Chapter 27

The Shin-Ra 27 landed on the soft, rocky soil of Tzumron, thundering through the planet's hazy bright blue atmosphere as it fell to the ground.

"We're finally here!" Cid shouted into the intercom, using his controls to shut down the ship.

He jogged into the cabin, where the rest of his team sat, eagerly waiting to begin their mission. Cloud nodded and stood in front of the group, calling everyone's attention away from the windows, where nothing more than blue clouds of dust kicked up from the ground were visible.

"Listen up!" he said. "We've got to form a game plan."

Yuffie sat up on her knees in her seat. "Oh, guys, look!" she exclaimed, pointing out of her window. "It's so beautiful!"

"It's so blue," Rufus said drably.

"I've got the blues..." Randy sang jokingly.

"Hey!" Cloud yelled. "Are we gonna get to this or what?"

"Yeah," Cid added. "Shut the hell up."

Tifa shook her head at Cid, and Cloud held his hand up in front of the pilot's face. "Alright, everyone. I've decided the best way to get started is to separate the team into three groups. Groups one and two will go in opposite directions, and we'll be searching for any clue that will lead us to where Jenova's got Aeris. We keep close contact on the PHS... if anything slightly strange happens, we've got to keep each other updated.

"Wait!" Randy yelled, raising his hand and waving it wildly. "How can the PHS work out here?"

"Dumbass," Reno answered. "The satellites that Shin-Ra has placed in space will pick up its signal."

Randy shrugged sheepishly.

"Besides," Reeve added, "Who's to say that Tzumron doesn't have their own radio and satellites. They might be more technologically advanced than us."

"I guarrantee it," Vincent suddenly added.

"Alright," Cloud continued. "The other group stays with the Highwind. Cid, you're gonna have to stay here."

Cid's face fell. "What the hell?"

Cloud shrugged. "What if something happens? You're the only one who knows how to fly this thing, so you're the only one who can get us out of here. In case of an emergency, we need you at the ship.

Cid growled.

"Don't worry," Cloud laughed. "I'll leave you plenty of good company."

"Well, tell us the groups already!" Barret roared.

"Please, let me stay with the Highwind," Reeve pleaded.

Cloud shook his head. "Alright, I'm leading the first group, which is Tifa, Barret, Vincent, Isabelle, and Zack. Striker, I'm leaving you in charge of the second group."

Striker nodded and saluted.

"You're with Yuffie, Red, Tseng, Reno, Rude, and Elena. That means, Cid, you're here in the Highwind with everyone else."

"Yes," Reeve quietly cheered.

"Goddamnit," Cid cursed. "You left me with the scaredy cat, the insane robot, the spoiled, cocky rich boy, and the screwed up... punk skater kid. The only normal one is Kat."

"I'm normal!" Randy argued.

"I am *not* spoiled, Highwind!" Rufus retorted defensivly.

Cloud shook his head. "Look, it's been decided. I've based these groups on our capabilities. I figured the Turks should stay together, and Yuffie, Red, and Striker seemed the most willing to go along with them. The rest of us always work together, and although I was reluctant to separate Reeve and Isabelle, it works out best this way."

"Fine, fine," Cid said unhappily, opening the exit on the ship. "Get the hell out of my goddamn ship."

The two groups made their way down the lowered ramp, staring in complete awe at their surroundings. It seemed like everything was blue. The grass was a bright blue color, and was covered in a powdery blue dust that flew askew whenever it was walked upon.

"Amazing!" Red declared, digging his nose into soil. "I've never even heard of anything like this."

"It's so beautiful," Tifa said, bending down and running her fingers across the grass. The blue powder fell across her finger tips. "It's so soft... and sparkely..."

Zack stomped on a patch of ground not covered with grass. "It feels like chalk," he said.

"When was the last time you walked across a ground made of chalk?" Tseng asked sarcastically, observing the distance.

Zack frowned. "I'm just making an observation," he spat.

Yuffie jumped up and down, one hand on Striker's shoulder. "Look, Striker! Look at all the pretty dust that's flying around!"

"Yeah, cut it out," Striker coughed, waving kicked up dust out of his face. "It's getting in my eyes."

Barret waved his hands in the air. "Enough about all this. Can we just a damn move on?"

Elena clasped her hands together and looked around. "But why? It's so... gorgeous. Don't you just want to take in your surroundings?"

