched at his heart, and Kaede screamed into the darkness.

"Kaede!" he vaguely heard a familiar voice, as hands clutched him tighter, "Kaede!"

Unable to see, Kaede managed to raise himself to his feet, grasping his head, as he wrenched free of the hands. He writhed in pain as he tried to escape from what felt like an ocean. Kaede clutched his chest in agony as the pain struck him again, and he felt himself losing consciousness. He fell into the waters, letting himself become engulfed by the coldness.

He felt someone pull him out of the depths, and onto the shore. There, he shivered, clutching his stomach, as a soothing hand caressed his aching back. Actually, his entire body ached, but wherever that hand touched, his pains seemed to disappear.

Kaede finally opened his eyes, and woke up to find Aeris, cradling him in her arms. He was at a loss for words, and tried to speak, but found he couldn't.

"Hush Kaede," she said, "try to save your energy?"

He whispered her name, then clutched at his heart again, and found his skin was whole. Kaede questioned Aeris with a look.

She smiled reassuringly, "You were a hard soul to find, we almost lost you..."

Kaede finally managed to find his voice, "How?"

Aeris shuddered as she remembered, "I...had to enter your mind, it-"

She couldn't continue, the memories of pain and coldness not meant to be felt by the living. Kaede brushed her cheek with his hand, telling her it was all right. He got to his knees, holding her shoulders. He felt weak, but it was Aeris that looked to be in pain.

"Aeris?"

"I almost lost you..." she repeated.

Kaede held her close, letting her cry the tears away in his embrace.

"Quiet love," he said, "you did it, I'm alright, don't cry..."

Aeris looked up at him, startled by his words.

She smiled, jabbing Kaede in the ribs, "don't you ever do that to me again!"

Kaede winced slightly from the pain. He put his arm over her shoulder, allowing her to help him get up. Slowly, he limped back to his friends.

Bahumet bowed, "A blessing indeed to see you returned."

"It is I who am fortunate," returned Kaede, "to have friends such as you."

Cloud strode up to Kaede, with an uncertain look in his eyes.

"Kaede," said he, "I'm sorry-"

The warrior raised his hand, silencing Cloud, "forget it, I know what you must have felt, you are not to blame."

Cloud simply looked at Kaede, silently thanking him.

When the brothers Bahumet returned the group to the Cosmo Canyon area, Kaede strode forth to meet with the Cian. Red's parents met with Kaede as the ambassadors of their race.

"It is an honor," voiced Seto, nodding to Kaede.

"Please," said Kaede, "there is no need for formalities. It is indeed good news to witness the Cian race has returned. We will need all the help we can get against the Drahk."

"Our people have gone back to their old homes in the valley," said Seto, "but we have many questions."

Red's mother continued, "Indeed, most importantly, what is happening here?"

Before Kaede could speak, Red chimed in, "I brought them up to date about the events up until now."

Kaede nodded, "for now, I am unsure of how to proceed. However, something about this planet interests the Drahk enough that they have dedicated a substantial amount of resources to it."

"Pardons, Sire Kaede," said Bahumet from behind them, "but I may have some important information."

Kaede turned to the dragon, "What is it?"

"My brothers and I, we found a hidden place, deep beneath the sea."

Kaede raised an eyebrow, "go on."

Bahumet continued, "we were examining this area before we felt the summons of Master Cloud."

"And what of this undersea area?"

"We believe it to be the work of the Ancients," answered the dragon.

Kaede nodded, "I see, allow me to recuperate and we will investigate within a day or so."

Bahumet bowed, "as you wish, my brothers and I will continue to search for more information."

The dragon turned to fly away.

"Bahumets!" said Kaede.

The dragons turned.

"Thank you."

The dragons flashed toothy grins before flying off again.

The Cian were left in Cosmo Canyon, to prepare for whatever might come ahead. Red decided to stay with his parents, to be with his people and help them to adjust to the new world. The others headed back to the Kitana, to return to Costa del Sol.

Kaede couldn't gather the strength to do the flying, so he asked Cid to pilot the ship back to Villa Cloud. Surprisingly, the pilot managed to get them back relatively peacefully, knowing full well that no one felt up to his more `energetic' style of flying. Yuffie silently thanked Cid for his kindness.

Upon landing, the group took some time to relax, simply waiting for sunset along the beach. Cid and Shera returned to the Highwind, eager to learn about its new capabilities. Elmyra was still asleep inside the house, which was probably just as well, for she surely would have been shocked by the group's condition.

Aeris smiled at Kaede, "you know, you look awful."

Kaede grinned back, "hey, it's not that bad for a man that was dead not long ago."

He saw the blood on Aeris' clothing, and noticed a few bruises through the rents in her dress.

"Were you hurt?" he asked.

"I'm fine, now," returned Aeris.

They simply stared into each others eyes.

Cloud walked along the beach, Tifa snuggled against his side.

Tifa could see the concern in her husband's eyes.

"Is something wrong Cloud?"

Cloud shook his head, "today...just reminded me of things..."

"Like?" asked Tifa.

Cloud looked into her eyes, "like when you leapt into the Lifestream after me."

Tifa remembered the incident well, it had happened just after the Ultimate Weapon attacked that first time.

"You knew it could have killed you," said Cloud, "but you jumped in anyway."

Tifa shed a single tear, clutching Cloud close to her.

"It was the only way to save you..."

He shook his head, "you did more than that Tiff, you made me whole again."

Tifa Lockheart Strife tried to speak, but was silenced by a kiss from the man that could still send her heart fluttering...

Barret laughed at Yuffie's disgust.

"All this mushy stuff makes me sick!" groaned the ninja.

"Come on girl!" joked Barret, "you wouldn't mind it if it were Vampy over there!"

Vincent simply stared at Barret, "You like committing suicide, don't you?"

Before Barret could answer, Yuffie was screaming into his face.

"FOR THE LAST TIME! HE ISN'T A VAMPIRE!" she yelled.

