Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Where the lost ones go ❯ In the name of love ( Chapter 33 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

33. In the name of love

"I don't care, just do it!" Rufus snapped, making it painfully clear to the ShinRa soldier that he was to deliver the message to his superior officer and stop stuttering about his brother being one of the soldiers infected with the virus. Watching the tormented soldier run off reluctantly, Rufus shook his head briefly and allowed himself to wonder once again at human stupidity. Did the boy honestly think he could run down to the labs, single out his brother and bring him to safety? Even if the other zombies didn't tear the soldier to pieces, his brother would. A mother had already lost one son, Rufus would be damned before he allowed the woman to lose a second child!
At that moment did the door to Rufus' office open, and he exhaled relieved when Reeve and Barret entered with Tifa. No sooner had the two entered, when Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, Rain with her child in her arms and Shera followed.
"It's true?" Barret yelled over the alarm. "Those things are loose?"
Rufus instantly took Tifa's hand as she walked over and reached out for him. "Yeah..." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, before gazing at the worried crowd. "The zombies managed to break free, and are currently spreading through the lower levels of the tower." Then the brat prince frowned and gesticulated faintly with his free hand. "Hey, where's Sephiroth and Aeris?"
Cid swallowed hard, unknowingly clutching the scar on his shoulder. "She... she went to talk to Hojo, so Sephiroth went after her..." He knew how easily he could have been one of those zombies. "We have to get down there... Help him out, right?"
Hesitating, Rufus considered his options for a few seconds then he released Tifa to walk over to a map over Midgar on the wall. "No... I want to help Sephiroth as much as you do, but we can't..."
"What?" Cid stepped forward and gazed at the brat prince with disbelief. "In case you failed to notice, ShinRa, those are pretty non-vegetarian guys that outnumber Sephiroth pretty heavily! You saying we're just gonna sit up here while..."
Vincent lifted a hand to silence the pilot, his crimson eyes resting on Rufus as well. "What triggered this, Rufus? Why are the creatures suddenly even more aggressive?"
"Sephiroth is a better fighter than all of us in this room put together!" Rufus snapped, and finally turned back to face the others. "He'll be just fine! Now, you ask me what triggered this? My guess is that it has something to do with the army outside of Midgar."
Yuffie gasped startled and ran over to the window. "But we destroyed the tunnel! They shouldn't be able to..." Her words died as she found herself gazing down at a huge army, with several huge monsters looming in the background like bad omens. "Crap..."
Everyone started as the door opened, but Scarlet didn't bother to look at any of them as she made her way over to Rufus. "We're trapped." She placed several surveillance photos on the desk. "The entire city is surrounded, heavy assaults on our defences every half hour and they've not even put in the big muscles yet. As for the internal situation, the zombie problem seems to have contained itself within two floors as they're seemingly unable to open doors. So far, the elevator is functional and infection free as well. The zombie problem by the guard points, on the other hand, seems to be escalating."
Rufus let out a frustrated sound, drawing both his hands through his hair while staring at the pictures. Think, ShinRa, think! He drew a slow breath, closed his eyes and waited two seconds before exhaling. "Strife?"
"Something is jamming our signal," Reeve explained silently. "We can't reach him or the troops with him."
It took almost everything within him to keep from screaming, but Rufus forced the sound away. Focusing his eyes on Barret, he wished he was as calm as he sounded. "Vincent, Yuffie and Scarlet. You three are coming with me. Barret, you bring the rest up to the penthouse. I trust you to keep them safe, alright?"
Barret nodded, slightly reluctant to miss out on the action but knew better than to argue. Now was not the time to argue about anything. "A'ight."
