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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening	By : Saan Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 844 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
A low chuckle filled the area. "Well, it�s safe to say she didn't survive. I don't think Ecka knew exactly what was in that coffin."

Leira put her back to the coffin and slid down its smooth side. "How much was left of her? Why just hair�?"

Sephiroth cocked his head in amusement. "Don't either of you want to know how she died?"

Vincent knelt beside Leira and held onto her right hand.

"I'll tell you, since I have the strong feeling that both of you were there!" Sephiroth grabbed the bottom part of his hair and swept off some dirt that was sticking to it. "It was back in the Northern Crater. Her second in command died that same day. Do you remember a SOLDIER by the name of Jody? Maybe, you both remember a parade of black cloaks heading for a cliff."

Leira and Vincent both glared at him.

"Jody was there too?! YOU MONSTER!� Vincent held Leira's wrist tighter in his hand and pulled her back to the ground before she could let into the man. "Easy, girl, let him explain�" He tried his hardest to keep her calm and maintain his hold on her.

Sephiroth squatted before them and shook his head. He let his hands fall between his legs. "They didn't jump�they never made it that far."

Vincent closed his eyes while Leira looked on. The dead man was able to recall Sephiroth's followers gathering at the Northern Crater preparing to reunite with Jenova. He remembered several of them plummeting off a cliff while others were not as lucky. A terrible fate awaited those that did not jump to their deaths. The dead man spoke up. "They were cut down by you!" He opened his glowing red eyes.

Sephiroth nodded grimly.

Leira had been on the Highwind during that time three years ago. Hojo decided to rejoin the Shinra organization at that point. She remembered how adamant he had been about traveling along with President Rufus Shinra as they followed Sephiroth to the Promised Land. The memories seemed like they had only happened days ago instead of years. One horrifying image in particular haunted her memory. Why were these memories becoming so clear to her now? Leira fought her hand away from Vincent and covered the sides of her face. She began to shake.

"What's happening to her?" Vincent's concern was overwhelming compared to the anger that had threatened to control him.

Sephiroth straightened and walked to the far side of the coffin. He was having a hard time watching Leira. "She's beginning to wake up."

Leira rudely pushed Hojo aside and stood by the boy king. The hooded men had arrived at the Northern Crater. She watched as they solemnly marched to the top of a steep cliff. "What are they doing?" she asked him.

Rufus shook his head. "Let's wait and see."

Leira became aware that Hojo was hovering over their shoulders. What was he so interested in?

"MOTHER OF GOD!� Navig yelled from his station on the bridge. "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" His fellow pilots sat there with their eyes glued to the monitors in front of them.

"THERE GOES ANOTHER ONE!� The pilot to his left shouted. "AND ANOTHER, and another�and another�"

Everyone watched as the figures walked until they could not walk anymore. One by one, Sephiroth's followers walked off the edge of the cliff and fell to their deaths.

One of the crewmembers bolted out of his seat and ran to the President. "There's something on radar! It's right in front of us�"

Another black figure materialized before the Highwind. "Is that Sephiroth?" Rufus asked the scientist standing behind him.

Hojo rubbed his hands together. He was unconcerned about answering the boy's question. "After all these years." he mumbled to himself. "It's finally going to happen."

The strange man was indeed Sephiroth. The former general's long white hair blew about in the air as he lowered himself to the ground near the top of the cliff. He kicked a couple of his followers off the edge and pulled out Masamune. In a strange gesture, he began to dance around as he kicked and slashed the hooded figures. Suddenly he flew up into the air and carried himself further down the incline. The madman landed between two travelers, causing them to stop.

"What's he doing?" Rufus asked no one in particular.

Leira and the entire Highwind team were mesmerized as they looked on.

Everyone gasped in horror as Sephiroth kicked the figure to his left in the stomach. By the time, his foot touched the ground; he spun around and sliced him through the middle.

The airship's occupants watched as Masamune effortlessly cut the man in half.

