Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Ice ❯ Jenova's Last Dance ( Chapter 38 )

THIS IS CHAOS TALKING.

(An internal thought)

`An internal conversation'

 

Chapter 38: Jenova's Last Dance

 

The two separate groups had somehow timed it perfectly, ending up in the same small cavern at the end of their climb down. Both looked a little worse for wear telling the tale of how they had just spent the last several hours climbing through a cavern and fighting for their lives.

 

Cloud strode up to Vincent. “How did it go?” he asked of the gunman.

 

“Three Tonberrys and two Malboros ambushed, us but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle.” The dark-haired man shrugged. “You?”

 

The blond shook his head. “Dragon Zombie nearly got the best of us.” He sighed. “At least our direction is obvious now.” The swordsman gestured towards the strange staircase that led downwards into the depths of the crater.

 

“We decided to use the save crystal here,” said Reeve striding up to the two. “Here is a good place as any.”

 

“How much longer do we have?” Cloud asked with a sigh.

 

“Not enough,” remarked Nanaki sadly. He had crept up quietly behind the talking men, listening to their conversation.

 

Vincent exhaled softly, his crimson eyes unreadable. “We'll have to work with forced energy rather than resting ourselves then.”

 

Cloud nodded in answer. He hated to have to do it. He knew how much most of them felt about restoring their energy using fake means.

 

The members of AVALANCHE took a few moments for themselves, using potions for all the minor damage they had incurred and mega ether's for all the energy they had used in battle casting magic and calling summons.

 

Reeve and Reno were assuring themselves of their health as they traded murmured words of endearment and joked together. Anyone who looked close enough could see the worry reflected in both eyes of amber and aquamarine.

 

“Here,” said Yuffie, walking up to Nanaki. The demi-human raised an eyebrow at the proffered item she was holding. It was the Tetra Elemental that she had found earlier in the cave. “I know you want to equip for strength, but it might be wiser to protect against magic.”

 

He took the small accessory in his hand, flipping it between his fingers expertly. The demi-human smiled at her, his eyes brightening. “Thanks. I suppose you are right. With all that mako around him, Sephiroth will probably rely on magic more heavily than his own strength.”

 

She nodded at him, watching as he switched out the Champion Belt for the Tetra Elemental. It was a sad fact that living beings couldn't sustain more than one physical enhancement at a time otherwise he would've kept them both attached. It left for hard decisions, although people in weapons development were working to make stronger accessories. It was a long and slow going process as many protections tended to cancel each other out. Not that the demi-human really needed that much enhancement…. all that well-muscled body was more than enough to destroy Sephiroth. And he was fast too, his legs powerful and…

 

“What about you?” said Nanaki, suddenly pulling Yuffie out of her musings.

 

“Eh?” she said, blinking rapidly. He looked at her as if bemused.

 

“Don't you need it?” he asked again, gesturing towards the item she had handed over.

 

“Oh,” she answered, shaking her head negatively. “I have the Minerva Band and a Fairy Ring. I don't need much else.”

 

Nanaki smiled. “Confident much?”

 

She cocked her head to the side and struck a pose. “Wouldn't you be, if you were me?”

 

The two shared a laugh, taking away some of the tension that had been slowly building.

 

“What's the strategy, Cloud?” asked Vincent suddenly. “Are we going into this particular battle with any plans in mind?”

 

The calm and relaxed aura that had settled around the group quickly dissipated as they were all reminded what was to come. The gunman shifted nervously in his spot, a bit tense that he had caused them all to be nervous.

 

“It's not as if Sephiroth has any weaknesses that we know,” Nanaki pointed out.

 

“Still,” inputted Aeris. “We can be prepared even if it's just the barest sketches of a plan.”

 

The swordsman sighed as he contemplated. “First of all, we need three lines of attack instead of just being scattered over the battlefield.”

 

Reno nodded. “Primary offense, secondary, and defensive curative.” He ticked each off on his fingers, remembering some of his Turk training.

 

“Right,” Cloud agreed. “That is what they taught us in SOLDIER.” The swordsman closed his eyes and tried to envision what he should do. There were times that being leader was anything but what he wanted to do.

 

“The secondary line should consist of a combination of magic strength and secondary attack,” Vincent suggested. “Since Sephiroth was trained in ShinRa, he will suspect we might do something like this, so any formation must also be flexible.”

 

Aeris sighed. “I can tell you this right off. I am not offense material.”

