Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Counterfeit God; Part I ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Shiratori-Strife Inc 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.30.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 220 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.30.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 220 | Status: Completed
2
***
The vision that had been lost to her for three years exploded in a fury of white light. Sensations and nerves that had been long forgotten were brought to life as she felt the hard earth beneath her. It took a few minutes to clear the fogginess, but a pair of blue eyes gradually surveyed her surroundings. Her body wasn’t used to this pain. Sirius issued a groan as she stretched her dormant muscles, which were slightly atrophied, and rose to her feet. A silver glint caught her eye in the moonlight. The white-haired woman’s lips twisted into a crooked sort of smirk that was a combination of a smile and a sneer. Her two katanas lay two feet from her on the ground. Picking them up, she set off in search of something nearby as to better get her bearings. The Lifestream had returned her to the world of the living, so she clearly must have been needed. Sirius had felt the presence of Sephiroth. She was sure that that was partially the reason for her return.
A sudden pang of loneliness hit her as she wondered how Cloud and the other members of Avalanche were doing. So much had been denied to her during her time in the void known as the Lifestream. Consciousness had been the major thing. Wandering through the trees, she saw the lights of a village not too far away. Sirius made her way toward it without a moment’s hesitation. The sign read ’Kalm’. Midgar was only about twelve miles from there. Twelve miles was a long way to walk on legs that weren’t used to moving. What she wouldn’t give for Fenrir right now. She smiled at Cloud’s love for that thing.
***
“Cloud, PLEASE let me come with you! I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before and you never take me anywhere!” she pouted.
The blonde hesitated. Sirius was definitely picking up some of Yuffie’s habits, which meant she was spending far too much time with the Great Ninja. “Fine.” He grunted in response. “Just don’t scratch the paint or hurt yourself.”
A tense air hung between them as Cloud turned to mouth the vehicle. Sirius blushed heavily as she stared at his turned, and rather well toned, back before sticking her tongue out. Why did he always have to be so antisocial? Tifa had told her that he hadn’t always been that way. “Thank you.” She said quietly. Sirius might have had her head lowered, but she could still see Cloud’s shoulders slump. She climbed onto Fenrir behind Cloud and slipped her arms around his waist.
“Sorry.” Came a mumble.
“What was that?”
“I said I’m sorry.” Cloud sighed. “I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just that if I get attacked, I can defend myself.”
Sirius was quiet for a moment, pondering whether or not to tell the truth about her involvement with Shinra. That idea was shot to shit immediately. If she revealed her past dealing with Shinra and SOLDIER, he wouldn’t speak to her again. Deep down, she didn’t want that. “I can defend myself, Cloud. You don’t have to protect me.”
Cloud nodded. For the remainder of the ride, nothing was said as the two of them sped along the streets of Midgar. The silence continued all the way to Healin.
***
From the absence of people, Sirius figured that it was pretty late. Shadows covered everything in a thick blanket of darkness as she moved down the deserted streets. In an odd way, she was thankful for the lack of vitality. Three years without human contact made her somewhat nervous at the thought of other people around her, close to her. Cloud was an entirely different case altogether. She loved him. She knew without a doubt that she did. Hell, she’d jumped in Sephiroth’s way to spare him from the massive blow her “brother” was about to deal him and thus had lost one of her wings. Sirius gave a bemused snort. The title “One-winged Angel” now transferred to her. Yet another thing that tied her to the silver-haired demon.
The village’s border was within her sight. Sirius stopped, unsure of herself at this point. If she continued on, she’d reach Midgar before the sun came up. Then she would have no choice but to face the others, to face Cloud. There was the high possibility that Cloud had rejected her the moment he’d returned from the Lifestream and she knew nothing about it. This simple thought stopped Sirius Maelstrom cold and kept her rooted to her spot. Tifa could’ve easily claimed his heart by now. The brunette had always been in love with the blonde. What was to stop her from finally getting her chance? Sighing dejectedly, Sirius decided that it was better to discover the truth rather than run from it. All she’d ever done was run. She ran until there was no place left to run. Shinra was proof of that.
