CHAPTER X

DESCENT INTO DARKNESS

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted again, and the fury in his voice was unmistakable. His sensory perception shut down; he did not hear Aeris' gasping sobs, or Vincent's desperate attempts to calm her. His entire being was focused on his former friend, his mentor-

-the man who destroyed me-

-As he charged forward, determined to regain the black materia he had so blindly given to Jenova. The heavy, solid weight of the sword in his hands was reassuring, and he tightened his grip on the weapon as he neared the man in black.

Sephiroth laughed, cradling the glowing sphere against his robes. When he looked up, his jade-colored gaze, so like Aeris' and yet not, was steady, shining with wicked intentions and the promise of unknown evil. "You're too late," he said, softly, slowly. His words echoed through the caverns with an undeniable purpose, and he raised his arms and tilted his head back, the black materia glittering in his right palm as he reveled in his victory.

"Cloud, no!" Aeris screamed.

And as Cloud slashed at Sephiroth, aiming for his midsection, the Evil One glided up, flying, floating away as the deadly blade sliced through nothing but thin air and clanged off of a crude stone pillar, sending sparks. Cloud was thrown off-balance, and stumbled to his knees before looking up at Sephiroth.

"I'll kill you," he snarled, his voice low and venomous.

The horrible laugh rang out once more as Sephiroth mocked Cloud's anger. "You are too late, Flawed One," he hissed. "You are too late..." And he laughed again.

"Cloud..." Aeris whimpered. "The Planet..."

Cloud struggled to his feet, dragging his sword up beside him, and moved to face Sephiroth. But in the blink of an eye, his opponent was gone, leaving Cloud with hollow laughter ringing in his ears, and Aeris sobbing pitifully in Vincent's arms.

Straightening, Cloud stared down at Vincent and Aeris, and his features were strangely emotionless.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand to Aeris. "We've got to reach the center before he sends us all to hell."

Rufus' hand traced a delicate pattern on Tifa's bare upper arm, and she fought to keep from recoiling in disgust. He was testing her, trying to find her weaknesses, but she wouldn't allow him to see the revulsion she was feeling. Not that it made a difference any longer. If anything mattered, it was that she get to Sephiroth...but the chances of her even escaping were slim; making it to the North Crater was asking for too much.

"Such a shame," Rufus murmured, touching her shoulder lightly. "You would have made..." Instead of finishing the sentence, he trailed off and dropped his hand to his side. "You could be a great asset to Shinra's forces. You and your friends."

Tifa folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at him. They had landed in Midgar only moments ago, and although Hojo had wasted no time in departing from the Highwind, Rufus had insisted on the Turks coming to escort him and Tifa into the city.

Rufus leaned forward slightly, the ice in his cool blue eyes shifting a bit. He was probably going to change his strategy, but it wouldn't help. Tifa found nothing admirable or attractive about this snake of a man. She edged over a bit on the seat, wishing she'd continued with her feigned unconsciousness. But no, if she'd remained 'asleep' any longer, Rufus' suspicions would have been aroused, and she needed him to be as unaware as possible.

Unaware? The word echoed in her mind, and suddenly it struck Tifa that she did have a chance. Rufus was a weak and gullible fool, much like his father. If she could get him to trust her...or if not that, then at least believe she posed no threat...then the odds were even.

She turned a bright, sunny smile on the young President, like flipping on a light switch. But instead of smiling back, as she'd anticipated, Rufus frowned and drew back slightly, his expression guarded. Tifa realized that she'd have to do this slowly, and racked her brain for a way to amend the situation. "My friends would rather die than associate themselves with a piece of scum like you," she said, her sweet tone belied by the harsh words. To her relief, Rufus laughed, obviously acknowledging her sarcasm and enjoying the challenge.

Tifa met his gaze, making no secret of just how intense her hatred was. "If...if my friends and I were to help you," she said slowly, "what would we be receiving in return?"

"Why, the honor of assisting your president to a well-deserved victory," Rufus answered, and cleared his throat when he saw the expression on Tifa's face. "All right. I'll drop all charged. Issue a full pardon, if you will. I'll leave you...you and your friends to go on with your lives." Looking pointedly out the porthole in the direction of the Northern Crater, he added slyly, "I doubt you'll receive such a generous offer from Sephiroth."