Sephiroth was not done. He turned to face the other follower that stopped and smiled as bowed at the person.

Everyone's eyes were watching the monitors, as he appeared to exchange words with the unknown person. The other cloaked figures continued on their path of destruction while the two conversed. Strangely enough, the cloaked figure tuned its back to Sephiroth and started to walk down the hillside. Sephiroth nodded and folded his arms.

"How unusual." Hojo remarked.

The person had traveled at least twenty feet before Sephiroth changed his grip on the long sword and ran after him. With an unbelievably graceful twirl, he held out the six-foot blade so that it was parallel to the ground. His spin landed him directly in front of the escapee. He elevated a black-gloved finger and waved it from side to side.

"He's crazy!� shouted a pilot.

"Move the cameras in closer!� Rufus demanded. "I want a better shot!� The President was not happy with just being able to see people. He wanted to see faces too.

The surveillance team did as they were ordered. The cameras began to enlarge the images of the events that were happening on the ground several hundred feet below them.

In a split second, it was over. Sephiroth swung the blade out ahead of him and rushed into the man. He blew on his fingertips with his back to his victim.

The hooded figure split in half and crashed to the ground. The sudden movements caused the hood to fall back and reveal the person's blood spattered face and long blonde hair.

"I toppled them both like dominos." Sephiroth said without the slightest hint of remorse. "Mr. Jody Mymians of Kalm, former SOLDIER First Class�number six, promoted to TE Midgar Second Class 65972 and let's not forget Miss Norelliies."

Leira was beginning to feel sick with the thought of being able to remember Norelliies' death so vividly. "I thought you loved her!�

"That's what I thought at first." A familiar voice echoed from the opening of the pit. A long black cable lowered into the hole and Ecka started to repel down it. "I should have also told you to stay the hell put!�

Sephiroth watched the girl touch down. "You were always full of surprises."

"Hmmph." She ignored him and stood before Leira. "This is Norry's coffin�what was in it?"

"I had a feeling you didn't know." Sephiroth tossed the medium sized bag of hair at her.

The young SOLDIER caught it. Her cocky attitude faded rapidly as she fondled the plastic sleeving. "This is a poor time to start being a funny man,� she told Sephiroth.

"I found it in the coffin." Vincent offered.

Ecka dropped the bag and looked into the coffin for some kind of support. The plaque gleamed in the fire's light. "He told me that the medical unit picked up the pieces!" She blurted out. "THIS SHOULDN'T BE HERE!� she scooped up the hair sample and tossed it at Sephiroth.

Her former general cocked an eyebrow. "You thought Hojo would have burnt one of his most promising experiments?"

Ecka stomped over to him and spit in his face. "HOJO DIDN'T TELL ME SHIT!� she leveled an accusing finger at Leira. "HER UNCLE DID!� The girl started to feel dizzy again and sat on the ground at Sephiroth's feet. "He told me about my frigging number the same day I was discharged. He told me about what was going to happen to everyone that had a number, PERIOD. He told me�" Tears started to well up in the corners of her deep blue eyes. "It was the same thing with Jody too�I found his coffin a couple weeks ago�it was totally empty�there should have been ashes in it�"

Leira perked up slightly. "Do you know where Timal is?" she interrupted.

"Who?"

The thought that Ecka and Timal Klefmon might have never met suddenly occurred to her. "He was a SOLDIER First Class out of Wutai�number twenty nine�"

Ecka sniffled and rubbed at her eyes before shooting Leira a blank look. "Twenty nine�" After another sniffle, Ecka burst out laughing.

Sephiroth returned to squatting and studied the girl with interest. Leira on the other hand was becoming upset with the insensitivity of the young girl.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Vincent. He was beginning to feel out of place in the group.

"Twenty-nine�*heee-heee-heee*" Ecka chortled. "I'd almost forgotten about him. His coffin was destroyed when this place first caved in."

Leira gasped in horror.

"That was a good laugh, thanks!� Ecka said as she sniffled again and rubbed at her nose with her sleeve.