Reno slapped a hand to his forehead. "God, Elena, please..."

Rude chuckled, shaking his head.

Cloud looked around, observing the horizons. The spacecraft had been landed in the center of a small field, but a mountain range to the east and forest to the west were clearly visible.

"Alright, here's the plan," Cloud said loudly, attempting to gather everyone's attention. "My group is heading to the east, towards those mountains. I'm hoping we can cross those mountains and find some source of life. Group 2 will head in the west, towards that forest. Get through it and keep going west if you don't find anything."

The groups stared in their directions, awed.

"Is that the sun?" Striker asked. "It's blue!"

"How is that possible?" Zack asked.

Red shrugged. "You learned in science class that stars throughout space come in a wide range of colors," he said.

Barret scratched his head. "But ain't blue stars too hot?"

"This sun must be quite a distance from the planet," Red said. "It's actually a bit chilly here."

Cloud shrugged. "I guess that means we can depart," he said. "Remember to use the PHS. It's very important."

Striker nodded. "Right," he said.

"And no funny stuff, either," Barret added, staring right at the Turks.

Reno shrugged with a laugh, and Tseng merely ignored the comment and turned away.

"Alright then," Cloud said, turning to his group. "Let's mosey."

Barret threw his arms up, and then slapped Cloud playfully in the back of his head.

"What did Cid tell your spikey ass about that?!"

Lucrecia shook her head out, feeling the rocket land.

Vincent hadn't seen her sneak on board the spacecraft. No one had. It wasn't hard, all she had to do was sneak into the cargo hold while those seemingly blind techs loaded the ship. Not that there was much of her to see anyway, as she faded more and more the longer she stayed away from her cave near Nibelhiem.

She had followed Vincent all the way to Midgar, unbeknowest to him. He had told her, that night in the cave, all about the mission he and his friends planned to carry out to travel to this planet, to find her son and those two Cetra, and to save the world from that horrible creature.

Jenova.

Jenova. The "Goddess" that had ruined her life, destroyed her world. She had taken everything from her, her husband, her lover, and her son. She never intended to marry Hojo, even that was part of the creatures horrible plan. But even before Hojo began to worship the Goddess, as he called her, Hojo had been her friend. But he turned into a monster when *she* entered their lives.

A friend, a co-worker, a man who had as much, even more interest in science as she did. She hadn't always approved of his theories, and neither had Gast, but she had always respected Hojo.

Until Jenova.

That damn she-devil alien. Lucrecia admitted to herself, she had been blinded by the Goddess as well. They all had, all except Vincent. Oh, how wonderful the Jenova Project was. She was so beautiful, so pure... how they didn't know what they were getting involved with.

It was Gast's brilliant idea to try to spawn Jenova into a child. Of course, he had never meant for Lucrecia to be the actual mother, that had been Hojo's idea. Gast's biggest mistake was leaving this project in Hojo's hands. Weak minded as he was, he had already become almost possessed by Jenova.

Jenova was no fool. Although she lay dormant, she heard and understood everything that went on in those labs... and it didn't take long for her to catch on that they were planning to bring a child from her. She loved the idea.

Hojo began acting stranger and stranger those days, and Lucrecia feared him. When he approached her, asking her to marry him, she was stunned, but for some reason, she suddenly found him irrestible. Oh, Lucrecia later found out that Jenova's cells were not only good for making sunscreens, medicines, and superhuman children... but they also could bend a person's will and confuse them.

Lucrecia found herself getting married to Hojo, completely unaware of what was going on, much to her lover Vincent's dismay. She was already pregnant by the time she realized fully what had happened, and was too set in her morals to try to get out of the marriage, carrying Hojo's child and all. Then when he approached her with the idea of using *their* child for the Project, Lucrecia was so estatic that her anger towards the situation was forgotten. After that, no one save Vincent knew that Lucrecia had not meant to marry Hojo, and she promised him to secrecy.

Angry and heartbroken, Vincent wanted the Professor's blood for tearing Lucrecia away from him. But Lucrecia wouldn't have it, she begged him to leave it be, the Project was more important.

That had been her mistake.

The months passed, and Hojo'd decieved her many times. He injected not only her child with outrageous amounts of Jenova's cells, but her as well. Lucrecia was falling ill, and Vincent tried to take her away from it all, away from the pain, the morning sickness that came even eight months into her pregnancy, the horrible treatments and shots.

