Jenova True

Diabolos formed a trio of black holes around it’s small body, attempting to use the gravitational forces of each to tear her apart. With a bored flap of wings, Jenova dispelled all three voids. 

As soon as they fell a massive boulder crashed into her, shattering apart. Wings fluttering rapidly her body turned to face in Titan’s direction as he hefted another rock deposited by Terrato, who swiftly dove back beneath the surface. This one she swatted aside in irritation, failing to notice the swarm of missiles following in it’s wake that exploded all around her.

“That’ll get her attention!” Tseng grunted, from his position in a requisitioned mech. The smoke cleared and Jenova stared down at them with that same irritated gaze as before. “Well if at first you don’t succeed…”

“She’s ignoring us.” Elena muttered loudly, backing away from noise of the chattering guns and booming sounds of rockets roaring out of launchers. She felt a terrible unease. “What’s she waiting for?”

Out of the green pool shot another pillar that came up an angle that had it intercept a fireball from Jessica. “Shit!” The sweating redhead cursed, falling back dizzily. Whatever her power was, it seemed to be at it’s limit. Carbunkle danced about her, concerned, while Eight carried her behind a convenient cover.

“We should move now!” Scarlet pulsed internally, fighting to avoid looking across the wide plain extending beyond Midgar.

“No!” Through the cacophony of voices she recognized the voice of the Scarlet that preceded her. “While her power doesn’t compare to ours she IS the remnant of entire Planet! She is capable of sensing if something is being trifled with. We need to be careful with how different things are now.”

“Why?” Scarlet snapped. “You all did your own thing when…”

“We all had Siren as our partner.” Her former self hissed back. “The fact Shiva is with you will already disturb her. The other Espers being involved will slowly alert her. And then there’s the fact that Tifa isn’t here beside us. You have all of our combined knowledge plus your own so USE IT!! Look for an opening. Anything we might’ve missed. Hopefully Tifa gets back before things get completely out of hand. Find some weakness to exploit before that happens.”

“If it was so easy you all would’ve done it already.” Scarlet grumbled, then steeled herself. They were right. Things were already altered badly with the Espers and Tifa not being here. Even now she could sense a hesitation in Jenova’s moves in response as well to that new little group that had latched onto Tifa’s crowd. And that was before the fact that her partner was different this time around. She had come up with a way to try and get around that, hopefully Jenova wouldn’t catch on, or if she did, it wouldn’t trigger her memories. “Let’s get into it, darling.”

At Shiva’s mental nod, Scarlet threw back a hand, focusing on her link with Shiva. Across her back snowy wings flared out that beat in the air. Manipulating the particles with the green mako floating in the air she slowly changed from pale blue white to a light and green with darker highlights. Alterations complete, Scarlet floated upwards, into Jenova’s line of sight. It immediately homed in on her and menace assaulted her in waves. Even with Shiva at her back, Scarlet had to fight the urge to turn and flee. Instead she converted that terror into fury.

Fury at Jenova for sending Tiamat to interrupt her fight with Tifa.

Fury at Rufus and the Turks for leaving her to rot in that desert hellhole for all those years

Fury at Avalanche for failing to deal with Jenova to begin with.

And, most importantly, fury at Tifa for leaving her to handle this by herself. 

With a convincing shriek that would’ve even impressed Siren, Scarlet flew at Jenova, arms shifting into a pair of lances that she thrust at the wide eyed creature.

*****

With an earsplitting roar, Bahamut darted and spun through the air, avoiding Alexander’s beams, swinging around with a concentrated gout of fire that rolled off the other Esper’s shield. A pair of spines appeared on Bahamut’s back and, bellowing again, the Esper swung it’s head around, firing once more. This beam was white hot and Alexander, swiftly returned to his human form, darted to the side to avoid the attack that exploded behind him. Armoring himself, and spreading a pair of wings, Alexander took to the sky to challenge Bahamut in it’s own domain.

Barret, on the other hand, found himself quickly on the backfoot. 

It was one thing watching Cloud work. It was another to be the one he was working on. Only Odin’s swordsmanship kept his head attached. Astride a six legged horse, the armored Esper cleaved an impossibly sharp sword at Cloud. It’s edge sliced through buildings and cut through pillars, but clanged loudly against the black blade Cloud wielded. Wing flapping, the corrupted young man leapt away, trying to get some distance, only for Barret to hammer a punch into his back.

Grunting, Cloud spun around, grabbing Barret’s fist, swinging around to hurl him towards Odin. The Esper leapt from his horse, over the oncoming black man, to throw his spear at the blonde man who spun around the weapon. Sword once more met sword, Cloud’s knees buckling until Barret slammed back into him with a blow that knocked him into a collapsed building. “Your memories of Bahamut’s champion does him little justice.” Odin grinned, twirling his weapon one handed. “With a little extra training he would make a fine sparring partner.”

“Ease off, big guy.” Barret grunted, wiping his lips. Cloud was strong…but this was too much, even for him. Probably a side effect and whatever made him look like Sephiroth. The rubble began to move and Cloud reappeared, looking none the worse for wear. Hefting a sizeable chunk of concrete his hand whipped around…and Barret blinked as Odin appeared in front of him, a loud CRACK followed by the sound of shattering nearly deafening him. Odin’s sword arm lowered, visibly trembling. “No matter what he does, don’t kill him.”

“Which gives him a significant advantage.” Odin observed, the corrupted young man whipping his sword in the air. Then, to their surprise, he staggered slightly. Eyes glazing over, he planted the blade into the ground to steady himself. Footsteps crunched behind them and Odin glanced down out of the corner of his eye. “What are you doing here, girl?”

“My abilities aren’t going to be of much use against something up in the air.” Joslyn replied primly holding a hand out, extended towards Cloud, Lakshmi reclining over her shoulder. “Figured I could be of better use here. He’s resisting my sleep spell, but it’s still slowing him down.”

“Lemme see if I can nudge him all the way!” Barret growled, delivering a punch that knocked Cloud off his feet and into the air, where he now hovered. “Dammit…think I did the opposite.”

Cloud snarled, slashing his sword back and forth, then pointed his free hand at them. Joslyn yelped as Barret dove at her, dragging her down. The smell of ozone assaulted their noses, the spot where they’d vacated charred black and accompanying BOOM of thunder in the distance. “Don’t think…I’ve ever seen him use one that strong.” Jo admitted shakily.

“Yeah…me neither.” Barret agreed grimly, glaring up at the young man who gave a hideous laugh. A laugh that stopped quickly as he darted to the side to avoid Gungnir, Odin stretching out his hand for the spear to return. 

“KILL…YOU…ALL…” Cloud intoned, rearing back again, then yelled once more…falling to the ground as a boulder crashed into him. Titan bounded up to them, nodding.

“What’re you doin’ here?!” Barret demanded. “I told you, we got this!”

“Things’ve changed…gotten worse actually.” Titan replied simply, body swelling and greying. “We simply can’t afford to have you all occupied here.”

*****

Yells of confusion assaulted Yuffie’s ears as Beck’s bandit group got in the way of the Turks and their remaining troopers, scrambling away from the edge of the green pool. Though receding it still held things beneath it’s surface that was more than willing to kill them. Monsters with skeletal heads and six massive claws, complimenting two smaller ones, across it’s body emerged from it’s depths, impaling a pair of bandits while doing so. Skeletal dragons, remnants of Tiamat’s battle crawled onto land, bones clicking and clacking. Equally as frightening were the three head Chimeras, who’s leonine heads breathed fire and snake heads belched poison that melted armor as well as flesh.

But most terrifying were the three figures that now circled Jenova. Two blondes, one platinum and the other traditional yellow, and a brunette. By all appearances they looked like simple bikini clad women, but their arrival had dissuaded any belief that was all they were. One turned several of the bandits and troopers into frogs at a stare, while the other two drove men mad with their gazes, causing them to turn their weapons on friends and allies. Now they appeared between Scarlet and Jenova forcing the blonde to move back warily.

“What are they?” She demanded. 

“Creatures of her personal creation,” her other growled, clearly disturbed. Then the timbre changed, to one she recognized as being more mechanically inclined than physical. “I faced them…or at least two of them. They are perverted mirrors of us and Tifa that Jenova used to try and hold us back. They proved quite troublesome ever since they started appearing as they also seemed to project an aura that suppressed higher magics. But I do not recognize the white haired one. She might be…LOOK OUT!”

Reacting to the shouted warning Scarlet dove to avoid the white haired figure that dove at her, an odd tinkling sound preceding the attack. With shrieking laughter the other two quickly followed, grabbing for her, kicking and punching, their blows laced with energies that made Shiva cry out inside of her. No…not all of them. The blonde one. Hers were the blows that really hurt, seeming to impact her connection with Shiva as well as her flesh.

Scarlet snarled, shifting her arms into whips, lashing the dark hair and blondie, cutting into their yellow bikinis and driving them back. But the pale skinned one got through, diving into her and propelling them down to the ground. A whip receded and Scarlet slammed a punch into the platinum blonde that seemed to have no effect. Likewise, she flattened her palm, nails extending and drove it to her chest. Instead of impaling Scarlet though, the nails shattered and she leaned back, surprise evident on her face. Equally shocked, but recovering faster, Scarlet kicked out, flipping her over and into the air, where she spun in a circle, avoiding the chunk of rubble the blonde hurled. Flitting about, she rejoined the other two in the air above her.

“What is wrong Snow?” The yellow haired one chuckled. “The mortal woman too tough for you?”

“She is protected sister.” The white haired one retorted, flicking a pair of earings that seemed to give off the ringing sound. “My powers are muted when used against her.”

“I too have felt a resistance to my energies.” The black haired one stated, arms crossed over her chest. “However, she seems unable to hurt us all as well. Jemnezmy, what about you?”

“I felt nothing but her soft mortal shell recoiling under my strikes, Pollensalta.” Jem replied, eyeing Scarlet hungrily. “And the delicious pain where her blows land. May I have her then my sisters?”

In response the other two floated upwards, flying back towards Jenova while the yellow haired one descended leisurely. Scarlet’s eyes narrowed. While she hadn’t understood what was said, the other twos departure was self evident and she raised her arms, just time to catch the other blonde’s wrists as she flew at her. With a lurch, Scarlet shifted to the side, pulling her to the ground and punching. Her fist sank into the concrete, not her new adversary. “She fought Tifa and I last time.” Shiva pulsed to Scarlet. “Her power runs counter to mine. But more than that…her mannerisms, her similarity to you led to Tifa having difficulties with her…until she regained her memories…”

“So Jenova played the voyeur and created imitations to recreate how we fought one another.” Scarlet snorted, lifting herself off the ground to face the bikini clad monster woman. If that was the case, then this shouldn’t pose much of an issue. She grabbed hold of the feathery ice that covered her and ripped it off an explosion of mana. Breasts bobbing freely she bounced them in her hand and aimed them in it’s direction. It laughed and gleefully accepted the invitation, leaving a small flickering of disappearing mana behind as it slammed into the waiting Scarlet.

*****

With the wind at their back, the small airship was making excellent time. The two pilots kept their eyes forward, and not on the green skinned, scantily clad woman weaving her fingers back and forth behind them. To the rear of the ship, in the sleeping quarters, Tifa clung to her twins, while the other four lay in the hastily assembled playpen with Dio’s four assigned female bodyguards in each corner, standing nervously. The closer they got to Midgar the more attentive four of them became…sensing the ongoing conflict. “I don’t want to lose them…” Tifa pulsed, rocking slightly back and forth, the fear gnawing at her insides. For a moment she felt all her other lives there with her. All holding Jessie and Brian. Even the ones she didn’t get along with…they were all still her. Holding in their hands, the young lives they could have created.

The life they could have had…the lives they SHOULD have had. Which was why Tifa appeared to glow and refused to let go of the twins. All this would come to an end though, as the young woman’s head shot up even before Siren pulsed a warning to her. Gently, so gently, she lay them beside their half siblings and moved to the door, sparing only a quick glance behind. A glance that saw through the tiny ones to what lay within. “Remember what I said.” She growled, before closing it carefully. The guards regarded one another nervously.

“We have a guest.” Siren said grimly, flowing into Tifa as she strode through the waiting Esper, to stare through the glass. A rapid blink was the only sign of her consternation when she saw who floated there. It was not quite like looking in a mirror, but close enough. She turned to the pilots.

“No matter what happens keep moving towards the city center.” She stated, moving to the ladder that led up to the small deck. “Keep trying to get in touch with Yuffie. She’ll know what to do.”

“Why is she here!?” The cacophony of voices in her head demanded as she pulled herself up and out. “It’s supposed to be the other one. The one that…”

“It’s because you’re with me.” Siren stated, cutting through the noise and radiating calm. “It wasn’t just you they were meant to counter, but Shiva and myself as well.

“We’re at a disadvantage in this regard.” Tifa recognized the tone as the one from the previous life. “Our experience is with the other one. We don’t know how this one fights.”

“I beg to disagree.” Tifa pulsed back, standing tall and seemingly uncaring as the dark haired creature floated down to step carefully onto the wooden decking. “I think we know exactly how this one fights!”