Cid watched as Vincent and Yuffie instantly began checking their weapons, and he suddenly felt sick. He used to be one of them. He used to be a fighter too. There had been a time when Cid Highwind was at the front line, Venus Gospel and cigarette ready for battle! He used to be someone that could be counted on. Now he was reduced to being a burden. To someone who had to be stowed away from the danger with civilians and children. Cid Highwind used to be someone who would have argued fiercly against being put away like some fragile thing, but not anymore. The pilot merely sagged slightly, feeling another piece of his soul die, and waited for another order. The anger at the injustice had faded, and Jenova's whispering had slowly wore down his mind into a blanket of weariness. He didn't care anymore.

He'd asked to have a final word with her. In private.
Tifa kept her eyes on Rufus as the others left the office, one by one. One group to wait for her, on their destination to the top floor. The other group to wait for Rufus, on their destination to the battle field. She didn't speak or move until the door closed after the final person, and only then did she walk over to him. Rufus had been staring at the floor ever since he'd asked to have a moment with her alone. The brunette was torn between wanting to hug him close or simply sucker punch him. "I'm not saying goodbye."
Giving a faint smile, Rufus finally glanced up to meet her eyes. "I'm not going to die."
Tears welled up her eyes and Tifa sniffled before nodding. "Good." She gazed over at the window, nervously wringing her hands. "You said you wouldn't leave me again."
"I would never lie to you," Rufus declared softly, walking over to stand behind her and gently rubbed her upper arms reassuringly. "I'm going to be perfectly fine. To tell the truth; I'm more worried about you. All this tension. It's not healthy for neither you or the twins."
Tifa managed a choked laugh, still struggling to force back the tears. Since when had she'd become such a cry-baby? Damn hormones! "Yeah, well, be sure to tell Jinrei that. He's the moron responsible for it!"
"I'll be sure to deliver the message," Rufus smiled faintly and placed a light kiss on Tifa's neck. "Just try to keep from worrying too much, ok? It's easy for me to ask the impossible, I know, but you can trust me. I promise to you that I'm not going to die. I'm never leaving you again. You hear me? Never."
Biting her lower lip, Tifa swallowed hard before she managed to speak. "Just be careful..."
Rufus closed his eyes and nuzzled her neck to inhale the glorious scent of her, drawing his strength from her very presence. "I will." He released her to walk in front of her, smiling as he met Tifa's tear-filled gaze. "No tears. You go upstairs and start on the M&M's, and I'll be back before you're finished with the green ones!"
Tifa was unable to hold back a small laugh, and she weakly slapped his shoulder. "Want to put your money where your mouth is, ShinRa?" She then leaned forward to rest her forhead against his shoulder, gripping his upper arms tensely. Closing her eyes as she felt him raise his hands to gently touch by her elbows, Tifa allowed herself to need his presence for just a few heartbeats longer, then she finally straightened. "Ok..."
Caressing away a tear that escaped from her iron will, Rufus leaned over to place a warm kiss on her lips. "Ok." The brat prince somehow knew this would be the final battle. Jinrei himself was right outside of Midgar, and it was time to win or get lost. Kneeling down, Rufus placed his hands on Tifa's rounded stomach. "You two be good now. No funny business while I'm gone! Your mother doesn't need anything else to worry her, so I'm expecting you two to be on your best behavior." He smiled faintly as he felt the movement underneath his touch, and as there was just the two of them in the room; Rufus leaned forward to place a light kiss on his very pregnant wife's stomach before straightening with a somewhat sheepish look. "Pre-traumatic stress syndrome, it makes you do the darndest things." He cleared his throat and leaned over to place another light kiss on Tifa's lips. "You can tease me about it later, alright?" Before she could answer, he stole yet another kiss and left the room before she could recover, or he came to his senses and stayed.
Out in the hall, Rufus nodded at Barret as a signal for him to check on Tifa, but then focused his eyes on the pale Reeve. "Hey, Reeve, think you can get that toy of yours up and running again?" He tried not to glance over as Barret entered the office, but absently pulled out his shot gun to check on it.
"Cait is ready," Reeve declared with a touch of pride. "I even installed some new moves on him last week!"