But she wouldn't listen. All that mattered was the Project.

And the Goddess watched it all, laughing at her.

Lucrecia remembered the unnatural pain she felt when she gave birth to her son. Hojo hadn't been there, he came in at the very last few moments. Vincent hadn't even been allowed in. Gast was clearly worried, and Lucrecia knew if something was not done, she would die.

The nurse took the tiny baby from her body, whom Lucrecia had decided would be named Sephiroth. The baby was cleaned, and she caught a glimpse of wispy silver hair and bright green eyes before Hojo snatched the child out of the nurse's arms.

He has the Goddess's hair color... Lucrecia had thought bitterly.

Lucrecia had reached her hands out to hold the child, but Hojo shook his head and started for the door.

"Don't worry about your son, Lucrecia," he had told her. "Sephiroth will be a great man. You aren't needed anymore. You're going to die soon."

And he was gone.

Outraged, Gast had run after him, following Hojo into his private lab. Lucrecia just stared helplessly at the door, shell shocked, ignoring the nurse's attempts to comfort her. After several minutes, Lucrecia decided she would get her child.

She lept to her feet and started for the door. The nurse cried out, but Lucrecia had paid her no mind. She would get her baby away from that monster if it was the last thing she did.

Lucrecia had never got that far. The horrible pain over took her body, and blood was lost all across the floor. She saw white, then black, then a painful array of colors as she fell to the floor, splashing into her own puddle of split blood. The nurse rushed to her side, but Lucrecia, her sobs racking her body, pushed her away, screaming Sephiroth's name.

Vincent had suddenly stormed into the room, instantly falling to his knees at Lucrecia's side. He gathered her into his arms, crying for her to live. But she hadn't.

And the Goddess was laughing. Watching, and laughing.

Lucrecia was surprised to learn she wasn't dead. She awoke in a dark room, laying atop a gurney, a suffocatingly thick blanket draped over her body. She pushed it off.

The pain was unbearable.

Her abdomen cried for her missing child, her heart yearned for him. Tears flooded her face, and she fell to the floor, unable to stand. She was still bloody, and her head had felt as if it would burst.

Then came the voice.

Lucrecia's hands had flew to her ears, trying to block out the horrible sound of the Goddess's voice.

Run away... she had told her. Keep running... but you can never escape me. My cells will torture your exsistance for all eternity...

Lucrecia writhed on the floor as the creature finally extracted her horrible voice from her head. She looked up, prepared to run for her life, when she noticed something odd.

A claw.

Another gurney was set up on the opposite side of the room, and the floor all around it was covered in sickly amounts of still wet, fresh, blood. It covered the blanket that was draped over the body, it was splattered on the neighboring wall, it dripped down the sides of the gurney.

And gold claw hung out the side, peeking beneath the sheet.

Lucrecia knew this had to be Hojo's work. Ignoring the pain for a moment, she brought herself to her feet and tiptoed across the room, careful not to step in any of the sticky crimson stains littering the floor. Horribly frightened, she pulled back the sheet.

And stopped herself from screaming.

"Vincent?" she cried, her weak and pained voice failing her. "Vincent, my love?"

She tried with all her might to wake him, staring at what Hojo had done to him. He was cut up, bloodly, and... different, but he was still her Vincent. Her love.

"God, Vincent!" she had cried. "Please, get up!"

Lucrecia did not think Vincent was dead, but after trying for what seemed like hours, she realized he wasn't going to wake up for anyone, not even her. She was growing weaker, more pained, and Jenova was laughing at her in her head again.

Her tears greeted Vincent's blood on the floor. She had to get out of there.

And Lucrecia ran. She ran out of the Mansion, out of Nibelhiem, all the way to her cave.

And the Goddess laughed. The Goddess watched and laughed.

Lucrecia used a crate to gather her balance and stand. She held her arms around her body, ignoring the pounding pain in her head. Opening a hatch on the floor, Lucrecia looked at herself, realizing she wouldn't last much longer.

She slipped her narrow body through the hatch, onto the ground below the cargo hold. This planet, *Jenova's* planet, was much different from her own. The very ground she stood on was blue, in fact, it seemed everything around her was made of different shades of blue.

Lucrecia swallowed and walked south away from the rocket. She would have to be quick.

She was going to find Jenova, and kill the creature herself. She had taken everything from her, and it was her right to have the chance to destroy the evil Goddess herself.

