Previously...
Tifa and Loz were enjoying leisurely time together, having dinner in Tifa's house and enjoying a friendly chat. After the meal was over, they both agreed to head for JENOVA Kingdom Outlands to train and get stronger as a team. However, what they thought was a normal and casual day quickly turned into surprise and then tragedy on the loose. After encountering JENBU and watching him fly away to find and help JENOVA bring down the enemy, both of them agreed to help JENBU and the rest of the family eliminate the threat on the run to protect JENOVA's Kingdom and Family from disaster. Now, everyone in JENOVA's Divine Guard was alert to SAKUI's invasion and doing everything they could to protect the kingdom from disaster and ruin. However, Sephiroth never knew the surprise he would see while trying to find SAKUI.
Chapter 18: JENOVA Alliance
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) I had been flying around the kingdom for what felt like hours and hours. Yet despite that, i didn't see even a hint of SAKUI anywhere. Had he escaped and decided to take an emergency exit with both me and Mother after him? I wanted to believe that, but i highly doubted that was true. If SAKUI is out for blood, he's not going to back down without a fight. Especially since he knows Mother is still alive and unharmed. I called out to Mother telepathically "Mother, any sign of him?" She quickly answered "No, not a thing. I dont see any obvious signs of a struggle anywhere, either. But regardless, don't pull out yet. He may be attempting a deadly surprise here, and we must be ready for that. I've received intel from the foundation from Rufus. He told me there are some odd devices that were brought in by Yuffie and Yazoo that supposedly controlled their kids until removed. He also stated specifically that these things make the victim act violent for no apparent reason, which leads us both to assume the machines use a special signal to control the person wearing them. More than likely, these machines disrupt the function of my cells completely, which is why the one wearing them acts so mindlessly. If something blocks my cells in my children, things can get ugly in a hurry." I felt my eyes widen a bit and said "I dont like the sounds of that. Did these kill them?" Mother replied "Thankfully, no. Both Kadaj and Kaibu weren't seriously harmed, but were quite frightened after having them removed according to the reports Rufus has gotten." I asked "Is there any way to prevent them working?" Mother answered "Rufus is currently developing a special device that is supposed to use the power of my Infinite Reunion to keep them from working. If the machine works properly, the effects of those horrid things will be nullified." I paused in silence, then said "That sounds promising. Hopefully this experiment is successful too." Mother giggled, then said "He will do his best, my son. You know he pours his heart into science to keep the kingdom safe." I felt Mother's joy and smiled; she was right. Rufus loved being the JENOVA Foundation President. He certainly did it well, and that kept the kingdom in safe hands with Mother's all-knowing and unblinking eye. We had powerful defense, that was for certain. Before i could speak, Mother said "Sephiroth, I've gotten word from Rufus that SAKUI is approaching JENOVA Foundation." Surprised, i replied "What? But he can't even infiltrate the labs or the control room without authorization... so why there?" Mother continued "It could be a distraction on his end, attempting to scare us into hurrying there before he is." I added "So in other words, its a trap." Mother seemed to feel faint joy and said "Absolutely. Its no guarantee, but what you say is very likely. I will send Yazoo there and hope the trap isnt too deadly. I want you to give Loz and Tifa a hand. They know whats going on but they'll never keep up traveling by foot. I will issue lockdown on the entire kingdom to prevent things from getting out of control." I nodded, then said "Got it. Where are they?" Mother answered "They're a little ways off, but you can reach them in no time with your wing. I've pinpointed their coordinates. I'll send them to you telepathically." After that, i turned around and flew full speed for the JENOVA Field where Loz and Tifa supposedly were. I found them within minutes and landed directly in front of them. Tifa began "Big Brother? What are you doing here?" Glancing at Tifa, I said "Mother sent me here to help you two catch up. She has the kingdom on lockdown to protect the family, but the enemy is still out there roaming the kingdom. As Mother's children and some of her strongest ones, it falls on us to neutralize the enemy to our fullest extent." Tifa smiled and nodded in agreement. Loz seemed lost in thought, then said "So where is this guy? We cant let him roam free. I haven't encountered him, but i have bad feeling he's a major case." I added "What you say is true, Brother. I have also gotten reports from Mother saying that this