Circling with stalking steps, the wind fluttering through thick brown and black hair, the two females studied one another intently as if looking for something. Then, as if finding what she was looking for, Tifa threw herself at her bikini clad opposite, sending them both tumbling off the airship and through the air.

*****

“She’s here!”

“What?” Yuffie pulsed, flipping sideways, catching her shuriken that returned covered in reddish-black gore. The Chimera she had targeted roared, it’s snake head tail spewing ichor, cut cleanly in half.

“Tifa she’s here and…” There was a brief hesitation and Yuffie felt her relief at her friend’s safety overwhelmed by a surge of outrage rushing through Leviathan. And, like a switch being flipped, Yuffie knew what had caused it…and felt it as well. 

“OUR CHILDREN!!” Yuffie shouted, and Leviathan roared, surging upwards towards the airship flying into the heaviest fighting, that also had a pair of figures falling from it. Instinctively she knew it was Tifa and one of the strange womanly creatures Jenova had summoned, but her concern was elsewhere as the pair crashed to the ground in an explosion of rubble and green liquid. In a rare moment, Yuffie opened herself fully to Leviathan, sprinting through the battlefield. A gelatinous mass of eyes sat in her path, bodies around it in various stages of death. It blinked and a beam shot out at waist level, attempting to bisect her. Yuffie leapt over the energy and the creature. At the apex she clenched her fist tight and a reservoir of collected rain water shot into the air with the pressure of the depths Emerald prowled. Ichor spurted as the eye monster fell in two parts. 

Gathering even more speed, Yuffie became a blur, darting past the scenes of monsters and men fighting desperately, the former falling over dead in her passing, often in pieces, while the latter could only stare in confusion at the chunks that randomly fell to the ground. Sprinting, Yuffie gathered power beneath her feet and LEAPT onto Leviathan’s serpentine form, scuttling rapidly upwards looking like a four legged spider, while also grabbing hold of scales to propel herself higher. At the zenith, pulling herself up, she ran across Leviathan’s snout, throwing herself back into the air, to land atop it’s deck.

“KEEP THEM SAFE!!” Leviathan roared in her mind, turning her attention to a flying swarm that buzzed around her midsection. 

Stomping down the stairwell Yuffie came to the door and flung it open. Inside stood the four women Dio assigned to protect his grandchildren, all holding various weapons that they lowered once they recognized the kunoichi. She ignored them, homing in on the six bundles sitting in the playpen that turned to stare at her. She struggled to maintain her dignity, wanting to just pick them up and hold on tight, but instead clung to her outrage and turned on the women. “What the hell was she thinking!?”

“She said they’d be needed to break Cloud out of Jenova’s control.” One hesitantly replied.

“Told us to tell you that it was imperative to get them to him before he did something unforgiveable.” The other continued. Then, “Said that if she had to step out to look for you to take over.”

Yuffie took several deep breaths and turned away from the room, wiping her face. “Did you get that?” She asked silently.

“Her reasoning is sound.” Leviathan’s voice resonated in her head. “But I will leave it to you on whether or not to call her out on the rather haphazard way she went about it.”

Nodding internally, Yuffie exited the room and stomped up to the cockpit. The pilots were currently frozen, staring at a slitted eye that pulled back when the kunoichi appeared. Leviathan trilled shrilly and whipped back around, undulating at an angle away from where Jenova floated towards a massive darting dragon.

“Follow her.” Yuffie ordered, shortly, leaning forward.

*****

“What the hell is it doing!?”

“I don’t have clue, sir.” Elena reported back, tapping her earpiece and unloading her mag into a multi-legged horror then pistol whipping one of the crazed bandits that leapt at her, sparing a quick glance at Leviathan. It only took one or two good whacks to break them out of whatever delusion it was affecting them, but that damned pale bitch made repeated passes, tying up their lines. Worse was she seemed to affect her connection to Seraphim. The magic just fizzled she tried to manifest it. Though she did notice something else. 

She seemed to only affect the men. 

At least with her mind control. Everyone else, she peppered with shards of ice that ranged from pellets that scoured the skin to four foot spikes that impaled. Elena dove as she flew past again, heard the screams as more had their minds assaulted as well as the cracking sounds of shards smashing into the ground. She heard a loud WHOOSH, and a surge of heat rushed over her back. Seconds later a loud THUD, followed by a groan and Elena was suddenly aware of a dampness across her front, jumping into a crouch over the sudden pool that surrounded her. “What the…!”

“It’s a Charm ability,” Jessica growled, standing over Eight’s prone figure, glaring upwards at the now stationary pale figure. She gestured rudely. “I’ve seem them before. And this bitch is going to experience what I gave to those sluts that tried to charm my Eight.”

The female figure ignored them, darting around to make another pass, snowflakes trailing in her wake. As she flew over them Jessica unfurled her whip, snapped once to limber it up, then cracked it as the flier passed overhead. She may have been planning to drag her down, but instead Elena caught the flash of surprise on her face as she got yanked into the air. The blonde Turk blinked, then cursed, leaping to the side to avoid a charging Yangus before the portly bandit was slammed into the ground by Red.

Meanwhile, up in the air, Jessica grimaced as she pulled herself along her whip with slow determination. The pale bitch shot a surprised look over her shoulder that changed to a cruel smirk. Dropping low she flew through the battle, whipping Jessica back and forth, the redhead scrambling to avoid slamming into objects, persons or monsters. Digging her feet into the ground, she left a dust trail behind her, pulling her whip down towards her. In response the pale bitch threw herself into a spin, yanking the weapon out of her hand and sending Jessica tumbling head over feet from the momentum. Getting back to her feet, the redhead winced at the numerous cuts and bruises, glancing around and finding herself alone.

Suddenly alert she twisted around to get slammed in the stomach and flew back against the wall of a broken house. Gagging, she failed to get her guard up when another blow to her stomach doubled her over and she was hefted off the ground by her throat. 

“So weak…” Snow sneered, looking up at the fiery tressed mortal. For a second she’d thought it was the other one. It was so unfair her sisters got to have fun while she was stuck dealing with the fodder. But this was at least an interesting diversion. Her free arm elongated into a pointed tip. “Time to die!”

Her arm shot forward, aiming for the thin line of her cleavage, when it shattered several inches from it’s target. Both she and Jessica stared at the broken limb in fascination, then started at a low growling sound. Carbunkle stood atop Jessica’s head and yipped defiantly at the creature attempting to harm his chosen mistress. Shaken out of her reverie Jessica kicked, pushing the monster away, causing it’s grip to fail. Immediately upon landing she swung an uppercut, fist on fire, rotating her body to also deliver a backhand also wreathed in flame. The female…woman…fell back, hissing at the black marks on it’s face. Ice formed over it’s shoulder, flying towards Jessica, only to shatter across another shield. 

“YAAHH!!” Jessica shouted, leaping at the creature, knee thrust out. The blow caught it in the chest and monster stumbled back, eyes wide. A fist swung widely, arcing towards it’s face, only to be caught in a tight grip. The redhead yelled as her arm wrenched to the side, and swung her other fist. This was blocked and the girl croaked as she was butted in the chest. Long white hair falling across it’s face, the monster looked as surprised as Jessica that that worked, then grinned. Staggered from the headbutt, Jessica barely had time to catch her balance when the creature pounced, driving her back into the rubble of the former building.

*****

“Sir, we’ve lost sight of the third female!”

Tseng clenched the radio in his hand tight when a response came through. It was Elena. “Jessica is taking care of her. At least, that’s what I last saw before I also lost visual. They were heading in Bahamut’s direction.”

Tseng exhaled a long breath as the chatter moved onto demands of who that was before the line was abruptly cut. That was three potential disasters off the board…at least temporarily. But that was a worst case scenario. As it currently they were barely holding back the monsters Jenova kept throwing at them. There seemed to be no limit to them, while the loss of each one of theirs was a gap that needed closing. Even as that thought crossed his mind an airship fell from the sky, trailing smoke. In his last act the pilot angled his craft to fall into a clump of Gigas and Dual Horns, but while there was no replacing the loss of the ship and it’s crew, the mako bubbled, new monstrosities already emerging.

And, as if realizing her lieutenants were occupied, Jenova at once turned her attention back on them. Even while she continued raising her pillars, lightning flashed from between her hands, using her creations to tie up their forces before obliterating both. Wracking his mind, the Turk’s leader could think of no way out this situation. Jenova would beat them through attrition something wasn’t…!

“Be…ware!!”

Even with the warning from Golem he felt them, even before her saw them, swinging around to spot two small dots falling from the Shera III. The sheer amount of mana the two exuded was immense. “Knights…” He breathed. It could only be them. But Marlene was the only one old enough to even consider some kind of training…assuming Barret allowed it. So who…

There was a flash and one small speck grew into a massive armored knight that crashed into Jenova sending them both into the deep end of the Mako. The other now rode a spectral armored Chocobo, flying through the monstrous legions, a glowing sword blurring in one hand as it sliced them into oozing chunks. Rushing to where Tseng stood, he leapt off the mount, spinning in the air to turn and face the still onrushing horde. With a simple wave of the hand, the air seemed to compress in several areas in front of them, then explode outwards with a snap of the fingers. The explosions left a ten meter trench wide and deep between them and the stunned monsters.

“Thanks.” Tseng started when the knight jumped into the air, to land on the back of the reappearing Chocobo, that took off further back down their lines. The head Turk merely shook his head and started shouting fresh orders into his radio. They’d gotten a respite, best make the most of it. Swiftly, with the short break they’d received, ammo was brought up, the exhausted and injured were rotated back and, as an added bonus, several Magitek suits clanked up to the front. Looking the worse for wear, their armament would still be of considerable benefit. Even while in the midst of this he noticed the explosions erupting in various other sections of the battlefield.

*****

Tifa grunted as another blow slipped through her guard, the fist thudding painfully against her ribs. Siren also cried out, lashed by whatever energy surrounded this woman…creature. Throwing a punch herself, she felt the arm grabbed and then a sense of vertigo as she was flipped through the air. Twisting in the air she landed in a crouch, rolling backwards onto her hands to get away from the scything kick that would’ve taken off her head. It barely missed her breasts, then she thrust forward into the rival brunette feet first. The blow knocked her back while also propelling Tifa to her feet, swaying away from an uppercut into a spinning elbow that stunned her opponent then a split kick that launched her upwards. 

As expected, her dark haired opponent tucked in her legs and tumbled to land delicately on top of the roof of tottering two storey structure. Leaping up to join her, Tifa kicked out, only for her leg to be blocked by the other, limbs thudding together painfully as they crossed. A roundhouse kick blocked, a cross punch ducked under while the uppercut was swayed from.

While Tifa focused on the martial aspect of their fight, Siren was busy with the magical. Zoned in as she was, Tifa was still fully aware of the destruction their battle was causing. The kick that launched her foe into the air also unleashed a powerful current that sliced a Roc that wandered to close in half. The kick she ducked under knocked down toppled a nearby pillar, while their legs colliding drove cracks through the concrete roof beneath them. Each punch or kick they delivered sent shockwaves throughout the nearby area and only the fact that they were apart from the general battle kept them from affecting it. 

And she aimed to keep it that way.

Tifa ducked down slightly leaning into a glowing green uppercut, while her opponent leaned forward, arm coming down in a fiery overcut. Both recoiled from respective blows, arms linking at the elbow as they crossed. Jenova’s puppet recovered first, grabbing the top of Tifa’s head and pulling her into a headbutt. Tifa responded with a knee to the gut and, as she leant over, grabbed the long dark hair in a two handed grip. The female shrieked as Tifa spun in place, flinging her through the air towards Jenova, and leaping after her. 

“Aggravating mortal!” Pollensalta snarled, recovering in the air, spinning around to spot Tifa incoming. Kicking her legs, she jetted back towards the woman, the two meeting in an explosion of air and mana. Grabbing hold of her neck, Pollen delivered repeated jabs to Tifa’s face. Enduring the painful blows, Tifa grabbed her by the head again, kicking her leg across the stomach while punching what she could. Spinning like a whirling dervish they crashed into the ground and bounced apart, landing on their feet and skidding to a stop. Pollensalta glared across at the ragged woman opposing her, feet digging a furrow in the rubble. “I’ll destroy you!!”

“Same to you!” Tifa spat back. While she mightn’t be able to understand what was said, she got the gist of it. At the same time she couldn’t help an errant thought crossing her mind as they crashed back together, punching, kicking and grabbing. It was like when she fought herself. And if that was the case…

“How did Scarlet fight her?” She pulsed to her former selves. It was Siren that answered.

“At the start, Scarlet was at a disadvantage…some more than others. But it was always the same story.” Siren replied, weaving her spells to repel the other’s attacks. “She fought in a manner similar to you, mixing a martial prowess while possessing a magical talent that also kept me on the defensive, to dominate Scarlet for long periods.”

“Okay…so how did she turn it around.” Tifa demanded, a kick spinning around the other female into a backhand punch. The longer the silence went on the more nervous she felt.

“I think you know how.” Siren finally responded, the sigh deep in her voice. “She dragged her down to her level.”

Locking up, fingers digging into shoulders, Tifa twisted around attempting a throw only for her dark haired rival to prove agile and flexible as she bent to land on her toes while wrapping her arms around Tifa’s neck.

