Final Fantasy VII Through Eyes of Innocence (part 2)

Through Eyes of Innocence (part 2)

By: Maylin

There was only so much that we could talk about until our arrival at the mysterious destination. My urge to teleport became strong, but I couldn't let Rude become aware of my abilities, in case he should betray us. On one particular hot and arid afternoon, we entered the old prison camp south of Corel. The buildings or what we left of them were few and uninhabitable. If this was the base, then they didn't do much with the security.

In the center of the camp, Rude had led us to a single hole in the ground. It was man-mad, for there we rusted rungs leading down to the darkness down below. I stepped to the edge of the opening and peered down in it.

"It goes down about a hundred feet, but it shouldn't take long at all," Rude said while starting down the ladder. I began my descent, followed by Kato. I hadn't been sure at first, but it seemed that the further we went down, the warmer it became. By the time we reached the bottom, it became apparent why. Multiple machines of various types lined the walls of the cave-like room. Besides us, there wasn't a soul to be found. I had felt that something wasn't right, and Rude knew this.

"Odd," was all he could say as he stepped forward past the lines of machinery. Cautiously, I followed him. We cornered around one of the computer screens, where we found a sold steel door with a numeric keypad in the center of it. While Rude entered the numbered sequence, I happened to look up to find a security camera staring down at us.

"They know we're here," I said quietly.

"There's no turning back, now," Rude responded as a single beep emitted from the door, which opened up automatically without a sound. I followed the Turk inside to find a single row of large glass cases filled with white smoke. Each of the containers had a large tube sticking out on top. I've never seen anything like it, but I assumed that's where they kept the clones. Rude didn't seem to pay any mind to them as he walked past those cases. Upon passing the final case, he stopped abruptly to examine it. Unlike all the other containers, which had smoke filled in them, this particular one was crystal clear and empty.

"It seems as though your friend is awake," he said quietly as he approached yet another steel door.

I prayed that it wasn't too late. For a brief moment, had taken their eyes off of Rude, but it was too brief. The door he unlocked was opened and he was nowhere to be found. He couldn't have turned his back on us this soon, unless he had planned this from the start.

I walked in the room onto red carpet. Much to our surprise, the room was more like an office, much less a dreary cave. Lavish tapestries and paintings hung on every inch of the walls in the entire room. I cluster of desks in the middle of the room encircled a single large desk with a computer on it. As I walked further into the warm room, we found that there were no other visible doors in the room.

"He couldn't have disappeared into thin air," Carl spoke in the silence.

"I agree," Nanaki added. "Foul play may have happened, and it involves our Turk in some way." Without another word, he began to sniff the walls for a scent.

Meanwhile, I charged a bullet barrier around my body. The only traces of it are the residue of a pale yellow aura around me. It hadn't taken Nanaki very long to find the scent, and he had stopped in front of a large tapestry to confirm the scent.

"Behind here," he nodded at he tapestry. "That's where we shall find him."

Nanaki entered first, followed by Cloud, Carl, Kato, then I brought up the rear. We found ourselves in a long, narrow tunnel, which was lit by the minerals that glowed on their own. For a few minutes, we continued through the tunnel until the leader stopped the line abruptly.

"He's dead," I head Nanaki reply silently.

One by one, each of us passed the body, but I paused and knelt down beside him. It was Rude, all right. I could see a single, large bloodstain on the front of his shirt that he wore underneath his jacket. He had been stabbed, apparently. At least he had died for a good cause. With my free hand, I gently touched his still warm cheek. Thank you, friend. May the Lifestream protect your soul, for you shall be safe, now.

I stood up with a sigh and slowly caught up with the others. It turned out that this tunnel was a dead end.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "I don't get it. If this is a dead end, how could Rude be killed and yet the killer disappeared?"

"Another puzzle that needs to be solved," Carl replied. "There has to be another hidden door around here."

"Well, I guess we had better start searching, then," Cloud said with a shrug.

Each of us took a section of the wall and tried to look for a lever of some sort. For Kato, he found something different.

"Maylin, check this out," Kato said without taking his eyes off of the wall. I stepped beside him and he had shown me his discovery. Taking his right arm, he shoved it in the wall. To my surprise, it disappeared completely. He took it out, showing that it was still intact. "It's one of those hologram things," he whispered. "They've got to be behind it."

Once we had gotten everyone together, I took a deep breath and stepped in first.

The first thing that welcomed me was the barrel of a gun. Behind the gun was Elena, looking angry as ever.

"So are we having a good day so far?" Elena asked with a sly grin.

"A better one than you're having," I retorted.

Elena's grin slowly faded and fired her gun. Fortunately, her bullet was caught in the barrier. I took a step forward, allowing Cloud and the others to join my side. In return, the woman stepped back to regroup with her fellow Turks.

"Mommy!" a child's voice called out. I looked to find the girl being held back by a fair-haired man. She was me, yet so young. There was no doubt in my mind on what I had to do.

Bullets began flying everywhere, while my group engaged in battle. I wasn't to one to fight, so I had approached the man who held my clone. He was the President years ago... Rufus. He yelled out to me, but I couldn't hear anything for some odd reason. Before I knew it, my barrier fell, along with the bullets that were caught up in it. An instant pain crept throughout the arm that held my staff, though I held it firmly. I ignored it completely and reached out to Rufus, who was grasping for something in his jacket. With a firm grip, I grabbed his collar and I let my knee connect with his groin. He howled out and loosed his grip on the girl. I picked her up quickly, but I wasn't quick enough. Rufus soon held his gun to my face and he looked as though he intended to fire. The only thing I could do was turn away so that the child would be spared. Several seconds flew by, but nothing happened. I looked back to find Rufus lying on the ground in a pile of blood at Kato's feet. He gave me a brief smile before heading back into the main battle. With the child held up with my good arm, I struggled to a safe place in the room. She began crying while I set her down between me and the cold cave wall.