guy is also immortal and unkillable by ordinary means." Tifa balled her fists and said "But there must be a way to bring him down. He has to have a weakness where his immortality is useless." I replied "Agreed. This case is worse than the Shinra crisis. This enemy can use chips and collars that can attach to us and block the function of our JENOVA cells, causing the victim to act mindlessly; often in a violent manner, even against our own kind. As you both can imagine, that is a most serious threat. However, Brother Rufus is developing something that will use Mother's Infinite Reunion to prevent these nasty things from working. In the meantime though, we must do all we can to keep him from making a mess of the kingdom." Loz moaned as though sad and cried quietly. Tifa put a hand on his shoulder and said "Don't cry, Loz. We have to keep fighting and bring this monster down; and we can't give up." Loz tried to force his tears aside, and smiled. Tifa laughed and said "That's the spirit! Its not over yet, Brother!" Loz looked elsewhere and seemed to blush. I knew he was trying to hide his feelings even though he respected and maybe even loved her. Tifa asked "Whats that?" Of course, Loz looked in several directions with his weapon ready, and Tifa continued "Just kidding!" Loz turned back to her, giving a frustrated but playful look and said "Hey, dont do that! I thought something was really coming!" He seemed a bit flustered and Tifa continued her laughter. I couldn't help but smile at all of it. She was being tricky in order to get his attention and keep him in spirits at the same time. Even if he really was a bit angry, i knew she was trying to cheer him up. I actually laughed a bit at all of this. Loz complained "Hey, no fair! I was playing a different game!" Both me and Tifa laughed even more. Loz smiled and shook his head. After calming down, we got back to focus. I started "Anyway, Mother wanted me to help you two travel faster. I know you have your super speed ability, Tifa. But if you use it too much your JENOVA cells will exhaust. This is not a time for us to lose a powerful person like you, so please come with me for the time being." She nodded, then said "No problem. How can you hold both of us on your back though?" I smiled and answered "I don't need to." They both seemed confused. I lifted my hand and attached my JENOVA cells to each of them, then bolted my wing and flew with both of them close by. Realizing what i did, Loz said "Whoa! You can even help us fly with Mother's cells?" I answered "I sure can. Im one of the few of Mother's children powerful enough to safely do it, though." Tifa added "Thats amazing, Big Brother. You can handle enough JENOVA cells to even do this?" I nodded in response. Remembering Mother's words, i spoke to her telepathically "I've got them, Mother. How's lookout going for Yazoo?" Mother answered "He's arrived at the foundation entrance, but as suspected SAKUI's a no-show." I added "So now what?" Mother continued "I want you to meet him there to act as backup. I will ask Sephieroth to find SAKUI and have you ambush him with haste. If that doesn't work, we'll regroup and come up with plan B." I answered "Understood, Mother." I began setting a course for JENOVA Foundation to support Yazoo. Out of nowhere, I saw someone fly above me. I thought it was Little Sister, but took notice of someone flying near us who looked almost exactly like Mother. My eyes widened as i barely made out "Father JENBU..?!" He smiled and his eye gave me a reassuring glance. I smiled, knowing it really was him. He started "You seem strong and quite healthy, my son. JENOVA did a fine job raising you despite the Shinra interference. Let's clean up this mess and fix everything, Sephiroth!" I smiled and said "With pleasure, Father!" We focused our route on JENOVA Foundation together. I felt at great ease all of a sudden. SAKUI may be back, but so is Father JENBU! JENBU was still alive and in great condition by the looks of it. I had a hunch SAKUI would be very unhappy with all of us and Mother and Father on his back like this. I had felt the greatest strength id felt in my life: like i could defeat anything no matter the challenge. I felt like nearly anything was possible now and that SAKUI didn't stand a chance. Suddenly, i had another vision. Like all the previous ones, i stood behind Little Sister, our backs to each other, my wing gently brushing hers. I heard her giggle and say "See? Doesn't it feel better when everyone is trying to help too?" I smiled but kept silent. She continued "Remember, Sephiroth: you may be the one, but you aren't the only one. Everyone wants the same outcome as you do, and thats why we're acting as one." We stood in strange but blissful silence for several minutes. Sephieroth giggled and said "You cant win alone, but with the family having the same goal, nearly anything is possible. Just remember: never give up, Big Brother." Then the vision faded, and i thought Let's do this, Father.
To be continued...