"Oh I don't know," shrugged Vincent, "wouldn't mind biting on your neck Yuff..."

Yuffie stopped dead in her tracks, staring at Vincent.

She turned to Barret, "he didn't, no way! Did he just...?"

Barret stared at the mysterious man.

"He's just as weird as Kaede," voiced Barret, "all this time with the dude and I still can't figure him out."

Vincent shrugged.

Barret simply raised his hands in futility, "forget it, I'm just gonna go inside and take a nap!"

Yuffie was still staring at Vincent, then shook her head.

"Hey Vince," she smiled, "I'm going to walk around the town, wanna join me?"

Vincent shrugged again, "why not?"

Reno and Rude had already gone on to the Highwind, finishing some last minute work before going retiring for the night.

Elena continued to walk the beach, looking at the last rays of sunlight with her employer.

"So," she asked, "what does a lonely president of a major corporation do for fun?"

"What fun?" laughed Reeve.

"Oh come on, you surely-"

"Okay, okay," said Reeve, "the truth is, I usually just do what you saw me do earlier...busy work."

"You can't possibly use up all your time doing that," returned Elena.

"Well, how about you?" asked Reeve, "after all, I put you in charge of a lot of the Corporation's major accounts."

Elena shrugged, "like I said before, ever since I broke in my workers, it's become a self-automated workforce"

Reeve groaned, "you'd think that people with our `problem' would find ways around boredom."

Elena laughed, "Some people are too efficient for their own good."

"Well, maybe we can do lunch sometime or something..." Reeve trailed off, realizing what that must sound like.

She looked at him uncertainly, adding to his tension, then smiled and shrugged, "that would be nice."

One by one, everybody went inside, everyone but Kaede and Aeris, who continued to stare into each others' eyes. Tifa and Cloud shared a knowing look before retiring inside.

The sun had set, but Kaede didn't notice. All he saw was Aeris' deep, beautiful eyes, eyes that saw into his very soul. Aeris noticed the others had gone, and saw that the stars had come out. She turned to gaze at the night sky.

"Kaede," she breathed, "when you...gave yourself up for me...why did you do it?"

The warrior sighed, "it was the only way to counteract the spell."

"But-"

Kaede startled Aeris by wrapping his arms about her. She sank into his grasp, feeling safety in those arms.

Kaede brought his lips close to her ear,

"I vowed Aeris, that nothing would happen to you, that I would die before I let them take you," whispered Kaede, "and through all my years of learning, it was the only way I knew of saving you."

Aeris looked into his eyes, asking him that silent question.

Kaede brushed away an errant tear from her cheek, before saying, "I did it Aeris, because I love you."

Her breath caught, and she lost all ability to speak. Kaede silenced her questions with a kiss. Aeris melted into the embrace, her heart felt as if it would explode from sheer excitement.

Kaede broke the kiss, and stepped back.

"What's wrong Kaede?" asked Aeris.

"Uhmm..." wavered Kaede, he simply gestured to his clothing, "I'm not exactly fit company right now."

Aeris smiled, "silly, I don't care."

She wrapped her arms about his neck

"Just the same," said Kaede, "we had better find something more presentable, or Elmyra may die of fright."

Aeris simply laughed.

Author's Note: Author's Note: No, this is not the end of the story. We aren't even halfway...well, maybe we are halfway done. Sorry it's been taking a while guys, but the next chapters kind of hinge on one another and I need to make sure they fall together correctly before I post them. As such, it will take longer than it has been. On the bright side, the fleshing in of the final chapters is almost done...and I hope to have this all posted by early February at the lastest.

Finally, I manage to end a chapter on a happy note. Mushy stuff galore (everyone

shudders). I just couldn't keep Kaede dead for long. Anyway, we still have a ways to go. It

may take longer for me to post now, since I've been having some epiphanies concerning this story. Accordingly, I've had to make several changes to different chapters. This section is mainly where plot development will take over again, but I've gotten some pretty interesting ideas that I may try to work in. Look out for some more twists later on (hopefully). Oh, I'm having fun with the next few chapters (rubs hands in anticipation). Anyway, bear with me, and I'll see this story through.

Chapter 17: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

The next morning, Aeris woke up just after dawn. She slowly cracked her eyes open, blinking against the brilliant sun. Then she noticed that she was outside, what's more she was in...

"Good morning," said Kaede, tightening his grasp about her.

Aeris slowly got her wits together before backing away from his arms.

"Did I sleep the whole night here?"

Kaede shrugged, "pretty much, you were really tired, so I didn't wake you."

Aeris critically looked at Kaede, "Didn't you get any sleep?"

Kaede smiled, "yes, I don't need to be lying down to sleep, old traveler's trick."

"Hmmm," said Aeris, then looked at her clothing, "oh my! I'm still in these rags!"

Kaede got up from his seat on the stone wall, "it's still pretty early, you can probably get changed before the others wake up."

Aeris turned to go inside, then stopped, "are you coming?"

Kaede shook his head, "have some things to do in the Kitana, I'll join you later."

She smiled and then went inside, "they had better not wake up before I'm cleaned up, or I'll never hear the end of it..."

Kaede took his time walking back to his ship, thinking about the past day's events. After so many years of darkness, he had finally found something real to hold on to. He had finally found something personal to fight for. Not just to help others, or for honor, he had found something more important. Kaede grinned. He couldn't believe that the spirited Cetra had managed to kindle a new fire in his `cold and dead' soul, a fire he hadn't felt since he had forgotten when.

`And judging from the way she fought me, she's no pushover either.'

Kaede immediately sobered up. Originally, he had brought back Aeris so the Drahk wouldn't get her, she was after all, an important being...the Planet's Guardian. And he couldn't have her powers used to serve evil ends. But she was so much more than that, she had done so many things. Not only had she saved this planet, but she had been able to save him as well. Kaede shook his head, for someone like her to be able to reach out to his soul...