Leaping up to her feet she spun around dragging Tifa with her as the brunette’s feet left the ground, pulling her into a suplex that raised a massive dust cloud. A meaty sounding THUD came from within the cloud, followed by a loud RIP and a dark haired figure flew out, arms crossed over her upper torso. Landing, her arms fell away revealing a pair of massive, dark tipped and tanned breasts. She ripped away the rest of the flimsy material, when Tifa stepped reappeared and she brought her arms up. 

Tifa however, had something else in mind.

With each step her pale coloration shifted to a light yellowish green that ran up her body. Boots split open revealing taloned feet with winglets on the heel. Hips thickened, skirt shredding and falling away to be replaced a feathery facsimile while breasts swelled as she took a deep breath, splitting her top through the middle as the new girth proved too much. A crown of feathers covered her head, dark brown hair remaining, then moving down her arms where small wings rose across her shoulders and a tuft of feathers covered her wrists. 

“You…” Pollensalta started. “You’re…”

“Yes.” Tifa agreed, the surprise that she could now understand this creature not distracting her. The power she felt now…too dangerous. If this was only a fraction of what they could have wielded she understood why Ramuh wanted them trained first. “You’re done!”

With that, Tifa lunged her opposite, absorbed a punch that rattled several teeth and threw her hands to lock tight around the other female. The sudden weight of Tifa’s chest on hers had Pollensalta respond automatically by wrapping her arms around Tifa’s midsection, under the other woman’s armpits, and shoving forward to level them off. With a grunt Tifa flipped backwards with a breast to breast frontal suplex, aiming to roll with the move and sit on top of the other female. Instead, her legs came back down, back arching as she stared into a pair of furious black eyes. A strong squeeze saw them fall over onto their sides, finally releasing the hug. A powerful punch greeted her as she got up on her knees, countering with an uppercut that snapped the other’s head back. 

“FOOL!” Pollensalta snarled, fists glowing with a white light as they dug into Tifa’s body.

“Yeah…” Tifa grimaced, glowing green fists also swinging viciously in between intermittent blocking. Maybe she was being stubborn, but she refused to sink to Scarlet’s level. Not this time and not now when then was so much at stake. “I get that a lot.” 

*****

“BITCH!” Scarlet hissed, tearing out handfuls of yellow hair even as she felt the painful burning as her own locks were yanked. Bent over at a ninety degree angle, both blondes kept one hand dug firmly into each other’s head while the other was a free agent. It joined the other in tearing. It punched, it slapped, it pinched and pulled. 

Snarling, Scarlet grabbed a heavily hanging breast and chomped down. The other blonde shrieked and retaliated in kind, chewing on Scarlet’s prominent assets. Bending lower, and lower a sharp uppercut tore Scarlet’s teeth loose. She spat and punched the pale orb savagely, again and again until the other screamed and lunged into Scarlet, forcing the woman over onto her back. Eyes, slitted in rage, turned cunning and fingers flexed into claws, grabbing for the blonde’s boobs once more.

“You love these lumps of fat so much,” Jemnezmy hissed, hands curling inwards slowly. “I think I’ll remove them!”

Scarlet screeched, grabbing for the hands that crushed her breasts with a power she’d never felt before. “FIGHT BACK YOU DUMB COW!” She saw the large busted Scarlet that had fought a teenage Tifa in the Nibelheim field. “This bitch wants to do it old school, then make her regret it!”

Scarlet growled, hands moving from her mauler’s wrists up to the enormous pair hanging down over her face. As she did so, her appearance changed. The green faded, moving up her body, changing from green to blue across her feet and hips and white along her legs and midsection while the runes wrote themselves in a light teal. Her boobs swelled and dipped from the increased weight against the hands gripping them while Scarlet’s nails lengthened and dug cruelly into the pale, bullet shaped breasts as she latched on firmly. Her ears elongated and hair shifted from blonde to teal with white highlights. The whole transformation took barely a second and the shock of it had Jemnezmy’s grip loosen, upon which she was pulled over Scarlet’s head to land with a crash among the rubble. She twisted around rapidly, jumping to her feet.

“What…are you?” She hissed warily. Rather than fear, she felt a sense of excitement. She blinked and Scarlet, merged with Shiva, rammed into her tits first slamming her up against a wall. The shock of the move left her stunned for a second, and in a surprising amount of pain.

“You’re going to be my test dummy.” Scarlet stated conversationally, ignoring the understanding and sighing in euphoria at the power running through her. “There’s an even bigger bitch than you or your boss I plan on dealing with. I think you’ll be the ideal puppet to see just how effective this power is!”

Hissing, the yellow haired creature inhaled, then blew…an ice cloud freezing the ground and air around her. Scarlet smiled as it enveloped her…to no effect. “Chilling…” she smirked, then shot forward, grabbing hold of the other’s two jutting breasts. Another wide grin, then she spun in place, dragging the screaming blonde along before catapulting her across the landscape. Flowing into the Lifestream, Scarlet disappeared…then reappeared ahead of her rival and thrust out her chest. 

The collision rocked her back, while her blonde enemy tumbled to the ground, cracks spidering out from the impact. “Oh, done already?” Scarlet remarked, floating down beside her. She grabbed hold of a long boob, hauling her opponent into an upright position. “Such a disappointment. And here I thought…”

“DON’T TOY WITH HER!” One shrieked, that she didn’t recognize. Then came the voice of the one before her, screaming. “She’s tougher than she lets on! Tifa…”

“So easy…” Jemnezmy purred, grabbing hold of Scarlet’s nipples, giving the startled mortal a bright smile and twisted. Her scream was delicious and she enjoyed it despite the punch to her right breast that made her scuttle away in pain. “So this is why the Mistress gave us these memories. I don’t know why, but I have a think I’m going to have some fun with you.”

“We told you.” Scarlet recognized the one from earlier who had perfected their battlesuits. “Jenova made them as representations of the two of us. When we fought Tifa’s double we had trouble until we forced her into fighting us as we needed. Likewise when our mirror faced off against Tifa she manhandled it until she was forced to abandon her martial skill.”

“So what you’re saying is that this thing just forced Tifa into a brawl?” Scarlet demanded. At the mental nod her lips split into a wide and feral smile. She turned her gaze back to her counterpart and saw a familiar eager joy there as well. “Well that just makes things a whole lot easier!”

*****

He would definitely be feeling that in the morning…

Barret grimaced, spitting out a thread of bile as he lay on the ground. His vision swam and he struggled to focus, pushing himself back upright and uncurling from his position on the ground. To his right Odin hurled Cloud to the ground, the corrupted SOLDIER rolling to avoid a booted foot as well as rocky fist. Back on his feet, Cloud gestured and the familiar looking green miasma enveloped Titan. 

He might’ve been an Esper, but he had the body of a human and the spell hit him just like it did Barret. The massive, muscled Titan staggered, dropping to a knee as he retched, fighting the effects of the poison. Joslyn appeared out of the corner of his vison, while Odin beat Cloud back, resting her hands on his shoulder and face. In seconds he felt himself recover, nodding at Tifa’s sister as he stumbled towards the fighters. Quickly she moved to Titan as well, pressing her hands against his back that felt like molded granite. 

“Thank you Lakshmi.” He grunted with a deep sigh, seeming to grow even further. “And you too little one.”

“Joslyn.” She responded crisply. He turned to glance down at her. “Josy to my friends. But for you it’s Joslyn.”

A low rumble came from deep in his chest that she identified as a chuckle. “Very well…Joslyn.” He grimaced slightly, raising his head to watch Alexander fly past with Bahamut close behind. “We are running out of time to take them down without harming them. The longer we’re kept here, the more power Jenova gathers. It might end up being…”

“Don’t even think about it!” Jo snapped, glaring hard at Titan. He recoiled slightly in surprise, the girl shoving a finger in his face. “Not even a thought. I might not be my sister, but if you so much as…!”

She blinked at his strange gesture, pointing downwards. Then again when she realized she was looking RIGHT at him, not UP at him. Slowly she looked down at the ground that was a couple of meters below her. Instinctively she pulled up her legs and tugged down her skirt, setting herself into a slow, wide eyed spin. 

“Seems you have a latent talent litt…Joslyn.” Titan chuckled, raising a craggy eyebrow. “Or perhaps you and Lakshmi were meant for one another.”

Anything else he was going to say fell to the wayside as his eyes narrowed. Jo turned to follow his gaze stopping to zoom in on Leviathan’s approach and the small airship that seemed to be trailing in her wake. Instinctually she knew Yuffie was on board, but at the same time she felt an odd twinge of unease. It was a niggling irritant in the back of Josy’s brain…that she should be concerned…that there was something else. At the same time there were a trio of explosions that had her head whip around rapidly. One was close by, steam rising up between the ruins. She squinted, spotting a familiar white haired figure jumping from rooftop to rooftop heading towards one of the more distant areas.

“We will handle Cloud and Bahamut.” Titan rumbled, Jo’s head coming back around to him. “Leviathan’s help should tip the scales. Perhaps you should see if that other battlefield could use your help.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Joslyn growled.

“You can stay if you wish.” Titan replied. “But I sense only one other fighting nearby. And he’s not really suited to combat…so if his chosen is alone…”

*****

Ducking behind Carbunkle’s shield Jessica bided her time, the pale blue woman freezing the area around them. Their small battleground turning into a frozen wonderland, Jessica channeled fire into her fist. As soon as the pressure lessened, Carbunkle dropped the shield and Jessica waved her arm in a wide arc, the flames turning the ice into slush and steam. Wary now, watering sloshing around her ankles, ears strained to try and locate her target. She froze at the loud SPLASH from an unintended step. Immediately a weight was on her, preceded by that accursed tinkling sound, shoving the redhead into the slowly growing lake forming from melted ice.

Water filled her mouth, her nostrils, growing colder by the second. She thrashed wildly, struggling to get free before going limp. The water then began to bubble, then to boil and suddenly she was free, gasping loudly and gagging as she vomited up copius amounts of liquid.

“What are you?” 

Jessica turned her head slowly at the sound, so much like a small bell, spotting the white and blue creature hovering to the side. Legs crossed she studied Jessica like she was some unknown bug. Beneath her feet the water froze solid, extending towards her, then fell off as the flow melted. Rising carefully, the water around her ankles bubbled, steaming, making her sweat, but nothing else. Jessica shook out her hair and outfit, pulling off her skirt and tossing it aside to where Carbunkle ran back and forth along the shoreline, saying nothing while simply advancing towards the platinum haired female.

Snow’s lips curled at the fiery tressed woman’s demeanor. There was something wrong about this one. She couldn’t get a feel for her power, couldn’t get a grasp of it to suppress it. She raised a hand, a three foot ice spike forming there, before thrusting her arm forward. The ice sped towards her left breast, shattering mere inches from penetrating the vulnerable flesh. Her head twisted in annoyance to stare at the yapping, tiny annoyance. She flicked a finger and it yelped, ruby gem flashing as it jumped away. A sudden rapid splish, splash and she spun back around rising into the air. 

Too late!

With a shrieking invective, Jessica grabbed hold of a tiny ankle, steam now rising from the point of contact, dragging her target down to flop into the water with a surprised squeal. Jessica snarled, reaching for the other foot, only to jump back with a curse when it clipped her nose during the downed woman’s thrashing. Finally she emerged, soaked and bedraggled, long silvery hair hanging down her face. She shoved the locks out of the way in a very feminine manner, the area around her chilling rapidly. 

“You dare! You miserable…aaaahhhh BITCH!!”

Unable to understand, and uncaring either way, Jessica lunged and grabbed two handfuls of wet hair and spun around once before flinging the pale woman to bounce and skate across the lake they stood in. “Quit with the babble, you scrawny cunt!” Jessica growled, stomping her towards the other woman that rolled over onto her hands and knees, cracking her knuckles. “You aren’t the first monster bitch to shake her tits at my man. And you’re gonna get the same treatment they did!”

An arm thrust out and a fist clenched. It was only due to her training with Tifa and Yuffie, as well as the constant fights with Joslyn that Jessica managed to dodge to the side. The spiked ice ball that formed where she’d stood burst and shattered across another quickly placed barrier. At the same time she flung a gout of fire at the pale woman who rose casually back into the air, sneering. Her head abruptly twisted around as if spotting something else of interest. Growling, Jessica experienced a sudden epiphany, glanced down at her palms and clenched a fist. Squinting, she struggled with control then, with yell she threw an arm forward. 

“What is…no!!” Snow shouted, glancing down at a burning sensation and stared at the fiery whip coiled around her ankle. A sharp yank and she fell screaming to splash loudly. Sputtering, she started to rise, only to yell, pulled back into the air, then slammed back down. And then again.

Grunting and spitting, she grabbed hold of the whip, screaming as her hand was burned, but focused her own power…the power granted by their mother…the power of their home. It froze so fast that red hair yelped as a bit stuck to her hand and Snow tumbled back down…free. And enraged. Waves shot out from her charge, smashing a frozen fist across the fire bitch’s face, hefting her, stunned, over her head and tossing her back into the water around them. “Get up!!” She spat, reaching down and pulling her dazed face above the surface. “You don’t get to pass yet. You don’t…GAHH!!!”

