Realm Legends: Legend 6: Reality By: Chandra Rooney ____________________________________________________________________________ Legal stuff: Sephiroth, Vincent Valentine, and all related FFVII characters/likenesses are copy-right of Squaresoft. Used without permission. Sarah Aylward copyright and appears courtesy of herself. The Green Gibbon!/Midori Saru copyright of GG!. K.T.E/Jack Mamoru also copyright of himself. Used with permission. Moon Guardian, Ashrire Guardian, Lirsage Sephiroth, Gabriel Sephiroth, Nexus Jarre, Zephyr, and all other original Realm Legends characters/likenesses/concepts are copy-right of Chandra Rooney. All the characters and ideas presented are my own, unless otherwise noted. ____________________________________________________________________________ "Comin' down the years turned over And angels fall without you there And I'll go on to bring you home All because I'm All because I'm And I'll become what you became to me" -- "Black Balloon", Goo Goo Dolls. "What I've shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion"-- Sephiroth, FFVII ____________________________________________________________________________ Prologue: Local: Nibel, the Sephiroth family Home Realm Time: The Past The flames were hot. They ate through the wood of the buildings easily. Their red tongues licked the ground surrounding him. The figure in the black over-coat walked through them without flinching. His green eyes burned with a fire of their own. His silver hair fell behind his shoulders, swaying as he walked. In his hand he gripped Masamune, his seven-foot sword. Only with his strength could that blade be wielded. He looked around. The flames would devour this sleepy town. He didn't question why he had started this blaze. His father had asked him to. His father waited at the Mako Reactor. Jenova had to be freed, and the inhabitants of Nibelheim had to be punished. His father could not do both at once, so he would punish this town for him. He smirked. The flames burned, and the smoke covered the pale stars and moon. "What have you done?" the voice asked. He turned. She stood there, her sea-green eyes filled with tears. Strands of black hair had fallen from her bun and now hung about her small face. "My Goddess, child, what have you done?" The smoke had darkened her white dress, and burned patches on her red cloak. "Only what has been asked of me," he replied. "Why are you crying, Mother?" "This is not the answer, my child!" She cried. "You cannot let him control you! Don't you realize he is being controlled himself?" "This is but a Game, Mother," he told her. "All a Game. These people don't matter. They are simply here to provide us with amusement. We are the Dark Angels, Mother. We are the ones that rule this world and all others. I must help Father complete his Holy Missions. Anyone who stands against the will of the Black Materia must perish." She threw her arms around him then. His mother. The woman that had given him life. "No! I will not let her take you from me!" She held his emotionless face in her hands. "You must leave here, my son. You must go where he cannot reach you. Only there can you be safe from the Black Materia." "I will not leave unless my Father tells me that I must," he replied coldly. "Release me, Mother. I have more work to do." "No, my son. I will return you to a state of innocence. You will live through childhood again, but this time with purity." A tear slipped from her eye. "And then when you return to this age of 18 you can make your own decision of which Goddess you will serve." "Take your hands of me!" He shouted. "I'll do no such thing! I have-" "I know of someone that will take you in. She will see to it that you don't become the monster he wants you to be." She smiled sadly. "It's for the best, my son. My Lirsage." She began to chant... Lirsage lurched up in bed. What the hell had that been? Chapter One: Local: Nibel, the Sephiroth family Home Realm The Present Moon sat at the table in the kitchen. Dawn had begun to turn the dark sky to pink. Morning was on its way. The CD player played something in the background. "So, how old are you?" Zephyr asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Moon blinked. "Oh, I'm seventeen. A year younger than Ashrire and Lirsage, and you too I suppose." "You're not! Get out," Zephyr