 

Cloud nodded. “Yes I know. You and Vincent will be the defensive curative. With his shotgun he can cover us from afar and still do steady damage.” He left unsaid that as the back line, he would also be far from attack himself and close to the healer.

 

Vincent agreed with his choice. He understood exactly why Cloud had put him in that position and wasn't about to argue.

 

I'M GETTING STRONGER, YOU KNOW, said Chaos inside the gunman's head.

 

“Reeve, Yuffie, Cid, you three will act as secondary line.” Cloud's voice faded into the background as Vincent concentrated on the blood thirsty demon.

 

`I won't use you. I refuse,' responded Vincent mentally.

 

YOU FEAR ME. I CAN SEE IT. YOU WILL NEED MY HELP IN THIS BATTLE. THIS IS NOT A FOE YOU CAN DEFEAT WITHOUT US.

 

`I'd rather die than call for you.' Vincent internally snorted.

 

AH, BUT WOULD I LET MY HOST DIE ON ME? I THINK NOT. YOU UNDERESTIMATE YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE THE DECISION FOR YOURSELF.

 

`I am master here.'

 

WHEN I AM FREE, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTROL ME. I CAN SEE IT… I CAN SEE THE FEAR IN YOUR MIND, IN YOUR HEART. THOSE YOU CARE FOR… HIM… I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL.

 

“You'll never get the chance,” hissed Vince, feeling the anger coursing through his body.

 

Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder. “Vince, you alright?” It was Cid.

 

Vincent blinked and looked into those sky blue orbs. He must have inadvertently said the last aloud. “Hmm?” He noted the concerned expression on the pilot's face. He nodded slowly. “Yes, I am fine.”

 

The blond didn't look as if believed him. “We're going to move out soon,” he said, moving around behind the gunman. Both hands appeared on the raven-haired gunman's shoulders, and Cid began to massage him gently, working on the tense kinks he could feel beneath the thick fabric.

 

The gunman glanced around nervously but no one was paying them a bit of attention. He really wasn't used to overt displays of affection, especially in public. He allowed himself, just this once, to relax in the pilot's touch.

 

He heard the rustle of fabric behind him as one of the pilot's strong hands left his shoulders. The gunman turned slightly, looking over his shoulder to see what Cid was doing. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the blond digging around in his pockets as if looking for something.

 

“What are you doing?” questioned Vincent.

 

“I'm looking for that damn…” started Cid, trailing off as he reached into the pocket of his jeans. “Aha!” he declared triumphantly as he found the item he sought. He held it and Vincent squinted at it in the dim light. It was a materia.

 

“Here,” said Cid, holding out the small ball. Vincent took it, rolling the small red materia between his fingers. Then he recognized it.

 

“Th-this is Jade Tiger,” he pointed out, looking the pilot in the eyes. “Why?”

 

Cid shrugged. “Dunno. But something told me I should give him to you.”

 

“But that leaves you weak… you can't fight without his strength on your side,” protested the gunman trying to give it back.

 

Cid shook his head. “Look, I'm not much on all that nonsensical spiritual bullshit, but something in my gut is telling me that you need him more than I do. For some reason, I can't ignore this feeling. I been trying ever since we landed my airship at this godforsaken crater, but it won't leave me.”

 

Vincent nodded in understanding, pulling back his hand. He unholstered the Death Penalty and removed one of his own red materia before replacing it with Jade Tiger. He fingered the summon that he had detached, frowning over it. The red materia was Diablos, his second favorite summon other than Hades. When he had awoke in ShinRa mansion, the winged bat demon had been with him. Since then he had not shared Diablos with anyone.

 

Looking up at Cid's sky blue eyes, he knew what he was going to do with the summon. He handed over Diablos, gesturing that Cid should take it.

 

“He is not as strong as Jade Tiger, but he has been invaluable to me,” Vincent said softly.

 

Cid took the red materia with a smile, deftly slipping it into an empty slot on his armlet. He had taken out Jade Tiger earlier, almost unconsciously, and just hadn't asked Cloud yet if there was something for him to replace it with.

 

“Vince-“

 

“Okay, folks, we're moving out!” called out Cloud suddenly, interrupting whatever it was Cid was about to say.

 

The pilot wanted to curse his bad luck but knew, even if he had started to say something, the gunman probably wouldn't have wanted to hear it just yet.

