Previously....
Rufus had successfully finished experiments to investigate the new virus that had somehow invaded the kingdom and stricken both Vincent and his son Kadaj. After a thorough discussion with Sephiroth, Rufus focused on his new orders of tracking the energy strains of the virus in order to find out where it came from. Meanwhile, Sephieroth and her gang finished capturing both Ultima and Omega Weapon and were recharging at the Forgotten City, which was now safe to enter thanks to the area being cleaned up. They waited to be told what to do to create Perfect WEAPON, hoping to recover as well as possible before being ordered to meet Rufus so he could create it by fusing both beasts they managed to capture. Yet another war was about to begin.
Chapter 10: Bounce Back
(This section will focus on Sephieroth as the speaker) After two battles against both Ultima and Omega, i was ready to just drop right here and sleep. I could hardly imagine how grueling catching Perfect WEAPON would be after barely beating those two. They were crazy strong; stronger than Cloud Strife was, even. My brothers were also bummed out. None of us wanted another contest against a super boss after that; not for a good while, anyway. I even used my trusty old partner BahamutSIN and it still seemed like forever trying to weaken them enough to catch them. Their resistance to capture was also insane; we literally spent three days straight trying to catch these things without any sleep. We had no choice; it was either keep fighting or get killed. The answer there should be obvious enough; i know i dont have to answer that. Even Brother Sulbio seemed out of it. Yazoo spoke first and started "I hope we dont have to fight Perfect WEAPON tonight.... I need some rest." Sulbio quickly added "Im too tired! I wanna go back to territory!" Loz just yawned, seeming to stagger as though he would sleep where he stood. I sighed and shook my head. Everyone was tired. I had purified the water with my JENOVA cells, but the beasts were so formidable even that wasnt enough to help us recover. I didn't feel any better than my brothers did; i was so tired i didn't even want to talk. All i could think about was sleeping where i am. Loz yawned again and said "I wanna go home, Mother...." Yazoo then said "Did we really catch them..? Did we actually do it..?" Poor Yazoo barely seemed or sounded awake. I didn't know what to do; there was no way driving back would be safe with all of us being too tired like this. I sighed and said "Brothers, we'll just have to camp out here for tonight. If any of us try to drive, we might crash into something and hurt or kill ourselves." None of them even spoke; they all just dropped and fell asleep in a flash. Luckily the water wasn't too deep. I also followed, dropping and falling asleep in seconds.
Several days later, the morning...
I heard a phone ringing nearby. I thought it was in a dream, but i moaned trying to shut it out. Unable to ignore it, i opened my eyes slowly and saw my phone just outside the black water was where the ringing came from. Trying to shake myself awake, I picked it up and answered then said "Mother's Divine Guard, Sephieroth speaking. Whats going on?" I heard Sister Yuffie on the other end say "Hi, Princess. Big Brother tried calling you 15 times the last three days and said you didn't answer once. Mother needs you guys at JENOVA Foundation to fix Brother Vincent and Young Kadaj! What the heck are you guys doing?!" That immediately snapped me out of drowsiness and i replied "What? Three days?!" Yuffie quickly answered "Uh, yeah! What is this, sleep for 100 years doing nothing else? What are you all doing?" I paused before saying "Oh no, we overslept! Don't worry, we're on our way right now!" Yuffie sighed and hung up without answering. I had a feeling she was frustrated with this. I put my phone back in my pocket, then used my power to summon Omega. A white light seemed to flash high above as i reached my arms upwards, followed by a roar that seemed to come from far away. I watched as Omega quickly descended from the sky above, floating just above where i stood. I then said "Omega.... roar." I quickly covered my ears as the beast obeyed, roaring so powerfully it caused a powerful tremor. After a few minutes, it stopped and i lowered my hands. I saw my brothers crying out in surprise, Yazoo screaming as Loz and Sulbio shouted in panic. There was too much noise for me to hear what they were saying, though. Before long, they noticed it was just me trying to wake them up. Sulbio was enraged, approaching me saying "What was that for?! Was that really necessary?!" Yazoo followed him, resting a hand on his shoulder as he said "Calm down. She was just trying to use something loud and strong enough to wake us up." Loz quickly asked "Whats going on?" I then replied "Kadaj and Vincent need our help. I dont know whats wrong, but we have to head for JENOVA Foundation to help them according to Sister