laughed. "You're seventeen? Oh, you're serious. But you look so young." Moon tapped her fingers on her own cup. "You look so much like a girl." "Ah...good point. I think it's all that hair. Did you ever think of cutting it?" She fingered her starlight-colored hair. "Yes." "If it's some guy who keeps stopping you, screw 'im. It's your hair," Zephyr paused. "Or is it a girl?" "It's a boy. It's always a boy." Zephyr took a sip of coffee. "One of those girl-boy relationships, huh? I've been in a few of those." "So you like girls, not boys." "I do." "Why wouldn't you tell me what's wrong with Lirsage? Why is he feeling sick?" Moon asked. Zephyr hesitated. "You like boys?" "Yes..." "You like girls?" "Not in that way." "Hmm...what an interesting development." "This girl's not troubling you, is she, Moon?" another feminine voice asked. Moon looked up to as the girl identical to Zephyr, wearing Lir's blue sweater and black cargo pants came into the kitchen. She patted Moon on the shoulder with a cheerful "morning Love". "Lir?!" Moon exclaimed. "Is...is it you?" The girl poured herself a cup of coffee, and then dropped down into the chair beside Moon. "We had a little adverse affect from a spell," she explained. "It'll wear off in a couple days." "Who told you that?" Zephyr asked. "Father did." "You should have told me!" Moon punched his arm. "I was worried." "I know," Lir nodded. "But I didn't want to upset you." He reached over and pushed a stray bit of hair away from Moon's dark blue eyes. "I just needed a little time to adjust so I could handle whatever way you reacted." "Lir...I worry about you enough as it is..." "You shouldn't." Ash wandered into the kitchen. "Morning, ladies." Zephyr rolled her eyes. "I'll pretend you didn't say that, pretty boy," Lir said. "Lir," Ash began, "I love you, buddy, but it just wouldn't work." "Oh of course not. The difference in beliefs is too great." Lir shrugged. "Besides, I already love someone else." "Who?" Moon asked. "You, of course." She blushed. "Are you going with your father?" "It looks that way." "I want to come with you." Lir squeezed her hand quickly. "I'd like that very much." "I'll be coming too," Zephyr announced. "Not that I have a choice, but I just want to make it appear like I do." "What kind of Protector would I be if I left my little sister with the three of you?" Ash remarked. "So, I'm in too. Besides...I've been dying for something to do." "Do you think Gibbon and Jack will come?" Moon asked. "It's hard to say. Jack probably will...but it depends on what else is on his plate. Gibbon...well, he doesn't know what he's doing from one moment to the next." "What you feel is what you are," Zephyr was singing softly along with CD. "And what you are is beautiful... Oh, sorry." "You listen to the Goo Goo Dolls?" Lir asked. "I didn't even notice it was playing." "Uh, yeah." "So do I.." The song switched. Another one began. "Comin' down the world turned over, and angels fall without you there, and I go on as you get colder, or are you someone's prayer?" "This one's my favorite," Lir muttered, and reached over to adjust the volume. "Ah, 'Black Balloon'," Ash nodded. "Dizzy Up The Girl was a good album. I still like that song Name the best though." "I like Iris," Moon added softly. "Iris who?" Gibbon asked as he came in. "Nothing," Moon replied. "Nevermind." "Don't talk to Zephyr, Moon," Gibbon warned. "She'll corrupt your mind." "Are you coming with us, Gibbon?" Ash asked, changing the subject. "You bet I am. There's no way I'm leaving Moon alone with that schmuck Lir. I tell you, Zephyr, your brother is a very dangerous and evil creature." "I'm Zephyr," Zephyr said from the chair Gibbon had his back to. "You're facing Lirsage." Gibbon choked. "*You're* Lirsage?!" "Gosh, GG!, you just say the nicest things," Lir smiled. "Now tell me about my eyes." Gibbon looked like he was going to be sick. "But...but...but..." "I'm cursed to be female, and when we cast a spell last night Lir's physical appearance altered temporarily to match mine," Zephyr explained. "Zeph, you're confusing him. You have to use smaller words," Lir told her. "But don't you worry, GG!, we love even though you're stupid." Gibbon gawked at Zephyr. "You're...you're really...a guy?!!" "I told you I wasn't your type," Zephyr replied a-matter-of-factly. "I wish I'd been