Chapter 7: The Legacy’s Past
(This section will focus on Yazoo as the speaker) I woke up the next morning, and looked on either side of where I slept to make sure Kadaj didn’t run off again. Loz was sound asleep beside me, but Kadaj was missing. I sighed and slipped off the bed “Oh no, not again… don’t me…?” I didn’t finish, because I saw Sephiroth still sitting in the hallway, holding Kadaj in his lap. I decided to go see him and find out if anything happened again that I didn’t see. I asked “Big Brother, she didn’t go all crazy again, did she?” Sephiroth replied “She almost did, but I happened to be awake and stopped her. This happened before?” I nodded and my expression showed concern “Yeah, not only once, but twice. I don’t know why, either. And what’s more, whatever that power is inside of her seems like its too strong for her… she cant control it or force anything about it.” Sephiroth glanced at Kadaj, who was sleeping in his lap, then said “Hmm… if this has happened more than once, I doubt anything about it is coincidence at this point. She’s struggling to contain the powers of her own JENOVA cells, and that’s what makes her act as though Mother herself has temporary control over her body. However, its too soon to suspect if she is acting as Mother’s vessel… it could simply be a lack of control over her JENOVA cells. That does strange things to cetra mind and body. Fortunately it hasn’t caused her any harm, though.” I asked “You really think that’s all it is..?” Sephiroth replied “I suppose… I havent been physically present enough to give a definite answer, though. I need more intel before I can confirm anything about this. It’s my first time seeing this happen, so what I know is not much.” I was shocked “You’ve never seen this happen..?!” Sephiroth answered “Not once. There were always too few of us left to defend Mother, so a lot of work and knowledge altogether came very slow. Every one of us there ever were, were killed by a disgustingly strong man… also the person I hate most. He stole my Mother, stole my Brothers… robbed us of everything we had. And all for what? For his filthy satisfaction, that’s what. Pitiful fool…. Hmph.” Sephiroth suddenly looked angry, and I tried to comfort him “Big Brother, I don’t know what to say… I’m so sorry…” Sephiroth reassured me “Don’t weigh my burdens on yourself, my young Brother. This man is my problem, not yours… at least not yet. But, I’m sorry. Maybe I couldn’t do anything back then, but I can do something now… and I will. I’ll protect you, Kadaj, and Loz from that monster… I promise. Even if it means being defeated, I’ll do what I must to protect what I have left… for Mother’s sake.” I reluctanty asked “The bad man you’re talking about… what’s his name?” Sephiroth sighed and shut his eyes “His name is… Clou—“ He didn’t finish, and groaned angrily under his breath, his expression showing deep fury. I shook my head and apologized “I’m sorry… I wont ask again, Big Brother… let’s just forget about him…” Sephiroth forced himself to calm down, and he shook his head “I like your idea, but I cant… it’s impossible. But I know what I can do. Let’s focus on something else.” Sephiroth took a deep breath as if to calm himself and explained “We have two parts to the legacy’s golden mission: we have to find Mother, and we need to somehow acquire a second Black Materia. Neither task will be easy.” I asked “But Sephiroth, why is Black Materia so rare in the first place?” Sephiroth explained “The Black Materia is legendary, in that it requires unspeakable amounts of mako energy to be created. Most of the time, when this energy is thoroughly condensed, a lesser materia is born from this process, so to speak. But when it comes to rare and extremely powerful ones, it requires twice as much condensing and deeper concentration to a point beyond words. And for this to happen, the energy undergoes a much greater variation of the process, producing a much more powerful materia, also referred to as legendary materia. Most likely, such a thing would only occur at large mako fountain. Checking out the smaller ones wont help us.” I asked more “How many large mako fountains are there anyway?” Sephiroth sighed “Almost none… because Shinra has been exploiting the powers of this energy and using it for their own desires, even small fountains are difficult to come across, as their