~Smile~

Chapter 41​

“I can’t believe I had to give up my knife,” Reno whined.

Cloud sighed. He had heard Reno complain about that stupid knife ever since they left Mt Nibel. “I’ll give you one of my knives when we get back to the ship.”

“It’s not the same thing. It was my lucky knife.”

“I’ll give you two of them.”

“The ones with the gold handles and the blue gems?”

“Yes! They’re yours if you just shut up about it.”

Reno grinned in satisfaction.

The group was about halfway back toward the west coast when Aerith suddenly drew her horse to a stop.

Zack immediately noticed and came up beside her, noting the worry lines between her brows. “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s coming,” Aerith replied in a whisper.

“Cloud! Stop!” yelled Zack.

The others came to a halt. Seconds later over a dozen wolf-like creatures bolted out of the snow covered trees on either side of the road.

Cloud jumped off Fenrir and drew both his swords.

Reno and Zack followed suit, forming a perimeter around the girls and the horses, but the gaps between them were too far. As the Bandersnatches attacked, the horses went berserk.

Cloud slashed at one of the creatures and tried to slash at another at the same time. But he missed the second and the Bandersnatch latched its jaws on his left wrist. After killing the one on the right, Cloud stabbed his sword repeatedly into the neck of the other snarling beast until it finally released his wrist.

Zack managed to kill one before another tackled him to the ground. He held its snapping jaws away from his face. The beast was incredibly strong and clawed at his chest.

“Zack!” yelled Cloud.

Zack turned toward his friend and using all his strength, he raised the Bandersnatch away from him.

Cloud fired his pistol at it, then spun around and fired at another coming at him. Two shots was all he could get out of the pistol. It took too long to reload it, which was why he preferred fighting with swords. After holstering his pistol, he took up his swords again and rushed toward two Bandersnatches trying to take down Reno’s horse. He hacked at them until they were dead, but the horse was down and bleeding from the neck.

The smell of blood drew three other beasts and Reno came to Cloud’s aid.

As he fought against the snapping jaws, Cloud snarled at Reno. “You’re leaving the girls open for attack!”

“You’re my first priority!” Reno barked back.

From the corner of his eye, Cloud saw what was about to happen, but couldn’t do anything about it as he handled the two beasts bent on ripping off his legs. A Bandersnatch attacked Fenrir. The stallion reared and struck the beast, but the Bandersnatch spun out of the way and closed its jaws around the horse’s left fetlock.

Not thinking of her own safety, Tifa launched herself off Shiva’s back to draw the attention of the Bandersnatch attacking Fenrir.

Cloud hacked one final time before turning in Tifa’s direction. She had no weapons, yet she was risking her life. “Tifa, no!”

Fenrir bolted away as the Bandersnatch released him. The beast jumped toward Tifa and so did two others.

Tifa screamed and threw her arms out in front of her. A wave of invisible energy shot out of her fingertips and the three Bandersnatches were pushed with enough force to send them flying backward, smashing into the tree trunks. Their crumpled bodies slumped into the snow.

Zack hacked at the last of the beasts.

Seconds later, the only sound that could be heard was Fenrir’s angry snorts.

Cloud stared wide-eyed at Tifa as she casually inspected the injury on Fenrir’s leg. He walked up and crouched beside her.

“It’s superficial,” she said. “Its teeth only managed to rip the skin. We need to stop the bleeding.”

“Tifa, how did you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked, pretending unawareness.

Cloud pointed to the three Bandersnatches twenty feet away. “That! How did you push them away from you?”

She frowned and swallowed, her eyes tearing as she looked away from the dead beasts and met Cloud’s eyes again. “I don’t know.” She shook her head and started to cry. “I don’t know.” If she knew, she would have gladly given him an explanation. In truth, she thought she would be torn to shreds and was surprised when the attack never came and she discovered the creatures had been tossed away from her. What happened? How did she push them away? Would she be able to do it again?

Cloud pulled her into his arms. “Shhh, it’s all right. We’ll figure it out later.”

Zack walked up to Aerith, who was still mounted on her shivering horse. “Are you all right?”

Aerith nodded, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Tifa. “Did you see that, Zack?”

He shook his head. “See what?”

“Tifa threw the beasts away from her.”

Zack frowned. “What do you mean she threw them away from her?”

“Three of them came at her and then suddenly they were tossed away like dolls. They smashed into the trees. It was unbelievable.”

Cloud ran his hand over Fenrir’s cannon and fetlock, feeling for a broken bone. But Tifa was right. The horse was fine, but he wouldn’t be able to ride him until he healed. He tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around the horse’s leg to stop the bleeding.

Reno stood frozen over his fallen mare. She was still alive, but barely.

Cloud walked up beside him. “Reno, I have to put her down.”

He nodded. “I know.” He walked away as Cloud pulled out his pistol and loaded it. When the shot came, Reno cringed.

“Take my horse, Reno.” Zack mounted up behind Aerith.

Reno mounted Zack’s horse, while Cloud and Tifa mounted Shiva.

Cloud grabbed Fenrir’s reins and pulled him along behind them as they continued toward the west coast.

Ifalna stared out the window at the back of the ship. “We’re moving much too fast,” she said without emotion.

Elena looked up from where she was sitting on the floor against the wall of the spacious, but spartan cabin. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m not a stranger to sailing. I’ve been on enough ships to know that the speed of a vessel is determined by its size, weight and sail mass. It can’t possibly travel faster than the wind.”

Elena rose to her feet and walked up beside the queen. She glanced out the window, but couldn’t see what it was the queen referred to. “We’re moving faster than the wind?”

“Don’t you feel it?”

“No.”

“The ship hardly leaves a wake…almost as if…”

The cabin door swung open. “Almost as if we’re flying…”

Ifalna and Elena spun around to face the young leader who entered the cabin.

“Is that what we’re doing then? Flying?” asked Ifalna.

“Something like that.”

Behind the leader, another man entered with two plates. He set them on the table, the only piece of furniture in the cabin and then left.

Ifalna stepped closer to the pirate leader. “How is it possible?”

“She’s given us the power.”

“She?”

“You’d like to know that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I would.”

“Well, I’m not going to be the one to tell you.” He turned around, ready to leave.

“Then tell me your name,” Ifalna quickly said, hoping to keep him in the cabin longer.

“Kadaj.”

“Thank you for the food, Kadaj.”

Kadaj looked over his shoulder at the queen. “Don’t think I’m doing it to be kind. I have my orders.”

Ifalna picked up the plates and handed one to Elena. “Your orders are to keep us alive.”

“But I’ll kill you if you try to escape or try to convince any of my crew to help you.”

“Look at us, Kadaj. Do we look like we could cause trouble?”

Kadaj turned around to face the queen and the consort. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Your Majesty. You may look feeble enough, but I don’t trust anyone coming from the house of Shinra.”

Ifalna wanted to keep him talking, hoping to learn something, hoping to find a weakness she could use against him. “Why is that?”

“Sephiroth told me all about Midgar and its manipulative king.”

“Sephiroth is dead. My son killed him.”

“I told you, he’s not dead. It’d take a lot more than a single sword through the chest to kill Sephiroth.”

“You know my son will come for me and when he does, you’ll wish Sephiroth had killed you instead.”

Kadaj laughed without humor. “Somehow I highly doubt that.”

Ifalna felt her heart constricting. “Tell me why Sephiroth is doing what he’s doing.”

“To please her.”

“Her again? Who is she? Is it someone I know? Another queen?”

Kadaj drew a knife and pointed it at the queen’s nose. “Enough questions. Eat your food. We’ll be arriving in a few hours.” He turned to walk out.

“Arriving where?” Ifalna rushed forward, but the door slammed shut. “Where are you taking us?!”

Cloud closed his eyes and leaned back against the wooden tub, letting the hot water take the chill out of his bones. For awhile he didn’t think he’d ever feel warm again, not after feeling so cold for the last few days. The first thing he had thought about the moment he stepped onto The Avalanche was a nice, hot bath.

Tifa stepped into the tub and knelt down in front of Cloud. There were mounds of suds floating on the surface of the water, just the way she liked it. Even though there was barely enough room for both of them in the tub, she knew Cloud didn’t mind. She lifted his arm and closely inspected the bite marks on his left wrist. Several were fairly deep and the flesh around them was torn.

He opened his eyes, knowing Tifa was probably worried about the injury. “It’s not bad. I’ll put some healing lotion on it later.”

Tifa ran a cloth over his wrist, cleaning the punctures thoroughly. “You should have been wearing your wristguards.”

“I didn’t think we’d be attacked on the road back to the fishing village. It was deliberate, you know.”

“Someone controlled those creatures?”

“Someone who knows we were in Nibelheim.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet, but I aim to find out.”

“How do you know it was deliberate?”

“Because there have never been Bandersnatch attacks in Nibelheim, just like there were never any attacks in Icicle Village.”

“Didn’t you say Sephiroth had something to do with the attacks in Icicle Village?”

“Yes and that’s what concerns me right now. He’s dead, yet terror still reigns. I want to know why.”

“He has accomplices.”

“That much is true.”

Tifa leaned forward, resting herself on top of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against him. “Can we talk about something more cheerful?”

“Like what?”

She smiled. “Like the fact that I’m a princess, which means we can be married.”

Cloud had already contemplated that fact. If his memory was correct, he remembered something about an arranged marriage between him and the princess of Nibelheim. He smiled as he recalled his futile efforts to run away from her when they were kids. “Do you remember me when we were little, Tifa?”

“Yes. I can’t believe I’d forgotten you.” She giggled. “You became so angry whenever I followed you around.”

“You chased me and kept falling.”

“And you never helped me up.”

“That’s because I was trying to get away from you.”

“Are you going to run away again?” she teased.

“You’re a princess, heir to the throne of Nibelheim. I’m more concerned that you might run away from me.”

“How can I ever run away from the man I can’t resist?”

Cloud’s smile widened. “Am I that irresistible?”

Tifa kissed him and water splashed out of the tub as they moved around for a more comfortable position.

Yuffie held her chin in her hand as she followed Johnny with her eyes. He was making breakfast again, just as he had done every day for the last few days. They had taken up residence in a small house he said belonged to a man and woman he knew.

Johnny set a plate of fried eggs in front of her. “Here you go, Princess. Just the way you like them.”

“This is boring,” Yuffie stated, ignoring the plate. “Why can’t we go into town?”

“Because I’m sure Corneo has a hundred men out looking for us. He won’t stop.”

“How do you know he won’t stop? It’s been at least a week.”

“You’re the princess of Wutai. You were obviously brought here for a reason. Maybe whoever’s behind this is looking for a ransom from your father. Corneo knows he’ll be in serious trouble if it were known that you escaped.”

“He wasn’t looking for a ransom.”

“You know who’s behind this?”

“Yes. It was a tall man with long silver hair. He controlled giant lizards.”

“What was his name?”

“I don’t know his name. He never said.”

“Well, what did he want?”

“Someone was coming with a peace treaty and I guess the man doesn’t like him very much.”

“Who was coming?”

“The prince of Midgar.”

“Cloud Strife?” Johnny grimaced. “That name is an eternal thorn in my side.”

Yuffie frowned at him. “You have something against him?”

“First he takes Tifa away from me and now he’s indirectly responsible for your kidnapping.”

“Who’s Tifa?”

“The love of my life. He bought her from Corneo and now she’s his…you know…”

“You mean she’s his…?”

“Yes.”

Yuffie gasped. “That’s awful. I would rather die than be someone’s…”

Johnny raised a fist in the air. “If I ever had the opportunity to stand face to face with him, I’d tell him what I think of him and then I’d punch him in the face.”

“He was coming to Wutai with a peace treaty. He can’t be all that bad.”

“He’s killed your people. Don’t you care about that?”

“Yes, but I care more about peace. If there’s no peace then more people will die. My father’s just being stubborn.” She pushed her plate away. “I just want to go home.”

Johnny sat down at the table and placed his hand over Yuffie’s. “We’ll find a way to get you back to Wutai. For now we’ll just stay here.”

“When will they come back?”

“Who?”

“The people that live in this house?”

Johnny shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe they went away on a trip. But if they do come back, I know Vincent would try to help you.”

Vincent and Lucrecia stepped off the ramp belonging to the ship they had traveled on from Mideel. He took the bag from his wife and motioned toward the Midgar Inn. On the way, they noticed a group of guards wearing the colors of Midgar.

Lucrecia grabbed Vincent’s arm, stopping him from moving forward. “We can’t stay on this road.”

Vincent looked at her. “Do you honestly think every guard in Midgar knows my face?”

“We can’t take that chance.”

They left the main road and took one of the side paths through the buildings until they reached the Inn.

“Good afternoon, folks,” said the Innkeeper. “How long will you be staying in Midgar?”

“Not sure yet.” Vincent placed some gold coins on the counter. “I need to send a messenger to Castle Shinra.”

The Innkeeper eyed the coins. “Of course, of course.”

Vincent pulled an envelope out of his pocket. He took out the note and read it one last time.

Reeve
Please accept an invitation for a meal at the Midgar Inn to discuss current affairs. I look forward to seeing you once again.
L. Farmer

In case someone else saw the message, they had decided to use Lucrecia’s maiden name, knowing that only Reeve would know it. They knew Reeve would come.

 

Chapter 42​

The kingdom of Wutai was located on the northeastern coast of the continent by the same name.

As The Avalanche and her two smaller sister ships from Midgar made their slow approach, Cid Highwind peered through his telescope. He observed the four Wutai ships anchored in the harbor. “Doesn’t look like their making any preparations for battle.”

Cloud found it a bit strange that there wasn’t even an attempt to prevent them from entering the harbor.

Cid panned the telescope along the pier and paused. “Our welcome party, I presume.” He lowered the telescope and handed it to Cloud.

Cloud kept one hand on the wheel while peering through the telescope. There were fifteen heavily armored men on horseback. They were facing in the direction of the approaching ships. “Interesting.”

“Whatta you mean interesting?” Cid hadn’t expected that kind of reaction.

Cloud lowered the telescope. “They’re expecting us.”

“’Course they’re expecting us. They got the message we’re coming.”

“Kisaragi sent a message back indicating he wasn’t interested in a peace treaty. I guess he must have known we’d come anyway.”

Barret came up the steps. “What’s the plan, Spike?”

“We’ll anchor away from the pier. Everyone stays on the ships except me, Zack, Aerith and Tifa.”

Both Cid and Barret yelled, “What?!”

“I know it sounds crazy, but…if we go in there with our legion, the king will think of it as a threat.”

“Yeah, but what if he decides to take you and the others captive?” asked Cid, trying to be the voice of reason.

Barret slammed his fist on the railing. “You can’t risk it!”

Cloud shook his head. “He won’t risk it either. He knows what’ll happen to Wutai if he does anything to me.”

The first mate and quartermaster weren’t convinced, but those were the captain’s orders and they had no choice but to obey.

As Cloud maneuvered the ship into the harbor, he scanned the coast. This wasn’t the first time he had been to Wutai. But most of the time, when he engaged the enemy, he battled them on the far southwest side of the long island. No matter how desperate his father had been to claim the land, Cloud never directly attacked any city. He didn’t believe in killing innocent people.

Right up to the breakwater, a fifteen foot battlement wall stood, completely surrounding the city. Where the pier was, the wall continued just behind it. The only way in and out of the city was through a heavily guarded gate. Stationed at every ten feet along the top of the battlement wall, guards stood with bows and spears.

It was no different now than the last time he and Zack had come to Wutai.

Cloud signaled Cid to drop anchor and the other two Midgar ships did the same.

Fifteen minutes later, Barret rowed Cloud, Tifa, Zack and Aerith toward the pier where the guards on horseback stood.

Cloud wasn’t certain that Kisaragi wouldn’t attempt to imprison him as a bargaining advantage over Midgar. But Cloud knew what his father would do. His father’s exact words came to mind the day Cloud first became captain of The Avalanche.

“If you’re captured, don’t expect me to give up Midgar for your life.”

“I don’t expect it, father. I’ll sacrifice myself…if the need should arise.”

Cloud didn’t want Midgar to be given up for him. Hopefully his father meant his words. But somehow, he didn’t think his father would let him rot in a cell. Either way, he’d take matters into his own hands and do the right thing.

His decision to include Tifa and Aerith had him slightly concerned. Aerith was critical on this mission. She could tell him if she sensed any kind of deceit on Kisaragi’s part. But he could have spared Tifa’s presence. Tifa would have argued with him that if Aerith was going, then she was going, too. He hoped he wasn’t going to regret his decision to bring her.

Tifa studied Cloud’s expression. For once she couldn’t read what he was feeling and she wished she had Aerith’s empathic abilities. “Cloud? Is everything all right?”

He turned and smiled. “Everything’s fine, Tifa.” He took her hand and kissed it. “As soon as we’re done here, we’ll head home. I know my mother will help once I tell her who you really are.”

She smiled back. “Will she?”

“She used to be good friends with the queen of Nibelheim, your mother.”

Tifa’s smile faltered. “Used to be?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure what happened, but…Queen Elfe stopped communicating with my mother after you died…or rather, were presumed dead. I think maybe she was too depressed to talk to anyone.”

“Do you think my mother will be happy to know I’m alive?”

Cloud didn’t want to give Tifa false hope because he wasn’t sure her mother didn’t have something to do with Tifa’s disappearance. “I think we need to find out what happened first.”

“My mother had nothing to do with what happened.”

“I hope not.”

The boat soon arrived at the pier. Zack tossed the ropes to the man standing on the wooden platform and he proceeded to tie the boat. Cloud and Zack helped the girls out first, then Zack followed.

Cloud remained on the boat with Barret a moment longer. “I’m leaving you in charge, Barret. If we’re not back by sundown, you have my permission to do as you will.”

“Yeah, if you’re not back, well then we’ll be attacking.”

“If that’s what you want to do…” He grabbed Barret’s shoulder and squeezed it before getting out of the boat.

When Cloud joined Zack, Tifa and Aerith, one of the guards nudged his horse away from the others.

“Welcome to Wutai, Prince Cloud,” said the guard. “My king has asked that you be granted the highest hospitality.”

Cloud was a little surprised at the apparent welcome. He shifted from one foot to the other, not at all used to seeing the guardsmen of Wutai being so cordial. “Lead the way.”

The leader of the guards waved to a nearby carriage. The driver immediately sent the four horses moving forward and the carriage came to a stop in front of the visitors.

It was a short ride through the gate, through the city and to the castle.

Waiting for them at the top of a long set of steps in front of the grand entrance of the castle were five women in kimonos.

“Not exactly the welcoming committee I expected to see,” Zack commented as they got out of the carriage.

When the four of them reached the top of the stairs, one of the women stepped forward and bowed. “I am Myrna. Walk this way, please.” She turned and walked away with the other four women.

Zack leaned toward Cloud. “If I walked like that, I’d be in serious trouble.”

The interior of the castle was decorated in reds and gold, the colors of Wutai. They were escorted by the five women through several corridors. Finally, Zack and Aerith were taken into one room, while Cloud and Tifa were led to another.

It was a bedroom. On the other side were a set of panels.

Cloud turned to Myrna. “Excuse me, but we’re not planning on spending the night here.”

Myrna bowed. “Yes. This way.” She slid one of the panels aside and led the way through the doorway and into a large garden terrace.

Tall potted plants sat along the walls, each of them blossoming with multi-colored flowers. On either side were elaborately carved wooden benches with red cushions. Birds chirped loudly amidst the leaves of the nearby trees, just beyond the terrace balustrade. Sunken into the floor was a gray marble bath, filled nearly to the top with water scented by hibiscus flowers floating on the surface.

Tifa blanched when two young girls, scantily clad in two-piece loincloths, came to join them. They each held silken garments across their arms, which they neatly hung on nearby hangers.

“What’s this?” asked Cloud.

“You must bathe, please,” replied Myrna.

Cloud frowned. “You mean to tell me we can’t see the king unless we bathe?”

“That is correct.”

“In this water.

“That is correct. These ladies will assist you.”

Cloud backed away when one of the woman reached to unbutton his shirt. “Thanks, but I think we can handle our own bathing.”

“As you wish.” Myrna clapped her hands and the two young maidens rushed back through the door. She followed them out and slid the panel closed.

“This is ridiculous. Whoever heard of having to bathe before seeing the king? My father will laugh when he hears of this.”

Tifa laughed. “Let’s make the best of this.”

“I intend to.” Cloud picked up Tifa and spun her around.

She squealed hysterically until he finally put her down. Her arms went around his neck and her lips found his. She couldn’t help herself. Whenever they were alone, all she could think about was his mouth and his hands and how much she wanted to feel them on her.

Godo Kisaragi stared at the tall man pacing in front of him. “Strife is no fool. He’ll know I’ve got something up my sleeves.”

“You have nothing up your sleeves,” replied Sephiroth.

“I sent a message refusing Midgar’s peace treaty. He’s here to convince me to accept it and perhaps I should.”

“You can do whatever you wish once I’ve defeated him.”

“What if he doesn’t accept my proposal to fight in the battle arena?”

“Say whatever you must to get him there or your child will suffer the consequences.”

“How do I know Yuffie is safe? For all I know, she may already be dead.”

“You’ll have to trust me,” Sephiroth replied coolly. He walked to the door and stopped. “If you think you can cross me while Strife is here, you’re mistaken.” He glanced over his shoulder, noting the fuming expression on the face of the king of Wutai. “My mind is linked to thousands of Sahagins, those creatures that attacked your men upon my arrival. I only have to think it and your entire kingdom will be slaughtered in a matter of hours and your darling young daughter will be tortured in the worst way possible.” Sephiroth smiled sinisterly and walked toward the doorway. “And make sure we have a large audience in the arena,” he said over his shoulder as he left the Study.

Kisaragi closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He didn’t see a way out of this situation…unless, of course, Prince Cloud defeated Sephiroth in the battle arena. The prince of Midgar had come with a peace treaty. Kisaragi would gladly accept it if Sephiroth were no longer in the picture. With Sephiroth’s threat, peace for his people seemed like an unattainable luxury.

Anton Corneo hated dealing with pirates for two reasons. One, they always wanted to sample the women before buying them and two, they never had the gil they said they had when they first walked in the door. Pirates were a waste of his time, but he dealt with them anyway because they always referred customers to him…customers that actually had the money to make the purchases.

One such pirate tapped a finger on his chin. “I’m not sure yet. I think I’d like to try her again.”

Corneo rolled his eyes. “Out of the question. You’ve already had enough of a sampling and I have yet to see the gil you plan to spend.” His eyes quickly went to the window when he heard horses approaching. “I think you’ve had enough for one day. Out with you.”

The pirate protested as Corneo herded him through the door.

Two men dismounted and cautiously approached Corneo.

“Well, have you found them?” asked Corneo.

The two men looked at each other before one of them decided to take the punishment this time around. The other had taken it the last time. “No, sir. We haven’t.”

Corneo clenched his teeth and swung a fist into his face. “Incompetent idiot!” He waited for the man to get up gain. “How can you not find two slaves in an island as small as this?”

“They might have left on a ship,” argued the second man.

“No! They didn’t leave on a ship! Do you want to know why I know that? Because there haven’t been any ships in Mideel for over a week!”

The two men looked down.

“Since you two idiots can’t find your own noses on your face, I suppose I’ll have to hold your hands. I’m expecting a ship to arrive this afternoon with more merchandise. I want you at the pier. If those slaves get on that ship and escape, both of you will pay with your lives. Understood?!”

The two men nodded and scrambled to get back on their horses. They were gone before Corneo could utter another word.

Cloud walked into the king’s audience chamber. Behind Cloud was Zack with Tifa and Aerith on either side of him. Cloud’s eyes scanned the large room as he walked forward. He noted everything…the number of guards, the concubines seated on a bench behind Kisaragi’s throne, the statues of figures relevant to Wutai’s past.

His eyes finally fell on the king.

Kisaragi’s black hair was long and untied. Streaks of gray hair grew at his temples. Besides thick eyebrows, he had a mustache and a pointed beard. The scowl on his face led Cloud to believe he wasn’t as welcome as everyone was making it seem.

When he reached the steps in front of Kisaragi’s throne, Cloud bowed his head. “I thank you for your welcome, King Godo. It seems I was expected despite your refusal of our peace treaty.”

Godo raised his chin defiantly. “I anticipated you would come, regardless of my decision.” He stood up and placed his hands behind his back. “What is your father’s proposal?”

“He is prepared to turn over Cactus Island to you.”

The king of Wutai smiled. “The one thing we’ve fought for during the last two years? He gives it up so easily?”

“Not so easily. My brother and I had a difficult time convincing him to give it up. We also convinced him that peace with Wutai would be of a far greater benefit than war.”

“How so?”

“We can trade our resources. Midgardia is abundant in wheat and corn, which I know cannot grow in the sandlands surrounding your kingdom. Wutai has granite which isn’t available in any mountains we’ve excavated. Our countries can both benefit.”

Godo paced in front of the young prince. This was the first time he had ever come face to face with the one who had sunk the ships of Wutai faster than they could be built. “I’d like to see the proposed treaty.”

Cloud glanced over his shoulder. Zack handed him a scroll. “I have it here.” When Godo sat back down, Cloud went up two more steps and held the scroll out to the king.

Kisaragi took the scroll and reviewed it for the next few minutes.

Aerith couldn’t sense anything coming from the king. Not anger, fear, relief…nothing. She felt absolutely nothing. Could it be possible she couldn’t sense this man’s emotions at all or did he have a way to hide them? When Zack looked to her for some indication, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

Cloud was beginning to lose his patience. He wanted to get this over with so they could start heading home. There was so much he wanted to do. He wanted to find out from his mother if his engagement proposal to Tifa was still valid after all the years that had passed…he wanted to figure out how Tifa ended up with Corneo, the slave trader…he wanted to return to Nibelheim and stake his claim on the liquid Mako he discovered in Mt Nibel…he wanted to prove Vincent’s innocence…he wanted to do all of those things as soon as possible. “Well?” he asked.