If she could reach into those depths, what power lay hidden within her? Not only that, but he had heard that Aeris had summoned forth the Cian from the Deep Sleep. It was strange, for Kaede hadn't even sensed the Cian before their arrival. How had Aeris done it? Kaede sighed, she certainly was special, in more ways than one. He would have to make sure the Drahk never laid their hands on her, she was too important, to others as well as him, and she didn't deserve that pain.

Kaede quickly washed up and got out his clothes.

"I feel like something different today Kitana, how about the white ones?"

"Affirmative," voiced the computer.

Soon, Kaede was ready to start the day. He first contacted the Brothers Bahumet, and questioned them on their discovery. What Kaede heard sounded vaguely familiar to a legend he had read, the ones that contained snippets of information about the Cian. They had all been branded as fairy tales by most, but it was clearly no fantasy. The Cetra on this planet had created something, something of great magnitude. It had been referred to as the `key to the light' in Nanaki's Ancient scrolls. Kaede got a headache just thinking about it all.

"It's going to be a long day," he sighed.

Light-years away, Sephiroth was laughing cruelly. Never had he held so much power before. Whatever the Drahk had done, it had made him exponentially more powerful. Sephiroth was enjoying himself in the arena. He had requested a place to exercise, to test his new skills. What he had gotten was a full training gym, complete with hapless soldiers, waiting to die at his hands. At first, he had been contented to torment his enemies one by one. But that soon grew boring, so he began to fought entire battalions of the fighters. Everyday it got easier to kill more and more. The doomed fighters attacked him, only to fall before his demonic sword, the Masamune. He was a raging monster, an unstoppable force of nature, and blood flew through the air as he destroyed his attackers.

A hundred dead soldiers littered the ground, their blood causing the room to be awash in a tide of red; and Sephiroth hadn't even broken a sweat. This was too easy, Sephiroth shook his head retired to his quarters. He noticed how this entire place was adorned with red and black. Everything had the feel of a vampire's castle to it, but Sephiroth didn't care, it appealed to his dark nature. He noticed that the Drahk were quite disciplined. Soldiers of various races snapped to attention as their new general walked through the halls. Sephiroth grinned evilly, they had reason to fear him, for he was the Horseman of Death, and all who got in his way perished.

Sephiroth took a shower before dressing in his traditional black, a favorite, it seemed, among the Drahk.

`It will almost be a shame to kill the other Horseman,' thought Sephiroth, `but at least I will rule it all when it is over...'

A door opened, interrupting his thoughts. A shrouded figure walked in. He seemed like any normal man, if that man were death. It wasn't so much his looks as his aura, although his face was so pale as to be almost skeletal. The man's blood red eyes glared beneath cropped black hair. He bore several scars along his face from God only knew what. His gauntlets ended in sharp talons, and his armor and cloak resembled a giant crow. His tenure with the Drahk had changed him from an ordinary...whatever he was...into this abomination.

`...that is, if I can get rid of this pest first...' Sephiroth concluded.

"Greetings Sephiroth," said the dark figure, "I trust the accommodations are adequate?"

"Quite," answered Sephiroth sardonically, "and to what do I owe the doubtless honor of your company Methos?"

Methos simply grinned evilly, "I believe it is time you met the emperor."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, he had seen much of the workings of these Drahk, but had yet to see the emperor they feared so.

He allowed himself to be led through the corridors, and was joined by two other dark figures as well.

"It seems as if all the Horsemen have been summoned," voiced Sephiroth.

"Indeed," said Methos, "the emperor is interested to see the new Horseman of Death."

Sephiroth thought on this, "I believe you were the previous one, correct?"

Morbius cursed, "Aye, when that mongrel Kaede ruled over us, Lord Methos was not yet the emperor's right hand."

"I fail to see why a single man could anger you so."

Veletta snarled, "That cur is a traitor to the empire. He had power, riches, he had generalship of the most powerful army in creation."

`He had me,' the Mistress of Evil thought spitefully to herself.

"But he turned it down because of his precious ethics," concluded Morbius.

"I told the emperor to not trust him," cursed Methos, "and now I will finally put an end to that damned nuisance."

"He has always been a thorn in our sides," continued Veletta, looking at Sephiroth, "much like this `Cloud' character was for you I'd wager..."

Sephiroth glared at Veletta, but remained silent. He noticed the sorceress' blood red gown, adorned with skulls, talons, and various such artifacts. Her hazel eyes looked past the threaded brown hair that fell across her brows. Some might consider her beautiful, but it was a cold beauty that stirred in her veins, her skin hiding the monster deep inside.

`Your death will come later wench! I will kill Cloud and his friends first,' thought Sephiroth, `then I will glory in taking all of this away from you and your precious emperor.'

"And what exactly interests you so about this Kaede?" demanded Sephiroth.

The other Horsemen fell silent, and Veletta glared daggers at the swordsman.

"That," she sneered, "is none of your concern."

She shrugged off the question as if it were nothing, but inside, she was burning with the fire of hot, unbridled hatred.

`Kaede will pay for spurning me, for spurning his power,' thought she, `I will not rest until I have made him witness the death of his love...then I will crush his accursed heart in my bare hands...'

Sephiroth and the others came to a great door, like everything else, blood red and black.

`Don't they ever get tired of these colors?' he thought.

He entered and found himself in a great throne room. Flames erupted from trenches dug near the sides of the room. Skeletons and corpses were chained to the walls. A giant marble mosaic depicting bloody war and conquest adorned the floor. Sephiroth looked up, and saw several black figures, like ravens, perched in various places along the outcroppings along the cracked walls. Giant wraiths they were, with fierce glowing eyes, the personal bodyguards of the emperor.

`I could take them easily,' grinned Sephiroth, `but not now, not yet'

Through the windows, he saw a blood red sky, dark like everything else in this evil place. Sounds of tormented screams could be heard in the distance, alien and chilling enough to send chills down even Sephiroth's spine.

`If there is a hell,' thought he, `this would be its outhouse...'

He was jarred from his thoughts as the three other Horsemen quickly kneeled and bowed their heads.