war on the topic has gone on for many years. It’s difficult to answer that straightforward, but I doubt there’s more than two at this point. Whats worse, I’ve forgotten where they were…” I shook my head “You have got to be kidding me… how much worse will things get for us?” Sephiroth said “It is unfortunate, but as our goals progress, things will only get worse. You cant remain hidden from your enemy the entire time. Especially one like him. If he saw the faces of you and Kadaj and Loz during that Shinra news report… oh no…” I was confused “Whats wrong?” Sephiroth shook his head and closed his eyes, his expression hardened “Then he’ll know I’m back. But for the time being, we should focus on our own work. I’ll take care of eliminating him whenever the time comes. We cant waste time searching for fools when we could be making potentially great progress with the mission. It’s not worth it if it can be avoided.” I nodded, and Kadaj woke up, and noticed Sephiroth was holding her. She giggled happily and hugged him. He gently hugged her, and I saw a warm smile on his face. I couldn’t help smiling, either. Loz eventually got up and approached us too. Kadaj slipped out of Sephiroth’s lap, and he also stood up and returned to his neutral expression. Loz asked “Where are we going today?” Sephiroth replied “Hmm… it’s hard to give that a straight answer. But I’m not certain scouting for a second Black Materia is such a good idea quite yet… it’s too soon.” I said “Then that means we’re gonna keep searching and find out where Mother went. Do you feel anything yet, Big Brother?” Sephiroth stared off as if trying to focus or think, then replied “She’s far away… I’m afraid someone made off with her before we could catch up to them. Someone who is not supposed to have her, of course.” Kadaj asked “Do you know who?” Sephiroth shook his head “No… I cant identify them. Something, or someone… is blocking me. I don’t really get it, but we’ll just have to follow where her traces are. That’s one thing the enemy cant cover up.” Loz moaned “Oh no… the people with the blue suits… don’t tell me they got her! I cant stand them…” Sephiroth said “If the turks got her, I’ll bet they’re expecting us. More than likely, it’s a trap.” Loz complained “Aww what?! Not again!” Sephiroth continued “If the enemy has her, it’s only to be expected that they’re setting us up. They have no other reason to keep her from us other than to ascertain we make direct contact with them. I fear it will become awfully ugly when we show up… but we’ll just have to give it everything we’ve got.” I shook my head in disbelief “No way… what if we don’t make it? Then Mother wont… she’ll be stuck with those horrible guys!” Sephiroth turned to me “We cant go on this mission with that attitude, or we will lose. We have to be brave and keep strong together. And Kadaj, my dear Sister… if the rest of us are to fall short, I’m leaving Mother with you. They wont win, even if they do get us.” Kadaj was confused but seemed slightly emotional “Huh..? What do you mean..?” Sephiroth closed his eyes and shook his head “There’s no explaining it, but you will see for yourself, either way the battle ends. But for now, we should go north… there’s a monument in the far north. I think that’s where she is. But I doubt the journey there will be without a struggle, so stay alert.” Loz asked “And what if they know we’re coming and they take her somewhere else?” I replied “Then we go after them. What else? Just stand there and watch?” Loz groaned angrily at me, and Sephiroth ordered “Quit, you two! This is no time for fighting each other!” Loz moaned as if mildly frightened but obeyed. I kept silent and listened without making a sound. Kadaj laughed under her breath “Umm, sorry about that, Big Brother… they always do that…” Sephiroth understood “It’s fine, don’t worry. I’m used to it, but it’s important for them to stay focused instead of mocking each other and arguing. That’s why I got firm about it. Moving on, let’s go upstairs. We need to go outside and get moving.” Sephiroth led us upstairs, and then we went outside together. He looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, and then he gave us the signal to follow. He began leading us out of old Nibelheim and we began walking through what looked like a ruined train station with old, broken down train cars all around.