King Godo looked up. “I have made my decision. I will accept and sign the peace treaty.”

Cloud smiled and nodded.

“On one condition…”

Cloud’s smile slipped a little, but at this point he’d agree to anything as long as he could leave before the sun went down. “What’s that?”

“I promised my people they’d see a special battle in the arena today. I want you to go up against my best warrior.” Godo motioned toward a guard standing beside the throne.

Cloud’s eyes shifted to the warrior in question. The man was shorter than Cloud and perhaps older by a decade. It wasn’t a very fair fight. This was the king’s best warrior? The man would lose. He turned to his companions.

Zack looked excited, a huge grin on his face. Aerith looked flustered, her lower lip clenched between her teeth. Tifa looked amorous, like she wanted nothing more than to get him back in the tub.

He turned to Kisaragi. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

Kisaragi motioned to several servants.

Cloud stepped down and went up to Tifa. “We’re out of here as soon as it’s over.”

Tifa nodded and felt no trepidation as she leaned in and kissed him. She wasn’t concerned. She knew Cloud’s ability to fight. “I’ll see you when you’re done.”

He kissed her one last time and caressed her cheek before nodding to Zack and then walking away with the servants.

Reeve and Elmyra passed through the main gate of Castle Shinra. They dismounted and gave their horses to the stable boys.

“I must say, Reeve,” Elmyra said, “I never really enjoyed riding on the back of a horse until I met you.”

“It has its advantages,” replied Reeve. “Let’s stretch our legs a bit before we dine.”

They walked into the gardens and stopped in front of the fountain to exchange a kiss. But they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

It was the king. He was seated on a bench reading a book.

Reeve gave Shinra a sheepish grin. “Forgive us, Your Majesty. We didn’t realize you were here.”

“I hope you enjoyed your excursion to Kalm,” said Shinra. He was being sarcastic. The excursion had turned out to be over a week long.

“It was quite enjoyable,” Elmyra decided to reply.

“I suppose you ran into Ifalna while you were there.”

Elmyra raised her eyebrows. “Ifalna was in Kalm?”

“Visiting friends.”

This brought a frown to the face of the queen’s sister. “I sincerely doubt it, Tomas. I visited them myself and the only thing they had to say about Ifalna was that she hadn’t visited in over two years.”

Shinra jumped to his feet. “What the devil are you talking about? She’s been gone for nearly as long as you were.”

Elmyra shook her head. “I’m telling you, Tomas. I didn’t see her. Kalm is a small town. Word would have gone around.” She followed Shinra out of the garden, Reeve following behind both of them. “I would have seen her had she been there.”

“Rude!” yelled the king. He found the First Captain at the front of the castle. “Get on a horse and ride to Kalm.”

“Your Majesty?” questioned Rude. “What am I looking for?”

“You’re looking for the queen.”

“The queen is missing?”

“Yes, yes! I want you to go there this instant.”

Rude scrambled toward the stables.

Elmyra worriedly looked at the king. “Tomas, what if something’s happened to her?”

As they continued talking, one of the guards stationed at the main gate walked up to Reeve. “Sir, there’s a message here for you.”

Reeve took the envelope and ripped it open. He quickly scanned over the note inside and looked up as he crushed it in his palm. Without uttering a word to the king or Elmyra, he passed through the main gate and approached a mounted guard. “I need your horse.”

The guard dismounted and watched the king’s advisor mount up. Then he disappeared into the night.

Zack, Aerith and Tifa entered the spectator section of the arena and looked around for seats close to the front. No one wanted to move over and make room, until Zack intimidated several Wutaians with his height and they quickly gave up their seats. “Over here,” Zack waved to the girls and waited for them to sit down before he did.

In the center of the arena, a small man with a sword was battling a large serpent. The spectators were cheering, but they seemed to want the beast to kill him.

“Why are they cheering for the giant snake?” Tifa asked as she leaned toward Aerith.

“I’m not sure, but they’re definitely calling for blood.” Aerith turned toward Zack, sitting on the other side of her. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“The man down there is a criminal.”

Tifa frowned. “Does this mean the people here are going to want Cloud to die when it’s his turn to fight?”

“Well, they’re in for a surprise,” Zack snipped disdainfully. “Cloud can fight Wutaian warriors with his eyes closed.”

They watched for several minutes and just when it looked like the man was about to claim victory, the large serpent revived and coiled around his neck. Seconds later the man was dead. The audience jumped up on their feet and cheered wildly…everyone except, Zack, Aerith and Tifa, who remained seated.

“This is barbaric,” Aerith said in disgust, clearly sensing the collective emotions of everyone around her.

Zack turned to the pulpit where King Kisaragi sat. Even from the distance between them, he could see the king’s expression. In the audience chamber, Kisaragi had been stoic, without emotion. But now…he truly looked bothered. “Something’s not right.”

Both Aerith and Tifa turned toward him.

“Kisaragi has a daughter. She never misses a fighting event. I don’t see her anywhere.”

“How do you know she never misses an event?” asked Aerith.

“Cloud and I came here once, under disguise. The king didn’t know we were from Midgar. It was more of a fact-finding mission. We talked to a bunch of locals and got all of the dirt.”

Tifa was curious. “What kind of dirt?”

“Kisaragi’s wife, the queen, was killed by barbarians while she was returning from an expedition in the mountains two years ago. When Princess Yuffie heard this, she snuck out in the middle of the night and hunted those men down, killing them one by one. She was only fourteen at the time. When Cloud and I were here, we came to watch the fighting event. The princess was in the pulpit with her father and she was louder than anyone in the audience.”

Aerith glanced in the direction of the king. She concentrated on him, expanding her senses until she could feel what he was feeling. “You’re right, Zack. There’s something wrong. I couldn’t sense anything from him before. But now…he’s frightened and upset.”

“Is it because Cloud is here?” asked Tifa.

Aerith shook her head. “No...it’s something else. I’m not sure what it is, but I think something bad is about to happen.”

The three of them instinctively looked around, trying to determine where the trouble might come from. Then they turned toward the arena as two wooden doors opened. Cloud stepped through the threshold.

The audience was somewhat divided. Half of them cheered while the other half booed.

Tifa wanted to stand up and punch the man behind her. He heckled loudly, referring to Cloud’s small stature.

Cloud stopped in the center of the arena and turned his head, his eyes panning over the spectators. He wasn’t surprised that at least half of the mob yelled obscenities at him. He wondered if they knew who he was and where he came from. His eyes stopped when he spotted Tifa, Zack and Aerith, sitting in the front row of the sunken arena.

A movement above him drew his attention. A platform was being lowered into the arena, probably carrying his opponent. Cloud drew his swords from his belt, holding one in each hand. He had been given a choice of swords from a wide variety shown to him by the servants who had escorted him. He had chosen a cutlass and a longsword, two weapons he often used in battle. Back home Cloud had an extensive collection of weapons, but the cutlass and longsword were his favorite weapons.

Cloud took a moment to mentally prepare himself for a quick battle. He closed his eyes, thinking about home. A small smile crept up on his lips. This was the first time he had ever wanted to go home so badly. Usually the very thought of going home was something he dreaded whenever he was at sea.

The wooden platform touched the sandy ground of the arena and a tall figure stepped out.

“Cloud, look out!”

Cloud recognized Zack’s voice among the spectators. He opened his eyes and thought he had just walked into a nightmare.

Sephiroth was coming at him with his Masamune.

 

Chapter 43​

Kadaj hopped out of the wagon the second it came to a stop in front of the slave merchant’s establishment. He motioned for his brothers to remain where they were as he walked to the door and pounded on it.

Ifalna scanned the surrounding area, not that she’d recognize anything to hint at where they were. All she knew was that they were on an island, but had no idea which one.

“Do you recognize anything here?” Elena asked in a whisper.

“No, nothing,” replied the queen.

The door was answered by a child in drab clothing. But she was immediately yanked out of the way as Corneo stepped out. “Kadaj, my friend! Welcome back!”

“I’ve brought a surprise for you, Mr Corneo,” Kadaj replied.

Corneo’s eyes went to the two women sitting in the back of the wagon, their wrists securely tied together. One of them was much older than the other. His smile faded as he turned back to Kadaj. “Is this some kind of joke? I can definitely sell the younger one, but the old bag…?”

“The older one is not to be harmed in any way unless instructed.”

“So what am I supposed to do with her?”

“Keep her imprisoned for Soren Sephiroth.”

“Sephiroth? You mean…he’s coming here to Mideel?”

“Soon enough. He’s currently dealing with a situation in Wutai.”

Ifalna heard snippets of their discussion and now knew they were on the island of Mideel. “Why have we been brought here?” she asked loudly.

Corneo and Kadaj both turned to her.

“Do you know who I am?”

Corneo approached the wagon. “I don’t care if you’re the queen of Gongaga.”

“Not Gongaga. Try Midgar.”

The slave merchant looked her up and down, seeing the look of disdain on her face. “Queen Ifalna Shinra of Midgar.” He turned to Kadaj once again. “What does Sephiroth want with her?”

Kadaj shrugged. “I don’t know. My orders were to bring the woman here.”

“And the girl?”

“He didn’t say. Just keep them together. If I receive further instructions, I’ll send you a message.”

Corneo sighed.

Kadaj motioned to Loz and Yazoo. “Get them out of the wagon.”

The brothers hurried to get the women out of the wagon. As soon as that task was accomplished, they climbed back on and waited for Kadaj.

“I hope you have some real merchandise for me next time you return,” Corneo said bitterly. He watched Kadaj join his brothers on the wagon and then it turned and headed down the road.

Two of Corneo’s henchmen approached and began leading the women toward the back of the house.

“You’re that slave merchant I’ve heard about,” Ifalna said.

Corneo turned to look over his shoulder in displeasure. He had expected Kadaj to bring him new girls. He was running out of merchandise and couldn’t keep up with the demand. “What of it?”

Not interested in her own welfare, Ifalna wanted answers about her son’s new consort. “You had a girl here not long ago.”

“I have lots of girls here.”

“You sold her to my son.”

Corneo spun around, forcing the men to stop as well. “I told him she wouldn’t be of any use to him. But he wouldn’t listen. So what did the little wretch do?”

“Tifa hasn’t done anything. In fact, Cloud is quite taken with her.”

He leaned closer to the queen in an attempt to intimidate her. “Then why’d you bring her up?”

“I was just curious to know where she came from.”

Corneo turned back around and continued walking. “You should be more curious about what’s going to happen to you.”

Elena snorted in disgust. Why was the queen so obsessed with Tifa? Why was everyone so obsessed with Tifa?

“I’m certain my fate has already been decided…so…why not tell me what I want to know?”

Corneo stopped again and glared at the queen. If Sephiroth was involved in the queen’s current situation, there was no chance the woman would leave Mideel alive. “Fine, I’ll give you something to mull over while you await you impending doom.” He placed his hands on his bulging waist. “She came from Nibelheim. Alright? Satisfied?”

“She’s the princess, isn’t she?” When Corneo just stared at her without saying a word, she smiled. “I knew it.”

He pointed a finger at her nose. “The princess is dead. Get that through your head.” He turned and walked on.

Elena fought with the henchman dragging her forward. “Am I missing something here? Tifa’s the princess of Nibelheim?”

Ifalna visually inspected the interior of the barn they were brought into. “Apparently Tifa was kidnapped as a child and brought to this slave merchant. Cloud will be extremely pleased when I tell him.”

Corneo pushed several bales of hay aside and pulled open a trap door. “Don’t count on it, Your Majesty. You won’t ever see your son again.” He motioned to his henchmen.

Ifalna and Elena were carelessly tossed through the hole and the trapdoor was slammed.

Corneo recently installed a door lock. He turned the key to lock it and placed the key in his pocket. There would be no escape for the queen of Midgar.

Cloud quickly dodged to the right, somersaulting away from the swinging blade of Sephiroth’s weapon. He jumped to his feet and held up both swords as Sephiroth spun around and clashed blades with him.

While their faces were close, Cloud took a few seconds to study Sephiroth’s. He remembered the last time they had fought, when he thought he had killed him. The imprint of his hand was burned onto the right side of Sephiroth’s face. His eye was permanently shut, cauterized by the intense heat Cloud had called forth from the Fire materia. The once pristine face of the man Cloud had known so well was hideous. He now looked like the monster that went along with the demented mind.

Sephiroth was the first to break away. He sneered at the son of Shinra, only half of his face obeying him. “Surprised to see me?”

“I thought I killed you the last time we fought,” Cloud spat out in anger. “I must be slacking off.” He lunged forward, swinging his swords, clashing loudly with Sephiroth’s masamune.

“Don’t patronize me, runt,” Sephiroth countered as he slammed his knee into Cloud’s stomach with enough force to knock the wind out of him. “I’m not ready to die just yet.” When he broke away and swung around with his sword, the prince had rolled out of the way.

Cloud was back on his feet in an instant, swords raised and ready. He followed Sephiroth with his eyes as the man paced back and forth several feet away. “Tell me why you’re doing this. Why did you kill all the people in Icicle Village? Why did you attack Modeoheim?”

Sephiroth grinned. It looked menacing when only the left side of his mouth opened while the other half remained unresponsive. “Because my mother told me to do it.”

“Your mother? That’s a good one.”

“Whatever mother wants, mother gets.”

Cloud was only faintly aware of the crowd angrily crying out for blood. “She’s dead. I heard you tell my father ten years ago.” He began circling when Sephiroth moved.

“I lied.”

“So if she’s alive, then where is she?” He wanted to keep Sephiroth talking, hoping he could discover more of what the madman planned.

Sephiroth chuckled loudly. “Do you honestly think I’m stupid enough to tell you?”

“You must be confident I’ll survive this challenge to look for her then.”

“I’m also not stupid enough to believe you’d be here alone. So where are your companions?”

Cloud kept his mouth shut, not willing to give Sephiroth any kind of leverage.

“Put him in the grave this time, Cloud!” yelled Zack.

Sephiroth noticed the slightest glimmer of emotion on Cloud’s face when those words were shouted and his good eye moved in the direction of the shouts. He recognized the one named Zack Fair, friend of Cloud’s. And seated on either side of him were two women. He remembered seeing the dark-haired beauty onboard The Avalanche not too long ago. So who was she to Cloud? Obviously someone who loved him, judging by the concerned expression on her face. And perhaps someone he loved. “I see someone interesting.”

Cloud didn’t have to look to see who Sephiroth referred to.

“She’s quite lovely, Cloud. Perhaps I’ll take her to meet mother.”

Over my dead body, Cloud thought to himself. With teeth clenched tightly, Cloud carelessly lunged at Sephiroth, nearly slicing off his head. But the man ducked and countered with a slash of his sword, catching Cloud across the chest. Cloud dropped one of his swords and pressed a hand over the wound. He could feel his blood beginning to soak the front of his shirt.

Tifa chewed on her nails, her heart pounding as loud as the feet stomping all around her, calling for blood, for gore, for death. She wanted it to stop. She wanted Sephiroth to disappear. She wanted…happiness…and if Cloud got himself killed, she wouldn’t find it with any other. Never.

“What a troublesome thing to be distracted by a woman, don’t you think?” asked Sephiroth as he clashed swords with Cloud once again.

Cloud wouldn’t let up. He swung his sword, each time meeting Sephiroth’s, as if he predicted his every move. He looked for a weakness, an opening…maybe a blind spot on his right side. Then he found it as he ran his sword through Sephiroth’s right shoulder.

Unfortunately, Cloud also left an opening and Sephiroth’s sword slashed across Cloud’s stomach.

More blood sprayed outward. Cloud dropped down on all fours, his sword flying out of his hand as he slumped over on his back in blinding pain.

Tifa screamed and nearly fell over the wall if Aerith hadn’t grabbed her at the last second.

Kisaragi was on his feet. He wasn’t sure whether or not to be thrilled to see Strife fall. He had dreamed of it for the last two years. But with Sephiroth threatening Yuffie and the rest of Wutai…he would rather have seen Sephiroth fall instead.

“And thus I win,” Sephiroth said with confidence. He casually walked around Cloud. “But perhaps you’d like to beg like a dog, hm?”

Without thinking, Zack flew over the wall of the arena, drawing his sword as he ran toward Sephiroth.

Sephiroth stopped in front of Cloud and raised his sword, ready to finish him off once and for all. He didn’t see Zack approach until he was tackled to the ground just before he could deliver the killing blow.

The two men rolled for several feet before coming to a stop.

Zack punched Sephiroth in the face. “When’re you going to die?!”

Sephiroth managed to pull a dagger out of a scabbard on his hip and stabbed the attacker in the back. When Zack stiffened, Sephiroth pushed him off and as he tried catching his breath, he placed a hand on his forehead, calling for his followers.

Only mere seconds passed before the arena was suddenly in complete chaos. The Sahagin creatures poured out of the windows and doorways and attacked the spectators.

Torn between the sight of her fiancé and cousin lying on the arena ground and the sight of the attacking creatures, Aerith stood unmoving, unable to decide what to do.

Beside her, Tifa stared in shock. How could any of this be happening? This was supposed to be a quick mission, a quick battle and then a peaceful voyage back to Midgar. Now both Cloud and Zack were lying on the ground, bleeding to death. And the lizard creatures were attacking. She grabbed Aerith by the hand and pulled her along with the retreating crowd. They needed to find a way into the arena to help Cloud and Zack.

Cloud couldn’t move his arms. He couldn’t move his legs. He couldn’t move anything except his head, which he turned to the side to see Zack lying on the ground several feet away from him, a dagger sticking out of his upper back. On the other side of Zack was Sephiroth, slowing rising to his feet. Cloud willed his arm to move…but the pain in his chest and stomach was unbearable.

Sephiroth picked up one of Cloud’s discarded swords. He turned his eyes to Kisaragi. “There will be no rulers besides Jenova.” He flung the sword across the arena.

Kisaragi had barely a second to acknowledge the blade rushing toward him before it impaled into his chest. He flew backward into the wall.

From the corner of his eye, Cloud saw a flash of color. Running out of the entrance into the arena were Tifa and Aerith. No, he thought. No, don’t come here.

“Cloud!” Tifa shouted.

The left side of his body finally decided to cooperate. He raised it and tried to turn over, his eyes never leaving Tifa. “Go back!” he growled.

Sephiroth whirled around to see that the same two women who had been sitting with Zack were now entering the arena. He mentally called upon the Sahagins. Four of them leapt directly in front of the women.

Tifa and Aerith slid to a stop. They both turned to go back, but three more creatures stood behind them. The Sahagins converged and one racked his claws across Aerith’s face, sending her to the ground. When one grabbed her arm, Tifa screamed and involuntarily threw her other arm out. All seven lizard creatures were suddenly repelled backward. They slammed into the wall of the arena.

Sephiroth blinked in surprise at what he just witnessed. He called forth more Sahagins and watched as they too were thrown aside like rag dolls. He stared at the dark-haired girl in amazement.

Cloud tried to crawl toward Tifa, to help her, the pain in his chest burning, his blood spilling. “Tifa…”

The name forced Sephiroth out of his thoughts. Tifa… He knew that name. But he wondered. Could she be…? Without a second thought, Sephiroth closed his eyes and summoned additional aid. When he opened his eyes again, two winged Sahagins, mutants created in the bowels of Mt Nibel, flew through a window and grabbed Tifa by the arms.

Cloud watched helplessly as the winged creatures lifted Tifa into the air. He could see her struggling to free herself. He cried out. “No!” She was gone in an instant. Cloud fell back on the ground, breathing heavily. The next thing he knew, Sephiroth was crouching beside him.

“We live to fight another day yet again, Cloud,” Sephiroth chuckled and his eyes panned around the arena where the Sahagins were slaughtering the people of Wutai. “Or perhaps only I will.”

Cloud followed Sephiroth with his eyes as the man casually walked out of the arena. His last conscious thought concerned Tifa. He needed to save her.

 

Chapter 44​

The battle arena in Wutai had been turned into a medical ward. Anyone who survived the Sahagin attacks was put to work on the critically wounded, while others removed the bodies of the dead.

In a matter of minutes, the population of Wutai had nearly been cut in half. The attacks had been brutal and quick.

If Sephiroth’s sword had impaled him an inch higher in the chest, Godo Kisaragi wouldn’t have survived. He was convinced every single man, woman and child would have been annihilated if Sephiroth hadn’t discovered an interest in the woman who had accompanied Strife. Godo impatiently waved off the women fussing over the bandages wrapped around his chest. “Leave me now. Go tend to your families.”

The three women bowed and left him in the podium with the three strangers from Midgar.

The left side of Aerith’s face was covered in a bandage as she tended to the wound on Zack’s back. He, too wouldn’t have survived if the blade of Sephiroth’s knife had stabbed his spine. He inhaled sharply through clenched teeth as Aerith applied healing salve and his eyes shifted toward his bestfriend.

Miraculously Cloud had also survived. The injuries to his chest and stomach inflicted by Sephiroth hadn’t been very deep. A thick application of the healing salve stopped the bleeding. He sat unmoving on the floor of the podium, his chest and torso wrapped in bandages.

Cloud couldn’t focus on anything except Tifa. He didn’t care about his injuries. He didn’t care about the welfare of Kisaragi or the people of Wutai who died in the Sahagin massacre. At least not consciously.

“Why didn’t you tell us Sephiroth was here?” Zack asked Kisaragi, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “We could have prevented this.”

Godo shook his head. “No one could have prevented it.”

Cloud suddenly got up and stalked toward him. It took Aerith to stop him from reaching Kisaragi. “I should have killed you when I first laid eyes on you, that’s how I could have prevented it.”

“I had no choice! He’s got my daughter.”

Some of Cloud’s fury ebbed, but not all of it. “You should have told us!” Shouting only made the injuries on his chest and stomach burn.

“He was watching.”

Cloud turned away and ran a hand over his face in frustration before turning back to him. “So this whole thing about fighting your best warrior, it was all a setup?”

“He wanted it this way.”

A part of Cloud cringed at the thought of Sephiroth’s actions being driven by his need to seek retribution. Despite his earlier thought of not caring about the welfare of the Wutaian people, he hated that they were killed because of him and his family, because Sephiroth would stop at nothing to get his revenge.

“Sephiroth came here,’ Kisaragi continued. “He said you’d be coming.”

“How did he know?” asked Aerith.

Godo shook his head. “I don’t know. I told him I refused your peace treaty, yet he insisted you’d come anyway.”

Cloud turned to Zack. Both of them were now convinced that Tseng had something to do with it. He had conspired with Sephiroth all along, even while Sephiroth was in Icicle Village.

“Tseng tried to prevent us from going to Icicle Village,” said Zack, speaking what was already on Cloud’s mind. “Probably because Sephiroth was destroying the town. He probably went there right before Modeoheim.”

Cloud was ready to explode. “We’re wasting time. Every minute we stay here, he’ll take Tifa further and further away from me.”

“We don’t even know where he’s taking her,” Zack said with an impatient sigh.

Godo swallowed hard as the pain flared in his chest. “I know where…he’s going.”

Cloud moved closer. “Where?”

“He took Yuffie there…my daughter. Mideel.”

Cloud exchanged another glance with Zack and they both spoke at the same time. “Corneo.”

Shortly after leaving the castle, Cloud, Zack and Aerith returned to the coast, uncertain of what they’d find given the devastation of the village on the way.

Even in the darkness surrounding the harbor, Cloud could see that the two smaller Midgar ships had been destroyed, but The Avalanche was untouched.

The moment Cloud stepped a foot aboard, Cid and Barret bombarded him with the happenings since they left earlier in the day. Two ships arrived, both of them the same size as Sephiroth’s ship. They attacked the smaller Midgar ships, sinking them. The Avalanche returned fire sinking one of the enemy ships. The second disappeared around a peninsula and never returned. Cloud received a count of the lost crewmen. Some had survived and came aboard The Avalanche, but fifty-two didn’t make it, including the captains of both ships.

The Avalanche left the Wutai harbor in the middle of the night.

Cloud remained at the wheel, unwilling to give it up just yet as he tried to clear his mind in order to make calculated decisions. He didn’t want to rush into another trap.

“The ships didn’t even fire on us,” Cid mumbled from where he stood near the railing, smoking a cigarette. “They focused on the village and our other ships.”

Zack was leaning on the railing, his arms folded over his chest. “So why was The Avalanche spared?

“He wants me to follow him,” Cloud whispered to himself.

Zack slowly turned to him. “What?”

“Sephiroth wants me to follow him,” Cloud repeated louder.

“This is gettin’ outta hand!” Barret hollered. “We need to kill that sonovabitch and this time we make sure he stays dead.”

But Cloud had already made up his mind. He’d go after Sephiroth himself. He wouldn’t risk any more lives. He just wouldn’t tell anyone his plans. “We go to Mideel and save Tifa first.”

“That bastard can manipulate the wind,” growled Cid. “Making his ship impossibly fast. He’ll be ahead of us by a week.”

“I don’t think he’ll hurt her.”

Cid tossed his cigarette into the sea and turned toward Cloud. “You don’t know that for sure.”

“He wants leverage.”

“No, he just wants to kill you. So why should he care what happens to Tifa?”

“There’s something else. Something controlling things…”

“What’re you talking about?” asked Barret.

“In the arena, when I was fighting Sephiroth, he said something about his mother. Whatever she wants, she gets.”

“So Sephiroth’s mother is behind all of this?” Zack asked incredulously.

Cloud shook his head. “Not his real mother. It’s Jenova.”

“The image of the woman we saw in the cave in Mt Nibel?”