A giant demon walked into the room, a great beast, with black horns and blood red skin. He too wore a great black shroud, covering his features. But still, Sephiroth could see the powerful arms, with great talons. The emperor's feet looked like that of a wolf's, except it was devoid of all skin, save for that same blood red that seemed to run through everything else around here.

The emperor seated himself on his throne of thorns. His demonic face glared at the Horsemen, as his glowing eyes raged with fire. The emperor raised his eyebrows at Sephiroth, the only one not lowered in submission.

"You have not yet bowed, child of Jenova," said a deep chilling voice, like the cry of a million evil souls.

Sephiroth stood his ground, "I bow to no one."

"You will bow to me," returned the demon, "or you will die."

Sephiroth shrugged, for he had ceased to fear death a long time ago, "then you had better kill me now."

Morbius raised his head, "on your knees boy, if not for him, you would still be dead."

Sephiroth sneered at Morbius, "He could be the most powerful being in the galaxy, I don't care-"

"I...AM...THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE GALAXY!!!" roared the demon.

"Yet you still need me," laughed Sephiroth, "kill me now or get over it."

The demon simply glared at Sephiroth through his glowing eyes, as the other Horsemen waited in anticipation.

The emperor laughed, "You have spirit in that dark heart. It is the Jenovan blood in you. Pray it does not get the better of you, for your ancestors learned from that mistake first hand."

Sephiroth shrugged, he couldn't care less what had happened to the Jenovans.

"Very well," answered the Emperor, "I will let it pass...this once. Arise."

The other horsemen rose to their feet, slightly surprised.

"Lord," said Methos, "the Sleepers have been destroyed by the one they call Aeris."

"I know," said the chilling voice, "the Cetra could be a valuable asset if turned."

"She will not turn lord," said Morbius, "Xizor himself invaded her mind, but she broke free."

The demon simply glared, raising an eyebrow, "You assumed your prodigy would be successful? Few of your recent machinations have bore fruit of late!"

Morbius blanched, knowing well that Kaede had been his responsibility. And now, the traitor had not only delayed their plans, but killed their most powerful sleepers as well.

"It-it seems," stuttered Morbius, "that Kaede invoked the Rite of Blood to free her."

"And he still lives," said the emperor, it was a statement, not a question, "obviously, the Cetra is more powerful than we thought."

Morbius nodded, "Exponentially so since Kaede taught her."

The demon pounded his fist into the armrest, "KAEDE!!!!!!! THE HELL-SPAWNS CURSE HIM! THE WRETCH HAS CONSTANTLY BEEN A BLIGHT ON OUR PLANS!!! THIS TIME WE FINISH HIM!!!"

Sephiroth remained silent. He had, of course, learned of this half-Cetra known as Kaede. It seemed as if he had been the emperor's most powerful student. But somehow, Kaede had rebelled, and joined the ranks of the Planeswalkers. It was clear that the emperor was still fuming over his loss. True, Kaede had been Morbius's project (as well as the object of Methos' revenge), but the emperor himself had overseen the training of the warrior. And few had ever denied the demonic lord and lived to tell about it. Veletta seemed to have some hidden agenda with Kaede as well, but Sephiroth couldn't care less. Kaede was no concern of his, all that mattered was his plans for conquest.

"Master," said Veletta, "our preparations are ready. This is but a minor stone in our path."

Morbius glared at Veletta, "Xizor's loss, a minor stone? He was our best Sleeper!"

"SILENCE!" yelled the emperor, causing even Sephiroth to flinch, "I will destroy the abomination myself in one fell swoop!"

"Then we are continuing with our plans?" asked Methos.

"Yes, I will invoke the Dark Purge and destroy the planet."

Sephiroth shuddered involuntarily, remembering the plan. What they intended to do would make his previous efforts seem like child's play. And the power it involved...if this was successful, the emperor would become horrifyingly powerful.

`That is why I'll have to kill them all before it's too late,' Sephirth grinned, `then I will be all powerful, and THEY will bow to ME...'

"I will gather my powers soon, and become one with the summons," said the emperor, "and I will need you to act as my powers in this plane of existence."

Sephiroth reminded himself of the plan. To achieve the Dark Purge, the demon would have to split his energies among them, using the Horsemen as his power base as he summoned the spell of ultimate genocide.

"I will enjoin my powers to you soon, in the meantime, make way to that accursed planet."

Methos smiled evilly, relishing the idea of finally destroying Kaede.

"Dismissed," said the emperor, waving his hands in a gesture to leave.

The other Horsemen bowed, all except Sephiroth.

The demon glared at him again, and Sephiroth knew he had no choice this time. Grudgingly, he lowered his head. The emperor sneered triumphantly. Then the four left, to carry out their parts of the attack preparations.

`They are too powerful for me to take on now,' thought Sephiroth, `I will follow them for the time being. But when the final hour comes at hand, they will all bow to me, or die...'

Author's Note: Would you believe it? This chapter came to me completely at random. I hadn't even planned on writing from the bad guy point of view. Now that I have, I am really glad that I did. What did you think of it? The next chapter will have a slightly different flavor to it. This time I took you through the bowels of hell. Next time I will take you through the bowels of...the mall! You'll just have to read and find out. Anyway, thanks for the support, and keep it coming!

I just realized why everyone thought that I finished the story with Kaede's death...it was the poorly worded Author's Note! What I meant was that I had finished writing the actual story, not that I had posted it all up yet. There are a total of 25+ chapters in this story, as of now, plus two alternate endings and epilogues if I feel up to it. Sorry for the mix-up. Thanks for the enthusiasm! It really inspires me that you guys are getting into the story.

Chapter 18: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

"Oh, it's so cool!" said Tifa, holding out a sport jacket for Cloud.

"You think so?" he asked.

"Absolutely!"

A few of the members of Avalanche, as well as Elena, had decided to relax by going to the famous Midgar Bazaar. Newly created in the aftermath of Meteor, the giant mall had been a ploy by Reeve to garner some money for the ailing economy of Midgar. And, in short, it had worked. Now Midgar traded often with Wutai to acquire new items and attractions for the mall. It was almost as popular as the Gold Saucer, which had subsequently joined in and invested some of its assets with the Bazaar.