And she would get her son. She would have Sephiroth to hold in her arms, the way she was denied, almost thirty years ago.

She shook her head, looking down at her body. Just like Vincent, she hadn't changed at all in those years. She was the same as she had been twenty - nine years ago. Perhaps that was part of her torture, immortality?

Vincent had been sentenced to that as well. At least, they could live it together.

But all Lucrecia could concern herself with now was getting her revenge on the Goddess.

"Well, I guess this begins our hike up the unknown mountain range," Cloud teased.

"Damn!" Barret yelled. "I don't want to climb no damn mountain!"

Tifa rubbed her shoulders. "Its cold up here," she said, as Cloud led the small group up the path through the mountains.

"The mountains are covered in ice," Cloud noted. "You should have brought a jacket."

"When was the last time you saw Tifa wear a jacket?" Zack asked.

Cloud shrugged, staring at the glowing ice blue colored rocks that made up the mountain. "She wears one in the winter."

Vincent picked up a stone. "Look at this," he said, showing the rock to the group.

"Oh, how beautiful!" Tifa exclaimed, carefully taking the stone from Vincent.

"Where did this come from?" Isabelle asked. "It looks like a precious gem."

Cloud took the small stone, which was glowing deep in it's center. He rolled it around in the pale, blue sunlight of Tzumron.

"Interesting."

Vincent pointed up ahead. "There's a cave to the left of the path," he said. "I think the stone must have come from there."

Tifa ran ahead and the group followed her into the cave. Vincent had been right- the cave, which walls glowed a bright, blue color, was filled with stones like the one he had found. Most of them were much larger, forming stalagtites that shot out of the ground. The entire gave seemed to pulsate with a pleasing glow from the rocks.

"Gorgeous!" Tifa cried, running her fingers down a crystal. "I wish I could take some."

"You'd better leave it," Vincent warned. "It isn't safe to just snatch up artifacts from a place like this."

Tifa frowned and put down a small rock she was holding.

"Let's get a move on," Cloud said, moving towards the exit. "Remember, we have a very important mission to see to."

"*That's* the forest?"

Striker nodded. "Yeah, I guess so, Yuffie."

Yuffie blinked as they came to the clearing that led into the forest. "The leaves... the leaves on the trees are blue!"

"And the tree trunks are white," Elena added.

"Is that so much of a surprise?" Tseng said. "The grass where we landed was blue. The ground is blue. The sun is blue. Everything we have seen is some shade of blue."

"Right," Reno added. "And brown tree trunks just don't compliment blue leaves, now do they, Elena? That's why they're white," he teased.

"Shut up, Reno!" she punched his arm.

"Enough of that," Tseng scolded. "We have to get going."

The group entered the forest, entanced by it's quiet serenity.

"I hear water," Rude said.

"I hear it too," Striker said, looking around. "Sounds like there's a river or a waterfall around somewhere."

"Perhaps a water source can lead us to civilization," Red commented.

"Oh, look!" Elena squealed, pointing up in a tree.

"Yeah, what is it?" Reno asked.

Elena reached up into the tree and grabbed a strange looking blue fruit. "Look, blue fruit!"

Yuffie looked at it. "That is so weird. Break it open."

"Be careful," Striker warned.

Elena pulled out a pocket knife and carefully sliced the fruit down the middle, breaking the two halves apart. The inside was filled with a smooth, sweet smelling blueish purple liquid, and there was a light, sparkling powder dusted inside of the fruit.

"Mmm..." Elena moaned. "Do you smell that?"

"That smells great!" Yuffie exclaimed, leaning close to the fruit.

"It does smell pretty good," Reno agreed.

"I'm going to taste it," Elena said, dipping her finger into the liquid.

"No, Elena!" Tseng yelled. "You can't just go around tasting food on a strange planet! You don't know what effect it will have on you."

"Just a little bit..." Elena argued, taking the creamy liquid on her fingers and bringing it to her lips. She rolled it on her tongue for a moment.

"Mmm!!"

"Is it good?" Yuffie asked skeptically.

"Yes!" Elena picked the fruit up and poured the rest of its contents down her throat.

"Elena!" Tseng shouted, grabbing her wrist.

Elena wiped her mouth sloppily, and staggered as if she were drunk.

"Are you alright, Elena?" Rude asked.

Elena smiled blissfully, leaned on Reno's shoulder for a moment, and passed out on the floor.