The blue glare of the computer screen shown in the darkened room as a girl of about twelve typed madly on the keyboard. She studied the information on the screen as if it were deciding her fate at that very moment. In a way it was. She couldn’t believe what she was reading. Shinra was using her as a weapons experiment. She was a human being, wasn’t she? The girl had to admit, most normal people couldn’t talk to people with their minds or have the knowledge of every weapon known to mankind. Sirius read the report that had been stored within Shinra’s database.
‘Test subject 55690, Sirius Maelstrom, was a complete failure. Zygote was found to be female and completely unusable. Change of experimentation has begun with this subject. Jenova cells have been added in humongous quantities. With this experiment, it is hoped to recreate Jenova.’
Sirius’s mouth hung open. She’d been created to resurrect Jenova? How could anyone want to bring someone so evil back to life? It was then that the child realized that she hadn’t even read the worst of the reports yet.
‘With intense shock therapy and repeated exposure to Mako energy, subject 55690 has begun to show extraordinary telepathic abilities. The knowledge of all known weapons, firearm and melee, was also displayed. Training among the ranks of SOLDIER will begin within the next week to hone aforementioned knowledge. Subject 55690 has the possibility of becoming a very powerful weapon.’
Tears filled her eyes. That’s all she was, a weapon? Sirius was so caught up in her inner turmoil that she failed to notice the sound of the door sliding open. Two figures stood watching her silently before the smaller of the two crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat. Sirius looked up at them in horror.
“What are you doing in here, yo? This is a restricted area.”
“Reno? Did you know about all of this?” the small girl asked, pointing to the computer screen.
The redhead cocked his head to the side to show that he was uncomfortable with the subject matter. “Sure. Anybody who works for Shinra’s higher-ups knows about that, yo.”
“The question is, how did you manage to get out of your quarters and into the main computer database?” the second man asked.
“The lock wasn’t all that hard to short circuit.” Sirius stated. “Even you could’ve done it, Rude.”
Rude tightened his jaw in an effort not to lose his cool and lash out. Reno quirked an eyebrow, somewhat impressed with the girl’s forwardness. “You should go back to your quarters before I have to get rough.”
“Fine, fine.” Sirius said, waving nonchalantly. As she headed toward the door, she planned to make a dash for it.
“How do you think she got in here, yo?” Reno asked his partner.
“I have no idea.” Rude answered him. “We’re gonna have to tighten security.”
Sirius smirked at this. Tightened security wouldn’t help them tonight. Darting down the corridor, she took several sharp turns that led her to a ventilation shaft. She quickly pulled off the grate and began to crawl through the shaft. She’d managed to memorize the blueprints of the lab quite thoroughly. It would only take her about ten minutes to throw off anyone who was trying to follow her and make her grand escape.
***
There was no road leading from Kalm to Midgar. Only a vast expanse of prairie lay between Sirius and Seventh Heaven. One had to admit, the on-going flat land was a bit intimidating. If she walked, at a quick pace at that, she’d make it by very early morning. Judging by the feeling she had, the hour was just creeping up on midnight. Sirius was quite embarrassed to admit that she was afraid of the dark. She, the woman who had jumped in death’s way time and time again, was like a small child when left to the night alone. Sighing, she started her journey to Midgar. Why was she even afraid of the darkness? It seemed that it surrounded her life. Few and far between were the happy moments that existed in Sirius’s lifetime. When she’d met Yuffie and the others, it was a known fact that her spirits had lightened for the better. When she had been at her lowest, her friends had been there.
Her knees were curled tightly to her chest and her head was hidden in her arms. Tears of pain and rejection slid from her blue orbs as she sobbed into the darkness on the roof of the Seventh Heaven. Damn Vincent. Damn him and his infinite knowledge of…everything. Sirius had spilled her past to the members of Avalanche only to be pushed away by the one person she actually wanted to soothe her. Cloud had been furious. Even worse than furious, he had been silent. The blonde had rose from his chair without a word and left the bar. The roar of Fenrir’s engine still haunted her ears. She was only glad that neither Reno nor Rude had been kind enough to reveal the information sooner. The warm waves that washed through her brain caused her to lift her head. Looking up, She saw Tifa and Yuffie looking back down at her. Bright smiles adorned their faces as they took seats on either side of her.