"I doubt you're telling the truth," Tifa countered, holding her breath as she waited for his reply. She had to bide her time, make it believable.

His eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of the Turks. Rude and Elena entered and stood quietly, awaiting orders. Tifa didn't bother to acknowledge Elena's eyes boring into her, as if she could somehow channel her hatred into physical pain.

"Follow me," Rufus said abruptly, standing. He strode towards the door, his white coat billowing around him- and stopped just before exiting the room. "Watch her closely."

Rude and Elena flanked Tifa and escorted her from the Command chamber.

"But what about Vincent, Aeris and Cloud? We can't just leave them!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"A minute ago you were whinin' about getting out of the crater," Barret answered, exasperated. He slipped on a loose rock and steadied himself with a forearm before glaring up at Yuffie, who was standing atop a huge boulder. "Now you wanna go back in? Make up yer damn mind."

She hopped down beside him. "Yes! They're all alone in there. We should be with them, they can't take on Sephiroth by themselves!"

"Too late now," Cid interrupted, chewing on his ever-present cigar as he brushed off his pants. He motioned to the top of the crater, where they'd been standing only minutes before.

"It's starting," Cait said frantically, waving his small arms in a way that somehow managed to convey the grimness of the situation. "Look!" He pointed at the growing blue translucent sphere that was developing at the peak of the mountain.

"Get back here," Barret said soberly, grabbing Yuffie's shirt and yanking unceremoniously. She glared at him, but obediently moved back out of the reach of the expanding bubble.

The small group watched bleakly as the translucent force field grew to its full size, spanning the entire crater, then wavered slightly, snapping, waning for just a moment before it settled, its blue sheen shifting as it sparked with live energy. Whatever doubts any of them had expressed were irrelevant now- the decision was made. They were barred from entrance into the black hell that was Sephiroth's lair...and Cloud, Vincent, and Aeris were inside.

Aeris stumbled a bit as she hopped to the next stepping stone, wishing that the horrid buzzing sound in her head would just go away. They had been slowly making their way to the core of the North Crater, passing through corridors and chambers that contained unbelievably beautiful- and deadly- life forms that seemed hell-bent on preventing the trio from continuing deeper into the Crater. Aeris hated to admit it, but she wasn't much help right now as far as battles went. She could barely stand, much less fight, and while she wanted to help, she was hesitant to fight for fear of overexerting herself.

And if we're really going to fight Sephiroth, like Cloud says, then I need all my wits about me, she thought tiredly.

They were in a cavern that was absolutely breathtaking; several dozen large, sturdy stones formed a path through a chamber filled with gleaming Mako. A gorgeous multi-colored Mako waterfall splashed noiselessly behind them, its shimmering liquid seemingly emerging from thin air before disappearing into the depths of the pool below. Aeris had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. She stepped carefully onto the next rock. Two more stepping stones and then they were out of the cavern.

Cloud stopped suddenly, and Aeris halted just as abruptly, nearly losing her balance. Vincent grabbed her arm and supported her as she struggled to stay upright. "What's going on?" she asked, noticing the cautious expression on Cloud's face.

"Jenova," he whispered, and in one smooth movement, drew his sword and spun to his left. "Jenova is here."

"Where?" Vincent demanded, his dark eyes searching the chamber.

"Not here," Cloud said. "Not in here, I mean. But somewhere close." He took a hesitant step onto the next rock, then turned back to face them. "Through here," he said, motioning to the jagged exit, beyond which they could see only darkness.

"Are you sure?" Vincent asked doubtfully. "Maybe we should turn back."

"No!" Cloud exclaimed. "The Planet is relying on us, Vincent. We can't give up now." He turned and took the last step to the 'doorway', then looked back at them. "Are you coming with me?"

"Yes," Aeris blurted out, and stumbled towards him. She'd already lost Cloud once; she wasn't going to lose him again. They stepped into the darkness together, and Vincent followed, wetting his lips as they stared up at the abomination that was awaiting them.

Jenova.

She stood before them, in all her mutated glory, glowering down at the trio with an air of undeniable evil. Her very aura was permeated with utter wickedness, and yet Cloud, Vincent and Aeris stood their ground as she hissed, screamed, and railed at them. This was it; the final confrontation with Sephiroth's 'mother'.