Yuffie." Yazoo then added "After we were told to punish him? That doesn't make sense." Loz then said "Whether it makes sense or not, if Mother needs us to do something, that means do it." Sulbio then asked "And did she give an explanation?" I sighed and said "I know it seems out of nowhere, Brothers. But an order is an order. If we get a call, its our job to do whats asked no matter what. We're the Divine Guard, Brothers; Mother expects us to protect her kingdom. We cant turn this down." They each stood in silence. After a brief moment, Yazoo said "You're right, Little Sister. Lets go, Brothers." I immediately led us to our motorbikes, and we each got ready to drive to JENOVA Foundation to see whats going on. I led the way as we drove together. I hoped Mother would not be upset with us for sleeping on the job all those days; we were far too tired to continue and had no choice but to rest where we were. I quickly remembered the SAKUI mission and our next focus of capturing Perfect WEAPON, then signalled Omega to come back. It took off full speed into the sky until it was totally out of sight; a sign it heard my orders before long. I still couldn't believe we slept for three consecutive days after catching those super bosses. It could've been more than that for all i knew. At least nothing too serious seemed to be going on, though. Suddenly, i heard Big Brother's words echo through my mind: If you cant catch Perfect WEAPON, youre no match for SAKUI. If SAKUI was really stronger than these things were, I could only imagine what was ahead of us on this mission. Trying to imagine how much tougher something could be than catching two WEAPON super bosses felt like the unthinkable; it was impossible to imagine. We barely caught those things. I hoped that Big Brother was just being the cocky SOLDIER he always was when he said that rather than being totally serious. I really couldn't see anything being stronger than that.
Later that morning...
After arriving at JENOVA Foundation, we met Big Brother Sephiroth on the top floor where Brother Rufus always worked the master computer. Surprisingly though, both of them stood facing our direction side by side. Rufus also had his weapon out as though he was getting ready to set out and fight. Sephiroth started the conversation by saying "Where were you guys? I sent some employees of the foundation out to find you and they couldn't find anything." I immediately felt embarrassed, my face feeling flushed from knowing we were sleeping on the job for several days. I really didn't want to answer that or give an explanation. I also sensed my brothers behind me were too embarrassed to answer as well; none of us answered that question. I spoke after a moment of silence and said "Its a long story.... but we successfully caught both Ultima and Omega Weapon. Thats the last thing i remember..." Rufus quickly reacted and his eyes lighted up with excitement, then said "You did it?! Excellent! How about i fuse them both to create Perfect WEAPON?" Of course, Brother's excitement and curiosity got the better of him as always; he never waited a minute with things like this. His excitement and curiosity knew no bounds or limits; and that never seemed to change. However, Sephiroth placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Not yet. We have another thing to discuss before you do that. We have to tell them about that virus, Brother." Quickly calming down, Rufus nodded in understanding and began "The reason you were called here concerns a new virus that seems to have invaded Mother's lifestream, and infected both Brother Vincent and Little Brother Kadaj. Yazoo and Loz, as you two know you were asked to venture into the JENOVA Kingdom Outlands to rescue Kadaj and punish Vincent for his actions. What you didn't know was the cause of his violent behavior: he was infected with a virus. Kadaj also seems to have been infected with the very same illness." I heard Yazoo say "Oh no... so it was a misunderstanding?" Sephiroth nodded and said "Correct. Mother and myself were the first to learn of the mysterious illness at Mako Reactor Peak. For this reason, Brother was pardoned and we took our next focus here to the foundation to start research on the issue and learn everything we can before it can become a widespread plague capable of destroying Mother's legacy forever. According to the data Rufus presented to me, the illness destroys the host's JENOVA cells and prevents them from recovering as well. However, he also said it does not prevent external means from permitting recovery. Sister, i need you to take Vincent and Kadaj to Mother's church and attempt to heal them with black water." Feeling confused, i asked "But why me?" Sephiroth quickly answered "Because you're the only one in Mother's Family who has the power to make any pool of water black water. As you know, that water is healing to our kind. We're hoping this will cure them, but there's no guarantee." I nodded in understanding, then