"Elena!" Tseng screamed, falling next to her own the ground.

Reno shook his head. "I'm not at all surprised."

"What's wrong with her?" Striker asked.

"I think that stuff put her to sleep," Tseng answered, noting the smile still plastered to Elena's face. "I guess now I have to carry her."

"Is she gonna be alright, Boss?" Rude asked.

Tseng hoisted Elena up over his shoulder. "Hopefully. She doesn't look too unhappy."

"We've got to be more careful from here on in," Striker said. "Come on, let's try to find that water source."

Jenova stormed into the dark room, pushing the door open so hard it slammed loudly into the wall and flew back shut in the frame. Aeris, still strapped to the gurney, craned her head back to look at Jenova.

Jenova stomped her way to Hojo's control room, pulling the door open.

"A-ha!" She yelled, pointing at Tayeko.

"What do you want?" Hojo asked nastily. "I'm in the middle of something."

"I don't care," she said, walking threateningly towards Tayeko. "I'm not happy with Sephiroth, and I'm going to take it out on her."

"Why?" Hojo asked.

"Because *she* is the reason Sephiroth is being so difficult!" She grabbed a handleful of Tayeko's hair, causing her to cry out.

Hojo looked at Jenova skeptically. "Fine, but bring her back to me unharmed."

Jenova ignored his request and led Tayeko out of the control room by her hair. Tayeko brought her hands to her head, trying to pull her hair away from Jenova's painful grip.

Aeris looked up and watched Jenova pull the screaming Tayeko out of the torture room. Her vision was blurred, but she could clearly see what was going on. Now she was alone with Hojo.

Would the nightmare ever end?

Jenova threw Tayeko to the floor in the hallway, standing over her.

"What's the deal with you and Sephiroth?" she demanded.

"What?" Tayeko asked, wiping tears from her eyes. "What do you me-"

"Don't play games with me, bitch," Jenova snarled, slapping Tayeko hard across the face. "What's going on between you and Sephiroth?"

Tayeko rubbed her sore cheek. "I love him," she cried. "And he loves me!"

"Oh, is that so?" Jenova said, folding her arms. "I guess something will just have to be done about that!" She kicked Tayeko in the stomach.

Tayeko's hands flew to her abdomen and she held back more tears. Jenova laughed.

"I love seeing you weak human and Cetra females fall to my feet," Jenova said. "You remind me of that silly lab assistant, that foolish human woman that thinks she has the right to be called Sephiroth's mother..."

"Weak?" Tayeko spat, trying to get to her feet. "I'll show you weak, monster!" She lunged foreward, attacking Jenova, surprising her. Her hands flew to the alien's neck, and she propelled them both to floor, falling on top of her, strangling her.

"Get... off... me...!!!" Jenova yelled, trying to take Tayeko's hands from her neck. "Argh!"

She used all of her strength to flip Tayeko over and get her grip off of her neck. She stood quickly and kicked Tayeko forcefully in her chest, sending her flying backward down the hallway.

"You little bitch!" Jenova screeched, stomping towards Tayeko as she tried to regain her breath. "If Hojo didn't have a decent plan for you, I'd kill you!"

Before Tayeko could move, Jenova had grabbed her by hair and began to drag her down the hallway. She tried to stand, but couldn't gain her footing as she slid down the smooth, cold, steel floor of the hallway.

Jenova stopped near a doorway and pushed it open, and Tayeko began to stand, her hair still in Jenova's grip.

"Get in there!" Jenova yelled, shoving Tayeko into a small, dark room. "You don't know how lucky you are," she said. "Now you can stay in here until Hojo's ready for you! And when he's done, you can be sure that I will rip you apart, just as I'm going to do that little green eyed bitch!" she slammed the door, and Tayeko could hear her heels clicking down the hallway.

Tayeko fell to the floor and began crying, holding her face in her hands. Where was Sephiroth? Was she going to die like this?

Tayeko lay against the cold floor, and cried herself to sleep.

Cloud stepped outside the cave, looking around carefully.

"You hear that?" he asked Tifa.

"Sounds like voices," she said.

"Damn! Somebody's comin'!" Barret announced, raising his gun arm in precaution. "What do we do?"

Cloud put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I don't know who that is," he said.

"Do you think it's Tzumarians?" Zack asked.

"I believe so," Vincent. "I can hear them clearly."