there to see that," Ash snickered. "Poor Zephyr, was that notorious Green Gibbon! hitting on you?" "He didn't hit me," Zephyr replied, confused. "He just looked me up and down a few times." "I DID NOT!!" Gibbon exclaimed. "Isn't he funny?" Lir asked. "It's one of his only good qualities." "He did too look. His eyes nearly doubled in size, if Moon hadn't elbowed him, who knows what he might have done," Zephyr told Lir. "I was worried." "I was not!" Gibbon shouted. "Don't be so full of yourself!" "You were looking," Moon said softly. "Don't take it personally, Zephyr," Ash said calmly. "If it's breathing and looks female GG!'ll give it the once-over." "Moon!!!" Gibbon glared at her. "You're supposed to be on my side!" "I'm not going to lie for you," Moon replied. "Oh, I'm sure we all know the raging hormones possessed by the Gibbon," Gabriel said, coming in. "Jack's here." "Is he coming?" Lir asked. "It seems that way." The 14-year-old boy with the shoulder-length red hair and light green eyes said. He wore a red shirt and matching pants. He removed a brown hat from his head as he came into the kitchen. "But just for curiosity sake, does anyone know what these Dragon Scrolls do?" "Each of the 12 Scrolls holds an incantation for ancient summoning spells, and when you get all 12 you can put them together to make a map that leads to the source of all power." Jack whistled. "That's impressive. Is anyone going to introduce me?" Moon stood. "How rude of us! Zephyr, this is Jack. I...well...we think he might be your and Lirsage's half-brother. Jack, this is Zephyr." Zephyr stood and shook Jack's hand. "Quite the grip for a female," Jack remarked. "Do you lift weights?" "I'm not really a girl," Zephyr explained. "I'm not really a human," was Jack's reply. "Where is Lirsage?" "You're gonna love this-" Gibbon began. Lirsage stood up, and had to re-adjust his slipping sweater. "How've you been keeping, Jack?" Jack's eyebrow raised. "Gee, Lir, you look a little different. Did you change your hair?" "Yeah, I let it grow out a bit," Lir shrugged. "So you're coming with us? Wonderful. We're all together again." "What now?" Jack asked. "Are we setting out right away?" "I had plans to," Gabriel replied. "I do know the first scroll is somewhere here in Nibel-" "Nibel?" Jack blinked. "Whoa...we're all trapped in the FFVII game." "And this differs from before in what way?" Ash asked. "Can we summon the magical cactrot of goodness?" "The...what?" Gabriel asked. "The magical cactrot of goodness that lives in the Corel Desert and gives you 10 MP plus 10,000 gil." "I hate to tell you this kid, but there's no such thing." Gabriel cleared his throat. "Now, as I was saying, the first scroll is hidden here somewhere in Nibel. Lir?" "What?" Lir asked. "Where is the scroll?" "How the hell would I know?" "Well, you hid it here somewhere 8 years ago." Lir rolled his eyes. "Right, Gabriel, I got it for a present at my tenth birthday no doubt." "No, you hid it shortly before you torched the town." "Ah yes, once again because I was such a pyromaniac when I was ten." "I don't know about when you were ten, but the first time you were 18 you were quite cold-hearted," Gabriel cleared his head. "You mean to tell me that no one ever bothered to tell you about your past?" "If I was 18 eight years ago that would make me 26 now," Lir told him, standing. "Technically you are." Gabriel paused. "I can't believe that you never- You mean to tell me you don't have dreams about the lost years?" "I'm not in the mood to play your games, Gabriel," Lir replied. "I certainly don't find this amusin-" A flash. Chapter Two: The Past: Lirsage Sephiroth waited in the lobby of the Inn. He watched as the SOLDIER named Zack came in from outside followed by his buddy Cloud something-or-other. Neither of them were of any concern to him. "Hey Sephiroth!" Zack called. "You came out of the mansion after all! What the hell were you doing in there?" Lirsage frowned. "Watch how you address your superior officer, SOLIDER." "Well, sor-ry!" Zack gave him a mock salute. "Go to sleep, SOLDIER," Lirsage told him. "We've a busy day tomorrow. We've been ordered back to Midgar." He turned and began to leave. "Where are you going, Sephiroth?" Zack asked. "You're not...you're not going back into that mansion are you?" "Of course not," Lirsage replied. "I'm