said "Will do, but what about the final part of the WEAPON quests? We still need to capture the newly created Perfect WEAPON after Brother fuses those two." Rufus reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a strange looking device that seemed double-bladed with something attached to the back that apparently had JENOVA cells in it. He smiled and said "You leave the fusion to me, Princess. But before i do anything, fix Vincent and Kadaj. Once you've done that, meet me at JENOVA Stratos Tower--at the very top." I heard my brothers cry out in shock behind me. Loz said "Brother! Have you lost your mind? Thats the highest place in the kingdom!" Yazoo sighed and said "Do we have to climb a place so high after barely catching those two..? I finally rested for once too..." Sulbio grumbled and said "Leave it to Brother Rufus to drag us to a place that grueling after we finally got to rest..." Sephiroth seemed confused and said "Whats wrong, Brothers? You all seem so tired all of a sudden..." I had no choice but to spill the beans now and tell Big Brother what happened. I sighed and said "Big Brother, we're still exhausted from fighting Ultima and Omega Weapon. We went three full days fighting them without any rest, and then we stopped at the Forgotten City to get some sleep.... I didn't realize how long we slept until i got that call from Sister Yuffie to report to JENOVA Foundation, and we're still too tired. There's no way we can climb all the way to the top of JENOVA Stratos Tower at this point... we need more time to recover." I felt bad saying all of that, but it was already obvious that we were very tired. There was no hiding it or making up any stories now. Sephiroth sighed and said "I knew it would be too much for you... I didn't want this to happen, but i will just have to assemble a different team to tackle the remainder of the WEAPON quests. We dont have time to waste with the SAKUI problem and its possible connection to that strain of virus we just uncovered." Rufus turned to Sephiroth and said "So you want me to pull the captured beasts from the Princess?" Sephiroth stared downward but didn't respond. After a long pause, he said "We don't have a choice, Brother. I hate to disappoint Mother, but we cant sit and wait with all of these things going on." Rufus nodded, then approached me and placed his hand on my chest. I felt him using his JENOVA cells to pull Ultima and Omega from me as he slowly pulled his hand away, both of the beasts following in the form of two powerfully condensed materia: one was a crimson red, and the other was a mysterious mix of silver and blue. The light coming from them was so strong it was impossible to ignore. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me, and i looked down without saying anything. Before long, I heard Yazoo run towards Rufus from behind, using his JENOVA cells in an attempt to take both materia from him. He quickly said "No! Give them back to her!" Sephiroth suddenly said "Yazoo, what are you doing?" Both Rufus and Yazoo seemed to be having a contest trying to pull the materia away and take it back. Yazoo, pulling as hard as he could, got his gunblade and pointed it at Rufus. He immediately said "Mother wants Little Sister to have Perfect WEAPON--not you!" Sephiroth then added "Have you lost your mind, Brother? If you guys push yourselves any further you will die!" Yazoo quickly replied "Maybe I have, Sephiroth. Maybe I dont know what's ahead or if we'll make it out of that fight. But so what? Little Sister always said to never give up, and thats the attitude i have here! Mother's will is Mother's will; if she wants her to have Perfect WEAPON, then im going to make sure that happens!" Sephiroth sighed and said "You're right... but i cant let you guys go without backup. Im going with you." Suddenly, the lights went out in the room, and we heard Mother's voice say "No, Sephiroth... I am going with them." The room quickly filled with a blinding silver light as everything slowly came back into view. We all gazed in surprise when we found Mother standing between all of us. She appeared to be coated in beautiful silver light and wearing silver armor on several parts of her body; her shoulders, her chest, her legs, and her waist. Her metal silver wings were also booming with silver light, her long silver hair shiny and silky beyond description; Mother appeared as though she was ready to fight! I had never seen her looking so beautiful and strong as she had here; this was beauty beyond words, with an aura of toughness at the same time. Sephiroth walked towards her with a curious stare. Mother turned to him and smiled, then said "As Mother of this planet and queen of this kingdom, I must be ready for anything." Sephiroth kept his gaze on Mother, reaching a hand towards her face as he said "Mother.... I should be too. We'll both go, and help your guard catch Perfect WEAPON." Mother giggled and said "Excellent idea, my son. I highly doubt