Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Counterfeit God; Part I ❯ Chapter 8
[ 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: 10.02.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 170 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.02.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 170 | Status: Completed
8
His plan was working more radiantly than he could’ve dreamed. Nobunaga Eko surveyed the lines upon lines of people in Rocket Town that had all lined up to be rid of their Materia and “cleansed’ of the Mako energy in order to secure their way into heaven. He let out a triumphant laugh mentally as he smiled gently down at one of the dozens of ex-SOLDIERs that he’d treated that day. Another one stepped up swiftly to take his place. These people were so easy to manipulate. Once Nobunaga had given them something to believe in, they had been hooked line and sinker. He was well on his way to obtaining the items he needed for his experiment.
When he’d been employed by Shinra, Nobunaga had soon lost sight of his original goal, which was to recreate Sephiroth, in place of another. The thought of creating the ultimate being composed of both Geostigma, which was Jenova’s cells, and the ability to control the Lifestream, Nobunaga had been drunk with the thought of power. All results thus far had been forgotten in the pursuit of this new obsession. Time and time again Eko had failed. It was when he ceased to turn in any results at all that President Shinra had begun to get suspicious. The Turks were quickly involved and seized all of his findings, which were burned. Even then, Nobunaga had known of the attempt to recreate Jenova with the subject Sirius Maelstrom. A smirk played across his lips at the memory. They’d never found the copy of his journals. Rediscovering Sirius Maelstrom had been his push to gain his needed materials to complete the experiment.
Of course, there was the small problem that she was involved with Cloud Strife. If Strife ever had the slightest suspicion of what was going on, he’d put a stop to it right away. Eko had sent word to his spies in Midgar not two days ago to watch the goings on of the bar Seventh Heaven and his white-haired subject. That girl was infused with so much Mako energy that it was surprising she’d survived childhood. Now all he had to do was locate the human being that could connect with the Lifestream. All the pieces were slowly falling into place.
“My children!” Nobunaga shouted before the crowd. “God smiles upon you as you rid yourselves of the Materia that has caused so much destruction in the past and are cleansed of the Mako energy that has poisoned you! These horrible things will be thrown into the crushing black oblivion that is the sea where no one can reach them ever again!”
A cheer rose up from the citizens of Rocket Town. He was ever so lucky that Cid Highwind wasn’t in town or else his brilliant plan would’ve been foiled from the very beginning. In no time at all, he’d have all the resources he’d need from this town. It was his for the taking.
“You’re so full of it!” a shout came from the crowd. A scowl settled on his face as a woman stepped forward. “If Cid were here, he’d expose you and your lies, Father Eko.”
A hateful gleam entered Eko’s eyes. This was his chance to show the town what would happen to those who didn’t obey God’s will. “What is your name, my child?”
The woman glared right back at him. “It’s Shera.”
“Well, my dear Shera, you are one of the non-believers and God will throw down his wrath upon you since you aren’t willing to cleanse yourself. If I cannot convince you that you have been possessed by Sephiroth’s spirit, then you must be sacrificed.”
Two men moved from Eko’s side and grabbed Shera, hauling her to the font. They proceeded to strap her down onto a strange looking alter that had recently been constructed there. Eko moved to her side and stroked her hair gently as the crowd was deadly silent.
“This woman has been possessed by the spirit of Sephiroth and therefore will cause the demolition of this town. In order to rid her of this spirit, she will fast for eight days and eight nights. If the spirit is not dispelled by then, other measures must be taken. I hope you all understand the severity of this situation.”
Murmurs of approval and nods moved through the crowd. Three weeks in this town and he’d already had them believing every word he said. Yes, soon the word of his messages from God would spread to the surrounding towns and villages and their Materia and Mako energy would be his as well. It was only a matter of time now. His next target was Sirius Maelstrom. Her Geostigma was key in his operation.
---
“What in the name of Sephiroth has Cid been doing in the garage for the past three weeks? He won’t tell anybody what he’s doing!” Yuffie exclaimed in an exasperated manner.
Vincent seemed to shrug. “He hasn’t told anyone, so it’s not your duty to pry.”
Yuffie stuck out her tongue at him. “Hey Tifa, what do you think the old man is doing in there? Where’s everybody else, by the way?”