Cloud shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, rage and adrenaline tingling in his limbs. He was ready. And as he rushed forward, summoning the power of the Planet into his attack, he only hoped that the others were, too.

Rufus swirled the contents in his brandy snifter, regarding the contents with mild curiosity, as Tifa stared up at him, chewing nervously on her lower lip. Her extreme discomfort had been heightened by the realization that the Sister Ray was already in Midgar. That wasn't the way it had happened last time, and she wasn't sure exactly what to think of the change. Was it possible that you could alter the future with the mere thought that you knew what was going to happen? Fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.

The young President, on the other hand, responded to Tifa's cool attitude with warmth and welcome. He was enjoying the challenge of breaking her, and while she had made little progress with his trust, she knew that his respect for her was growing by the moment.

An alarm went off suddenly, followed by another, and another, disrupting the quiet serenity of their chamber. Rufus straightened, his expression going cold, as Rude entered. "The Sister Ray...Hojo's overloading it," the Turk said with deathly calm.

Rufus groaned and rubbed a hand across his eyes. "I should have known not to trust that incompetent," he muttered. "Rude, take Elena and go stop him before he kills us all."

Tifa stood quickly. "Let me go with them!" she said, speaking so fast that her words jumbled together.

Both Rufus and Rude turned to her. "Tifa?" Rufus said, his tone questioning. "You want to accompany them?"

"Yes," she said. "You know as well as I do that I have some skill at fighting. With Reno out of commision, Rude and Elena will need help."

The corners of Rufus' mouth quirked in a reluctant smile. "You were the one who inflicted Reno's wounds...or have you forgotten?"

"Of course I haven't," she said, and there was no mistaking the pleading note in her voice. "Let me go with them. Please."

He paused, staring into her eyes as if he could somehow dig up an ulterior motive for her eagerness. Tifa tensed, but tried not to show her fear, meeting his gaze evenly and biting her tongue to keep from sacrificing her pride any worse than she already had.

"Very well," Rufus said finally. "Rude, take the girl with you. She could be...useful."

Rude knew better than to argue with the president. He nodded and motioned for Tifa to walk ahead of him.

Almost immediately, their tempers stretched to the snapping point.

"Let's move," Barret said suddenly, his blue-collar accent more obvious than usual as he struggled noticeably to control his emotions. "We ain't got all day."

"Easy for you to say," Yuffie retorted, and kicked at the solid ground with her already-scuffed shoes. "I still say we miscounted, I don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about this. We should have stayed in there."

Cid sat down on a rock and pulled off his left boot. "Damn rocks'll keep me limping if I don't get them out soon," he grumbled.

"I'm not going anywhere," Yuffie announced.

Barret ignored her and peered down the remaining slope of the mountain. "Looks steeper goin' down than it did comin' up." He glanced at Red. "You gonna be needin' a ride again?"

The lion-creature shook his head. "I'll be able to make it on my own. We're past the worst of it."

"Ya sure?"

"Hey, look!" Yuffie exclaimed before Red could answer. "It's us!"

Cid sighed with relief as he put his boot back on. "Much better."

"That's some pile," Cait commented, looking at the small mound of jagged pebbles that had been emptied from Cid's boots. "How'd you walk with that in your shoe?"

Cid smiled wryly. "Very carefully, Cait," he replied, lacing up the boot again. "Very carefully."

"There we are!" Yuffie tried again.

"Ya s'pose the sixth WEAPON's around here?" Barret asked, craning his neck to look.

"I wouldn't know. Even if it's not, we'll have to face it sooner or later," Red answered. "Our former selves may manage three, but the fourth could be asking too much."

"We defeated Sephiroth, how hard could a WEAPON be?" Cid muttered, waving a hand in dismissal. He straightened up from his boot and stood, wiping his grimy hands on his pants.

"Hey, it's us down there!" Barret said suddenly.

Red looked up. "Excuse me?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Yuffie wailed. "We- I mean, we as in our selves from the past- are coming! Look!" She pointed to the base of the mountain.

Cait sighed audibly as he moved up beside Cid to look. "We had to meet them sooner or later," he offered in consolation.

Cid shook his head. "Yeah, but I would have preferred later."

The Barret from the past eyed Red and Cid warily as he lumbered up. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, looking at his comrades and then switching his gaze back to the group from the future. His eyes narrowed. "Is this some sort of joke?"