Snow recoiled, holding her nose. A headbutt… Her vision was then filled with a pretty face, twisted by a hideous snarl, while bright red hair floated between them. She attempted to fly away only to be grabbed by the hair and shoulder, the woman jumping into her, dragging them both down. Enraged, Snow pushed at the furious face glaring at her, and when that failed lashed a mace like arm across the arrogant woman’s head only for it to break apart at the elbow. Hissing in fury, her hand reformed and dug into the red locks, yanking furiously. 

“YAH! CUNT!!” Jessica howled and bit down on the arm in her face. It was like biting into fresh and hard ice cream with how her teeth immediately ached, but she snarled and worried the limb, the pale skinned woman screaming in the first bit of noise that didn’t sound like a bell, but a clear sign of pain. Jessica, though, soon let go of her bite to scream in her own agony as the magical female tore out a handful of hair by the roots. Spinning uncontrollably in the alternatingly freezing and boiling water, they pummeled and kicked, bit and scratched as well as tore hair. Jessica’s corset crumbled as it froze and shattered and the pale bitch’s bikini smoldered and shredded at the top before they splashed back into their personal lake, the water sizzling and steaming again, hiding them from view.

Ice beams shot outwards and upwards, followed by gouts of flame accompanying the inhuman snarls and screams from the hidden pair. Jessica tumbled out of the fog steam, cursed and charged back in with an angry yell. A few minutes later a figure shot into air, paused and shrieked before flying back in. Carbunkle ran back and forth along the shore barking as the explosions lit up various sections of the mist, providing brief images of shadows battling fiercely within. His ears pricked up and he turned, yipping excitedly.

Jessica’s arms burned from the elbow up, having her icy opponent howl when she grabbed her, lifting her into a bearhug. Freezing hands gripped her shoulders, the cold burning like fire, a test of endurance that Jessica lost. With an angry scream she flung the topless female down with a SPLASH and pounced, hands going for her throat, before quickly jumping back as a series of sharp spikes shot out. She panted, stumbling slightly and almost falling as she did so. She squinted, losing sight of her target. A sudden splashing had her perk up and spin around, fist lashing out. 

“OW! Watch it, ya dumb cunt!!”

She immediately recognized the voice, though slightly nasally. “What the hell’re you doing here?!”

“Here to save your ass obviously.” Joslyn stepped out of the mist, the two young women glaring at one another, the dark haired beauty rubbing her nose. Peace they might have made, but long held habits were hard to break. Jessica felt a feeling of wellness enveloping her. “Titan said he could feel Carbunkle’s distress. So clearly his mistress bit off more than she could chew.”

“Like hell. I can handle this bitch on my own, your fat ass would just get in the way.” 

“Evidence to the contrary floppy tits,” Jo retorted, eyes flashing and she gave Jessica’s bare tits a flick. The redhead’s expression tightened and she pressed up against the curvy noirette, glaring hard. A surge of cold drew their attention back to the matter at hand, energy roiling around the white haired, pale female that emerged from the fog. They turned back to face one another and Josy nodded. “Later?”

“Later!” Jessica agreed, the two moving in opposite directions, trapping the creature between them. It paused, as if confused, looking left and right rapidly as the pair yelled and charged.

*****

Leviathan trilled loudly, her crest and several fins sliced off in Bahamut’s passage, the black dragon spinning his body around for another pass. Her body glowed, becoming brighter, until she shrieked and scales erupted from her back to zoom off and explode across the rival dragon.

Bahamut roared, falling into a spin, wings spreading to arrest the descent. Roaring again, he hovered briefly, flying off low over the ongoing fight on the ground. It seemed ridiculously one sided, the slim, blonde haired figure dancing between three much larger figures. Between them, it should’ve been an easy matter to deal with Cloud. However the corrupted young man proved exceedingly capable, slipping between attacks or angling so that attempt on him ended up striking another. Every so often though, a move would slip through, but there’d be a hesitation. 

Barret kept a tight rein on Odin, to his own detriment as strikes got through that he should’ve been able to avoid. Whatever else he was, Cloud was his friend and even more importantly he know how many people would be affected if anything permanent happened to the young man.

For Titan it was complicated. He’d witnessed both sides of Cloud, his loyalty as well as sadism, and seen the devotion the man inspired in those that loved and admired him. Rock hefted over his head, aimed at Cloud’s unprotected back, the Esper found himself hesitating, remembering the little girl’s words and her confidence. This hesitation left him open to a pass by Bahamut, the dragon’s tail whipping around his neck and pulling him down.

Alexander…though he focused heavily on Bahamut…possibly had it the worst. The most willing out of all of them to do what was needed, his will faltered at the thought of his former lover and his sister’s reaction if he did fire a beam through the corrupted mortal in passing. Even as the thought crossed his mind, flipping to the side to avoid Bahamut’s snapping jaws, another filled it as well.

What was that Airship doing? Was the pilot suicidal!?

No one else seemed to have noticed it, Leviathan’s coils shielding it from damage and view almost…deliberately. It didn’t appear armed so it couldn’t be some sort of weapon… Bahamut suddenly disappeared, in time with a massive explosion below him. Coming to a rapid halt, hovering high above he saw Odin sliding back and struggling to his feet and dove downwards. Cloud’s hybrid form delivered an uppercut that knocked Titan into the air, Barret coming up behind him to grab the young man around waist, trapping his arms to the side. 

Barely able to hold him for a few seconds, it was enough for Titan to right himself, Alexander to land and Odin to leap back atop Sleipnir. Cloud snarled, displaying elongated fangs and the skin across his elbows split to display a pair of blades dripping with blood. He sank into a crouch, arms held behind himself…and froze. Pointed ears twitched, as if hearing something unexpected and his fearsome glare softened somewhat. Titan and Alexander, Odin and Barret remained tense when, one by one, they also turned. 

It was a soft gurgling cry. 

Then another…and another. 

It was something the Espers couldn’t identify but realization crossed Barret’s face. He followed Cloud’s gaze upwards, to the floating Airship. Odin tensed, Sleipnir snorting, eight legs stamping as he brought Gungnir forward, to pause when Barret raised an arm between him and Cloud. Wings flapped as the dragonized young man floated upwards as if hypnotized, completely open and vulnerable. Hands began to glow, and this time Barret didn’t hold him back, Alexander pulling back abruptly as Odin’s Zantetsuken nearly sliced off his fingers. “Leave it, kid.” Barret warned.

Yuffie clutched the three bundles closer, backing away from the railing. Jessie, Mark and Melphie had been less than happy with the cold and noise, Yuffie amplifying their cries to be heard down below. Now though, all three were quiet as Cloud and Bahamut slowly came over the protective barrier, staring at their father with wide eyes. A clawed hand clenched the black sword tightly while the other reached forward, then recoiled, scales receding and the severe, total transformation softening as Cloud’s features resurfaced. It reached out again to rest gently on Jessie’s head. “I’m sorry…” He said gruffly, green blue eyes turning up to face Yuffie, a deep pain resonating there. “I lost her Yuffie. Tifa…I couldn’t…”

“Tifa’s alive.” Yuffie said carefully. Cloud’s head jerked up as if struck, his expression turning dangerous. “I don’t know how…but she brought the children here. She’s fighting one of the creatures that are supporting Jenova. Tifa…”

“No…I felt her disappear…when the reactor exploded.” Cloud rasped, pulling back a hand as the claws returned, agony twisting his expression, the transformation slowly changing his features. “She’s…gone…we…I shouldn’t have…have let her go and…and fight…”

“Cloud, she made the decision. We both agreed with it, not just you!” Yuffie snapped quickly, shifting the squirming bundles in her arms. Melphie was already starting to sniffle, the mana radiating off of Cloud strong enough for even them to feel. She needed him to calm down. On an impulse she shoved the children into his arms, the dragon infused young man dropping his sword to the deck with a clatter in his haste to catch his children. Just as quick was his shift back to full human, Bahamut disappearing entirely. Cloud fell to a seated position, clutching the precious bundles tightly, looking drained and exhausted.

“Yuffie…I…” He mumbled, letting himself be levered upright by the kunoichi. “I can still…feel her…in the back of my mind. Clawing and scraping…I can’t stay here. If I do…”

“Then come with me!”

Yuffie immediately dropped into a defensive position in front of Cloud. She hadn’t heard him approach…couldn’t figure out how he even got up here…the strange grey haired and bearded man, until she locked eyes with him. Vertigo had her stumble from what she saw there, falling onto her ass. “Who…what are you? Are you something else she’s conjured up.”

“Far from it child.” He responded calmly. “But any explanation would take up time…time your friend doesn’t have. The longer he resists, the more her blood poisons him.”

Yuffie shot a quick look behind her. She could SEE Cloud’s eyes sinking into his head, cheeks becoming sunken, like he wasting away right in front of her. “What…what are you going to do?”

“Take him somewhere he can get help.” The ancient stated simply. “And then he can, in turn, help you.”

“You’re not making any sense.” Yuffie fretted, looking between him and Cloud. She’d thought they’d lost Tifa…now they were at risk of losing Cloud. He looked up at her, and weakly nodded, resting the children gently onto the deck. She took a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut. “Just…help him. Please.”

“Look to the west, young one.” He said softly, gesturing at the young man, lifting him off his feet. “Help comes. Terrible…but help nonetheless.”

A flash of lightning…and they were gone. A soft whine began in the pit of Yuffie’s below, halted only by the unhappy noises of the children. The kunoichi gritted her teeth, scooping up the trio and marched back downstairs. She said nothing, quickly handing them over to their caretakers, then moving to the cockpit. “Move to the edge of the fighting and stay there.” She said abruptly. “Nothing will get near you.”

“You heard that?” She pulsed internally. Yuffie’s mind was blank, empty of anything unnecessary. Leviathan warbled uneasily, whipping her head around to where the girl perched on the bannister of the departing Airship. With a birds eye view of the fight she squinted, focusing on where the battles seemed particularly fierce. After a fiery explosion at one location and the eruption of ice at another, the kunoichi leapt off the ship. Whipping her arm around she pulled the moisture from the surrounding area around her, using it to push herself onto Leviathan’s coils, sliding towards her destination. She caught sight of the two figures battling and, at a coil’s apex, threw herself into a somersault, to land with enough force to cause them both to hastily leap apart.

*****

Take it slow…and careful…Tifa repeated to herself again. The woman…creature had been molded after her to sheer perfection. It knew all her moves and countermoves…like she was fighting a mirror.

In any other situation she’d be having the time of her life, but it was getting more and more difficult not to just throw open wide the door to the power she felt building in the back of her mind. 

Her other selves were helping in easing open that very same door but still…

Roundhouse kick…parry…punch…dodge…somersault…duck…punch…! Tumbling through the air as she thrown Tifa landed on a taloned toe, leaping over a low kick and spinning to slash a foot across her opposite’s face. She flipped away and Tifa followed hand flying out to grab, snatching a handful of hair strands. Immediately she felt a memory from Siren…an enraged face much like her own, hands with red colored nails pulling the dark hair as the environment spun rapidly around her. Then it was gone and Tifa took another lunging step, head snapping back from a jab even while delivering a punch into the other’s stomach.

It would be so easy, Tifa knew, to just give in. 

The time in the Lifestream helped, sparring with the variations of herself, but even there she hadn’t been able to resist. She could feel the…the…slowness in her body’s reaction. It knew what she wanted to do, but not as fast as she wanted to. It was one part getting back used to the new body, and the rest a craving for a…simpler…response. Once more Tifa cursed how she’d neglected her training in recent years, falling into the easy and comfortable trap of facing her opponents in simple catfights and titfights. Some, like the girls at the club, she did out of her sense of honor and fair play. Her sister and Yuffie, it was fun way to relax and be competitive. Others…

Elizabeth triggered a primitive reaction in Tifa only Scarlet could match. Maybe it was how they’d first met, the constant presence of Siren, or they were just incompatible. Because even without the issue of Siren…even while knowing the smaller woman could fight with considerable skill if need be…the second they stepped onto the mats together, or were just in close proximity for too long her instincts simply howled to tear out her hair, scratch out her eyes and ruin her tits. Elizabeth too seemed to take a perverse glee in how she affected Tifa and responded in kind, with their fights more often than not, pure cat while tapping into that primal cruelty to hurt one another in as feminine a way as possible. 

The sheer level of violence the two were known to bring out of one another had both Viola and Joslyn ensure that the stronger members of both cliques were always present for added security. There was no martial skill, and very few rules. Just two powerful females that threw themselves together from the word go to rip, scratch, bite and tear at each other in fights so savage that they’d caused more than one potential newcomer to reconsider. There was no submission between these two. They fought brutally until Tifa either flattened Elizabeth’s mammoth tits or they were dragged apart at Viola’s screamed orders. Sometimes both as while they hadn’t quite crossed the line their first fight had, they’d skirted it numerous times. 

She often came out of fights with the tiny terror with the coppery taste of blood in her mouth. Hers or Elizabeth depended on the night, though many times it was both.

In some ways it felt like Elizabeth could absorb more punishment than Scarlet could and keep on coming. Even with Siren to suppress the pain Elizabeth’s reputation as a monster in their fighting circles was well deserved.