"What was so funny?!" Leira demanded as she stood hovering over the girl.

Ecka looked up at the Elite and smiled heartily. "Relax! His coffin was empty, too!�

Sephiroth was confused. "If his body was missing chances are he was cloned. That's not a funny thought, Trabian." Ecka winced at Sephiroth's use of her first name. "It could be very dangerous if Hojo got a hold of that corpse."

The twenty six year old pouted and folded her legs. "You'd know more about that than any of us�" she started to pull at her lips with her fingers. �The Wutai government came for the corpse a couple days after the autopsy was done. It never made it back here to Midgar."

"But it's on the map." Vincent pointed out. "It shows the coffin being here!�

Ecka was about to laugh again but thought better of it. "Yeah, the coffin was here. All that's left is a bunch of twisted metal�as I said; it was crushed. When Wutai found out about one of their own people dying they came to collect the corpse and take it back home."

"How do you know all this?" Leira asked.

"I've got a map hanging on my wall don't I?" she said sharply. "I don't know if you knew this already but this building may not have much in the way of power but the computer mainframe is still active. Rudah helped me access this stuff back at his place. The records showed that your guy had family left and they thought it would be best to send the remains home."

Leira remembered that Timal had a cousin who was a pilot for Shinra. "It must have been Benton." She thought to herself.

Trabian got to her feet and readjusted her tight fitting clothes. "Come on. This place is still in danger of collapsing. It'll be best if we head back to my lair. I can fill in any details there."

Sephiroth climbed the rope first. Deep in the back of his mind he tried again to remember the faces of those that had died and those that had been cloned."

Ecka climbed up second followed by Vincent.

Leira paused at the foot of the rope. She scratched her head. The thought of Jody and Norelliies cloned was difficult for her to imagine. She wondered if there was any chance that their clones would remember her. After a slow chant, a tiny flame claimed the last remains of Norelliies' existence. A tear fell down her cheek as the bag was quickly consumed.

When the hair became less than ash, Leira put her formal wear back on and waved out the hanging flame that used for light. She began her climb to the top.

"I told the other two to go ahead." Ecka had been waiting for her. "I want you to do me a favor�"

The Elite was stunned by how somber the normally irate girl had become. "What do you want from me?"

Ecka glanced at the ground. "If you're here and Sephiroth is here�that means I'm going to be going away�I can't exist anymore�"

"Ecka�what�what are you saying?"

"Everyone else has been cloned or cremated. Somehow, I don't think I'll be lucky enough to be cremated." She looked into Leira's green eyes and gave an awkward smirk. "Seeing you guys again was quite a wake up call�for a little while it got quiet and I was able to put everything behind me. I actually thought that I could move back to Kalm and be normal�"

Leira listened as the girl continued. "I don't have any family to come and take me away like your guy did�Hojo's goons are going to find me and that's that." She grabbed Leira's wrist. "I can't believe I'm asking you to do this, but I can't trust him!�

"What do you want me to do?" Leira felt obligated to help the girl. "Do you want me to�kill you?"

The little girl's face contorted. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU TRIED IT ONCE BEFORE AND COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT RIGHT! The sad thing is you weren't even trying!� She coughed. "Actually, I plan on following you guys. It won't be long before those goons catch on to me. In the event that I die�" her voice quickly recovered its serious tone. "I want you to make sure they don't try and clone me. I was part of the Jenova project along with a good many of the SOLDIERs. Don't let anyone study this little body of mine�burn it."

"You're not going to die! You've made it this far!"

Ecka raised a hand and slapped Leira across the face. "I was just flat out lucky!!" With a huge sigh, Ecka embraced the Elite. She pushed her head into Leira's chest. "I'm an idiot for telling you anything�but I know you won't let me down."

Once Ecka and Leira arrived the men got up from the chairs that they had been sitting on and gathered around the two females. "I thought you might have killed each other." Vincent said slowly. Leira pushed passed the small gathering and sat down on Ecka's bed. What the girl had wanted her to do was not sitting well. How could someone so young be so sure of their own fate?

