CHAPTER XII

THE BATTLE OF THE NORTHERN CRATER

Red leaped out of the way as a beam of laser light blasted the ground where he had stood a moment ago, showering the group with tiny pieces of pulverized rock. Above them Weapon roared past, so low the wind of it whipped through their hair.

"What the hell do these damn things got against us anyway?" Red heard Cid shout.

Red didn't have time to reply as another blast tore through the rocks not far from him. He heard the staccato burst of Barret's gun arm, and then the air was filled with green light as one of the others cast Ultima.

The Weapon veered away. Red sprang up and looked around. They had all scattered among the rocks at Weapons initial attack, and now he tried to determine where everyone was. They could fight piecemeal like this all day and never make a dent, the only way they had a chance against Weapon was with a coordinated attack.

The only one he could see at the moment however...was himself.

The other Red, the Red from the past, stood not far away, looking around as well. Red had a strange feeling that his counterpart had come to the same conclusion he had. Not really surprising, considering they were both the same person.

He saw the other Red look up the side of the mountain above them.

"I think I see a cave up above us," he called out. "We may be able to find some shelter there."

Or get ourselves trapped, Red thought. But at least it was a point of reference for them to all gather together. Once they did that, maybe they could come up with a plan of action.

He sprinted off to the left, looking for the others. The sound of Barret's gun made him easy to track down. He was hiding behind a large boulder, with Yuffie beside him. Red couldn't tell whether they were the Barret and Yuffie from the past or future, but at this point, it didn't really matter.

"Up to the cave above us," Red called out. "We need to get organized. We don't stand a chance this way!"

Red glanced up to see Weapon shrieking by above in another pass. He leaped behind the rock as another blast from Weapon's lasers swept over the rocky terrain. The Weapon seemed to be getting hit from all directions, as each of the party members cast spells, or fired their weapons, if they happened to have long range ones, at it as it flew by, but it didn't seem to Red as if they were doing much damage.

As soon as it had past, Barret and Yuffie raced up the slope. Red followed behind, more slowly, still keeping a lookout for the others. He saw Vincent and Tifa to his left, crouching down behind a sharp spine of rock. He called out Even in the din Vincent turned around immediately. Red pointed up the slope, and Vincent waved, apparently understanding. He tapped Tifa on the shoulder, and they both headed upslope.

Red continued up himself, on a parallel course. He came over a ridge and couldn't help but pause at the odd sight of two Cait Sith's huddled in a shallow bowl dug out of the dirt, as if scooped out by a giant spoon.

A sudden bright light almost blinded Red. Instinctively he threw himself to the ground. He hadn't thought Weapon was that close, and for a moment, he thought he was dead.

A huge roar suddenly filled his ears, and the ground beneath him shook. For a moment, he thought the whole mountain was going to come down, but then the shaking subsided. He lifted his head with a groan, to see that the shimmer of the shield Sephiroth had erected around the northern crater was gone.

"What the hell was that?" one Cait said.

"The Sister Ray. It must have fired. The shield is gone. We can get inside," Red said slowly.

He looked at the two Caits.

"We're got to get upslope. There's a cave..."

"Look out!" one of the Cait Siths shouted.

The Cait who shouted reached out, but Red's instincts had already kicked in, and he threw himself into the bowl of dirt just as a bright red beam of light slashed into the earth beside him with a crack.

Up to this point Weapon had been flying by each pass, perhaps trying to take their measure. But this time, it suddenly stopped and began to hover. Immediately it was hit by a dozen materia spells, but again they didn't seem to be doing much damage.

"It appears to have decided we can't hurt it much," Red muttered. He was about to say more, but suddenly a dozen beams of light flashed out from the creature, blasting the ground all around them. Red crouched down, trying to become one with the dirt below him, his ear flaps covering his ears at the din.

The beams shifted, seeming to concentrate on one area, not far away from them. Red dared lift his head to take a look around. He could see some of the others, though he could not tell exactly who, a little father up slope pinned down by the increasingly accurate beams.

"We've got to do something!" he shouted. "They're not going to stand a..."

He was cut off again as the sky above him lit up with a furious concussion of explosions. The beams of light suddenly cut off, and Red looked up to see Weapon spiraling away. His spirits suddenly lifted as he saw a flash of crimson on the creatures back. Somehow, they're hurt it.

No, not they. As Weapon flew off he saw something else in the sky, the familiar outline of the Highwind, smoke still floating around it from the barrage of missiles it had just launched at their adversary.

Red lifted himself up, shaking the dirt off his fur. What was the Highwind doing here? Had Tifa brought it back somehow?

"Is it gone?" Cait questioned.

It took Red a moment to realize he was talking about Weapon.

"I don't think so," Red replied. "It was hurt, but not too badly. I think it was more surprised than anything else. It probably went off to regroup. It might be back at any moment."

"Then why don't we get out of here while the going is good?" Cait suggested.

"That might be a very good idea," Red agreed. "Look, the Highwind is coming down. Maybe we have ourselves a ride."

Cait followed Red's gaze and saw that the Highwind had indeed sunk down to just a few meters off the side of the mountain. The ground was too uneven for it to land here, but even as they looked, they saw a rope ladder cast over the side to dangle on the ground not far away.

They hurried toward the ship. As they did so, Red noticed all the other members of Avalanche coming out of hiding, heading for it as well. Two figures appeared coming down the ladder.

"It's the Turks," Red observed. He didn't see any sign of Tifa or Reeve. He wondered just what was going on. He guessed he'd find out soon enough.

They were only a short distance from the aircraft now. They could plainly see Reno and Elena standing beside the rope ladder.

"What are you doing here?" Red heard Cid challenge.

"Isn't it obvious," Reno stated. "We're here to help."

"Yeah, that's likely," came Yuffie's sarcastic comment. She stared at Reno. "Hey, what happened to your face?"

Reno frowned. He was well enough to travel, but the bruises Tifa had left on him were still evident.

"None of your business," he muttered.

"You've come to help us? I find myself skeptical as well," Red turned the conversation back to something more relevant.

"Hey, we made that Weapon turn tail and run, now didn't we?" Reno pointed out.

"It'll be back," Red stated calmly.

"Well, then we'll..." Reno began, then he stopped. Standing in front of him in the group was a familiar brunette.

"How...how did you get here?" he stammered, jerking back, looking at Tifa.

"Same as the rest of us," Barret stated. His words brought the Turks attention to him, and the man who was standing right beside him.

Reno's eyes grew even wider at the sight of two Barret's standing side by side.

"What the hell?" he muttered, looking completely confused. Red couldn't blame him, it did take a little bit of getting used to.

"Boy you guys are dense," Yuffie cut in. "There's two of all of us. You see, one set of us is..."

"That's enough," Red suddenly cut her off. She glared at him for a moment, but said nothing more. Red wasn't sure what the Turks were up to, but he knew from experience not to take them at their word. If they didn't know what was going on, he wasn't about to tell them until he was satisfied about their intentions.

"Why are you wearing my gloves?" Tifa questioned.

Elena just looked at Tifa, apparently as tongue tied as Reno. Tifa stepped forward, glaring at Elena. She was tempted to shout out, 'what have you done to me?' but it seemed like such a silly question.

"You...you gave them to me," Elena finally managed to get out.

"Why would I do that?" Tifa inquired.

"You...or the other you, or whoever the hell it is back in Midgar, was hurt in a battle with Hojo," Reno interjected. "Badly enough so that she couldn't join us. But she gave us the gloves as a sign that we were telling the truth."

