bah! I don't have to post anything you peasants demand! lol, I just like posting my stories :p
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"Where the hell did she run off to?" Cid exclaimed.
"I don't know," Barret said slowly, but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He looked over at Cloud, who was staring off into space, a peculiar look on his face.
"No, she couldn't have," he said so softly that Barret barely heard him. He turned to look at the others.
"We've got to go after her," he said sharply. "NOW!"
Without waiting he was off, running down the cavern to the tunnel at the far end. The others were left with no choice but to pursue him as best they could.
He reached the tunnel and plunged onward. Things had gone terribly wrong, just as Aeris had predicted they might, if it was indeed Aeris who had contacted him. He still couldn't bring himself to believe it had not been her. But that was unimportant now, he thought, shaking his head. He had bigger problems right now, much bigger. He had to get to Tifa before it was too late. He had to get to her before she did something they would all regret. He wanted Aeris back, but not like that! Didn't she understand that?
And Tarkin, how was he going to figure in this? According to Cait, he was already here, could have been here for some time. Suppose he was lying in wait for them and she ran into him? He clenched his teeth at the thought of her confronting him alone. He could kick himself for not taking the Crystal Materia back from her, but who would have thought something like this would happen? If he couldn't trust Tifa with it, he couldn't trust anyone.
The tunnel sloped down sharply, but he didn't slow. If he could just get there in time. He wasn't sure how much of a lead she had, but it couldn't be that much. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes from the time she left until it was noticed. Still, he knew that he had to reach her as soon as possible. He couldn't help thinking back to another time when Aeris had run off, and what had resulted from that.
The ground dropped out from under him and he found himself falling. The green light grew around him. Looking up he could see some of the others falling as well, but he could not tell if they were all there. Eventually he stopped falling and the familiar background of Nibelheim faded in around him.
It always seems to come back to Nibelheim, he thought.
He looked around. Behind him he saw that the others had joined him, but he only afforded them a glance. He was looking for some hint to where Tifa had gone, and he was shortly rewarded when he saw the green glow of the Shinra Mansion. But even as he started towards it the Turks came around the corner of the Nibelheim Inn to his left, followed closely by Lucrecia.
Cloud was not surprised at all. He had had a feeling they were going to show up somewhere along the line. They were nothing if not determined. He would have liked nothing more than to fight it out once and for all, but right now he just didn't have the time.
Vincent came up beside him, obviously thinking much the same thing.
"You go on," he said. "I'll handle this."
"Not by yourself," Cloud said quickly. "Red and Barret, you're with me. The rest of you help Vincent."
He turned to look at the Turks.
"Sorry I can't stay and play, but I have more important things to do."
He sprinted off towards the Mansion, not waiting to see, nor much interested in, the Turks response. Red and Barret followed closely behind. They entered the Mansion and followed the light down into the cellar. A few moments later they entered the library.
The first thing they noticed was the glowing circle of green light in the center of the room. The second thing was Tifa She was chained to the wall on the far side of the room. Cloud felt tremendous relief.
At least she's alive!
A man in a black cloak stood next to her. Even though the man's facial features, except for the glowing green eyes, were striking different, the impression that he was looking at Sephiroth was so strong that it was almost overpowering.
Tifa looked up at him with a peculiar expression on her face.
"Let her go, Tarkin," Cloud demanded.
Tarkin raised an eyebrow.
"So you know my name," he said thoughtfully. "It appears my little spy has been indiscreet. But no matter. He did his job and got you here safely."
He pointed to a small table near the glowing light.
"There is the Crystal Materia," he said. "Take it. I will not interfere. Take it and finish what you came here for."
Cloud looked at the table. The Crystal Materia was not five feet away from him, much closer than Tarkin was.
"No," Tifa said, and when she spoke it seemed the words came out with great difficulty. "It's a trap."
Tarkin turned in surprise and glared at her.
"Be silent," he commanded.
"Leave her alone!" Cloud said angrily, and suddenly his sword was balanced in his hands.
"She is unhurt," Tarkin said quickly. "Take the Materia. Finish what you came here for."
Cloud stood unmoving for a moment.
"Let her go first," he said, finally. He pointed the sword menacingly at Tarkin.
Tarkin's face darkened.
"I said, take the Materia," he said sharply.
Yellow light flared up in his hand, and Cloud suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to do just as Tarkin had said.
He fought it, and for a long time he stood perfectly still, the desires balanced. But the power of the materia was much stronger than Cloud had thought. Slowly, and in spite of all he could do, he found himself taking a step forward.
Even as he did so Tifa shook her head and then looked up, the alertness back in her eyes.
"Cloud," she shouted. "Cloud, be strong. He wants to force you to use the materia to bring back Sephiroth. Fight it!"
Cloud stopped again, forcing himself with every fiber of his being to remain still. Tarkin took a moment to glance over at her, but he was too involved with trying to master Cloud to do anything about her. He realized he had made a tactical error. He could not control them both at the same time. He should have killed her when he had the chance.