"How is that?" Barret asked. "I can't hear 'em that good."

"Thanks to Hojo, my hearing is far more advanced than yours."

"Mak du fahn!"

The group turned to look up ahead on the path in the mountains, where a group, an army of human like creatures stood. They were built like humans, and had human faces, but their skin was blue, and purple colored viens shone on their bodies, except for their faces. They all had average sized, purple wings, and their hair ranged in strange colors. They wore unifoms, which were covered in intricate designs, and they carried strange looking weapons.

One, who was apparently the leader, stepped foreward. His uniform was purple, and adorned a red sash, where as the others wore black. His hair was a bright purple, cropped right above his shoulders. He walked over to Cloud.

"Don che hajeda?"

Cloud scratched his head and looked at his comrades. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't understand you. Are you a Tzumarian?"

The leader looked at his troops and laughed. He turned back to Cloud.

"Don che hajeda? Caz de sale corf!"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't understand. We're trying to find Jenova, we have to destroy her and find our friends-"

"Jenova? Asty fed foman!" The leader shouted, grabbing Cloud by his collar. "Gomen trat!!"

Whatever he said, was obviously a command, because the troops behind him raced foreward towards Cloud's team. Taking them by surprise, the grabbed them, trying to restrain them. Vincent was not as swift as he would have liked, as a Tzumarian grabbed both his arms and tied them together. Barret cursed and yelled as the same was done to him. Tifa was kicking and screaming as a large Tzumarian lifted her up and tossed her onto his shoulder. Another grabbed Isabelle by her legs and picked her up, and Zack found his wrists tied as well, a Tzumarian pushing him in his back, forcing him to walk. The leader took Cloud's sword and tied his wrist as well, also pushing him to walk.

"Where are you taking us?" Cloud asked angrilly.

"Van!" the leader yelled, his wings opening. He flew into the air, scooped Cloud into his arms, and began to fly north.

"Cloud!" Tifa screamed from the ground.

Tifa cried out again as her own abductor took to the sky, pulling her with her. High above the ground, kicking and screaming, she watched she and her friends were carried away.

Striker led his group deeper into the forest, the sound of rushing water growing closer. They came to a clearing, where beyond a shore, made of pale blue sand, a river flowed. The air became heavy with mist as they continued, till it got to the point where it was hard to see.

"Look!" Yuffie pointed, running out onto the shore. "Look at this water!" she exclaimed. "It's so blue!"

"All water is blue," Reno said dully.

"Not so," Red informed him, reaching his paw out to touch the cool water. "Most water is clear, and then there are green and brown colored-"

"Whatever," Reno cut him off.

Striker looked around. "Well, I don't see how we're going to cross it," he said. "And we can't just walk upstream forever..."

"Perhaps we can build some sort of raft to float across," Tseng suggested, laying Elena's still sleeping form on the soft sand.

"We could use some wood from the forest," Red added.

"I'll get some," Rude said, turning back to the forest.

"Wait a minute," Striker said, holding his hand up. "I see a light up ahead."

Sure enough, down the river, a bright light shone through the thick fog. It slowly grew closer, until Striker and his team could make out a small boat with a person rowing in it.

"What?" Yuffie asked in confusion. "There are people here?"

"Magjon!" a woman's voice in the boat shouted at them.

Striker shrugged. "I don't understand that," he said.

The boat pulled up to the shore, and finally the group was able to make out the just who the figure on the boat was. She obviously wasn't human, though she had the body and face of one, as her skin was blue in color.

Her long hair was pure white, fashioned into a low braid, and her eyes pink in color. Two large, purple wings protruded from her back, though they were tucked behind her. She wore a tight fitting sleevless top that cut right above her belly, and a long skirt that was covered in bright designs. Her abdomen was tatted with strange markings, as where her arms.

"Magjon?" she said again.

Yuffie went to the Conformer. "A Tzumarian," she whispered. "What should we do?"

Striker exchanged looks with Tseng before turning back to the Tzumarian female in the boat. "I don't understand you," he said slowly.

The woman giggled, carefully stepping out of her boat. Her feet were bare, and she had glittering gold anklets that adored her legs, matching the bracelets she wore on her wrists. Her long, flowing skirt moved with the misty breeze as she walked.

"Why didn't you say so?" she suddenly said, walking closer.

Reno blinked. "I understood that..." he said.

Striker stepped forward. "You... you understand us?"

