Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy 7: Darkness Falls ❯ Chapters 24-39 ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 24: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: As I have said since the beginning of time (hasn't been that long, has it?), I don't own FF7, just this story.

The meeting was over, Avalanche and the Turks were deep in thought about what they should do.

Seto was also there, and offered his advice, "we must not worry about the preparations, everything is in place. We can do no more."

Reeve took a deep breathe, "but what will we do in the meantime, count the minutes until they come?"

Cloud voiced his opinion, "no, that won't do us any good. We need to be relaxed before the final push. If we lose our calm, we will lose everything."

"What should we do then?" asked Elena.

"What did you do to prepare for Sephiroth," asked Kaede, "how did you prepare for Meteor?"

Cloud nodded, "you know, there was something that calmed me down."

"And that was?" asked Rude.

"I spent the night with Tifa," he replied, then inwardly winced at how that sounded.

"What?" blinked Reno, "you mean you guys-"

"NO!" shouted Tifa and Cloud in unison.

"Not that night anyway," said Barret under his breathe.

The others hid their laughs as Cloud and Tifa gave them venomous stares.

Kaede nodded, urging Cloud to continue.

"I meant that we talked to each other," said Cloud, glancing at Reno, "it helped us to forget our troubles."

"Yeah," exclaimed Cid, "I remember, I went back to Rocket Town."

He smiled at Shera, who smiled back.

"And I went and saw Marlene," continued Barret.

"We all went somewhere to relax," finished Vincent, "somewhere that we could forget our troubles."

"It helped us remember what we were fighting for," reasoned Cloud, "made us more determined."

Kaede nodded, "a wise course of action. I couldn't think of a better idea myself."

"Okay then guys," said Cloud, "let's mo-"

He took a quick look at Cid, who threw his arms up in dismay. Cloud grinned as he said, "let's move."

"Thank God," whispered the captain.

The various members of the group went back to their hometowns, to take a final look before the battle started. Barret took Marlene to North Corel, while Reeve and the Turks opted to go to Midgar. Cid and Shera went to Rocket Town, Nanaki returned with his father to Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie took Vincent to visit her father in Wutai, while Tifa and Cloud went back to Villa Cloud. Aeris and her mother joined them, as did Kaede.

Always his favorite pastime, Kaede was walking along the beach with Aeris by his side. They held each other close as they gazed at the night sky.

"I wonder how long we'll be able to see the stars like this?" asked Aeris.

"Don't worry Aeris," answered Kaede, "you'll see them again."

"Promise?"

"Sure," answered the Planeswalker, "can't lie to my beloved now can I?"

Aeris grinned, "which reminds me...my mother wasn't all that surprised when I told her."

"I know," said Kaede, "like she had a sixth sense about it."

Aeris laughed, "I can't believe she called you a `good catch.'"

He frowned, "what, I'm not?"

"No, no, of course you are," smiled Aeris, "it's just that I never thought of you as a...catch...before."

Kaede smiled back at Aeris, "I'm glad I'm getting to spend these final moments of peace with you."

Now it was Aeris' turn to frown, "don't say it like that Kaede, we'll have plenty more moments like this."

He sighed, "I hope so."

Elmyra stood on the deck, looked out at the sea, looking at her daughter, as she walked on the beach with the man known as Kaede. Off in the distance, she saw them as they disappeared into the Kitana. Elmyra smiled sadly, how much longer could they enjoy life's simple joys before the monsters took them away?

"She's lucky," said Tifa from behind.

The older woman turned around as she saw Cloud and Tifa come out and take seats next to her.

"I know, and I'm glad for her," said Elmyra, "but it just isn't fair, for either of them...or for any of you. It shouldn't be like this. You kids are at the beginning of your lives. You shouldn't be forced to cope with what's happening."

"`Life is ever a series of trials,'" quoted Cloud, "heard that in "Loveless.'"

Tifa smiled, "I wasn't aware you saw that play."

"Oh you know me," joked Cloud, "I'm a hopeless romantic."

She rolled her eyes at him, "spare me."

"What?" he demanded, "I am"

"When?" she smiled.

Cloud suddenly became serious, paraphrasing more from the play, "whenever I am near you, my heart flutters and my soul soars to Heaven. I am hopelessly devoted to you Tifa."

He grinned at her surprised stare. Kaede wasn't the only one who could spout poetry.

Elmyra smiled knowingly at the two, "I think three has just become a crowd."

Tifa and Cloud asked her to sit back down, telling her not to leave.

Elmyra shook her head, "listen to me kids, as I told Aeris and Kaede, just do what you have to do, and come back safe. Relax, Planet knows you've earned it."

With that, she smiled and walked back into the Villa.

A frown of worry crept into her face, `please Planet, if there is any justice in the world, please protect Aeris. Protect each of them...for all our sakes.'

The crew members looked with fear at the four generals on deck. The shipmen were used to higher ups on board, but these were the emperor's Four Horsemen. What's more, they had the emperor's personal guard with them. Like wraiths were the guards, giant shades that reeked of death and suffering. But it was not the shades that they feared, it was the generals.

Methos looked with disdain at the schematic of the planet. Here he was, in one of the flagships of the empire. He was surrounded by the best technology ever created, and backed by the largest fleet ever assembled for such a task force. He had the very powers of the emperor flowing through his veins, and still, he could get no straight answer.

"Why is there so much activity on that planet?" asked the Horseman of Chaos.

"I do not know Lord Methos," replied an officer below the tactical podium.

The captain of the ship looked on with terror at the four Dread Lords. Never had he seen such power before. Their eyes burned fierce with raw energy. They were shrouded in darkness, as if they swallowed the very light. Whatever was unlucky enough to draw near them invariably froze, shriveled, and perished. There were several dead vermin lying near their feet, looking for all the world like they'd been sucked dry...and the Horsemen hadn't even been paying attention to them. By the emperor's name, why did he have to cross these people, today of all days?

Sephiroth grimaced at the man, green eyes blazing, "you are a military mind, are you not captain? What do you think it means?"

"They know we have arrived," deduced Veletta.

Sephiroth nodded, "the holding patterns are similar to some of the phalanx positions used by SOLDIER. Flanking positions resemble Wutainian tactics. You can be assured of a welcoming party."

Methos turned to the captain, "I thought I told you...I wanted to catch them by surprise."

The terrified man tried to stammer a reply, "I-I'm sorry sir! It was some kind of seal! It broke when we entered the solar system and-"

The Chaos Lord extended his hand toward the captain below. The man was lifted from the deck, rising foot by foot until he was level with Methos's blazing blood red eyes.

"You should have thought of that before...apologize," commanded the evil man.

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again, I-"

The captain's words were cut short, for a strange force began to grip at his throat. He couldn't speak...couldn't even breathe.

"What was that?" sneered Methos, "did the cur have something to say?"

The man's eyes bugged out as his throat was crushed. With a sickening snapping sound, the rest of the body imploded, as if sucked dry, then fell to the floor in a broken heap of flesh and bone.

"You will not have a second chance to disappoint me," said Methos to the dead mass.

Sephiroth smiled grimly, "tsk, temper, temper Methos, although I do like your style."

Methos glared at the man, "let's get one thing straight, spawn of Jenova, the only reason you are still alive is because the emperor wills it, and we have use for you. Beware, I am the very embodiment of his power!"

"We all are," warned Veletta.

"Don't cross us," finished Morbius.

Sephiroth shrugged, unimpressed, "don't put yourselves up on any pedestal, lest you forget I have a piece of that power as well."

Methos grunted, "well, it's time you put your skills at work."

Morbius continued, "you know the layout of the planet, how will we go about this?"

"The Dark Purge has already begun," reminded Veletta, "we need only to finish the last step."

Sephiroth looked at the schematic on the Fortress of the Ancients. This is where it would have to fall. However, if he knew Cloud, and that accursed Cetra bitch, there would be problems. Nothing he couldn't handle.

Sephiroth sneered to himself, it was time to put his plan into action.

"If we are to succeed, we will need to make it fall here, in the Fortress," pointed Sephiroth, "and there is one small thing that stands in our way."

"Kaede," answered Methos.

"Actually," countered Sephiroth, "I had someone else in mind."

"The Cetra," deduced Veletta, "the one known as Aeris."

Sephiroth nodded, "she alone can summon forth Holy and cause us problems."

"You do not suggest," demanded Methos, "that a little harlot like her could actually be a threat to our plans?"

Sephiroth shook his head, "of course not, however, she may delay it, and in so doing, lessen the force of the Dark Purge."

"So what do we do?" asked Morbius.

"We must kill her," said Veletta, "we must kill the Cetra."

Sephiroth shrugged, "she poses a minor threat, but she must not be allowed to try anything."

Methos shook his head, "we must kill Kaede first. He poses the most threat. He knows-"

"We must destroy HER," cursed Veletta.

"Stay focused," chided Morbius, "the Purge is all, the Cetra doesn't matter."

"You speak for yourself," spat Veletta, "I know what I must do. The bitch dies at my hands. I will have the satisfaction of seeing them suffer before the end."

Morbius shook his head at her. Why was she being like this? Ever since Kaede had left, she had become tempestuous, unfocused. Her fury knew no bounds, and yet they soared to even greater heights whenever he was mentioned. And now, it seemed that hatred had transferred over to the girl, the last great hope this planet had, although the Cetra would burn easily enough with the rest.

Sephiroth shrugged, "kill the girl, kill him, kill them all. It makes no difference."

He smiled to himself. Sephiroth had studied these people enough to know what buttons to push. They would be so busy with their own plans, they would not notice his trap until it was too late.

Morbius looked at Veletta again. Why was she so obsessed with the Cetra? Ever since they had found out what had happened to the Sleepers, she had been almost one-sided in her pursuits. It was clear that the only threat came from her and Kaede, but they would fall easily. Morbius smiled inwardly, oh yes...they would all fall. They had no idea of the power they were dealing with. The power of the emperor flowed through his blood, making him into a god. Now all creation would cower at his feet.

Sephiroth grinned inwardly as he prepared to put the final nail in the coffin, "our plans mean nothing without this..."

He drew out a black orb. The other Horsemen looked at the dark thing. However, it was not dark in itself. It was not that it absorbed all light, like them, it was just that it emitting...nothing. The thing, whatever it was, looked as evil as the emperor's eye, as if it were made of the raw dark powers that flowed through their bodies.

"What is that?" demanded Methos.

"This," answered Sephiroth triumphantly, "is the Black Materia."

"And what do you plan to do with this trinket?" asked Morbius.

The ex-SOLDIER glared at Morbius, "this `trinket' will help us multiply the power of the Purge tenfold."

The other three Horsemen stared at him, eyes narrowed.

"How do you plan to do that?" demanded Morbius.

`Yes fools,' thought Sephiroth, `fall into my trap. And when it is done, I shall be the one with ultimate power!'

Aeris laughed as she walked the halls of the ship with Kaede. Beautiful tapestries adorned the walls as they walked down the halls.

"Wow," exclaimed the Cetra, "I never knew you were an art buff."

"I'm not," smiled Kaede, "these are various relics I picked up on my travels."

Kaede lead her to another room, with cases full of trinkets and artifacts from countless worlds.

"Keepsakes," explained Kaede, "given to me by different races,"

Aeris was awestruck, "it seems you are held in high honor."

"Lord Silver is well known for his exploits throughout the cosmos," explained the feminine voice of the computer.

The Planeswalker groaned, "Kitana, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?"

"Sorry," replied the voice, "old habits-"

"That's okay," interjected Kaede, "I don't need for you to sound like Bahumet!"

"Very well Master Kaede," answered the computer.

He groaned again, "why do people always have to be so bleeding formal with me?"

Aeris laughed, "you sound just like Reeve."

Kaede looked at her doubtfully.

"It's true," she smiled, "you just have this...aura about you. It demands respect."

"Lady Aeris states it quite succinctly," voiced Kitana.

"`Lady Aeris?'" asked the Cetra, "where did that come from?"

"Well," reasoned the computer, "if you are to be sire Kaede's betrothed-"

"Alright Kitana," said Kaede, "thank you for reminding...wait a minute...how did you know?"

"You didn't really make that big of an effort to hide it sir," said Kitana, "you always talked about her while on board the ship and the way your body temperature rises when-"

"KITANA!," struggled Kaede, "please...you're embarrassing me."

Aeris tried hard not to laugh aloud.

"Very well sir," replied the computer, "do you need me for anything else?"

"No, thank you," answered Kaede, "take a rest, I'll activate you in the morning if I need anything."

"Sweet dreams sir."

"Sweet dreams," he responded, "DO computers dream?"

"I may not have full autonomy of the ship sir, but I am sentient, I do run the bridge and some of the common areas-"

"Kitana...I helped program you, remember?"

"Oh...right," said Kitana, "sorry. Well, to answer your question, I do kind of dream sometimes, although it's not quite the same as what you do."

"Hmmm," pondered Kaede, "very well, until the morning then."

"Until the morning," bade the voice, "good night Lady Aeris."

"Good night," laughed the Cetra.

"Shutting down."

Sephiroth was done explaining. They would follow his plan. He knew they would, for they had no other alternative.

"So," asked Methos, "we use this...trinket...to empower the Dark Purge, granting the emperor energy ten-fold to what we have anticipated?"

Morbius blinked uncertainly. They had come to this planet to reap the technology and energy of this planet. Archaic as the planet was, it had mysteries hidden deep inside, mysteries that could grant ultimate power.

Sephiroth knew they had come to this planet, to feed off its energy. It was the key to their power. And a planet this rich in mako was irresistible to them. They were drawn to it like a moth to a flame. He smiled, it was a fitting analogy. They did not know it, but this `Fortress' would not only strengthen the Dark Purge, it would empower the avatar who brought it forth. He would be the one to receive its power. He would discard the emperor like a forgotten plaything. Or perhaps not, it pleased Sephiroth to think of all the ways he would make life a living hell for these people.

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" demanded Veletta.

"Hear me Jenovan," cursed Morbius, "do not cross us."

Sephiroth waved his hands in a gesture of dismissal, "I couldn't care less about Jenova. "Mother" was simply a means to an end. And while her song was sweet while it lasted, I have found more fertile pastures in which to reap the fruits of destruction."

"How poetic," quipped Methos, "pray your mind stays on task. Fail us, and it will be the last time you do anything."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at the Horseman, "careful Methos, my patience goes only so far..."

As they discussed the plan of attack, all the while, Sephiroth brooded on his ascension to power.

`I shall become a god, and all creation shall cower before me!'

"Well," said Aeris, "we've got the ship to ourselves."

"Looks that way," agreed Kaede.

"So, what's the deal with my new designation?" smiled Aeris, "I never thought of myself as some lady of a lord before."

"I'm no lord," shrugged Kaede, "but you have all the grace and charm of any royal."

She blushed, "thanks."

He lead her over to the glass cases in the showroom. Lighting shone down from the ceiling, glittering against the jewels.

"So, what do you think?"

She was spell bound, "they're beautiful."

"Not half as much as you," he answered.

Aeris returned a wry grin, "I bet you weren't thinking that during battle, or when you first pulled me from the lake."

"You're right..." he trailed off

Aeris frowned...well, at least he was honest. She remained quiet as he lead her to another room. It had a balcony with a view of the stars outside. The night air was slightly chilly, but comfortable.

"...You were even more spell binding," he finished.

It took a while for her to realize he was finishing his sentence from before. Aeris raised her hands to her forehead in defeat.

"What, you don't believe me?" he asked, "take my word, it is nigh impossible to imagine you not looking radiant."

"Oh Kaede," she laughed, "you're a card."

He grabbed her hands and brought the close to his chest. She felt his right hand caress her hair. His other brought up a silver necklace, links finely etched with the shape of flowers.

Aeris gasped.

"And to the Lady I present something more to put that ring around."

She stared breathlessly into his eyes as he brought his hand behind her neck, undoing the string necklace. He took the ring from around it and placed it around the new one.

"Trade?" he asked.

She nodded absently and stayed silent as he put the new necklace about her. He folded the old string one and placed it in his pocket.

"Hello, Aeris?" asked Kaede, looking into her eyes, "are you home?"

She managed to gather her wits enough to finally reply, "Kaede..."

He smiled back.

"You didn't have to," she started.

"That's why I wanted to," he finished.

They turned to look at the stars, Aeris snuggled comfortably against his side.

Kaede began to feel an aching headache at his temples. Why was he feeling like this? The seal had already broken.

Aeris noticed something wrong with him, "what's wrong?"

He rubbed his forehead, "I don't know-"

Aeris clutched at her stomach and cried out in pain.

"Aeris? Aeris!"

Kaede caught her as she began to stumble. Carefully, he lowered her to the ground.

She slowly fluttered her eyes open again.

The Planeswalker heaved a sigh of relief, "are you alright?"

Aeris nodded, though her body was still quivering, "the cries of the Planet, they overwhelmed me for a moment."

He looked at her with concern, "its because the Drahk are coming."

"Yes, that and...something else."

"What?"

"I don't know..."

Kaede gently lifted Aeris to her feet, and they held each other in the night, comforting each other.

"What did you feel?" asked the Cetra.

Kaede looked at her askance.

"Your headache," she explained.

Kaede sighed and looked to the stars, he could already see the darkness closing in.

"I feel them coming," answered Kaede, pointing to the stars, "look there, they are almost here. I see them like a cancer in the night sky. And I feel them like a plague in my mind..."

"Kaede..."

He looked into her pleading eyes with sadness in his own, "Aeris, I must be honest with you..."

Aeris hushed him, caressing his face, "Kaede, I understand."

He looked downward, now it was his body shaking, "I can't...lose you..."

Aeris embraced him, "you won't Kaede, it's you and I...till the end. That's more than most people get in a lifetime."

Kaede beheld the Cetra through glassy eyes, "Aeris..."

"Whatever happens Kaede, I feel blessed to have known you...to have loved-"

She could speak no more, and wrapped herself in his arms as she shed her tears against his shoulder.

"Hush now," he comforted, "no words are needed between us. Get some sleep."
Aeris looked up.

"Walk out the door, pick any room you want," offered he, "mine's at the end of the hall if you need anything."

"Aren't you going to sleep?" she asked.

He let out a heavy sigh, "I have some things to think about, I'll go in a little while."

He let himself collapse into a sofa, holding a bottle of Serran nectar in his hand.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded, "sweet dreams Aeris."

"Good night Kaede," she bade before leaving.

Tifa sat snuggled against Cloud, watching the stars from their recliner. She felt so safe in his arms, whenever he held her. With Cloud by her side, she could hold the world at bay.

Cloud reveled at their closeness. She couldn't know how it soothed him just to be near her, just to feel the warmth of her embrace.

He suddenly felt a bone chilling coldness seep into him, dispelling the warmth, threatening to destroy him. Cloud clutched Tifa close to him as he fought for breath...then the feeling was gone.

They breathed harshly together, in each others arms, for what seemed like forever.

"You felt it too?" asked Tifa.

Cloud nodded, "what was it?"

"I don't know," she replied, "what is that?"

She pointed to the sky...there seemed to be a dark patch in the heavens...through which no star light could penetrate.

"That must be them," deduced Cloud. It was the Drahk, the harbingers of death...coming to claim all their souls.

Tifa held onto him tighter, "Oh Cloud..."

The swordsman drew his wife closer, looking into her eyes, "hey now...it'll be okay."

Tifa looked away, but he lifted her chin again to gaze into her eyes again.

"Whatever happens," promised Cloud, "we'll get through it...together."

She smiled and clutched him tightly, taking comfort in the friction of her body against his.

"Whatever happens," he continued, "I have no regrets...because I found you, and because I love you."

She shed a tear, which Cloud promptly brushed away before kissing her. Cloud once more drowned himself in her, forgetting his sea of troubles...

Kaede stood up, he had brooded for long enough. He had to get some sleep, for the true challenge was yet to come. He breathed heavily, praying silently that everything would turn out okay...they wouldn't, of course; they never did. But that didn't keep him from trying, from hoping.

The warrior tread silently through the halls, careful not to disturb Aeris. He didn't hear anything...she was already asleep.

Kaede shook his head, the last few weeks had been torture for her. He had tried to protect Aeris, but he always went where the trouble was...it was virtually impossible for him to be in someone's presence and not endanger them. Once again he considered if he was being fair to her...forcing his emotions on her. Kaede sighed...like fate, love was a fickle mistress. It did what it would, and be damned the consequences. All he could do was try his best for Aeris.

He opened the door to his room, stripping down to his pants and tee-shirt.

"Lights," he announced, "dim."

As requested, a very soft glow lit the room.

"Kaede..." came a whisper.

Kaede noticed breathing, and it was not his own. He turned around and found himself face to face with Aeris.

She wore only her tank tops and shorts, looking down at the floor.

"Aeris," he whispered back.

His heart was beating rapidly like a drum. He closed his eyes, steeling himself, forcing himself to stay controlled. He knew what she wanted...knew how she felt, but he couldn't do this. He wanted it too, wanted it so badly. He needed to know he had finally found someone...finally found peace that wouldn't leave him quaking in the night. He wanted to feel that...that she was not some ghost in the night that would pass him by...that would leave him cold and alone, like he had felt so many times in his dreams. But he wouldn't...he couldn't do this to her. He couldn't bare to be the fleeting ghost in HER dreams...to ultimately fail her.

"Aeris...if I don't make it," he tried to explain, "I can't..."

Kaede trailed off as he saw the look in her eyes. And he recognized the same emotion in her that he felt himself...need. Oh...how he wanted to forget his troubles. How he yearned to hold her in the night, and forget that anything existed but her. He wanted to bury himself in the rising emotions that threatened to engulf them both.

"I can feel your thoughts," tried Aeris.

"Aeris," whispered Kaede, "you don't...why...?"

"I just...wanted to be near you," she struggled to say.

Aeris trailed off, not needing to explain any more. He knew what she felt. She was frightened. They were now faced with a force powerful enough to destroy worlds. It was foolish to ignore the fatality in that. Great Planet, she needed him so badly now, she needed him so badly it hurt. Needed him to make her feel alive, to let her know that she was not alone, that she never would be, that the darkness would not claim her...and he needed to know the same.

Kaede felt his heart clutch, for never before had he committed himself to anyone. Never had he truly loved...

Kaede looked into her eyes one more time, and was lost. Her eyes screamed for him, pleading with him not to go. He never would, never could...for she was to him like the blood that flowed through his veins. Life without her would not be worth living. He ached for her, oh how he ached for her...

The Planeswalker sighed, reaching out his hands. Aeris ran into his embrace, while Kaede held onto her like a drowning man. He breathed in her scent, smelling sweet flowers. He tasted salt on her cheeks as they held each other close, and reveled in the warmth of her body against his. He sighed as he stared into her searching eyes once again. And as he captured her in a ravenous kiss, giving to her his very heart and soul, he knew this was it. He would hold onto her forever, and never let her go. They were for each other, and nothing would EVER take that away.

The two simply quivered in each others arms as they lost themselves in the each other...lost themselves to the night...