No time to worry about that now. Summoning every power of concentration he had learned from his SOLDIER training, he bent all his will toward Cloud.
Cloud fought, but again felt himself weakening. Tarkin was just too strong. In slow motion he took yet another step forward and now stood right beside the table.
"No!" Tifa shouted. She pulled desperately on the chains and tried to strike out at Tarkin, but he was beyond her reach. She turned to the others.
"Help him!" she cried.
Red and Barret had been watching the process, not sure of the best course to follow, but Tifa's words galvanized them into action. Barret was not sure whether she had meant to help him mentally or physically, so he chose what came natural. He raised his arm and opened up with his gun.
Tarkin stumbled backwards, dodging desperately out of the way. But he could not avoid the blast of lightening launched from Red's materia.
Cloud felt his mind clear. Instantly he leapt forward and swung his sword.
Tarkin cried out in anguish. He backed away from them, holding his arm as the yellow materia fell to the floor. He stood there for a moment with his back to the wall, looking at them with undisguised hatred.
"Very well," he said grimly. "I tried to make it easy for you, but I see you are going to be less than cooperative. You force me to destroy your friends and drag you myself into the circle. So be it. Jenova rebirth!"
Light flashed around Tarkin. His body changed, shifted, grew larger and monstrous. He towered over them. His arms grew long and developed great gleaming claws. Another set of arms sprouted out below them. His face elongated and formed a muzzle, long sharp teeth protruding from it. Only the eyes remained the same, the green glowing pits still filled with hatred.
The creature let out a roar that rung in their ears and then there was a blast of green light. Cloud and his friends were thrown roughly back against the wall. Cloud immediately sprang up and forward, attacking viciously with his sword. Barret continued to fire, getting up more slowly. Red quickly cast cure on all of them. They had been caught off guard by the sudden attack, and it put them at a disadvantage.
Tarkin, or the thing that had been Tarkin, seemed to realize this and pressed his attack against them. In quick succession he cast half a dozen strong attacking spells, at the same time attacking ferociously with the claws on all his limbs. Cloud found himself forced backward, and try as he might, Red could not seem to catch up defensively. Tarkin seemed to be one step ahead of him whenever he made a move.
A clawed hand flashed out, and Cloud went down, thrown roughly back. He got up again slowly. Red cast cure on him again, but knew that he could not keep it up much longer. The constant casting of spells was exhausting him.
There was another green flash as Tarkin hit them with Ultima again. They all went down one more time.
Tarkin stepped toward Red, who was closest to him, and raised his claws. But as he did so he came into range of Tifa, who kicked suddenly and sharply at his knee. He stumbled and his blow went awry. Red got up and darted out of the way.
Tarkin turned and swung at Tifa with the back of a huge clawed hand. She had no way to dodge. The hand hit her solidly and she slumped to the ground.
Cloud saw red.
He reached down and pulled out a materia orb. He concentrated fiercely on it until it flashed with red light.
"Ultimate end!" he shouted.
Sudden sparkling light appeared all around Cloud. Multicolored stars flashed in and out of existence around him. Then he faded from sight.
The room darkened. Tarkin looked up suddenly. The ground around him seemed to bow downward. The room faded away into darkness. There was a rushing sound, as if the wind from a hurricane where whistling by him. Then a massive shape appeared out of the darkness. He saw bright glowing eyes, and then the flash of metal from a tremendous sword. He screamed in agony as he felt the sword bite. The world swirled about him.
Eleven more times the massive figure appeared. Each time a different one, each time with a different attack. Each one doing great damage.
Then there was a pause. He heard a rushing sound. Then, out of the darkness another pair of eyes. He could sense a tremendous bulk hurtling toward him, more massive than any of the others. The rushing sound grew until he thought a locomotive were bearing down on him. He saw the form of a huge knight glowering down at him from some great height. Another sword came up, then came crashing down. He felt himself falling, and then only darkness.
The multicolored lights flashed again, and then Cloud stood once more in the library. He looked at the crumpled body of Tarkin on the floor nearby. Tarkin moaned and opened his eyes, looking at him slowly, still shocked from the attack. He no longer looked in the least bit dangerous.
"It's over Tarkin," Cloud said simply.
Tarkin shook his head to clear it. He slowly stood up, though he barely seemed to have the strength. He looked around.
"You think you have won," he said slowly, "but it is not quite over yet."
With his remaining strength he lunged for the table and grabbed the Crystal Materia. Before the others could stop him he scrambled into the center of the circle of light. He turned and looked at them triumphantly.
"Stop!" Cloud cried, but it was too late.
"Nor par tellemar Sephiroth!"
the final part of the story posted whenever I damn feel like it, lol....
I don't see why people always have to be fans of ONE console, all consoles have their good points and bad points and thus should all be respected....