Meanwhile, at a house in New Nibelheim…
Cloud happened to glance at the TV while preparing to go outside to travel around, and saw that a Shinra news report was being rebroadcasted. He felt strangely interested and stopped, keeping his attention on what was being discussed “Holy cow… what happened? That floor is a disaster. Nothing human did that.” Then he gasped, as he saw the pictures of three familiar faces displayed on screen, he gasped “No… impossible! I just killed them, and they’re back?” He slammed his fist on the table and paused in a long, difficult silence. He shook his head slowly “This cant be happening… I have to do it again. I have to kill all three of them before Sephiroth comes back…” His expression was tense and he turned back to the TV in another long silence, then said “But they look so much younger, like they’re children… not even 12 years old. What do I do..?” He moaned, feeling a surge of racing and mixed thoughts “They’re just kids..! How am I supposed to do that… how can I kill a child?” He slammed his fist harder on the table “Dang it, Sephiroth! Why?! He’s… he’s forcing me to kill children now! I… I cant… I cant do it…!” Tifa came up from downstairs and tapped his shoulder “Cloud, what’s taking you? You’re usually out by now.” Cloud turned around and glanced at her “Something’s happened… those three young men I fought several days ago, and killed… they’re back.” Tifa gazed in disbelief “No…” Cloud continued “But it’s worse… way worse. They’re just kids! Look at them!” He picked up the remote and rewinded the program for her to see. Tifa watched, and Cloud paused it at the desired point “See?” Tifa said “Oh my god… I don’t believe it… But Cloud, that doesn’t change anything here! You have to go after them!” Cloud shook his head, feeling troubled “I know, but… but I cant do it. I cant kill a child, even if they’re like him…” Tifa shook her head slowly “Cloud…” Cloud asked “Isnt there another way? Besides killing them?” Tifa smiled at him “Well, they are still children. You know what that means, don’t you?” Cloud immediately understood “Right, of course… I’m going out. Stay here, ok? It might be dangerous.” Tifa laughed “Oh, come on. After all this time, do you really think I’m going to do that?” Cloud shrugged “Ah, alright. Let’s go together, then.” Then they went outside together to find the silver haired children they were looking for.
(Back to Sephiroth and the others)
We came to a long, boarded bridge after another town was in sight ahead of us. Sephiroth warned “Alright, my Brothers and Sister. Go slow—this one looks weak.” I asked “You sure it will hold us?” Sephiroth replied “Hopefully. There’s a fast route to the monument through her, an underground path that will take us right to Mother. But keep quiet—the city is occupied, unlike the other places we’ve been. If we are seen, they will react with violent haste. Keep low and stay quiet so we can sneak through without too much of a mess. I will try stealth kills whenever possible to keep from drawing attention, ok? Just stay close.” We nodded and obeyed, and followed him, slowly crossing the bridge. I looked down, and there was lots of white smoke; I couldn’t see the bottom “Ugh… it’s a long way down…” Loz agreed “Yeah, I don’t really wanna go skydiving here… hopefully it holds.” Kadaj asked “Would we even make it that far without dying?” Sephiroth replied “It is pretty far, but stay calm. Nervousness decreases one’s performance. Always remember that rule.” Suddenly, Sephiroth stopped walking and gasped “Oh shoot..! Behind you, my brethren!” He ran past us so fast, he almost seemed to teleport, and took a hit from the big sword of blonde man that. We watched in horror, and Kadaj cried “Big Brother!” She ran to help him, and he said “No, run..! Get away from here! He’s dangerous, Kadaj!” She panicked “No! I’m not going without you!” Sephiroth coughed and warned “I’ll meet you guys, just run… save yourselves..! This man… is a monster! Get away from here!” Kadaj moaned and started crying. She revealed a souba and attacked the blonde man angrily, slashing at him endlessly. He fought her off, but his efforts seemed weak for a grown man. She angrily cried “You big meanie! How could you?!” She wouldn’t stop clashing with him, and he seemed reluctant to fight back, only keeping her from hitting him. Me and Loz ran to help Sephiroth, and I saw he was still alive. He was lying on the ground with his eyes open “I cant believe it… he isnt taking her seriously… it’s so obvious..!” I asked “Are you alright?” Sephiroth mumbled to us “I’ll be ok. I’ve taken worse hits.” He began to stand up, holding