"Mommy, I'm sorry," she said while wiping her wet eyes.

"Sorry for what?" I asked, though I feared the worst.

"They made me talk to a bad man," she clutched my arm after hearing a loud sound from someone's materia. "They made me bring him out to play."

Those words were the last words I needed to hear, especially from this child. With my good arm, I hugged her tightly. "It's not your fault."

"Are you mad at me? You told me not to listen, but I couldn't help it," she said in between sobs.

I shook my head. "Of course not. I'm only mad at those bad people."

Several minutes passed by when the battle finally subsided. The wounded Turks left Rufus' body and left as quickly as they could. Those that had Cure materia used it on the wounded, though Nanaki's materia had no effect on me whatsoever. I just assumed that I had to heal on my own; though I knew it wasn't going to be enough time.

With little trouble, we safely left the underground and back into the crisp night. Many words of thanks had been passed and I had soon teleported each of my new friends back to their respectable places, all except for Kato. I kept a blank look on my face, though I could tell that the child had done her duty.

"What are we going to do about her?" he asked, nodding to the girl who clutched at my leg for dear life.

"She thinks that I'm her mother. We'll keep her at the church for the time being."

"What do you mean?"

I let out a sigh. "I'll explain it once we get back home." Without another word, I teleported all three of us inside the church. There, the attendants dressed my wound while a pair took the girl to be fed and clothed properly. I was ushered to bed, though I couldn't sleep. A part of me didn't want to sleep, fearing of what I would find in my dreams. To keep myself awake, I stared into the dark void of the materia. Sephiroth's time isn't supposed to be here. He supposed to be home. Why can't he just be in peace? For a split moment, I could have sworn that my eyes were playing tricks on me, for a group of clouds seemed to swirl inside it. Curiously, I reached out to touch it, but it returned to normal just as my door opened. Kato entered and shut the door behind him. I waited for him to sit down before asking about the welfare of the girl.

"She's sleeping peacefully," he replied silently.

Seconds of silence were exchanged when I had finally spoken. "There are a few things that I haven't told you yet..."

Kato nodded. "I thought as much."

I tried to help him understand my fate, but I couldn't tell him my true purpose. No matter how hard I tried, the words just wouldn't come out. Once I was through explaining myself to him, he took a few long moments to let it all sink in.

"So," he started, "do you know when that time will come?"

I nodded. "Next week, though I'm unsure how Sephiroth fits into all of this."

Suddenly, he put his hand on mine. "At least you get to go home. I'll never have that chance."

I struggled a half smile with my watery eyes. "True, but I don't want to go home. I know I'm supposed to accept my fate and all, but..."

"Shh..." Kato stood up and kissed my forehead. "Just sleep now."

Like a child, I was tucked into my bed, but I couldn't complain. I had no reason to. With a smile, Kato kissed my cheek and left the room. A sigh of exhaustion escaped me as I turned back to stare at the materia. Its eerie black light pulsated, which lulled me to sleep. Not a moment too soon, Sephiroth appeared to me once again.

_It seems as though you've succeeded, my love,_ he said with a smile.

I didn't want to argue with something that had happened, so I stared back at him with silence. Slowly, I could feel something creeping inside me, as though it was tugging at my mind.

He moved closer to me as he spoke. _You desire me_. _I can feel it within you._ With a quick hand, her touched my cheek gently, but his touch was as cold as ice. I don't know why I didn't stop his action, though. _Maylin, I will spare you from harm,_ he continued while caressing my cheek, _if you obey me. Just love me. Trust me. Do as I say and I'll make sure you live a long and fruitful life with me._

That feeling that I had felt earlier turned into a wanting for him. His eyes looking into mine filled myself with a hunger that I had never felt. His touch was chilling to the bone, but erotic in a way. I did want him, more than I had ever wanted him before. Somehow, I felt my soul give in to his, though my conscience was screaming for a way out. Why can't I control myself? I want to get out, but I also want him... With the strong lust I craved, along came the ultimate pain that he filled my mind with.

_That's right. Give in, and I won't harm you..._

The wall that my soul was hiding behind had finally broke, and I could feel myself meshing with his very soul. Pain... Lust... It won't go away. Why won't it go away...?

The last thing that I could remember before waking up was his lips brushing my lips as he whispered, "_You won't regret this, my love."_

Immediately, I woke up, gasping as though I had lost my breath. I found myself sitting up in my bed with tears running down my flushed face. I hadn't seen the child sitting beside my bed until she whispered to me.

"Mommy? What's wrong?"

I shook my head at my mental defeat. What have I done and why has he done this to me? It's almost as if he raped my mind and stole my soul... I had to get out of here; I couldn't let Kato see me like this. The City is the only way...

"Honey" I said with a slightly shaking voice, "could you get mommy a piece of paper and something to write with?"

She nodded and left the room. In a few minutes, she returned and handed me the items. I wiped my tears from my face and then began writing:

_Dearest Kato,_

_By the time you read this, I'll be gone. Sephiroth is here and I believe thathe's done something to me, to my mind._

_I know that you would be here for me, but I am embarrassed for you to see the state that I'm in. I feel ashamed of the things that he has mademe thought, so that is why I must pray to the planet for help in cleansing my mind._

_I hope that you can understand my situation and I will see you soon. With this, I thank you for what you've done to help me._

_Maylin_

_P.S. Please take care of the little one until I return._

I folded the note and gave it to girl. "Could you give this to my friend, Kato?"

She took the note and stuffed it in the tiny pocket of her white dress. "I will, but he looks like the bad man."

With a smile, I reassured her. "Don't worry, he's really nice."

Hesitantly, she left the room. As quickly as I could, I changed into a simple white dress with matching boots and slipped on a dark cloak. I picked up my staff and teleported from my room to the City of the Ancients.