just going outside for a breathe of fresh air." He walked over to the house on the outskirts of town. She answered the door. "Lirsage? What is it?" Lillian asked, as she invited him in. "I came to tell you that you should pack a few things and leave," Lirsage replied. "Something might happen tonight." "Is it your father?" Lillian asked softly. He pitied her. She loved his father, but she simply couldn't come to terms with what he was. She kept hoping he'd give up his demon nature for love or something pathetic and weak like that. "Don't ask questions, Mother. Just pack quietly and be gone within the hour if possible." "Where would you have me go?" Lillian asked. "To Rocket Town. Take the gold chocobo through the mountains. If you leave soon you could be there by morning." She nodded. "What is going to happen, Lirsage?" "Nothing, Mother. It's just a precaution. Father and I don't want you to get hurt." "If nothing is going to happen how could I get hurt?" He sighed. "Mother, Father wishes you to go to Rocket Town. We will come see you there." "I don't see why he couldn't tell me himself," she muttered, closing up the bag she'd packed while they talked. "What if someone asks me why I am leaving now? What would you have me tell them?" "Tell them your sister in Rocket Town has fallen ill and you are going to visit her. It is a very urgent sickness and you don't want to wait for morning to leave." He hugged her quickly. "Good-bye, Mother. Father and I will be along within a day or so." He turned and left. In the center of town there was a well. Lirsage stopped to check if the metal box he had placed in the hollow of the second step was still there. It was warded and covered with spells. No one but himself could remove it. Good, just as it should be. He smirked. Father was preparing the scene with Jenova. Father did hope that perhaps when the Game was over Lirsage and Jenova might marry. They were both powerful demons, and the Dark Mother wished them to be together. It was only right to do as Akugou wished. Jenova was as good as any female he'd ever find. Of course, this Game called for her to be less than her usual beauty, but it was just a Game after all. He placed the fire materia in one of the slots on Masamune. It was time to start the bonfire. The Present: Someone was calling his name. Someone was holding his shoulders and shaking him. "Lir," the voice said. "Lirsage!" Slowly he realized that Gabriel was shaking him lightly. "Lirsage, can you hear me?" "It's under the second step of the well in the center of town," he said dully. "I put it there before I started the fire." "Ah, so you do remember," Gabriel let him go. "This is excellent. We can go retrieve it immediately and be on our way to the next one!" Lir sank down into the chair. "Only I can remove the scrolls from their hiding places." "Gabriel, I just remembered something," Moon said. "Sarah told us that there's some sort of anniversary celebration today. Something about Meteor..." He looked disgusted. "You mean to tell me they celebrate it?! Of all the stupid idiotic moronic pathetic things to celebrate-" "You're just all bitter because you got your One-Winged ass whupped by that loser Clod Strife!" Gibbon exclaimed. "I most certainly did not. *I* never lose." He tossed his head. "An inferior clone designed to fail lost to that moron." "Whaaaa?" Gibbon asked. "Forget it." Gabriel stood up and dumped his coffee down the drain. "Let's get going. If there's a celebration we'll have to get there early before too many people show up. Lir, Zephyr, and Jack you go on ahead and get the scroll. Moon, you and Ash come create distractions with me." "Hey, hey, hey!" Gibbon slammed his fist on the table. "What about me?!" "Oh, you come with us too." "What are we going to do?" Moon asked. "Why, Moon, have I never told you about my burning desire to act?" Chapter Three: Sarah and Natalie stood by their drama teacher behind stage in the center square. Mrs. Dunshall was a mid-thirty woman who insisted on wearing trax suits, and her brown hair in a pony tail. "Aylward! Howard!" She looked over her clipboard at them. "Got your parts memorized?" They nodded. "I can't believe I got stuck playing Tifa," Sarah muttered. "I hate this wig. I hate this outfit. I'm cold and the boy playing Barret is trying to look down my shirt." "At