even they can handle this fight without our help in battle. We're the two strongest ones in the entire kingdom. My guard is no band of weaklings, but they need our help if they want any shot at pinning Perfect WEAPON enough to catch it. Rufus, i want you to join us as well. The rest of us will prepare for battle with the new beast while you go to JENOVA Stratos Tower. Give the materia back to Sephieroth as well--she needs those inside of her. If you fuse the two beasts otherwise, we'll be left without a connection that could possibly reduce the hostility Perfect WEAPON and make it slightly easier to catch. It may not sound like much, but do not be fooled; it is most serious." Rufus nodded and added "Right... if there isnt even a mild connection it can blow you to smithereens with little effort. But with reduced aggression, its less likely to do that." Mother quickly replied "Correct. But that doesn't mean it wont try... Even though she can use that connection to calm or influence the beast in other ways, nothing as formidable as this thing is going to allow an easy victory. In the event that it does begin getting sealed inside of her, we have to act hastily or the energy could overwhelm her body and kill her. Rufus, i expect you know how to prevent her from dying as foundation president." Rufus smiled and said "You know it, Mother. With all of us in the fray, keeping her alive with Perfect Reunion should be much easier and safer. I'll go straight for that tower and wait for everyone as instructed, Mother." Mother smiled at him and turned back to me and my Brothers. Rufus let go of the materia and Yazoo watched as it floated back towards me and entered my body, returning to where it originally was. I smiled back at Mother and said "Thank you, Mother..." After that, we each focused on resting well to prepare for the final WEAPON fight: the contest to win over Perfect WEAPON without me being sacrificed. Given how gruelling catching Ultima and Omega was, I could only imagine what squaring off against Perfect WEAPON would be like. But with Mother and Big Brother joining us for this one, i began seeing a possibility of success.
To be continued...
Rufus had successfully finished experiments to investigate the new virus that had somehow invaded the kingdom and stricken both Vincent and his son Kadaj. After a thorough discussion with Sephiroth, Rufus focused on his new orders of tracking the energy strains of the virus in order to find out where it came from. Meanwhile, Sephieroth and her gang finished capturing both Ultima and Omega Weapon and were recharging at the Forgotten City, which was now safe to enter thanks to the area being cleaned up. They waited to be told what to do to create Perfect WEAPON, hoping to recover as well as possible before being ordered to meet Rufus so he could create it by fusing both beasts they managed to capture. Yet another war was about to begin.
Chapter 10: Bounce Back
(This section will focus on Sephieroth as the speaker) After two battles against both Ultima and Omega, i was ready to just drop right here and sleep. I could hardly imagine how grueling catching Perfect WEAPON would be after barely beating those two. They were crazy strong; stronger than Cloud Strife was, even. My brothers were also bummed out. None of us wanted another contest against a super boss after that; not for a good while, anyway. I even used my trusty old partner BahamutSIN and it still seemed like forever trying to weaken them enough to catch them. Their resistance to capture was also insane; we literally spent three days straight trying to catch these things without any sleep. We had no choice; it was either keep fighting or get killed. The answer there should be obvious enough; i know i dont have to answer that. Even Brother Sulbio seemed out of it. Yazoo spoke first and started "I hope we dont have to fight Perfect WEAPON tonight.... I need some rest." Sulbio quickly added "Im too tired! I wanna go back to territory!" Loz just yawned, seeming to stagger as though he would sleep where he stood. I sighed and shook my head. Everyone was tired. I had purified the water with my JENOVA cells, but the beasts were so formidable even that wasnt enough to help us recover. I didn't feel any better than my brothers did; i was so tired i didn't even want to talk. All i could think about was sleeping where i am. Loz yawned again and said "I wanna go home, Mother...." Yazoo then said "Did we really catch them..? Did we actually do it..?" Poor Yazoo barely seemed or sounded awake. I didn't know what to do; there was no way driving back would be safe with all of us being too tired like this. I sighed and said "Brothers, we'll just have to camp out here for tonight. If any of us try to drive, we might crash into something and hurt or kill ourselves." None of them even spoke; they all just dropped and fell asleep in a flash. Luckily the water wasn't too deep. I also followed, dropping and falling asleep in seconds.
