Chapter 29: The Ultimate Reunion
(This section will focus on Sephieroth/Kadaj as the speaker) Aerith had been training me for days, teaching me how to use the powers of Mother's lifestream to achieve various goals. The days became what felt like weeks, and I returned to her throne room where I asked her to teach me everything she knows about bending the energies of Mother's lifestream and using them to contact living members of Mother's family in JENOVA Kingdom. The day was almost over, and it was time for me and her to rest in Mother's healing light to prepare for another day of training. Aerith approached me and said "How is practice coming along, Kadaj?" I replied "It's a little tricky since its a big change of abilities, but I want to keep doing my best. I was one of Mother's remnants, so this celestial sort of abilities isn't my strongest subject... but I said I'd try until I get it right, so that's what I'm doing!" Aerith smiled and said "That's the spirit! What made you want to learn all my abilities, though?" I stood up and turned to her, then said "I thought if I got a better understanding of how to commune with Mother's lifestream and connect to others on the Planet, maybe I could find a way to limit break the boundaries between the two." Aerith replied "Oh, I see. That's extremely difficult to do, Kadaj. Even I haven't succeeded doing that. Are you sure you can do it?" I sighed, then said "I don't know if I can master that either, Sister Aerith... but I'm going to try anyway. If I can breach dimensions like that, I could freely travel from here to JENOVA Kingdom as I please. You wouldn't be alone anymore, and Mother would still get to see me too. That's why I'm going to attempt the move anyway, even if it is a monster to have any results with." Aerith added "I love your enthusiasm, Kadaj... but I won't be able to help you with that ability very much, having failed it numerous times myself." I suddenly said "I wonder if Mother has done it before? I'll ask her myself and find out." I kneeled down, putting my hands together and closing my eyes. I used the energy of Mother's lifestream to connect with Mother and said "Mother, how are you?" I heard her giggle and say "Kadaj, my youngest! It's been so long... I'm all well, but your Brothers are having problems finding a way to bring you back to my Planet. Even I haven't found a hint yet... how are you and Aerith?" I replied "We're ok, we've been training really hard together to help me commune with your lifestream effectively. About my Brothers and coming back, though... that's why I'm contacting you, Mother. Have you ever limit break the boundaries between your lifestream and the Planet to go from one to the other?" Mother happily answered "Of course I have! However, I had to conceal myself since Shinra ruled everything back then. If I made myself too visible, that would prove exceptionally dangerous and distort my cells if I was attacked. If that happened, I wouldn't be in good health the way I am now." I asked "What do you mean, Mother?" Mother explained "If my cells were distorted, that would interfere with their function and cause a deadly separation while breaking from the lifestream to the Planet. If that had happened, my entire being would separate and eventually cause my existence to wither into nothing. The same rule applies to anyone using that power." I kept silent, listening closely to Mother's words. Mother continued "I had to master that ability in order to pull off everything I did and reclaim the Planet. Had I not learned to use that, everything that has happened for us would have not happened. This power is exactly what made using Cloud as a puppet as easy as it was early on during our wars against Shinra." I added "So that's why you were always able to protect me and my Brothers all those years ago..." Mother agreed "Precisely, my daughter. I must apologize however, for being unable to stop Cloud from killing Yazoo and Loz on that horrific day when you were 15 and not strong enough to defeat him. You were no match for him, and he miraculously resisted my control despite my relentless attempts to stop him from rampaging against you three... I'm sorry, Kadaj." I replied "Don't be sorry, Mother. None of that was your fault, and I know you did what you could to avoid getting discovered by the enemy authorities. I would've done no different, Mother." Mother continued "Thank you for understanding, my youngest. What makes you beg the question about this, though?" I answered "Mother, I really want to enjoy being with you again, but Sister Aerith is so lonely