Aeris, Tifa, and Cloud were currently at a men's clothing store, trying to pick out something nice for Cloud.

He took one look at the price tag before his eyes bugged out, "Are you kidding? This is highway robbery!"

"Aw come on Cloud," said Tifa, "it's not like you have a shortage of money!"

"Yeah well, that doesn't mean I'm gonna burn through it! The other stuff we picked out is enough anyway!"

"Live a little Cloud," said Aeris, "it doesn't hurt once in a while."

Cloud merely sighed as he went to the cashier with his various items of clothing. The woman smiled at him as he handed her the cash, and gave him a wink before he left the store.

Cloud shook his head and sighed, "Why me?"

Tifa laughed and snuggled up against Cloud as they walked pass the other stores.

Vincent and Yuffie had gone to eat lunch. Surprisingly enough, the young ninja had convinced the normally reticent Vincent to try the various cuisines of the world available at the food court. Vincent had resignedly shaken his head and allowed himself to be led there.

Elena and Reeve laughed as they caught sight of Yuffie trying to force feed Vincent.

"Enough Yuffie!" said a dismayed Vincent.

"Oh come on!" pouted Yuffie, "can't handle it?"

"Even you have to have limit," he looked at her critically, "then again, considering your size, you shouldn't be able to eat that much anyway. Certainly not a much as me."

Yuffie simply stared, "did you...just try to make a joke or somethin'?"

Vincent shrugged, and Yuffie started laughing, clutching her sides as if they were going to explode.

Vincent looked at her skeptically, "it wasn't THAT funny."

Yuffie doubled over in laughter at his comment.

"Let's leave before she drags us into this," grinned Reeve.

"Good idea," smiled Elena.

They walked on into the area with the rides and attractions, courtesy of Duo and the Gold Saucer.

"I must say Pres-"

"Please Elena, just Reeve. I hate formalities."

"Okay," said Elena, "I was just saying that this is quite impressive."

"I tried," answered Reeve proudly, "needed something to kick-start the economy."

"So, which ride do you want to go on?" asked the Turk.

"Ugh," said Reeve, looking at some of the rides, "I don't think I'm ready for anything exciting. How about the ferris wheel?"

"Okay."

When Reeve and Elena went to buy tickets for the ride, the teller immediately recognized who they were.

"President Reeve!" the Shinra employee snapped to attention, "It is a great honor sir!"

Reeve groaned as Elena stifled a laugh, "Er...thank you, two tickets please."

"Oh no sir," said the teller, "I wouldn't dream of charging you and the lady."

"I insist," returned Reeve, "how much-"

"No, no, no," said the worker, "it is the least we can do for the savior of Midgar!"

Reeve began to notice others watching the commotion, at this rate, he'd have a crowd mobbing him before they could get to the ride.

Reeve finally gave in, "very well, thank you...uh...keep up the good work."

"Yes sir!" beamed the worker.

Not long afterwards Elena and Reeve boarded the ride.

"Wow," said Elena, "you seem to be popular."

Reeve laughed, "my job has a few privileges..."

"I'll say," replied Elena, "by the way, did Kaede tell you why he wasn't coming with us?"

Reeve shrugged, "he just said something about checking out some kind of an anomaly."

"Anything to worry about?"

"Not that he could see."

Elena shivered, but it wasn't from the cold.

"Something wrong?"

Elena nodded, "It's just that...all this work, what we're training for. Those beings, the Drahk, they're coming for us, and everything could be wiped out."

"But it won't," returned the President of Shinra, "we'll stop them."

"How can you be so sure?" said Elena, staring Reeve in the eyes, "I mean, we almost lost when the Sleepers came."

"But we didn't, we won," answered he, not gazing away, "and we'll keep on fighting, because we have to..."

Elena looked down, trying to brush off her fears. Reeve hugged her until she was calm again, "It's okay, don't worry."

She looked up into his eyes again. The way he held her...it made her feel safe just to be with Reeve.

"You see that out there?" asked Reeve, gesturing out the window.

Elena looked out the window, and nodded.

Reeve whispered in Elena's ear, "That's why we'll win...to protect our home."

Elena laughed slightly, "you are as charismatic as they say you are."

Reeve shrugged, "I only speak the truth."

The Turk looked up into Reeve's eyes, and saw there determination and hope. The two drew close together, as the lights and the fanfare continued to thrive outside...

"Wow Tifa, that's awesome!" said Aeris, looking at Tifa's new attire.

Tifa looked at herself in the mirror, checking out the blue dress.

"I don't know," said Tifa as she spun around, "what do you think Cloud? Cloud?"

Tifa turned to look at her husband, who simply gawked at her.

He finally managed to catch his breath and say, "wow..."

The brunette laughed, "I'm glad you like it, it think I'll take it."

Once they were outside, Cloud smiled at Tifa.

"What is it Cloud?" asked she, "what's with the funny look?"

Cloud simply shrugged, "oh, nothing, just wondering what your new dress will look like when you wear this with it."

He raised his hand, and in it, Cloud held an astonishing diamond necklace.

Tifa and Aeris stood speechless, simply staring at the breathtaking jewelry.

"Cloud!" said Tifa, her eyes growing wide, "you shouldn't have!"

"Why not," smiled Cloud, "only the best for a `savior of the planet!'"

"Don't give me any of that!" grinned Tifa, poking Cloud in the ribs.

"Does that mean you don't want this?" asked Cloud, holding up the necklace.

Tifa simply drew him in close for a kiss as Aeris laughed.

After a while, Aeris grew nervous, "excuse me guys, but you really should breathe."

Cloud withdrew, gasping for air.

"Does that answer your question?" grinned Tifa roguishly.

Cloud shook his head to clear the momentary haze, he barely even remembered what he had asked, "I...uh...heh...I really have to do this more often."