“Why are you so down, Siri? I’ve NEVER seen you cry!” Yuffie stated, rubbing her back in an attempt to make the sobs subside.
Sirius gave her a look. “Did you honestly not see what happened, Yuffie? Cloud just got up and walked away! He looked like he’d just been stabbed in the chest…or the back.”
“That’s just how Cloud is.” Tifa told her, shaking her head. “He takes things a bit harder than they really are. Since I knew Cloud when we were kids, I know that he expects people to come forward with their secrets fairly quickly. He’s angry that he’s known you for so long and you never said anything about it.”
“That’s because I was afraid! If he never talks to me again, I don’t know what I’ll do!” the white-haired girl exclaimed, a fresh set of tears bursting forth.
Yuffie and Tifa exchanged glances over the top of Sirius’s head. A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of the ninja’s lips. “Aha! I knew it! You do have a thing for Cloud!”
Her head shot up instantly. “I do not! That’s not what I was talking about anyway! It’s just that–“
“Save it, Siri! I know it all! You’re in love with Cloud and won’t tell him!” Yuffie exclaimed.
“Yuffie!” Tifa scolded. “It’s late! What if someone reports you?”
The dark-haired girl snorted. “Who would be able to catch me? I’m the Great Ninja, Yuffie!”
Sirius giggled. How was it that no matter how low she felt, those two could always cheer her up? “Ok, you got it out of me. I do love Cloud. I’m not telling him now though because he hates me.”
“Sirius, he doesn’t hate you.” Tifa objected. “His pride is just wounded. He’s a man, he’ll go lick his wounds and then he’ll get over it. It’s a fact of life.”
Yuffie nodded in agreement. “His ego just took a major blow. It’ll be ok. You have nothing to worry about while you’re with us. But, oh, when I get my hands on Vincent, he’s going to be a bloody Valentine.”
“I have to say that it really wasn’t his place to announce your involvement with Shinra to everyone.” Tifa added.
“They were all bound to find out sooner or later. I guess it’s better that it’s sooner and not later.” Sirius sighed.
“Now that dearest Cloud isn’t here, it’s time to get what I came for.” A dark and sultry voice said from the shadows.
All three women leapt to their feet. A tall figure seemed to manifest from the darkness as he stepped into the moonlight. Green eyes glared out at them, his Masumane blade glinting sadistically. Silver hair cascaded down his back as he crept closer to the three. His lips twisted into an evil grin as he locked eyes with Sirius. Seeing this, Tifa and Yuffie stood in front of her, much to her displeasure. The man let out a long low chuckle.
“So, sister, these humans are protecting you? They haven’t been graced with the gift of mother’s cells, therefore, they can’t stand up to me.”
“Sephiroth.” Tifa growled, remembering him from her younger days.
“If you step out of my way, I promise that I will make your pain minimal and your death swift.” Sephiroth leered.
Yuffie bristled, wishing more than anything that she’d brought her large shurikan with her. “No dice, man! You’re not getting Siri without a fight!”
In one swift motion, Sephiroth launched forward, knocking both Tifa and Yuffie to the ground and unconscious. Sirius was then grateful that her telepathy had warned her of some sort of danger and she had brought her kitanas up onto the roof with her. Drawing one in each hand, she stood before the demon with a determined look set on her features. Sephiroth examined her carefully before falling into a fit of full out laughter.
“Come now, sister,” he laughed, “You must realize that your efforts are meaningless.”
Sirius scowled at him. “That’s not going to stop me, brother.” She spat the last word like an insult.
“You cannot expect to win this fight because I’ve decided that I need you. You’re coming with me tonight, Sirius, by choice or by force.”
The two flew at each other. Sirius managed to deflect several swings before the hilt of Sephiroth’s Masumane blade made contact with the pit of her stomach. She choked before falling to her knees. As the One-winged Angel moved to throw her over his shoulder, Sirius still tried to fight. He tightened his hands on her as he moved into the night.
“You’d do well to stop struggling. He won’t come for you.”
Those words ceased her movements altogether. Sirius then realized the weight of her situation and how true Sephiroth’s words actually were.