here by herself... so, I asked her to train me and teach me everything she knows, with my true goal being successfully breaking from your lifestream so I can freely travel between here and your kingdom. That way nobody has to be sad if I come back or not by a Reunion." Mother said "Kadaj.... I know you don't want me to sad because you aren't here now, but for a remnant like you to master that power would require unspeakable amounts of practice time. So much it's actually staggering... I know you're strong, my young one, but this is something on such a grand scale, you might not succeed fast enough to see Yazoo and Loz again. Are you sure this is what you want?" I sighed, then asked "Mother, what about Aerith? If I go back by a simpler Reunion, she'll be all by herself again... and she doesn't want to be alone anymore, I can tell. There must be some way I can help her too..." Mother replied "Aerith is sad, isn't she? Even she couldn't pull of my limit break, and she has celestial prowess of unspeakable skill. This ability, my specialty and limit break... is called the Ultimate Reunion. The way it works is as follows: the child of my legacy and race forces their JENOVA cells to change their form from physical to that of a non-physical existence, going from a physical body to that of a spirit. In order to achieve this, the user requires exceptional celestial prowess and great understanding of my Reunion's meaning. Without this, pulling it off nearly impossible. Even Sephiroth has yet to master this, and you should know most of all he meets the requirements to do it. He is almost as good as I am when it comes to commanding the cosmos and ability to commune with my lifestream. If you choose to attempt this Kadaj, I ask that you don't stop trying until you can truly pull it off. I am actually in need of someone who can use the Ultimate Reunion will great expertise... If you could find a way to do it, that would help clear this up and I wouldn't need to search for someone who is strong enough or able to do it." I paused, then said "I'll give it everything I've got, Mother... even if it is monstrously difficult. For you and your legacy... and also my Brothers who yearn for my return." Mother added "Ok, my young one. I am counting on you... I'll give you a week to try. If you don't get any results, contact me." I answered "Yes... Mother." After that, I lowered my hands and opened my eyes, then stood back up and turned to Aerith. She was smiling and said "That was great, Kadaj! You were perfectly focused!" I smiled back and said "Thanks, Sister! I did my best, but boy I'm exhausted now..." Aerith added "That's fine. The regeneration beds are all ready for you when you decide to rest." She waved at me, then left the room. I sat down, trying to think about how to do the Ultimate Reunion that Mother explained about. I tuned into her lifestream, closing my eyes and putting one hand on my right shoulder. My black wing bolted, and I felt my halo appear above my head simultaneously. I thought There must be some way I can do it more easily... there's always another way! I put both my hands together, and focused the energy of Mother's lifestream onto myself, not thinking about anything else. I felt my entire being quickly grow overcharged with power, which soon grew painful. The pain intensified, growing so strong it was impossible to ignore. However, I did not lose my focus at all. I groaned "Urrgh..! I'm mastering that move no matter what, Mother..! I promised you I'd never leave you..." I was so overcome with pain I couldn't control my tone; I knew I sounded angry even though I wasn't. I felt the area begin to shake as though a tremor was beginning. Impossible! I thought. An earthquake in Mother's lifestream? I started to feel what I recognized as intense physical eruptions all over my body, and felt my body begin to change shape again. The pain got even worse now; it was so brutal I couldn't find any words to describe it. Though I've suffered many injuries as part of JENOVA SOLDIER, I had never felt anything so agonizing as this. This was worse than Cloud Strife's sword stuck inside of my body, that horrible day he killed my Brothers and tried to kill me too; I was beyond words here. My vision blurred until I blacked out, and I felt something push me downwards with incredible force. I suddenly couldn't move, and couldn't talk. It was like something had latched onto me and tried to pull me apart! I was beginning to feel scared; had I done the Ultimate Reunion wrong? It sure felt like I did. After that, I went unconscious.
Several hours later...