Tifa fell silent, looking at the two of them. She couldn't believe she would voluntarily give her gloves to the Turks. But so much had happened, so much had gone wrong these last few days, so much had not been what it seemed. She didn't know what to believe anymore. She turned to look at Red.

Elena glanced over at Reno. This was not turning out the way he had expected. How could there be two of everyone? Was it some sort of weird cloning thing? But if that were so, wouldn't they have known about it sooner? She had no idea what was going on, but it was obvious that having two of all of them around was going to make it doubly hard to kill them all.

She felt her hand reaching up for her jacket pocket, and the gun inside. Reno saw her hand and gave the slightest shake of his head. Elena frowned. What was he waiting for? Had he decided that the odds were too great now, that they'd have to retreat back to the Highwind and blow Avalanche up with missiles, just as she had suggested from the very beginning?

But no, that was too impersonal for Reno. He wanted to see the look on their faces. He hadn't thought their might be two of each face. So now what were they going to do?

"Reno!"

They all turned and looked up to see Rude standing on the deck of the Highwind. Reno frowned. He was supposed to be manning the controls, ready to fire more missiles in case anything went wrong. What was he doing out here?

"What is it?" Reno said irritably.

"I just got a call from Reeve," Rude replied. "Midgar was attacked by one of the Weapons. Rufus and Tifa are both dead."

Reno looked surprised once more.

"What do you mean...dead?"

It was Tifa. She was standing still, looking up at Rude, the color slowly draining out of her face.

For a moment no one said anything.

"Just what he said, sister," Elena said with a sneer.

"Shut up!" Red snapped. And the others did, for a moment, not used to such an outburst from the red beast. Red didn't know exactly what was going on himself. He considered for a moment that this might be some Turk trick, but quickly discarded the idea. Rude had sounded sincere, and he couldn't see what advantage they might get by lying about that. If it was true, if Tifa had really been killed, that was certainly not something the Tifa here needed to hear. 'Shut up' had been the first thing that had come to his mind.

But he knew that wouldn't keep the Turks quiet for long.

"We don't have time for this," he continued. "Weapon might be back at any moment. The shield is gone. We have to stop Sephiroth before it's too late."

He looked at Reno.

"If you're really here to help..." he began.

"Actually, we were sent here with orders to kill you," Reno replied.

"Reno!" Elena blurted out. What the hell was he telling them that for?

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Elena," Reno said. "You heard what Rude said. Rufus is dead. His orders no longer stand."

Elena just stood there.

"So? That doesn't mean..." she stammered.

"Shut up Elena."

Elena just stood there, her mouth open and her face crimson. Reno turned to Red.

"What is it exactly that Sephiroth is trying to do?"

"Summon meteor to damage the planet, then steal the energy the planet uses to try to heal itself. It will make him a god, but destroy everything else."

"Everything else?" Reno questioned.

"Yes, everything else," Yuffie interrupted. "The planet, you, me, everything!"

Reno just stood there, apparently contemplating what they were telling him.

"Don't tell me you're actually going to help them?" Elena couldn't contain herself.

"Elena, wake up," Reno snapped. "I'm sure you realize that everything includes you and I."

"And you're going to believe them?" she questioned, the tone of her voice making it obvious she thought that the height of stupidity.

Reno looked at Red for a moment.

"Why not?" he replied. "They may be assholes, but they're not liars. In fact, I don't think this furball is capable of lying."

"So you're just going to ignore your orders," Elena snapped.

"Rufus is dead, remember?"

"But the orders still stand!"

"What makes you say that?" Reno looked up at Rude. "Who's in charge back there in Midgar now?"

Rude shrugged.

"No idea," he replied.

"Did they issue any new orders?"

"No," Rude replied. "Reeve just told me what I told you. That was it."

"So, Rufus is dead, and we've got no new orders," Reno summarized. "That means we have to use our own initiative. I'd say that right now, Sephiroth is the bigger threat. Wouldn't you agree?"

Elena just looked at him sullenly.

"All right," Reno continued. "What do we have to do?"

"We need the Highwind," Red said immediately.

"Why did I have a feeling they were going to say that?" Elena muttered.

Red looked up at the airship.

"Rude, come down," he called.

"Wait," Elena cut in. "What are you going to do? We may have agreed to help, but you're not going to leave us behind."

"I don't have time to explain!" Red said. "You'll have to trust us."

He turned to the others.

"Everyone from the past, get on board the Highwind," he proclaimed.

"Just the people from the past?" Yuffie questioned.

"Duh," Cid cut in. "Do we have to remind you that right after the battle with Sephiroth is when the Highwind got sent back into the past. The 'original' us have to be on board."

Yuffie frowned. Barret just gave him a blank stare.

"Am I right?" Cid said, turning toward Red.

"Yes," the red beast agreed. "Or at least, that's the way I think it should work. If things go as they did the first time, after the battle the Highwind will be thrown back into the past, and the original 'us' along with it."

"If everything goes as it did the first time," Vincent repeated. "But it already hasn't. Do I need to remind you that things have changed from the first time around?"

"I know that," Red answered. "But I don't know what else to do. We'll just have to assume this happens just as it did the first time."

"Even if we do get on board, what about Cloud?" Cid questioned. "He's in the northern crater with Aeris and the other Vincent. How can we go back into the past without him?"

"Again, I don't know," Red stated. "The battle with Sephiroth isn't over yet. I can only assume that somewhere along the line, they'll be an opportunity for him to board the ship."

"That seems like an awful lot of assuming," Barret said thoughtfully.

"I agree," Red said. "But it doesn't seem like we have much choice. I'm afraid none of us have much experience with this time travel thing."

"Weapon's coming back!" Cait called out.

They turned to look up in the air, and saw the dark figure of Weapon approaching.

"All right, everyone from the past, get on board the Highwind!" Red shouted.

"What about the rest of us?" Yuffie called ou

"Everyone else up the slope. The shield is gone. There's nothing to prevent us from entering the northern crater. Maybe we can get there in time to help Cloud and the others against Sephiroth."

"On foot?" Cid questioned.

"Do you have a better idea?" Red snapped.

Cid paused for a moment.

"No, I guess not."

"Forget about Sephiroth, we've got bigger problems right now," Yuffie exclaimed. "How are we going to deal with Weapon?"

Red turned to see the dark figure of Weapon growing rapidly in the sky behind them.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "For now, I suggest we run!"


Yuffie ran after the others who were boarding the Highwind. She wasn't sure of Red's reasoning, but it seemed hopeless to figure out what was going on herself. The whole thing didn't make any sense to her. Still, she couldn't deny that there were two of all of them. It was weird. She paused, looking back up the slope to see the Turks and the others from the 'future' running up the slope, but she couldn't see herself anymore. This whole thing was freaking her out.

Still there didn't seem to be much she could do about it but go along.

She looked ahead again. She had fallen behind a bit when she paused, and now she saw that most of the others had already reached the ship, and Cid was already climbing the ladder.

A dark shadow suddenly blocked out the light.

Yuffie threw herself to the side and the beam from Weapon sliced through the ground nearby. She covered her head with her hands as she was deluged by a shower of rock. For a moment she lay there, then felt the earth tremble again as another beam hit the ground, this one not so close. Strangely, even after the beam stopped firing, the earth continued to tremble.

She lifted her head, to see an avalanche of rocks bouncing down the slope toward her.

"Yikes!"

She ducked and covered her head. She bit back an exclamation of pain as one of the rocks hit her arm. A moment later another one stuck her in the head.