The Tzumarian giggled again, her jewelry jingling as she laughed. "Yes. You are humans, correct?"

Striker nodded skeptically.

"We know alot about your people," she continued. "Though none have ever traveled here.... Oh, what is wrong with this young woman?" She pointed to Elena, who was still laying on the floor.

"She ate some fruit back in that forest, and now she won't wake up," Tseng explained.

"Oh! She ate fruit from the Forgotten Forest?" the Tzumarian woman shook her head. "You must get her to Cepas, and get the medicine to reverse the effects."

"Cepas?" Red repeated.

The woman looked down at him, not having noticed him before. "Why, what are you? We never learned of creatures like you."

"I am from the race of Guardians of Cosmo Canyon," Red explained.

The woman tilted her head. "Cepas is the main city on Tzumron," she explained. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Vesta. She bowed.

Striker nodded. "I'm Striker, and this is Yuffie, Red XIII, Tseng, Reno, Rude, and the one on the floor is Elena.

Vesta bowed to the others. "A pleasure to meet you all, as one would say on your planet."

Yuffie swallowed. "She's being awfully nice," she whispered. "I wouldn't expect that."

"I think we have a misconception about Tzumarians thanks to Jenova," Red said.

"What?" Vesta said. "Did you just say Jenova?"

The group merely looked at one another.

"Uh..." Striker stammered. "Jenova's kind of the reason we're here," he explained. "She's recked havoc on our planet, and now she's run off with three of our comrades and a mad scientist from our Planet, and she's up to something."

Vesta folded her hands and held them to her lips. "I had heard the rumor that Jenova had returned to Tzumron," she said. "This is serious... I can take you to Cepas. There are others like me who can help you.

Striker looked at the others for support.

"Do it," Tseng said. "We need to get to this city."

Striker nodded and turned back to Vesta. "I just need to make a quick call, he said. She looked at him strangly but nodded as he pulled the PHS and began dialing.

A few moments later, Striker slapped the device shut and turned back to the group. "Cloud isn't answering his PHS," he said.

"What? Why not?" Yuffie demanded.

"Maybe something happened," Reno said.

"Nothing happened!" Yuffie insisted, the worry in her voice showing more than she intended. "Maybe it just doesn't work!"

Striker turned back to Vesta. "We still have to keep up our part of the mission, no matter what happens," he said. "Please, take us to Cepas."

The beautiful creature smiled and walked back to her boat. "Come this way," she told them.

Cid stretched out, propping his legs on the control panel.

"It's fucking boring," he muttered to himself.

Cait bounced into the control room. "I heard that, Mr. Highwind!" he said. "Watch your mouth!"

Cid got up and chased the stuffed cat out of the cockpit.

"Goddamnit, Cait!" he yelled.

Reeve turned in his seat from were he was reading a book. "Cait, are you bothering Cid again?"

Cait jumped off his moogle, leaping onto a seat. "I was only teasing!"

"Leave me the hell alone," Cid growled, lighting a cigarette and falling into a row of seats in the front.

"Randy, I don't want to play Blackjack anymore," Kat sighed from where she and Randy sat on the floor.

"Why not?" Randy asked, putting his hands up. "Am I not good enough for you?"

Kat put her head in her hands. "You're actually quite annoying," she said.

Rufus started laughing from where he sat in the back.

Randy made a face. "Well fine, Miss Kat!" he spat, picking his cards up. "I'll just go talk to Reeve, since I'm obviously not wanted around here!" He stuck his tongue out at her and walked over to Reeve, slapping him on the back and interrupting his reading.

Kat shook her head and sighed again. Randy had been getting on her last nerve for the past four and a half hours, and they had gone excrutiatly slow. He hadn't let her sleep, eat, or even think in peace. She wanted to scream.

"Want some *normal* company?"

Kat looked up. Rufus was standing above her, a cool smile on his face and a box tucked under his arm. He slowly bent down, and sat where Randy had been.

Kat blinked, looking into his ice blue eyes. "Uh... sure."

Rufus smiled and set the box down between them, pushing the cards out of the way. "Tired of cards? How bout a game of chess?"

Kat's eyes lit up. "Oh, chess!? I love chess!"

Rufus grinned and began setting the board up. "Yes, us high society folk are more accustomed to intelligent games like chess, not street card games like Blackjack."

Hearing the comment, Randy motioned an obscene hand gesture to Rufus.