The quiet ruins of the ancient city soon lay before me. The air was cold and crisp, but not as cold as it was back at the church. I remembered coming here a long time ago when Ancients actually lived here. In an eerie way, I could almost feel their presence here as though they had never left. While I had started on the main path, which led to the heart of the city, I had the feeling that I wasn't alone. He was probably watching me, but I didn't show that I was alert of this. Not once did I feel his presence slip away once I had stopped to admire the entrance to the altar deep inside. This was no coincidence that I was here. He wanted me to come here.

A shudder ran through my body just as my black materia surprisingly hummed. It wasn't like a human's, but more like a vibration resonating from within it. I took a deep breath and let it out as I stepped forward, past the pond where Aeris' body lay, and into the entrance. The floating staircase that went down glowed brightly as I stepped down on each of them. Down the spiral stairs I went, and I had thought it had taken forever when I finally reached the last few stairs. On the last step, I tripped and fell face down on the ground. Fortunately, I had only a scraped knee, but my wounded shoulder, which I had nearly forgotten about, throbbed with a dull pain. I struggled to my feet and saw that my staff lay on the ground broken in two. There was no way that I could fix it, so I dislodged the black materia and held it in front of my eyes to see if it had been damaged. It hadn't, but it was still humming.

Tightly, I clutched the materia to my chest and made my way to the altar. The only thing in my way was a line of boulders that acted as a bridge to my destination. Nimbly, I leaped from boulder to boulder without any trouble. Once I had caught my breath, I took a look around to see if Sephiroth followed me. It was creepy, but I felt as though he were all around me at once, though I couldn't see where he was. With a sigh, I sank to the ground on my knees. The materia's humming became louder, and the feeling that had haunted me crept even closer. He wasn't going to scare me easily, if that's what his plans were.

Upon looking past the altar, into the shadows that lurked about, I knew he wasn't going to leave any time soon, so I did the one thing that could do: pray. With my eyes closed, I envisioned my home and prayed to my family for their strength and purification. A faint breeze rustled my cloak and I moved aside quickly, but I wasn't quick enough. Something had caught me by my hood, which made me vulnerable for a moment. A strong hand grabbed me by my arm, which made me desperately struggle with the assailant until I got to spin around to face him.

Looking back at me were Sephiroth's eyes, but in the body of ghastly beast. Sephiroth?! He loosened his grasp and I pulled myself away from him. I could almost instantly feel the lust creeping back to me and I couldn't find the strength to pry myself apart from his gaze.

_I am here,_ he said in my mind. _You want me, but you step away. You need not be afraid, Maylin._

When he said my name, it made me want him even more, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to answer. "You feed me this lust I crave, Sephiroth."

As soon as I had said that, his beastly form shifted to the naked human he once was so many years ago. He stepped towards me and touched my cheek with his icy fingers. "You must accept this. I am your destiny."__

No. Sephiroth couldn't harm the Lifestream. I wouldn't let him, but how could I do that when I seem to be giving in to his ways? "My destiny is saving the Lifestream, not being with you."

With his fingers, he traced the outline of my face. "You know I will do it. You knew it all along. Come, Maylin. Be one with me."

No! My mind screamed with both hate and love for this man, this beast. I found my body paralyzed as I was pressed against his. No! This wasn't happening! I wanted to fall under his spell, but my mind screams for a peace that I will never seem to receive.

Sephiroth wrapped his arm around my waist while his lips brushed my cheeks. I shut my eyes tightly in hopes that this was all just a bad dream. But it wasn't. It was a living nightmare.

"You have already given your soul to me," he whispered close to my ear. "Now give your body to me." With a leg he parted my thighs. "This is what you want, what we both want."

He was right. He had to be. The thing I was terrified the most from him was what I had wanted. With tears streaming down my face, he gently moved me to the ground, all while he kissed my neck and face. My body began to tremble with unwanted anticipation as his hands explored my body. All of this gave little reaction from me, because deep down inside, I felt dirty and cold with weakness. Why wouldn't he stop? Why couldn't he just leave me be?

No sooner had I thought that, me legs were parted and immediately, a horrible pain shuddered throughout me. With each painful thrust, I could almost feel a part of myself dying. Each thrust gave me a sense of both pleasure and pain that I didn't ever want to endure. This punishment, is this what I truly deserve? No person should have to go through this...

My breath became heave and I soon found myself moving in his rhythm with his body. I gasped while my body quivered in its final moments of this torture until our bodies erupted in a morbid bliss. While my exhausted body and mind tried to recuperate from the ordeal, I felt him leave me, though he continued to lie on top of me. I opened my eyes to find Sephiroth smiling, and he didn't even break a sweat!

"I know you enjoyed it," he said quietly.

I didn't need to answer him. He already took over my mind, and my body, just the same. Along with this, he must have also known how dirty and horrible I felt from all of this. For all I knew, he probably fed off my thoughts as well.

"This is why I had called you Life bringer. We both know that I will die, but you will bring life in the end."

A child? So that was his true plan. "This... This can't happen," I managed to say.

Without a word or sound, he moved off from my body and stood at my feet. He slowly turned his head as though he had heard something. I sat up and moved away from him until I reached one of the low walls. In nearly an instant, he turned to his beastly form and that was when I noticed his left arm made of entirely a long-edged sword. The Masamune? Before I could take a closer look at his other feature, he swiftly dashed away from the altar and into the shadows that led one way or another. I pulled my knees up, rested my head on them, and closed my eyes. Time went by, though I didn't know how long, when two men approached the altar. Their footstep could almost be heard clearly.

"Egads!" exclaimed one of the men. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know," the other answered in a quiet voice. "Maybe that beast got to her."

I could hear them approach me, but I still didn't open my eyes to them.

"Lady, are you all right?" the first man asked.