Rufus replaced the shot gun in it's holster and nodded. "Fine. Whatever. Make it scout out the lower stores, keep an eye on those zombies. They may be unable to open doors right now, but I did see Jurassic Park. If a lizard can learn to open doors, then maybe a walking corpse can. Better safe than sorry, right?"
Then the elevator doors opened and Rufus let Yuffie, Vincent and Scarlet enter before he followed, gazing back at the ones left behind. "If Sephiroth shows up, we wouldn't mind if he honoured us with his presence."
"We'll let him know," Reeve promised, shifting anxiously. "Please be careful. All of you."
Rufus managed a faint smile, flicking his hair back with a lazy movement. "Don't get comfortable in my chair, Reeve. I'll be back before you know it!"
And so the elevator doors closed, and it started it's descent into chaos.

There was a strangest scent of blood, sea water and fire in the air. Cloud was aware that the ShinRa soldiers were muttering uneasily amongst themselves, but the sight of the huge tear through Junon's wall brought a wild sense of hope in his heart. She was here! Only Jessie could do that!
Turning to face the restless soldiers, Cloud cleared his throat to gain their attention. He waited until everyone was silent and was watching him. "I know a lot of you volunteered for this mission because of where it would take you. Many of you have family and friends in Junon. Family and friends you may have lost." Seeing the pain in several soldier's faces, the blonde felt a surge of anger towards the damn Jinrei once again. "I just want you to know that I'm here for that same reason. This isn't just any mission. This is Junon, a place where we all have spent time with loved ones. This is personal."
The unease was slowly being replaced with firm determination, and the soldiers unknowingly straightened into attention.
"We don't know what is waiting for us inside Junon. This army, as you know, have destroyed entire cities before." Cloud hesitated a brief moment, knowing several of the ShinRa soldiers were in for a horrible loss. "You have to be prepared. Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best." He then gave a dangerous smirk. "And no matter what, these people are going to suffer for what they've done!"
The cheer from the soldiers was almost unexpected, but Cloud quickly gathered himself and turned towards Junon again. Now what would Cid have said? "Alright, let's move out!"
Sometimes there are moments in a life when everything seems just right, and as they approached the charred Junon; Cloud realised that this was one of those moments. Jessie was in there, and this was the only place he wanted to be. By her side. For once wanting to be the hero everyone claimed he was and had never felt like.
The gun shots suddenly didn't seem so loud anymore, and the Ultima sword felt like an extension of his arm. The blood was pumping in his veins and he realised that this was how it felt to be strong. This must be what Sephiroth always felt when he entered the battlefields without a touch of hesitation or fear. No wonder no one ever managed to kill Sephiroth. Scolding himself to going all philosophical in the middle of a war, Cloud used the broad Ultima to shield of bullets meant for his vulnerable chest. Think later, act now!
- Hold on Jessie, I'm here now!
Every ShinRa soldier refused to take a step backwards, as the small army darted from debris to debris to make slow progress under the assault from Jinrei soldiers on top of Junon's walls. The would not, could not, retreat. Like Cloud said, this was personal!
Slowly, step by step, and under constant fire, Cloud and the ShinRa soldiers advanced on Junon. As they came closer, they saw the fates of the soldiers that had defended the harbour city against intruders as the Jinrei soldiers hadn't bothered to remove the remains of the fallen. If anything, it only infuriated the attackers even more. Hand grenades were added to the gun fire, and soon the intruders of Junon was forced to abandon their position on top of the walls and take cover within the city.
Cloud felt a weak sense of triumph as the streets of Junon was finally in front of them, but the Jinrei soldiers weren't quite ready to give up. The buildings made for excellent cover, and there was still some civilians left that made for excellent shields. However, the actions only postponed the inevitable. The ShinRa soldiers was there to reclaim Junon and nothing less than armageddon would stop them!