Aeris laughed at their antics, "come on guys, I want to get something for Kaede!"

Tifa gamely nodded, "okay. So, what do you want to get him?"

Aeris thought for a moment, "Hmmm, well, I saw that he had a chain around his neck the other day..."

"A chain?" blinked Cloud, "I never noticed it."

"On the beach, I felt something and saw it through the tear in his shirt," said Aeris.

Tifa smiled slyly at her friend. How would Aeris have felt it, underneath Kaede's shirt?

The Cetra's face turned red as Cloud's eyebrow raised itself, asking a silent question.

Aeris coughed, "come on guys, I want to get him something to put on that chain."

Cloud shrugged, "Okay, lead the way..."

Hours (and a considerable amount of gil) later, they had found the perfect thing for Kaede. It was a large silver ring, stylized in the shape of a raging river, or perhaps flames. In its center was placed a crystal, with blue streaks of lightning along its aquamarine surface. The vendor that had parted with it was well-known for his works of art, for no two pieces were ever alike.

"These kind of remind me of his eyes," said Aeris.

Cloud and Tifa gazed at the impressive artifact.

"It's something special alright," said Tifa.

"I can't wait to get this to him!"

Miles away, above the waters between Junon, and Costa del Sol, the Kitana hovered above the churning ocean. Along its side, a giant balcony protruded, and a figure stood on the deck. Those familiar blazing eyes surveyed the seas below.

"This is where you sensed the anomaly?" asked Kaede.

"Yes sire," said Bahumet, "it took us a considerable amount of time to sense it, or we would have returned sooner."

He looked down into the ocean, where the Cetra device was supposedly concealed. Kaede remained deep in thought, trying to remember as much as he could on Cetra lore and technology. He accessed the ship's records...nothing. No records on anything of this type, although he was sure there was a Cetra artifact down there.

`Think Kaede!' he told himself, `you're part Cetra yourself, this should be easy for you!'

Then he remembered the White Materia. Before he had left, Kaede told the others that he was going to investigate a possible Cetra device. Aeris had given him the orb, hoping that it might help him uncover something about the Cetra monument.

He brought out the orb, "It's worth a try."

Kaede noticed that the White Materia began to glow with a greenish tinge. He felt a burning sensation at his back, and drew his sword. It was lighted as well.

`What the hell?'

"What is it sire?" asked Bahumet Zero, flying above the balcony.

"I'm not sure..." said Kaede, deep in thought.

Then he remembered the records of the Ancients the Cian had given him. In an effort to help, Red had allowed Kaede access to all of the scrolls in his observatory. The experience, to say the least, had been most educational.

"Kitana," said Kaede, "run an analysis on the `Key to the Light' scriptures among the Scrolls of the Ancients."

Immediately Kaede saw the scrolls' message before him in holograph. He touched the area of the scriptures that were illegible.

"Run a reconstruction of these letters," he ordered, pointing at the odd scratches beneath the scripture.

The strange words became apparent, but were still in a strange language that even Kaede didn't understand. Yet there was something oddly familiar about it...

Then something clicked in his mind, something that his sensei had taught him.

`Remember the arts of subtlety, even the smallest grain of evidence can unlock the entire puzzle,' he had said.

Sensei had then been referring to the hiding secrets in the open, so that the answer would be apparent to those who knew how to look for it. And in many cases of espionage, various simple languages had been amalgamated into a complex code, and used to conceal secret messages. Kaede immediately began searching through various languages, looking for matches. He finally came across what he was looking for. Surely enough, the words had been scrambled together, using this planet's main native characters, mixed with its Cetra and Planeswalker equivalents, to create a devious, yet simple, message.

Kaede immediately began to recite the strange words, "AISHIMANTE .... ELGORATHAL .... HURASHAB .... KAIHARUSA .... ELENDONEAL .... ZAZMUTALMAT .... KISKHARUDOLCI ...."

The rest of his words were an enigma, even to the brothers Bahumet, who simply watched on with curiosity.

Kaede then raised his voice, still in chant, "I call upon the powers of this planet, help us in our time of need. Unlock the Gates of the Ancients, that we may receive the blessed light of the Promised Land..."

A great column of light shot forth from the ocean, rising high into the air. The White Materia, as well as Kaede's sword, glowed with blinding intensity. Wondrous rainbow hues mixed with the sunset and the glowing aquamarine of the waters below, bathing the ship and the dragons with light. Something had awakened deep within the recesses of the ocean.

"Well," said Kaede, "time to see what this is all about."

"What in the Planet's name?" said Neo Bahumet, astonished at the dazzling display.

"Did he say the `Promised Land?'," asked Bahumet Zero.

The eldest King of Dragons nodded.

Deep down in his heart, Kaede knew this is what the Drahk had been after. This was why he had come here, why Aeris had been given the White Materia and held so much power. The source of those answers was coming, literally rising from the depths of obscurity. Here was the key, now it was only a question of finding out those answers.

"We will know soon enough," answered the Planeswalker.

Author's Note: Events are beginning to unravel very quickly. I never even planned them, but the last two chapters have quickly become my favorites in terms of plot development. If everything goes as planned, we should be 3/4 of the way done with this story, unless something major crops up. Let me know if you have any questions, I would love to hear your comments (just try not to be too harsh!).

One more thing, if any of you need an explanation about the next few chapters, please e-mail me, I won't mind. The next chapter moves kind of fast (although it took me forever to write) and I don't want my readers to get lost. And if anyone thinks I should redo the whole 'Kaede resurrected thing' and wait till later, I can do that too. I thought it was a little quick, I should have made y'all squirm a little more, but I have grown attacked to the guy and need him to fill in holes that no other character would be as good

at.

You know, I think I'll stop informing you about how far I've gotten in the writing, let's take this chapter by chapter, it's been confusing enough for you guys as it is! Anyway, stay tuned for the next installment. There's big trouble brewing, and it's not what you expected (or at least I hope not)!