his stomach where he appeared to be wounded. I saw a woman with long black hair come into sight, and Sephiroth shook his head in disbelief “That woman too..?! This cant be good… we have to get out of here! Loz, I want you to pull Kadaj away from that man and make for it! We don’t wanna wait around for this!” He obeyed without hesitation, and then quickly picked me up, suddenly recovering, and then jumped the cliff, completely missing the bridge. I began to panic “Sephiroth, what are you doing?! Are you crazy?!” He replied “I have no choice! This is our only escape route! If we cross the bridge, they have an open path to go after us. Trust me on this; I’ve done this before and survived.” Loz came into sight before long, and was falling beside Sephiroth with Kadaj in his arms. We landed sometime later on, and I fell from Sephiroth’s arms. Loz also crash landed close by, and Kadaj fell from his arms. We got up, and I hurried to Sephiroth, who managed to stand up, and seemed unharmed. Kadaj and Loz also got up and seemed to be ok too. Sephiroth held his abdomen and was barely standing. He kept his expression hard, and tried to walk and lead the way. We were now in an area that appeared to be a thick forest of some sort, and I was confused “Uhh… where are we?” Sephiroth replied “I don’t know, but we’ll just have to find a way out of these woods and get back to the bridge, if possible. Agh..!” He fell down, and we rushed to help him. Kadaj asked “Are you ok?” Sephiroth sat against a tree, sitting on the ground. He didn’t respond. Loz shook his head “You don’t look good… Maybe we should stop here for the day?” I agreed “Excellent idea, Loz. Big Brother needs to rest, even if he doesn’t want to… but how are we gonna heal him? He needs help.” Sephiroth interrupted “My wound will heal on its own, thanks to my large mass of JENOVA cells, but it needs at least one day to work...” Kadaj smiled and nodded “That’s ok! We’ll work together and help you out, Big Brother!” We nodded in agreement, and both me and Loz smiled. Sephiroth glanced at all three of us and smiled warmly “You kids… you’re really special. Such courage…” I noticed a glimmer of joy in his eyes when he looked at us. I realized that Sephiroth only smiled like that and had that glow in his eyes when he was around us. I could tell we were really important to him. The rest of that day, we spent time gathering stuff around the woods for dinner, and tried anything we found to help Sephiroth heal up a little faster. We ended up falling asleep in the woods at some point, all sleeping close to each other as a family. Sephiroth fell asleep with a smile on his face that night. I began to feel happy for him that he got to see us and meet his own siblings, even though our situation was very difficult and heavy.
To Be Continued…
(This section will focus on Yazoo as the speaker) I woke up the next morning, and looked on either side of where I slept to make sure Kadaj didn’t run off again. Loz was sound asleep beside me, but Kadaj was missing. I sighed and slipped off the bed “Oh no, not again… don’t me…?” I didn’t finish, because I saw Sephiroth still sitting in the hallway, holding Kadaj in his lap. I decided to go see him and find out if anything happened again that I didn’t see. I asked “Big Brother, she didn’t go all crazy again, did she?” Sephiroth replied “She almost did, but I happened to be awake and stopped her. This happened before?” I nodded and my expression showed concern “Yeah, not only once, but twice. I don’t know why, either. And what’s more, whatever that power is inside of her seems like its too strong for her… she cant control it or force anything about it.” Sephiroth glanced at Kadaj, who was sleeping in his lap, then said “Hmm… if this has happened more than once, I doubt anything about it is coincidence at this point. She’s struggling to contain the powers of her own JENOVA cells, and that’s what makes her act as though Mother herself has temporary control over her body. However, its too soon to suspect if she is acting as Mother’s vessel… it could simply be a lack of control over her JENOVA cells. That does strange things to cetra mind and body. Fortunately it hasn’t caused her any harm, though.” I asked “You really think that’s all it is..?” Sephiroth replied “I suppose… I havent been physically present enough to give a definite answer, though. I need more intel before I can confirm anything about this. It’s my first time seeing this happen, so what I know is not much.” I was shocked “You’ve never seen this happen..?!” Sephiroth answered “Not once. There were always too few of us left to defend Mother, so