Author's (really big) Note: AHEM! Sorry people if you were expecting this last scene to get a little lemony, but I told you it wouldn't happen, I`m not a big fan of them. Too often it degrades the story and makes it cheesy. And my story is already frothing over with cheesiness at certain points. This is the closest you'll get from me. In fact, I had to be convinced to write this much...you see, I can't write romantic stuff very well, so I leave it to you. I don't want to botch up anything, and I trust you all to have creative minds. You can make up your own ideas. I'm not saying anything happened, I'm not saying it didn't...I want it to be your choice. Sorry if the last few chapters came out a bit corny. At any rate, this was the last completely developmental scene. Now it's to the meat of the matter...final battle. No more uncertainties, I bury them all in the heat of battle!

Next chapter sees the first scenes of combat, and it all follows soon after that. I'd like to get feedback on these last few chapters so I can tailor the story to my readers' tastes. I already have what I want to do planned out, and you all have been great with all the encouragement and suggestions.

I get really disappointed when a great story just drops the ball at the end, and I don't want that to happen here. I am really excited about the story, I think about it all the time. I just want to make sure I finish it with a bang, so feel free to tell me what you think and what you want done. I'll rewrite entire chapters if I feel the need. Tell me what you think I should add or cut. Just try not to rag me (smiles nervously)! Thanks again

Chapter 25: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: No, I don't own FF7, just this story.

Reno and Rude were at Shinra Headquarters, running routine checks and research. Currently, they were whittling away the time in a computer laboratory, running schematics on the planetary forces. They were also processing the information Red found and correlating it with anything concerning the Fortress of the Ancients.

Reno leaned back in his leather chair, rubbing his temples as he trudged through the multitude of computer displays.

"Tell me again," groaned the Turk, "why did I take this job?"

"It's better than no pay and getting drunk," replied Rude, "...and you're a bit of a masochist."

Rude's lips twitched in smile, "now that's a scary idea."

Reno glared at Rude, and grinned back, "my friend, the thought of you actually developing a functional sense of humor is even more frightening."

The two were interrupted as a loud shrilling noise issued from the sensors in the room.

Reno covered his ears, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

One of the technicians managed to shut down the alarm, he went pale as he read the computer readout.

Rude caught the look, "tech, report status."

"S-sir," stammered the man, "our sensors have picked up a proximity warning."

"And?" demanded Rude.

"It's huge, and extraterrestrial," replied the worker breathlessly.

"What?" exclaimed Reno, "let me see!"

The tech pulled up a visual of the problem...it WAS huge...

"Oh hell," whispered Reno.

Hundreds upon hundreds of dark ships, looking for all the world like giant crows, were heading toward the planet. What's more, there was a strange aura about them...almost as if there were a...storm brewing around them. A particularly menacing looking ship spearheaded the incursion force, dark, crystalline, and terrible...a harbinger of death.

"It's them," voiced Rude.

"Damn," said Reno, "we have to get this message to Reeve ASAP!"

"I'm calling him now," answered Rude, tapping his computer.

`Sometimes,' thought Reno, `it just doesn't pay to get out of bed.'

Reeve and Elena were enjoying the sunrise on the shores near Midgar. They had ridden their chocobos out here, desperate to get away from the madness, if only for a little while.

Elena took several deep breaths, "I just needed to get out of there, you know?"

Reeve nodded, "we've been working nonstop for days."

Elena sighed, "I swear, I'm going to need some downtime when this is over."

"I hope you don't expect to be paid," he joked.

The Turk returned a rather sordid stare, "oh my, the boss actually made a joke."

He laughed in response, encircling Elena's waist with his arms.

"Thank you Elena," he said.

She wrinkled her eyebrows, "for what?"

"For this," he answered, just before kissing her.

He drew back, unsure if she wanted this.

Elena gave him an answer rather forcefully, "about damn time. Care to try again?"

Reeve smiled again, only too happy to comply, letting his arms rest at the small of her back.

She drew him in closer, caressing his arms with her hands, becoming lost in the excitement of it all.

A persistent ringing interrupted their passion. Reeve groaned as he pulled away from the kiss, staring into Elena's eyes.

The troublesome ringing continued, drawing a dejected look from Reeve. Elena hid a smile as he answered the phone.

"This had better be good," he warned, with a murderous gleam in his eyes.

"Sir, we have a problem," came the reply.

"Rude," demanded Reeve, "what did you disturb me for?"

"Sorry sir," answered Rude, "it couldn't be helped."

"What is it?" asked the President.

"We picked up proximity warnings on our space sensors," replied the Turk.

Reeve became pale, "that means..."

"The Drahk have finally arrived," finished Rude, "readings are going off the charts."

"What's their ETA?"

"A few hours at the most."

"I'll be there soon," Reeve nodded, "fine, alert the others, we need to get ready."

"It is already being done," came the answer.

The President of Shinra Inc. turned off his phone, and looked sadly into Elena's eyes once more, and sighed.

"It's them," she said, "isn't it?"

Reeve nodded.

Elena let out a deep breath, "planet help us."

All of Avalanche was gathered in the tactical room within the Highwind. The Turks were there as well, trying to show a display of the attack force in space. However, something about the dark forces in space were interfering with the resolution of the video feeds, causing them to flicker. It was as if the images of the Drahk were driving even the computers mad.

Kaede sighed, "curse it, I was right."

The others looked at him, asking him the obvious question.

The Planeswalker shook his head, "personal fleet of the emperor himself. We can be assured that whatever they want with this Planet, we won't want to live to see defeat. If we lose, the lucky ones will die quickly. That's a price I'm not going to pay"

"Where's the emperor's ship?" asked Cloud, his tactical training kicking in.

Kaede nodded, glad to see his friends were undaunted, "something tells me that its within the morass of ships they have pointed at this planet. What concerns me more is this..."

He tapped a button, bringing up a holographic display of the incursion force. The board was chock-marked with any number of red dots, entire scores even, signifying the attack ships. However, it wasn't the red that disturbed him, it was the strange bluish cloud that seemed to be concentrated near the center.

"What is it?" asked Aeris, feeling chilled to the very bone.

"I've never seen it before," admitted Kaede, "must be something new they have prepared for us."

"Do you think this is why the Fortress of the Ancients was created?" suggested Red.

Kaede shrugged, "perhaps. Until we can figure out how to use it though, it may as well be an over-glorified art gallery. I've already taken the brothers Bahumet and the Knights off the watch."

"Do you think that's wise?" asked Reeve.

"We don't really have a choice," replied Cloud, "Godo, Seto, and the others will need all the help they can get."

Reeve nodded, "so what do we do then?"

That was the crux of it. Entire armies lay waiting for the enemy. Canons were primed and ready for use. The only question that remained was what exactly the leaders were going to do.

Kaede never got the chance to explain his plan, for just then, a claxon began to blare loudly, jarring everyone from their thoughts.

Cid screamed into the comm-link in the room, "turn off that damn racket! I can`t hear myself think!"

As soon as they had started, the alarms subsided.

"What is that?" demanded Reeve.

Reno raised his hands, "hold on a second..."

He tapped his headset listening intently to the information coming in from them other end, "are you sure? Are the cannons ready? Okay, wait a second."

Reno turned to the President of New Shinra Inc., "The Drahk are within attack range, should I order the cannons to commence firing?"

Reeve turned to Kaede.

The Planeswalker nodded in reply, "you had better. If we don't put a dent in the undoubtedly large landing attack force, our forces will we ripped to shreds."

"Will it do anything?"

"It will do something," answered Kaede, "and it's a hell of a lot better than nothing. Use as much power as you have to. I think this qualifies as emergency enough to use whatever methods are at our disposal, mako included."

Reeve nodded, sighing as he gave the order that would start battle...the battle which would make or break the destiny of his planet

"Do it."

Reno nodded as he relayed his orders to the stations around the world.

Aeris felt the pains coming again, a throbbing migraine, threatening to tear apart her mind. Kaede looked at her with concern in his eyes, but she smiled bravely for him. He nodded, completely understanding, they were all under a lot of stress.

But he couldn't help feeling there was something more to Aeris' "light-headedness" than she was letting on.

And deep within the depths of the planet, ancient powers stirred in response, as the world spiraled through madness...

Sephiroth looked with disdain at the monitors before him.

"I don't like this," he said aloud, "I would prefer some decent resistance."

Methos looked pointedly at the Jenovan, "remember where your loyalties lie."

"Oh I do," replied Sephiroth, "but I'd enjoy a real challenge for a change."

Warning alarms racked the room with sound, signaling danger.

"What's happening?" demanded Morbius.

"It's the planet," answered one of the technicians, "they're unleashing some sort of...energy attack against us."

"Will it do any damage?" asked Veletta.

"To this ship?" scoffed Methos, "doubtful. Send the landing parties."

The technician did as ordered, but soon came again with bad news, "sir, the energy blasts are shredding through some of the ships. We're having trouble breaking through."

His temper flared, Methos had had enough of the planet's nuisance, "THEN ATTACK THEM IN FORCE!!! SEND EVERY DAMNED DROP SHIP WE HAVE, BUT GET THE JOB DONE!!!"

The tech nodded nervously as he signaled for an upscale in the attack.

"Hmm," grinned Sephiroth, "you do get results, don't you?"

Methos merely glared at the Jenovan, the hatred clear in his eyes.

But Horseman of Chaos ignored the comment, "move us into attack range, let's punch out their forces now."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Morbius, "I thought we were-"

"Now," insisted Methos, "no more playing around. If they want a fight, they shall have it. I was feeling merciful, I would have given them all quick deaths. But now I'm annoyed. Now they will all perish like Kaede...slowly, tortured, and begging for death."

Sephiroth grinned evilly, liking Methos even more every passing moment, despite himself. Despite the fact that, like everyone else, he was going to fall to his knees before the mighty Sephiroth.

Morbius nodded as he ordered the ship prepared for battle stations, preparing to win glory for his emperor...

Veletta smiled grimly as she thought of her plans for the Cetra...

Methos reveled in the ways he would kill Kaede...

Sephiroth brooded on his plans to usurp these fools, take the power that was rightfully his...

And so the game went on, everyone jockeying for their position in the new order to come...

Kaede was in the Kitana, which was knifing through the air like a bat out of hell. With him was Aeris, enjoying the final moments of peace they might ever know.

"Don't worry Kaede," comforted Aeris, "we'll get through this...together."

He smiled back, "of course we will. Besides, I have this to bring me luck..."

He brought out his sword. Attached to the hilt was Aeris' old string necklace.

She grinned in return, "I'm honored that such a great warrior would deem it lucky."

"Of course," answered Kaede, "now I think we should get to the bridge. Kitana can pretty much steer herself, but..."

"Right," laughed Aeris, "Cloud isn't the happiest person when flying."

Cid, on the other hand, was having the time of his life flying the new and improved Highwind. He cut through the air faster than thought, and he loved the sensation.

"Dammit Cid," shouted Barret, "you think you could slow down a little?"

"Aw come on Barret," returned the captain, "where's your sense of adventure?"

"I left it behind during take-off," groaned Barret, "along with my stomach and the rest of my insides."

"Really hon, you should be more considerate," chided Shera, "but I suppose boys will be boys."

Cid glanced sidelong at his wife, "do I look like a boy to you?"

Yuffie, braced against her chair, muttered a reply, "not by a long shot."

"I heard that," warned Cid.

Yuffie stayed quiet, sinking deep into her chair to keep from feeling too nauseous.

"Don't worry," calmed Vincent, "it'll be over soon."

The young ninja couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The various leaders of the Planetary forces gathered in the spacecraft and drop ships. Kaede and the others flew to every war zone, bringing what aid they could to the battling forces. The small task force ran strafing runs against the falling enemy. Each member had a comm-link, that they might communicate and coordinate the attacks. They shot the drop ships out of the sky, and when the enemy landed, shot them out from the ground as well. But always there were more to take their places, and already, the great battle had begun, pouring out onto the lands like a plague, as human and Cian alike fought against the terror of the Drahk.

Lord Godo of Wutai was marshalling his forces just south of Costa del Sol, not far from the Cosmo Canyons. He didn't know why he had been stationed hear. By all rights, the Cian should have been holding their ground here. However, the young Cetra, Aeris, had said otherwise, as if she knew something. Godo pushed the thoughts aside.

The cannons were firing constantly now, but still, black shapes fell from the sky. For every Drahk drop ship destroyed, always another would take its place.

All too soon, dark masses could be seen on the horizon, coming towards his position. All too soon, battle was joined. Here was the first battle that would determine the planet's fate.

The Drahk fell upon the Wutai and Shinra armies like great shadows. Dark beings, clothed in darkness, howled their rage into the blazing skies as they brought destruction upon the battle field. Claw met blade as the armies clashed.

Shinra Lieutenant Traven and his battalion had broken off from the main attack force, choosing to support Wutai raiders with their tech.

The battalion of men came up from behind a large attack force, and the Shinra soldiers fired their pulsar cannons into the dark masses. The cries of beasts from countless planets tore through the air, and they turned to face their opponents. The captain watched with satisfaction as the Wutainian swordsmen ran in, swords clashing, fearless in their single-minded pursuit of defeating the enemy. They were one people now. There was no Wutai, no Shinra, just the planetary forces, making one final stand against impending evil.

The Lieutenant caught a glare from the side of his eyes, and turned to look. His blood ran cold, for more Drahk forces were coming at them...reinforcements to add to the existing attack force.

"We have to get out of here," said a Shinra soldier.

Traven shook his head, "we have to hold our ground. If they get past us without warning, the army will be on the defensive.

The Shinra soldiers turned to the oncoming forces.

The leader of the Wutainian guard, Akari, saw the Lieutenant's movements, and nodded. It was too bad the Wutai-Shinra war had ever occurred, for such brave warriors would indeed have been honorable allies.

He signaled his swordsmen to protect the Lieutenant's flank, so that he may attack the reinforcements without fail. The leader of the guard knew that it was a death sentence, but he had never signed on to live forever anyway.

"Men, protect the Shinra gunmen," he said, nodding to the Lieutenant.

Traven nodded back, "let them have it."

The Shinra guns fired in the reinforcements, decimating many instantly. But always the tide would swell and come forth, an impregnable wall. If Traven didn't do something, they were in big trouble.

Akari fought on and on, with a tireless sword arm. Monsters fell screaming before his blade. He was drenched with blood, but little of it was his. Unfortunately, his men were not so lucky. Slowly but surely, his troops were falling. It was only a matter of time. There was no turning back now, they were sandwiched in between the two incoming forces.

Traven continued to fire round upon round into the heaving masses, but they still came. He activated a button on his belt, keeping it hot in case of a last resort. It was his trump card, he had designed it himself. Traven hoped he didn't have to use it, not yet anyway...but he probably would very soon.

Akari of the Wutainian guard watched in as his men fell. How many women had he made widows today? How many children had he made orphans? There was no counting, and there was no choice. These sacrifices were made to protect the planet, although that was little consolation to him, or the future grieving families.

Traven watched on in horror as the reinforcement finally closed. It was now down to energized knifes. The Shinra soldiers strode into the battlefield, wielding their firebrands and firing their guns. But it was no use. They died...heroes, everyone of them. A huge Drahk demon charged at the Lieutenant, staggering the Shinra man with a horn blow to the side. He fell, shielding his face with his hands. He hadn't even gotten to use his special weapon yet...and now he never would...there would be no warning for the others.

The leader of the Wutai task force saw the Lieutenant fall under a large demon. He and the Lieutenant were the last...there was no one else. However, the Captain seemed to have a trump card, some strange device concealed within his armor. It was clearly visible to those who knew where to look. The Wutainian made up his mind, he didn't know what it was, but it was something. There was no choice. He could do no more, but the Lieutenant could.

Akari charged his energies, and ran at the demon, running his sword deep into the monster. The beast screamed as dark blood coursed from its chest, but the Wutainian wasn't through yet. He drew an magic stone from his pouch, and activated it, hoping this would buy enough time for the Lieutenant's last move.

The stone released a blast, vaporizing both him and the demon. Akari's last thought was whether he had told his wife this morning that he loved her...

The Lieutenant opened his eyes to see the Wutainian tackle the demon. Was he crazy? Then a flash of light took both him and the demon. Traven cursed...what a loss. The swordsman had been brave. The Shinra Lieutenant looked around...he was the only one left. The hordes closed around him in a circle, demons and wraiths and other figures best left unseen. There were no options left. It was time to use his trump, the Wutainian had died to give him this chance.

Traven brought out his hand, with a detonator button on his glove. This was it, no turning back now.

He grinned at the monsters, just to throw them off track, "see you in hell boys..."

Traven pressed the button, releasing the critical energies within his armor. He barely had time to even think, but he forced himself to picture his daughter. He hoped Claire, his wife, would forgive him for what had to be done.

"I love you hon," were his last words.

The suit went nova, creating a massive explosion just under a hundred meters wide, taking much of the reinforcements with it. When the smoke cleared, a gaping hole had been made in the enemy forces, nothing was left but empty space.

Lord Godo's troops took heart from this attack, and began to attack the Drahk with new fervor.

Godo had seen the raiding party's attack. He had sent them to scout ahead for trouble. He had even known the outcome was stark, but they did it anyway, because he was their leader. He was surprised by the minor miracle that decimated the Drahk reinforcements. It both saddened him and heartened him that the foray had been successful. Those dead men were brave soldiers...heroes everyone. But Godo didn't want heroes, he wanted future grandfathers who would bounce kids on their laps. The enemy was stricken, but at what cost?

Despite the hole in the Drahk armies, there were still so many. Too many to hold off alone. How much longer would the line hold? Unless another miracle happened, they were doomed.

But miracles were coming in wholesale today. The fates were generous. Glowing figures shone on the horizon, mere pinpricks of light. Soon however, they coalesced into the shape of three dragons and several strike ships. The lead ship was strikingly white to the other black ones.

The Brothers Bahumet roared as they blazed their fires into the Drahk armies, exacting their toll of blood and pain in Drahk casualties.

A few of the ships grazed low against the ground, pouring forth reinforcements of Wutai and Shinra soldiers alike.

Twelve figures dropped from the white strike ship...and the Knights of the Round came onto the battlefield, adding their might to the planetary forces.

Godo stared amazed, never had he known summoned creatures to fight like this, was it possible to use them in such a way?

A familiar voice came to him from his ear comm-link.

"This is the Highwind," it shouted, "Dad, are you okay?"

"Yuffie?" asked Godo incredulously, "is that you?"

"Yeah!" shouted Yuffie, "it's the cavalry to the rescue!"

Godo smiled, the day was looking up, if only a little bit. His daughter had come to fight by his side. His daughter...whom he had not even really known for such a long time. He had always been proud of her, although he never admitted it. Now she was a great warrior, come to aid him in this time of need. This time, things would be different. This time, he would be a real father to her, after they won this battle.

And Gaurduan Forces fell from the sky, adding their might to the battle, that had to be a good omen.

Godo raised his twin swords as he prepared to attack. The line had to be drawn here. He would see no more families made orphans and widows. It ended now...

...He hoped...

Meanwhile, out in space, above the battlegrounds, a dark ship prepared for its dark task.

"Power levels nearing maximum..."

"Prepare to initiate beam weapon..."

Methos, Dark Lord of Chaos, saw over all with a glint in his eyes. Within his grasp lay the power to destroy worlds, and he reveled in it.

"Awaiting your orders sir," asked a subordinate.

He looked once more, disdainfully, at the planet before voicing his order, "fire..."

Author's Note: Well Jani (sorry for the misprint, you wanted action, here it is! Nothing much else to say. I'm trying to keep this interesting. Read on, the WEAPONS debut next chapter.

Chapter 26: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: No, I don't own FF7, just this story.

Seto was currently engaged in a rather heated battle for the passes to the south of Midgar. A great deal of Drahk had made planetfall, and they had to be stopped. Like great shadows they were, clothed in the black and darkness that suited them.

The great Cian had led his forces into bloody combat with the countless Drahk hordes. But Seto took comfort in the fact that they could bleed...and what could bleed was mortal. Of itself, under the cover of darkness, a Drahk looked frightening. But rip away the facade, tear away the cloak and dagger, and one was left with nothing more than an odd creature with an strange scream and a simple black cloak. Seto smiled, if the Drahk war cries indicated anything about their fighting, this would be over quickly. He could out-roar them any day, he did have his pride to think about. He also took solace in each Drahk warrior that fell before his paws.

Seto's eyes, indeed his very body, glowed with a hue of red energy. Beside him, never failing, his mate fought relentlessly, glowing an ice blue to his blazing fire. And on they fought, the elements of fire and ice, reaping their toll of death from their enemies. Screams rang out from both sides, as the tides of battle swept this way and that. Seto and his mate swept through the oceans of battle like sharks, felling all who stood in their way. Enemies were a quick snarl and scream, as they died from any number of claw and magic attacks. But the Drahk were formidable opponents, and it was clear that the battle was deadlocked.

`But for how long,' thought Seto, `it's only a matter of time before-'

His thoughts were cut short as a massive tremor began to shake the ground beneath his paws.

"What madness is this?" asked his mate, "did someone cast quake?"

Seto shook his head, "it's too powerful for that. The entire battlefield is trembling."

A great light came from the skies, engulfing the war torn fields with a bluish hue. The air crackled as if polarized with energy. Rocks and debris floated in the air.

Seto was nearly blinded as an intense blast of light came crashing down to the surface. The explosion was deafening as well as blinding, and Seto could barely think. When at last he opened his eyes, Seto went mad with rage. He had never seen Hell before, and now it stared him in the eye...

The sensors aboard the Kitana flew off the charts, as Kaede cut through the air.

"What is this?" asked Tifa.

Kaede grimaced, "damn, don't tell me..."

"What?" asked Cloud.

Kaede steered the ship towards the Cian armies south of Midgar, and hoped, not for the first time, that he was wrong.

The battlefield had become a massacre site. Fires blazed all throughout the valley. Bodies of Cian and Drahk alike were strewn across the battlefield. The glimmering blood and armor, on the dead bodies of countless warriors, studded the grounds as if some sort of unholy jewels. Bodies burned on the blood red fields.

Kaede stepped onto the burning grounds, trembling with rage, "those...animals..."

Aeris was speechless as the saw the raw terror and devastation before her. This attack, it had killed so many Drahk as well as Cian and Shinra forces. She realized then, that these beings cared nothing for life. To them, the only thing of worth was the pursuit of power.

...And they were destroying this planet, raping it, to get that power...

Tifa looked away, crying into Cloud's shoulder, unable to look at the gruesome sight. It reminded her too much of Nibelheim, of Sephiroth...

"How could they do this?" whispered Cloud.

Kaede clenched his fist, "they care nothing for life. To them, anything is justified in the name of conquest."

A voice came from behind, "this must be stopped."

The four warriors turned to see Seto and his mate approaching them. They were a bit ragged, but seemed otherwise fine.

"This cannot be allowed to continue," continued Seto.

Kaede nodded, using his comm-link to call the others here. However, he guessed they were already on their way. An attack this large was hard to miss.

Aeris lightly grasped Kaede's hand. He smiled reassuringly at her, but they both knew it was forced.