“I don’t know for sure.” All Cloud knew for sure was that if anything happened to Tifa, he’d never survive without her. In the short time they were together, she had brought new meaning to his life. Everything he ever lived for paled in comparison…just worthless, hollow nonsense. His future was clear and bright with Tifa. Without her, it was dull and gray. “I just want Tifa back,” he mumbled. “I don’t care about anything else.”

The guards at the front gates of Castle Shinra stepped in front of the approaching carriage. It slowly came to a stop.

One of the guards walked up to the door and looked inside. He eyed the man and woman he didn’t recognize before turning to the man he did. “Lord Reeve. It’s late in the hour for visitors.”

“I’m well aware. Let us pass. We have urgent news for the king.”

The guard waved to his companion who stepped out of the way as the carriage proceeded through the gates.

“What if he’s asleep?” asked Lucrecia.

Reeve exchanged a knowing glance with Vincent. “The king usually has his late night snack around this time.”

Dressed in a long nightshirt, King Shinra sat alone at the table in the large kitchen. Late evening was the time he enjoyed going to the kitchen the most because the servants were all in bed and he could raid the cupboards for leftovers. He savored every bite of his sandwich of roast beef and tomatoes.

The door suddenly opened and three people entered.

Shinra’s eyes went to the man he never expected to ever see again and he jumped to his feet, carelessly dropping his sandwich. “Guards!” he yelled.

Reeve stepped forward. “Your Highness, you must hear him out.”

“Reeve, get him out of here before I have him killed right where he stands!”

Before anyone else could say a word, the captain of the guards rushed into the kitchen. Rude ignored the others and went up to the king. “The queen hasn’t been seen in Kalm. She wasn’t there.”

Shinra momentarily forgot about Vincent Valentine as he glared at Rude. “If she isn’t there, then where is she?”

“I also learned that Tseng was seen near the outskirts of Midgar several days ago. And he wasn’t alone.”

The king was immediately suspicious. “Who was with him?”

“Our resident wizard.”

It was all coming together. “Hojo was the one that informed you the queen went to Kalm.”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll kill him!” Shinra practically shoved Vincent and Lucrecia out of the way as he left the kitchen.

When Tifa opened her eyes, she found herself in a darkened room, lying on a cold, damp wooden floor. The rocking motion all around her hinted that she was aboard a ship, although the swaying seemed exaggerated, as if the sea was angry. She remembered it being this way during the voyage to Wutai after they left Nibelheim.

She moved. The sound of chains followed and when she rose unsteadily on her feet, she realized her ankles were shackled. Dropping back down, she followed the chains to where they were attached to the wall. Bracing her feet on either side of the brackets on the wall, Tifa grabbed one of the chains and tried to pull it loose. No having any luck, she tried the other one. It was no use. She couldn’t break the chain free.

The sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears. She immediately laid down to pretend she was still asleep, hoping she could render whoever was coming unconscious and somehow escape.

Sephiroth entered the cabin without pause. Following behind him were two Sahagins. He noted the girl was still unconscious. Or was she? “Get her up.”

The Sahagins approached the human girl and bent to pick her up.

At that exact moment, Tifa sat up and used her newfound power. The two lizardmen sailed past Sephiroth and hit the far wall. As she slowly rose to her feet, she glared at Sephiroth, wondering why he hadn’t been forced back like the others.

Sephiroth was thinking the same thing as he watched his followers slowly regain their feet. He casually walked up to the girl. “Seems as though your little magic trick has no effect on me.”

Magic trick? Tifa stared at Sephiroth’s disfigured face. Cloud had told her what he did when he used his Fire materia on Sephiroth. She just didn’t realize the grotesqueness of it until she was seeing it with her own eyes.

Sephiroth visually inspected the cuts on Tifa’s face and arms. They were superficial. “Who was in charge of her?” When one of the Sahagins stepped forward, Sephiroth backhanded him hard enough to send him into the wall again. “I said I didn’t want a single scratch on her.”

Tifa wasn’t at all sorry that her lizardman captor received the blow, but she was surprised that Sephiroth would react to something as minor as the injuries she had received while trying to prevent them from taking her to the unknown ship she found herself on. Why did he suddenly care about her well-being?

He grabbed her chin and inspected the scratches on her face. “Incompetent fool.”

She jerked her face out of his grip. “I’ve had worse,” she growled.

Sephiroth squinted his good eye. “Am I to believe Strife was less than well-mannered with you?”

“I’m not talking about Cloud.”

“Who then?”

“None of your business.”

He shrugged. “No rush. You’ll tell me everything soon enough.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Of course you will, or someone dear to you will suffer the consequences.”

“I have no one dear to me,” she said, not willing to let him know just how many people she had grown to love in the last month or so.

“Not even your mother?”

“I don’t know my mother.”

Sephiroth smiled and noticed her flinch in disgust. “Does my face repulse you? It’s the work of your lover and my enemy.”

“Why’re you doing this? Why can’t you just leave us alone?” She was so furious at the moment, tears of anger filled her eyes.

He grabbed her shackled wrist. “Look at my face!” he yelled. “Does this look like something I should just forgive and forget?”

“You brought it upon yourself!”

“No!”

“Cloud told me what you did in the past! You deserve worse punishment!”

“I deserve death. Is that what you think?”

Tifa pulled her wrist out of his grip. She was shaking in anger, in fear, in defiance. “Yes.”

Sephiroth turned and took several steps away. “I’d like to tell you a story,” he said before turning back to her.

“Forgive me if I show a lack of interest,” Tifa replied disdainfully.

Sephiroth smiled again, his lips curling upward on the unburned side of his face. “You will be interested in this tale, my dear.”

Tifa looked away, trying to control her emotions. She wanted to appear strong and uncaring to this man. She didn’t want him to know just how weak she was.

“Many years ago, before you were born, I was but a humble peasant, living in Nibelheim with my mother and father.”

The mention of Nibelheim peaked Tifa’s interest. She couldn’t help it, but she continued to pretend disinterest.

“Humble and weak and without purpose…and thus I went to Mt Nibel to seek the legend so many others had perished to find. But death was not what I found. Instead, I discovered life…and my true purpose…”

Sephiroth walked slowly through the tunnel, holding his torch up so he could see in the darkness enveloping him. The yellow-eyed creatures let him pass. Their hisses echoed loudly in the passageway as he carefully followed them through traps that others hadn’t been able to negotiate. Bodies lay strewn about, some fresh and some decades old. He knew the creatures had killed those that managed to get passed the traps. But why were they allowing him to continue.

When he followed the creatures beyond a wall that opened, he came to a ledge overlooking a chamber full of light-green tinted water. But it wasn’t the strange water or the enormity of the cavern inside the mountain that fascinated him. Nor was it the natural light the water gave off that reflected upon the glittery walls.

Swimming gracefully in the water was a woman. Her lithe figure was clad in a loincloth. If her pale skin wasn’t as green as the water, Sephiroth would have mistook her for a woman in the village. But this was no mere woman. She swam to the opposite bank and climbed on the ledge where two creatures awaited her with a robe. Once she was dressed, the woman turned around to face him.

Sephiroth was stunned by her beauty. Her long, sleek hair was a glistening green. Even from the distance of the cavern between them, he could clearly see the fiery green color of her eyes.

“You are lucky to be alive,” she said, yet her lips didn’t move. “You are Soren Sephiroth.”

He was startled that she spoke his name. “How do you know my name?”

“I am called Jenova.”

Her lips still didn’t move. Sephiroth glanced around the cavern, wondering if there was someone else there speaking for her. He saw no one but the lizard creatures.

“No one has been allowed to come this far,” the voice continued. “Except you.”

“Why?”

“I feel that you are worthy of my gifts.”

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not human. What are you?”

“You will do my bidding and call me mother.” Her eyes suddenly began glowing unnaturally, like beams of light from the scorching sun.

He spun around to retrace his steps, but the lizard creatures prevented him from retreating. They moved forward and he backed up. His dulled sword was no match for their sharp fangs and claws. As they advanced, he continued to back up. His last step met nothing but air. He lost his footing and fell from the ledge, landing in the water with a huge splash.

The moment Sephiroth surfaced, he scanned the cavern and discovered Jenova was gone. He began to swim to the closest bank. Something touched his legs and dragged him under. He struggled to free himself and turned to see what had grabbed him. It was Jenova, her eyes still glowing like liquid fire. She floated closer and they both surfaced.

Sephiroth was frozen, unable to pull away from her. She closed the gap between them, her green lips lightly touching his. He closed his eyes as she kissed him harder. She tasted like no woman he had ever had. And then there was something else he tasted…a hot, bitter essence. His eyes shot open, but no matter how hard he tried to pull away from Jenova, her grip tightened even more.

Sephiroth wasn’t sure how long he had been in that mountain. Days, weeks, months…He stared in a daze as he walked shirtless down the treacherous pass leading back to Nibelheim, not feeling the blistery cold air. Instinct guided him home.

The moment he walked in the door, his mother dropped a pitcher of water. “Soren…” she whispered in disbelief.

“I learned that my father had gone looking for me.”

Forgetting her desire to be indifferent to his plight, Tifa curiously asked, “What happened to him?”

“He perished trying to climb the mountain. They found his frozen body at the bottom of a chasm several days after he left.”

A small movement rattled the shackles binding her, a reminder of her situation. “Why’re you telling me this?”

“My tale doesn’t end there.” He folded his arms and regarded the girl in front of him. He didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed it before, when he first saw her that day onboard The Avalanche. She was nearly a spitting image of her mother, her facial features slightly softer. He refrained from blurting out the real reason he was telling her his tale. But not yet. She needed to know everything. And then he would confirm what he already knew to be true.

Tifa followed him with her eyes as he paced in front of her.

“I was told that I had been gone for two months. During that time I had grown stronger, less weak, less feeble. With my renewed confidence I needed a challenge. I visited Jenova once again. She told me to gain favor with the king. And thus I became a guard and rose in ranks until I commanded the legion.”

Sephiroth found every excuse to see Queen Elfe. He wasn’t quite sure why he found her so alluring. Something in him controlled his desires. He didn’t want to think Jenova was in control of his actions. Despite his suspicions, he couldn’t stop himself from pursuing what he knew could never belong to him.

Elfe flirted with him. It only fueled his desires.

Then one night the inevitable happened.

“I love you, Soren,” the queen whispered to him in a darkened corner of the Library.

Sephiroth fought against his own emotions. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“You’re the only man whose ever made me cry.”

He frowned at her, his eyes scanning over her angelic face. Tears brimmed her eyes.

“I can’t help what I feel.”

“The king would have me executed if he were to discover us,” Sephiroth said harshly. But he could no more prevent Elfe from kissing him, just as much as he couldn’t prevent what Jenova had done to him.

The affair was shortened by the arrival of the first heir. She was named Tifa.

“Such a beautiful child,” he said as he glared at Tifa.

Tifa began shaking her head, tears filling her eyes once again. She knew what he was going to say and she tried to deny it with all her heart.

“My child…”

“No…”

“You have the gift given to me by Jenova. I passed that gift onto you.”

“No!”

“Now I know the truth. You never had the plague.” He clenched his teeth. “King Sears found out I was with your mother and he had you sent away, probably to be killed.”

“That’s not true! My father wouldn’t do that to me!”

“I’m your father!”

“I don’t believe you,” she said in a low voice. “Why should I believe the king of Nibelheim is not my father? Why should I believe anything you say to me?”

“Because King Sears is incapable of producing a child. He was infertile.”

Tifa stared at the man who tried to kill Cloud, the man who caused the death of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. How could this monster be her father?

 

Chapter 45​

Tifa glared at Sephiroth as she paced as far as her shackles would allow. Nothing he said would make her believe him. It couldn’t be true. It would ruin everything for her and Cloud. “You’re lying,” she said with venom.

“Now why would I lie about such a thing?” Sephiroth replied in his lethally calm voice.

“I don’t know.”

“I have nothing to gain.”

Tifa closed her eyes and clenched her fists, her whole body trembling in anger. “Then why did you tell me at all if you have nothing to gain?”

Sephiroth ignored her question as he rubbed his chin. “Cloud Strife. What exactly is he to you?”

“Why should I tell you anything?”

“If you humor me, perhaps I will spare him.”

“If he isn’t already dead, thanks to your creepy followers.”

Sephiroth tapped a finger on his chin. “Right, right.” He closed his good eye and listened to the distant voices that constantly spoke to him, giving him statuses, following his orders. When he opened his eye again, he looked into Tifa’s. “He’s alive, just as I instructed.”

Tifa shook her head. “I don’t understand why you’re doing this to him.” She wanted to understand so she could hopefully talk him out of it. If he truly was her father, then he’d listen to her, wouldn’t he?

“Not just to him, but to Shinra as well. If I kill Cloud, Tomas Shinra and his meddling wife will suffer an insurmountable grief.”

“This entity you spoke of, she told you to make Cloud and his family suffer?”

“Not quite.” He chuckled. “She’s not very happy with me at the moment. She believes I’ve long enough delayed the destruction she thrives on.”

“She wants you to destroy the royal family of Midgar?”

“No, it’s much bigger than that. She wants me to destroy the world.”

Tifa had never met anyone as demented as Sephiroth. He spoke of terrible things so casually, as if it meant nothing to him. She just wasn’t sure if this Jenova creature actually existed, or if it was all in his head.

“I’ve answered enough of your questions,” Sephiroth said. “Now you’ll answer mine.”

“Remove these chains and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

He laughed outloud.

“Am I a threat to you?” she asked, trying to appear as fearless as she could manage.

“Of course not.”

“Then unchain me.” When he simply stared at her with his intimidating eye, she attempted a smile. “If I’m truly your daughter, don’t I deserve to be treated better?”

Sephiroth considered it for a moment. “You’re right.” He waved the Sahagins to her. “Be careful, my dear. If you cross them again, they won’t hesitate to tear you apart and I won’t be able to stop them.”

Tifa couldn’t stop looking into their sickly yellow eyes, so inhuman. The lizardmen bared their teeth as they removed the shackles. Once they were off, Tifa rubbed her chaffed wrists. At least she was free of her binds and free to think of an escape.

Just to be on the safe side, Sephiroth silently ordered the two Sahagins to leave the cabin. Once they were gone, he turned back to Tifa. “Now, where were we. Ah, yes, I asked you what Cloud Strife is to you.”

“He’s nothing,” she replied too quickly.

He raised his eyebrow. “Who’s lying now?”

“I’ll tell you who I am to him. I’m his consort.” She decided to tell him part of the truth, but not necessarily the part about being in love with Cloud.

“Consort,” Sephiroth said vilely.

“That’s right. Apparently whoever betrayed me didn’t realize I was taken to a slave merchant in Mideel. I became Castle Shinra property when Cloud bought me.” Tifa noticed the angry wrinkles forming between his brows. Perhaps giving him more reasons to hate Cloud wasn’t such a good strategy on her part. “But he did it to save me from the degrading hands of the slave merchant. Cloud treated me better than I have ever been treated by anyone before.”

The wrinkles between Sephiroth’s brows didn’t disappear, but an almost imperceptible look of admiration came to him. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Cloud.” When he noticed the confusion on her face, he smiled from the left side of his mouth. “I didn’t always hate the kid, you know. There was a time I actually liked him.”

“Show me more magic.”

Sephiroth stared at the twelve year old boy sitting on the sofa across from him. Ever since he had shown young Cloud a small bit of magic, the boy wouldn’t leave him alone.

“Just one more,” Cloud said excitedly.

“Alright.” Sephiroth nodded toward the candelabra on the low table between them. With just a small movement of his hand, he sent the heavy table ornament crashing to the floor.

Cloud stared wide-eyed. “Whoa!”

Sephiroth smiled mischievously and waved his hand in an arc. Two shelves instantly spilled their books as if an invisible hand had pushed them off all at once. He watched the boy jump to his feet and rush over to the books piled on the floor.

Just then the queen entered the Library. “What in blazes happened here?”

Cloud turned to Sephiroth, unsure how to explain it. His eyes returned to his mother. “It was…it was…a huge rat! I saw it jump up on the shelves and it knocked all the books down.”

The queen frowned in disbelief and when she received no further explanation, she bent to place a kiss on her son’s cheek. “Go and wash up for dinner.” As she followed Cloud, she briefly glanced at Sephiroth over her shoulder, suspicion in her eyes.

Tifa glared at him. “Cloud told me about you.”

Sephiroth sighed as he walked around the cabin, as if he was inspecting it for leaks. “I’m sure all of it was bad.”

“How could you do the things you’ve done? How could you murder innocent people without any remorse?”

He paused and looked up at the ceiling. “I…must obey.” He nodded and continued pacing.

She noticed he clenched his teeth when he said it. Was he doing these things against his will? Was he truly being controlled? She wanted to learn more about Jenova. “You say you met Jenova in Mt Nibel? I happen to know Cloud was just there and he never mentioned seeing the woman you described.”

“Cloud went to Mt Nibel? Hm...that’s quite interesting.”

“Why is it interesting?”

“I’m the one who told Cloud about the mountain,” he said, his hands motioning to himself. “Of course, at the time he was young and impressionable, so I made him believe it was just a legend. He obviously wanted to prove me right.”

“Or prove you wrong. There was no one in the caves but your lizard friends.”

“There’s a reason Jenova no longer resides in Mt Nibel.”

Tifa sighed. He seemed to have an answer for everything.

“I moved her elsewhere.” He could see the disbelief on her face. “Allow me to explain the natural resource produced by a rare number of volcanoes. It’s known to many as the Lifestream, but some others might call it Mako. It’s all rather interesting, the effects of this substance. Long term exposure might evoke mental abilities and quite often it bestows elemental powers, such as you and I have.”

“But I’ve never been exposed to the substance.”

“You obviously inherited it from me.” He chuckled. “And now I know it can be passed down to future generations.”

“Why did you move her out of Mt Nibel?”

“The substance became too diluted by the water from the melting snow. Mother could no longer receive the energy she needed. And so I transported her to a place where the Lifestream flourishes in its natural state and is pure and unspoiled by other elements.”

“Where?”

He wondered that if she had the opportunity, would she tell Cloud? “Round Island.” It was all part of the plan anyway. He wanted Strife to confront him at Round Island. It was what Jenova wanted.

“Why do you call her Mother?”

“Think of it as a title of reverence. Everyone reveres their mother.”

What was this creature? Had she once been a normal woman and became less human the more she became exposed to the Mako? Would Cloud become more inhuman if he continued to receive the Mako injections? “Were you aware that Cloud was injected with Mako?”

“Administered by Emmett Hojo. Were you aware Hojo is under my direction?”

She wasn’t aware, but neither was she surprised that Hojo was a traitor. “That explains many things.”

“Such as...?”

“Cloud never trusted Hojo.”

“Yet he let the man inject him with an unpredictable substance? Sounds pretty careless to me.”

“Seems we finally agree on something.”

“It just so happens that Hojo intends to kill Cloud with the next injection.”

Tifa tried not to react, but she knew Sephiroth could see the concern on her face.

“No need to worry, my dear. I’ve already informed Hojo to hold off.”

“If you’re trying to make me believe you have Cloud’s welfare in mind…”

“No, nothing like that.”

“What then?”

Sephiroth chuckled. “I’m afraid that bit of information is between Cloud and myself.” He began to walk toward the door.

As much as Tifa couldn’t stand the sight of his half burned face, she didn’t want him to leave until she had more answers. “Wait…”

Sephiroth paused.

“Were you in love with my mother?”

“Perhaps…there was a time.”

“Why did you leave Nibelheim?”

Sephiroth closed his eyes and sighed as he recalled the day he discovered he had a child.

“She’s my child, isn’t she?”

“No…”

“She looks nothing like him.”

“That’s because…”

Sephiroth grabbed Elfe by the arms and shook her. “Tell me the truth, Elfe.”

“Yes, she’s yours!”

He released her roughly. “Did you do this to spite me? Because I no longer want you in my bed?”

“No, Soren. I wanted a child and Sears was incapable of giving me one.”

“So you used me because you wanted to…” He stopped mid-sentence. “What do you mean incapable?”

“Zangan told me Sears is sterile. He’s incapable of producing an heir.”

Sephiroth blinked in surprise. “How long have you known this?”

“I just found out yesterday.”

He began pacing. “All this time…I had a daughter and didn’t know it.” He stopped and glared at Elfe. “Does Sears know?”

Elfe sighed and looked down. “Yes and…he knows Tifa belongs to you.”

“I imagine the nitwit isn’t very happy with me.”

“No. I came to tell you to leave Nibelheim immediately before he decides to have you executed.”

“Leave Nibelheim? And where am I supposed to go?”

“Go to Midgar. I know the queen. I’ll send a message telling her to expect you.”

Sephiroth ran a hand through his hair in frustration before he forced himself to remain calm. “My daughter comes with me.”

Elfe took a step away from him. “I’m sorry, Soren, but Tifa stays here.”

“She belongs to me!”

“She’s the only heir to the throne of Nibelheim. There will be no others. I can’t let you take her.”

Sephiroth frowned and walked up to Elfe, stopping barely an inch from her face. “You may have won this battle, Elfe, but know this. I’m coming back and when I do, you better be prepared to hand over my daughter.”

“Is that a threat?” Elfe asked calmly.

“Call it what you will.” He stared into her eyes another moment before stepping away and walking out of the Study.

Sephiroth turned toward Tifa, to see the reaction on her face.

“You never came back for me,” she said automatically, nearly accepting the fact that he might be her father.

“Months later, after I established myself as captain of the guard at Castle Shinra, you supposedly died of the plague. I never even got a letter from your adoring mother.” He clenched his fist. “I had to learn about it from Ifalna. And to make matters worse, I had to pretend it didn’t affect me.”

Tifa was surprised he never did anything about it. Not that she would have wanted him to inflict any harm on her parents, but it only seemed to prove that he generally had morals except when Jenova commanded him. Perhaps there was still hope. Perhaps she could somehow stop him from continuing his killing spree.

Sephiroth momentarily looked away from Tifa and tilted his head, listening. “It seems we’ve arrived at our destination.”

“Where are we?”

“Our hometown.”

Tifa stared at him with her mouth open. How had they crossed the sea between Wutai and Corel so quickly? Not even a full day had passed. “What’re we doing here?”

“We are going to visit the king and queen. It’s time they discover you’re still alive.”

She remembered Cloud preventing her from immediately going to them and announcing herself. He said they’d think she was an imposter. Would they believe Sephiroth? And what if Sephiroth decided now was the time for his revenge? She rushed up to him and grabbed his arm. “No! You’ll hurt them!”

Sephiroth looked at her. Her ruby eyes glowed with fire. He pulled his arm out of her grip. “You can prevent it by behaving yourself.” He walked out of the cabin, leaving the door open.

Tifa stood unmoving for a moment. Was he going to trust her? But more importantly, could she trust him to keep his word…if she behaved?

Given his size, Vincent, Reeve and Rude were impressed at how quickly the king bolted up the stairs of the east tower. At the top he nearly kicked the door down.

Hojo sat up in his bed, fumbling on the nightstand for his glasses. “What is the meaning of this?”

Shinra grabbed him by the front of his nightshirt. “I’ll tell you the meaning, as soon as you tell me where my wife is!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

As Shinra wrapped his hands around Hojo’s neck, Reeve and Rude rushed forward to drag the king off Hojo. If he killed Hojo now, they’d never find out what happened to the queen.

Vincent took over where the king left off. He pulled Hojo out of his bed and threw him over the closest lab table. Bottles and glasses crashed to the floor as Hojo landed on the other side. Then he grabbed him again and pulled him onto the table.

The others came around the table as Vincent held him down.

“You were the last one to see the queen,” said Rude.

Hojo was bleeding from the mouth and from several cuts on his face caused by the broken glass. “I…I don’t know…She said she was going to…to Kalm.”

Vincent stared into the man’s eyes. “He’s lying.”

Hojo suddenly realized Vincent Valentine was there. “You!”

“Yes, me! Are you surprised?”

“Where’s the queen?” Reeve asked Hojo.

“I said I don’t know!”

Vincent grabbed Hojo again and threw him across another lab table.

Hojo struggled to get up as the four men moved toward him. “I don’t know I tell you.” He held his hands up in defense, backing away toward the open balcony door. “It…it was Tseng. He’s…the master mind behind all of this.” He continued backing away as they continued moving toward him. “And Sephiroth. Both of them. They did it all.”

“Tseng tried to poison the king?” Vincent asked.

“Yes, it was Tseng. Sephiroth told him to do it.” Hojo backed himself against the balustrade of the balcony. “I’ve always been loyal to you, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, such loyalty!” Shinra growled. “If you knew this all along then why didn’t you inform me?”

“I couldn’t. Sephiroth…he threatened me.”

“Where’s the queen?” Reeve asked for the second time.

“Mideel.”

Vincent turned to Reeve. “The slave merchant, Corneo. I’ll take a ship there immediately.”

Hojo realized he’d be locked in a dungeon for the rest of his life. His only hope was for Sephiroth to rescue him. He decided he didn’t want to wait to be rescued. His eyes drifted toward the hawks resting on their perches at the other end of the balcony. If he could reach them, they could cause a distraction so he could escape. “By the time you get there, you’ll be too late.”

The king stepped forward. “What do you mean?”

Hojo moved backward along the balustrade, moving closer to his hawks. “Sephiroth is coming to Midgar.”

“He’s dead. Cloud killed him.”

“No, he’s quite alive. In fact, he was waiting for the prince in Wutai. Perhaps Cloud is already dead.” Before anyone could react, Hojo lunged toward his hawks, frightening the birds off their perches. Expecting them to fly toward the other four men, Hojo was surprised when they came at him, screeching and shrilling. “No! Get away from me!” He frantically waved his arms, trying to ward off their sharp talons.

Reeve started to move forward, but Vincent and Rude stopped him.

They watched as Hojo carelessly struck the balustrade and flew over the side with a scream that was abruptly cut short when he hit the ground far below.