a lot of work and knowledge altogether came very slow. Every one of us there ever were, were killed by a disgustingly strong man… also the person I hate most. He stole my Mother, stole my Brothers… robbed us of everything we had. And all for what? For his filthy satisfaction, that’s what. Pitiful fool…. Hmph.” Sephiroth suddenly looked angry, and I tried to comfort him “Big Brother, I don’t know what to say… I’m so sorry…” Sephiroth reassured me “Don’t weigh my burdens on yourself, my young Brother. This man is my problem, not yours… at least not yet. But, I’m sorry. Maybe I couldn’t do anything back then, but I can do something now… and I will. I’ll protect you, Kadaj, and Loz from that monster… I promise. Even if it means being defeated, I’ll do what I must to protect what I have left… for Mother’s sake.” I reluctanty asked “The bad man you’re talking about… what’s his name?” Sephiroth sighed and shut his eyes “His name is… Clou—“ He didn’t finish, and groaned angrily under his breath, his expression showing deep fury. I shook my head and apologized “I’m sorry… I wont ask again, Big Brother… let’s just forget about him…” Sephiroth forced himself to calm down, and he shook his head “I like your idea, but I cant… it’s impossible. But I know what I can do. Let’s focus on something else.” Sephiroth took a deep breath as if to calm himself and explained “We have two parts to the legacy’s golden mission: we have to find Mother, and we need to somehow acquire a second Black Materia. Neither task will be easy.” I asked “But Sephiroth, why is Black Materia so rare in the first place?” Sephiroth explained “The Black Materia is legendary, in that it requires unspeakable amounts of mako energy to be created. Most of the time, when this energy is thoroughly condensed, a lesser materia is born from this process, so to speak. But when it comes to rare and extremely powerful ones, it requires twice as much condensing and deeper concentration to a point beyond words. And for this to happen, the energy undergoes a much greater variation of the process, producing a much more powerful materia, also referred to as legendary materia. Most likely, such a thing would only occur at large mako fountain. Checking out the smaller ones wont help us.” I asked more “How many large mako fountains are there anyway?” Sephiroth sighed “Almost none… because Shinra has been exploiting the powers of this energy and using it for their own desires, even small fountains are difficult to come across, as their war on the topic has gone on for many years. It’s difficult to answer that straightforward, but I doubt there’s more than two at this point. Whats worse, I’ve forgotten where they were…” I shook my head “You have got to be kidding me… how much worse will things get for us?” Sephiroth said “It is unfortunate, but as our goals progress, things will only get worse. You cant remain hidden from your enemy the entire time. Especially one like him. If he saw the faces of you and Kadaj and Loz during that Shinra news report… oh no…” I was confused “Whats wrong?” Sephiroth shook his head and closed his eyes, his expression hardened “Then he’ll know I’m back. But for the time being, we should focus on our own work. I’ll take care of eliminating him whenever the time comes. We cant waste time searching for fools when we could be making potentially great progress with the mission. It’s not worth it if it can be avoided.” I nodded, and Kadaj woke up, and noticed Sephiroth was holding her. She giggled happily and hugged him. He gently hugged her, and I saw a warm smile on his face. I couldn’t help smiling, either. Loz eventually got up and approached us too. Kadaj slipped out of Sephiroth’s lap, and he also stood up and returned to his neutral expression. Loz asked “Where are we going today?” Sephiroth replied “Hmm… it’s hard to give that a straight answer. But I’m not certain scouting for a second Black Materia is such a good idea quite yet… it’s too soon.” I said “Then that means we’re gonna keep searching and find out where Mother went. Do you feel anything yet, Big Brother?” Sephiroth stared off as if trying to focus or think, then replied “She’s far away… I’m afraid someone made off with her before we could catch up to them. Someone who is not supposed to have her, of course.” Kadaj asked “Do you know who?” Sephiroth shook his head “No… I cant identify them. Something, or someone… is blocking me. I don’t really get it, but we’ll just have to follow where her traces are. That’s one thing the enemy cant cover up.” Loz moaned “Oh no… the people with the blue suits… don’t tell me they got her! I cant stand