Kaede sighed and returned to his comm-link, "this is Kaede, come in..."

"Sensors report a direct hit," stated a technician, "however, there are still many enemy forces left within the strike zone as well as without."

Morbius grunted, "like insects, they continue to crawl about."

Veletta remained quiet.

"They're persistent all right," voiced Sephiroth.

Methos looked critically at the computer readouts, "fire again."

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow in response.

"S-Sir," explained a technician, "we are not back to full power, we-"

Methos shrugged the subordinate aside and pressed the button himself, "I said FIRE!"

The two armies south of Midgar were at a standstill, battling on either side of the killing grounds that were still aflame from the blast. Avalanche surveyed the mayhem with mixed feelings of shock and anger.

"Those bastards," was all Barret could say, reminded of how Corel had been decimated in similar fashion...burned to the ground...

Kaede remained silent, quaking inside with barely contained fury. Aeris stood beside Kaede, lightly holding his hand. Suddenly, the touch became a hard grip. He turned to her.

"Aeris?" he asked.

Aeris could not reply, for the pounding on her head grew worse. She put one hand to her face, while she steadied herself against Kaede with the other.

Before he could say anything, a deafening roar tore through the battlefield, so loud that it might tear apart the very skies from its intensity. The mountains in the distance began to crumble as light beamed out from the cracks.

"We are in serious trouble," gasped Seto.

The battlefield became disturbingly silent as all battlers turned to look at the trembling in the mountains.

Aeris screamed in raw, unbridled pain as the dam within her finally burst. Kaede caught her as she swooned, eyes closed tight. Her forehead was beaded with sweat.

"Aeris? AERIS!" he yelled.

And finally, the mountains crumbled, releasing a power that had lain dormant for so long...and giant beasts tore their way out of the rock, screaming into the sky.

Kaede looked upon the horrible creatures in awe.

"Is that-"

"Yes," answered Red, "they are the WEAPONS."

"Damn it," cursed Cid.

Author's Note: Well, I did say DEBUT didn't I? Don't worry, I am going somewhere with this. Stay tuned for next chapter.

Chapter 27: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: No, I don't own FF7, just this story.

Godo's forces were at standstill, forging a bloody stalemate against the Drahk hordes. The forces were too balanced. Godo raged through the battle, like a storm. His daughter and her friends were by his side. Godo couldn't remember all of their names, but he'd be sure to do so if they survived this.

Godo neatly gutted one of the dark creatures, and turned to face his next enemy. There were none near him. The Drahk were keeping well away from the generals of the Planet's armies.

Yuffie smiled back at her father, "hey dad, play nice now."

Godo laughed, "I can't help it if the toys break."

He was glad she had decided to stay with him. Something had gone wrong in the passes south of Midgar, and the others had been called away. Yuffie and Vincent, however, had decided to stay in the battle, along with the Guardian Forces. They were holding their own, but only just.

The battle may be a stalemate for now, but Godo knew they could overcome this. He was just afraid of how many more men it would cost him.

A great trembling shook the earth, as an ear-splitting scream tore through the sky.

Vincent looked to the horizon, and muttered a low curse, "what in the Planet's name is happening now?"

A giant explosion shook the lands, as a column of dust rose up along the horizon. And out of that smoke came a terror nobody had prepared for...a WEAPON, seemingly made of white crystal...awesome and terrifying at the same time.

Godo took one look and knew that Lady Luck was with him no more, "damn..."

In the passes south of Midgar, the two horrible goliaths roared into the sky, screaming forth their displeasure at those who would dare disturb their repose. Gold and Silver, the WEAPONS raised their wings and flew into the skies. An intense flash of light blinded all. The two clashing armies in the valley below had little time to react before the onslaught came. Silver came crashing onto the battlegrounds, the blood soaked soil crumbling beneath its feet. Drahk, human, and Cian alike fled screaming from the monster.

The other flew through the skies, a terror in the heavens, blasting all and sundry.

Kaede and the others quickly rose to their feet.

"What are these?" demanded Kaede, "I thought the WEAPONS were all destroyed!"

Cloud yelled above the din, "it seems as if the Planet held back a few."

"Damn it," cursed Cid, "not them again."

"What the hell do we do now?" asked Reno.

Unseen by the others, Seto nodded subtly to his mate. She nodded in return.

"I don't know," answered Nanaki to Reno, "father, what do you think?"

There was no reply.

"Father?" repeated Nanaki, turning around, "FATHER!"

The others turned to Seto, to find he wasn't there. No, the greatest Cian warriors of all time, perhaps second only to their son, were rushing the Silver WEAPON.

"Father no!" shouted Nanaki, "come back!"

Seto heard, and answered over his shoulder, "I cannot allow this to continue! This blood shed must be stopped!"

Before the others could shout out in denial, the two Cian were upon the Silver WEAPON. Blazing red and blue, spirits of fire and ice, Seto and his mate attacked the metal monstrosity.

Their movements were impossibly fast, as they seemed to fly through the air. Whirls of blue and red darted towards the WEAPON, trying to find the cracks in its defense. The WEAPON roared forth its rage, daring the warriors to stop it.

And looking on, Aeris shuddered in Kaede's arms. It was all she could do to stay awake, for the mind-splitting ache threatened to overpower her. The pain threatened to consume her whole.

Kaede and the others shouted uselessly to deaf ears...

Godo was horrified. The Crystal WEAPON was tearing through Drahk and human alike, trampling all beneath its feat.

"How in the Planet's name do we stop a force of nature?" he demanded.

The Bahumets, as well as the Knights, were busy with the Drahk forces, which left Avalanche to shoulder the burden.

"We'll take it!" shouted Yuffie, "Vincent, come with me!"

Godo yelled in denial as the two ran forward to challenge the beast, "no! Get back here!"

"No choice dad!" replied Yuffie, "we're the only ones that can take it!"

Vincent shouted over his shoulder, "get your men out of here! They must be ready to resume the attack on the Drahk!"

The Drahk hordes fought human and WEAPON alike. Slowly, the Planet's forces began to withdraw, and the Drahk attacked the giant beast. But the goliath was not to be trifled with, and stormed through the masses with the greatest of ease. Soon, the Drahk fell back as well, leaving Yuffie and Vincent to battle alone against the giant.

"Well," said Yuffie nervously, "I gave you your materia...so I hope I don't have to fight it alone."
Vincent grinned, recalling his words to Yuffie when they had met again near Bone Village.

That seemed so long ago...almost like a different life. So many things had happened...Aeris' return, Kaede...the Drahk."

"If we make it through this Yuff," heaved Vincent, "I have some things to tell you."

And then the Crystal WEAPON attacked, and there was no more time for words...

Silver WEAPON screamed its frustration as it struck at the bothersome pests that would dare attack it. Seto and his mate were the tornado, and the WEAPON was caught in their path.

Nanaki, also known as Red XIII, looked on helplessly as his parents fought the giant beast. He ignored the cries of warning as the other WEAPON flew overhead, vaporizing everything from above with its energies.

Kaede stared worriedly into Aeris' strained face, trying to bring her back to reality.

"Something's wrong," he said, "I knew she was hiding something, but..."

Cloud knelt down to look, and did not like what he saw. She was pale, so very pale.

Tifa was beyond words, as she saw her best friend at what seemed to be death's door. She didn't know if she could handle her death again. Not Aeris...dear Planet, please not Aeris.

Cid cursed to himself, and ran back to the Highwind, the others let him go, unaware he had even left. The Captain nodded surreptitiously to Reeve, Elena, and Barret, who left to follow him.

"What are you going to do?" asked Barret.

"Damned if I know," replied Cid, "but I gotta do something."

He tapped his comm-link, "Shera, fire up the engines, I'm on my way..."

The others were still looking into Aeris' eyes, trying to coax something out of her. But all the Cetra could do was moan in agony, curling into a ball at the crushing pain running rampant through her head.

Yuffie jumped as far as her legs would allow, fleeing from the blast that vaporized the air she had been near.

"Now Vince!" she screamed.

Vincent Valentine nodded, and succumbed to his rage. Screaming in anger. The WEAPON turned to see this new attacker, feeling his power level rising.

With each and every soul lies a dark side...the place where nightmares are born and the mind screams endlessly into the cold. Most simply blocked out the part of themselves which held so much darkness. Often, merely knowing of its presence was enough to shatter wills of steel. Vincent Valentine had been ignorant of it once.

That was before he met Professor Hojo...

Now Vincent tapped into his dark side at will, using its powers to fuel his rage and unquenchable thirst for revenge against the injustice that had been done to him. He let that power free...and turned into the beast hidden deep inside.

His eyes glowed blood red, his armor began to change, as wings sprung from his back.

The Drahk sensed opportunity...the young ninja was down. It would be simple to kill her now...to destroy the great general of the human armies.

Then they saw Vincent...and stopped dead in their tracks...

...For Vincent was no longer a mere mortal. He had changed into something...something even Yuffie had never seen before. To the Drahk, he looked like a dark lord...every bit as powerful as the Horsemen they served.

Vincent turned his blazing eyes to the hordes, daring them to attack. And for once, the Drahk felt something creep into their minds unbidden...they felt fear.

Yuffie saw in Vincent a dark prince...terrible and powerful. He was an angel of the night, dark wings spreading out from his cloak, in contrast to his pale skin. He was breathtakingly beautiful for all his dangers.

The Crystal WEAPON paused, as if sensing an equal for the first time. And the two titans clashed...two beast of darkness...raging forth into battle amid the bloodied fields...

It had finally happened. It had only ever been a matter of "when" rather than "if." Seto and his mate were slowing. At their peak, they could only ever have been the WEAPON'S equal. They had burned so very brightly...but now their energy was fading...

...It was the simplest thing in the world for the Silver WEAPON to capitalize on their slowness...and the great beast let forth a huge blast of fire in all directions, consuming everything foolish enough to be close.

Red stared in horror as his father and mother lay gasping on the ground below, exhausted, and completely at the mercy of the Silver WEAPON.

It raised its mighty foot, to crush these vermin and put an end to their meddling forever.

And suddenly, Red's mind snapped, and he howled his rage into the skies. The sound was unnerving...it was the sound of a beast...tortured, harried, and with nothing left to lose.

Red ran forth to meet the Silver WEAPON. He had lost his parents once already... and he would see himself rot in the pits of Hell before he gave them up without a fight.

He ran faster, harder, come and gone in the blink of an eye. His training had taken him to new heights of power. It was time for the WEAPON to see just how powerful a Cian could be.

Cloud knew Red would need help. Even enraged and empowered, Nanaki couldn't do it alone. He turned to see the only ones left were him, Tifa, and Kaede. Aeris was still lying in pain, captive in her own private world of agony.

Without pause, he ran to join the fight against the WEAPON. Tifa cried out to him, but Cloud had already gone too far...he was past the point of no return.

She rose to follow him, but a hand on her arm held her back. She turned around to see Kaede shaking his head.

"I need you to look after her," he said.

"But-"

"Don't worry," he answered, "I'll take care of Cloud, I need you to help Aeris, if you can."

He rose to his full height, and drew his sword.

Kaede looked down and smiled reassuringly to Tifa.

The woman blinked back her tears and nodded, "bring him back alive Kaede, or I'll never forgive you..."

Kaede nodded, "I know."

"...And bring yourself back, or Aeris will never forgive you."

He looked down at Tifa, and the woman smiled back at him.

Kaede laughed slightly, "it just keeps getting better."

A great roar shook the skies. Kaede looked up to see the Highwind rushing towards the Gold WEAPON. The ship's guns were firing with everything it had.

Tifa shook her head, "showoff...Cid never let's ANYONE sideline him..."

And so, three brave souls fought against the Silver WEAPON, while the skies trembled as two birds of prey stalked their quarry.

Vincent was holding his own against the Crystal WEAPON. He held the great monster at bay, but was quickly tiring. All that kept him going now was sheer willpower.

`Damn it Yuff,' he thought doggedly, `I need you.'

As if in answer to Vincent's plea, a great sphere of light engulfed the Silver WEAPON, stripping away its armor...leaving the beast to scream in pain.

The light was blinding, and Vincent finally opened his eyes again. Yuffie was beside him once more, grinning at him.

"Didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you?" she beamed.

The blood lust ran strong through his veins, hungry for more. Vincent clamped down on his power, reverting to his normal, human form, not allowing himself to lose control. He breathed in greedily, as if having been denied air for too long.

"Almost...too much...fun," he gasped, regaining control of the anger he had given himself over to.

How intoxicating it had been...how demanding. She could never know about him, how he could change into a monster, seen or unseen, at any given moment.

She stared into his eyes knowingly, sensing his fear, "I'm not afraid Vince...I trust you."

He smiled back weakly...perhaps she did understand after all.

Then the Crystal WEAPON screamed again, and the two warriors looked at it. The beast seemed ready to fight once more. The two raised their weapons tiredly, preparing for battle again. And who knows how the battle might have gone...if the beast hadn't flown away into the sky, leaving the two warriors to gawk at it from the ground.

Vincent and Yuffie stared as the beast fled, letting it go, as the cheers of the human armies roared behind them.

Turning back to the Drahk hordes once more, they looked on determinedly, waiting for the attack. Godo and his forces flanked them, ready to fight by their sides.

The two forces rushed into battle. The Drahk and human armies clashed, oblivious to everything but the need to win...the WEAPON was already forgotten, by all but one.

Vincent tapped the comm-link in his armor, "Kaede...we have a problem..."

Kaede ran up and down the field, jumping and attacking the Silver WEAPON with ease, daring it to retaliate.

The beast was content in the knowledge that it could not be beaten. If this was the best the enemy had to offer, then the battle would be over quickly indeed.

Kaede had set up the monster perfectly, now it was time to act, "CLOUD!!! RED!!! NOW!!!"

Cloud summoned forth his energies, and released an Ultima blast at the beast...blinding it.

And that moment was all it took for Red to jump into the sky...and release his most powerful attack...

...The Cosmo Memory punched a hole through the screaming WEAPON'S back, engulfing the creature. In an instant, the great creature was humbled before the might of the mortals it had sought to crush.

The Silver WEAPON came crashing down to the ground, as Kaede and Cloud ran out of its way. The Drahk forces were not so lucky, and soon the hordes were in disarray about the thrashing body of the dying WEAPON.

Red ran to his parents, followed by Kaede and Cloud. But as they neared, the warriors was thrown through the sky as a great blast pulverized the ground around him.

Kaede was the first to look up...and saw the blazing eyes of the Gold WEAPON glaring at him from the skies. It did not look in the mood to take prisoners.

Cloud looked up and cursed as he caught the sight, "Tifa's never going to forgive me for this."

Kaede's reply was drowned out as a blast of energy clipped the WEAPON, searing its stomach. The beast reared back in pain, but stayed in the air. Gathering its wits, the monster roared at its adversary.

Cloud flinched as the Highwind flew by, too fast for the WEAPON to follow.

"Need help guys?" came the voice over their comm-links.

"Cid!" laughed Cloud, "What are you doing!?"

The Captain whooped into the receiver, "Saving your backsides...again!"

The Highwind jetted through the air, the Gold WEAPON doggedly following it. But no matter how hard it tried, the Highwind was too fast to be hit by its attacks.

Cid strained to think of an idea. It wouldn't take long before the WEAPON got a lucky shot in...and then it would be all over.

Reeve was pacing back and forth, while Elena remained seated, calmly polishing her guns.

"Guys," she asked, "any ideas?"

Barret raised his hands in question, "this wasn't my idea...Cid's the one with the death wish."

"Great," replied Cid, "make me feel better why don't ya?"

"I have an idea," chimed Shera.

"Then tell me quickly," prodded Cid gently, "we're running out of time."

She explained her plan, and a grin crept into Cid's features.

"What the hell?" demanded Barret, "ARE YOU NUTS!?"

"Wait a minute," answered the Captain, "it's just crazy enough to work. Reeve?"

The president nodded, "it isn't far from here. Theoretically, it should be possible."

"Oh yeah," said Barret sardonically, "and the Captain here's just crazy enough to pull it off, is that it?"

Cid smiled, "something like that..."

The Highwind spun through the air, twisting and turning, ducking and weaving...generally moving in a way that only Cid could have handled.

Cloud looked on in awe, "the man has talent, I give him that much."

Red looked on with his parents.

Seto started, "Is he always that...that..."

"...Reckless?" finished his mate.

Cloud shrugged, "pretty much."

"Well," voiced Kaede, "I hope he has something planned, or he is in serious trouble."

Red looked on as the Highwind cut through the air...and finally realized where Cid was headed.

He nodded, "smart man. I wonder whose idea it was?"

Cloud turned to him, "what do you mean? What are they doing?"

"Watch and see," answered Red.

The Highwind was straining, the engines whining in protest at the speed being demanded of them.

"Come on baby," coaxed Cid, "just a little bit more."

The mako/solar cannons were a breakthrough in Shinra technology. Originally, they had been planned as a possible means of communications, working in tandem with satellites that would be put in orbit later. Military applications had been seen immediately, but Reeve had shunned them. Now the cannons were being used for those reasons anyway. It angered him, that so much progress amounted to nothing more than new war toys.

He had remained silent throughout the battle, simply firing from the gun ports inside the Highwind.

Elena came to his side, "come on Reeve, it's almost time."

Reeve nodded, "Cid, we're coming up now."

"Alright," nodded the Captain, "the timing needs to be precise. Tell me when..."

The ship raced faster towards the nearest mako/solar cannon, the Gold WEAPON trailing behind closely.

The cannon was steadily firing its energies out into space, destroying all Drahk ships that were unfortunate enough to get caught by the beam. The Highwind circled once, then raced towards this beam, afterburners flaring. The WEAPON hurried to follow...oblivious to the cannon.

Cid forced the ship to go faster, ignoring the warning lights and claxons, concentrating solely on the task at hand. Beads of sweat formed on his face, as he tried to rationalize what he was about to do.

"Reeve?" he asked.

He nodded, "Shera's patched me into the cannon's firing computers. Establishing link with them...password confirmed. Elena, do your thing."

The Turk nodded, "Cid, break away on my mark..."

The Captain tightened his grip on the controls.

"5..."

The cannon fired, the ship seemingly racing to catch up to the beam.

"4"

Cid slowed down the ship, allowing the WEAPON to close.

"3"

The Highwind neared the mako blasts, the WEAPON snapping on its tailfins.

"2"

"Elena?" demanded Reeve.

"Not yet...1..." answered Elena steadily.

The cannon stopped firing.

"MARK!" shouted the Turk.

The Highwind shot off like a bat out of hell, blinding the WEAPON with exhaust and jet flames.

The WEAPON was so blinded, in fact, that it had no time to see the cannon blast as the beast flew over it. The mako/solar cannon fired once more, transfixing the Gold WEAPON on a column of energy. The beast screamed in rage and pain. It was dying...a moth impaled on a needle's edge. The monster crashed into the ground, in its final throes...

The Cian army cheered at the Highwind's last minute save. But there was no time to savor the victory...for the Drahk hordes had collected themselves, primed for battle.

The field erupted in war immediately...mercilessly...as both sides resumed the terrible conflict. The WEAPONS had been merely a diversion...now the real battle began anew.

Kaede and the others retreated to the hills above, meeting the Highwind as it landed.

Tifa looked up at the approaching Kaede, and shook her head...Aeris was still in pain.

Kaede cursed, "damn it Aeris...why didn't you tell me?"

Cid looked down, concern etching his face, "she's like that you know...never thinks about herself."

Any reply was cut of, as a familiar voice chimed in all of their comm-links.

"Kaede," it said, "we have a problem..."

"Vincent," acknowledged the Planeswalker, "what's wrong?"

"We just encountered a WEAPON and-"

"Wait a minute!" yelled Cloud, "you too?"

"What do you mean `you too?'" asked Vincent.

"We just finished dealing with a few WEAPONS over here," explained Cid, "damn troublesome ones too."

Yuffie's voice came over the link now, "well, this one we just dealt with is tough. It took a direct hit from my All Creation, even went head to head with Vincent's...new form."

"New form?" asked Barret.

"Never mind," replied the ex-Turk, "it was heading your way when last we saw it."

"Yeah," came a new voice, "and while you all have been relaxing over there, we've been shooting the crap out of the armies from the skies."

"Reno!" shouted Elena, "where have you guys been?"

"Sorry girl," he answered, "but we've been rather...busy."

Kaede was about to answer, but fell silent as he saw Aeris finally open her eyes.

"Aeris!" shouted Tifa, still cradling the Cetra in her arms.

"It's here!!!" Aeris screamed again in pain.

"Aeris?" shouted Kaede, "Aeris!"

"It's here! It's here!" warned the Cetra, "we have to stop it!!!"

The rest of her words were screams.

The Crystal WEAPON flew through the air, bellowing its rage at the death of its brothers.

"Planet curse it," swore Reeve, "some days, things wouldn't go right if you bribed them..."

The others shuddered inwardly as they saw the new terror in the skies.

Author's Note: Wow...completely random chapter. I'm not joking. The idea for having the WEAPONS was seriously considered only after someone asked me to put it in (before which I was wondering whether it would be logical and appreciated). I mean, I had a general idea of what would happen, and I sat down to write this after not having written a line for nearly a week or so (tests and such).

Still, I had nothing near this much planned for this last chapters...oh well. Coming up, the WEAPONS make their dramatic exit from my story, and, if anything, the whole shabang gets even more intense, assuming I can pull it off correctly. As always, keep reading and writing...your comments help to inspire and shape this story.

Chapter 28: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: Once again I remind you all that I don't own FF7, just this story.

The Crystal WEAPON towered above them, oblivious to the warring in the distance. The Drahk and the Planetary forces had no time to pay attention to the giant beast, there was killing enough to be done already.

That left the weary fighters of Avalanche to deal with it.

Kaede drew his sword, as did Cloud. The others followed suit, grim determination in their faces. Before battle, the Planeswalker stole one final glance at Aeris, still lying in Tifa's arms.

Her eyes glowed fierce green, and Kaede had only a moment to think before the world was a chaos of light and sound...

"Hit successful," announced the technician, "awaiting your orders."

Methos looked on with disdain, "I see these...these..."

"WEAPONS," suggested Sephiroth.

"Yes," grunted the Horseman of Chaos, "they are still alive...destroy them."

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Morbius, "our power levels..."

"Are adequate," silenced Methos.

He turned to the technician again, "fire...and don't think, lest you end up like your comrade."

The technician turned back to his controls, carefully ignoring the charred body of one of his fellows lying in a corner on the deck. He had protested against Methos' firing of the cannon...and it was never a good idea to cross the Lord of Chaos.

Veletta looked on as the cannon fired once more, "suffer our wrath Kaede, and know that the Cetra will never accept you for what you have brought to this planet."

Cloud slowly rose to his feet. A strong wind rushed through the valley, clearing away the dust. The air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh. His hair stood on end, as if the area was polarized with electricity. As he looked around, Cloud could see the others slowly emerging from the billowing smoke.

Cid coughed, "damn it, I get enough crap in my lungs from smoking."

"Then why don't you quit?" came a voice from the fog.

Cid turned to see Barret, and shrugged, "old habits..."