Then there was Mikoto…

Even a rival like that, who she could face in a strictly martial fight, it still devolved into brawls that often would’ve made even the worst whores of Sector Four embarrassed. There was too much bad feeling between them and, as such, all their matches ended up with them rolling on the mats or smashing their boobs together…oftentimes both…in similarly vicious brawls that were barely more controlled than when she faced Elizabeth. That one time in Wutai, all those years ago, when they HAD fought…her martial arts against M’s ninjitsu…still resonated in Tifa’s mind. It had been remarkedly even until interrupted by Cloud, the older woman displaying considerable skill and power while facing someone much younger. Cloud’s presence however, a major cause of their hostility, had immediately caused them both to drop the professionalism and very nearly bring the claws out.

Which was pretty much how she felt now. A strong urge to not throw a punch, but grab for hair. However…as the minutes ticked by, she felt a change come over her. A feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Blows came faster now, fists and legs and bodies blurring as the pair continued their exchange. But as she slowly let herself sink into the power the Planet had put at her disposal Tifa felt her senses expand. Unlike her baser feelings, this she embraced willingly. Her arm moved on it’s own, elbow cracking down on a leg, just above the knee. A knife palmed strike slid past her face while she slipped an uppercut between her rival’s breasts and attempted arm block. Hands grabbed shoulders, Tifa kicked the other’s leg out from under her, cracking an elbow across it’s face, receiving a couple across her ribs in turn and spinning away.

At a pulsed instruction from Siren, she flattened her hands and swung them through the air. The feather on her wrists straightened and stiffened as she did so and there was a light thrumming near her ears from the shoulder wings. Her opponent sensed what was coming, falling into a split, leaping into a twirling jump then landing on her knees, body thrown back. When she rose, though, blood leaked from slices across her forehead and shoulder. Behind her, a pillar collapsed into multiple cut fragments. 

That was new…useful too. On a whim she kicked out, the ground shredding visibly as the rival brunette rolled out of it’s path. Crouching low, fingers curled into claws, she darted at Tifa, lips pulled back in a snarl. Seemed she really was designed after herself, Tifa decided, ducking under a jump kick. Her punch was blocked, she slapped aside an attempted chop to her ribs, leaning into an elbow that dug into the crease where the breast met the chest. 

Palms slammed together, fingers linking and clenching tight. Arms went wide and upper bodies slammed together solidly. Even while muscles tensed, a small, spiteful smile spread across Tifa’s face, smirking into a pair of dark eyes. Shoving forward with her chest, she forced the other brunette back, massive breasts squashing between them until one engulfed the other. And monster she might be, she had been designed with Tifa in mind, a dark rage lit up her face at the realization and she bashed back with her still covered boobs. Tifa’s response was slow in coming, the two abruptly shoving apart at the whistling sound from above in time to avoid Yuffie’s explosive entrance.

“Yuffie, what…” Tifa started, then shook her head, concentrating. Meanwhile the kunoichi spun around and leapt at the monster woman, surprise allowing her several good hits. For a second Tifa’s sense of fair play made her hesitate, then she was alongside her friend, delivering a sharp elbow in conjunction with a punch from the female ninja. “What are you doing here? What about Cloud!”

“Fight now…talk later!” Yuffie curtly retorted, flipping behind the enemy brunette, slamming her palm into the small of it’s back. A jumping kick by her friend saw the female soar over her head, Yuffie taking up a stance next to Tifa. She pinned the older woman in a sideways stare, not shocked by her new appearance. “And we will be talking later!!”

******

With his Turks spread out along the wide front of the fight, Tseng could count on rapid updates. It gave him an accurate idea of the battle’s flow and allowed for quick responses if things looked dire in certain areas. Which was a common occurrence until the arrival of the Knights to provide assistance. He could still see the disturbance in the mako and, through Golem he could feel the oppressive energies radiating outwards as one kept Jenova occupied. The other Knight wove a path of destruction along the monster lines, but it could only last for so long.

Reports came in about monsters crawling out of the mess at a faster rate…of new areas where they were appearing, stretching out the lines even further. The only safe areas were where the three female monsters were currently being occupied. Lockhart was back and apparently dealing with one, while her sister and Jessica were busy with the one that looked like it belonged up North. Then there was the final one…Cissnei came back, face pale and expression strained. She hadn’t been able to get too close due to the rubble and ice, but could affirm that Scarlet was still alive and kicking. If just from the cackling laughter alone.

*****

She never let go…

Jetting from one corner of their self created arena to the other, Scarlet fought savagely with the blonde creature made expressly for the purpose of handling, formerly, Tifa. Crashing into an electrical pole that had somehow survived their brawl up to that point, the pair tumbled wildly before slamming into a thick rubble pile, Scarlet first. The platinum blonde grunted at the punch to her stomach, screeched as her breast was pulled and slammed a blow across the other’s face, knocking them back upright and into the open.

Their bodies were briefly apart as they staggered out of the rubble, but a hand deep in each other’s hair helped them pull back together. Blood roaring in her ears Scarlet heard the other laugh as she pulled her into a tight hug, and an answering cackle she recognized as her own. Shoving, she powered her lookalike up against solid slab of concrete, drilling punches into her side while using her weight to keep the other pinned. Hissing in time with the blows, Scarlet yelled as nails raked across her back and the rival blonde bit on her shoulder. Snarling, Scarlet twisted her head and started chewing on the opposite side.

Even while doing so, both females threw their arms around the other’s back, squeezing mightily. Their feet left the floor, hovering for several seconds then shooting off to crash into the remains of a broken down bungalow. The structure’s remains began to freeze over when a figure came screaming out to tumble over and over before coming to an abrupt stop. Stepping out into the open Scarlet’s appearance shifted, her hair loosening to flow her back while a pale blue bustier moved up her torso to stop short of her breasts, propping the glands up.

In her mind she brutally suppressed the cacophony of voices from her former selves. She could feel the power growing, swelling up in her the more she used it. She generated a small ball of blue-white energy in her palm that grew until she needed both hands to contain it. With a harsh yell she flung it away from her to explode as it landed near the rival blonde, Scarlet landing flat on her rear from the backlash. For a second she lay there stunned then began giggling hysterically. “Oh YES!!” She laughed loudly, sitting up sharply, lips split in a toothy grin. “More. I need more of that!”

She heard the rubble shifting and turned her attention back to the battered looking blonde shoving a chunk of concrete to the side. Her pale body was criss crossed with scratch marks, bites and slowly healing bruises. She flipped back her hair, standing upright, the rest of her yellow bikini barely holding up. “That actually hurt!” It hissed, glaring at Scarlet, then burst into hideous laughter. “Good…get hopeful. It’ll be all the sweeter when…”

Scarlet flew at her, crashing together breasts first. Scarlet stumbled, and for a split second what looked like a crack ran down her cheek. The other female though, staggered about drunkenly, face going white as she shook her head. “Talk less, fight more!” Scarlet snapped, jumping into her again bashing their tits together again in a manner that knocked them apart. The other blonde grabbed her, hefting her into the air by the throat. Strangling her. So pedestrian…Scarlet kicked, foot becoming pointed, nearly stabbing through the jaw as she was hurled away. 

Even as she landed Scarlet brought a frozen wing around, blocking several fist sized ice balls. Clenching her fist, several glowing lights appeared along arm and she threw back the wing, flinging her outward. Five spikes, each as long as her arm jetted towards the other woman, four missing entirely with one slicing along her thigh. Growling, cold radiated from both, freezing the surrounding area with energy gathering around their fists…when a gout of flame engulfed them both.

Shrieking as if her very soul was on fire Scarlet’s opponent thrashed about wildly while the possessed blonde stared dumbfounded at the flames that surrounded her, but didn’t burn. And just like she quashed her former selves, Shiva shoved her under as she seized control. “What are you doing!?” Scarlet screamed internally, fighting Shiva for control, the Esper twisting left and right as her senses sought for a long familiar…

“How nostalgic!”

Shiva shivered, the voice gravelly and rough. His horns were longer now, untrimmed for what must have been centuries, mane wilder and untamed hanging across broad muscular shoulders covered glowing red runes. All this was beneath the surface, observed only by Shiva’s glowing eyes. To any one else looking, he was a powerful looking grey haired individual perched atop the steel rebar that poked out of the concrete near them. His aura glowed red and fire swirled around his fists, thrusting them in the monster’s direction as it scrambled away, thrown into the air by the explosion. It managed to hover, briefly, when he reappeared above it, flipping over in a downward kick that drove it back to ground. Landing, his head swung around away from her, moving into a lope.

“Wait!” Shiva called out in Scarlet’s voice. He paused, turning back to pin her in a stare. It could only be him…but it had been so long. “Is it really you?”

He looked away, distracted, head cocked to the side. Then he turned back and his white mane turned red and tumbled down his back. Runes ran down his muscular frame and horns rose from out of rumpled mass of hair. A clawed hand rose, power gathering and Shiva felt a familiar warmth as strength thrummed through Scarlet’s body. Her eyes closed for a second, and he was gone, words resonating in the back of her mind. “He’s coming…”

The words distracted her and, with victorious howl, Scarlet was back in the driver’s seat. “Don’t do that again!” She growled, the power rushing through her, making the woman moan. A whisper drew her attention back to the matter at hand and she swung around punching upwards. The pillar the blonde monster swung at her shattered and the ground beneath her feet cracked with the force. Before she could, Scarlet was a blueish blur, in her face and smiling toothily as she pulled her into a tight hug. “Weak…so very weak. Even with just a fraction of her power you are no threat to me!”

“Weak!?” Jemnezmy squirmed, the broken pillar falling heavily to their side as she squirmed furiously under the woman’s grip. The movement had her breasts push against Scarlet’s one after the other in a manner that had the blue woman chuckle throatily. She suddenly remembered the woman’s focus at the start of their fight, and the way she shoved her ample mounds to meet her own. Arms stopped fighting to be free and instead moved around the other’s slim waist, clenching tight. “I’ll show you weak!”

“Ah, still have some fight left, good!” Scarlet tittered, looking straight into a pair of bottomless blue eyes. “Show me then. Show me that you’re not weak!”

She had no conception of what the woman meant. She and Pollensalta had been born into existence together on a whim by their mistress. Snow was a more recent addition. Created in the image of two of the most powerful and influential women on the planet, Jenova had filled their minds with the women’s tendencies and proclivities then set them loose to familiarise themselves with the world. Polly was terse and to the point, carrying out her directives to the letter. She, on the other hand, took delight in tormenting her prey, brutalizing them both physically and mentally. This, for some reason this was especially true of the women she encountered…particularly the dark haired variety.

And now she knew why…glaring into a pair of glittering blue eyes, Jemnezmy realized who she was facing. And as their breasts squashed together, piling outwards the spark of recognition triggered another memory and her arms immediately tightened, focusing her mana as well. Her original’s eyes also began to glow and the air around them thickened and swirled, becoming a violent snow storm that spun upwards and was visible from all areas of Midgar. At the center of it all Jem’s feet left the ground, floating upwards while exerting all her physical and magical might against Scarlet.

Scarlet was not dragged, but moved in tandem with her opposite. Her mind was here, and everywhere. Keeping an iron grip on Shiva, conversing with her other selves as well as enjoying the feeling of her breasts pressing against another pair. as well as comparing. A niggling in the back of her mind as she fought against the female monster. Copy she might be, but Jenova certainly knew what she was doing. The face…the body…even the personality. Even the breasts were definitely hers…from before she and Shiva started working together. Breasts that conquered Tifa’s supposedly unbeatable rack in Nibelheim and Midgar.

It was almost flattering just how closely Jenova had modeled this one after her. Too bad she missed the upgrades Scarlet had accumulated. She sighed to herself. Under normal circumstances she’d enjoy toying with the creature, if just to see just how female she was. Unfortunately…Scarlet suddenly moved a hand behind the creature’s head and pulled it into a kiss. It struggled, then seemed to relax into it, then began thrashing about wildly. Laughing, Scarlet flipped them vertically and SHOVED with her feet, sending the blonde crashing back to ground. 

Landing gently, Scarlet lowered her guard, crossing arms across her bare chest as her opponent erupted up from the rubble, rage radiating from it’s slim body. Power gathered around it’s fist, Scarlet flitting to the side to avoid a beam of pure white. “So this is as far as you go…disappointing.” She stated, her tone bored. A hand slashed through the air, batting away another beam that landed in the mako, freezing the section near them. “Please just stop. Before you embarrass yourself further.”

“You babble nonsense.” Jemnezmy spat, ice moving around her like armor and a whip forming in her hand. “You can barely hold your own against me despite your boasts. And your savior has fled. So as fun as this has been, I’ve wasted too much time one you as is.”

“No…I’VE wasted just enough.” Scarlet smirked, folding her arms and tilting her head to the side. “Just like I told him. None of you counted on the new wild cards.”

“What are you…HURK!!” Jemnezmy staggered, confused. Hands patted their way down her body to grasp the blade that now penetrated her stomach. The screams began as she was hefted up into the air above the head of the armored knight behind her. This couldn’t be happening. An ordinary blade shouldn’t be able to…a flame erupted from the sword and she shrieked anew. And continued as Scarlet strutted up beneath her, staring in fascination as the torture continued. As if finally tiring of the screams Scarlet leapt up and sliced her arm in a swift downward arc. The blonde head hit the ground with a dull thud…then slowly melted into what appeared to be mako along with the body still held aloft.