least you're not Aeris," Natalie told her. "I die two scenes in!" "Let's see," Mrs. Dunshall was saying. "It seems we're still missing our Cloud, Cid, Yuffie and Sephiroth." "Here I am!" A cheery voice called. "Soooo sorry to be late, but would you believe the hassle that Neo-ShinRa SOLDIER gave me for carrying Masamune around. You think he could show his would-be God a little more respect." Mrs. Dunshall didn't even look up. "Stow the attitude kid." "Excuse me," Sephiroth tapped her shoulder. "But I've brought some friends. Allow me to present, Cloud Strife, Yuffie Kisarag, and Cid Highwind!" Natalie blinked. "Sarah..isn't that Ash, Moon, and Gibbon?" "Yeah, and I think that guy is the Sephiroth from last night too," Sarah muttered. "Crazy Midgarians." "Hey Sarah," Ash waved. "Can you believe we got roped into this too?" "Hey, cool," Gibbon grinned. "I'm Cid! I get to light freaking dynamite with my freaking cigarettes...hey I don't smoke." "Watch the language young man," Mrs. Dunshall barked. Sephiroth smirked down at Moon. "You do realize what this means..." "Ash and Midori get to kill you again?" Moon asked. "No, dear. We have to cut your hair." Moon's eyes widened. "Nooooo!!!" "C'mon now, Moon," he pulled out some scissors. "We can do it right now." She tried to run, and he grabbed her and tossed her over one shoulder. "C'mon dear. It'll only take a minute." "Put me down! Your shoulder pad is digging into my ribs!" "I didn't know you were in this play," Sarah said to Ash. "How'd you swing that." "Sephiroth's got connections." "Uh huh...what's his real name?" "Oh, Gabriel. His name's Gabriel." "What the hell did he do to Moon?!" Gibbon exclaimed. Sephiroth was coming back leading a distressed-looking Moon. Her own long white- gold locks were now cut to hung just above her shoulders and she looked anything but happy about it. "It was time for a new look," Ash told her. "You missed your calling, Seph. You should have been a hairdresser." "I have many talents that you don't know about," Sephiroth replied. "Isn't she just a pretty little Moonbeam?" Moon slugged him. "I hate you again." "Places everyone! PLACES!" Barked Mrs. Dunshall. "We're starting?" Ash asked. "If you'd come to rehearsals, young man, you'd have nothing to worry about!" Sarah grabbed his arm and yanked him backstage. Lir, Zephyr, and Jack made it to the well without any problems. Lir bent down looked at the step. "Hmm...it looks pretty solid. I think I'll have to break it," he told the other two. "Isn't that going to make it a little obvious that someone was looking for something?" Jack asked. "I mean, if these scroll things are as important and sought after as we've been told-" "Don't be an idiot," Zephyr snapped. "No one knows it's here. Uh, they don't, do they?" Lir was knocking against the step. "Not unless they saw it put here. Damn, the plank's stuck tight. It won't budge." Jack scratched his head. "What now?" "Step aside," Zephyr pulled out her gun and blasted a hold through the center of the board. "Uh...thanks...I think," Lir looked at it. "What are you waiting for? Get the damn scroll so we can get out of here." Lir nodded, and reached into the hole. After digging his hand around it closed on a metal box and he pulled it out. "Is this it?" "You think I know?" Zephyr asked, rolling her eyes. "Let's go," Lir stood. "Aren't you going to check it?" Jack asked. "Not here. Where are the others?" "Well, Moon was saying something about a 'play'." "A play?" "Yeah," Jack chewed his lip. "Maybe if we go find this play then we'll find them." "Well, that's one of the less stupid plans we've had," Lir nodded. "Okay, I'm game." Chapter Four: The play was going fine until about half-way through it they ran into a little problem. Thus far they had managed to keep it from being known that they weren't real actors, occasionally saying something a little out-of-character but mostly covering well. It happened when the director, that woman Mrs. Dunshall, called Sephiroth over and told him that his soliloquy was next. "Soliloquy?" He blinked. "Like 'To be or not to be, that is the question?' " "No!" She fanned herself with her script. "Don't you have your part memorized? You go out on stage and explain the motivation for calling Meteor. Do you remember now, or am I going to have to prompt you through it? This