Chapter 19: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7

The rising waves of energy began to fluctuate through the air, rainbow hues engulfed the Kitana and the three dragons as the powers seethed forth from the ocean.

"Kitana!" yelled Kaede, "get us to higher altitude!"

The ship began to ascend, flying away from the surging energies.

"What was that sire?" asked Bahumet.

"I'm not-"

Before Kaede could answer, a great swell of water bubbled up, forming a geyser one hundred feet high. A giant behemoth of metalwork rose from the outpouring, causing water to disperse through the air. A blinding flash of light was accompanied by a powerful gust of wind and water, shaking the spaceship and dragons alike.

`What in all creation did the Cetra hide down there?' thought Kaede.

He looked to the brothers Bahumet, "Are you okay?!"

The dragons remained quiet, silently looking at the waters below as they hovered near the Kitana. Kaede followed their gaze...

What he saw nearly caused him to choke.

Deep within the depths of the ocean, the Cetra had hidden a great monolith, a bastion of their technology. And now it rose to the surface. A giant island, easily ten miles wide, came forth from the depths. Forests and archaic ruins littered its surface. But in its center laid a huge fortress. It was amazing. Cold, grey steel supported walls of bluish ivory and stone. Everywhere, shining brass accented the hulking framework, forming a startling contrast to the metalwork. It didn't look a hundred years old. Great crystals of green light illuminated the hulk from along the edges of the city.

"It's beautiful," said Kaede.

"What lies within, I wonder?" pondered Bahumet.

"Only one way to find out," answered the Planeswalker, "Bahumet, come with me, the rest of you, cover the skies and wait for us."

"As you wish sire," said Bahumet Zero.

Kaede lowered the ship and jumped from the Kitana's deck, gliding down to the surface of the structure. Bahumet followed him down. They slowly made their way through the forests, taking stock of the sandstone relics of the ruined buildings. They soon made their way to the great metropolis. The Cetra artifact seemed to be a small-sized city surrounding a giant dome. Winding causeways and roads joined several buildings together, but all of them seemed to lead back towards the center.

"All these years under water," said Bahumet, "and the structure still remains intact."

Kaede nodded, "the Cetra built things to last through the ages."

Kaede and Bahumet slowly trekked through the `city,' making their way to the domed structure ahead. They ascended a marble staircase, and found themselves facing the dome. It was wondrous, with stone and ivory in hues of blue and white. The brass shined like gold against the dark steel. One of several giant doors led to the inside of the sealed structure.

"What do we do now sire?" asked Bahumet.

Kaede shrugged, then walked up to the gates. There seemed to be some kind of a seal on the door. Kaede tried several incantations to open it, but nothing worked. Then he remembered the White Materia. Bringing it forth, Kaede commanded the door to open yet again, in Cetra. Whirring sounds emanated from the structure, but nothing happened. He brought out his sword, still glowing with light, and tried again. The gaping passageway opened into reveal a pitch black interior. However, the light of the sun barely managed to illuminate more than a few feet.

"Well, that was easy," grinned Bahumet, "shall we enter the Fortress of the Ancients?"

"On your guard," warned Kaede, "I don't trust this."

As the two walked into the great fortress, it slowly became darker. The light from the great door faded, becoming nothing more than a splinter of light on the edge of the shadows. Soon, the only source of illumination came from the White Materia. Everything else was utter darkness, even his sword. Kaede could hardly see where he was going.

`This is unnatural,' thought Kaede, `I should be able to see more clearly than this...'

The pinpoint of light was extinguished as the gates leading outside slammed shut.

Kaede turned around in time to see the door close.

`It's a trap!'

That was when strange sounds cut through the darkness. A mysterious hissing filled the air. Kaede stopped in his tracks, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

"Bahumet..."

"I sense it too sire."

Something was in the room, something dark and sinister. Then Kaede saw a glimmer from the corner of his eyes.

"Bahumet! Watch out!"

The Planeswalker jumped in front of the dragon, as a giant ball of fire flew towards them. Kaede was thrown across the room, leaving Bahumet to search for the source of the blast.

Two blood red eyes glowed in the darkness, a shrill laugh tore through the air.

"Sire!" yelled Bahumet, "are you alright?"

Bahumet could hear coughing.

"Yes," answered Kaede's voice shakily.

More blasts shot out from the darkness, flinging Kaede off his feet. He tried to dodge more incoming fire, while Bahumet deflected the blasts with his wings. However, they couldn't keep this up for long...

The attacks eventually stopped. Whoever it was seemed to have run out of energy to fire at them, but for how much longer? Kaede slowly rose to his feet, weighing his options. Whatever was hiding in the darkness, it had a distinct advantage, for even Bahumet and Kaede could not see in the pitch black. Then he realized why they were such easy targets. The White Materia still glowed, giving whatever was out there a perfect idea of their location.

"Time to even the odds," whispered Kaede.

The Planeswalker concentrated deeply, reaching out to Bahumet with his mind.

`Bahumet!'

"Sire?" asked the dragon.

`Don't say anything, just close your eyes, right now!'

`Very well,' answered Bahumet through the mindlink.

Kaede muttered some strange incantations as he gathered energy in his hands.

`Let's see how they like this!'

Kaede yelled into the darkness, releasing a brilliant explosion of energy from his hands.

The flash was blinding, or would have been if Kaede hadn't already closed his eyes. When Kaede finally saw again, the room was utterly illuminated. The spell had brought light throughout the entire room. Its beauty took his breath away, for the room was a dazzling display of marble and metal, just as impressive the outside. Tapestries and murals adorned the walls, illustrating the Cetra histories on this planet. It was a vast chamber of rich, golden brass against soft, blue marble. Kaede was soon jarred from his reverie as he realized that the red on the walls wasn't paint...it was blood. The chamber walls were awash in crimson, but there were no bodies anywhere. What had happened?

Several passageways led off to other directions, while a large shaft in the middle of the great hall led to the upper rafters and other floors beyond the ceiling. Their enemy could be hiding anywhere.