Only God and the Lifestream knew how far she’d actually walked. Standing at the top of the rise, Sirius leaned on her knees for some support as she breathed heavily. A large buster sword similar to the one Cloud used stood not too far from her, tip rooted deep into the ground. That must have been Zak’s sword. She knew that Cloud sometimes came and visited it from time to time in memory of his fallen friend. It was obvious that he still blamed himself for that. Turning her attention in front of her, Sirius could see the lights of Midgar shining brightly down below. But the question was could she make it the rest of the way? Her legs felt like so much mush that Marlene had played in out in the yard when she was younger. The thought of resting was unheard of at this point. She was so close. Sirius sighed as she collapsed on the ground. She needed a break.
“You seem to be having some trouble.” Came a voice from beside and above her. Sirius jumped in fright, grabbing her swords immediately. “There’s no need for all of that. I see you’ve finally returned. It’s been a while, Sirius.”
She merely nodded, looking away from her old companion. “Yes it has, Vincent. You seem to still come and go as you please.” Sirius mumbled. “I’d love to know how you found me.”
“Not many idiots walk alone at this time of night across the plains. It had to be you.” He answered simply, as if it were the only logical explanation.
“Now look here–“
Vincent cut her off with a glance, ebony hair caught by the breeze. The man was definitely good-looking, but undeniably creepy. Shivering, Sirius averted her gaze. “Do you want to get to Midgar or not?”
Sirius snorted at the question. It was really stupid of him to ask it in the first place. Why else would she be walking from Kalm across the plains at this time of night if she didn’t? “I do want to go. Do you even have to ask?”
He smirked before approaching her with his cloak spread by both of his hands. Engulfing them both in it, Sirius felt as if she were being sucked through a particle accelerator. After a few seconds, they were on solid ground again. She stumbled about, a bit woozy from the trip. Vincent seemed unscathed and made to enter the bar. Sirius saw that he’d left the door standing wide open as light poured out of it. She quickly followed behind him. What she saw made her want to be sick and at the same time laugh in relief.
As Cloud had been greeting Vincent, something white had caught his eye. Looking up, the smile that had settled itself on his lips had been wiped clean. There in the doorway stood Sirius, the woman he secretly cared for more than anything in the world. He’d thought that he’d lost her long ago to the Lifestream in their battle with Sephiroth. Yet, there she was, her blue eyes tearing up and a light smile making its way onto her face.
“Cloud…”
Her voice assured him that she was real. He felt his stomach lurch when he saw the multiple dark markings on her pale skin. A patch on her bare shoulder, a star-shaped patch above her right eye, and a larger patch on her thigh told him that she had a severe case of Geostigma. That shouldn’t have surprised him. Shaking his head, Cloud wasn’t going to allow himself to be negative. She had returned as she had promised and that’s all that mattered to him.
***
End Chapter
***
A/N: Ok, so basically, so far, all we've done is get the ball rolling. We've delved into the pasts lives of the two new women in the story and tried to give you a little bit of a background on the both of them. Morghann is basically just a regular woman who wanted revenge on Shinra for what happened to her parents because of them. Yes, she can control the Lifestream and channel it's power through her body, and there's a reason for that, but you won't find out what that it until later chapters when the plot starts coming into play.
As for Sirius? She's basically a clone of Sephiroth. When the whole Sephiroth project was started through Shinra, they essentially believed that Sephiroth was the only actual successful creation, but as it turned out, there were two. However, even though Sirius grew up looking remarkably similar to Sephiroth, she didn't show the same powerful potential. They thought it was because Hojo has some kind of conscious and felt bad for what he did to Lucrecia, but we all know that's a load of bull. At any rate, in the end, the real mastermind behind everything that's going to take place in the rest of part one that has to do with both pasts of the two women has nothing to do with Hojo's experiments at all. For the most part, anyway. There's always a well hidden agenda.
The next couple of chapters are going to develop quite quickly and further explain how the two women met the two men in their lives. Yes, Reno's a big arrogant childish pervert, but that's kind of what makes him irresistable to Morghann; not to mention he nursed her back to health and didn't really judge her, so you'll see how that turns out. Besides, she's has her reservations.
It's the pairing of Sirius and Cloud that is actually more complicated, but, like I said, it develops in the next few chapters!
We hope you've enjoyed it thus far! And remember, part 1 is complete with 20+ chapters, so you won't have to wait extended periods of time for the next one. ENJOY!