Tifa and Loz were enjoying leisurely time together, having dinner in Tifa's house and enjoying a friendly chat. After the meal was over, they both agreed to head for JENOVA Kingdom Outlands to train and get stronger as a team. However, what they thought was a normal and casual day quickly turned into surprise and then tragedy on the loose. After encountering JENBU and watching him fly away to find and help JENOVA bring down the enemy, both of them agreed to help JENBU and the rest of the family eliminate the threat on the run to protect JENOVA's Kingdom and Family from disaster. Now, everyone in JENOVA's Divine Guard was alert to SAKUI's invasion and doing everything they could to protect the kingdom from disaster and ruin. However, Sephiroth never knew the surprise he would see while trying to find SAKUI.
Chapter 18: JENOVA Alliance
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) I had been flying around the kingdom for what felt like hours and hours. Yet despite that, i didn't see even a hint of SAKUI anywhere. Had he escaped and decided to take an emergency exit with both me and Mother after him? I wanted to believe that, but i highly doubted that was true. If SAKUI is out for blood, he's not going to back down without a fight. Especially since he knows Mother is still alive and unharmed. I called out to Mother telepathically "Mother, any sign of him?" She quickly answered "No, not a thing. I dont see any obvious signs of a struggle anywhere, either. But regardless, don't pull out yet. He may be attempting a deadly surprise here, and we must be ready for that. I've received intel from the foundation from Rufus. He told me there are some odd devices that were brought in by Yuffie and Yazoo that supposedly controlled their kids until removed. He also stated specifically that these things make the victim act violent for no apparent reason, which leads us both to assume the machines use a special signal to control the person wearing them. More than likely, these machines disrupt the function of my cells completely, which is why the one wearing them acts so mindlessly. If something blocks my cells in my children, things can get ugly in a hurry." I felt my eyes widen a bit and said "I dont like the sounds of that. Did these kill them?" Mother replied "Thankfully, no. Both Kadaj and Kaibu weren't seriously harmed, but were quite frightened after having them removed according to the reports Rufus has gotten." I asked "Is there any way to prevent them working?" Mother answered "Rufus is currently developing a special device that is supposed to use the power of my Infinite Reunion to keep them from working. If the machine works properly, the effects of those horrid things will be nullified." I paused in silence, then said "That sounds promising. Hopefully this experiment is successful too." Mother giggled, then said "He will do his best, my son. You know he pours his heart into science to keep the kingdom safe." I felt Mother's joy and smiled; she was right. Rufus loved being the JENOVA Foundation President. He certainly did it well, and that kept the kingdom in safe hands with Mother's all-knowing and unblinking eye. We had powerful defense, that was for certain. Before i could speak, Mother said "Sephiroth, I've gotten word from Rufus that SAKUI is approaching JENOVA Foundation." Surprised, i replied "What? But he can't even infiltrate the labs or the control room without authorization... so why there?" Mother continued "It could be a distraction on his end, attempting to scare us into hurrying there before he is." I added "So in other words, its a trap." Mother seemed to feel faint joy and said "Absolutely. Its no guarantee, but what you say is very likely. I will send Yazoo there and hope the trap isnt too deadly. I want you to give Loz and Tifa a hand. They know whats going on but they'll never keep up traveling by foot. I will issue lockdown on the entire kingdom to prevent things from getting out of control." I nodded, then said "Got it. Where are they?" Mother answered "They're a little ways off, but you can reach them in no time with your wing. I've pinpointed their coordinates. I'll send them to you telepathically." After that, i turned around and flew full speed for the JENOVA Field where Loz and Tifa supposedly were. I found them within minutes and landed directly in front of them. Tifa began "Big Brother? What are you doing here?" Glancing at Tifa, I said "Mother sent me here to help you two catch up. She has the kingdom on lockdown to protect the family, but the enemy is still out there roaming the kingdom. As Mother's children and some of her strongest ones, it falls on us to neutralize the enemy to our fullest extent." Tifa smiled and nodded in agreement. Loz seemed lost in thought, then said "So where is this guy? We cant let him roam free. I haven't encountered him, but i have bad feeling he's a major case." I added "What you say is true, Brother. I have also gotten reports from Mother saying that this guy is