The brunette giggled in response. “I don’t know, Yuffie. It’s like Vincent said. He hasn’t told anybody what he’s doing. As for the others, Reno and Rude are out on some mission for Rufus and they took Barret with them. Cloud had some deliveries today that he absolutely had to get done. Sirius went into town to go grocery shopping. Denzel and Marlene are with her. I think Morghann’s upstairs resting. The baby’s been restless lately.”
“I still can’t believe she forgave that jerk, Reno, so easily. I’d have shown him what for.” Yuffie said as she smacked her fist into her opened palm. “I’m glad that Siri isn’t hurting anymore right now, though.”
The loud slam of the garage door caused all three of them to look up. Cid emerged sweaty and covered in either grease or oil. A freshly lit cigarette was hanging from his lips. Tifa quirked an eyebrow while Vincent kept his blank stare. Yuffie was the only one bold enough to ask the question.
“What were you doing in there, old man?”
Cid issued a growl low in his throat. “None of your damn business, brat. Get off my back.”
As soon as Cid had retreated into the Seventh Heaven, Yuffie made a mad dash to the garage to get a peek at his secret project. She let out a disappointed groan when she found the door locked. Whatever he had behind that door, he didn’t want anybody knowing about it. What could be such a big secret that he was going to such measures to keep it that way?
---
“Sirius, what else do we need before we go home?” Denzel asked, Marlene’s hand gripped tightly in his.
The white-haired woman glanced down at the list Tifa had given her before they left. “Let’s see. There’s eggs, milk, potatoes, and…what’s this? Ice cream for Marlene and Denzel?”
The two children’s faces lit up at the mention of the treat. Sirius smiled at them as they each grabbed one of her hands. They began to drag her toward the remaining items that she needed from the store. The rest of them had been left back with Fenrir, which she’d “borrowed” from Cloud for the day. That was the third time this week that the blonde had to take Reno’s motorbike for his deliveries. Sirius felt a little guilty for taking Fenrir, but Cloud would never scold her for it, so why not continue?
With the rest of the items in hand, Sirius paid for them and quickly deposited them at the motorcycle before following Denzel and Marlene to the ice cream parlor right next door. They’d both been so good during their trip to town that she figured that it’d be nice to reward them. She’d pick up some extra ice cream for Morghann as well. Even though she and Reno had made up for their scene in the bar after Rufus had left, they were still on edge. Besides, what growing baby didn’t like dairy?
The tense air between the occupants of Seventh Heaven was becoming a bit stifling. Reno and Morghann had their ins and outs. Sirius, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent seemed to remain neutral. Everyone else had chosen sides. Rude was almost as loyal to Reno as he was to Rufus Shinra himself. Barret and Cid, on the other hand, were ready to kick Reno’s ass at the drop of a hat. Yuffie was content to just chastise him for being such a jerk. Both Cait Sith and Red Thirteen had showed up in the past week, so they really had no say in the matter having not known the circumstances. Sirius pitied both of them. Morghann and Reno were absolutely crazy about one another, but smaller things were getting in the way of their relationship. She knew that Reno would do anything for his unborn child and Morghann, though many would’ve said otherwise.
“Let’s go, Sirius! I want to see Cloud!” Denzel shouted, heading for the door.
“Denzel!” Marlene shrieked. “Cloud’s not home yet! He’s got a lot of deliveries today!”
Sirius chuckled at the two as she moved to follow. The sky had clouded over and the possibility of rain was high. A smile graced her lips as she came upon Marlene and Denzel waiting patiently in front of Fenrir. That meant Cloud would be home early today. A light blush tinged her cheeks. She was acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. The white-haired woman glanced back over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. Her telekinetic senses were going haywire as she felt her entire body tensing. The black wing that was not present at the moment threatened to burst through the skin of her shoulder blade. Someone was following them, following her more specifically. Her hand instinctively flew to her hip to grab the hilts of her kitanas…that weren’t there. She’d left her weapons because there was no longer a use for them. Shrugging off the feeling, she quickly mounted Fenrir pulling Marlene up in front of her and Denzel crawling behind her. Sirius sped off as quickly as she could toward Seventh Heaven, taking as many twists and turns as possible to lose her pursuer.
---
“Hey, crow wing!”
Sirius turned to look at Cid as Denzel helped take in the last of the groceries. “What is it, Cid?”
I’ve got something here for you. I’ve been working on it for a while.” He stated, turning toward the garage.