Love from Raven and Kim!
***
The vision that had been lost to her for three years exploded in a fury of white light. Sensations and nerves that had been long forgotten were brought to life as she felt the hard earth beneath her. It took a few minutes to clear the fogginess, but a pair of blue eyes gradually surveyed her surroundings. Her body wasn’t used to this pain. Sirius issued a groan as she stretched her dormant muscles, which were slightly atrophied, and rose to her feet. A silver glint caught her eye in the moonlight. The white-haired woman’s lips twisted into a crooked sort of smirk that was a combination of a smile and a sneer. Her two katanas lay two feet from her on the ground. Picking them up, she set off in search of something nearby as to better get her bearings. The Lifestream had returned her to the world of the living, so she clearly must have been needed. Sirius had felt the presence of Sephiroth. She was sure that that was partially the reason for her return.
A sudden pang of loneliness hit her as she wondered how Cloud and the other members of Avalanche were doing. So much had been denied to her during her time in the void known as the Lifestream. Consciousness had been the major thing. Wandering through the trees, she saw the lights of a village not too far away. Sirius made her way toward it without a moment’s hesitation. The sign read ’Kalm’. Midgar was only about twelve miles from there. Twelve miles was a long way to walk on legs that weren’t used to moving. What she wouldn’t give for Fenrir right now. She smiled at Cloud’s love for that thing.
***
“Cloud, PLEASE let me come with you! I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before and you never take me anywhere!” she pouted.
The blonde hesitated. Sirius was definitely picking up some of Yuffie’s habits, which meant she was spending far too much time with the Great Ninja. “Fine.” He grunted in response. “Just don’t scratch the paint or hurt yourself.”
A tense air hung between them as Cloud turned to mouth the vehicle. Sirius blushed heavily as she stared at his turned, and rather well toned, back before sticking her tongue out. Why did he always have to be so antisocial? Tifa had told her that he hadn’t always been that way. “Thank you.” She said quietly. Sirius might have had her head lowered, but she could still see Cloud’s shoulders slump. She climbed onto Fenrir behind Cloud and slipped her arms around his waist.
“Sorry.” Came a mumble.
“What was that?”
“I said I’m sorry.” Cloud sighed. “I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just that if I get attacked, I can defend myself.”
Sirius was quiet for a moment, pondering whether or not to tell the truth about her involvement with Shinra. That idea was shot to shit immediately. If she revealed her past dealing with Shinra and SOLDIER, he wouldn’t speak to her again. Deep down, she didn’t want that. “I can defend myself, Cloud. You don’t have to protect me.”
Cloud nodded. For the remainder of the ride, nothing was said as the two of them sped along the streets of Midgar. The silence continued all the way to Healin.
***
From the absence of people, Sirius figured that it was pretty late. Shadows covered everything in a thick blanket of darkness as she moved down the deserted streets. In an odd way, she was thankful for the lack of vitality. Three years without human contact made her somewhat nervous at the thought of other people around her, close to her. Cloud was an entirely different case altogether. She loved him. She knew without a doubt that she did. Hell, she’d jumped in Sephiroth’s way to spare him from the massive blow her “brother” was about to deal him and thus had lost one of her wings. Sirius gave a bemused snort. The title “One-winged Angel” now transferred to her. Yet another thing that tied her to the silver-haired demon.
The village’s border was within her sight. Sirius stopped, unsure of herself at this point. If she continued on, she’d reach Midgar before the sun came up. Then she would have no choice but to face the others, to face Cloud. There was the high possibility that Cloud had rejected her the moment he’d returned from the Lifestream and she knew nothing about it. This simple thought stopped Sirius Maelstrom cold and kept her rooted to her spot. Tifa could’ve easily claimed his heart by now. The brunette had always been in love with the blonde. What was to stop her from finally getting her chance? Sighing dejectedly, Sirius decided that it was better to discover the truth rather than run from it. All she’d ever done was run. She ran until there was no place left to run. Shinra was proof of that.