also immortal and unkillable by ordinary means." Tifa balled her fists and said "But there must be a way to bring him down. He has to have a weakness where his immortality is useless." I replied "Agreed. This case is worse than the Shinra crisis. This enemy can use chips and collars that can attach to us and block the function of our JENOVA cells, causing the victim to act mindlessly; often in a violent manner, even against our own kind. As you both can imagine, that is a most serious threat. However, Brother Rufus is developing something that will use Mother's Infinite Reunion to prevent these nasty things from working. In the meantime though, we must do all we can to keep him from making a mess of the kingdom." Loz moaned as though sad and cried quietly. Tifa put a hand on his shoulder and said "Don't cry, Loz. We have to keep fighting and bring this monster down; and we can't give up." Loz tried to force his tears aside, and smiled. Tifa laughed and said "That's the spirit! Its not over yet, Brother!" Loz looked elsewhere and seemed to blush. I knew he was trying to hide his feelings even though he respected and maybe even loved her. Tifa asked "Whats that?" Of course, Loz looked in several directions with his weapon ready, and Tifa continued "Just kidding!" Loz turned back to her, giving a frustrated but playful look and said "Hey, dont do that! I thought something was really coming!" He seemed a bit flustered and Tifa continued her laughter. I couldn't help but smile at all of it. She was being tricky in order to get his attention and keep him in spirits at the same time. Even if he really was a bit angry, i knew she was trying to cheer him up. I actually laughed a bit at all of this. Loz complained "Hey, no fair! I was playing a different game!" Both me and Tifa laughed even more. Loz smiled and shook his head. After calming down, we got back to focus. I started "Anyway, Mother wanted me to help you two travel faster. I know you have your super speed ability, Tifa. But if you use it too much your JENOVA cells will exhaust. This is not a time for us to lose a powerful person like you, so please come with me for the time being." She nodded, then said "No problem. How can you hold both of us on your back though?" I smiled and answered "I don't need to." They both seemed confused. I lifted my hand and attached my JENOVA cells to each of them, then bolted my wing and flew with both of them close by. Realizing what i did, Loz said "Whoa! You can even help us fly with Mother's cells?" I answered "I sure can. Im one of the few of Mother's children powerful enough to safely do it, though." Tifa added "Thats amazing, Big Brother. You can handle enough JENOVA cells to even do this?" I nodded in response. Remembering Mother's words, i spoke to her telepathically "I've got them, Mother. How's lookout going for Yazoo?" Mother answered "He's arrived at the foundation entrance, but as suspected SAKUI's a no-show." I added "So now what?" Mother continued "I want you to meet him there to act as backup. I will ask Sephieroth to find SAKUI and have you ambush him with haste. If that doesn't work, we'll regroup and come up with plan B." I answered "Understood, Mother." I began setting a course for JENOVA Foundation to support Yazoo. Out of nowhere, I saw someone fly above me. I thought it was Little Sister, but took notice of someone flying near us who looked almost exactly like Mother. My eyes widened as i barely made out "Father JENBU..?!" He smiled and his eye gave me a reassuring glance. I smiled, knowing it really was him. He started "You seem strong and quite healthy, my son. JENOVA did a fine job raising you despite the Shinra interference. Let's clean up this mess and fix everything, Sephiroth!" I smiled and said "With pleasure, Father!" We focused our route on JENOVA Foundation together. I felt at great ease all of a sudden. SAKUI may be back, but so is Father JENBU! JENBU was still alive and in great condition by the looks of it. I had a hunch SAKUI would be very unhappy with all of us and Mother and Father on his back like this. I had felt the greatest strength id felt in my life: like i could defeat anything no matter the challenge. I felt like nearly anything was possible now and that SAKUI didn't stand a chance. Suddenly, i had another vision. Like all the previous ones, i stood behind Little Sister, our backs to each other, my wing gently brushing hers. I heard her giggle and say "See? Doesn't it feel better when everyone is trying to help too?" I smiled but kept silent. She continued "Remember, Sephiroth: you may be the one, but you aren't the only one. Everyone wants the same outcome as you do, and thats why we're acting as one." We stood in strange but blissful silence for several minutes. Sephieroth giggled and said "You cant win alone, but with the family having the same goal, nearly anything is possible. Just remember: never give up, Big Brother." Then the vision faded, and i thought Let's do this, Father.
To be continued...