Trabian shook her head as Vincent and Sephiroth focused on her.

"Uhmmm, before I forget to mention it�while you girls were away we�got company�" Vincent had tried to sound as calm as possible so as not to alert anyone.

The little SOLDIER looked up in anger as Vincent began to point toward the entrance hallway. "That's not even funny!� she shouted. She did not see any one. Just as she began to relax, three figures in long black cloaks entered the room.

"I wasn't kidding."

One of the three figures towered above the rest. It had to have been at least seven feet tall and was extremely bulky. It calmly stood between its shorter companions.

"Congratulations." one of the cloaked people said in a feminine voice. "You found her, Lord Sephiroth. We were beginning to think that you had failed us."

"We were quite surprised to see that you found number seventeen also." The center creature stated with a strange growl.

Ecka pushed through the men and stood in front of the hooded people. "I am not going to let you take me,� she waved a fist at them than turned to Leira and the others. "GET BEHIND ME!� She returned to the ones in front of her and smiled slyly. "Way behind."

Sephiroth turned and ran back towards the hallway they had traveled earlier. Vincent was not sure if Leira would follow so he put one of her arms around his shoulder and carried her away from the area.

The air became warm all of a sudden. Ecka began to call on her mastered fire materia once more. Her temper began to consume her and she slowly began to lift off the ground.

The creatures began to walk slowly towards her. "We don't need you alive."

"That's okay." Ecka huffed as she winked at them. "I never said I was going to go peacefully." Her chanting began to grow louder.

Sephiroth, Vincent and Leira could here her back in the tunnel.

"I think she's reached her limit!" shouted Vincent as the sound of crackling flames became audible in the distance."

Cid entered the airship. "Hey, Reeve there's some guys outside waiting for you�there's probably a good forty or so of them."

Yuffie pushed the pilot out of the way. "They aren't friendly either. One of 'em threw sand at me when I told him he was blocking my sun."

Cid rolled his eyes at the nineteen year old.

Reeve jumped to his feet. "They're here already!� He put a hand on Yuffie's shoulder. That's great. He pushed through them and ran out of the airship.

"What's up with him, cat?" Cid asked as he lit a cigarette.

Yuffie pushed some sand off her arms. "You'd think it was a girlfriend or something."

Cloud stood on the beach with the pink Mog. "I told you he's in the airship."

A tall man walked away from Cloud as soon as Reeve had set foot on the beach. "SIR!" he said and saluted with the rest of the armored troops.

"Guys, this is my private army."

"Nice of him to tell us." Yuffie pouted.

The lead man dropped his hand and approached Reeve. "We're going to Midgar, sir."

"Yes, general." Reeve acknowledged. "We're going to be traveling with these civilians."

"What about the clone, sir?"

"I'm sure we'll meet up with it later. I'm dead sure that we'll find more clones in the old trash heap." Reeve regarded Cloud for a second. "And general�"

"Sir?"

"Don't let the blonde kid out of your sight. He was part of Hojo's Jenova project."

"SIR!" The general addressed Reeve one last time before joining the rest of the army.

"Alright, men, let's be on our way!� Reeve shouted.

Within minutes, the army and Cloud's party had boarded the Highwind. The giant airship powered up and lifted off the ground bound for Midgar.

A ring of fire encircled the young girl as she hovered above the ground. The black-cloaked creatures started to back away slowly.

"WELCOME TO HELL ON EARTH PEOPLE!� Ecka threw her thin white arms out to the sides and cast her ring of fire outward. The strength of the blast flew at the beings and killed them instantly. The cloak of the center creature seemed like it was made of a sturdier material than the others. As the room began to cool down Ecka was lowered to the ground. Her dizziness was not going to keep her from studying the middle creature. She stumbled and ended up sitting beside the burning corpses. To her horror, the middle being did not look human. It was one of Hojo's other creatures. The monster had coarse gray fur and black horns. The cloak had burned off seconds after her blast. It was the creature's dark skin that had continued to burn.