“Well, look at you.” Scarlet remarked, shifting back to her human state, strutting around the knight. Still half naked, her lower half covered by the remains of her red dress and stockings. She even still wore the black boots from inside the reactor. “She didn’t mention that you’d been chosen as well. Oh…and I had her by the way. Your help was unnecessary.”

“You could fully repair your outfit you know…if so inclined. It’s quite useful avoid exposing yourself.” Dropping to his feet, the armor fell away and Rufus stood opposite Scarlet, both blondes eyeing one another warily. Clad, once more, in his white business suit Scarlet felt an familiar, unwanted ache at the former Shinra president’s presence. “You look younger Scarlet. Reminds me of when we first met. Never took you for one who’d stoop to that level, but I guess constantly fighting someone like Tifa would cause you to reassess old biases.”

“Please, I never asked for it.” Scarlet retorted, resenting the tone of her reply and the instinctive bow her head gave while talking. She owed him nothing. Not after what he did. “Shiva merely granted it to me after I proved my dominance over Tifa once more. Conclusively! I showed I could handle Lockhart long before Shiva returned my youth to me.”

“Yes, I remember those times…and your enthusiastic retellings. And also how you…we celebrated them.” Rufus replied, and his lips curled as his former lover’s eyes flashed. “I imagine you have a lot of questions. But they’ll have to wait until…”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Scarlet snapped, and now she smiled at the brief surprise that crossed his normally emotionless face. “I’ve already moved beyond you, Rufus. You made your choice and I’ve never been one to dwell on the past. When this is over, nothing will change…unless you deign to get on your hands and knees and beg for forgiveness for leaving me to rot in prison.”

Rufus regarded her for several seconds and Scarlet shifted unintentionally back into her fused form under Shiva’s impulse, top reforming defensively. Rufus blinked once, slowly, then jumped into the air, landing on his Knight’s mount and spinning away. Scarlet let out a slow breath. “That was stupid,” an internal voice she recognized as the one directly preceding her stated. “Rufus by himself is a handful. A Rufus playing host to one of the legendary Knights of the Round is a walking disaster.”

“Shut it!” Scarlet snapped loudly and openly. Another cleansing breath and she rose off the ground. She studied the battle ground, especially the pillars being formed by the mako. She couldn’t prevent it in time, but perhaps they could weaken Jenova ahead of it. Pushing off with her legs, the blue and white woman jetted towards where the fairy looking Jenova battled another armored knight.

*****

A kick.

A jump.

A chop across the chest and the creature screamed as Yuffie vaulted over it, dragging it over her shoulder by the hair. 

Landing flat on her stomach Pollensalta pressed her palms against the concrete and both her adversaries leapt back as stalagmites erupted from beneath their feet. Even while still in the air, Pollensalta used magic to speed herself up and shot at the smaller woman that interrupted her duel. A clawed hand reached for her startled face, when she was tackled to the side, rolling and punching a crack into the ground before being kicked away. Regaining her balance she bellowed in rage, her feet swept out from her, rolling to the side as the smaller girl brought her foot down in a split kick. Spinning her way up, her heel slashed against the girl’s face, flipping to her feet.

“Dammit, she’s slippery!” Yuffie spat out a red tinged wad of spittle, massaging her jaw, moving across to where Tifa stood. Her friend stared hard at the creature who glared back in a very human fashion. Looking away, Tifa leaned over and gently touched Yuffie’s face, feeling the tooth loosened by the last kick she received. Her face felt hot under the older woman’s examination. “It’s not bad. You an’ Josy’ve given me worse.”

“Stay here,” Tifa ordered, her voice sounding odd. She started to protest, but her mouth wouldn’t operate properly. Nor her legs. Mentally the kunoichi screamed, imagining Siren’s smug smile at catching her so easily, for Leviathan. Tifa, meanwhile moved away from her frozen friend, pinning the monster in a tense stare. “It’s just us now. And I won’t hold back anymore!”

While Yuffie couldn’t understand what was said, the result was immediate. An arm deformed, swelling to three times it’s size, blade like claws erupting from beneath fingernails and wrist. Tifa leaned back in a crouch, right arm forward, left pulled back and cocked, a mini green whirlwind spinning along her arm with the feathers on her wrist elongating and melding together to form a green curved blade between her wrist and elbow. The two remained frozen, eyes locked. Yuffie’s flickered back and forth fighting to regain control of her limbs when…she blinked.

Though she’d been looking right at them she hadn’t seen them move. They stood on opposite sides, where the other had previously been. Blood leaked from a cut on Tifa’s cheek, but the female monster cried out, falling to her knees and holding her deformed arm that came apart in chunks. Spinning on her heel, Tifa threw her arm around in a wide arc that silenced the screams. A thin red line formed across the monster’s chest and the top half tumbled over onto the floor where it shattered like crystal. The lower simply melted, becoming a green sludge that flowed into the ground.

Wiping away the blood on her face, Tifa turned back to Yuffie and snapped her fingers. Suddenly able to move again, the kunoichi flew at the bigger woman, cocked fist smashing across Tifa’s face. “WHY!?” Yuffie shouted, shocked that the blow had landed, but not letting that distract her. “WHY DID YOU BRING THEM HERE!!”

“It was the only way,” Tifa replied sadly, then her expression hardened, catching the smaller woman’s fist this time. “You get one freebie. I deserved that. If we didn’t break him out of her control he would’ve…”

“What?” Yuffie swung another hand, the two friends now straining against one another, the threat to her children driving the ninja girl into a fury. “Cloud wouldn’t have gone that far. He’s never…even when Sephiroth…”

“YOU DIDN’T SEE!!” Tifa shrieked, lifting Yuffie into the air and throwing her to the ground. The breath knocked out of her the shocked kunoichi was defenseless when Tifa pounced, holding her down. Yuffie was too stunned to defend herself. This reaction was beyond anything she’d expected. “YOU DIDN’T SEE WHAT I SAW! BEFORE THEY LET US COME BACK. I SAW EVERYTHING FIE! I SAW WHAT HE DID. I SAW HIM KILL EVERYONE OVER AND OVER AND OVER. WHAT IT TOOK TO STOP HIM, TIME AFTER TIME. THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY…THE ONLY WAY…”

Tears pattered onto Yuffie’s face and her expression twisted as Tifa returned to her human form. “Tifa…but he’s…he’s still gone…”

“What?” Tifa’s head jerked up. “No…no…he couldn’t be. They wouldn’t have…”

“The children stopped him.” Yuffie rose slowly to kneel opposite the dark haired Tifa. Her friend was trembling. Yuffie absently, almost humorously noticed she was bare foot while human. “But…he warned that Jenova was still in his head…trying to take back control. So…”

“What?” Tifa grabbed Yuffie’s shoulders, the terror in her friend’s face a living thing. “He didn’t…he didn’t…”

“No…no…” She hastened to explain. “Some…old guy showed up on deck. Said that only he could help Cloud. I didn’t want to…but Cloud himself agreed and then they disappeared in a blast of lightning before I…”

“Lightning? Lightning! RAMUH!!” Tifa started, then shouted grabbing Yuffie into chest in a tight hug, laughing hysterically. The kunoichi pounded frantically on her friend’s back, even as her vision began to go black. Then she could breathe again and Tifa looked at her embarrassed. “Sorry…but if it’s Ramuh that took him, then he’s safe. He’s safe…”

Tifa gave a quiet sob, then shook her head, looking back up with a determined expression. She grabbed Yuffie by the shoulders. “This time Fie…this time were going to end it. Permanently.”

Yuffie nodded hesitantly, confused. She felt like she was missing something. Ramuh was their enemy…wasn’t he?

“Go to the others, and tell them to keep pushing her pets back into the Mako.” Tifa’s form once more shifted back to the feathered one. “She has to be dealt with Fie. Otherwise they’ll never stop. I’ll do it this time for sure…she’ll not take everything from us again. You hear me Fie…not again.”

Yuffie stood there, blinking for a solid minute after Tifa flew off, trying to understand… 

Wondering if they perhaps had lost Tifa…she shook her head. She was not about to abandon her friend if she was in such a state.

*****

The lines were buckling!

Even with the Barret, Alexander and Titan rejoining the fight, including the two newcomers the monsters just kept pressing forward. And unlike what he had to work with, the creatures seemed to have the limitless numbers to ignore self preservation and marched into weapon’s fire if it meant another of their kind could get within range. He touched his earpiece. “Reno I need you to move to the Northern battlefield. Rude is barely holding the line.”

“Can’t move boss. Got my hands full here!” Reno brought his truncheon down on a mouth with legs, flicking the switch to send several thousand volts through it’s twitching body. The rapid RATATATATATA of multiple guns filled his ears and, at a mental nudge, Terrato burst from beneath the ground maw stretched wide to swallow a small swarm of bat like monsters. Reno cast his gaze around to glance at where Viola knelt, with lights dancing around her head, dealing with the injured. “But if you got anything to spare I could use the assist.”

Tseng cursed and looked around. Chaos everywhere with missile trails, gunfire and more tracing across the sky. This was not sustainable. They were going to be slowly whittled down. Tapping his phs he twisted it to the Turk’s private frequency. “I’m calling a code Black. Repeat, to all Turks. Code Black!!”

Rude’s head jerked up, head turning away from the fight and Kujata were engaged in. 

Elena and Cissnei too reacted as if struck, the latter’s shuriken nearly slicing through her palm in the shock.

Reno froze, once more glancing back at his…estranged…wife. It was longer for him, her eyes pleading, but decades of discipline and conditioning won out and he jumped into a rapid run towards Tseng’s location.

Letting out a shaky breath Tseng glanced up. Leviathan had moved away from where it had been fighting, it’s breath incinerating anything that came close. But it’s location was a fair distance from the actual fight. Before he could contact Yuffie though, the kunoichi fell out of the sky next to him. “What the hell’s Leviathan doing!?” He demanded. The look she shot him would’ve broken a lesser man. Hell, a couple years ago it would’ve scared him. Now though… “Her position has her far away from any serious threats. And there aren’t enough of us to…”

“Leviathan’s where she needs to be.” Yuffie snapped. “Tifa’s taken care of one of Jenova’s chosen monsters, and we all saw Scarlet fly off in Jenova’s direction. SHE’S the main threat. It doesn’t matter how many monsters we kill as long as she’s still around.”

“And taking her out is almost impossible if we have to focus our heavy hitters on keeping everyone else safe.” Tseng stated patiently. Yuffie shot him a sneer.

“When did you stop thinking like a Turk?” Tseng’s head snapped back at her words. “When did the man that planned the death of an entire sector’s worth of people to wipe out a bar change?”

“It was not my plan…I merely carried out my orders.” Tseng repeated a long used line, uncaring as always if it was believed. Rufus’s father was dead, but people still needed someone to blame. “And perhaps I should ask what happened to you. You realise what you’re suggesting?”

“Either we take her out quick, or we die by attrition. It’s that simple.” Yuffie stated bluntly. “I’m going to grab the strongest we have and make a beeline for Jenova. Between that, Tifa and Scarlet we can hopefully end this as quickly as possible. You just have to do what you can until then.”

“Don’t think that’s in the cards kiddo.”

Yuffie turned around rapidly. Reno, Rude, Cissnei and Elena. She also couldn’t sense their accompanying Espers. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Seems we had the same idea,” Tseng remarked, marching past her to stand with the rest of the Turks. From beneath their feet Kujata rose, Rude and Reno standing on it’s horns while the other’s rested on it’s hump. “But you’ve got people waiting for you, so I doubt they’d be thrilled at the idea of you performing a suicidal charge. Leave this to the experts.”

Reno’s expression was wooden, but he still shot Yuffie a two finger salute, unaware of Rude looming up behind him. The blow was sharp and would’ve probably resulted in a broken neck on an ordinary person. But even before becoming an Avatar the redhead had always been tougher than normal. Still he collapsed immediately, held up gently by Rude. Dropping to it’s knees Kujata allowed it’s partner to jump down lightly and rest him on the ground.

“Like I said,” Tseng repeated, Rude leaping back up and Kujata once more standing tall. “People waiting for him.”

For one of the few times in her life, Yuffie was stunned into silence, glancing down as Reno groaned, already regaining consciousness. Absently the kunoichi kicked the redheaded Turk hard enough to render him unconscious once more, hefting him over her shoulder. With several quick bounds she deposited him by another redhead, who waved her hands over him frantically, then moved on. Aiming for the misty area with flashes of red.

*****

Jessica recoiled, coughing violently from the explosion of hot mist after her fire met the other’s ice. She moved warily, knowing Joslyn was also in here, which gave the female monster an advantage. She didn’t have to hold back, knowing whatever she saw in the mist was something to hit. Even as she thought that there was a distant thump and a yell of “BITCH!!”

She squinted into the fog hearing Jo’s yells and the familiar, accursed, tinkling sound of the monster woman.