Barret snorted, "sure."

"We can't take too many more of those," said Kaede, "look..."

He pointed to the battlefield. The others turned to look...and what they saw made their stomachs churn...

The burning field ran red with blood...as charred bodies, still alive, screamed in pain. Dark figures ran through the fields...still fighting strong.

Red closed his eyes in pain, forcing back the tears. He had seen this, had known this would happen. And still he hadn't been able to stop it.

Cloud balled his fist, "they'll pay...they'll all pay."

Aeris screamed again, forcing the others to take notice of her once more. She surged out of Tifa's arms, grasping her forehead as she stood unsteadily on her legs.

"Aeris?" asked Kaede, "what is-"

Another scream, even more horrible, raged through the air, threatening to break the very atmosphere. The warriors turned...

...to see Crystal WEAPON, standing tall and dangerous against the battlefield behind it.

Cloud raised his sword once more, "that's it you bastard, I'm gonna-"

"No!" shouted Aeris, rushing forward to meet the goliath.

The others cried out in dismay, but she paid them no heed. The slowed to a walk, and came up calmly to stand in front of the beast. Kaede drew his sword, and was quickly by her side.

"Back with us I see?" he asked.

Aeris grunted, "the world is at stake and you're cracking jokes?"

He didn't bother telling her that he was shocked, still coping with the events that had happened so quickly.

Instead, Kaede shrugged, "you like me better this way as opposed to the hermit."

"True."

"Don't worry, I won't go too far," quipped the Planeswalker, "besides, I rather like being an introvert."

She nodded silently.

"I feel what you're thinking," said Kaede, "are you doing what I think you're doing?"

Aeris nodded.

Crystal WEAPON screamed once more, and charged a great ball of fire in its gaping maw. It released its energies at the two.

Kaede quickly brought up a protective barrier, siphoning away the fire. Before it could attack again, Aeris made her move.

Her eyes glowed intense green once more, and energy struck forth from her eyes, piercing into the gaze of the WEAPON. She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't know how she was doing it, but somehow the knowledge came naturally to her.

She was communicating with the WEAPON.

Gold WEAPON arose in the distance, screaming in pain...refusing to die until it could destroy those who would dare endanger the planet. It could only save the world by destroying all life. Only by renewing the Lifestream could the Planet hope to survive.

Aeris felt another force beating on the walls of her psyche...the Gold WEAPON. She tried to reach out to it was well, but the force of even once WEAPON in her mind was overwhelming. Linking with two was unbearable. She felt as if she would break from the strain.

But as she lost hope, she felt a comforting presence near her. Kaede reached out to her, as only he could, and gave to her his support. Together, they dared to walk into the abyss, confident they would return...

...And slowly, it dawned on the WEAPONS that they had been wrong all along. The danger was not here on the Planet...but in the sky.

Cloud and the others looked on, amazed at what they saw. The WEAPONS were just standing there...doing nothing.

"What in the Planet's name-" started Elena.

"I really don't know," answered Tifa, "one second she's crying her life out in my arms, the next she's...doing...what are they doing?"

Cloud shook his head, "I don't know, but-"

A glint of light shone from the sky once more, silencing him.

"Damn it," cursed Barret, "not another one."

Cloud could see that it was yet another energy blast, coming from whatever attack vessel the Drahk had out there in space. He didn't know if they would survive another attack, and silently prayed for a miracle...

...It came. Kaede and Aeris' eyes glowed with intense fury. Suddenly, the Gold and Crystal WEAPONS looked upwards, and howled in rage. They would allow no more bloodshed. The two mammoths surged into the sky on their great wings, leaving the Planet far beneath them.

The Energy beam shot down at them, threatening to consume them. Gold WEAPON flew ahead, absorbing the blast, screaming as the energy ate away at its scaly armor.

The two WEAPONS flew on, undaunted, refusing to be beaten before one last act of defiance.

"Damn it!" raged Methos, "I want those things destroyed!"

Warning claxons blared as the flying beast tore through the Drahk space forces.

"We can't sir! They are too fast for our lasers!" shouted a dismayed technician.

"They are chewing apart our forces!" screamed Morbius, at Sephiroth, "do something!"

The silver-haired man shrugged, "what do you want me to do?"

"You've dealt with these...creatures," suggested Veletta.

"Even so," reasoned Sephiroth, "dear `mother' never told me-"

"They're coming this way!" screamed a technician.

"WHAT!!!" demanded Methos.

It didn't take long for Gold and Crystal to find the heart of the Drahk attack force. And once they did, their task was simple.

The WEAPONS rushed towards the great Drahk ship, ignoring all the hurts from the tiny insect ships surrounding it.

A great beam of light tore out from the Drahk vessel. Once more, Gold flew forth to cover Crystal. But Gold WEAPON was weakened, it would not survive this time. It knew this, but flew ahead anyway, rejecting its demise for a few moments more.

Sephiroth had to admit it, those dumb beasts were brave.

Already dead, the burning body of Gold WEAPON rushed towards the Drahk ship. It crashed into the vessel with bone jarring force.

Sephiroth quickly regained his footing, and looked to the view-screen. What he saw caused even his battle hardened mind to flinch. The gaping mouth of Crystal WEAPON filled the screen, and soon an intense light blinded him. Explosions racked the control panels, circuits began to crackle with electricity.

"FIRE!" yelled Methos, "KILL IT BEFORE IT HAS A CHANCE TO ATTACK AGAIN!"

Slowly, struggling to his feet, Morbius rose while others around him wailed in pain. He rushed to the controls, and pressed the attack button once more.

The energy beam tore through the softened hide of Crystal WEAPON. It screamed in pain, but there was no one to hear in the vastness of space.

The Crystal WEAPON exploded in a blast of fury, blinding the sensors aboard the Drahk ship once more.

Methos rose to his feet, "...report."

All around the room, the other Horsemen and crew were rising to their feet. A crewman had the presence of mind to bring up the damage report, and began relaying the figures to his superiors.

Veletta knew that the damage was great, but this was one of the most powerful ships in the Drahk armada. It would not be destroyed so easily.

"Make repairs," she said, "we must be ready to attack again."

The Planet's forces had done well, but they hadn't won yet. Veletta smiled evilly to herself. She would personally see to it that Kaede and that accursed Cetra paid their due of blood.

Kaede shielded his eyes from the light. The explosion could be seen, even from the ground.

"It didn't work," said Aeris, "they're still up there."

Cid turned to her, "well, what do we do now?"

Cloud clenched his fists, "we destroy them ourselves. We take what space ready craft we can and finish what the WEAPONS started."

Reeve whistled, "are you sure that's wise?"

"Yeah spike," agreed Barret, "sounds like suicide to me."

"No," said Kaede, "he's right."

"The Drahk mustn't be allowed to fire again," reasoned Aeris.

Cid nodded, "fine, you wanna go? We'll go...can't let them have the last laugh, can we?"

Shera smiled, "and you've never been one to back out of a chance to show off your skills."

"That too," grinned Cid.

Cloud nodded, "Reno, Rude, come in."

"This is the Silverstrike," answered Reno, "go ahead."

"Did you hear the plan?" asked the swordsman.

"Every word," responded Rude, "typical Avalanche...it sounds a little crazy to me."

"Oh come on Rude," chided Elena, "we've got nothing better to do."

"Are you in or not?" demanded Cloud.

Reno laughed over the comm-link, "oh hell, who wants to live forever anyway?"

Author's Note: That's the end of the WEAPONS, they are no more. By the way, I hope you liked their role in the story, thanks to Chase Vigar for suggesting it. Anyway, after next chapter I should have the final game of cat-and-mouse set up. Just wait and see what happens next! As always, keep those comments coming, thanks for reading!

Chapter 29: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: Once again I remind you all that I don't own FF7, just this story.

Five ships were making their way through the atmosphere. Kaede flew the Kitana, accompanied by Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris. Cid carried Elena, Reeve, Barret, and Shera in the Highwind. The Silverstrike carried Reno, Rude, and Nanaki. The other two ships hadn't even been given names.

And so, it was five ships against the most powerful vessel of the Drahk forces. Given that it had been weakened by the WEAPONS, attacking the dread ship was still a suicide mission, and everyone knew it. They just didn't care anymore. The life of the Planet was at stake, and with the coming battle, there was no more time to think of self preservation.

That didn't keep the pilots from avoiding the cannon fire, however. Kaede, Cid, Reno, and the other two pilots were trying frantically to avoid the coming fire from the Drahk phalanx of ships.

"Okay guys," said Kaede, "we've only got one shot at this."

"We got yer' tail," replied Cid, "just get it done quickly!"

"What's the matter old man?" quipped Reno, "losing your sense of adventure?"

Cid answered with several choice four-letter words.

"Enough chatter guys," said Cloud, "let's do this..."

"They can fly," appraised Sephiroth, "I'll give them that."

"Well," sneered Morbius, "we'll just have to clip their wings before they get here."

"Are the cannons ready to fire?" demanded Methos, glaring at a crewman.

The frightened technician started to waver, but saw the deadly look in Methos' eyes. He gulped once and nodded.

"Good," sneered the Chaos Lord, "you're learning...fire."

Kaede shouted into the comm-link, "evasive actions! It's firing!"

The five ships scrambled, struggling to get away from the beam that lanced out from the dark crystalline ship. But one of the five was caught in the blast, and spun away soundlessly, to be destroyed by cannon fire from the other ships.

Reeve cursed, they only had four ships now, and how many good men had died in that last ship?

"Damn it Kaede!" screamed Cid, "we have to do something!"

"Alright guys," answered the Planeswalker, "cover me."

The remaining three ships formed up along the Kitana, and together they charged the Drahk vessel.

"Break away on my mark," indicated Cloud, "3..."

The Drahk ship loomed ahead, a great behemoth against the starlit backdrop.

"2..."

The shots were coming rampantly now, difficult to dodge at such close proximity.

"1..."

"Almost there guys," said Kaede.

"Mark!" shouted Cloud.

The Kitana fired a volley of missiles, and the four ships veered away.

The explosion sent tremors rumbling through space...a shower of energy emanating from the Drahk vessel. It sent the four ships reeling.

"Wing report," demanded Kaede.

"Cid here," came the reply.

"Captain Riker checking in," said another.

"We're here too," answered Reno.

"What in the Planet's name was THAT?" demanded Cid.

"Curse it," spat Kaede, "force shields, we'll have to go in again."

"Great," quipped Reno, "one more chance to let Fate bite us in the ass."

"No backing out now," stated Cloud, "let's go..."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "hmm...I'm surprised. You managed to gather enough energy to block that assault. How much more do we have?"

"Enough to get the job done," assured Morbius.

Sephiroth mulled that over, "still, we should fire up the landing ship so we can get planet side."

Methos glared at Sephiroth, then nodded, "do it."

Several wraith body guards withdrew from the shadows, invisible until now, and left the room.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" asked Sephiroth.

"I couldn't care less," sniffed Methos, turning to the crew again, "fire again."

Kaede was pushing his energy reactors to their limits, simultaneously dodging energy blasts and firing his cannons.

"Kitana! Status report!" shouted the Planeswalker.

"Heavy shield damage, they're practically gone," answered the computer.

"I meant us," stated Kaede.

"So did I," replied the AI.

"We're going in with no shields?" yelled Cloud, "aw crap!"

Aeris and Tifa sat in a corner, holding hands and silently praying.

"Form up again," indicated Kaede, "we only have one more shot at this."

The four ships aligned again, that was when the Drahk vessel fired once more.

"What the-" started Cid.

"Look out!" shouted Riker.

He veered in front of the Highwind, shielding Cid from the blast. But Captain Riker's ship was a blaze of fire.

"Riker!" shouted Cid, "come in!"

"No good sir," came Riker's voice, "we're dead...get them for us!"

The ship vanished beneath a series of explosions and was no more.

"Damn it!" cursed Reno, "telemetry's out! We're dead in the water!"

"What systems are still functioning?" asked Red.

"Thrusters and shields are the only operable ones right now," answered Rude.

Reno could see that the other ships had fared little better.

"We can't take much more of this," said Reno.

"They'll kill us eventually," replied Red, "which leaves us with one option..."

The Highwind was floating aimlessly, its thrusters barely working.

"Ugh," groaned Cid, "remind me to take out an insurance policy next time."

"I don't think anyone would back you," stated Shera.

"Everyone okay?" asked Elena

"If feeling like death congealed is `okay,' yeah I'm fine," gripped Barret.

"Hey," responded Reeve, "at least you're alive."

Cid looked at his monitors, and noticed something was wrong, "Damn it kid, get back here now!!!"

"Talk to me Kitana," urged Kaede.

"Weapon systems are shot, shields are out, hull damage..." answered the AI.

"We got a problem here!" shouted Cloud.

"What is it?" shot back Kaede.

"That last shot screwed up our missiles, they`re about to blow! We have to dump them now or we go with them"

"But...the weapon systems are damaged!" said Aeris desperately.

"Get rid of them now Kaede, or we're all goners!" answered Cloud.

"Kitana!" shouted Kaede, "do it!"

The ship released its last missiles, and shot off. It was still in the blast radius when the missiles finally detonated. The Kitana shook from the blast, but held.

"Everyone alright?" asked Kaede.

He received notes of affirmation from the others.

Cid's voice screamed over the speakers, "Damn it kid, get back here now!!!"

"Sorry Cid," came the Turk's reply, "got no choice."

"Reno," pleaded Elena, "this is no time for foolish heroics! Get back!"

"Report Silverstrike!" demanded Kaede.

"Sorry friends," answered Red, "our systems are dead except for a few."

"We're going to ram the bastards before they can get off another shot!" explained Reno.

"No!" shouted Cid, "GODAMMIT NO!!!"

"There's no other choice," said Rude.

"If we don't make it out of this," pleaded Red, "tell my parent's I'm sorry."

"Sir!" came the technician's tinny voice, "they're going to ram us!"

"At that speed, with our shields weakened," deduced Veletta, "they could destroy the ship!"

"Really?" sneered Sephiroth, "did you figure that out all by yourself?"

Methos turned to the ex-SOLDIER, eyes narrowed.

"Enough time for arguments later," reasoned Sephiroth, "we have to get to the Fortress of the Ancients."

Methos nodded, "fine, we'll go."

Morbius turned to the crewmen, "fire at them until they're gone. We're leaving."

The Drahk ship fired once more, engulfing the Silverstrike in energy. Reno coughed past the smoke billowing from his controls, forcing more power into the shields. It was a testament to Kaede's technology that they held.

"Our reserves are out," announced Rude.

"Redirect all power to the engines," commanded Reno, "it's make or break now."

"I hope this works," said Rude to Nanaki.

"So do I," agreed the Cian, "so do I..."

"More power!" shouted the Drahk technician, "fire again! We must ensure the destruction of the Planet!"

"No use," said another, "shields are out, weapons are drained!"

The Silverstrike flew past the holes cut by the WEAPONS, past the rent torn by the missiles, and headed straight into the Drahk vessel's reactor core.

The explosion sent huge aftershocks rumbling through space. Nothing was left, it had all been vaporized. The Silverstrike was no more...

The Kitana and the Highwind struggled for control, eventually maneuvering into a steady descent towards the surface.

For the first time in a long time, Cid Highwind shed tears. He was joined by a solemn crew. Reeve was slowly rocking Elena back and forth in his arms.

Aeris was silent, struggling to say something. Tifa and Cloud held hands in silence. Kaede's face was stone hard.

The Drahk ship had been destroyed, but their friends were gone...

Kaede forced his voice to work, "Kaede to Highwind..."

Static.

"Cid," tried the Planeswalker, "are you out there?"

"...Yeah I'm here," came a cracked voice.

"Let's make planet fall around-"

Kaede cut short his reply as he saw a third ship making its descent. It was a drop-ship of Drahk build.

"Cid," strained Kaede, "are you seeing this?"

"Yes," came the pilot's voice, "is it?"

"It's Sephiroth," stated Cloud.

Kaede turned to the leader of Avalanche.

Cloud tapped his temple, "I can feel him."

He nodded back, "Methos is with them."

Cid cursed over the intercom.

Kaede agreed with him, but had to fight to keep his composure, if only because no one else could.

But he seethed inwardly, `Nanaki, Reno, and Rude died for nothing...more blood on my hands...'

Cid frothed with rage, his yelling nearly drowning out the speakers with raw fury.

"YOU BASTARDS!!! TAKE THIS!!!"

The Highwind fired volley after volley at the Drahk ship, draining its nearly depleted reserves. The Drahk craft dodged some of the blasts, but was hit all the same. It began to fall away at a quicker rate, leaving the two other ships behind.

Cid was still firing, and Kaede had to order him to stop.

"Enough Highwind," he ordered, "they're out of range."

"Then what the hell do we do?" demanded Cid.

"We follow them," explained the Planeswalker, "and I know where they're headed. Kaede to Vincent and Yuffie...come in."

A voice came in through the static, "...Vincent here...kind...busy...what is it?"

"Head for the Fortress of the Ancients!" shouted Kaede, "the Drahk are headed there! Confirm..."

Yuffie replied, "confirmed...head to...Fortress...Ancients...meet you there!"

Kaede nodded and made one last message, "Cid, I'm going ahead, catch up when you can."

"What do you mean-" protested the Captain.

"Listen Cid," reasoned Kaede, "I've got a few capabilities you don't, I'm going in. Please don't argue."

"It's not safe," replied Reeve.

"We don't have much choice," answered Kaede, "we've all had to do what is necessary."

There was a long moment of silence.

"...Understood, good hunting," bade Cid, "we'll follow as soon as possible."

"Thanks," replied Kaede, "head for the Fortress once you're down. Watch out for Drahk forces."

"Will do," answered Elena, "be careful."

"You too," replied the Planeswalker.

The Kitana picked up speed, and began to descend faster.

"Brace yourself people," warned Kaede, "this is going to get messy."

"Kaede," whispered Aeris, "what are we going to do?"

He merely grabbed her hand and squeezed.

Tifa looked at the monitor, mentally preparing herself for what could be their final push. She shivered.

Cloud came from behind, holding Tifa in his arms.

He turned to Aeris, answering her question, "we do what we came here to do...finish this...once and for all."

The Kitana plummeted after the Drahk vessel, the Highwind not far behind.

The race to the Fortress of the Ancients had begun, and in the victor's hands would lie the fate of the Planet, and the keys to absolute power.

Author's Note: Finally, a chapter which mostly followed my original idea. However, I have a lurking feeling that this scene left something to be desired. Oh well, I try to pick it up from here on in. Besides, my next fic may have even better dogfights! Anyway, thanks for reading and keeping reviewing!

Chapter 30: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: Once again I remind you all that I don't own FF7, just this story.

The sun had set long ago, the full moon coming out to replace it. But the starry skies were tainted by darkness...the Drahk. Still the blood fell on the darkened battle fields...still the fighting continued. Out of the night came a beacon from the heavens, lighting the sky once more, before fading into the one place on the Planet where the fight had not touched...yet.

The Kitana crash landed on the island that held the Fortress of the Ancients. Slowly, a canopy opened, and four figures emerged from the damaged ship.

"Look after things while I'm gone," commanded Kaede.

"Affirmative sir," answered Kitana, "take care."

The Planeswalker nodded, and signaled the others to follow.

Cloud raised an eyebrow as he looked at his wife. He hadn't had time to notice before, but she was wearing something different today, donned in her leather jacket and matching jumpsuit.

"The biker girl look works for you," appraised Cloud.

"I was wondering when you would notice," laughed Tifa, "but after all, you do play the `biker' to my `girl,' or have you forgotten?"

Cloud smiled as he remembered, so long ago it seemed, when they had faced the Shinra for the very first time, "how could I forget?"

Not long afterwards, they crossed the Drahk drop craft...it was empty.

"They must have gone ahead to the fortress," guessed Kaede.

"Well then," said Cloud, "we'll just have to catch up to them."

Tifa and Aeris remained silent, and together, the four figures trekked past the ruins and forests towards the great Fortress.

What they hadn't realized, however, was that the Drahk forces had a few surprises in store...

The Highwind landed roughly, jarring the passengers from their seats.

"Nice landing Cid," groaned Barret, "God I'm glad I skipped breakfast this morning."

"Can it Barret," snapped Cid, "at least you're alive. Right, that's it...thank you for flying Highwind airlines, shut up and leave..."

"Is that what you say to all your customers?" asked Elena.

"No," answered Shera, "he has more...choice words...especially when passengers annoy him."

"All I ever asked from a landing is that I came out alive," said Reeve, "okay people, let's go. We have to catch up to the others."

The men and women groaned and stretched the aches and pains from their tired bodies, forcing themselves to go on for a little bit more. They exited one by one, Cid was the last out.

Reeve took a look at the Highwind's condition and whistled, "wow, now I'm more thankful than ever that we survived."

Barret's eyes widened at the sight of the damage, "look at the size of those holes...remind me to light a candle in the church sometime."

"I didn't know you were a religious man," stated Shera.

"Landing safely in a bucket of bolts like that is enough to make anybody a believer," returned Barret.

"Hey," warned Cid, "don't knock her. She got us down safely. Any other ship, and we'd be goners."

"Okay then," said Reeve, "let's head out."

"At least someone around here says it with authority," thanked Cid.

The group slowly filed away from the wreckage.

"Wait a minute," commanded Cid.

The Captain turned to Shera, "what are you doing?"

Shera straightened her glasses, "What do you think? I'm going with you."

Cid shook his head.

"What do you mean?" she asked, "Give me one good reason why I can't go."

"I'll give you three," answered Cid, "first, fighting is not your forte, second, I wouldn't feel comfortable looking over my shoulder to protect you, I might get distracted."

Shera silently fumed, "I can take care of myself...and third?"

Cid's eyes softened, and his voice took on an almost pleading tone, "if anything were to happen to you...I'd never forgive myself."

Shera looked down sadly.

"The old Shinra almost took my dreams Shera," said the Captain, "and though I blamed you wrongfully for so many years, you never held it against me. I almost lost you by abusing your emotions, I couldn't bare to lose you now."

She straightened her glasses again, heaved a sigh, and nodded, "you always did know how to fight dirty."

Cid grinned back, "well, what do you expect from an old cheat like me?"

"You're not that old," smiled Shera, "just come back to me in one piece, or I'll never let you hear the end of it."

Cid nodded, "you got it love."

The Pilot surprised all of them, including himself, by kissing her. Normally, he wouldn't have allowed such a public show of sensitivity. But now he held Shera in his arms like a drowning man, and for a brief moment, he forgot there was anything in the world but her.

He parted from her, not a little nervous, "wow," he whispered, "I must be more jumpy than I thought."

"Don't worry," Shera whispered back, "you'll be alright, if only because you're too cussed to die."

Cid laughed, and turned to the others, "let's go."

He looked wistfully back at Shera one more time, then turned towards the long journey to the Fortress. Cid caught a gleam in Barret's eyes.

"Not a word man," warned Cid, "I mean it."

Barret raised his hands non-combatively, conceding to his friend.

"Don't worry Cid," said Reeve, "we're all allowed our small comforts...we deserve it after all we've been through."