Kaede searched through the room, trying to find the attacker. Bahumet slowly raised his wings, and opened his eyes. The dragon rose to his full height, wary of danger...

Kaede saw it first, a dark figure, hiding in the shadows of one of the passageways leading out of the hall. Kaede couldn't make out all of it, but whatever it was...it was huge.

Bahumet sniffed the air, then growled as he caught the attacker's scent.

"Tiamat," cursed Bahumet.

More hissing emerged from the passageway.

"Come out," said Kaede, "you can't hide from us."

The figure slowly made its way from the shadows.

"Then," answered the hissing voice, "I will kill you."

A mass of blue-green scales came into view. It was a great dragon, with large gray wings and razor sharp teeth. The behemoth was as tall as Bahumet himself.

Kaede looked at the beast, and was taken aback.

"It...looks like you," he said to the King of Dragons.

"The cur," snarled Bahumet, "is a traitor to our kind, a false brother to all dragons."

"You know him?" asked the Planeswalker.

The green scaled beast laughed harshly, "Bahumet and I are old acquaintances."

The King of Dragons looked at Kaede, eyes filled with rage, "the vile filth murdered many of our allies during our battles with the Jenovans."

"And why not?" said Tiamat, "they knew the true meaning of power, as do the Drahk. You cannot stop us-"

"What do the Drahk have to do with this?" demanded Kaede, eyes narrowed, "Why should you know of their plans?"

Tiamat blinked once before sneering, "What was that worm?"

"Where are the defenses?" continued Bahumet, "even the Cetra knew enough to fortify their creations."

The beast grinned evilly, "we destroyed them all."

"Who is `we?'" asked Kaede.

Tiamat cursed under his breath.

The Planeswalker closed his eyes, concentrating. Then he sensed something, and his eyes quickly opened, "You are hiding something."

The green dragon began to shake with rage, "I do not fear you! There is nothing that I need hide from such weaklings!"

"Then why do you guard that passageway?"

Tiamat remained silent.

Kaede turned to Bahumet, "Someone else is here, I need to get through that doorway."

The King of Dragons nodded

Tiamat rose to his full height, spreading his wings to bar the way. Steam hissed forth from his nostrils as he threateningly raised his claws at the pair.

"You fools! Nothing can save you now! YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN SEE THE LIGHT...OF DAY!!!!!!!!"

Tiamat let forth a giant blast of fire towards the pair. Kaede jumped to one side, as Bahumet charged at the dark dragon. The two locked talons with each other, and they span through the air, trying to hurl each other away.

The Planeswalker made his move, heading for the now vacant doorway.

Sensing this, Tiamat broke his grasp on Bahumet, sending the King of Dragons crashing to the floor. The then scourge headed for Kaede.

Kaede was thrown against the wall as Tiamat slammed against him. He raised his head in time to see the beast's jaws drawing close. Kaede grabbed the dragon's maw with his hands, desperately trying to keep the mouth from closing. The Planeswalker could see his reflection in the gleaming teeth. Tiamat roared as he tried to snap his jaws shut, the foul stench causing Kaede to blanch.

"Bahumet," grunted Kaede, his arms beginning to burn from the strain, "a little help would be nice."

A mammoth figure slammed into Tiamat, smashing him into the opposite wall.

"Pardons for the delay sire," grunted Bahumet.

Kaede slowly got to his feet.

"Forgiven," he laughed harshly, "can you hold him off while I go after the other?"

Bahumet raised his eyes to the staggering Tiamat.

"It will be a pleasure to destroy him," he growled.

"My thanks," said the Planeswalker.

Kaede ran for the open passageway again. This time, Tiamat had no chance to stop the man, for Bahumet crashed into the beast again, sending a flurry of talons and scales thrashing about.

Kaede ran through the now lighted halls. It seemed his trick had worked. The spell he had used to light the City of the Ancients had also worked to illuminate this place. The back of Kaede's mind was screaming at him that this was the key, that within these halls was hidden the reason for all of this.

Kaede soon came to another large room. It seemed to be alive with machinery and equipment. Monitors and screens flickered on and off. Communications arrays emitted a low hum of static. Blue-green hues of light engulfed the room, adding an ethereal quality to the place. But there was something wrong here, he could feel it. Kaede shuddered, but from more than just the cold.

He heard a strange buzzing noise, and his instinct shouted out warning. Sensing an unseen danger, Kaede immediately jumped away from where he was standing. An explosion sent him plummeting through the air as an evil laughter echoed through the room.

"Hello again Kaede," said the voice, "you die for real this time."

The Planeswalker gathered his wits as he took in the surroundings. A small fire was blazing against the cool blue of the room. Kaede groaned as he got to his feet, he had to meet his attacker.

He rasied his head as he heard footsteps come near, and came face to face with...

"Xizor," snarled Kaede.

Author's Note (warning: FF8 fixation syndrome): OH YES! HAHAHAHA! BOOYAKA! Wait a minute, that's from FF8... I'd really like to think that nobody saw this coming, but I wouldn't be surprised if you did. Xizor's death seemed too quick to be true. This chapter has actually been the hardest for me to complete so far, just because I was so obsessed with the planning stages.

Anyway, here is a description of the city for those of you who need it. Of course, the surface contains lots of forests and stone ruins, as any good island should...they serve a purpose later on (i.e. games of cat and mouse, you'll see). There is a futuristic city in the center. This new city is supposed to look something like a cross between Esthar from FF8, an Aztec temple like in the FF7 game, and Atlantis. In the city's center is a giant dome, something that looks like Balamb Garden, again from FF8.

One more thing, yes I know that Tiamat appears in FF8 and not FF7, but I really wanted to write him into the story (gee, I pulled a lot of stuff from FF8 didn't I?). I like to think of Bahumet(s) and Tiamat as mortal enemies in any existence.

I really wish you all could read the italics I try to post here, it would probably make the reading during flashbacks and thoughts easier to read. But `notepad' has been spazzing on me as of late. As always, write me. Heck, e-mail me if you have the time!