Jo gritted her teeth, muscles straining, pushing against the snow white woman while maintaining eye contact. A headache thudded in the back of her skull from the absolute hatred there directed, she somehow knew, at Lakshmi as much as her. Lips pulled back in a feral scream and her power became impossible to contest, Jo splashing backwards, pulling her right arm away and kicking with her left, behind the other’s knee. Grimacing she slipped to the side and Joslyn leapt in, fist cocked…only to flip backwards away from the white beam she fired from her mouth.

“I’ll kill you for interfering!” Snow spat, jaw resetting, icy flames flickering around her arms. It was the smirk that gave it away and she twisted around in time to shriek as the redheaded harpy’s fiery fist scorched her face. Spinning around, she was grabbed from behind by the other woman who’s hands clenched vindictively around her chest. 

“Give it to her!!” Jo shouted, holding on tight despite the ear splitting shriek. Jessica leapt at them, delivering a swift series of punches to the trapped female’s face, chest and body. She ducked away from another blinding beam that froze the water behind her before resuming the punishment. Her vision obscured by the thick white hair, Josy couldn’t see anything, so could give no warning of the water rising up behind Jessica and slowly taking shape. The redhead’s sudden yell was the noirette’s first warning that something was wrong and the second was the internal howl from Lakshmi that made her push away as spikes erupted from the monster’s back. “What’re you…!”

Eyes quickly raking the battlefield she spotted the problem. Screaming like any other fighting woman at her club the white haired monster yanked at Jessica’s fiery tresses even while hers were pulled by the vociferous redhead. The water around Jessica began to bubble as a visible flame engulfed the woman, clashing with an intense cold that radiated from the monster woman. The scalding steam that came off their conflicting mana made Jo yelp and jump back as well as suddenly becoming aware of her own problem. The all too familiar bell like tinkle gave her enough warning to barely dodge a clawed hand with a white flame. 

A pulsing whisper from Lakshmi and a blue green blaze covered her arms, protecting them as she blocked another savage strike. “Same to you!” Joslyn spat at a series of hissed words in a language she didn’t understand, lashing out a punch that spun the other around to hack at Jo who screamed in pain. The scratches left by the monster woman burned hideously until healed by Lakshmi. It reminded her of an accident with dry ice. Yelling, the noirette lunged at her opponent who leapt to meet her.

Leaping down with a splash Yuffie found her vision obscured and the heat sweltering in addition to being in water just below her knees. She could hear the screams and yells coming from her friends as well as the monster…but they were coming from two separate directions. Shifting around, the towards what sounded closest, grunting as she waded through grimy liquid. The heat seemed to fade, but the sound of fighting grew ever more violent and at a loud THUMP, she found herself beneath two bodies, underwater while the two above her rolled off. Even from beneath the surface she could hear the ferocity in the blows they exchanged, gasping as she came back up.

Glowing fists slammed in faces, bellies and chests. Joslyn pulled the monster woman into a bearhug, only for her to melt into slush and reform behind the dark haired woman, clubbing the back of the head and shoving face into the water. Moving to her friend’s aid, Yuffie watched Jo reach over her back and catapult the pale female over to splash in front of her by the hair, only to herself be dragged under. Moving a quick as she could, Yuffie jumped to where they’d disappeared, reaching for her friend, only for her fingers to find nothing.

They exploded out of the water several yards away, Jo’s head held in a headlock while her face was pounded by a glowing white fist. Rushing once more towards them, Josy surged back, her hand cupping the other’s rear dumping them both under again in a backdrop. Yuffie gasped and recoiled at the surge of steaming water as they re-emerged, suddenly realizing they were moving closer to where she could hear Jess’s angry yells as she fought whatever it was attacking her. She could also feel her mana being suppressed, which would explain why Jo wasn’t using Lakshmi to her full potential. And also why she was fighting like if she was on the mats facing off against Vicky. 

Even as the thought crossed her mind there was a loud HISS of steam and another body flew past her, followed by a familiar redheaded hellcat. A wave of boiling water rolled over them and even with her connection that Leviathan, Yuffie couldn’t suppress a scream. Gasping, she came back to the surface, sputtering and barely able to breathe. Her skin felt like a million little pins were pricking all across it when she remembered where she was. Squinting, Joslyn was sweating heavily, her skin a deep pink delivered a swift one – two kick to the one she was fighting, a clubbing right staggering even as she punched back. Almost at her back, Jessica grappled with another albino female, yelling as she hefted her onto her back, an elbow making the redhead stumble and drop the white bodied monster.

A loud yipping sound distracted her and Yuffie spun around in surprise to catch sight of a small floating, cat…dog…thing with a bright red jewel on it’s head. “Carbunkle!” Leviathan pulsed, her surprise shared by Yuffie. Seemed a lot had happened while she’d been with Tifa and Cloud. Her friends fought fiercely, but it seemed like they were unable to properly deal with their opponents. Almost back to back Jessica’s fists sizzled, the steam surrounding them coming each time she and her adversary’s auras clashed while Jo wrestled her foe, muscles standing out across her slim form as the two strained against one another. 

Back to back…Yuffie perked up, remembering…

“SWITCH!!” The kunoichi yelled loudly. Without seeming to even think about it Jo spun around, delivering a green tinted fist to Jessica’s opponent, sending it stumbling back while brushing the other hand across the redhead’s shoulder. Blurring slightly Jessica dug her fingers into the hair of Jo’s startled former opponent, dragging her head down into a knee that cracked between the eyes, then a shoulder charge that bore them back while a finger traced a line across Jo’s cheek a blue aura surrounding the bigger woman. Moving quickly, Yuffie appeared behind Jo’s opponent, trapping the female between the two dark haired beauties and a pair of high kicks. Ignoring her friend’s surprised expression, she dove forward with a low elbow to the small of the other’s back, driving it into Joslyn who greeted it with a close liner.

Darting off in Jessica’s direction, leaving behind Joslyn lifting her opponent out of the water in a stranglehold, she flinched away from the heat radiating from the enraged redhead as she hammered her opponent brutally. Muttering quietly, she encased herself in an anti-magic shell that reflected more than it let in, wondering if she’d done enough, but then she felt something else. Very briefly the heat faded, becoming cool, then the same burning steam from earlier hit her barrier. A thought struck her at a cry from behind and she spun around to find Joslyn now trapped in a scissors by the woman she still held aloft, both dropping back below the surface that roiled and thrashed.

Perking up, Yuffie grimaced. This was going to hurt. Spinning back to where Jessica and her icy rival continued to brawl, the kunoichi took a deep breath and delivered a stiff punch to the small of the womanly monster’s back. She screamed from the heat coming off her friend and then the frost that started at her fingers, hefting the wildly squirming albino off the ground. “DROP!!” She shrieked to the shocked Jessica, hurling the female at her. Leaping as well, Jessica pressed her hand to the creature’s face, shoving her down underwater. Her aura flared and Yuffie leapt away, also down, pressing as flat as she could on her back, staring up at the inferno that raged above. Coming back up she spun away to avoid getting caught up in the wild melee that had erupted.

The air between Jessica and her opponent sizzled as they hurled fiery projectiles and ice chunks that never quite reached one another. Carbunkle hovered in the air yowling repeatedly as worked hard to shield it’s sweating mistress. On the other side Jo, blood dripping from her nose, and her adversary had arms wrapped around one another’s necks while delivering punches to midsections that had bodies jump. It was responding to them…the realization struck Yuffie sharply. Just like the one that had fought Tifa…no…this was far more dangerous. When it’s opponent’s switched, it did as well. It was learning…adapting! 

And even as that thought crossed her mind, Jo’s opponent scooped up the squirming noirette and flung her into Jessica, sending both girls tumbling away. The two monstrous females now turned intense gazes to Yuffie. A musical tinkling was the only warning she got and the kunoichi whirled around sharply in time catch an arm, heaving a familiar looking white haired female over her shoulder with a violent splash. In a flash it was back up and attacking her wildly as the small arena seemed to shrink now as Jo sprinted past, flying into one of the monsters with a jump kick while Jessica wielded a flaming whip against the other. Instead of helping Yuffie belatedly realized her presence had made things a whole lot worse!

*****

He paused briefly, judging his location, then dove. Down, down into the depths of the Western edge of the Meridian. 

He found it in the trench it had made it’s home, a spot all mariners had, with experience, learned to avoid. It remained immobile as if sleeping, but massive, weighty limbs slowly began to move, bubbles emerging from beneath the wing like protrusions as it moved it’s bulk off the ocean floor. In the bleakness of the depths four massive bright lights filtered out of the darkness, orienting in his direction. 

Like a guppy facing down a shark it floated towards him…then stopped, as if confused. He didn’t flinch, arms folded even when it’s four eyes focused on him entirely, knowing full well what lay behind those lenses. Instead remaining still as it slowly, almost sulkily, moved past him with increasing speed. Breathing out bubbles of his own, he jetted for the surface, leaving Emerald to make it’s own way. 

*****

“Down below!” Tifa gritted her teeth, nodding absently. Toes stiffened into talons, sweeping in a backwards arc, slicing off the head of the lizard-like creature reaching for her. Immediately after she tumbled through the air, shoving away the offending form that had crashed into her. “Quit getting in my way!”

“How about you pull your weight!!” Scarlet snarled back, kicking away from Tifa. The two longtime enemies glared at one another, fluttering back several feet to avoid the emergence of another pillar. Attention turned back to the battle at hand. “You know what happens the longer this goes on…”

Tifa’s jaw tightened, hating to agree with the other woman. She simply nodded and swooped down to where Rude rode Kujata, barreling through waves of monsters before they were fully formed. He turned as she landed delicately on the massive Esper’s hump. “She’s making them faster than you can stomp them out.” Tifa stated bluntly, wings folding over her body. She pointed at the most recent pillar that reached up into the sky. “Knocking those over would do more to hurt her than anything else here. They’re sturdy though, so you might want some help.”

Shades hid the bald man’s gaze as Tifa’s wings lifted her into the air, beating her strongly back up to where Scarlet battled Jenova with the unknown Knight. Kujata snorted in irritation at the complexity of mortal relationships, stomping on another half formed creature when he felt Rude’s determination. With a savage bellow he charged the nearest green pillar, half again as wide as he was, his horns puncturing the material with ease…but not much else. Another bellow and three elementals formed trapping it and the pillar in a triangle. All three converged on the bull-like Esper, who’s entire body glowed with unstable energy. Fire, ice and lightning all ran across it’s body, Rude leaping off Kujata’s head, fist cocked. With a roar from both human and Esper the pillar shattered, becoming liquid once more and spilling over both.

Before even reaching them, Tifa clenched her fists and feathers stiffened, vibrating violently. Twisting through the air to come up below the battling trio, she barely missed Jenova’s lithe winged form, coming back around, eyes narrowing while focusing on her link with Siren. Faster and faster she moved, darting in and around Jenova, coming closer and closer. While she herself failed to connect, her distraction allowed Scarlet to freeze a leg, that dragged that slowed it’s movements. Now Tifa struck, with a force that knocked Scarlet tumbling backwards, the feathery blades along her arms slicing against Jenova’s arm and hip.

Against…

She experienced a sense of vertigo…of wrongness. Even Jenova’s expression seemed to radiate confusion, Tifa’s attack barely breaking the skin. In her mind, Tifa saw the strikes slice off the arm and nearly cut Jenova in half. “MOVE!!” The howl in the back of her mind, reminded her of the danger and Tifa kicked off Jenova as an explosion erupted. Arms crossed, to defend herself she opened them slowly to find the waves of magic beating against an invisible barrier. Nodding at Elena crouched atop Seraph, Tifa darted back away from Jenova warily. Wings flapping she concentrated in the babble from her past selves, filtering out all but the previous. “You don’t have the power we did. You hurt her…but not much else.”

“I swear, it’s the same with all of them. Brains went into their tits and ass.” Scarlet chuckled darkly at her former’s comment, a barrage of icicles distracting Jenova enough for Tifa to scramble away. The Knight swung around, whipping it’s sword in a wide arc, only to be blocked by a glistening, green wing. Four blue-gold beams shot out from both wings, converging on the Knight who got his shield up hastily. The explosion sent him tumbling downwards to land on Terrato’s wide head, pushing off back towards Jenova. “We can feel her frustration. She would’ve been further along by now. But she also would’ve been considerably more damaged.”

“Small cuts darlings. Just like how I destroyed Heidegger.” Scarlet pulsed back, aiming at the monstrosity’s back. Ice shards formed there as normal, but now Scarlet’s eyes narrowed, focusing her will. Each shard shrunk, slimmed until they transparent and points needle sharp. With an exaggerated gesture she flung out her arm and the ice shot forward. The cry was low, shrill and hideous, Jenova arching in clear pain as some shot through the meaty parts of her arms and thigh. Scarlet clenched her fist and the ice buried in her back began to expand, widening the wounds. Then Scarlet frowned, arm trembling, Jenova turning to her slowly, eyes glittering with a hate Scarlet couldn’t help but shiver from. The injuries began to heal and she could feel her shards being forced back out. She gripped her wrist and gritted her teeth. She abruptly shouted. “ANYTIME NOW!!”