The others ran in and surveyed the area. Sephiroth stood behind Ecka and glared at the large beast. "They really want me bad, to send one of those out." she coughed.

Sephiroth bent down and hoisted her up. "There's got to be more coming. Let's get out of here."

Vincent still had Leira in his arms. The Elite had returned to studying his materia again. As he carried her through the dark tunnel he asked her about which materia had been troubling her.

"You have Hades materia�" she answered. Where did you find it?"

The four of them were getting closer to the outside.

"Cloud was looking for an object that had been lost at sea. It was called the key of the Ancients. We accidentally found a sunken Gelnika while we were looking."

"You found it in a Gelnika? Did it have all kinds of toxic creatures roaming around?"

Vincent was curious as to where her questioning was leading. "Yes."

"Thank you,� she whispered. "It was a gift to one of my best friends�he was Timal's cousin�Benton Navig. I gave it to him for good luck after Timal died�"

The light from the outside was coming in through the open passageway. Sephiroth and Ecka had already made it outside.

"You can take it back if you want�I had no idea." Vincent said calmly. "Oh�shit." Vincent cursed as he reached the outside. He set Leira down slowly.

"I'll keep that in mind,� she told him.

Hooded creatures of all different shapes and sizes surrounded the entire area.

"Anyone got any good ideas?" Vincent asked.

A low moan came from the crowd. "Come with us." It said repeatedly.

"It definitely does NOT involve us standing still!� Sephiroth shouted to him. Sephiroth cast a strong ice spell that seared through a few members of the hooded group.

One of the creatures ran at Ecka. The girl released a small burst of fire into its face and knocked it to the ground with a sucker punch.

"Vincent�I think I'll be needing that materia back�"

The ex-Turk began to remove the tiny round gem from his bracelet.

More creatures were beginning to gather around as Ecka and Sephiroth did their best to lower the numbers.

Leira snatched her favorite materia from Vincent's hands. It had been so many years since she had seen the cursed item. Would she be able to summon him again? Leira could see an old man's face in the little red jewel. It began to speak to her. What was it saying? She moved her lips in time with the strange balding man. As she mimicked his facial movements, she began to add her own voice. The chant to activate the materia was coming back to her. With each ancient word the face in the materia twisted. The hair and skin began to disappear. Several seconds later, the entire reflection was gone.

"YEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAW! I KNEW IT!� Reeve shouted excitedly, almost falling from the railing of the observation deck. "SHE'S HERE!�

"YEAH, YEAH COWBOY, NOW GET BACK INSIDE! LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE'S CALLING OUT A REALLY NASTY SUMMON CREATURE!� Cid began to doubt how safe it was standing out in the open air.

Reeve clasped his hands together. Leira had to have been alive! She was the only one that could use that particular materia effectively. The president smiled to himself. It would not be long now.

The red ball lifted itself out of her hands and floated in the air along with Leira herself. She raised her arms high above her head and joined them at the elbows. The air stood still and grew dark. Leira brought her hands together just above her navel. Humans and creatures alike were eyeing her curiously. The only one that fully understood her actions was Sephiroth. He was motionless while he witnessed the materia overtake her.

Leira parted her hands violently. Her prayer was finished as a dark figure became visible. The god of pestilence studied the battlefield before him and emitted a drunken cackle.

Sephiroth grabbed Ecka by the shoulders and forced her into his coat. "We've been through this before, you remember the drill!� he shouted while ducking inside the black fabric with her.

Vincent had never before seen a sight like the one he was witnessing. He had summoned the Hades materia several times but it had never been that strong. Fearing the worst he covered his face with the cloak that hung around his shoulders.

The menacing laugh stooped and a black cauldron appeared. Hades waved his bony digits above the cauldron. Whatever was contained in the large vessel let out a putrid black smoke that continued to boil as the summon god's incantation ended. Hades glanced at Leira who had been staring at him in awe. "You did it right this time." he said in a calm grating voice before vanishing.