I opened my eyes to find the famous Cid Highwind and Vincent Valentine staring down at me. I stood up and patted down my dress, which I found to be ripped near the bottom of it.

"What happened?" Vincent asked.

For a moment, I studied the quiet one before answering, "Sephiroth happened."

Cid gave a facial expression that resembled a grimace and stomped the ground with his foot. "Dammit! He's not here! We killed him back then and that's that!" He folded his arms and turned away from me.

Vincent shrugged. "He's been going through denial ever since Cloud gave us the news. You're Maylin, right? It took us a while to convince Cid that you aren't like Sephiroth."

I nodded. "I tried to come here for peace, but it seems as though I'm leaving here in pieces."

He gave me a questioning look, but he didn't ask. I was glad.

"What's up with your materia?" Cid asked, who was now facing us again. "Hey it's black! It's black!!"

I looked at my hand to see that the materia was indeed still there, but it wasn't humming anymore. Sephiroth didn't even want it. He didn't even try to take it from me. The reason for that? I really didn't know.

"We got to destroy it!! There's not doubt about it. We don't want you to give it to Sephiroth. Yep, that's right." He tried to take it from me, but I snatched it back just as quick.

"He doesn't want it. Trust me, he had every opportunity to take it, but I don't know why he didn't want it."

"What do you mean?! You tried to give it to him? Do you want him to try that Meteor thing again?!!"

Vincent merely looked at me apologetically. "It's alright, Maylin. He's just going to need some alone time. He'll be all right later."

"Yeah."

"Cid," Vincent began, "Maylin is coming with us. We ought to get out of here just in case Sephiroth should return."

I clutched the materia tightly in my hand. _He won't be back here_, I thought. _He's done his damage._

Cid huffed and stormed away while Vincent shrugged and followed. For a moment, I glanced around the altar, but I couldn't find my cloak anywhere. With a sigh, I followed the men up and away from the holy place.

Soon, we were outside, under the black sky. The only light that guided us away from the City was from the tiny moon way up in the sky. It wasn't hard to find the airship, which had been fairly lit up. Each of us climbed up the ladder onto the main deck. Cid eventually went to bed, while Vincent and I remained on the deck. When we least expected it, the ship jerked, signaling its movement. Vincent remained quiet throughout the trip while I talked to him about my past. He was intrigued to know about his lost love's identity as a Cetra. I told him all I could about her, but then I fell silent when there was nothing left to say. It wasn't long that I had been silent when the ship stopped near the church that I lived in. Cloud must have told them about it since I gave no indication as to where I spent much of my life. Vincent and I exchanged out brief goodbye, and then I climbed down the ladder. No sooner had I reached the bottom, Kato was waiting almost impatiently.

"Maylin! I've been worried sick about you!"

Without a word, or even looking at him, I went inside the church with Kato by my side. Once I had changed clothing, I slipped into my bed and told him to burn the clothing. He questioned me, but I didn't answer. I couldn't even look him in the eye. Once he returned, he sat down.

"Your dress was torn. Something had happened?"

I finally had the courage to look into his eyes, which I noticed were nothing like Sephiroth's. "He poisoned my mind and now my body. I tried, believe me, I did. But I let him abuse me." I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Kato, he raped me." I could see the mixed emotions in his eyes, then tried to take my empty hand, but I took it back quickly.

"Maylin, I'm so sorry," he started.

I sighed back a few tears and laid back on my bed. This time, I didn't resist when I took my hand in his, which was warm and comforting. I forced myself to half smile.

"What's done is done. His true purpose will not be completed after what will happen in the next week."

"What do you mean? There's more to this?"

I nodded slowly. "Sephiroth and I will fight at the Lifestream. That is my final duty..."

"But...?"

"In the end, we will destroy each other. The child he expects me to bear will also perish."

"Oh, Maylin..." He held my hand tightly. "I didn't know."

"Fate has sealed my life since the beginning, so there is no turning back."

Kato bowed his head to my hand. His shoulders then bobbed from his sorrow. Never, in all my years, have I seen a man cry like he had. He... cares for me? How could I have been so blind?

I placed the black materia underneath my pillow and used the hand to pat back his hair. In response, he tilted his head up and we looked into each other's eyes. In my heart, I knew that I felt for this man. Not the love a mother has for her child, or the lust I had for Sephiroth, but a powerful feeling unlike any other that I had experienced on this planet. Kato reached out with his free hand and gently caressed my cheek. No, he hadn't looked like Sephiroth, after all; my mind had been playing tricks on me, although he had the same silver hair. Slowly, we both leaned in and our lips touched. Tears streamed down my face as this new feeling flushed all over me, but it was a good feeling. Maybe this was the love that I had never known before. All of a sudden, Kato jumped back, half startled.

"I... I'm sorry," he said while quickly standing up. "I shouldn't have done that." He tried to walk away, but I pulled him back by the hand.

I shook my head and slid to the other side of the bed, allowing him to join me. I blew out the candle beside my bed and cuddled against Kato's warm body. With his arms wrapped around me, I soon fell into my long-deserved sleep. In fact, the sleep was so peaceful, I didn't even have Sephiroth invading my dreams; however, the only thing I had dreamt about was my real home. Although I was looking forward to go back, I didn't want to leave him behind. I couldn't imagine what Kato must have been going through. With all of these events occurring almost all at once, I can't imagine any normal human to be completely sane from it...

Once I had awakened, I found Kato, still sleeping, though his back was turned away from me. I stretched, and then quickly changed, for my hunger still needed to be satisfied. Before I even got out of the room, I suddenly remembered the materia, which I quickly found and pocketed. As I walked down one of the brightly lit hallways, _she _came from almost out of nowhere. She didn't smile, but appeared so innocently.

"Mommy?" she asked shyly.

I didn't know what to say, so I just knelt down in front of her.

"Mommy, there's food ready if you're hungry."