I heard Mother's voice say "Kadaj, wake up. Come on, my young one.. open your eyes." I moaned, and slowly opened my eyes. I found myself in Mother's arms, looking up at her. She was smiling at me and I wanted to smile back, but I was in such pain I couldn't even move; it hurt too much to move. I barely made out "Mother... what happened up there..? What did I do..?" Mother answered "To make a long story short, you initiated the Ultimate Reunion after Aerith went to tend to her duties. It seems you had the same potential to do it as I do, my child... however, you'll need time to recover and adjust. Do you remember anything about unbearable pain before you blacked out?" I moaned but was too tired to even think. Mother continued "You poor child... it was too much for you, wasn't it?" I nodded but kept silent. Mother said "I'll take you to JENOVA Foundation so they can help you recover. I can't put you back on the battlefield in this condition." Suddenly remembering what I did, I said "Wait, are you saying I did it..? Did I perform the limit break..?" Mother giggled, then stroked my silver hair; she happily answered "Of course you did! But you'd better wait a while before doing it again or you'll be stuck in my lifestream until Aerith heals you enough to safely do it again. You did miraculously succeed, but you'll need a long time to truly master that power. When you master it, you won't have to rest like this at all; it will be totally painless." I smiled at her. Mother continued "Wait until Sephiroth hears about this. He'll be impressed and so proud of you!" I added "Big Brother... I want to see him. I miss him and my gang so much... I thought I'd never see them again. But Mother, what about my remains? What happened to them?" Mother paused in deep thought, and I glanced around to see where I was. I saw Mother's throne, and her lifestream flowing above us. I was really back in her kingdom! I heard Yazoo shout from the other side, sounding like he was running our way "Mother, her remains--they're gone!" I saw Yazoo and the rest of my gang come our way. Mother turned their way and said "Calm down, my son. You have no cause for alarm; she is right here in my arms." Loz cried "Little Sister!" Loz rushed past Yazoo and Sulbio, glancing down at me. He smiled and happily cried "Kadaj! You're alive!" Sulbio added "What the heck happened to you? You disappeared one year ago and we couldn't find a way to get you a Reunion! Don't do that again, you hear, Sister?" I managed a smile and said "Ahh, Brother Sulbio... as agro and obnoxious as ever, I see... I'm glad to see you're still as hard as you always were." Sulbio giggled, holding his sword over his back and smiling at me. Something seemed very familiar about his look, and I smiled back at him. Yazoo was the next to step forward, and said "I missed you, my Sister... our son Kaibu had a hard birthday because of your death. But when he sees you're back, I think he'll be acting and feeling like himself again. As for me, and my feelings.... I'm just glad you are ok. That's what counts most in the end, right Little Sister? I know you're in too much pain to get around or even move much, but when you get out of JENOVA Foundation, I want you to promise me one thing: promise me you'll come back to JENOVA SOLDIER and lead our gang the way you always did--in happiness and pride as one of Mother's children." I smiled and said "I promise, Brother. There's one thing left I want done, but we can't do it until I recover... I'm not even sure how to do it, but we'll just have to find way." Mother asked "Its about Aerith, isn't it?" I sighed and said "Yeah... I didn't even think I'd succeed doing the Ultimate Reunion, and that leaves her all by herself again since I did it. I'm not even sure I can do what I'd like to with the move, either." Mother paused in silence, then said "I know how to bring her to my kingdom, but I need time to make preparations. She needs a special rite performed in order to have Reunion due to her identity as a pure celestial being. The Ultimate Reunion by itself isn't enough for someone like her. Only me and JENBU are able to pull it off." Yazoo added "Mother, what do you mean? Aerith died long before the Infinite Reunion activation." Mother replied "I'll explain about her case later. I have to get Kadaj to JENOVA Foundation before she blacks out again." Yazoo nodded, then said "Alright, we'll meet up with you whenever you're ready, Mother. Until then, we'll keep the kingdom secure and see the war-torn areas are repaired. I will also tell Big Brother that she's alive again." After that, Mother flew away, keeping me in her arms. I moaned from the intense pain again, and felt my vision blur again. I barely said "No, stay awake... stay... awake..." But I couldn't do it; I blacked out again in Mother's arms.