White sparks shot through her brain. For a moment, she thought she was going to pass out. But, she was still conscious after the rockslide stopped, though her head throbbed.

She pulled herself to her feet, then had to pause as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

She looked up. She could see Weapon off in the distance, turning, apparently, to come back for another pass. She could see the Highwind too, though she couldn't see the others anymore. They must already all be on board.

She forced her feet into motion, running down the slope as best she could toward the ship. Then engines had maintained a steady hum as the Highwind hovered above the ground, but now the hum increased to a roar.

Yuffie looked at the ship, shocked, as it began to move.

"Hey, wait for me!" she called out.

She could see the deck, and could make out figures there. She thought it was Vincent and Tifa, but she couldn't be sure at this distance. They didn't seem to be looking at her.

"Hey, wait up! Don't forget about me!" she called out, waving her arms as she ran.

She put on a burst of speed, racing recklessly down the slope toward the ladder.

But just as she thought she might have a chance of making it, the full power of the Highwind's engines kicked in. The aircraft suddenly sped forward, lifting up off the ground, quickly gaining altitude.

Yuffie stopped running, her hands falling to her sides, looking up at the aircraft above her, and the ladder that was now hopelessly far above her head.

"Oh gawd," she muttered. "I'm in trouble now."


Cloud didn't need Vincent's warning. Already he could hear it, that mocking laughter that had tormented him for so long now. He lifted his head, sword in his hands, and turned as out of the mists in front of them a familiar figure appeared.

"So, you've made it to the reunion."

Cloud's features darkened into a frown.

"Sephiroth," he spat out.

Sephiroth laughed again.

"You are persistent Strife, I'll give you that," he said. "I though I killed you back at the City of the Ancients, even though my blade was meant for the Cetra, but like a bad penny you seem to keep coming back. Not sure exactly how you pulled that one off, but I'm not going to let you stop me now, no matter how many times I have to kill you."

"You'll never defeat us Sephiroth," Cloud replied.

Again Sephiroth laughed.

"I'm the pinnacle of the SOLDIER program. I was engineered to destroy any enemy. You're just a failed experiment. And who do you have with you? A washed up ex-Turk? The Cetra? What do you think she can do? Just look at her! Why, she looks like she's practically dead already."

Cloud resisted the urge to glance over at Aeris. He knew Sephiroth was right. Aeris did look on the verge of death.

"You really think you can beat me, even with your pathetic friends?"

"I don't need any help to beat you," Cloud snarled.

Sephiroth laughed again. Cloud just glared at him. He was really starting to get fed up with that.

"Do you seriously think you can challenge me?" Sephiroth asked. "Just you against me?"

"Just watch me!" Cloud snapped.

Sephiroth slid his masamune out of it's sheath.

"So be it," he said, his lips curving up into a mirthless smile.

Cloud took a step forward, sword poised, but suddenly Vincent up beside him, raising his gun.

Cloud turned to look at him.

"Vincent, stay out of it. This is between Sephiroth and I."

The ex-Turk did not seem particularly swayed by Cloud's words.

"The last time we fought him, it took all of us working together to beat him," Vincent stated. "This is no time to let your ego get in the way of your better judgement."

Cloud glared at him. The last time they fought? Did he mean back at the City of the Ancients? Where his other self, or however that had been, had died saving Aeris? For some reason Cloud didn't think that was what Vincent was referring to. It was something more complicated than that, but Cloud didn't care. He didn't care what was going on. Since he had left the City of the Ancients he had had only one thing in mind. To find Sephiroth, and to destroy him. As far as he was concerned everything else was secondary, everything else could be figured out afterward.

"Stay out of this Vincent," he said coldly.

"He's right Cloud. Sephiroth is manipulating you once again."

Cloud turned to see Aeris had somehow struggled up to a sitting position on the cold ground behind them. Sweat beaded on her brow, and she looked like she would keel over any moment, but her eyes were keen.

Still, he wasn't about to let even her change his mind.

"No," he said slowly. "Not this time. Maybe for the first time this is my decision. It's going to end here, now. No more manipulation, no more talk. It's down to a very simple equation. Just you and me Sephiroth, one on one, to finally end it all one way or another."

"Cloud, please!" Aeris pleaded.

He stepped forward, once more in front of Vincent. He turned toward his dark companion.

"Not this time Vincent. This is my battle. Just keep Aeris safe."

Cloud shook his head and turned to face Sephiroth.

"No more talk," was all he said.

With that he leapt forward and smote at Sephiroth with all his might.

Sephiroth stepped to the side, cutting it so close that Cloud's blade touched his coat, though not enough to cut it. Instantly his own blade flashed, and Cloud got his up barely in time to parry the blow.

Cloud pressed his attack, his sword weaving a deadly net in front of him. But it was a net Sephiroth refused to get caught in. A number of times, Cloud was sure he had him, yet somehow, everytime, at the last moment Sephiroth slipped aside, and Cloud's blade only cut the air, as if the man her were fighting was some phantom instead of flesh and blood.

Sephiroth slowly retreated, for the most part on the defensive. Occasionally his sword flicked out in a counterattack, moving so quickly it could hardly be seen. A number of times Cloud barely missed being impaled. Sephiroth's blade was longer, which gave him a distinct advantage. Only Cloud's catlike reflexes prevented the fight from being over before it began.

Aeris felt herself sinking to the ground again. Her vision was blurry, her head spinning. She was burning up, and she didn't think she could remain conscious much longer. She could barely see the two fighters, their swords a blur between them. Beside her Vincent was easier to make out. He stood with his gun in his hand, indecision as to whether to intervene or not written on his face. She wished he would. Cloud was being foolish. She was sure of it. What Sephiroth had told them was true, he was the end result of a long line of experimentation by Hojo to create the finest warrior in the world. How could Cloud possibly beat him by himself?

She looked down at her trembling hands. The Princess Guard felt like it weighted ten tons. She didn't think she could even lift it anymore, much less wield it. Even if Cloud had accepted their help, she would be useless.

There had to be something she could do! She couldn't just lie here, she couldn't do nothing while her friends fought, and possibly died. Hadn't she run off to face Sephiroth by herself just to prevent that? How had she expected to win?

But that had been different. She had had no intention of facing Sephiroth directly, to fight him hand to hand, or weapon to weapon. She was no match for Sephiroth physically. She had tried to call on the power of holy to help.

And it hadn't come. Sephiroth was blocking it somehow. The power of the black materia was stronger than the white.

What could she do?

She could barely make out the two fighters now. Their battle had taken them quite a distance away from her. Was Cloud their only hope? From what she had been told, he had somehow beaten Sephiroth once, back at the reactor at Nibelheim. Could it be possible he could do it again.

But Sephiroth had been taken by surprise then. He hadn't expected Cloud to survive his attack. This time he was prepared. He wouldn't underestimate his foe again.

Aeris head sank down, feeling to heavy to lift again, though she desperately wanted to. It was no longer in her hands. Whatever happened was going to happen without any interference from her.

Or perhaps not. There was one thing that she still might be capable of doing, though she had little hope that it would have any effect on the outcome. Giving up trying to raise her head, she instead let it sink to the ground, closed her eyes, and prayed to the planet.

Cloud lunged to the side, bringing his sword up. Sephiroth's blade flicked out again, and Cloud, though he nearly fell over in the process, managed to avoid it.

Or so he thought.

Sephiroth stepped back, looking at Cloud contemptuously. He held his blade in front of him, and Cloud saw that the end was tipped with red.

He looked down and saw a long gash along his lower left arm, blood already beginning to seep out of it.