The Ultima sword was soaked with blood as Cloud swung it towards the midsection of yet another enemy, and he easily dodged the bullets meant for him that was sent by a pale Jinrei soldier next on the blonde's list. He nearly slipped on the blood soaked street, but quickly regained his balance to continue on his mission. The longer this battle continued, the more tired he became, the more determined Cloud became. His blue eyes were locked on the road leading to Junon's heart, and he was not going to die before he reached her. Reached Jessie. He had no idea how, but everything in him told him that she was there. Just a small distance away. He could sense her.
Breaking free from the center of the fighting, Cloud cut and shoved his way through the one's who got in his way. His heart was picking up it's pace.
And just like that, he saw the small group pulling and pushing at a figure with chains on her hands on her feet exiting from one of the old shops in Junon. Jessie! They were trying to make their escape with their precious weapon!
Cloud's eyes narrowed and he grabbed a firmer hold of the Ultima sword. Nothing was getting in his way! Nothing!
But then the blonde came to an abrupt halt, and he breathed hard as he stared with pure hatred at the final obstacle between him and Jessie. "You..." Cloud got into a fighting position. "This way I don't have to hunt you down... Now I can just make you suffer right now!"
General Joy merely got into a fighting position as well, raising his sword, and grinned.

There was a loud crash in the other room, telling them that the creatures were closer than any of them were comfortable with, but that they at least weren't getting any closer. Sephiroth was still cutting down the numbers. Literarily.
Aeris panted for air as she was still pressing one hand to her side while trying not to panic. "Hojo?" She was almost afraid to move, that if she moved then the pain would return. Having been moved to the inner room of Hojo's laboratory, she was lying on a field bed and dreaded each wave of agony that would tear through her. "Hojo!"
Kneeling beside her, the scientist gazed at the watch while checking her pulse by her wrist. "Another one?"
Shaking her head, Aeris grabbed a hold of his arm and closed her eyes tightly. "No, it's just... This is wrong. It... it cannot be... I mean... It's too early! Something... must be wrong... Too early..."
Hojo cast a quick glance towards the doorway, knowing he should be out there to monitor the situation with Sephiroth and the hostiles, but one look at the pale girl told him that he was needed there. Gathering himself, the dark haired man wrung off his lab coat and started to fold up the sleeves on his shirt. "I'm not surprised. Remember who's child you're carrying."
"Something is wrong..." Aeris whimpered, slumping back on the bed and placing both hands to her face. "I can't lose this baby, Hojo! I can't!"
Hojo frowned and reached out to take a firm hold of her wrists, removing her hands. "Look at me." He waited until her tear filled gaze was resting on him, and only then did he speak. "Now listen up. As I said; I'm not surprised that this is happening. Yes, I would have preferred to have a better circumstances, but I guess the stress finally got to you. The child will be born premature, but that shouldn't worry you. The doctors told you it was well developed, right? Maybe a little more than it should be for the official term?" Aeris managed a nod, and Hojo nodded as well. "Your boyfriend was barely seven months old when he came into this world. Your child has thirty days more, as well as Cetra blood. It's going to be just fine."
Exhaling relieved, Aeris managed a faint smile. "I don't care what happens to me, just as long as my baby is alright."
Hojo straightened abruptly and sent her a narrow look. "I don't plan on anyone dying today, girl. So don't get any ideas." He marched over to the door, gazing out to see the silver haired Sephiroth neutralizing another virus infected soldier. True, Lucrecia had shown signs of rapid deteriorating after the delivery of Sephiroth, but things were different now. Aeris had the blood of the Ancient, and there was less Jenova cells involved.
And this time, Hojo was better prepared!
Time passed with him switching between shouting orders to Sephiroth, and staying by Aeris' side through her agony, Hojo had just reached the doorway when the flower girl called out for him again. Casting a quick glance at the watch, Hojo cut a worried face before forcing himself neutral as he trotted back to her. "Alright, girl, looks like we're ready to get down to business." He would have felt a whole lot better if they'd been at one of the labs on the higher floors, as this being a research lab did not hold any painkillers.