isn't a class play, children! This is a Meteor Anniversary Presentation! I expect you to know what to do!" "Oh, that soliloquy. Of course I'm ready," Sephiroth smirked, and tapped his head. "It's all up here." "Then get out there!" "What's going on?" Moon whispered. "This is when Sephiroth explains why he's doing all this, his whole destroy the world become-a-God speech," Natalie told her. "Lir put almost too feeling in stabbing me..." "Uh, Natalie?" "Yeah?" "That's not Lir." "Hey, guys...he's not saying anything," Ash hissed from peeking out from the curtain. "Mrs. Dunshall will kill him if he messes this up," Sarah told them. "She's obsessed with perfection. He better know his lines." "Is he supposed to get off the stage?" Gibbon asked. "What?!" Natalie crept up to the curtain. "No, he's not! What is he doing?!" Sephiroth was walking down the aisle between the audience's seats, with Masamune in his left hand. "Where'd he get that sword?" Sarah asked. "I don't recall him going out there with it." "This isn't in the script," Natalie said. "Mrs. Dunshall is going to eat him alive." Sephiroth singled out a random person, and stopped beside him. The elderly man looked up at him with confusion. "This is something different from last year," he whispered to his wife. "Time brings wisdom," Sephiroth remarked. "I have watched this Planet age. I see how it has become choked by mortals. She cannot support them all." He shook his head and started walking again. "How did that young man make his eyes go that green?" the man's wife asked. "It must be those special contacts those young kids get," the man told her. He started talking as he walked. "I see this plague which poisons her. Cities." Masamune sang through the air. "Mining." Swish. "People. Production. Pollution." Swish, swish, swish. A young mother trying to hush her small boy was his next target. "It's all right, Jeremy," she told him. "It's all pretend." "I hear your cries, Mother," Sephiroth nodded solemnly. "Your children bleed you so dry that the Tree of Life itself begins to wither and fade. And who comes to your aid? No one. But I'll put a stop it, Mother. I'll see to it they suffer as they have made you suffer." "Mommy..." the child wailed. "Mommy! I'm scared!" "Such a pity you will grow up to be no different from the rest of them," Sephiroth tsk- tsked. "Such a shame you'll grow up to be someone like him!" He swung the point Masamune at a red-haired man. "Look, Mother! One of your murderers right before us." "That's the mayor!" Sarah gasped. "He's gonna get himself kicked out of school for a stunt like that!" The mayor looked up, not impressed. "Don't get carried away, young man." The audience laughed nervously. "Carried away, murderer?" Sephiroth asked. "How so?" The mayor cleared his throat. "Calling a Meteor or something like that." Sephiroth chuckled. "Yes, that would be rather drastic to deal with one man, wouldn't it? But for a whole race of men...it shall suffice nicely. But one man? Ridiculous." He raised Masamune. "I need only the cold steel to deal with you." "Some people take their acting roles a little too seriously," the man's voice shook. "Who said anything about acting." "Sephiroth! Stop!" Ash yelled, and rushed out from back-stage. "Your fight is with me. Leave these people out of it." "Hey, Cloud-boy! Don't forget your Goddamn sword!" Gibbon yelled. "Heh heh. I love this part." "Oh I get it!" Natalie smiled. "They had this planned from the start, right?" "No, this is complete improvisation," Moon replied. Ash reached behind him as if to draw a sword and Sarah saw the hilt slip down from his sleeve. But it didn't have a blade. "What the hell?" she whispered. As she watched a blade of a crystalline substance materialized from thin air. All this before Ash withdrew it. No doubt the audience thought that he'd had it strapped to his back the whole time. "Did you see that?!" Sarah asked Moon. "That sword came from nowhere!" "Everything comes from somewhere," Moon replied. "It's his own. You didn't think he'd try to take on Sephiroth unarmed, did you? Masamune can cut a person in half." "But that's not Sephiroth and your brother isn't Cloud Strife!" "Of course he isn't. He wouldn't stand a chance if he was just some soldier-bou," Moon laughed. "I wonder if Ol' Soup Broth still smarts from the wound Ash