Several days later, the morning...
I heard a phone ringing nearby. I thought it was in a dream, but i moaned trying to shut it out. Unable to ignore it, i opened my eyes slowly and saw my phone just outside the black water was where the ringing came from. Trying to shake myself awake, I picked it up and answered then said "Mother's Divine Guard, Sephieroth speaking. Whats going on?" I heard Sister Yuffie on the other end say "Hi, Princess. Big Brother tried calling you 15 times the last three days and said you didn't answer once. Mother needs you guys at JENOVA Foundation to fix Brother Vincent and Young Kadaj! What the heck are you guys doing?!" That immediately snapped me out of drowsiness and i replied "What? Three days?!" Yuffie quickly answered "Uh, yeah! What is this, sleep for 100 years doing nothing else? What are you all doing?" I paused before saying "Oh no, we overslept! Don't worry, we're on our way right now!" Yuffie sighed and hung up without answering. I had a feeling she was frustrated with this. I put my phone back in my pocket, then used my power to summon Omega. A white light seemed to flash high above as i reached my arms upwards, followed by a roar that seemed to come from far away. I watched as Omega quickly descended from the sky above, floating just above where i stood. I then said "Omega.... roar." I quickly covered my ears as the beast obeyed, roaring so powerfully it caused a powerful tremor. After a few minutes, it stopped and i lowered my hands. I saw my brothers crying out in surprise, Yazoo screaming as Loz and Sulbio shouted in panic. There was too much noise for me to hear what they were saying, though. Before long, they noticed it was just me trying to wake them up. Sulbio was enraged, approaching me saying "What was that for?! Was that really necessary?!" Yazoo followed him, resting a hand on his shoulder as he said "Calm down. She was just trying to use something loud and strong enough to wake us up." Loz quickly asked "Whats going on?" I then replied "Kadaj and Vincent need our help. I dont know whats wrong, but we have to head for JENOVA Foundation to help them according to Sister Yuffie." Yazoo then added "After we were told to punish him? That doesn't make sense." Loz then said "Whether it makes sense or not, if Mother needs us to do something, that means do it." Sulbio then asked "And did she give an explanation?" I sighed and said "I know it seems out of nowhere, Brothers. But an order is an order. If we get a call, its our job to do whats asked no matter what. We're the Divine Guard, Brothers; Mother expects us to protect her kingdom. We cant turn this down." They each stood in silence. After a brief moment, Yazoo said "You're right, Little Sister. Lets go, Brothers." I immediately led us to our motorbikes, and we each got ready to drive to JENOVA Foundation to see whats going on. I led the way as we drove together. I hoped Mother would not be upset with us for sleeping on the job all those days; we were far too tired to continue and had no choice but to rest where we were. I quickly remembered the SAKUI mission and our next focus of capturing Perfect WEAPON, then signalled Omega to come back. It took off full speed into the sky until it was totally out of sight; a sign it heard my orders before long. I still couldn't believe we slept for three consecutive days after catching those super bosses. It could've been more than that for all i knew. At least nothing too serious seemed to be going on, though. Suddenly, i heard Big Brother's words echo through my mind: If you cant catch Perfect WEAPON, youre no match for SAKUI. If SAKUI was really stronger than these things were, I could only imagine what was ahead of us on this mission. Trying to imagine how much tougher something could be than catching two WEAPON super bosses felt like the unthinkable; it was impossible to imagine. We barely caught those things. I hoped that Big Brother was just being the cocky SOLDIER he always was when he said that rather than being totally serious. I really couldn't see anything being stronger than that.
Later that morning...