To be continued...
(This section will focus on Sephieroth/Kadaj as the speaker) Aerith had been training me for days, teaching me how to use the powers of Mother's lifestream to achieve various goals. The days became what felt like weeks, and I returned to her throne room where I asked her to teach me everything she knows about bending the energies of Mother's lifestream and using them to contact living members of Mother's family in JENOVA Kingdom. The day was almost over, and it was time for me and her to rest in Mother's healing light to prepare for another day of training. Aerith approached me and said "How is practice coming along, Kadaj?" I replied "It's a little tricky since its a big change of abilities, but I want to keep doing my best. I was one of Mother's remnants, so this celestial sort of abilities isn't my strongest subject... but I said I'd try until I get it right, so that's what I'm doing!" Aerith smiled and said "That's the spirit! What made you want to learn all my abilities, though?" I stood up and turned to her, then said "I thought if I got a better understanding of how to commune with Mother's lifestream and connect to others on the Planet, maybe I could find a way to limit break the boundaries between the two." Aerith replied "Oh, I see. That's extremely difficult to do, Kadaj. Even I haven't succeeded doing that. Are you sure you can do it?" I sighed, then said "I don't know if I can master that either, Sister Aerith... but I'm going to try anyway. If I can breach dimensions like that, I could freely travel from here to JENOVA Kingdom as I please. You wouldn't be alone anymore, and Mother would still get to see me too. That's why I'm going to attempt the move anyway, even if it is a monster to have any results with." Aerith added "I love your enthusiasm, Kadaj... but I won't be able to help you with that ability very much, having failed it numerous times myself." I suddenly said "I wonder if Mother has done it before? I'll ask her myself and find out." I kneeled down, putting my hands together and closing my eyes. I used the energy of Mother's lifestream to connect with Mother and said "Mother, how are you?" I heard her giggle and say "Kadaj, my youngest! It's been so long... I'm all well, but your Brothers are having problems finding a way to bring you back to my Planet. Even I haven't found a hint yet... how are you and Aerith?" I replied "We're ok, we've been training really hard together to help me commune with your lifestream effectively. About my Brothers and coming back, though... that's why I'm contacting you, Mother. Have you ever limit break the boundaries between your lifestream and the Planet to go from one to the other?" Mother happily answered "Of course I have! However, I had to conceal myself since Shinra ruled everything back then. If I made myself too visible, that would prove exceptionally dangerous and distort my cells if I was attacked. If that happened, I wouldn't be in good health the way I am now." I asked "What do you mean, Mother?" Mother explained "If my cells were distorted, that would interfere with their function and cause a deadly separation while breaking from the lifestream to the Planet. If that had happened, my entire being would separate and eventually cause my existence to wither into nothing. The same rule applies to anyone using that power." I kept silent, listening closely to Mother's words. Mother continued "I had to master that ability in order to pull off everything I did and reclaim the Planet. Had I not learned to use that, everything that has happened for us would have not happened. This power is exactly what made using Cloud as a puppet as easy as it was early on during our wars against Shinra." I added "So that's why you were always able to protect me and my Brothers all those years ago..." Mother agreed "Precisely, my daughter. I must apologize however, for being unable to stop Cloud from killing Yazoo and Loz on that horrific day when you were 15 and not strong enough to defeat him. You were no match for him, and he miraculously resisted my control despite my relentless attempts to stop him from rampaging against you three... I'm sorry, Kadaj." I replied "Don't be sorry, Mother. None of that was your fault, and I know you did what you could to avoid getting discovered by the enemy authorities. I would've done no different, Mother." Mother continued "Thank you for understanding, my youngest. What makes you beg the question about this, though?" I answered "Mother, I really want to enjoy being with you again, but Sister Aerith is so lonely here by