Cid nodded, "even so, we'd better all get back in one piece."

"Why," asked Elena, "because Shera won't forgive you otherwise?"

"No," returned the Captain, "because I won't forgive myself...we've lost enough people already."

The others fell silent, remembering all too well the last flight of the Silverstrike and the brave souls on board.

Elena fought back the tears, not allowing herself the luxury of that weakness. She was a Turk, after all...the last Turk.

Reeve squeezed her hand in empathy, but Elena could only nod a thanks, she was too devastated to think clearly.

Each of them were lost in their own thoughts, thinking about the dangers behind, and the dangers ahead...so preoccupied, in fact, that no one noticed the moving shadows that followed them...

...the Emperor's wraith guards...

Vincent held Yuffie in his arms as his alighted on the edges of the island.

"Wow," said the young ninja, "I should take you around with me on my next trip. I'd save a fortune on car rentals."

Vincent simply looked back at her.

"That...and you're a hunk in that new form of yours," winked Yuffie.

She noticed a bit of red tinge Vincent's cheeks, and Yuffie laughed.

"I'm glad to be a source of such amusement," replied Vincent.

The young ninja pouted playfully, "now don't get cross on me...besides you look good when you're just yourself too. In fact, I prefer you that way."

Vincent gave her a meaningful look.

Yuffie's eyes widened, "hey, I didn't mean that I...listen Vincent, I trust you. And if that means coping with what you can become sometimes...well, we all have inner demons locked inside ourselves."

"Even you?" asked Vincent.

"Especially me," replied Yuffie, "like I said on Gold Saucer...I'm getting tired Vincent. It's like I'm constantly having to fight for my own sanity nowadays."

Vincent nodded, "I know well how that feels Yuffie. But don't worry, I'm here whenever you need me."

He had so much more he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell this quirky young woman how, over the course of the past few months, she had made her way into his heart. He wanted to let her know how he really felt about her...not just hints and guesses...he wanted her to KNOW.

Yuffie nodded, "thanks Vince. I'll be here for you too, when you're ready."

Vincent smiled under his red cloak, perhaps she did know, at that. The ninja seemed to have a unique insight into his introverted character of late. But whatever their feelings for each other, it would have to wait until this was all over. Perhaps then he could-

Vincent stopped walking, and Yuffie almost slammed into him from behind.

"What's wrong Vince?" she asked, "We have to keep moving so we can catch up to the others. Come on, we can make it."

"No," said Vincent in a low voice, "we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because...we're being hunted."

Yuffie held back a gasp, and forced her ninja instincts to kick in. She immediately sensed what Vincent meant. How could she have missed it before?

In the distance, shadows watched the two warriors from their perches among the shadowed trees, the night air hiding them from sight. But their evil auras left a foul presence in the air, dark and foreboding. The Drahk wraiths were waiting patiently to fall upon their enemies and rain down death...

Author's Note: Hello out there. If you haven't noticed by now, things are happening very quickly indeed. I must like to torture myself or something. You wouldn't believe the level of writing I have to keep up to make all these back-to-back action scenes. Personally, I'm used to having it interspersed between slower scenes...enough wallowing in self pity. Now I must write the next chapter. In my rush to flesh in the last three chapters, if you'll believe me, I've written them all in two days. And now I'm working on the next...I can't stop myself from writing, I've got to finish this before mid-terms, or you'll have to wait until summer. I sure as heck don't want to be waiting around that long! It's interesting what writing 4+ chapters in two days does to a person's dreams (collapses in chair, then gets back up to write). I've gotten several ideas from my subconscious meanderings alone. Enough jabbering, on to the next chapter. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 31: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: Once again I remind you all that I don't own FF7, just this story.

Cid and the others were walking past a set of ruins. They stopped to notice the fine craftsmanship of the structure. Even after spending Planet knew how long under the ocean, it still looked sturdy enough to last centuries more.

Elena looked on the structures with a sense of awe, "that's the Cetra for you...damn impressive and twice as thorough."

Barret nodded his agreement, "looks like it could hold off a pretty large attack."

Reeve knitted his eyebrows, "why must we think of battle in a place like this?"

Barret shrugged, "can't help it...our current situation doesn't exactly fill me with thoughts of lilies in the field."

Cid winced, "damn Barret, even I can appreciate this place."

Barret sniffed, "I'm a barbarian and proud of it."

"Lord I hope you fight better than you crack jokes," pleaded Elena.

"What?" asked Reeve, "you don't know?"

Cid stopped dead in his tracks. Raising his hands, he signaled them to stop as well.

"What's wrong?" asked Barret.

"Shsh," hushed Cid, "listen..."

They all strained their ears, trying to hear what Cid was talking about.

Hisses emerged from the forests around them. Rustling sounds broke the silence, so low that only their ears could have heard...and even then only when they were concentrating.

"Where are they?" asked Reeve, activating his armor.

"I don't know," answered Cid, "let's back off to the ruins for cover. There's no telling how many of them are out there."

"Well," whispered Elena, "looks like we'll be using Barret's idea of the ruins as a shelter against attack after all."

The tall man from North Corel remained silent, mentally cursing their luck. There was no time to deal with these guys. Kaede needed them.

The shadows came screaming out of the night, like giant crows. Their eyes glowed red, as blood. Claws and fangs gleamed dully in the moonlight. The alien figures came out of the night to attack the four humans.

Explosions shook the ground around them, and the four retreated hastily to the ruins nearby.

Barret and Elena leaned against the doorway leading outside, while Reeve and Cid readied themselves.

Elena took out a strange device.

"What's that?" asked Barret.

"A detonator," replied Elena.

"Detonator?" returned Barret.

Elena nodded, then looked out the doorway, "come a little closer you fools. That's it...GOTCHA!!!"

She hit the button on the device, and a large blast blinded them all for a moment. Screams grew louder, then were silent. Barret looked out the passageway to see several of the wraiths lying dead on the grass.

He grinned, "A girl after my own heart."

Elena laughed, "save the compliments for later. It's the size of your firepower that counts, but we're not out of the woods yet."

"I could say somethin' about your choice of jokes," said Barret, "but I'll control myself."

"That's a first," joked Reeve. He shot wraiths that got too close with the lasers in his wrist armor.

Cid watched everything in silence, seething inwardly that his own choice of weapon was rather useless in a situation like this. Then he heard a scream in the distance, and his entire world came crashing down around him.

He could see her clearly in the bright light of the moon. Perhaps that's what the wraiths wanted...to make him see what they knew he feared...

...They had Shera...

Vincent and Yuffie fought back to back, slaying as many of the wraiths as they could. But for each Drahk that fell, always more would rise to take their place.

Vincent had already emptied several of his guns, and let them clatter to the ground. He had more.

Yuffie was finding a hard time throwing her weapons in such close quarters, and settled for using them as sickles. She held a large shiruken in either hand. Her right arm was unprotected, and the blade cut into her skin a little, causing her hand to bleed. She paid it no heed. If they didn't win here, she'd never have to worry about pain or blood ever again.

Vincent turned into a dark angel, and spread his wings. He didn't fly, he couldn`t leave Yuffie alone, but he did push into the Drahk ranks with all his pent up rage. The wraiths tried to attack him, but he came down upon them with all the fury of a force of nature. He smote the dark creatures with his powers, blasting them away, daring them to attack him. The Drahk fell back warily before his might.

Yuffie was fighting doggedly, protecting Vincent's back with her own weapons. She blasted several away with her own magic. The dark things expired with a scream, leaving a faint burning smell in the air.

And then a wraith rammed into Yuffie. She shot it through with a powerful fire spell, but the thrashing body continued to bullet forward. Then all was darkness for her...

Back at the ruins, the others stopped firing, for fear of hitting Shera. They wouldn't put it past the Drahk to use her as a shield. But the concern became moot after a while. A few Drahk carried her off into the woods.

"Damn it," cursed Barret, "what do we do now?"

"They're using this as a distraction," reasoned Elena.

"We have to get her back!" shouted Cid.

"What do you propose?" asked Reeve.

Cid thought of a plan in the spur of the moment. It was simple really...he believed in simple plans. There was less that could go wrong.

"Gee," quipped Elena, "you don't ask for much do you?"

"You sure you can pull it off man?" asked Barret.

"I don't have much choice," replied Cid, "just do it for me guys, before I think better of it. I owe her too much."

Elena nodded, "fine...Barret, Reeve, cover me."

She threw her handguns away and reached behind her, drawing a pair of automatic pistols. Elena heaved a deep sigh, then ran out of the passageway.

Barret and Reeve opened up fire, distracting the wraiths. A few had the presence of mind to shoot back, but Elena ducked and kept up a constant blind barrage from her automatics. She clipped several as she ran, and the dark figures fell, never to rise again.

Elena jumped to the relative safety of an outcropping rock, and put her back to it. Blasts of return energy shot harmlessly overhead as she sunk down into the ground.

Reeve and Barret drew back, hiding behind the walls of the ruins again, and reloaded their weapons.

"She's got guts man," appraised Barret, "I can see why you like her."

Reeve laughed, "is it that obvious?"

Barret shrugged, "if a grunt like me can tell, it had better be."

Reeve smiled at the pun, knowing full well that Barret had a sharp mind behind that face, despite what people said. The tall man made no effort to enlighten others, instead preferring to surprise them should the need arise.

The President of Shinra Inc. looked back to Cid, "ready when you are."

Cid nodded back, and looked to Elena. She was crouching behind her rock, ready to fire when Cid decided to make his move. She gave him the thumbs up.

"Do it," ordered Cid.

The three humans opened fire on the Drahk wraiths, as Cid ran out of the ruin, howling and screaming his rage. He cut down any who got in his way with cold efficiency. But most were too busy firing back at Barret and the others to pay him much mind.

"Go get `em Cid!" shouted Elena after him.

The Captain smiled grimly, running to catch up to Shera. And when he finally caught up to the Drahk who were holding her, he would give them a very hard reckoning indeed.

Vincent saw her falling, and ran to protect her once more, shooting a wraith through the chest before it could finish its attack on the ninja. But he was caught unawares from behind, a blast of energy searing through his armor. Yuffie swiftly got to her feet, but Vincent fell to his knees beside her, coughing, breathing harshly. His dark robes turned back into a red cloak, and he curled into a ball. Yuffie cried out desperately, grabbing his fallen guns and firing into the attacking Drahk wraiths. They fell back...but all too soon, Yuffie ran out of bullets.

She dropped the guns, and turned to Vincent. It was no use, she couldn't hold them off alone. She cradled Vincent in her lap, and stared into his eyes.

Vincent was gasping for breath, feeling so light in her arms.

"Give me...a minute Yuffie," heaved Vincent.

"We don't have one," replied Yuffie, tears streaming freely from her eyes.

From the corner of his eyes, Vincent could see the dark creatures approaching slowly, like wolves closing in on a tiring lion.

Vincent sighed, "oh Yuffie, I wanted to say so many things..."

Yuffie caressed his pale face with her hands, "quiet Vince, you don't need to say anything..."

"Ah, but I do Yuffie," returned Vincent, tears streaming down his face, "I've failed you, and I never got to tell you...that I loved you..."

Yuffie stifled a gasp, forcing back her tears, and hugged the man in her arms closer to her. Vincent drew back, lightly touching her face. She closed the distance between their lips, and they shared one brief kiss before a blaze of light engulfed them...

Kaede and the others made their way through the city undisturbed, which unsettled Cloud. By all rights, they should have come across opposition by now.

That was when Cloud saw a flash of silver hair, and his eyes flared with rage.

The Four Horsemen had made their way to the Fortress of the Ancients, followed by a handful of the Emperor's wraith guards.

Kaede fired at the enemies, his magic flaring. The others followed suit, blasting away at the dark figures nestled against the Cetra building.

They didn't bother firing back, and soon disappeared into the Fortress.

Kaede and the others stopped the attack, and looked on silently.

"Well," said Aeris, "what now?"

"We have no choice," replied Kaede, "we go in after them, and stop whatever they're trying to do."

"What what might that be?" asked Cloud.

"I don't know," answered Kaede, "but we don't have much of a choice, do we?"

Tifa nodded, "let's go guys. We have to stop them, let's do it for Nanaki."

The four silently trekked into the Fortress, now as much a trap as a beacon of hope. They strode forth to meet destiny without a word, caring nothing for themselves. They walked into danger, knowing it could be the end, because they had to protect the life of this planet...because that's what heroes did.

Even the one's doomed to die...

Especially them...

Author's Note: Whoa, this is a personal record for me. I wonder how many more chapters I have left before the end? We're getting close to it now. Also, I've intentionally been down-playing Kaede and the others until now. There's a reason. I wanted you to see the others a little before I shot straight into the final chapters, which are almost completely dominated by Kaede and his group. Anyway, hope you like it so far. Okay, I'm tired, my eyes feel like lead, my head is aching, I`m beginning to think and talk like my characters...all signs of sleep deprivation. I think I'll go lie down and write some more later. Keep reading and sending feedback, I live for it.

Chapter 32: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of saying this, it makes me feel rather distraught. I don't own FF7 (wish I did), just this story.

Cid ran through the forest as fast as his tired lungs would take him.

`Damn it,' he thought to himself, `I'm too old for this. Maybe if I get through this, I'll quit smoking...nah...'

Besides, Cid liked to blow the smoke in peoples' faces, sometimes, if they really annoyed him. Well, if Shera asked nicely...

There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. If those bastards hurt her...

And then he came upon the fleeing Drahk, and Cid had to stop himself from pouncing on them right on the spot. The leader had Shera by the throat. Cid had no doubt the wraith would kill her at the first sign of trouble. Cid mulled it over a little longer, then chose his course of action. He hoped it would work.

Without warning, a blast of Ultima surrounded the outsides out the group, vaporizing the dark figures on the fringes of the group. The others were blinded momentarily. That moment was all Cid needed to rush into the lead Drahk, knocking the wraith down. He scooped up Shera in his arms, and made a run for it. The Drahk were still too disoriente to follow just yet.

"Wow," heaved Shera, "I was...wondering when...you'd get around to me..."

Cid laughed, "I save her from perilous danger and she jokes about it."

"Well," smiled Shera, "if anything, you do have a sense for the dramatic."

Cid frowned as her heard sounds of pursuit behind him.

"Shera, run into the clearing. Find cover with the others, I'll be right behind you," urged the Captain.

Shera had no chance to argue, for she was pushed forward. Cid disappeared behind her, into the depths of the forest.

The Captain turned to the rushing enemies, who crashed to a halt before him.

"All right you freaks," taunted Cid, "come and get me."

He drew out his spear, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. The wraiths stood back for a moment, then closed in...

Shera ran on despite her worries, trusting that Cid knew what he was doing. A pair of eyes, hidden in the shadows watched her progress...

Elena and Reeve had been separated from Barret. Now the trio were fighting against their own pockets of enemies.

The Shinra President and the Turk fought back to back, taking their toll of blood from each wraith that dared to come close. They had been backed against a cliff's edge, and would not retreat any further. Elena had drawn out two wicked looking knifes for close in fighting, while Reeve continued to bash away at the enemy with his armored fists. Their enemies fell in droves, moths burned from the fires of the suns which blazed before them.

"How many more of these weirdoes do we have to kill before they get the picture?" demanded Elena.

"That's the problem," said Reeve, bashing away another Drahk, "I don't think they care."

Elena grimly cut and hacked at her enemies with brutal efficiency, striking with killing blows each time, "let them come, I feel powerful enough to take on an army."

Reeve remained silent, guarding her back, hoping she was right...for it was an army they were fighting.

And the two might have won the battle, if a ball of light hadn't suddenly fallen at the ground beneath them.

Elena barely had time to register what was happening before Reeve pushed her out of the way. The explosion covered human and Drahk alike in a torrent of fire.

Barret was mowing through his enemies, daring them to take him down. He fired round after round into the wraiths, not allowing himself to give in to the tired ache he felt in his bones. That was when he saw an explosion in the corner of his eye. He turned to see the blasts, and cried out in dismay as he saw Elena and Reeve disappear in a flash of light.

But Barret had his own problems, for a blast shot through his leg. Barret barked out in pain, and collapsed to the ground, cradling his damaged leg. Barret forced his eyes to stay open despite the pain. But he could already see it was over. The wraiths were closing in...

Cid doggedly cut through his enemies, slashing in wide arcs with his spear, taking out as many of the beasts as he could with the minimum amount of movement. He breathed harshly as he cut the dark shapes in half, leaving them to bleed and be trampled to death by the moving battle. In the back of his mind, however, Cid knew that it was only a matter of time before they got him. They were many, while he was one. What's more, they didn't care how many died as long as they got the job done. Typical bad guys...they were complete bloody psychopaths.

Cid played his trump card, summoning forth a flare. So close to them, however, Cid couldn't help but be jarred by the force of the attack. He flew through the air, landing with a rough thud. He quickly rolled to his feet, ready for action.

He was pleased with the results. A good many of the suckers had fallen for it. But the attack had taken a bit out of him, Cid was tired.

A wraith rushed up to the Pilot, raking him across the thigh with its sharp claws. Cid slashed downward with his spear, decapitating the Drahk, but the damage was done. Cid was limping. He grimaced...if that attack had gone any higher, he'd be singing soprano by now.

More dark figures came after him, and Cid struggled to keep up with their attacks. He swept his blade in a wide circle, clipping several Drahk along the arc of the attack. But another wraith came up from behind. Cid barely had time to turn before the wraith grabbed his arm and bent it back. The Captain cried out in pain as the bone snapped. He kicked the Drahk away, and backed off. Cid breathed harshly, letting his broken arm hang limp. He wielded the spear with his other good arm.

The Drahk came after him, sensing his weakness. Cid simply changed his fighting style. If there was anything he'd learned over the course of the last few months, it was versatility. Cid speared the first attacker through the chest, felling it easily. Using his momentum, he let go of the spear, pole vaulting into his next assailant feet first. Cid landed and turned, bringing up his foot, to catch yet another Drahk with a spinning roundhouse. Bringing his good hand to grab the wraith, he ground his knee into the beast's head with a sickening crunch. The Drahk doubled over in pain, and Cid rolled over its back to kick yet another wraith away.

Cid laughed grimly as he drew his spear from the dead Drahk. Kaede wasn't the only one with moves.

There were two left...

The first one rushed, and Cid swept his spear to the side, slitting what he assumed to be its throat. The wraith sputtered, coughed, and fell. Cid, extended his leg again to catch the other one with another roundhouse. But it ducked under the leg and punched him square in the chest. The world went black as Cid landed hard on the ground, but his fighter's instincts kicked in, turning the fall into a roll.

He finished the roll and brought his spear up...just in time to impale the wraith as it ran up to follow up its attack. Cid breathed heavily as he lifted the impaled Drahk with his good arm, and forced his broken arm to brace the spear, holding it upwards at an angle. The wraith flailed about on the blade, trying to fight its own demise. Cid used his last remaining energy to fling the wraith against a nearby tree. It slammed against the trunk with enough force to break every bone in its body, then fell to the ground silently, never to rise again.

Cid was breathing in heaves now, "that'll...teach you...to sell me short. I win, you bastards..."

He collapsed to his knees, completely drained of energy, "oh man, I'm wasted."

Cid fell to his side, and the last thing he said before the world turned dark was Shera's name...

Elena was holding on to the edge of the cliff with one hand. This normally wouldn't have been a problem. However, she was holding Reeve's hand in her other, the only thing between him and certain death on the breaks below. The additional weight of his armor wasn't exactly helping.

She gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold on to both, her arms feeling as if they were about to fall off. Reeve wasn't moving.

"Reeve?" pleaded Elena, "Reeve, wake up. Reeve...ANSWER ME!!!"

"Ugh," he replied groggily, "I'm still here..."

He had a moment to realize their predicament, then let out a curse.

"I couldn't agree more," answered Elena, "but right now we have to get out of this."

"Help lift me up," asked Reeve gently.

"You don't ask for much, do you?" replied Elena, "okay, hold on."

Reeve didn't have much choice. He watched helplessly as Elena's face furrowed in pain. Her arm muscles bulged from the strain of bearing so much weight.

Elena gritted her teeth even harder, forcing her aching muscles to pull up Reeve through sheer willpower. Her arm was on fire. However, she succeeded, and Reeve was now beside her, holding onto the cliff's edge as she leaned back against his arm.

Elena breathed heavily, her arm feeling limp from the strain, "let's not do that again."

Reeve held onto her waist, supporting her, "thanks for the save Elena. Relax I've got you now."

Elena looked down at his arms and smiled wryly, "don't get any ideas pal."

Reeve sniffed, but smiled back, "don't worry, we'll have plenty of time for this later. Right now, I've got a plan."

Several of the Drahk skirted closer to the edge of the cliff. Looking down into the chasm below, one wraith was met by a pair of feet. They wrapped around its neck and pulled, sending the demon screaming to its death on the rocks below.

Elena flew from the cliff's edge, jumping into the rest of the shades, sending them reeling back.

Reeve jumped to the surface a moment later.

Elena looked back and raised an eyebrow, "nice throw."

Reeve flexed his armored muscles, "this suit has its uses."

"Yeah," answered Elena, "and it's heavy as all get out."

Barret screams caught their attention. Elena quickly threw a grenade in the direction of the yelling, clearing the Drahk away from Barret. The tall man forced himself to his feet and limped to Reeve and Elena, who rushed to meet him as well. Barret collapsed in the ground, and Elena and Reeve, brought out their guns, training their weapons on the Drahk as Barret edged closer.

"Thought you guys were goners," said Barret through gritted teeth.

"Almost," replied Elena.

Reeve looked at Barret's leg and winced, "does that feel as bad as it looks?"

"Worse," answered Barret, but he forced himself to his feet, resting most of his weight on his one good leg.

The three stood back to back, aiming their weapons at the Drahk wraiths that were slowly surrounding them.

"Damn," cursed Barret, "there are too many of them."

Elena sighed, "well guys it's been nice knowing you."

Author's Note: Chalk down the fifth chapter in thirty two hours!!! Even with the skeleton work done, I'm smokin!!! However, it is getting rather late and I'll hate myself in the morning when I have to get up at six. Don't ask. Anyway, complete surprise next chapter, or at least I hope it is. However, if some of you readers out there (namely Arachnia) know me too well, you may have anticipated what's going to happen next. Anyway, thanks for reading, feel free to drop a line.

P.S.: How'd you like the tough-as-nails Elena I'm trying to portray? I like her, especially in the scene where she lifts up Reeve with one arm, now that takes muscle! No, she's not biped up on steroids, all my characters look normal! Well, except for the reptiles or the S&M freaks with face paint. But the good guys definitely look normal...except Red, he's an alien wolf/lion...never mind...

Chapter 33: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

Vincent and Yuffie held each other tightly as the fire engulfed them. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt.

Vincent opened his eyes slowly, realizing that he was still alive, "what just happened?"

Yuffie looked around, and saw that the wraiths were either gone or burning away on the ground around them.

"I don't know Vince," she replied.

Vincent let Yuffie slowly help him to his feet.

He coughed into his hand, which came away red.