"You must have read my mind," I said with a faint smile. "That's what I was about to do." I somehow regretted saying that; she and I are the same, after all. As she led me to the dining room, I asked, "I don't think I know your name." That was the truth and I was also curious as to what those Turks had named her.

The little girl paused, then looked up at me with her Mako-like eyes and tattooed face. "Kaylin," was her reply and continued on. _That's funny,_ I thought. _She's so much like me; she even has a similar name to mine. It's a shame that she doesn't know who she really is. _`We soon reached the main dining hall, where several servants were already eating at their respective tables. Kaylin chose a table near the door and I immediately sat down. I looked to the child to find that she wasn't going to eat. She went to go get food, leaving me to sit and think in peace.

Think... That seemed to be the last thing I needed to do now. I placed the materia on the table in front of me. I still couldn't understand why he didn't take it. I mean, if he even held it, he could have the world at his very whim. He could have even killed me at that very moment that we... No. The materia has nothing to do with our destinies. I know that much. I looked up to find Kato silently settling in the chair on the other side of the table. He looked at me with a sleepy smile, and then it faded.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Is there something in my teeth?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's your hair."

I pulled a lock of my pale hair over my shoulder so that I could examine it. He's right. A bright lock of silver hair took the place of the usual blond. Just like Kato's... and Sephiroth's. I simply sighed and pushed it back. "It's part of the change. There's nothing that I can do about it."

Kato nodded. "I think I understand." He paused for a moment. "Is... Is there anything that I can do to help?"

I thought for a few seconds. "Actually, there is. I need another staff. The other one broke in the City. I'd appreciate if you could get me a metallic one, preferably."

"That won't be a problem. I'll have it by tonight. Anything else?"

"No, I think that's it. The only thing else is that I have to prepare, but I won't start that until I get the staff." I sat back in my chair, and then looked at the materia once again. A brief silence hung at our table until Kaylin came back with a plate of breakfast foods. She asked if she could sit with us while I ate. Of course I accepted. As I ate, she talked almost constantly about the people in the church and how she enjoyed living here. _At least she has a home to live in,_ I thought. _She's going to need all the love and support she can get._ It didn't take long for me to finish my food, for I was extremely hungry. Kaylin took my plate and left for the kitchen.

I looked at Kato before I started to talk once again. "So, do you want to do anything special today? I think I can fit you into my schedule for a few hours," I joked.

"Well, we can go to Wutai since that's where I'm going to get the staff. How does that sound?"

I shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"We'll leave in a few hours. I've got a meeting with the elders."

"The elders? What do they have to say?"

"I have no clue," was all he said.

Soon, Kaylin came back with a big smile on her face. "Guess what, momma?"

"Hmm? I don't know," I said questioningly. "Tell me."

"I saw one of the elders and he wants to talk to you when Kato goes to see him."

_What could they possibly want to discuss? Whatever it was, I'm sure I'll find out soon. _Kato and eye exchanged a look, and then he got up and left. I thanked Kaylin, pocketed the materia, and went to my bedroom to change for the council. Within minutes, I changed into my white slip, which I put my traditional white robes over. I fastened my sandals and began to fix my hair when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I called out.

The door opened and in stepped Kato, whom nearly made my jaw drop from his appearance. His silver hair was pulled back into a tight knot. Instead of wearing his casual clothes, a highly decorative knight's armor took it's place and a jeweled long sword hung at his hip. The black boots he wore were polished to a shine and even the silver buckles were glinting in the dim lighting of my room. Kato gave me an odd look as though he were used to wearing that "suit."

"What's wrong with you? Haven't you even seen me wear this before?"

I nearly laughed. "No, I haven't. It's almost as if you went to another world or something."

Kato chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that."

Once I was ready, Kato led me to the other side of the church, where the council chamber was. We entered the room and in respect, we got down on our knees for the five awaiting elders. Each of them was dressed in different elegantly colored robes. All of them I had remembered from years ago where they were only children, but they weren't children anymore. They were highly respected by all of the continents, for they were the ones that held the only church on the planet.

The head elder stepped forward and she extended her hand. "Rise children. We have things to discuss."

In turn, we both stood up and kissed the elder's hand. She sat down at the large table behind her and we did the same. Each of the other elders nodded solemnly to us, and then the head elder spoke.

"You are here today to discuss Maylin's situation here. We have been discussing this for a few days, and it has come to our attention that your clone had summoned the terror that had once been vanquished years ago. We have been generous to allow both her and you to stay here after all of these events, but we cannot allow the church to be threatened any longer."

"What do you mean, Elder Monala?" Kato asked urgently. "Maylin has done nothing against the church. Surely you don't mean to throw her out after all these years!"

"Over the past few years, she had been preaching in numerous towns about Sephiroth. We do not wish to have those people lose trust in the church for the things that she had done. We didn't say that she must leave. She will only be punished for her wrongdoing."

I couldn't believe my ears. This was my only home and I still couldn't escape the brutality of the people who couldn't understand what I had been feeling.

"Please, Elder Monala, she has changed her ways. She never meant any harm to the church or to the people." A worried expression grew on Kato's face.

"We have reached our decision. You must respect us and the well-being of the planet."

Suddenly, a servant came in with a black cloth in his hand. He stood behind me and placed the blindfold over my eyes. As the elders led me out of the room, Kato complained to himself, for not one person had ever tried to change the minds of the elders. I knew that they have banished a few people for betraying the church, but physical punishment? This was outrageous, but I said nothing. After all, I was used to it anyway. For several minutes, I was led through hallways and downstairs when we stopped somewhere that had a constant breeze blowing in my face. No one said anything, but I could hear the shuffling of feet from nearby.

"Kato," Elder Monala said, "will you do the honors?"

Kato chuckled out loud. "I hope you'll enjoy this," he said happily while taking off my blindfold.