In a green blur, Tifa now appeared behind Jenova, feather blades digging into two of the largest wounds. From below, the Knight’s sword speared her thigh. And finally Scarlet jammed a knifed palm into her shoulder. The hate never left Jenova’s eyes and Scarlet grinned maliciously. As one they each pulled in opposite directions. Jenova wailed loudly, and all the monsters immediately turned towards them, becoming easy targets for those below, or for the Espers that surrounded them. It was a sound unlike any other as Jenova came apart, chunks falling into the mako lake with barely visible splashes. 

“Is that…is that it?” Elena panted, resting fully across Seraph’s back. “Did we win?”

“I think…” Tseng started, then the world started moving. The rumbling was deafening, even high up and the pillars that had been formed collapsed into one another with a hollow GONG! 

Then came the terror. What Jenova had been to Tiamat, this was to her emergence. “Dammit…” Tifa swore, sweat rushing down her body, despite Siren’s efforts. None were unaffected. Even the monsters collapsed under the terror. Tifa turned to Elena. “With…with me. Seraph’s and Siren’s shield. We need…to protect…as many…as we can!”

Wide eyed, barely able to even understand the other woman, Elena nodded and Seraph dropped to the ground alongside Tifa, by the small rest and healing area, focusing their energies into soothing the heart stopping terror among their friends and allies while also trying to block it. “Dia…” Seraph gasped to Diabolos, the dark Esper hissing ineffectually at the malicious aura assaulting them in waves. A light glow touched his darkness and the red and black creature slowly came back to his senses. “Get to Alexander. He’s the only one that can block this out fully. Hurry!”

In a swirl of darkness the Esper was gone. Several bandits crawled their way into the pair’s barrier, collapsing in exhaustion…Tifa hoped. Others fell beyond it and never moved again. Further back, the mako lake slowly began shrinking, flowing into the spot directly below the green pillars. “Damn her!” Scarlet swore, despising the unaccustomed terror running through her body. Then she saw it.

No longer the beautiful, fairy like creature flitting to and fro, a massive skeleton emerged from the mako. The pillars shook violently, falling across the remains, but instead of shattering them, instead merged. A pair of fleshy, tentacled wings  rose on either side of a grinning skull, that transformed into an unexpectedly attractive, feminine face. Mako rolling down, forming two long, four fingered arms and a pair of massive breast like protrusions, to a long waist from which many smaller arms emerged. From the waist four huge tentacles burst forth, waving in the air…then the transformation stopped.

The pillars were gone, and Jenova’s new body was probably three quarters complete. A screech issued from a mouth filled with dagger like teeth and the monsters, once recoiling in terror, rose back up to once more assault the defenders. They slammed into Seraph and Siren’s barriers, cracks forming along them. Tifa saw several move lower down to crash into a smaller field that shuddered immediately. Just as another wave was about to hit there was a roar and a bright radiance engulfed them. When she could see again, Alexander rose above them all, wings extended and a visible shield pushing the monsters back. 

“Finally…” Tifa panted, relaxing her efforts. Barret, Nanaki and Vincent fell out of a portal with Diabolos, the two former hacking violently. Yuffie appeared along with Josy and Jessica, all three girls supporting one another, along with Reno hanging just behind. Jo almost fell, scrambling on her hands towards her sister, all but falling into her arms. “Hey…sorry for making you worry.”

“You’re the worst sister ever!” Joslyn sobbed. Tifa patted the younger woman’s back, frowning as the leaned back and gently tilted her head back and forth. There was one who hadn’t been there before…her eyes narrowing. The bruises were healing, if slowly, and she turned to Jessica seeing the shiny eyed exhaustion in the redhead and the small, blue-ish creature on her shoulder. She glanced at Yuffie.

“What happened?”

“The last of the bitches Jenova sicced on us was a bit more troublesome than expected.” The kunoichi replied. “Took on all three of us and if Reno hadn’t shown up when he did I’m not sure how long we would’ve lasted.”

The Turk gave a tired nod, turning to find himself face to face with Viola. Both redheads tensed, unsure, when Reno simply gave his head a shake and pulled Vi into a tight hug.

“Hey kiddo,” Barret’s face mirrored the tiredness on every other one around. From those with Espers to the regulars, everyone was on their last legs. He glanced out at where the two Knights still darted back and forth, keeping the remaining monsters at a distance. However, there always seemed to be more to take their place. “Guess it was too much to hope that it would just end. But I think I got enough left in the tank to let you and the others…”

“Don’t even try it,” Shelke snapped, appearing from behind Vincent. “Even if we did run, where are we gonna go with that there!?”

“Where the hell did…never mind.” Barret groaned, looking around. Up above the airship was motionless. He could only pray that Cid and his crew were okay. Beck’s group was greatly diminished as were his and their former enemies. Even now they kept apart, eyeing one another warily, the one with the tonfa seemingly the one deferred to. 

Both Tifa and Scarlet remained quiet as the others talked, holding private conclaves within themselves. This…Jenova’s emergence…was part of their memories. The Espers and the other human fighters…not so much. They were now in completely new territory. Thankfully no one important…Tifa grimaced…none of her friends, or the stronger fighters, had passed. But they were still badly outnumbered, even with the Espers. At this rate…

“What have I told you about overthinking things.”

“What!” Tifa started, looking around rapidly, eyes wide with shock falling on a familiar white haired figure. “Zan…Zan…SENSEI!?”

“And here I thought after giving your sister a few pointers you might’ve developed some potential.” Zangan remarked, marching to stand opposite the smaller woman. “What did I always tell you when you hesitated?”

“If your opponent has you second guessing yourself, they’ve already won.” Tifa stated automatically, giving her head a shake. She glanced around and took a deep breath, spreading her wings and focusing. Inside her mind she once more envisioned the door, being held shut by all her former lives and gradually opened. She dropped down behind them. “Don’t hold it back…let it swing open!”

“Sis…what’re you…!” Joslyn stumbled back when Tifa’s entire body went rigid and suddenly she felt herself kneeling on the ground. And she wasn’t the only one. From Barret and Vincent to Tseng and Elena and even Beck and the purple clad troopers. Looking at her sister, she appeared huge to the young woman, eyes glowing bright green.

“Exhibitionist…” Scarlet muttered, amused, yet annoyed by the reactions. Even the Espers like Diabolos and Titan appeared in awe. She delved deep into herself, marching down the rows of her past selves to slam down the button holding the power she was given in check. “Anything she can do, ladies, we can do better!”

*****

Holding out his hand to the hissing Ultima, eyes narrowed. It would follow that the damn thing would still be hostile, but right now they had more important things than fighting one another. Then it went silent, entire body turning. He turned as well, lips curling as two powerful surges flowed over him with their full awakening. And that, whether knowingly or unknowingly, the powers resonated all but perfectly.

With a long familiar, rumbling growl, Ultima rose into the air. With powerful flaps of newly healed wings the Weapon angled itself in the direction of the city. Relief now came with sense of urgency. If Ultima was moving in response to their overflow, then IT could also sense it. 

And of all the Weapons, Ruby was the last one he wanted anywhere near the battlefield.

*****

Viola gasped, standing up straighter as energy flowed back into her, the fairies quiescent and in awe…fearful even. Standing three times her original height, Tifa’s features were sharper now, more avian, expression severe. Dark green feathers covered her extremities, leaving her midsection and legs bare. The latter now ended in three clawed talons while a secondary pair of wings with a wicked hook across the tip burst from just above her hips to match those across her shoulders. Mini vortexes swirled across her upper body and lips pursed, blowing a high pitched whistle that gave everyone a brief dizzy spell. 

“Begone…” she whispered.

The results, among the monsters, were more devastating. Those with wings gave loud shrieking cries and tumbled to the ground, blood leaking from various orifices or simply had their heads explode. The stronger ones managed to shrug it off, but crawled on their bellies, chirping and squealing in distress. 

“Amateur…” Scarlet murmured, floating towards Alexander’s barrier. Unlike the younger woman she remained her original size with bone white skin and long platinum hair, squeezed into pale white bikini with a blue mantle and stockings. A blue tiara rested atop her head which leaned forward, lips puckered and blowing softly over the palm of a hand. A fine mist spread across the beasts and monsters beating against the barrier. These squealed as well, movements slowing as they struggled to get away, limbs turning white until all that remained were frozen statues. Reaching the edge of the glowing shield, she stroked the snout of a lizard like creature before flicking it gently across the nose.

It shattered, causing a chain reaction that led to others breaking apart.

The earth around them shook, a feeling of omnipotent rage lashing all around them. Alexander’s wings shimmered and the barrier glowed visibly, cracks forming across it. Together, Tifa and Scarlet moved up his massive frame, resting hands on the pauldrons. The shield’s color shifted. From white…to blue…to green in rapid sequence until it exploded outwards in vibrant turquoise, knocking over monsters, crushing some and even visibly rocking Jenova. 

The same aura now covered everyone beneath them, who felt their strength return fully and then some. With a barrel chested shout, Barret charged back into the fray, Odin galloping alongside him with Vincent, Joslyn and Shelke close behind. Nanaki gave a roar that covered those nearby, Beck and his bandit cronies, in a red aura that had them yell and follow the cat like creature. Perched atop Jessica’s head, Carbunkle’s gem flashed as she leapt onto Eight’s shoulder and into the air, whip lashing out to blind a nearby monster that Yangus quickly beheaded. 

Eight joined Angelo and Red attacking a Hydra, Yuffie and the Turks rushing past them and Beck’s group in an attempt to catch up with Barret. Flying between Rude and Reno on multi colored butterfly wings, Viola’s hands waved side to side, enveloping those they passed in a green light. High above, Alexander blared in defiance, hunching over slightly and unleashing a barrage of beams that flew between him and Jenova. Explosions rocked the monstrosity as several connected, then others seemed to bounce off her back to Alexander and the area around him. 

A dark hole formed under Diabolos, Titan grabbing the small group of wounded, leaping into it, followed by the few that remained behind the defend them. Appearing a hundred or so feet away, the humans among them could only stare at the crater that had been their original location. Now that they were safe, though, the two Espers departed, diving into the fray with terrible enthusiasm.

“DIE…DIE…DIE!!” Snow shrieked, flying around her mother. The loss of her sisters drove Snow insane with rage. Diving down, she screamed, splitting herself in two, angling for the pair of murderers flying straight for Jenova. 

Neither Tifa, nor Scarlet slowed. The former swatted the pale skinned creature to the ground with a casual backhand, while the latter pressed her palms together, driving them through the other’s midsection…and pulled. The one batted aside by Tifa screamed as she felt her other self torn apart, looking up with furious eyes to find a familiar pair in front of her. Both Jessica and Joslyn slowed in their run, then shifted their direction towards her. If it hadn’t been for them…Snow’s eyes glittered and she split again, kicking off to charge the oncoming pair. 

In the all out battle no one noticed the four women crash together. 

In the air Tifa and Scarlet moved in opposite directions to trap Jenova between them. Following at a respectful distance were the two knights that followed the women closely…but not too close. Tentacles lashed out, missed, beams of blueish light fired from the tips. Another barrage of pure white energy struck at Jenova, forcing the four to hastily retreat. In the process one of the tentacles wrapped around Scarlet’s waist, the woman twisting in irritation. A burning sensation where the appendage held onto her had Scarlet grimace, then she gave a surge, freezing the fleshy organ and breaking it. Jenova shrieked in anger, jaw widening further, leaning her head back to vomit out purple effusions, that had them flitting back and forth.

“Acid!” Tifa flinched, her wings getting clipped by a droplet. Wrapping her wings tightly around her, she dove, going in low and close to the titan, feathers straightening into blades that she sliced at Jenova with. A tentacle started to descend on her head, only to be sliced almost in half by the watching knight. Jenova roared again, this time in genuine pain despite the limb regenerating. In front of her a geyser of Mako drove Tifa back in a hurry. Then another fountain exploded upwards, then another. 

Instead of gathering around Jenova though, these flowed together, pooling before her. Out of which a familiar form emerged. 

“I warned you all…” Tiamat intoned, rearing back, wings extending, scales covering her arms and legs leaving the rest of her extremities bare. “And now…it’s too late.”

Tail lashing, Tiamat growled, slamming her hands into the ground, the carcasses of all the dead dragons giving a jolt, rolling over in a facsimile of life. “Devour them, my children. Take your revenge!!”

The rotting corpses dragged themselves upright with hoarse, hollow bellows. A group of four were raised near the back, where the small group of injured remained with their defenders. These immediately homed in on the easy prey, galloping unsteadily towards them, the tonfa wielding trooper standing at the forefront. Zangan, spotting the danger, immediately turned though it was obvious he’d not get there in time. His clothes began to smolder and for a second his body seemed to swell when there was a THUMP. Then another.

Explosions engulfed the four walking corpses, squealing as their remains began to burn in a fire that seemed to hurt them despite their condition. One, in a frenzied, last ditch attack, leapt from the flames at the group…it’s head going flying as it’s body collapsed. 

“Well shit…” Marcus lowered his guard, wiping away the sweat that caked his brow and lowered his face mask. “Look at you now…what’s brought this on?!”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Cloud remarked, retracting the blade at his wrist. High above there was another roar, Ultima soaring overhead and further back was a distant blaring sound. “Let’s just say I was gathering reinforcements.”

The End

Thank you for reading! For more of Gradius’ Stories: Click Here!