Shinra ran his hand through his hair. “Do you think he was telling the truth about Sephiroth?”

Vincent exchanged a glance with Reeve. “We’ll have to let Cloud handle Sephiroth. We have to sail to Mideel and find the queen.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Rude.

While the others went back inside, Reeve noticed a different hawk resting on the balustrade near the doorway. It had a message tube attached to its limb. He quickly removed the message and read it. It was from Cloud. Icicle Village had been destroyed. Reeve went inside to inform the king.

Ifalna woke to the sound of the trapdoor opening. She sat up and glanced around. Elena was lying several feet away and she also sat up.

A young girl was lowered into the dungeon. In her hands were two plates containing food. She shyly placed them on the floor and backed away.

“What’s your name?” asked Ifalna.

“Marlene.” She stared at the woman with the friendly smile.

Ifalna studied the girl. She couldn’t be more than eight or nine years old. “Have you been here long?”

Marlene shook her head.

“Did someone take you from your home?”

Elena grabbed one of the plates and began eating. She wasn’t interested in anything the little girl had to say.

“I have no home.”

“Where’s your mother?”

“She died.”

“And your father?”

“He died, too.”

“Were you living in the streets then?”

Marlene nodded. “I was fine until they brought me here! Master Anton hit me when I couldn’t cook breakfast.”

“Hey!” yelled someone from above. “Get out of there now!”

Marlene rushed toward the trapdoor and a beefy armed guard pulled her out and slammed the door.

 

Chapter 46​

Cloud entered the ship’s hold and walked to the center where the makeshift stalls were set up. There were six of them. One of them was empty. Cloud didn’t want to think about how he had to shoot Reno’s mare due to the injuries she received in the Bandersnatch attack on the road out of Nibelheim.

He approached Fenrir’s stall and stepped inside. The bandage around his stallion’s left leg was dry. Cloud crouched and after patiently removing the bandage, he applied healing salve to the teeth marks made by the Bandersnatch. Fenrir remained perfectly still as Cloud worked on his leg.

When the task was complete, Cloud stood up and ran his hand along the stallion’s back and rump. He didn’t have to worry about the horses too much. Barret made sure they were walked around on deck during the day, just to keep them exercised throughout the voyage.

Cloud spent a few minutes caressing Fenrir’s face before the younger mare in the next stall nickered softly and stretched her muzzle toward him, wanting attention. He stepped closer to Shiva. As he caressed her face, his thoughts wandered to Tifa. Not that he had been thinking of anything or anyone else since they left Wutai.

He replayed the events in Wutai and each time he got to the part where Tifa was taken by the winged lizardmen, he cringed. Tifa had trusted him to keep her safe. He had been so intent on killing Sephiroth that he lost his focus. It resulted in the worst thing that could possibly happen to Tifa. She was taken from him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Cloud.”

Cloud didn’t turn toward the voice coming from his left. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Shiva’s. “It is my fault, Aerith. All of it is my fault.”

Aerith came up beside him. “None of us had any idea Sephiroth was still alive and that he’d be waiting for you in Wutai.”

“I promised Tifa I’d protect her. Some protector I am.”

“Let’s focus on what we can do to make this right.”

“I’m going to have to kill him. There’s nothing more to talk about.”

Aerith touched her cousin’s arm. “I know, Cloud.”

Cloud turned his face toward her. Seeing the scratches caused by the lizardmen on Aerith’s normally pristine face was painful to look at. There was something in her green eyes that troubled him. “What else did you come down here to talk to me about?”

“It’s about Sephiroth.” Aerith took a deep breath. “Right after those creatures took Tifa, I sensed something in him.”

“What?”

“Now, I could be wrong, but…”

Cloud turned around to face her when she didn’t continue. “What is it?”

“I sensed he has a personal interest in Tifa.”

“Personal interest? Like what?”

“I’m not sure, Cloud. I couldn’t quite define it.”

“What’re you saying, that he wants to…to…violate her or something?” Feeling sick to his stomach, Cloud didn’t want to think about what Sephiroth could be doing to Tifa. He wanted to believe Sephiroth wouldn’t hurt her, that he’d need Tifa to be alive so he had something to use against him. Unable to think straight, Cloud turned back to Aerith. “I trusted your abilities! If you had sensed him before he even appeared, I could have been better prepared and prevented what happened!”

Shocked at his sudden outburst, Aerith took a step back and stared at him. Tears quickly filled her eyes. “There were too many others around. I…I…should have…”

Immediately regretting his words, Cloud frowned and pulled his cousin into his arms, embracing her as tightly as his injuries would allow. “I’m sorry, Aerith. I didn’t mean what I said.”

“You’re right, Cloud. I should have sensed his presence when we first arrived in Wutai.”

“No. I’m not going to blame this on you.” Cloud released her and placed his hands on her face, gently brushing his thumb over the scratches on her cheek. “If he’s taking Tifa to Mideel, then that’s where we’ll have to deal with him.”

Aerith nodded. “I’ll be vigilant this time, Cloud. I promise you won’t ever have to doubt my abilities again.”

Cloud kissed her forehead. “It’s not your abilities I’d doubt. It’s my own.”

King Sears sat in his throne, listening intently to the builder describing his plans to renovate the south wing of the castle so that it wouldn’t be as cold in the rooms during the winter months.

“The windows will have two panels of glass and are affixed to the frame with a new compound made from crushed granite.”

Beside the king, Queen Elfe sat stiff-backed. Her once fair features were marred with harsh worry lines. She had no interest in renovations to the castle. Why should it matter? When she and the king perished, the castle would only fall into the hands of some other ruler who would undoubtedly alter its appearance anyway. Elfe hadn’t been interested in anything in a very long time.

A commotion could be heard in the hallway. It drew the attention of those in the throne room.

The doors swung open with incredible force. Standing on the other side was Sephiroth, his hands raised.

Sears immediately jumped to his feet when he recognized the man stepping into the throne room.. “Guards!” he yelled.

Six guards rushed forward, swords and spears ready to deal with the intruder.

Sephiroth merely flexed his fingers and the guards flew backwards, crashing into the walls.

Elfe remained seated, her eyes widening as she stared at Sephiroth approaching them. It was the same Sephiroth she remembered, except a handprint had been burned on half of his face, his eye cauterized shut. He was utterly hideous.

The builder stumbled out of the way when the tall stranger looked toward him.

Sephiroth stopped in front of the three steps leading up to where the king and queen were. “Now what kind of a greeting was that?”

“What is the meaning of this, Sephiroth?” yelled Sears.

Elfe tore her eyes away from Sephiroth when she noticed someone else standing at the threshold. It was a girl with long dark hair. There was something oddly familiar about her…but Elfe couldn’t quite place it.

“I have a bone to pick with you,” Sephiroth told Sears.

“I want you out of here and out of Nibelheim!”

“Or what?”

“You won’t be leaving this room alive.”

Sephiroth turned to look over each of his shoulders. The guards he had flung away were either dead or still unconscious. “And just how are you planning to accomplish that?”

“I’ll kill you myself!” Sears drew the heavy broadsword at his hip, but before he could advance, an invisible force pulled him upward. He looked down. He was hanging twelve feet in the air.

Sephiroth chuckled as he held Sears above the floor. “You were saying?”

Tifa slowly moved forward, eyes fixed on the woman seated in one of the throne chairs. This was her mother. It was plainly obvious. Their features were similar, their hair, their build. Tifa even had the woman’s fiery ruby eyes.

Elfe slowly rose to her feet and took several steps forward. “It can’t be…” she whispered.

Hearing her words, Sephiroth glanced behind him and saw Tifa approaching.

When she was only a few feet away, Tifa stopped. “Mama?”

“Tifa…?” Tears welled up in Elfe’s eyes. She rushed forward, only to be pushed back by an invisible force that sent her back into her chair.

“Don’t touch her!” growled Sephiroth. Both of his hands were busy now. His right held Sears in the air and his left kept Elfe from getting up from her seat.

Tifa wasn’t surprised at Sephiroth’s anger. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Release them, please.”

Sephiroth couldn’t resist the smile she gave him. His daughter…His flesh and blood… He lowered his hands.

While Elfe no longer felt the pressure holding her in her seat, Sears suddenly found himself falling to the floor. He regained his composure as he pulled himself into his seat.

Tifa slowly went up two of the three steps and faced the king and queen. She was vaguely aware of Sephiroth moving directly behind her, as if she needed to be protected from them. “I am Tifa Lockhart, Princess of Nibelheim.”

Sears scowled angrily. “That’s a lie!”

“I was taken from my home to become a slave.”

“You’re a heretic!” Sears continued.

“Silence!” shouted Sephiroth.

“I didn’t die from the stigma,” Tifa went on, her voice even and controlled. She promised herself she wouldn’t blubber like an infant in front of her mother. She wanted to appear strong.

Elfe glanced at her husband. “How could you do such a thing?”

“You did it to me first!” Sears countered. “You had an affair with this…this lunatic! I should have had you executed for treason, for your disloyalty to me!”

Elfe stood up and glared at Sears. “Must I remind you that I am the rightful heir to this throne and that you are king because of your marriage to me. And perhaps it’s time I mentioned that I am well aware of your own infidelities.”

“I’ve never been with another woman.”

“No, you’ve never been with any woman, including me…but you’ve been with men and somehow I find that even worse.”

Tifa was appalled by this.

Sephiroth was also surprised to hear it, but it all started to make sense now. “You’ve known about this all along?”

Elfe turned to him. “Yes.”

“Your marriage to him was never consummated?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You lied to me. You told me he was infertile.”

“I had no choice. I needed a child.”

Sephiroth glared at Sears. “Who did you give my child to when you sent her away?”

“This is treason!” yelled Sears as he jumped to his feet. “You’ll all be executed for treason!”

Sephiroth lunged at Sears and grabbed him by the collar. “Give me the name.”

“Tseng. Jian Tseng.”

“Tseng…”

“His orders were to dispose of her. She shouldn’t have been brought to that slave merchant. She should have been killed!”

Sephiroth backhanded Sears. “Shut up!” He took a step away from him. “I need to think for a minute.” If Tseng brought Tifa to Mideel, then that meant Tseng had known all along she was still alive…and never told him. “Tseng…” He said the name again, a bitter anger brewing within him. He would deal with Tseng soon. Very soon. For now he needed to deal with the man who orchestrated the whole thing. “You sent my daughter away to be killed?” Sephiroth turned to Elfe. “This is the man you honor?”

“How are you any better than him when I’ve heard you kill women and children without any remorse?” Elfe spat back before turning her attention to Tifa. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, Tifa. For now and for the past.”

Tifa stared at her mother. “You had nothing to do with what happened to me.”

“I should have told Sears I wanted to see you with my own eyes…to confirm you suffered from the plague.”

“He obviously didn’t care. Because he isn’t my father.”

“His fate is in your hands, Tifa,” said Sephiroth.

Tifa turned to Sephiroth and frowned. “In my hands?”

“That’s right. He sent you away to be killed.”

“What about Tseng?” she asked.

“I’ll deal with him in my own way.”

Tifa glanced toward Sears. He was no longer sitting in the throne chair. He was lying on the floor, his face bloodied by Sephiroth’s blow. “Don’t kill him.”

Sephiroth was very disappointed in her decision.

“Let my mother decide what to do with him.”

“He’ll be stripped of his title and will no longer be associated to me in any way.” She started to move toward Tifa. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re home now.”

Sephiroth stepped between them. “You think I came here to turn her over to you?”

Elfe looked up at his disfigured face. “I don’t understand.”

“You never loved me. You used me for your own selfish reason.”

“That’s not true.”

“You’ve done nothing but lie to me. Even when you thought our daughter died of the plague, you never even contacted me…to tell me.”

“I didn’t think you cared.”

“I told you I would return for her. But perhaps you never had any intention of allowing me to see my daughter again.” He scowled angrily at her. “And now I will never allow you to see her again.”

Before Tifa could protest, Sephiroth whirled around and grabbed her around the waist. “No! Let me go!”

As an afterthought, Sephiroth swung his arm back and Sears suddenly found himself sailing out the window and over the balcony. When Elfe tried to rush forward to help Tifa, he sent her back into her chair.

Tifa continued to struggle in his arms. Once they were out of the castle, Sephiroth tossed her into the back of the wagon they had come in.

“Be happy I left her alive!” yelled Sephiroth as he climbed into the wagon and snapped the reins, sending the horses galloping forward.

Tifa turned as they rounded the side of the castle and headed for the gates. A crowd of people had gathered around something lying on the ground. She caught a quick glimpse before they passed the gates. It was King Sears. She crawled toward the front of the wagon. “Why are you punishing me like this?” she yelled at Sephiroth.

“Punishing you? I showed you your mother’s true colors.”

“My father’s true colors are no better,” she countered.

“You’re right, of course.”

“And what about Sears? You said his fate was in my hands, yet you killed him anyway.”

“I didn’t like the fate in store for him. He deserved much worse.” Sephiroth chuckled. “I’m certain the sight of the ground coming at him must have made him scream like a frightened child.”

Tifa moved to the back of the wagon and contemplated jumping off. She’d probably break a limb or two.

“I know what you’re thinking, my dear. I still expect you to be on your best behavior or I will send the Sahagins to deal with your mother the way they know best.”

“How am I supposed to trust you when you’re constantly killing people around me?”

“Who said anything about you earning my trust?”

“Then what do you want from me?!”

“I want your beloved Cloud on his knees before me, begging me to let him see you.”

Tifa frowned. “You’ve got it all wrong. He doesn’t care about me.” She tried her best to sound indifferent. She didn’t want Sephiroth to know how close she and Cloud had become in the short time they had been together.

Sephiroth smiled. “I know what you’re trying to do and it isn’t going to work.”

She sighed and laid down, staring up at the sky. Somehow or another, she had to figure a way out of this mess. If she tried to escape, then Sephiroth would kill her mother. If she stayed with him, then he would kill Cloud. She covered her face with her hands. She didn’t know what to do.

Only three days passed before Sephiroth’s ship docked in Mideel.

Tifa knew the harbor. She had been living in Mideel more than half her life. “What’re we doing here?” she asked Sephiroth, a feeling of dread coming over her.

“I was informed that a surprise awaits me here,” Sephiroth replied as he led the way down the ramp.

“What kind of surprise?”

“If I knew that then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

“Cloud’s here, isn’t he?”

Sephiroth chuckled. “I doubt his ship could move as fast, even though we took a detour to Nibelheim.”

Tifa was somewhat relieved to think that Cloud presence wasn’t the surprise Sephiroth referred to. But if it wasn’t Cloud, then what could the surprise be?

 

Chapter 47​

Tifa knew the road they were on. She had traveled on it so many times, she could have done it with her eyes closed. “Remind me again why we’re going to see the man who was the source of my bitterness for the last eleven years?”

“The truth comes out at last,” Sephiroth growled. “I was wondering when you were going to get around to telling me where you were for the last eleven years. Tseng had an affiliation with Anton Corneo. I’m curious to know why he disobeyed Sears and had you brought here.”

Tifa snorted. “I’m certain Tseng had every intention of having me killed. The old woman who brought me here disobeyed him.”

“What old woman?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know who she is.”

“The only old woman I remember at Castle Lockhart was your nanny.”

“Greta had nothing to do with my kidnapping. But why do you suppose she was released from Castle Lockhart, along with her husband and the family medic?”

“My guess is that Sears wasn’t going to take any chances and removed anyone associated with you. Probably anyone that could have pried into the fact that you were never sick when you were taken away.” He shook his head. “Your mother was a very determined woman. I don’t understand why she didn’t take action against that weasel the moment she discovered his perversions. She should have stripped him of his title.”

“If you had given me a chance, I could have learned a lot more about my mother than what I learned from you,” she said bitterly.

“The rightful name of that castle in Nibelheim is Hewley. King Angeal Hewley must have rolled over in his grave when it was changed to Lockhart.”

“Was that my mother’s father?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know him?”

“I met him twice. I had just joined the ranks at the castle. Unfortunately King Angeal died shortly after that, and before he could give his daughter and only heir to a respectable man, one fit to take his place as king. Sears was most definitely not liked by the people. All he had going for him were his good looks. He had nothing upstairs,” Sephiroth said as he tapped the side of his head.

“I suppose you killed him for my sake? Because I’m your daughter?”

“Of course, and I’m glad you’ve accepted the fact that I’m your father.”

“I haven’t accepted anything but the fact that you seduced my mother.”

Sephiroth smirked as much as his damaged face would allow. “I’m afraid all of the seducing was done by Elfe.”

Tifa snorted. “If that’s the case then I find it interesting how easily you allowed two women to seduce you.”

“You forget that I was but a humble peasant before any of this began. There were no women falling at my feet, no thoughts of grandeur. I went to that mountain thinking my purpose was to die there. Little did I know I had a greater purpose.”

“Greater? You destroyed villages, killing everyone in your path. I wouldn’t call that greatness.”

Sephiroth stared at the road ahead as a voice invaded his mind.

“Rid yourself of her quickly or I will do it for you.”

“No,” he mumbled in response.

Tifa thought he was replying to her statement. Was he acknowledging his wrongdoing? Was there a shred of hope that he might abandon his quest to please a creature who wanted nothing more than to see the world destroyed? “Will the killing ever stop?” she asked, more to herself than to her father.

“I have scores to settle.”

Tifa didn’t bother to ask him who he referred to. His statement reminded her of Cloud and her thoughts were soon haunted by what he would say or do when he discovered his archenemy was her father? Would their marriage proposal from years ago now be null and void? Would it dull the feelings he had for her? Would he think she was collaborating with her father, thus making her the enemy? Would he simply walk away from her and never look back? None of those sounded very appealing. She loved Cloud unconditionally and would continue to love him no matter what decision he made regarding her future.

Anton Corneo received word of Soren Sephiroth’s arrival. He waited patiently just outside the front door. He wanted to be the first one to greet him, not an incompetent, bumbling child who couldn’t even make him breakfast. “Fetch me some wine.”

The child standing behind him immediately darted inside.

Corneo counted the minutes until she returned with a goblet. He snatched it out of her hands. “Took you long enough. I expect you to fetch me wine in half the time it took you.”

Fat tears formed in Marlene’s eyes.

He raised his hand as if to strike her and was amused by the sight of her cringing away from him. “Sniveling wretch! Get in the house before you scare away my guest!” As she ran off, Corneo heard the sound of an approaching wagon. He smoothed down the front of his jerkin and straightened his shoulders.

The wagon came up the crest of the hill. There were two passengers.

Corneo had never met Sephiroth in person, but the description he had been given matched the man perfectly. He wasn’t sure why he felt so nervous earlier, his palms sweating profusely. Perhaps he had expected some God-like being, the Great Sephiroth. But there was nothing unique or frightening about him…except that his face had a handprint burned on one side of it.

The moment his eyes fell on the other passenger, Corneo’s eyes widened. It was her… Tifa… Somehow or another, she had ended up in Sephiroth’s custody. Was she with him or was Sephiroth bringing her back to him? What happened with Prince Cloud? Did he sell her to Sephiroth?

Sephiroth drew the horses to a stop in front of the path leading to the house. He glanced over his shoulder at Tifa, noticing the expression on her face. Anger, fear, revulsion. All of it was directed at the fat man standing outside the front door. “Shall we?” He hopped off the wagon and held his hand out to help her down. When he turned around, the heavily perspiring slave merchant was standing in front of him.

“Welcome to my establishment, Mr Sephiroth. I’m Anton Corneo.”

Sephiroth glared distastefully at the wet hand held out to him in greeting and rudely ignored it. “I was told you have something of great interest to me.”

Corneo pulled his hand back as his eyes shifted briefly to Tifa before returning to Sephiroth. “Yes, I’ve been expecting you.” He turned toward the house. “Kotch!”

A tall man stepped out. “Yes, sir.”

“Bring the prisoners to the viewing room in the house.”

Kotch headed around to the back.

“Come inside,” Corneo said cordially.

Sephiroth took Tifa by the arm and walked her into the house when she seemed reluctant to move through the front door on her own.

“Marlene!” yelled Corneo. “Bring wine for my guest!”

Tifa nearly jumped out of her skin. How many times had she been a victim of that loud command? She cringed when she saw a young girl step into the room, balancing a tray on her tiny hands. The girl couldn’t have been more than nine years old. A nauseating wave of memories flashed through her mind.

Corneo glanced at Tifa. He rubbed his chin and looked her up and down. She was dressed in a fancy gown and adorned in jewels, looking more like an elite member of society than a prince’s consort. He was overwhelmed with curiosity as to how she ended up with Sephiroth. “Pardon me for asking, but…how did you come to be in possession of this girl?”

Sephiroth took a sip of wine from the goblet the young girl handed him and turned to Corneo. “It’s none of your concern.”

“Yes, I know, however I’m most curious about…”

“It’s none of your concern,” Sephiroth repeated, emphasizing each word individually to get his point across.

Corneo immediately dropped the subject. At that point it didn’t matter any longer because Kotch herded two women, their wrists bound tightly, into the room.

Shocked expressions were exchanged between the two prisoners and the two newcomers.

“What’re you doing with the queen?” Tifa blurted out, her livid eyes turning to Corneo.

Corneo had no intention of answering to a slave. He ignored her and addressed Sephiroth. “Our mutual friend, Kadaj, brought her here. He said Tseng and Hojo knew you’d be pleased.”

Sephiroth slowly approached Ifalna. “I am indeed pleased.”

Ifalna defiantly tilted her nose up. She studied the burn on his face, the one left by her son. “When Cloud hears you’re still alive, nothing will stop him from coming after you once again.” She motioned toward Corneo. “Or him.”

He grinned. “Oh, I’ve already confronted your dearly devoted son.”

Ifalna’s heart nearly jumped into her throat, but she held back her emotion, not willing to give Sephiroth the satisfaction of seeing her break.

“He’s all right,” Tifa blurted out, even though she wasn’t sure Cloud wasn’t badly injured. And she had no idea if Zack or Aerith were alive. The last she had seen of them, Sephiroth’s creatures were attacking Wutai.

Ifalna’s eyes darted to Tifa. A wave of relief washed over her, knowing Sephiroth hadn’t killed Cloud. She turned back to her enemy. “He’ll come after you,” she said again.

Sephiroth nodded. “I anticipate it.”

“What’re you doing with that girl?”

“I took her away from your licentious son. I discovered she’s the princess of Nibelheim. She deserves better than to be someone’s consort.”

Tifa’s heart was pounding erratically in her chest. What more was he going to tell her? Would she believe him?

“I’m well aware of who she is. I suspected it long before you made that discovery.” Ifalna turned to Tifa, wondering why Sephiroth would show such favoritism toward her. “Did he hurt you, Tifa?”

Tifa shook her head. “No.”

“This has got to stop, Soren,” Ifalna continued. “Haven’t you caused enough heartache? The pain will be felt throughout the world for the next millennia.”

“The greatest revenge would be to rape your rotting corpse right where you stand,” he seethed through clenched teeth. “For what you and your pathetic husband did to me. For what your son did to me.”

Ifalna remained calm on the surface, never betraying the fear and loathing she felt inside. “You deserve everything you received,” she said in contempt. “For what you did to the people of Midgar years ago and now for what you did to Modeoheim.”

“Let’s not forget Icicle Village and you can also add Wutai to the list of my accomplishments.”

“Accomplishments. You’re nothing but a murderer. A murderer of helpless children. What honor is there in such diabolical feats?”

“I’m not looking for honor.”

Tifa wasn’t sure what Sephiroth planned to do with Cloud’s mother, but she hoped she could distract him enough to get the thoughts out of his mind. She edged closer toward the queen and Elena.

Elena wasn’t sure what was going on or who the man talking to the queen was. Seeing Tifa again only sparked the resentment she had felt the moment Cloud told her he had a new consort. No matter where Elena turned, Tifa always seemed to be in the thick of things. And the queen was always concerned for the girl’s welfare. It made Elena sick.

“So what is it you’re looking for?” Ifalna asked. “Retribution? Then kill me and get it out of your system.”

“Oh, I plan to do just that, but not until after I’ve killed your precious son. I’ll return here to drop his head at your lovely feet.”

Even though Ifalna’s wrists were bound, she raised them and managed to slap Sephiroth’s face. “Don’t you dare threaten my son!”

Tifa stepped between them, facing her father before he could strike back. “Is this part of her plan?” She didn’t have to elaborate for him to guess she spoke of Jenova. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m not doing this for her. It’s for me.”

“Why? What you did for her is what created the animosity the rest of the world has for you.”

“Not the rest of the world. Just the Shinra family.”

“They did nothing more to you than the rest of the world. Why is your grudge against them so much greater than any other?”

Ifalna frowned at the discussion between Tifa and Sephiroth. They seemed suspiciously familiar with one another. And who was the she they were talking about?

Tifa continued. “How do you know she isn’t influencing you to feel the way you do about them?”

Sephiroth scowled at his daughter. He hated that she made him doubt his purpose. Perhaps Jenova was right. He needed to be rid of her before she talked him out of things he needed to do. He tilted her chin up. “Just like your mother. Such grace and fortitude.”

Tifa frowned when he walked away from her.

“Are you taking them with you?” Corneo wondered.

“No, but I’ll be back. And I expect to find Tifa in the same condition I’m leaving her.”

“Absolutely. I’ll take very good care of her.”

Sephiroth pointedly glared at him with his good eye. “Do not take my words lightly. You’ll live to regret it.”

Corneo let out a nervous laugh. “She’s just a slave. I didn’t know she meant so much to you.”

“She’s not a slave. She’s the princes of Nibelheim and she’s my daughter.”

Tifa noticed the expression on Corneo’s face turn from tense amusement to shock. Without turning to look behind her to confirm it, she knew Ifalna and Elena had similar expressions.