The blue glare of the computer screen shown in the darkened room as a girl of about twelve typed madly on the keyboard. She studied the information on the screen as if it were deciding her fate at that very moment. In a way it was. She couldn’t believe what she was reading. Shinra was using her as a weapons experiment. She was a human being, wasn’t she? The girl had to admit, most normal people couldn’t talk to people with their minds or have the knowledge of every weapon known to mankind. Sirius read the report that had been stored within Shinra’s database.
‘Test subject 55690, Sirius Maelstrom, was a complete failure. Zygote was found to be female and completely unusable. Change of experimentation has begun with this subject. Jenova cells have been added in humongous quantities. With this experiment, it is hoped to recreate Jenova.’
Sirius’s mouth hung open. She’d been created to resurrect Jenova? How could anyone want to bring someone so evil back to life? It was then that the child realized that she hadn’t even read the worst of the reports yet.
‘With intense shock therapy and repeated exposure to Mako energy, subject 55690 has begun to show extraordinary telepathic abilities. The knowledge of all known weapons, firearm and melee, was also displayed. Training among the ranks of SOLDIER will begin within the next week to hone aforementioned knowledge. Subject 55690 has the possibility of becoming a very powerful weapon.’
Tears filled her eyes. That’s all she was, a weapon? Sirius was so caught up in her inner turmoil that she failed to notice the sound of the door sliding open. Two figures stood watching her silently before the smaller of the two crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat. Sirius looked up at them in horror.
“What are you doing in here, yo? This is a restricted area.”
“Reno? Did you know about all of this?” the small girl asked, pointing to the computer screen.
The redhead cocked his head to the side to show that he was uncomfortable with the subject matter. “Sure. Anybody who works for Shinra’s higher-ups knows about that, yo.”
“The question is, how did you manage to get out of your quarters and into the main computer database?” the second man asked.
“The lock wasn’t all that hard to short circuit.” Sirius stated. “Even you could’ve done it, Rude.”
Rude tightened his jaw in an effort not to lose his cool and lash out. Reno quirked an eyebrow, somewhat impressed with the girl’s forwardness. “You should go back to your quarters before I have to get rough.”
“Fine, fine.” Sirius said, waving nonchalantly. As she headed toward the door, she planned to make a dash for it.
“How do you think she got in here, yo?” Reno asked his partner.
“I have no idea.” Rude answered him. “We’re gonna have to tighten security.”
Sirius smirked at this. Tightened security wouldn’t help them tonight. Darting down the corridor, she took several sharp turns that led her to a ventilation shaft. She quickly pulled off the grate and began to crawl through the shaft. She’d managed to memorize the blueprints of the lab quite thoroughly. It would only take her about ten minutes to throw off anyone who was trying to follow her and make her grand escape.
***
There was no road leading from Kalm to Midgar. Only a vast expanse of prairie lay between Sirius and Seventh Heaven. One had to admit, the on-going flat land was a bit intimidating. If she walked, at a quick pace at that, she’d make it by very early morning. Judging by the feeling she had, the hour was just creeping up on midnight. Sirius was quite embarrassed to admit that she was afraid of the dark. She, the woman who had jumped in death’s way time and time again, was like a small child when left to the night alone. Sighing, she started her journey to Midgar. Why was she even afraid of the darkness? It seemed that it surrounded her life. Few and far between were the happy moments that existed in Sirius’s lifetime. When she’d met Yuffie and the others, it was a known fact that her spirits had lightened for the better. When she had been at her lowest, her friends had been there.
Her knees were curled tightly to her chest and her head was hidden in her arms. Tears of pain and rejection slid from her blue orbs as she sobbed into the darkness on the roof of the Seventh Heaven. Damn Vincent. Damn him and his infinite knowledge of…everything. Sirius had spilled her past to the members of Avalanche only to be pushed away by the one person she actually wanted to soothe her. Cloud had been furious. Even worse than furious, he had been silent. The blonde had rose from his chair without a word and left the bar. The roar of Fenrir’s engine still haunted her ears. She was only glad that neither Reno nor Rude had been kind enough to reveal the information sooner. The warm waves that washed through her brain caused her to lift her head. Looking up, She saw Tifa and Yuffie looking back down at her. Bright smiles adorned their faces as they took seats on either side of her.
“Why are you so down, Siri? I’ve NEVER seen you cry!” Yuffie stated, rubbing her back in an attempt to make the sobs subside.