gave him previously," Gibbon muttered. "He's not Sephiroth!" Sarah repeated. "Ash said his name was Gabriel." "No, I think he's Sephiroth now," Moon whispered. "He stopped being Gabriel when he tried to make shiskabob of Natalie." "Hey, who are those girls?" Natalie asked, pointing to the entrance to the square's make-shift amphitheater. "It's Zephyr, Jack and-" She paused. "Zephyr's...sister...Sefira." "But isn't Zephyr Lir's sister?" Sarah asked. "Oh...did I say sister? I meant...cousin. Yeah, Sefira is Gabe's sister." "And Gabe is Lir's cousin?" Sarah asked, not believing a word. "Oh...yes. That's it." Moon stood. "Gibbon, I think they want us to go see them." Natalie shot Sarah a look. "Moon, if you leave, Mrs. Dunshall will kill you." Moon hesitated. "If we don't leave...*he'll* be mad. And we don't have to travel with Mrs. Dunshall." Gibbon glared at Zephyr. "I still can't believe that she's not a-" "C'mon, Midori!" Moon grabbed his arm. "We'll sneak out while that crazy woman isn't around!" Jack looked up to Lirsage from watching Sephiroth and Ash. "You want me and Zephyr to go with Gibbon and Moon to Rocket Town?" he asked again. "Yes. There's a scroll located in Wutai...but I had another memory flash. There's one in Rocket Town too. In one of the metal launch pad supports. It would be best for us to split into two groups. I thought Ash could come with Dad and I. That way if something happens he's there to keep it under control. We'll meet you in Wutai." "You put a lot of faith in that blond brat," Zephyr remarked. She was sitting on a stone step, cleaning her gun. Jack blinked. "Hey, Lir...that really reminds me of Vincent Valentine..." Zephyr looked up. "Do you have a problem with me cleaning my gun, Jackie?" "No, ma'am. I was remarking that it's similar to how Vincent Valentine always cleans his gun while the team is restin-" "Would you prefer that I used it on you instead of cleaning it?" "No, ma'am." "Then shut up." "Yes, ma'am." Ash's eyes shifted briefly to Moon and GG! making their way up the steps to Zephyr, Lir, and Jack. They must have got the scroll, he thought. "Hey, Seph," he turned back to his opponent. "Let's continue this somewhere else. A place where no one innocent could get hurt. Just you and my team." Sanity flickered in Sephiroth's eyes. They moved to follow Ash's gaze to the other atop the stairs at the exit. "As you wish," he said, and then began walking towards the exit. Ash paused to pretend to signal the others backstage. "Hey, Yuffie, Cid. You come with me and we'll finish this." Then he started walking towards the exit. Sarah and Natalie came on stage. "This is the intermission period," Natalie said, smiling. "Please get up and stretch your legs and get something to eat or drink. We'll be starting up again in 20 minutes." The audience clapped. Ash got stopped by the man that Sephiroth had last approached. He identified himself as Karl Black, the mayor of Nibel. "This is some job you kids are doing this year," Mayor Black told Ash. "It's really something different. You almost feel as if you've brought the characters to life." Ash wasn't sure if actors usually acted all gushy at complements but the looks he was getting from Gibbon were clear indications for him to stop wasting time and get to the rest of them. "Hope Gabriel didn't scare you too badly," he muttered, as way of a ending to the conversation. "I'm going to get a drink." "Oh surely you can spare a few moments for the old mayor!" The mayor clapped Ash on the back. "So, does the director do all of her plays in type-casting?" "I don't really know, sir. I don't do a lot of acting." Ash cast a desperate look up to his friends. Maybe someone would come save him. Lir caught it, and started down the stairs. "No? Well, why not? You seem to have a talent for it, m'boy." The man grinned. "A real talent. You've mastered this role." "I don't feel comfortable acting," Ash replied as Lir reached the bottom step and started down the aisle. "People should just be who they are." "Ah, but you could make a lot of money in this field. Midgar is developing the film industry-" "There you are!" Lir exclaimed, and latched onto to Ash's arm. "Everyone's waiting to talk to the star of the play! C'mon, silly, you've only got 16 minutes before they start working you again." "Oh, hello there, miss," the