Sephiroth gave Tifa a final glance before turning and walking to the door.

Tifa rushed forward and grabbed Sephiroth’s arm. “You intend to leave me here with this man?”

“What did you expect?”

She wasn’t sure what she had expected from Sephiroth. But the last place she wanted to be was back in Corneo’s custody. “I can’t stay here.”

“Well, you can’t come with me.”

“Why not?” She had hopes of trying to convince him to give up his tirade of destruction and to stop him from killing Cloud.

Sephiroth smiled from the corner of his mouth. “An obvious reason, my dear. You will try to convince me that I don’t have to kill your beloved.”

“But you don’t.”

“And who will convince him that he doesn’t have to kill me?”

“I will.”

“Of course you will, but I doubt he’ll listen, no matter how much he thinks he loves you.”

“None of this is your fault. You have to believe that. You can’t control your actions. Cloud can help you.”

Sephiroth sadly shook his head. “No one can help me.” He turned and walked out.

When Tifa heard his wagon leave, she turned away from the door and faced the others in the room. All eyes were on her, as if they were seeing her for the first time. She could only guess what was going through their minds.

“Is it true?” Ifalna suddenly asked, her expression cold as ice.

Tifa couldn’t bear the thought of Cloud’s mother despising her. But she couldn’t deny it. “Yes,” she replied in a whisper.

No one noticed Corneo’s head nod, except for Kotch.

“How long have you known it?”

Tifa moved toward the queen. “I only just discovered it…when he took me from Cloud.”

“King Sears is not your father?”

“King Sears is dead.”

Ifalna laughed without humor. “Long live the queen and the princess.” She glared at the girl. “Tell me one thing, Tifa. Did you purposely captivate my son so you could get to Midgar and destroy my family for your father?”

Tifa shook her head. “No…” She swallowed hard. She knew she’d never be able to convince Ifalna otherwise. It seemed the queen had already made up her mind.

Before any of the women knew what was happening, Kotch came up behind Tifa and wrapped his arms around her tightly, trapping her.

Corneo rushed forward and immediately tied Tifa’s wrists together. “No one’s going to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do with my slaves. I don’t care who he thinks he is.” He motioned to Kotch. “Throw them in the dungeon.”

Kotch tied a rope through the binds around the wrists of the three women and pulled them along behind him. They struggled all the way to the barn before he ungraciously kicked each of them through the hole in the floor. He laughed to himself as he slammed the trapdoor shut and secured the padlock.

Tifa scrambled to her feet and stared up at the closed trapdoor. The only light in the small chamber came from a lantern in the corner. Her eyes drifted to Ifalna and Elena as they crawled to the wall and sat against it. Both of them looked at her as if she had the stigma. She moved to the opposite wall and slowly slid down to the ground.

 

Chapter 48​

The silence in the small underground chamber was oppressive. No one spoke. It had been this way for days.

Tifa was beyond tears. She had shed all that she could and her heart ached that Cloud’s mother remained indifferent to her. Out of all the people Tifa had known in her life, she considered Ifalna to be the most considerate and compassionate. But not this time. Ifalna’s trust in Tifa had been snatched in a matter of seconds. Now she didn’t know what she could say to win it back.

She felt so alone…the way she had felt before Cloud came into her life.

What Tifa didn’t realize was that as the days passed, Ifalna questioned the reasons for her suspicion. She played the facts over and over in her head. Tifa sought out Cloud, but that was because Vincent directed her to. She was in the custody of Anton Corneo almost all of her life and having known the vile slave merchant for the last couple of weeks, Ifalna didn’t doubt his mistreatment of Tifa. If Sephiroth knew Tifa was his daughter, he would have made every effort to get her away from Corneo.

But none of those facts explained why Tifa seemed to be on friendly terms with Sephiroth. Even if he was her father, Tifa knew what the man had done. Granted, she did seem to be trying to talk Sephiroth out of pursuing Cloud. Tifa loved Cloud, that much was clear. But she desperately wanted to find her parents and now that she knew them, it was only natural that she’d want to cling to them…to her father. That fact alone made her untrustworthy. A moment could arise where she’d have to choose. And if she chose her father, then she would betray Cloud.

“When did he find out who you were?” Ifalna suddenly asked, breaking the suppressing silence.

Tifa raised her head from where it had been resting in her folded arms on her bent knees. In the glowing light of the lantern, she could see Ifalna’s expression didn’t appear as harsh as it had been in the last few days. “Right after he kidnapped me,” she replied softly.

“What happened in Wutai?”

Tifa sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. “We arrived to deliver the peace treaty. King Kisaragi told Cloud he’d consider accepting if Cloud would battle one of his warriors. In the arena, Sephiroth appeared. They fought and then those lizard creatures we’ve seen with him…they suddenly came out of nowhere and attacked everyone. Sephiroth injured Cloud and Zack went to help him. He got hurt, too. Aerith and I went into the arena and that’s when Sephiroth called upon other creatures, these ones with wings.”

Ifalna noticed Tifa didn’t refer to Sephiroth as her father.

“I tried to get away from them, but one of them knocked me out. When I woke up I was on Sephiroth’s ship.”

“And came directly here,” Ifalna said.

“No. He took me to Nibelheim to see my mother. I found out things about King Sears, that he had me taken away to be killed when he discovered I was Sephiroth’s daughter.”

“How did he know you weren’t his child?”

“My mother…they never consummated their marriage. King Sears preferred bedding men.”

“But you were taken away when you were seven. Why would he wait that long?”

Tifa looked down at her feet. “I think it was because of Sephiroth.”

“Any other man would have been acceptable. But not Sephiroth. I wonder…?”

“We’ll never know. Sephiroth killed him.”

“The man is nothing but evil.”

“He’s being controlled.”

“Controlled? What does that mean?”

Tifa spent the next few minutes telling her everything Sephiroth said…about going to Mt Nibel and meeting Jenova, about his disorientation, about the need to please her by doing her bidding. No matter how atrocious the task, Sephiroth had to obey.

Ifalna wasn’t quite certain whether or not to believe what Sephiroth told Tifa. But if it was true, then Cloud was in even greater danger than anyone thought. This Jenova creature would do anything in her power to eliminate whatever obstacle stood in the way of her need to destroy the world.

“You don’t believe me,” Tifa stated flatly.

“I believe you, Tifa. I’m just not sure whether Sephiroth was being truthful with you.”

“He had nothing to gain by telling me those things.”

“You’re mistaken. There’s much to gain. He has you to gain.”

“He knows I won’t side with him if he continues on this path of destruction.”

“He may not give you a choice.”

“I feel as though he values my concerns, otherwise he wouldn’t have left me here. He even said it himself. He thinks I’d try to convince him not to kill Cloud. And I would.”

“I believe you would.”

“Do you believe I love Cloud?”

“I believe that fate brought you two together once again and I believe good always conquers evil.”

“Cloud will hate me when he discovers the truth about me.”

“Perhaps he’ll react as I did. But I happen to know Cloud loves you more than anything in the world. He won’t shun you.”

Tifa wasn’t so sure about that. Cloud’s hatred of Sephiroth was monumental. Knowing she was Sephiroth’s flesh and blood could erase the love he felt for her. She would no longer mean anything to him and he would throw her to the wolves. Or worse, he’d have her executed merely for her relation with the enemy. He wasn’t very tolerant when it came to Sephiroth or anything associated with him.

The moment The Avalanche was tied to the pier and the ramp was mounted in place, Cloud mounted Fenrir and recklessly raced him down the ramp. Zack and Reno barely had enough time to lead their horses down to the street before he was gone from their sight.

“Come on, Reno! Hurry up!” yelled Zack as he mounted and kicked his horse in the direction Cloud had disappeared.

Corneo came out of his bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel. “Marlene! I told you to come in here an hour ago!”

The young girl cowered behind the sofa in the viewing room. She knew she should have obeyed Corneo and gone into his bedroom when he first summoned her. But the child couldn’t stomach what she had seen the last time she had gone in there while he was entertained by one of the slavegirls. She would rather tolerate his punishment than to ever go back in there again.

“Where the hell are you?! Little wretch!”

She closed her eyes as the tears slid down her cheeks. He would eventually find her.

Corneo stormed into the viewing room and was about to tear the furniture apart when Kotch suddenly appeared at the door.

“We have a problem,” said the henchman.

Corneo momentarily forgot what he was doing in the room and glared at Kotch. “What now?”

“I saw The Avalanche make port.”

“Strife,” Corneo muttered with wide eyes.

“He’s probably on his way here by now.”

“Get into the barn and down in the dungeon. I want those women gagged and bound so tight, they can’t move an inch.”

Kotch nodded and headed for the back.

Corneo stepped to the sofa and reached behind it, dragging Marlene out by her hair.

Marlene screamed until he released her hair and grabbed her arm. Her wide, tear filled eyes stared at Corneo’s angry face.

“If you so much as make a sound when he gets here, I’ll gut you like a fish right where you stand. Is that understood?” When she didn’t acknowledge his request, her shook her roughly. “Answer me!”

“Yes!” she squealed and ran out of the room the moment he released her.

Corneo composed himself and headed back to his bedroom to dress.

Cloud dismounted before Fenrir came to a complete stop near the path. Clad in full battle gear, he unsheathed his cutlass and stormed up to the entrance. Without waiting for Zack or Reno to join him, Cloud pounded on the door with his gloved hand. The wood beneath it splintered with each blow.

The door opened and a tall man stood in the threshold. His eyes widened when the tip of a sword pressed against his throat.

“Where is she?” Cloud asked menacingly.

Kotch couldn’t speak as he felt the sharp edge of the sword. He was afraid the smallest movement would cut him.

Cloud removed the sword when he noticed Corneo approaching from another room.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked the slave merchant.

Cloud pushed passed the henchman and practically flew at Corneo, slamming him into the wall and holding the sharp teeth of his wrist guard against his bulging chest. “Where is she?!”

Corneo gasped as he felt the teeth starting to dig into his flesh, right through his jerkin. “I…I don’t know who…Where is who?”

“Don’t fuck with me, you worthless piece of shit!”

Behind Cloud, Zack and Reno entered. Reno quickly tied Kotch to a chair before he joined Zack in searching the house for Tifa.

Corneo looked away from the blazing sky blue eyes glaring at him. He winced in pain as the teeth of the prince’s gauntlet continued to cut into his chest. “I’ll lodge a complaint with your king,” he said, his voice shaking. “I’ll demand compensation.”

“You won’t be in any shape to demand anything if you’re a corpse,” Cloud said through clenched teeth. From the corner of his eye, Cloud spotted a movement. He turned and saw a young girl poking her head from around the doorway leading into the corridor. Cloud turned back to Corneo. “I see you found yourself another kid to terrorize. Was she kidnapped, too?”

“I got her legitimately. Her parents are dead.”

As large as Corneo was, Cloud didn’t have any difficulty keeping him from moving. He wasn’t going to give the slave merchant a chance to pull a weapon. He wasn’t going to lose his chance to get Tifa out of there.

Zack returned from his search.

Cloud looked over his shoulder at him, hoping to see some kind of sign that they found Tifa.

“Reno’s looking in the out buildings. Tifa’s not in the house.” His eyes briefly darted to a girl cowering behind the door.

Corneo raised his eyebrows. Strife was looking for Tifa. Perhaps he didn’t know his mother was missing. He certainly wasn’t going to offer any information.

The minutes passed slowly. Cloud was in agony. He prayed that Tifa wasn’t injured in any way.

When Reno finally returned, he shook his head. “Just a bunch of wenches.”

Cloud turned back to Corneo. “Tell me where she is!”

Corneo kept his mouth shut, even though the sharp teeth of the gauntlet were now digging into his throat, cutting off his air supply.

Zack stepped forward, standing directly behind Cloud. “Just for the record, it’s Princess Tifa of Nibelheim we’re looking for. Does that ring a bell?”

“The last time I saw her was when I sold her to you,” Corneo managed to growl out.

“Sephiroth was here!” Cloud yelled into the slave merchant’s face.

“I don’t know…what you’re talking about!”

Cloud reluctantly released him and backed away. He raised his cutlass and pointed it at him. “If I find out you’re lying, I’ll come back and pull out your intestines through your throat.”

Corneo flinched, his hand clutching his neck.

Zack and Reno followed Cloud out the door.

When they were gone, Corneo stomped toward Kotch still tied to a chair. “You pathetic imbecile! Why’d you let him in the house?!” He kicked at the chair. It toppled over on its side with Kotch in it. Corneo rushed to the window and looked out.

Cloud was fuming.

“Maybe Sephiroth didn’t come here,” said Zack. “Maybe he led Kisaragi to believe he was bringing his daughter here, too, and then decided on another location.”

Cloud took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. “I’m never going to find her.”

“If that maniac wants you to pursue him, then how does he expect you to know where he’s going?” asked Reno.

Zack watched his friend mount his horse, an irritated scowl on his face. No one was going to get any rest tonight. Cloud would turn the island upside down looking for Tifa.

Johnny glanced around the corner of a building. “Look there,” he said, pointing toward the harbor. “It’s The Avalanche.”

Yuffie peered over his shoulder, not exactly seeing what he was seeing. “I don’t see an avalanche. It’s a hundred degrees out here.”

“No, not an avalanche. The Avalanche is a ship. That ship over there.”

“Well, what about it? What’s so special about that ship?”

“It belongs to Cloud Strife.”

Yuffie frowned. “Cloud Strife, as in Prince Cloud Strife of Midgar?” She knew the problems her father had with Midgar and who caused them.

“Yes. We have to get on that ship.” He grabbed Yuffie’s arm and started pulling her.

Yuffie refused to budge. “I’m not getting on that ship. We’re at war with Midgar.”

“Look, I’m not exactly thrilled about it either, but if we’re ever going to get away from Corneo, that ship is our passage out of here.”

“I don’t like ships. I get seasick.”

“How exactly do you think you’re going to get back to Wutai if not by ship?”

She sighed heavily. “Fine! But I don’t have to like it.”

Johnny led Yuffie to several crates stacked near the boarding ramp. Two men were carrying each of the crates onboard. “Grab a crate and follow me.” He grabbed a crate and moved forward.

When Yuffie picked up one of the crates, she didn’t realize how heavy it was and she had to drop it. Luckily it didn’t break open. “What the hell is in these crates, boulders?” She tried another one and found it much lighter.

Cid Highwind had no patience today. He had literally poured his heart out to a woman, something he had never done before, and got slapped in the face for his effort. How was he supposed to know Shera was a grieving widow? She never talked about her life in Icicle Village. He didn’t know she was married and lost her husband in the avalanche. But right then and there, he decided to swear off any kind of serious relationship with any woman. He was done. It was bachelorhood for him…for the rest of his miserable life.

He was pulled away from his thoughts when he noticed two thin boys carrying food crates up the ramp. They didn’t look like pier workers, who were mainly very burly looking, like Barret, because all they did all day long was lift and carry heavy crates. These two were much too thin for that kind of work.

When Johnny accidentally made eye contact with the man standing near the top of the ramp, he quickly lowered his eyes and continued forward.

Cid stepped in his path before he got one foot on the ship. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Johnny came to an abrupt halt.

With the crate held up in front of her, Yuffie didn’t realize he had stopped and bumped right into him. The contents of the crate she carried shifted and she suddenly found herself tilting backward.

Cid took the cigarette out of his mouth as he watched the other boy fall from the ramp into the water below. It dawned on him that the boy was actually a girl, judging by the high-pitched scream that came out of her mouth on the way down. “Goddammit…” he muttered. He glanced in Biggs direction. “Fish her out of there, Biggs.”

Johnny dropped his crate and rushed to the side. When he noticed Yuffie flapping her arms wildly, he wondered if she could even swim. Without thinking, he dove over the side to rescue her.

Biggs tossed down several hollow gourds tied to some ropes.

Cid watched as the boy grabbed the girl and pulled her toward the gourds. Once she had her hands on the ropes, Biggs and several others began pulling her up. When she was onboard, the gourds were tossed over the side again for the boy.

Minutes later, Cid had two very wet youngsters sitting on the deck. The first word that came to mind was stowaways. That was a serious crime in any port. “You think you can just waltz right up and think no one’ll notice you don’t belong here?”

Yuffie jumped to her feet in defiance. “I am Princess Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai and I demand passage back to my home.”

Cid spit the cigarette out of his mouth and glared at the girl. “Right, you’re the princess of Wutai. Then I must be the king of Cosmo Canyon.”

“You don’t look much like old King Bugenhagen to me,” said Johnny.

“Shut up!”

Barret made his way topside to find out what all the commotion was about. “What the hell’re ya yellin’ ‘bout, Highwind?”

Cid put his hands on his hips. “We got ourselves a couple of stowaways.”

Barret blared out a hearty laugh. “Wait til the captain hears about this.” His boisterous laugh was cut short by a stomp to his foot, delivered by the girl.

Before Barret could react, Willie Wedge whistled to get their attention. “Ship ahoy! Midgar flag!”

Cid turned to Biggs. “Watch them.” He rushed to the side of the ship with Barret and pulled out his telescope. After panning it around for the target, he paused and frowned. “I’ll be damned.”

“What?” Barret asked impatiently.

“I swear I’m looking at Vincent Valentine on a Midgar ship.”

“No shit…”

Moments ago Tifa had heard footsteps and the sound of rattling armor. A voice carried and she knew its distinctiveness. It was Reno. He was calling out her name. The fact that he was there made her realize that Cloud could also be near.

And now more sounds came from above. She tried to scream again. But her efforts were muffled by the thick scarf wrapped tightly around her mouth.

Ifalna and Elena were doing the same, trying desperately to make some kind of noise to alert Reno that they were underground.

Seconds later the hatch above opened.

Tifa felt a wave of relief wash over her...until she saw who was coming down the ladder.

Corneo. Planted on his face was a sinister grin, one that was meant to produce fear and hopelessness. He literally thrived on causing these emotions in her. He approached Tifa and bent over, grabbing a handful of her hair.

Tifa uttered a cry of pain, but it was again muffled in the scarf.

Corneo tore the scarf off her face and pulled her hair harder, lifting her up on her knees. “Guess who was just here looking for you?”

Her heart sank. She knew it had been Cloud. Then she noticed several small fresh cuts along his throat and wondered if Cloud had done it. “I’m surprised he didn’t kill you.”

“He has no reason to harm me. As far as he knows, you’re not here.” He turned to Ifalna. “And neither are you.”

Ifalna closed her eyes in dismay. Her son had been so close. There just didn’t seem to be a way out of this place and out of this foul man’s clutches.

Corneo glanced at the young blonde woman who didn’t say much. He licked his lips. “Hm…I think it’s time for a little fun.”

Elena’s eyes widened when Corneo trudged toward her. She shook her head fearfully.

He picked her up and tossed her slender form over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

As much as Tifa despised Elena and all that she had done, she couldn’t stand the thought of Corneo touching her. She suddenly felt a strange sense of possessiveness, as if Elena was part of her family. Tifa wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. “Take me instead,” she blurted out.

Corneo froze in his steps and turned to face Tifa. He wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. He haphazardly dropped Elena like a rock. “I’m going to enjoy this.” He grabbed Tifa around the waist.

Ifalna’s cry was muffled by the scarf in her mouth. She stared in disbelief and remorse as the slave merchant carried Tifa up the ladder.

Corneo couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. He tossed her onto a pile of hay.

Tifa twisted around and glared up at him. With her hands and ankles bound, she couldn’t move. “Is this how you want me?”

He licked his lips.

“Untie me and I’ll be willing for you.” She hoped her words would get through to him.

Corneo eyed her suspiciously for a moment.

“I’m a helpless girl. I can’t hurt you,” she said calmly.

“Yes, but I’m not taking any chances with you.” He untied her ankles and left her wrists bound. Corneo laughed and coughed grotesquely as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

Tifa’s heart sank. She had hoped he’d untie her wrists so her hands would be free to call the power she recently discovered in herself.

“How did it feel to be with that pompous prince? Unexciting, I’m sure.” He unbuckled his trousers and pushed them down to his knees. “I’ll show you what it’s like to be with a real man.”

Knowing she wasn’t going to get away, Tifa tried to scramble away. She panicked when he pushed her down on her back and came down on top of her. His weight crushed her, making it difficult to breathe. She squirmed, trying to avoid his groping hand as he pulled up her skirt. His mouth found the side of her neck. Tifa turned her face toward him and bit down on his ear. She tasted blood and cringed in disgust.

Corneo hollered in pain. He lifted himself on one hand and backhanded her hard across the face. “Stupid bitch!”

Out of pure reflex, Tifa bent her knee and smashed it into his genitals. His face reddened and his breath caught in his throat, as if he was suffocating. When he rolled off her, his hands clutching his genitals, Tifa sat up and brought her bound hands over his head. She tightened them around his neck so the rope was pushing into his windpipe. This was her opportunity and she wasn’t going to let it pass.

Corneo gasped for air and flailed around, his hands struggling to loosen her hold.

Tifa clenched her teeth and her mind whirled with images of every foul deed he committed, every innocent soul he corrupted...every slap, every punch, every disturbing form of torture he inflicted on her. Her right cheek throbbed with fresh pain where he struck her. She closed her eyes and tightened the rope against his throat.

Finally the bulky man stopped moving. She loosened her grip and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. She sat back on her heels and removed her bound wrists from around his neck. For a moment she remained staring at the immobile man lying on the ground. Finally she glanced around the barn and spotted an axe on a wooden bench.

Tifa got up and after positioning the axe just right, she carefully cut the ropes off. They fell from her wrists. She needed to get Ifalna and Elena out and they needed to get to the harbor before Cloud left without them.

As she made her way toward the trapdoor in the corner stall, something tripped her. She turned in time to see Corneo suddenly sit up. He lunged at her and wrapped a hand around her throat.

Tifa instantly struggled for air as his grip tightened around her windpipe. She reached up to dislodge his hand, but he was too strong. Black spots swam around her vision and she knew she only had seconds before she lost consciousness. Her hands edged up to his chest and as it did on previous occasions, the power came forth instinctively.

Corneo found himself being tossed off Tifa like a rag doll. He flew backward and smashed into the far wall of the barn. Seconds passed and discovering he wasn’t falling to the ground, Corneo looked down and managed to see something disturbing.

Tifa stared in horror at what she’d done. There was a horse plow hanging on the wall where Corneo had flown. The blade was sticking out of his chest. Her eyes blurred with tears as she remained seated on the ground, unable to look away.

 

Chapter 49​

When Cloud, Zack and Reno returned to the ship, the first thing they noticed was the presence of another Midgar ship anchored in the center of the bay.

Cloud drew Fenrir to a stop and as he dismounted, he glanced up to the top of the ramp. Vincent and Rude were standing there. For a moment, Cloud forgot his anger at not finding Tifa. He went up the ramp and greeted Vincent with a smile. “It’s good to see you again, Vincent.”

“I went to Midgar, only to discover you were out sailing. I never thought to find you here in Mideel.”

“You went to Midgar?”

“Yes. Tifa sent me a message saying you needed my help.”

“Tifa did? But what’re you doing back here?”

Vincent sighed, reluctant to tell Cloud what happened. “It was Tseng and Hojo, Cloud. They were behind a lot of the things that transpired at Castle Shinra.”

“I knew it! And they were probably collaborating with Sephiroth, too.”

“Hojo confirmed it before…he met his untimely demise with the ground below his balcony.”

“He’s dead?”

“Yes, and we discovered your mother had been kidnapped and brought here. She was brought to the slave merchant named Anton Corneo.”

Cloud frowned. “We didn’t find anyone there. But I know he’s lying.”

“What’re you going to do?”

“I’m going back to tear the place apart. I just came back to get more men.”

Vincent nodded. “The king sent me with a ship full of them to search for the queen. You’ll need the extra reinforcements.”

“Alright, let’s gather the forces then.”

Cid came down the ramp before Cloud could disappear again. “Hey, Cap…you gotta come see this.”

“Later, Cid.”

“I’ve got two stowaways in the brig.”

“I don’t have time for that. You deal with it.” Cloud started to walk away.

“Well, you’re gonna wanna deal with this one, Cap. One of them says she’s the princess of Wutai.”

Cloud stopped in his tracks and turned back to Cid.

Yuffie tested the door for the twentieth time, but it didn’t open. “This is an outrage! When my father hears of this cruel mistreatment of me, he’ll wage war on everyone involved!”

Johnny rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated breath. “Will you just sit down and shut up?”

She whirled on him. “You can’t talk to me that way, peasant! This is all your fault! I knew I shouldn’t have climbed aboard the ship of my sworn enemy!” She began pacing. “If I could just get my hands on a weapon, I can take all of these low-life men down in a heartbeat.”

The door suddenly swung open and two men entered. One of them was the man who had imprisoned her.

“Who’re you?!” scoffed Yuffie.

Cloud folded his arms across his chest as he visually inspected the young girl from head to toe. There was no doubt about it. Even though she was filthy and wearing peasant clothing, he remembered her from his first visit to Wutai years ago.

Since Cloud didn’t look like he planned to introduce himself, Cid stepped forward. “Show some respect, brat! This is the captain of the ship.”

Johnny stood up and eyed the new arrival. So this was the infamous Cloud Strife that his friend, Tifa squawked endlessly about before she had been purchased.

“What’re you doing on my ship?” Cloud asked insensitively.

“Trying to get a ride back to Wutai,” Yuffie replied harshly. “But at this point, I think I’d rather swim!”

“The war between Midgar and Wutai is over. Kisaragi and I made an arrangement.”

“Ha! I doubt it. My father can’t stand to speak your name, much less want to look at your ugly face.”

Cloud briefly glanced at Cid. “Let her go.” He turned to leave. “Let her decide if she’d rather stay in Mideel than go back with us. I’ve got more important things to do.”

Yuffie scoffed. “More important things? What’s more important than me, you ignorant swine?!”