The strange brew spread around the area and quickly engulfed every one and every thing. Hojo's attempts at the perfect soldier gagged and wretched as they were overcome with multiple status ailments. Death came swiftly for the gray creatures that had not developed immunities to harsh elemental conditions.

Ecka peeked out from underneath Sephiroth's coat. "WE'RE ALIVE!� she shouted and jumped for joy. She remembered the last time she was in a situation where Leira had called on Hades. Her skin shook as she recalled puking with her entire unit as they tried to make their escape from a failed weapons deal. The illness did not last longer than a couple minutes but the nauseating aftertaste remained until they had safely returned to Midgar. Ecka grinned when she thought about the beating she had dealt Leira upon their return. "Do you think they're all gone?" the girl asked suspiciously.

Sephiroth stood up. The darkness had lifted and at least thirty creatures had fallen. "I�don't know."

"LOOK OUT!� Vincent hollered.

One of the surviving creatures jumped out from behind a pile of debris and collided with the girl. Leira felt weak in her legs and could barely stand. Vincent ran to her and helped her balance. At least forty more monsters had appeared. They circled Sephiroth and the others.

"I'M GOING TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED!� it growled into her hear. The creature let out a huge snort as it began to dive in for its latest bite. Ecka had suffered her chest being torn into by the very same mammoth being. Its black lips and yellow teeth were so close to her neck; she did not know what to do. Her future as a Sephiroth clone was almost certain. She sniffled as she remembered Zack's smiling face after one of his late night excursions. "I'm sorry�I'm so sorry�" Ecka found herself apologizing for her position. She tried to kick out from underneath the wolf like beast in an attempt to break free but it was no use. The creature clamped a gigantic hand around her throat. "You won't live through this one!" it said as it showered her with its rank breath. "You'll be better as a clone!�

Suddenly numerous blasts crashed around the combatants scaring away several of the creatures and wounding several more. The Highwind cast a massive breeze over those that were caught below her massive turbine engines. Ecka watched as thin black ropes unraveled in their descent from the bikini goddesses' wings. Everyone was distracted by the airship's appearance.

The failed clone experiment turned back to her. "The cavalry will not help you!� it smirked.

Yuffie slid down one of the ropes with her oversized shuriken in hand. She tossed the large weapon and cut down two beasts

"YEEEE-HAWWW!� Cid burst out diving from the Highwind. The old pilot was overcome in the moment. He rolled his sleeves up as he beat back another Nibel monster. Cait Sith had also joined the battle. As he rode on the back of the oversized pink mog, he began to shout orders. The toysaurus slapped two more creatures around with its huge pink paws.

Vincent struggled to fire his weapon and maintain his attempt at keeping Leira from falling over.

Sephiroth decided to try to help the young girl but was suddenly stopped.

"Is is highness happy now that she will join us?!" A woman in a black cloak had crawled out from under a monster's corpse. A blonde lock of hair fell out of the hood that covered the female's identity.

"It can't be�" the man in black stammered. The ex-general had a slight idea about whom she was talking about. He regained his composure and let out a strong smile. Masamune was pulled from the sheath below its master�s coat. "We'll see about that!� He ran into the being with the sword held high above his head. After one graceful slice the cloaked figure was no more. Sephiroth stood above his fallen prey for a few seconds. "How many more of you did they make?" A loud scream drew him out of his wondering. He recalled Ecka held down by one of the gray creatures.

Reeve pointed out an area of concern. He was watching Sephiroth make his way to some girl in an attempt to aid her. "Will you look at that?" he said flatly. "We can't let that happen!�

One of the uniformed men nodded. "LET'S GO LADIES!� his voice boomed.

The young spiky haired SOLDIER stood on the deck alone. He was torn between helping out his "mom" and the others and remaining on the Highwind. Deep in his heart he knew what he would see if he joined the fight. He had seen Leira upset before, while he served in Shinra, but was unsure of these new circumstances. Weakly he walked over to the door that led back into the Highwind. This situation had become too much for him to deal with. "Mom�I'm sorry."