Aeris struggled to breathe, grasping a firm hold of Hojo's shirt as her entire body was convulsing with pain. She was no fool, knowing that having a child involved pain, but nothing could have prepared her for this! Tifa had asked her if she dreaded the moment, but Aeris had replied that she couldn't fear what she did not know. The flower girl was helpless to stop the tears from running as she shook her head. "I changed my mind! I don't wanna do this! Can I not do this, please?"
Giving a faint smile, Hojo stroke away the bangs clinging to her sweaty skin. "It'll be over soon. Everything is going to be just fine." He waited until Aeris was back to semi-erratic panting before moving over to the door again, peering out at the still fighting Sephiroth. "Sephiroth! Block them out! We need you in here!" It was strange to see the silver haired man casting merely a quick glance back at the one giving him orders, nod and start pushing the enemy back out of the room. It would appear that all Hojo had to do to make Sephiroth obey him for the first time was a pregnant flower girl and a horde of zombies. Go figure. Sephiroth had sworn never to obey a single order that came from Hojo's lips, and yet he had not questioned a single command tossed his way during this time. The love Sephiroth had for the young girl was obviously stronger than the horror of his past. Hojo swallowed hard, braced himself and returned to the frightened Aeris. Once again reassuring her that everything was going just as they should. There was no need to worry her, right? History didn't always repeat itself...
Slamming the door shut, Sephiroth jammed the Masamune through the door handles and took a step back while trying to catch his breath. That should keep the creatures out for a while... So he turned to run to the room where his presence was sorely needed, praying he could be the strength Aeris needed him to be.

Sparks flew as the swords connected, and Cloud kept hammering at Joy's defense, driving him backwards. The smirk was still on the man's face, but the damp skin revealed that Cloud was proving to be a bit more of a challenge than Joy had thought. The gun shots and screaming had come to an end, as Jinrei shoulders were gathered on the west side of the street and the ShinRa troop gathered in the east. The battle for Junon had ended up in the battle between the two leaders, as each group was watching anxiously.
"Don't worry," Joy sneered, as the swords collided while both men jumped up in the air. "I'll make sure Soldier Girl joins you in the Lifestream shortly!"
Cloud pushed Joy back, and launched several swings with his sword that the other man barely managed to avoid. "Her name... is Jessie!"
Joy landed smoothly on the ground, one knee touching the asphalt, before leaping up to meet Cloud's decent. "Names are not important!" The swords collided once again, in rapid succession, with both men refusing to break eye contact. "In a year or so, no one will remember your name, Strife! After I kill you, your name will vanish along with you!"
"You talk too much," Cloud muttered, as they landed and glared at each other, a mere meters distance between them. "And you're wrong." He sprinted towards Joy, Ultima sword mercilessly cutting through the air while aiming for Joy.
Joy sneered, forced to back up once again while defending himself from the attacks, the Ultima sword moving almost too fast for the human eye to see. His arms were starting to ache from each impact, but he knew that he could not afford to slip up now. "Thanks to Jinrei, I'm invincible! You cannot kill me, Strife!" Jumping back a distance, he gathered himself to leap up in the air and kick off from the side of the building to fly towards Cloud again. The young man stood his ground, clutching the sword with both hands as he stared at him. "Even if you wound me, the improved cells in my body will heal it before it will even slow me down!"
Snorting, Cloud side-stepped the attack and jumped to a safe distance as Joy's sword broke through the asphalt and sent debris soaring through the air. "So you think that killing me makes you the winner?"
"That was the basic idea," Joy smirked, straightening to face his opponent. Testing the weight of the sword in his hand, Joy the suddenly sprinted towards Cloud again.
No hesitating at all, Cloud ran to face him. "And what do you win?"
The swords collided and both men pressed to push the other back. Joy frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Cloud managed a faint smile. "I fight... because I want to protect something. I fight because she believes in me." Both Cloud and Joy were now trembling under the pressure, yet neither appeared ready to relent. "If I die, my friends will mourn me. My name will not be lost. Who will grieve the loss of Joy?"