After arriving at JENOVA Foundation, we met Big Brother Sephiroth on the top floor where Brother Rufus always worked the master computer. Surprisingly though, both of them stood facing our direction side by side. Rufus also had his weapon out as though he was getting ready to set out and fight. Sephiroth started the conversation by saying "Where were you guys? I sent some employees of the foundation out to find you and they couldn't find anything." I immediately felt embarrassed, my face feeling flushed from knowing we were sleeping on the job for several days. I really didn't want to answer that or give an explanation. I also sensed my brothers behind me were too embarrassed to answer as well; none of us answered that question. I spoke after a moment of silence and said "Its a long story.... but we successfully caught both Ultima and Omega Weapon. Thats the last thing i remember..." Rufus quickly reacted and his eyes lighted up with excitement, then said "You did it?! Excellent! How about i fuse them both to create Perfect WEAPON?" Of course, Brother's excitement and curiosity got the better of him as always; he never waited a minute with things like this. His excitement and curiosity knew no bounds or limits; and that never seemed to change. However, Sephiroth placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Not yet. We have another thing to discuss before you do that. We have to tell them about that virus, Brother." Quickly calming down, Rufus nodded in understanding and began "The reason you were called here concerns a new virus that seems to have invaded Mother's lifestream, and infected both Brother Vincent and Little Brother Kadaj. Yazoo and Loz, as you two know you were asked to venture into the JENOVA Kingdom Outlands to rescue Kadaj and punish Vincent for his actions. What you didn't know was the cause of his violent behavior: he was infected with a virus. Kadaj also seems to have been infected with the very same illness." I heard Yazoo say "Oh no... so it was a misunderstanding?" Sephiroth nodded and said "Correct. Mother and myself were the first to learn of the mysterious illness at Mako Reactor Peak. For this reason, Brother was pardoned and we took our next focus here to the foundation to start research on the issue and learn everything we can before it can become a widespread plague capable of destroying Mother's legacy forever. According to the data Rufus presented to me, the illness destroys the host's JENOVA cells and prevents them from recovering as well. However, he also said it does not prevent external means from permitting recovery. Sister, i need you to take Vincent and Kadaj to Mother's church and attempt to heal them with black water." Feeling confused, i asked "But why me?" Sephiroth quickly answered "Because you're the only one in Mother's Family who has the power to make any pool of water black water. As you know, that water is healing to our kind. We're hoping this will cure them, but there's no guarantee." I nodded in understanding, then said "Will do, but what about the final part of the WEAPON quests? We still need to capture the newly created Perfect WEAPON after Brother fuses those two." Rufus reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a strange looking device that seemed double-bladed with something attached to the back that apparently had JENOVA cells in it. He smiled and said "You leave the fusion to me, Princess. But before i do anything, fix Vincent and Kadaj. Once you've done that, meet me at JENOVA Stratos Tower--at the very top." I heard my brothers cry out in shock behind me. Loz said "Brother! Have you lost your mind? Thats the highest place in the kingdom!" Yazoo sighed and said "Do we have to climb a place so high after barely catching those two..? I finally rested for once too..." Sulbio grumbled and said "Leave it to Brother Rufus to drag us to a place that grueling after we finally got to rest..." Sephiroth seemed confused and said "Whats wrong, Brothers? You all seem so tired all of a sudden..." I had no choice but to spill the beans now and tell Big Brother what happened. I sighed and said "Big Brother, we're still exhausted from fighting Ultima and Omega Weapon. We went three full days fighting them without any rest, and then we stopped at the Forgotten City to get some sleep.... I didn't realize how long we slept until i got that call from Sister Yuffie to report to JENOVA Foundation, and we're still too tired. There's no way we can climb all the way to the top of JENOVA Stratos Tower at this point... we need more time to recover." I felt bad saying all of that, but it was already obvious that we were very tired. There was no hiding it or making up any stories now. Sephiroth sighed and said "I knew it would be too much for you... I didn't want this to happen, but i will just have to assemble a different team to tackle the remainder of the WEAPON quests. We dont have time to waste with the SAKUI problem and its possible connection to that strain of virus we just uncovered." Rufus turned to Sephiroth and said "So you want me to pull the captured beasts from the Princess?" Sephiroth stared downward but didn't respond. After a long pause, he said "We don't have a choice, Brother. I hate to disappoint Mother, but we cant sit and wait with all of these things going on." Rufus nodded, then approached me and placed his hand on my chest. I felt him using his JENOVA cells to pull Ultima and Omega from me as he slowly pulled his hand away, both of the beasts following in the form of two powerfully condensed materia: one was a crimson red, and the other was a mysterious mix of silver and blue. The light coming from them was so strong it was impossible to ignore. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me, and i looked down without saying anything. Before long, I heard Yazoo run towards Rufus from behind, using his JENOVA cells in an attempt to take both materia from him. He quickly said "No! Give them back to her!" Sephiroth suddenly said "Yazoo, what are you doing?" Both Rufus and Yazoo seemed to be having a contest trying to pull the materia away and take it back. Yazoo, pulling as hard as he could, got his gunblade and pointed it at Rufus. He immediately said "Mother wants Little Sister to have Perfect WEAPON--not you!" Sephiroth then added "Have you lost your mind, Brother? If you guys push yourselves any further you will die!" Yazoo quickly replied "Maybe I have, Sephiroth. Maybe I dont know what's ahead or if we'll make it out of that fight. But so what? Little Sister always said to never give up, and thats the attitude i have here! Mother's will is Mother's will; if she wants her to have Perfect WEAPON, then im going to make sure that happens!" Sephiroth sighed and said "You're right... but i cant let you guys go without backup. Im going with you." Suddenly, the lights went out in the room, and we heard Mother's voice say "No, Sephiroth... I am going with them." The room quickly filled with a blinding silver light as everything slowly came back into view. We all gazed in surprise when we found Mother standing between all of us. She appeared to be coated in beautiful silver light and wearing silver armor on several parts of her body; her shoulders, her chest, her legs, and her waist. Her metal silver wings were also booming with silver light, her long silver hair shiny and silky beyond description; Mother appeared as though she was ready to fight! I had never seen her looking so beautiful and strong as she had here; this was beauty beyond words, with an aura of toughness at the same time. Sephiroth walked towards her with a curious stare. Mother turned to him and smiled, then said "As Mother of this planet and queen of this kingdom, I must be ready for anything." Sephiroth kept his gaze on Mother, reaching a hand towards her face as he said "Mother.... I should be too. We'll both go, and help your guard catch Perfect WEAPON." Mother giggled and said "Excellent idea, my son. I highly doubt even they can handle this fight without our help in battle. We're the two strongest ones in the entire kingdom. My guard is no band of weaklings, but they need our help if they want any shot at pinning Perfect WEAPON enough to catch it. Rufus, i want you to join us as well. The rest of us will prepare for battle with the new beast while you go to JENOVA Stratos Tower. Give the materia back to Sephieroth as well--she needs those inside of her. If you fuse the two beasts otherwise, we'll be left without a connection that could possibly reduce the hostility Perfect WEAPON and make it slightly easier to catch. It may not sound like much, but do not be fooled; it is most serious." Rufus nodded and added "Right... if there isnt even a mild connection it can blow you to smithereens with little effort. But with reduced aggression, its less likely to do that." Mother quickly replied "Correct. But that doesn't mean it wont try... Even though she can use that connection to calm or influence the beast in other ways, nothing as formidable as this thing is going to allow an easy victory. In the event that it does begin getting sealed inside of her, we have to act hastily or the energy could overwhelm her body and kill her. Rufus, i expect you know how to prevent her from dying as foundation president." Rufus smiled and said "You know it, Mother. With all of us in the fray, keeping her alive with Perfect Reunion should be much easier and safer. I'll go straight for that tower and wait for everyone as instructed, Mother." Mother smiled at him and turned back to me and my Brothers. Rufus let go of the materia and Yazoo watched as it floated back towards me and entered my body, returning to where it originally was. I smiled back at Mother and said "Thank you, Mother..." After that, we each focused on resting well to prepare for the final WEAPON fight: the contest to win over Perfect WEAPON without me being sacrificed. Given how gruelling catching Ultima and Omega was, I could only imagine what squaring off against Perfect WEAPON would be like. But with Mother and Big Brother joining us for this one, i began seeing a possibility of success.
To be continued...