them…” Sephiroth said “If the turks got her, I’ll bet they’re expecting us. More than likely, it’s a trap.” Loz complained “Aww what?! Not again!” Sephiroth continued “If the enemy has her, it’s only to be expected that they’re setting us up. They have no other reason to keep her from us other than to ascertain we make direct contact with them. I fear it will become awfully ugly when we show up… but we’ll just have to give it everything we’ve got.” I shook my head in disbelief “No way… what if we don’t make it? Then Mother wont… she’ll be stuck with those horrible guys!” Sephiroth turned to me “We cant go on this mission with that attitude, or we will lose. We have to be brave and keep strong together. And Kadaj, my dear Sister… if the rest of us are to fall short, I’m leaving Mother with you. They wont win, even if they do get us.” Kadaj was confused but seemed slightly emotional “Huh..? What do you mean..?” Sephiroth closed his eyes and shook his head “There’s no explaining it, but you will see for yourself, either way the battle ends. But for now, we should go north… there’s a monument in the far north. I think that’s where she is. But I doubt the journey there will be without a struggle, so stay alert.” Loz asked “And what if they know we’re coming and they take her somewhere else?” I replied “Then we go after them. What else? Just stand there and watch?” Loz groaned angrily at me, and Sephiroth ordered “Quit, you two! This is no time for fighting each other!” Loz moaned as if mildly frightened but obeyed. I kept silent and listened without making a sound. Kadaj laughed under her breath “Umm, sorry about that, Big Brother… they always do that…” Sephiroth understood “It’s fine, don’t worry. I’m used to it, but it’s important for them to stay focused instead of mocking each other and arguing. That’s why I got firm about it. Moving on, let’s go upstairs. We need to go outside and get moving.” Sephiroth led us upstairs, and then we went outside together. He looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, and then he gave us the signal to follow. He began leading us out of old Nibelheim and we began walking through what looked like a ruined train station with old, broken down train cars all around.
Meanwhile, at a house in New Nibelheim…
Cloud happened to glance at the TV while preparing to go outside to travel around, and saw that a Shinra news report was being rebroadcasted. He felt strangely interested and stopped, keeping his attention on what was being discussed “Holy cow… what happened? That floor is a disaster. Nothing human did that.” Then he gasped, as he saw the pictures of three familiar faces displayed on screen, he gasped “No… impossible! I just killed them, and they’re back?” He slammed his fist on the table and paused in a long, difficult silence. He shook his head slowly “This cant be happening… I have to do it again. I have to kill all three of them before Sephiroth comes back…” His expression was tense and he turned back to the TV in another long silence, then said “But they look so much younger, like they’re children… not even 12 years old. What do I do..?” He moaned, feeling a surge of racing and mixed thoughts “They’re just kids..! How am I supposed to do that… how can I kill a child?” He slammed his fist harder on the table “Dang it, Sephiroth! Why?! He’s… he’s forcing me to kill children now! I… I cant… I cant do it…!” Tifa came up from downstairs and tapped his shoulder “Cloud, what’s taking you? You’re usually out by now.” Cloud turned around and glanced at her “Something’s happened… those three young men I fought several days ago, and killed… they’re back.” Tifa gazed in disbelief “No…” Cloud continued “But it’s worse… way worse. They’re just kids! Look at them!” He picked up the remote and rewinded the program for her to see. Tifa watched, and Cloud paused it at the desired point “See?” Tifa said “Oh my god… I don’t believe it… But Cloud, that doesn’t change anything here! You have to go after them!” Cloud shook his head, feeling troubled “I know, but… but I cant do it. I cant kill a child, even if they’re like him…” Tifa shook her head slowly “Cloud…” Cloud asked “Isnt there another way? Besides killing them?” Tifa smiled at him “Well, they are still children. You know what that means, don’t you?” Cloud immediately understood “Right, of course… I’m going out. Stay here, ok? It might be dangerous.” Tifa laughed “Oh, come on. After all this time, do you really think I’m going to do that?” Cloud shrugged “Ah, alright. Let’s go together, then.” Then they went outside together to find the silver haired children they were looking for.