 

The swordsman was standing on the edge of the precipice. Just below him the scattered stairs led downwards into the bowels of the crater. There was grim determination in the blond's features as he gripped the handle of the sword slung across his back tightly.

 

Cloud looked up, eyes meeting that of each and every one of his team members. This was it. The last chance for them to run from the battle if they so choose. But none did. All met his glance with equal determination.

 

Nodding, more to himself than anyone else, Cloud took a deep breath and stepped forward onto the first stair, the members of AVALANCHE following behind him.

 

* * *

 

The stairs were hardly anything like their name implied. They weren't connected, floating in a sort of phantasmal space that left the team nervous. They feared that each step they took, the block of rock would suddenly fall beneath them or crumble away. It was far from reassuring.

 

At the bottom was a platform made of squarish blocks of a reflective hard substance that none of the group could identify. The blocks were loosely fitted together and hedged in on all sides by rocks. They were attacked here as well, but the Iron Men were nothing compared to their combined strength.

 

Finally, they came the ending of the platform. There was no where else to go; neither stairs nor obvious path. Just as they began to think that perhaps they had come to the wrong spot, the ground began to shake and a creature burst from the greenish glow beyond the platform.

 

It vastly resembled a large, bulbous snail with two appendages that could have been either arms, feelers, or tentacles sprouting from the frontal area. This was Jenova-Synthesis, the last of the Jenova spawn.

 

To get to Sephiroth… they would have to go through it.

 

Cloud drew his sword and watched as the others drew their weapons and prepared for the battle.

 

“Nanaki, haste! Aeris, Regen! Reeve, Wall!” ordered Cloud, glad to see that each of his team members obeyed and quickly. The three magics were cast in succession as each person was wrapped in a protective translucent wall of magic, doused with the continuous healing, and energized by the temporary rush.

 

“Cid! Reno! Flank me! Vincent, cover! Yuffie, status!” called out the swordsman. The pilot rushed to his side and the two attacked the creature, aiming for the soft tissue of the underbelly.

 

Jenova was not afraid as it began to flail its appendages wildly trying to strike the attacking party. It was easy enough for them to dodge as the monster's tiny eyes did not enable it to see very well. [1]

 

“No weaknesses! Don't use poison or ice/water!” Yuffie called out, finishing her sense casting. That being said, she gripped onto her Conformer, looking for the perfect time to strike.

 

Cloud slashed viciously at Jenova, making headway but it didn't seem at all fazed by cuts he was making in its soft belly. Cid had taken another approach, jumping onto the creatures back and trying to find a weakness in the cone-like shell it had surrounded itself in. Jenova was bucking wildly trying to get the pilot off its back. Reno was shocking the hell out of the tentacles, watching them writhe in pain and preventing the two from attacking anything else. The resounding boom of a shot gun permeated the air as Vincent struggled to blind the monster and having a difficult time because of its movement.

 

The prickle of magic coursed through the air. It was the only warning they had before the monster cast its first spell. Aero ripped through the air, sending a gust of strong wind at the attacking men. Cloud, Cid, and Reno went flying away from Jenova, slamming into the ground not gently at all.

 

Reeve took the opportunity to cast his spell. “Demi3!”

 

Immediately the very air around the creature shifted, seeming as if it was pulling around itself. It twisted and turned the flesh of the creature, trying to rip it into pieces. Jenova writhed and keened with the pain, tentacles thrashing about wildly.

 

The moment of distraction was enough for Yuffie to make her move. She bounded towards the snail-like abomination, releasing her Conformer. It soared through the air and struck the flesh-like body of Jenova, leaving a bloody streak in its wake before it turned and restored itself to her hand.

 

The spell dissipated, but it left the monster with a furious headache and skin that felt tighter than it should. That was the only problem with Demi. On weaker enemies, it ripped them to shreds before pulling them in an endless void. On stronger opponents it was a distraction and a nuisance.

 

Cid, Cloud, and Reno pushed themselves to their feet, ready to pick up where they had left off.

 

Jenova didn't waste any time in attacking. She thrust her tentacles at the attacking men, Nanaki having joined them. The appendages seemed to have a mind of their own as in the same moment they avoided both attacks of the blond's and smacked them away. Jenova opened her mouth and a stream of acidic liquid shot out, slamming into Nanaki even as Reno did a rather acrobatic move out of the way.

 

The wall surrounding the demi-human took most of the damage but some managed to burn its way through, sizzling as it struck the skin of his attack arm. Nanaki hissed in pain and leapt backwards, unable to move his claw.