Kat was drooling again. First it was Striker, then it was Reno. Now she was making eyes at Rufus, who was really considered a "bad guy" by the others.

"You may go first," he told her. "So, tell me, what did your parents do?"

Kat moved her peice. "My mother didn't work, but my father owned a lawfirm based in Junon. He was President Shin-Ra's top attorney."

"Hmmm..." Rufus thought, moving his peice as well. "What was his name?"

"Maxwell McFadden."

Rufus' eyes went wide. "Maxwell McFadden was your father?!"

Kat nodded. "Yes," she said.

"I'm sorry," Rufus said quietly. "He was killed by Joshua Haxfeild, the Shin-Ra employee that was really working as a spy for an anti-Shin-Ra force."

"Yes, I know," Kat answered.

"Kat!" Cait suddenly screamed. "Reeve said not to get involved with that scumbag Rufus!"

Reeve set his book down. "I did *not* say that," he argued. "Though it's not a bad idea..."

"Just shut up, Reeve," Rufus said. "Now, my dear, it's your go."

Kat blushed and moved her peice.

Cid picked his head up from where it lay on the armrest of a seat and looked around curiously. "You hear that?" he said.

"What is it?" Reeve asked.

Cid sat up and scratched his head. "I dunno. Sounds like marching."

"I hear it," Randy said, going to the window. "Oh, shit! Look at this!"

Cid ran to the window, and was stunned at what he saw. Outside were about twenty people, though they weren't human. They were all males, and looked like humans, with slightly bigger frames. However, their skin was blue, and their hair came in colors Cid expected to see only on someone like Randy. They wore uniforms, strange ones at that, and all carried odd looking weapons.

"What in fucking hell's name is going on?" Cid yelled. "Who the hell are those weird looking MFer's?"

Reeve blinked, staring out the window in disbelief. "Tzumarians, perhaps?"

Kat stood close to Rufus in fear. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

Cid paced, cursing a blue streak. "Why the hell is this happening to me? My goddamn group! I just knew those bastards would come here, I knew it!"

There was the sound of banging outside the ship.

"Uh oh, they're trying to get in," Randy stated the obvious, still looking out the window. "They don't look too happy."

Cid grabbed a cigarette and lit it, quickly sucking on it and taking in the nicotine. "I don't know what the fuck to do," he said. "They've out numbered us. We sure as hell can't go out there, but if we stay in here, they'll just break down the goddamned door!"

"Why don't we see what they want?" Cait said, prancing towards the door.

"They'll try to kill us!" Reeve exclaimed.

Cid continued to pace. "Maybe Cait's right," he said. "Maybe at least if we hear them out we might have a fucking clue as what to do." He began to open the exit, and pulled the lever that lowered the ramp.

"Oh, God!" Reeve cried, putting his head to his lap.

Rufus took Kat's hand. "Stay close to me, it'll be fine," he told.

Kat nodded and stood behind him, though she wasn't sure if his reassurance did anything for her.

"Let's see what they want, Highwind!" Randy shouted, following Cid halfway down the ramp.

Cid and Randy quickly scanned the crowd of what they gathered were Tzumarian soldiers of some sort. They were more human like in appearance than they first thought, only their skin, wings, and hair setting them apart.

"Don che hejada?" One in the front suddenly yelled, pushing his wild, bright yellow hair of of his eyes.

Cid blinked. "What? What the fuck did you just say?"

The Tzumarians looked at each other and began laughing.

"Don che hejada? Mak du fahn!"

Cid looked at Randy, who merely shrugged.

"I don't think they speak English, man," he said.

Cid rolled his eyes and turned back to the Tzumarians. "What in the hell are you trying to say? I can't understand this gibberish talk of yours!"

Reeve, Cait, Rufus and Kat slowly walked onto the ramp, looking out at the group of alien creatures, which were very much similiar to themselves. The Tzumarians looked at them and began whispering amoungst themselves.

"What's going on?" Reeve asked quietly.

"I haven't got the slightest fucking idea-" Cid was cut off when one of the Tzumarians suddenly flew into the air, grabbed him by his waist and began flying north.

"Hey!" Cid screamed. "Put me the fuck down!"

Their screaming couldn't prevent a similar fate, and Randy, Reeve, Cait, Kat and Rufus were all lifted and taken into the air, off their guard, by one of the Tzumarian soldiers.