Vincent looked at it, and grimaced, realizing it was definitely not the red of his cloak.

"You look like hell," whispered Yuffie.

"I've seen better days," replied Vincent.

He faltered forward, and the young ninja moved to catch him in her arms. Vincent leaned against her shoulder, resting his head on her neck. He sighed tiredly.

Then a growl came from behind him, and Vincent knew they were still in danger.

Yuffie's body went rigid with fear, "don't...move."

There were still several Drahk left alive, eager to spill their blood.

Vincent scowled, "Yuffie...my belt."

The ninja felt for Vincent's belt, her hand brushing up against a handgun.

"You know how to use it?" asked Vincent.

Yuffie shook her head almost imperceptibly, "but I'm a quick learner."

Vincent pulled a sardonic smile, "you would have to be...do it!"

Yuffie grabbed the handgun, raised it in the direction of the wraiths, and fired. The kickback nearly floored her, but she braced herself and fired again, emptying round after round into the dark figures.

Vincent spun around, holding onto her waist with one hand to steady himself. With his other hand, he drew his most powerful shotgun...

Scores of the beasts fell, but there were still too many for the two to take on alone. All too soon, they ran out of rounds. Yuffie set her back against Vincent, drawing her shirukens. Vincent raised his hands, now armored claws. He was too weak now to completely transform, but he still had some fight left in him.

The two grinned savagely at their enemies.

"I never thought I'd go like this," stated Vincent, "dragged down by sheer numbers."

"Don't worry Vince," returned Yuffie, "I'm with you."

The ex-Turk sighed, "and there is none I would rather spend my last moments with."

Yuffie's tone became serious, "Vince, what you said...about loving me...was it true?"

Vincent nodded, "you are my heart and soul now."

Yuffie smiled back, "well, we'll just have to straighten things out when this is over."

"We will," lied Vincent.

They weren't going to live through this, and both of them knew it.

Any further comment was silenced as another blast of light blinded them...

Reeve, Elena, and Barret stood back to back, ragged and weary. They were dead tired, and in no condition to fight, but the Drahk wraiths circled around them like vultures around carrion. The three waited for an attack. It came, but not in the form they expected.

"Grand spark!" came a cry from behind the demons.

The Drahk wraiths let out shrill screams as they were engulfed in wave after wave of electricity. One by one, they fell to the ground, dead and convulsing.

A figure came out from the darkness, revealing himself as...

"...Rude!" shouted Elena.

Yuffie and Vincent opened their eyes once more, to find all their enemies had been decimated. Nothing remained now but burning husks wasting away on the blazing fields. The fires soon died down, and a figure slowly treaded its way through the smoke.

Yuffie's eyes widened, not daring to believe, "Nanaki?"

Vincent nodded to the Cian warrior, "cut that a little close, don't you think?"

Red shrugged, "sorry, I got a little, preoccupied."

"Thanks," said the ex-Turk.

"Don't mention it," replied Nanaki.

"Wait a second," pleaded Yuffie, "you KNEW he was alive?"

Vincent nodded, "I became aware of him just after the first blast."

Yuffie turned to the quadruped, "so you were the one who did that?"

Red nodded, "I've been working on fine tuning the Cosmo Memory."

Vincent nodded his thanks again, "how did you get back? We thought you dead."

"Let's explain when we join up with the others," replied Nanaki.

"Fair enough," answered Vincent.

Yuffie was still trying to make sense of it all while they trekked back to meet the others. Then something crossed in her mind, and she punched Vincent lightly on the arm.

"What was that for?" asked Vincent calmly.

"Two things," answered the ninja, "first, you should've told me Red was alive earlier."

"Well," said Vincent, "that might have thrown off the sneak attack."

"Fine, whatever..." she grumbled.

"And second?" he asked.

Yuffie smiled, "you could have told me you loved me before."

Vincent remained silent.

Yuffie turned to look at him, and tried to hide a laugh as she saw his cheeks were as red as his cloak.

"Well," answered Vincent slowly, "a man gets..."

"Intimidated?" suggested Red.

"I wouldn't go that far..."

"Oh of course," smiled the Cian, "let's just say...'apprehensive' then."

Yuffie threw her hands up in dismay, "oh, it doesn't matter. For a person who almost had her ticket punched, I don't feel that bad."

"I do, and you should as well," countered Vincent, "it seems strange to me that you'd feel otherwise."

"Yes, but you're weird," joked Yuffie.

"I still care about you..."

Yuffie's expression turned softer, and she turned to Vincent with slightly teary eyes. Vincent responded by wrapping a timid arm about her shoulders.

"Well then..." hazarded Red, "let's get out of this alive, then catch up on old times later."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," said Vincent.

Elena couldn't believe her eyes. It was Rude! Of all the people to save them, it was a person who was supposed to be dead.

"You old dog!" laughed Elena, "is it really you?"

"Of course," answered the Turk calmly.

Barret laughed, "has to be. No one else could just pop up like that and still talk in two word sentences."

"How did you make it out?" asked Reeve.

"We jumped ship," came a voice from behind, "bailed out in an escape pod before she blew."

Elena turned around, "Reno!"

Reno waved back, then re-shouldered the weight he was carrying. Shera was by his side. Between the two of them, they were half-dragging a barely conscious Cid.

"Barely" being the operative word, for the Captain was keeping up a steady stream of curses to make even a hardened sailor blush.

"Somebody help me out here," he groaned, "I've had to listen to this idiot's talking all the way over here."

"I wouldn't complain so much if you weren't so heavy," retorted Reno, "especially for such an old cuss."

"Quiet dear, save your strength," whispered Shera to Cid, "at least we're still together. Thanks for coming after me."

"I had to," answered Cid, "I cared too much to let you go."

"So does that mean I get to stay with you this time?"

"Oh definitely," smiled the pilot, "you get into far too much trouble without me to look after you."

Shera straightened her glasses and remained silent.

"God I love it when you do that," whispered Cid.

Shera smiled at him.

"Oh spare me all this maudlin nonsense," groaned Reno, "isn't my job hard enough as it is?"

Barret laughed, "give it a rest kid. Cid, you look like hell."

Cid nodded, "I'm getting tired of doing this crap, somebody get me a Goddamn wheelchair."

Barret barked out another laugh, "I think I have a better claim to it, but I'll be fine."

Barret was standing completely on one leg now, while Rude began to prepare a leg brace for him.

Cid grinned up at him, "you don't look to great yourself. How do you feel?"

"Like someone threw me in a blender, then glued me back together," answered the large bear of a man.

"That sounds about right," laughed Cid harshly.

"Come on guys," said Yuffie, "no time to be resting on the job."

The others turned around.

"Well," said Elena, "will wonders never cease? You made it out too Red?"

The Cian merely nodded, "just in time to save our friends here too."

Yuffie sniffed, "Vincent would just have turned into his hunky other form and torn them apart. Right Vince?"

Vincent sighed, "I feel a bit too tired to do that just now."

Reeve looked to the horizon, "come on guys, our destination's that way."

The others turned to see the Fortress of the Ancients not too far in the distance. No one had mentioned it yet, but Kaede and the others still hadn't turned up since the landing. They had been too busy fighting the army of wraiths to pay it much mind. Perhaps that's why Kaede hadn't been seen, he had bypassed the wraiths while the others held them off.

"Maybe they went ahead while we were fighting these guys," suggested Barret, "never really thought about `till now."

But perhaps it was because they were too frightened to think of any alternatives, or because there was only so much one could deal with at a time.

Elena shuddered, "those...Horsemen will be there."

Reeve hugged her, "don't worry, it'll be alright. And when it's over, we'll go on a real vacation, just you and I."

Elena smiled up at him, and held him closer, "I'd like that."

"Come on people," grunted Cid, "let's move out."

And just like that, the group was on its way to the one place where it would all end. They were walking, slowly but surely, to where the fate of the Planet would be decided once and for all...

...The Fortress of the Ancients...

And Heaven help them if they lost...

Author's Note: Chapters are just streaming out from my fingers, sixth in 36 hours! I hope that doesn't mean the quality of writing has declined. Anyway, I am finally within spitting distance of the ending. WARNING: almost exclusively Kaede from here on in, if you're growing used to all the bouncing around. Unless I get tired of writing, which I don't anticipate happening just yet, I'm still going to give you two endings, but I will try to tie them together or something. As always, thanks for reading. Catch you later.

P.S.: Why are there so many attempts at jokes now as opposed to the rest of the story? Simple, I am naturally writing like this, perhaps as a side effect of making so many back-to-back action chapters. Sorry if you don't like it, please bear with me. That is all.

Chapter 34: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

Kaede led the others through the darkness of the Fortress, using the light of his sword to illuminate the dark passageways. Aeris was behind him, her White Materia also casting a dull glow to uncover the path ahead.

The Planeswalker looked cautiously around him, wondering why the Fortress was not alight, as it had been before. It hadn't even reacted, to him or Aeris...which meant that something was wrong. The only other sources of light came from interspersed torches along the hallways, fighting desperately to repel the shadows. But their was a...presence...here that could not be dispelled. It had to be something Methos brought with him when he entered the Fortress. There was a strange darkness about this place. It wasn't like anything he had ever felt.

Cloud shivered, "it feels so cold in here...I don't think I'll ever be warm again."

Tifa walked to his side, companionably walking with him and sharing her warmth with him.

Aeris walked up to Kaede, to do the same...but something in his eyes held her back. It wasn't as if he was pushing her away, but he seemed to have grown cold inside. Ever since the battle had begun, something had changed in him. Kaede once more donned the mantle of the lone wolf she had met when she awoke in the City of the Ancients. His mask was gone, but masks didn't need to be physical to be present. He was shielding them from something, but what?

"Kaede?" asked Aeris, "you haven't said a word since we entered this place."

Kaede made no move to indicate he had heard her, and Aeris was about to repeat herself when Kaede finally replied, "after all these years...I'm finally going to confront Methos again. What's he like after all these years, I suppose? Does he have any of the child in him that I knew so long ago?"

Aeris frowned in worry, "Kaede, you shouldn't do this to yourself. I can feel your guilt, twisting it's way through your heart...it wasn't your fault."

Kaede turned his eyes to her, an expression in his eyes that chilled her for all the sorrow they held. He wanted to tell her something, but he couldn't get the words out.

The Planeswalker gripped his fist, "I...I..."

He closed his eyes and looked away, cursing himself.

"It's okay Kaede," said Cloud, "we all have secrets and regrets. Believe me, I would know."

"We can't let them consume us," continued Tifa.

Kaede was about to reply when he heard something, he halted the others.

"What?" asked Cloud, "what is it?"

"Quiet..." signaled Kaede.

He heard a faint whooshing sound...almost like...

Aeris walked forward, trying to make sense of the sound.

Kaede pushed Aeris to the ground, and an arrow narrowly missed her head...

More came out of the darkness, like a torrent of rain. Kaede and the others jumped in all directions, fleeing the hail of arrows. Kaede encircled Aeris in his arms and leapt away, sheltering her.

"Kaede, no!" shouted Aeris, "get out of here!"

He merely held on tighter and kept moving away, his movements clearly slower due to her weight.

Cloud and Tifa ducked and weaved their way through the wave of arrows. Tifa stopped as one clipped the space just in front of her face, then felt herself pushed away as Cloud fell on top of her.

"Keep moving!" he shouted.

Cloud rolled away, carrying Tifa with him. They flattened themselves against the floor, struggling to stay below the flying arrows. He struggled to carry her to the relative safety of the pillars nearby. Then Cloud saw another one spearing it's way towards them.

`No time to dodge it,' thought Cloud, `this is going to hurt...'

Cloud raised his arm to deflect the blast. The arrow pierced through his palm...and stopped. Cloud cried out and closed his fingers, crushing the projectile in his bare hands. Sheltering Tifa with his other arm, he carried her away from the flying arrows.

The projectiles eventually stopped flying, and the four slowly stood up. Cloud shook his hand back and forth, trying to get back feeling in it, while Tifa tended to the wound with her materia. Kaede helped Aeris up.

She looked at him, and gasped, "Kaede! You're hurt!"

He looked at his sides, and saw a few arrows had struck him. He calmly pulled them out without so much as a grimace.

"I`m fine," he assured, "they didn't breach the armor."

A faint clapping engulfed the room, the echoes reverberating, making it louder. Cloud turned to find the source of the sound.

"I must say," came Sephiroth's voice, "well done for a failure."

"Sephiroth," cursed Cloud.

The menace glared at Aeris, "ah, dear Aeris. How is the puncture wound?"

Cloud's eyes flared, "you stay away from her you ba-"

"Really Cloud, you must control yourself," laughed Sephiroth, "although you're right, I shouldn't have killed her...I should have made her suffer while you watched, but the look on your face when she died was so...gratifying..."

Cloud coldly glared back, "it won't work Sephiroth."

The ex-Soldier nodded, "you've grown Cloud, improved. I shall enjoy killing you."

Kaede glared back, unimpressed, "finally ran out of arrows Morbius?"

The Horseman of Pestilence withdrew from the darkness, "I don't need them to kill you."

He threw away his short crossbow, and the Horseman's hands became great claws.

"I will kill you with my bare hands," he continued.

"No," said Methos, "you won't. That is my pleasure, and mine alone."

Kaede glared as an old face appeared from out of the shadows.

They simply stood looking at each other, completely oblivious to anyone else. Years of pain and suffering were traded in a matter of seconds, as Kaede and Methos looked into each other's eyes and saw the past staring back.

"Kaede?" asked Aeris.

"Coming to admire your handiwork," said Kaede, mimicking a conversation from so long ago.

"You never change," scowled the Chaos Lord, "do you?"

Kaede nodded, "it's been a long time Methos."

"I'm impressed Kaede, I knew we would cross paths once more," sneered Methos, "I will kill you eventually, but I am afraid we have more...pressing matters than you right now."

Kaede brandished his sword, "you're not getting away from me this time Methos."

Veletta drew up alongside Methos, "we've moved beyond you Kaede, have the decency to lay down. We will grant you death momentarily."

Cloud and Tifa looked at Kaede, seeing an unspoken dialogue take place between him and their enemies. Aeris grasped the Planeswalker's arm tightly.

He narrowed his eyes, "I will see you damned before you take this world."

"No Kaede," replied Methos, "you will suffer now. Then I will make a new Hell just for you and send you there personally."

Cloud glared at Sephiroth, "always trapped in someone else's shadow Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth's gaze grew cold, "I'm follow my own will Cloud. But you will never see the grandeur of what I will become."

"Attack," ordered Morbius.

Scores of shadows withdrew from the mists of darkness, the torchlight causing their silhouettes to waver.

Kaede, Aeris, Cloud, and Tifa stood back to back, preparing themselves for battle. They looked back and forth, seeing dozens of dark wraiths staring back.

"Cowards," cursed Tifa.

"You should be grateful," prodded Sephiroth, "your friends, if they are alive, are busy with the others, or you would be surrounded by hundreds right now."

"We grow tired of you," sneered Morbius, "ATTACK!"

The shadows fell upon the four, who disappeared under the mass of bodies.

Morbius turned away, "let us go."

Methos and Veletta didn't move.

Morbius raised his reptilian eyebrow, "it is the Emperor's will that we finish this before anything else."

Methos grunted, "their deaths will come later, I will have that satisfaction."

Sephiroth grinned, "I would be rather disappointed if they didn't survive. I have such...interesting plans of what I will do to them."

"You will reserve your zeal for the task at hand," glowered Veletta, "if you know what's good for you."

Methos brought his hand to Veletta's chin, "worry not, we will have our revenge...and their cold hearts will wither in our hands..."

Veletta grinned back savagely, and fiercely kissed Methos.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. This was something he hadn't expected. They were braver than he had thought, if they trusted each other enough to do that kind of thing.

Morbius coughed, "milady and lord..."

Methos and Veletta withdrew.

"He knew," said Methos, "I could see it in his eyes."

"One more pain in a series of what we will do to him," answered Veletta.

"Indeed," replied the Horseman of Chaos.

Morbius turned to Sephiroth, "very well, lead the way. But remember, try anything, and you die."

Sephiroth remained silent, `you fools! Do you honestly think you control me? Follow me, and we shall see who is the master here!'

He smiled instead, just to set Morbius ill at ease, "follow me..."

Cloud was cutting away enemies as fast as they appeared, but time was of the essence.

"Kaede," shouted Tifa, "we could destroy them all and still lose! We have to get out of here!"

The Planeswalker calmly assessed the situation, trying to find a way to dispatch the wraiths in time to stop Methos.

Aeris solved the problem for him, for she surrounded herself in a strange field of light.

The others looked at her uncertainly, while the wraiths fell back, biting and yelling.

Aeris let out a beautiful cry, a dangerous song. Strands of mako came from her hands, spearing through the screaming hordes, as they fell one by one. The light was blinding, engulfing the entire room...

When it was over, she closed her eyes and collapsed, only to be caught by Kaede. He easily lowered her to the ground, drying her sopping forehead with his gloved hands.

"What was THAT?," asked Cloud.

"Aeris' powers have been manifesting themselves," explained Kaede, "her recent pains and headaches have been indicative of this."

Aeris opened her eyes slowly, "are they gone?"

Kaede nodded, "yes...you shouldn't have done that."

"No choice," returned the Cetra.

"Yes there was," answered Kaede, "we could have done it together."

Aeris shook her head, "you must conserve your strength..."

Kaede took a flask from his belt and brought it to Aeris' lips. She groaned slightly, and allowed herself to be helped up by Kaede. Slowly, she nodded to him, telling him she was alright. Kaede stepped back.

"Will she be okay?" asked Cloud.

"I'm fine," breathed Aeris.

She stood up straight, and smiled, "see?"

Cloud shook his head and grinned, "you have to let us help sometimes Aeris. That's what friends are for..."

Tifa squeezed Aeris' hands, then drew her up in a hug.

"We have to get going," proclaimed Aeris.

"What are they going to do here?" asked Tifa.

"We will have to ask them ourselves when we find them," answered Kaede.

"Watch your backs," warned Cloud, "I have a feeling they have more nasty surprises in store for us."

The four drew close again, the two couples walking close together. And if Kaede was a little bit colder than he had been before, the others reminded themselves how this must be for him...facing his past.

The walked onward through the torch-lit catacombs of the Fortress, still unsure of what lay ahead...

Author's Notes: Don't worry, it'll pick up again soon. Keep reading and sending feedback. Thanks!

Chapter 35: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

Aeris walked through the strange smoke, the others not far behind. There was a strange light here, it had something almost surreal about it. And the smoke...it was as if the smoke had a life of its own, moving as it willed.

Aeris saw a shape ahead, and walked closer to it. She held her staff tightly, wary of any tricks. Then she finally came to the source of the shape, and gasped...

It was a little girl, no more than six years old. She was frightened, tears streaming down her face.

"Mommy," she cried, "they did something to mommy. Why wouldn't she move?"

"Who...are you?" asked Aeris, "are you alright?"

The little girl nodded, "what happened to mommy?"

Aeris cried softly, unable to speak, and drew the child into her arms.

"Why wouldn't she move?" repeated the child.

Aeris closed her eyes, knowing all too well what had happened.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," comforted Aeris.

"You won't," answered the child.

Aeris barely had time to register that something was wrong before a blast threw her away from the child.

Aeris landed roughly on the ground, coughing out blood as she shakily raised herself to her feet. She looked confusedly at the girl.

The child laughed, "you are so gullible...fool."

The girl disappeared as the smoke engulfed her. The mists then cleared away to reveal a breathtakingly beautiful woman, in a cold sort of way. She dressed in a blood red gown, and her dark eyes held death in them.

"Veletta," breathed Aeris.

The Mistress of Evil laughed once more, "too true. I thought to amuse myself with you, but it seems that you are not worthy of me. Your death will drive Kaede mad, and then he will know the pain he caused me."

Morbius surged forth from the mists, and raised his hands, summoning forth a spell.

A blast of fire threw the Horseman against a nearby pillar before he could attack.

Morbius quickly got to his feet, "who dares!?"

A wind blew through the room, clearing away all the smoke. Tifa grinned at Morbius, her gloved palm still steaming from the blast.

"Liked that did you?" she laughed.

Veletta glared as she saw Kaede helping Aeris to her feet.

The Cetra cried in his arms, as Kaede held her tightly, and ran his hand through her hair.

"Your feud is with me Veletta," said the Planeswalker, "leave her out of this."

"Oh, but Kaede, you brought her into this" replied Veletta, "and now we cannot let her live."

She laughed cruelly, "I belong to Methos now, as he belongs to me. But you...I cannot believe you made a Rite of Blood with...this....this..."

"My name is Aeris," voiced the Cetra, glaring fiercely into Veletta's eyes, "I saw what you've done to him, how you tried to break his will. But you failed. He doesn't belong to you."

Morbius laughed harshly, "ah, but he does, more so than he will ever belong to you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Cloud.

Veletta laughed again, "Kaede, have you not told them your secret? No, I see you haven't."

"Let us tell you," sneered Morbius, "Kaede is one of us, because his brother is one of us."

"His brother?" asked Tifa.

"Methos," answered Kaede.

"METHOS IS YOUR BROTHER?" demanded Cloud.

Kaede lowered his head, "...yes..."

Aeris shook her head, "why didn't I know? I never saw it in your memories."

"That's because I hid them," replied Kaede.

"You could have told us," said Tifa.

"No you fools," sneered Veletta, "do you not know what drives such a man? He has killed, and he has enjoyed it."

Kaede shook his head, "No..."

"Oh, don't say you didn't," sneered Morbius, "we drew on your dark side...it loved the heat of battle, the dark joys of slaughter. Such a pity you had to kill it when you left us."

"Shut up."

"You understand now girl?" laughed Veletta, "he is one of us...a child of light such as you could never have a meaningful bond with him."

Kaede's eyes glowed red with rage, "SHUT UP!!!"

"Yes Kaede, give in to your urges," prodded Morbius, "hate us, become one of us."

Kaede clamped down hard on his fury, forcing himself not to give in. He turned to the others, pain clear in his eyes. Pleading with them to forgive him one more time.

"You see now," he explained, "why my kind despise me..."

Aeris shook her head sadly. Tifa remained silent.

Surprisingly, it was Cloud who dispelled their fears, "I've done questionable things in my time Kaede. When I was with Shinra, you wouldn't believe half of the things they made me do...then again, perhaps you could."

"Cloud," whispered Tifa.

"I almost killed my best friends Kaede," continued Cloud, "I did other things too...if Tifa found it in her heart to forgive and accept me, we can do no less for you now."

Kaede looked wide-eyed at Aeris, who nodded back at him.

"You could have told us," cried Aeris, "we would never forsake you Kaede, we...I...love you."

Kaede closed his eyes once more, and held Aeris to him tightly. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"How utterly sickening," said Morbius, "allow us to put you out of your misery."

"I will enjoy killing your love after all Kaede," mocked Veletta, "then you will belong to us once more."

"Never," spat Kaede, "I will die first."

"THEN DIE!!!" yelled Veletta, letting forth a great blast of energy.