Cloud attacked. The wound couldn't be very deep. There was no pain, and he hadn't even felt Sephiroth's blade make contact.

Sephiroth stepped to the side. Just as he did so Cloud's own blade altered course. It sliced below Sephiroth's guard, cutting across Sephiroth's thigh.

Sephiroth's sword flew through the air again. Cloud desperately dodged, throwing himself to the ground and rolling right past his adversary. He sprang to his feet again, but Sephiroth did not press the attack for the moment, instead he looked down at the wound on his thigh.

"You've lasted longer than I expected," he said. "Not bad for a failed experiment. You've got guts, I'll give you that. It's been a long time since anyone wounded me. I have to admit it's been fun toying with you, but all good things must come to an end. Meteor is approaching, and I have to be prepared to welcome it. It's time to finish this!"

And with that he lifted his sword and...

Turned and ran.

For a split second Cloud just stood there. Their battle had repositioned them from their initial alignment. Cloud had been between Sephiroth and Aeris, but no more. With a curse Cloud realized he had been tricked. Sephiroth must still think Aeris was his biggest threat. He realized that the whole point of Sephiroth's maneuvering in this battle had not been to kill Cloud at all, but to get to her. Now his enemy had a clear path to the Ancient, who was lying helpless on the floor, and Cloud wasn't close enough to stop him.

"Vincent! He's after Aeris!" Cloud shouted.

Vincent didn't need Cloud's warning to tell him that. His gun came up the moment Sephiroth turned toward them.

They weren't that far apart. It only took Sephiroth seconds to cover the distance. But that was still enough time for Vincent to squeeze off two shots. The first hit Sephiroth in the shoulder, thudding harmlessly off of his armor. Vincent lifted his aim and fired the next shot at Sephiroth's unprotected head, but with a blur of motion Sephiroth's sword came up and with a clang, the bullet deflected off of it.

The masamune swung through the air. Blood spurted from Vincent's arm, and the gun fell from his hand.

For a moment time seem suspended, as Sephiroth and Vincent stood there eye to eye. One man holding a sword, the other, defenseless.

Then Sephiroth's's sword drove forward, and, with almost no apparent effort, up and through Vincent's chest.

"No!" Cloud shouted.


Tifa stumbled slightly as she stepped onto the deck of the Highwind.

"Are you all right?"

She lifted her head to see Vincent looking at her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said slowly. In spite of her reassurance, she wasn't. She hadn't forgotten what Rude had said. She was well aware that Red had deliberately changed the subject to avoid talking about it.

She turned away from Vincent and looked blankly out over the land below.

Dead? Could she really have died? Rude had no reason to lie about something like that. If she understood what was going on, and even that was a reach, then the duplicates they had met of themselves were from the future. Whatever happened to the Tifa that went to Midgar would happen to her at some future date.

Which meant she was doomed.

She turned around as she felt Vincent's hand on her shoulder.

"No one knows what the future holds," he said quietly.

"It seems that we do," she contradicted.

"From what I understand, we go back in time, and we change things. Perhaps if we go back again, we can alter that fate as well," Vincent suggested. "Maybe there's a way to save both you and Cloud."

Cloud.

They had parted ways, but he was never far from her thoughts. She had seen him die. He had seen it himself. Now she thought she was begining to understand how he felt, knowing your life was hollow, knowing that you had no future.

So they would both die, together, here in the past, or the future, or whatever time it was. Could she take some comfort from that?

If so, it was bittersweet at best.

Tifa shook her head. How could they change what had already happened, even if it was in the future? She realized that didn't make any sense, but nothing about this situation did.

She turned toward Vincent and looked in his eyes. Was he trying to comfort her? That didn't seem at all like the Vincent she knew.

He was always hard to read. Was that a sympathetic look? She couldn't tell.

She turned away again. The land below them was moving now. The Highwind was taking them inexorably to their fate, whatever fate it might be. She wondered for a moment what would have happened if she hadn't got on board. If she didn't go into the past, she wouldn't be killed.

But if she never went into the past, she never would know that she was to die in the first place.

She lowered her head, feeling like Barret had looked everytime they talked about this. None of it made any sense to her.

"Maybe you're right," she said slowly. "Maybe there is something we can do. But there's no sense worrying about it. I...I feel like curling up into a ball and crying. But there's no time for that. We're going to face Sephiroth. You're going to need my help. I have to be strong now. I can't think about anything else."

Just take it one step at a time, she thought. That's all. Anything else and she thought she'd go crazy.

Vincent looked at her for a long time, then nodded ever so slightly. She noticed his hand was still on her arm.

"Everything all right up here?"

Vincent's arm dropped immediately. They turned to see Barret standing in the doorway to the lower deck.

"Yes, fine," Tifa forced herself to say.

Barret nodded.

"Okay, just making sure everyone's here."

"I don't recall seeing Yuffie," Vincent commented.

Barret frowned.

"You know her, she's probably down in the hold puking her guts out. Something I wouldn't be anxious to interrupt."

Tifa gave him a crooked smile.

"I suppose," Vincent said thoughtfully.

All right," Barret said. "We're heading into the crater. I just hope Red knows what the hell he was talking about."

Neither Tifa nor Vincent replied. The ex-Turk suddenly turned, staring out over Tifa's shoulder.

"Weapon," he said softly.

Tifa spun around. She had almost forgotten about their gigantic adversary, too wrapped up in her own problems. But there was no missing it now. It was streaking through the air like a dark missile, headed straight at them.

Vincent had his gun out, though Tifa could not remember seeing him unholster it. Tifa cleared her mind, then raised her arm and concentrated on her materia.

The Highwind suddenly bucked to the side, throwing Tifa off her feet, not to mention ruining her concentration. She would have fallen had not Vincent's hand reached out to grab hold of her arm again. Cid must have seen Weapon coming, and had thrown the Highwind into some evasive maneuvers.

Beams or red ruby light streamed out from Weapon, burning the air where the Highwind had been a moment ago. The beams altered course, following the Highwind, and rapidly catching up.

"C'mon Cid," Tifa muttered. "Get it in gear."

The beams drew closer. The Highwind lurched again, but this time Tifa was ready for it, and stayed on her feet. The aircraft turned, but it was still not up to full power, and the turn was agonizingly slow.

Vincent stared at Weapon, and the laser beams that were rapidly approaching. Suddenly he reached out and pulled Tifa toward him.

"It's going to hit!" he exclaimed.

A moment later there was a thunderous crash as the deck exploded beneath them. In spite of her bracing herself, Tifa found herself thrown from her feet. She cried out as something hit her in the back of the head. Vincent still held her, but the deck suddenly dipped below her, tilting to the side, and both of them were rapidly sliding down it. Holding onto Vincent with one hand, she desperately clawed the deck for any purchase with the other.

She lifted her head. She could see smoke and fire billowing around her, but not much else. The deck above her seemed impossibly angled. She turned her head and saw a gaping hole in front of them, smoke pouring out of it. The whole side of the ship was gone, including the railing. And beyond that, she saw only blue sky.

"Vincent!" she cried out.

Uselessly she tried to dig her nails into the deck. A moment later they reached the end. Tifa screamed as she tumbled over. But suddenly her momentum was jarringly halted. She looked up to see Vincent's claw wrapped around a spar of wood, while she had both hands wrapped around his other arm.

Tifa glanced down, and immediately realized that was a bad idea. The ground spun far far below her. She looked up again, seeing Vincent looking at her. She could see the strain on his face from trying to hold onto the spar with one arm, at the same time holding her up. She wanted to scream at him not to let her go.