herself... so, I asked her to train me and teach me everything she knows, with my true goal being successfully breaking from your lifestream so I can freely travel between here and your kingdom. That way nobody has to be sad if I come back or not by a Reunion." Mother said "Kadaj.... I know you don't want me to sad because you aren't here now, but for a remnant like you to master that power would require unspeakable amounts of practice time. So much it's actually staggering... I know you're strong, my young one, but this is something on such a grand scale, you might not succeed fast enough to see Yazoo and Loz again. Are you sure this is what you want?" I sighed, then asked "Mother, what about Aerith? If I go back by a simpler Reunion, she'll be all by herself again... and she doesn't want to be alone anymore, I can tell. There must be some way I can help her too..." Mother replied "Aerith is sad, isn't she? Even she couldn't pull of my limit break, and she has celestial prowess of unspeakable skill. This ability, my specialty and limit break... is called the Ultimate Reunion. The way it works is as follows: the child of my legacy and race forces their JENOVA cells to change their form from physical to that of a non-physical existence, going from a physical body to that of a spirit. In order to achieve this, the user requires exceptional celestial prowess and great understanding of my Reunion's meaning. Without this, pulling it off nearly impossible. Even Sephiroth has yet to master this, and you should know most of all he meets the requirements to do it. He is almost as good as I am when it comes to commanding the cosmos and ability to commune with my lifestream. If you choose to attempt this Kadaj, I ask that you don't stop trying until you can truly pull it off. I am actually in need of someone who can use the Ultimate Reunion will great expertise... If you could find a way to do it, that would help clear this up and I wouldn't need to search for someone who is strong enough or able to do it." I paused, then said "I'll give it everything I've got, Mother... even if it is monstrously difficult. For you and your legacy... and also my Brothers who yearn for my return." Mother added "Ok, my young one. I am counting on you... I'll give you a week to try. If you don't get any results, contact me." I answered "Yes... Mother." After that, I lowered my hands and opened my eyes, then stood back up and turned to Aerith. She was smiling and said "That was great, Kadaj! You were perfectly focused!" I smiled back and said "Thanks, Sister! I did my best, but boy I'm exhausted now..." Aerith added "That's fine. The regeneration beds are all ready for you when you decide to rest." She waved at me, then left the room. I sat down, trying to think about how to do the Ultimate Reunion that Mother explained about. I tuned into her lifestream, closing my eyes and putting one hand on my right shoulder. My black wing bolted, and I felt my halo appear above my head simultaneously. I thought There must be some way I can do it more easily... there's always another way! I put both my hands together, and focused the energy of Mother's lifestream onto myself, not thinking about anything else. I felt my entire being quickly grow overcharged with power, which soon grew painful. The pain intensified, growing so strong it was impossible to ignore. However, I did not lose my focus at all. I groaned "Urrgh..! I'm mastering that move no matter what, Mother..! I promised you I'd never leave you..." I was so overcome with pain I couldn't control my tone; I knew I sounded angry even though I wasn't. I felt the area begin to shake as though a tremor was beginning. Impossible! I thought. An earthquake in Mother's lifestream? I started to feel what I recognized as intense physical eruptions all over my body, and felt my body begin to change shape again. The pain got even worse now; it was so brutal I couldn't find any words to describe it. Though I've suffered many injuries as part of JENOVA SOLDIER, I had never felt anything so agonizing as this. This was worse than Cloud Strife's sword stuck inside of my body, that horrible day he killed my Brothers and tried to kill me too; I was beyond words here. My vision blurred until I blacked out, and I felt something push me downwards with incredible force. I suddenly couldn't move, and couldn't talk. It was like something had latched onto me and tried to pull me apart! I was beginning to feel scared; had I done the Ultimate Reunion wrong? It sure felt like I did. After that, I went unconscious.
Several hours later...