Sirius gave her a look. “Did you honestly not see what happened, Yuffie? Cloud just got up and walked away! He looked like he’d just been stabbed in the chest…or the back.”
“That’s just how Cloud is.” Tifa told her, shaking her head. “He takes things a bit harder than they really are. Since I knew Cloud when we were kids, I know that he expects people to come forward with their secrets fairly quickly. He’s angry that he’s known you for so long and you never said anything about it.”
“That’s because I was afraid! If he never talks to me again, I don’t know what I’ll do!” the white-haired girl exclaimed, a fresh set of tears bursting forth.
Yuffie and Tifa exchanged glances over the top of Sirius’s head. A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of the ninja’s lips. “Aha! I knew it! You do have a thing for Cloud!”
Her head shot up instantly. “I do not! That’s not what I was talking about anyway! It’s just that–“
“Save it, Siri! I know it all! You’re in love with Cloud and won’t tell him!” Yuffie exclaimed.
“Yuffie!” Tifa scolded. “It’s late! What if someone reports you?”
The dark-haired girl snorted. “Who would be able to catch me? I’m the Great Ninja, Yuffie!”
Sirius giggled. How was it that no matter how low she felt, those two could always cheer her up? “Ok, you got it out of me. I do love Cloud. I’m not telling him now though because he hates me.”
“Sirius, he doesn’t hate you.” Tifa objected. “His pride is just wounded. He’s a man, he’ll go lick his wounds and then he’ll get over it. It’s a fact of life.”
Yuffie nodded in agreement. “His ego just took a major blow. It’ll be ok. You have nothing to worry about while you’re with us. But, oh, when I get my hands on Vincent, he’s going to be a bloody Valentine.”
“I have to say that it really wasn’t his place to announce your involvement with Shinra to everyone.” Tifa added.
“They were all bound to find out sooner or later. I guess it’s better that it’s sooner and not later.” Sirius sighed.
“Now that dearest Cloud isn’t here, it’s time to get what I came for.” A dark and sultry voice said from the shadows.
All three women leapt to their feet. A tall figure seemed to manifest from the darkness as he stepped into the moonlight. Green eyes glared out at them, his Masumane blade glinting sadistically. Silver hair cascaded down his back as he crept closer to the three. His lips twisted into an evil grin as he locked eyes with Sirius. Seeing this, Tifa and Yuffie stood in front of her, much to her displeasure. The man let out a long low chuckle.
“So, sister, these humans are protecting you? They haven’t been graced with the gift of mother’s cells, therefore, they can’t stand up to me.”
“Sephiroth.” Tifa growled, remembering him from her younger days.
“If you step out of my way, I promise that I will make your pain minimal and your death swift.” Sephiroth leered.
Yuffie bristled, wishing more than anything that she’d brought her large shurikan with her. “No dice, man! You’re not getting Siri without a fight!”
In one swift motion, Sephiroth launched forward, knocking both Tifa and Yuffie to the ground and unconscious. Sirius was then grateful that her telepathy had warned her of some sort of danger and she had brought her kitanas up onto the roof with her. Drawing one in each hand, she stood before the demon with a determined look set on her features. Sephiroth examined her carefully before falling into a fit of full out laughter.
“Come now, sister,” he laughed, “You must realize that your efforts are meaningless.”
Sirius scowled at him. “That’s not going to stop me, brother.” She spat the last word like an insult.
“You cannot expect to win this fight because I’ve decided that I need you. You’re coming with me tonight, Sirius, by choice or by force.”
The two flew at each other. Sirius managed to deflect several swings before the hilt of Sephiroth’s Masumane blade made contact with the pit of her stomach. She choked before falling to her knees. As the One-winged Angel moved to throw her over his shoulder, Sirius still tried to fight. He tightened his hands on her as he moved into the night.
“You’d do well to stop struggling. He won’t come for you.”
Those words ceased her movements altogether. Sirius then realized the weight of her situation and how true Sephiroth’s words actually were.