Cid followed behind Cloud and left the door open. “What’s the plan, Cap?”

“We’re raiding Corneo’s place. But I want to go before it gets dark. I’m sure he’s got a secret hiding place where he’s keeping Tifa and my mother.”

“Did you say Tifa?”

Both Cloud and Cid stopped and turned around to face the young man who had stowed onboard with the Wutaian princess.

“What’s your name?” Cloud asked.

“Johnny Zimmer.”

“You know Tifa?”

“Yes. I was also a slave in Corneo’s custody. Tifa was my friend.”

Cloud stepped closer to him. “How’d you end up with her?” he asked, motioning toward the princess.

“She was brought to Mideel and I helped her escape.”

Suddenly Cloud felt anger toward Johnny. “You stood around and watched Tifa being beaten and abused and you did nothing to help her?” He grabbed Johnny by the arm and glared into his face. “What kind of a friend are you? Why didn’t you help her escape?”

Johnny was startled by his anger and his words. “I…I didn’t know what…to do. She didn’t want my help!”

Cloud released him roughly. “Get off my ship before my fist connects with your face!” He spun around and stormed through the corridor before heading up the stairs.

Cid continued to follow him. “What about the men? We’ll need a lot of horses.”

“Then buy them. You know where I keep my gil.”

Just as Cloud reached the door leading out on the main deck, Barret appeared. “Spike, ya gotta come see this.”

Cloud sighed. He didn’t want any more distractions. He wanted to get back to Corneo’s place and put the man six feet under…as soon as he found Tifa and his mother. “Just handle it without me, Barret.”

“But…”

Cloud reached the top of the ramp and froze the moment his eyes traveled to the end of the wharf.

Walking toward the ship was Tifa. With her was his mother, holding the hand of the little girl he had seen earlier. Beside his mother was Elena.

“That’s what I was about to tell ya, Spike,” blurted Barret. “Forget the raid ‘cuz what we’re lookin’ for is comin’ this way.”

Cloud bolted down the ramp.

Tifa was exhausted. She hadn’t slept well in what seemed like an eternity…ever since the day Sephiroth…her father kidnapped her. And after that, dealing with Anton Corneo and killing him. She was physically drained and even more so mentally.

When her eyes caught sight of The Avalanche still tied to the pier, her heart soared. Cloud was still in Mideel. He hadn’t left them. She saw him come down the ramp and he was running toward them. She wanted so badly to run to him. But she suddenly couldn’t seem to get her feet to move any faster than they were going. She mentally cursed them and before she could speak her thoughts outloud, her vision blurred and then darkened.

Her last conscious thought was of Cloud before she hit the ground.

“We’re not leaving yet,” announced Ifalna.

Cloud stared at his mother. The last thing he wanted was to stay any longer than necessary in Mideel. He wanted to get away from this cursed island and never return.“What?”

Ifalna had regained her composure the moment she had seen Cloud. She wasn’t offended by the fact that he had come to save Tifa because he had been informed that his mother had gone missing only after Vincent arrived. “Cloud, I have something to take care of.”

“Like what?”

“I’m going to visit the baron and talk to him about abolishing slavery on this island.”

Cloud laughed outloud.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’re going to talk Dio into eliminating Mideel’s main source of income.”

“He’ll have to think of another way to raise it. I will no longer tolerate slavery and my long term goal is to abolish it throughout the world.”

Cloud and Zack exchanged a glance. They knew the determination of the queen when she had a plan in mind.

“I’ll go first thing in the morning.”

Reno sighed. “I’ll go with her.”

Cloud grabbed Reno’s arm. “I hold you personally responsible for her, so don’t let her out of your sight.”

“I’ll be stuck so close to her, the baron will think we’re twins.” He waited for Cloud to remove his hand from his arm. “Now if you all don’t mind, I’m going to find an inn and spend some quality time with my consort.”

After Reno walked away, Cloud glanced at Rude.

Rude nodded in understanding. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.” He also left after a moment.

“So what do we do in the meantime?” asked Zack.

“Tell Barret to release the crew until tomorrow afternoon.”

“What about the other ship?”

“Have them do the same.” Cloud briefly glanced at his beaming mother. “We’ll just have to wait until my mother does what she’s determined to do.”

Ifalna gave him a smile. “Thank you, Cloud.”

Cloud shook his head and rolled his eyes before moving toward the door to his cabin.

“Wait, Cloud. I need to talk to you about something.”

Zack left them alone as he headed up to the main deck to follow Cloud’s orders.

“Can’t this wait?” asked Cloud. “I want to check on Tifa.”

“It’s about Tifa.”

He frowned for a brief moment because he didn’t like the somber tone in her voice. “What about her?”

“She’s the princess of Nibelheim.”

“I know. We figured it out when we were there.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh…alright. Well, that’s one fact out of the way.”

“You sound as if there’s more I should know about.”

“Yes, there is one other thing, actually.”

“Well, are you going to tell me or do I have to play fifty questions with you?”

Tifa woke with a start and sat up, finding herself on the hammock in Cloud’s cabin. She placed her hand on her throbbing forehead and closed her eyes. The sound of voices just outside the door forced her eyes open. She knew the voices. It was Cloud and Ifalna. They were discussing something about abolishing slavery on the island.

She was about to get up when the next words spoken by Ifalna stopped her. They were talking about her.

“Tifa discovered something while she was with Sephiroth.” There was a pause before Ifalna continued. “She discovered he’s her father.”

Tifa held her breath, trying to listen to their words.

“What did you just say?”

“Sephiroth is Tifa’s father,” Ifalna repeated.

“Who told you this?” Cloud asked resentfully.

“He did.”

“Well, then he’s lying. He was trying to hurt her because he knew it would hurt me.”

“This is not about you, Cloud. It’s about Tifa. It’s about who her real father is.”

“Yeah, her father is King Sears of Castle Lockhart.”

“Elfe had an affair with Sephiroth when she found out the king preferred men.”

Cloud laughed, thinking all of this had to be some kind of joke. But when he saw his mother wasn’t at all amused, he stopped. “This sounds so ridiculous. If Sears preferred men then Elfe would have known about it when they got married. You don’t suddenly decide you prefer your own sex.”

“They never shared a bed. They never consummated their marriage.”

“There’s nothing unusual about that. A lot of marriages are made for convenience and there’s no love or lust or anything like that. Rufus is a victim to that. I would have been a victim to that as well if Tifa didn’t come into my life. Who knows how many are out there, living together but never touching? Who cares. Nobody.”

“Cloud, you’re rambling.”

“My point is, it doesn’t matter until it’s time to make a child.”

“Sears wouldn’t give Elfe a child, so she turned to Sephiroth. Don’t you see how all the pieces fit together? Sears made everyone believe Tifa died from the plague because he had her removed. The intention was to have her killed and it would have happened if she hadn’t been brought to Corneo.”

Cloud’s head was spinning. He couldn’t seem to focus on the reality his mother was trying to feed him because there were so many holes in that logic. “If Sears and Elfe never shared a bed, then Sears would have known all along Tifa wasn’t his daughter. Why did he wait until she was seven before getting rid of her?”

“I don’t know the answer to that.”

He turned away and ran his fingers through his hair. “It all sounds improbable to me. Someone’s not being truthful.”

“The only one who’s told Tifa the truth is Sephiroth.”

He spun around. “He’s the one she should trust the least!”

“He’s her father!”

“No! That’s not possible. Sephiroth is a thoughtless thug. He kills for the fun of it. He cares nothing about women or children.”

“He’s being controlled.”

Cloud had already determined that something was controlling Sephiroth and he wasn’t going to deny it, but the thought of his blood running through Tifa’s veins was inconceivable.

“Listen to me, Cloud. It makes perfect sense. If she meant nothing to him, then why would he allow her to play with his emotions the way I witnessed. It was plainly obvious to me that she was very close to getting through to him. She even came between us when she thought Sephiroth would hurt me. He left her here in Mideel because he knew she would try and talk him out of going after you. If Sephiroth didn’t care about her then it wouldn’t have mattered what she said to him. He would have taken her with him so he could kill her right in front of your eyes and weaken your resolve.”

Everything seemed to point to it. Sephiroth was Tifa’s father. “No! He’s lying! I refuse to believe it!” He walked away from his mother and headed up to the main deck.

Ifalna watched him leave and she sighed heavily. There just wasn’t anything she could say or do to make Cloud understand that the disfunctionality of Tifa’s family was something no one could correct. She suspected he would react this way and it was justifiable. He was so in love with Tifa that he wanted nothing to taint its perfection. And Sephiroth was the only thing that could.

She turned and quietly opened the cabin door. The room was dark, the only light coming from a few scattered candles. But even in the darkness, Ifalna could see that Tifa was awake. “I assume you heard.”

Her world was crumbling down around her once again. Everytime she saw a spark of hope, it was quickly extinguished by things beyond her control. When would she ever have the opportunity to take matters into her own hands and lead her life the way she wanted? “He hates me,” Tifa whispered. When the queen didn’t respond, Tifa closed her eyes, tears burning them. She couldn’t bear the thought of Cloud despising her. Anyone else wouldn’t have mattered. But not Cloud. He was her soul mate. They were destined to be together from the beginning, since they were children. Things happened to alter that destiny and now there didn’t seem to be a way to fix it.

Ifalna watched as Tifa sat up and hopped off the hammock. “He doesn’t understand right now. Give him time to adjust to the truth.”

Tifa shook her head. “I’ll give him all the time in the world,” she said callously as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’ll no longer be a burden to him or to anyone else.” She picked up her dress and pulled it on, suddenly finding the cabin suffocating.

“Where’re you going?”

“I’ll find passage to Nibelheim so I can be with my mother.”

“You intend to leave Cloud?”

Tifa didn’t respond as she walked out of the cabin.

The moment she was able to breathe in the cool sea air outside, she felt a little better. But only physically. She moved toward the center of the ship and looked back to see if Cloud was sitting near the ship’s wheel on the wheel deck, which was a place she often found him, even when they were docked.

Cid was standing there instead. There was a halo of smoke around his head as he acknowledged her with a nod. Before Tifa could ask if he had seen where Cloud went, he motioned with his head toward the bow.

Tifa turned to look and caught a glimpse of a figure sitting on the bow deck, his skin pale in the blue glow of the moonlight. She slowly made her way to the ramp. But she should have known she wouldn’t get far.

“Going somewhere, my Lady?”

She briefly glanced toward Cid and scowled before finding Cloud already making his way down to her. She sighed and mentally prepared herself for his tirade of questions.

“Where’re you going?” Cloud asked, a sincere look of concern on his face.

“For a walk,” she replied, but she knew he wouldn’t believe it.

Cloud turned to Cid. “I thought I told you to enjoy a night off?”

Cid took a long drag from his cigarette before jumping down from the wheel deck.

When Cid had strutted all the way down the ramp, Cloud turned back to Tifa. “You were planning to run away, weren’t you?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do, Cloud? I’m obviously not welcome here any longer.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“I heard you downstairs. You want nothing to do with me.”

“I never said that.”

“You said you refuse to believe that Sephiroth is my father.” She watched the emotions play on his face. Anger, resentment and fear. But why fear? “The idea of it revolts you. You won’t ever be able to look at me and not think that I might turn out like him.”

He shook his head. “No, Tifa. That’s not it.”

“It already started. You saw the power I possess and you know he has it as well. So now we both know how I obtained it.”

“You think Sephiroth passed it on to you? How do you know it wasn’t something you acquired from me?”

“That doesn’t sound likely.”

“Don’t you think you would have discovered your Mako-induced power long before any of this happened?”

“I feel it only when my life is threatened.”

“Then why didn’t you feel it whenever Corneo beat you? Why didn’t you feel it the day Tseng tried to violate you? I’m thinking it’s because your body had only recently absorbed the Mako from me.”

“Then why don’t you have the same power?” she countered.

“Mako affects people in different ways.”

Tifa shook her head. He seemed to have an answer for everything. Regardless of where she acquired her power, it didn’t really matter anyway. “You’re trying to confuse me. It…it doesn’t change anything. He’s still my father and you’ll still despise me because of it.”

“That’s not true, Tifa. I love you more than ever.”

“Then why won’t you accept that Sephiroth is my father?”

“Because…I’m afraid he’ll…take you away from me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m afraid I’ll lose you forever.”

Tifa stared into his ethereal eyes. They were like blue fire melting the ice that had formed around her heart ever since she discovered her true identity. She knew what her father had done. And even if she could convince Cloud and everyone else that Sephiroth wasn’t in control of his own faculties when his path of destruction began, Tifa knew they’d never look at her the same way again. She would always be his daughter. “I’m already lost, Cloud,” she whispered in a shaky voice. “I’ve always been lost.”

“No…!” He placed his hands on her face and leaned toward her to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I’m not letting you go.” He kissed her lips.

As usual, a single touch, a single kiss from him was enough to undo her. She didn’t stop him as he demanded more. Her arms went around him as he pulled her against his chest.

He kissed her deeper, as if that would be enough proof as to how much he loved her. But he knew his actions wouldn’t be what convinced her. “I love you,” he said against her lips. “None of it matters.”

Tifa drew away and rested her forehead against his cheek. “It matters, Cloud. As long as he’s alive, he’ll always come between us.”

Cloud slid his arms around her shoulders and held her in a tight embrace. There was truth in her words. As long as Sephiroth existed, there would never be peace in their lives.

“I can give you all the power you crave.”

“I…don’t want power.”

“Of course you do. Everyone wants power. Everyone wants control.”

“No…You’re the one in control. You’re the one with the true power.”

“You could have anything you’ve ever wanted. You could have her…”

Cloud couldn’t see the face of the woman speaking to him. She was enshrouded in shadow. But he could clearly see Sephiroth standing nearby. “I already have her and I already have everything. You both want to take it away and leave me with nothing.”

Sephiroth’s face looked even more grotesque than before. The burned flesh was gone, revealing the skull beneath it, the eye socket empty. “Come to Round Island, Cloud,” he said seductively. “Show me what you’re truly made of.”

Cloud opened his eyes. Another dream. It seemed so real. He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. Round Island. Was that where Sephiroth had gone? Was that where he needed to go to put an end to Sephiroth’s existence?

Not wanting to wake up Tifa, Cloud slowly and carefully climbed out of the hammock. He paced in front of the windows for several minutes before making a decision he knew would anger a lot of people. He quickly dressed before walking to the secret compartment in the wall where he kept his weapons. The strap had been repaired on the chest plate with the Shinra crest, but he wasn’t taking it. Instead he sheathed his swords to his belt and took the two cases. One contained his pistols and the other contained his wrist guards.

Tifa woke when she heard the brief sound of metal. She noticed Cloud wasn’t lying beside her and turned her head. She found him closing the panel on the wall. “Cloud?”

Cloud looked up and noticed Tifa was awake. He put the cases down and walked to the hammock. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She saw that he was dressed and wearing his swords. “Where’re you going?” she asked sleepily.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I’m just going up on deck and…sharpen my swords.” He could tell she was on the verge of falling back to sleep.

“I can give you a massage…maybe that’ll relax you.” Her eyes were already closing.

Cloud smiled and bent to kiss her lips. “Maybe later.” He kissed her again, holding his lips to hers a little longer. “I love you.”

A moment later he was up on the main deck. Sitting against several supply crates, Willie Wedge was supposed to be on watch, but he was snoring loudly. For once Cloud didn’t mind the crewman falling asleep on the job. He headed down the ramp.

At the end of the pier was a boat belonging to the Midgar ship anchored nearby in the harbor. He hopped down into it and untied the ropes.

Aerith suddenly opened her eyes. They immediately went to the man lying beside her on the cot. Zack was sound asleep. She turned to gaze up at the ceiling in the cabin. Her senses floated to various places on the ship and one by one she distinguished them.

Her aunt was sleeping in the crew quarters. Rude was the only other one in the large chamber situated just above the cannon decks. He was taking his duty seriously, when Cloud told him to not let her out of his sight. The queen insisted on sleeping there for the night, not wanting to disrupt the couples that needed their time together.

Some of the crew slept elsewhere on the ship. But most of them were not onboard. Either they were sleeping at the Inn, with a female companion, or still boozing in one of the many taverns all over the town.

Tifa was asleep in Cloud’s cabin. Her senses felt around for Cloud. She couldn’t feel him beside Tifa, as if he wasn’t there. And perhaps he wasn’t. But it wasn’t anything unusual. Cloud often wandered around the ship at night, making sure things were in order. Especially when they weren’t close to home. Yet she didn’t feel him onboard the ship at all.

She extended her senses out over town, but there were so many people out there, it was difficult to distinguish one from another. More than likely, he went into town to have a drink with Cid or Barret. Afterall, whenever possible, drinking with his First Mate and Quartermaster was almost a ritual for Cloud on the night before he left any port.

Without another thought, Aerith snuggled closer against Zack and promptly went back to sleep.

Cloud tied the boat to the stern tethers dangling from the railing of the Midgar ship he knew was named The Ark Dragon. He then tied his two cases to another one and began climbing the rope ladder beside it.

A crewman nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized the sound that had woken him came from Prince Cloud hopping onboard. He immediately scrambled to his feet and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“Is your captain onboard?” Cloud asked.

“No, sir. Captain Gast is sleeping at the Inn, per your instructions.”

Cloud nodded. “Good. Is anyone else onboard?”

“No, sir, again per your instructions.”

“You’re certain of this?”

“Absolutely, sir. I checked every cabin and every chamber myself.”

“Then what’re you doing here?”

The crewman stared at him with his mouth open. “Uh…I…someone had to stay with the ship.”

“I said everyone and I meant it.” Cloud pulled the rope up and untied his cases. “I want you to take the boat back to the pier and I want you to enjoy the night. Is that clear?”

“But what about…?”

“Is that clear?” Cloud asked with more authority.

“Yes, Captain…I…I mean, Your Majesty. Yes, sir.” The crewman fumbled his way down the rope ladder.

Cloud remained standing at the stern until the crewman was in the boat and rowing back to shore. He continued watching for a moment longer, his keen eyesight able to penetrate the near darkness between the ship and the luminous town ahead.

Then he sprang into action. First he jogged to the bow and pulled in the heavy anchor that normally took three men to drag out of the water. He tied it securely and rushed back to the stern to see the progress of the crewman.

It wasn’t long before the man made it to the pier and toed the small boat. He soon disappeared down one of the streets.

Cloud proceeded to pull up the stern anchor. The last thing he did was untie the secondary sails before taking up the wheel. He didn’t think anyone would see the ship leave the harbor and hopefully he would be well on his way before anyone noticed it gone in the morning.

If Sephiroth had gone to Round Island, then Cloud would face him alone. He wouldn’t risk anymore lives or take the chance that Sephiroth would use someone’s welfare against him.

There was no telling what the outcome would be, if in fact Sephiroth was where he said in the dream that he would be waiting. But for one thing Cloud was certain, Sephiroth needed to die in order for Tifa to be free of her troubles. He intended to do his best to make sure that happened.

 

Chapter 50​

Tifa woke to pounding on the cabin door.

“Captain! Come quick!” said Cid from the other side of the door.

She sat up and noticed Cloud wasn’t lying beside her. She quickly jumped off the hammock and slipped on her dress before going to the door.

Cid frowned when the door was opened by Tifa. “I need to talk to the captain.” He tried to look over her shoulder into the cabin.

“He’s not in here, Cid.”

His eyes returned to her. “What?”

Tifa opened the door all the way and Cid looked inside as if he didn’t believe what she said.

“Well, where is he?”

“I don’t know. I just woke up and he wasn’t here. What’s the problem?”

“The Ark Dragon is gone. Someone stole it.”

Tifa was confused. The Ark Dragon was the ship Vincent and Rude had come on from Midgar. She followed Cid when he walked away without another word.

On the main deck, Captain Gast of The Ark Dragon was talking to Zack and Vincent. “All he said was that the Prince told him to go ashore like everyone else.”

“And Cloud remained on the ship?” asked Vincent.

Gast nodded.

When Tifa approached with Cid, all eyes went to her. Her eyes went immediately to Vincent. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but the troubled expression on all their faces was enough to keep her thoughts from wandering elsewhere. “Is something wrong?”

“When was the last time you saw Cloud?” asked Zack.

“Last night, I think.” She remembered a dream, seeing Cloud holding the cases containing his guns and gauntlets. But now she was certain it had been real. “He had his weapons with him…when he left.”

Vincent sighed. “He’s going after Sephiroth alone.”

Tifa’s eyes widened. “No…he can’t…”

“Do you have any idea where he’s going?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Ifalna and Aerith approached, Reno following close behind them.

The queen was troubled. “What in blazes is going on here? Why is this idiot telling me I can’t leave the ship?”

Reno looked just as agitated. “I tried to explain it to her, but she won’t listen.”

Cid left the explaining to the others as he stomped over to where Barret was trying to muster some of the men. Without the captain, Cid found himself in charge of The Avalanche. “Barret, get everybody on board. Anybody who doesn’t make it in the next ten minutes, they’re out of luck ‘cause we’re shoving off.”

As soon as his ship was secured, Sephiroth walked down the ramp. There was no need for verbal communication with the Sahagins. They knew their jobs and immediately tended to the ship while he made his way along a well-worn path leading to a tunnel.

Once inside, he followed a short tunnel that had been excavated during the years he had spent in the Icicle Village prison. The tunnel emptied out on the other side of the jagged rock wall that circled the entire circumference of Round Island. Within the rock wall was a one mile patch of desert. Nothing could survive the stifling heat of the desert, which explained the lack of wildlife anywhere on the small island.

It took some time for Sephiroth to walk across the desert. His enhanced power prevented him from feeling the effects of the heat. On most occasions, the long walk tried his patience, making him wish the dock had been built closer to the fortress. But on this day, he welcomed it. He knew what awaited him and he needed to think about how he would respond.

Sephiroth removed his weapons and his overcoat upon entering the second tunnel. It curved downward to the west and led to an enormous underground cavern.

Nearly identical to the one in Mt Nibel, the cavern in Round Island contained a pool of Mako. The difference here was that it had no contact with the water surrounding the island, thus it was pure in its natural state and undiluted.

“You disobeyed me once again, Sephiroth.” The voice was loud enough to echo within the cavern, yet it only resonated in Sephiroth’s head. “How shall I punish you?”

“I have my reasons,” he replied calmly, as he made his way around the ledge to where Jenova was comfortably reclined on her side on a stone bed. Sephiroth approached the green-skinned entity and lowered himself on one knee in reverence.

“Then tell me why you left your daughter alive after I specifically told you to get rid of her.”

“She is bait.”

“Explain.”

“Strife has undoubtedly figured out where I took her. I left enough clues with Kisaragi and his advisors. In the short time my daughter was with me, I observed her loyalty to Strife. I presume with great confidence that she will tell him my destination.”

Jenova sat up and rose from her rock bed. Her clothing consisted of a gold mesh bikini. Thin threads of white and gold fabric hung from the scant briefs and fluttered like butterfly wings as she moved. “He is on his way here. I have foreseen it.” She slowly circled around her disciple, her fingers trailing lightly over his broad shoulders. “In fact, I conveyed it to him in a dream. He will accept your challenge.”

With his eyes remaining lowered to the ground, he inwardly cringed from her touch. There was a time when Sephiroth welcomed it. But not lately. She was changing, both physically and mentally. She barely had any human attributes left and seemed more reptilian than ever before. Almost like the creatures under their control. “You want me to kill him when he arrives?”

Jenova stopped in front of his genuflected form and bent to pull him up. “That is your wish, not mine.”

He thought about it for a moment. What were his reasons again? If not for Jenova’s desire to consume the life of this world, what was the basis for his rage toward the royal family of Midgar? Then he felt her in his mind, invading his thoughts against his will. It was always preceded by a burning pain in his head. She knew his desires and she knew his weaknesses. “You want me to kill everything, so how is killing him any different?”

“But this one wants you dead more than you know,” Jenova replied seductively. “So you may want to kill him or he will kill you and then he shall take your place as my devoted disciple.”

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad choice…the latter. Or maybe he wasn’t quite ready to give up the power she had bestowed upon him.

Jenova gingerly caressed his scarred face. “Perhaps I shall heal your face as an incentive.”

Sephiroth’s eyes shifted to her green face, still so beautiful, despite the changes he noted every time he saw her. He recalled her telling him she wasn’t capable of healing any damage caused by Mako-induced power. “What game are you playing now, Jenova?”

“You will address me as ‘mother’!” she barked in his head, her expression reverting to a twisted reptilian sneer. But her anger didn’t last long as her features softened once again. “I rather like you this way. But if you prefer to be healed…”

He pulled away from her. “I am not some toy for you to play with.”

Her smile revealed jagged teeth, like a deadly serpent. “Of course you are. You are my beloved plaything.”

When she approached again and held his arms, Sephiroth struggled to pull away. Her grip was unbreakable. He wanted to turn his face away, but the moment his eyes looked into the growing glow of her green ones, his struggling ceased. He couldn’t prevent the kiss she gave him. Like a fool with an addiction, Sephiroth drank in the nectar she used to control him.

Tseng had gone to Fort Condor in an effort to avoid being blamed for Ifalna’s kidnapping, once it was discovered. But he knew it wouldn’t be a long trip. He awaited word from Hojo, or Sephiroth himself, that the royal family of Midgar had ceased to exist. And then he would return to Castle Shinra and rename it Castle Tseng. That was the promise Sephiroth had made him for his continued loyalty. Tseng had waited many years for this and now he was ever closer to that reality.

He sat down on the sofa situated in front of the fireplace in a small cottage just within the walls of the town. In his hands was a hot mug of tea. He barely had a moment to take a sip before there was a loud knock on the door.