Before me, servants and many other people stood smiling at me in the courtyard. A group of musicians began playing a soft tune as Elder Monala stood beside me.

"This is your punishment, Maylin. For your dedication to the church and the entire planet, we are forcing you to have a good time to take off some of the pressure that you are experiencing." With that, she and the other elders turned and left.

For a moment, I smirked, then looked to Kato. "You planned this, didn't you?"

Kato smiled warmly. "Of course. I _had _to do something." He extended his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

I accepted by putting my hand in his and we led each other to the center of the courtyard, where some people began dancing. We stood in front of each other, but I froze.

"What's the matter?" Kato asked.

"I never learned how to dance," I said embarrassingly.

Kato shrugged. "That's okay. Just follow my lead."

Still smiling, he put on hand on my hip and the other in my hand, then we began to step to the beat of the music. Several times, I stepped on his toes, but he didn't complain. Instead, he only laughed it off. Fortunately, I soon got the hang of it and I was actually enjoying myself. If this is punishment, then I'll have this any day. I was having so much fun, the sky was turning dark by the time the little party was said and done with. Both Kato and I sat down on one of the marble benches to catch our breath.

"So did you have fun?" Kato asked with a warm smile.

I laughed out loud. "I sure did." With a sigh, I leaned back on the bench, nearly worn out. "You still ready to go to Wutai?"

"You sure know how to get back to work, don't you?"

"Yeah."

After resting up a bit, we changed and I teleported us to the center of the town. Kato went to get the staff while I went to the cafe to get something to eat for us. No sooner had I sat down, I immediately saw a face that I never thought I'd see again. He caught my glance and limped from the bar to my table. He said nothing until he sat down beside me. "I know, I know. No need to ask. A broken leg and a gunshot wound can't stop me."

"What about the others, Rude?" I asked.

Rude took off his shades, showing his bloodshot eyes. "They fled, naturally, but they won't go back to their "secret" base. As for me, I'm considered a traitor to them and they'll kill me the next time they see me."

"So they know you're alive?"

He nodded. "I haven't gotten any sleep as of late because of them."

"Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"I do need a place to hide out for a while, but they know all the places I know of."

"Have you considered the church? I'm sure the elders will allow you to stay there."

Rude shrugged. "I don't know. Knowing Reno, I'm sure he'll try to get to the church, even though it would be the last thing he would do."

"Well, it was just a suggestion, but keep that in mind."

"Alright."

"Maybe..." Suddenly, I heard a loud thud from outside. "Did you hear that?"

"Speak of the devil..." Rude nodded in the direction of the entrance.

I turned my head, where Reno was standing. He held an odd gray ball in his hand and an angry look on his face.

"I knew I'd find you two here," he grumbled.

Both Rude and I stood up at the same time. "What do you want this time?"

"Don't move any closer. I'm majorly pissed and there's nothing you can do about it."

Rude limped forward. "Leave her alone. I know it's me you want, so we'll take this outside like real men."

"Ha! Coming from you, that's a laugh. But I'll tell you what. We'll just leave it in here, where you'll both die." Reno threw the gray orb at us and it hit my stomach. At impact, a green explosion surrounded me and my lungs felt as though they were on fire. I collapsed to me knees, coughing constantly. Rude knelt down beside me, though he seemed unaffected to the bomb.

"Maylin! Try to breathe!"

I tried, but I kept coughing and then I started coughing up blood. Each hack was just as painful as the last. The world around me spun around fast and from weakness, I fell to the ground. I closed my eyes at Rude left me coughing in a puddle of blood. The last thing I could remember was Rude calling out Reno's name, and then I blacked out.

Almost immediately, Sephiroth came to me as a vision. _You know I won't allow you to die, Maylin._

I could still feel the pain in my lungs, but I didn't reply to him. I had nothing to say.

_We can't allow our child to die, now can't we?_

He didn't understand. If he only knew.

_Why don't you wake up? All of your pain will be for a good cause, so wake up. Wake up..._

"Maylin, wake up," a soothing voice called to me.

I tried to talk, but my chest hurt badly.

"Open your eyes."

Slowly, I opened my eyes to find myself in my own bed with Kato and Rude watching over me. I was hoping that this was all a bad dream, but the pain was telling me otherwise.

"We don't know what that stuff was, but it's a type of deadly poison," Kato said quietly.

"I... I can't...ugh..." I squeezed my eyes shut as I coughed up a little blood.

Kato wiped the blood from my lips. "We know, Maylin. You need to stay in bed. We've got to go and find a cure for this."

"Days...many..." I struggled to say.

"You've been out for almost a week," Rude said solemnly. "You're in no shape to go anywhere."

I've got to prepare, but there was no way that I could let them know this. My lungs were constantly burning and there was nothing that I could do. I opened my eyes to find Rude leaving the room. Kato sat down in the chair.

"I know he's still out there, but to tell the truth, I'm so afraid that he'll kill you in the shape you're in."

I nodded slowly. "Kato... my staff."

"No, Maylin. You're too weak."

I looked deeply into his eyes. _Please, Kato. Help me._

Kato blinked as though he were confused. "Did you say something?" he asked.

_Yes, Kato. I need to do this. I need the staff._

He soon gave in, and he got the staff from the closet. The top of the metallic staff had the head of a dragon on it. Its mouth was open far enough so that a single materia could be set on top of it. Kato put it in my hand and took out the materia from underneath my pillow. I set it in the opening, which was a snug fit. Kato sat back on the chair, watching me curiously.

_It can be any time now,_ I said to Kato through my mind._ That's why I have to do this now, or else this planet's doomed._

"I understand. I was only looking out for you, that's all."