Screaming with anger, Joy side stepped and broke free from the lock, quickly aiming to ram his sword through Cloud's back. The attack failed, as Cloud spun around and easily blocked it with his Ultima sword. Launching several more attacks, Joy managed to push the other blonde backwards, but was unable to draw a single drop of blood. "Your attachments is what makes you weak, Cloud! If you hadn't come looking for Soldier Girl, then Jinrei would never had the fun of experimenting with you. You're weaker now than in our fight at Kalm."
"Weaker," Cloud admitted, swiping his sword low to make Joy jump in order to save his legs and then rammed his shoulder into the other man's mid-section. "And stronger!" He followed as Joy flew through the air and came to an abrupt halt against the wall of a building. Despite the impact being so hard that the building cracked, Joy was still capable of lifting his sword in time to block Cloud's attack. "You have nothing to fight for, have you, Joy? You're the weak one. You are the one everybody will forget."
Joy screamed with fury once again, pushing himself from the building while madly lashing out after his opponent. "I'm going to kill you! You bastard! I'm General Joy! People tremble at the mere mentioning of my name! Everyone cowers in my presence! You're nothing! Nothing!"
Dodging the deadly sword, Cloud saw Joy's defenses lowered enough to put an end to everything. "I'm Cloud Strife." And the never-ending sun danced over the Ultima sword's edge as it cut through the air, before cutting through tender skin and everything that followed. Breathing hard, Cloud did not turn to look as he heard Joy collapse. He did not gaze over to make sure the man would not get up again, as Vincent's words came back to him. To kill Jinrei creatures, sever their heads from their bodies.
Gazing over at the small crowd, Cloud took one step towards them before the Jinrei soldiers backed up to run for their lives. But he didn't bother with the terrified soldiers, didn't turn to face the cheering ShinRa soldiers, Cloud merely walked over to the person sitting abandoned on the ground where the captors had left her. Exhaling wearily, Cloud kneeled down beside Jessie and gently wrapped his arms around her. "It's over." And his eyes slowly drifted shut as he heard Jessie sob his name while her hands grasped a tight hold of him.

It was like through a haze, that she heard Hojo's words; "Here she is, Aeris. Meet your daughter." It seemed like some dream that she heard the crying and something was gently placed in her arms. But as Aeris gazed down at the little child wrapped in a white cloth, her heart told her it was no illusion. The flower girl shifted between sobbing, laughing and trying to catch her breath. "Hey..." She whispered to her furiously crying girl, and Aeris leaned down to place a careful kiss on her head. "You are so beautiful... So perfect..."
Hojo cleared his throat as Sephiroth was gazing mesmerized at Aeris cradling the infant, forcing them back to the present. "Usually I don't recommend it, but you got Cure materia?"
Snapping out of the trance, Sephiroth nodded. How he just wanted to stay here with Aeris and the child. Their child. He... he wanted to hold her in his arms too. Feel that she was real. That she was his daughter too. But he made himself focus and cast a healing spell on the exhausted Aeris, knowing this place was far from safe for both her and the newborn.
Feeling the spell renew her strength a little, Aeris glanced up at the swordsman and managed a faint smile. "She's so beautiful..." And she halted Hojo's objections when Sephiroth kneeled beside her with a single look at the scientist. Who cared if they didn't have the time? Her heart was aching at the awe in Sephiroth's eyes, and tears welled up when he dared to remove his glove to stroke a light hand over the child's head. He only gave a faint objection when Aeris gently moved the child over into his strong arms, but the silver haired man went silent the second he was holding her. Remembering his reaction to holding Dawn, it was like Sephiroth was another man. True, there was a taint of fear in his eyes, but nothing came up against the fragile affection in them.