Only God and the Lifestream knew how far she’d actually walked. Standing at the top of the rise, Sirius leaned on her knees for some support as she breathed heavily. A large buster sword similar to the one Cloud used stood not too far from her, tip rooted deep into the ground. That must have been Zak’s sword. She knew that Cloud sometimes came and visited it from time to time in memory of his fallen friend. It was obvious that he still blamed himself for that. Turning her attention in front of her, Sirius could see the lights of Midgar shining brightly down below. But the question was could she make it the rest of the way? Her legs felt like so much mush that Marlene had played in out in the yard when she was younger. The thought of resting was unheard of at this point. She was so close. Sirius sighed as she collapsed on the ground. She needed a break.
“You seem to be having some trouble.” Came a voice from beside and above her. Sirius jumped in fright, grabbing her swords immediately. “There’s no need for all of that. I see you’ve finally returned. It’s been a while, Sirius.”
She merely nodded, looking away from her old companion. “Yes it has, Vincent. You seem to still come and go as you please.” Sirius mumbled. “I’d love to know how you found me.”
“Not many idiots walk alone at this time of night across the plains. It had to be you.” He answered simply, as if it were the only logical explanation.
“Now look here–“
Vincent cut her off with a glance, ebony hair caught by the breeze. The man was definitely good-looking, but undeniably creepy. Shivering, Sirius averted her gaze. “Do you want to get to Midgar or not?”
Sirius snorted at the question. It was really stupid of him to ask it in the first place. Why else would she be walking from Kalm across the plains at this time of night if she didn’t? “I do want to go. Do you even have to ask?”
He smirked before approaching her with his cloak spread by both of his hands. Engulfing them both in it, Sirius felt as if she were being sucked through a particle accelerator. After a few seconds, they were on solid ground again. She stumbled about, a bit woozy from the trip. Vincent seemed unscathed and made to enter the bar. Sirius saw that he’d left the door standing wide open as light poured out of it. She quickly followed behind him. What she saw made her want to be sick and at the same time laugh in relief.
As Cloud had been greeting Vincent, something white had caught his eye. Looking up, the smile that had settled itself on his lips had been wiped clean. There in the doorway stood Sirius, the woman he secretly cared for more than anything in the world. He’d thought that he’d lost her long ago to the Lifestream in their battle with Sephiroth. Yet, there she was, her blue eyes tearing up and a light smile making its way onto her face.
“Cloud…”
Her voice assured him that she was real. He felt his stomach lurch when he saw the multiple dark markings on her pale skin. A patch on her bare shoulder, a star-shaped patch above her right eye, and a larger patch on her thigh told him that she had a severe case of Geostigma. That shouldn’t have surprised him. Shaking his head, Cloud wasn’t going to allow himself to be negative. She had returned as she had promised and that’s all that mattered to him.
***
End Chapter
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A/N: Ok, so basically, so far, all we've done is get the ball rolling. We've delved into the pasts lives of the two new women in the story and tried to give you a little bit of a background on the both of them. Morghann is basically just a regular woman who wanted revenge on Shinra for what happened to her parents because of them. Yes, she can control the Lifestream and channel it's power through her body, and there's a reason for that, but you won't find out what that it until later chapters when the plot starts coming into play.
As for Sirius? She's basically a clone of Sephiroth. When the whole Sephiroth project was started through Shinra, they essentially believed that Sephiroth was the only actual successful creation, but as it turned out, there were two. However, even though Sirius grew up looking remarkably similar to Sephiroth, she didn't show the same powerful potential. They thought it was because Hojo has some kind of conscious and felt bad for what he did to Lucrecia, but we all know that's a load of bull. At any rate, in the end, the real mastermind behind everything that's going to take place in the rest of part one that has to do with both pasts of the two women has nothing to do with Hojo's experiments at all. For the most part, anyway. There's always a well hidden agenda.
The next couple of chapters are going to develop quite quickly and further explain how the two women met the two men in their lives. Yes, Reno's a big arrogant childish pervert, but that's kind of what makes him irresistable to Morghann; not to mention he nursed her back to health and didn't really judge her, so you'll see how that turns out. Besides, she's has her reservations.
It's the pairing of Sirius and Cloud that is actually more complicated, but, like I said, it develops in the next few chapters!
We hope you've enjoyed it thus far! And remember, part 1 is complete with 20+ chapters, so you won't have to wait extended periods of time for the next one. ENJOY!
Love from Raven and Kim!