Red cleared his throat and sat down on his haunches, meeting Barret's gaze evenly. "No, sadly it's not a joke. Or a dream, for that matter. If you'll allow me, I can explain everything."

"Well, it better be one hell of an explanation!" the Cid from the past burst out, and his companions all murmured their agreement.

"It is," Red answered, his voice firm. "You see, we're...we're...you. The you from the future. Yes, I know it's difficult to believe. But after we defeated Sephiroth, we were caught up in the Lifestream, and it tossed us back in time."

No one said anything for a moment. Red's answer was so clear-cut, so precise, and so utterly, utterly unbelievable that none of them even knew where to begin.

A roar startled them out of their stunned silence, and they all spun to see a WEAPON, careening towards them over the water like some horrible vision of death incarnate.

"No time to explain now!" Barret-from-the-future shouted, and looked over at their past selves, seemingly assessing the small group. "We've gotta fight this thing. Are you with us?"

For an eternal moment the two Barrets stared at each other, their dark gazes unwavering, unflinching. The rest of them held their breaths, knowing that whatever decision was made would affect their lives in its complete entirety.

"We're with you," Barret-from-the-past answered finally, and turned to face the oncoming WEAPON.

Aeris channeled her energy into Vincent one last time, knowing that there was no way she could keep this up. Despite Vincent and Cloud's unbelievable efforts and fighting skill, Jenova was winning, inflicting wound after wound on the two warriors as they struggled to keep battling. Vincent had morphed into Chaos and was wreaking more havoc than she would have ever thought possible, but somehow Jenova was withstanding his attacks, as blow after blow glanced off of her without effect. The monster was seemingly invincible, and Aeris knew that she didn't have enough strength to hold out until the end of the battle. Not unless something happened...now.

She bowed her head, wondering if it was possible. Offensive attack had never been her strong point; she was more accustomed to and comfortable with defensive strategy, as well as the healing skills. But desperate times called for desperate measures...and as Aeris slowly moved out from behind Cloud and Vincent-Chaos and faced Jenova, she knew what she had to do. If it killed her, she would finish this.

Aeris summoned her strength, calling silently to the Planet as she focused her entire being on destroying this thing that was Jenova. She experienced the strange, other-wordly feeling that was always so familiar, and yet not, and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to feel the sensation of being Odin, as she always did when summoning Kjata.

The echo of a horse's warcry sounded through the caverns, and Odin's alien, emotionless eyes remained unblinking as he descended, his sword flashing through Jenova as the monster was enveloped in a blinding white light.

Almost before it began, it was over.

Aeris collapsed to the ground, panting, as the crackle of thunder faded from the dark cavern. It was too much; it had been too much, and now she could hardly keep her eyes open as the darkness threatened to engulf her again.

Jenova screamed, shaking the stone walls. It was pitiful, terrifying, ear-splitting; a dying cry. And at last the mighty creature fell, black blood pouring from countless wounds as she took one last breath, two...and was silent.

Aeris took a shuddering breath, realizing that she had accomplished her goal and killed the monster. Cloud sank to his knees beside her, placing a trembling hand on her shoulder. Chaos began to slowly morph back into the Vincent that they were all familiar with.

"We did it," Aeris murmured, and Cloud shook his head. "You did it," he corrected her gently, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

Suddenly a keening wail arose, and Vincent's face went ashen. "Sephiroth," he said. "He's coming."

Tifa tried to ignore Elena's eyes boring into the back of her head. The poor, naive girl was still convinced that Tifa had something to do with Tseng's death, and refused to acknowledge the truth. It was her loss, though...Rude was quiet, as usual, with only an occasional glance over his shoulder to ensure Tifa that he remembered she was even there.

She took a deep breath. The last time she and her friends had fought Hojo, he had proved more powerful than they ever could have imagined. Now she was walking straight into the jaws of death, knowing what she was going up against. Her actions were insane! What was she thinking?

"Get moving," Elena snarled, shoving Tifa, who in turn ignored the shorter girl. Bring on the night, she thought darkly. Elena has no idea what she's getting into.

The outcome of tonight was undecided, Tifa thought. She could very well die along with Rude and Elena...but she could also live, and escape, and find her way to Sephiroth. She squared her shoulders as she marched forward determinedly. If tonight was the rest of her life, she was going to make it good.

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