Sirius followed without so much as a question. She knew that he’d been up to something in there for the past three weeks. Cid produced a key from his pants pocket and unlocked the door slowly, stepping inside the dark room. Following him, Sirius saw a large dirty sheet covering something in the middle of the floor. The older man yanked it off in one swift move, revealing a very nice bike. Sirius wasn’t quite sure what to say other than her gasp of surprise. A newly finished motorcycle sat before her eyes, all polished and ready to ride.
“I found her in the junk yard. I thought it’d be better for you to have your own and quit stealing Cloud’s Fenrir whenever you feel like.” Cid answered the gasp positively.
“I don’t know what to say, old man.” She replied, walking around the bike, running her fingers over the black frame and body. “Thank you so much, Cid.”
Cid waved off the effort at gratitude. “It was nothing. I figured you could use a little pick me up after that relapse of Geostigma you had.”
“Now maybe I can get Fenrir back.” Came a voice from the doorway.
There was Cloud leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest and a smile planted on his lips. Sirius’s fixation with the motorcycle was converted to the blonde that had just entered the picture. She returned his smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the weight of his hands on her hips. Cid mumbled something as he slid past the two and left. Cloud gave her a peck on the lips.
“How were your deliveries?”
Cloud shrugged. “They were fine until it started raining.”
Sirius laughed. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“How was your day?”
She paused in thought. “There was one thing today that was almost enough to have me take on the name ‘One-Winged Angel’ for the first time in a long time today.”
A frown slid over Cloud’s features. “What do you mean? Were you attacked?”
“No, it wasn’t that.” Sirius replied as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Someone was following me. They just got careless toward the end. I mean, my telepathy was going crazy and my first instinct to it was to grab my swords and ask questions later. What do you think it means, Cloud?”
The blonde was lost in his own thoughts. Why did he have a feeling that this wasn’t just one of Sirius’s jumpy tendencies this time? “I think it would be wise for you to start carrying your kitanas with you again. I don’t think this is just a coincidence. I have a feeling that you are being watched Sirius.”
“But what for? Is Rufus up to something?”
Cloud shook his head. “I don’t think it’s Rufus. It’s someone else. But we won’t be able to find out who until we can catch our spy.”
---
End chapter
His plan was working more radiantly than he could’ve dreamed. Nobunaga Eko surveyed the lines upon lines of people in Rocket Town that had all lined up to be rid of their Materia and “cleansed’ of the Mako energy in order to secure their way into heaven. He let out a triumphant laugh mentally as he smiled gently down at one of the dozens of ex-SOLDIERs that he’d treated that day. Another one stepped up swiftly to take his place. These people were so easy to manipulate. Once Nobunaga had given them something to believe in, they had been hooked line and sinker. He was well on his way to obtaining the items he needed for his experiment.
When he’d been employed by Shinra, Nobunaga had soon lost sight of his original goal, which was to recreate Sephiroth, in place of another. The thought of creating the ultimate being composed of both Geostigma, which was Jenova’s cells, and the ability to control the Lifestream, Nobunaga had been drunk with the thought of power. All results thus far had been forgotten in the pursuit of this new obsession. Time and time again Eko had failed. It was when he ceased to turn in any results at all that President Shinra had begun to get suspicious. The Turks were quickly involved and seized all of his findings, which were burned. Even then, Nobunaga had known of the attempt to recreate Jenova with the subject Sirius Maelstrom. A smirk played across his lips at the memory. They’d never found the copy of his journals. Rediscovering Sirius Maelstrom had been his push to gain his needed materials to complete the experiment.
Of course, there was the small problem that she was involved with Cloud Strife. If Strife ever had the slightest suspicion of what was going on, he’d put a stop to it right away. Eko had sent word to his spies in Midgar not two days ago to watch the goings on of the bar Seventh Heaven and his white-haired subject. That girl was infused with so much Mako energy that it was surprising she’d survived childhood. Now all he had to do was locate the human being that could connect with the Lifestream. All the pieces were slowly falling into place.
“My children!” Nobunaga shouted before the crowd. “God smiles upon you as you rid yourselves of the Materia that has caused so much destruction in the past and are cleansed of the Mako energy that has poisoned you! These horrible things will be thrown into the crushing black oblivion that is the sea where no one can reach them ever again!”