 

Reno dove in under the tentacles attacks and flipped on his Electro Rod. “Take this!” he yelled as he thrust the weapon up into the underbelly of Jenova. It hissed with pain but knocked him away as if he was nothing larger than an insect.

 

There was a flash of magic and Aeris had healed Nanaki. She quickly restored the wall around him, adding a bit of her own strength to make it stronger.

 

The sound of a shotgun permeated through the air accompanied by a loud groan of pain. Vincent had managed to strike the creature in one of the eyes.

 

“Ultima!” cast Yuffie, using her strongest magic. The green ball of flame appeared as before and struck Jenova. But instead of doing damage, the snail-like body greedily sucked in the greenish-fire. The little ninja could only gape as her magic failed.

 

“5…” hissed the snail-like creature in a voice that sent chills down the spine of those present.

 

“What the hell?” swore Cid. “I didn't know the thing could speak.” He held his spear out angrily, pissed that he had been thrown back so easily by the monster's tentacles.

 

“I did,” answered Cloud grimly. It had been talking to him since the battle had begun, but he had been steadfastly ignoring it. He darted forward and managed to slash through one of the tentacles. It writhed as if fell to the ground, blood pooling below it.

 

“Reno! Ramuh!” ordered the blond. He looked around as the ex-executive nodded. “Reeve! Counter after with Brothers!”

 

“4…” hissed Jenova.

 

“Thunder Storm!” summoned Reeve, shooting the blond swordsman a strange look.

 

Dark storm clouds began to gather over the battlefield. Thunder rumbled and the sky flashed with lightning. A bolt of lightning strikes the floor, raising up a platform of soil upon which sands the bearded Ramuh. He raised his hands high, staff held strongly in one hand. At the head of the staff a glowing ball of lightning formed and peppered the monster with sparks. The sparks joined to form a growing electrical shell around Jenova. Energy built up at the top of the shell and then struck inwards with a suitably large electrical explosion.

 

The snail-like body writhed and screamed as sparks raced along its shell. Yet even throughout its pain, the monster still managed to speak.

 

“3…”

 

Ramuh nodded his head once then disappeared in a puff of sparks.

 

Jenova screeched and cast another spell, realizing its physical attacks were useless. Frozen cones of water arched out from its body and threw themselves at the team. Most of them easily batted away the frozen bits, the rest were destroyed by shields that were beginning to lose their effectiveness. Soon they would need to be recast.

 

“Brotherly Love,” returned Reno, determined to bring the spawn of darkness down.

 

[2] The floor beneath Jenova rose slightly, being lifted by a Minotaur of great proportions. This was Sacred, the younger of the two Minotaur twin brothers. He threw the portion of floor high into the air, almost beyond sight which seemed improbable given where the battle was taking place. Jenova's screeching count could be faintly heard.

 

“2…”

 

Suddenly, Safer, the older of the two Minotaurs appeared at his brother's side, appearing to be satisfied by his brothers job. They started a game of rock-paper-scissors, both of them choosing rock but at the last moment Safer changed his to paper. Sacred shook his head sadly. Safer laughed then picked up his larger brother with the ease of a child. A heightened breath later and the younger brother was thrown into the departing rock with Jenova on it.

 

Safer disappeared as Sacred smashed straight through the flooring, vanishing in the distance. The ground broke up into fragments and began to fall straight towards the floor. With a resounding crash, both the rock pieces and the snail-like monster hit the ground. A dust cloud resulted, hampering nearly everyone's vision.

 

A few even choked on the particles floating in the air.

 

“1…” Jenova was not yet dead, her voice still reflecting throughout the air. Cid growled with anger and hefted up his spear, determined to take down the creature. Though he couldn't see, he had a good guess as to where he could find the beast.

 

A tentacle appeared out of the dust and slammed into his thigh, piercing the flesh easily.

 

“Fucking Jenova!” cursed Cid angrily. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of dynamite, lighting the end on his cigarette and throwing it in the general direction of the main body. He swore heatedly as he brought down the end of his spear on the tentacle and cut it off from his body, limping away from Jenova.

 

A dark-headed shape darted past the pilot. Yuffie had cast Flash on herself and was now using the technique to attack the monster without being caught. There was a sparkle of steel and then the sound of pain as Yuffie's Conformer struck home.