But she bit her lip and held her tongue. This whole thing seemed like madness. Ever since they had started following Sephiroth things had spiraled out of control. Sometimes it seemed like the whole thing was just a dream. Some horrible dream. Maybe that's all it was.

A creaking groan emanated from the spar. For a moment Tifa held her breath, but the spar held.

But for how long?

One thought echoed through her head, no matter how she tried to suppress it.

She was going to die anyway.

She looked at Vincent again.

There was no need for him to as well.

"Vincent," she said softly.

He did not reply, just looked down at her.

He felt her grip loosing on his arm, and tightened his own.

"What are you doing?"

"You've got to let me go," she said.

"Tifa..." he began.

She shook her head.

"I'm going to die anyway," she told him. "There's no sense in holding onto me. Save yourself."

He just stared at her.

"Please!"

Still no response.

"Vincent?"

She looked into his eyes, but she still couldn't read what they hid. But his grip did not loosen.

"Don't give up," he said.

"Hold on you two, I'll try to find a rope!"

Both their heads jerked up at the sound of Barret's voice. Tifa couldn't see him at all, but apparently Vincent did, for he nodded.

He looked back down at her.

"It's not over yet."

With a sudden final crack, the spar suddenly gave way.

Tifa tried to scream as they plunged downward, but for some reason, she couldn't get any air in her lungs. The world was spinning around her, one moment glimpsing the Highwind above them, the next the green earth below. A moment ago she was ready to let go of Vincent, but now she held on with a death grip, as if that could somehow protect her. She didn't want to die.

And as it turned out, her death grip on Vincent was what saved her. For suddenly, Vincent was no longer there. In his place was a huge gray beast. Tifa had seen Vincent transform in the past, but she hadn't seen anything like this before.

But her surprise at his transformation wasn't as great as her relief to see the huge wings on his back, and the fact that their plummet had suddenly turned into a controlled dive towards the ground below them.

A few moments later they landed, too swiftly. They both tumbled to the ground.

Vincent recovered quickly, getting lightly to his feet and transforming back to his usual self.

"Are you all right?"

He extended a hand, Tifa accepted it and he pulled her up as well.

"Yes," she replied. The she suddenly lunged forward and shoved him.

"Why didn't you tell me you could fly?" she said accusingly.

Vincent shrugged.

"Until just now, I wasn't aware I had that particular capability," he replied. He had to admit the timing of it couldn't have been better.

"Sheesh, you think someone would know something like that about themselves," was all she could think of to say. "Can you fly us back to the Highwind?"

"That's probably not a good idea. Look."

She turned around. The Highwind was far away from them now, but still in plain sight. She gasped when she saw the damage Weapon had inflicted upon it. Flames covered the entire back half of the ship, leaving a long trail of smoke behind the craft. From the damage she saw, Tifa could hardly believe the thing was still in the air. But it was obviously in trouble. It was making a slow turn in the air, and diving down, angling toward the lip of the crater. If they didn't pull up, it looked to Tifa like they would hit it.

They were to far away to see anyone, but Tifa could imagine Cid at the controls, trying desperately to get the airship to pull up. If anyone could to it, he could.

The ship continued to rush toward the ground. Even if they pulled up now, Tifa wasn't sure they'd make it. It was going to be close.

'C'mon Cid' she mentally urged.

The airship bucked, it's nose coming up for a moment. It was still hurtling rapidly toward the rocks. Tifa held her breath.

Then, suddenly, there was a loud explosion. The back third of the aircraft broke off in a mass of flame. Completely out of control, the entire airship dropped like a stone. A moment later is smashed into the ground. Tifa's face went white and her hand came up to cover her mouth as a huge fireball erupted where the Highwind had been a moment before.

"Oh my god, no!" she cried out.


"Red!"

The red beast didn't need Yuffie's warning to see. The group was higher up than Tifa and Vincent, had in fact reached the very pinnacle of the crater wall, and had an even better view of the Highwind's death. The smoke from the fires obscured things, but not enough to see that the Highwind had been instantly reduced by the explosion to a mass of burning wreckage. It didn't seem possible that anyone had survived.

Which, of course, was impossible.

They couldn't die. Their past selves couldn't die. If they died before they went back into the past, then he wouldn't be here. None of them from the future would be here.

He looked down at himself, wondering if he was going to suddenly fade away. Wondering if he was some kind of phantom and just hadn't realized it yet. He felt the urge to pinch himself to make sure he was real.

But that was ridiculous.

"What just happened?"

He turned to see Cid standing beside him, looking down at the remains of the Highwind with an expression he supposed was similar to his own.

"I'm not sure," Red replied honestly. "However, it would appear we were just killed."

Yuffie stared at him, her face pale.

"Is that possible?"

For a moment Red did not reply. Frankly, he was starting to get tired of everyone expecting him to know all the answers. But he couldn't blame them.

"I don't know," he said.

"Could it be..." Cid began. "Could it be that that's what really happened?"

"What do you mean?" Yuffie questioned.

"When we went into the past," he said. "Maybe that's what happened when we left. The Highwind crashed, and at that instant we were transported into the past."

They thought about that for a moment.

"Yeah, maybe that's it," Yuffie agreed, brightening.

"I don't know," Red repeated. "I suppose it's possible. But we weren't about to crash the first time. And we were transported into the past with the Highwind, remember?"

Yuffie's face fell.

"But we've changed things," Cid reminded them. "A lot of things haven't happened the way they did the first time. Maybe it's possible..?"

"And what about Cloud?" Red continued. "He wasn't on board."

"Oh yeah," Cid replied. "I forgot about that."

"So what the hell does it all mean?" Yuffie said, obviously quite frustrated with the discussion.

"I told you, I don't know!" Red replied, a bit testily. "The problem is, we don't know the rules of time travel. It's never been done before, remember?"

"We can debate it all we want," Barret cut in for the first time. "But we still have Weapon to worry about. Look, here it comes again."

"Why can't that thing just leave us alone?" Yuffie whined.

"Everyone get down!" Cid commanded.

Weapon streaked through the air, heading straight for them. Green light flared up as Red and his companions concentrated on their materia. Red ducked down as Weapon approached, prepared for the now familiar beams of ruby light.

The group cast their spells, and, as usual, they didn't seem to have much of an effect. Weapon continued to bore down on them, looming larger and larger until he seemed to block out the entire sky.

And then...he was past them

Red lifted his head, too surprised by the lack of attack to think about safety. Weapon flew on, not slowing down in the slightest, right into the crater behind them.

A moment later there was a thunderous boom as Weapons smashed into the wall of the crater below.

The ground shook, and loose rocks once more bounced around them, but fortunately, no major avalanche resulted. A moment later, the shaking went still. The group looked down into the crater, but saw no sign of Weapon.

"What the hell..." Barret muttered.

Yuffie suddenly stood up.

"You know, just once, just one damn time, I'd like to see something happen around here that actually made sense!"

She turned to look at Red, as usual, but he made no motion, just stared down at the crater below. Weapon was no longer attacking. It was gone. It had returned to the planet. There was only one explanation for that...

"Red?" Yuffie said slowly.

Red shook his head.

"I think I'm beginning to understand," he said finally. "C'mon, let's get down to the bottom."


Cloud felt his body go numb, staring at the sword that penetrated Vincent's chest. In spite of what his eyes told him, he couldn't believe it. Foolishly his mind clung to the notion that what his eyes were showing him wasn't real. That somehow, Vincent could survive.