Kaede slapped away the attack, responding with his own power. The others leapt from the waves of blue energy, hiding behind a series of great pillars. Kaede disengaged and soon joined them.

"Cloud," shouted Kaede, "we have to get to Methos!"

Cloud nodded, "Sephiroth's planning something, we can't afford to get caught here!"

Aeris squeezed Kaede's arm, "you two get out of here."

Kaede looked at her incredulously, "you can't be serious."

"She's right," said Tifa, "you and Cloud go on, we'll hold off these two."

"Will you be alright?" asked Cloud.

Tifa nodded, "but we won't be if you don't stop this."

Cloud turned to the Planeswalker, "Kaede?"

"We don't have a choice," Kaede considered his options, "I may not know what they are planning, but I can guess where they are heading..."

"Up top," deduced Aeris, "where the empty spires are."

Kaede nodded, rising to leave.

"Wait," said Aeris, "take this for luck."

She handed him the White Materia, "you may need it."

Kaede smiled reassuringly, and kissed her once before rising and nodding to his friends.

"Well then," said Cloud assertively, "let's get going."

"Cid would be proud," smiled Tifa, giving him a quick kiss.

"Yeah, well," returned Cloud, "I hope he's around when this is over...so I can brag about it."

Tifa grinned, then looked past the pillars.

"Ready?" asked Aeris.

The others nodded.

"Go!" shouted Tifa.

The two women let loose a torrent of spells at the two Horsemen, as Cloud and Kaede ran past them into the darkness beyond...

Cid and the others looked at the Fortress with varying degrees of interest. There were scorch marks on the walls.

"They are inside," said Vincent, "battling..."

"Kaede must have caught them by surprise," deduced Red, "now they have to get to where they are going by the long route."

"And where exactly are they going?" asked Reno.

"That is simple," replied the Cian, "I found something in my readings. I would guess that they are headed for the spires at the top of the Fortress."

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

Barret looked at the building and winced, "we have to climb up THAT?"

"No choice," said Vincent, "it's the quickest way there."

"Great," he grumbled, "fine, let's go before my judgment gets the better of me."

Sephiroth had finally made it to the spires. All those months of training, all those weeks of studying schematics...it all came down to this.

"Well?" asked Methos, "what now?"

"Now, my dear Methos," returned Sephiroth, "we wait."

"Wait?" demanded Methos, "what the devil for? Let us finish this so I may go back to kill Kaede."

"You'll get your chance," came a voice from behind, "here I am Methos."

The Horseman of Chaos turned, and grinned savagely at his predecessor.

"It's probably just as well," sniffed Sephiroth, "I need you to finish this anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Cloud.

Sephiroth laughed, "you still don't get it, do you? None of you do! This is more than just a weapon. It has the power to make me invincible!"

Methos quickly turned to Sephiroth, "the plan was to empower the Dark Purge."

Sephroth shrugged, the fool still didn't understand. But then again, he hadn't bothered to study this place. And knowledge was power, after all...

"That too," replied Sephiroth.

He turned to Kaede, "but before any of that can happen, I would appreciate your swords and the White Materia."

"Over my dead body," cursed Cloud.

"Happy to oblige..."

Tifa met Morbius' attacks blow for blow, but she was taxing herself to the limit. She had been fighting since the beginning of the Drahk invasion, while Morbius had only just begun. He was going to win, and he knew it.

Tifa blocked several punches in quick succession with her armored gloves, then caught Morbius off guard with a spinning kick.

Morbius fell back, bringing his hand to his bleeding mouth, "not bad girl."

Tifa narrowed her eyes, smiling darkly, "I haven't even started yet."

Aeris and Veletta circled each other, striking out with their staffs. Aeris met the dark woman with a fire in her eyes.

She let forth a series of attacks aimed for Veletta's head. The Mistress of Evil simply ducked the attack, bringing her staff around to smash into Aeris' face.

The attack hit her squarely on the temple, and the Cetra fell to her knees. Veletta lifted her staff again, but Aeris raised her hand, quickly casting an ultima spell. The Drahk lord flew back into one of the numerous pillars, dust rising as the structure toppled.

Veletta rose from the wreckage, eyes blazing, "impudent mortal!"

She ran to Aeris, raising her staff above her head.

A large section of the wall flew inward, blasted to rubble. Pieces of marble and steelwork flew through the air, driving the four combatants to their knees.

Cloud flew screaming through the hole, and crashed into the far wall on the opposite side. The Avalanche member sank into the marble, as if it were made of wet clay.

"Ugh," he groaned, "I see you haven't grown rusty either."

Sephiroth walked calmly through the hole, "your refusal to die is annoying me."

Cloud grinned, tearing himself away from the wall, "sorry to disappoint."

He ran towards Sephiroth, blade drawn. The two met in a lock of swords, glaring into each others' eyes.

Morbius glared at Cloud with hatred, "insolent pest, I will kill you."

Something tapped him on the shoulder, and Morbius turned around to meet a fist crashing into his face. The Horseman staggered back as a flurry of punches barraged him.

"Never...turn...your back...on me," said Tifa between hits.

Morbius' eyes flared, and he grasped Tifa's throat, lifting her off the ground.

The woman gagged, trying to pry away Morbius' fingers to no effect.

Morbius grinned into her eyes, taking the time to savor her death.

Tifa braced herself, slamming her foot into his stomach. Morbius faltered, and Tifa used the momentary distraction to escape. She flipped backwards, catching Morbius on the chin as she brought her foot up. Tifa jumped away to land on her feet, while the Horseman landed hard on his back.

Morbius glared up at her, daring her to attack.

Tifa furiously ran up to him, attacking the monster that would dare endanger her home. She punched and kicked, and would not be stopped. But in the end, Morbius had trained for centuries, and Tifa hadn't.

Morbius launched a counter attack, and the first indication Tifa got that she had lost was when his clawed hand raked through her side.

She let out an agonized scream, clutching tightly at her stomach, then collapsed.

Cloud's stomach grew knotted as he heard her cries. Sephiroth swept Cloud's feet from under him in the momentary distraction. Cloud countered with a kick to the throat as he fell to the ground.

Sephiroth drew back, slightly coughing.

Cloud got up, then saw Tifa bleeding her life away on the cold marble floor. He let out an enraged yell, running towards her. But Morbius let forth a blast of fire, blinding Cloud. He quickly brushed the flames away, but was caught of guard by a blow from behind. Cloud had barely enough time to see Sephiroth leering at him before he was beset by a blast of pure green energy. Cloud jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. However, the energy circled around, slamming into Cloud, throwing him against the wall.

Sephiroth let loose another blast, and Cloud jumped through the air, desperately trying to get away from the attack. But wherever he went, the blast followed. Cloud ran as fast as his legs would take him, but still the green energy followed him.

Cloud skidded to a halt, crossing his arms before him, then struggled to maintain his consciousness as the energy hammered into him.

The blast's arc sent him flying through the wall and beyond. He was thrown across the night sky like a shooting star. Then a great explosion engulfed him in a shower of light and fire.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Bare with me, we're almost done! Have a few chapters left yet. Wait till you see what I'm going to do (grins)...

Chapter 36: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

Kaede and Methos circled each other, two brothers swept up in a conflict steeped in blood and generations long.

The two brothers cut and slash at each other, rage and pain fueling their blows. Kaede swept his sword at the Chaos Lord's head, Methos ducked the attack, then brought his knee up to Kaede's unprotected stomach. Kaede reeled back, and jumped to the side, hitting Methos squarely in the chest. The two landed on the ground, breathing harshly, then picked themselves back up again, preparing themselves for battle.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your touch brother," sneered Methos.

Kaede grinned back, "I try. Tell me Methos, is their anything left in you of the brother I once knew?"

The Horseman glared back coldly at his brother, the smile gone, "no Kaede. I haven't been him for a long time. I cut out what little was left of that child ages ago."

The Planeswalker nodded sadly, "I never understood why you betrayed us Methos. You could have come to me anytime, we could have-"

"It is YOU who betrayed ME Kaede," spat Methos, "you were always so understanding, so patronizing. Then that old fool chose you to be his first disciple, not me. That was the last straw really."

"You didn't have to go to the emperor Methos," said Kaede, "that monster had our parents killed..."

"Do you think I care?" snapped Methos, "power is all I care about, all I've ever cared about!"

Kaede coldly stared back "I can see you've taken up with Veletta. Do you harbor any illusions that she may actually have feelings for you?"

Methos sneered back, "hell no. Do you take me for a fool? It is simply a matter of practicality Kaede, nothing more, nothing less. Emotions and such other weaknesses are simply useless appendages for those such as we."

"You can't mean that," said Kaede.

"Oh really?" laughed Methos, "are you telling me you never shut yourself out? Never forced yourself to become the cold, calculating warrior you had to be in order to carry on?"

"No, I'm just saying that I was wrong," reasoned the Planeswalker, "and so are you."

"Oh please," replied the Horseman, "spare me your worthless sentiment. You and I have been dead inside for a long time. We can no longer be what we once were. You bury yourself in the past, while I have embraced my own dark future. We are warriors Kaede, the beast lies within us, dark and ever-present. You can never run away."

Kaede nodded, unimpressed, "I see you still enjoy long speeches."

"I promise you, it must be a strictly a familial trait, since I learned it from you."

Kaede calmly faced his brother, "I will not give in to my hatred for you brother, for despite everything, I still care."

"That was always your problem Kaede, I tire of your sympathy," said Methos, "allow me to rid you of your misery."

Kaede nodded once more, "very well, you and I are warriors, we do have beasts locked away within us...let's end this."

The two brothers came together in a clash of swords. Methos aimed for Kaede's head. The Planeswalker weaved to the side. Methos brought his sword around, and Kaede had to duck to keep from being decapitated. The Chaos lord swept his sword along the ground, and Kaede made his move. He jumped over the attack, extending his leg. Methos flew backwards as the kick battered into his chest.

He landed on his feet, and immediately parried Kaede's following attacks. The Planeswalker circled his brother as he twisted his sword, trying to find any weaknesses. Methos lifted his sword in a rising slash, narrowly missing Kaede's neck. The Planeswalker punched Methos' exposed gut while he was in midair, and the Horseman retaliated with a downward swipe. Kaede dodged, but the blade cut cleanly through one of his belt straps. Methos landed and kicked his brother. Kaede flew back against the far wall. The White Materia fell away from him, and bounced out the hole in the wall caused by Cloud and Sephiroth's duel.

Kaede landed on his feet, looked back. He couldn't go after the materia now, he would have to make his own luck. The Planeswalker ran forward, ignoring the pain as he continued his attack. And so the two fought, calling upon the cold fury and warrior's talents they had acquired since childhood...Planeswalker versus Drahk, good versus evil, brother versus brother. Their swords were flashes of light, sparks flying as their blades clashed. Methos swept his sword high, then viciously uppercut Kaede when the Planeswalker ducked. Kaede answered with a reverse spin kick, catching Methos in the back of the head. Both fell once more to the cold, hard marble, panting for breath.

"You always were my best rival," said Methos as he rose to his feet.

"I'm honored," replied Kaede sarcastically.

The Horseman raised an appreciative eyebrow, "ah, I see you've developed a sense of humor?"

Kaede sniffed, beckoning Methos to attack. The Drahk lord screamed his rage, slashing at Kaede with all his might. The Planeswalker had to make an effort to parry each blow. Seeing his chance, Kaede thrust his sword into Methos' midsection.

However, Methos had deliberately left an opening, and sidestepped the attack. Opening his palm, Methos flashed Kaede's eyes with a blinding light. The Drahk lord yelled in triumph as his blade sheared through Kaede's ribs.

The Planeswalker let out a cry of pain, but managed to grab Methos' sword arm. Summoning his energy, Kaede let fly with a powerful blast of energy, flinging Methos several feet away. The Planeswalker limped backward, grabbing the aching wound at his side. He brought his other hand up to his mouth as he coughed out blood.

Methos stood up and laughed, "I have drawn first blood...brother."

Kaede grimaced through the pain, forcing himself back into ready position. He raised his sword, ignoring the burning in his ribs.

Kaede smiled coldly back, "then I shall draw last."

Aeris swung her staff in wide, sweeping arcs. Veletta met each blow with her own staff. The Mistress of Evil grinned into Aeris' eyes as they met in a lock of weapons. Then Aeris cried out as a wound burst from her side.

She stepped back, grabbing at the gruesome cut in her side, "what...happened?"

Veletta laughed, "do you not understand the true nature of the Rite of Blood? Fool, you are joined with that weakling Kaede now. His hurts are now yours."

Aeris brought herself to her feet, shaking her head wearily. If Veletta was telling the truth, then Kaede was in trouble. However...

"If that is so," grinned Aeris, "all I have to do to help him defeat Methos...is hurt you..."

Veletta laughed at her, "impudent Cetra, do you honestly think you can defeat me?"

Aeris brought her staff up, daring Veletta to defy her, "only one way to find out."

Barret and the others saw the fires in the sky, and barely had time to scatter before it came crashing down in the midst. Smoke billowed from where the flames had landed, and coughing could be heard.

"Ugh," groaned Cid, "is everyone alright?"

"Yeah," answered Yuffie.

"We're still here," followed Elena.

"Somebody get the number of the truck that hit us," moaned Barret.

Vincent walked closer to the smoke, now beginning to dissipate. There was a huge crevice in the large staircase leading to the top. But that was not what caught Avalanche's attention. Within the heart of it all, a dark figure was moving.

"Poor bastards been fried," said Barret.

"I've seen better days," answered the voice, "but I'll be alright."

The figure brushed himself off, and the moonlight glowed down on the figure, revealing him as...

"Cloud!" shouted Reeve.

The swordsman nodded, "glad to see you made it."

He looked at Red and the other, nodding at them, "I'll ask later, but I'm glad to see you're alive. I hope our luck holds out."

"What's going on up there?" asked Reno.

Cloud became silent, as he remembered Tifa's screams. He clenched his fist, and turned around.

"Cloud?" asked Yuffie.

A hard, emotionless voice answered back, "I'm going up there."

"We'll help you," offered Red.

"No," answered Cloud, "this is personal. I will personally see each of them die kicking and screaming for what they did to Tifa."

Shera gasped, "Is she...?"

Cloud closed his eyes, "I don't know...I just don't..."

Then there was no tome for words, as Cloud screamed his rage, running up the stairs and leaving the others behind.

"Great Planet," said Barret, "I don't think I've ever seen him that pissed before."

"What he said about Tifa," shuddered Elena, "do you think she's...?"

"I don't know," answered Barret.

"We'd better get up there quickly," suggested Cid, "before it's too late for all of us."

Sephiroth laughed into the night sky, howling like a wolf at the full moon. He was invincible, he would be the undisputed ruler of the cosmos. But his cries were soon eclipsed by a louder sound. It was the sound of some...beast. It sounded feral, wild, and the Horseman of Death had barely enough time to wonder what it was, before a screaming figure leapt into the air to dethrone him.

"You think you are so high and mighty Sephiroth," spat Cloud, "you think you are Death? I'm here to personally send you to meet the real thing."

Sephiroth stared in shock for a moment, then smiled evilly at his enemy.

"Bravo Cloud," he conceded, "I must say, you have been more fun than I expected."

"No more games Sephiroth," said Cloud darkly.

"Very well," sniffed the ex-Soldier, "then it is time to die!"

Cloud felt more than heard something from behind, and leapt away just as the ground where he was standing vanished. The marble vaporized, and Cloud squinted past the haze to see Morbius leering at him.

"Don't you people know how to fight fair?" demanded Cloud.

There was no answer, and suddenly, Cloud was beset by the two Horsemen. Surprisingly enough, he held them both off, but he was quickly tiring. Cloud knew he couldn't keep this up for long.

Then the inevitable happened. Cloud was forced back as Sephiroth launched a brutal offensive, and Morbius caught Cloud, slicing into the man's back with his claws. Cloud struggled to stay conscious as Sephiroth slammed his fist into Cloud's temples, causing him to see stars. The two Horsemen watched with satisfaction as Cloud staggered back, gasping for breath. He fell to one knee, completely at the mercy of the two dark figures.

"Morbius," offered Sephiroth, "if you would like to do the honors..."

The Horseman of Pestilence flashed Cloud a blood hungry smile, and raised his hand to cast a spell. Cloud closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. However, he opened them again as he heard Morbius' screams.

The Horseman looked at his gut, unable to make sense of what he saw. A fist was protruding from his stomach. Morbius yelled in pain as a powerful blow crashed into the back of his head, flinging him away.

"I told you never to underestimate me," said Tifa Lockheart.

Cloud felt tears of joy stinging in his eyes, "Tifa."

She smiled at him, "watch your back next time love."

Cloud laughed back, "I'll keep that in mind."

Morbius rose to his feet, cradling his wound, "impossible, you should be dead."

"And you should never have harmed this planet," retorted Tifa, "but life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Fool!" screamed Morbius, "I shall kill you!"

He ran at Tifa, gathering his energies as he screamed with raged. Tifa yelled out her own cries as she attacked. This was her home, her planet. She had fought to protect the lives of innocents from madmen like this. That was all she needed to give her the will to fight. That, and her love for Cloud.

Morbius raked his claws downward, and met nothing but empty air. Tifa dodged behind him, and the Horesman turned around as Tifa brought her foot squarely into his face. She launched a furious series of punches, her raw emotions fueling every blow. Morbius tried to behead her with another claw strike, but Tifa jumped into the air, catching him with a roundhouse before he had time to react. Then she vaulted herself foot first into Morbius' chest, forcing him back. She used her momentum to bring up her feet, jumping away and kicking him in the process. The two flew through the air, away from each other. Tifa landed on her feet. Morbius landed painfully on his back.

Tifa ran to follow her attack, but Morbius was already on his feet, frothing with rage. With all his might, Morbius thrust his clawed hands into Tifa's midsection. The woman grabbed the arm, but grunted with pain as the claws hit home.

Morbius laughed cruelly, "and now you die."

"I don't think so," breathed Tifa.

"What?" demanded Morbius incredulously.

Tifa glared up at him, blood leaking from her mouth, "I've seen that move before, if that's all you`ve got, you are in deep sh-"

Morbius withdrew his claws, causing Tifa to gasp slightly in pain. He backed away from he, fully expecting her to topple over. She didn't. Instead, defiantly, she stood up straight, ignoring the pain from the huge gashes in her side. Raising an upturned finger, she beckoned Morbius to attack her again.

The Horseman howled in fury, raising his hands to crush his enemy once and for all. Tifa let out a short scream of rage, jumping back and bringing her fist forward, drawing her energies into her hand. Morbius ran onward after her, and Tifa surged forth to meet him. Their two fists met, energy crashing upon energy. And then a blaze of light surrounded them both, and a ear splitting whine cracked the walls, as the light blinded all who saw. The flames swarmed around Tifa, engulfing her, flowing in and out of her body. She screamed as she felt herself being torn apart...

When the light cleared, Tifa, bloody, worn, and ragged, was still standing. There was no trace left of Morbius, none at all...

"Don't ever mess with my husband again," croaked Tifa, her throat dry from screaming.

"Tifa," whispered Cloud.

Slowly, as if trying to understand the meaning of the words she heard, Tifa turned to look at Cloud. She smiled reassuringly, then closed her eyes and fell forward.

Quick as lightning, Cloud was by her side. She slumped forward into his arms boneless and exhausted.

"Did I...get him?" whispered Tifa.

Tears were streaming freely down Cloud's eyes, "hush now, you got him. I'm safe now, thanks to you."

Tifa opened her eyes once more, and smiled up at her love. Cloud tried to smile back bravely, but she was hurt so badly, she had lost so much blood...

"I'm sorry Cloud," breathed Tifa, "I love you..."

"Don't you dare say goodbye to me Tifa," cried Cloud.

She closed her eyes tiredly.

He raised her face to his, "Listen to me. Listen to me!"

She slowly opened her eyes once more.

"We are going to go home, we are going to raise a family," pleaded Cloud, "dammit Tiff, you can't leave me now. I swear I'll come after you and scold you if you leave me."

Tifa laughed, but stopped because it hurt her to much, "slave driver...don't worry Cloud, I'm here."

Cloud smiled, kissed her, and held her close, cradling her in his arms.

"I think I'm going to pass out now," whispered Tifa.

"You do that," replied Cloud, "I'll wake you when this is over."

"No dice," answered Tifa, "you're hopeless without me, probably need me to save your backside before this is over."

Cloud smiled down at her.

"And such a cute backside too," added Tifa.

Cloud laughed again, "I'll be back."

Tifa nodded, then closed her eyes. Cloud gently lowered her to the ground, and stood up.

"How sweet," mocked Sephiroth, "maybe I should kill HER before your eyes this time."

Cloud quickly spun around, his eyes glowing with fury, "you...freaks...have done enough to us. Time for you to leave us forever."

Sephiroth grinned, nodded, as raised his sword, "come then Cloud. Let us finish this fight."

Cloud was beyond feelings now. His cold warrior's heart had kicked in. These bastards had dared to hurt HIS wife.

"Now your madness ends. The line must be drawn here," said Cloud prophetically.

Cloud drew his sword, and ran forth to meet his destiny...

Author's Note: I was having a little trouble with the last couple of fight scenes. I mean, I had everything planned out, but I was falling over myself not to repeat anything. Anyway, I liked the direction I was heading in towards the end there. Oh, you are so not expecting what I am going to do next. Heck, I didn't even expect what I was going to do next until a little while ago, one of those last minute changes...

Keep reading, and as always, thanks.

Chapter 37: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

Cloud and Sephiroth fought like demons possessed. They were cold, calculating, killing machines. Each had been trained from young ages to be weapons, and now they fought each other, old confidantes, for the fate of the Planet.

"You know Sephiroth," speculated Cloud between parries, "you are such a monster now, I almost forget the honorable commander I knew back before the Nibelheim reactor incident."

"That was a long time ago," replied Sephiroth, "the weakling you knew then has evolved into something more."

Cloud slashed and cut his way, trying to break a defense that had no weaknesses. Surprising even himself, Cloud seemed to have none either.

"It seems we've both moved beyond our old limitations," conceded Sephiroth, "unfortunately, it is time I put you out of your misery. There is no place for your kind in a world such as this."

Sephiroth raised his sword in a wide, sweeping arc, forcing Cloud to jump back. That was all the time Sephiroth needed to fire a blast of green energy at his enemy.

Cloud crossed his arms before his, absorbing the blast. It raged its way through him, threatening to tear his apart, but still he did not fall. When it was over, Cloud was still standing, panting for breath.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, "you don't disappoint Cloud, but I seriously doubt you can withstand another."

The Horseman of Death let loose another blast of energy at his foe. Cloud looked at the attack with a detached feeling of calmness. He knew he probably should flee, but there was no place to go. There was no turning back now...

A strange force rose within Cloud. He felt...energized, filled with a strange presence that he'd never felt before. Yet somehow, he knew what it was...the Lifestream. It was lending it's power to him now...aware that he was one of it's Guardians.

`Is this what it feels like for Aeris?' wondered Cloud.