Feeling a sharp jab of pain in his heart at the sight, Hojo turned away. He tried to will himself to not hear the silent words exchanged between the new parents, and clenched his hands into tight fists as he heard the infant's drowsy sounds. Beings like him were not meant to near something this pure.
"Hojo?" Aeris called out the name softly, seeing the tense back turned towards them. "Would you like to...?" She ignored the disbelief in Sephiroth's eyes as he gazed abruptly at her.
Shaking his head, Hojo swallowed hard to regain his voice. "No. We should focus on getting out of here. Somewhere safe."
With Sephiroth's aid, Aeris managed to sit up more straight and she called out for Hojo again. "You're her grandfather." She glanced at the infant again, feeling the sweet pain of love swell inside her heart at the mere sight. "You're her family too."
Hojo slowly turned his head to gaze back at her, not sure why it felt hard to breathe. "You should ask the child's father before you go around making such assumptions."
The thought of Hojo holding his daughter did not sit well with Sephiroth, but Aeris sent him a pleading look. True, Hojo was evil incarnate as far as Sephiroth was concerned, but the man had helped him bring the child into this world. Sephiroth knew he would have panicked if he'd been alone. And he knew Hojo was ordered to help Cid Highwind, not Aeris. Hojo had helped out by his own will, not under someone's order. By agreeing to this, maybe Sephiroth could let them be even. Being in gratitude to Hojo was almost worse than anything he could think of! So, the silver haired man gave a barely noticeable nod to the flower girl.
Exhaling relieved, Aeris gazed back at Hojo. "See?"
He couldn't really explain why he hesitated so much, but Hojo had to force himself over to accept the child into his arms. For the first few seconds, he merely stared at the infant. His scientific mind going over the details. Her green eyes, no doubt inherited from her mother. But her face reminded strongly about Sephiroth. The nose. The lips. This girl was going to grow up resembling her father, but with her mother's eyes and grace. Hojo's eyes drifted up to the stubborn locks of hair on the child's head and he wasn't even aware of the smile that slowly appeared on his face. Clearing his throat, trying to keep his cool, Hojo adjusted the child slightly. "Did you know Sephiroth too had black hair when he was born...?"
Both Aeris and Sephiroth blinked surprised, but the flower girl quickly smiled widely. "He wasn't born with silver hair?" She could see the open curiosity in Sephiroth's eyes as well, painfully eager to any pieces of information about his childhood that didn't involve forms, tests and injections.
"No," Hojo shook his head, unable to take his eyes of the newborn. "Sephiroth lacks the part that reproduces colour in his hair. He was born with black hair, but it turned silver within a week or two. I suspect this girl lacks the same." As Sephiroth had inherited his father's hair colour, he had passed it on to his daughter. A part of Hojo was still alive.
Aeris eagerly accepted her daughter when Hojo returned her, and held her close as Hojo muttered that they should get out of there. They had wasted too much time already. Things were getting more dangerous by the hour!

Rufus gazed out over the battle field, seeing the waves of Jinrei soldiers fall upon the ShinRa soldiers time and time again. He gazed over when he heard the gun shots, seeing Vincent leaping through the air and firing non stop at one of the looming monsters. It was almost futile. Like they had feared, Jinrei had held back his best cards and now the monsters were released on Midgar. At least twenty of the huge monsters were aiming to tear the city to pieces, and the number of defenders were decreasing by the seconds. Yuffie's ninja army were following their leader into the hopeless battle, but Rufus knew. They all knew. Even Seto, leading his army of Planet defenders, were starting to doubt. How was it possible that after everything, they would lose?
Reloading his shotgun, Rufus stepped out to the edge of the huge pile of debris he was standing on. Swaying between doubt and fierce stubbornness was taking it's toll on him, but he was not ready to give up quite yet.
Leaping into the air, he fired his shot gun at the Jinrei soldiers cornering Scarlet and her troop.
"It's not looking good!" Scarlet shouted through the loud noises surrounding them. "We're going to need a frigging miracle, President!"