 

“0…”

 

The walls around the friends shimmered and then disappeared, all except for Nanaki's, whose had been refreshed earlier in the battle. Aeris hurriedly went to recast the spell but the countdown had been completed.

 

All at once, the friends found out why Ultima had failed on Jenova.

 

A flash of light reverberated throughout the area. The surrounding air suddenly felt warm and glowing. It seemed Jenova was pulling energy from the very ground itself. Green cackling fire began to gather around the front of its body, between the two tentacles.

Before anyone can do something, she attacked. Long tendrils of green flame shot out from the sphere of energy collected in front of the snail-like apparition. It struck each and every one of the team members with complete accuracy, even snaking around to hit those that were lithe enough to avoid them.

 

The screams of those affected pierced the air. They were being burned by a poisonous fire, breathing in nothing but air that was aflame yet their skin also crackled as if they had been struck with lightning.

 

The tendrils of flame wrapped themselves around their victims as Jenova pumped more power into the magical attack until there was none left in the power sphere.

 

Nanaki was the only one able to withstand some of the attack. The others fell to their knees, writhing in agony. It felt they were being burned from the inside out. Reeve fell over suddenly, eyes rolled up into the back of his head as his body could no longer stand the pain. Vincent let out a shriek of pain and fell to his hands and knees, arguing with something within him. He was fighting hard against his limit break.

 

YOU WILL FAIL. YOU WILL FALL. I WILL WIN AND KILL THEM ALL! cackled Chaos, taunting Vincent as he pushed at the gunman's subconscious, testing the bond's of the dark-haired man's willpower.

 

The wall around Nanaki prevented him from the worst of the spell. He knew he was the only one who could do anything. He pushed against the tendrils of flame that had surrounded him and flexed his claw. While Jenova was absorbed with the casting of the Ultimate-Ultima spell, he darted forward and sliced through her other tentacle, pulling back only far enough to push again and slash a giant cut in the beast's side.

 

Jenova roared with pain as blood dripped down its fleshy underbelly. It thrust out the last of the spell and the green flames disappeared. The friends literally littered the battlefield, most of them choking or gasping with the pain of their wounds.

 

Aeris fought her way to her feet, her body beginning to glow a faint red. She had hit her limit break. Her eyes began to luminescence brightly as she raised her staff and held it out in front of her. Her eyelids fluttered and a calm look appeared on her face. Suddenly the fresh scent of spring filled the air and a soft heavenly wind began to flow. The beating of wings was a most welcome sound and a party of angels appeared out of nowhere. The white robed and winged people descended on the party, healing them and restoring their energy.

 

`…. lis…. you… me,' came a voice from inside Cloud's head. He started even as the cooling sensation of being healed spread throughout his body. He shook his head, considering it an illusion of his pain. Either that or Sephiroth. He wasn't going to obey that bastard any longer.

 

`Your promised is ignoring his other,' spoke Hephaeston within Aeris' mind.

 

“He probably can't hear you as I can,” responded Aeris.

 

There was a sparkle of light and the angels disappeared. However, Reeve remained unconscious, their power only able to restore physical wounds. Reno crept over to his side, trying to awaken his lover. Vincent struggled to his feet, still looking as if he was arguing with something. Those three were no longer available for battle.

 

Yuffie stood up angrily, bearing her Conformer. She flung it at the monster, watching as it arced and slashed across the flesh easily, cutting into the soft skin. Yet it seemed no matter how much blood Jenova was losing, she would not go down, as if there was something else powering it. Jenova was determined to protect her `son.'

 

`Iblion is calling to him. You will need him to defeat that creature,” insisted Hephaestion. His presence was becoming more pressing on her mind.

 

“Cloud! Don't ignore him! It is not Sephiroth,” blurted out Aeris. Cloud turned toward her, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Just listen!”

 

`… I … oth… call… Ib…' The words still garbled as Cloud tried to push them from his mind. He heard Aeris' insistence and wondered how she knew he was hearing the voice.

 

Frozen cones of water flew through the air once more. Cid took one in the shoulder and went down. Nanaki nimbly avoided it and raced in for battle, still not doing any more damage than the thick slashes.

 

Suddenly a bright blue light surrounded Jenova's body. They were forced to shield their eyes from the luminescence. When they could once again look, it was to see that Jenova had been completely healed, her tentacles restored. Was the monster invincible?

 

`You need an attack strong enough to take out every piece of her at once,' Hephaestion pushed. `She is Jenova, her entire body is regenerative.'