I nodded and closed my eyes as more pain shot in my chest. I concentrated on the staff to put a magic seal on it. My skin prickled as my own magic flowed through my weak body. There didn't seem to be enough magic in me, but I had to do as best I could. From far away, I could hear the click of the door that opened, but my main focus was still on the staff. Flashes of both pain and warmth flooded my body as the staff and I became one for a brief moment. It was done, but barely. I only hoped that the materia can actually be used against Sephiroth, or I wouldn't know what I'd do. I opened my eyes, but I found the room darker than usual. Kato and Rude were there, but they seemed miles away. My head felt dizzy and the shadows began playing tricks on me. Suddenly, a great pain struck through my body, which made me bolt up in my bed.

"No!" I screamed while more pain flooded my body.

"Maylin, you're sick! Lie down!" Kato said as he held my free hand.

"It's Sephiroth!" I screamed again painfully.

Kato looked at me with pain in his eyes. "This is it," he whispered.

Without another word, I clutched onto my staff and put forth all the energy I could muster. I felt my body tingle with pain and a little warmth and then all of our bodies began to glow brightly. It's time, Sephiroth. I'm coming for you.

I soon found myself at the very edge of the Lifestream, along with the others that I had summoned. Vincent, Cloud, and even Cid were there with me, confused as ever, but it didn't take them long to figure out what was wrong. The Lifestream itself was the darkest black that anyone had ever seen. The people of Mideel had already fled from the horrible site. I stood up from my crouch and turned to the others. The pain that the Lifestream felt channeled through me, which made me almost unable to speak.

"Friends, I... I have called you to help me. I have to defeat Sephiroth, but I need your strength. I can't do this alone." I turned my head to cough. It had taken me a few moments to finally compose myself. "All I ask is that you have faith in me. You must trust me no matter how badly I'm hurt. If anyone one person even tries to help me, they will die by his wrath. This is what I warn."

Kato stood by my side and put an arm around me. "We will do this, Maylin." He kissed the top of my head. "Take care."

I nodded and slowly turned around to face the blackness of the living pool. Painfully, I knelt down and reached out to touch the eerie liquid, but a loud screech made me pause and look up. It was Sephiroth in his beast form, only now he had ivory wings. Holding my staff tightly with one hand, I concentrated on the materia, which made me levitate from the ground. I found the others had already drawn their weapons from the site.

"No!" I called back. "Have faith in me." I looked away to approach him in the air. Deep within me, I could feel the pain slowly draining my powers, but I couldn't turn back now. It was time to fulfill my destiny.

_Shall we dance, my queen?_ His voice stabbed in my brain like an ice pick.

Without a word, I allowed the materia to glow fiercely as I awaited his attack. Just as I thought, he glided his body towards me, his Masamune arm aiming at my chest. I quickly glided to the side, making Sephiroth fly by me, but he swiftly turned again. As he turned, I made the materia shoot a streak of darkness at him. When the blast hit him, it bounced back at the materia, causing it to shatter. The beast roared. _You don't remember that the materia was once a part of me?_ He said mockingly.

I backed away and dropped my now useless staff, which was quickly swallowed up by the Lifestream. Desperate, I balled up my fists as a pale white aura surrounded my body. I glanced down at my friends, who were watching helplessly._ Believe in me, _I called out with my mind.

The aura's light grew brighter and brighter, although I could feel the magic within me seeping away. From the corner of my eye, I saw him coming for me again, but I hoped I was ready for the impact. I dodged the sword, but his hand caught me by my throat. At the same time, I clutched at his throat while our magic created explosions all around us. One of the small blasts stunned Sephiroth temporarily, throwing me down to the ground.

My body felt like it was crushed, but I had to continue. I wasn't through with him yet. I could hear shouts from afar, but I couldn't seem to answer them. I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief moment, allowing myself to regroup.

Slowly, I got to my feet and made myself levitate once again. I looked for him, but he seemed to disappear while I was on the ground. Where was he?

_You don't know what you're doing, do you? You're just a little helpless kitten waiting to be picked off._

I turned around just in time for Sephiroth to slash my arm and slam his body against mine. Our impact caused more pain than from before, but it didn't phase me. I was being helped. The explosions were more destructive this time, since I could feel some magic creeping back into me, and I could feel Sephiroth's strength slipping away. We both began to freefall down towards the Lifestream, which looked like it was beginning to heal. I struggled to break free from his grasp, but it was useless. Just as we were being swept into the current, I saw Kato jump heroically in after us.

_You'll die!_ I called out, but it was no use.

I felt Sephiroth's grip loosen, then finally disappear altogether. The only thing I felt was the torturous blackness that was the Lifestream. Kato... I can't allow you to die. Not now... I tried looking for him, but I couldn't even see my own hand in front of me. Did I fail? Is Sephiroth still alive? What happens now?

_Welcome back, Maylin,_ a familiar soft voice spoke.

"Where are you?" I called out. "I can't see anything."

_All is well, child. You have saved the Lifestream. It's time for you to go home now._

"No! Not now!! Where's Kato? Please tell me he's alright."

_I'm afraid that his soul is where it belongs now, here in the Lifestream._

"Please, no! He's not supposed to die! I'm the one, please don't take him!"

_Do you care for him that much, that you'd risk seeing your home ever again?_

"Yes! I'll do anything for him to live."

_If that is what you will, then it shall be done._

Suddenly, a glowing white door appeared in front of me. Then, a glowing gray door appeared beside it.

_The white door will take you home, but the gray door will lead to your friend. The decision is yours. However, if you do risk saving your friend, you also risk your very existence._

Without hesitation, I reached out to the gray door, which sucked me inside. I could feel the pain inside me dissipate instantly. Upon taking a look around me, I found myself in the Shinra Headquarters, but it was in the past.

Guards were everywhere, but they didn't even notice me. I slowly walked by a few of them, then taking a looking in some of the doors, in hopes to find Kato. Each room that I looked in was either empty, or there were doctors, doing horrid experiments on both children and adults. For a long while, I walked down the long hallway that seemed to last forever.