Cloud was close enough to see the expression on Sephiroth's face, the smirk it held as he stood there for a moment with Vincent impaled on his masamune, as if trying to rub it in the man's face that he'd just been killed.

If Sephiroth expected to see the realization of death, or despair, or even pain on Vincent's face, however, he was disappointed. Vincent's face remained impassive, staring at Sephiroth, as if he could overcome by sheer will alone the damage that had been done to his body.

But of course, that was impossible.

He slowly sank to his knees, still staring at Sephiroth. The SOLDIER gave a shrug of his shoulders. Whether the man's will was broken along with his body was irrelevant. Much as Sephiroth would have liked to stand there until the life faded from Vincent's eyes, he had bigger fish to fry. The Cetra still lay helpless in front of him, and he somehow doubted that she would be as impassive as Vincent to the feel of his blade in her soft flesh.

Sephiroth went to pull his sword out, but suddenly Vincent's clawed hand reached out and grabbed hold of Sephiroth's wrist.

For a moment Sephiroth hesitated. He obviously had not expected this dead man to offer even this little bit of resistance. He pulled again, harder, but Vincent's claw remained locked on his hand.

Sephiroth snarled in anger. The first time he had shone any emotion except for contempt. But now he was angered by the idea of Vincent, chest pierced by the masamune, having the gall to hold onto the sword instead of having the good sense to keel over and die, and the somewhat comical view it inspired. He jerked on the sword, nearly causing Vincent to fall over. But the ex-Turk somehow managed to remain on his knees, even as his hand swept up, bringing to bear the gun he had until this moment been groping for.

Instinctively Sephiroth let go of his sword and tried to pull away, but Vincent still held his wrist.

Suddenly Sephiroth found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

A moment later, before he could think, before he could blink, it fired.

Cloud, who was still behind him, saw Sephiroth's head jerk back in a sudden cloud of red. Vincent finally relinquished his grip and Sephiroth fell backwards, collapsing to the ground like a rag doll. For a moment Vincent stood poised there, the sword still impaling him, his face still registering nothing, no triumph or regret, before he too fell to the ground, even his iron will no longer able to sustain him.

"Vincent!" Cloud shouted.

A moment later Cloud was by his friends side.

A spark of life still remained in the ex-Turk. He looked up as Cloud stooped down beside him.

"I couldn't...protect Lucrecia," he said slowly.

"Don't talk!" Cloud protested. "Just rest Vincent. Save your strength. We'll get you out of this, somehow."

Cloud fumbled with his materia, hands shaking, trying to find a restore.

Vincent looked down at the terrible wound in his chest, then back up at Cloud. His clawed hand reached out to stay Cloud's search.

"You and I both know.." he began, then was interrupted by a fit of coughing. A line of red dripped from his mouth.

"We both know I'm beyond the help of materia," he said. "Or even of Aeris arts."

"Vincent..."

Vincent shook his head.

"Don't mourn for me, my friend. It's fitting. I couldn't protect Lucrecia. And because of that, I couldn't rest. Perhaps now...now that I've given my life to protect someone else, perhaps now I can find forgiveness."

Both of them turned to look at Aeris. She was lying on her side on the rocks just behind Vincent. Her eyes were closed, and for a moment Cloud thought she was unconscious, but then he noticed her lips were moving.

"Get her out of here Cloud," Vincent continued. "Take Aeris to safety. It's what we all came back... for..."

Vincent's head fell back, his words tailing into silence for the last time.

"Vincent!"

But this time there was no response.

Cloud bowed his head, filled with anguish. He hadn't wanted it to come to his. This was supposed to have been a battle between him and Sephiroth. There had been no need for the others to get involved. He had deliberately left them behind just so something like this wouldn't happen.

But it had. Somehow, no matter how well thought out his plans, they never seemed to quite work out the way he anticipated.

A rumble of thunder rolled through the crater around him. He looked up, searching for the source. Far above, on the far side of the crater wall, he could see rocks tumbling down the slope, though he could not see anything that might have caused it.

With an effort he pulled himself to his feet. Vincent was right. They had done what they needed to do here. Even if he hadn't done it by himself, Sephiroth was defeated. But even so, this place was still dangerous. The sooner he got Aeris out of here, the better he would feel.

He stooped down beside Aeris. She was definitely saying something, though so softly that even right beside her he still couldn't quite make out the words. It seemed to be some kind of prayer.

He laid a hand gently on her shoulder.

"It's over Aeris," he said. "C'mon, I'll get you out of..."

He jumped as her eyes suddenly snapped open. Lifting herself up she grabbed hold of him, her eyes staring behind him.

"No it's not!" she cried.

Pulling away, he spun around, sweeping up his sword that he had momentarily laid down in one fluid motion. Behind him, an apparition was rising up where Sephiroth's body had been a moment ago.

It towered above him, nearly three meters in height. Even though the shape was vaguely human, nearly all trace of humaness seemed to have been lost. The body was a chalk white color. It stood on two huge grotesque legs, ending in feet with black daggerlike claws. One arm was gone completely replaced by some sort of misshapen wing. The other arm had grown longer, this one also tipped with claws like the feet, but the claws on the hand were much longer, as long a short sword to a normal human.

Only the head seemed to have retained even a trace of humanity. But even that was grossly perverted. Vincent's projectile had torn away a good portion of Sephiroth's forehead. Blood poured out of the wound, running down the creatures shoulder. The head lay tilted to the side, as if the neck muscles could not hold it up. No one could have survived such a terrible wound. Had the Jenova cells inside Sephiroth taken over completely, reanimating the body, or was there some trace of Sephiroth still left inside, kept alive in that twisted body by Jenova's will?

Cloud didn't have time to ponder, however, as Sephiroth's huge claw suddenly slashed out.

Aeris stared at the huge creature that Sephiroth had become, even as Cloud leaped out of the way. She pulled herself to her knees, looking around, but for what she couldn't say. Her eyes fell on Vincent's still body and tears welled in them. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was a healer, yet both Cloud and Vincent had died in front of her, their wounds beyond even her skill to heal. She wasn't strong enough to fight. If she couldn't use her healing skills, then what good was she at all?

She slowly got to her feet, watching Cloud as he retreated from the horror in front of him. Her mind had cleared, and she suddenly realized that her head no longer throbbed. She was sweating, but her fever had dissipated. For some reason, she felt better.

She looked at the Princess Guard beside her, her hand reaching for it, thinking for a moment to join Cloud in the battle, to help in what little way she could. But something stopped her. Cloud was being forced back. The creature that Sephiroth had become was too strong, too strong for him, too strong for both of them. She didn't think her help in that regard would do any good.

But what else could she do?

She had been praying to the planet, trying to break through Sephiroth's mental barrier. Or was it Jenova's? In any case, she hadn't succeeded. She hadn't been strong enough. But she had felt it weaken. Vincent might not have killed the creature in front of them with his bullet, but he had certainly hurt it. With Cloud distracting it, it must be weaker than ever. And she felt stronger. Perhaps now, if she gave it her all, she could get through.

Once again she bowed her head.

Mother, help me!

Sephiroth's clawed hand slammed down into the ground. Cloud swung his sword, the blade slashing against Sephiroth's wrist, but it could not seem to penetrate the armorlike skin that had grown on Sephiroth's limbs.

The hand wrenched itself out of the ground, then swung towards Cloud like a battering ram. Cloud, having no time to dodge, turned his shoulder toward the blow. Even so, it still threw him across the room and into the far wall, knocking the wind out of him.