 

“Listen to him!” urged Aeris once more.

 

“I can't!” screamed Cloud in return. His hand went up to his head. “It's just garbled nonsense.”

 

A cloud of poisonous gas flooded the air, an attack that Jenova had not yet leashed. The thick rolling grayish-green noxious substance clung to their bodies and they were forced to inhale the poison.

 

A silence fell over the battlefield. Everyone fell under the spell of silence except for Reno and Cid, who had ribbons as accessories. For some the gas also poisoned, for others it blinded, and still for more it cast the ultimate status magic, pain.

 

Only Cid was able to remain standing, unaffected by the magic. He dug into his pack, finally locating the only Remedy he had on hand. He looked around, wondering just who he should give it to.

 

Reno was frantically searching through his pockets for Remedy to help Reeve. His Heal had broken in the fight earlier when he slammed into the ground. Yuffie and Vincent slumped to the ground in sleep. Nanaki was frozen in place, claw ready for action. He had been stopped. Aeris was leaning heavily on her staff, a victim of both darkness and silence.

 

Aeris looked towards Cloud with eyes that were unseeing and a voice that could not speak, hoping he could see the pleading expression on her face. But he couldn't see her either.

 

However… the voice was clear now.

 

`Call for me, other. Call for Iblion, and he will come.'

 

`What are you? Why are you speaking to my mind?' questioned the swordsman within himself.

 

`Does it matter at this point? Your friends are vulnerable to Jenova's attack now.' The voice paused.

 

“5…” Jenova was counting down yet again.

 

Cid was running towards Aeris, knowing she had the magic that could cure everyone at once.

 

`She will cast that attack, and she will destroy you.'

 

`I cannot speak. I am sorry, but I can't call for you.'

 

`That matters not. Say it! Say my name!'

 

His lips formed the words though his vocal cords were locked. “Iblion…” he mouthed unable to truly speak. The pain coursed through his body once more as both poison and the pains of stone began to take over his body.

 

The ground began to shake though he couldn't see what was going on. Cid tripped over a protruding rock and crashed to the ground. Lightning appeared out of a thunder cloud and struck Jenova dead on. The blue energy coursed over her body. Before the sparkles could dissipate they suddenly leapt into the air and morphed into ice shards. The sharpened icicles pummeled Jenova's creating a ball of ice that turned solid for only a moment before it imploded.

 

The ice fell to the ground and melted into a puddle within seconds. The water suddenly caught fire, sending giant sparks of flame up onto Jenova. The snail-like monster had no time to react as it was then pummeled by fireballs. The ground shook violently once again. Blocks of stone burst upwards and the great boar Kujata [3] emerged, tossing his head violently as the ring in its nose swung back and forth.

 

The boar stomped the ground furiously, creating a wave of dirt and rock which pummeled into Jenova, both creating a mud mush that hampered her movements and catching fire from the magical flame.

 

Jenova screamed with pain, tentacles flopping around uselessly. Kujata roared angrily and charged her, spearing the creature on his enormous tusks. It was a battle of great beasts but it was obvious who would come out the victor.

 

The great boar reared up on his hind legs and stomped on the shell of the snail, cracking it beneath his great weight. Jenova crumpled under the attack. Kujata roared yet again and speared the creature. Blood spurted everywhere, far more than the team had managed to produce.

 

Cid poured the Remedy down Aeris' throat. Instantly she was cured, able to cast and see. She worked quickly, casting Heal one at a time on her friends. Reno had found his own Remedy and coaxed it into Reeve's mouth. With a cough, the ex-executive sat up but managed to swallow the tingling liquid. He had awoken.

 

Kujata slammed down Jenova once again and the creature collapsed against the ground. It had no more will to fight. Displaying a large roar of victory, Kujata vanished in an explosion of light.

 

Jenova twitched one last time and died, releasing a keening wail forcing them to cover their ears.

 

The ground beneath them shook and suddenly gave way, dropping each and every one of them down into the depths of the crater.

 

* * *

 

[1] I couldn't remember any of Jenova's attack except her countdown to Ultima so I made them all up, any resemblance to actual attacks is purely chance.

 

[2] Changed this summon a bit because I couldn't remember everything. It's from FF8.

 

[3] There are many spellings of this. I just went with the one that I liked.

 

If any of you noticed above that nobody seems to know who has Ramuh and Brothers, it's because Cloud was confused in the midst of battle. Heh.