A cheer rose up from the citizens of Rocket Town. He was ever so lucky that Cid Highwind wasn’t in town or else his brilliant plan would’ve been foiled from the very beginning. In no time at all, he’d have all the resources he’d need from this town. It was his for the taking.
“You’re so full of it!” a shout came from the crowd. A scowl settled on his face as a woman stepped forward. “If Cid were here, he’d expose you and your lies, Father Eko.”
A hateful gleam entered Eko’s eyes. This was his chance to show the town what would happen to those who didn’t obey God’s will. “What is your name, my child?”
The woman glared right back at him. “It’s Shera.”
“Well, my dear Shera, you are one of the non-believers and God will throw down his wrath upon you since you aren’t willing to cleanse yourself. If I cannot convince you that you have been possessed by Sephiroth’s spirit, then you must be sacrificed.”
Two men moved from Eko’s side and grabbed Shera, hauling her to the font. They proceeded to strap her down onto a strange looking alter that had recently been constructed there. Eko moved to her side and stroked her hair gently as the crowd was deadly silent.
“This woman has been possessed by the spirit of Sephiroth and therefore will cause the demolition of this town. In order to rid her of this spirit, she will fast for eight days and eight nights. If the spirit is not dispelled by then, other measures must be taken. I hope you all understand the severity of this situation.”
Murmurs of approval and nods moved through the crowd. Three weeks in this town and he’d already had them believing every word he said. Yes, soon the word of his messages from God would spread to the surrounding towns and villages and their Materia and Mako energy would be his as well. It was only a matter of time now. His next target was Sirius Maelstrom. Her Geostigma was key in his operation.
---
“What in the name of Sephiroth has Cid been doing in the garage for the past three weeks? He won’t tell anybody what he’s doing!” Yuffie exclaimed in an exasperated manner.
Vincent seemed to shrug. “He hasn’t told anyone, so it’s not your duty to pry.”
Yuffie stuck out her tongue at him. “Hey Tifa, what do you think the old man is doing in there? Where’s everybody else, by the way?”
The brunette giggled in response. “I don’t know, Yuffie. It’s like Vincent said. He hasn’t told anybody what he’s doing. As for the others, Reno and Rude are out on some mission for Rufus and they took Barret with them. Cloud had some deliveries today that he absolutely had to get done. Sirius went into town to go grocery shopping. Denzel and Marlene are with her. I think Morghann’s upstairs resting. The baby’s been restless lately.”
“I still can’t believe she forgave that jerk, Reno, so easily. I’d have shown him what for.” Yuffie said as she smacked her fist into her opened palm. “I’m glad that Siri isn’t hurting anymore right now, though.”
The loud slam of the garage door caused all three of them to look up. Cid emerged sweaty and covered in either grease or oil. A freshly lit cigarette was hanging from his lips. Tifa quirked an eyebrow while Vincent kept his blank stare. Yuffie was the only one bold enough to ask the question.
“What were you doing in there, old man?”
Cid issued a growl low in his throat. “None of your damn business, brat. Get off my back.”
As soon as Cid had retreated into the Seventh Heaven, Yuffie made a mad dash to the garage to get a peek at his secret project. She let out a disappointed groan when she found the door locked. Whatever he had behind that door, he didn’t want anybody knowing about it. What could be such a big secret that he was going to such measures to keep it that way?
---
“Sirius, what else do we need before we go home?” Denzel asked, Marlene’s hand gripped tightly in his.
The white-haired woman glanced down at the list Tifa had given her before they left. “Let’s see. There’s eggs, milk, potatoes, and…what’s this? Ice cream for Marlene and Denzel?”
The two children’s faces lit up at the mention of the treat. Sirius smiled at them as they each grabbed one of her hands. They began to drag her toward the remaining items that she needed from the store. The rest of them had been left back with Fenrir, which she’d “borrowed” from Cloud for the day. That was the third time this week that the blonde had to take Reno’s motorbike for his deliveries. Sirius felt a little guilty for taking Fenrir, but Cloud would never scold her for it, so why not continue?
With the rest of the items in hand, Sirius paid for them and quickly deposited them at the motorcycle before following Denzel and Marlene to the ice cream parlor right next door. They’d both been so good during their trip to town that she figured that it’d be nice to reward them. She’d pick up some extra ice cream for Morghann as well. Even though she and Reno had made up for their scene in the bar after Rufus had left, they were still on edge. Besides, what growing baby didn’t like dairy?