With a heavy sigh, Tseng stood up. When the pounding continued on the door, Tseng frowned. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Outside the door was a Sahagin. Tseng had grown used to seeing the creatures because they had occasionally sent him messages from Sephiroth. The creature sneered at him in what Tseng took as a greeting.

“What do you want?”

The Sahagin held up a hand. A scroll was clutched in it.

Tseng took it immediately. It had to be good news. From the corner of his eye, he noticed three other creatures approaching from around the corner of the cottage. He didn’t think nothing of it as he unrolled the scroll. The writing was recognizable. It belonged to Sephiroth.

I recently discovered my daughter is alive. To think that Sears Lockhart sent her away when she was just a child, to be killed when he found out she was mine. Because you were thoughtful enough to spare her life back then, your death will be quick. But because you never thought to inform me she was alive, your death will be painful.

Tseng tore his eyes away from the scroll and looked up. He barely had a second to fully comprehend the meaning of the message before the four Sahagins tore him apart.

Too many days had passed already. Tifa was concerned Cloud would reach Round Island while they were busy informing the king on what had transpired since leaving Midgar. But both Zack and Vincent assured her that The Avalanche was a much faster ship. It would simply boil down to how quickly they could get the men and the fleet together to sail to Round Island. With any luck they would intercept The Ark Dragon on the way.

Unable to contain her impatience, Tifa stood up from the table and began pacing while Zack, Ifalna and Vincent did all the talking. They had already gotten passed the part about Sephiroth being her father and surprisingly enough, King Shinra didn’t seem at all upset over it. Tifa could only imagine the reason being his mind was preoccupied with the thought of his son going after Sephiroth alone.

“The island may or may not be infested with the lizard creatures,” said Zack. “And if so, then there’s no telling how many of them will stand in Cloud’s way.”

“Sahagins…” Tifa whispered.

All eyes went to her.

“The lizard creatures,” she replied. “They’re called Sahagins.”

“How do you know this?” asked the king.

“Sephiroth told me.”

“What else did he tell you about them?”

“They hail from a southeastern island called Traut and are normally docile, unintelligent herbivores.”

Zack turned to Shinra. “Traut is the island where I first saw them. But they were quite aggressive with us when we tried to explore the volcano.”

“Jenova’s been controlling them for almost two decades.”

“The volcano on Traut must be abundant with Mako.”

“Not as abundant as Round Island. Sephiroth said he transported Jenova to Round Island because the Mako there is pure and undiluted.”

The king rubbed his chin. “So Jenova uses Mako for sustenance?”

“Yes.”

“Where did this creature come from?”

“Sephiroth thinks she might have been human once and her consumption of Mako clouded her mind and altered her features.”

Shinra glanced at Zack. “Even though Hojo’s dead, I was unsure whether I wanted you and Cloud to continue administering the Mako injections. Now I’m certain it needs to stop.”

Zack nodded.

The king turned back to Tifa. “Is it your opinion that Sephiroth’s mind has been clouded by this creature?”

Tifa nodded. “From what he told me, he went to Mt Nibel to discover that which others had died for. He was confronted by Jenova and she began to control him.”

“So he was already under her control when he came to Midgar?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t until she was brought to Round Island that she began wanting the destruction of this world.”

Shinra recalled the mission Sephiroth insisted upon. He was traveling to Nibelheim and then to Round Island. It was then he must have transported the creature from Mt Nibel to Round Island. “Yes, it was after he returned from Round Island that his madness began. Could Mako, in its undiluted state, be the cause of it?”

“He said he never directly ingested it.”

“Then how does Jenova control him?”

“They were…intimate. Something passed between them.”

Shinra stood up. “Well, I think I’ve heard enough. We will raid Round Island with all of our forces.” He glanced at Zack. “Assemble the fleet. I want them ready to sail immediately.”

“Yes, Sire.” Zack also stood up and quickly headed out of the Study.

Tifa bowed her head to the king and queen. “Excuse me, but I have to hurry,” she said as she started follow after Zack.

“Where are you rushing to, child?” asked Ifalna.

“I have to pack a few things for the trip.”

The queen was horrified as she turned to her husband. “Absolutely not. Tell her, Tomas.”

The king nodded. “I forbid it, Tifa. Cloud would not approve of me putting your life in danger.”

Tifa glared at him. “That’s not it. You fear I’ll somehow help Sephiroth.” When he didn’t respond, Tifa was certain of the answer. “I am first and foremost loyal to Cloud. I may be Sephiroth’s daughter, but I am also the daughter of the queen of Nibelheim and still the rightful heir to the throne. Cloud and I intend to marry, with or without your blessing.”

Ifalna walked up and took Tifa by the arms. “Please understand what the king is trying to tell you. Despite all that’s happened, you are alive and therefore by written promise still bound to my son. You have our blessing. Our concern is that if you go with the others to Round Island, your presence would hinder the battle. Sephiroth will stop at nothing to get what he wants and that includes using you, his own daughter, to achieve his purpose.”

Tifa frowned. “I don’t care. I’m going,” she said stubbornly and quickly headed out of the Study.

Ifalna turned to Shinra. “We cannot possibly allow her to sail to Round Island.”

“No…no. But you have to admire the girl’s spirit. I believe our son has finally found his match.”

Vincent stood up from the table. “Which is the reason I brought them together in the first place.”

“You knew she was still alive, didn’t you, Vincent?” asked Ifalna.

“I had my suspicions based on a conversation I overheard one night between Tseng and Hojo. But both of them were under the impression the slave merchant would have sold her and she would have been lost forever. It was by some miracle she happened to be on Mideel where Lucrecia and I had gone. I confronted Tseng about it. Well, you know the rest…”

“I hope you’ll someday forgive my bullheadedness, Vincent,” said the king. Now that he knew the truth, he was ashamed for trusting Tseng instead of Vincent, just because Tseng had been at Castle Shinra a few years more.

“I never blamed you, Sire. Regardless, it’s forgotten.”

“Thank you.” Shinra sighed and shook his head. “Something puzzles me. If Tseng was doing Sephiroth’s dirty work, then why wouldn’t he have told him the truth about Tifa?”

“I assume Tseng figured Sephiroth would retaliate against him for his involvement in the kidnapping and attempted murder of his daughter.”

“So King Sears is dead, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“I hated that man anyway.” He sighed again. “Although I’m not sure I like the idea of Sephiroth being Tifa’s father.”

“Cloud wasn’t very receptive either,” Ifalna interjected.

“Only the Gods know what is in that boy’s head right now.”

Cloud slept a few hours at a time. His hand was tied to the wheel of the ship so if it moved enough to change the current course, he’d feel it. The sky seemed so much darker on the sea route east of Midgardia. He wasn’t as familiar with it as most of the other routes he took. There weren’t any coastal towns on the eastern coast of Midgardia, so he didn’t travel there much.

He had taken the eastern route for a reason. If he had taken the usual western route, the probability of The Avalanche catching up to the slower Ark Dragon was high. He knew the moment they discovered he was gone, they’d conclude he was going after Sephiroth by himself. He was counting on the fact that they didn’t know exactly where he was headed. But then again, Tifa might have learned something from Sephiroth.

Sephiroth is her father.

Cloud didn’t want to believe it, but there were too many facts that seemed to point to it. Sephiroth had nothing to gain by fabricating it.

Sephiroth had left Nibelheim at the time news was spread of the princess’s death. Cloud was only ten years old when Sephiroth came to Midgar shortly thereafter. The tall man seemed rather quiet and somber at first, until he rose among the ranks to become First Captain in a short amount of time. Cloud liked him back then. There was something mysterious about him, aside from the occasional tricks Cloud thought to be simple wizardry, Sephiroth seemed invincible…the kind of hero Cloud wanted to be.

So much had changed.

Now Cloud had to kill him. If he managed it, what would Tifa think? Would she hate him for killing her father? Or would she be grateful that he released her from an unknown future?

Sephiroth needed to be stopped before he caused any more deaths. It shouldn’t have mattered what Tifa thought. But to Cloud, it mattered. She was his soul mate. They were destined to be together…since they were children. Regardless of the years that passed and the circumstances that tore them apart, destiny brought them together once again. He’d be damned if he didn’t do everything in his power to keep them together. Tifa knew that and she knew he’d have no choice but to end Sephiroth’s life.

“I hope she knows that,” he whispered to himself, not quite as confident as he thought he should be.

There was always the possibility that Sephiroth would overpower him. If that happened, then Cloud would lose his opportunity to save Tifa and save his family…and perhaps save the world as well.

It was unfortunate Cloud didn’t have time to stop at home and pick up some of his materia. The magical orbs could have been useful. But Cloud couldn’t think about what he should have done. His course was set. He was well on his way north to Round Island and there was no going back now.

Tifa looked out the window. Hundreds of men were assembled in the large courtyard below. They were polishing their swords, mending their battle armor and preparing for a voyage at sea. Earlier, when she had gathered some things for the trip and prepared to leave, two guards stopped her and brought her to Hojo’s lab in the east tower. The door had been locked behind her. She immediately knew the king wanted to make sure she didn’t leave with the troops.

She couldn’t just sit around, waiting to hear word whether or not Cloud defeated Sephiroth. She had to be there. She had to convince Cloud and her father to end the feud and concentrate on defeating the creature trying to destroy the world. “If I were a man, I bet no one would notice me…”

An idea began to take shape in Tifa’s mind, a rather warped idea. Surely she could pull off posing as a man. But another glance at the courtyard put an end to the idea. The warriors in the courtyard were large and muscular. With her thin frame, she’d be lucky if she could pass for a stable boy.

Another idea formed. She’d just have to pose as a stableboy. The stableboys rode with the troops to tend the horses when the troops stopped to make camp for the night. Stableboys would definitely be needed to tend to the horses on the ships. This was the only way she would be able to board one of the ships. Now all she needed to do was get passed the guards outside the door.

Tifa pounded on the door. “I’m hungry. I’d like to raid the kitchen for some food.” She smiled when the door was unlocked and opened.

But the guard on the other side wouldn’t open the door all the way. “I will inform a servant to bring you food,” he said.

“That’s quite all right. I can find my way to the kitchen.”

“Begging your pardon, m’lady, but His Majesty left very strict instructions that you were not to leave this chamber for any reason, until further orders.”

Tifa stared at him for a moment. “Never mind. I lost my appetite.” She quickly slammed the door in his face. This wasn’t going to be easy.

A sound near the wall drew her attention. When she moved closer, the wall suddenly opened and Elena poked her head inside.

“Is anyone in here with you?” she asked Tifa.

Tifa shook her head.

Elena waved her toward the opening. “Come on, follow me.”

Tifa was immediately suspicious. “Where’re we going?”

“I heard they weren’t allowing you to sail to round Island with the others. I’d like to help you.”

“Why?”

“I was wrong, Tifa and I want to make it up to you.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“I know and I don’t blame you for not trusting me. In all actuality, everything that’s happened has led me to Reno.” She smiled sincerely. “And he’s asked me to marry him.”

Tifa raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

Elena shrugged. “I’m a consort, Tifa. No respectable man would ask a consort to be his wife.”

“Are you saying Reno is not a respectable man?”

“Contrary to what everyone else believes, I happen to find Reno very charming.” She waved Tifa forward. “Let’s get you out of here before the troops leave.”

Tifa decided to go with Elena. The opening was barely four feet in diameter. There was a ladder leading straight down. She began to descend while Elena closed the wall panel. Tifa realized that this tiny space was within the walls of the circular stairway leading to the top of the tower. She wondered if all of the towers had this secret escape or if Hojo was the only one.

At the bottom, Elena pushed another panel that opened into the medical ward below Hojo’s lab. “What’s your plan to get on one of the ships?”

“I’m going disguised as a stable boy.”

Elena would have laughed if she didn’t know the seriousness of Tifa’s expression. “You won’t make it to the foot of the ramp before someone recognizes you.”

Tifa went into a drawer and pulled out a dagger. She turned to Elena. “Cut my hair.”

Elena’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me. Cut my hair.” When Elena shook her head, Tifa walked up and placed the dagger in her hand.

“Are you insane? Cloud will kill me.”

“No one will ever know your involvement, especially not Cloud.”

Elena was still not convinced.

“Elena, please. You have to. I can’t pass as a stableboy with this hair.”

Elena sighed and when Tifa turned away, she carefully began sawing off the shiny, black locks two inches away from Tifa’s head.

When the task was complete, Tifa ran her fingers through the short hair and stared at the large pile of it on the floor. She wanted to cry, but if it meant she could sneak aboard one of the ships, then it was a small sacrifice. Cloud would be angry and she smiled at the thought of the ensuing argument. She looked at the stunned expression on Elena’s face. “How does I look?”

“Like a boy,” Elena said carefully.

“Excellent. Now all I need are some clothes and I’ll be set.”

“I’ll find you some. Be right back.”

After Elena left the medical ward, Tifa hid outside on the balcony in case someone happened to walk in or one of the guards came down from the tower.

Vincent and Zack stood near the threshold leading to the docks, directing the traffic of crew and cargo. The voyage to Round Island would take over a week, not to mention the return trip. With the extra crew and horses, additional supplies would be needed on every ship. Besides The Avalanche, twelve Midgar ships were sailing. It wasn’t the entire fleet. Some were staying behind to protect Midgar in case of trouble. But it was still an enormous undertaking to orchestrate.

Amidst the crowd of men trying to make their way to the ships, Zack spotted Aerith on horseback. She was squeezing her way closer. “Aerith, what’re you doing here?”

Aerith dismounted beside him. “I just want to wish you luck on the voyage.”

Zack accepted her embrace and held her tightly. “Don’t worry. We’ll find Cloud and this time we’ll make sure to end this thing once and for all.”

“I feel so bad.”

He released her and held her at arm’s length. “We’ve been through this already, Aerith.”

“I should have woken you when I couldn’t sense Cloud onboard the ship.”

“Enough…this isn’t your fault.”

Aerith squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “There’re so many people, so many different emotions. I can’t concentrate on any of them.”

Zack kissed her on the lips and then on the forehead. “You’ll be in my dreams every night.”

As they continued holding each other, neither of them noticed a stable boy with distinctively feminine features hidden well beneath baggy trousers and shirt, leading two horses passed them.

Tifa was well aware that Aerith might sense her. Yet the closer she came to The Avalanche, the more confident she was that perhaps there were too many people around for Aerith to pick up individual emotions. Before leaving Castle Shinra with the rest of the stable boys, Tifa had rubbed dirt on her face to make herself look as scruffy as some of the others. No one questioned her. There were so many stable boys tending horses at Castle Shinra that no one ever paid much attention to who they were.

When it was her turn to lead her assigned horses up the ramp, she kept her head down and away from Cid and Barret at the top.

“Hurry up and get those horses below!” yelled Barret.

Tifa led the two horses down the ramp into the hold. When she had them secured in their makeshift stalls, she sat down in the corner of one of them and wrapped her arms around her knees. She prayed that no one she knew came down to check on the horses…at least not until after they were well on their way. Two days into their voyage and they wouldn’t be able to send her back.

 

Chapter 51​

Priscilla wandered through the castle, searching for someone who could tell her what was going on and why Cloud hadn’t returned with the others. She had seen the assemblage of troops leaving Castle Shinra several hours ago, fully armored and armed to the teeth, as if they were going to war.

The servants were of no help. Apparently they weren’t privy to the happenings at Castle Shinra.

Finally Priscilla ran into the queen who seemed in a great hurry. “Your Majesty, if I might have a word with you please.”

Ifalna stopped in her tracks and stared blankly at Priscilla. In all actuality, the queen had completely forgotten all about the girl. “Oh dear,” she mumbled under her breath. Not wanting to seem rude, the queen tried to put on a sincere smile. “Priscilla, dear. I’m sorry. So much has happened lately, I didn’t realize you were still here in Midgar.”

“I beginning to wonder myself why that is. I have yet to spend a single moment with the man I am to marry. Please enlighten me on when my betrothed is returning.”

The queen folded her hands in front of her. “Well, there’s been a slight change in plans.” There was no reason why she had to tell the girl what was going on with Cloud, other than the situation that involved her. After all, regardless of how things turned out at Round Island, Cloud would not be marrying the princess of Junon. “I’m afraid I must rescind the marriage proposal.”

Priscilla scrunched her tiny face in an ugly frown. “You call that a slight change?”

“Let me see if I can explain it. About thirteen years ago, the princess of Nibelheim was promised to Cloud.”

“The princess of Nibelheim is dead,” Priscilla impolitely cut in. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“No, she’s actually quite alive. In fact, I’m certain you’ve already met her.”

“I would have remembered meeting…”

Ifalna rolled her eyes. She had no patience for this conversation. “It’s Tifa.”

“Tifa?!” The princess was appalled. “She’s not a princess!”

“That’s what we were all led to believe. But circumstances have proven otherwise. She was kidnapped from her home when she was a child and now she is found. So…with that said, there’s really no reason why you should remain at Castle Shinra.” Ifalna began to walk away. “I’ll be sure to send a consolation note to your mother as soon as I have a few moments.”

“This is an outrage!”

Ifalna knew the queen of Junon would be gravely disappointed and it could cause a rift in the relationship between Junon and Midgar, but a promise was a promise. Besides, Cloud was in love with Tifa and he wouldn’t settle for anyone else.

When the queen walked away, Priscilla began to follow her to the east tower and into the medical ward.

After climbing the long circular stairway to the top, Ifalna glanced at the guards who immediately unlocked and opened the door. Ifalna felt terrible for locking up Tifa, but it was for her own good. “Tifa, I know you’re quite upset with me, but…” The laboratory belonging to the deceased wizard was empty. “Tifa?”

Priscilla walked past the guards and entered the laboratory. She watched the queen look around and then step out on the balcony.

There was no one there. With a frown, Ifalna rushed back inside and out the door, ignoring Priscilla along the way. “Where is Princess Tifa?”

The guards looked at her as if she were crazy. “She’s there.”

“She is not there.”

“I beg your pardon, Your Grace, but she didn’t get passed us. We’ve been here the entire time. She must be inside.”

Ifalna went back inside and back out on the balcony. She looked over the side of the balustrade and scratched the back of her neck, knowing Tifa couldn’t have possibly climbed down or jumped to the ground.

Priscilla snorted haughtily. “If she’s the princess, then why would she be locked up in a tower like some prisoner?”

“Oh shut up, you annoying little wretch! I’ll be thanking the stars everyday that my son isn’t marrying you!”

So much for keeping the peace with Junon.

Cloud quickly lowered the sails and dropped the anchor approximately a quarter mile from shore. With nothing left to do on the ship, he went up to the railing and peered toward the island.

Round Island looked daunting in the darkness. But with his enhanced vision, Cloud clearly saw every detail of the ominous, dormant volcano that spread from one end of the circular island to the other. He had heard the enormous center was hot and dry as a desert. The peaks of the volcano’s mouth were pointed and sharp and the sides looked as sheer as glass.

There had been nothing distinguishable about the island and Cloud would have thought it was completely uninhabited if not for the large twin warships resting near a crude looking dock. He decided not to bring the ship in, even though he imagined Sephiroth was probably expecting him. He just didn’t want any more surprises.

Just beyond the dock was a dirt path leading to a primitively excavated entrance.

Cloud’s instinct told him that the tunnel probably didn’t directly lead to his nemesis. With only a small strip of land in front of the volcanic mountain, any strategist would have built a stronghold on the opposite side of the island, where there was absolutely no way to negotiate the volcano face from the outside. It was the perfect location for a stronghold. The enemy could probably be seen approaching from any direction.

The sight of a small boat moving toward his ship caught Cloud’s attention. It was empty and seemed to be moving on its own. But then he saw the sleek, scaled body of a lizardman swimming beneath the surface of the water, pulling the boat with a rope.

Just as he thought. They were expecting him.

Cloud waited for the boat to drift up alongside the ship. At least he wouldn’t have to swim. He quickly grabbed the two cases he had brought along and hopped off the edge of the ship. It was a fifteen foot drop down into the boat. The moment he sat down, the boat began to move back toward the dock.

He briefly smiled to himself. The extension of courtesy amused him.

The closer Cloud came to the dock, the sooner he was able to distinguish several sets of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. He automatically placed his hand on the handle of the sword at his side, but he didn’t think the lizardmen would attack him and potentially rob Sephiroth of his victory. It was obvious they were there to make sure he proceeded in the direction they wanted him to go.

Prince Rufus paced in front of the fireplace in the Study. Sitting in a very unladylike manner on the couch was the princess of Wutai. He wasn’t used to seeing young ladies acting like anything but ladies. “My cousin’s fiancé has assured me that your father is alive and that his request had been to find you.”

“I don’t know your cousin and I don’t know her fiancé,” Yuffie replied stubbornly. Over a week had gone by since she arrived in Midgar and this was the first time she had been granted an audience with anyone of importance in this castle. She felt she had every right to be rude. “Why should I believe anything they say?”

“Aerith and Zack. I’m certain you’ve met them.”

“Oh…them.” Yuffie sighed in boredom. “Yes, I know them.”

“I sent a message to your father and informed him you are well and currently in Midgar.”

“As a prisoner?”

“No, not as a prisoner. You are free to go anytime you wish. But I suggest you remain here for now.”

“For how long?”

“Well, you have a choice. You can wait here for a ship to be sent by your father, which may take two weeks, or you can wait here for one of the fleet ships to return from Round Island to take you to Wutai, which may also take two weeks. Either way, you’re waiting here.”

“This is totally unacceptable,” she said, folding her arms. “I am a princess and I expect to be treated as one!”

“Of course.” Rufus studied the girl’s pouting face. He had no idea what could be done to help her situation.

“Just so you know, I get bored very easily.”

Rufus smiled at her comment. In a way Princess Yuffie reminded him of Cloud, who tended to be easily bored. “I’m sure we can find something around here to keep you entertained.”

Yuffie mistook his statement as flirtatious. “Are you going to see to that personally?” When she first saw Cloud, the younger prince of Midgar, she thought he was handsome. The older brother was also handsome, but seemed far too stuffy and diplomatic. She didn’t like that at all. But anything to keep her mind off of boredom.

Rufus glanced at one of the guards. “Find Denzel and bring him here.”

The guard bowed and walked out.

“Who’s Denzel?” Yuffie curiously asked.

“My brother.”

“There’s another brother?”

“Yes. Denzel is the youngest of us.”

Another brother? Yuffie was already anticipating that perhaps the youngest brother might be more fun. And maybe a lot smarter. Speaking of smarts, Yuffie wondered whatever happened to her companion from Mideel. “Where’s Johnny?”

“Johnny?”

“My rescuer from Mideel.”

“Ah, the slaveboy. Well, since he had nowhere to go, I assigned him duty in the stables.”

“I’ve been to the stables and I haven’t seen him there.”

“He’s currently running errands in Kalm for the queen. He should be back in a few days.”

Yuffie didn’t know what else to ask, so she remained quiet while the Midgar prince continued to scrutinize her as if she were an interesting tapestry. She hated when people stared at her.

A few minutes passed in silence before the guard returned with a young boy.

Yuffie eyed Prince Rufus suspiciously when he motioned for the child to approach him and then placed an arm around his shoulder.

“Denzel, this is Yuffie.”

“What?” Yuffie jumped to her feet. “You expect me to be entertained by him? Don’t you think he’s a little too young for that sort of thing?”

Rufus frowned at the girl. “What sort of thing were you thinking?”

She gave him a smile, baring all of her teeth. “You know.”

Rufus raised his brows and blinked in surprise. “Perhaps I can arrange for your passage much sooner.” He’d get one of the ships left behind to take her to Wutai. Probably the sooner the better…before his mother found out what the princess of Wutai was really like.

When Round Island became visible in the early morning light, Tifa decided it was time to announce her presence to the others on the ship. After mustering up some courage, she went up to the main deck and surveyed those around her. She decided to walk toward Zack, since it was safer to approach him rather than Cid or Barret. He was busy studying several charts on top of a pair of crates.

“Zack?”

Zack glanced up at the boy standing in front of him. “Just a second…” But his eyes only returned to the map for a second before they shot back up. He studied the face and his eyebrows went up. “Tifa?”

“Yes.”

His mouth fell open. “What…? When…? Where…? Why the hell…?”

Tifa held her hands up. “I know, but let me explain.”

“Explain? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you’re putting yourself in?”

“I just couldn’t remain back in Midgar. I had to come.”

Zack growled in exasperation. “The queen… The king… Cloud…” He stammered, unable to find the words. “They’ll all have my head. Not to mention Aerith… Have you ever seen her lose her temper? She’s worse than a wraith.”

“There’s no reason why anyone should blame you for my being here.”

“How did you…?” Then he noticed her hair was cut short. “Never mind, I can put two and two together.” He sighed. “I can still put you on a boat and send you back.”

“No, please, Zack. Please understand.”

“We don’t know what to expect when we arrive. We could be attacked from shore before we even disembark…we don’t know.”

“You’ve seen what I can do. I can help.”

Zack considered it for a moment. He had indeed witnessed her power on more than one occasion. She was capable of sending one or more individuals flying backward. It would definitely help, but Cloud would be seriously upset that they had brought Tifa along and endangered her life for no reason.

“I have to convince my father to stop his madness.”

“If…” He paused, unsure of the right words. But there really was nothing he could say to lessen the reality. “…if Cloud hasn’t already killed him…or the other way around.”

She frowned and looked down, not wanting to think that either one of them might already be dead.

“When we get on the island, you stay behind me at all times. Is that clear?”

Tifa looked up and nodded. “Yes.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“I promise, Zack.”

“Alright then.” He scrutinized her briefly. “It’s not a bad look.”

Tifa knew he meant her hair. “Thank you.” She bit her lower lip, choosing her words carefully. “Do you…think we’re too late?”

Zack pointed toward the island. “There’s the other Midgar ship. Maybe it just arrived before us…or maybe its been there for a few days. There’s no way to know.”