(Back to Sephiroth and the others)
We came to a long, boarded bridge after another town was in sight ahead of us. Sephiroth warned “Alright, my Brothers and Sister. Go slow—this one looks weak.” I asked “You sure it will hold us?” Sephiroth replied “Hopefully. There’s a fast route to the monument through her, an underground path that will take us right to Mother. But keep quiet—the city is occupied, unlike the other places we’ve been. If we are seen, they will react with violent haste. Keep low and stay quiet so we can sneak through without too much of a mess. I will try stealth kills whenever possible to keep from drawing attention, ok? Just stay close.” We nodded and obeyed, and followed him, slowly crossing the bridge. I looked down, and there was lots of white smoke; I couldn’t see the bottom “Ugh… it’s a long way down…” Loz agreed “Yeah, I don’t really wanna go skydiving here… hopefully it holds.” Kadaj asked “Would we even make it that far without dying?” Sephiroth replied “It is pretty far, but stay calm. Nervousness decreases one’s performance. Always remember that rule.” Suddenly, Sephiroth stopped walking and gasped “Oh shoot..! Behind you, my brethren!” He ran past us so fast, he almost seemed to teleport, and took a hit from the big sword of blonde man that. We watched in horror, and Kadaj cried “Big Brother!” She ran to help him, and he said “No, run..! Get away from here! He’s dangerous, Kadaj!” She panicked “No! I’m not going without you!” Sephiroth coughed and warned “I’ll meet you guys, just run… save yourselves..! This man… is a monster! Get away from here!” Kadaj moaned and started crying. She revealed a souba and attacked the blonde man angrily, slashing at him endlessly. He fought her off, but his efforts seemed weak for a grown man. She angrily cried “You big meanie! How could you?!” She wouldn’t stop clashing with him, and he seemed reluctant to fight back, only keeping her from hitting him. Me and Loz ran to help Sephiroth, and I saw he was still alive. He was lying on the ground with his eyes open “I cant believe it… he isnt taking her seriously… it’s so obvious..!” I asked “Are you alright?” Sephiroth mumbled to us “I’ll be ok. I’ve taken worse hits.” He began to stand up, holding his stomach where he appeared to be wounded. I saw a woman with long black hair come into sight, and Sephiroth shook his head in disbelief “That woman too..?! This cant be good… we have to get out of here! Loz, I want you to pull Kadaj away from that man and make for it! We don’t wanna wait around for this!” He obeyed without hesitation, and then quickly picked me up, suddenly recovering, and then jumped the cliff, completely missing the bridge. I began to panic “Sephiroth, what are you doing?! Are you crazy?!” He replied “I have no choice! This is our only escape route! If we cross the bridge, they have an open path to go after us. Trust me on this; I’ve done this before and survived.” Loz came into sight before long, and was falling beside Sephiroth with Kadaj in his arms. We landed sometime later on, and I fell from Sephiroth’s arms. Loz also crash landed close by, and Kadaj fell from his arms. We got up, and I hurried to Sephiroth, who managed to stand up, and seemed unharmed. Kadaj and Loz also got up and seemed to be ok too. Sephiroth held his abdomen and was barely standing. He kept his expression hard, and tried to walk and lead the way. We were now in an area that appeared to be a thick forest of some sort, and I was confused “Uhh… where are we?” Sephiroth replied “I don’t know, but we’ll just have to find a way out of these woods and get back to the bridge, if possible. Agh..!” He fell down, and we rushed to help him. Kadaj asked “Are you ok?” Sephiroth sat against a tree, sitting on the ground. He didn’t respond. Loz shook his head “You don’t look good… Maybe we should stop here for the day?” I agreed “Excellent idea, Loz. Big Brother needs to rest, even if he doesn’t want to… but how are we gonna heal him? He needs help.” Sephiroth interrupted “My wound will heal on its own, thanks to my large mass of JENOVA cells, but it needs at least one day to work...” Kadaj smiled and nodded “That’s ok! We’ll work together and help you out, Big Brother!” We nodded in agreement, and both me and Loz smiled. Sephiroth glanced at all three of us and smiled warmly “You kids… you’re really special. Such courage…” I noticed a glimmer of joy in his eyes when he looked at us. I realized that Sephiroth only smiled like that and had that glow in his eyes when he was around us. I could tell we were really important to him. The rest of that day, we spent time gathering stuff around the woods for dinner, and tried anything we found to help Sephiroth heal up a little faster. We ended up falling asleep in the woods at some point, all sleeping close to each other as a family. Sephiroth fell asleep with a smile on his face that night. I began to feel happy for him that he got to see us and meet his own siblings, even though our situation was very difficult and heavy.
To Be Continued…