Rufus landed easily beside her, absently shoving more bullets into his shot gun. "Don't you know, Scarlet? We're among the good guys this time! We can't lose! The good guys always wins!"
The blonde gazed over at the young man beside her and she couldn't help but to laugh. Trust Rufus to have some foolproof plan! "I forgot that. Silly me, sir!"
Giving her a final grin, Rufus leaped up in the air again and landed on another huge piece of debris before sprinting down to thin out the numbers that was hammering on the small group consisting of the Turks. "I thought you guys were capable of taking care of yourselves!" He laughed at the finger Reno flicked him, but didn't pause as he jumped with aim to land by the remains of a house. For each Jinrei soldier he shot, it seemed like two more was taking their place!
For the ShinRa soldier that saw the materia on the ground, he thought he'd finally struck luck. Quickly attaching it to his weapon, he didn't even hear Rufus call out for him to stop. The soldier didn't even see the Knights appear from his summoning, as the infected materia exploded.
Coming to a scudding halt, Rufus was breathing hard as he saw the ghostly shapes take form and felt like falling to his knees in defeat. Humans and monsters they could fight, but Summonings? Their weapons wouldn't even affect the Summonings! Lost in despair, he barely noticed Seto stepping up beside him. "It's over." Rufus closed his eyes as he heard Bahamut's decent from the sky.
The brat prince gazed up as he saw Ifrit hover in front of him, and his eyes narrowed angrily. He heard Seto growl threateningly as well, and could have smiled at the fact that the two was for once of the same team. Would he break his promise to Tifa after all?
Then there suddenly was a flash of light, so bright it made Rufus raise an arm to shield his eyes and when he was finally able to lower his arm he could only stare. Couldn't believe. But as Ifrit slowly vanished with a furious roar, Rufus snapped to life. "You?"
The form was as ghostly as the Summonings, but there was no mistaking it. Nanaki turned to face Rufus and his father completely, his one golden eye locked on the stunned Seto. "Rufus, I suggest you aid the others. The battle is far from over."
Nodding, Rufus scrambled backwards before he was finally able to tear his eyes from the apparition and continue towards the core of the battle.
"How...?" Seto took a step towards his son, shaking his head in disbelief. "I didn't..."
Nanaki continued to gaze harshly at the older cat. "I came to aid my friends. We all did." Behind him, there was a strong glow before one after the other of Seto's clan appeared. Even his mate was there. Everyone.
Seto shook his head in confusion. "Your friends? How can you call them your friends? They let you die!" He sneered angrily. "They all go on with their pesky little lives as if you didn't exist! As if you didn't matter!"
Nanaki approached his father, finally looking a little more gentler at him. "You're wrong, father. You fail to see it, but I'm not dead. I live on in their hearts. They have not forgotten." He glanced over at Barret. "He told his daughter about me. Brought her to my grave. The most precious thing in his life is his daughter, and he makes me a hero in her eyes." Nanaki changed his gaze over at Vincent. "Not a day goes by where he does not blame himself for my death. Not a single day goes by where he does not wish it was he who had perished. I wish he would stop that. But even if he does, I know he will never forget me." Nanaki returned his gaze to Seto. "Yuffie still carries one of my battle feathers. Tifa lights candles for me in the darkness. Cid blames himself as well, but the hours he spends by my grave is more than enough proof for me that I still live in his heart. Cloud thinks of me whenever he sees a full moon. Aeris planted and cares for a flower in my honour. Even Rufus ShinRa opened an orphanage in my name! How can you say I died?" The ghostly image of Nanaki turned to face the battle. "As long as my friends are alive, I will live on in them."
Seto could only watch as the ghost pack of his fallen friends and kin raced towards the Summonings, knowing everything he had done had been wrong. The Ancients had promised to return Nanaki to the Planet if Seto would trade his life and loyalty to them. He'd thought AVALANCHE had abandoned his son. He'd been wrong. So wrong!