From one of the numerous doors, a pair of doctors and guards escorted a small boy from the room. His silver hair caught my eye and I knew it was him. I followed them, though they didn't say a word. They turned the corner, which came out of nowhere and entered a large room with machines and tools. The guards strapped child Kato into the large chair that sat in the center of the room. The doctors silently turned on all the machines in the room and left. I entered the room and approached the boy. He looked up at me with his innocent Mako eyes.

"Maylin?" he asked quietly.

A few tears trickled down my cheek. "I'm going to get you out of here. I need you." I untied the straps and picked the child up. He held onto me tightly as I left the room. Suddenly, I heard shouts from behind me, but I didn't want to turn around to look. Instead, I started to run while Kato began to cry. I seemed to have been running forever because the hallway seems to get longer and longer from every step I took. I then soon began to get terrified, for the guards were getting closer than ever.

"Don't let them get you!" Kato cried out. "They'll kill if you they do!"

"Have faith," I whispered back. "Wait, that's it. I have to have faith and not to fear death..."

I stopped and turned around to face the oncoming guards. My mind cleared, having no fear in death and having faith in life. The guards were within feet from me when the grey door appeared beside me. I quickly jumped in and then the pain came back all throughout my body, but it was worth it. Kato was all that mattered at that moment. I looked around to find him, but I only felt someone's arms wrapped around me, but they weren't the arms of a child. They were a man's.

_Do you regret your choice, young one? _The soothing voice called out again.

"Never."

Within seconds of my answer, I woke up with Kato holding me gently. Sharp pains stabbed my body, but that was one thing that told me I was still alive. Kato pulled my silver hair from my face as he looked into my eyes.

"I saw you after I went in after you. You saved me, didn't you?"

I nodded. "I had to," I whispered. "You mean more to me than the Promised Land itself."

"You mean you gave up going home, just for me?"

With a smile, I nodded again, then glanced over at the Lifestream, which was now a shade lighter than the sickening black it once was.

Months after Sephiroth had been destroyed, I was still too weak to do much, since my powers had drained and the poison was still in my body. Fortunately, thanks to Cloud and the mediator Carl, the Neo-Turks were vanquished and an antidote was found.

Kaylin's powers mysteriously subsided, as though she had never had them in the first place. When she got older, she soon had forgotten all of the events that had happened to her in her first year of her life. Although I had unknowingly shunned her at first, we soon became close as though she were really my daughter. Now, I can honestly say that I don't blame her for summoning Sephiroth. She didn't know what she was doing, but the past is behind her and she's grown up into a beautiful young woman that I had once been. Not long ago, she had given birth to a baby girl, Sasha.

Rude, on the other hand, is a completely different story. He resided at the church and changed his ways by becoming an apprentice of the church. Over those years, I found it intriguing on how much he wanted to become holy. Now, surprisingly, he is one of the head elders of the church! Imagine that!

The child that Sephiroth made me bear turned out the total opposite of the misunderstood beast. Throughout his childhood, we made sure that he would grow up with little problems as possible. In fact, Sorbin is the vice president of the new global government that had formed a few decades ago. He, too, is married and has two children of his own.

Last, but not least, Kato. After I had recuperated and the poison gone from my body, Kato proposed to me and we married soon after. We had a child of our own, Shora. Kato is also one of the elders of the church.

From all that has happened in my life, I still don't regret any of my actions. Everything and everyone has their place. I have found mine.

END

WRITER'S COMMENTARY:

First of all, I would like to say that this is my fourth fanfic that includes Sephiroth in it in some way or another. Although I only have 3 on the Internet right now, the other one (which is the first one I wrote, by the way) will be typed sooner or later. Anyway, now to the commentary...

This 'fic is obviously centered on Maylin, who is an Ancient. I first created her name in a chat room, then once I started writing fanfics and role-playing online, I created her as a Sephiroth Priestess. In more than one way, Maylin is more like me than any other character that I have ever come up with. The Kato character came around through a role-playing experience with a Sephiroth character that helped Maylin figure out that she is an Ancient. The rest I just improvised with. This story also happens to be the second that I have written in first person point of view (the second one is called A Final Fantasy Story). I feel that I associate with the character more if I put the story through their eyes. I found that some people get confused with it (especially when they're reading my stories), but when I had to write a Maylin story, I couldn't do it unless it was with this style. If you're wondering about how Maylin got the black materia, here's my answer for it: she had received it when she was first put on the planet so many years ago. At the time, the black and white materia were equal and would end up canceling each other out in the end anyway. Since Maylin was an Ancient and her soul was pure, the black materia acted as the white materia in its place. As to why a black materia? Without it in the story, all of these things wouldn't have happened to Maylin, now wouldn't it? And as for the reason why Maylin didn't know her way through the mountains by Corel, though she knew her way through the rest of the planet? Simply because she had never traveled through there. There were no towns in those mountains, save for Corel, but she hadn't lasted long there. And why did Maylin love Sephiroth to start off with? At that time, she had only _thought_ that she loved him, but she never expressed many human emotions since she wasn't truly human, only a creation of the planet and the Promised Land. Sure, Maylin had cared for him, but only because she thought the people of the world misunderstood him. She thought that she could change him, only if she got a hold of him, but she was never in the right place at the right time. And now, on to the official stuff...

WRITER'S NOTES:

All characters, names, places, etc., are property of Square EXCEPT Kato, which was made by me, LeeAnn Lehotsky; and Maylin, which is the original character concept of LeeAnn Lehotsky. Any and all people who wish to use Carl's or LeeAnn's character concepts please email me at LadyPsycho@juno.com. I really hate people who take other people's characters and make them their own! Don't you hate that? I do. Wait, I just said that. Anyway, if you wish to use this fanfic or have questions about the story etc. PLEASE email me at the address shown. I would really appreciate this.


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Final Fantasy VII