In spite of the pain, he forced himself to his feet, knowing that remaining prone was tantamount to death. Sephiroth was right behind him, his clawed arm swinging through the air again. Cloud flung himself backwards, once again hitting the wall. The claws slashed along his abdomen, drawing blood but doing no serious damage. Cloud was already bleeding from a dozen other minor cuts. He wasn't about to let another one bother him.

Still, the damage was adding up. He couldn't keep taking damage without inflicting any. He couldn't keep dodging forever. He had to find a weak spot, or this battle would be over before it started.

He danced to one side, bluffing an attack at the creatures leg. The claw flashed, but he ducked under it, then sprang up, slashing at Sephiroth's head.

His blade made contact. Blood flew once again. The beast gave an anguished cry, a cry that froze Cloud's blood, for the cry was not the cry of beast, but the dreadful moan of an anguished human. Cloud fell back, unnerved by the sound.

Aeris heard the sound as well. And though it made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck, it did not break her concentration. As soon as the blow had been struck, she'd felt a weakening in the barrier between her and the planet. Jenova might be animating what was left of Sephiroth now, but it seemed it was still Sephiroth himself who maintained the barrier. As Cloud slashed at the creatures head, Aeris felt the barrier begin to yield. She closed her eyes once again, focusing all her concentration on her prayers, on trying to reach the planet. She knew she was close, she could feel it, could feel Sephiroth's protective wall slowly collapsing, stone by invisible stone. And each stone that fell gave Aeris renewed hope, strengthened her spirit enough to knock out another one, and then another, until what had started as the fall of few pebbles suddenly turned into an avalanche.

The claws flashed out again, and once again he missed being ripped in half by a hair's breath. The attack had elicited a response, but it seemed that Sephiroth's human side, though not quite dead yet, was no more than a mere appendage. Damaging it might cause the creature pain, but it was not the mortal blow that Cloud had hoped.

Still, it was more damage than he had done with any other attack.

He charged forward again, feinted to one side, then sprang up at the head once more. But the creature must have anticipated it, for it's claws suddenly changed direction. Cloud, already committed to this course of action, pulled his blade to the side to try to fend them off with it, but was only partially successful. He was flung backwards and felt hot pain ripple through his back.

He found himself on the floor, head spinning. In spite of that, and the agonizing pain in his back, he forced himself to his feet. He shook his head to clear it, but he still felt dizzy, and the air around him suddenly seemed to be filled with a hazy greenish light. He wiped the sweat off his brow and held up his sword, even though he was so exhausted he could barely lift it anymore. He had to finish this quickly while he still had some strength left.

He attacked again, first to one side, then the other, trying to get the creature off guard, trying to pull the claw away from the vulnerable head area. Whether controlled by Sephiroth of Jenova, the creature wasn't some stupid beast, it knew it's weaknesses, and was protecting them. The pain in Cloud's back hadn't diminished, and it was only by his own strength of will that he continued to fight. He couldn't afford another failed attack. He couldn't afford to take any more damage himself, but the creature did not give him an opening.

It beat off his attack, and pressed forward itself. Cloud found himself forced back once again. He had already been almost against the wall, and didn't have much room to retreat. The creature was forcing him into a corner.

Cloud desperately struck at the creature with his sword, trying to make an opening for himself, trying to force it back so he could slip out of the corner. They both knew if it forced him into the corner the battle would be over. But he also knew he had to time his escape just right, for it was bound to be waiting for just such a move.

A step back. Then another. Cloud risked a glance behind him to see he was just a step from the wall. He couldn't wait any longer. He had to take a chance, and he had to do it now.

He slashed again at the horror in front of him, then dove to the side.

The claw instantly raked down. Again Cloud felt searing pain, this time through his right leg, as he was slammed to the ground.

He lashed out with his sword, trying to beat the claw away, but the creature had him where it wanted him, it wasn't about to let him up that easy. The claw slashed at him again and again, not giving him any respite, or any chance to escape. Slowly his guard was beaten down and the black claws moved closer and closer to finishing him off.

Both Cloud and the creature were concentrating solely on one another. Neither one of them noticed the green tendrils of lifestream that were slowly rising up from the ground around them, didn't notice, that is, until one tendril lashed forward around the creatures clawed arm and...solidified.

The creature tried to drive it's arm forward, but the motion was arrested. Startled by this sudden occupance, the creature turned and for the first time saw the green ghostly tendrils.

Cloud saw them at the same time.

With the speed of a snake, more tendrils shot forward, wrapping around the creatures arm, then legs, then around it's body. Sephiroth roared and twisted his body, struggling against them, but they held fast.

Cloud pulled himself to his feet, starting at the creature, and the green tendrils that enveloped him. He blinked his eyes, wondering if what he was seeing was real. It almost looked to him that the tendrils were taking the form of human beings. Human beings, moreover, that he could recognize. Or some of them. He saw ghostly faces and arms, reaching around the creatures body. And some of the faces he recognized as people he had known, known a long time ago. They were the faces of those who had been killed when Sephiroth burned Nibelheim. The tendrils ghosts pulled back on Sephiroth's arm and legs, holding him fast.

Cloud didn't hesitate, given the chance. He leapt forward, high into the air, raising his blade above his head. The he drove it downward, straight into the creatures neck just below Sephiroth's head. The force of gravity and Cloud's weight behind it drove the sword downward, deep into the creature's vitals, deep down it drove, until only the hilt of the sword protruded from the body.

The creature gave off a high pitched shriek. So loud it hurt Cloud's ears. It started to gyrate wildly, and Cloud fell back, half expecting it to break free from it's bonds, but the lifestream held fast. Cloud fell to his knees, his sword still embedded in the creature, as it screamed some more. But slowly the sound began to fade, the gyrations became less violent. The clawed hand slumped to the ground and a moment later, the creature became still.

With that, the lifestream just faded away, letting the monster collapse onto the floor. Cloud could see Aeris standing not far behind the creature, a look of exhaustion on her face.

Cloud looked down at the creature one last time, but it didn't move. It was really over this time. He stepped past it, walking up to Aeris, who managed a small smile before she collapsed into his arms from exhaustion.


"Where am I?"

"In Mr. Holzoff's cabin," came the reply.

"Cloud," Aeris said, seeing him sitting in a chair beside her. She sat up in bed.

"Easy," he said. "You've been through quite an ordeal."

"I feel fine," she replied, and it was true, she did. There was no sign of the sickness she had felt earlier, and, more importantly, no sign of the upheaval she had felt in the lifestream.

Which she did not understand.

"Sephiroth?" she questioned.

"You saw it yourself. He's dead."

She looked down at herself.

"And I'm still alive."

"Well, yeah, that's obvious," he replied, with just the hint of a smile.

"But, I don't understand," she said. "Wasn't I supposed to die? Wasn't that why the lifestream was in turmoil? I thought..."

"I think Red can explain it better than I," Cloud replied. "The others are in the next room, if you feel up to it?"

"Of course," she replied.

He helped her to her feet and they walked into the main room of the cabin. All her friends were there, with the exception of Yuffie. They both sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Tifa asked.

"Much better," Aeris replied. "Though I don't understand why."

"Perhaps I can clear that up for you," Red said, stepping forward.

Aeris nodded.

"As I understand it, you thought the lifestream was in turmoil because you were supposed to die and did not," he said.

Aeris nodded again.

"A reasonable assumption, but I believe you were wrong, and it was Weapon that gave me the clue."

"Go on," Aeris said slowly.