There was no time to ponder, Sephiroth's attack brought Cloud's thoughts back to reality. But strangely, time seemed to stop to a crawl, Cloud felt as if he had all the time he needed to think of an escape. Almost without thinking, Cloud brought his hand up, knocking the blast away. Then time came crashing back to its normal pace.

Sephiroth watched this display with no small amount of wonder. Here was an enemy, standing, who should have been dead by all rights. Instead, he seemed to have found a second wind.

Cloud smiled fiercely at Sephiroth, "that trick is getting old, let's see how you like mine..."

Red and Vincent were the first to reach the summit of the stairs, the others not far behind. What they saw took away their reason and left them numb with amazement...

Cloud thrust his palm outward, summoning an ice spell.

Sephiroth felt the magic being summoned, and laughed, "ice? Do you really think you can beat me with simple ice magic?"

Cloud simply stared calmly back, and cast the spell. The attack hit Sephiroth with all the fury of a hurricane, forcing him back. Something was wrong, this was no ordinary spell. Sephiroth shrugged off the ice blast, landing onto the marble floor. But the ice spell followed him, hitting him in the back. It circled around yet again, and Sephiroth drew his sword.

The blue streak of energy twisted and convulsed, beginning to change shape. As it neared Sephiroth, it began to look...almost animal in nature. Sephiroth grunted as the ice blast began to push him back inch by inch. Then, for the first time in a long time, Sephiroth felt a strange taste in the back of his mouth, a bitter taste, and he knew what it was...it was fear. Then he took one look at the ice blast and knew why...

...For the attack had been no mere ice spell, it was deadlier, worse. The Blue energy changed shape again, this time into the shape of a mouth, with large, sharp teeth and scaly gums. Eyes began to form, and slowly, Sephiroth realized what this was...what his enemy had wrought...

...Cloud had summoned a dragon to attack him, a dragon of ice...

The blue energy screamed as it fought to devour Sephiroth, thrusting his backwards in its rage. He yelled out in pain as he was thrown against a wall. His insides were freezing, his joints felt numb, and he could hardly even move.

The dragon made of icy blue energy looked down at the reeling Sephiroth, growled, then turned away, looking for another target.

Barret and the others walked up behind Cloud, completely lost for words.

"What the hell just-?" started Reno.

"Don't ask," replied Cloud, "I really don't know. That was..."

"...Different," finished Vincent.

The others nodded their assent.

Methos jumped out of the way as Kaede brought his sword down hard. The Planeswalker's blade embedded itself in the marble. Methos floored Kaede with a roundhouse. The Planeswalker landed with a thud, then rolled away as his brother skewered the ground he had once occupied.

Kaede slowly stood up, fists clenched.

Methos shook his head, "disarmed, and still fighting me brother?"

"Weapons make not the warrior," Kaede replied.

"I beg to differ," answered Methos, rushing at Kaede with his sword outstretched.

Kaede jumped over the attack, then landed behind Methos. He brought his foot around, catching Methos along the side of the face as the Drahk lord turned around. Methos fell to the floor, and Kaede ran for his sword.

With a grunt, Methos got to his feet and ran to follow.

Kaede grabbed his sword by the hilt, but knew there was not enough time to pull it out before Methos attacked, so he didn't draw. Instead, Kaede used the sword as a brace, propelling his feet upwards in an improvised cartwheel, as he held on to the hilt. Methos staggered back as his brother's feet slammed into his chin.

Kaede landed on his feet, and using the force of his attack, drew his sword from the floor. Swiping upwards in one fluid motion, Kaede slashed a deep cut through Methos' chest.

The Horseman fell backwards, completely unprepared for the attack. He landed hard on his back, hugging himself tightly.

Methos coughed out blood, "ugh, not bad Kaede."

Kaede nodded emotionlessly, "I have a few tricks left."

He paused for breath as his brother stood slowly back up, and patiently waited for the battle to begin once more...

Author's Note: Now there's a couple of fight scenes I can be proud of! Okay, so maybe this was a short chapter, and the big surprise hasn't come yet. Just wait for it, it'll come next chapter, I hope. I also hope it catches you all by surprise too. If not, you know me better than I know myself, since I hadn't thought of it until recently. Anyway, as always, comments are welcome.

Chapter 38: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

Aeris met Veletta, face to face, staff to staff, and dared her to do anything about it. Now the Mistress of Evil was in a furor, screaming as she thrust her weapon at the Cetra. Aeris ducked under the blow, the raised herself to her full height, bringing her staff around to hit Veletta squarely in the ear.

The Drahk lord shouted in pain and fell back, grasping the side of her head. When her hand came away, filled with blood, a cold rage took her.

"You dare to strike me?" spat Veletta.

She rushed at Aeris, bringing her staff down hard, cracking the floor. Veletta moved, and, swinging to the side, Veletta smashed her staff into Aeris' ribs.

Aeris flew back, and fell to her knees, coughing out blood. She felt tenderly at her side, and grimaced. It felt as if some of her ribs were broken. She looked up as Veletta towered above her.

The evil woman brought her staff down again, and Aeris blocked with her own.

"Insolent pest," hissed Veletta, "do you honestly think you can win?"

Aeris remained silent, and continued to hold her own.

However, Veletta soon backed away in pain, sheltering her breasts with her arms, stemming the flow blood. A burning sensation ran up her front, and Veletta knew Methos must have been wounded. It was because of the bond she shared with him that she was in pain. Perhaps Veletta had been too hasty in joining her blood with Methos'. A light grumbling sound came from behind her, and Veletta slowly turned. She shrieked and jumped back as a strange beast snapped its jaws at her.

"Away from me monster," shouted Veletta, firing a blast from her staff at the creature.

The ice dragon was engulfed, but slowly emerged from the attack.

"What madness is this?" demanded the Mistress of Evil.

The dragon chased after her, but stopped as it regarded Aeris. It rumbled a greeting, and Aeris vaguely felt something in the back of her mind, calling to her. Then she knew what it was.

"It is a manifestation of the Planet's will Veletta!" shouted Aeris, "surrender now, or fall!"

Veletta's eyes blazed with fire, "NEVER!"

She gathered her energies, and summoned forth a creature of her own...it seethed and twisted, eventually forming into the shape of some strange fire beast. It looked vaguely familiar...

"A Reaver?" gawked Aeris.

Veletta laughed cruelly, "ah, you're acquainted with them. This is no ordinary Reaver, it is made of pure fire, flames of hatred which shall destroy you!"

Aeris calmly braced herself for attack, mentally reaching out to the dragon of ice, using that same hidden power she had used to control the WEAPONS.

The two beasts, ice dragon, and fire beast, glared at each other, snapping their jaws as they circled. Then the two behemoths leapt, changing into raw energy as they struggled to consume each other.

Aeris outstretched her staff, pouring more strength into the attack, Veletta did the same. And their they stood, two women of power, chosen by destiny, forcing themselves to fight through sheer force of will. But in the end, Aeris' convictions were stronger than her foe's. In the end, she had the love and support of her Planet, while Veletta had nothing but the cold hatred of her own dead heart.

The blue energy swallowed the gleaming red force, and Veletta's fire beast screamed as it was destroyed.

Undaunted, the Mistress of Evil leapt past the still seething energies, bringing her staff to bear down on Aeris.

The Cetra's eyes glowed a blinding green, "I am the Guardian of this Planet. I will not allow you to defile this world!"

Veletta sneered back, "you can never win. Why do you persist on fighting me? For love? To protect those who care for you?"

Her lip curled in an almost feral grin, "for Kaede? Do you think a man such as he could ever live with one such as you?"

Aeris glared coolly back, "you have never known love Veletta, you could not understand."

Veletta laughed harshly, "how naive, like a fairy tale princess. Kaede is no hero in shining armor girl. He has slaughtered, the beast lurks within. And once I kill you, I will show him your broken body. Then he will go mad, and he will become one of us forever!"

"No!" shouted Aeris.

She pushed upwards, flinging Veletta away. Aeris ran towards the Drahk lord, swinging her staff. Suddenly, Aeris screamed in pain, clutching at her side, and fell unconscious...

Kaede groaned, forcing himself to ignore the pain.

Methos sneered into his face, "I got you...brother."

Kaede looked down, and saw he had been run through by Methos' blade. It wasn't immediately life threatening, but it wasn't good either. Enraged, tired, and past caring about any personal pains, Kaede thrust his fist into the Chaos Lord's body, releasing a flurry of punches. He finished by bringing his knee into the Drahk's exposed stomach.

Methos grunted as he fell. He barely had time to think before Kaede kicked him away.

Kaede stumbled, falling to his knees, and gasped in pain. That had been too close. He only hoped Aeris wasn't in trouble, as a result of his wounds. The Rite of Blood had its strengths and weaknesses. He had tried explaining to her before, but, as in all things, they were having to learn by doing. Not the best way to learn sometimes, thought Kaede in retrospect.

Methos heaved a tired breath as he raised himself to his knees.

"Do you always fight with this kind of fervor?" he mocked, "is that why the Council of Planeswalkers fears you so, considers you a freak?"

Kaede wouldn't allow himself to be baited into a rage, silently rising to his feet once more...

Sephiroth fell back, clutching at his sides. That had been a powerful attack. He hadn't known the little shit had that kind of power. No matter, it still wasn't enough to stop him.

Cloud's friends were slowly gathering around him. The swordsman finally fell from his daze. Cloud glared at Sephiroth, and slowly advanced toward him.

"That's enough," he shouted, "give up, you're beaten."

Sephiroth caught a gleam from the corner of his eye...the White Materia.

He sneered back, lips curled in a wolfish grin, "not nearly."

Like lightning, Sephiroth scooped up the White Materia. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out something else. It was now time to enact his plan.

He laughed, "tell me Cloud, do you know what this is?"

Cloud stopped, and stared at what Sephiroth held.

"That's...the Black Materia," whispered Cloud.

"Yes," answered Sephiroth, "now witness the true powers of the Ancient technology!"

Sephiroth brought the two orbs together. The White and Black Materias engulfed each other, becoming one. The sphere in Sephiroth's hand began to fluctuate, hues of white and green swirling through the seas of black within the orb.

Cloud shook his head, trying to make sense of it all.

"What in the Planet's name have you done?" demanded Red.

Sephiroth laughed once more, as the Fortress began to rumble ever so slightly.

"Fools!" shouted Sephiroth, "tremble before me! It is the beginning of the end!"

Author's Note: Whew! Almost there. As always, thanks for reading, and keep up the feedback, I live for it.

Chapter 39: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, just this story.

It gets cold on nights like these, when emotions are buried in he heat of battle. For some, the only warmth comes from killing rages, and afterwards one picks up the pieces, if any are left. For others, the only solace taken is in opposing those who enjoy the killing, to protect what they can. To those who glory in the slaughter for its own sake, all is right in the world, and Heaven those who oppose them.

Tonight is no different. There are already too many who are ready to spill blood and revel in death. Case in point...the Dark Horsemen of the Apocalypse, or what's left of them...

The cards have been dealt, the battle of fates has already begun...

Veletta sensed an opportunity. Her opponent was weakened. The fool...now it was time, once and for all, to put an end to this Cetra bitch.

So consumed in her revenge, was Veletta, that she didn't even see the ice dragon as it crashed into her. The first indication she got that something was wrong was when she felt the hard, unyielding wall slam into her shoulder.

She slowly got up, snarling in anger. The ice dragon attacked again, and Veletta screamed in rage as she engulfed the creature in another fire spell. The Mistress of Evil looked away from the beast, letting it suffer in its death throes, and turned her attention to the fallen Aeris.

A cruel smile crept into her features, and she raised her staff to summon another spell.

"And now," laughed Veletta, "it is time to die."

Aeris opened her eyes, eyes still glowing fierce green, "exactly."

Veletta stared shocked for a moment, before a force slammed into her from behind. She brought her staff around for protection, and stared, horrified, into the attack...

...Into the eyes of the ice dragon, still alive...

Veletta screamed as she was swallowed whole by the waves of energy, devoured by the maw of the ice creature. The dragon expired, screaming its pain, as it attacked its enemy. Then all was silent...

Veletta was trapped, silently screaming in a layer of ice, never to harm another innocent soul ever again, endlessly and silently screaming for all eternity...

Slowly, the ice disintegrated, vaporized into the air, taking with it the frozen body of Veletta. Energy flashed this way and that, surging through the air, then disappeared into a great hole in the wall. Nothing was left to show Veletta had ever existed

Aeris nodded, her task finished, then collapsed to the floor. She hoped her friends would be alright.

`I love you Kaede,' was her last thought before the darkness took her.

And the killing continued, making brothers into blood enemies, spreading pain and torment in its wake...

Methos glared contemptuously at Kaede. Sword drawn, the Horseman prepared to attack.

Then a strange energy filled the room, encircling Methos.

His eyes widened, "No...what have you done?"

Kaede stared back, already aware of what was happening.

A blood red haze engulfed Methos' eyes, "you...they've...killed her! Veletta is dead!"

Lighting surged throughout the room, flowing into Methos' struggling body. He screamed in pain as the energy poured into him like a sieve.

When it was over, Methos screamed in rage. He howled his pain, voice echoing through the torch lit halls.

When he lowered his eyes, Kaede had to fight not to look away. Methos' blood drenched eyes crackled, like lighting striking against crimson skies.

When he spoke, his voice was evil, filled with the screams of suffering souls, "she's dead. But now her power is mine. I have all the strength I need...to kill you."

Kaede rose to his full height, and glared back, "should I be impressed?"

Without a sound, the two rushed forth into battle. There was no time for thought, no time for doubt, just the cold surety of blade against blade. Kaede and Methos leapt at each other, clashing swords in mid-air. They landed on their feet, their swords a dizzying blur, moving so fast as to be invisible.

Kaede tried desperately to break through his enemy's immaculate defense, only to find it flawless. As for himself, Kaede had been dealt blows which would have killed lesser men, and still he continued to fight. But the Planeswalker was weary from constant battle, while his brother was relatively fresh.

Methos struck his sword upwards, grazing Kaede's chest. The Planeswalker grabbed the hand and twisted it. Using all his might, Kaede thrust his sword forward, spearing below Methos' ribs.

The Drahk lord looked stunned for a moment. Then his eyes cleared, and he sneered down at Kaede.

"Nice try," said the Horseman.

He grabbed Kaede by the collar, head-butted him once, and threw him flailing against the opposite wall.

The Planeswalker gritted his teeth as the attack shook his very bones. He rolled away, forcing his body to keep moving. He knew that if he stopped, he might never get up again. So he forced himself to ignore his protesting muscles, struggling past the pain.

Kaede brought his foot up, striking at Methos' head. He followed with a cross slash, aimed to decapitate. The Drahk lord dodged both attacks and flipped backward, smashing his feet into Kaede's chin.

The Planeswalker doggedly forced his eyes to clear, and backed away slowly.

"Give up brother," said Methos, "join us."

Kaede shook his head, "you tried that once before. It didn't work then, and it certainly won't work now."

"Don't be foolish Kaede," snapped Methos, "you cannot defeat the emperor. Join us, and we can rule, as brothers."

Kaede's eyes softened, as a long neglected part of him was touched.

"You would have me?" asked the Planeswalker.

Methos nodded, "I hate what you've done to us Kaede, but even I can respect a warrior. And...you should never have left Kaede."

The Planeswalker sighed, "I'm sorry Methos. I hated you once, but now...I don't know. A part of me will always be your brother, but we separated a long time ago. Step down, or I will be forced to end this fight."

The Drahk's face twitched in anger, "that's your problem Kaede. You always have to be so high and mighty. You never had time for what was really important. You would rather die, protecting this rabble, than to rule alongside us?"

"What you do is not ruling," explained Kaede, "it is terrorizing. The brother I once knew would have understood that."

"He's dead Kaede," said Methos darkly.

"He died a long time ago," sadly acknowledged the Planeswalker.

"As you should have," replied the Chaos Lord, "allow me...to rectify...the mistake!"

The Horseman charged Kaede, frothing with rage. But Kaede was prepared, and met him blow for blow. Methos swung his sword over his head, bringing it down to bear on Kaede. The Planeswalker blocked the attack, then spun on his feet, swiping at Methos' throat.

Methos flinched back, and the blade grazed his cheek. Kaede stepped back, holding up his blood tipped sword.

The Drahk felt his face, and saw the blood that came away on his hand. He stared back at his brother in blood crazed furor.

"Insolence! You dare!" shouted Methos, "I will destroy you!"

Cloud looked on with fury as Sephiroth continued to grin at him.

Barret cursed under his breath, "dammit, not this freak again."

"Step back Cloud," said Reeve, "we'll take care of him."

One by one, the Guardians of the Planet drew their weapons.

Cloud held up his hand to stop them, "no, you stay out of this."

Elena looked at him askance, "what are you saying?"

Vincent shook his head, "Cloud...you can't ask us to stand aside."

"You don't understand," replied Cloud, "this is my fight. I have to do this, I owe Sephiroth."

"And if you lose?" asked Rude.

Cloud smiled grimly, "you can take him out and pick up the pieces afterwards."

The others wanted to protest, but they could see something in his eyes, something cold and determined. They could see that he needed this.

Reno shrugged, "fair enough, I can understand."

"I don't," said Barret, "this is our fight too Cloud."

The blonde swordsman smiled sadly, and cast a spell.

A shell of energy surrounded his friends, they were trapped, within a sphere of raw power.

"What the hell?" demanded Cid, "Cloud what is this?"

"I'm sorry guys," answered Cloud, "I can't let you fight him..."

"Cloud," grunted Barret, "Tifa'll never forgive you for this..."

His friends slammed their hands against the field, to find it secure and unyielding. They looked into Cloud's eyes, a mixture of emotions in each of their eyes.

The leader of Avalanche nodded sadly, "there are so little choices anymore...I'm sorry Barret. Tell Tifa...tell her that I'll always love her, and I always have..."

"How maudlin," Sephiroth laughed, "come failure, let us see what you can do against a god!"

Cloud silently turned around, raising his sword, "you are no god Sephiroth, you are a monster."

The Horseman shrugged, "god or demon, you will still bow to me."

"It ends here Sephiroth. You have tormented us enough."

He laughed again, "still carrying the torch for your friends? Rest assured Cloud, after I kill you, I'll make sure to destroy them, starting with your lovely wife. Or perhaps I'll torture her first...so many choices..."

Cloud yelled out in rage, rushing forth and bringing his sword to bear on Sephiroth. The Horseman easily dodged. Cloud continued to attack, disregarding his straining muscles, screaming at him to stop. Cloud swept his sword wide, Sephiroth blocked and countered, thrusting his Masamune at Cloud's chest. Cloud simply jumped over the attack, flipping over Sephiroth's head. He landed and turned, aiming for the menace's exposed back. Sephiroth weaved to the side, then swung his sword upward. Cloud barely jumped back in time, before the Masamune tasted his blood once more.

Cloud staggered backward, gripping at his chest, as blood dripped down his armor. Sephiroth smugly raised his sword. Cloud rushed forth again, swinging like a madman. The Horseman was thrown back at the sheer ferocity of the attack. Cloud screamed in rage as he attacked his opponent. Sephiroth waited until Cloud made a mistake, then cut his sword across the blonde swordsman's side. The leader of Avalanche ignored the burning sensation, continuing to chop away at Sephiroth as a woodsman would do to a tree. Cloud ran his sword deep into his enemy's defense, aiming for the gut. However, the Horseman's hand came up a second too fast, swatting away the attack. Cloud's Ultimate Weapon still managed to skewer the silver haired menace through the chest.

The Horseman gasped in rage, then brought his blade down on Cloud. His blade trapped as it was in Sephiroth's side, Cloud could only move to the side, and the Masamune sheared through Cloud's armor, scoring a deep cut into his arm.

Cloud let out a harsh cry of pain, and stepped back, pulling his sword out as he staggered away. Sephiroth let him go, gripping at his own wound.

He sneered at Cloud, "I got your sword arm."

Cloud forced himself to breathe normally again, forcing the red from his eyes. He had been going about this in the wrong way. Cloud had to be calm if he was to beat his foe. He had to remember what he had learned in the past months of training. He shrugged past the pain, calming his mind, and switched the sword to his other hand.

Sephiroth shook his head, "you never did know when to quit."

Kaede and Methos' blades were invisible as they cut and slashed at each other. Minor cuts were forgotten in pursuit of the kill. Soon, pools of blood littered the floor. The two brothers fought on, fueled by the rage and pain of so many years, and no longer cared if they lived. All that mattered was the kill.

Kaede raced back and forth, striking at his brother to no avail. The two rushed at each other, pushing themselves to be faster, stronger. The two figures were now nothing more than shadows, stamping back and forth as they fought, come and gone in the blink of an eye. Sparks flew as their blades clashed.

Kaede brought his sword down hard, swiping at Methos' stomach. The Chaos Lord jumped back, then lunged forward, punching Kaede in the ribs. The Planeswalker saw stars for a moment, then brought his foot up. Methos caught Kaede's leg under his arm.

"Bad move," said Kaede, before jumping up off the other foot.

He swung his leg around, kicking Methos in the side of the head. Kaed fell to the ground, gritting his teeth at the impact, then rolled away as Methos slammed his sword into the ground where Kaede had once been. The Marble floor shattered under the force of the sword.

Kaede slowly stood up, while Methos shook his head, getting rid of the dizziness he felt. The two brothers merely stared at each other in silence. There were no words that could be spoken anymore. All words had been exhausted between them. Now there was only raw emotion.

Kaede raised his sword, and Methos met his blade in less than a heartbeat. The Drahk lord cried out in rage as he attacked Kaede, using sheer anger to drive his brother back. Kaede lashed out with his sword, but Methos blocked with his own. The Drahk lord retaliated by bringing up his hand, expertly jabbing Kaede just beneath the sternum, pinching his nerves. The Planeswalker clutched his stomach tenderly, forcing back a shout of pain. He used his other arm and punched Methos between the eyes.

Blinded by the attack, the Drahk lord thrust his sword out, and was rewarded with a gasp of pain from Kaede. Gathering his energies, Methos hit Kaede with a ball of energy, square in the chest. Kaede grunted past the pain, as the burning force hit him squarely in the chest, and stood his ground. Methos' eyes flared in anger, and he forced more power in the attack. Kaede yelled as he flew back, but forced himself to turn around, landing on his feet.

Methos screamed again in rage, not letting up his attack. By sheer force of will, Kaede managed to black the attacks. Both were tired now, the last attack had taken much out of both of them. But Kaede was bleeding freely now, almost constantly. Eventually, the blood got in his eyes, and Kaede was blinded, leaving him wide open to another of Methos' attack. Kaede shuddered as he felt a hammering force fling him far away, and he landed bonelessly on the ground. He could no longer feel the sword in his hands, and forced himself to his knees.

Slowly, Kaede got to his feet, clearing the blood from his eyes. That last attack had been powerful, for he was separated from his brother by the whole distance of the room. Methos let out a snarl, and rushed at Kaede.

The Planeswalker wearily looked at Methos, and did nothing. He was dead tired, and had no energy left to put up a defense. And without his sword...

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, got more exciting (I hope) chapters on the way!