Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of the Final Materia ❯ Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The ship veered off to the west and they were on their way to Wutai. Hours later, the Highwind landed outside the town and everyone departed from the ship. They entered the town and stopped in front the pagoda.

Yuffie faced them and smiled, "Feel free to make yourselves at home." She then grabbed Zell's hand. "I want you to try the pagoda trials. Let's see if you are strong enough to make it to the top floor."

Zell passed Reno and grabbed him. "You're coming with us!!"

Yuffie dragged Reno to his feet. "Yep!! Cause once the trials begin, no one can leave or enter the pagoda! So yea, you won't be going anywhere!!"

They disappeared into the pagoda dragging Reno behind them. Reno's hands were bound behind his back and he just followed along without saying anything. He glanced at Shukera but she glared at him and he turned his head.

Shukera laughed as she faced Selphie, "I think she likes him."

Rinoa and Squall decided to take a walk around the oriental looking village. Cloud placed his hand on Tifa's shoulder and smiled. "We have to talk." She flashed Shukera a smile as she walked off with him.

Nanaki found a large shade tree and he made himself comfortable under it. Fujin decided to take in the sites alone and figure some things out in her head. Vincent, Irvine, Cid and Barett hit the bar. Selphie, Raijin, Shukera, and Elena sat under the tree with Nanaki and enjoyed the breeze.

Elena sighed as she thought about everything that happened. "We looked for Aerith's sister but could never find anything about her or proof that she existed. I really wanted to find her before Shin Ra gets their hands on her."

Shukera stared at the running brook as she replied; "You probably never will either. Reno knows, I'm sure of it, but he is going to take that secret to his grave." She shifted in her position and glanced at Elena. "Reno said they have Aerith's child. What the hell is he talking about??"

Elena stared at her boot and sighed, "I have no idea."

Shukera pressed her lips into a thin line. The thought of Aerith having a child troubled her deeply. At this point, there was no telling who the father was. She held Aerith's materia in her hand and examined it.

Selphie's eyes widened when she saw it. "Wow that's really pretty!!"

Shukera stared at the glistening stone in her hand as she replied, "Funny, this stone reminds me of her. She's gentle, warm, and full of life. She brightens everyone's lives no matter where she goes. I never met anyone like her before."

Nanaki looked up and sighed, "Aerith carried that stone since I have known her. She once told me it doesn't work, but it was part of her mother so she kept it close to her always. We later found out that it held the power of Holy."

Shukera reached into her shirt and pulled out her stone. "It seems we have something in common. This is my stone…I've had it since the day I was born." She cocked her head to the side and stared at the two stones.

Slowly her eyes closed and everything around her faded. She fell backwards and landed on the ground. Above her a brilliant white sun slowly began to eclipse as the two spheres came together. The eclipsed sun descended towards the ground, casting eerie shadows all around. Everything suddenly changed and Shukera found herself surrounded by dense fog.

She spun around as she called to the others. "Hey guys!! Where did everyone go??" She began to get scared and snapped, "This isn't funny!!"

Annoyed, Shukera decided to make her way north. After a few steps she stopped, voices could be heard to the left of her. Curiously she followed the sounds until they became clearer. Suddenly the fog began to disappear and she stood in what looked like a broken down shack. In the center of the decrepit room stood Aerith smiling at her.

"I knew you would come!!" She approached Shukera and hugged her.

Shukera hugged her back as Aerith cried, almost becoming frantic. "Shukera…they took my child from me!! I can't find her…they took her and I don't know where she is!!!"

Shukera looked at her a bit confused, "Child?? Aerith where are you?? I am trying to find you but…can't. I can't help you unless I know where you are!!"

Aerith frowned, "Some where in Midgar, but where I don't know. There are a couple of others with me. It sounds like two guys. I think one of the guys is T-seng, but with the bandages it's hard to tell. And the other guy mopes all day and moans something every now and then. I can't really get a good look at him. He reminds me of a guy that Cloud and I found in the slums when I first met him. Hojo is back to his old tricks again. He wants to use our DNA in an experiment that would make up for Sephiroth's failure. He wants to create a sorceress who can use magic without the aide of materia. He is going to combine our DNA inside some sorceress girl. Her name is Rinoa! She's the last piece of the puzzle."

Shukera spat, "Dumb ass never knows when to quit!!" She began fading and reached out to Aerith, "Aerith I promise I will help you find your daughter. But tell me, who is her father."

Aerith cried as her fingertips gently passed across Shukera's. "Please don't let Hojo do anything with her!!! Please…help me find her!! Her father is…"

Shukera bolted awake as she shouted, "NO WAY!!!!" She clutched her chest as her heart raced. "Damn it!!!" She rubbed her head and took in a deep breath. "I must have been dreaming." Shukera looked up at Selphie and Raijin. "It was so damned real!! I dreamed that I saw Aerith!!" She shook her head, "This is too weird!!"

Selphie pressed her hand to her chest and asked, "What did she say??"

Shukera rubbed her head as she replied; "She told me that some people are with her, two guys." She paused trying to recall the conversation. "She said…they have her child…her daughter." Aerith having a child was too shocking to comprehend. "And there's a guy who is in like a comatose state who hardly says anything at all. Hojo wants to use them in an experiment to create a sorceress that doesn't need materia to use magic. He's going to combine their DNA inside Rinoa!!!" A worried look crossed her face suddenly, "I wonder if the guy is Seifer??" She rubbed her temples once again, "Damn that was the weirdest dream I have ever had!"