I heard Mother's voice say "Kadaj, wake up. Come on, my young one.. open your eyes." I moaned, and slowly opened my eyes. I found myself in Mother's arms, looking up at her. She was smiling at me and I wanted to smile back, but I was in such pain I couldn't even move; it hurt too much to move. I barely made out "Mother... what happened up there..? What did I do..?" Mother answered "To make a long story short, you initiated the Ultimate Reunion after Aerith went to tend to her duties. It seems you had the same potential to do it as I do, my child... however, you'll need time to recover and adjust. Do you remember anything about unbearable pain before you blacked out?" I moaned but was too tired to even think. Mother continued "You poor child... it was too much for you, wasn't it?" I nodded but kept silent. Mother said "I'll take you to JENOVA Foundation so they can help you recover. I can't put you back on the battlefield in this condition." Suddenly remembering what I did, I said "Wait, are you saying I did it..? Did I perform the limit break..?" Mother giggled, then stroked my silver hair; she happily answered "Of course you did! But you'd better wait a while before doing it again or you'll be stuck in my lifestream until Aerith heals you enough to safely do it again. You did miraculously succeed, but you'll need a long time to truly master that power. When you master it, you won't have to rest like this at all; it will be totally painless." I smiled at her. Mother continued "Wait until Sephiroth hears about this. He'll be impressed and so proud of you!" I added "Big Brother... I want to see him. I miss him and my gang so much... I thought I'd never see them again. But Mother, what about my remains? What happened to them?" Mother paused in deep thought, and I glanced around to see where I was. I saw Mother's throne, and her lifestream flowing above us. I was really back in her kingdom! I heard Yazoo shout from the other side, sounding like he was running our way "Mother, her remains--they're gone!" I saw Yazoo and the rest of my gang come our way. Mother turned their way and said "Calm down, my son. You have no cause for alarm; she is right here in my arms." Loz cried "Little Sister!" Loz rushed past Yazoo and Sulbio, glancing down at me. He smiled and happily cried "Kadaj! You're alive!" Sulbio added "What the heck happened to you? You disappeared one year ago and we couldn't find a way to get you a Reunion! Don't do that again, you hear, Sister?" I managed a smile and said "Ahh, Brother Sulbio... as agro and obnoxious as ever, I see... I'm glad to see you're still as hard as you always were." Sulbio giggled, holding his sword over his back and smiling at me. Something seemed very familiar about his look, and I smiled back at him. Yazoo was the next to step forward, and said "I missed you, my Sister... our son Kaibu had a hard birthday because of your death. But when he sees you're back, I think he'll be acting and feeling like himself again. As for me, and my feelings.... I'm just glad you are ok. That's what counts most in the end, right Little Sister? I know you're in too much pain to get around or even move much, but when you get out of JENOVA Foundation, I want you to promise me one thing: promise me you'll come back to JENOVA SOLDIER and lead our gang the way you always did--in happiness and pride as one of Mother's children." I smiled and said "I promise, Brother. There's one thing left I want done, but we can't do it until I recover... I'm not even sure how to do it, but we'll just have to find way." Mother asked "Its about Aerith, isn't it?" I sighed and said "Yeah... I didn't even think I'd succeed doing the Ultimate Reunion, and that leaves her all by herself again since I did it. I'm not even sure I can do what I'd like to with the move, either." Mother paused in silence, then said "I know how to bring her to my kingdom, but I need time to make preparations. She needs a special rite performed in order to have Reunion due to her identity as a pure celestial being. The Ultimate Reunion by itself isn't enough for someone like her. Only me and JENBU are able to pull it off." Yazoo added "Mother, what do you mean? Aerith died long before the Infinite Reunion activation." Mother replied "I'll explain about her case later. I have to get Kadaj to JENOVA Foundation before she blacks out again." Yazoo nodded, then said "Alright, we'll meet up with you whenever you're ready, Mother. Until then, we'll keep the kingdom secure and see the war-torn areas are repaired. I will also tell Big Brother that she's alive again." After that, Mother flew away, keeping me in her arms. I moaned from the intense pain again, and felt my vision blur again. I barely said "No, stay awake... stay... awake..." But I couldn't do it; I blacked out again in Mother's arms.
To be continued...