The tense air between the occupants of Seventh Heaven was becoming a bit stifling. Reno and Morghann had their ins and outs. Sirius, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent seemed to remain neutral. Everyone else had chosen sides. Rude was almost as loyal to Reno as he was to Rufus Shinra himself. Barret and Cid, on the other hand, were ready to kick Reno’s ass at the drop of a hat. Yuffie was content to just chastise him for being such a jerk. Both Cait Sith and Red Thirteen had showed up in the past week, so they really had no say in the matter having not known the circumstances. Sirius pitied both of them. Morghann and Reno were absolutely crazy about one another, but smaller things were getting in the way of their relationship. She knew that Reno would do anything for his unborn child and Morghann, though many would’ve said otherwise.
“Let’s go, Sirius! I want to see Cloud!” Denzel shouted, heading for the door.
“Denzel!” Marlene shrieked. “Cloud’s not home yet! He’s got a lot of deliveries today!”
Sirius chuckled at the two as she moved to follow. The sky had clouded over and the possibility of rain was high. A smile graced her lips as she came upon Marlene and Denzel waiting patiently in front of Fenrir. That meant Cloud would be home early today. A light blush tinged her cheeks. She was acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. The white-haired woman glanced back over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. Her telekinetic senses were going haywire as she felt her entire body tensing. The black wing that was not present at the moment threatened to burst through the skin of her shoulder blade. Someone was following them, following her more specifically. Her hand instinctively flew to her hip to grab the hilts of her kitanas…that weren’t there. She’d left her weapons because there was no longer a use for them. Shrugging off the feeling, she quickly mounted Fenrir pulling Marlene up in front of her and Denzel crawling behind her. Sirius sped off as quickly as she could toward Seventh Heaven, taking as many twists and turns as possible to lose her pursuer.
---
“Hey, crow wing!”
Sirius turned to look at Cid as Denzel helped take in the last of the groceries. “What is it, Cid?”
I’ve got something here for you. I’ve been working on it for a while.” He stated, turning toward the garage.
Sirius followed without so much as a question. She knew that he’d been up to something in there for the past three weeks. Cid produced a key from his pants pocket and unlocked the door slowly, stepping inside the dark room. Following him, Sirius saw a large dirty sheet covering something in the middle of the floor. The older man yanked it off in one swift move, revealing a very nice bike. Sirius wasn’t quite sure what to say other than her gasp of surprise. A newly finished motorcycle sat before her eyes, all polished and ready to ride.
“I found her in the junk yard. I thought it’d be better for you to have your own and quit stealing Cloud’s Fenrir whenever you feel like.” Cid answered the gasp positively.
“I don’t know what to say, old man.” She replied, walking around the bike, running her fingers over the black frame and body. “Thank you so much, Cid.”
Cid waved off the effort at gratitude. “It was nothing. I figured you could use a little pick me up after that relapse of Geostigma you had.”
“Now maybe I can get Fenrir back.” Came a voice from the doorway.
There was Cloud leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest and a smile planted on his lips. Sirius’s fixation with the motorcycle was converted to the blonde that had just entered the picture. She returned his smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the weight of his hands on her hips. Cid mumbled something as he slid past the two and left. Cloud gave her a peck on the lips.
“How were your deliveries?”
Cloud shrugged. “They were fine until it started raining.”
Sirius laughed. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“How was your day?”
She paused in thought. “There was one thing today that was almost enough to have me take on the name ‘One-Winged Angel’ for the first time in a long time today.”
A frown slid over Cloud’s features. “What do you mean? Were you attacked?”
“No, it wasn’t that.” Sirius replied as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Someone was following me. They just got careless toward the end. I mean, my telepathy was going crazy and my first instinct to it was to grab my swords and ask questions later. What do you think it means, Cloud?”
The blonde was lost in his own thoughts. Why did he have a feeling that this wasn’t just one of Sirius’s jumpy tendencies this time? “I think it would be wise for you to start carrying your kitanas with you again. I don’t think this is just a coincidence. I have a feeling that you are being watched Sirius.”
“But what for? Is Rufus up to something?”
Cloud shook his head. “I don’t think it’s Rufus. It’s someone else. But we won’t be able to find out who until we can catch our spy.”
---
End chapter