Tifa looked down again and closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. She didn’t trust her feelings. She loved Cloud more than anything, but…she also wanted her father to live. And if her father killed Cloud…she wasn’t sure what she’d do.

Jenova’s cavern was lit brightly by strategically placed torches.

Sephiroth impatiently waited on the far side, away from the tunnel entrance. Only moments ago Jenova sent the Sahagins to retrieve their guest who had been detained in another chamber. He didn’t know why she had insisted on playing this waiting game. It would only serve to feed Cloud’s probable anger.

His eyes briefly shifted to the creature reclined on a rock bed in the middle of the Mako pool. He snorted to himself. Jenova didn’t seem to have a care in the world. She had no idea how truly dangerous the prince of Midgar was. But Sephiroth knew…he knew Cloud well. The young son of Tomas Shinra had proved to be a formidable opponent.

At that exact moment, Prince Cloud Strife of Midgar stepped into the cavern. Covering his forearms were spiked gauntlets. Around his hips he wore a holster containing two pistols. And in his right hand was his weapon of choice, a lethal looking broadsword.

“Glad you could join us, Cloud,” Sephiroth said in forced greeting.

Cloud recognized the water in the pool. It was Mako. His eyes leisurely wandered around the rest of the enormous cavern before they rested on Sephiroth standing on the opposite side of the pool.

“I knew you couldn’t resist the invitation,” Sephiroth continued. “And you came alone. Such a foolish choice on your part.”

“Why is it foolish?” Cloud asked bitterly. “Anyone who came with me would probably have been killed by your pets.”

Sephiroth rubbed his chin as he moved closer to the edge of the Mako pool. “You’re quite right about that.”

Cloud studied Sephiroth’s face. The imprint of his hand no longer marred it. “I see you’ve healed since the last time I saw you.”

“Amazing, isn’t it? What Mako inflicts, Mako can heal.”

“I’ve been here since dusk,” Cloud said angrily. “Why’d you make me wait so long?”

“Ask mother.”

Cloud caught a movement on the rock in the center of the pool.

Jenova gracefully stood up from her rock bed. Like a chameleon, her clothing shimmered and fluttered. “I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time, son of Midgar.”

Cloud squinted his eyes, unsure of what he was seeing, other than it was definitely female. Her skin was as green as the scaled lizard creatures, but her features were more human and not quite so reptilian. This had to be Jenova, the being Sephiroth had spoke of. “Why?” he asked. “What importance am I to something like you?” He purposely referred to her as a thing rather than a person.

“My devoted disciple grows old,” she replied. “And slow.”

There was a noticeable look of disgruntlement on Sephiroth’s face.

“He’s beginning to lack the devotion and enthusiasm he once had. I seek fresh blood…young blood. A prince who will believe in my vision of the future.”

Cloud realized her mouth didn’t move when she spoke. He quickly decided he didn’t need to hear anymore of what the creature had to say. He turned back to Sephiroth, wanting some answers. “Tifa told me you’re her father.”

“You find it hard to believe?”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said resentfully. “Why would you suddenly care about her now?”

“Like everyone else, I thought she was dead.”

“But you knew she was yours when she was born?”

“I suspected it, but had no proof at the time. It wasn’t until seven years later, when I learned of…the Nibelheim king’s sexual preference.”

* * *

“You’ve become quite powerful in my legion, Sephiroth.”

Sephiroth stared at the hand resting on his.

“I could give you the title you seek.”

“What title?”

“First Captain. It is what you want, right?”

Sephiroth nodded blankly, still staring at the hand. “At…at what cost?”

The hand moved from his hand to his face. “One night…with me.”

Sephiroth jerked his face away from the hand and jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over. “You’re insane. I won’t do it.”

King Sears glared at him. “You so easily bed my wife, but not your king?”

“Your perversions are not mine.”

* * *

Sephiroth’s eyes shifted to Cloud, who still remained standing just in front of the tunnel entrance. “I imagine Sears figured Tifa was mine so after I left for Midgar he must have devised a way to get rid of her and make everyone believe she died of the stigma.”

Jenova dove into the water and swam to the bank near Sephiroth. She climbed out and walked up to him, her fingers trailing along his back as she came to stand behind him. “Others are approaching,” she whispered in his mind alone.

He turned toward her. “They followed him.”

“They won’t make it very far. Not with my loyal ones out there to protect me.” She circled around to face him and seductively traced his jawline with a sharp nail. “Kill him now and I will allow you to continue serving me.”

Sephiroth bowed his head. “As you wish.” His temples throbbed as he turned toward Cloud. It needed to end now and then he would focus his attention on Tifa.

“I say we send a volley of cannon fire,” Barret suggested.

Tifa shook her head. “You can’t bomb the mountain. Cloud could be in there.”

“She’s right,” Vincent said. “We can’t risk it.”

“Then we’ll have to take our chances on shore,” Zack proposed.

“That field in front of the tunnel is crawling with those lizard things,” said Cid.

All eyes went to Zack.

Zack drummed his fingers on the crate between them. He thought about it for a moment, wondering what Cloud would do in this situation. There would be casualties no matter what decision he made. “It’ll take too many trips to row everyone ashore. We’ll bring the ships as close as we can and ride the horses to the beach.”

“How close are we talking about?” Cid asked.

“Just short of running the ships aground. We have to attack in mass or we’ll never survive.”

Barret nodded. “I agree. It’s all or nothing.”

Zack nodded to Cid. “Signal the other ships to prepare the men for battle and get the horses topside.”

While further arrangements were discussed, Tifa headed down to Cloud’s cabin. She rummaged through his trunk of clothes, quickly deciding she’d wear them instead of a gown. Remembering her ordeal in the water with her cumbersome gown, she wanted to be able to move in the water once her horse started swimming to shore. She didn’t want to weigh the animal down anymore than necessary.

“Fair warning, my dears,” Jenova purred in both of their heads. “I have taken away your enhanced abilities. You will fight as mortal men.”

Cloud walked around the Mako pool and stopped several feet away from Sephiroth.

As Jenova approached him, Cloud glared warily at her.

“If you succeed in killing him,” her voice spoke to him only. “…I will no longer threaten the people of this fair world.”

Cloud shook his head as he stared into her reptilian eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

“You will believe me.”

He felt a strange pull. He couldn’t identify it. Nor could he stop the creature from drawing close. She kissed him on the lips. “Yes, I’ll believe you,” he automatically said without thinking.

“I will give you anything you desire.”

“Anything I desire…” His eyes followed Jenova as she moved away from him. All he had to do was kill Sephiroth and the world would be at peace. He would be free to marry Tifa.

“You will never have her,” Sephiroth said as if reading Cloud’s mind. He raised his sword.

“Have who?” Cloud asked as he raised his own sword.

“My daughter.”

Their swords clashed as they began dueling.

“Too late, I’ve already had her,” Cloud replied boldly, knowing Tifa would be very upset if she heard him speak that way about her.

“She told me she was your consort. Therefore you took her by force.”

“I’ve never had to take any woman by force. Tifa gave herself willingly to me.”

“That’s a lie!” Sephiroth swung his sword in an attempt to decapitate him.

Cloud dodged the sword and swung his, catching Sephiroth across the back.

Sephiroth grunted and spun back around to clash swords again.

“Tifa belongs to me, Sephiroth. She was promised to me when we were children.”

“That was before I knew she was mine.”

“I won’t give her up.”

“You will if you’re dead!”

“She won’t follow you if I die.” It was something Cloud thought about on the way to Round Island. If there was a chance he didn’t make it back to Midgar, then he wondered what Tifa planned to do. Would she go to Nibelheim to be with her mother? Or would she suddenly decide she needed her father more?

Their swords clashed and Sephiroth held it so he could face Cloud. “Perhaps Jenova will convince her.”

Cloud clenched his teeth and swung his right arm. “No!” The steel teeth of his gauntlet bit into Sephiroth’s face, tearing the flesh. But as the man spun away, his boot came around and struck Cloud in the chest with incredible force.

Sephiroth hit the ground from the momentum and Cloud hit the nearby wall.

The scent of blood filled the air and Jenova hissed excitedly.

Sephiroth wiped the blood from the marred flesh of his cheek while he watched Cloud coughing from the impact to his chest. “You seem to have an affliction to ruining my face.”

Cloud knew two or three of his ribs were broken and he labored to catch his breath. His nose was bleeding from the punch he had received earlier. This fight wasn’t going to be pretty. He resigned himself to accept whatever injuries he received and hopefully he wouldn’t end up dead.

Sephiroth got to his feet and took a moment to remove his leather duster.

Cloud decided to remove his gauntlets. They were effective in many ways but cumbersome and often hindered his movements more than anything. Without their extra weight, he would be able to maneuver his sword with more ease. He also removed the belt holding his pistols. He didn’t intend to use them anyway.

The Midgar fleet anchored parallel to the beach, as close as they could get. Men and horses stood ready at the edge of each ship, the railings having been removed so it would be easier for the horses to dive into the water with their riders.

Zack mounted his horse and sheathed his sword. He glanced around, making sure everyone was prepared and awaiting his signal. Mounted on horses to his left were Cid and Barret. On his right were Vincent, Reno and Rude. Zack took a moment to exchange glances with each of them, hoping it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see any one of them alive.

Finally Zack faced forward again. Stalking the area near the tunnel were hundreds of Sahagins. He knew they were preparing for an attack and would stop at nothing to keep the humans from entering the volcano. Zack raised his arm.

Mounted on a small white horse behind the legion of men, Tifa gripped the reins tightly and made sure her feet were securely in the stirrups. The drop from the ship was far and she didn’t want to lose her mount when they hit the water. Above the heads of the other men, her eyes were glued to Zack’s raised hand.

They were committed now. There was no turning back.

Zack dropped his arm. “Charge!”

The first row of horses and riders dove into the water. When the way was clear, the second row went. It continued on until it was Tifa’s turn. She kicked her horse and urged it off the side of the ship. As predicted, the impact was hard and she sank into the water. Her horse kicked and surfaced quickly and Tifa released the breath she had been holding. She was surprised to discover that the water was warm and not cold as she had expected it to be so far north.

When the first wave of riders reached the beach, they galloped toward the advancing Sahagins. The air was soon filled with the sound of battle. Men shouted and the lizardmen screeched.

The only one who didn’t advance was Zack. He held back his nervous horse, waiting to make sure Tifa made it to shore with everyone else. He spotted the white steed he had purposely assigned her so he could easily keep track of her position at all times.

Tifa clung to her horse, her fingers gripping its mane, as it swam toward shore. She briefly glanced around and noticed several men had lost their mounts and were desperately trying to find them in the chaos that resulted after leaving the ships. Her eyes traveled to shore where she could see Zack standing on his stirrups and waving an arm toward her.

“Come on, Tifa! Over here!” he shouted.

Tifa nudged her horse and it wasn’t long before it found the sand bank beneath the water. She approached Zack and halted in front of him.

“No matter what happens, stay with me,” he warned. “Don’t wander off.”

She nodded.

“We’ll find Cloud together, alright?” Even though Tifa nodded again, Zack had a feeling she wasn’t going to obey his order. He would have to make sure she remained close. “Let’s go.”

As they surged forward through the mass of men and Sahagins, Tifa’s wide eyes scanned the ground where many men had already fallen. She was gratified to see a fair number of lizardmen dead among them. But she knew Cloud wouldn’t be happy to know his men died for him. It was the reason he had come alone.

They moved toward each other at the same time, swords clashing back and forth for several minutes. Cloud drove Sephiroth backward, forcing him to stumble over several rocks. When Sephiroth fell back, Cloud plunged his sword down.

Sephiroth twisted out of the way as the sword harmlessly struck the rocks. He twirled to avoid the sword slashing at his throat and brought his own sword up, the tip spearing Cloud’s right shoulder.

A wave of pain shot down Cloud’s right arm and he quickly moved his sword to his left hand. Luckily he was skilled at fighting with either hand.

As Sephiroth pulled himself back up, the swords clashed again. This time he drove Cloud backward until he was backed into the wall. “You can’t win this one, Cloud,” he hissed.

Cloud tried to push Sephiroth away, but Sephiroth wrapped a hand around his throat and squeezed. He raised a knee and slammed it into Sephiroth’s groin. When the man released him and doubled over, Cloud followed it with a kick to his face. “The outcome I envision is far different than yours.”

Their swords met once again, back and forth.

“Your future doesn’t include me,” Sephiroth sneered.

“I have more at stake than you.”

“How touching. I have just as much at stake.”

The cavern was filled with metallic echoes as their swords continued to collide.

“If you live, the world is at stake,” Cloud countered.

“Do you really think she’ll let you leave this place without knowing you’re under her control?”

Cloud knew Sephiroth meant Jenova. He really didn’t know what would happen if he killed Sephiroth. Jenova would lose her minion and then she’d try and control him. “I won’t let it happen. I control my own actions and my own thoughts.”

Sephiroth laughed. “You’re a fool. You won’t have a choice, just like me.”

“I’m not as weak-minded as you are.”

“Did you hear that, mother? He believes you can’t control him.” Sephiroth backed away and glanced toward Jenova.

Jenova smiled, revealing jagged teeth. Her yellow eyes began glowing.

Cloud clutched his head when a searing pain suddenly developed at his temples and ballooned down to his spine. He fell on all fours and cried out. Never in his life had he felt such unbearable pain. The pain ended just as quickly as it began. He convulsed and coughed and vomited the little he had in his stomach.

Sephiroth approached and grabbed him by the hair, bending to get close to his face. “Believe me when I say what you just felt is just a small sampling of her true power. You’ll pray for death if you make the mistake of angering her.”

When Sephiroth released his hair and walked away, Cloud slowly rose to his feet. “I won’t let her control me,” he argued.

“It’s too late. She’s already hooked you.” Sephiroth turned around and pointed his sword at Cloud’s chest. “That little kiss she gave you earlier. That’s what seals the deal.”

Cloud subconsciously wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, as if that would remove whatever it was she did to him. He picked up his sword and instead of attacking Sephiroth, he sprinted toward Jenova.

Jenova again sent a wave of pain into his head, but even then he kept coming. She dove into the Mako pool to avoid his sword. Her reptilian eyes studied the pain-stricken, scowling young man pacing at the edge of the pool, like a predator waiting for his prey. Perhaps controlling him was not going to be so easy. And the thought of the challenge excited her even more. She would enjoy hurting him until he begged for mercy and begged for her forgiveness.

“Go ahead and run!” Cloud shouted, fighting to tolerate the pain throbbing in his head. “After I kill him, you’re next!” A sound from behind alerted him that Sephiroth was attacking. He turned around in time to block the sword with his own. But Sephiroth had fully regained his strength and quickly pulled back and slashed his sword again. Cloud tried to avoid it and received a deep cut to his side, just below his ribcage.

Sephiroth raised his sword to deliver a killing blow. But something stopped his motion. His hand and sword froze in mid-air. His eyes darted toward Jenova. Why was she preventing him from killing Cloud? But he quickly determined the answer. She had already found her new champion and she wouldn’t allow Sephiroth to kill him.

Cloud stumbled backward. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a ledge about ten feet from the ground. He rushed over and jumped to pull himself up. Breathing heavily, he glared down at the frozen and bewildered figure of Sephiroth, knowing the creature had interfered. But why?

As Zack and Tifa rode out of the tunnel and entered the rough landscape of the volcano’s center, a wall of Sahagins greeted them.

Tifa reached out and tossed the Sahagins away from her. The path ahead was clear all the way to the tunnel on the other side of the island. She briefly glanced back to watch the fighting behind her. Zack and several others engaged the lizardmen. Facing the open space ahead, she spotted a dark opening at the opposite side and kicked her horse in that direction.

Zack pulled his sword out of the Sahagin he had just killed. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Tifa continuing on without him. “Tifa!” But she didn’t stop. Another Sahagin attacked him and he fought it quickly. “Dammit!” He needed to go after Tifa before something happened to her. But the Sahagins continued to converge on him, giving him no opportunity to break free of the battle.

Cloud stripped off his shirt and inspected the wound on his side. It wasn’t very deep, but it was bleeding heavily. He balled his shirt and pressed it against the wound while his eyes traveled to the ground where Sephiroth was released of his spell and was crouched and inspecting his own wounds. Next he glanced down into the Mako pool. The creature casually swam around as if she had confidence that he’d bend to her will. Jump in the pool with her. She’ll give you the power you seek. Cloud shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts that brought him closer to the alluring creature. He wasn’t going to fall victim to her manipulative ways as easily as Sephiroth had.

“We can work together and kill her,” Cloud said to Sephiroth before the idea even formed in his head. He noticed Jenova immediately stop swimming and look their way. “We’ll both be free.”

Sephiroth chuckled. “You think it’s so easy?” He ripped off his left sleeve and tied it around his bicep as a tourniquet. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to break free of her and failed.”

“Anything is possible.”

“No! This is not possible!”

“Be nice to mother now, boys,” Jenova said soothingly in their minds.

Cloud ignored her voice. “I have all the proof I need, Sephiroth. She manipulated and used you. I’m your witness.”

“I can’t break free of her.” Sephiroth picked up his sword and got to his feet.

Cloud barely had time to grab his own sword before Sephiroth leapt onto the ledge and lunged at him. He raised his sword to block the blow and pushed Sephiroth backward.

Both of them fell off the ledge and landed in the Mako pool.

Jenova swam to the opposite bank and pulled herself out of the water. She turned to continue watching the battle between the two men.

Cloud kicked toward the surface, but an arm came around him from behind, locking around his throat. He struggled, trying to keep himself from inhaling the water or he’d drown. Unable to break Sephiroth’s grip, Cloud reached down to his belt and pulled out a dagger. He plunged it into Sephiroth’s arm. The moment he was free, Cloud swam to the surface and gasped for air.

Sephiroth surfaced several feet away. He ignored his bleeding arm and slashed his sword.

Cloud ducked at the last second and realized he had lost his sword when he hit the water. He submerged and searched the bottom of the rocky pool. When he saw it lodged between some rocks, he dove deeper and grabbed it.

Just as he was about to surface, a sharp-toothed fish rushed out from beneath a cropping of rocks and sank its teeth into his arm. Cloud couldn’t shake the fish free, so he pressed it against a rock and impaled it with his sword. The fish loosened its jaws and released him.

When Cloud surfaced, he searched the water for Sephiroth and found him standing beside Jenova. The sight of the creature caressing Sephiroth’s chest infuriated Cloud and he didn’t know why. After sliding his sword in his belt, Cloud swam to the edge of the Mako pool and jumped out. “Let’s finish this!” he growled and drew his sword again

Sephiroth inspected the young man before him, bleeding from various wounds. He wouldn’t last much longer. “By all means, let’s finish this.” He drew his own sword and moved toward him.

Cloud lunged first and was met with steel and an elbow in the face. He swiped a hand over his eyes to clear them of water. He quickly ducked when the sword came at him and plunged his own, catching the side of Sephiroth’s shirt and enough skin to do some damage.

Sephiroth grunted in pain and staggered back. Before he could take another breath, Cloud tackled him to the ground and repeatedly punched his face with the hilt of his sword.

When Sephiroth stopped struggling, Cloud grabbed his opponent’s sword and slowly got to his feet. He placed the tips of both swords against Sephiroth’s throat.

“Go ahead…and kill me,” Sephiroth managed to say between staggered breaths.

“For everything you’ve done to me and my family,” Cloud spat out. “For the lives you took in Icicle Village…in Modeoheim…my crew…” In the back of his mind, Cloud knew all of Sephiroth’s evil deeds were Jenova’s doing. But he couldn’t seem to form a thought coherent enough to stop him from killing the man at his feet. He’s Tifa’s father…If I kill him, she’ll hate me forever. But at least the killings will finally stop. Tifa will understand. She loves me.

A hand appeared on his shoulder and a soft, fragrant breath brushed his ear. “Do it for me…for us.”

Cloud’s mind went blank to everything but her words. His thoughts of Tifa were instantly forgotten. “You will pay for your crimes with your life,” he said to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth’s face revealed a look of relieved defeat. “End it now and rid me of this foul beast.”

“Cloud! No!”

Cloud whirled around, nearly knocking Jenova off her feet in the process.

Standing at the tunnel entrance was Tifa. “Please…” she said, shaking her head. “Please don’t kill him.”

The sight of his beloved pulled Cloud back to his thoughts. The anxious look on her face tugged at his heart. “Tifa…” He took several staggering steps forward.

“What are you doing?” Jenova hissed in his mind. “Turn around and kill him!”

Cloud froze and looked over his shoulder at the man on the ground. “Kill him…”

Tifa shook her head again, her eyes pleading with him. “No, Cloud. Don’t kill him. It’s not his fault. None of it was his fault.”

His feet began to move again toward Tifa.

Jenova moved behind him, her hand touching his back. “Don’t listen to her, Cloud. She’ll ruin everything. She’ll come between us. We can’t have that.”

Cloud stopped again and shook his head, his mind struggling against Jenova’s manipulative power. He ran a frustrated hand through his wet hair.

Tifa didn’t know what he was thinking, but she could see he was struggling with his thoughts. She wondered if the green-skinned woman was speaking to him in his mind. She had to get through to him. “Please, Cloud. I love you.”

Sephiroth fought for some strength. He managed to roll on his side, every movement taking his breath away. His eyes fell on something on the ground several feet away. Cloud’s pistols.

“You can have everything…” Jenova whispered seductively. “And still have her. I will allow it. But you must kill Sephiroth.”

“Kill Sephiroth,” Cloud mumbled hypnotically.

“Yes, you must do this first.”

Tifa blinked back tears as she saw her father crawl to a holster on the ground and pull one of the pistols out. He turned to take aim. She took a tentative step forward. Thinking he meant to kill Cloud, she cried out. “Cloud, look out!”

Both Cloud and Jenova turned just as Sephiroth pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Jenova.

The creature screeched and stared down at the blood seeping out of the hole in her stomach. She clutched at the bleeding wound and stumbled backward, unable to form a clear thought. She turned and hobbled toward the Mako pool. The water was her salvation.

“No!” Sephiroth crawled to his feet and lunged forward, falling on top of her back.

Cloud shook his head and his thoughts instantly cleared. In front of him, Sephiroth had Jenova pinned to the ground as the creature fought and struggled to crawl toward the pool.

“Cloud…” Sephiroth growled. “…her head…”

“Cloud, do something!” Tifa yelled as she ran along the edge of the pool.

Cloud looked at the swords in his hands and frowned. What was he waiting for? Ending Jenova’s life would put an end to her destruction. He dropped Sephiroth’s sword and stepped closer, raising his sword.

Jenova turned her head and looked up at him, her yellow reptilian eyes trying to manipulate him one last time. “No…” she hissed weakly.

The sword came down and her head was separated from the rest of her body. It slowly rolled to the edge of the pool, nearly falling in. Her cold eyes remained open in death.

And her seductive spell was lifted.

Outside in the plains at the center of the volcano, the Sahagins suddenly stopped fighting.

Zack watched them look around as if they didn’t recognize their surroundings. He raised his hand. “Cease fighting!” He spun his horse around to draw the men’s attention. “Cease fighting!”

The fighting stopped. The warriors of Midgar stood perplexed as the Sahagins suddenly began changing right before their eyes.

The bipedal creatures dropped on all fours, their arms and legs shortening and their tails becoming more prominent. At the end of the transformations, the features of the Sahagins no longer resembled their former selves. The intelligence in their eyes was gone. The creatures quickly scrambled away from the humans and sought refuge behind rocks and bushes.

Zack exchanged glances with Vincent, Cid and Barret before the four men quickly headed for the opening at the other side of the field.

Tifa reached the far side of the cavern.

Cloud dropped his weapon. He was still in a daze when Tifa rushed up and threw her arms around him. Reality began to seep back into his mind. It was over. It was finally over. He slowly raised his arms and settled them around Tifa. “She was trying to control me,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“If you hadn’t distracted me, I might have…I almost…”

“It’s alright, Cloud.”

Several minutes passed before he loosened his arms and pulled back to look at her. “What’re you doing here? Why did you come?”

“Because I love you.”

“But you’re not alone?”

“No. Zack, Vincent and the others are here.”

His eyes skimmed over the top of her head. “You cut your hair.”

Tifa bit her lower lip. “I…I…hope you don’t mind.”

Cloud continued looking her over and the corner of his lips curved into a smile. “I…like it.”

She returned his smile. “Really?”

He nodded and pulled her in for a kiss. For an instant his mind focused on another kiss, one he had received before the battle with Sephiroth began. There had been no meaning behind that kiss…no love. The woman now in his arms loved him unconditionally. And he loved her.

A sound beside Tifa jolted her. She pulled away from Cloud and turned to the man lying on the ground. “Papa…” she said affectionately and stepped around the decapitated body of Jenova. She dropped to her knees beside her father, cradling his head in her lap. “Everything’s fine now. That creature is dead.”

“I’ve…I’ve done terrible things…”

“It doesn’t matter. No one will blame you.”

Sephiroth attempted a smile and shook his head. “If that were only true…” He cringed in pain from the wounds Cloud had inflicted.

Cloud frowned at the man in Tifa’s arms.

Sephiroth turned his head and looked up. “Cloud…for…forgive me.” He slowly raised his hand toward him.

Cloud stared at the hand for what seemed like an eternity. This man had killed thousands just for the fun of it, not to mention causing insurmountable grief to so many. Yet none of it was his fault. Jenova had controlled all of his actions, willed him to cause the destruction for her own purposes.

His eyes briefly shifted to Tifa. Her face held an expression of hope. Could he or anyone else forgive Sephiroth for all the suffering he caused? If he didn’t forgive the man, he’d be forcing Tifa to choose.

“Cloud?” she gently prodded.

The End

You’ll still have an epilogue to look forward to.

What will Cloud do? Will he or will he not forgive Sephiroth?