mayor smiled and gave Lir the once-over. "Are you this young man's girlfriend?" "Of course," Lir smiled sweetly. "We've been together for nearly a year now, haven't we, Ashy-kins?" Ashy-kins? Ash blinked a few times then nodded. "Yeah, a year...wow, the time sure flies." "Time flies when you're having fun," Lir said in the same oddly-cute voice. "And we sure do have fun..." "Hey, that's not the kind of talk for in front of elders!" Ash exclaimed. "You behave yourself." "Oh, well," the mayor shrugged. "You two kids run along. You wouldn't want to miss this chance together. Savor the moments you have..." "Uh...right," Ash nodded. "Let's go." The mayor moved to swat Lir's backside, and Ash shot him a dirty look. "I don't want you touching my girl, sir." "Oh, that's my Ash," Lir laughed, slinging both arms around his waist. "Always looking out for me! Let's go, honey, the others are waiting!" "Can you believe that guy?" Ash asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "What was he thinking?" "You owe me," Lir hissed. "You owe me so big. You owe me a worlds sized favor for this, Ashrire. I'm going to be sick. All because you can't just walk away. Was he praising you? Goddess...you're such a glory hound-" "Hey I *did* try to get away," Ash snapped. "What did you want me to do? Say 'hey, screw off, old man. I'm late on skipping out of this town'? My father raised me to be polite, after all." "If you are going to fight with me the whole time-" Lir began. "So how long have you two been together?" Sarah asked, coming up behind them. "I'm guessing...two, three years. Am I right?" Lir looked at her. "Can I help you?" "You're Sefira, right? Gabriel's sister?" "I most certainly--how did you know?" "Moon pointed you out. She didn't mention you and Ash were dating." "Such a forgetful one. Will you excuse us? We have to go talk to someone." Lir dragged Ash off again. "We're dating?" Ash blinked. "I think I missed something...and hey, am I even your type?" "Oh sure. Brave, handsome, easy to manipulate, a little slow on the uptake..." "You're being sarcastic, right?" Chapter Five: "What's the plan?" Ash asked. "We're splitting up," Sephiroth said. "You and Lirsage will come with me. We're going to Wutai to search for a scroll in the Da-Chao mountain. The rest are going to Rocket Town to find the scroll there." "But," Ash rubbed his neck. "Doesn't Lir have to be with them to get it?" "Zephyr will be able to take the scroll. The path through the mountains is difficult. You might be wisest to go around them. It will take longer, but it's safer." Moon looked like she was going to say something. "What is it?" Lir asked her. "Nothing." "You can meet up with us in Wutai. We'll wait for you there," Sephiroth told them. "Come on, Ash, Lir. We need to get as close to the coast as we can tonight." Gibbon looked at Moon after they had walked off. "Does this mean we're not going to be in the next act of the play?" "What were you going to say before?" Jack asked. "You looked like something was wrong." "It's nothing, Jack," she shook her head, and smiled. "I just...thought someone might have been watching us, that's all." "There isn't anyone around." "I know. We should get going too." From the shade of the building the two girls overheard bits and pieces of the conversation. They could have heard more had they dared to move closer, but they had to content themselves with just catching what little fragments the faint breeze brought to them. Natalie looked at Sarah. "You ever been to Rocket Town?" Sarah shook her head. "I've always wanted an excuse to go." "We follow them then?" "Yep." Vincent watched as Sephiroth, and the one girl who looked like him left in a northern direction. That boy looks very much like that young ex-SOLDIER Cloud Strife. Vincent wondered who he was. More importantly, somehow Sephiroth was alive. Vincent had to find out how that was possible and why the fiend had returned to Nibelheim. He would follow them, and hope that his answers would be revealed. If nothing else, it would be something to do. Moon, Gibbon, Jack, and Zephyr's story continues in Legend 7 Gabriel, Lirsage, and Ash's story continues in Legend 8 First draft completed at 10:33 pm Jan 25 1999 Second draft completed at 10:40 pm Jan 26 1999 Final draft completed at 4:08 pm Jan 27 1999 notes return in #7 ~Moon~