"As you know, Weapons are created by the planet when it feels threatened. Originally, five Weapons were created, but when we returned to the past and they were created the second time, there were six of them. The sixth immediately turned and attacked us. It kept attacking until it destroyed the Highwind..."

"The Highwind was destroyed?" Aeris questioned.

"Yes," Cid replied. "But don't worry, there's another one near Rocket Town that shouldn't be too hard to fix."

Aeris just shook her head.

"Anyway," Red continued. "It destroyed the Highwind, and along with it, most of us, or the us from the past. Which didn't seem to make sense. How could we be here if we were killed before we came? But anyway, I digress."

"After Weapon had destroyed the Highwind, it returned to the planet. Now, why would it do that?"

Aeris thought for a moment. Why did she suddenly feel like a schoolgirl getting quizzed?

"It would only return to the planet if it's job here was done."

"Exactly," Red replied. "The only thing it did while it was here was to destroy the Highwind, which led me to conclude that was it's mission."

"It's mission was to destroy the Highwind?" Barret said, looking confused.

"Not the Highwind itself, those on board it," Red replied. "Us, in other words. Or rather the duplicates of us. Aeris, you assumed the lifestream was in turmoil because you were supposed to die but did not, but I believe the real reason it was in turmoil was because there were two of us here and that wasn't supposed to be."

Aeris just sat there looking at him for a moment.

"Cloud told us you suddenly improved while he was battling Sephiroth," Red continued. "Isn't that true?"

Aeris nodded.

"Yes, at one point, I did suddenly feel better. It was right after Vincent," she stopped, looking up at the Vincent who was seated nearby. "After you...died."

"And I'd estimate that was just about the time that the Highwind was destroyed," Red added.

Aeris sat there thinking about that. It all made sense. If the lifestream was in upheaval because there was two of her friends, then it would calm down after one was gone, which seemed to be exactly what had happened. If it was her the lifestream was in turmoil about, it still would be.

"But wait," Barret cut in, "that still doesn't explain how we could be here after our past selves died. If they were killed before they went into the past, shouldn't we...not be here?"

"Apparently not," Red said, "since we obviously are still here. I'm afraid I really don't have any good explanation for that. As I said once before, none of us know the rules of time travel. Maybe we can't just disappear. It wouldn't even make sense if our past selves were somehow transported into the past at the instant the Highwind crashed. The past selves of myself, Cid, Barret, and Cait Sith were killed on the Highwind, but it was the future Cloud, Tifa and Vincent who were killed. Perhaps once you're in this time, nothing that happens in any other time changes things here, perhaps once there were two of us here, they were separate individuals, no longer connected. Or perhaps, as I suggested once, we didn't travel in time at all but just to a different and yet very similar dimension."

No one looked very satisfied with that answer.

"But...but if that's the case," Barret said hesitantly. "Then how do we get back to where we belong?"

"Who says this isn't where we belong?" Red questioned.

Barret just gave him the usual blank look, and it this case it was matched by the others.

"It's the same world," Red pointed out. "Or similar enough as to not matter. It's past the time where we went into the past, so it's all new from here on in. Even if we don't belong here, we don't know how we got here, and we don't know how to get back, or even if it's possible. But as far as I can see, it doesn't really make much difference, now does it?"

No one spoke, but the looks on their faces made it apparent that they weren't happy with Red's explanation. The truth was, he wasn't himself, but he had to accept that fact that there were some things in life that just defied explanation.

"So does this mean that we're not going to die?" Tifa cut in suddenly.

They all looked at her.

"Cloud, Vincent and I, I mean," she clarified.

"We all die," Red stated.

"You know what I mean," Tifa replied.

Red shrugged.

"Yes I do. According to the theory, you were all supposed to go into the past when the Highwind was destroyed, but you didn't. We're past that now, and I'd say at this point, the slate is wiped clean."

Tifa smiled.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say, even though I don't understand it."

"I don't think any of us do," Cid commented.

"Wait a minute," Aeris cut in. "You never mentioned Yuffie. What happened to her?"

"Ah yes," Red stated. "That's another story altogether."

As if on cue, the door to the cabin suddenly opened, and two identical young ninja's tried to squeeze through at the same time.

"Hey, I'm walking here!"

"Get out of the way, I was first!"

"You were not! I was clearly ahead of you when we got to the door."

"You were not!"

Aeris turned to look at Red.

"Two Yuffies?" she blurted out.

"I'm afraid so," Barret muttered.

Aeris frowned.

"But wait, you said that having two of you was what was upsetting the lifestream. So how can there still be two Yuffies?"

Red nodded.

"Much as it would be amusing to see Weapon running around after our two ninja friends trying to step on one, it appears that having a duplicate of only a single one of us does not cause enough of a disturbance in the lifestream to warrant a response."

Aeris stared back and forth between Red and the two Yuffies.

"So that means..."

"Yup," Barret stated ruefully. "We're stuck with them."

One Yuffie finally forced her way ahead, and they both entered the room.

"Sheesh, how rude," she snapped, looking at the other Yuffie. "And by the way, you're going to have to change your name, you know. We can't have people calling us both Yuffie."

"Change my name, you change yours. I'm the original Yuffie, after all!"

"No, you're the old Yuffie, the obsolete Yuffie. I'm the new and improved version. I should get to keep the name."

"You keep the name? I don't think so. I had it first!"

"Big deal. Like I said, you're obsolete, you don't deserve it anymore."

"Don't deserve it? Not likely. We need a new name for you, and I've got just the thing. I think we'll call you Ninja Bimbo from now on."

"Ninja Bimbo? How dare you! No, I'm still Yuffie. We can call you Materia Slut."

"Materia Slut? Why you! I oughta take you apart right now!"

"Ha! Take me apart? I've been around longer than you, I've got the experience. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Not stand a chance? Don't make me laugh. I've still got my youth. You're old and slow. I could beat you without even breaking into a sweat!"

"In your dreams! And by the way, don't you be thinking of trying to take anything from my materia stash."

"Your materia stash. That's mine! You stay away from it!"

"It's mine so I'll touch it all I want!"

"Don't be a jerk!"

"I'm not a jerk, you are!"

"Moron!"

"Idiot!"

"Dork!" they both yelled at once.

Cloud sat back in his chair and shook his head.

"Two Yuffies," he sighed. "You know, I was hoping our nightmares were over when we defeated Sephiroth, but it looks now like they've just begun!"

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Well, this certainly turned out to be an interesting little experiment. When I first started this story, I had no idea where it would go or how it would turn out. I have to admit the results were pretty mixed. Most of the chapters came out pretty well, but I have to admit it was a lot harder to get people to participate in a timely manner than I had expected. The 'open' section seemed to work a little bit better, but all in all, I don't think I'll be repeating this little experiment anytime soon.

As for the story itself, well, I decided pretty early on that I was going to end up killing off one of each character. The problem was to do it without giving it away too soon to the reader (gotta keep you guessing. Hey, it's my job!). I figured if I killed off one of EVERYONE then what I was doing would be too obvious (not to mention strain the bounds of credibility) so I either had to kill off two of someone or let two of someone live, and since I'm usually a happy ending kind of guy (and I stress usually) I decided to let two of someone live. So then the $64000 question became, who? The two choices that immediately sprung to mind were Cloud and Yuffie. Cloud because that was one way (and a rather original way, I believe) to solve the love triangle between Cloud, Tifa and Aeris. With two Cloud's they could each have one. Yuffie because of the obvious comic possibilities. In the end, I decided the story would be more dramatic if I killed Cloud off early on, so Yuffie got the nod.