Sounds of heavy footfalls echoed up the staircase ahead of him. It seemed that Reeve had just mobilized the assault team.

"OUT OF MY WAY!�

"MOVE!�

"IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIGHT YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!� several voices ordered as the boy was forced against a wall. A man in a black stopped and turned his black helmet towards him. "We've got your number!" he joked and continued after his teammates.

"What an asshole!" Cloud remarked. He could not bear witness to the events that were about to unfold below him. Was it the only fate of Midgar, to be known for merciless bloodshed and a crooked empire?

The ropes were alive again with all the black clad soldiers in Reeve's personal army sliding down them.

The creature above Ecka raised a huge claw as it prepared to end her life with one strong deathblow. The girl wrapped her hands around the gigantic wrist attached to her throat. Without any warning, the creature stopped and dropped its hand. The look on its contorted furry face was of confusion.

BANG

The broad back of the horrible monster erupted in a spray of black blood. The sockets beneath its eyelids began to flow with more blood. Ecka gained enough power to push the dead creature off her only to be greeted by an officer standing above her. "Leira, remember what I told you�" she muttered calmly to herself. �I told you I forgive you�just don't make me regret it." In her heart, she knew she was not going to make it out alive. At least this new foe would not be responsible for resurrecting her as a clone. She closed her eyes and laid her head back. "Zack, I'm coming to see you�" she whimpered. �I just hope you're decent when I meet up with you!"

A sound resembling a tiny gust of wind came from the soldier�s weapon as he pulled the trigger.

Leira, Sephiroth, Vincent and Yuffie watched the bloody scene take place. Just like the blow that struck the beast dead, Ecka's body shook a little as the bullet lodged itself several layers below her skin. In less than a millisecond, it ignited. The chest cavity of the young girl burst open in a quick bloody fountain. What was left of her rib cage was now protruding from a red cavernous opening. Her eyes nose and ears let loose with warm red ribbons of blood.

Ecka's former general stood motionless above the corpses. A bizarre feeling was beginning to overtake him. His hands were beginning to shake. In a panic, he lodged Masamune into the ground and wrapped his fingers around its hilt. His long white hair slid down his shoulders and covered his face. Was he grieving for the young girl?

Leira could feel Vincent's fingers caress her face. Soon she would feel the smoothness of his shoulder against her. She had to give him credit, he was doing the best he could to comfort her. "It's happening again�" she whispered.

"What�?"

"Zack�It was just like this�" Leira was unable to utter another word.

"LET'S GO PEOPLE, THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE!� The thunderous voice of one of Reeve's officers was enough to snap Sephiroth out of his mourning.

The general frowned as he watched a team of six men gather up the corpses in front of him. "I believe Reeve has told you how to dispose of them properly." He tried to make it sound like he was poking fun at them but his tone would not allow for humor.

"Yeah, Yeah! Just be thankful you aren't one of 'em!"

Three more soldiers appeared. "Hey you three! Get on board! Reeve wants to talk with everyone!�

Left without any choices the three were led to a basket that would take them aboard the Highwind.

From his seat on the Highwind's bridge, Reeve folded his hands. "That's one less worry. Great work, General!�

"You killed a little girl, Reeve!" Cloud banged his hand on the President's desk in disgust and dropped his buster sword.

"Well she's not exactly a little girl. She's only a couple years older than you�or�was."

Cloud stood silent. He could not believe that the new President had become this way. Reeve had seemed so peaceful and concerned with the state of the people he was representing. How could he so heartless?

The man in black that stood behind Reeve grinned merrily. "At ease, son. The mission was a success! Miss Thompson and Mr. Valentine are safe and Sephiroth is back in custody. All without incident!� He tipped the visor of his helmet with a black-gloved hand. "And if you really want to know, I'd say we put a good dent in in the clone and beastie population!�
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Final Fantasy VII: Awakening