Nanaki gasped, "A child?? Aerith has a child??" This definitely wasn't good news. "Hojo…I don't even want to think about it…"

Elena looked at Shukera in surprise. "It…wasn't a dream. That's exactly what Hojo wants to do. I don't understand how, but I think you may have actually seen Aerith."

Shukera was stunned. "But how?? I don't understand."

Nanaki sat down and shook his fur. "The materia is how. No one really knows the full capacity of the materia's powers. I only know that you must guard those materia with your life! Should they fall into the wrong hands…" He didn't even want to finish his statement. The thought of them losing the materia was unbearable. He stared at the two materia in Shukera's hand and nodded, knowing he had found what he was searching for.

"I would have never believed it if I wouldn't have seen it for myself. Yet I know without a doubt in my mind that the truth is before me. I cannot deny which is true." He looked directly at Shukera. "You are Aerith's twin sister."

Shukera gasped and shook her head, "NO WAY!!!" This was the craziest thing she had ever heard!! There was no way in hell she could be that girl's sister!!

Nanaki stared at Shukera as he began. "Sisters will walk this world together; twins, one the planet's healer, healing our sorrows and pain, ending our time of suffering, yielding the legendary white materia and the most powerful white magic: Holy. The other is the planet's protector, who will take up our fight and will protect us from the evil ones and will bring justice to our enemies, yielding the black materia and the most powerful black magic. Together they will end the world's cries and will bring peace to all." He stood before Shukera and bowed his head. "That my friend speaks of you and Aerith."

Shukera stared at Nanaki in disbelief. "No!! I refuse to believe this fairy tale!! I am not what you say I am. I have only brought pain and suffering to others!! I have not protected anyone!!"

Selphie grinned as she placed her hand on Shukera's shoulder. "You are protecting Aerith and fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves. Shukera I believe it."

Raijin nodded, "Yep, that sounds like Shukera alright, ya know."

Shukera shook her head as a tear fell from her eyes. Overwhelming sadness filled her and she drew her knees to her chest. "I admit I have had this materia all my life. I have protected it always and never had it away from me."

Selphie gently squeezed Shukera's shoulder and smiled, "Sound's awfully familiar doesn't it??"

None of this made sense. Shukera's mind repeated the words, "You are Aerith's twin sister." She brought her hands to her face and lowered her head. "This can't be true!!!" Yet the facts were there…her materia reacted to Aerith's when it laid dormant for all her life. She protected Aerith even though she had no reason to when they were teenagers. Could it be true?? Confusion gripped her once again. With much effort, Shukera cleared her mind and decided that she had to know more.

"I thought the ultimate black magic was meteor. What happened to the black materia Sephiroth had??" She took a closer look and found that the stone was deep onyx. "So what does this one do??"

Nanaki moved closer and looked at it. "I'm sorry, I cannot say for sure. I just know that it's definitely the materia from the legend." He shifted his position. "I would like you to meet with Grandfather after you meet with Harris. Your visit to the canyon would bring great hope to my people and answer any questions you might have. I know this is quite a shock to you; just think how I feel to find out that Aerith's twin sister is an ex-Soldier of Shin Ra. But then again, it also clarifies the rumors that speak of Shin Ra getting to the child and making it their own."

Blinding rage boiled inside Shukera. "If what you are saying is true…then Reeve…he's not my real brother. Damn!!!" She turned away from them and lowered her head. "And Reno…hired by Shin Ra to be my friend."

Now it was all making sense, the pieces were fitting together and filling the holes of her life. Shukera's eyes filled with rage unlike they had ever seen. This was personal now; they messed with her mind, stole her life, and made her into an unforgiving killing machine. "They will pay dearly for this!!!"

With Raijin's help, Shukera stood up. She gazed at the pagoda for a moment then began brushing herself off. Raijin folded his arms and traded a glance at Selphie. She had a forbidding feeling that things were fixing to get very ugly.

Shukera faced them all and replied; "Please don't speak of Aerith having a child until I can confirm this to be real. She has some deep ties to most of the people on this ship. I don't want to upset anyone needlessly."

Nanaki nodded, "I think it's for the best. You are right; this is not the time for anyone to become emotional. Cloud…he would lose his mind or something and not to mention what it would do to Tifa…"

Suddenly fireworks went off behind the pagoda and Shukera immediately drew her sword. Distressed over the news of Aerith and Seifer's condition, she dashed towards the structure without thinking. Shukera rounded the bend and found a crowd gathering in front the pagoda. Curiously she sheathed her sword and stepped closer. There in the crowd were the others, back from their individual excursions. Shukera sighed with relief and ran her hand through her hair. Either she was going to defeat Shin Ra or was going to have a nervous breakdown before she even left Wutai.

Zell ran out of the pagoda and began punching at the air and posing. The small gathering crowd began applauding him. The applause only edged Zell on and he started showing off more.

Yuffie ran up to them as she held his hand. "Zell just passed all the trials in the pagoda!! He made it all the way to the top and beat me!!" She swooned as she looked up at him proudly, "Isn't he the greatest!?!?!"

Zell laughed and scratched his head as his face flushed with embarrassment. "She didn't tell me that she was the master Guru here."

About a half an hour later, the crowd began to dissipate, leaving only Cloud and his friends standing around. Shukera stared at the sky for a long silent moment, setting her confusion aside and calming her emotions. "It's time to meet Harris and his group now. Surely they have everything ready to go by now. Before we leave for Midgar, I want to stop at Cosmo Canyon…I have many questions that need to be answered before we face Shin Ra." The group departed the town and boarded the ship.